Collected & Cozy

Category: Uncategorized

  • Postpartum Fitness Friday: Week 4

    How I’m Feeling This Week

    I can tell I’m stronger and I’m noticing changes in my body. I can see the definition forming.

    Workouts I did

    Sunday: [solidcore] Signature50

    6am class!! I went to a 6am class with my friend and was able to get a workout in before we drove 1.5 hours back to our hometown for a baby shower.

    Monday: PureBarre Classic

    Signed up for a challenge. 12 classes this month. 2 of each class + 4 of my choice. 12 classes total

    Wednesday: PureBarre Empower

    Now THIS is a workout. Classic is a workout, but Empower is a whole other beast. I was so sore on Thursday and Friday. 

    Friday: Y6 Restore

    This candlelight restore class was exactly what I needed. An hour of calm stretching and meditation.

    Total workouts this week: 4 classes

    Goal for next week: 4 classes

    Pelvic Floor & Core Check-In

    I really need to work on engaging my core for all the exercises. I still don’t know if I’m doing it correctly. Some times it feels great and other times I feel like I’m coning which is a big no-no. I don’t want to irritate my diastasis recti. Otherwise I’m feeling pretty good. During step-ups in the Empower class I could tell my right side hip flexor was struggling so I’m hoping continuing to strengthen will help it catch up.

    The restore yoga class felt great during the workout, but I must’ve overstretched my right hip. On Sunday morning, I woke up and was limping because my left outer hip was sore and felt like it was giving out. I’ve been told my multiple PTs that I am very flexible and I need to be careful when stretching. Clearly I didn’t listen.

    Real Moment from this Week

    I was up by 5:30am on a Sunday morning. I had a workout completed before the sun even came up!

    Small Win

    This is going to make me sound crazy…I was running late to yoga. I always check in on my phone as I’m walking in the door. As I’m rushing to the lockers, the woman at the front desk kinda shouts for my name. I tell her, and she says, “Oh it looks like you checked in on your phone. I know you missed check-in last time so I wanted to make sure.” Uhhh, I’ve never seen this lady before, and I know I check-in on my phone every single time. It’s apart of my ritual as I’m walking in. Instead of arguing with her, I just let the comment in one ear and out the other. I’m working on my patience, and this was a big win for me. I’m choosing my battles and this one wasn’t worth the fight.

    What I’m Working on next week

    Not overdoing it. I’m excited to workout, and I fear I might be overdoing it a little. I definitely overstretched my muscles in yoga. I need to remember that I’m still healing from birth. I don’t want to hurt myself. I want to be stronger.

    Thanks for following along, see you next Friday!

    What other hobbies do you have? I’ve recently started crocheting and I love it!

  • My Sunday Reset Routine for a Calm Week (Plus a Printable Checklist!)

    I don’t know about you, but this season of motherhood has felt overwhelming lately. Some days it feels like I’m constantly moving from laundry to clutter to dishes and back again. I’m never actually getting ahead of any of it. I haven’t really found a rhythm yet that keeps the home running smoothly without sacrificing rest or the little moments with my kids.

    And while the cliché Saturday deep-cleaning montage with loud 90’s music sounds fun… I don’t want every Saturday to become a giant catch-up day. I actually want to enjoy the weekend. I want margin. I want calm. I want to start the week already prepared rather than trying to recover from it.

    So I started experimenting with what would feel better and I realized a simple Sunday evening reset routine sets the entire tone for my week. A small rhythm I can repeat every Sunday that leaves me waking up Monday feeling calm, grounded, and prepared.

    My Sunday reset isn’t about scrubbing the entire house or catching up on every little thing I ignored during the week. It’s more like gently clearing the runway so Monday feels light instead of heavy.

    Here are the simple steps I walk through every week:

    1. Quick tidy of the main living areas

    Not a deep clean,  just putting things back where they actually belong. Vacuuming and mopping if I didn’t get to it on Friday (my usual mop day). 

    2. Reset laundry

    I gather all the remaining dirty laundry from the week. I wash, fold, and put away all clothes, towels, and sheets so I’m not starting the week already behind. I usually try to do one load a day anyway so in theory, there isn’t a mountain of laundry on Sunday. Just a few loads that need finished. 

    3. Reset Kitchen

    I do the usual clear and wipe down counters, but I also do a quick scan of the fridge and throw out any expired food or leftovers we didn’t get around to finishing. 

    4. Bedroom + Bathroom Reset

    Again, no big deep clean here. Vacuuming, wiping surfaces, and making the bed. Super quick. Super easy. 

    5. Anything to note for the week

    I look ahead and see if there’s anything I need to know about this week. Doctor appointments, birthdays/holidays, meal ideas, etc. 

    These steps aren’t complicated. They’re repeatable. They are predictable anchors so you don’t have to mentally carry everything at once.

    I created a printable checklist for myself so I wouldn’t have to think about it or remember all the steps. I just go down the list, one thing at a time, and it keeps my Sunday reset simple, doable, and gentle.

    If you’re like me and do better with a simple routine you can follow, you can grab that Sunday Reset Printable too. It’s a digital checklist you can print or keep on your device and use every single week to start your Monday with more intention and less chaos.