Why Young Living..?

So you’re into essential oils, love the way they make your home smell (or your wrist–wherever you use them).

But did you know there are no regulations on essential oils? Unlike the food industry, you can’t just read the label to see what’s inside. That means there are TONS of essential oil companies on the market that claim to be Lavender or Frankincense & sure, they may have small amount of the oil but the rest is filled with synthetic ingredients to smell like that specific oil. Um, no thanks.

I’ve spent YEARS trying to detox my life from harmful/harsh chemicals, everything from household cleaners/detergent, to the toiletries we use. I don’t want to be diffusing who knows what into the air I’m breathing.

But anyway…that’s a whole other topic. So what makes Young Living different?

Young Living has a ‘Seed to Seal’ commitment, which means they actually care about the products they deliver to their customers.

They OWN farms all over the world & have partner farms that must comply with their Seed to Seal promise–& if they don’t, YL doesn’t accept the oils. They have rigorous standards to test the purity & ensure quality.

This in itself SOLD me on the company. Because of the strict standards on quality, their oils are 100% therapeutic grade. Meaning, they’re more than just a luxurious aroma to fill your home. These distilled oils come from herbs & plants that people have been using for HUNDREDS (yes, hundreds) of years to support the mind & body. How amazing is that?!

Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself, I promise you get what you pay for with these transformative oils. Join me & grab your premium starter kit here.

Prenatal Supplement Regimen

I thought I’d share a quick post on my current prenatal supplementation if you’re interested!

Below is everything I take on the regular to help my baby girl grow big & strong & keep us both healthy. All of these can be taken by men & women (except for the prenatal–you might grow man-boobs gentlemen–hehe kidding) & ladies, you don’t need to be pregnant or breastfeeding! I always thought prenatals were STRICTLY for pregnant women & I had no business taking them. But really, they’re just a great multivitamin for any woman 18-menopause! (come menopause our bodies have a different set of needs in regards to vitamin supplementation)

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Life Updates!

I swear I haven’t forgotten about my little nook here on the interwebs! Fortunately, a lot of exciting things have happened since I last posted on here……6+ months ago?! 😱 I’m sorry!

Unfortunately, I’ve procrastinated on pouring it all out in written context. One day I will look back & wonder why I let the most exciting time in my life go by undocumented?! Shame on me.

First off, if you follow me on instagram you are well aware that we no longer live in Florida! Alleluia! No offense Floridians but it is HOT down there…& well, the beaches don’t compare to Hawaii. #sorrynotsorry John received a big promotion in February with his company that brought us all the way the up to Virginia! AND it’s a short 5 hour drive to his family in Pittsburgh! There have already been many o’ back & forth travels which is SO nice, considering his brother & sister both recently had babies! 💞

On that note, you may also be aware that John & I are expecting our first baby!!!!! <insert all the happy/celebratory/flowery emojis> Our sweet little girl, Madeline Lani will grace us with her presence November 9th, 2018! Well, we’re hoping anyway. That’s my due date & also happens to be Johns birthday! So he is praying EXTRA hard she comes as anticipated!

So the past 6+ months have been filled with work & family trips, settling in to our new home & preparing for baby! The last one taking up a majority of my time, which I’m ok with.

Kitchari

Have you heard of it? Do you even know what I’m talking about? Kitchari (pronounced kich⋅ah⋅ree) is the traditional Ayurvedic cleansing food. It consists of mung dal beans,  white rice & spices. Weird right? When you think of a “cleanse” or “detox” we usually think of green juices, broths, vegetables & the like.

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Vacation Mode

I feel like most of 2017 has been on vacation! Portland/Seattle, Hawaii twice(!), Pittsburgh a handful of times & hopefully exploring Florida a bit more to finish out the year!

Vacations are just good for the soul….don’t you think? A chance to get out of the mundane, auto-pilot filled stretch of days (#life) & explore somewhere new…..or even a place you’re fairly well acquainted with only to discover more to love about the area! #wanderlust 💔

I have a serious case of Wanderlust….not only do I love vacationing to nearly any city/sate/country but I absolutely LOVE being immersed in the culture/ way of life—like when John & I move to new cities, EVERYwhere has it’s own vibe. Its pretty fun. Tell me about your experiences in different cities?!

Anyway, the point of my post was actually for a recipe—but instead lets talk about meditation & how to make slowing down a habit in our go-go-go society.

Do you meditate? Do you take time to just sit, not letting your thoughts wander to chores/dinner/work stuff? I’m pretty sure I’ve been meditating before I even knew what meditation was! Haha. But seriously, we live in a society where we can control everything with our fingertips. We have constant access to these devices that keep us connected via various platforms to friends, family and coworkers, favorite restaurants & shopping. How many times have you been doing something to mindlessly get pulled down a completely different rabbit hole?! I’ll be cleaning the house minding my own business when I decide to log into my bill pay, you know, make sure the house bills are good & next thing I know I’m researching the best doggie parka because I noticed some Hotwire ad for a pet-friendly trip to Switzerland & now my poor dog is preparing for a fictional family vacay to the alps. What?! And I wonder why there are not enough hours in the day.

Extreme or not, my point is that we are constantly being pulled in different directions. It’s natural to let our attention shift to the crying baby when you’re trying to complete your assignment for work/school. But we catch a glimpse of an email, recipe, chore list & before you know it you’re doing 15 things at once. Our brains aren’t meant to function like that. We’re wired to be focused on one task, while maintaining awareness. What does that mean? It means that by creating a practice where you stop, drop & breathe even for just 3 breaths this will help slow blood pressure, bring greater peace of mind, reduce stress & increase self-awareness. Let’s be honest who couldn’t use a healthy dose of that? Meditating can even help cultivate discipline– a trait I feel like so many of us endlessly strive for. I mean, it ain’t easy to sit & do absolutely nothing for 5 minutes. If you can do that, you can conquer the world (or whatever else is going on in your life).

Next time you catch yourself making dinner thinking about work, or playing with the kids wondering if the car payment was the 7th or 17th stop & bring your attention back to what you’re DOING. Tidying up the laundry room? Smell the detergent in the air, feel the soft blankets you’re folding, listen to the wind blowing outside. It sounds cheesy, but I promise next time your mindlessly doing a task, challenge yourself to use as many of your 5 senses as you can to help guide your thoughts back to this moment.

If all else fails, book a vacation! When I’m on vacation I’m so busy taking in my surroundings I don’t have time to think about mundane. Getting out of your day to day agenda & into a different city will certainly wake up your senses to enjoy the beauty & life that’s passing us by.

What they don’t tell you about being hydrated…

Attention! Muy importante! If you’re currently living in a house (which I assume most of you are), I suggest keeping tabs on your water bill.

No, not because you’re chugging gallons/day (hopefully filtered & not directly from the tap), but because you’re staying adequately hydrated & end up taking a trip to the pee shack every 20 mins. John & I rent a cute little beach cottage on the intercostal here in Florida & our landlady came knocking on our door the other day to disclose to us that her water bill has never been this high since she has been renting out the space (many years).  🙄

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It’s been a while…

Hello all my fit friends! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything! To be completely honest…I’ve lacked some inspiration lately. I don’t know about you, but I do so much reading, learning, reviewing & critiquing of various health, fitness & wellness articles that I become completely bogged down & don’t want to write anything! I feel like I read SO much of the same stuff, I think to myself…no one wants to read ANOTHER blurb on XYZ, or recipe that does not taste as good as claimed. Haha…you feel me?

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