MY LATEST WORKOUT ROUTINE
(PLEASE ENJOY THIS VIDEO OF THE BEGINNING OF MY PULL UP JOURNEY WITH AUDIO BY JOHN ROBERT)
Well hello and happy May! How are we doing?! This post has nothing to do with it being May, and likely is a weird time to post because who is looking for a new workout in the craziness that May brings anyways?! But I have been asked what I have been doing for exercise lately because many of you follow me on the Peloton app and have noticed I went AWOL.
First off, I workout at home in the morning from 6-6:45am M-F and take the weekends off. Oftentimes I really don’t want to get out of bed, but this is my window if I want to get it done before the kids go to school (our kids start school at 8:30 so I can still workout and be in the kitchen to hangout, prep lunches, and make breakfast from 7-8.) Nate exercises and showers from 7-8. In a year we will completely rework this when JR starts middle school and the start time moves to 7:30am, but for now this is working really well for us. I have worked out my entire life and find that it is the single greatest help for my anxiety. I prefer to workout in the morning because I have the most control over that time. Like for the most part the day can’t go too off the rails by 6am. It also helps me get dressed for the day once the kids leave for school. The workout is over so I put on “real clothes.”
I have been a staunch lover of Peloton since 2019, usually doing 1-2 cycle classes a week and the rest strength, but every few years I get an itch to try something new. I found myself getting bored of the format, plateauing, and noticed my friend Anna Mae Groves (also a Peloton lover) had started doing a Pilates routine that involved weights. I texted her and she told me it was Fit With Coco. The name sounds cute but they are HARD. I signed up for the free week of classes and absolutely loved them (Sidenote: I really appreciated that she didn’t take my CC info so I didn’t have to stress about remembering to cancel). It was a solid mix of strength classes but also a ton of pilates classes with strength built in. There is a lot of small accessory work which is my favorite part (think fire hydrants, weighted dead bugs, and the use of bands that absolutely kill my glutes). I have never felt my core more than in the last two months. The classes also offer music, or the ability for you to link to your Spotify or apple music which I LOVE. I get to listen to music I like (though many days I do miss Tunde’s playlists on Peloton—though now I wonder if she has them posted on Spotify?? I should check).
I have also been nursing some miserable injuries (tennis elbow and plantar fasciitis) so the lower impact of pilates found me at just the right time.
I don’t have a code or anything for Fit With Coco, but the free week of classes will give you a really good idea and I feel like I got an email with a discount code after the week had ended. To really do it well, I do think you need to purchase ankle weights (these are 5 lb but I took out 2lbs to make them 3lbs; they are bulky as crap but heavier than most others), bands (linking what I have but Coco also sells them on her site), and have access to some free weights. For the strength training, you need to have weights that challenge you. I have 30s for dead lifts and squats, 20s/15s for upper body and also 12s/8s/5s/3s for accessory work. I will say her classes are more like 45 minutes when I was doing 30 on peloton but the pace feels manageable but also is really challenging me. I did just purchase a bench because the swivel chair in my office was going to hurt me sooner rather than later. But I love that she has classes that require a bench! That was something I was missing on Peloton. The strength classes feel just as hard, if not harder, than what I was doing on Peloton (but again you gotta have weights that challenge you accessible).
Coco has a lot of programs that have a format for which days you take which classes and I tend to stick to them. Right now, I am doing her TRANSFORM program, which is 4 weeks long. I do:
MONDAY: PILATES X STRENGTH
TUESDAY: LOWER BODY STRENGTH
WEDNESDAY: UPPER BODY STRENGTH; this is my first week doing upper body after 5 weeks of PT for my elbow so I am taking it slow
THURSDAY: CYCLE CLASS (ON PELOTON) OR PILATES REFORMER DUPE
FRIDAY: FULL BODY STRENGTH
To be clear, if you only ever wanted to do Pilates, you totally could! She has a TON of classes on there. But just know she offers a ton of strength as well.
I also have a goal this year to do more (or any, really) pull ups. To make that happen I just got a pull up bar and some bands to assist me until I get stronger.
I have also been experimenting with ChatGPT for my fitness goals and it has been so fun! When we were on Bald Head Island, I was at a classic gym and asked ChatGPT to give me a 20-minute upper body circuit using weight machines classically found in a gym and it was perfect. Name how much time you have, your equipment, and what you want to target and see what AI gives you.
