Days Devoted to You

Yesterday was a bit of a "me" day. I spent the morning at the gym, after which I jumped into my car and headed down to South Bend to run errands. I usually pick up my friend along the way, but she had to work. So alas, my "me" day was born. I really, truly love "me" days. Not because I need to get away. Not because I dislike the people I see on a regular basis. (I don't dislike you, the people I see. Just thought I'd make that clear!) I truly love "me" days because I actually enjoy spending time with myself. Doing things with me, myself and I that me, myself and I enjoy equally. First stop? Lunch.

Jamba Juice! The first location in South Bend just recently opened up, and it's situated right off the campus of the University of Notre Dame. (Hence the energetic college student in the banana costume!) I'm used to Juicing in Chicago, so it's nice to have one close to home now. And by close, I mean 45 minutes away instead of one hour and 45 minutes away. Yeah, I drive a bit for decent shopping. But it's worth it, particularly if I can now pick up a smoothie. Five Fruit Frenzy, and oh...so delicious. (If you're familiar with the Jamba Juice menu, I swapped out the banana for more peaches and went with pineapple juice instead of peach juice. Wise move, indeed.)

From there, it was all about knocking errands off the list. Envelopes form the post office, book from Border's. Blah, blah and boring. Until I found Apple Valley. No, it's not some fairytale world where apples grow abundantly next to rivers flowing with almond butter. It happens to be a gem of a natural foods store. I had heard that they opened a location on the strip of shops I frequent, but I really hadn't looked for it until now. Mostly because I drove right by it. And asking me to drive by a natural foods store without stopping is like asking a Kardashian to walk by a camera without posing. It just doesn't happen. In I went, out I came with the following:

Bob's Red Mill steel cut oats, Justin's almond butter and some bulk amaranth. Yeah, I know...ama-wha? Amaranth. A gluten-free, "grain" of sorts. I first came across it in the Journey bars I sampled way back when, but Ashley has been talking about it on her blog a lot lately. And making some pretty tasty cereals with it, too. So I bought some, and I'm sure you'll hear more about it in the future.

While I think you'll agree that the finds above are truly exciting—I'm not the only one that geeks out over weird health foods, am I?—the truly, truly exciting part of my "me" day came when I stopped by my Godmother/Auntie Cheryl's house.

We exchange Christmas presents every year, and this past Christmas we decided to buy each other health or fitness related gifts. She's a nurse and equally interested in all things, well...health and fitness. It goes without saying that our schedules have not exactly been meshing. Better late than never, right? I got her a Water Bobble and a subscription to Oxygen. She got me the goodies you see at right. Plus one other Chocolate Cherry Almond Luna bar, which didn't make it home as I was THIS CLOSE to eating my shoe. That's how hungry I was, so it's a good thing my gift included a snack! Can't wait to wear the top, can't wait to try the tea. Love me some tea, and this brew looks particularly yummy. Green tea with acai berries, blueberries and citrus. Uh huh, yeah.

And just like that, my "me" day was over. I got home, made dinner. Organized a few things. The husband came home. Generally, I just felt fairly relaxed after having spent some time alone doing what I wanted to do. Sometimes, you just have to forgo the craziness of your day and do things for yourself. It's a perfectly acceptable way to spend time, and it gives you a chance to regroup. Even if it means taking yourself out of the gym. Taking a break from your workouts is, after all, a necessary thing. And what better way to regroup than by doing some of the other things you love.

Am I the only one that loves to run errands?

I enjoy folding laundry, too.
Go ahead, call me crazy.

Question: What's your favorite way to get some "me" time?