Eat, Move, Love: Priorities

Heather, Thea and I hosted a small group discussion at Fitbloggin’ Denver this year called Eat, Move, Love: Finding Yourself without Losing Your Mind. The session went really well. And although we didn’t necessarily get to discuss all outlined bullet points behind the topic we still had an hour long session filled with great ideas, comments and feedback. I really enjoyed it and you can read a recap of it here.

But because this topic is so meaningful to me I wanted to pull the themes we based it around into a recurring blog post. Today’s theme will be:  setting your priorities honestly and realistically.

I should start off by saying that although the session was led by myself, Thea and Heather the opinions shared regarding topics I discuss here are my own. Not saying that Thea and Heather disagree, just saying that I am the only one contributing here.

Honest and Realistic Priorities

What does that even mean?

Well, to me that means that the priorities I am setting for myself are what I actually want to achieve and can be achieved within my constraints. My priorities are reflective of the life I want to lead. 

Let’s look at this from a goal-setting perspective for examples….

I kind of think of it this way- although something may be a realistic and achievable goal it might not be something I would actually want to do. Case and point (I feel like I have used these examples before- sorry for the repetition) – doing an unassisted pull-up. Is this a realistic goal for me (in terms of fitness) I would say yes. I think with enough time and training I could do an unassisted pull up. BUT if I am being honest with myself I would know that spending all my fitness time and training focused on achieving this goal would really not be fun for me. I like variety. So setting this as a fitness goal would not honestly be something I would want. On the flip side- qualifying for the Boston Marathon. Running a marathon is honestly one of my goals (once I have the time to dedicate to the training miles hopefully fall 2016) but realistically I will never be a fast enough runner to qualify for Boston. I just won’t. I am physically not designed to be an efficient runner. And I am ok with that. I like how I run, I like being able to meet and achieve personal goals. But I am also not naive enough to think I could ever BQ. To me, that would not be a realistic goal.

So, given these two examples you see how I have differentiated between realistic and honest. Here is what this translates to in my life.

My priority this week is to make every meal from scratch using only organic, local foods (from my garden preferably) – no processed foods, stick to the meal plan.

Is this a good priority for me to set? NO! Because it is both unrealistic (I have neither time nor the means to accomplish this) and not really honest either (I enjoy a break from eating in every meal, I like to dine out or grab a beer once in a while).

Instead my priority would be: meal plan and make weekday meals at home. Limit processed food. Follow 80/20 for eating out.  Drink only on the weekend. In this case this as a priority that would work for me because I do have the time and means to prepare my meals during the week, even when limiting processed foods, and I can honestly stick to it knowing that I have the built in flexibility for a meal or drink out a couple times during the weekend.

My priority this month is to lose ten pounds

Is this a good priority for me to set? NO! I mean, for my size, I think 10 pounds in a month is unrealistic. Even at the early stages of my weight loss journey I wasn’t losing 10 pounds in a month so it would be silly of me to think I could do so now, at least not in a healthy manner. Also, if I am being honest with myself, do I want to set a number goal? Not really. I am trying to move past that ‘controlled by the scale’ mentality. Setting my priorities around a number goal would be counter effective.

Instead my priority would be: spend the next month finding joy in movement. Eat well for my body and to support an active lifestyle. Do what brings me (honest) happiness.  If this was my priority (which it actually is) then I could create goals and build ideas to help support it. Meaning, set a goal to do yoga at least twice a week, incorporate more raw meals- maybe breakfasts and lunches during the week, schedule time for self-care and activities I truly enjoy doing. I would still schedule and plan, because I think routine works for me, but my priority is better aligned with what I want and what I have the ability to do.

The two things I mentioned are my current life priorities when it comes to health, wellness and fitness. I have other priorities too which revolve around school, work and social stuff. I think it is important to take time to make sure the priorities you set for yourself are realistic and honest, otherwise you won’t be able to maintain them.

What are your priorities? Do you ever fall into the habit of setting priorities that are neither realistic nor honest? How do you combat this?

Love and hugs,

Dacia 

xoxoxox

Eat, Move, Love at Fitbloggin' 15

Photo/logo courtesy of Fitbloggin' 

I am very (super duper unbelievably) excited to be heading off to Denver in a week. Not only will I be attending my THIRD Fitbloggin’ conference I will also speaking there as well. Our session (I am speaking with Thea and Heather) is called ‘Eat, Move, Love: Finding Yourself Without Losing Your Mind’ and if you would like to read the session summary click here.

