Thinking Out Loud Thursday

Long time, no post.
I have been slacking on blogging lately due to the craziness of the holidays, but I'm back!!
My 'Thinking Out Loud' post this week is about 2015 and 2016!

2015 was an eventful year for me. If you would have told me at the beginning of 2015 that by the end of the year I would be married and have my very own furbaby I would have called you crazy. 2015 took me by storm in the best way possible.

I feel so blessed to have my little family and I can't wait to conquer 2016 with them by my side.

I am not a fan of New Years Resolutions. I believe if you want to make a change in your life you should do it whenever you want to. However, I feel when a new year comes around it gets us thinking about our lives and our plans for the next year. Instead of resolutions, I have goals.

• continue to improve my health through fitness and weight training 
• heal and support my body with natural remedies such as essential oils
• improve Franklin's allergies through natural remedies & help him with his anxiety 
• continue to grow my amazon reviewing 
• live in the moment & appreciate it all - don't take anything/anyone for granted 

I wish the best for you all in 2016!

Do you have any goals or resolutions for the new year?

Thursday's Thoughts

Happy Almost Friday! Today I decided to make a Holiday Wishlist. I was struggling to create a list when I realized it is because I am grateful for what I have (a wonderful family, an amazing husband, a cozy little apartment, and a kitchen full of food). The things I wish for can't be found in a store.


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Health
I wish to be healthy. To be in control of my body. I want to be able to make plans and know that I will be well enough to do them. I hope to be able to take spontaneous trips without planning and days of rest ahead of time. I want to pursue passions and hobbies with all of my heart, not have to take long breaks to recover from the energy expended. I wish to be healthy and I wish for all those suffering from chronic illnesses to be cured of their illness.


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Peace on Earth
I know, it sounds cliche. But I am sure if you turn on the news and see the tragic events that are happening in our world you wish for it too. The amount of innocent lives that are lost every day break my heart. These people had their whole lives ahead of them, a life full of love, laughter, dreams, and memories but it was taken away from them in a blink of an eye. I wish for peace.

Shelter for All
Baby, its cold outside... and everyone deserves a roof over their head and a warm bed to sleep in. I know this is not the case in our world, many go without basic necessities on a daily basis - but this holiday season I hope and pray for all to have a place to call home.

*Linking up with Running with Spoons*

Thinking Out Loud: Grateful

   

       I recently started a "1,000 Things List". I was inspired by Lynette Marie's list on her Instagram. Each day I add a few {big or small} things that I am grateful for. Since I have started this little project, I am more aware of all the little things that life has to offer. Each day is a gift and we should live it to the fullest.

      Today I am thankful for ...

    1.  Franklin adjusting well to his fur-ever home. He has come along way from when we first got him.  He was so shy and timid, but now a week and a half later he is slowly coming out of his shell. He is going potty outside and becoming much more playful! Franklin is definitely becoming part of the family.

     2. Time spent with loved ones. Saturday morning I spent some time with my parents {We went to IHOP & I got the new Caramel Bon Bon Pancakes - they were delicious}. Wednesday my husband had off of work and we spent the day together.

     3. A wonderful home. I really love our apartment. It isn't super big but the layout makes it feel spacious. We looked at quite a few apartments before we settled on this one.

    4. My health. To most, I am not the picture of health - I take medicine to feel semi-well and my neurological system just doesn't work. But I am so grateful for the parts of my body that do work. I think back to a year ago and I wasn't even able  to walk 10 feet without feeling awful. Now I take multiple walks a day. Its all about perspective. Am I as healthy as I would like to be? No. But I am making progress and I am grateful I am not where I was a year or two ago.

     5. Delicious Food. Our society vilifies food but it is a source of energy and fuel. I don't see fat as something that will make me gain weight. I don't see carbs as a thing that will pack on the pounds. I see them as essential nutrients our bodies need to function. You don't expect your car to work with out fuel, don't expect your body to work right without the fuel it needs!

Happy Almost Friday!

What are you grateful for this week? 

*Linking up with Running with Spoons*

Thinking Out Loud

1. I'm back!
     Did you miss me? I had some sort of respiratory bug that has been keeping me down the last week. I am happy to say I am finally getting over it.

2. Life is about Balance.
      When your husband picks you up to spend time with him while he is running an errand for work and then offers to take you out for dinner & ice cream, you ALWAYS say YES.  It didn't fit my macros for the day (aka - I ate more fat and carbs then planned for the day) but life isn't about being perfect every single day. Life is about balance. Making memories. Being spontaneous.

3. I am hooked on shows that mess with my mind.
     Between Heroes & Supernatural, I don't know what's up and what's down.  Heroes is more questions then answers.

4. My love for cold treats is in full swing.

     TCBY Chocolate Chunk Cookie Dough Frozen Yogurt has been filling my carb macros quite often lately. It taste best topped with peanut butter & sprinkles!

