There’s magic in new beginnings.

New week, new month and so much new to be grateful for. A new job that has my creative juices flowing again, a new home and a new hood to explore! They say good things comes in 3’s, but I’m not ready to stop at 3. In fact, I’m going for 10 with my monthly roundup of all my favorite things from October. Check out the list below!

October marked the start of a new season, so here’s a list of the top 10 things that had me falling for fall this past month!

1.) Favorite Fall Breakfast: Pumpkin Chia Pudding

Wasting leftover pumpkin puree is absolutely out of the question. What to do with it? Behold Pumpkin Chia Pudding layered with Greek yogurt, date syrup, bananas and grain-free granola. You’re welcome.

Here’s how to whip up this dreamy grab ‘n go breakfast:

Pumpkin Chia Pudding
– 1 C Libby’s pumpkin puree
– 1/4 C Mamma Chia chia seeds
– 1 1/2 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
– 2 T maple syrup
– 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all the ingredients in a mason jar and place in the fridge overnight (or at least 4 hours). Good enough to eat on its own, but isn’t life really about the toppings?

Want that extra touch of sweetness? Here’s how to make the two-ingredient date syrup.

Date Syrup
– 1 cup of medjool dates
– 1 1/2 C water
– 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Use as a syrup for pancakes or to sweeten chia pudding, yogurt, oatmeal, ice cream, you name it. Dates. The wonder sweetener.

2.) Favorite Zen Space: Ritual Yoga

If there was a mash-up between a spa, a hip hop concert and a yoga retreat, it would manifest as Ritual Yoga. This new(ish) yoga studio in Chicago’s River North is a full-service zen experience that feels like a treat to the mind, body and soul. When you visit, you’ll be welcomed by the concierge and offered tea in the lounge area if you’d like to sip ‘n savor after or get in the mood beforehand. The studio itself is pitch black with candles lighting the way to the rows of mats that will be your playland for the next 50 minutes. Not only will you have 1 yogi to guide you through the flow, but also a second yoga instructor to check form throughout. And don’t stress about remembering a towel or water because everything’s included. Is your mind blown yet? If not, imagine flowing to “Gangsta’s Paradise” and you’ll find the high vibe I was feeling. This studio is a must visit and welcome oasis!

3.) Favorite Self Care: Boscia Luminizing Black Mask

Beyond going to Ritual, one of my other rituals for the month of October was trying a new mask every Sunday for a little self-care. I also have about a year’s worth of free samples from Sephora and Ulta and am a complete hoarder, so I refuse to let them go until they’ve all been tried. My favorite so far is the Boscia Luminizing Black Mask. The pearlescent black lacquer goes on thick and dries to form a smooth glossy finish over the entire face that is infused with detoxifying charcoal. The coolest part was slowly peeling off the mask, which comes off in a singular piece almost like a rubber mask. It extracts buildup as you peel it away, revealing luminescent skin beneath. It left me feeling shiny and new!

4.) Favorite Jams: Fall Favorites on Spotify

While I’m taking a break from teaching spin, I never take a break from collecting bomb tunes for long runs, or long commutes. My favorite amp up track right now is “Get Loud for Me” by Gizzle. Check out the rest of the list on Spotify!

5.) Favorite People: aSweatLife Fit Fam!

If you’re looking to live your best life, then the aSweatLife community is your kinda people! I was recently inaugurated as an ambassador for this group that focuses on creating connections, trying new things and setting goals…in and out of the gym. I was first introduced to the group about a year ago when a fellow instructor mentioned the upcoming Sweat Week – a week entirely devoted to sweatastic events like yoga at Willis Tower and a relay race across the city. I didn’t know a soul at that first yoga event, but doing yoga 110 stories above ground tends to bring people together. The motto of aSweatLife is #everythingisbetterwithfriends. I love that mentality and am so happy to have found a group of bad*ss people who are equally obsessed with fitness and goal-setting!

