Pulling the Trigger

Today has been a day full of dreaming. I love dreaming. I love setting goals. I love forming plans and pulling the trigger to just make things happen. But this has not always been my approach to life. By nature, I am a fantastic dreamer, visualizer, idealist...but I am not naturally inclined to take things into my own hands and just DO things or even just make a decision. But I have recently learned, after studying many strong and inspiring business women, that letting life happen to you is not the way to get the most out of your everyday. Though this post may be short, I hope that you will look at things that you want out of life and have the courage to go after them, the boldness to make things happen. Make your daydreams a reality. Pursue your passions. You have what it takes, you are enough.

Soul Food and Sick Days

Have I told you that I really like lists? I haven't? Well. I really like lists. And because I like lists and sharing my awesome life with people, here's my weekend in a list!

Friday:
Gym.
Laundry.
Tan (JUST KIDDING).
Road trip with my honey to Rend Collective concert in College Station with my best friend.
Sing our hearts out, jump around like crazy people.
Ate Pho for the first time- quite enjoyable.
Road trip to Nacgodoches, take wrong turn due to great conversation, arrive at 3:00 am.
Sleep.

Saturday:
Early morning wake up call at 8:00 am.
Breakfast and chai latte at my favorite coffee shop with the aforementioned best friend- lots of great life and Jesus conversation.
Long walks in the fall weather through the arboretum trails where life and Jesus conversations continued.
Lunch at the best little cafe downtown.
Road trip to Fort Worth to be with other best friend for wedding dress hunting. (Successful!)
Accepted position of Maid of Honor in said wedding.
Red Robin dinner.
Braum's desert. (I can't resist their chocolate malts. They make me feel like a kid.)
Road trip back to Nac, arrive at 1:30 am.
Sleep

Sunday:
Late wake up call at 9:30 am. (Lovely.)
Brunch of potatoes, eggs, and avocado.
Chicken noodle soup and pumpkin cookies happened.
Lots of Friends episodes.
In house barista (besties roommate and our friend, Shelby!) made awesome cherry mocha frappucinos.
Road trip back home, arrive at 7:30 pm.
Unpack(ish) and rest.
Sleep

This weekend, this blog challenge was the last thing on my mind. I did not meet the challenge goals by blogging every single day. But I didn't take on this challenge to blog every single day. I took it on to try something new and share how I am working toward the healthiest life for me possible. A lot of that has to do with getting away and really focusing on where I am, who I am with, and what we are doing. My soul needed this weekend. I needed to get together with my best friends and word vomit about our frustrations and joys, our setbacks and successes. I needed the freedom and safe environment to dream out loud. I needed someone to tell me not to worry, that they don't have it together either. I needed the familiar chai latte that I can't find anywhere but Java Jacks. I needed clear skies and crisp breezes. I needed belly laughs and small amounts of sleep. This weekend, I got very little sleep, was in the car for about 18 hours, and put close to 900 miles on my car. Needless to say, it was a busy weekend. But it was the best kind of busy, the kind of busy that happens and you don't even notice because you are so blissfully happy to be where you are. The kind of busy that comes with great peace and encouragement. True wellness, for me anyway, cannot be accomplished without these things. The things that leave you softly smiling as you head back home, the things that you talk about the whole way home and then for days after.

The National Wellness Institute defines wellness as, "a conscious, self-directed and evolving process of achieving full potential." This is so encouraging to me. We have control over our wellness, we are constantly fighting to achieve our full potential. We are free to make decisions that are the best for our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. I hope that you got some soul food this weekend, and if you didn't, I hope you find things that drive your spirit and incorporate them into your regular health and fitness regime!

Monday:
Woke up sick.
Lunch meeting.
Came home and promptly passed out for an extra 2.5 hours.
Woke up from my nap still sick.
Made spicy veggie & chicken soup.
Consumed copious amounts of Vitamin C.
Wrote blog post about total wellness and fitness while sick (still in progress).

I. Hate. Sick days. There is little I like less than things I can't control getting in the way of my goals. Being sick makes me feel lazy, it makes me feel like I lack discipline, it makes me tired, it makes me achy. Blech. I'm not good at resting. I'm a doer. If I ever end up with down time, I have a long list of things I want to do with it. I'm not good at sitting, not good at lounging...but when I try to exert myself, my body quickly humbles me and demands that I listen. She turns into a bit of a bossy lady when she isn't feeling her best. She will demand hot, spicy soup with lots of veggies. She likes lots and lots of water, lots of Vitamin C. And she sometimes forces me to take involuntary, irresponsibly long naps. Listening to our bodies while we are sick is the best thing we can do for them.

