On the Runs On Espresso podcast this month I talked about running and strength training. It seemed like a good time to show you my home gym. Or rather my home gym corners. 🤣 I’ve been slowly collecting items over the years. My gym grows as I do. Plus, then you only spend a little at a time! And that allows you to watch for good deals on equipment!
Not everything I have is something you will need or want. It will give you an idea of where to start. And if you start building a similar home gym you will be able to most, if not all, strength programs. About the only items I really want are a squat rack and Olympic bar and plate. But even with dumbbells, I can do plenty of squats!
I mentioned my home gym corners… that’s because my gym is now in three corners of my living room. It is nice because I can still hang with the family, watch TV, and work out. Several years from now, I will convert our guest room into a gym and get that squat rack and Olympic bar but this will do in the meantime.
Let’s talk about equipment!
I will link to as many of the items as I can. Any Amazon links will be Amazon Associate links and I may receive a commission if you purchase through the link.
In this corner, we have… a stationary bike! It’s great for cardio cross training especially when I don’t wanna go out and run in the heat. It’s nothing fancy because I didn’t want to spend a lot of money if I wasn’t sure I’d use it much. It’s not a bad bike but someday I think I’d like to replace it with a treadmill.
In the next corner, we have the non-weight-type items. Everything from a yoga mat to a variety of resistance bands. My most used items are the yoga mat since I use it as a workout mat for weights and plyo. Yoga blocks are also handy for floor exercises to support my neck. The plyo box is great for jumps, step-ups, a seat, and holder of weights, notebook, or phone.
I also use the different resistant bands and slingshot for a lot of my strength training.
And in the last corner, we have ALL the weights! I have two different weights for kettlebells and medicine balls, which seem to work well for me. I have invested mostly in a variety of dumbbells from eight pounds up to 35 and that seems to cover all my needs. I have purchased these over time, as I’ve moved up in weights.
I also invested in a basic bench and dumbbell rack that holds most of my weights.
And that is my home gym! It’s nothing fancy. The weights don’t match. But I can do almost all strength/weight training exercises with it. If I come across one I can’t do, I can usually find a suitable modification. You don’t need a ton of weights or fancy equipment. You don’t need to spend hundreds out of the gate. Start with a couple of dumbbells and some resistance bands and you can get started!
Then, just add as you go. You find deals at Target and Amazon. All of my equipment came from those two places. If you want to find used equipment, check resale places like Play it Again Sports or, if you’re brave, Facebook Marketplace or Craig’s List (is that still a thing??). Many people buy equipment, use it once or twice, then it sits for a while until they decide to unload it. Ohhh, maybe garage or rummage sales could be a good spot too!
What will you grab first to start your home gym? Let me know in the comments!
Be sure to follow me on Instagram where I share my workouts and YouTube where I talk fitness and running!
June saw me get back on track for books! I finished four in June! I’m still behind on my annual goal. I should have finished around 26 by now but I’ve only gotten through 21. I think the library’s summer reading challenge helped me get through some books! I love a challenge that has prizes! 😆
How are you coming on your reading goal? Are you on track? What’s your favorite been so far?
Tiny Pretty Things (Book 1) and Shiny Broken Pieces (Book 2) by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton
☕☕☕
High schoolers at a prestigious New York ballet school treat each other like shit to hopefully secure a spot at the company after graduating.
There is almost too much drama in this book. I like some drama, some pettiness but this was over the top. When a second student gets severely injured the school is like ok, we will do something about it but shockingly do very little.
I read book one and gave it three coffees. It’s an ok read. Am I mad I read it? No. Would I read it again? Nope. I did want to finish the story so grabbed book two as an audiobook from the library. I didn’t want to spend money on it. The ending was satisfactory but book two was more of the same drama. They fucked around, found out, and gave no shits.
Will I still watch the Netflix series? Yes. Because I think this would make for a good, over-the-top soap opera-like drama. Would I recommend this book series? Maybe. It’s a little over the top. It’s not one that you can’t put down but you do want to find out who will do what next.
