Blend Preparation on Thursday
May 17, 2013 in Blog
best decisions…meet lee!
May 16, 2013 in Best Decisions, Blog, Blogging, Friends, Guest Post
I’m on a boat PLANE headed out to Utah!! I might be a little sparse over the next few days with Blend, but I promise to overload my Instagram and Facebook feed with pictures, so make sure you follow on both of those outlets if you can! Did I tell you guys that TRAVIS is coming with me?!?! I’m stupid excited about getting to travel with a companion, even if he does fall asleep within 5 minutes of sitting in the plane seat (and stays that way the remainder of the flight!?!? I can’t sleep on planes.) Anyway, today we travel, so I thought I’d introduce you to my friend Lee and her best decisions! Take it away, friend!
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Hello Lindsay’s List readers. My name is Lee and I blog over at In My Tummy. I’m excited to do this guest post for Lindsay on the five best decisions I’ve ever made. Let me tell you, giving my blog that dumb name was not one of them.
1. Moving to Atlanta. I’m from the Washington, DC area. I went to college in Vermont and after I graduated, I didn’t quite know what to do with myself, so I moved back. Though I lived in an apartment with a friend and had a job (actually two; I had a full-time job and I waited tables), I just wasn’t happy so I saved up some money and took a leap of faith. A couple of my friends lived in Atlanta and just sort of decided that I was going to join them down in the ATL. It’s been ten years now and I’ve made my life here and I can’t imagine what it would have been like if I didn’t.
2. That leads to me to point number two and I can’t believe I’m going to admit this because I usually don’t. Trying out internet dating. Right before I met Jason, my husband of almost three years, I had been sort of hanging out with this guy who was a real jerk to me. To sort of get over him, I decided to create an online profile and ended up meeting Jason and the rest is history. I know that it’s common to meet people online nowadays (I mean, hello blogger friends) but I still sometimes wish that when people ask us how we met, I could say something like “in college” or “through friends.” Oh well. I just admitted it to you guys and called it one of my best decisions.
(I promise, we don’t normally wear matching jackets.)
3. Getting a dog. After Jason and I had been together for about a year, we got Murphy from a golden retriever rescue. (Though when we got him, his name was Ricardo. He told us that he felt more like a Murphy though.) He is the cutest golden retriever you’ll ever meet even if he’s a little camera shy. I cannot imagine life without my best buddy.
(Hello crows feet. Maybe getting some eye cream should be one of my next best decisions.)
4. Running. I was not athletic in the slightest when I was growing up. When I was really young, like elementary school aged, I did soccer and gymnastics, but from about age 10 to age 18, I did nothing athletic whatsoever. For a few years after that, I ran off and on, but I really didn’t get into it until my mid-20s when I randomly decided that my first race was going to be a half-marathon. Now, I’ve run ten of them and various races of other distances. While I’m not a particularly fast runner in any sense of the word, running has given me a sense of self confidence that I never had. It showed me that if you put your mind to something, you can do it, even if you aren’t really naturally inclined.
This picture cracks me up. So dorky!
5. Starting a blog. Cheesy answer, but it’s true. I have always been one of those people who kept journal after journal. I probably have them going back to when I was about 14 years old, maybe younger (and they are painful to read)! I kind of view my blog as an online journal. I get to talk about myself (which I like to do!) and meet new friends at the same time. I mean, it’s a total win-win and it’s become one of my favorite hobbies. See, new friends. I bet you recognize some of them.
There you go, my five best decisions!
QUESTION: Share one of your best decisions! Or give me tips on how to sleep on a plane (i just get so gosh darn excited – i must have a window seat!)
splendid…lindsay
why i won’t be dieting for blend
May 15, 2013 in BLEND, BLEND 2013, Diet, ED
I wrote this last year before Blend 2012. Naturally, I was thinking about this topic again this week – DIETING BEFORE AN EVENT (vacation, a reunion, a wedding, a blogger retreat). It makes me smile to know that I haven’t changed one bit on the dieting front over the past year. If anything, I’ve gotten even more relaxed.
Maybe you need to hear these words….that being perfectly imperfect in front of others is perfectly acceptable.
And I believe…preferable. Enjoy!
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A few years ago, I battled self-esteem issues and was overly focused on trying to be something I’ll never be… perfect. I’ve made no secret of my eating disordered past and my distorted relationship with food. I was basically a hot mess.
Still am, in some regards.
In just one week, I’ll be meeting many of you in real life at BLEND Retreat. You’ll hear my voice, see my body and judge (yes, judge) me based on appearances. Now, I’m not making a statement about you, but rather, about myself.
