My Introduction to Self Care

Click photo to enlarge. Credit: click here

In my 20's I liked to think of words that described me as a person and posted them in the "About Me" sections of websites (blogs/social media) I liked to visit. It made me feel accomplished, lol. Words like: Student, Sociologist, Dancer, Pisces, you get the idea. However, once I got into my 30's I started to unconsciously come up with a different list, one that really bothered me, a list of things that I was not: Unmarried, Unattached, Childless, you get the idea. I felt like I was not only moving at a slower pace and wasting my time dating the wrong guys for me but it felt weird when I realized everyone close to me were moving on to the next stages of life. Truth be told, they were things I had been dying to experience for years. In short, I felt like I was grasping at straws trying to feel like I was achieving something and all I got a hold of were feelings of being left behind and it can be kind of painful at times.

So many of my Friday nights are not spent going out on dates. I could not get a date to save my life and I do not go clubbing because 1) I don't drink and 2) I'm in my 30's and do not want to hang out with young kids, our lives are so different. No, my Friday nights are spent in my king sized bed with my Smartphone in one hand and the remote control in the other hand selecting "continue" when Netflix asks if I am still watching. Uh, yeah I'm still watching, duh. You should know me by now Netflix, lol. Okay, so you know how I said many of my Friday nights are spent like this? I was lying. It is not just Friday's that I do this, it is every single night. To be honest with you the only real good thing I have going for myself is working out and going to church. Those are the choices I make consistently. Yes, I have a job (it is on my gratitude list) and I have my other responsibilities but those are things I have to do. Does that make sense?

Anyway.

One night, like every night, I was on Instagram and was looking at the hashtag #positivity and #quotes hoping something inspiring would come into my life because I needed a pick me up. I came across a pretty aerial point of view picture of a girl holding a cup of tea. For the life of me I cannot remember what quote was on the picture but I just loved the colors, the decor, and the pretty font, lol. The caption read something along the lines of how this lady was trying to make time for more "self dates" and I was floored. There is a thing called "self dates?" Like, I can take myself out? Wait! Do I have to leave the house or can I just stay home? What is this? 

Credit: click here

So I searched the hashtag #selfdates and ended up coming across a new hashtag #selfcare. It was like a whole new world! I stumbled upon new ways of spending time with myself that was not only fun but allowed me to unplug and it was beneficial to my health. Sign me up!

You may be wondering, or you may already know, what the heck is self-care? As I have done more research I realized self-care is something that I was already doing off and on because they were ideas I would get from my mom or saw her doing. Who knew, Ma?! You really are a know it all! Teasing, I love you a la Fresh Prince style! So if you do not know what self-care is. I recommend you check out her post on "What is Self-Care? (Self Care 101) by clicking [HERE] if you want to learn more. I love the explanation that Alisha Leytem gives on her website,

In a nutshell, self-care is participating in anything that is nourishing, supportive, inspiring and personally fulfilling.  

The catch here- there’s always a catch!- is that this isn’t something that just comes naturally.  It’s a learned behavior.  You have to intentionally practice self-care in order for it to happen. 

One of my favorite self-care/self-dates I enjoy are my sunrise walks along the ocean with a cup of warm honey lemon water. I began doing that as a new years resolution in 2015 and it has been a great way to start my day. What better medicine than being by the sea? Also, warm honey lemon water is extremely healthy for you but that will be another blog post. I go to the sea when I feel happy, troubled, bored, etc. I should turn to it more often instead of food. Sadly, food wins due to proximity, lol. I like the quiet streets, people are still asleep or busy getting ready for work; there is a magic to all that stillness. The sunrise is so gorgeous as it comes up over Monterey and crashing waves is one of my favorite sounds. I also get to log in some miles on my Nike+ app (I am competitive with myself to log in miles every month) and my playlists are calm and relaxing. I will be sure to put together and share playlists that represent my different self-care moods. What songs would go great as a soundtrack to these photos of the ocean? I love how people interrupt that differently, let me know in the comment section below.

When I created this blog I wanted to share my self-care techniques. Oh, that sounds so fancy, lol. One thing is for sure, everybody is different therefore different things appeal to different people. The way I self-care might not interest you at all. My goal is to try to share different kind of self-care techniques that will hopefully be beneficial to all of us. Heck, maybe once a month I will give something a try that may not be my cup of tea and share how it went for me. There is nothing wrong with trying new things out and it may turn out to be hilarious, lol.

Click photo to enlarge.

At the end of the day, I pray that something speaks to you. I pray that I may share something funny, inspiring, gritty, sad, pretty, or ugly to remind you that you are not alone. So stay tuned for quotes, charts/worksheets, photographs, videos, on this subject. I am actually really looking forward to sharing this with you. Please comment on what works best for you or what you would like to see.