The Bookwoman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
☕☕☕☕
Years after the events of The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek we head back to Kentucky and meet Honey, the bookwoman’s 16-year-old daughter. After a series of events, she finds herself alone and needs to find a way to survive. She has the opportunity to start her mother’s old book route up and grabs the opportunity.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I gave it four coffees instead of five because it is very similar to the first book in the series. And the overuse of “much obliged”. After the first chapter, I never wanted to read that saying again! I fell in love with all the new characters and was happy to see old friends show up. I definitely did not want to put this one down and read it quickly.
I would recommend both The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek and The Bookwoman’s Daughter if you like strong female leads and historical fiction.
Cute Hand Lettering by Cindy Guentert-Baldo
☕☕☕☕☕
Have you ever seen signs at stores or restaurants with cool handwriting and thought, “I wish I could do that”? Well, you can! It takes some guidance and practice but anyone can write like that!
In Cute Hand Lettering, Cindy Guentert-Baldo walks you through the basics to more advanced lettering. It’s easy to follow and has plenty of room to practice in the book. Although, I can’t write in books so I’ve been practicing in a dot grid notebook.
If you are looking for a hand lettering book, this one might be for you! I’ve read a few others in the past but for some reason, it just clicked for me with Cindy’s book (I can call her Cindy, I watch her youtube 😝).
It felt great to read four books again this month! I hope to keep it up in July!
We have reached peak time of year for vacations! And we all want to make sure we capture all the fun family time. But how will you get the best photos ever when all you have is a cell phone?
Don’t worry, I got you.
No matter if you have an iphone or android you can use these tips. It’s not about the camera, it’s about how you use it. What makes a good photo? A lot of things.
For a technically good photo you will want:
You want to make sure your subject is in focus. If your family is the subject they will need to be in focus. If you are capturing the dramatic landscape, you will want it all in focus.
Your brightness to be right, not too dark, not too bright.
Watch out for distracting junk. If there’s a stick in the front that keeps drawing your eye, move it. If something is too big (or you don’t want to move nature) try a different angle. Take a step to the side. Go higher or lower.
Make sure your horizon is straight. No one wants to look out into the ocean and have to tilt their head.
And a few tips to create some eye-popping images:
Look for the best light. I know it’s not everyone’s favorite time of day but sunrise has some of the best light for photos! If you can’t drag yourself out of bed, you can always create amazing photos at sunset too! High noon is the worst time for photos so avoid if you can. And cloudy days? The best for shooting all day long!
Make sure your photo, or photos, tell a story. Why are you taking this photo? What do you want it to say or represent? Personally, I like candid shots of my friends and family as I think you get more story than with a posed shot. You can always take those too but make sure to get some of your kids exploring the lake!
Keep it simple. Have you heard the saying from Coco Chanel about putting on whatever accessories you want and then removing one? Think about that when comprising your shot.
And keeping with that simple, find an interesting composition. Don’t place your human subject in the center of the photo. Put them to one side. If you have a big blue sky with no clouds, out it in the top third and let your mountain or flower dominate the frame.
And lastly, we are going to edit our photos! Don’t worry, I promise you don’t need to learn Photoshop! As with accessories and things in your image, less is more with editing. One of my favorite mobile editing apps is Adobe’s Lightroom. It’s free in the app store and super easy to use for basic edits. I’ve also used Google Snapseed in the past and it also works well!
Where to start? Once you’ve opened the app and loaded your photos, tap the photo you want to edit.
Click the auto. It is a great starting point, especially if you have never edited photos before.
Click color next. It will say white balance as shot. If you want you can click the drop-down and try auto. Don’t like that? Go back to as shot (these phones do a pretty great job with white balance).
Click effects and scroll down to vignette. I like to do between -10 and -15. You don’t want too much but darkening the corners a tad really highlights your subject.
Click detail and slide the sharpening over. For people stick to around 35. For landscapes, you can do 45-65.