Years prior, I would have had a PLAN! I would have gone on a detox diet for weeks leading up to an event like this. Banned sugar, no eating after a certain time, lots of water…maybe even thrown some diet pills and laxatives into the mix.
Hold that thought while I grab some chocolate….
I would have cared SO much about what others thought, that I would change (and harm) my body to make them think more of me. Try to appear to be something that is impossible to keep up – no one lives on a detox diet forever. And if you do, I feel so so sorry for you. I would have tried to appear perfect.
I’ll be honest – I want to look smoking HOT for BLEND. Especially, for the boot camp I’m leading (I just laid down $150 at Lululemon yesterday – I obviously care somewhat!). <edited to add – I bought another Lulu outfit. I can’t stay away from that place.
BUT I’m not going to extremes to look like someone I’m not.
I won’t be dieting.
I won’t be restricting.
I won’t be counting or making a plan.
I’m just going to keep keeping on. Eating my 80/20. Exercising DAILY. Drinking my water. Focusing on high protein, high fiber – a combo that has never let me down.
Friends – the Lindsay you meet at BLEND is the real me. I have an accent. I wear my hair in a messy bun. I burp [a lot]. I make inappropriate sex jokes.
And I look like a smoking hot mom.
Without the smoke and mirrors.
QUESTION: Ever extreme diet before a big event? Care about what others think? <yes, I think we all do to some degree.
splendid…lindsay
back to basics: improve your health with just minutes a day
May 14, 2013 in Back To Basics, Blog, Blogging, Lists, Workout
Happy Tuesday (and one day closer to Blend!! eeeeee!!) I feel like I haven’t talked about fitness or health recently and I decided to change that today. Here’s another “Back To Basics” post geared towards women and our need for a speedy day!
If there’s one thing that most of us have in common, it’s a LACK OF TIME! It seems as though we’re constantly sprinting from one thing to the other, maintaining our family and it’s needs, our job, our chores, all while overlooking our own need to SLOW DOWN. The days that we have little to do seem like Christmas and we cherish that quiet time. In all honesty, those days are few and far between.
So how does a busy woman make time for her health and fitness, you ask?
By multitasking and using those little windows of time throughout the day to make ourselves better. Here’s how to fit healthy living into your already busy life, in just minutes a day!
Got a minute?
Perform deep squats at your coffee table!
With weight in your heels, take your bottom all the way down to your coffee table slowly, then stand back up quickly. You’ll target your quadriceps, glutes and calves. Kids around? Encourage them to join you! Children love to mimic healthy (and sometimes unhealthy) behavior!
Got 3 minutes?
Make your own Vitamin Water!
The average woman gets about HALF of the water she needs in a day (which is 96 ounces!). The biggest complaint? Water is boring and hard to chug down! The solution? Make your own flavored water! With little calories and nutrition to boot, you’ll be well on your way to downing those 96 ounces!
Here’s how to make it:
- Add fruits instead of sugar for a natural sweetener for your H2O
- Cut the fruit into paper-thin slices or small chunks.
- Combine ingredients with water
- Refrigerate 4-6 hours.
Another tip – Invest in a good water bottle! I carry my Contigo around with me everywhere! It literally forces you to drink more water.
Got 4 minutes?
Time for TABATA!
Four minutes is all you need to TABATA!! If you’re unfamiliar with tabata training, go here where I’ve outlined the basic idea! In short, tabata training is a high intensity workout that pairs 20 seconds of all-out activity with 10 seconds of rest. You repeat this sequence 8 times for a total workout time of just 4 minutes! Try this tabata that I created for Mom365 out:
Got 10 minutes?
Cut up your fruits and veggies for the week!
By precutting your fruits and vegetables and storing them within eye level in your refrigerator, you’ll be more apt to choose those healthy options over something else. This goes for the rest of your family as well – precut some of their favorite veggies (or buy precut vegetables at the store) and always offer these first when someone asks for a snack.
Got 15 minutes?
Go outside!
That’s plenty of time for a walk with the family (Henry and Clara still LOVE hopping in the stroller)! Gear up with bikes or your stroller and get moving! It’s proven that just 15 minutes of outdoor activity can increase your Vitamin D and serotonin levels, which in turn, act as a force against depression and anxiety! Have a dog? Take him as well! Pets who get outside for daily fresh air have less body fat, shinier coats and a healthier digestive system (source)!
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More Back To Basics:
Best Strength Training Exercises for Women
WHY You Should Strength Training
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QUESTION: I could have given a million different tips. Your turn? Got ___ minutes? Do _____. Fill in the blanks!
splendid…lindsay
