New Year New You Challenges

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Okay, I'm on the ban wagon. I used to think New Year's Resolutions were stupid and refused to make them. Then, I realized that I am overweight, unhealthy, self conscious, and not nearly as productive as I would like to be. So despite the fact that I have an amazing group of friends, the most adorable puppy I could ever hope for, and the best boyfriend in the world, I'm not totally happy. So, here I am with a butt load of goals/resolutions for the year and several resources to help me with them. I’ve come up with four of them because four is my lucky number. Lets get into it.

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Hydration: To figure out how much water I should be drinking I took my weight in pounds, divided it by two, and tacked on the word ounces. So if you weigh 150 pounds, you should be drinking 75 ounces of water a day. To accomplish my goal, I fill up 4 reusable bottles each night so they are ready to drink throughout the day. I have my first cup first thing in the morning warmed with a little lemon juice and a pinchof cayenne pepper.

 

Activity: I used to be really active through recreational stuff and in my work. Then, I got a desk job, moved in with my folks, and became completely inactive. Combine that with less time to prep my own meals and grabbing convenient food on the go and you've got an extra 40 pounds in 3 years. To accomplish my goal, I’m using my Pinterest Recipes, MyFitnessPal, Blogilates, and C25K.

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Brain Power: Now that I’m not working, I find there is a lot of time spent on things that don’t challenge my mind the way my work used to. In addition to my body being lazy, my mind was also becoming quite the couch potato. To accomplish my goal, I’m using Elevate, Feedly, challenging myself to read a book each month (this month I'm actually finishing one I've been working on for several months), and working on a personal project to sell in my Etsy shop.

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Confidence: All of the above are going to help with this goal, but there is still more I’m pushing myself to accomplish here. Again, since I became a fulltime student, I noticed I don’t ever dress up anymore, and not just because my favorite clothes don’t fit anymore. I rarely do my makeup, wear very few if any accessories, I hardly ever do my hair, and am usually in flip-flops (cute flip-flops, but still). To accomplish this goal, I’ve created an AM and PM routine to help me get my glam on! My AM Routine consists of: Oil Pulling, Dry Brushing, normal shower stuff, hair & make-up, oral care, and practicing commands with Opal (that’s not glamorous, but it helps us bond). My PM Routine consists of: A weekly self-care task (enema, pedicure, manicure, and teeth whitening), make-up removal, neti pot, oral care, and moisturizing my face, legs, and feet.

That’s it ladies and gents! I’m seven days in and I’m super excited about how sore every inch of my body is, now soft my skin is, and how tasty my meals have been!

How about you? Did you make resolutions? How are they going?

Adapt

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For as long as I can remember I have been obsessed with perfection, planning, and organizing. I love to alphabetize, color code, FIFO (first in, first out) and purge things. As a child I would spend hours working on organizing my pogs.

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Then as I got a little older collectors cards.

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As an adult my office/stores at work. 

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It’s an obsession that calms me and brings me more happiness than red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting.

That said, it should come as no surprise that I also thoroughly enjoy routines, schedule, and structure. In the past few years I’m found myself in a situation very new and different. I quit work to go back to school full time about a year ago and since then have been struggling to find a routine that works for me. School is not like my former job. I don’t have an office that’s just for me with office hours, a big oak desk, a comfy chair, and a fairly consistent to-do list and rotation of meetings. Instead, I have what I view as chaos. Sometimes I have to go to campus, sometimes I don’t. When I go, sometimes I have to be there from 1-3, sometimes from 8-11, sometimes from 9-10 and again from 6-9. Sometimes I have to write a 67-page paper, sometimes I have to read 30 articles, sometimes I have to jot down 30 words of my own opinion to share with the rest of the class. Sometimes I want to break down and scream, sometimes I want to cry, sometimes I feel worthless and out of sorts.

