Happy 2023

It's a new year. Fresh start for everyone. What will we make of this new year?

While I love goal setting and fresh starts, I also don't want to put to much pressure on myself either. Consistency is very important but it is also a learning curve if you have never done it before. The biggest lesson I am going to bring with me this year is that even if I mess up, it doesn't mean I should just throw in the towel and keep going down the bad slope. Instead, I need to just make my next move a good, smart one.

I am prone to just giving up if I make a bad food choice. If I ruin my diet, I just throw in the towel and binge. Sometimes I will start over the next day and other times I just give up for a while until I get sick of myself again. This year I really want to focus on my nutrition; among many other things. I really don't like the way I look and feel, along with many other people. The only way to improve this is to move more and eat less. It's simple. I know the answer. I just need to actually implement it. I am publicly saying it here for accountability and maybe, just maybe, I will inspire someone else to join me.

The number on the scale does make me feel a certain way even though many say it shouldn't. But I am also at a point where the number really doesn't matter too much as long as it goes down and don't feel like I do right now. This is growth for me. Writing about it helps more than I thought. I really do think writing is therapeutic and more people should try it. If even for your own self to come to realizations about the way you feel about things. Sometimes, like right now, I will write and I don't even know what I am about to write and then something profound comes out and it makes me think about things differently.

Whatever it is that you plan on to work on this year, do your best to do it every single day. If you do, you are guaranteed success.

Good luck!

Happy 2023!

A Release of Emotion

What is something you do for self care everyday?

This is a question I think everyone should ask themselves. Self care can look different for everyone. Some immediately think about going to a salon or getting a massage but I don't think it has to be that elaborate. I think it can be as easy as sitting for five minutes alone and deep breathing. Or taking some time to read a book or sing a song. The most important thing about self care is doing something strictly for yourself that feels really good.

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was reading everything I could about pregnancy and how to be healthy during it. Something I came across was prenatal yoga. Yoga was never something that entered my mind and in fact something I heard most people in my inner circle of life, make fun of. Even still, I thought if there was anytime to try something new, this was it. I decided to go and It went great. I went for the rest of my pregnancy. Then with my second daughter, I went maybe one time but at some point I decided things were too hectic for me to do something so selfish. Needless to say, I hadn't thought about yoga since 2015.

Recently, I received an email about a yoga class in my town. I have been really struggling on what to do about my fitness because while walking is great, I feel I need more. This email was a sign. I decided I would go try this yoga class and see if it was just as good as I remembered.

Turns out, it was even better. This class was exactly what I needed on so many levels. The instructor added so many things to the class that are more geared towards mental health wellness and not just the exercise of yoga itself. She read us affirmations in the beginning, she read us a poem at the end. She gave us a calming oil to massage on our necks all along while guiding us with gentle instruction. After the intricate yoga poses, we went into a comfortable position on the floor where we got to enter a meditation state. The combination of the stillness, calming music, and padded bolster releasing any stress from my body, I felt my soul leave my body. Literally, it was like an out of body experience. Something that caused my tear ducts to inflame and release the extra fluid I have been retaining. This is the first I am speaking about my crying during a yoga class. Mostly because I am quite aware no one will even read this blog but myself, but also because the more the days go on, I really don't care if someone reads it or not and has any kind of opinion on it. Because this is how I felt. This is what I needed and I haven't felt that good in years. This was a high that you can't put a price on. A release of stress that no bottle of wine could ever compete with. Yes that $15 was by far the best money I have ever spent.

This experience was something I so desperately needed in my life right now as I am going through this deep growth period. It is a new kind of relief that I will for sure be chasing again.

See you Monday Nicole, you're a life changer!

How I Do It All

This is a question I get all the time. "How do you do it all?" and the truth of the matter is, I don't. My house has toys and papers everywhere, blankets and laundry are unfolded. Things are in disarray.

The thing is, people see me doing all sorts of things and that makes them think I have it all together. But what they don't see is that my house house a mess and theirs is clean. Or maybe it is that I am a work from home mom so I don't spend time commuting to earn money. We live different lives.

That being said, I also rarely watch tv. Where as most people watch hours. I use to do the same. But over the past couple of years, things changed for me. My priorities changed. As much as I love watching tv and movies, I also came to learn that it is a huge waste of time. There is nothing wrong with watching tv, I still do it from time to time. But I also want to do so many other things so somethings gotta give. You too can do anything you want to do in life. You just need to carve out time for it! I believe in you!

All in all, we all make time for the things we want to do. That is it plain and simple. If you really want to do something, you will make time for it.

It is as simple as that!