I really cannot wait for this session. Ours session is in the ‘small group discussion’ category meaning there will be interaction between the three of us and anyone choosing to attend vs. a presentation where someone speaks at you with limited interaction or feedback. Thea, Heather and I are putting together talking points in order to make sure the conversation moves over the course of the hour long session but I personally think there will be a lot of people interacting and sharing. At least that’s what I hope for. I think this is a great topic that is relatable to anyone in any situation so hopefully we have a good turnout and we all walk away feeling a bit stronger and happier in our life.

On the Fitbloggin’ page for our session there are seven topics for discussion listed- all of which could be a session in and of itself. Once I am back I am hoping to sit down and write about each of these topics and (with permission of course) include some of the things discussed in the session by attendees. Maybe this could even allow for a guest post or two. Who knows? I always have great ideas but I don’t always have the free time to execute them. LOL. BUT these are all topics important to me and I hope that soon I can share with you some of my opinions about each of them.

Of course, if you don’t want to wait ,come check out our session on Saturday June 27^th from 11:30-12:30. If you aren’t planning on attending Fitbloggin’ then check out their website and social media outlets for some possible recaps. Maybe even some photos on their IG page or some live video on Periscope. I will be shooting videos from Fitbloggin’ as well and sharing them live on Periscope (make sure you download the free app) but I doubt I will be able to do that during my own session.

Here are some links in case you want to follow me and/or the Fitbloggin’ fun next weekend in Denver:

My Personal Stuff

Instagram (@daciaroot)   Twitter  (@MyRootsToGrow - my Periscope is linked to this account)   Facebook (same, My Roots to Grow) 

Fitbloggin’

Instagram (@fitbloggin)   Twitter   (@fitbloggin - same for Periscope) Facebook (Fitbloggin' community page) 

Are you coming to Fitbloggin’? If so, what session or fitness class are you most excited for?

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxox

SOC: Fitbloggin' Edition

I feel like it is time for me to do a recap (of sorts) of my second Fitbloggin conference but I am not sure really what to say or how to start so I guess this will be more of a stream of consciousness style post than an actual recap.

First off though, I need to just say this (because this post may end up sounding sad or whiny or something not super upbeat and positive) that I truly did have an amazing time. No matter what I write, please know that I do not regret attending Fitbloggin, I did have a great time at the conference – the sessions and the time I spent with friends and I would do it all again. And I plan on it, next year in Denver.

However, that being said, this years’ experience was soooo different for me that I had to take a few days to really think about why. Now I know that each year my experience will vary and I didn’t come into this thinking that this year would be exactly like last. However, the big things I took away from last year- mainly the interactions that lead to some deep introspection- were missing. And because of that, my experience just wasn’t the same.

Which sucks.

Especially when you look forward all year for the chance to be around so many amazing people that help you progress in life.

Maybe my personal expectations were too high.

Maybe I just wasn’t in the right place to allow for the same type of experience.

Maybe I just did Fitbloggin’ wrong this year.

I don’t know. It could be all of those things. I have been thinking on this for days; a bit sad for missing out on an experience I was really wishing to have.

Again, I must reiterate, I did have a great time at Fitbloggin’. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to meet so many amazing people, try so many new things, participate in some great workouts, and of course eat all of the yummy Savannah food.  It really was awesome.

But something was missing. There was a void and I could feel it.

Don’t get me wrong. I had fun. Oh so much fun! I went on a ghost tour, went kayaking, went to a drag show, took one of those old time photos, hung out with so many wonderful people, had amazing meals and enjoyed the beautiful Savannah parks. I collected no less than a million hugs and took almost as many selfies. I even met Jeff Galloway and got to spend a few minutes talking to him about running and my recovery. It was AWESOME!

But even with all of that amazingness I still felt a bit lost. I felt a bit disconnected. I felt a bit alone.

Even in a room full of people. Even when surrounded by laughter and smiles and welcoming, friendly faces I still (at times) felt out of place.

Fitbloggin’ will always be my tribe. Mah people. That will never change.

