happy

Quick-Fix Home Interior Tips To Lift Your Mood

February 4, 2020 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

Many of us live busy and stressful lives, and that is why our homes should be conducive to feelings of peace and relaxation. We can then sit back, unwind, and enjoy our homes, without any further feelings of stress or anxiety to pervade our mood.

With the above in mind then, consider improving your home where it counts. With a few quick fixes here and there, your mood will be lifted alongside the uplift you have given your home.

Here are some ideas that we think you will find useful!

1: Add a few house plants

According to scientific studies, house plants can lower our blood pressure and reduce our stress levels. This is partly because of the sensory benefits they can provide – we are thinking of those beautiful colors and lovely scents that house plants can offer us – and partly because of the way they can eliminate harmful toxins and freshen up our living spaces. So, the next time you’re out shopping, pick up those house plants that are guaranteed to lift your mood at home.

2: Add mood-enhancing colors to your home

Bright yellows, oranges, and blue-greens are just some of the color choices you should consider when painting walls or adding new items to your home. These are the colors that should lift your mood, as they are known to evoke calming and happy feelings. So, the next time you are thinking about painting the rooms in your home, choose those colors that will instantly lift your mood when you step through the door. And be it a new rug, tapestry, piece of wall art, or any other type of home decor, choose something containing those colors that will uplift you every time your eyes rest upon them.

3: Brighten up your home

A dark and gloomy room isn’t conducive to happy moods, so find ways to brighten up your home. So, you might replace thick-set curtains with their lightweight fabric alternatives to ensure the sunlight isn’t blocked. You could add more reflective surfaces to certain rooms in your home, as you will then benefit from the light that will bounce around your living spaces. And you could try these simple home decor tips to further brighten up your home and your mood.

4: Streamline your living space

Studies have found that people living within cluttered spaces produce greater amounts of the stress hormone cortisol. So, rather than feel happier at home, people can feel anxious, depressed, and dissatisfied with the places they live in. These feelings are hardly likely to evoke a happier mindset, so thinking about your home, if you are surrounded by clutter, consider having a tidy up. By removing those items that create feelings of unhappiness within you, and by creating a space that is more aesthetically pleasing, your mood will be lifted rather than deflated when you’re trying to relax at home. Check out these de-cluttering tips for some useful suggestions.

So, if your mood is low at home, and you’re struggling to relax, consider our suggestions. With a few additions and alterations here and there, you should soon start to feel an uplift in your mood!

Thank you for reading!

Health

Staying On The Happy Side Of Healthy

June 28, 2019 By lyndsinreallife 1 Comment

You don’t have to be someone who is so obsessed with health all the time, to the point where you can’t even have a slice of pizza without thinking about all of the calories in it. That’s the unhappy side of health. Some people really get into that lifestyle, and it does suit them down to a T. But half of the time, the restriction and the self conscious feeling is what leads us to feel unhappy about our health. We’ve had it drilled into us what the perfect person should be like, and despite people now trying to change that view, it’s still so hard to feel confident when you don’t feel like your body is perfect. Couple your insecurities with a negative attitude towards health, and you’re never going to find that perfect balance on the happy side of health. So, this article is going to give you some great alternatives that will help you to feel amazing, bury those insecurities for good, and actually understand what your body needs.

The Restriction Craze

The first thing that we want to address is that you don’t have to be on a restrictive diet. By restrictive, we mean a diet where you’re cutting out all fats and treats, and only sticking to anything “clean.” People can get really obsessive over this one, when there simply is no need to be. All you have to do is track the calories and the macros they contain. Because even with a healthy diet, you could be filling your body with too many carbs and fats, and not enough protein. Once you find the balance between those, which it is super easy to do, you can start having a treat each day. As long as you eat “clean” all day, there’s no reason why you can’t have a slice of cake at the end, or a doughnut in the middle. You don’t have to fully restrict yourself, and a treat a day will definitely still keep the doctor away.