Optional: Click optics and turn on remove chromatic aberration and enable lens corrections. Usually, Lightroom will do a good job of selecting your correct phone and lens but if it looks wonky, you can change the phone & lens. Or turn it off.
And done! Now you have an edited photo you can save to your phone or share to email, social media, and other places! That’s not so bad huh?
Would you like me to do a video walking through a simple Lightroom mobile edit? Let me know in the comments!
Where are you traveling this summer? Will you try to get some great photos and edit them? Join The Desert Adventurer Group and ask any questions you may have for me and/or share your best travel photos! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, Erin Condren joined forces with Star Wars to bring a new hope to all planners and young padawans. This collection has it all, light. Darkness. A balance. The Force, it’s calling to you. Just let it in and get some of these amazing back to school supplies!
I’m a Planner. School Supplies are part of my religion.
(Ok, that is enough Star Wars quotes… for now. I can’t make any promises that more won’t pop up.)
Note: I received this collab box from Erin Condren as part of their affiliate program. I was gifted these items but all opinions are my own.
This collection has something for everyone whether you are heading back to school or just going into the office. Because who says our day jobs need to be boring?! Toss those bic pens aside and make room for the new Star Wars rectangle pens. The set of nine pens come in a plastic container you could use to store them on your desk. Each pen is a different color and has a Star Wars icon and saying on it. For example, the black barrel has Darth Vader and Fulfill Your Destiny on it. In true EC fashion, these are all black ball point pens. They are also extremely lightweight and a little awkward to hold at first. They are super cute though and will look great on your desk or when you pull them out of your planny pack or pencil case.
Pens & Planny pack
Pencil pouch and pen
You read that right! There is a Star Wars planny pack! The Alliance planny pack features the rebel symbol as the zipper pull, which looks amazing, too bad they did not add it to the pencil case too! The planny pack font is reminiscent of the 70’s, like a nod to when the original movies came out. This is the new ultimate planny pack and unzips on two sides, has an outside pocket on the front, and two interior pockets. Nothing bad to say about the planny pack! They are so versatile and with the elastic band can go on several different notebooks or planners.
The pencil pouch has the same Alliance pattern as the planny pack but with the regular EC zipper pull. These are usually customizable to add your name in the lower right hand corner. It looks like there is a small spot for your name. Inside is the same as all the other pencil pouches, a flap with five pen loops on each side and a large, open lower compartment for everything else you need to carry. You can put smaller sticky notes, scissors, small iphones, and other items in there!
You can’t go wrong carrying your work or school pens in either the planny pack or pencil pouch. The planny pouch can be used when you only want to carry your notebook or planner since it can be attached to the cover. The pencil pouch is perfect to tote your supplies in your backpack or work tote!
No, no, the red one. Show me the red stickers.
Oh yes, there are more stickers in this release! Who doesn’t need (want) more stickers?! And this time we even get washi! The sticker book is already out but it is still amazing. Any Star Wars planner should have this book. We get a four pack of washi that will be perfect to decorate all your Star Wars notebooks and planners. The four patterns are Grogu/Mandalorian on teal, holographic rebel symbol on burgundy, Millennium Falcon/X Wing Fighters/Tie Fighters on peach, and gold character outlines on black. I would have liked to see a deep blue instead of peach but overall these washis are gorgeous and will be a great edition to your washi lineup!
All the stickers! And washi!
There’s two more EC standard sticker sheets, one in the Rebel Alliance print and the other featuring Boba Fett. These sheets are perfect for a weekly planner but can also be used in a daily duo. It takes a little work but you can cover two to four days with one sheet. The alliance sheet came in black and a light tan. At the time of publishing, I don’t know if the colors can be personalized. The Boba Fett sheet has a cool ombre effect with green, orange and red. This sticker sheet is gorgeous.
And it goes well with Bobba Fett list pad! The listpad continues the ombre effect and has Boba in the corner. You will receive two packs of 25 each with the signature EC 80lb paper. The only drawback is making sure you have a pen that will show up well on this pad. A black gel pen or dual tip marker will probably show up well. A white gel pen may also work, especially on the darker red at the top. It comes in dot grid, lined, or blank. It should also be available in the notepad size.
