goals

2018 New Year’s Resolutions | #AYearOfIntentionalLiving

Leave a Comment

I should start this by stating these are not my New Year’s Resolutions. Rather, they are my intentions for this year and for my life.  Resolutions just feel too restrictive and limiting which is why most people abandon their New Year’s Resolutions by the second week of February. 

For me, setting intentions is about living with more focus and purpose. My goal is not to accomplish my intentions by the end of the year but rather work towards living more intentionally from this day forward. My intentions may evolve over time but each one of these intentions has no expiry or finish date. 

So what are my 2018 intentions? 

1. Find balance as a mama, partner and creative. Balance is another one of those tricky terms. What is balance? Well for each one of us that is going to be different. For me it means ensuring that Neil and I have quality time together as a couple, that I have time carved out each week for me to work on writing, photos and projects that ignite my creative side and that while I am a mama that it isn’t the only thing that I am. Will there be equal time each week for all of these items? No, but that’s not my intent – rather it’s about finding a balance that respects each of these areas of my life. 

2. Make self-care a priority.  This looks like time for me to sit quietly and re-group, it also looks like a shower without a screaming baby or children popping their head in to ask for a snack. It looks like a trip to the chiropractor, acupuncturist or to do a float. It looks like moving my body or simply sitting still in meditation. There are so many ways to manifest self-care. What does self-care look like for you?

3. Shop with more intention.  Online shopping and the dollar area at Target are making it so easy to mindlessly shop for things. Anything that you can think of can be ordered and delivered in two days or even within an hour which is great when the stomach bug hits your house and all you need is more towels but it’s also a curse because we can mindlessly order anything. 

4. Create a home that is filled with love, laughter and creativity (without all the clutter). While our home is already filled with these things it is also filled with clutter and just so many things. So it’s time to create a space that is calming and inspirational and not a chaotic, cluttered mess. 

5. Listen More Than I Speak. I am very reactionary and feel emotions in a big way and voice them quickly and often sharply. As I focus on living this year with more intention the way I listen and speak is a huge part of this especially with children and my husband. 

6. Focus on being present.  Yes I am talking about stepping away from screens and spending more time connecting in the moment. Focusing on what is going on right now and giving less time and energy to anxieties, worries and mindless scrolling.

7. Acknowledge my feelings and emotions and take responsibility for them. We are responsible for how we feel, how we react and how we respond. 

8. Find the light in everyday. It’s so easy after a hard day to feel like everything has just gone to shit and forget about the little moments that brought a smile and light to the day. So I want to find the light in each day and focus on that and release the dark, frustrating moments. 

So now tell me – what are you intentions for 2018? 

Goals | March 2016

6 Comments

2016 goals

+Read Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert

I’m part of the Glowing Green Community of Facebook and our first book club book is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear*. I am nearly half way through and I am loving this book. If you’d like a full review let me know in the comments below. If you’d like to join the community you can do so here and our book club we are voting this week on our next book! 

+Workout at the gym 10 times.

I know it might not sound like a lot but I am working hard to getting back to regular gym workouts. Unfortunately my gym has weird hours and no childcare so I can’t go as frequently as I’d like but I feel like 10 is a good and maybe even a bit of a challenging goal. 

+Create an editorial. 

This is a goal that I have had for years and I have made regular attempts but never seem to stick it. I am going to this year though and I even bought myself some really cute quarterly planners from inkWell Press* along with some stickers and pens to decorate my planner. What can I say I am a pen and paper kind of planner. 

+Visit Tea Bar. 

I know this one might sound like a strange goal to have but I have been wanting to visit Tea Bar here in Portland since it opened and I have yet to go. I am dying to give it a try so I am planning on treating myself this month. 

+Focus on improving my Instagram accounts.

Can we first give a big shout out to Instagram for finally allowing you to toggle between accounts! I have three different Instagram accounts (Naturally Family, Naturally Lindsay and Running With Tongs – feel free to follow them-wink wink, nudge nudge) and this is making it so much easier to stay on top of all of them. I am working to improve my photos, my interactions, my entire design and I hope to do so this month

Share In The Comments Below: What are you goals for this month?

