Hi, friend! I hope you are doing okay this week. It seems like tragedies and outrage are flooding our social media feeds and lives. And I want to recognize the hard times taking place, acknowledge how it feels to think our world/country is not in a good place, and also be able to find the positive and light in the everyday.
My role as a motivator, coach and instructor most days of the week is to help people leave their worries at the door, work hard and come out transformed on a daily basis — no matter our beliefs. And while I can’t always do that via words on a little website, I do hope the few minutes it takes to read this today can bring you some light. We’re covering some basic recent favorites, and here we go …
Running our first family 5K
This past weekend, Dave, Brady and I ran in our first family 5K, the Keep Pounding 5K. Dave had done this race before, and signed himself up again. When he told me about it, I thought it would be cool to add Brady and me on to the registration. Quite honestly, I had no idea if our nearly-8-year-old could hang in a 5K race, oh but he could.
This race took place in Uptown Charlotte on a Sunday morning, and all proceeds raised are used for cancer research through the Atrium Health Foundation, one of our local hospital groups. (In fact, many runners had the name of the person they were running for on their backs.)
We left our house before sunrise, and we were in the long line for porta-potties by 7:30am, as we watched the pep rally taking place before the shotgun start. It was a mostly moderate morning in Charlotte, but the humidity was kicking, and our sweaty family was drenched by the end of the race (literally, we are the sweatiest family).
We already knew that Dave would run ahead and try to get a good time (he finished in just over 23 minutes and was 5th in his age group, so that was awesome), and Brady and I just wanted to finish together in good spirits. There were about 1,800 people in this race, and Brady and I finished around the 700 mark, closing out the 3.1 miles at just under 37 minutes. We jogged nearly the entire time, except when Brady had a little side cramp and wanted to walk for a minute. It was so fun to be jogging next to him, chat with him and watch his wide eyes take in the experience. He was so cute, so motivated to finish, and I loved doing this with him.
The race went through Uptown Charlotte streets and went through Bank of America Stadium (where Charlotte FC and the Panthers play), and running the concourse and up the ramps was definitely a challenge. The finish line was in the bowl on the field of the stadium, and Dave was there cheering for us as we ran through.
Brady felt so accomplished after the race, and so did I. The thing is, I get plenty of exercise in my line of work, but I rarely run, and I was so happy to soak up some fresh air and do this race.
After the race, we got some refreshments (including delicious iced coffee from local Summit Coffee), took some pictures and then hopped on the shuttle bus back to our cars. All the while, feeling great about our active Sunday morning.
For my local friends, this race is so well done and ends in the coolest spot. I highly recommend you mark your calendars for next year. I know we’ll be there! We’re thinking of finding another community 5K to sign up for soon too.
Reading “The Let Them Theory: A Life-Changing Tool That Millions of People Can’t Stop Thinking About” by Mel Robbins
I finally read “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins, and I keep thinking about what I learned. Here’s a good example of my learnings:
“The more you let other people live their lives, the better your life gets.” – Mel Robbins
I was on the waiting list at the library for a very long time for this book, and I ended up keeping it much longer than I was supposed to. I enjoyed reading it, even though I often fell asleep (because I read at night and usually get in bed already tired). It was worth the wait, and I do think I’m trying already to put some of what I learned into play.
The biggest thing that I got from reading this informative nonfiction self-help book is to remember that you cannot control anything in life but yourself. And the more you obsess over other people’s actions, the less power you have. Thus, the more you focus on letting other people do what they want to do, the better you will feel. You can use the “Let Them Theory” to stop comparing yourself to others, you can use it to stop worrying about how people treat you or treat others, and you can definitely use it to “Let Me (or yourself)” rise above.
The “Let Them Theory” is not about turning a blind eye to everything in life, instead, it’s about controlling your own thoughts and actions (that’s the “Let Me” part), and not giving so much weight to other people’s thoughts and actions. Robbins describes using this method to let the frustration of waiting in line at the grocery store fly right off you. She describes using this method to let the irritation of your coworkers’ actions subside. She describes using this method in so many ways. And you do all this by controlling your reactions.
Robbins goes on to explain how you can’t make people change, and that everyone in the world just wants to feel like they are in control. Once you realize this, you can “Let Them” continue making the decisions they want to make while influencing them positively, as you “Let Me” live your own life.
Honestly, I think anyone could get something beneficial out of this book. It’s not fluffy self-help stuff at all, it’s real-life tangible stuff. And what I like about Mel Robbins is that she’s not a born motivator. She had to pick herself up from rock bottom, bankruptcy and total failure in order to change the trajectory of her life. And that’s probably why her lessons feel real. I’m interested enough in her content to read her other books too, and I definitely enjoy her podcast when I can too.
In case you don’t get to read this book, take this with you:
“You’ll never reach your full potential of your life if you continue to allow stupid things or rude people to drain your life force.”
Because our true power lies in our response. Thanks Mel Robbins! Let them!