The notepad is the alliance pattern in lined and was personalized with choose your destiny. You will be able to leave it blank or add your own. May I suggest I’d just as soon kiss a wookie? THe notepads also come in a two pack of 25 sheets of that gorgeous 80lb paper. You can choose from a medium (6×8.5”) or large (8.5×11”).
List pads are perfect for grocery shopping and errands and can easily fit in your purse. It’s also perfect when you’ve got a lot of extra work and need more room than your planner can handle. The notepads will look great on your desk and are perfect for project planning or writing out instructions for a co-worker.
List pad shown with pens
Notepad shown with pens, washi & previously released sticky note set
The new universal snap-in dashboard will fit both A5 and 7×9. You can use wet or dry erase and use it over and over! It is shorter and wider than previous version, which is actually quite nice. The dashboard is a deep green with silver accent, which is awesome! Too often planner items are gold and not everyone likes gold. The front has priorities and to do while the back is the days of the week. It would be nice if the days of the week were on the front instead. It would be more helpful in the daily duo especially if the week was on the front side.
Snap in dashboard with planny pack, stickers, and pens
Snap in dashboards are a great way to stay organized at school or work. You can put your assignment or project priorities and tasks on the front and due dates on the back. Or you can keep your personal appointments on the weekly side for an easy glance when planning out work or school projects!
We are finally getting to the main events! Up first, these gorgeous vegan leather notebooks. Notebooks have five interior options: lined (as seen here), dot grid, productivity, sketch, and graph. The notebooks all have the 80lb paper. The Star Wars vegan leather notebooks have a beautiful design on the cover and inside the front/back. You can choose from Darth Vader, his signature red lightsaber ready for battle, or white with the gold outline of all of our original rebel heroes.
Vegan leather Darth Vader notebook
Vegan leather Alliance notebook
Notebooks are perfect for taking notes in class or when watching videos to increase your knowledge base. They are perfect for getting your thoughts out as a journal. Or maybe you’ve got a busy week and need to write down everything you need to do. Notebooks are also great for writing outlines or rough drafts of papers or blogs and videos. You can never have too many notebooks!
New this year is the three-subject notebook! EC offered an A5 three-subject notebook in the last warehouse sale but this one is better! One, it’s Star Wars and two, it’s perfect for work projects or school! This one is 7×9, and check out this fun cover! It is an interchangeable cover so you can swap out covers as you feel like it! And if you aren’t a fan of the cover it comes with you can grab a Boba Fett interchangeable cover! He gets the cool ombre again with some speckling. It feels very 90s-ish.
Three Subject Notebook
Boba Fett Interchangeable cover
The pages are Star Wars theme. We start with an R2D2 line page then a tabbed divider. On the other side of the divider is a dashboard! It’s quite similar to the lifeplanner dashboard. After the dashboard is a bunch of lined pages with R2 hanging in the corner.
Next we have Yoda on a dot grid page, an orange divider, and another dashboard followed by several dot grid pages with Yoda. Lastly, we have a graph page with Wicket W Warrick, a seafoam green tab, dashboard, and a bunch of graph pages with Wicket. In the very back is a set of rebel alliance ombre stickers! These should also be the stickers in the back of all the Star Wars notebooks instead of the regular functional flags.
The next item is for all the young padawans out there. It is the first ever Star Wars Kid planner and it is super cute! It comes with ab adorable interchangeable cover. The first section is titled all about me and your child can fill in all the important stuff like name, favorite color, hobbies, and even spots to draw! There is also a reading log, goal tracker, allowance tracker (always important to know what droids you can afford), what I’m saving for, and books I want to read.
Kid’s Planner
Next up is 12 months so young padawans can keep track of their busy lives and training schedules! They are undated but don’t worry! EC has included all the stickers needed to label everything!
