Category Archives: Confidence

Why Running/Working Out is a Gateway Drug

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It all starts with an innocent gym membership. Lifetime fitness is the goal, via your parent’s habits. You use your old tennis shoes, shorts, and t-shirts.

You start working out at the college gym and acquire some yogis from Victoria’s Secret and a couple of bright v-necks because that’s what everyone is wearing to workout.

For Christmas you ask for personal training sessions.

One day, you innocently wander in to LuLuLemon and try a pair of compression capris on. You have no intention of spending $90 on black stretchy pants, so you bargain with your husband that if you meet some extremely attainable goal you have earned the lulu’s.

A couple months later you try trail running with a friend and realize she has some sweet kicks that are super grippy on the rough ground, you pick up a pair with a discount code of backcountry.com.

Your coworker does spin 3 times a week at 5am, you try it, and wonder about buying clip in shoes.

A few months after that, you ride bikes downtown with all your roomies and you can’t keep up on your cruiser so you decide to sell it for a real urban bike. You obviously need some padded shorts (skort) to go with the new bike because no one like a sore hoo hoo. You get a cute under seat bag to stash your phone and money for rides. Then you need a squeazy water bottle because you can’t take time to screw the top off your nalgene while you’re at a stop light.

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You’re husband convinces you to try mountain biking. It’s terrible.  You decide to never ride a bike again. At least you’ve dodged the bullet of having to buy a women’s double suspension bike plus a full face helmet, knee, elbow, and wrist pads.

A trip to the outlet mall includes a stop at Nike and all of a sudden you’re hooked a sports bra that’s is $60, at least it holds the girls down. You buy 2 more.

You try yoga for the first time and buy a yoga mat.

You move and rejoin the gym. You resort to wearing old t-shirts because you’re not impressing anyone at the neighborhood gym you grew up going to.

An old friend loses a bunch of weight and gets super fit doing Insanity, you buy it off Craigslist from someone in a very sketchy deal. Shaun T. tells you that a heart rate monitor is necessary, you find one and geek out on the technology.20130603-224453.jpg

Your sister convinces you to try hot yoga, you buy groupons and utilize first time memberships at 4 different studios before committing to 10 day passes at a couple of them. You buy a hot yoga towel.

For your birthday you get a Brooks reflective yellow jacket for walking/running at dusk.

You join a new gym and try zumba. You resort to not wearing anything zumba branded, that seems too far.

For Christmas you get personal training sessions again and the trainer convinces you to buy some protein powder.

You walk into TJMaxx and forget what you’re there for, you see a neon pink workout tank and thoughtlessly throw it into the basket. You see someone wearing a witty tank on instagram from Etsy and buy one for your friend’s birthday and one for yourself.

In a day drinking blur you agree to run a half marathon. You buy a SPI Belt to hold your phone in a “non dorky” belt bag sort of way. You get fitted for new running shoes and drop $160 at the running store, but earn $15 in credit for your next purchase. On the way home you think about how cute the running skort is and how it would only be $30 with your store credit.

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Pulling into the garage you see the ski gear needs to put officially away for the summer and your husband’s new golf shoes. Guess there’s two people with a bit of a product addiction in this house.

Now….how can I get my hands on another pair of those lulus.

Be active, be well, be wonderful!

xx

-h

Learning to live with me

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I came to Kenya with close to no expectations.  I really didn’t know what to expect in terms of environment, culture, living-situation, climate, people or really anything.  As my time here winds down, I am leaving with a different view about myself.  This experience has been life changing for me, but I think, not in the way you would expect.  I’m not leaving with a new view of the world.  I haven’t decided to give up all consumerism things at the realization that very few people in this world are able to even consider buying something just because they feel like it.  And I haven’t been humbled.  Growing up in America, everywhere you look there is some sort of foundation for those in need.  There is no shortage of awareness of how lucky you are to be born into a rich country.  For me, I haven’t been shocked at what I’ve seen here.  Maybe it’s me being selfish, I don’t know, but what has been most life changing for me is learning to live with myself.

I came to this country without so much as a familiar face to rely on.  At home, I am constantly surrounded by familiar friends and family and after recently moving from a house with six people, living alone felt…well lonely.  I admit, the first month here for me was really hard.  I found myself wallowing in my loneliness, but I got past it.  I started to meet people, get out and even make some friends.  More than anything, I feel confidence.  Confidence in my independence, personality and self.  Coming somewhere I knew no one was the best thing I could have done for myself.  It has helped me grow and learn to live with who I am.

xo

-s

Breaking the Routine

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I’ve been thinking about this post for a long time. When I started this blog, I wanted to give insight into things that I like and that make me happy.  It hasn’t been super personal, but sometimes I think that getting your thoughts down, is the best way to start anew.  I’m sure as you start to get older you start to have realizations about yourself, the people around you, and the things that you want in life.  At what point do you take those realizations and change, or continue doing exactly what you’ve been doing. Every single person, full of wanderlust or not, craves and exists in some sort of routine.