Hiding Your Insecurities

Some people are struggling with insecurities at the minute. In fact, we’d go as far as to say that most of you reading this will be battling something. One common issue that people really hate, yet it’s so common to suffer with, is sight/our vision. Sight can deteriorate at any age, often from a young one. But some get so self conscious about wearing glasses, even though the simple solution of contacts is out there. Simple Contacts is just one company you could use to order in your prescription, and we promise it will change your life. If the thought of putting them in your eye has put you off up until now, just give it a go two or three times, and we promise it will become the norm for you! There are plenty of other common insecurities that we all have that are easy to hide.

Finding The Happy Balance

As a final note, you really need to find that happy balance. Your mental health and your physical health are really important. So don’t push your body past its limits, and don’t restrict yourself so much so that you’re unhappy. Find that happy balance, and make your body and brain better.

•How do you find your happy, healthy balance?

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle

How to Deal with Poor Body Confidence Issues

May 4, 2019 By lyndsinreallife Leave a Comment

Having a negative body image can have a huge impact on you emotionally. You may find that you focus on having the perfect body so much that you set unrealistic goals, and that you also find it hard to feel confident in yourself, too. If you want to help yourself, then there are a few things that you can do to try and rectify the issues that you are having.

Fake It Until You Make it

Confidence is very attractive. If you love the way that you look, then other people will, too. Ditching your negative mindset can seem impossible at times; if you want to get around this, then maybe to try and fake it. When you catch yourself in the mirror, don’t pick up on every single flaw. Instead, tell yourself that you are stunning. When you do this, you will eventually feel more confident and you will also be able to break those bad habits that you have developed. It’s tough, but it’s possible!

https://www.pexels.com/photo/smiling-woman-looking-upright-standing-against-yellow-wall-1536619/

Be Your Best Friend

When your inner voice starts to tell you that you don’t look good, try and quiet that voice. Talk to yourself like you would your best friend, and try and give yourself the respect that you truly deserve! You deserve better, and the sooner you understand this, the more confident you will feel about your own body image.

https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-group-of-people-jumping-during-golden-time-1000445/

Trade Negative for Positive

If your family members always have something negative to say, then stay clear of them. Surround yourself with people who are able to support you and who want the best for you. People who say nasty comments about other people are usually massively insecure, and they need to say those things just to make themselves feel better. Ditching people can be difficult, but if you can, you need to push yourself, and you should also try to socialize. This will help you to connect with new people who really want the best for you, and sometimes, this is exactly what you need!

Exercise

Exercise is scientifically proven to boost your mood. When those endorphins kick in, you will soon find that there is no room for low self-esteem. The hard part is staying motivated. If you can, it helps to sign up with a personal trainer so that they can talk you through the exercises you need to do in order to change certain parts of your body. You can also sign up with The Club Fitness facilities as they can help you to really get in shape.

Express Yourself

When you have very low self-esteem it can be very easy to fall into the habit of wearing clothes that hide your body. It can also make it harder for you to wear your fave outfits. If you want to help yourself, then don’t shy away from clothes that make you feel good just because they aren’t trendy or fashionable. You should try and avoid covering yourself up! I know I need to be better at this, especially when it’s 100+° F in Las Vegas.

Another thing I do to combat my poor self-esteem is attend therapy. It really helps to simply talk it out.

•How do you combat negative talk and self-esteem? Please share below!

This post was a collaboration.

Thank you for reading!

Lifestyle Nutrition

How The Girls & I Celebrated National Picnic Day (With Subway)

April 27, 2015 By lyndsinreallife 2 Comments

This past Thursday, April 23, was National Picnic Day. I didn’t realize this was a thing (apparently there’s a food holiday every day!), but I am all about food and the outdoors. So naturally, I needed to get in on this.

When Subway offered to cater a picnic with the girls I nanny/babysit, I knew it would be a perfect way to celebrate!

