Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Changing It Up....Again

The key to my happiness and joy in life is balance.

This is something I continually work at.

Balancing work and school and relationships. Balancing exercise and socializing, relaxing and housework, home cooked meals and dinners out, spending and saving.

It’s all one big balancing act.

And I love it.

When my life is (somewhat) balanced I feel like I really can and do have it all. And that is a really amazing feeling.

However, keeping or even finding balance isn’t always easy. Especially when life and expectations change weekly, even daily.

I have learned I need to be adaptable while at the same time being rigid….it’s a balance. I plan out my week but I know that most weeks  things won’t go as planned. I just try to do the best I can and be happy with it. Some weeks (some days, some hours) are better than others. That is just life.

Yes, I truly believe that this is all just a part of life and I really shouldn’t be too hard on myself or beat myself up over’where I went wrong’ or ‘not doing enough’ or ‘not being good enough’ because I am me. And if I give each day my best (regardless of what my best looks like that day) then that is always going to be good enough. Period. End of sentence.

That being said, it is still smart (and necessary) for me to look for ways to set myself up for success. Meaning, I don’t just go blindly through life hoping for things. I know that if I want to stay healthy and be active and at the same time do well in school, at my job, and in my relationships then I have to work towards that. And I am always looking for ways that help me make the most out of my limited time.

Like going to the gym with E. We get to spend time together AND I get some activity in as well. Win-win.

Or prepping my meals in advance. I spend one day cooking/prepping and then have meals for at least a week in the fridge/freezer. Not only does this save me time during the week but it allows me to easily make good food choices.

But some weeks I just don’t have the time for all that cooking. I don’t want to give up a whole weekend day to spend it shopping and chopping and cooking and cleaning. Nowadays, mainly because I am in a relationship and love spending weekends out and about with E, there are other things I would much rather be doing.

So, this week I made a really quick, late night stop at the grocery store and grabbed a bunch of prepared foods (like salad kits and frozen items and soups) and my normal mix of fresh fruits and veggies I like to snack on and called it a day. I like how easy everything is and that I am still able to make all of my own meals however, I feel like I am bordering on the edge of too much processed foods and that doesn’t make me happy.

Then I remembered that Brendan Brazier (former professional IronMan and super vegan) started a food delivery service, Thrive Foods Direct, that seemed to me to be pretty reasonable costs for fresh foods loaded with real ingredients made specifically for vegans who lead an active lifestyle. I was looking over some sample menus and thought why not give it a try? One week won’t kill me. If anything, it will take pressure off of me (the pressure I put on myself, of course) to focus on my food intake and allow me more free time on the weekends and during the week. I think this will also makes me feel better knowing I am not eating a bunch of processed crap. Sounds pretty good to me.

My first delivery is this Friday and I will be sure to let you know how it goes. Right now I am signed up for the 5 day, 3 meals a day plan but they have a bunch of other options and you can change (or cancel) whenever you want.
This is a sample menu taken from the Thrive Foods Direct FB page, sounds yummy doesn't it?

So here it goes, time to try something new…again.

Because that is what life is, right? Changing and adapting and learning and growing and just trying to be the best version of yourself you can.

Oh, and also to not being afraid to try new things and taking help when you can get it ;)

Also, on a completely unrelated note: I will be in Anaheim 4/3 through 4/10 for a work conference. I would love to schedule a meet up or two (preferably 4/3 and 4/9- my non-conference days) to hang out with my west coast peeps. Let me know if you are interested and I will be sure to post details on the FB page.

Love and hugs,

Dacia

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