Favorite Song: “I Will Follow You” by Rivvrs
I can’t stop playing this song! It’s been my go-to lately, whether I’m checking email, studying, or just walking to the train. IMO, music is one of the few keys to true happiness. I always have music on — when I’m making breakfast, taking a shower, writing, whatever. Never underestimate the power of music to alter the course of your day. I don’t care if it’s Pearl Jam, Avril Lavigne or Toby Keith — just get your jam on. This has been one of my favorites to run to lately:
Yes it’s a British boy band. No their music isn’t available on Spotify. And yes I’ve been pretty salty about it. But the tempo is perfect for a run so if you don’t mind having YouTube open while you sprint away, by all means.
Favorite News: Pizza update! (always crucial)
Giordano’s in the Loop is offering a “Cubby Special” this weekend. All you have to do is ask, and this beauty will be set before you. Now to find a dinner date…
Favorite Workout: Shred415
I know I’ve said this to you guys about sixteen times recently, but I haven’t worked out harder than I did at Shred in a long, long time. The main idea behind Shred is to combine cardio and weight training in one hour of hard work. No two days are the same. Some days you alternate running and core work in 10 minute increments. Other days you run for 30 minutes and work on weight training for the last half an hour. Oftentimes it’s divided into four 15 minute pieces. Every workout surprises your body with new moves and challenges, and I love the balance between cardio and weight training. Gideon, one of the instructors there and a great friend of our lululemon store, led class and between sprints and core work I left drenched in sweat, my muscles shaking, and with an insatiable hunger. So much so that I shoveled an entire avocado in my mouth as soon as I got home. Skin not included, of course, but it was dicey there for a minute.
If you have ClassPass or are looking for a new way to workout in Chicago, please please please go check out the kind folks are Shred415! And if you want me to join you for a class (or any class, for that matter), shoot me an email! I’m always down to sweat.
Favorite Show: About a Boy
I discovered About a Boy just a week ago, but because there are only two seasons out so far, I’ve already started to re-watch both seasons and plan on doing so until I get sick of the same 24 episodes. It’s just the cutest.
Favorite save/splurge: Industry Night at Sunda
Enough said.
Favorite Article: Which Alcohol to Pair With Your Girl Scout Cookies?
Valuable knowledge, my friends. If you need me I’ll be locked in my room snacking on some shortbread and champagne.
Favorite Pastime: Trivia Crack
Spencer introduced me to the most addictive game ever. We even played it last weekend at his apartment while sitting next to each other on the couch. No conversation necessary, just straight up trivia. Thanks to this game I now know the uniform colors of the Miami Dolphins, the ins and outs of podiatry, and why Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining him to a rock in Greek mythology. THIS is the stuff I should have been learning in high school!
This is the face of defeat
Favorite Video: The Power of Failure
This video really hit home for me. Failure is one of our greatest friends. Failure naturally builds humility, self-examination and self-realization. Failure equals new possibilities in life that you didn’t expect. What do you think?
HAVE A KICK-ASS WEEKEND!
Questions:
- Have you tried Shred415?
- Do you play Trivia Crack?
- What do you take away from the video about The Power of Failure?
i had a big lunch 
Niiice!! 🙂 Shred415 sounds absolutely amazing!! I love a great mix of cardio + weights + lots of sweat!! Very cool! Wow, I LOVE The Power of Failure video!! My take away? Failure can be used as a tool for success! Thanks for sharing! Loved it!! Have a wonderful Friday!! XOXO
In the moment of failure it can be so hard to see it that way but it really is a powerful tool! Agreed! Have a great weekend, Kristin!
Ok I am totally going to look up that trivia crack game! It’s totally my kind of ‘oh crap where did that last hour go’ fun!
And it took me forever to work out what IMO means! Haha! #feelingold
Hope you have a good weekend!
Haha that’s exactly what it is. It’s been making falling asleep SUPER difficult for me haha.
I got totally distracted by your Sunda receipt! YUM!! That looks so good!
And Shred415 sounds awesome! Glad you are rocking it!
Hahaha yup that receipt blew my mind too! Have a great weekend, Julie!
Never heard of Shred…sounds incredibly hard core and a little terrifying… haha:)
Hardcore is the perfect word for it! The only reason it wasn’t too terrifying was because I knew the instructor 🙂 that makes ALL the difference.
Ahh LOVE trivia crack! Especially when work brings me boredom with nothing to do haha
Agreed! It’s a serious time-suck haha
I’ll be your dinner date! How awesome is that pizza? Personally, I think Giordano’s is the standard by which all Chicago deep dish is measured (Lou Malnati’s and Gino’s East just do not do it for me), and I love the Cubs logo. Too fun.
Shred415!! My FAVE! Well, I mean, I’ve only been once, and it was while I was on ClassPass, because Shred is ridiculously expensive. But that was definitely one of my top two favorite workouts out of the 20 classes I took. (Trainology on Chicago [right off the Brown Line stop] has a class that follows a very similar style, and I adored that one, too.) SUCH a good workout (though I have heard rumors from those in the know that a lot of people get hurt when they do Shred all the time. Then again, duh. Who wouldn’t get hurt if you did that kind of workout every single day?)
