Little things lead to big things...

Hello loves! Last time we spoke, about 2 weeks ago, I was not feeling so awesome. I was feeling pretty shitty, in fact- let's just be honest here, sometimes this wellness journey is bumpy and rough and full of setbacks and you just want to throw in the towel and eat a bunch of crap and feel sorry for yourself. And then, hopefully, you only do that for a little bit and then you snap the hell out of it. I had my snap the hell out of it moment right about when I wrote the last blog post- I just felt like, here I am trying to help people get better, to feel well again, to share my story, and I am not listening to my own words! But a big part of sharing your story is sharing your WHOLE story, and sometimes, we feel like crap. Sometimes we have setbacks... sometimes, we feel uninspired and fat and tired and overwhelmed. We are human. The important part is to always remember all the good work we have done, and not get to wrapped up in the "what we are doing wrong right now". Because these setbacks, they are not wrong if they teach us something. For me, it was not eating in the best way (hello too many gluten free pizzas and a few too many nights that involved a glass or two of wine) and not making sleep and self care/love my priority. My back locked up (stress + bad habits always do this to me) and it was a pretty loud and clear message that I was not doing even close to my best to take care of myself. My body (and I bet yours too, if you listen) is really good at yelling at me when I am not doing my best to take care of myself. So I took note, and I decided to change a few things, to get back on track. And I am happy to say, the little steps I have been taking are making me feel AWESOME. About two days after my revelation two weeks ago, after I had recommitted to self care, I started feeling WAY BETTER. Leaps and bounds way better. Energy, mood, digestion... it all bounced back so quickly (because of all the hard work -groundwork- I have done in the last few years to get better) and really motivated me to keep it up. I wanted to share this with you today, and tell you about the little steps I committed to that helped me get back on track and facilitated major awesomeness feelings. Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Cut out the crap: My eating had been sliding quite a bit- a few too many gluten free pizzas, way too many "treats" (even paleo treats and gluten free treats are too much sugar- honey, coconut sugar, agave, it's all still sugar), and my once in a while glass of wine had turned into a once an evening glass of wine... it all added up to me feeling bloated and tired and having some breakouts, none of which I like dealing with. So I cut it all out. No more booze, scaled waaaaay back on the treats, and went back to the diet that makes me feel the best (for me it's Paleo, but I don't care what you do, as long as you eat food that makes you feel fantastic- energy after you eat, not sluggish, no digestive complaints- real food, no packaged crap or fast crap with questionable ingredients). I made the crock pot my best friend (again)- when you feel crappy and tired, you probably have little motivation to cook some amazing fresh meal for yourself, so let your crock pot do it for you. It's amazing what a few nights of crock-potted stew made with all fresh ingredients for dinner will do for your energy and motivation. Once you start feeling a little more energy, you can start back up in the kitchen and not rely on the crock pot so much (or whatever, just use that little guy as much as you can!). Also, for me, I have found that if I want to feel at my absolute best, I must cut out alcohol. I am not a crazy boozer, but I do enjoy wine- alas, I get a hangover from even two small glasses of wine (I've always been bad at processing alcohol, and it's only gotten worse as I've gotten older), so it was time to cut it out (again) completely. I am not telling you that you must cut out booze to feel great (although, I am pretty sure across the board you will if you do) but I am telling you to take a look at your habits and pinpoint where you are not treating yourself optimally. If your glass of wine in the evening a few nights a week doesn't make you feel slightly foggy the next morning like it does to me, then good on ya... I just know my body functions so much better without it. Whatever your body doesn't like, cut it out. No ifs ands or buts. I promise it's worth it.

2. Prioritize your sleep: I know, you hear this all the time. I know, you are so busy. Get over yourself. You must sleep, and you must do it every day for a good long chunk of time. If you don't prioritize sleep, you will not feel well. Period. It's non-negotiable on a wellness journey. Commit to going to bed at a certain time (for me, it's in bed reading by 9pm) and stick to it. It will be hard. Some things may not get done because you prioritize bedtime. But you will be way more alert, happy, and actually able to function better and do more with your time if you have slept well. Don't give me your excuses, just do it.

3. Go easy on yourself: I am carrying around about 15 extra pounds that I would love to get rid of. I hate seeing my love handles in the mirror, and I feel crappy that my favorite jeans are pretty tight at the moment. Because we are actively trying to get pregnant, now is not a great time for me to go on a crazy weight loss quest. I am upping my exercise a bit, and committing to eating better, and then just letting the rest be what it is. I have been trying to talk to my body every day, and thank it for all the amazing things it does for me (even with those pesky 15 lbs!). I can walk my dog for 5 miles and not get winded. I can dance with my husband. I can run after my favorite almost 4 year old. I can get up in the morning! Those are all infinite victories. Screw worrying about the 15lbs. I may lose it, or it will be extra padding for the baby I hopefully will be carrying around soon. No matter what, I am thankful for my breath and my body. And sometimes we need to remind ourselves of this everyday, and instead of punishing ourselves (pizza, anyone?) because we feel bad about ourselves, we need to accept where we are and thank the sky above that we are even here in the first place! (preach it girl!)

So there you go- little things lead to big things. Today I am feeling amazing -and that is why we are all here, on this wellness journey together. To feel amazing. I hope you are feeling awesome these days, and if you are not, I hope this post finds you and motivates you. As always, if you have questions please feel free to leave me a comment! Much love!