Each month starts with a drawing prompt and dashboard followed by a calendar, monthly wrap up and activity. Each sticker page has the month for the calendar and tabs, date dots, functional flags (and holidays), and cute decorative characters that go with each section. They also included a sheet of mini months to help figure out the date dots! The only drawback is the plastic coil. Will it hold up to the wear and tear of young padawans?
Lastly is the Star Wars academic planner. This was actually released earlier this year. It is different because it actually carries the Star Wars design through the planner! It is the theme! This one came with the alliance interchangeable cover, personalized with choose your destiny.
When you open it up, you see the name page with a dot design that is carried throughout the planner. The mini month pages are a gorgeous ombre blue with the dot pattern. We have two pages of class schedule and a notes page. Notice the Death Star? The design is seen on all the notes pages and has a hand-stamped look.
Academic planner shown with snap in dashboard and sticker sheet
The monthly dividers all have their own theme and quote. The theme is carried through the weeks in the upper corners. We get the monthly calendar, a dashboard with goals and events followed by a projects and exams page. The weeks are horizontal and each day is divided into three sections, two lined and one to do section. Saturday and Sunday share a horizontal space and each day gets two sections, one lined and one to do. Each month has five total note pages. In the back is a set of Star Wars themed functional stickers pre-printed with academic tasks.
Although this is geared as an academic planner, it could be used for work, project planning, or home projects. It would also work as a regular life planner if you don’t need a lot of room for the weekends. The stickers will not be of much use for non-academic use except the Vacation and Read ones.
Erin Condren has knocked it out of the park with the latest Star Wars collection. It’s geared as back to school but really could be used at school, home, or work. There are always things we won’t like with products but overall this collection is amazing and I’d have bought most of it if I wasn’t sent this box. The only thing I would not have paid for is the kid’s planner because I have no kids. Although, I still want an adult version! I honestly tried to figure out a way I could repurpose for myself and had nothing!
I was planning to order the academic planner because I love the Star Wars interior. Now I need to figure out what to use it for!
What is your favorite item from the Star Wars back to school collection? What are you going to grab on July 6th?
Ready to shop? The new Star Wars line drops on 7/6 so be sure to head over to Erin Condren (affiliate link) that day! I’d love if you used my affiliate link. I will receive a commission when you buy through my link and it won’t affect your experience at all!
Want to see everything in action? Head over to YouTube and watch my matching back to school video!
We are halfway through the year! That means it is time for a mid-year goal review.
If you haven’t been checking in with your goals now is the perfect time to do a mid-year goal review. Why should you take the time to pull out that goal list and see where you’re at? Why not wait until the end of the year and see what you accomplished? You know you’re on track. You’ve been writing out your action steps for every month!
But have you been referring back to your original goals and planning based on those goals or are you looking at what you did last week, last month, and then determining what you need to get done?
It’s ok if you’ve been doing the latter.
We all get busy and sometimes forget what our goals are or what needs to be done to achieve them. This is why a mid-year refresh is perfect! Besides making sure we are on track, we want to make sure your goals are still relevant. Life changes and sometimes goals need to change too. Maybe something just isn’t working for you right now and you need to adjust.
The first thing we need to do is pull out those goals we made way back in January. Got em? Great. Look at them and celebrate your progress, no matter how small! We always want to celebrate our wins!
Then, take a look at them and ask yourself, are all of these still relevant? Am I on track with where I’d like to be? What has been working for me? And what’s no longer working? It’s totally OK to drop, add, or change goals as our lives change.
Do you need to set any new goals?
There are lots of programs to help you set goals in all areas of your life. If you follow MakseLIfe or Level 10 Life, grab those sheets and compare where you are at to where you want to be in those categories. If you aren’t following a program, take some time to reflect on what else you’d like to achieve this year. If it helps, re-write the goals you want to carry forward and add any new goals.
Once you have decided which goals you want to work on over the next six months, you gotta determine your action plan. What steps are you going to take to reach these goals? What adjustments do you need to make in your life? For each goal, create a general plan of how you will get from point A to point B. Then start figuring out the smaller steps you will need to do.
