Welcome to the Friday 5!
Every Friday I will highlight 5 things I am currently loving. This can be anything from habits that are currently serving me, clothes, apps, people I am currently loving, podcasts, food, mom hacks and everything in between!
What I am currently loving:
Evolve Studios
I am embarrassed that it took me 15 issues in this series to include Evolve, but I just assumed everyone knew how much I love it. Evolve Studios is a fitness studio with locations in Baton Rouge and Mandeville owned by Tayler Landry and Rachel Crockett. They offer a HIIT class called Burn and Evolve Pilates, which is done on the Pilates reformer, as well as a Sweat Burn Sculpt, which is 30 minutes of Burn and 30 minutes of Pilates. It is killer. They have also started offering Yoga, Hot Mat Pilates and Hot Bells(a heated workout using mostly kettle bells). Y’all, I’ve been working out at the Mandeville studio since the day they opened when I was almost 7 months pregnant with Stella, four years ago. This studio has changed my life. It has completely changed the way I feel about working out, I have made friends, it has changed the way I approach food and how I feel about my body. Something about the way the workouts are designed always make me feel strong, they are always challenging and they make me better. Better at everything, being a mom, wife, woman and friend. Their classes are small enough to get attention from the instructor and really feel like you are getting a personalized workout. From the workouts to the smoothie bar to the wellness consulting, Evolve is one stop shop for your health. And I know Evolve may not be for everyone and that’s okay, but I would challenge you to find an activity that can change your life. Maybe it’s Olympic lifting, maybe it’s neighborhood walks with your spouse, maybe it’s tennis, whatever it is doesn’t matter, you just have to find it. And if you are looking and local, try Evolve. If you are not local, try Evolve’s online library of workouts. It may be the best thing to happen to you, I know it was for me.
Eye Mask
My aunt was at our house last Christmas and was recovering from her 2nd knee surgery that year. She was telling me that her PT had recommended sleeping with an eye mask to get better sleep each night. Her PT was telling her that we don’t realize all the little lights or screens that can be on in our bedrooms that can affect how soundly we sleep. I thought this was a little bizarre, because I really don’t have trouble sleeping and felt like the mask might make me feel claustrophobic. Then a few weeks later I was cleaning out a bag under the sink that had a United Airlines sleep mask in it that I must’ve gotten on our honeymoon. So, I figured I would give it a shot. And, it’s amazing. I am hooked and cannot sleep without it now. It just really blocks everything out and helps me sleep so much more soundly. And the added bonus is, if Matt stays up later than me watching TV or all those annoying videos on his phone, the mask blocks out all the flickering lights. I even found a really pretty grey satin one that I use now, the United one broke after about a week of wear.
Baking Soda on Your Mattress
I shared on The Friday Five a few weeks ago how using Baking Soda on your carpet can help freshen a room or get any pesky smells out. And then I randomly saw someone using it on their mattress, my mind was blown. I don’t know why I never thought about it before, but it is the exact same concept. So now I have started doing that about every month. When I am washing the sheets, I sprinkle a little bit of Baking Soda on the mattress, let it sit for a few hours and then vacuum it up. I don’t think my mattress has ever smelled, but I feel like it is all fresh and new when I am done. And I feel like this is probably a great habit since Baking Soda is antibacterial and antimicrobial.
Self-Adhesive Nipple Covers
Yep, I’m going there. Let me preface this, I have never had a big chest (unless I was pregnant or nursing) and now that I’ve nursed three babies I am left with even less. Which I am totally fine with. Especially in the dead of summer heat. During the summer, I almost never wear a bra and almost exclusively wear these adhesive nipple covers. They offer no support, they are solely for coverage and I love them. I was very skeptical when the associate at Bra Genie suggested them, I just don’t understand how the self-adhesive works, over and over again, but it does. The first few times I wore them I was so scared one would fall out of the bottom of my dress, but I am happy to report I’ve never had an issue. I’ve been using the same pair for about 2 years now. So, if you are in the market, I highly recommend these. They are perfect for those dresses and tanks we were all summer or if you are like me and just don’t want to fool with a bra when it’s 100 degrees outside.
Moving the Fruit Bowl
This is so simple, but has made a huge impact. We have a small center island in our kitchen that I typically like to keep clear of clutter. It is where I do all of my prepping for any meal, so I need the space. I used to keep our fruit bowl on one of the side counters in the kitchen next to the fridge so it was out of they way and not really in sight. But then, I started to get frustrated that I would buy fresh fruit for the kids and I to eat and it would go bad because we would just forget to eat it. SO I MOVED THE FRUIT BOWL. It now sits on one end of the island, next to the stool, so the girls can reach it and see it every time the enter the kitchen. It blows my mind how much fruit we are now consuming and almost no snacks out of the pantry. And anytime I can get my kids to eat a real whole piece of food over something out of a plastic bag, I am all for it.
I hope you found something helpful or inspiring in this week’s Friday Five! I’ll have 5 new favorites to share with you next week, have an awesome weekend!
