Personal Archives - Page 8 of 9

The Everyday, All Day, Inspiration Journal

Lately I’ve gotten into the habit of having a journal on me at all times. I’d call it a gratitude journal but it’s more of an “inspiration” journal. Whenever I’m struck by an inspirational quote, deep thought, or moments of gratitude I’ve gotten into the habit of physically writing it down.

Prior to this I would take these notes down in Evernote, or for the quick and easy every day reminders I would write them down on my phone’s notepad.

However, I find that physically writing things down brings me one level deeper to the quietness of the moment sans the neurosis of ensuring I have things categorically noted in Evernote… yes, I can be a bit type-A 😉

A few randoms from the journal…

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Friday Focus – 12/30/16

Well, this is it; last Friday of the year, last post of the year, last two days of the year. Where did the year go? While the last few days in particular have been hectic wrapping up the end of 2016, I am so blessed and in deep gratitude my family all decided to gather, here in Seattle, to spend some quality time with one another.

As I sit here writing this my belly is full from a gluten-free pizza (made from scratch thanks to ATK!) we devoured after a full day of running errands, cleaning the house, and getting things in order for 2017.

Oh, and I guess I squeezed in another bake session with these amazing gluten-free chocolate chip cookies…

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Richmond District Farmer's Market. San Francisco, CA

The Zone vs. Paleo Journey

Yesterday I wrote about how I found Paleo and why I still follow this way of eating. I’ve found that it’s truly a lifestyle and I love the way it makes me feel.

While it may have sounded like an all too easy transition to cut grains, gluten, and processed foods, I wanted to share a bit more about why I was miserable on The Zone (Enter The Zone: A Dietary Road map), how it affected me psychologically, and how I made the transition to Paleo.

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Why Paleo?

Paleo is different now than it was almost 10 years ago, and I’m still not sure the way I eat is exact Paleo (because hey, I still love my rice), but I love what it stands for. Especially how Mark Sisson describes it.

I found paleo through crossfit back in 2008. I happened to come across a cool looking photo on the front page of msn.com (remember that?!) featuring crossfit and how it was the best way to get in shape. To be honest, while getting in shape should have been alluring enough it was the barbell and the “cool” Olympic lifts that drew me in. I’ve always been open to trying new things and this seemed perfect.

I inquired at a nearby box and the first session was free so I went the next day. What I loved instantly is that the hour went by so fast! It was effective, challenging, and fun. However, if there was one criticism I had was the fact that, back then, there was no such thing as an “Elements” of “Foundations” class. They would just put you right to it without any proper training or background on form, lifts, or skill based movements. Therefore, I nearly had the dreaded rhabdo which I was THIS close to going to the ER for. Nonetheless, I’m glad current Crossfit boxes have come a long ways to get the proper training in place, and despite what happened I’m still an avid crossfitter, albeit at much lighter weights than before..

It was during this time of drinking the koolaid (oh yes, I was part of the cult following!) that I saw Primal Body, Primal Mind: Beyond the Paleo Diet for Total Health and a Longer Life by Nora Gedgaudas along with Enter The Zone: A Dietary Road map by Barry Sears on the front counter of the box I was attending. I was intrigued enough so I started to follow the Zone diet in hopes of PR’ing more often. Yes, I warned you I drank the koolaid 😉

Unfortunately the Zone made me miserable and in hopes of finding something better I stumbled upon Mark’s Daily Apple and Robb Wolf’s work.

Suddenly I found myself truly understanding, for the first time, how food played a role in our daily lives.

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Deep Dive Into Paleo/Gluten-Free Baking

When I first moved to San Francisco I started to do some “light” baking. And by “light” I mean gluten-free blueberry corn muffins. Yup, that’s it 😉 Then when I realized French macaron’s were naturally gluten-free I took a French macaron class and it changed my world! I learned the basics of baking during this class and how temperamental baking can be if you don’t know what to look out for.