Disclosure: Subway provided two $10 gift cards in exchange for a blog post and social media shares. No other monetary compensation was received. I only share about events and products I feel my readers would enjoy. All opinions are 100% my own.

I babysit a 9-year-old girl named Frances (I call her Fran) in West Los Angeles. We have so much fun together, so we were both pretty excited to have a picnic. She invited two of her friends from school, Gia and Mia. We also brought along our dogs, Archie and Little T. We were each able to get a full meal (6-inch sub, chips, and a drink) with the gift cards (I used some of my dollars for cookies #duh). Everything was SO good, even the dogs tried eating it. 😉

First, we stopped at the Subway on Washington Blvd in Culver City, Calif.

Then we had our picnic at the park in Playa Vista, Calif.

(Little T & Archie, respectively) (Mia is wearing blue tights, Frances is wearing a dress, and Gia is wearing a light blue top)

It was a GORGEOUS day for a picnic!

And of course I snapped a few selfies. 😉

It was an awesome day! The girls and I had so much fun; we will probably do it again soon!

A huge thank you to Subway for catering our picnic; it was delicious! Find Subway on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

How did you celebrate National Picnic Day? Did you know about this holiday?
Do you enjoy Subway? What’s your favorite sandwich?
Do you enjoy picnics? (trick question- who doesn’t?!) 😉

Thank you so much for reading!

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Health Reviews

How JLo and BodyLab Are Focusing On Women’s Health

April 11, 2015 By lyndsinreallife 4 Comments

JLo. Fitness. Nutrition. Energy. Weight Loss. What do these things have in common? BodyLab.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary BodyLab product kit in exchange for an honest review on my blog. I only share products I feel my readers would enjoy. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.

First, let’s come back to JLo (aka Jennifer Lopez). We all know her. Fabulous singer, awesome actress (Enough is a classic, I don’t care how old it is!), sexy mama, successful author (affiliate link), and a fitness/health guru. She created BodyLab, a line of health and fitness supplements made for women, by women. Here’s what JLo has to say about BodyLab:

“In all of my work—my music, my films, my book, my foundation—I always strive to inspire women to be the best and happiest versions of themselves. I joined the BodyLab family not only because of their commitment to creating great health and fitness products for women, by women, but also because of their approach to the holistic lifestyle. It’s not a solution-in-a-bottle. It’s not a fad diet. It’s part of a health regimen that makes your metabolism work as hard as you do. It’s a way to love your body” (website).

Photo courtesy of the BodyLab website

The rad thing (can you tell I live in SoCal?) about BodyLab is how great the products are for women! Here are a few facts:

No added creatine
No ingredients that wreak havoc on your hormones
Plant-based compounds to help you burn through excess body fat, get lean, and feel amazing.

BodyLab also offers workouts, challenges, recipes, and a great community (more details on their website). They’re not just a company that sells you a product and says, “Here ya go, good luck!” They truly go above and beyond to set you up powerfully for a healthy lifestyle.

Alright, let’s get down to the products.

Tasty Shake Thermodynamic Protein Complex

I used to drink protein shakes every day. I love the idea of them: simple, quick, nutritious. However, after years of the same shakes, I was over the taste. I got to the point where I couldn’t drink them at all. I was nervous to try Tasty Shake** for that reason, but obviously wanted to try it so I could give a proper review. With that being said, I LOVE this shake! I have the chocolate flavor, and it tastes like chocolate milk. Plus, it has a bit of caffeine, which is great for me since I’ve switched from soda to seltzer water and have difficulty getting the caffeine my body still craves. It’s really great as a pre-workout shake as well! Most of the products are plant-based, but note that the Tasty Shakes are whey protein. Each serving contains 15g whey protein and 90 calories. Side note: the label says to mix with water, but I mixed mine with almond milk for more flavor.

