Melt the Stress Away

Hi! Sorry that I didn’t check in with you yesterday. I was driving back home to Redmond because I needed to pick up some items before taking off to visit Blake in South Dakota. I have to admit that lately I’ve been feeling a little stressed about this trip. Over the years I have gotten so much better about relaxing and going with the flow, but the anxiety still creeps up now and again.

When I drove two and a half hours to Portland last Thursday, I honestly thought that I would be flying out to see Blake by the end of the weekend. I had made Layla her vet appointment and packed my bags for the trip. Well, it ended up that I needed to drive back to Redmond to pick up my passport, an extra suitcase of gear and some of Blake’s belongings. I’m here at home and it feels really nice to be back. It’s so nice and comforting that I’m starting to think about staying home and enjoying my nice, quiet little life that I have over here. However, I really, really want to see Blake. I think I’ll end up flying out this Friday, but I know not to hold my breath!

I stumbled across this video that I had filmed when I was in Nevada a few weeks ago. I thought that it was appropriate to share with you (and myself) today to remind us that we can become less stressed and more easy going with a little work on our part. Let me know if you have any suggestions for handling stress with ease.

To decompress and relax last night, I did a new Tone It Up workout. It’s the new Valentine’s Day one. I like how I can follow along with Karena and Katrina throughout the entire workout.

Then I took a bath and did some laundry. Notice the calm and serene candles that I lit!

My dinner was a random pizza made from items in the fridge: gluten-free brown rice tortilla, pizza sauce, Daya chese, 1 egg, scallion, minced garlic, shredded lettuce and Siratcha sauce. It tasted amazing after a long drive home.

I went to bed early because the night before, I was up past midnight! I had a really fun time going out for dinner and a movie with my friends and sister. I highly recommend “The Vow” to all of my girlie friends. It was a really good Valentine’s Day. I’m happy to report that everyone loved the gluten-free red velvet cupcakes that I made. Layla was my valentine and she was a really good one. She gave me lots of kisses, appreciated the Valentine’s treats I gave her and kept me company all day long.

I’m off to do my weights workout, write out a few new client nutrition plans and pack another suitcase for my (hopeful) trip to South Dakota. Have a great day!

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Happy Valentine’s Day

Happy Love Day! Today is a day to celebrate all the love in your life, not just a romantic partner. I’m celebrating with my valentine, Layla.

It’s pretty dreary out here in Portland today. This weather is a reminder of why Blake and I moved out to Central Oregon this fall. It hardly ever rains out there.

I’m typing this at the coffee shop near Blake’s mom’s house. I tried a rice milk latte this morning and loved it. It went perfectly with my new protein bar find. It’s by NuGo. I like a few of their bars, and appreciate the nutrition stats of this new one, but it just didn’t do it for me. Pros: 15 grams of protein, only 2 grams of sugar, 9 grams of fiber and I liked the bittersweet chocolate flavor. Cons: Kinda lacked in the overall “wow” factor.

I know that I said I probably wouldn’t bake anything for Valentine’s Day. Typing that statement made me kinda sad. I always bake for Valentine’s Day. To turn my frown upside down, I went to the store and got ingredients to make gluten-free red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. Ahh-mazing! What wasn’t amazing was that I ate some of the batter (naughty, naughty Kilee.) Then, for the rest of the night I couldn’t figure out why my stomach hurt so much. My new goal is to be able to bake without picking at the raw batter. This morning, my stomach is still a little “off” from the batter.

I brought some of my cupcakes to my friends, Courtney and McKenzie. And, McKenzie had made us chocolate and Funfetti fudge. Thanks Kenze! I’m going to try some once my stomach is feeling better. We got together at a Thai restaurant in North Portland last night. It was so good to catch up with my friends and spend quality time together. Tonight, I’m getting together with more of my good friends for dinner and a movie. It’s going to be such a fun night – I already know!

Today, whether you have a boyfriend, a girlfriend, a husband, a wife or are single, be sure to share the love. This holiday is not reserved for couples in a relationship. We all have someone that we love in our lives and people who love us. Your goal for today is to share your warm love with as many people as you can. Call your grandparents, give your dog or cat a massage, go out for drinks (a glass of healthy red wine is recommended ladies) with your friends or send an e-card to your parents. Whatever you choose to do, please remember that you are amazing regardless of your relationship status! We all need to share as much love and light up as many hearts as we can today.