Here is a little something-something to get you started. Figure out how balanced or unbalanced you are. Maybe schedule some time to go through the wheel and pick one to work on this week. You can thank me later.

Project: Dia De Los Muertos/Halloween Party

As my ancestors and immediate family come from Mexico, out of respect, I have to put this out there: Dia De Los Muertos is not and should not be confused with Halloween. It is culturally different and has a lot of meaning and symbolism. I encourage you to do a Google search on it and not be turned/put off by any of the artwork or the name itself. There, I did my part in educating. 

As I mentioned before DDLM is not Halloween so naturally I had some reservations mixing it with our Halloween party but I just wanted to share this event with family and friends and put together a nice altar of our lost loved ones. Some friends did not know much about altars and different aspects of it so it felt nice being able to explain it to them.

According to my Pinterest Board for my DDLM altar/party, I have been planning this party for almost 8 months. In fact, for many weeks during the spring and early summer I was buying patio lights from Target whenever they went on sale to give the backyard some much needed lighting and ambiance. My closet was literally overflowing with lights, decorations, party supplies, etc. I'm happy to finally have my closet back!

I have some really amazing family members that are super talented when it comes to arts and crafts and they were gracious enough to lend me some help and made my vision complete. My cousin made pom tissue flowers for my altar and another friend painted the face of the doll, that is included in Wilton's Wonder Mold Doll Pan, and used La Muerte's face as her example which was perfect because we watched The Book of Life in the backyard at the end of our party. Perfection!

My brother works so hard and I personally think he is the right hand man to the owner of the construction company he works for. He comes home so beat and yet he still put up my lights despite being completely fried and everybody absolutely loved it, me included. It was the final touch and was a cozy canopy when the sun finally set. Thanks bro!

We had a wonderful Mexican dinner catered by D'la Colmena and I made Aqua de Fresa and something I call "Mansion Juice." Read: I made this passion iced tea mixed with lemonade for the first time one summer when I house-sat at this gorgeous mansion. Hence the name. It was literally my dream home. I miss it so much. Anyway back to the topic at hand. I also made a spiced (boxed) cake with whipped cream cheese frosting from scratch. My cousin took a couple of bites and asked, "Is this from The Buttery?" which was a total compliment! Its one of those stores in town that sell scrumptious cakes and other desserts. Thanks cuz!

My family helped out so much, I couldn't have done it without them and they put up with my moods so graciously. I need to learn how to work faster or do work ahead of time because I always leave it to the last minute and then stress out going in hyper speed, whoops. Sorry fam bam!

After dinner we played some games: Pie Face and Pin the Tail on the Donkey and had two pinatas for the kids to beat. We all loved Pie Face that we ran out of time and did not get to the pumpkin carving or the other games I had planned. It was time for our backyard movie night and it was so fun to see a raise of hands when we asked who hadn't watched it before. Almost 1/3 of our friends hadn't and they really enjoyed it. "What is it with Mexicans and death?" was a quote that made us all belly laugh.

My costume was going to be La Calavera Catrina, to go with the theme, but I totally ran out of time. I had her headpiece on, halloween colors in my clothes, and a colorful apron that did not even match yet people started calling me Frida Kahlo. I went with the flow, added a unibrow and viola! Frida I became. This is my second time going as Frida and I love it.

The night was a success. Practically everybody dressed up and I really appreciated it. I loved and appreciated every bodies participation and contributions. This is kind of our official last party until the weather gets warmer (not that it is getting cold just yet but we are anticipating El Nino this year). I am going to miss seeing my family and friends gathered in my backyard. BUT! I am already planning more parties: My best friends birthday party, Christmas, Fat Tuesday, etc.

Uh oh, did I just lose more closet space?

Weight Loss Problems

Supplement game on point 

Weight loss is *such* a pain in the you-know-what.

I am rolling my eyes so hard right now that I just saw my own brain. That is how frustrating I am. Not frustrated but frustrating. I know that I want to be healthier and in shape but I cannot seem to get my act together. I am probably doing this challenge like 65% right now because lately I have been having an issue with my nutrition.

Why do I keep getting in my own way? I have lost weight before, I know what I have to do, so what gives?

*sigh*

Have faith in yourself

Working out is not a problem for me whatsoever. In fact, I love it. Do you want to know what else I love? Food. Food, glorious food.

Moving on.

Something cool happened recently. I am finally feeling confident in myself and familiarized with all the machines. Gym time is go a flow time. It feels good knowing that I have good form and knowledge on what the heck I am doing, lol.

Also, I realized that I am finally getting stronger in regards to upper body. I am not going to brag at the pounds because it is very little, lol...BUT...I am getting stronger and the dumbbells I am using are looking less child's play like and a little more impressive, lol. So much for confidence, right?