**Tasty Shake comes in regular vanilla, regular chocolate, and thermodynamic chocolate (with caffeine).

7-Day Ultra Fast Slim Kit

This kit is pretty awesome. I get nervous about “detox” kits because of how they tend to mess up the flora in our guts and cause more harm than good. They often don’t offer a probiotic with the detox. BUT, BodyLab does!!

For the first seven days, you take two of the triple process detox and cleanse capsules in the morning and two in the evening with dinner. These capsules help reduce belly bloat and waste buildup so you feel lighter and more energized.
In addition to the detox capsules, you take two of the thermodynamic Total Burn™ capsules in the morning and two in the evening with dinner. The Total Burn™ capsules are powerful fat burners that increase metabolic rate and enhance energy.
After completing the first seven days, you then take the probiotic replenishment capsules. You take one each day for seven days. The probiotics help to restore the natural flora in your gut, allowing your digestive system to work properly.

I really liked this Ultra Fast Kit! It didn’t cause emergency runs to the bathroom, but I could definitely feel a difference after the seven days! I felt lighter, less bloated, healthier, and more energetic.

I also received a full-size bottle of the Thermodynamic Total Burn™.

Endurance Boosting Deep Tissue Oxygenator

The deep tissue oxygenator enhances endurance, increases speed, improves VO2 max, and optimizes performance. It is stimulant-free! You take two capsules one hour before your workout. These capsules definitely helped me to have a better workout each time I took them! I especially love that they’re stimulant-free. The Total Burn™ has enough caffeine for me.

Advanced Joint Formula For Active Women

The joint formula helps reduce joint stiffness, and also increases range of motion. It is PERFECT for yoga! Well, for everything, but yoga is my fave. You take one capsule in the morning and one in the afternoon or evening. I didn’t realize I’d be needing a supplement for my joints at age 27, but I do. My hips and knees are in poor condition and are always really stiff and sore. The pain doesn’t go away with this supplement, of course, but it does help to diminish the pain! Yoga is a bit less painful now. 😉

BodyLab also has a Thermodynamic Pre-Workout Extender™ and a Total Shape Up Kit (All-in-One 30 day system).

How Do I Purchase BodyLab Products?

You can find BodyLab products in various retail stores or order them online.

I found these in Rite Aid in LA and got really excited haha

DISCOUNT!!

If you’d like to order online, BodyLab has graciously offered 25% off any BodyLab product + FREE shipping to my readers/followers!! That’s a pretty stellar discount if you ask me. Simply visit BodyLab.com and enter code tbb25 at checkout to receive the discount and free shipping. There’s no expiration date on this code, so be sure to use it any time you place an order!

Also, if you purchase the BodyLab Shape Up Kit, you’ll get a free signed copy of JLo’s book True Love (while supplies last; affiliate link). The Shape Up Kit is on sale for $99 right now, too. Awesome, right? Check out the YouTube video of this promotion below:

BodyLab creates their products with love for women, which is obvious when you look at the capsules:

How cute are these little hearts?!

Alright friends, it’s time for me to take my supplements and make my Tasty Shake so I can get my yoga on. Thank you as always for reading my blog! Don’t forget to follow BodyLab on social media (even for the workouts and recipes alone!). You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google+ and YouTube.

So tell me,

What types of supplements/shakes do you take?
Do you prefer/avoid certain ingredients?
Do you love the movie Enough as much as I do?
Do you prefer JLo or the classic Jennifer Lopez?

Share with me in the comment section below!

To peace & happiness!

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Personal

The Universe Is Testing Me, & I Am Grateful For It

January 19, 2015 By lyndsinreallife 5 Comments

The Universe has been testing me this past week.

It’s testing my strength, my patience, my courage and my ability to handle an emotional situation. It’s checking to see if I will remain positive, or if I will crumble into a negative, jaded state-of-mind.

