 If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I love Brene Brown's book Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead. Her work on vulnerability and courage has changed my life and I highly recommend this book if you haven't read it.
At the beginning of the book, she references the idea of wholehearted living, which is from another book of hers, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. She describes it like this...
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 Having trouble finding time to exercise is THE biggest excuse I hear. I can sympathize. It's tough, especially during busy seasons of life. Even with the best of intentions, we ALL get in a slump sometimes. When that happens, the hardest part about starting back up is getting over the inertia of it all. If you find yourself 1) in a fitness slump, 2) constantly starting a fitness routine and ditching it after a week, or 3) you can never quite find the time to exercise, then this post is for you.
If you think strength training is just for bodybuilders or competitive athletes, allow me to set you straight: strength training is really just exercising with resistance in order to build muscles. That's it. And while I think everyone* should be doing some sort of resistance training, I'm not necessarily saying you have to attempt super heavy weight lifting. There are many varieties of resistance training (TRX! Pilates! Some types of yoga!) so stay with me...
 I've always loved to read books. There's something so exciting about a new book and what it might say to me. Recently, I ordered a new book, What I Know For Sure by Oprah Winfrey. It's a compilation from her monthly column "What I Know For Sure" from O Magazine. I was excited to read it, because I assumed from the premise of the book that it would be chock-full of wisdom from someone who has led an incredible life. I was right. This post is about one of her essays that gave me a new perspective on life
 When I graduated from college and first started living and working on my own, eating healthy was not on my radar at all. I was a picky eater, and I was busy! Getting used to all the things that come along with starting life on your own is an eye-opening experience. Now there's a hashtag for it: #adulting
I was adulting pretty well I guess, except for my nutrition. One day I was eating lunch at my desk when a client came in who was a "health nut." [That's what I used to call people who simply care about healthy stuff. I guess I'm in that club now, so the joke is on me. My 22 year old self would be rolling her eyes.] But she taught me something really important, and I've never forgotten it.  I have many conversations with people about overall wellness, and this comes up more than you'd think. I know that a healthy diet can be challenging to introduce. It takes more time to think through your grocery list and sort through healthy recipes than it does to buy prepared, processed foods. Plus, it's not always as delicious as french fries are. It's already hard, so it can be doubly frustrating if your loved ones (spouse, kids, roommate) aren't thrilled about it. If that strikes a nerve with you, hopefully you'll find some inspiration here to help you make it more fun and appealing to them.
 Here's something I’m pretty passionate about: how we measure our progress while on our fitness journey. Stop comparing yourself to others, stop obsessing over your weight, and stop expecting too much too soon. Otherwise, you’ll never be satisfied. There are so many ways to measure and see your progress, so don't get hung up on the wrong things. If you're on a fitness journey to be healthier, this post is for you. You may be making more progress than you think.
 As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to life-changing habits, gratitude is the best practice I've ever started. I read a book a few years ago that sparked my interest in the practice of gratitude, and haven't been the same since. It's so vital to my overall well-being that when I feel out of balance in life, it's usually because I've let this habit slip. I've written about it before from a more scientific perspective (Practicing Gratitude) explaining just how gratitude can help re-wire your brain, but this post is purely anecdotal. Here, I just want to write about what practicing gratitude has done for me in hopes that you will give it a try.
 I don’t do New Year’s resolutions. At least, not in the traditional sense of it. I’ve tried them. Sometimes they worked. Sometimes they didn’t. Actually, it seems the whole world has this problem. If you've already set and messed up a resolution for 2019, take heart. So have 75% of people who made them. Really. This Forbes article says that less than 25% of people who make New Year's resolutions stick with them past 30 days. Why do some resolutions work and some fail?
Here’s what I believe it usually comes down to: there’s a big difference between setting a resolution out of frustration as opposed to recognizing the REAL reason you want to make a change in an area of your life. I think it comes down to realizing that a resolution (or any goal, really) needs intention driving it. Interested? Keep reading...  A letter to myself.
• I don’t need anyone’s permission to live a bold, creative life. • Stop waiting for everyone’s approval. • While you're at it, don’t wait on any one specific person’s approval either... |