Cleaning Up My Act In 2013

I’m a little late to the game. Many of you are well into your New Year and New You resolutions and goals. I’m kicking my New Year, New Me goals and aims today. Yes, it’s a very unlikely time to begin at the middle of the week in (almost) the middle of the month. While many of you welcomed the New Year with a toast and a motivating start January 1^st, I was sick in bed with the flu. I’m finally feeling back to myself and I don’t want another day to pass me by. I’m ready to LIVE and work on creating a better version of me today.

So call me fashionably late, but I’m ready to get my 2013 party rocking. And I’d LOVE to invite any other late comers to join me. It’s not too late to get a start on a New You in the New Year. Let’s do this thing together, what do you say?

3 core health areas I’m cleaning up NOW:

• Eliminating my constant grazing. Holiday snacking quickly turned into an eating habit, a bad one at that.
• Cleaning up my meals by eating simple, nutritious, minimally processed foods.
• Getting excited about daily workouts. Fighting the flu zapped my energy and I’m ready to unleash my inner workout beast (or a sweeter version as mentioned in yesterday’s post).

And how am I going to make this happen? Remember, goals remain lovely ideas if you don’t have a plan. Here’s my simple plan: I’m going to use social media to hold me accountable. I’ll be using Instagram to account for every meal/snack I eat and I will be returning to #PROOF photos.

If a day goes by and you don’t see my meal or #PROOF pictures, CALL ME OUT! Yell at me, virtually smack me.

Let’s do this right in 2013. Here’s to new beginnings…even if we’re a little late!

Wishing you the best. Katie

Why The Hurry?

There’s no denying it. I love grocery shopping. It’s not that I have a lot to buy because I only shop for me. I just love the customization of going to a store and personally choosing what I want to eat for the week. I window shop the aisles for healthy meal inspirations and dream of date night cooking creations. Call me odd, but I’ve met a few others out there similar to me.

Since moving to Tennessee, grocery shopping has been less enjoyable. In Lexington I knew which grocery carried specific items and I could picture the item on the shelf. Here, I’m lost. I’ve been at this for awhile now but I can’t find my groove. And I must admit, I’m NOT a Publix fan. I thought I would be after hearing many rave reviews from other food and fitness bloggers. I just can’t figure out the store. Don’t get me wrong, Publix has extremely friendly employees. Every single aisle has someone stocking the shelves and will always ask if I need help finding something. Very nice, but I actually enjoy the hunt for a specific item.

Anyway, I had to run to Publix (my closest grocery) for one simple item. Almond butter. Guess what, they didn’t carry it, not one single brand or generic brand of it. Reluctantly, I picked up peanut butter and headed to the Express Lane for check out. All of check out lanes were full will shoppers, and with only one customer infront of me I thought I’d be speedy in the 10 items or less line. Not the case. The cashier took forever ringing up the lady infront of me (she only had two items) and couldn’t figure out coupons. The cashier also forgot several times what he was doing while checking out the customer. I began getting irritated. IF only I’d chosen another line. IF only I’d gone to self-checkout. IF only I’d gone a mile further to Kroger. IF only…

But then I felt ashamed.

I was pacing for no reason. I had no where to be or go. I wasn’t embracing or living in the moment. I should have recognized earlier that the cashier was elderly, that the cashier had limited use of his arm, that the cashier was stopping to talk with customers and offer their full attention rather than rushing through.

I felt sorry that I’d been so ansy. Here was a cashier much, much older than I who has seen and experienced so much more in life than I.  He was stopping to talk to a customer about his greatest gift at Christmas, the excitement of the birth of his grandbaby. He was embracing life and happy. I wondered why a gentleman was still working at his age. I wondered what his family life was like, I wondered if he had a wife. I wondered what he’s been through, what he’s seen, where’s he’s been. Why did I rush? He was happy and living life.

This simple trip to the grocery is one I won’t soon forget, teaching and reminding me to live in the moment. Why the hurry?

Wishing you the best. Katie

Focus Today, Not Someday

I work for an amazing company. Every Wednesday morning our company pauses for an hour to gather together for Devotions. And every Wednesday morning, I walk away challenged. Yesterday’s time did not disappoint. The message was so relevant to my recent posting about LIVING in the moment and goal setting.

For those of us who set resolutions for the New Year, we set goals for the year: “In 2013, I’m going to X,Y and Z.”  And while we have grand intentions to fulfill our 2013 dreams and resolutions, we often give up early or put them off because you have an ENTIRE year to accomplish your list. We turn a measurable year into something seemingly limitless.