Last Monday, I hit my arm pretty hard on a table. So hard that it swelled up in two places similar to the size of large marbles. I couldn’t move it. It bruised badly. It was extremely painful. I thought it was broken. It was almost impossible to pick up the little babe I babysit, let alone hold his hand.

This is a poorly edited photo, but I feel it shows the bruise/swelling pretty well.

It was my first full week back to work since before the holidays, and it was tough. Figuring out our schedules and making sure Archie (my pup) had enough attention. It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it added on to the stress.

Then on Friday, on my way to work, I was rear-ended getting on the I-10. I just got my car in November. Nooooooo!

And I am incredibly grateful for all these things/events.

This is my affirmation stone from soulcandy.co – I carry it around with me and look at it often. <3

Sure, I hurt my arm pretty badly. But it wasn’t broken or fractured. I was able to take off a day of work so I could ice it and let it heal. I have an amazing boyfriend who wrapped it for me every day and did the things I couldn’t do with a hurt arm.

Going back to work every single day was a big change from not working for almost 3 weeks, but I am so grateful not only have a job, but to have a job that I LOVE! I often get asked, “What do you want to do for your career?” after telling them I am a nanny/babysitter. And it’s funny, because this IS what I want to do. I get to hang out with super cool kids. I get to teach them, and they get to teach me. It’s flexible and the parents are awesome. I am so so thankful I get to spend my days doing what I love!

As for the car accident, I could have totally lost it. I could have yelled at the guy who hit me, I could have cried. But I didn’t. Because where would that get anyone? Things happen, especially in traffic in LA. The guy who hit me was really cool, and his first question was, “Are you okay?!” I am grateful no one was hurt. I am grateful the cars weren’t even scratched! It could have been so much worse, but it wasn’t.

I truly believe if you have a positive attitude, you’ll live a positive life. You attract what you talk/think about (thank you Dad for teaching me this). There’s no reason to get upset about things you cannot control. And I learned a few things from these incidents, especially that I am a strong person. This past week may have been challenging, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Smile! Life is beautiful. 🙂

Have you ever had something unpleasant happen that you were later grateful for?
Do you feel that you’re a generally positive person?

Thank you for stopping by & reading my blog!

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XO

Lyndsay

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Personal

I’m Choosing To Live In The Moment; Who’s With Me?

September 1, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 9 Comments

Something that’s been on my mind a lot lately is living in the present moment. With all my thoughts about whether to move back to Ohio or to stay in Southern California, I’ve found myself constantly thinking about what’s going to make me happy.

But then I realize I am so consumed by the thoughts of my future self/happiness, that I completely neglect my present self/happiness.

The only thing we truly have is this moment. The past is but a memory. The future will never truly be here. We only have right now.

It’s important to remember that every action has a consequence/reaction. It’s not wise (in my opinion) to go throughout your life without a care of how your actions will affect others. That’s selfish. However, it’s also important to remember that we don’t need to think about every little detail and plan out every little thing that will happen next. Because truthfully, nothing ever goes as planned.

Image Source: notsalmon.com (I LOVE her Insta)

Before bed every night, I find myself going over and over the stresses of my life in my head. I never come to a conclusion (because truly, how will that happen while laying in my bed at 1 o’clock in the morning?). I only end up with more stress. So I started actively thinking about things that were more calming, like my breaths as I try to fall asleep. Nothing too serious, just simple breathing patterns. I found that I was able to fall asleep much easier and faster, and I was having fewer nightmares. I truly lived in the present moment, and I felt peace. So now I do this every night, and I love it!

I don’t want to waste away my days focusing on petty things. I don’t want to waste my days sitting in my apartment and waiting for the next great thing to happen. My life is happening right now, and it’s up to me to make it what I want.

And it all starts with living in the now.

Who’s with me?