5. Don't fear fat
     Everywhere I look there is ads for fat free or low fat things. Our body needs fat, so don't fear the fat! Fat is an essential nutrient - your body needs fat to absorb certain {fat soluble} vitamins & to properly regulate your hormones, among other things.
      My body has been responding positively to my recent increase in grams of fat per day. Based on my research, I follow the rule of thumb that between 25-35% of your daily calories should come from fat.

6. Halloween
      My Halloween night will be spent on the couch eating candy and watching the Gremlins (one of my favorite movies) with my husband! My Halloween day we will be spent hanging out with my mom who I haven't seen in a few weeks due to being sick and most likely contagious.

What are your Halloween plans?
   

Linking up with Amanda @ Running with Spoons

Thinking out Loud: Live in the Now

   

     After posting this picture on my Friday Favorites post, I got to thinking about how our society loves to rush things. Christmas stuff up before Halloween happens. Valentines stuff up before Christmas happens. Easter stuff up before Valentine's Day happens. Okay, you get the point. We are always rushing from one big event to the next.

     We are not living today. We are not enjoying all that the present has to offer. I feel like our society is always preoccupied with the future, we never enjoy the now.

     
     I am guilty of this too. I have mentioned multiple times on my blog how excited I am for the upcoming holidays. I am looking forward to new memories and adventures with my husband. It will be our first Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas together. But I can't keep 'waiting' for these events to get here, I need to enjoy today and the moments and memories we are making right now. It is silly to waste away today wishing for the future. 

    While there is nothing wrong with being excited about future events and planning for the future (fail to plan and you plan to fail, right?), you don't want to be so caught up in the future that it is at the expense of today. 

    This applies to your fitness as well. It is so easy to get caught up in your goals that you lose sight of the progress you are making. It is important to enjoy the journey. The journey is where the growth and change happens, not just physically but emotionally and mentally. Same goes for life, the journey is where you become 'you', enjoy every moment and try to be as present as possible.

     We are only given so many moments and we should do our best to enjoy every one of them.

     

*Linking up with Thinking Out Loud by Running with Spoons.*

Hello October.

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      I am so excited about October. I am looking forward to some changes in weather (I am looking at you triple digit temperatures). This time of year is always exciting; seasons changing and holidays right around the corner. But this year I am even more excited than usual because it will be my first Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas married to my best friend. It will actually be my first fall/winter holidays with him in person! 

      The beginning of the month has me thinking about what I want to accomplish and work on this month. I decided to set some goals for myself. 

1.  Listen to my body

      If you follow my Instagram than you may know that I haven't been feeling very good lately. I have been over doing it a bit lately and it caught up with me. So this month I plan on really listening to my body. If it is telling me not to do something or that I just need some rest I am going to do what it says. Being chronically ill, your body calls the shots a lot of the time. It can be frustrating but it's better to just listen than deal with the payback later on of being stuck in bed feeling like death. 

2. Eat more protein

     I count my macros (protein, carbs, and fats) and I struggle to hit my protein most days. This month I am going to try to really focus on hitting my protein, I want to be able to give my body all the fuel it needs to repair and build those muscles!

3. Create a budget... & stick to it! 

      Being newlyweds money can be tight, I want to be a grown up and make a budget. I am trying out Dave Ramsey's Every Dollar program to create our budget. If nothing else, it should make us more conscious of the money we spend and what we are spending it on.

4. Work those Abs

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      No, I am not dying for a six pack. I just have pretty weak abs and I am not a fan of working them, but I know I need to make them stronger. Having a stronger core has tons of great benefits.

5. Stretch

    I will admit I skip stretching sometimes. I know, I know. It's a bad habit but when I work out those muscles I am just ready to plop on the couch and rest.

6. Watch Netflix!

   Okay so this is more of a silly goal but hey, my body requires a lot of rest & this way I can still accomplish a goal while lounging around! This month I want to get caught up on Gotham & start watching Heroes (so that Heroes Reborn makes a little more sense to me)!

What are your goals for October?

Have you ever made a budget using an app or program?

*Linking up with Running with Spoons - Thinking out Loud*

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY

 

     This past week I have been thinking a lot about listening to our bodies. Understanding what they need and how our body relays the message to us.  Like one of my doctors said, our bodies have patterns and changes in those patterns can be a red flag. 

     It is so easy to get tunnel vision with our goals. They become all we focus on. Being motivated and determined is a great thing, but make sure it isn't at the expense of your body. Listening to your body is very important. I feel the more I workout and focus on fitness, I am able to better 'hear' my body. I don't always know what the heck it is trying to tell me, but I can tell it is trying to tell me something is off.

   Your body could be telling you it needs a rest day or two. It could be telling you that you are injured, or close to injuring a joint, tendon, or muscle. Or it could be telling you it needs more of a certain macronutrient (carbs, fat, protein) or just more calories in general.

   Listening to your body is never going to result in a set back, because it is exactly what your body needs. Ignoring your bodies signals will not help your reach your goals faster, it will most likely take you longer.  And after all isn't the goal to become healthier? That requires a happy body!

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Linking to Thinking Out Loud at Running with Spoons, check out others posts here.