Last night was my first meeting in a six-week fitness group. A friend of mine is coaching the class, which meets on Wednesday nights for a one-hour workout and 30-minute mind and body workshop through February.
While I’m enrolled, I get access to a gym; but I’m also starting to research the best ways to workout from home. I’ve had the most success (when I actually show up) with studio classes—that I have to schedule and plan for—but it sure seems like it would be great to save all that transit and prep time and enlist some on-demand options.
Right now, ads for the Peloton Digital subscription ($19/month) seem to be following me everywhere—and they’re compelling! I’m not interested in the equipment, but the option for joining in remotely with live studio classes (as well as pre-recorded classes) in cycling, running, bootcamp, floor, and outdoor workouts is appealing. Friends who have the bike say they love the instruction. And maybe having some set start-times would motivate me to schedule a workout.
But Peloton isn’t the only option out there. There are so many workouts streaming that it’s hard to know which are best.
Here are six others that are getting good press. Have you tried any?
5 Things Contributors
Many of you have mentioned that you come to Hither & Thither for travel tips! (Thank you!) So as we head into the new year, I am excited to be relaunching the Five Things Travel Series! I’ve found that when asking people advice about visiting their city, it’s best to ask them “where would you take a friend?” The results are more passionate, personal takes on cities around the world, with insider travel tips on where to eat, shop, stay, and play in their neighborhoods.
I’ve brought on a wonderful remote editor, Molly, to help me coordinate the series and we are looking for contributors. Are you or someone you know interested in sharing your favorite “five things” with readers? Contributors should have a substantial relationship to the city they are pitching and have some sort of public presence or influence that lends an authority on the city (blogger, shop owner, gallery director, restaurant owner, etcetera). They should also be able to provide beautiful, inspirational photos to pair with the post, and have a clear writing voice. We are looking for cities that people are planning trips to (or maybe ones which you think they should be!). There are currently 35 cities in the archives, so please double check that you have a new city (or else a new, unique take on a larger one or on a specific neighborhood). Family-friendly tips are a bonus! Promoting your own shop or business is totally fine if it’s a suggestion others would appreciate! This is an unpaid assignment, but I would love to share your perspective, and spread the word about your own projects with wonderful, interested readers in return.
Please email pitches to [email protected], with the Subject Line “5 Things/Name+City” Thank you in advance!
Home and Design Contributor
I’m looking for a part time (ideally a few hours a week) remote editor to work on features for Home & Design. Candidates should be familiar with Hither & Thither and have a similar aesthetic. Be sure to tell me why you think you’d be a good fit, what draws you to Hither & Thither, where you look for design inspiration, and some examples of content you would like to work on for the site. This is a paid position.
Please email me at [email protected] with the subject line “Home Editor/[your name].” A formal resume isn’t necessary, but links to any of your websites or social media accounts and Pinterest pages would be great.
SEO Professional
I’m looking for someone who will use Google analytics to optimize the site and help me to improve my current practices. I’d like to be kept abreast of the technical fixes I need to make, but ask you, the expert, to make those fixes.
E.g. identifying the top keyword choice for each post; filling out the Yoast form for each post based on the chosen keyword; making sure the chosen keyword appears in each post wherever appropriate; reformatting posts with necessary headings; making any other needed updates to each post before hitting republish; using Google analytics to track republished posts and reporting improvements; as well as staying current on SEO trends and changes.
The ideal candidate has at least 2 years of experience with other clients; reads lifestyle blogs and is familiar with Hither & Thither; and is efficient, responsible, and easy to communicate with.
Please email me at [email protected] with the subject line “SEO/[your name].” Let me know what kind of SEO experience you’ve had, what your typical process looks like, and how you would propose we get started. Please indicate compensation requirements. This is a paid position.
General
Finally, if you would ever like to pitch a specific essay that you think would be a good fit on Hither & Thither, please reach out. Recipes, wisdom, projects would also be such a treat! But while exposure may be a benefit, please do not pitch advertisements. Here are some examples of past contributions: Infancy Again, and On Being a Sister. Also, having more than one child and a beautiful recipe.
Thank you so much for your time and interest! I look forward to hearing from you!
Is decluttering one of your New Year’s Goals? Marie Kondo has a new Netflix show that debuted on New Year’s Day called Tidying Up. Have you watched it yet? I noted a whole lot of Kondo-esque folding happening in my InstaStories over the last couple of days, so I’m guessing that’s why.
At the same time, there’s a new article in the New York Times about the burden of clutter, with research cited to support the conclusion you’ve probably already come to: Clutter causes stress—it can actually “induce a physiological response, including increased levels of cortisol, a stress hormone.”
This is true particularly for women, the studies say, but that might be correlative as it tends to affect whomever is taking on the largest share of domestic responsibilities.
At one point, when we three (Aron, Hudson, and I) were living in our 550-square-foot studio in New York, we were pretty good about simplifying and decluttering. But with more time and more space has come… more stuff! Kondo’s advice to keep “stuff” at bay? Choose what you want to keep. “[T]ake each item in one’s hand and ask ‘does this spark joy?’ If it does, keep it. If not, dispose of it.” Perhaps what will be most life-changing of all, it suggests, is the confidence you’ll gain in your decision-making ability.
There were moments when reading the book that I would find myself nodding in agreement as I recognize my own faults, my own tendencies. And others where I would scoff—only to read, a paragraph later, that Kondo has anticipated that reaction. Perhaps part of the pleasure of watching the show has been seeing that pattern play out in other homes—if ultimately as inspiration to reexamine my own.
These are some of Marie Kondo’s suggestions that resonate most (and one argument against the holding and thanking of your things)…