XO, Lyndsay

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Lifestyle Personal

Fourth of July & A Trip Back Home

July 4, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 8 Comments

Happy Fourth of July everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your friends and family. 🙂 I’m really happy right now because I am spending my holiday (and the next 3 weeks) on Kelleys Island in Ohio with my family! Yes, Ohio has islands. LOL. Lake Erie has a few of them, and Kelleys Island happens to be the one I practically grew up on. We camped here every single year since I was 4, and now my parents own a house right on the lake.

I took this picture tonight from the front yard of the island house. Amazing, right?! It’s absolutely amazing. I keep joking that a SoCal resident vacations on a tiny island in Ohio haha. I’m on the island for about a week (even running a 5k tomorrow- I’ll update on that tomorrow!), in Ohio for two weeks, and then Chicago for one week. I’ll blog as much as I can, but it’ll be pretty busy! We don’t have very good internet up here at the island, so it’s been really hard to keep up with blogging and Facebook. Bare with me!

I’m still pretty jet-lagged, so this is going to be a shorter post. But I wanted to note how awesome it is being able to spend time with family. They’re all in Cleveland and I am in Los Angeles, which is about 2300 miles apart. I have two nephews under the age of 7, soon to be 3 come September. I feel like I am missing out on so much since I live so far away. It’s hard. However, I realize that by not living here, I appreciate it more. I value my time with my nephews, parents, and brothers.. even my dog Emma! She lives with my parents still (they couldn’t bare to let her go), and she follows me EVERYWHERE every time I am home! I just love it. It’s like she totally remembers me. She gets really excited when she sees me, she sleeps with me every night, and she won’t leave my side. Sometimes it feels like I never left. It feels so good to be home.

With my pup Emma

Little brother Mike & I on the golf cart

The pictures aren’t edited so they’re not the best quality, but I wanted to share them anyway. 🙂 Now it’s time for bed! Being in the Eastern time zone has me all messed up. Three hours makes a HUGE difference! 5k in the morning along the quarry, followed by an awesome day with my family and a few island friends whom I haven’t seen in two years!!

Have an amazing & safe holiday!!

XO,

Lyndsay

Ambassador Personal Reviews

Looking For Happiness In Your Life?

June 26, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 6 Comments

No matter our situation, we can always use a bit more happiness in our lives. There’s always room to be happier! But how, you ask.

Happify.

Happify is a website and app (iPhone only) that uses recent scientific breakthroughs to develop tracks/activities to help improve your happiness. For physical fitness, we do activities (workouts for the body) to become stronger. It’s the same idea, except for mental fitness. Happify provides workouts for the mind to become stronger and happier! Scientists and game designers created the S.T.A.G.E. framework, which helps you to master the five essential skills of happiness: savor, thank, aspire, give, empathize. I’ve gotta say, it is a pretty awesome website!

It’s really simple to use. Go to www.happify.com and create a profile (this is FREE, by the way)! Then you take a quick questionnaire to determine your “happiness score.” The first time I took it, my score was in the low 30s (aka not happy). I took it again recently though, and it raised to a 59! Yay! After you take the quick questionnaire, you are then able to click on activities recommended to you (or you can explore tracks). These activities/tracks are quick and each have an explanation of why it works. They range from things like cope better with stress, to get motivated to get fit, to maximizing your money and happiness!

My first activity was a short, three round game where there were hot air balloons with positive and negative words. I was to click on the balloons with positive words, and it gave me points. I was actually smiling a lot by the time I was done; it was so fun! After that, I did a two minute meditation session where I was able to pick the mood and moving picture/video (I picked a sunset over the ocean) with background music. It helped me to feel calm and relaxed.

Here are some screen shots from the hot air balloon activity on my iPhone:

I had the amazing opportunity of teaming up with Happify as an I’m Fit Possible ambassador for a Happify Campaign!

Click my link-> Happify -> Sign up, complete one track; if you like it, keep going! If not, no problem. But don’t forget, there’s scientific evidence behind all the Happify tracks. Plus, it’s pretty fun. 😉 Let me know what you think of it in the comments below!

