March - but its May…. yes March. We are recapping March - go with me.
My year plan is not going 100% like clockwork in terms of tracking the progress, reading my books, or writing about it. I have underestimated how busy life would be with a move, full time work, contract side work for several groups, and wanting to enjoy life (yea…that!). However my hope for purposeful living is going pretty well. It is a day to day effort, there are victories and there are failures - but this goal is still a focus of importance to our family - so I still feel a sense of success in recognizing what it is we want for our family and striving for it.
March was “this is 30” and really the best way to sum it all up was I hoped to start doing those things you always thought you would do for yourself and your body when you were an adult.
Here are the recaps of my efforts for March:
1. Fuel My Body: Each and every day I will take my Juice Plus and Gut Microbes, I will drink 8-10 glasses of water and I hope to approach my diet like a bank account. Bank account dieting really is just about eating purposefully. For instance make choices based on your day - if I am having a nice dinner out with Danny and planning on a big bowl of pasta - how about we let that croissant with my coffee go? None of these are extremes, but just some simple steps to take and approaches to eating.
2. It’s the outside too: You know those times when you say to yourself I am going to floss more, or I am finally going to do that hair treatment or I am going to use my Clarisonic cleanser……..yea that time - its now! Fueling my inside and protecting my outside.
3. Work it and sweat a little too: 5 times a week I will have 30-60 minutes of exercise. My primary focus is running, with yoga and stretching as my secondary exercise choice. Life is full and I crave a release, a clear mind, more energy, and to control my anxiety - ALL of these benefits are directly linked to exercise….so I best link to exercise.
How did these efforts go?
My diet has not been the best - but it has improved. I am trying to think of things as a bank account instead of “I will never eat french fries again” because that ain’t going to happen. The best part of this goal was that I saw results when I made the right choices. More energy, better skin, positive mood, and jeans that I have not worn in a year have made an appearance in the rotation. These little changes I had hoped would lead to my epiphany on becoming a health nut…..not quite there, but I have shared my meals more often with Danny, I have said pass on the afternoon sweet pick me up, and I have made having the right foods more of a priority. Additionally my Juice Plus remaining a stronger pillar in my diet has helped to improve some health challenges and I have found motivation in the company’s new slogan for health “one simple a change a day”. These efforts are making good healthy sense and seem doable….. And doable ya’ll leads to change. AMEN!
Taking care of my “shell” has remained steady in terms of using all of the tools I have available. My Clarisonic, moisturizing, hair products from my sister……but I am a little sad I have not had a chance to add to this list. Do that at home body scrub I have had forever, experience a face mask or complete a hair conditioning treatment at home. But thanks to some of my besties, I have been receiving Birch box for the past few months as a 30th birthday treat. There are so many goodies in here to use for hair and skin care that are fun. So not much improved, but I have some fun tools to dive into and continue to explore what other treatments I can add to my arsenal.
Working it out. Finally this goal will forever be on my list. I think working out will be on my to do list, wish list, goal list for my whole entire life. And not because I suck at it or need to feel like I have accomplished something - but striving for optimal health, reducing stress, and feeling good should ALWAYS be a focus and I am OK with this needing to be a work in progress for the duration. This month I did not add in YOGA, I was not good about any circuit training - but I did run. I did not train to my best ability, I did not run every morning and I was not always at my best pace, but I did run many mornings, I did sign up for a 5K, and I did complete it. OOO and I really enjoyed it…..ALL of those are wins in my book and I only hope to grow. Bad news right now - I have done something to my foot. I am avoiding the doc in hopes that it will go away, but I am on Danny watch and thinking I may be heading to the doc with in the next two weeks. Not ideal….and I therefore I am not running - but true to my realization, your body is constantly changing and so the experience of working out will always be evolving. So I can say I had some great success on this road, but the journey is no where near complete.
Reading - BULER…… SIGH, I don’t even know what to say but read the past three months to find my frustration with this aspect and how it needs to change. Summer is coming….I love me some pool reading…maybe I will get my ass - or eyes I guess - in gear here.
Finally my last two goals for March were to continue to take my spiritual focus to the top of my priorities and to have my blog go public.
My faith focus has been wonderful. Not in the way that I envisioned it, but really strong and life sustaining. I have found my way to prayer with my stress level, with the fears in the world right now, and in my desire to be more compassionate. In the last few months I experienced the intense desire to balk my knee jerk reactions and try to find the better version of myself towards the outside world. The only way to find and share that kind of peace is though God and these past months and Easter season, he was working hard on my heart and I am both grateful and inspired to seek more and open myself up to understand more of His plans.
Have A Little Faith in Me has always been public. If you search for it, you will find it and it is listed on my Twitter and Pinterest personal pages, but I have not gone as far to openly talk about it to a lot of people or put it as part of my actual social media posts. I have not 100% openly owned or been encouraging of others to read it. These past few months, not just March, have been a blur. My calendar and days are just jam packed. My work load and my projects lists are overwhelming and I have just not had the time to even think about how to take this next step. The next few weeks will better tell me where I am with my schedule and how I am even doing with regular posting, so for now I have decided to just go from there. This is a dream of mine that is still important - so its not going anywhere, but now is not the time. All I can really say here is stay tuned and thanks to the few of you who have found me and follow along.
We are into May and this is the 5th month of 2015. WOW….. we are quickly moving away from the New Years resolution phase. But all my trails and errors, all the good and bad experiences of 2015, all the changes in my world and hope for change on my heart keeps saying to me so very loudly and so very clearly - every day, every hour, every minute is a chance to take a step to becoming the person your meant to be, so never give up because in 60 seconds - you get to try again.
