the plan - november 2024

how I'm taking care of myself this month

I want to open this month’s plan with my theme this month - intentional selfishness.

More about it here, but I am filtering every invitation, item on my to-do list, meal, and workout with the following question:

‘is this good for me?’

These workouts, meals, mindfulness practices, and reads/watches have made it through this filter. They are nourishing, empowering, and joyful.

Note - most of the meditations and workouts I link to are on the Peloton app. Here’s a 60 day free pass, if you’d like to try the app out for yourself.

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Mindfulness

I‘ve been rotating through the following meditations:

• Neeti’s ’sitting with sadness’ meditation

• Neeti’s ‘making space’ breathwork and meditation

• Chelsea’s calming meditation

• Chelsea’s breath work meditation

Writing 3 pages is a bit overwhelming right now. I’ve reduced this goal to a single page (and write more if I am able to and feel called to), and have been using these two prompts:

• What am I grateful for, right now?

• Write out your ideal day (listing out all the details - the meals you’re eating, the outfit you’ll be wearing, the workout you’re doing, the books you’ll read and the shows you’ll watch, the playlists to help you ease into the mood you want to be in - there’s no detail too small!)

I do my daily planning in the mornings (versus the night before), and fill out the daily plan with the things I journaled (especially the work tasks). These are the journals I use (use HITHA25 to get 25% off), and this is my daily planner.

I’ve also been using my Forest app for hours a day - it helps me stay off my phone and focused on what I need to be, from my morning routine to work tasks to unwinding in the evenings.

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Workouts

This month’s workout plan is a streamlined one:

Strength stack (plus warm up + stretch):

• Katie’s 20 minute full body strength

• Tunde’s 20 minute full body strength

• Katie’s 30 minute full body strength

• 7K steps a day

• Yoga once a week

Week 1

• Katie #1 - 10 lbs medium, 17.5 lbs heavy, renegade rows block 2

• Selena’s Fourth Wing-inspired tread bootcamp

• Tunde - 15 lbs medium, 22.5 lbs heavy

• Katie #2 - 10 lbs medium, 17.5 lbs heavy

Week 2

• Cody’s low impact ride

• Katie #1 - 10 lbs medium, 20 lbs heavy, side plank press during block 2

• Hannah’s full body foam rolling

• Callie’s 20 minute HIIT

• Tunde - 15 lbs medium, 25 lbs heavy

• Bradley’s 30 minute pop classical ride

Week 3

• Katie #1 - 12 lbs medium, 20 lbs heavy, renegade rows block 2

• Peloton Lanebreak rides - 20 minute Stevie Nicks, 10 minute EDM climb

• Katie #2 - 10 lbs medium, 20 lbs heavy (did regular lunges instead of adding the raised knee)

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Meals

I continue to log all of my meals in MyFitnessPal (the free one - no need for the paid subscription) with the same macro goals of protein (100 g) and fiber (25 g) daily.

I’m a creature of habit for breakfast:

• two oat milk lattes

• a Chobani less sugar fruit yogurt/Wegman’s egg bites with a bowl of Rice Krispies + 2% milk OR

• my favorite yogurt bowl (1 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1 AFAR savory bar, and 1 tablespoon of chia seeds) - this is also a quick lunch on days I don’t have dinner leftovers

• After my workout, I drink a shake (2 scoops of protein powder, 1 scoop of AG1, 1 scoop of creatine) to refuel

I tend to have last night’s dinner leftovers for lunch. This is our loose schedule (TBD are the days I bring the kids home from their activities at 5 pm, and throw together what I’m craving or whatever’s fastest):

Monday - Indian
Tuesday - TBD
Wednesday - pizza (we usually get Banza frozen pizzas, or I’ll order in from Williamsburg Pizza)
Thursday - TBD
Friday - burgers
Saturday - TBD
Sunday - pasta

Here are the recipes I’ve been making lately:

• Enchilada quinoa with Beyond fiery crumbles, served with Greek yogurt

• Broccoli cottage cheese pancakes

• “Chicken” tikka masala with frozen peas and carrots (I use Abbott’s plant based chicken and serve with Banza rice)

• Juicy Lucy burgers with a chopped kale salad (half a bag of chopped kale, 4 chopped pickles, 1 Beecher’s cheese stick crumbled up and a dressing made with pickle juice, mayo, honey mustard, and dill, topped with Kettle chips)

sunday pasta

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What I’m listening to, reading, & watching

• There’s a noticeable difference in our mood and energy when I have classical music playing quietly in the house, especially in the mornings and evenings with the kids. Here are some of the playlists we’ve been listening to:

  • Dark Academia Classical

  • Cozy Winter Classical

  • Annthology

• Ilona Andrews’ Innkeeper Chronicles is one of my comfort re-reads - it’s contemporary cozy fantasy that just makes me feel better. I’ll probably re-read their Kinsmen Universe (a set of 3 novellas in a different universe) next.

• 831 Stories’ latest novella, Hardly Strangers, was the quick-but-deep read that I didn’t know I was craving.

• I’m not embarrassed to admit that I watched The Princess Switch and The Christmas Prince trilogies before Thanksgiving. In fact, I endorse it.

• Netflix continues to deliver the good-bad Christmas movies this season, with a touch more spice than Hallmark. Hot Frosty is essentially a sexy Olaf brought to life with a magic scarf by a widow, and what (predictably) happens next. Merry Gentlemen is a tame Magic Mike that I thoroughly enjoyed (also stars elder millennial icons Chad Michael Murray and Marla Sokoloff - Stephanie’s ‘bad girl’ friend from Full House)

• My kids and I have been watching and loving We Bare Bears and Wizards Beyond Waverly Place - just feel good, funny shows (both on Disney+). And Bluey, of course.