The people attending this conference have done so many amazing things. They are my inspiration, my role models, my peers, my community and most importantly my friends. I am beyond fortunate to be a part of this amazing collective. To me, fitbloggin’ feels like going home. It’s safe and secure and happy and loving and fun and all of the good words.

I don’t know. I feel like no matter what I write I am going to paint an inaccurate picture of this experience. I will sound ungrateful. I will seem cold or snobby.

But I am just being honest here. I just want to take a beat to write about what last weekend was really like for me. I wanted to reflect.

I wanted to take all of the magnificent chaos that is Fitbloggin, digest all of my experiences, and find what it really meant to me this year.

Last year was all about connection, acceptance, and coming to peace with knowing that I had lost ownership of my life and finding the courage to take it back. Last year was a big year for me. Monumentally big. It was probably unrealistic to expect anything to come close to that again.

What I walked away with last year allowed me to make some major life overhauls.

And it brought me to fitbloggin’ this year a different person.

And maybe fitbloggin’ 14 wasn’t the game changer that 2013 was…

But I like to think that’s because my life now needs no changing, no big overhauls. That 2014 Dacia is pretty freaking happy and in the best place mentally she has ever been. And because of that, fitbloggin’ 14 was about fun and new experiences and just living life and making the most of it all. And you know what, that’s pretty awesome too.

So I guess what I am trying to say that Fitbloggin' this year was different. And I think at first that difference resonated as disappointment. But when I look back I really must say that the difference is really a good thing.  And I should not look back on this year’s conference as what could have been but only look back as to what it was- a loving, welcoming, amazing experience that has made me a better person because I lived it. And this is exactly why I love to write these stream of consciousness posts, by the time I ‘talk’ it all out I usually end up finding my ah-ha moment.

And that my friends is a really great thing J

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxox

I'm Going to Fitbloggin'

Oh sweet baby goats! Fitbloggin’ is just around the corner and man, am I excited.

Last year I attended my first Fitbloggin’ conference (my first blogging conference period) and it was life changing. I know, you may be thinking that I am over exaggerating but I am not. That weekend, those people, what I learned (about myself and others and life) really shifted my perspective.

I mean look here- at my first post after the conference. I wrote that on the plane ride home and it perfectly captured how I felt (and still feel) afterwards.

It was amazing.

And in a week I get to do it all again.

And I know it will be awesome. Even though it truly sucks that some of my favorite people won’t be attending this year’s conference I am super excited to see both old friends and new and meet some more fantabulous people face to face for the first time.

It’s going to be ahhhhhhhh-mazing! Legendary, even.

Now last year, I was super excited about attending my first fitbloggin because I knew it would be such an incredible experience but also because it was held in Portland. In case you didn’t know, Portland is pretty much filled with all things vegan and home to like a billion amazing craft breweries. I was in heaven. I ate all the food and drank all the beer.  Which of course made my experience even more memorable ;)

This year, Fitbloggin is in Savannah, GA. I’ve been there once (twice if you count a quick two day stop) but living in the south I know what to expect.  And I don’t mean that in a bad way. I just know that life in Savannah is different than life in Portland.  There won’t be amazing vegan treats at every other storefront and too many breweries to visit in one trip.  (Yeah, Portland was awesome) BUT, there will be ghost tours, and amazing historic neighborhoods, and of course there will still be awesome foods (all the non-vegans will be in heaven) and there will be craft beers. Trust me, I am already planning out all the restaurants and breweries and bars I want to visit.

AND more importantly than all the eating and drinking (yes, I did just type that) there will be amazing group sessions and workouts and a million laughs (and knowing me, some tears) and so many of the best hugs you could ever receive. And it will be awesome.

I cannot wait to see my roomies, my friends, Roni (who is just amazing to watch in action) and create so many amazing memories.

And on that note- it appears that we will be ghost touring in style in a double decker hearse. BOOM! That’s just how we roll!

Man, where is my fast forward button? Can it just be June 25^th already????

Some of my favorite pics from last year...

My favourite Brit, Sarah

I'm going to miss Dani soooo much. Thankful we got to see each other in February! 

Even if I explained it, it wouldn't make sense...

I am coming for more hugs, Steve!

Fitbloggin' won't be the same without Erika!

