Nutrition/wellness/running: February favorites

February will always hold a special place for me personally, because it’s the month I adopted my rescue dog Peanut (six years ago!), the month I became a dietitian (10 years ago!), the month I moved in with my now husband (three years ago!), and the month I gave notice at my first and only RD job (one year ago!). It has also been a good February professionally this year, and for that I’m so grateful.

look at my brave cute girl

Anyways, here are some things that I have been loving this month (aside from Peanut):

Sundays Meditative Manicure
Sundays is a nontoxic nail studio with three locations in Manhattan, and one recently opened up at Sage + Sound, a very intriguing wellness space on the Upper East Side. Cliche as it is, I love manicures as a form of self care and relaxation, and the “meditative manicure” is just delightful. You get a pair of noise canceling headphones when you sit down, and they play relaxing, meditative music during your manicure and the drying process. They’re a bit pricier than a standard manicure (at least in NYC), but a nice indulgence and the space itself is lovely.

Spring half marathon plans
I’ve sort of been running with reckless abandon lately, without much of a plan for any races, and it has felt ok. However, there’s another part of me that loves having a goal and something to train for, so I’m entertaining the idea of running the Buffalo Half Marathon in May when I’m visiting for the long Memorial Day weekend. I ran the full Buffalo Marathon in 2014 and it was really fun, especially because I had family to cheer for me.

In-person yoga classes
Before COVID hit I went to yoga classes regularly, and really loved them physically as a compliment to running, as well as mentally to help with anxiety. I’ve been doing Peloton yoga classes at home for the last couple of years, and while they’re good, definitely not the same as being in a studio. I’ve been wanting to mix things up with running, and so recently tried CorePower Yoga in my ‘hood. The classes are heated but not so much that you feel awful, and the flows are great and challenging. I’ve been trying to go once per week, and so far, so good.

Coffee-flavored yogurt
I love coffee a lot, and also coffee flavored things. Icelandic Provisions makes a cold brew coffee flavored whole milk skyr, and it’s my new favorite since Siggi’s discontinued their chocolate skyr (whyyyy did they do this??).

We Can Do Hard Things podcast
I devour every episode of this podcast (with Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle), they are all so insightful and have great guests. Glennon, who has a long history of bulimia, has recently opened up about her new anorexia diagnosis and it has been really interesting to hear about her treatment and experience.

What I’m reading
I’ve read a few books this month, but my favorites are The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times, by Michelle Obama, and Less, by Andrew Sean Greer. I also read The School for Good Mothers, by Jessamine Chan which I liked though it was not a fun, lighthearted read, and The Girls in Queens, by Christine Kandic Torres.

What I’m watching
We saw a few movies this month, and I really enjoyed Emily, about Emily Bronte and the Bronte sisters. It inspired me to start re-reading Wuthering Heights, which I think I last read in high school and probably had no idea what was happening. A Man Called Otto was also really good and made me sob uncontrollably.

Local shout outs

• If you like fashion and luxury items, the Gucci concept store in SoHo is a dream. The decor is cozy and inviting, they’ve got tons of great stuff to browse, and it doesn’t feel as intimidating as other high end boutiques (at least to me!)

• My husband and I saw Leopoldstadt on Broadway a few weekends ago, and it was good but also quite sad. I’m glad we went, but our next show will definitely be more upbeat (likely Funny Girl!)

• Before she show, we ate at P.S. Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in the Theater District. This was my first time trying Beyond meat (in a burrito), and while it was good I feel sort of “meh” about it on both the taste and nutrition front.

• If you’re looking for a fun cocktail and dinner spot with girlfriends, Antique Garage in TriBeCa is super cute and cozy, with live music on most nights (I thought it was too loud for a date night, but deep inside I’m 89 years old).