Juliana Moves

Hello, and happy Monday! I am so tired. I ran a 50k yesterday and then was up early today and daylight savings happened so it’s dark already and whine whine whine. I’m planning to go to the gym this evening to do an easy spin, but I truly think I could fall asleep on the couch right now. I will persist! Maybe. Or maybe I’ll go to bed early… time will tell.

Anyway, it feels like it’s been forever since I’ve written one of these, but it’s actually only been a little over a week. In those nine days, here’s what I’ve been…

…Reading: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut and The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. I’m fairly certain that we read/analyzed a few passages of Slaughterhouse-Five in high school, but I am confident we never read the whole thing. I’ve been shocked by how readable it is! Separately, I loved John’s Anthropocene Reviewed podcast and am loving the book in equal measure. I like to read one or two reviews before bed each night. Five stars.

…Eating: What I’ve been calling my “apple crisp” yogurt parfait. This is my favorite breakfast to bring to the office right now, which is saying something because I rarely want yogurt. I just add chopped up apple, pumpkin pie spice, and maple syrup to greek yogurt and then top it with Patrick’s homemade granola. It’s so seasonal and yummy!

…Wearing: Vaseline. All over my face each night. Does that count as wearing?! I love doing this in the winter, especially when I’ve been out in the cold all day on a run or something. I do all my normal skincare, including normal moisturizer, but then finish by rubbing a Vaseline stick all over my face. It feels amazing. The first time I tried slugging, I was sure that I’d break out and it’d be gross, but that was not the case! And, if you’re wondering, when I wash my face in the morning it feels totally normal. No residual hydrophobia or gooeyness from the Vaseline whatsoever.

…Listening to: How to Be a Heartbreaker by Marina. This song came out in 2012, but I just rediscovered it. Thank god because what a damn bop it is. Might I recommend listening to it on a run or at the gym or to just dance around your house??

…Discovering: That keeping your phone across the room forces you to actually get UP when your alarm goes off and to stop hitting snooze. I hate to say it, but this really works! Right before I turn off my lamp on my bedside table, I plug my phone in, start a Headspace, set it on our dresser across the room, and get in bed. It has worked like a charm for helping me actually wake up early.

…Thinking About: The holidays being right around the corner! Howwww is it November already?! I am having a lovely fall, but it is still flying by!

…Excited For: This upcoming weekend. This is sure to be a great week, but I am officially tapering for Richmond in two weeks so I am pumped to have another fun fall weekend without hours of running! 

I hope you have a great week. If you need some mid-week boosts, I’d suggest picking two to three activities from the list below:

• Watch this awesome video detailing the scale of our solar system in real life
• Make some pumpkin muffins and add chocolate chips or nuts (or both)
• Go on a walk, listen to a podcast (preferably not news-related), and take photos of all the best trees you see
• Go check out a physical book from the library (seriously, when’s the last time you did that??)
• Listen to some fall jazz or The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown soundtrack (I’d say the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving one now but it’s not as classic)

Love,

JN