 

Love and hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxoxox

Five Things Friday

1)      I am so fortunate and grateful for all of the opportunities I have gotten to travel this year. E and I have already made two trips over to NOLA and a trip to Nashville. We even had a little stay-cation last weekend when we headed over to Pensacola Beach (I live downtown, two bridges/ 8 miles away from the beach) for our Valentine’s Day getaway. We couldn’t have asked for better weather or more beautiful accommodations. It was pretty awesome.

 

I also have a whole lotta trips coming up on the horizon and I couldn’t be more excited! I am off to Houston next week for a girl’s weekend with one of my dearest friends, Monica. The following weekend E and I are heading south for Phillies spring training. We will be hitting Sarasota, Clearwater and Tampa all in just three days- that will be a bit crazy and a whole bunch of fun. Early April I head to Anaheim for EIGHT DAYS for a work conference. Super excited to see all of my west coast peeps and hopefully set up a meet up or two. Then in early May E and I head to Atlanta for the weekend to see Arcade Fire and hopefully hang with some friends there too. Then the big one, the trip I have been anxiously waiting for- I’m going home to Philly….and taking E with me. He has never been so of course we will be doing a lot of sightseeing, hit some breweries and, of course, catch a Phillies game at CBP! That is May 21-26^th- I cannot wait to see my family and my bestest friend Jaime. It’s been too long!

Ahhhh-  and I cannot forget Fitbloggin’ 14 in Savannah the last weekend of June.

Also in discussion- a trip to south Florida and possibly (hopefully) a second trip to Atlanta but this time with Jaime!

2)      HOCKEY, HOCKEY, HOCKEY!!!!    I love hockey, it’s definitely my favorite sport to watch. I hope one day I can learn how to skate and get out on the ice too! But in the meanwhile I am perfectly content with going to hockey games (and of course watching the US in the Olympics) and watching them on TV. E and I went to a whole bunch of Pensacola Ice Flyers games this year as well as a real NHL game- Avalanche v Predators when we were in Nashville. He is a super huge hockey fan and has been to 9 different NHL arenas (me, only two) and goes to almost all of the local games. When I found out I was definitely going to Anaheim the first thing I did was check the Ducks and the Kings schedules. No home games for the Kings while I am in Cali but two home games for the Ducks. So….I got tickets for both and invited two of my friends, Kiki and Annabel,  to join me. I am super pumped!

On my bucket list is to one day go to the Winter Classic. This year, January 1, 2015, the game is scheduled to be Flyers v Caps in DC. I am a Flyers fan, E is a Caps fan. My fingers are crossed that we can make it out there for this game. I know it is still pretty far out but a girl can dream, right?

3)      Yesterday I had my second personal training session. It was awesome. I still can’t do crunches but I was able to do three exercises again which I did last week, plank, boat pose, and Russian twists, with a little bit of improvement in the boat pose and Russian twists. The plank still sucked. But, to be fair, I was never very good at plank. Lol!

The workout was primarily weights (both machines and free weights) with a bit of cardio thrown in there just to get the heart rate up. It was good. This session as well as last week’s session was kind of setting the benchmark to see where my ability level is and determine what I can and cannot do. Going forward our sessions will be a mix of weights and cardio with the main focus on building muscle to help get my fat burn rate up. Sounds good to me. Happy to finally be getting my confidence back as things get easier and there is less pain after. Progress!

Oh and I am still doing the Couch to 5K program, just at my own rate. I think this was my third week and I just finished W2/D2 on Wednesday. Eh, I am not too concerned about the timing. I am not in a rush to finish the program. I am just using it to get used to running again.

4)      I just had my one year anniversary at the university and therefore needed to complete my one year performance evaluation with my boss. It went really, really well! Not only did my boss write some really amazing things about me in there but he also included feedback from other people I work with. It was nice to read that my peers think so highly of me. I mean, I think I am pretty awesome but it’s nice to know others do, too ;)

 