After a weekend off, I was looking forward to getting back into my gym routine. My daily workout consists of heavy lifting and intense cardio. These things are a no-no when are bodies are busy fighting sickness. My husband said earlier, "working out when you are sick is like trying to build a wall to keep your enemy out while they are already chilling in your living room." We can't do both at the same time. To take care of my body while I'm sick, my routine will have to change a little bit to get her back to her best. Instead of pushing the limits with weights and cardio, I'll focus on yoga and stretching; Stressed and anxious bodies heal slower than peaceful ones. As far as food, I'm eating lots of foods that fight sickness as well as things that clear congestion like spicy and hot food and hot tea. For dinner tonight, I made Spicy Thai Chicken & Veggie soup. It's been proven that chicken soup will help you kick a cold faster than any over the counter cold medicine. Plus, it's just so comforting! Here's the recipe for you in case you get sick (or if you are just like me and love soup and thai food!)

1 tablespoon coconut oil for sauteeing
2 cooked chicken breasts, shredded or cubed- your preference
1.5 cup Julienned Carrots (packaged at the store unless you're just awesome! Chopped small will do also.)
1 onion
2-3 zucchini
2 yellow squash
1 carton mushrooms (cut up)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons minced ginger or ginger paste
1 (32 oz) carton chicken stock
*(or veggie for veggie/vegan friends)
2 cups water
1/2 can full fat coconut milk
2 tablespoons red curry paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce (soy sauce for veggie friends)
Cayenne pepper to taste
2 teaspoon coriander
2 tablespoons red curry powder

1) dice onion and carrot, sautee in coconut oil until soft.
2) add garlic, ginger, diced squash, zucchini, and mushrooms. Sautee for 1-2 mins.
3) add chicken stock and water.
4) add curry paste, fish sauce and seasonings
5) add shredded or diced chicken
6) let simmer for 20-30 mins.
7) add coconut milk and eat!

**taste spices and adjust to your liking fish sauce and chicken stock have salt so if you add salt, add it VERY LAST. Enjoy as it opens up your sinuses and warms your soul. Seriously. It's spicy. And hot. And awesome.

Write 31 Challenge Day #2

Bouncing Back from a Bad Day...Week...Month...Year...

Cupcakes will be the death of me. Especially pumpkin ones. Shaped like teeny tiny bundt cakes. With cream cheese frosting. You know the ones. The ones that lured me in not once, but twice today after lunch. Good thing this post isn't about self control. This post is about what we should do when we go a day, a week, a month, or even longer without consulting our conscience about what we are putting into our bodies and whether or not we are exercising. I don't know about you, but my first response is to punish myself for such "shameful" behavior. My self talk turns into sarcastic character bashing... "How dare you eat that chemical compound of sugary deliciousness?! How can you even say that you care about your health? You're going to have to do extra cardio (I hate cardio) and eat nothing but salad (I also hate salad) and protein shakes for a week. Seriously. This is what you've done. You deserve to be punished." It's the strangest thing though, because I would never say these things to someone else. The amount of grace that I show myself needs to mirror what I show to others. I really do believe that it's all about balance. If I did nothing but eat tiny, wonderful bundt cakes all day, then yeah, maybe my reality check would include cardio and some salad. But if all I did was do cardio and eat salad (remember, I don't enjoy these things. If you do, that's wonderful! I'm jealous!) that's not quite striking the right balance either. Because it is typically our go to, I wanted to share some of things I turn to, rather than self shaming, after a not so impressive day of eating and/or exercising.

Remember that enjoying life is not a crime. Food is a huge part of everything in our culture. It's how we celebrate, it's how we get together, it's how we show love. It's all about finding a balance of eating for fuel and eating for fun. Guilting yourself will not get you anywhere.

Drink lots of water, especially if your indulgences are high in sodium.

Make a plan for whatever you eat next to be something with good nutritional value. Veggies and protein have helped me bounce back quickly after a junk food binge.

Do something active. If I've had a particularly unhealthy day and don't feel up to a full workout, I'll make plans to do a relaxing yoga sequence or go for a walk.

Start where you are and do what you can. Strive for progress, not perfection. We can very easily overwhelm ourselves by thinking and acting as though we should be much further along than we are. Starting over is nothing to be ashamed of- don't pressure yourself because you aren't currently what you think you should be, but take small steps to get there.

Be done with it and move forward. Continuing to come back and feel guilty will not fix anything, we can only move forward and do better next time.

Do things to show your body some love. Take a bubble bath, paint your nails, do some stretching, wear your favorite outfit. Remembering that we love our bodies and are grateful for them will prompt us to make more decisions that reflect a healthy state of mind.

How do you get back into the swing of things after a few days off?