*Affiliate link.

12-Weeks to a Happier and Healthier Life | Weeks 3 & 4

14 Comments

I feel like it’s been longer than two weeks since we had a check-in but it hasn’t and here I am with a big one. I have so much to share with you about my diet, goals and where I am now. Keep reading!
Goals In Review:

  1. (Dietary Goal) Diligently follow my 28 week transformation program.  I wish I could say that I did but I had a few off days but overall I found that I was pretty successful and that the program helped me to focus on eating more intuitively (more about this in my review below)
  2. (Physical Goal) Do 10+ minutes of barre3 online each day. Huge fail. I don’t know why but I just didn’t. This is going back on my goals again for weeks 5 & 6. 
  3. (Mental Goal) Spend 15 minutes per day reading a book. Okay so I didn’t read a book for 15 minutes everyday but I did read The Starch Solution by Dr. John McDougall. 

Goals for Weeks 5 & 6:

  1. (Dietary Goal) Drink 64oz of water everyday. I had been drinking close to a gallon of water everyday for a few weeks but in the past two weeks I haven’t been filing my water jar as frequently as I should. So cheers to drinking more water.
  2. (Physical Goal) Do 10+ minutes of barre3 online each day. Let’s try this again. Anyone want to be my accountability partner?
  3. (Mental Goal) Read and start The Orange Rhino Challenge. Being a stay-at-home mom of two little ones can be rewarding and fun but also exhausting and frustrating (usually all in the same day). If you know me you know I have a bit of a fiery personality and while my goals is be a gentle and warm parent I have my moments where I can be short and lose my patience. The thing is I don’t want to be short or lose my patience. I want to be calm, warm and in control of my emotions. You can read more about the challenge here. 

Review of The Past Two Weeks:

I had a bit of a break through in the past two weeks regarding my diet. I had been following my 28 Day Transformation plan which called for five meals with certain portioned out components to each meal. Following the plan I found myself craving a lot of sweets and other junk foods but overall I just wanted more starches (brown rice, sweet potato, white potatoes, beans). I left many meals feeling full but not satisfied which would cause me to seek out other foods. This isn’t to say that the meal plan design for this program doesn’t work it just didn’t work for me. Besides not feeling satisfied with meals I also had a hard time fitting in the two snack meals because life just gets busy and for me three meals works best most of the time. 

Finally after about 18 days of following the plan 80% of the time I decided to give into my craving and I had a huge bowl of rice at lunch. After that meal I felt super satisfied and more energetic. So I ended up increasing my starches by adding in more brown rice, whole grain pasta, potatoes and sweet potatoes. I did stick with keeping things low fat; the 28 Day Transformation program allowed for 2-3 servings of fat per day.  Once I started listening to my body I found that within a few days my cravings decreased, my energy increased and my digestion improved. 

So for now I am focusing on eating a bit more of starch based, low fat vegan diet because it is working for me. I haven’t given up oils and such but I plan to keep my diet mostly starches(oats, brown rice, sweet potato, winter squash, white potatoes, beans, legumes and occasionally whole grain pasta), fruits and veggies with a little bit of fat. If you’d like me to discuss this further in a separate post let me know! 

Workouts as you saw above just haven’t been going well. I have been getting out most days with the kids for a walk or two during the day but as for focused workouts they just haven’t been happening. I have been spending more time focusing my diet and now that I am in a good spot I feel ready and excited to take on regular non-walking workouts such as barre3, running (!!) and hopefully try out some new classes in Portland. 

Overall I am feeling like I am in a good place. I learned a lot over the past few weeks and I am feeling more positive, more energetic, and excited for the next 8 weeks and beyond. 

How are you doing with your goals? 

12-Weeks to a Happier and Healthier Life | Weeks 1 & 2

12 Comments

I really don’t want to start this post with a bunch of excuses so I’ll just say the first two weeks were not as successful as I had hoped. I am the only one that can be held responsible for this and while I’d like to add a but into this intro I’m going to leave it at that.

