I took some much needed time away from the blog this fall to refocus my energies on work and some other things and now am back for 2015 feeling re energized and ready to say hello again.
I’m really excited about the year ahead and all of its possibilities both personal and professional.
I’ve given myself a few goals for the year ahead and a few challenges to promote peace and balance in my life. I’ve realized over the last few months that I tend to focus on everyone but myself, which makes me and others in my life unhappy too, despite my efforts otherwise. So my main goal this year is to make myself a priority. I put together a few…
A yoga challenge!
My challenge for myself is 30-days of yoga classes or 30 minutes of stretching (on trainer days).
Yoga is something I love but I never seem to make time for it. It calms my crazy spinning mind and always makes me feel like I can rule the world when I’m done with the class. I see a trainer a few times a week and he make me strong, but I’m definitely missing some balance with my workouts.
In the hopes of starting a new habit that I can’t stop, I joined a new fancy pants gym down the street from my house that has a few yoga classes a day. I’m already enjoying the classes and loving how I’m feeling after. Maybe I’ll even do some hot yoga, which makes me nervous, gulp.
Creative Head space
When I get home from work I usually crash out on my couch with my phone and computer. Not how I imagine myself spending my time in my ideal world, although its so easy to do. Being a creative person, I really need time away from work that is spent working on projects to build my skills, not to mention calm my mind and use my hands. My goal is to spend a night or two a week where I shut things off for a few hours and work on projects, such as knitting, painting, crafts, sketching, doodling, etc.
Health
Living with my sweet wonderful boyfriend has made my life so much better, but it has been horrible for my waistline. His diet can sometimes center around cheese, sugar and bread, which are the worst things I can eat. So this year I want to be a lot more conscious about what goes in my body. That it fuels me and helps me get to my goals and the quality is high.
Do you ever feel like you are killing it and life is good. Then, without warning, your perspective changes and things don’t seem too rosey after all. That’s how yesterday was for me.
It’s funny how you can put on blinders to reality. While looking at things differently and examining life from different eyes can be hard sometimes, I’m happy to be able to take that look and make adjustments to get myself where I want to go.
“One person’s craziness is another person’s reality.” -Tim Burton
I can’t remember where I found this quote, but I sometimes save quotations that I dig on my phones camera roll as a place for inspiration when I need it. This week was a challenging week mainly because I was sick, and that can sometimes make everything seem a little harder. With Robin Williams death among other things, I had to remind myself that we all face bad days, weeks, failure, doubt and hard times. It’s really how we overcome them that says more about us than the problems we face.
xo, happy friday!
The past four days I’ve had an ongoing headache that has pretty much driven me nuts. It’s made working nearly impossible since most of what I do is on the computer so I’ve spent the past few days watching TV in-between naps instead.
I’ve done most everything I could think of to get rid of it, a lot of water, advil, sleep…and yep, that little bugger is still there. I went into the doctor today and they didn’t really have any suggestions other than saying it might be a migraine or that I may have a mild flu which I could have told them.
In my searches to relieve my head, I’ve turned to natural headache helpers and thought I’d share a few of the good ones.
Lavender Oil-
Not only does it smell great, it helps relax you and lessens your headache.
Basil Oil-
Basil is great to cook with, but it also is a tension reliever.
Peppermint Oil-
Peppermint oil helps increase blood flow and open us your sinuses which improve oxygen to your head and helps headaches.
Image Credit- Lavender, Basil, Peppermint
Every Wednesday I like to put something on the blog about wellness. It’s a good reminder for me in the middle of each week to focus on something healthy and that is for my general well being.
I like to think that I’m a normal woman, who worries about their health and body like any other. Living in San Francisco, there seems to be an increased focus on eating healthy, working out and looking young. I try hard to do these things, but with unfair genetics and sometimes questionable will power it can be tough.
The last few years, though a lot of hard work, healthy eating and finding what works for me, I lost weight that I’d been struggling with and had kept it off until recently. Moving-in with my boyfriend last year has thrown everything I’d worked so hard for out the window. Frustrated at not fitting into my clothes, I decided it was time to get serious about getting back into shape. With the big 4-0 just around the corner, I’ve been really motivated.
I started working out in March with a new focus and a new trainer. I go twice a week and honestly it is the best money I spend on myself. Seeing a trainer keeps me focused on eating healthy and focused on my goals. He’s great and keeps me motivated and the workouts interesting. Last week I was shocked when I did a circuit of 100 modified pull ups, 200 modified push ups and 300 squats. In February, I could barely do 10 push ups!
With a busy life, it’s important to set a goal and a vision for things you want to accomplish. Without knowing where you are going it’s really easy to lose sight of what you are doing, especially when you have bad days or weeks. Here is my goal-
I want to be on the beach somewhere tropical, in a bikini, feeling healthy and strong on my 40th birthday.
I’m now several months into my plan and am seeing my hard work pay off. My weight hasn’t gone down a lot, but I’m a lot stronger and my clothes fit again. But it hasn’t been without some setbacks. This week has been especially challenging with allergies, four parties and work stress. It’s been important for me to stay focused on my goal and to remember that it’s a slow road, and it should be.
To get back on track, I told myself when I woke up that I’m taking today to get myself back into a good frame of mine and remember the goal.
While the focus of this blog isn’t weight loss, I know it is something that a lot of women struggle with. I’m always inspired by my friends or others that share their journey so I thought I’d share my story. I’ll keep you updated on my progress over the next six months and probably share some recipes, workouts and successes!
What are you doing this weekend? We have several parties to go to, which is unusual for us, but I’m excited about it. But the celebration I’m most excited about is John’s birthday! Happy Birthday babe 
One of my favorite things to do on a weekend day is to jump in the car with our dog and head out with no plans. Sometimes we drive hours and hours and sometimes we just end up down the street. I love this quote by Mark Twain that reminds me that no time is like the present to explore. Humm, hopefully we can do this soon.
Photo via girlinthefog
Pouty Lip Desk Selfie
My hair has a life of it’s own. It’s super curly and colored and has always been a struggle. With the addition of grey in my 20′s, it’s taken me awhile with the coloring to get it into manageable shape, thanks in large part to my stylist. Over the years I’ve found some great products that have helped me keep my hair from taking over. Here are a few of my favorites-
If you ever wondered what heaven would smell like, this is it. I often put this into my hair when it doesn’t need it just to have my hair smell this good. It cuts the frizz and smoothes it out, but conditions it at the same time.
This thing is awesome. The bristles hold my hair well to allow me to straighten it while drying it fast and even puts a little curl into it at the same time. The best part is I can hold my hair with one hand and use the dryer with another, which make sit so much easier than a brush and dryer. I also love how light it is, which make it great to bring to the gym or on trips.
This is great for finishing off my hair when it’s dried. It is comfortable to hold and gives it a good curl. I like to roll up the top part of my hair in it and put a blast of heat on it and then leave it there while I finish getting dressed.
What are some of your favorite hair products or tools?
Recently I stumbled on a documentary called “the happy movie.” It was really fascinating.
The premise is around the question, “what is happiness?” Is it money, children, work, beauty? Or is happiness something more? It’s a great watch if you have the time.
While it’s different for everyone, happiness for me is about friends, family and experiences together. I think it’s why I love to travel so often, and look forward to quality time with the people I love.
Here are a few images that make me happy…
Relaxing in Palm Springs
Spring at the Palace of Fine Arts
Exploring with my friends – Thailand
Family Night on the Couch
This little boo
Stinson Beach
Seeing Molly in my Side Mirror Tasting the Air
Beach time with my boy
What about you? What makes you happy?
Photos: Girlinthefog (instagram)
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