Springtime Appreciation with lululemon
This post has been sponsored and approved by lululemon When I originally envisioned writing this blog post in collaboration with lululemon, I had planned on shooting lots of content on the West Side highway running alongside friends, wearing what I view as my “uniform” (aka the align leggings) to the farmer’s market on the weekends, and bopping around NYC for various meetings in a matching sweat set, which I, fortunately, consider appropriate work attire. Obviously, as you all know, that is not what spring had in store for us. Instead, the coronavirus pandemic has required us all to distance from one another, spend more time indoors, and slow down. When news began to break around the virus and the potential impact it was going to have on the US, I decided early on that, along with Joe and Charlie, I was going to relocate to Florida to be with my parents and family during this time. I am incredibly grateful for the ability to make this decision and the privilege involved in having access to this home and space does not go unnoticed. While here we have spent a lot of time working, reading, watching TV shows and movies, listening to podcasts, and enjoying each other’s company with game nights. If you’re looking for something to keep you entertained during this time, I put together this post with recommended media platforms! While I have enjoyed being with my family and in my parent’s house, I have also felt a large sense of distance from my city (NYC) and everything that is going on there. I, personally, felt like there had to be something I could do to assist those in need. With the help of my incredible FF community, we raised over $5,000 to feed healthcare workers at NY Presbyterian Columbia with the help of Fuel the Fight NYC. If you are someone who is also looking to give back or volunteer in any way, I created this compiled blog post of ways you can help!
As a highly anxious person, I have struggled with how to emotionally handle everything that is going on in our world. While it may seem like living in a truly “sunnier state” would solve this problem, the emotions, unsurprisingly, followed me here. After many conversations with friends, family, members of the FF community, and my therapist, on how to handle these emotions, I found one common recommendation: remind yourself of everything you are grateful for. While it is incredibly easy to be focused on all of the negatives happening in the world’s current state, I have found comfort in having an ongoing list for everything that coronavirus has made me grateful for. While we, unfortunately, cannot control what happens to us (or the world), we can control how we react. In an effort to assist you all with also finding the positives, I am going to share the list that I’ve created so far (in numerical order below throughout this piece). Although I did not initially view this post in collaboration with lululemon focused on this topic, it seems as if the sweatlife pillars are more appropriate now more than ever: sweat, grow, and connect.
Sweat. For me, getting in a sweat has never been more important for my mental health. While it can feel as if there is sometimes an overwhelming pressure and focus on exercising at home, I like to go back to the basics. Why do I sweat? For me, the main reason is for my mental sanity. It is not to fit into a certain pair of jeans or to allow myself to eat a certain way (who has time for that type of behavior??), it is to calm my mind. I am someone who notices an incredibly large difference in my productivity and sanity after getting in a sweat. Whether it is a run outside, a HIIT workout, or even just a quick stretch session, I have made the goal of getting in 15 minutes of movement a day.
I have gotten back into running. With the abundance of workout classes offered in NYC, I forgot about this free and fulfilling form of exercise. Without having the option of the typical group fitness we are used to, I have reconnected to my love for running. Not running for a certain time or distance, but just for the incredible feeling of moving my body and being outdoors. I am incredibly grateful to be somewhere that I am safely able to go for a run or walk in our neighborhood without coming in contact with others.
My go-to running gear, pictured above and below, is the Align 6” Short , Energy Bra, and the All Your Boyfriends Tee (which I love to tie in a knot in the back!). It provides me ultimate comfort, support I need, and the ability to withstand hotter temps. Some of my other favorite running staples are the
2. The ability to create new structure and routine. I am a routine orientated person and thrive off of having structure, yet I’ve really struggled making my own schedule over the past two years of being my own boss. In an extremely odd way, this quarantine has provided me the space to create structure and stick to it. For me, that looks like a 6AM wake up, 20 minute meditation, 7:30AM workout with Joe, breakfast with my fam, and at my desk ready to tackle the day by 9AM. Something I had been craving, yet never put in place.