Write 31 Challenge- Day #1

Wellness in All Forms: Being the healthiest you, physically, mentally, & spiritually.

Today is day #1 of the Write 31 Challenge. What I have learned so far from this challenge (yes, I know it's only day 1...) is that I should have planned better ahead of time. Writing is not exactly something that I am familiar with outside of school papers and the 50 emails I sent at work today. But, I figured picking a topic and jumping right in would be just tons of fun. Welp. Here I am, at 10:45pm, on day 1, with a bunch of half thought out ideas and things I want to accomplish, and no hope of any of them becoming anything real. At least not today.

This reminded me of when I first embarked on incorporating fitness into my life. I had no road map (Pinterest wasn't a thing yet, y'all. How did we get by??) and really, only ideas of what I was supposed to be doing. Growing up, I was athletic and regularly active, but I also had (have) a major sweet tooth and a deep, deep love of bread. Deep love, guys. For as long as I can remember, I struggled with my body and what "healthy" actually meant. My second year of college, I checked in at my heaviest at 215 pounds and 5'8". I had surpassed the "Freshman 15" and was much closer to the "Freshman 40". There wasn't a great amount of change in my lifestyle between high school and then. I'm sure that the cafeteria food didn't help any, but I was still very regularly active; I worked out, played intramural sports, and I was more careful than most about what I ate. At 21, my doctor discovered that I had PCOS and that my thyroid was functioning very low, both things that contribute greatly to unhealthy bodyweight. Along with medication, I was given instructions, basically, to get it together. I needed a plan.

Just like anything else you take on, having a plan is crucial to success. I have found that most true in pursuing and living a healthy life. Since January of this year, I've been striving to be more in control of my health. This has meant taking the time to plan meals according to my nutrient needs, finding a workout plan that I like and sticking with it, planning for days off and treating the rest of the week accordingly, making my social plans around my gym and food commitment. Planning, planning, planning...Yes. But, it's so worth it. I recently (against my own will) started a new workout plan and calorie counting (gag) with my husband. Don't tell him this, but this whole calorie counting thing has rocked my world. I learned that I was under eating by about 1,000 calories, that I wasn't even getting 50% of the recommended amount of protein for my weight and activity level, and...I have been eating way too many carbs. Remember, it's a deep love. For three weeks now, my body has been getting what it needs. It's responding to workouts faster, it's sleeping better, it's getting stronger, and it just feels better to know that I'm giving it the best I can. Making the decision to not eat that beautiful extra slice of rosemary and olive oil bread is never going to be easy, friends (Kim...). But knowing that my body responds positively when I treat it well does make it worth it.

So. What we've learned today. Always show up with a plan. Starting by figuring out what your body's nutritional needs are will really help with the meal planning process. I like to plan and shop for a week of meals and snacks and try to get a few cooked and ready to go. Sometimes life gets in the way of our plans so it's always good to have back up! Along with meals, an exercise plan is a great way to keep up with your health and fitness. They keep us from wandering around the gym like we don't belong there, help us focus, and help us track our progress. I'm so looking forward to this month of challenging my inner writer and sharing my health and fitness journey with you!

What are some things you do that make living a healthy life easier?

Hello, Friends!

A little about me:
Hi! My name is Kim. I am deeply in love with Jesus. I have the coolest, dreamiest husband. He has long hair, an awesome sense of humor, and plays guitar. I believe that a bond made over coffee shall not be broken. I have been told that cooking is my God given ministry. I have not, however, been able to determine if it ministers more to me or others. I love adventure and fort building. I am a farmer's daughter that can only hope to have the same green thumb my daddy does. I've managed to kill two succulents in the last year but I am hopeful that I'll do better with vegetables..? I like dinner parties and holidays and celebrations just because there is always a reason to celebrate. I have a small obsession with The Office and may or may not have seen every episode at least 7 times. I have a fondness of photography and a passion for all things pretty. My husband and I own Little House Design, a graphic and web design company- I make it pretty, he makes it work.

We started Little House to break free of the mold, to go against the flow and create a life we love rather than following the cattle chute of life and hoping we get what we want out of it. Now. Don't get me wrong, working a completely unstimulating 9-5 desk job that had absolutely nothing to do with my degree while my husband worked really whacky hours as a barista was good times. It really was for that season. But I reached a point of unfulfillment and dissatisfaction. I wasn't creating, I wasn't thriving, I wasn't healthy, I wasn't excited about anything. I was so exhausted from bearing the load of boredom that I didn't have the energy to do anything positive with my free time. It had to change. Lots of constructive decisions have been made since January of this year and I have had a blast building a life that I love.

I am determined to find my roots and stay true to them.