Friday Favorites – September 2015 Edition

Did this week creep along for anyone else? I’m so glad it’s Friday and also thankful that we made the decision to keep things local this weekend versus traveling. We are celebrating a friends birthday tonight with dinner and drinks but the rest of the weekend will be really relaxing – just what we both need. I made Bo promise that we won’t stress ourselves out trying to get a lot of things done around the house, instead focusing on a few easy things like hanging pictures.

As you count down the hours until the long weekend begins, refill your morning coffee and enjoy this week’s edition of Friday Favorites, including recipes, articles, posts and other things that caught my eye this week.

This week I discovered the Another Mother Runner podcasts thanks to this Zelle article. I love that the two hosts, Sarah & Dimity feel like friends and are not elite athletes, instead just women trying to stay sane and healthy through running. I’ve listened to three podcasts this week and enjoyed each one as I could relate to the topics and found myself smiling as they talked about their running experiences. You don’t have to be a mother to enjoy this podcast – I promise!

Bo and I are both loving some crunch on our smoothies and yogurt in the form of Purely Elizabeth Original Granola. The large, chunky clusters are gluten free, free of refined sugars, and are flavored with cinnamon and vanilla making it perfect for any base whether it’s plain Fage yogurt or a green smoothie.

After five years away, I returned to a barre studio this week. Both Charlie and Kristine influenced my return as I’ve followed their barre adventures via Instagram and their blogs. I walked into Bar Method Brooklyn with an open mind, merely looking for a good workout. I left feeling energized, a little bit taller and loving the challenge that I experienced during the 60 minute workout. While I love Fhitting Room and running, I feel that the core and glute work I can get in the barre class will be a great complement. For the next month I am going to add Bar Method to my training plan and see how I feel going into the Brooklyn Half Marathon. The biggest thing this experience did for me is remind me that trying new workouts can be a great way to highlight certain imbalances or weaker muscles!

I love a good documentary and after reading this article on sugar in Well and Good, I really want to watch That Sugar Film.  It seems that the guy gained 19 pounds in just a month after eating as much sugar as the average Australian eats, 160 grams.

My pals at New Balance sent me lots of gear in preparation for Reach the Beach which is just two weeks away! I’m head over heels in love with the New Balance Vazee. These super lightweight shoes provide support while still hugging my feet and feeling light as a feather.

Charlie is chasing an ambitious BQ goal in the Chicago Marathon and her hard work and determination is paying dividends. In today’s post she shares her top tips for running faster including “confidence and knowing it will be hard.” This is a great read for runners of all levels who want to improve their pace, slowly but surely.

As you guys know, I love Spotify and keep it playing most days in the background while I work, commute or run. This week my artist of choice is Rudimental. I’m especially enjoying their song Free, featuring Emeli Sande.

You know how I can tell that people are starting to think about tall boots, pumpkin and cozy sweaters? My Pinterest pins blew up this week around two of my highest pinned items: Low Fat Pumpkin Bread with Chocolate and Peanut Butter Chips and Pumpkin Spice Latte Smoothie.

Your turn: What are you loving this week?

Disclaimer: This post is not sponsored and instead is a list of the things of my favorite things this week. As normal, it includes lots of beauty and fashion items which means there are a few affiliate links via ShopStyle. It takes time and money to maintain a blog so I thank you for the support and few cents that come from clicking through the links!