A challenge for your weekend!

How to Be Active in the Summer Heat

Hey guys, it's finally Friday amiright? I personally can't wait for my (one) day off and I just didn't feel like doing the typical "Friday Happies" today.

Instead I put forth the challenge to do three "Summery" things this weekend. Eat corn off the cob cooked on the grill, or hey have a whole cookout! Soak your feet in a kiddie pool while having a nice glass of something cool and refreshing. Watch a storm from your front porch.

Check out the (oftentimes free) outdoor concerts in your town and dance off the hamburgers you grilled out!

Hula hoop, play frisbee or go to the beach (or hula hoop while playing frisbee on a beach- even better)!

Carve up a watermelon and eat it outside (yes, even if it's a little warm out).  Set up the sprinkler and run through it like you did when you were little. I guarantee whatever "Summery" thing you choose, it will bring a smile to your face.

There are only 67 days left of official Summer. Be present in it instead of wishing for Fall (like I've been all week). Let's make the most out of the dog days we have left!

Have a truly wonderful day y'all!

Checkin' in!

Early morning at the lake!

Hey y'all! How's your week going? Mine has been eventful (tummy bug- ew and still moving). Today's all about the updates, baby and here we go!

Day 8: I did pretty great considering it was my B's birthday and we all went out to dinner. I had a yummy salad with grilled chicken on top (though it had a marinated that I'm sure had sugar in it), everything else I did was on target!

Day 9: Sorta kinda did okay except I had the longest day at work (open to close) and resisted the first offering of a glass of wine. Upon the second offering, I gave in. I had two glasses of wine and ended up with the worst headache in the morning (aw, I'm growing up!). Still was totally worth it in the moment.

Day 10: I gave in a little for dinner. I did great up until the offer for homemade Chicken Parm came rolling in and it was lovely! I nixed the extra cheese and didn't eat the pasta (so I didn't go totally nuts). I even skipped dessert.

Day 11: Being so busy and exhausted this week prepping for inventory, I really didn't nourish myself very well. I packed healthy snacks, but failed to really make any quality meals the whole week. Therefore, by the end of a very busy day I was spent and basically just drank water and fell asleep.

Day 12: However...my non-Paleo day was so fun but I learned a lot. First things first, I had such an INSANE craving for chicken and waffles one may have thought I was knocked up (I'm not). So, I planned a brunch with friends and proceeded to devour said chicken and waffles and mimosas and it was all I could have asked for. The problem came when the hubs and I also went out to eat again and had a couple beers (again, amazing). By the end of the night however, my body was like "Um, excuse me...you done being an idiot yet? Nope? Let's see about this!"

Day 13: I get a stomach bug that I feel fairly confident in saying I would not have gotten it if the hubs and I had dialed it back a bit. We had eaten fried food, bread, dairy, sugar, and booze! I know the sudden influx of all that shocked my body and the bug that was going around work last week found me. Barf. Literally.

Day 14: I did well, though my appetite wasn't really back yet. I've been depending on my trail mix a lot (unsweetened coconut and unsweetened cranberries with almonds, pepitas and sunflower seeds) and carrots because that's kind of all I can keep down and it keeps my blood sugar more stable than other snacks seem to. However, I made the time to make sure meals are prepped in advance for next week so I can better nourish my body instead of just getting by (which is really what it felt like this week- surviving).

All in all, I lost an inch (accidentally wrote a pound! ACK! No thank you!) from my bust and no weight. That's okay though, last week's results were pretty damn amazing and I did get a little loosey goosey this week. I managed to walk 1.8 miles every day regardless of all incidences of which I am so incredibly proud, I can hardly stand it! An increase of over 4 miles from the week before!!

My daily yoga sessions (online) got a little derailed but I made it 4.5 days out of 7 and will exceed that heartily this week. Anyway, my measurements say I haven't budged an inch, but my workout pants and leggings kept falling down yesterday which makes me think my body is just lava-lamping. You know, moving the curves around to new places...I'm totally cool with that. I'm a sexy lava lamp lady!

I'm still feeling so motivated and happy and inspired that I can't wait to see next week's results!

I truly hope you have a wonderful day!!

An Exercise in Being Present Today

Image from sodahead.

As Summer winds down, I find myself longing for Autumn. For sweaters and pumpkin everything. However I also find that as Autumn winds down I long for crisp, cold, silver Winter; and then brilliant, fragrant, leafy Spring.

Right now it is that beautiful window of time where, even throughout the daily grind, one can easily remember the long golden afternoons, the lightning bugs, going to sleep exhausted from swimming and playing knowing that it was one day closer to school starting back and Summer being officially over.

In a lot of cultures, the beginning of August is the beginning of harvest season. When those fantastic explosions of Summer fruits and vegetables are cascading forth in a last hoorah before the chills of Autumn arrive.

I ask you to take some time today, breathe deeply and be present for this time of year. For the gradually shortening days that are still long and hot and heavy with crickets at night. Take some time for campfires and swimming holes. For bright happy sunflowers stretching their faces to the sun. For evenings that begin a denim blue and seem to take forever to deepen. For Summer storms and ice cold drinks. Fresh watermelon and tomatoes. Popcicles and sunglasses slipping on the bridge of your nose.

Take some time to be out in it. To feed the birds some sunflower seeds, to eat a big bowl of cool fresh produce, and to watch the sun slowly creep below the horizon. Play some ultimate Summer music. Whatever floats your boat and takes you to a peaceful place.

Each day is beautiful in its own way. We only get so many. Join me in celebrating exactly where we are today. In these stunningly slow, hot, humid blissful days of Summer. They will be but a memory before you know it.

I truly hope you have a wonderful day.

Love Yo'self

Self-care is something I need to work on. Considering how vain I can be sometimes, I certainly don't care for myself the way I should. Or, at the least, I could be doing better. I've removed the immediate bad guys from my list over the past year: excessive booze, cigarettes, and weirdly my beloved caffeine. But, in the clamor of daily life, I have neglected the things I used to hold dear. Skin care, healthy recipes, meditations, organization and the like.

So on Thursdays, I want to add some fun health and care suggestions, recipes, home remedies etc. to encourage caring for oneself as an act of kindness and generosity. I'm not using the terms associated with glamorous magazines and what-not or anything like that because, Ew. Instead, personal kindness is the name of the game. Our bodies are strong and capable of incredible feats every day. Let's honor them together in fun and creative ways. Here's a few suggestions for your Thursday!

* Five-minute post-work yoga. I do this every day before and after work and I love the quirky and sweet instructor. 

*DIY Greek Yogurt face mask. I can't wait to try this out. I bet it feels like chilly bliss.

*As a kid I always had bug-bite ridden legs in the summertime; this summer has been unintentionally nostalgic. Homemade Calamine Lotion!

*Intrigued, because I do love me some coconut oil. All-Natural Homemade Face Polish.

*A little reflexology for your tired tootsies. I need to massage my sinuses, liver and small intestines. Never thought I'd type that sentence. 

*A breathing exercise to help relieve anxiety. Exhaaaaaaale!

Have a truly wonderful day!