To a happier life,

Lyndsay

Bipolar Disorder Fitness Nutrition Personal

After An Entire Year, My Mindset Is Finally In Alignment

May 28, 2014 By lyndsinreallife 40 Comments

I have so much excitement and happiness, I don’t even know where to begin! The past year has been wonderful, but very rough. I moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland in February 2013, and the life event threw me into the worst bipolar depression I have ever experienced. It hit me hard at the end of April/beginning of May 2013. I barely left my apartment for five months. I laid on our mattress.. in my living room.. on the floor.. in the AC.. with the blinds closed.. for FIVE MONTHS. I watched 14 seasons of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. That takes serious dedication (to my living room floor).

During this time, I didn’t care about my physical health. When my mental health is that messy, it’s hard for me to even shower (my boyfriend can vouch for this). As hard as it was to admit, I gained a lot of weight. I ate the worst possible foods, and my addiction to soda showed up again (I had given it up for good that past December).

Fast forward to today. I read somewhere that our mindset needs to be in alignment with our nutrition plan, or we won’t stick to it. Well, guess what? My mindset is finally in alignment with my goals! Oh my gosh, it feels SO good! I have had a serious sugar addiction that seemed almost impossible to get through. I’m currently detoxing and withdrawing from sugar, and these are the symptoms I am experiencing right now:

itchy ears (how weird, right?!)
itchy eyes
sinus congestion (immune system becomes suppressed)
severe migraine (withdrawal is no joke, I have no idea how I’m even looking at a computer screen lol)
hives

But it is worth it. Because these symptoms will eventually go away, and I am finally able to not have soda! I’m finally able to not have chocolate, or ice cream, or grains, or refined sugars/carbs. Yeah, it’s still challenging, but my mind is so clear on my goals that I am able to not have those things! I so badly want to be healthy. I want my digestive issues (candida, leaky gut, etc) to be better. I want to lose this weight (not necessarily to look better, but to feel better). I want to run a half marathon (13.1 miles) this year. I want to be able to somewhat control my moods and emotions.

I posted this status on Facebook yesterday:

“It’s an amazing thing, when you REALLY start to pay attention to how certain foods affect your body. Something that is healthy for one individual may not be as healthy for another individual. I always ate what I perceived to be “healthy” and never truly paid attention to how my body was affected by it. This is why one “diet” (diet meaning what you eat.. the actual meaning of the word) is not best for everyone. I follow mostly a paleo diet, however there are certain paleo-approved foods that I cannot have (and certain non-paleo foods I can have). Tailor your diet/nutrition to whatever fuels YOUR body best.”

Life is completely different when you learn to eat for your health, as opposed to weight loss. When you learn how to have a sustainable diet (again, diet meaning what we eat). I am even learning how to cook and enjoying it! I have never liked cooking haha.

cookbooks

I am loving my Practical Paleo and 21-Day Sugar Detox cookbooks from Balanced Bites! I used them to make dinner for my boyfriend yesterday (which he loved!). *Side note: the 21-Day Sugar Detox comes in two parts: the cookbook and the guide book.

I am learning to love my body and myself each and every day. People who say “I’ll be happy when I am this weight.. this size.. this wealthy..” and so on, those people will not find happiness. Not authentically, anyway. I used to be one of them. But we get to live in the moment, and love ourselves every single day, as we are.

Photo of me at a self-love yoga session with my friend & mentor Elyse

So my point of all this is that it feels so good to have my mindset on track after an entire year! I cannot stress enough how important it is to practice self-love and personal development (read books, go to therapy, join a support group, whatever it is for you), and also to really listen to your body. Pay attention to the foods that serve you and the foods that don’t. Eat for your health. Our bodies are so incredible, they fight so hard for us, don’t we want to fuel it properly?

xo, Lyndsay

How do you get your mindset in alignment with your goals?
Was it easy for you, or a struggle? Share below in the comments! 🙂