A Routine Refresher
(pictured above: renting lights and laughed at the sign, photo shoot set up, Car2Go because our car has seen better days)
Life has been productive (that’s my new word instead of the word “busy”) and I’ve been trying to get a better grasp on separating my work and personal life. A lot of people who own businesses like to boast about the chaos or how they work 100+ hour weeks, but I’m not about that life. What I do for a living isn’t who I am. Sure, I love it. But my hand could get cut off tomorrow and I’d have to find a new career to occupy my days.
I’ve been setting limits with my meetings, turning down work and in turn…staying focused on our fabulous clients. Nothing crazy has changed, but we’re honestly at a point where we leave meetings with our clients feeling totally amazed at how talented and smart they really are.
(picture above: homemade grain-free gyros, I wrote a piece for Darling magazine about being a slob + how I’m changing and the making of delicious chicken lettuce wraps)
Personally, I’m making a lot more changes. For the past three weeks, we got back into the cycle of eating out ALL THE TIME. I literally didn’t buy groceries from February 17 until last weekend. Or if I did…we didn’t use them. I felt wasteful, tired and bloated and so I decided that I would do another round of Whole30 mid-March. I started working out and it felt great to get back into the kitchen.
To be totally honest, food and diet wasn’t a struggle for me until the past few years. I have a tendency to get really, really focused on things. I don’t really half-ass anything at all (thanks to the advice of Ron Swanson) so when I do something like Whole30 (or when I went gluten-free), I do it 100%. I don’t waiver. I don’t cheat. I’m almost too good at following the rules. The issue lies in coming off of these detoxes or meal plans. I don’t count calories and I eat REAL food but I still struggle with that first meal with french fries and a sugary drink. Guilt washes over me and I worry that I’ll either get sick or gain weight.
Because of this, I either am all into the “real food” world or all about that takeout. I have a hard time balancing the two and when I get overwhelmed, self-care flies right out the window. So I decided to do a few things to love myself this month:
- I will NOT be doing Whole30. I eat organic, I know what foods make me feel tired, I love to cook at home and I love spending time with friends. Instead, I plan on taking an online course called Finally Free. It’s about intuitive eating (listening to your body and not calling any sorts of foods bad or “cheat-worthy”). It’s a self-paced course so I plan on spreading it out over 12 weeks.
- I’m working out again! I’m working through a strength/cardio circuit plan for the next four months (3 times a week) and will be supplementing the other days with this yoga challenge. I took my “before” photos and maybe someday I’ll have the guts to share.
- I’ve been scheduling a “spa day” for myself every weekend. It’s not literally at a spa or for a whole day but lately I’ve been taking my Friday or Sunday night to do a little self-care. It’s relaxing and honestly makes me feel confident when my legs are shaved well and my nails aren’t chipped.
How do you handle stress? Work/life balance? Self-care? I’d love to hear how you approach it all.
A Consideration
A weekly email where I share things that made me stop and consider. Never sponsored, no affiliate links.
Comments (30)
-
-
That’s amazing and makes so much sense! I love the idea of banning the word “bad” when talking about food. Obviously I DO think super processed stuff isn’t the best for me but I also am human and need to love myself/give myself a break.
-
-
Ahhh Food Freedom! I am all about that and all over intuitive eating. It doesn’t work for everyone (my husband can’t tell you if something makes him feel like crap or not, he just eats) but it does work for most people and I love it.
-
Yes!! I’m excited to grow into it and learn to use my strengths to have the best relationship with food. And agreed- I know a lot of people who couldn’t just dive into the concept but I am very observant when it comes to what I eat and how it makes me feel. Sometimes I ignore it, however, and start to think feeling gross is just the norm.
-
-
Ah, we are so thankful for you!! So happy to hear about your decision to do Finally Free this month! <3
-
-
I live for Friday night “spa day”! I would take that over almost any plans. And Finally Free sounds awesome. I’d love to hear more about it as you work through the program. :)
-
Me too, girl. ME TOO. Most people are off getting drinks and being social and I’m doing an epsom salt bath with a face mask HA! I’ll keep you posted + will review the program soon!
-
-
Charlotte
Oh my gosh, I love this and identify with it all so much! I have definitely been in that not-buying-groceries-or-else-just-wasting-them rut and it sucks.
But, I just did Finally Free and it is amazing! You are going to be so so glad you took this route instead of another cleanse or diet.
And I am ALL ABOUT taking “spa showers” at home. I set aside one night a week to light some candles, play some music, and take an extra-long shower using the fancy conditioner, a face mask, and whatever other beauty treatments I want to try! It makes me feel so good. :)
Best of luck with your positive life changes!