On another note, please don’t eat yourself into a sugar coma. This stuff will kill you. Seriously! A little is fine, but do not interpret this holiday to be a sugar-fest-free-for-all! I suggest one peice of dark chocolate or splitting dessert with your dinner date or having a few conversation hearts. Step away from the office treat table. Put that second heart-shaped donut down. You will be thanking me tomorrow.

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Don’t forget that today’s the last day to take advantage of my Valentine’s Day Special. Email me at kilee (at) kileejohnson.com to reserve your spot.

Have a very, very special day today. Love yourself first and allow others into your heart.

Love,

Kilee

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Gratitude Monday

Hi! I’m a little late posting today because I had to finish up some stuff around the house before heading to the coffee shop today.

I thought that I’d already be with Blake by now, but plans have changed. I’m waiting to hear from Blake about when I should fly out there. So far, it’s sounding like it’s going to be a little bit later than originally expected. He also said I should bring my passport – just in case. Seriously? I purposely leave my passport at home because I don’t want to lose it. Looks like someone will be driving back home to pick it up before flying out of Portland. He also mentioned that my suitcase that’s supposed to be with him might not be. I purposely packed my new suitcase to only contain things that weren’t in my suitcase that was left in Nevada. I’m reminding myself that everything will work out just fine.

Since I probably won’t be spending Valentine’s day with my valentine, I have another amazing date planned! Dinner and the movie, “The Vow,” with some of my best friends and sister. Is it bad that I’m almost as excited for my “back-up” date as I was for the one that was originally planned? Nah!  A night out with the girls is just as fun! I’m so thankful that I have so many close friends and family to keep me entertained while Blake is on the road for months at a time.

This brings me to a little Gratitude List that I wanted to share with you today. A gratitude list is a chance for you to write down anything that comes to mind that you are grateful for. I have a list on my iPad that I add one item to each morning. I can’t wait to review it on December 31st this year.

Monday’s Gratitude List

1. I’m thankful that I have gotten/get to see so many of my friends and family this past weekend/week.

2. I’m thankful that Layla is with me. She is my little love bug who listens to my talk all day, takes me for walks, makes me feel like I have someone who depends on me and makes me smile.

3. I’m thankful for my iPhone because it saves me when I need the internet and don’t have access to wi-fi. There have been many times when I needed to book a hotel for Blake in “The Middle of No Where, USA,” find directions to a restaurant or quickly respond to an important email.

4. I’m thankful that I get to travel with Blake. Even if it means waiting a few extra days to fly out to see him.

5. I’m thankful that I feel so happy and healthy.

Are you planning on getting in the kitchen and baking up a Valentine’s Day storm? I don’t think I’ll be baking anything this year, but wanted to share these fabulous recipe lists that were recently posted:

Food Network

Love Veggies & Yoga

Chocolate Covered Katie

What are you thankful for today?

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My Story…Continued

Now that I’ve spilled all my bad habits, struggles and woes, I want to share with you how I overcame these adversities. It took time, patience, forgiveness, dedication and support. I took small steps and little by little I started to feel, look and act like the Kilee you know today. Here is an abbreviated version of how I stepped into my healthy, happy self:

Started to Do Things I’m Good At

I have always had a passion for cooking and started to research recipes online and create delectable dinners for Blake and I each night. I would look at all types of recipes, go to the store after work to buy the necessary ingredients and race home to make our elaborate dinner night after night. I don’t remember having too many left-overs because we would almost always eat up whatever I cooked and I wanted to try a new recipe the next night. I was so happy cooking in the kitchen!

At work, I utilized my graphic design skills and started to develop magazine AD campaigns for the company. I remember feeling so proud of my work and knowing that my skills were helping the company attract new customers. I started seeing myself as a valuable employee and possessing skills that not a lot of people had. This boosted my self esteem and gave me a greater sense of purpose.