I spent my first semester complaining about everything, my second trying to just power through, and my third kind of moping. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how I feel about it, when classes are or what the assignments entail, I MUST get through it. So, I’ve come to the conclusion that the best thing I can do for my family (who listens to my bitching) and myself, is to figure out how to be happy in a situation I cannot change. My working solution is to create a list of the things I would like to do each day in the order I would like to do them and simply work down that list each day. What I get done I get done, what I cannot get done, I simply cannot get done. There shall be no more obsessing about this that and the other, no more feeling bad about not being able to complete x, y, or z.  I will just work on what I can, when I can and practice the complicated art of appreciation, gratitude and satisfaction at the end of each day. I will make sure I’m focusing on priorities so if I have 10 hours of school work on one day, I can make the best use of the rest of my time. My list is as follows with the bold items as priorities:

1.    Wake up at 7 am

2.     Complete Sun Salutation

3.     Drink 8 ounces of warm water with the juice of half a lemon and a pinch of cayenne pepper

4.     Spend 15 minutes of quality time with Opal (training, snuggling…)

5.    Enjoy a fresh green juice or smoothie

6.    Exercise for at least 30 minutes or 500 calories burned, whichever comes first with stretching to start and to finish

7.     Meditation and gratitude practice

8.     Have a protein filled snack

9.    Complete my morning routine

a.     Dry Brush

b.     Shower

c.      Neti

10. Read Feedly feed with coffee

11. Complete homework as needed

12. Complete Chores

a.     Make Bed

b.     Clean kitchen

c.      Wipe down bathroom counters

d.     Complete weekly chore (such as mopping)

e.     Complete monthly chore (such as vacuum curtains)

13. Blog for 1 hour

14. Work on planners for Etsy for 1 hour

15. Spend 15 minutes of quality time with Opal (training, snuggling…)

16. Have a protein and fiber filled lunch

17. Work on creative project for 1 hour

18. Spend quality time with family for at least 2 hours

19. Have a low calorie snack

20. Have a protein and fiber filled lunch

21. Complete PM Routine:

a.     Food prep for next day

b.     Wash face

c.      Moisturize

d.     Weekly self-care (such as pedicure)

e.     Evening yoga sequence

22. Read for pleasure for 1 hour

23. Bed by 11 pm

Wish me luck!

Life Lesson As Taught By Disney

 

Ah the magic of Disney. I’m always so surprised at how many folks I speak with that think Disney and all of its fantastic glory is just for kids. As a “Disney Baby” and a former Walt Disney World employee, I am here to tell you that Disney is not just for children.

Sure there is a lot of fantasy and whimsy, but there is a lot of meaning and purpose as well. Lets start with Peter Pan…

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The story of Peter Pan may just look like it’s about a silly boy who refuses to grow up flying around with a feisty jealousy prone fairy battling an eccentric pirate and his crew, but if you take a closer look you’ll find there is much more to the story.  I think Dennis Bonilla explains it best here but I will do my best to explain my theory. Let us first consider Neverland, a place where children go after leaving their parents with a flying boy to laugh and play without ever having to be responsible for anything. The only danger they may encounter is whimsical and they always triumph over an challenge. Sounds like a pretty awesome place right? Perhaps like Heaven, maybe? Now, let us consider the flying boy who comes only to the children to help them fly away into the night sky. Like an angel perhaps? You decide for yourself.

 

Image from Oh My Disney

Now Cinderella’s hidden meaning shouldn’t seem so hidden right? The kindest girl you’ll ever meet is treated incredibly poorly by her family and not allowed in happiness. Then one day, her friends (portrayed by birds, mice, and other animals) realize they could help her have a special night of fun and help her achieve this. Of course, due to all of her good karma that’s been building up for years, she meets the man of her dreams and lives happily ever after when she wasn’t even looking for love. Now, some people see this as a girl being rescued by her prince who magically makes everything better. I see a girl being supported and loved by her friends like Gus seen above.

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Up! There are so many lessons in this movie I’m not sure I can remember them all! Carl and Ellie teach us that life throws some curveballs every now and again, that losing someone you love is hard, and that ultimately spending time with people you love and cherish is the great adventure anyone can ever have in life. Russell reminds us that kids really just need to be loved and nurtured. His fondest memories with his father were the “boring” ones, which should remind parents that it’s not about stuff, its about time.

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Are you crying yet? I first saw this movie as a child and balled my eyes out. I didn’t realize at the time that I was learning that friends could come in all shapes and sizes, from many different places, cultures, and backgrounds. This movie teaches us not to be prejudice and to follow our heart even when others are trying to pull us in a different direction. I must stop writing about this now because I’m starting to tear up.

Clearly, this post covers just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Disney life lessons. I will leave you with one of my most tried and true methods for handling a tough situation…

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