Goals in Review:

  1. (Dietary Goal) Drink half my weight in water everyday. Well I can’t say I did this everyday but I did a good 9 out of 14 days. 
  2. (Physical Goal) Go for a walk everyday – rain or shine. I didn’t go for a walk everyday but I did 10 out of 14 days and I also have reincorporated barre3 online workouts into my routine (I completed 3 last week). 
  3. (Mental Goal) Spend 15 minutes per day reading a book. This one was a big fail. I didn’t read anything except blogs and children’s books. 

Goals for Weeks 3 & 4:

  1. (Dietary Goal) Diligently follow my 28 week transformation program.  I signed up for a 28 day program with fellow health coach Brittany Mullins and there is a meal plan that I haven’t been following so closely. After talking with my husband he reminded me that when I decided to sign up for the program I told him and myself that I was going to trust the program and take it on 100%. Well I have only followed the plan about 50% so I am re-committing myself to the program and following it completely. 
  2. (Physical Goal) Do 10+ minutes of barre3 online each day. I love barre3 and I really need to focus back on myself and my body. I love the energy barre3 gives me and how strong and sweaty I feel after a workout. 
  3. (Mental Goal) Spend 15 minutes per day reading a book. Since I didn’t complete this goal I am putting it back on the list because sometimes we just need a do-over. 

Review of the past two weeks:

While I was way more active the past two weeks than I have been in months my diet was not on point. I ended up eating a lot of salads and veggie packed meals but I also had beers, fries, veggie burger, movie theater popcorn, onion rings, a pastry (or 2) and coconut ice cream. While I am not abstaining from having any of those items my goal is to focus on eating healthier options and leaving those for more of an occasional treat/meal. What it comes down to is that I chose the food over my health goals and didn’t practice self-control or really think about what I was eating. When I looked at the progress photos of myself and didn’t see any but rather found myself looking more bloated it was a real wake-up call that if I don’t make good food choices that I am not going to see any real changes. So here is to a new week, new goals and to coming back here in two weeks with a more successful check-in. 

How are you doing with your goals? 

Let’s Get Started | 12-Weeks to a Happier and Healthier Life

1 Comment

Hello! This post is getting up a lot later than I had planned but we moved last Thursday and life has been a bit chaotic. Today marks the start of my 12 week journey to a healthier and happier life. I’m happy to report that day one was a great start and I am looking forward to the next 12 weeks. Before we get into the goals and some news I have to share I will first show you my day 1 photos.

12_Week_Challenge - Day 1 - Back

12_Week_Challenge - Day 1 - Side

12_Week_Challenge - Day 1 - Front

Okay so most of these are pretty cringe worthy to me but this is me showing you reality. A reality that I am not happy with but I am striving to make healthy changes to get myself back on track. To help me get back on track I am working with health coach and blogger Brittany Mullins aka Eating Bird Food. Fun fact she is also an IIN grad. 

But wait aren’t you a health coach? Yes I am a health coach who after two children finding myself in need of a little help and guidance. Yes, health coaches sometimes need a coach of their own. I mean practice what you preach, am I right? 

Anyways I signed up for Brittany’s 28 Day Challenge program and I am so excited to see what sort of transformation takes place over the next 28 days. Side note (disclaimer) I am not sponsored to talk about Brittany’s program and I paid for it myself. The program has a meal guide and sample plan, a workout plan, lots of information and tips on how to live a healthy life, a Facebook support group and weekly e-mail support from Brittany.

In addition to the 28 Day Challenge and the guide/goals it sets out I also  have three of my own goals for the next two weeks. 

  1. (Dietary Goal) Drink half my weight in water everyday. I used to be so good at drinking water and then I don’t know what happened but my goal is to get back at it. Drinking water makes me feel more awake, more alive, more energetic and just happier. 
  2. (Physical Goal) Go for a walk everyday – rain or shine. We just moved back into our favorite Portland neighborhood and it is the perfect spot to get out and go for a walk. I want to move my body more everyday and I also want to take the time to go for a walk with my littles so that we can talk, explore and spend quality time together. 
  3. (Mental Goal) Spend 15 minutes per day reading a book. I read lots of books to my littles and blogs but I really don’t spend a lot of time reading for pleasure. I have a ‘to read’ list a mile long so now is the time to take a break from TV, the computer, social media and just take a few minutes for myself with a good book. 