Go grab your calendar or planner because it’s time to start putting in the work!
Pick a date at the end of September to check in with your goals. Do the same with December. Now you have two quarterly check-ins on your calendar! Next, plan a time at the start of each month to decide what you will be working on each month. It will make it easier when you plan your week if you have a list of things you want to accomplish during the month. A lot of goal programs have monthly and/or quarterly reviews. Make sure to make time for these reviews as well. They can help keep you on track!
When you are setting up your week, you can decide which days you want to do the action items you came up with. And don’t forget to review the previous week! Do you have tasks that need to migrate to this week? Make sure to add them! Does your goal program have a weekly review? Do that before you start your planning session!
You will want to make sure to review your planner at least once a day. If you check in the morning, review what you want to get done that day. If you review in the evening, look at the next day and note what you have on your calendar. Even better if you can check in a few times a day!
Maybe you only work on your goals on your days off. Maybe you put in a little work every day, on your lunch hour, during your commute, after work, whenever. The point is, put it on your calendar so you are more likely to remember to do it.
What were your goals for this year? Are you doing a mid-year goal review? How are they coming along? Are you making any changes? Let’s chat about our goals in the comments!
Head over to YouTube to watch my latest video where I go through my goals from January, decide what gets kicked to the curb (for now), and what I want to add. Plus, I’ll be sure to update my planner to help keep me on track!
The most basic definition of conservation photography is using photography to advocate for conservation causes. But isn’t that just landscape, nature, or wildlife photography? It can be but conservation photography focuses more on educating and changing behaviors or taking action.
When most people think about conservation they think of saving the rainforest. Or helping an endangered animal but it is much deeper than that.
We need to take care of the humans too.
You may be wondering what social issues and conservation have to do with each other. A lot. And we are only just starting to really look at the intersection of these issues. Marginalized individuals are more likely to suffer because of climate change. How? Drought. Extreme weather. Food insecurity. Loss of land. Loss of biodiversity. Spread of disease. Everyone is affected by climate change but those of us in rich nations, with money, have the resources to better deal with issues.
In poor and/or minority neighborhoods you are more likely to see power plants, toxic waste disposal sites, and oil refineries. Many in these neighborhoods end up sick or dying because of their exposure to these things. John Oliver recently covered a few of these issues on his show. You can watch the clip here.
How does photography help conservation causes?
Photography can open people’s eyes to what is going on around the world. People remember photos. They don’t always remember a caption or article. If someone said, remember that photo of the little girl in Hiroshima? You probably can see that in your mind, it’s impactful.
Helping to tell others’ stories to effect change is vital.
Conservation photography can help start the conversation. It can shock us into working for change. But we have to be willing to really see, to read the caption on that image or the article that accompanies it. Often we blindly scroll social media and like or heart photos that pop up. How often do you take the time to actually read the caption? How often do you take a moment to really reflect on what you’re seeing?
We need to slow down, open our eyes, and step up for the earth.
Will you take the time to really read what photographers are telling you on Instagram or will you keep blindly scrolling? Will you find ways you can help with conservation cause you truly care about? You don’t need to spend money to help. You can volunteer if you have time. You can read their newsletters, and blogs and share them online. Maybe they are looking for donated items.
Take a moment to do something today. It can be as simple as retweeting an article.
You can where I share more about photography, conservation, and other similar topics.
Back in February, I decided to stop doing book reviews because no one seemed to care. But I miss my book posts. Thankfully I haven’t read much in the past few months. According to Goodreads, I am four books behind on my annual goal!
Book links are Amazon Associate Links. I may receive a commission if you purchase the book.
I was diagnosed with ADHD in March. I read this book to learn a bit more. It was well-written but most of the stuff in there were things I was already doing. I feel there is always something to take away and I would recommend this book to those newly diagnosed.
