Reasons I Love Fall 🍁

Sometimes I like to brainstorm my favorite things so I can get excited for whatever that thing is, and in this situation it’s fall. I always love fall. It’s full of good feelings, but it has this bittersweet taste because it means winter is just around the corner. 

So, in no particular order I wanted to share a list of the things I love about fall. 

— the changing color of the trees

Seriously, we drove to Louisiana this past week and boy oh boy the foliage in Arkansas was amazing. I love picking up a fallen leaf and twirling it in my fingers. 

— the cooler weather

We all love summer, but half the time you can’t even go outside without automatically being drenched and sweat. It can get too hot to enjoy any outdoor activities so I’m trying to make the most out of the cooler, but not too cold weather to do outdoor activities. 

— hot chocolate, hot apple cider, hot tea, etc.

You get my point, hot drinks of all flavors are delicious, and there’s nothing like curling your hands around a warm mug to sip on something delicious. Warms your soul. 

— curling up on the couch with blankets and warm socks

My mom is a knitting fiend so I have quite the collection of socks that have made their debut. We keep blankets under our coffee table and I love snuggling up to watch a movie or something. 

— fires (or candles if you don’t have a fireplace)

Both my parents and Michael’s parents have a fireplace and there is something so special about a crackling fire burning away in the background. 

— s'mores

You didn’t think I was going to mention fires and not talk about s’mores did you? It’s one of those things that takes me back to being a kid, but s’mores are a favorite. 

— halloween, thanksgiving and the start of the “holidays"

Candy, scares and warm comfort food, what’s not to love?  Plus time to spend with friends and family.

— wrapping a big ol’ scarf around your neck

I love scarves, they’re like a blanket for your neck. You automatically feel more cozy, warm and it adds a little something to any outfit. 

— that certain nostalgia that comes with the fall

Does the change in the season take anyone to that ‘back to school’ sensation? It always hits me in the fall and it’s filled with positive memories of returning to school, seeing my friends again and fresh school supplies. 

— it’s a season of change

I’m constantly in self-improvement mode but I find that there’s something about fall that gets me into that let’s switch around some habits and get my life on track. I feel inspired to take on new goals and it’s a great time to reflect on the year and plan for the coming year. 

— soup

Who doesn’t love soup, and bread? There are so many variations you can go for and it warms you from the inside. Not to mention it’s delicious. 

— reading

I read year round, but there’s something about the cooler weather that makes you want to curl up with a good book. I’ve been working my way through quite a few books lately, and have started reading a book before bed instead of scrolling through my phone. 

— season of hygge

Ok, I know hygge is a year round thing, but you have to admit there’s something about the cooler weather that really just makes you want to go full blown hygge mode. 

What are your favorite parts of fall? 

Fall Exercise Ideas

I thought it would be fun to sit down and brainstorm different activities and exercises to do now that it’s fall. 

I’m the sort of person that is great at consistency if there is something I am training for, but it is much easier to talk myself out of something if I’m not. 

Make a point to do things that were "too hot" to do in the summer. Don’t use the excuse that “oh man it’s too cold out now”. Going for runs  as an example. I was terrible at waking up early to go running before it got hot, but now it’s crisp but I just need to grab a pair of gloves and a hat and I’ll be fine. Plus I’m a much better cool weather runner. 

There are also plenty of great indoor activities to do for those days that it might be a bit too crisp outside for you. So, in no particular order, her his my list of brainstorm list of fall exercises: 

+ Go to your apartment gym or try out some at-home exercises. There’s no excuses if you don’t even have to go outside into the cold. And this is a quick thing to do if I need a break from work for 30-45 minutes. I’ll just go down to my apartment gym and do a focused workout.  I just look up a workout on Pinterest depending on what area I want to work that day.

+ Go running. Either on the road, bike path or trail running has been my favorite recently. You actually warm up pretty quick so you don’t even need to wear that many extra layers. And because it’s not overly humid with the sun beating down, you might actually be able to enjoy it more. 

+ Go to a hot yoga class. I need to get a punch card for the one here in Des Moines because there really is nothing like warming your bones and even working up a sweat when it’s frigid outside. And yoga is great because you can take it easy or push yourself just by tweaking how far you push the moves. And you can always just lay in child’s pose and soak up the heat. 

+ Go on a walk outside to enjoy the changing leaves. You can walk around your town, hit up a park or even find some trails to hike through. Walking gets your blood pumping but is great for those days that you’re not feeling very energetic. 

+ Go to a rock climbing gym. This isn’t a frequent one for me but I always love it and man my arms do too. You can go alone and do some bouldering, make a friend to belay you on the walls or bring someone with you. 

+ Go to a swimming pool. Our local YMCA just finished theirs, and I haven’t gotten over to try it out yet. Swimming isn’t one of my strengths but what better place to just practice than a pool? Then maybe I wouldn’t feel like I was drowning when I decide to do a random triathlon out of the blue. 

+ Go on a bike ride. This is another one of those things that you might put off when it’s too hot out, but can be great when it starts to cool off. Just put a thin hat on under your helmet and some gloves should do the trick. 

+ Go run a 5k. Get your family to sign up for a turkey trot on thanksgiving together before you go home and fill up on food. If you’re here in Iowa that’s where I’ll be Thanksgiving Day (downtown putting on the race). 

+ Go do your own sprint triathlon at your local gym/YMCA. Ok, so this one might seem a little out there, but if there’s a pool, stationary bikes and a treadmill or a track you could totally do it. And you can even change in between your swim and the final two legs to make it more comfortable. Do a 750m swim, 20k on the bike, and finish with a 5k run.

There are so many fun things you can do for exercise this season, and these are just a few of the things I want to try out. What type of exercise are you exited to do?  

