Remembering the days!

When I was young I was a competitive swimmer. Now am blessed to work for the same program I trained with and one of my favorite times of year is summer long course Junior Olympics.

Most of these kids wake up in the early am to train every day – essentially giving up their summer break! Let me tell you, when I was a kid, I HATED waking up at the crack of dawn when all my other friends got to sleep in – no sleepovers, late nights or anything most would deem as childhood summer fun!

But it was all worth it to when it came time for competition! I see the same excitement in the eyes of our swimmers and remember how it felt – it’s totally awesome!

I commend these kids for their commitment – they have no idea how talented they truly are!

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Change and Challenge

Some of you may recall  I’ve had two ceiling leaks recently. Well, leak #3 happened yesterday in the early morning hours forcing me to make the tough decision to move out.

I have a choice: find a place on my own or move to another neighborhood in the city since the management company has nothing else near me. With two jobs, school and seven weekends worth of wedding commitments over the next nine weekends, I don’t exactly have the luxury of time.

I can’t say I have been handling this with calm and grace (more like moments of insanity) – though I am praying for them both – but I can say I’m taking it one step at a time. There are a million things swirling around my brain and if I try and tackle them all at once, I’ll get no where fast.

Are things going to be difficult? Maybe. Is moving my belongings, transferring my insurance, cable, internet and utilities going to be time consuming? Probably. Is it all going to be worth it in the end? Absolutely.

Change is scary and sometimes challenging but nothing worth it is ever easy. So for today, I breath, count my blessings , and put one foot in front of the other!

Blessing Abound

Happy Monday! Remembering to count your blessings is important! Today I wanted to take a moment to recognize two people for whom I am most grateful: my mother, Caroline and my sister, Kara.

This weekend was my sister’s bridal shower I couldn’t be more proud for my sister nor more grateful for all my mother’s help in planning, organizing and hosting the event (in conjunction with the 4 bridesmaids and my aunt/sister’s godmother)!

Its times like these that I am reminded how remarkable these women, and all the women in my family truly are! The grace with which my sister handled herself in this insane heat and the calm with which my mother carried herself while all these beautifully dressed women piled into her home was truly something to be admired (I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off and sweating like a pig, haha!).

I know there are a million things I could be thankful for on any given day, but I wanted to take a moment to note how blessed I am to have such awesome role models!

 

Wiser for the wear

As you grow in life, you’re going to have set backs, disappointments and failures – whoops, did I just burst someone out there’s bubble?!? SORRY!

When I was younger I was so scared of failing, losing or generally disappointing myself or my family. My obsession with not failing held me back from pushing myself past my comfort zone and becoming truly great at anything. ‘NO NO NO’ I would say to myself ‘that sounds awesome and I really want to try but what if I fail?’ Where I got this mentality, I don’t really know but I have definitely changed my views – maybe because I finally experienced failure – and ALOT of it at that!

If asked now, I would probably say there is no success without failure. I mean honestly, how are you going to know what works unless you find out what doesn’t?!? This life is long for most of us, and if we’re lucky there will be tons of mistakes made along the way.

For what I know now, that I didn’t know then, is the wisdom gained from failures is what drives your success!

Happy Friday!

Essentially Awesome

I was a big skeptic when I heard about using essential oils as an alternative to conventional medicine but given my holistic path, and the fact a friend of mine turned me onto it, I decided to keep an open mind.

If I am being perfectly candid, I didn’t think I would see any ‘real’ benefit from it but I wanted to support my friend in her business and bought some anyway (remember, open mind!).

HOLY AWESOMENESS!  I often get tension headaches and the ‘past tense’ oil works instantly! I used to have the worst time falling asleep but with a few drops of ‘serenity’ on my temples and the bottom of my feet right before bed, I’m out like a light! Seriously, this stuff is amazing!

I think the instance that got me totally hooked was my awful sunburn! After realizing I had done quite a number on my upper back, I quickly ran to the doTERRA website and looked up sunburn cures, hoping some of the oils I had on hand would work. While there were others I could use, peppermint and lavender were listed. I quickly mixed them up and smeared it all over my back  – instant pain relief! I applied some more over the next day or two as the burn healed and I experienced next to no symptoms , plus the burn healed quickly.

If you’ve ever wondered about giving essential oils a try, now is the time! From headaches, colds, and cuts to low sex drive, depression and insomnia, essential oils are far and away better then putting chemicals into your blood stream!

Master your Moods

Happy Hump Day!

Do you ever find that skipping one workout leads to skipping another, which leads giving yourself excuses to completely slack on your routine?

Work and life have been crazy lately and I found myself skipping a workout here and there. I didn’t think it was a big deal but I was really only getting my sweat on once a week. You want to know what I noticed?!?! I became irritable, easily depressed and generally grouchy (such a joy to be around!) the longer a went without regular exercise.

Yesterday was definitely my breaking point – I was majorly road-raging, crying out of frustration at my desk, cursing everyone for every little thing as if the world was out to get me – it was bad! So I took my butt to the gym and got a solid workout in.