I absolutely loved this book but I have been a Twyla Tharp fan ever since I can remember. It was well written and explores creativity. It isn’t only about dance but of course, she speaks about a lot of her experiences that involve dance. It was fun learning more about her process and how she came to create some of her famous dances. There are also lots of activities to help you be more creative. I would recommend to those looking to boost their creativity.
Oh boy! This was quite the book! I absolutely loved it and look forward to reading more from Celeste Ng. It was very well written, interesting, and a page-turner. This one went back on my shelf because it is one I would re-read. I would definitely recommend this one to everyone. I haven’t watched the Hulu series yet but it is on my list.
This was a cute romantic comedy. I read it quickly and enjoyed the characters. It was your typical rom-com of girl meets boy, girl hates boy, girl falls in love with boy. I gave it three stars because it was pretty formulaic but the characters were fun. I would recommend to people who like romcoms.
April
This is where I slowed down a bit and focused on some fiction to try and get my groove back!
My Money My Way was an easy read. Kumiko Love shares her journey, and others, journey to financial freedom. I am probably biased, as I’ve followed her for the past year and use her system (a lot of which I was already doing before I stumbled across her) but it just makes sense to me. I have read other financial/budget gurus and I don’t connect to them or agree with their philosophies. Love’s philosophy aligns with my own. I would recommend the book, her website, and youtube.
Who doesn’t love a good locked-room mystery? Or in this case a secluded island mystery! I would say it is similar to And then there were none by Agatha Christie but only because they both take place on a secluded island with limited access. The Guest List kept me guessing a little longer than most mysteries.
Where to start? I was so excited to get this new release from the library. I read The Sundown Motel in late 2020 and fell in love with it so when I saw St. James had a new book coming out, one with a paranormal aspect and a true crime podcast I knew I had to read it and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED. Ugh, I loved it. I wouldn’t say it’s for everyone but those that love paranormal aspects would love it!
May
May was… rough. I read one book! But tried to keep reading a few others I’m in process of reading. It clearly did not go well!
Run Rose Runby Dolly Parton, James Patterson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5
I put this on my hold list as soon as it came out because Dolly is a national treasure. I had to wait weeks, months to get my greedy little hands on it. Then I remembered how long James Patterson’s books are. But then I remembered that his chapters are like one and a half pages long. 🤣 I flew threw this book. It got a little slow in the middle and seemed to wrap up quickly but overall it was a good read. I kept trying to figure it out and it took me pretty much until it started to unravel to figure out. I would recommend this to people that like Patterson’s Alex Cross series or who love a mystery/thriller book.
How do you get your groove back when you’re in a reading slump? What have you been reading lately? What would you recommend?
Sometimes I do booktoks. I’d love if you followed me on TikTok!
We all know we should probably move more. But we get busy, wrapped in work or other responsibilities. We want to get out and go for that walk but those emails need to be answered. Our gym membership is gathering dust but you gotta run the kids to school, sports, and the pool.
This summer, let’s do things differently.
Let’s set aside at least 15 minutes each day from July 4th through September 5th and get moving! If you want to do more, go for it! But the main goal is to get some intentional movement in each day. And no, cleaning your kitchen doesn’t count. But deciding to have a 15-minute dance party with your kiddos does!
Whether you decide to run, walk, practice handstands, or roller skate, pick an activity and shake your booty!
You can do something different every day or go for a mile walk each day. Can you keep moving and not break the streak?! What happens if you miss a day? Honestly? Nothing. No one will know but you! Unless you decide to talk about it.
How can you participate?
Get your Summer movement tracker .
Decide each day to do at least 15 minutes of dedicated movement.
Optional: POst to Instagram and tag @runs_on_espresso and/or use the hashtag #runsonespresso
Cheer your fellow movement challenge participants on through the #runsonespresso hashtag.
Summer’s here. Well, for some of us but I digress. It’s here or will be soon and that means it’s time to pack up the family station wagon and head out on the road! Oh, wait, we aren’t in a National Lampoons movie so maybe we are packing up the family SUV and hitting the road with fewer bumps along the way with these top tips for a National Park Trip.