I am so very thankful for my wonderful Coach Amanda Latona Kuclo and her big heart. Poor lady has so many girls to care after and super fans but she is super gracious and motivating to each and every once of us. Forget the fact that she is a newlywed and moved to a whole new state, but she has a new workout apparel line, has dealt with the flu, apparences, supporting her husband as he prepares for competitions, and I am sure she has her own problems (don't we all) but she is such a trooper! Thanks Amanda!

So I might have hit a little slump with my nutrition but I am fixing that and will continue doing what I can until it is all balanced again.

Thanks for reading!

Julia

Talents and Sharing

One thing I wanted before I began to blog was a watermark for my photographs. Not because my photographs are the best and people are going to rip them off but because I want people to have the ability to come back to my blog should something speak to them.

I came across a lovely lady through the OxyChallenge that is into graphics so I gave it a shot by contacting her right away and she made something super cute and creative. I love how she combined the lemon into the sunflower! So cute! My mind is just not creative like that, hahaha. If you have any graphic needs, please consider Tori and visit her website by clicking [HERE]!

It is wonderful when people share their talents; I wish I were more comfortable with sharing my talents, I suppose that just stems from a lack of self-confidence.

Something super cool happened today during lunch time. I was in need of a cucumber for my lemon chicken salad and I realized that I never purchased any this week at my local farm stand. Not 2 minutes later there was a knock on my front door and my neighbor was there with cucumbers that they grow in their yard. Local, fresh, and organic for the win, boo yeah!

When California is out of this drought, c'mon El Nino!, I am going to grow another veggie garden again and my yard will be gorgeous with sunflowers, hydrangeas, lillies, and various plants for butterflies, considering our town is a huge Monarch Butterfly sanctuary. Also, I want to have bird feeders and a bee water garden. A girl can dream and plan, right?

Do not forget to strengthen your talents every single day and then share them with others. You will bless a life and I know you will feel great making someone's day.

What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger

The cliffs (East Cliff in particular) have been calling me and I have yet to respond. I was hoping to go for a jog with my best friend tomorrow morning but she will be unable to join me so I will just go for a nice stroll.

One of my favorite self-care dates is a sunrise stroll along East Cliff but the sunrises so early that I have not been for one in months! I cannot wait for sunrise to be a little later in the morning so I can sit by the rocks and drink my warm honey lemon water in absolute peace.

Back to the subject at hand.

I did day 1 of month 2 today at the gym and here I am in bed, moving ever so slightly, and my muscles are already sore, lol. It was lower body day; I did squats and variations of lunges. My glutes were attacked from every single angle possible. I am so thankful for smartphones because I got to review all the demo videos before I tried them out for myself. It is so much information to try to keep track of and it fixes my form.

But the best part?

I did every single workout for today without having to do any modifications or without having to skip some because of my weak back/ankle.

*Snaps for Julia!*

They were not all flawless moves but I committed to them and got them done. YAY!

:::On a side note:::

My most favorite gym employee has been gone for a couple of weeks. Sucks for me because I miss conversing with him but great for him as he has found a better job that he is actually excited about. I was about to begin my cardio when he called my name and I turned around to see him standing before me. I was so excited! For a split second I thought he was back at the gym which made me happy but then horrified so I asked why he was there. He is not into fitness whatsoever, lol. He was there giving out all of his gym affiliated t-shirts he has acquired over the years as an employee and I scored his last two t-shirts. YAY! We chat for a short bit and he was on his way, that may be the last time I ever see him again but hey...at least we got to hug it out and he gave me some t-shirts to remember him by.

:::Cue "It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday" by Boys II Men:::

lol.

Today I am thankful for:

1. Naps
2. Chocolate
3. Endorphin's
4. Chocolate, yes I list it twice
5. My job
6. My Dog Kaja
7. Prayer
8. Laughter
9. My Wonder Woman Mother
10. Old Friends

Balance

My best friend surprised me with some red Sunflowers last night at our bi-monthly Movie Under the Stars event that we host at my house. It was such a sweet surprise. I had to take a picture of the beautiful colors and the crazy cool detail of the sunflower and share it with you all.

These past 24 hours have been interesting. I have been absolutely exhausted. I crashed out as soon as our guests left last night and I slept almost 10 hours before it was time to get ready for church. Then, I slept a couple of more hours after I returned from church, lol.

Church was wonderful. I love the people and our friendships. There were words that I needed to hear and impressions that I felt that lead me to action. One thing I want to start doing is send pretty cards to the older ladies from church who are lonely. Whether they are widowed or it is just them and their husbands. Who does not like a thoughtful, random card in the mail? Better than junk mail or bills, right? Also, I got another reminder that I need more spiritual balance. More scripture study, more praying, and more quiet time to receive answers.