Fall is Like Your Luteal Phase

I love the concept that the seasons exist within your menstrual cycle, and I definitely believe there is some truth to this. 

And by exploring this I believe you can gain a better understanding of your cycle. So, in honor of the changing seasons we’re going to talk about how fall is like our luteal phase. 

First off, your luteal phase is the end of your cycle before your period comes and your cycle starts again. Depending on the length of your particular cycle it is roughly the last week of your cycle. 

So, fall is like your luteal phase, but what about the rest of your cycle? 

Well, winter is like your menstrual phase (your period), spring is like your follicular phase and summer is similar to your ovulatory phase. 

And some cycles I feel like my luteal phase is more like what I expect my menstrual phase to be, than what my period is actually like. 

It’s like vacation, often there’s a lot of build up and excitement leading up to vacation that actually lasts longer than the trip itself. And I find that my period is like that. My body and mind prepares for it longer than it actually lasts. 

So, the first similarity between fall and our final phase — we slow down. 

The energy and excitement of summer, and our ovulatory phase, wears off. If you stop to pay attention you will notice this. 

Our physical energy wains, but that isn’t necessarily a negative. Because even though physically we are pushed to slow down, mentally we’re very active and creative during this phase. 

I don’t know about you but I’m already thinking about next year, about potential goals, things I want to do and accomplish. 

And just like that our luteal phase is the perfect time to focus inward, to reflect, think and dig deep within ourselves. 

For anything you’ve been hanging onto, dragging around with you, that’s no longer serving you, this is a great time to let that extra baggage go. 

As your physical energy slows down, you may find yourself more tired than before. This reminds me of the dreary, gray weather we’re currently experiencing here in Iowa, and how this always effects my energy level. 

I feel like it’s mother nature’s way of preparing me for the hibernation of winter and my period. Yes, there are those who are super active during the winter. (We don’t have any mountains to snowboard down here unfortunately. And I’m a bit of a hermit in the winter. I like to be warm, snuggled up and cozy.) 

But I’ve been working on my relationship with winter. Well, I started last year trying to change my attitude towards the season. And learning about hygge really helped me. 

These next parts are necessarily season specific, but I’ve been feeling a draw towards them currently as the season is changing. 

I have this pull towards evolving, stepping outside my comfort zone. Doing things that are obviously going to benefit me, but I’m feeling uncomfortable about doing. 

I’m trying to break down a few walls of comfort in an effort to evolve as a business, a brand and as a person. I’m working towards being uncomfortable, whether thats in a professional way, or pushing myself in my own life. 

Instead of retreating back to where I feel comfortable when I hit that resistance, I’m trying to be ok in that sensation. Because I know that’s where growth happens. 

It’s not fun, but it’s important. 

The luteal phase is also where I find myself wanting more space and time to myself. So, I try to schedule that in. I’ve been working from home more. I find the balance between being social and being by myself depending on where I am in my cycle.

I made sure I had this past Sunday at home to get all the little things done around the house that I wanted to. I just really wanted to make a cup of coffee, put on some music and clean my apartment. 

I find something about ending my week that way very cathartic, and it sends me into the upcoming week feeling fresh, revived and ready to go. 

And just like that I like to plan out some time to do things that I want during my different phases. 

What do you feel yourself drawn towards at the end of your cycle?

My Goodbye to Summer

It was like one day it was summer and 90 degrees and the next day it was 60 degrees and the leaves were changing. And I’m not even exaggerating when I say that. It happened overnight. 

Mother nature just decided, yup it’s time. 

Now it’s in the 50’s and 60’s, and currently as I’m writing this it’s gray, raining and 48 degrees out. 

I’m sipping a hot cup of 500 mile chai at my favorite little tea shop in the  East Village (of Des Moines). 

It’s always a bittersweet goodbye when summer is over. 

I’m usually happy for the drop in temperature. 

Summers here in Iowa get pretty toasted and humid. 

There’s something so nostalgic about fall. 

Even when you’re not in school anymore you still get that sensation of it’s 'back to school' season. The excitement of change, of seeing your friends again. Of new pens and notebooks. 

Now it feels like we’re scrambling to plan our January escape from the cold. 

But for today I want to reminisce on some of my favorite aspect of summer. 

The smell of sunscreen. If there was a sunscreen scented perfume, I’d wear it. I love the slightly greasy sheen that sunscreen leaves on your skin. 

Bodies of water and getting into them. I didn’t do this nearly enough this summer, but there’s nothing quite like shrieking as you laugh yourself off a dock into the water without a care in the world. 

Enjoying the shade from some trees because it’s noticeably cooler. I love walking places on the shady side of the street. Enjoying the warm weather, but also keeping out of the sun. 

Running in the mornings because it’s cooler. Still muggy, but bearable. My running falls off as it gets cold out. But there’s nothing quite like starting your day with an early morning run. Especially if you run with someone else. 

Kids triathlons. If you’ve never been to one, I highly recommend it. I think my favorite task is helping the kiddos out of the water. The relief and sense of accomplishment for completing the first part of the race. 

Being tan from all my time outside, even though I always wore sunscreen. All shades are beautiful, but my skin does something special with a little bit of sun. The humidity helps my dry skin, the sun evens out my skin tone, and my skin just doesn’t break out as much in the summer. 

Tan lines from my sandals. But I think those will make it until next year. They are harsh lines, but I love them. They remind me of all the hard work and fun I had outside. 

Warm summer nights. This always reminds me of my younger years, but gosh there’s still just something about them.  

I love summer, but so does everyone else. What I’m working on is my relationship with the colder months, which are on their way. 

What about fall are you excited about?