For the most part, I’m a ”lone reed” (anybody know the reference? It'll be at the very bottom) when it comes to workouts. There aren’t many takers for the 5:30-7:00 am workouts followed by gym showers for their weekday morning routine. That’s fine--I prefer putting my headphones in and being a little selfish with that block of time. Personally, my clarity and energy levels are at their best first thing in the morning, but there is no right or wrong time to sweat. Those minutes of heavy breathing, shaky muscles, dripping sweat are some of my favorite and fiercely protected in my whole day. Don’t get discouraged if exercise is not like that for you-- it’s OK! For some girls, shopping and face masks get them excited and for others it’s creating recipes and hosting dinner parties. Never try to diminish your personality traits in an effort to be like someone else. I am trying to cultivate areas of my own life that are “weaker”, but that doesn’t mean I have to diminish my strengths in the mean time.
I think that’s what I enjoy most about getting to know people and learning about where they find their energy and passion creatively. Ultimately, all of these strengths come from the Lord, but seeing the different way He has packaged and distributed them is incredible to me. Women are powerful and anytime I get to share this passion of mine through fitness in order to learn about their passion and power, it’s an exciting collision of sweat and so much more.
Two recent opportunities are the topic of today’s blog post:
Two of the sweetest girls in Greenville and I connected over something every girl can relate to-- Lululemon leggings. We had the opportunity to shop at the downtown location together and with the help of their amazing stylists, each find the perfect pair of leggings for our different frames. So of course, we had to put them to use! We met up for an early morning workout before church on Sunday for a quick circuit that involved equal parts laughing and working.
I refuse to let this post be diminished to a fun workout with friends and quality leggings, because that wouldn't do justice to them. These women are fiercely hard working, dynamic AND fun. Paula Rallis has at least a pinky (if not her whole hand) in more things than I can keep up with-- she designs interiors for housing flips, writes a seemingly effortless blog that combines fashion and life, leads a high school devotional group, travels, and has her pilot license and a plane to go with it.
Who else smiles mid-squat?
Jenny is a ball of smiles and energy that permeates everything she does! She owns a successful children’s boutique and somehow also just took on a full-time marketing position all while making me want to reinvent my wardrobe and becoming more bright and bold with my clothing through her fashion blog.
Talk about some Boss Babes
CHARLOTTE
Snow! Who would have thought? Jacket
This weekend Drew and I braved the snow and headed to Charlotte for a short getaway. It was really nice to be alone and not think about anything but each other. We both tend to get pretty focused throughout the week on our to-do lists and weekend like that remind us that deadlines can wait, parties can be skipped, the house doesn’t have to be clean all the time….because time together is never wasted. All that to say, it was a great weekend and some of the highlights were visiting the Billy Graham library (so festive around Christmas), Roosters for dinner, a very exciting Panthers win and getting to meet some new friends for a workout class.
Seriously I'm ready to drive to Charlotte just to do this again and use the rest of the classes (10$ bought me 10 classes!)
I felt like I knew Macy (Macys_fitlife) already because we talk a lot through texting and Instagram and I have followed her for so long! She always brings the most balanced approach to her fitness lifestyle and anyone can relate to her. Macy doesn’t try to be anything she’s not, and she effortlessly makes you feel like you have been friends for a long time. So we planned to try to meet for breakfast and soon it turned into a workout and we immediately wanted to see if Erin (queencitysweat) was also free, and she was, and it was just the best! Erin is extremely athletic and disciplined (I could tell within 3 minutes of the class), but so so humble. After our workout, someone recognized her from her Instagram and asked her some questions and she immediately turned the focus off herself and got to know about the girl and her weekend plans so she could recommend some great yoga classes. She is a class act.
We took a class at Madabolic Charlotte and I cannot recommend it enough. Trying new workouts is right up my alley, but to have Erin (who is a few weeks away from becoming an instructor) there to show me the exercises and explain the intervals made it that much more enjoyable. We had 5 stations (boxing, ski thrusters, kettlebell sumo squats, paralette shoots, and sprints) that we performed 30 seconds on/ 30 seconds off for three rounds before moving on and we completed the larger circuit twice. It was about 40 minutes of workout and 10 minutes of warm-up and the 30 seconds "on" were max effort. I LOVED IT. There were different weight classes you could choose and everyone worked hard, was so friendly and let’s just say my shoulder and upper back are wicked sore from the paralette shoots.
So what’s my point you may be asking? It’s that your passions and hobbies need to go beyond you and your personal fulfiment. Use them to learn about others, be inspired by their lives, and build relationships. My life has already become richer as a result of stepping ever so slightly outside of my comfort zone (I’m an introvert and homebody) and I look forward to seeing where each additional step might lead. And if you want to work out together and you’re in Greenville, you better not hesitate to ask!!
"I am a LONE REED" - You've Got Mail (watch it if you haven't)