​️Morning! Just a quick reminder how important it is to uplift yourself!!! When you get momentum going towards making the way YOU FEEL a priority, you will find it’s easier to deal with life’s hiccups.

CONFESSION: I’m home ALL DAY with family and some days, I feel it as a burden and not enough time for myself. Now I can stay in that place OR begin to see it as a moment in our lives to get to know each other with a more open heart, learn how to adjust our attitudes to allow growth, enjoy the subtraction of distractions with not having to travel so much...I think you get the point.

When I don’t FEEL grateful that I am the primary educator to two young kids as well as putting my own education and effort on building a business to the side to accommodate these changes, it's time to recognize the importance of how I feel, use those feelings to spend more time uplifting myself to get to that good place of truly being there, BEING PRESENT, for who needs me WITHOUT feeling resentment because of it. It’s all in perspective. And guess what, it’s almost a guarantee you will have to work on that shift Every. Single. Day. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Use the power of your NOW moment and grab an essential oil. I have been LOVING on Eucalyptus Radiata lately to help with air quality, respiratory support AND uplifting my emotions. Its clean and refreshing aroma is perfect to diffuse first thing in the morning to help kickstart positive thoughts.

TAKE ACTION! A great morning ritual is to add 6 drops of Eucalyptus with 6 drops of Lemon and/or Thieves to help awaken the home and enjoy the benefits! Pair it with Lavender and Cedarwood at night for one of the best night’s sleep you and/or your kids can have! 

If you do not have this oil, GET IT! It’s one of my fall/winter must haves but I have a feeling I’m going to keep this close all year round for now on. 💯

You can learn how to get your very own starter kit here OR feel free to participate in my upcoming virtual meetup THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15TH AT 6:30PM CST on the why and how to use essential oils in your everyday life here!

Having the mindset to race seems to be taking off faster than my body! At my age and fitness level, I know I can handle running and biking on alternate days but getting my mind to be on board with taking it easy is the challenge.

With recent frustrations in my life, I notice the desire to run away and saw running as that outlet to get it out. A couple years ago, I became a hot yoga junkie for that same reason...take my frustrations out on my body. For a time being, it seemed to help me feel better about being in my own skin, but the true intention was not in alignment with what I wanted. I would physically work myself so hard that at times, I couldn't walk for a day or two after. This was an obvious misstep in the true path of yoga and missing the mark on one of its tenents...ahimsa or non-harming. 

But if I want to be sustainable and safely keep in shape for as long as I'm in this body, then I better work smarter, not harder. 

And so the story applies now to running. I'm well aware that if you go overboard in this arena, you can and will hurt yourself to the point of possible no return. To me, just as it is important to start any new adventure with the right tool, in this case running shoes, I also recognize how important recovery is and how it starts before you take off. 

Doing a quick checkin with the headspace is now a prerequisite for me...do I need to take five and be mindful of intentional breaths? Is a meditation being called for? 

I then follow this up by applying a CBD muscle rub on my ankles, knees, and low back BEFORE I run. Trust me, THIS step right here is a game changer! I have been using this rub from Young Living Essential Oils over a year now and I am convinced everyone who walks and breathes needs this in their life! I use it frequently for muscle stiffness/soreness and other discomforts as well as on my children for their bumps and thumps. It has also come in very handy during that time of the month, ladies! It's very soothing as I rub it on my lower abdomen. The relief this gem offers alone is reason enough to become a member of Young Living so you can get your hands on this! 💯

Just a quick explanation of what CBD is and how it can help the body goes something like this...our body is comprised of a molecular system that consists of receptors known as endocannabinoids and they work to help regulate processes related to immunity, metabolism, moods, appetite, and sleep, just to name a few. The body and its makeup are always processing ways to stay in harmony or what is known as homeostasis and uses these receptors to do so. Well, CBD, short for cannabidiol, is a phytocannabinoid, or plant cannabinoid, and the human body can use these plant chemicals in a similar way to the naturally occurring endocannabinoids. I continue to be amazed with how things from nature can and do help our human bodies. 

This rub is also infused with Young Living essential oils that are known for circulation and nerve soothing such as helichrysum, peppermint, wintergreen, and clove. This exclusive blend is known as Panaway, which I've also been using for several years now. After running, recovery stretching and yoga movement comes into play and I apply both the muscle rub as well as Panaway to all those same areas for the cooling sensation and the assist in recovery. 

And this my friends has been working beautifully for the last several weeks as I get deeper into making training an official part of my life. I'm grateful for this re-introduction of running in my life. I made it a promise to myself that I'll continue to take care of this precious body. To look back where I was mentally and physically just a few years ago to today, the blessings have been many and I refuse to take for granted these days of feeling strong!

I'm 41 years old.

I spent the good part of my 20s working and having a good time. I got the bug to get my health in order before my 30th birthday and accomplished running my first 5k. Not too long after that, I was pregnant with my first child and never got back into racing. My 30s consisted of having/raising two children and overcoming autoimmune symptoms that left me in pieces. To say that last decade of mine was the catalyst for great change is an understatement. As I approached my birthday last year, the big 4-0, I began to truly contemplate what I wanted out of life. Dancing, deeper relationships, entrepreneurship, abundant health, so many things began to fill in the cracks. Yet, the old paradigms showed up like unwanted guests to put me back in my place. Wife. Mother. Period.

At least, that's the story I. made. up. No one put the period there but me. So this decade, I'm working towards the growth and development I want to experience after having my awakening. 

I keep catching myself say "I can't do..." and go ahead and fill in the blanks as I'm sure someone out there knows what I'm talking about. It hit me hard how much I say those words after watching many people of all ages accomplish a grueling race around the world when I thought, "WHY do I continue to think I can't do certain things?" 

So, I decided to shut that talk down by running again. And not just running, but training. I'll start with as many 5k races I can manage as we enter the cold season and even consider traveling to keep the momentum going. Then I'll reach for the 10k. Half marathon after that. Cycling will weave its way into my training. I love bike riding and I think it's time to invest in a good road bike. Swimming lessons are on deck for sometime next year to build me up into the strong swimmer I desire to be so I'm ready for the waves when we move to Hawaii. 

But that won't be the only thing I look forward to about moving to Hawaii. I've decided to plan ahead, way ahead. I'm a dreamer. So for now, all this training will lead to an eventual entry in a Half Ironman competition in Hawaii. Surely not by next year, but this exact picture I share is now on my vision board where I typed over the year 2021 with 2024, in time for my 45th birthday.

We all are dreamers. It's why we are here, in my opinion. To believe in our God like ability to be, do, and have anything we want in life. Somewhere along the trail, we lose our way. 

But no matter the time in life, you can get right back on, make those big plans, and go for it and change the narrative...day one of your dream...or one day for your dream? You choose.