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The Benefits of Being Optimistic :: Dairy-Free, Vegan and Paleo Queso Dip
Optimism is something I really never gave too much consideration to. I have always really prided myself on being a realist – not overly pessimistic or cynical, but definitely not an unfailing hopeful (although I suspect many people may choose to classify themselves in this way, just as everyone insists they are a “better than average driver.” Except me. I am a terrible driver and I don’t care. I blissfully have not attempted to drive in about 3.5 years now and I love it). However, I have the opportunity to work for one of the most eternally optimistic people that have ever walked the earth. My boss is unfailingly positive…
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It’s the Little Things and Whole30 Buffalo Broccoli
Throughout the past year, I have devoted a large proportion of my reading time to studying the topic of “happiness” deeply in order to gain minor subject matter expertise. Although there may be some discrepancies as to the actual weights which should be ascribed to each category depending on the study, by in large, all psychology presents “Happiness” formulaically as an equation: H = S + C + V, where H is your enduring level of happiness, S is your set range, C is your life circumstances, and V includes activities and actions under voluntary control. Much has been written on the topic and to really even scratch the surface…
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Energy Boosters: Sunshine, Tackling Nagging Tasks, and Whole30 Swordfish with Pistachio Gremolata
As the winter **hopefully** approaches a turning point, I have been thrilled with the slightly longer days as opposed to pitch darkness starting around 4:00 PM. I find it amazing the extent to which exposure to light has been shown to impact our moods – something which certainly rings true for me. In a cross-cultural study of participants from four different countries at varying distances from the equator, Kuller et al., found that those subjects which were located furthest north experienced “significant variation in psychological mood over the year that did not occur in the countries closer to the equator… [and] the light and color of the workplace itself also…
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What I Read Last Month :: January
2018 is off with a bang and I am loving it thus far! I invested some time at the end of last year in setting goals, resolutions, and intentions for the next few years and then got to work to in January lying the foundation. Choosing my one word theme this year, “PREPARE,” was helpful, I had fun creating a vision board to remind me of this daily, and I worked on many of my personal projects throughout the month which influenced my reading list as well. Books made up the bulk of my Christmas wishlist and my friends and family made sure I am well stocked up 🙂 Here…
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Happy Memories and Whole30 Broccoli Cheese Soup
Just as we tend to overestimate what we can do in the short term and underestimate what is possible over the long run, it can also be challenging to objectively measure or recognize our progress even when we are consistent. It’s like watching a plant grow every day or bringing water to boil. We can kind of tell things are headed in the right direction, but when we wake up each day with ourselves, it’s often hard to see the small and slow changes that are being accumulated. I recently realized that I am over halfway through my year long Happiness Project and therefore stopped to consider whether or not…
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Learning to Savor, Appreciating the Now and Paleo Brownies with Sweet Potato Chocolate Frosting
Over the past month, I have been running on extra high energy and enthusiasm, making good progress on some pretty big projects. If you know me, you know that I love working towards goals and positively thrive on getting.stuff.done. I am now starting my eighth month of my Happiness Project and the daily resolutions tracker has gotten long. This weekend as my husband and I sat together for breakfast at home, I was working my way through the list and mapping out my strategy for the day. He is more than well-acquainted with the particulars of this project (and my general achievement orientation) and made some comment to the effect…
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Hotel Power Half Hour Round Two :: Travel Barre Workout
Earlier this week I was traveling for business to Amsterdam for our company 2018 kickoff meeting. Thankfully it was a short trip, everything went smoothly, AND I had time for some quick hotel room barre! Exercise is vitally important to me and my sanity so I try to make it happen even when I am away. Although a travel barre session it is rarely the best workout of my week, I am a firm believer in the fact that the habit of keeping a habit is more important than even the habit itself and even a quick workout helps to set me up for a successful day! This is the…
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Be Consistent – Those Small Steps Add Up :: Whole30 Chicken Pesto Pasta
As always, the time that I spent back home with my family for Christmas was fabulous (although already becoming a faint memory) and went by MUCH too quickly. Especially whenever I am with my sister, it seems that we have a million and one things that we want to do and accomplish, but never have nearly enough time. Although we had a lot fun and I wouldn’t have changed a thing, we had wanted to meet up with more friends, visit a Christmas lightshow, check out a new restaurant, take a barre class together, and so on. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun. And in many ways,…
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Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (A Lesson on Repeat) and a Whole30 Spicy Shrimp with Avocado Puree Dinner
Energy Boosters: Sunshine, Tackling Nagging Tasks, and Whole30 Swordfish with Pistachio Gremolata
If/Then Planning for Failure in Order to Succeed and a Whole30 Fall Salmon Salad with Avocado Poppy Seed Dressing
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Cultivate Poise and Perfect Your Posture with Barre
I am yet to become a member of the Mom Club (and in no rush to get there) but I am interested to see what the induction process looks like. Judging by how universal and ubiquitous many of the methods and admonishments are of mom’s everywhere, I suspect there must be a whole carefully guarded secret oath, rulebook of tenets, or doctrine to which one must pledge. My mom, true to these unwritten rules of motherhood, used to always (much to my annoyance) reprimand me to stand up straight or to fix my slouching posture. And even more annoying is when years later, I learn and understand the million and…
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Reward, Intrinsic Motivation, and How to Make Ghee!
Most people are probably aware of the basic framework for habit formation and more or less familiar with some version of what Charles Duhhig has termed the “Habit Loop.” We can learn to automate a particular behavior by establishing a relationship which involves seeing the stimulus or cue, which invokes a routine with a specific action, in order to attain some reward. Of course, this is true, but I think that in many ways our idea of what exactly constitutes a “reward” has become a bit misconstrued. Ultimately, we need to ensure that said rewards are appropriate for and aligned with the habit we are trying to form. As someone…
