Oh my word.

This past weekend was amazing.

My body is SO sore.

My mind is still racing.

My heart is a little sad that it’s over.  We spent a better part of 10 months planning this Retreat and now it’s over.  Bittersweet for sure.

But right now, in these afterglow moments, I simply don’t want to be at my computer.  No emails today.  No talk of caterers or sponsors or attendee shirt sizes.  All I want to do is sit here on the couch with my pajama-footed children and eat marshmallows by the handful and watch Sleeping Beauty 5 times in a row.

I know you’ll understand.

Recap post coming.  Be ready for picture overload.

splendid…lindsay

hashtag: RESTING - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

Hi friends!!

I type this as Travis and I are sitting in the Salt Lake City airport, waiting to catch a flight to Atlanta (our flight was delayed..boo!).  I have SO much to say about this past weekend and all the fun that was had (and I will – I’m sure you’ll be SO over the Blend posts soon), but right now, I just felt like checking in and sharing some thoughts about TRAVEL.

I really have very little experience in this field.  I’ve only ever been to a handful of states and I’ve NEVER gone out of the country (I know, I know, I know!)  Before I started blogging, most of my traveling was done by car (think beach trips or camping a couple of hours away).

Even though my travel track record kind of stinks, I still know one thing.  If I have any extra money in my life, I want to spend it on EXPLORING.  On traveling.

• I love looking out the window on the airplane, marveling at the patchwork quilt that God so wonderfully made.

• I love road trips.  I love taking my time getting somewhere and I also love sprinting like mad to arrive at a certain time (Travis-style).
• I love finding the best deals and comparing ten different travel websites.
• I love airport food and gas station food.  If given the chance to stop for food before we get to the airport, I’ll say no.  Road trips are the rare occasion when I’ll drink a Diet Dr. Pepper.
• I love people watching in the terminals.  Wondering where that person is going or what they do for a living.

• I even like talking to seatmates on the plane (but understand that not everyone shares this sentiment and that some people even pretend to be asleep so that they don’t have to talk – yes, I believe that’s happened to me.  When it does, I just scream really loudly every time we pass a cloud).

I just love it all.  The destination is only part of the fun.  It’s the getting there that I think I really love.  And I can’t wait to share this love with my kids.  To take them to National Parks and hopefully overseas.  There’s something so magical about it all – discovering and exploring.

It speaks to my heart.

QUESTION:  Where’s the coolest place you’ve traveled?  Do you like the “getting there” part?

splendid…lindsay

my love for travel - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

Howdy Folks…Travis here with a few more pictures, this time from Friday/Registration day.  Lindsay will come along later and fill in the details.

A Few Photos From Blend Friday - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

Blend Preparation on Thursday - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

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

best decisions…meet lee! - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

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

why i won’t be dieting for blend - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

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:

Diet Vs. Exercise

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

back to basics: improve your health with just minutes a day - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

Alternate title:  “I’m addicted to my iPhone and I needed an intervention!”

Oh. my. word.  This weekend showed me SO many things about myself.  The first being – I’m addicted to Instagram.  Facebook, I could take or leave you.  But Instagram, oh buddy.  You hold a special place in my needy, social interaction-craving heart.  I started this analog weekend off on Friday morning and ended it on Sunday night (after I was just SO eager to see what everyone got for Mother’s Day).  I have several observations/confessions:

1.  I CHEATED!

I did check Instagram and Facebook a couple (I think like 3) times throughout the weekend.  To my credit, I checked when I was ALONE, meaning the kids were with my mom or Travis was doing something.  I feel a little less guilty about it since my cheating wasn’t taking time away from the people around me (which was the point to begin with).  But still – I didn’t go the entire weekend strictly offline.  Wah wah.

2.  I’m a snoopy snoop!   

It’s why I read blogs.  It’s why if you put an open diary in front of me, 100% of the time I would read it.  I like looking into other people’s lives.  And I love Instagram for this very reason.  Looking at pictures of people and their food, dogs, houses, workouts.  I love it all.  I felt a little out of the loop with my online friends this weekend.  (If anything big happened, let me know!)

3.  Sometimes I use social media to BRAG.

Short story time:  On Saturday morning at 7:51am (as I was checking Facebook, ahem), I saw this status from my friend, Diedre:

A race?  For the pregnancy care center?  I’m intrigued.  The race started in NINE MINUTES.  So like any sane person, I jumped out of bed, brushed my teeth, put clothes on and drove quickly to the start line (which was like 2 minutes from my house).  The race director actually HELD the race for me so that I could register and pay.  Ha!

I ran. 

I raced.

I WON. 

And I wanted so so badly to tell you guys on Instagram and Facebook.  I almost did.  But when I thought about it and thought about my motives, I knew I couldn’t.  First, I’d be cheating (again).  And second, I kinda wanted to BRAG.  Not “share” or “inspire”.  I wanted to brag about what I’d done.  And that’s just not ok with me.

