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A Fresh Perspective and a Whole30 Tuna Avocado Salad
I once had a friend, who although I loved (and still do) dearly, had one quite irritating quality. It seemed like she would always ask for advice or suggestions on what to do or say, but she didn’t actually want to take it. She would circulate her latest dilemma or decision to be made around our circle of friends, soliciting opinions, but almost to no end. Regardless of how many people said she should do X or they would take Y, she seemed unsatisfied with the response and unwilling to make a step forward in any direction. This would usually go on for a while, until eventually, maybe days, weeks,…
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A Love of Learning :: What I’ve Been Up to Lately and a Whole30 Strawberry Guacamole Swordfish with Coconut Cauliflower Rice
I love to learn. One of my greatest passions is continuous learning and improvement. I have a unquenchable thirst and desire for wanting to know more and gain deeper insight, to grow, to improve, and to change. In virtually every situation I find myself in whether it’s professionally, socially, or personally related I find joy in the pursuit of gaining deep subject matter expertise and an understanding of the underlying dynamics that are in play. On a typical day off (after I get my barre fix in of course), you are likely to find me curled up with a book or with my laptop researching and studying something. It’s what…
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Learning to Reframe (Because Words Matter!) and a Whole30 Breakfast Sausage and Gravy
Words matter. Perhaps especially to me since as previously mentioned, I am a self-professed logophile and I know that my love language is “words of affirmation.” However biased I may be though, there is a lot of evidence which supports my claim. According to Gretchen Rubin, “research shows that people who use language that emphasizes that they’re acting by their own choice and exercising control (“I don’t,” “I choose to,” “I’m going to.,” or “I don’t want to”) stick to their habits better than people who use language that undermines their self-efficacy (“I can’t,” I’m not allowed to,” or “I’m supposed to”). There’s a real difference between “I don’t” and…
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Lifted Seat Barre-Less Barre Home Workout
Within our lifetime, the “lifted seat” has definitely gained popularity in terms of aesthetics en vouge, however there are actually a lot of real benefits to strengthening our posterior (glutes and hamstrings) and barre is an extremely effective way to do so. The isometric contractions which underlie so many of our exercises in barre help you to deeply connect, getting those glutes to fire and yielding unprecedented results when it comes to building your backside. Aside from appearances, what are the benefits of a strong and lifted seat? Our glutes are one of the biggest and most important muscle groups in our bodies, comprised of the minimus, medius, and maximus…
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The Significance of Now and a New Whole30 Fiesta Frittata
I actually gasped as I received a work meeting invite yesterday for a Q1 business review scheduled just a few weeks from now. Although, I spend plenty of time with my calendar, it provided me with an alternative (and startling) perspective on the fact that we are already halfway through the third month of the year – which served as a powerful reminder that there truly is no time like the present. One thing I have started trying to do consistently over the past month is to observe what Gretchen Rubin calls the “One Minute Rule.” In her book, The Happiness Project, she talks about her commitment to automatically do…
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What I Read Last Month :: February
When Jon and I first started dating, a major issue and area of frustration for him was my inability to prioritize. He is exceptional not only at taking a step back, looking at the big picture, and determining what really matters, but also at knowing his own limitations and resources. I find that I struggle a bit on all these points, but the biggest issue for me is actually ACCEPTING that I have limitations and can’t actually do everything all at the same time. But I have gotten immeasurably better over the past year especially. By investing time in knowing myself better, making lists of 100 dreams, remembering what I…
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Barre is “My Happy Place” :: Why Exercise Makes Us Happier
In recent conversation with a friend (after barre – OBVIously), we were talking about upcoming weekend events, which led us to lament those days when life gets in the way of “barre time.” Now in this case, she was looking forward to some special occasions and fun things which of course she was more excited about than if it were extra hours at the office, but nonetheless we both agreed that missing a chance to shake at the barre was never something we dealt with well. Although we realized with a laugh that this is probably not something everyone would understand, we completely agreed – life is better at the…
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Whole30 Meal Prep Secrets :: Prepare the Basics and Learn to Mix and Match
I recently shared some of my background and experience with the Whole30 program and one of the biggest (not so secret) secrets of being successful when it comes to doing a Whole30 or eating healthy in general is to plan ahead. Life is messy, the day-to-day is busy and unexpected things and stressful situations often come up with the potential to derail the best of intentions. Besides, as Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig wrote in The Whole30, your brain loves a plan. Planning ahead reduces decision fatigue, the need to resist temptations or exercise self-control. By setting aside a little time each weekend for meal planning and prep, I have…
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What in the World is a Whole30 (and More Importantly – Why Would Anyone Choose to Do One)?
As you may have noticed, many if not most, of the entrée recipes that I post are tagged as Whole30 compliant and you may or may not know what exactly that means. In short, the Whole30 is an elimination diet which outlines specific rules and recommendations around foods which are commonly problematic for many people as they tend to violate at least one of the “Good Food Standards” outlined by Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig in their book, It Starts With Food. I recently reread this book, and was surprised by how much of the fine detail I had forgotten. The book is a robust review of research in the…
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Choosing the Bigger Life :: A Second Dog and Paleo Almond Butter Blender Muffins
I would generally consider myself someone who really likes to have clear expectations set, be in control, know the plan and stick to it. I would not consider myself to be very spontaneous, but I suppose moderately flexible. Since I am an Upholder, I sometimes find myself hesitant or reluctant to take on new things because I don’t want them to crowd out the things I have already started on because of course, we all have limited resources (time, attention, money, etc.) and I am not one to commit to something unless I know that I can see it through to the very end. When I take on a new…