1. Resolution: Lose 10 lbs. in 2013. Excuse: I’ll start tomorrow on the plan.
2. Resolution: Work Out 4 times a week in 2013. Excuse: I’ll start at the gym on Monday.
3. Resolution: Save for a family vacation in 2013. Excuse: I just HAVE to have those new designer shoes. I’ll start saving later this year.

See where there’s a mistake? How are you ever going to accomplish anything or change anything if you don’t take the necessary steps today? That’s what our speaker brilliantly knocked me over my head with during devotions. Don’t make 2013 limitless. Instead, evaluate how you live and walk each and everyday. Ask yourself this, “Are the choices I’m making right now inching me closer to my goals or resolutions?”

Focus on what you to TODAY. Not tomorrow. Not sometime. NOW.

Chase your dreams in the present. What are you waiting for? How bad do you want it?

Wishing you the best in 2013. Katie

Trendy Resolutions.

I had a very exciting New Years holiday. And by exciting, I mean I watched part of Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Years Eve television special while sick in bed. Jealous, yes? While I didn’t have the energy to watch the entire show, I did listen in as Ryan Seacrest revealed the results from a Facebook poll about the top five trending New Years’ resolutions. I’ve spent a few minutes searching for that list, because sadly, being sick made me forget exactly what they were. I couldn’t find the exact list but I think it went something like the list below. I’ve added my comments about how I’m fairing to the side of each.

Discovery & Normalcy In 2013

Wow. It feels as if I’ve been gone for awhile. From moving to adjusting to a new place, to unreliable internet service to helping the one’s a love through illness (and then catching it myself), it’s been far too long since I’ve visited with you. I’ve missed my time with you, discussing healthy living and all things life. So this day, January 1st, 2013, Katie’s back ready to share my new adventures with you.

There’s so much to say, and with time, I’ll catch you all up on what’s going on. But for now, can you believe we’ve hit the New Year? What are you most excited about? For me, it’s a return to normalcy. I feel like I can finally call Tennessee home. And for me “home” means there is routine established. But I’m also looking forward to the unexpected…new discoveries.

One new discovery that I’m looking forward to is trying a new-to-me fitness class called The BarMethod. It’s a class that seems to incorporate dance, pilates, physical training, and flexibility. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’ll looking forward to giving it a try. I was given a class for Christmas, and I’m excited to see what it’s all about.

One return to normal I’m looking forward to is Meal Planning. In addition to moving to a new place AND the Holidays…my diet went WAY off track. I realized how much better I feel when I eat a clean diet and I’m looking forward to taking care of my body the way it should be taken care of once again.

Wishing you the best. Katie

QUESTIONS OF THE DAY:
What are you looking forward to most about 2013?
Have you ever tried BarMethod? 

An Unexpected Absence

Ironic that I recently post about silence and then become silent for several days. Believe me, Wish & Whimsy was not meant to be THIS quiet in the past few days. While technology is our friend, it can also be our foe. Without warning, Internet has been spotty these past few days. Instead of stressing over the issue, I took the opportunity to embrace my new life in Nashville.

Rest assured, I’m hear to chat about healthy living once again. I tend to try to stay away from what everyone else is doing or saying, but it is difficult to come toward the end of the year and not reflect over what all taken place over its course. Christmas time is always the time for reflection and checking in with your goals. Am I who I set out to be in January? Am I closer to becoming who intended to be? Where did I succeed in my goals? What needs refining?

I’ve tackled some milestones; I’ve also missed the target on some. I’ve even achieved dreams I never thought possible. I’m across the spectrum it seems. So, what can I take away from this?

Live. Progress. Balance. Work hard. Experience. LIVE. These words come to mind as I analyze my 2012 goals. I could have done better in some areas, I could have worried less in other areas. But I’ve seen growth. I used to be too future-minded. Thinking 1,000 steps ahead and not experiencing the HERE and the NOW. I’m proud to say that I left that old self and I find the beauty in the NOW moments. I savor them. I take risks with them. I learn from them.

2012 has been a journey. It’s been surprising. It’s been growing. I want that same momentum to carry on in 2013. And that’s my theme for the upcoming year: LIVE.

What’s your theme for 2013? I want to hear all about it.

Wishing you the best and Merry Christmas! Katie