There are three main reasons as to why I love baking and am learning to become an earnest baker:

I love sharing. My closest friends know when they see me carrying anything in my hands it’s usually baked goodies for sharing. I can’t help it. It’s my way of showing love
Thanks to Michael Pollan’s Cooked (which you can find on Netflix) I try to cook everything. I’ve always been a healthy foodie, and like my foods natural in its original form. But Michael Pollan takes it to another level. You want that apple pie? Bake it. You want bread? Make it traditionally and wait a few days. Michael Pollan inspired me to truly take an honest look at every item on the table and see what can be made from scratch.
It’s a form of meditation. Baking is a science and if you aren’t watching temperatures, the soft/hard peaks of egg whites, or the rise in your dough it’s over. Baking gives me great joy and it serves as a form of meditation for me. There’s just no time to think about anything!

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Friday Focus – 12/23/16

I can’t believe it.

I just can’t believe it’s Christmas on Sunday. I know I say this for all of us but seriously, where did this year GO?!?

They say time flies with age, which makes me remember this post all the more…but I can’t help but shake my head in amazement at how fast this year went.

So many epiphanies, so many heartfelt moments, and still so many dreams to catch.

For this Friday’s focus I thought I’d bring home the idea of letting go of expectations.

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How I Recovered from Adrenal Fatigue Pt. 3

In the last post on Adrenal Fatigue I shared some of the tools and tactics that helped me to overcome adrenal fatigue.

If I look back now it was almost a two year journey to heal all the wounds that likely led to having adrenal fatigue in the first place.

Yesterday’s post inspired me to write the third installment on how I overcame adrenal fatigue. Why? Because the theme in yesterday’s post was the exact mental model I needed during my journey for complete healing.

In the beginning stages of adrenal fatigue I was a mess. Yet I had hope. And it was this hope along with my driven type A personality that created a complete plan toward the road to health and wellness.

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Letting Go of Form When It Comes to Expectations

This is probably one of the hardest lessons when it comes to the human mind… Often times when we have a desire for a certain outcome whether it be a job, weight on the scale, soulmate, car, whatever it may be… our minds have a way of knowing EXACTLY what we want and if not exact, it knows to be disappointed or elated (more disappointed than not) once you’ve reached a certain point in time.

I am often humbled and embarrassed when I remember the times I was so determined to make something work, only to have, what seemed at the time, the door shut in my face so fast and so hard I could have felt the physicality of it. Oh yes, anyone ever had that moment?

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Friday Focus – 12/16/16

Can you feel Christmas in the air? And if you don’t necessarily celebrate Christmas… perhaps you feel the holiday cheer? Everyone seems to be more relaxed, cheery, and overall happy. I love these warm, fuzzy feelings and I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts 😉

Yesterday, I tried what seemed to be the best flourless peanut butter cookies, but alas… I ended up scratching my head in confusion wondering how 200 people gave this recipe a 5 stars. Maybe I wasn’t supposed to add an extra tablespoon of coconut oil… it seemed like a good idea at the time?

All that said, it seems only fitting that for this Friday Focus the theme is…

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Two Pivotal Moments in Big Magic

I love audio books. Especially since I travel often and find myself sitting in traffic (a lot)! When the list of unplayed podcast shows 0 I can always rely on Audible for a good read.

Since I love learning new things my Audible playlist (and podcast for that matter) are entirely comprised of psychology, health, business, fitness, or memoirs. Currently, I’m almost through this incredible book, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear, by the incredible author Elizabeth Gilbert. The cherry on top is that Elizabeth herself is reading to you!

As I am near the end of the book I am grateful Elizabeth reads the book herself. There is something about hearing the emotion, investment, experience, the living proof of how this book came to be through hearing her words.

There was a pivotal moment in the book I couldn’t have been more grateful for. Actually two pivotal moments that truly struck me. And of course I took these two moments as a reminder to my own self and took my own interpretation* which you can find below.

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