Hello Sunshine! Spring Break edition

Your guide to everything under the moon, the Amber Moon, for 3/13/2025

Oof.

Track is a lot this year. Or maybe it’s the 5a get up, get my workout in before I work, go coach track, and get home about 830p. Hrmph.

Maybe that’s it.

Fortunately, that’s only my schedule on Mon & Wed. I recover and try to balance things out the rest of the week.

Next week is Spring Break! A much easier schedule, on purpose. I’ve even got a day of hiking scheduled. It’s been so long! I’m sure I’ll be sharing plenty of good pics over the next few weeks.

With that said, I’m working on my May & Summer schedule updates. Still lots of shifts happening, please read about them below.

I’ll also be getting the next quarter worth of appointments in the scheduler, so if you’ve any edits to your regularly scheduled stuff, please let me know ASAP.

For the summer coaching period, May 27th to August 1st, I’m adding Tuesday sessions in AUSTIN. You read that right. This means teaching the 1045a Pilates Mat class from the Austin Studio too. I will now have space for 2 people if they want an in person class! There will be slots for 2+ clients, and fitting in a swim during the trip home to save another drive.

Tuesdays are open in Austin on the scheduler through April, and I’m working on May and June. The month of May will be in transition, but we’ll be set for weekly Tuesdays in June & July. Keep in mind hours will be different in May, summer, and when cross country starts in August.

Tuesday hours in Austin:

• March 25 (full)
• April 8th from 12-330p
• April 22nd from 12-430p
• May 13th from 12-430p
• May 27th from 10a-215p
• June 3rd, 10th & 17th from 10a-215p
• Tuesdays resume 10a-215p July 1 – August 1
• August & beyond will be adjusted when I know the cross country schedule

Courtesy of the Tuesday expansion, I’ve also opened up Visceral Manipulation guinea pig sessions in Austin. Please use code VC14N6RO43 for 33% off your first session, good thru 4/30/2025. Copy paste that sucker right in there when you schedule.

Upcoming openings:

• Wed, 3/26, 4/9, & 4/23 @ 445p, 30 min only
• Tues, 4/8 @ 215 & 330p (contact me if you don’t see any)
• Tues, 4/22 @ 1p, 215 & 330 (contact me if you don’t see any)

Oh yeah, that in-person Pilates class mentioned above. Moving the virtual class to Austin means there is a little space available for 2 people to join me. Pre-registration will be required. Dates are April 22, May 13, May 27 – Aug1 at 1045a. After that, we’ll see what shifts. Packages will apply to this class too. Please bring your own mat.

Why am I taking Tuesdays off the Taylor calendar? I prefer working only 4 days. The Monday option in Austin was an interesting experiment, and left me needing more off time, and with less time to do things like your currently irregular Hello Sunshine. I prefer more clients in 4 days vs spread out over 5 days. I can fill Austin slots easier than I can Taylor ones at this moment. 

Will I ever bring Tuesdays to Taylor again? This whole year has been about shifting the schedule, so who knows what the future holds. I’d certainly prefer less driving.

Upcoming openings:

• Tues, 3/18 @ 12n
• Thurs, 3/20 @ 1215p & 2p
• Thurs, 3/27 @ 1215 & 315p

I finally finished Braiding Sweetgrass. So. Good. If you want to get into the mindset of Gratitude & Reciprocity, I think it’s a must read.

And, since it’s been so long between updates, I started & have almost finished Up to speed: the groundbreaking science of women athletics by Christine Yu. I thought it’d be more of a coaching book, but it’s more about research on women (or rather, the lack thereof), an interesting look at the history of sports bras, the distinct lack of research on pregnancy & exercise, (where did those guidelines come from? hint: men), plus a great section on youth training. I’m enjoying it way more than I thought after the first chapter started. If you get thru the research sections – which I didn’t mind – the rest is very manageable & enjoyable.

It’s been a gooooooood long while since we had an Amber Eats section! This one isn’t so much a recipe or particular food, but rather I finally got to a gastroenterologist for my food issues. After a lot of tests, nothing wrong, just “go on the Low FODMAP diet”. Sigh

So, I’m on FODMAP light, cuz if I went full throttle, I wouldn’t get enough calories. I’m also learning. Each time I look up a FODMAP chart, I see different stuff on it. So I’m playing with my food in a totally different way. Things are classified Low (enjoy, as long as it doesn’t bother you), Moderate (in moderation), and High (avoid). For example:

• macadamia nuts (“m-nut”) are low. At $18+ per pound. Or an 8 oz m-nut butter jar for $16.
• So… almonds: 10 are low, more are not. Cut the m-nut butter with almond butter. Stomach is protesting less.
• Pumpkin seeds – 3T per day – it’s low.
• Must avoid: Garlic, onion (is life really worth living now?)
• Grapes are confusing.
• Certain dairy is low. But not for me. So I said, “Let’s try dose response” – I get 3 squares (1 serving) of HEB pre-sliced New York Style Extra Sharp White Cheddar per day. Doing ok.
• Coconut milk (co-milk) is High. On most lists. So moderation. Almond milk is low. Switched from mostly co-milk in my decaf coffee to mostly almond milk, with 2 T co-milk for the richness.
• Mushrooms are not ok. Except for Oyster mushrooms. Depending on the list.
• Avocados: 1/8 is ok. (crying in background)
• Veggies I can eat: okra, green beans, kale, carrots, radishes, arugula. We’re starting with that. The issue – I feel I waste a lot as I rotate through. I don’t get it all eaten before it goes bad.
• Animal protein: good to go

The good news is, I’m starting to have less issues. I still have to indulge every now & then to make up for low calorie intake, but I’ve actually managed better than I thought. It’s the beginning of my journey. Stay tuned for more!

I appreciate you taking the time to read all the way down here! I had a lot to catch you up on. Anything inspire you? Make you think I’m losing it? Made you laugh? I’d love to hear – drop me a note!