If I learned anything over this analog weekend, it’s that I need to think through my motives before I post online (think before doing – a novel idea).  Why am I REALLY showing you a picture of myself?  If it’s to brag or ask for some kind of attention, I want no part of it. 

4.  I need to do this more often.

Not only was I more present, which has been my New Year’s resolution for two years running, but I found time to do things that needed to be done.  I hadn’t realized just how much time I was spending online!  Too much.

Instead, I painted with my husband…

I hung out with my kids ….

I had some “girl time”….

I got outside…

I found time to READ…

And I was lavished in Mother’s Day gifts…

5.  There must be a balance.

And this is where I’m left pondering.  How much time online is TOO much time?  Should I go back to my old-school phone?  (The iPhone was pretty darn boring when just used as a phone.)  Where is the good, happy medium between living online and off?

I’m on a quest to find out.  And in the end, if I feel like this pursuit of social media/blogging isn’t enriching my life or my family’s life, I’ll have to stop.

QUESTION:  Do you spend too much time online?  How do you know if you are?

desperately seeking balance…lindsay

my analog weekend…a review - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

Last weekend, I wasn’t really present.  With anyone.  And next weekend, I’ll be gone to Blend.

I’m thinking this is perfect.

No Instagram.  No FB.  (And this isn’t social media, but NO Candy Flippin’ Crush!)

Will you join me? 

I’m starting….NOW!

QUESTION:  Do you find it hard to step away from your smartphone/computer?  Do you think it’s become an IDOL in your life?

splendid…lindsay

analog weekend - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things

If you’ve been reading for a while, you already know that I LOVE the Under Armour What’s Beautiful campaign!  I even have a board on Pinterest dedicated to the movement.  And now, I’m excited to announce that I’ve partnered up with UA and Fitfluential to help spread the word about this campaign even more.

So what is it exactly?

From their website:

Together we’re redefining the female athlete by setting epic goals and pushing past where we’ve ever been and where we thought we could go. Join us. Set your own personal goal. Then document your journey by posting videos and photos that tell your story from start to victory.

We’ll continuously post challenges for you. But that’s just the beginning. Show us your journey. Show us what makes your story the one that stands out from the rest. If you meet your goal, set a new one. Make it even bigger. Prove to everyone, and yourself, that you have more than what it takes.

In a nutshell, you set fitness goals for yourself (or for your team) and then you keep breaking them. This campaign is PERFECT for us ladies who need to be CHALLENGED.  Maybe you’re stuck in a fitness rut (raises hand) or maybe you need the camaraderie of a team to push you to break past a plateau (again, hand raised).

To get started, I created my own team.

TEAM JOY!!

Our mission:  To find PURE JOY in daily workouts.   No matter what you’re doing, walking, running, Crossfit, Pilates, I believe that we should all derive JOY from the pure bliss of being able to move.  (This really is my fitness mantra – I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it if you’re a longtime reader.  Sorry, I’m not sorry. )

Right now, I have no particular attainable goals (i.e. do 10 pull-ups), but I always want to get some sort of happiness from my workouts.  I think the goal here is to be CONSIOUS of the blessing while we’re working out.  To be thankful for whatever ability we have been given – it’s something to be cherished I think.  TEAM JOY needs members – I would LOVE for you to join my team!!  Every week, I’ll be posting mini-goals that compliment the over sweeping JOY theme.  Go here to sign up!

If you need more of an incentive to sign up, let me tell you about the PRIZES! 

Every week we’ll give away Under Armour Swag Bags full of gear to women who are seriously getting it.  Three winners will be flown to Costa Rica to attend a four-day yoga and surf retreat. In addition to the lessons led by world-class instructors, winners will be treated to transformative massages, spa treatments and healthy, locally-sourced meals prepared by personal chefs. All while staying in plush accommodations looking out at the ocean. A retreat worthy of the women who earn it.

Umm..yeah.  Costa Rica sounds pretty perfect!

ANYONE can join the campaign.  You don’t have to join my team – you can actually CREATE YOUR OWN! 

BUT, if you’re local and want to workout with me, I’ll be hosting a TEAM JOY Bootcamp every Saturday from now through the end of Summer!  9AM – locations will vary (either the high school track or FHFC) and I’ll post them on the TEAM JOY site!  These Bootcamps will be FUN, SWEATY and…. JOYFUL!  So please come and work out with me!

Twitter hashtag = #iwill and #whatsbeautiful.  You can find a whole slew of inspiring women and their goals by following these! Join us!

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QUESTION:  What is your current fitness goal?  How do you find JOY in movement?

splendid…lindsay

**FTC Disclosure:  This post is sponsored by Under Armour through Fitfluential.  All opinions expressed are my own!**

under armour – #whatsbeautiful campaign - posted on Lindsay's List - Because it's fun to mark through things