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Mia Garlock
Sep 22, 20224 min read

Day 18: Autumn Equinox & Core Focus

I​ think I groaned all the way from my bed to the kitchen, hobbling a bit on my way to the kettle to start the day. My back is sore, my entire torso is sore, my butt is sore, my quads are sore. I, am sore. So thorough was yesterday’s workout, I know I will need to do some yoga before I dive into today’s scheduled workout.

L​ast night in the Valkyrie Squad Discord, Sam and I were talking about how the fitness industry has given us such a toxic mindset, and really it’s like it started in the workplace and trickled out into everything else. We are taught from early on in school to ignore our bodies, “you just have to go to school for a few hours, too bad that you’re tired, you need to learn! Gotta take that test!” Never mind that you’re so tired or sick that you won’t do that great in the test, you can’t miss it! And then at work- “it’s just a sniffle, go in and get the work done. It’s only sleep deprivation, I can still go to work today. If I take enough Dayquil, I can get through work and it will all be ok.” It goes on and on, and somehow that poisonous process of ignoring our body’s cues for rest, for healing, has seeped into every aspect of how we communicate with our bodies, and how we understand our own physical needs.

It is okay, to be busy, to have plans that get in the way of your workout. It’s okay to be so tired and overwhelmed that you just need to sleep in. It’s okay to have so much emotional upheaval that you cannot even take a second to think about doing squats. Listen to your body, it’s begging you, I swear it is. Sometimes in the midst of training, we need to stop and evaluate. If you’re so tired that your workout is going to suffer for it, and you won’t feel good about it afterwards- then take a rest day. If you’re so sore that you need to swap out what’s on the books for some stretching and get hydrated- then do that! It’s quite alright, and honestly better, for you to acknowledge that you need something different, to change the plan to better suite your physical, emotional, and mental needs.

It really is

A​ll that said, today’s workout plan is for 15 minutes of Core Focus. I am super sore, so I’m going for some Valkyrie Yoga 1 first, and then I’m going to see how my body is feeling after I’m all stretched out. I may also set up a date with Cassian, my foam roller. I think I need it today.

B​EFORE that even happens though, today is Autumn Equinox! And we have a special Autumn Court Mindstilling to breathe our way through. This is a guided visualization meditation, with beautiful violin and piano background music, we are guided through a walk in the Autumn Forest. Thoughts flutter through the mind like leaves falling, we find ourselves in a meadow, on a forest path, and beside a bubbling stream. I think this is my favorite Mindstilling yet, and one I want to do again in the Autumn Sun.

As if right on cue, Michigan is welcoming a northern wind and the temps are a whopping 17 degrees cooler than it was yesterday. I’m dressed in some extra layers this morning against the chill, complete with the addition of some fuzzy socks.

Keep the tootsies warm

The leaves on all the cherry trees are turning orange and carpeting parts of the yard already. Autumn is my favorite time of year, when the temps are dropping but the sun is still shining most days, and when it’s not, the thunder storms that roll through are deep and bellowing, creating the perfect cozy atmosphere inside. The season of Chai spices and pumpkin everything is upon us and I could not be more thrilled. I have so much food inspiration right now, the Recipe page will probably be getting a lot of updates soon.

A​fter Valkyrie Yoga 1 and rolling around on my foam roller for a bit, I decided I was feeling good enough to get that 15 minute core workout in.

W​e started with some gentle warm up moves to wake up the muscles.

W​orkout required a Pilates Ball, but I used a Yoga Block.


F​inished it off with some more stretching. Today’s workout was short and simple but very effective. Now every move I make is spicy, and I fully intend on a hot bath as soon as I can.

I​’m going to attempt to walk Yrsa now, hopefully I wont have any more mishaps with my socks, and hopefully the rain will hold off long enough for us to get our laps in. I am incredibly sore and tired already and it’s not even 8am, so I might have to make tomorrow a rest day and push Fridays workout to Saturday. I like breaking up those weekend days a bit, so we shall see how I’m feeling tomorrow.

The rest of my day is going to be spent working on an Apple Breakfast Bar recipe, and maybe a pumpkin one too, now that Autumn is officially here and I can throw all the pumpkin spice everything on all the food.

Pumpkin Everything


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