Ah, long time no see, guys! I never intended to abandon my little corner of the internet for so long, but I also never intended to land myself in the ER in need of 11 stitches in my forehead either. We’ll get to that in a minute!Today I’m partnering with Athleta whose mission is to ignite a community of active, healthy, confident women and girls who empower each other to realize their limitless potential – something I’ll be striving to bring more of to this space in the coming year!

Before we dive in, I’m okay! The cliff notes version is that I woke up one Friday morning and met my match with the edge of the bathroom counter and it was the wake up call (no pun intended) that I so desperately needed. The full story is about as long and convoluted as they come, but my goal is to slowly peel back some of those layers with you all over time.
I learned (albeit the hard way) that in order to embrace limitless possibilities in our fitness routines and beyond, it’s imperative that we understand our minds and subsequently, bodies, do have limits. If we fail to acknowledge that simple fact and don’t pay heed to the warning signs of stress and extreme exhaustion, we’ll end up facing those limits head on (quite literally, in my case).

Now more than ever, I’m focusing on taking care of my head and my heart. I’ve spent a lot of time working up a sweat, journaling each night (there’s something incredibly freeing about writing for no one else but yourself), honing in on the things I can control, and allowing the rest to just…be, for now. Oh, and the weekend before last my best friend Whitney came to visit and we let loose!While it feels so good to be sharing here again, I’m going to take the next few weeks as they come, too.

This past year has brought a tremendous amount of change in nearly every area of my life and 2018 is setting up to follow suit (all good things, though!)If you need me, I’ll be reconnecting with myself on my yoga mat, trying new classes (and frequenting my favorites!), taking it all in along the lakefront (weather permitting, of course), and catching up with my girlfriends who have shown up for me in so many ways when I needed them the most.

Of course, I’ll be living in these tights with cutouts, my new favorite jacket (which also makes for a great layering piece under your winter coat for those bitter cold days!), and this breezy workout tank!I’m off to meditate on those bigger and better things on the horizon. See you in 2018, friends!

This post was sponsored by Athleta, one of my absolute favorite places to shop for workout wear. Thank you for supporting the brands that make 26 and Not Counting the best it can be!

Photos by Maya of Charmingly Styled