My Favorite Things: October

Happy Halloween! Hope your week is off to a great start. I went for the slowest run ever this morning (one of those days where your legs feel like cement and it seems as if you’re running under water) and at one point was literally almost passed by a woman leisurely WALKING. I looked over my shoulder and saw her gaining on me and was like holy hell get it together, Nicole (lol). Needless to say, I think some yoga and stretching is in order tonight after I finish up blog work. 😉

Here are my favorites from the past month:

Favorite Products

Bandanas as Scarves

OUTFIT DETAILS | Franco Sarto booties // Madewell overalls // Brandy Melville crop (old) // old blazer — similar here

I love this trend! Unfortunately Joe also loves using bandanas as headbands during sweaty workouts, so my collection spends most of its time in the dirty laundry hamper. Here are a couple cute ways to wear bandana scarves:

Double-Sided Sliders

I’ve been using dish towels as workout equipment for years and finally stepped it up with the purchase of these double-sided sliders. They actually make gliding exercises harder because they slide across the floor with less friction than towels (a love-hate upgrade). One side is fabric and the flip side is hard plastic for using on rugs. $16 on Amazon and I’d definitely recommend them if you’re looking for a pair to add to your home gym.

Favorite Workouts

I just can’t get enough yoga lately! What a gift to be able to spend an hour doing something that feels so damn good. In fact, I can confidently predict that three or four years from now, I’ll be teaching yoga in some capacity. For now, I just love working on my own practice but my gut tells me teacher training will eventually be the right move. 😉

YogaWorks Outdoor Yoga

YogaWorks is opening a new location in Chestnut Hill and they offered a free outdoor yoga class to celebrate. It happened to fall on an unseasonably warm October day which was perfect.

YBC Namaslay Workshop

wearing Lululemon stirrup leggings

My friend Candace from Yoga By Candace is currently on a book tour (check out Namaslay!) and made a stop near Boston for a workshop. It started with a vinyasa flow and ended with inversion and arm balance practice and a relaxing meditation. Loved it!

Favorite Eats

The Painted Burro

I had heard great things about the Painted Burro in Davis Square, and finally checked it out for dinner with one of my friends. We split the tuna ceviche and butternut squash enchiladas and both were DELICIOUS. If you’re in the mood for Mexican food, check it out in Somerville.

Lunch at Rosa Farms

Yesterday I drove down to West Bridgewater for my cousin’s daughter’s first birthday and on the way home, we stopped at our friend’s market in Hanover, Rosa Farms. They’ve got a juice bar, coffee bar, kombucha on tap, fresh produce and a killer sandwich deli. I went with the green monster and inhaled it (delicious!).

Favorites from around the Web

• Your Birth Control Pill May Raise Your Depression Risk via TIME | It took me YEARS to realize that the pill was negatively affecting me. I struggled with depression through most of my college years and while birth control pills weren’t the sole reason behind it, they certainly didn’t help. One day I randomly stumbled across a thread on the internet where girls were talking about how depressed they felt on birth control so I took a chance and went off the pill. No exaggeration, it barely took a week to feel more clear-headed and in better control of my emotions. I don’t mean to be a fear-monger, but girls need to be aware of this *potential* side-effect of the pill and should pay close attention to how they feel while taking it.
• How to Fix Rounded Shoulders via Yuri Elkaim | Great post for my fellow slouchers! Any time you’re trying to fix a muscular imbalance, you have to think about both stretching and strengthening. This post shows you what stretches, foam rolls and yoga poses will help release tightness causing rounded shoulders as well as show you exercises for strengthening the muscle weaknesses that lead to the poor posture.

Favorite Moments

Shooting Joe for the Blog

So. Many. Laughs. And they kept coming after the blog post went live, as Joe would text me daily all concerned I wasn’t promoting his pictures on social media effectively. Such a diva.

Spark25 Nomination

I was honored to be nominated for MoveWith‘s Spark 25, an award for the top fitness instructors in Boston. MoveWith is a platform for booking classes at studios but also allows instructors to create original fitness events and classes. It’s cool if you have specific instructors you like following vs. a specific studio you belong to. As an instructor I honestly didn’t use it until I was nominated, but I have found a couple cool outdoor yoga classes through it.

Burn Fitness Outing

Even though I no longer teach at Burn, I still keep in touch with everyone and was excited for their annual outing. LOOK AT THAT VIEW! It was a fun evening and an exciting celebration as Burn is opening their second location soon. Be on the lookout for Burn: Back Bay.

Halloween

Of course I had to end this post with a pic of my costume for anyone who doesn’t follow me on Insta (@nicoleperr). Joe and I went as Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro to a couple Halloween parties Saturday night, and apparently I make a convincing male teenager because a few of my friends didn’t even recognize me (I was so confused why no one was saying hi to me haha). 

If the upcoming election has you feeling down, I’d like to present myself as a third–unquestionably qualified–candidate. #VoteForPedro

What was your Halloween costume this year??