6.) Favorite Snack: Biena Chickpeas

If you find that hangry feeling creeping up mid-afternoon, slay that monster with these crunchy toasted chickpea snacks from Biena. My favorite is the sweet and salty combo of the Honey Roasted variety, which are reminiscent of the honey roasted peanuts you used to get on flights. But imagine a lighter, crispier and healthier version with only 4g of sugar, 78% less fat and 5g of protein. The sea salt variety reminds me of freshly popped popcorn and the barbecue flavor fits the bill if you’re looking for something more savory. Be forewarned, once you pop, you might not stop.

7.) Favorite New Restaurant: Tomi Sushi

A few weeks ago, I got the chance to see how new venue Tomi Sushi is changing up the sushi game in Chicago. The vivid sushi rolls highlight superfood infused rice like this spicy tuna roll (left) infused with charcoal and coconut. Unlike traditional spicy rolls, this one features a smoky heat that was oh so good. The middle roll (my fav) is pretty in pink with dragon fruit infused rice enrobing the fresh scallops. The flavor was especially bright when paired with yuzu sauce and had a hit of citrus. You also can’t go wrong with an avocado roll (right), especially when it’s wrapped in golden berry rice. Don’t worry, the rice isn’t fruity, just pretty and delicious. And if that wasn’t cool enough, the sushi is actually made by robots! Check it out at Revival Food Hall, stat.

8.) Favorite Workout: Crosstown Fitness

I’ve been visiting this cardio, strength and mobility gym on the reg for the last 6 weeks and haven’t had a repeat workout yet. The hour-long classes are station-based with either strength or cardio-oriented movements. Think kettle bell thrusts, box jumps, pull-ups and things my abs will never forget. The time flies with all the variety, which is always a good sign! Check it out in the West Loop, Roscoe Village or the Northside. Note: parking can be hard to find in the West Loops, so book extra time!

9.) Favorite Comfort Food: Savory Oats

Sleep = a time machine to breakfast, amiright? I don’t know why it took me so long to get over the fact that oats don’t have to be sweet. And after Halloween, someone needs to cut back on sugar and that someone is me.

Here’s how I created this mastery of creamy, savory oats:

Savory Oatmeal Bowl
–Quaker original organic instant oats (2 packets)
-8 oz of Pacific Foods organic vegetable broth
-Sauteed portobello mushrooms
–Wholly Guacamole
-1 Vital Farms pasture-raised eggs, the way you like ’em
-Sprinkle of pea shoots

Heat the vegetable broth in the microwave until boiling (about 4 minutes). Add the boiling broth to a bowl with the oats. Cover the bowl with a plate to keep it warm and soak up the broth while you make the eggs. Once the eggs are ready, remove the plate, stir and add the guacamole, mushrooms, egg and pea shoots. This makes for one hearty breakfast, so you may only need 1 packet of oatmeal, or, share this bowl with someone you love!

10.) Favorite Sweet Treat: Pumpkin Cannoli

This Norwegian made pumpkin cannoli that would make any Italian mother proud. And the real showstopper is the dairy-free pumpkin ricotta made from creamy cashews soaked overnight and blended with almond milk, maple syrup and a touch of vanilla and pumpkin puree. Top with some carob chips and you wouldn’t know there isn’t an ounce of Italian in me. Find the recipe here.

That’s a wrap on October! As we enter November, remember that when one door (or month) closes, there’s always a new door that awaits where the grass is greener. Don’t believe the b.s. The grass is always greener. Sometimes you just have to wait a bit longer for the seeds of your labor to sprouts. Here’s to growth in November!

The post October Favorites appeared first on The Shooks Life.

Some days you go to the gym and eat salads, Sundays you eat Fruity Pebble cookies and don’t put pants on. You gotta nourish to flourish, ya know?

It’s another SMonday…that time when it stops feeling like Sunday, and starts feeling like Monday. All that weight and baggage can be heavy. And so there’s a reason we call it “Self-Care Sunday”. But what about all the others days of the week? Are we treating ourselves like sh*t day in day out? What if we practiced a little more positivity, a little more self love and care…each and every day of the week? In this week’s post, I’m sharing some of my favorite practices for adding a little more positivity to every day. Because you deserve it!