For the past whatever it is many years (8?), I’ve been in this routine of body image negativity.  I don’t binge eat, I don’t have a history of eating disorders, I’m just your average girl who hates stepping onto the scale.  I love baking, cooking, and all good food.  I know that these things mean that I have to work out, so I do.  I eat right, but I can’t seem the shake whatever bad habits it is that keeps my middle soft, my legs rubbing together, the scale number reading 10, 15, 20, lbs more then I want, and my clothes from feeling tight.  Here’s where routine comes in to play. I get mad at myself for not being able to meet my goal of losing 5 lbs a month, but when someone offers me cookies, french fries, a cocktail, I don’t decline. I don’t track my calories daily, and I’m ever willing to skip a workout. So that routine, of eating right and working out, is it all in my head? No, not all of it. Part of the time, I’m working hard, and part of the time, I’m not working at all on those goals. The only logical place for these two to meet, is exactly in the middle at no change.

What does it take to tell yourself that you can’t give up? How do you mentally take the step to embrace all the will power you have and attack what will truly make you happy with the same passion you use to plan your next vacation? Blame the media, blame whoever about body image issues. The truth is, the only person that is giving me my body image issues is myself, the same for the only person that can fix these issues.  So what are the steps? I don’t really know.  Start with a cleanse, start juicing, drinking green smoothies, go vegetarian, there are a million messages being sent my way, but I have to be the one that takes them instead of deflecting them.  I’m only 25, I can’t expect to decline every happy hour invitation by saying no I have to go the gym. But I can commit to making better choices throughout the day if I know that is going to happen.

Here’s to breaking routine.

xx

-h

Changes

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As H mentioned, I have ventured to Nairobi, Kenya.  I arrived just a few hours ago and the current time is 1:35am.  The thirty hours of traveling and ten hour time change has left me severely jet-lagged and unable to sleep.

This year has brought a lot of change for me.  I think that if you would have asked me this time last year what I was going to do after graduation, I never would have said moving to Kenya for the Fall.  This opportunity sprung on me, so I took it.  Unaware that when the time came to actually go, I would be shaking in my boots.  I can tell you that four hours into my three month stay I have felt an array of things; mostly scared and lonely, but also very excited.

I will keep everyone updated, especially when I see this place in the daylight.

xoxo

-s

Tuesday….Newsday

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I’ve been brainstorming what kind of shoes I’m lusting for for the past couple of days, and although there are several pairs, I thought that it would be more fitting to share some exciting news. So today instead of Shoesday, I’m here with Newsday. Tomorrow, Sarah will be leaving for perhaps her greatest adventure to date. She will be embarking on the internship of a lifetime in Kenya working for a coffee company.

I know that there is some lingering nervousness paired with excitement that she is feeling right now. I think that anyone who has made a decision that is new, knows that feeling in the pit of your stomach. There is always the fear of the “what ifs” but traveling is the best way to learn a lot about how you handle those moments of unknown. I’m so proud of how far S has come in the past year and how she has grown and developed professionally. I can’t say how jealous I am that she is taking advantage of this opportunity. S will update on her 3 month long adventure here on 1000 Wonderful Things. I can’t wait to read her posts.

“You do not travel if you are afraid of the unknown, you travel for the unknown, that reveals you with yourself.” ~ Ella Maillart

xx

h

Weekends at The Gorge

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The first time I ever visited The Gorge, I was five and there for the Steve Miller Band concert.  Fortunately, Steve is a close family friend so we got the whole backstage experience and from what I remember…it was awesome.  I can’t imagine why it took me seventeen years to go back.

This summer I spent the opening and closing weekends of summer there, which was epic.  Memorial Day Weekend I stayed four nights and saw over twenty concerts.  Labor Day Weekend I stayed one night and saw one concert.  Although the weekends are incomparable, they were equally spectacular.  The perfect combination of great people, music and scenery seems to make for an unbeatable weekend every time.

It’s hard to believe that a place where the standard rules of society don’t apply is only a three hour drive from the city.