5)      You know, yesterday was a pretty big day for me. As you probably saw, it was my three year blogiversary. Three years ago I not only started a blog (thanks mostly to my BFF Jaime) but I also committed to change my life. I had hit my breaking point just a few days prior and I was finally able to recognize what had become of my life. It was bad, even though I still managed to keep a smile on my face, the reality of what my life had become had finally started to sink in. I was miserable. I was sick, tired all the time, everything hurt. It was just not at all the life I wanted. And I was FINALLY ready to step up to the plate and take responsibility for the actions that led me there and FINALLY ready to take the actions needed to change. And I needed to hold myself accountable for making those changes. Blogging helped. Twitter helped. Facebook helped. I shared everything; the good, the bad, and the ugly, along the way and somehow managed to end up here. Sadly, I don’t think I stressed this point enough yesterday- I would not have ended up here if it wasn’t for the amazing my support group which has somehow grown exponentially over the last three years. I am lucky. I know this and am thankful for it every day. I couldn’t have done this on my own. You have given me hope, inspiration, guidance, camaraderie, pride, happiness, love, a sense of worth, and motivation for days. You are my rock through all this. A big, huge, ginormous thank you to you!

 

Happy Friday my loves!

xoxoxox-

Dacia

My Three Year Blogiversary!

It’s been three years (THREE YEARS!!!) since I started blogging, since I committed to change my life, to lose weight, to get healthy, to become less couch-potato-y. THREE YEARS!

WOW!

Like super wow!

I cannot believe how much has changed in three years!

Obviously the big ones; moving to Florida, the end of my marriage, and of course losing an entire person’s worth of weight.

Of course those are just the really crazy big life altering ones. There was a ton of smaller, but yet also meaningful and important, changes as well.

I became a vegan (10/08/11) and haven’t looked back since

I ran.

For the first time in a really long time, I ran.

I ran a mile. Then a 5K. Then a couple more 5Ks. Then I worked my way up from there to a half marathon. 

I ran three of those.

I tried every group fitness class I could find; boxing, kickboxing, boot camp, Bikram yoga, hot yoga, gentle yoga, yin yoga, kundalini yoga, yoga for athletes, aerial yoga (you get the point, right- lots of yoga), pilates, nia, journey dance, tai chi, qigong, Zumba, spin, barre, and even more boot camp.

I bought a bike…and then another…and then another. And then I started to commute to work by bike. (wish I could do this now)

I went to concerts, plays, and musicals.

I kayaked and paddle boarded

I learned how to swim properly….and then completed my first triathlon

I ate a whole lotta new to me foods. Most of which I loved. (Eat more kale, people!)

I went to Fitbloggin’ and spent an amazing weekend with my soul mates

I went to New Orleans for the first time ever and have since gone back four times!

I went to Nashville and Portland and Daytona/St. Augustine and home to Philly.

I was by my mom’s side through her double mastectomy

I lost friends and family, all too soon

I lost my doggies, too, also too soon

I started grad school….again

I started two new jobs and was lucky to make the most amazing friends and fabulous coworkers at both!

I have drank countless beers and totally became a beer snob, which I am completely ok with

I have laughed until I cried

I felt defeated but most times I felt victorious

I went on adventures

I stopped being so damn scared of life, stopped passively sitting on the sidelines watching life pass me by and made something of it. I made this life the one I always wanted.

I made the most amazing group of friends through blogging and social media and thankfully I have had the honor to meet so many of them in real life. (and I can’t wait to meet the rest of you- I owe you lots of hugs)

But most importantly of all of the changes that have taken place over the last three years…

I feel in love…

With me.

I am absolutely, positively certain that without that acceptance and self-love I never would have gotten to this point in my life where I am healthy and happy. I found that acceptance early on in my journey (thanks mostly to a group of amazing women I met in SA) and it made all the difference. I had big dreams but for the first time in my life I was able to take the actions necessary to make them materialize. I put my needs, my health, my goals first because I knew/know that I AM WORTH IT! I am worthy of love and happiness and a healthy and active life.

And so are you.

We all are worthy of our dreams and the life we wish for.

I hope you know that.

Because you are awesome!

As is!

So, what’s in store for me now? Who knows for sure?

What I hope for though is a year filled with joy and adventure, time with friends and loved ones. A year being active and social and truly embracing everything this crazy life has to offer. Who knows exactly where I will be a year from now. But as long as I continue to love myself, accept myself, and put myself first I know this next year will be incredible!

Thank you all for being a part of my journey!

Love and big giant bear hugs,

Dacia

xoxoxo