So that’s it for this week’s post. I’ll be back with progress photos and to tell you how things are going in two weeks. Until then you can follow me on social media where I’ll be giving lots of updates! 

What are your three goals for the next two weeks?

12-Weeks to a Happier and Healthier Life

6 Comments
ClassPass Fitness Night Out | THE BAR METHOD

Spring 2015

Let’s get real here for a moment. My workouts have been frankly non-existent for the past 8-weeks. My diet has been less than ideal. My weight is still 40+ pounds higher than my pre-pregnancy weight with Edith. My energy has been low. My mental state has been foggy, impatient and less than happy.

It’s time for a change. A real change.

This week we are moving to a new house in one of our favorite neighborhoods. Life is slowing down and it’s time for me to recommit to myself and my health so I can feel more balanced, more energetic and frankly a happier, calmer and more positive person.

You might be reading this and thinking here we go Lindsay and her challenges, goals, etc that don’t end up going anywhere. Yes I know I am an over committer and I haven’t completed a number of challenges lately and….well look where it’s got me, eh? That’s why this isn’t a challenge it’s simple an accountability check-in.

For the next 12-weeks and possibly longer I plan to do bi-weekly accountability check-in posts to keep me in check and to share my journey back to being a fit, healthy and happier person. Every two weeks I will share a photo of myself, weight +/-, three goals, a check in regarding the previous weeks three goals and a summary of how things are going, changes I am experiencing and ups and downs.

This all being said I’d love for your to join me on this journey to a happier, healthier life. Join me starting August 31st as I do my first check-in. I’ll share where I am starting at and I will also share three goals one dietary, one physical and one mental. You can share your own check-in in the comments, on your own blog or your social media. If there is enough interest generated we could also create a Facebook check-in/accountability group but we can cross that bridge when we get there.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and we’ll check-in next week for my (and your) first accountability check-in.

P.S. I’m joining prAna and Sweat Pink for a super fun, #7daystretch #liveinprana challenge – it starts today (Monday, August 24th) and ends at the end of the week (Sunday, August 30th). Join in on the fun – answering daily prompts (see below) – or if you’d prefer to lurk, you can follow along on FitApproach or through the hashtags: #liveinprana #7daystretch #sweatpink!

Currently. 07.05.15.

7 Comments

sou'wester trailers

Doing: I am just going through our photos from our stay earlier this week at The Sou’Wester Lodge in Seaview, Washington. We had another amazing visit and already made reservations for November. It feels nice to have a place that we consider “our place” to visit year after year. We love staying in the vintage trailers, walking down to the beach and crossing the bridge to Astoria for some good food and beer.  

Thinking about: My goals for the upcoming month. I want to be a little bit fitter, a little bit more gentle and relaxed and make as many memories as possible. 

Watching: Neil and I have been binging on Scandal while he has been on vacation. I don’t know why it took us so long to start watching it but we are really into it. I also have been re-watching Pretty Little Liars (yes I’m 12). 

Looking forward to: Our camping trip next week for Edith’s third (!!!!) birthday. 

Reading: I am currently reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing and I am loving it. It has really helped to change the way I de-clutter and organize. This week alone we have made two trips to donate unwanted items and we have a huge box filled with papers to shred. While we have a ways to go still I am really finding this book helpful. Who else has read it? or what are you reading?

Loving: Neil being on vacation and I’m hating that he has to go back to work tomorrow. There really is nothing better than having your partner home to help take on the day-to-day activities, to get out and explore the world with and to stay up past our bedtimes to watch too many episodes of Scandal. 

What are you currently doing, thinking about, watching, looking forward to, reading and/or loving?

Sou'wester DITL hike5

As always this post is inspired by Sometimes Sweet.