Mix It Up: Transitioning Between Seasons

This post is sponsored by Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

As we transition from spring to summer, I’m all about transitioning into new and healthier habits. Now that I’m working earlier in the morning between my full-time job and my indoor cycling class, plus doing a better job of going to bed earlier, I’ve realized that I need to start eating breakfast again!

One thing that I like to do is to try a challenge - whether it’s related to photography, fitness, healthy eating, or mindfulness. If you’re like me and you want a cool, attainable challenge to try, you’re in luck - Zespri is running their Win & Wander Challenge!

Learning to Adapt

Today presented some challenges. They were really innocuous challenges, but they were frustrating nonetheless. You know one of those days where just a bunch of little things pile up and you become frustrated? Today was one of those days.

The final straw for me was when I wasn't able to get in the workout I'd intended after work. I got incredibly frustrated, and then I sat there for a minute and said, really? Of all of the bad things that can possibly happen in a day, you're going to let this little thing bother you? Go home and get in a different workout, ya crybaby! (I use tough love on myself about 98% of the time.)

My sassy inner dialogue was right though: I have my health, a loving family, a happy relationship, a roof over my head, and a good job. I can choose to sit around being grumpy over a bunch of minor inconveniences, or I can take the lead in my own mood, and get myself smiling again! So that's what I did; I finally set up my DailyBurn account (which I'd apparently been paying for since November 2017) and got in a fantastic workout! Getting all sweaty and trying something new definitely did the trick! I'm ready to go to bed feeling more relaxed, optimistic, and ready to have a better tomorrow. I wish all a fabulous week!

Does your inner voice boss you around? What do you do when you need to boost your mood?

5 June Goals

It's that time again! Goal setting, here we come!

I think I did pretty well in April with hitting my goals. In fact, I did pretty awesomely, if I may say so myself. I hit a plateau a few weeks back, but I've started incorporating even more strength into my fitness routine, and I'm kicking butt now! I decided to kick-start my May with a 24-hour fast just to shake things up and give my system a supercharge. Surprisingly, I felt fantastic!

So now, let's take a look and see what goals I've come up with for the month of May.

A Brief Oral [Health] History

I don’t know about you guys, but I consider oral health to be an important piece of the health and wellness puzzle. When I was fresh out of college, I didn’t pay much attention to it. My mom wasn’t making my dental appointments anymore, I didn’t always have dental insurance prior to my government jobs, and it just wasn’t a top priority for me. As Julia Roberts’ character said in Pretty Woman, “BIG MISTAKE. HUGE.”

Attempting My First Golf

I'm pretty sure that's not what it's called, but that's what I'm calling it. Tomorrow afternoon, I will attempt my first golf. I am going golfing so I will be a golfing golfer who golfs. Or something like that.

Aside from putt-putt, at which I am amazing (don't ask for references), I have only hit a golf ball once. Fun fact: When I was young, my daycare provider used to watch The Price is Right every day, so I had a dream to hit the golf ball with Bob Barker - if I didn't get to play Plinko or Cliffhangers first.

My friend Chris once took me to a driving range. It was a disaster. I was so bad at it that it made me angry. I'm usually a good sport, but something about being especially bad at a sport made me... well... a bad sport. I distinctly remember smashing the golf club against the ground. 😬😬😬

Even though I still have no clue what I'm doing, I'm going to be a much better sport tomorrow and come in with a positive attitude. I'm not expecting to be a pro golfer overnight, but I'm setting my expectations low and being realistic about how I'm about to golf for 9 holes with 0 experience. Wish me luck!

Have you ever golfed? Any tips for a first-timer? What did you wear for your first golf outing? How did you play?

7 Tips for First-Time Hikers

Ya girl loves to hike. Hiking is basically a mental health ritual for me. I love being in the woods or out on some cliffs, or whatever the terrain might be. There is something very freeing and very human about being out in the wilderness.

Sometimes I hike alone, but I love hiking with friends. I often have friends interested in joining me who have never hiked or haven't hiked since childhood, and they ask a lot of questions about how to prepare for a hike. I thought I'd put together this list of 7 Tips for New Hikers based on the most popular questions I've received, and a few extra tidbits I think are helpful. These aren't all the things you need to know before your first hike, but knowing these tips should help put you on the path for a successful hike.

Tuesdays are for Teaching

On Tuesdays, I teach indoor cycling at the Sport & Health at Pike & Rose in North Bethesda, Maryland. The format I teach is called SPARK! This is a signature class was developed by an indoor cycling instructor with US Fitness, and she led the class where I got certified!