I am afraid as I write this that my routine might feel intimidating (or downright annoying) depending on where you are in life. A few disclaimers:
I get a full night’s sleep most nights; this makes getting up in the morning a lot easier. I also enjoy working out (I am that friend who brings tennis shoes on vacation).
I (mostly) enjoy the workouts I do and like the efficiency of at-home workouts. If the thought of working out at home sounds miserable, you don’t have to! I have so many friends who love Burn Bootcamp and utilize their childcare, or take classes outside the house.
I aim for consistency over everything. When I had a newborn, all I aimed for was 10 minutes a day (usually in the form of Robin Arzon’s 10-minute postpartum core classes on Peloton; those classes healed me and helped my mental health so much). Then, I moved to 15 minutes (usually in the form of Jess Simms’ Flash 15 on Peloton). All that to say, I didn’t start at 45 minutes and really prefer half hour classes the most.
I genuinely enjoy exercise. (I had the Billy Blanks tapes and did them on our tiny portable TV with VCR in my bedroom in my teen years. Wow….typing VCR makes me feel old.) Fun fact: I majored in Exercise Science at UNC-Chapel Hill and then went on to personal train and teach fitness classes up until I was 38 weeks pregnant with John Robert. Now, I enjoy having other people tell me what to do because I don’t want to have to think for a plan.
COST: Monthly we pay for Peloton and now FitWithCoco. Peloton is $45/month and Coco is $40/month. So for unlimited classes on two apps for both Nate and I to use, we pay $85/month. There have of course been equipment costs over time but all in all this is a steal compared to paying for workout classes at a studio.
OK I think that’s all on fitness for now. I have also been working on my protein intake (shocker…who isn’t) and dialing in my nutrition but I will save that for another day. Any questions??
BY THE WAY…
In my upcoming book, there’s a whole chapter on body image where I share a lot more about my past struggles, thoughts I am having on aging, and things helping me. You can pre-order it here! (If you think you are going to want to read it, please pre-order if you are able. It helps so much with proving to retailers they should carry the book in stores. Plus, we are working on an EPIC pre-order bonus I am PUMPED about! If you have already ordered, THANK YOU and don’t worry you will 1000% get the bonus!)
DALLAS + D.C., WE NEED YOUR INPUT!
We are in the midst of planning a book tour and are hoping to make a stop in Dallas, TX and Washington D.C., if there’s interest. I am not sure how strong the interest is here so I am hoping this poll will help us get an idea of a head count.
*Only if you live in Dallas or D.C. and would consider coming to an event*, could you please answer the survey below!?
If you live in D.C. and have a connection to a local bookstore, could you message me through the link below? I already found a spot for Dallas that I am excited about, but do not currently have any leads on D.C.!
In Case You Missed It
When you’ve got a toddler and a mile long to-do list, try this.
This is the best thing Ina taught me. Here is the cookie recipe I’ve been using for years.
Anyone else get the urge to rearrange the entire house and tackle all the house projects the moment your spouse leaves town? Or just me?
I went shopping hungover with a toddler. Here’s how it went.
Last week I shared a commonly forgotten household essentials packing list for vacation and you all added some incredible suggestions we had to add to the list! Here is the updated version that you can print or the live Google Doc that you can make your own. If you want to edit it, go to the menu in the corner, click FILE, then click MAKE A COPY, and you can then make yourself a copy and edit it there. We will aim to keep this version up to date as we think of more things.
“Enthusiasm moves the world.”
— Arthur Balfour
Things Nate Found Interesting
If you are new, this is where we put articles we found interesting. It doesn't mean we necessarily agree with everything in every article (sometimes we even disagree!). Also, we do our best to link to free articles, but occasionally articles may require a subscription or require you to create a free account.
First, in case you didn’t know, Power Napper Samantha Boyle pointed this out to me: If you are reading this inside the Substack App on your phone, there is a play button (sideways triangle) at the top of the screen that allows you to listen to this newsletter and anything else you are reading on Substack. Might be super helpful if you are on-the-go or reading a really long Substack article.
Another Power Napper, Emily Newton, published a short article riffing on the children’s book The Day The Crayons Came Home and how it relates to church and to grace. Thanks for sharing, Emily!