Here are just a couple of my favorite pictures from my time there this summer…

Best view in the house – Memorial Day Weekend

Lighting hot air balloons – Memorial Day Weekend

Rachel and me at the campground- Labor Day Weekend (Photo Cred: Rachel’s FB)

DMB aftermath – Labor Day Weekend

See you next summer, Gorge Amphitheater, right where I left you.

xoxo

-s


Things I learned in my early 20s

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What is it about spring that makes you feel nostalgic for the good ol’ days. Feeling a little inspired by Sarah’s post about her pre-graduation bucket list, and this Top 25 list, I thought I would reflect on what I’ve learned since entering my 20’s nearly 5 years ago. Unlike a lot of my friends, my college graduation was a little anti-climatic. I had worked nearly full-time the last 2 years of my time spent at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, and I still had to finish one class before I would receive my diploma (drawing 101 didn’t transfer, much to my dismay).  Regardless, I was relieved to be done with homework, and to move on into the bigger and better future. Since then a lot has changed, so here goes – my list of top lessons learned in my early 20s, take note S.

1. Champagne is always appropriate and delicious.

2. People are fucking weird. They make choices that make zero sense, they say mean things, they are backstabbing, they’re goofy, they are disrespectful to people they should be respectful to, they do nice things when you least expect it, they are full of surprises, and everyone gets weirder as they get older.

3. You’re job doesn’t make you. I saw something on Pinterest recently that said, “Never be ashamed of your job. If you flip burgers, flip some fucking dope burgers.” Seriously, do your best at your job and you will be rewarded. Be creative, speak up, introduce the company to new ideas, and for goodness sake, if the website needs to be redone, redo it.

4. Get outside, go to beer festivals, art festivals, wine tastings, campgrounds, river trips, remote areas, see the things you want to see.

5. Friendships can survive any distance. Just pick up the phone, login to gchat, text, or email, but don’t be the only person putting an effort in.

6. Live with no regrets, but know that there will be things that resurface that you wish wouldn’t and didn’t.

7. If you break a bone, wear the cast as long as the doctor says, do the physical therapy, and take a calcium supplement otherwise you will pay later in life.

8. Your hangovers WILL get worse.

9. Exercise for stress release and then hit happy hour, otherwise you might end up in a glass case of emotion.

10.  You will start to feel old, but don’t say, “I’m so old” because you aren’t.

11. Untag unflattering, incriminating, or embarrassing photos on Facebook.

12. If you find someone that you love and loves you, do everything in your power to fight for that relationship, if it is meant to be it will work, if it is not, it won’t. Don’t let them disrespect you.

13. You aren’t as funny as you think you are when you drunk tweet.

14. Communication is the key to any relationship.

15. Don’t invite your boss to your bachelorette party.

16. If you hate your body, you will portray negativity, either change it or embrace it.

17. Buy furniture off Craigslist, it is cheap, and the green option.

18. Don’t complain about how busy you are, it makes it look like you are compensating for something.

19. Travel, because in 10 years when you have 3 kids and a mortgage, you won’t be able to justify going to Costa Rica for 10 days, or spending $1000 in Vegas, or taking three weeks for a road trip. Even if it’s for a weekend, go visit your friends that live in other cities, sleep on couches, experience music festivals. Just go!

20. You will think you got your dream job, that dream will change in a couple of years.

xx

-h

Tuesday Shoesday: Hunter Rain Boots

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This 5-day blurb in the weather has got us Washingtonians remembering where we are from.  Same as the population quadruples when the sun comes out, people skulk back into their homes at the first sight of rain.  I for one, have not forgotten my roots.  This morning I slipped on my Hunter Rainboots and wore them out of the house like I was walking the runway.  Although Hunter makes a variety of styles, my favorite is the Original Tall, which comes in a variety of colors, both matte and glossy.  I have the glossy black, which are perfect with almost any rainy day outfit.  I’ve seen them worn many ways, and a bright color with a dress for the summer’s warm rain is adorable.  They even sell Welly socks to go inside to keep your feet extra warm on cold days.  Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer these designer rain boots are a must for anyone living in the Northwest!  The Original Tall can be found at Nordstrom for $125, and the Welly sock inserts can also be found at Nordstrom for $30.

Hunter Original Tall Rain Boots

xoxo

-s

Color Run Seattle 2012

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On Sunday, S and I ran the Color Run 5k in Seattle. It was a total blast, every kilometer there is a color bomb area where they throw powdered chalk type color onto you. Everyone wears white, and ends up covered in a rainbow. Check out this video from the finish area.

Color Run Seattle 2012

Looking for a fun way to get your first, second, or millionth 5k under your belt? I would totally recommend The Color Run.

xx
-h