-
Ah I love this Charlotte!! I’m pumped to be working through the program and already feel so relieved to free myself of rules. And I’m the SAME way about those spa showers. It’s so nice to just enjoy it, try a face mask or do my nails.
-
-
Chandra
I love what you said about being all in or all out with the food and everything really! I feel the same way… And I wondered if it was real or if I was making it up!! We own a chiropractic office and we work way too much… We know nothing else! Working on that this year for sure, but the spa days are genious! Thank you for shring your heart!! I’m always inspired or learn something new!
-
You totally aren’t making it up! I can totally relate re: working all the time. I’m trying to work on it. I’m so glad this post resonated with you. You aren’t alone, Chandra!
-
-
Yes to all of this. I think diets can become a guilty cycle. I think we all struggle with trying to find a way to eat well but still not be upset with yourself for a burger or two. The 3 things you pointed out will do wonders! I used to make my Sunday nights spa nights too – to avoid some of the sunday scaries ha!
-
I love that you said “a burger or two” because I totally do that HA! But agreed- I’d rather eat in a way that nourishes me + keeps me healthy. My body knows how to detox already!
-
-
I totally get the all or nothing feel with eating. I think my ‘perfectionism’ spills over into all parts of my life and I can’t stand to only half ass things either. Mindful and intuitive eating is such an interesting topic, I got introduced to the idea when I read the blog post from Lauren on Considering You and have been fascinated by it since! And so cool that you wrote for Darling, I love that magazine so much!
-
-
I feel exactly the same about work! I love it, but goodness I love living life, reading a good book, and sleeping in on the weekends without guilt, too. My blog post today was about how I balance work / life, and I definitely feel good about the way I’m going about things.
Also – I love the idea of the course you’re taking. I’ve been trying to force myself to eat healthy for so many years lately, and it’s just not something I can stick to. I’m sooo the opposite of you :) However, I’m trying to find happiness in who I am and what I look like before I try any serious workout or diet regimens again.
-
That’s so awesome, Kory! It feels good to feel like you’re on top of it all. It’s a constant struggle for sure. And that’s the best way to approach food and body image. I agree, I want to love myself and not be so worried about the little day-to-day decisions!
-
-
Hi Allison,
I love the photos in this blogpost :)
Your posts always motivate me ♥
http://www.color-castles.com -
-
I just love this post – so real! Thank you for sharing! I have found a peaceful morning routine is so key, along with food prep on Sundays and scheduling workouts. I know how much better I feel when I am taking care of myself and those three things are so important! I also need 1 week night where I make no plans and can be at home – cooking dinner, snuggling with the dogs, etc. or I just get too zonked!
-
I’m with ya, Sim! I actually spend lots of evenings alone or just around the house because my days are just go go go go all the time. I actually should focus on spending MORE time socializing hahaha
-
-
What if we sit together, in silence? Would that fix the problem for both of us??? Meet in the middle? :)
-
-
Intuitive eating sounds very interesting. I’ve never tried dieting or felt the need to because I’ve always felt healthy and I’ve never been over or under weight. However, I’ve been thinking of eating less dairy. I’m usually fine with diary but sometimes when I drink milk or eat ice cream I get a stomach ache. Thanks for sharing the 30 Days of yoga series! I’ve been doing yoga for the past two weeks about every three days with a different Youtube channel. I’m thinking of switching between pilates and yoga every other day.
By the way, I loved reading your “7 Tips for the Introverted Career Woman” on The Everygirl. I actually went to college with the writer, Valerie, and we were on our college’s newspaper together.
-
I feel the same way with ice cream/milk but I’m fine with hard cheese + yogurt. And of course re: yoga! I fell off the bandwagon but am picking it up again. And I’m SO glad you loved the post with Valerie! That’s such a small world – she made it so easy to collaborate.
-
-
Pingback: Intuitive Eating & Whole 30
-
Abbi
Great post! Wonderful to learn about the 30 Days of Yoga. I do Orange Theory fitness 3 days a week and am working up to 5 days a week but your post inspired me to try to incorporate yoga! I feel like the yoga will nurture my mind & soul…Wanted to know if you already started or if you were starting today because it is the 1st of the month? Either way, I would love to go through it with you if you’d like to have a buddy! This is my first time doing yoga so I could use the support! Let me know, feel free to email or tweet me..my twitter is @missAreighard ! xx
-
emily
oh yes. i love intuitive eating! that’s actually what a lot of eating disorder clinics use and teach to patients. i wish more people ate intuitively because it really is like, the best way to go!