One of my roommates told me at Trivia Crack the other day. She was playing it while we were “watching” the Bachelor haha. It sounds like a lot of fun!
I’ve heard that you’re supposed to do Shred 2-3 times a week to see results in your fitness — I can totally see people getting obsessed, going too many times, and getting hurt. After all, it is running! so if you aren’t foam rolling or stretching on your own it’s bound to happen. But yes, so so so much fun! I love Giordano’s too, but it’s basically two pizzas in one (stuffed pizza for the win!) I’ll never turn down ANY deep dish but Giordano’s is definitely the cheesiest.
I tried SHRED415 last summer at the Fit to be Cheeky event and I really liked it! I especially liked the energy of the people leading it. Wish is was closer to me!
I heart useless information. Thus I love trivia. LET”S GO
We should all go to a trivia night sometime! There are so many in the city!
My mom is addicted to that show, About a Boy.. lol.. and Trivia Crack! OMG, don’t get me started! lol! – http://www.domesticgeekgirl.com
That show is seriously the best! I can’t stop watching — the characters are adorable 🙂
I loved Shred when I went! Im just mad that I had ClassPass in Dec and then the holidays and family things came up and I also got sick, so I was only able to go that one time. It was a great workout!
I have to check out Trivia Crack! Have you ever tried Sporcle? It’s online (I think they have an app but it costs money), but it has SO MANY trivia things and it is amazing. Check it out!
Love the show About a Boy! My mother and I both watch it. And I really want to try those new Girl Scout cookies. The toffee ones?!
The new cookies look awesome! I have to track some girl scouts down!
I have never tried Shred 415 but it sounds kike quite the workout. I never have seen the show about a boy either. I will have to look that one up. I love girl scout cookies. All wine goes great w any kind:)
youre right — wine should be a given 😉
ahhhh shortbread and champagne sounds fabulous!! agree with you on the music thing for sure. have to check that song out when i can actually access youtube (blocked at work, booo). have a fab wknd, girlfriend!
That should totally be the name of our rap group — we’ll be “shortbread and champagne” hahaha you can pick which one you are 😉 we’ll be awesome
Hahaha LOVE. I’ll take the champy… bc if you really don’t have a pref, I wayyyy prefer wine to cookies. 😉
The shred 415 workout sounds awesome! We don’t have anything like that here, but I would totally try it if we did.
I just know the Girls Scouts are about to come around here. They always get a table in the student union of the campus I work at. It’s right by my office, which is so dangerous! Now to find out which ones pair with red wine…
Haha yeah unfortunately not working in an office means no easy access to the cookies! So much effort on my part!
That pizza is pretty cool….Fun Fact: I have never been to Giardano’s
All i can say about giordanos is that it is THE cheesiest, thickest, deep dish in the city. Take that as you will! It’s delicious!
That pizza!!! My baseball team needs to do something like that! I don’t even like pizza that much and I’d eat it all the time if it had an Orioles logo on it!
Isnt that so cool?! I really want it!
This post is full of awesomeness! I watched ‘about a boy’ on my dvr the other day, so good! I’ve never tried that shred415 but we have something similar here called South Tampa Fit — it is intense!! I’ve also never played trivia crack but I want to check it out, it looks super fun.
That video = motivating and amazing!
Isnt it adorable?! I really love how cute their relationship is on the show. Play trivia crack asap!
Shred sounds very intense! I have not watched the show About a Boy yet, but I love the movie with Hugh Grant. He makes my heart a little melty. Have a great weekend!
I totally forgot it was a movie! Youll love the show then 🙂
I played Trivia Crack so much the first few days I had it I got so sick of it. Plus, I got frustrated from getting too many crazy hard questions after awhile…Sometimes you feel like a badass cuz you’re on a roll and then other games you can’t even get a question right… or you keep getting a hard trophy question wrong 😛 …I can’t deal! Haha
It’s so funny how sometimes youll get the most basic question and then a minute later it’s next to impossible. Keeps ya on your toes 😉
Shred415 sounds intense! I haven’t heard about it in the Baltimore area but i will have to look out. Have a great weekend!
Keep an eye out! It was a blast. Anything that incorporates more than one type of workout is my favorite. Variety is the best!
I would totally be your dinner date…. if we lived closer today. We’d probably have to get separate pizzas just so I could have leftovers the next day. You could always pretend I’m with you & just go by yourself? Hah!
Hahaha perfect! We’ll skype 🙂 people will think I’m the weirdest person ever. But then I’ll order you a pizza and have it shipped to you asap. Sound like a plan?
Trivia crack is…legit crack.
But thankfully it’s actually improving people’s intelligence instead of pure mindless nonsense…or at least that’s what I keep telling myself so I can sleep at night haha
oh yes i play trivia crack. i feel like i’ve learned more from that game than i did in college. kidding. maybe…haha
The amount of basic, common knowledge that I’ve re-learned thanks to Trivia Crack is embarrassing