Many of us will be heading to the great outdoors. We will take the kids to show them the wonder that is nature. Whether they like it or not.
But how can you make sure you don’t end up like the Griswolds? Here are a few tips to make sure your trip to a National Park goes off without a hitch!
Research:
Once you’ve decided which park you want to see, head over to their website and read through the Plan Your Visit section. It is full of great information!
Be sure to find out how much the entrance fee is. It will vary by park. If you plan to visit a lot of parks throughout the year consider grabbing an annual pass.
Start googling. Many people have already been to these parks and many have written about their experiences.
Decide what your must-sees are. Some parks are huge and depending on how much time you have at each one, you may not be able to see everything on your first visit.
Determine what you want to do:
Are you going to camp? Head to recreation.gov and make a reservation!
What about hiking? What level is everyone at in your group? Check out the trails and ratings ahead of time. You don’t want to head out for an easy 1-mile walk and realize you are on a six-mile strenuous loop!
If you are taking your pet, what can they do? Most National Parks only allow doggos on paved areas so make sure you check that before lil Fido comes along.
What gear will you need for camping or hiking?
Once you arrive:
Head to the visitors center.
Grab your maps and check on any info on park conditions. Some roads or trails may be closed for various reasons!
Watch for wild animals and keep your distance. Check the park and campground for tips on the area’s local wildlife. And never approach them! Admire from afar and get a good telephoto lens for your camera
Respect the land. Do not go off-trail. Pack out what you pack in. Take only pictures and leave only footprints.
Be respectful of other visitors as well. Many parks are crowded in the summer. It may be hard to find a spot to park at the main attractions. If you can’t stop safely to take a photo, keep moving! You can circle back later and see if there’s a spot to park.
Always have extra water and snacks. You never know how the conditions may affect you. You don’t want to become dehydrated or stuck somewhere for longer than anticipated.
Lastly… HAVE FUN!
Leave your top tip for a National Park trip in the comments!
Headed out on your summer adventure? Be sure you don’t forget anything with a handy, dandy checklist! !
Recently Honey Stinger came out with their You Don’t Have to be a Pro campaign and it got me thinking.
Of course, their campaign is focused on their product but I think we can apply this to our running or fitness in general. Because let’s be real, anyone reading this blog probably isn’t a pro.
But the idea behind their campaign is, that you are out there rocking your workouts and you need to properly prepare and fuel too. Just because you aren’t getting paid the big bucks or any bucks in my case, you still need to take care of your body!
I think many of us get caught up in the “I’m not fast enough” or “I need to do X before I can do Y”. We think we have to be a certain weight or run a certain pace. We don’t. We only need to get out and have fun! You can be serious about your training and still have fun.
As non-pros, we usually have to figure out for ourselves what we need to do. Some of us may hire coaches or have a trainer at the gym who can guide our workouts and maybe a dietician or nutritionist who helps with food. But most of us? We get by with our own research.
We can read books, blogs, and articles until we are blue in the face. We can watch videos or listen to podcasts while we work. But what good does it do if we don’t put it into practice!
Without some professional guidance, we are left to our own devices.
We start out reading articles or blogs. We watch a few videos or listen to some podcasts. We figure out maybe we need to add a smoothie after our run. Or lift some weights. We want to run longer, but do I need to hydrate or fuel? We start to experiment.
We find what works for us.
We may not be professionals. We may not have the resources they do. But we have the heart. We have the will. We push ourselves and try to be a little bit better each day. You don’t have to be a pro. You just need to be you.
What is your favorite resource for fitness and health? Do you have a favorite book or podcast? Is there a person you love to follow on social media? Drop them in the comments and maybe we can all find a new favorite!
Have you listened to my podcast, Runs on Espresso, yet? You can find it here or anywhere you listen to podcasts. This week’s long-run episode is all about imposter syndrome, which kinda goes with this blog. Synergy. Or good planning on my part. 😉