A few stats you should know (and that I can’t verify at all, so take that for what it’s worth): Even though these have been in the news this year, plane crashes are STILL in a downward trend. The number of Americans going to dinner parties is down 90% since the 1990’s (via Zvi Mowshowitz). After years of decline, the Christian population in the United States has been stable for several years, a shift fueled in part by young adults, according to a major new survey from the Pew Research Center. (via Marginal Revolution).
Across all of history, which human being has been seen, in-person, by the greatest number of people? I’d tell you the answer now (according to ChatGTP) but would rather you think about it and post in the comments. Answer to follow next week.
MAY MEAL PLAN
I am switching it up for May and making it crazy simple for myself. Seven meals repeated weekly for 4 weeks. I need simple. I need ease. I need a few that are easy to enjoy poolside (we just started swim team!). I am not assigning them to a day simply because we will need to be flexible with swim team nights, but here’s what I’ve got:
Notes:
-the meatballs are precooked and easy to change the flavor with a sauce. Broccoli is one of the few veggies my kids will eat, and even one of them still won’t eat it.
-might just do takeout for Nate and I and let the kids eat nuggets and mac if we want something yummy/fancy or do chick-fil-a for the whole fam
-pick your sandwich is such a hit and I have some ideas to share with you soon!
-when I make the rice I will make a lot to let us have it for both the meatballs and the buffalo chicken bowls
-B4D is breakfast for dinner! eggs, bacon, waffles, sheet pancakes, biscuits…we will switch it up but always breakfast themed
-buffalo chicken is just chicken in the crock pot with mild buffalo sauce then I shred it
-when I feel like we need more nutrients: SMOOTHIES!
Meal Planning Resources
By the way we have other printables that we’ve made that are in this line of simplified thinking for meal plans. You can find them both via the buttons below.
*These are templates you can edit and make your own* you just need a Canva account. Once you are ready to print it, save the PDF to your computer and print from there, do not print directly through Canva, that involves them shipping it to you for a pretty penny.
Jess here: I was inspired to make the Weekly Meal Planner template on the left from Abbey Wedgeworth after sharing it in her newsletter last year. Abbey’s is much more detailed (find it here) and has spots for breakfast, lunch dinner and snacks, but I changed it a fair amount to the version you see above. Use hers if that serves you better! I didn't need help with the other categories, it's mainly dinner where I struggle so I took it from a 28 box grid to only 7 for dinners. It really helped me to “theme” each day so I knew what to plan for (Pasta Monday, Whatever Wednesday, etc.). After customizing, I printed the document, laminated it, and stuck it on my fridge as a reminder. I then use an erasable marker to mark the circle for the meal I choose within each category that week.
Speaking of Abbey, she has an incredible resource for executive functioning habit tracking if you are struggling with planning your days out and get easily overwhelmed on task execution. You can get it straight to your inbox when you sign up for her newsletter here. She is a wealth of knowledge and I highly recommend allowing her into your monthly inbox.
Molly’s Must-Haves
“Molly's Must-Haves” is brought to you by Kate's best friend Molly who is a meticulous researcher. Each week she is going to share an item, the problem it solves, and why she chose it. This week, she is sharing a recipe for ice cream cake.
Ice Cream Cake using store bought ice cream
The weather is warming up and summer is just around the corner, so let me bless you with this super simple ice cream cake!! My mom and I came up with it last summer and it was a hit! Use it for an end of the school year treat or for one of the millions of birthdays that seem to happen in the month of May (our family alone has 3!). If you can, do yourself a favor and grab the "Specially Selected" ice cream from Aldi, in my opinion it is indistinguishable from more expensive ice cream brands and you get a lot more at a better price point than those tiny little cartons!
Beat On Repeat
Jess here. I recently discovered Lena Jade and she is now all I listen to when I work. She reminds me of the female version of Bon Iver, only she writes about Jesus. She only has 8 singles but they are all BEAUTIFUL. Her songs are mostly based on the Psalms. Highly recommend if you’re sick if TobyMac and whatever else is on Christian radio lol.
I’d come to DC! Couldn’t get the link to work for the survey.
If not DC, Frederick MD is nearby, easier to navigate (and closer to me, ha!) and they have a Barnes and Noble. You could still visit DC with an hour drive.
Yummmmmmy cake