As I mentioned above, I have been really tired/sleeping a lot today and as I was waking from my slumber I remembered that tomorrow is the start of Month 2 of the Oxygen Challenge. I wanted to sleep more, lounge in bed with Netflix, but I knew that I needed to strive for progress and success. I have heard that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Soooo...that meant doing some prep work was in order and I did the first step by cleaning the kitchen. How can you weigh, measure, and cook your meals without a clean space, clean pots, pans, utensils, and meal prep containers? It is a step that I often do not think about but starting the week off with a clean kitchen and cleaning as you go is a must! Then, I prepped my breakfast, snack, lunch, and cleaned up again, lol. I will prep my pre and post workout meals when I get home from work tomorrow.

It is time for scripture reading, prayers, and counting my blessings as I fall asleep. It is nice to remember that even in nature - getting down to the nitty gritty - is all about balance.

Goodnight, moon.

Buckets

Buckets play a huge part in my life.

There is my ever growing bucket list.

There are buckets that represent different aspects of my life that mean a lot to me (more on this later.)

Then there is the bucket that I am trying ever so hard NOT to kick. At least not until I am old and grey but I cannot control that!

Some buckets that I hold dear to me are:

• Health and Wellness
• Emotional/Mental Well-being
• Spiritual Nourishment

My problem is...I am always gung ho to focus on just one bucket at a time; leaving the rest empty and then I am left with a sense of unbalance in my life and I get nowhere, fast.

Speaking of going nowhere fast...

The last few months I had intended to write and share pictures on this blog but I simply got busy! I went back to the gym, picked up a spare job, stopped going to church regularly, and kind of just felt like I was going through the motions, which I cannot stand! My health and wellness bucket was being fulfilled, but my spiritual bucket was dry. My financial bucket was doing very well but my self care bucket took a hit. Then my dating bucket started getting some attention which leads me to this post.

Sunday Best - Church OOTD

For a couple of months I was talking to someone, seeing them at the gym reguarly, spending time with them after our workouts but the whole going out on dates was a little slow to kick off and then when it kicked off it crashed and burned, no survivors. I was really disappointed. Heck, I was really hurt because I was looking forward to it.

There I was at home, on another Friday night, big shocker! I should have been out on my date that night but he flaked. I was in bed, angry, thumbing through a fitness magazine when I saw, for the 100th time, an announcement of an upcoming (a matter of days) 90 day fitness challenge via Oxygen Magazine. I loved the ladies who were the coaches but I did not want to spend anymore money on workout plans and healthy recipes. But something inside of me told me I needed to do it. I was in such a need of change that I actually paid the money and I joined.

I wanted to share about it as soon as I joined but I always make these big announcements and then nothing ever happens but seeing as next week is the start of Month 2, I think it is time.

I will be sure to post more often so my posts are not this long, sorry! 

My life felt a little more fresh and vibrant but I needed to make some more changes. I realized I had to let go of my spare job because it was causing me too much stress that was not worth it and it was not steering me towards my career. To add insult to injury it was taking away from my self-care time. I needed to stop vegging out in front of Netflix or my smartphone and get productive and unwind with my scriptures and prayer. I also had to stop talking to that guy! Which I did.

Me vs. Me

Back to the challenge. There are two coaches, you could pick one or both. At the beginning of the challenge I picked one coach but have since added the other. The coaches are Erin Stern (#TeamErin) or Amanda Latona (#TeamAmanda). Check out the hashtags on Instagram! I am #TeamAmanda for these 90 days and after that I will follow Erin's plan for another 90 days. 

Here are the things I love about this challenge:

The entire 90 days are planned out for you:
-Your meals are planned out every single day (as a guideline and boooooy do I need it!)
-Your workouts are planned out 

-The coaches have created demo videos of each exercise with proper form
-The community of women who are in this challenge are so supportive and positive of one another

There is no guesswork. 

Grocery Haul

Each Saturday I get my grocery list (that they provide) I go through the fridge, freezer, pantry, and use up what I have so I save money/not waste and then I buy what I need. Every couple of days I do a meal prep and Monday-Friday I hit the gym hard.

So far I have lost some weight, according to the scale, I have yet to measure myself but my clothes are fitting better. I feel stronger and more energized and my family has been extremely supportive.

I have been following the meal plan almost 90%. There are some things that I do not care for and I indulge from time to time. It has been nice taking care of myself from the inside out. Working out for me is not hard, I actually enjoy it. Nutrition is the hard part for me! Whoops! This certainly beats dating someone that obviously did not deserve me and at least now I do not need to let another unworthy person enter my world.

So here I am, several Friday nights later, home, in bed as I blog, and I am okay with that.

If you would like to follow me on instagram you can find me here. @_FitHourglass_