What spurred all of this yearning for a bit more self-care was a healthy dose of madness this month. Starting a new role at work, while playing double duty with my old role, annual review season and selling our house had me brimming with businessness and yearning for…less. Less noise, less negativity and less of the stuff that wasn’t adding value to my everyday. So I made a choice. To not get lost in the madness. To not get overwhelmed. And to focus on a practice of positivity. Here are my top 5 tips. I hope this helps bring a bit more joy in your day as we face a new week and new month.

Top 10 Tips for Living a Life of Positivity….Every Day of the Week

1.) Write Yourself Love Letters: Nope, not the kind that you silently passed to the boy (or girl) next to you in middle school. The kind that set the tone for a kick *ss day. Notes like, “I can do all the things” or “Everything always works out for me.” I like to put post-its at my desk as a reminder that “Hey, I got this!”. Or, you can use these little love memos as the labels for your daily alarm (as shown above). Who likes to wake up to, “Alarm”?That just gives me all the heebies jeebies. Wouldn’t it be so much better to wake up to, “I am in charge of how I feel today.”? Heck yes!

2.) Limit Social Media: It can be so easy to get lost in comparisons or feel so dang depressed when you look at everyone living their best life on social media. News alert: your friends aren’t doing exciting things 24/7. To give yourself a reality check, think about either 1.) taking a few days off social media 2.) restraining from immediately scrolling through your social media apps as soon as you get up or 3.) limiting your time spent on social media each day. The new Screen Time and App Limit features on iOS 12 are pretty cool. You can see how much time you’re spending on certain apps and also set limitations. Once your limit is reached, the app is blocked on your phone. Check out on these features here.

3.) Get Inspired Through Podcasts: There’s a reason you shower every day and a reason to practice positivity each day. All that negativity can build up and needs to be cleansed on the daily. I often find that I start a lot of books and never finish them. So I’ve turned to podcasts, which I can listen to during my daily commute rather than getting lost in emails or social media. Some of my favorites for empowerment, inspiration and entrepreneurship are: TED Talks, Courage & Clarity, She Did It Her Way, The Turnaround and How I Built This.

I also just started using Audible so that I can listen to books. I simply never get around to finding the solitude to read a book in hard copy or lose my spot because I never use bookmarks, so this has been a game changer. I just listed to “How Will You Measure Your Life?” and highly recommend. Plus, I heard you can share books with friends on Audible, so if anyone would like to listen to this book, let me know!

4.) Let Go of All That Excess Stuff: I’ll admit. I’m a hoarder. I just always think there will be a use for something down the road! Like those scrunchies from middle school that are making their way trendy again! Selling our house has been a bit of a godsend in nudging me to JUST LET GO! Physical clutter can lead to mental clutter so I’ve made a practice of picking one room each weekend to purge. And already, I’m feeling the levity. So where does all this stuff go? I’ve either donated the clothing or, I’ve been using two apps: letgo and OfferUp to make a little side cash on things that weren’t providing me much value anyway.  We literally sold a bag of rocks. There’s someone out there who will pay $5 for anything – anything!

5.) Express Gratitude: The real secret to having it all, is realizing what you already have. Each night for the past week I’ve said thanks for 3 things that brought happiness to my day. No matter how small. Like, I found a parking spot so I wasn’t late to my 6 a.m. fitness class like I was last week. Or how lucky I am that when I get home late at night, my husband has dinner waiting. It would be easy to grumble about working late. But when you frame it in a positive, it washes over the negativity. If you keep a journal, write down the 3 things that you’re grateful for each day. If that’s not your jam, say it out loud. There’s something about writing it down or saying it out loud that gives it more lasting meaning. After all, feeling gratitude and not expressing it, is liking buy a present and never giving it. Gift yourself gratitude and see just how great every day truly is.

Put yourself first today…and every day. Self love isn’t selfish. It’s necessary each and every day. Let’s do away with Self-Care Sunday and make every day a celebration.

Have additional thoughts on living with positivity? I’d love to hear them! Feel free to comment below or send me a message.

The post Self-Care Sunday…and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. appeared first on The Shooks Life.