Well don’t you know I left feeling much better about life and literally woke a new woman this morning! I forgot how much happier and more pleasant my mood is when I exercise. Whether its a yoga class, a run outside, a few rounds of interval training, a walk, a spin class, etc… dedicate yourself to getting regular workouts in and I guarantee you’ll become the master of your moods!

 

Beat the Heat!

Its official folks! We’re entering the 4th heat wave of the summer and its going to be HOT HOT HOT! I love the warm weather as much as the next Vitamin D junky but with temperatures in the mid 90s and humidity making it feel like 105, I’m doing everything I can to limit my time in the sun!

With temperatures this high and schedules full of running around, its very easy to experience heat exhaustion if you’re not careful! If you’re thinking “no big deal” think again! Heat exhaustion, if ignored, can easily turn into heat stroke and cause permanent damage to the brain and other major organs.

As mentioned in my last post your body gives you signs, so listen! If you’re feeling dizzy, weak, experiencing headaches, nausea, muscle cramps or excessive thirst cool it – literally! Keep vigorous exercise to a minimum, hydrate frequently and avoid tight or excessive clothing!

Enjoy the summer but be smart because nothing puts a damper on your day like a trip to the ER!

Body Talks

One of the most insightful things I have learned through my nutrition program is to listen to my body. That seems pretty intuitive but I have to say I have been ignoring my body for awhile.

For years I would respond to my body’s ques with chemicals – I’m tired, inhale caffeine or I’m sore, take pain killers or I’m hungry, smoke a cigarette – super healthy, right??! Nowadays I am certainly not perfect but I take the ques my body gives me and find I function much better.

I got a cold a few days ago – yes, I know, a summer cold, HOW AWFUL! Most colds last in my system for 7-10 days because I continue with my normal routine and eating habits as if my body isn’t trying to tell me something.

I felt the chills and aches creeping up my neck in the afternoon Tuesday and knew I was getting sick!  Soooo, I canceled my evening activities, got some TLC from my wonderful boyfriend and called out of work Wednesday to sleep.

Well what do you know, I woke up this morning and felt SO much better! I can’t say I’m 100% but by allowing my body the time it needed to heal itself, I’ve cut my recoup time significantly!

The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself and tell us what it needs…all we have to do is listen!

Banana Walnut Bliss

I don’t know about anyone else but I love pancakes! Perhaps that can be blamed on my father and our Sunday breakfast before or after mass.

Family togetherness at meal times was something my folks emphasized in my youth and something we try to do as much as possible now that my siblings and I are ‘grown.’ Problem is, Daddy used to fry those puppies in bacon fat and use white flour, sugar, butter and regular milk for the batter.

Since my system still craves those cakes, I’ve toyed with different recipes and think these are some of the best! Sure, they’re not ‘traditional’ (though I have a plain recipe too), these treats are oh so tasty and take very little time to make!

All you’ll need is a 1 mashed banana, 1 cup almond milk, 1 heavy TBSP honey, 1/4 cup apple sauce, 1 cup whole wheat flour, 2 TSP baking powder, a pinch of salt and 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts. Mix the wet together, mix the dry together and combine!

Using a cooking spray, a small pad of butter, a little oil or a good non-stick pan, fry on both sides under medium heat. You should flip your cakes after you start to see little bubbles rising to the top – usually a few minutes. With maybe 15 minutes prep and 15 minutes total cook time, you’ve got delicious, guilt free pancakes and I SWEAR you can’t even tell the difference!

If you want to be a little more indulgent you can make a bananas foster style topping with butter, sugar and bananas, or you can use sliced bananas and honey, or eat them plain since they’re so stinkin’ moist and delicious!

Bite into a little banana walnut bliss…enjoy!!

Gratefully Inspired

Happy Monday!

Even though it was insanely hot, I had an amazing weekend and I hope you all did as well! The kick off to my long holiday weekend was a lovely acknowledgment from my fellow blogger, Erin, at Roamin 4 Happiness.

While I started this experience for myself, it is quite satisfying to be nominated for the Very Inspiring Blog Award. When I started reading others blogs I was so inspired by their words but never thought I would in term be doing the same for them.

To share briefly: I am 26 years old, I live in Philadelphia, I am currently studying holistic nutrition at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, I am a middle child with two incredibly talented and amazing siblings, I am blessed have been raised Catholic by two fantastically supportive parents who are constant examples of love and I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to have the most wonderful man claim me as his!

I am growing everyday and am so thankful my words help inspire others. Here are some awesomely inspiring blogs I follow:

Reaching Utopia

Busy Mind Thinking

Love Well Live Well

Two Spoons

Katie at the Kitchen Door

Let it Come from Your Heart

The Truth You Always Knew

Bake with Jill

Vegetarian in Vegas

Just Homemade

For the Love of Food

The Flexi Foodie

Homemade with Mess

Simply.Heavenly.Eats

Scrummy Yummy

Each of these bloggers, in their own unique way, inspire me and I hope you’ll give them a read!

Thanks for all the love and support!