3. Appreciation for the normalcy of our lives. Never, will I ever, take going to the grocery store or running a quick errand for granted again. This has caused me to realize how many simple things about our “regular” life that I miss and cannot wait to return to.
Grow: there has been a lot of discussion around the over-emphasis we are placing on this social distancing semi-quarantined time and the requirement to “master something” or fill our days with tasks. While we all went into this a bit ambitious and overzealous, it is important for us to remember one thing: the sole focus should be staying safe and healthy. It does not matter how many online courses you’re able to take, or side hustles you’re able to turn into a financial return, or even TikTok dances you can learn, this is about solely getting through this current pandemic. However, I do think, as always, there is room for us to grow. This looks a lot different for everyone. Am I saying you need to come out of this a different person? Absolutely not. What I am saying is this time provides us the opportunity to make small shifts on our inner-being. For me, the anxiety I’ve felt has revived some characteristics of me that I don’t necessarily love and thought I had moved past.
4. Continuing to put in work on my inner-self. To move past these anxious feelings and to rewire my brain’s response, I am continuing the work I have been doing for the past few years. This includes journaling, meditation, and my yoga practice. For me, these are things that help me feel grounded and assist the best version of myself to show up every day.
When I’m practicing yoga, I have an essential lululemon uniform (pictured above and below): the Align Leggings (which I seriously live in), the Invigorate Bra, and the All Your Boyfriends Tee (which I have tied in the front here). Some other favorites of mine for my yoga practice are the Flow Y Bra, Free To Be Long Line Bra, Free To Be Bra Wild, and the Wunder Under High Rise Tight.
5. Having the downtime for my much-needed rest. It is no surprise to my FF community that I am a go-go-go type of person. I like to joke that I am a “recovering Type-A woman”. While I am aware of the need for more downtime and to slow down a bit, it is difficult to do so in NYC where there is such a strong underlying heartbeat from the city. Being forced to cancel any and all plans and stay in place has forced me to feel comfortable in what I formerly would have viewed as “lazy”. It has allowed me to accept days solely spent on the couch, sleeping in some mornings, and not always getting everything done the second it is assigned or received. Truly, it has allowed me to rest. For me, this looks like lots of loungewear and sweat sets and time on my couch.
My favorite loungewear, pictured above, are the Align Joggers and the Perfectly Oversized Crew. Other loungewear items I love are the Tuck and Gather Pullover, All Yours Cropped Hoodie, and the Ready to Fleece Jogger
Connect: Right now, the thing I miss most about our “normal” lives is the comfort and ease of spending time with my friends. I am someone who surrounds herself with an incredibly close-knit group of people who would do anything for one and other. I enjoy filling my calendar with girls nights, double dates, friend-filled workouts, and much more. For me, there is nothing more important than connection. While I miss the physical aspect of being with my friends, I oddly feel more connected to them now more than ever. I am realizing that this connection does not necessarily need to be in person (although I seriously miss it). I have a newfound appreciation for facetime sessions and group zoom calls. In a wild turn of events, this isolation has caused us to connect more than ever before.
6. Appreciation for physical touch and spending time with my friends. As many calls and video chats as I can possibly have, I miss holding and hugging the people in my life. I am a big physical touch person and I cannot wait to be able to crowd myself with everyone I love again.
7. Having the ability to spend serious quality time with my family. I love my family more than anything and, while we spend a decently high amount of time together, I never would’ve imagined living with them again for a month plus. Once we left for college, that was the end of us living under the same roof for seriously extended periods of time. I am so grateful for not only their generosity, but also the love and comfort they provide. Having this time, although under unforeseen and sad circumstances, is something I am incredibly grateful for. Plus, my parents are always repping their lululemon! While shooting some of my photos, my dad came back from his “fishing trip” (which is him fishing in a small pond near our house with no one around and surprisingly pretty unsuccessful) in his Greatwall Pants, which he never takes off!
Thank you to lululemon for this dream partnership and sponsoring this post