Celebrating my work at Life Time Charlotte
We started a brand new Life Time Charlotte Instagram account this year, and it’s such a fun project. I’ve been the one behind the scenes creating and sharing content, and I’ve really enjoyed that aspect. Well, it was time to feature myself from the instructor team, so this week I was the team member spotlight on our page.
This weekly spotlight is for people who are performing well at Life Time Charlotte, and I knew I was on the list of top performers in the studio space, but was for some reason a bit hesitant to put myself on the page until I got the encouragement from my manager (as the leaders choose who we feature from each team for this particular weekly post).
But I’m glad I did! My work at Life Time is a huge part of my life, and I appreciated this honor. If you’re on Instagram or Facebook, check out the post here and here and see if you learn anything new about me in my fun facts.
Carrying a new adidas backpack for fall
*Thanks to adidas for the most generous gift cards to purchase gear.
You know I love adidas, and I’ve had the best backpacks from adidas over the last year. My most recent backpack was a colorful one with floral stitching created as part of an adidas x Farm Rio collaboration (which I shared with you on here around this time last year), and I constantly get compliments on that backpack. While that one is still in my rotation, I recently added a slightly larger more simple one, the adidas Classic 3S 5 Backpack just a few weeks ago. (The price is right on this one, and it’s only $50.)
Right now, I’m using this new white backpack daily for work. Inside it, I have my laptop, my headphones, my tune belt, my class notes, my extra natural deodorant (no thanks, antiperspirant), my water bottle, a protein shaker, my wallet, my keys and an extra shirt. I can also fit some extra shoes in this size backpack (which I couldn’t fit in my colorful one). I like that there are water-bottle holders on the outside of this backpack, so I have that option too. Overall, this bag feels so roomy, and I could definitely throw more stuff in there, and I like that feeling. Even though I preferred the look of my colorful one, it was always a tight fit.
So why do I use a backpack-style bag every day? If you hold a bag for a long time, it’s better to have the weight of that bag evenly distributed across your shoulders and back, rather than one side, where you may have to lean more to compensate — thus causing shoulder or back pain. I pack my bag so full, a shoulder-bag definitely gives me a tilt to one side, and I try to avoid that.
Thanks to adidas for providing me with the right gear for daily life. In my latest order, I also got this simple workout tank, these striped socks and these leggings, and I love it all. By the way, if you’re in need of a new backpack for fall, check out the adidas backpacks here.
Other recent favorite things
Frankie’s Fun Park adventure
Right before Brady started second grade a couple weeks ago, we wanted to take him somewhere fun and new. Dave had been to Frankie’s Fun Park in Huntersville before for a work thing, and we had always talked about going as a family. So the Saturday before the start of school, we drove the 30 minutes there and had such a good time. We mini-golfed, we bowled, and we rode the go carts (which was a rush, but I was the slowest one out there and got lapped by nearly everyone — clearly, I don’t have a need for speed).
I sometimes enjoy these types of activities and sometimes don’t, and I was pleasantly surprised with our time here. While it was very family friendly upon arrival, by the time we left in the later afternoon it was getting a bit more crowded with teens and adults.
Brady said, unprompted, “this was the best day ever” while we were bowling at Frankie’s, so it’s safe to say this mission was successful.
AfterGlo Sweat + Social at Life Time Charlotte
Right after we got back from our big UK trip, I was part of a special event at Life Time that was so memorable — perhaps one of my favorites.
Three other instructors and I taught a 75-minute class in one of our yoga studios with barre, sound bath and yoga, and we had black lights, glow-in-the-dark tattoos, essential oils and amazing music to complement the experience (covering all the senses). (I kept my tattoo on for several days and really enjoyed it.)
After class, we had a social on our outdoor yoga patio, and it was a beautiful day of movement, wellness and connection. What a fun thing I get to do! Although, I was definitely still a little jet-lagged when I showed up for this day. Here’s the recap video.
Tailgating with friends at Clemson vs. LSU
One of my girlfriends is married to a proud Clemson alumni, and this was our second time going to South Carolina for a game with her family. This time, we had a group of 9, three sets of parents and three young boys, and this was one of the most enjoyable days of tailgating ever (even though I’ve had a lot of good days of college football in my Floridian life).
We got to South Carolina around noon, met at my friends’ in-laws house (where we stayed the night), and then headed to the Clemson to set up a beautiful tailgate with food and drinks and chit-chat in the sunshine until the night game, kicking off at 7:30pm.
The little boys played football in the sand between the tailgate set-ups, and the adults hung out. The actual game was fun too (other than Clemson losing, of course), and overall, this day felt like a true kick off to fall. Speaking of fall, I’m now 100 percent ready for cooler temps and a few pumpkin spice lattes.
Other posts you may like
A few things on A Lady Goes West recently …
Hope you find the light in the everyday, and thanks for stopping by!
Questions of the day
What’s the best self-help book you’ve ever read?
What’s one good thing going on in your life right now that makes you happy?
