Tag: community

The Art of the Weekend

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Sundays are my favorite day.

I usually take Sundays slowly, but the past couple weekends I’ve been ramping up my activities to set the tone for the week.

And I enjoy it.

Today I got up and had my coffee on the porch. I sat outside reading and drinking coffee. I finished reading The Miracle Morning, which I highly recommend.

Then, I made a small breakfast and a loaf of gluten free bread.

I’ve been putting off painting our bathroom doors. So I broke out the paint and spent a couple hours finishing up the master bathroom.

I went to my favorite farmers market, and I came home and moved really heavy rocks from the middle of the yard to a covered spot under the barn.

Now, Annie and I are snuggled up watching Netflix.

And I may or may not have ate the majority of this bag of delicious chips.

The plan for the rest of the day is to prep for dinner and get ready to start my Miracle Morning routine.

I need to figure out what time to get up so I can have ample time to prepare for S.A.V.E.R.S.

On a different note, I got my first bottle of Beautycounter’s Countermatch Adaptive Moisture Lotion in the mail yesterday.

This stuff is legit.

It smells amazing. And while I was working outside in the hottest October heat, my face felt cool and fabulous (even though I was completely drenched in sweat).

I will sample it out to anyone interested. Visit the Contact Me page and let me know. I’ll send one your way.

The Importance of Personal Development

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I’m a big reader.

In grad school, I read 28384782939 books about Arkansas political history. After grad school, I gifted myself a year of free books through Book of the Month Club.

But sometimes I need more than fiction to keep me motivated.

Enter personal development books.

I’m kind of sad to admit that I use to think personal development books were for people with “problems.”

Newsflash former self: we all have problems. Things we wish were different. Better. Sometimes we need a new perspective.

My latest personal development is The Miracle Morning. And a little JoAnna Gaines for good measure.

So far I love it. The whole concept seems right up my alley. I can’t wait to see what comes of it.

What are your personal development favorites? What should I read next?

Friday Favorites

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Quick story: Yesterday, I ate 89 percent of a bag of grain free granola.

It was delicious. But it was also the most sugar I’ve had in 35 days.

My. Head. Hurt. Like. A. Boss.

The Whole30 is no joke. It changes your life. It teaches you to notice how your body reacts to things.

Just because it’s grain free and Paleo and all that jazz, doesn’t make sugar any less powerful of a dragon.

The thing about Food Freedom is it allows you the grace to acknowledge the habit (eating a whole bag before lunch) and revise (more veggies and water and good stuff).

Do the Whole30 program. Change your life. It only takes 30 days. You can do it.

Now for the favorites.

Cultivating Gratitude

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I’ve started keeping a gratitude journal to help keep me focused on the goodness in every day.

Sometimes it is hard to think past all the things going wrong, and focus on all the things going right. The downward mental spiral can be difficult to turn off.

But this little journal has turned things around for me. Every morning and every evening  I sit down and focus on what I’m thankful for or what good has come my way.

The journal has prompts to help you get your thoughts in order. And it doesn’t take up much time at all. IMG_4960

It looks like this. You complete the top section every morning, and the gray section every evening. There is a quote at the top of every day to get you in the right frame of mind. And I’ve come to love this little ritual. It’s something I look forward to every day.

So if you are looking for a way to cultivate gratitude, I highly suggest this. If you have a stressful job, I highly suggest this. If you are naturally more gloomy, I highly suggest this. You won’t believe how much good you can come up with until you are forced to focus on it. Get your Five Minute Journal here. 

Disclaimer: This is not an ad. I was not paid to write this. I just really love this product, and think everyone needs one. 

September Whole30 Complete

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Hello October.

Not only is October my favorite month, but we successfully completed the September Whole30 reset. And we absolutely feel fantastic.

So what’s next?

As of this morning, I’ve been re-reading the major points of Melissa Hartwig’s Food Freedom Forever to get a handle on how to do life after the Whole30.

For me, after Whole30 is over is the hardest part. I’m always nervous about reintroducing foods I know will have a negative affect on me, and I don’t want to lose all of the wonderful good feelings I’ve cultivated over the last 30 days.

But we have a lot of be thankful after this season of Whole30.

Here are some of our NSV (Non-Scale Victories):

  • Long-lasting, sustainable energy
  • Less digestive issues
  • Complete mental clarity
  • No brain fog
  • Zero bloating
  • Less headaches
  • Mindfulness of the meal prep stages
  • The ability to say “no thank you” in certain situations
  • Sharper sight (colors look brighter, richer)
  • Lack of cravings
  • Less snacking, if at all
  • More exercise
  • Better quality sleep
  • Ability to tackle hard tasks or challenging things after a long day
  • More motivation in the morning
  • Clear skin
  • More creative recipes and flavor profiles
  • Zero joint pain or aches

And I’m sure there are others I’ve left out.

Since this was our third time to complete the Whole30, I did notice the hangover phase lasted considerably less time than round one and round two. It took me 12 days to feel better during round one. It took eight days in round two.

But this time, it only took four (excruciatingly hungover) days to feel awesome. That to me was the biggest win of all. The mental clarity part of Whole30 is what I crave. The sustainable energy is also a big one.

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It feels good to finish something so rewarding.

Check back tomorrow to see how we celebrated our completed Whole30.