Signed Up to Work With a Personal Trainer

I truly believe that my self confidence took a turn for the better when I started to work out with the lovely, Suzie Conney of Suzie Trains Maui. I have always loved to work out, but found myself skipping workouts or not knowing what to do to shed fat and build lean muscle.  Suzie did more than just show me what exercises to do at the gym. She introduced me to stand up paddle boarding (which is one of my favorite activities ever,) she helped me see myself as a capable, strong woman and she encouraged me to do the things I love. I am forever grateful for her kind heart and inspiring presence.

Began Listening to Personal Development Audio Books

I love to read and have many, many health and nutrition books. However, there is such convenience that comes with audio books. You can listen to them in the car, while you work out or in bed at night. I credit Blake to introducing me to the amazing works of Anthony Robins, Brian Tracy and Napoleon Hill. I started to see the connection between what you think and what happens in your life. I also started reading books by powerful female authors including Louise Hay, Debbie Ford and Gabrielle Bernstien. Reading about how these authors had overcome challenges and created their best life inspired me to start creating mine.

Learned New Coping Skills

Something that I didn’t realize was that I had never developed healthy coping skills. I had such a sheltered childhood that I rarely had anything to get upset about. I remember a few occasions where I did something wrong and ended up sobbing uncontrollably. Fast forward to being 22 years old and feeling really upset and unsure about your life. I didn’t know how to cope with issues that would come up or feelings that I had. I instantly wanted sugar to numb whatever pain I was feeling. What helped me adopt new coping skills was first recognizing that I was feeling upset. Telling myself that I could choose to accept that these emotions were coming up and then try to work through them.

It was not easy. I still sometimes have a tendency to want a cookie when uneasy feelings start to emerge. But, I’ve now mastered new coping skills to work through these fears. I also like to get out of my fearful mindset by calling a friend on the phone, taking a bath, reminding myself of all the wonderful things I have to be thankful for or taking out my journal and writing about any feelings or thoughts that come up. Also, becoming more forgiving of myself and others has been very helpful. As I started to accept my faults and not hold others to such high standards, I started to be okay with things not being “perfect.”

Telling Myself That I Am Amazing

As corny as this statement sounds, it has done wonders for my self esteem and poor body image. When I first heard about positive affirmations, I thought that they sounded ridiculous and self-absorbed. I decided to try them anyway. I would tell myself, “I am beautiful inside and out. I am so talented. I am happy and healthy, etc.” At first, I thought I sounded silly and didn’t think much about them. Then over time, I started to believe these statements that I was telling myself. One of the best, easiest, and cheapest ways to start feeling better about yourself is to tell yourself three positive affirmations while standing in front of the mirror each morning. You are amazing! Now, go tell that to yourself.

Quit Eating Gluten

This was the single best decision that I have made for my health. I know that not everyone has a difficult time digesting gluten, but I had multiple ailments that were healed by removing gluten from my diet. Daily stomach aches that started around 10 every morning, a bloated stomach that resembled being 4-5 months along, anxiety and overwhelming feelings that something was wrong with me, mental fog, acne, embarrassing gas and about 10-15 unhealthy pounds of fat.

The first day that I stopped eating gluten was the first day in ages that I didn’t get a stomach ache! A few weeks later I realized my stomach wasn’t bloated and I wasn’t gassy like I used to be. A few more weeks went by and my anxiety and fearful thoughts stopped. A few months later I realized I had lost 10 pounds without dieting. After six months had passed, I was amazed at how “clear” my thoughts were. This was so such a weird feeling to experience. It literally felt like my thoughts were behind a fog that had slowly lifted. By this point, I knew there was no way that I could go back to eating gluten. It just didn’t agree with my body chemistry.

Getting Out of the House to Go Have Fun

It seems so simple, but when you feel so low and bad about yourself, pulling yourself together to get out of the house can be such a challenge. I was always able to get up and go to work throughout the week, I’m thankful for that. But, on my days off, I could not bring myself to get dressed and go out to enjoy myself. I felt like I didn’t “deserve” to have fun and go do new fun things. I was able to work through this by reminding myself that we all deserve to have fun and enjoy ourselves on our days off. I’d make plans to go for a walk with a friend or rent a board and go paddle boarding. I knew that I would have fun and feel better about myself if I got outside and did something. By reminding myself of how good I would feel later on if I just got out and did something, I was motivated to slip on my flip flops and head out the door.

As you can see, it was not one thing that helped me overcome my issues. I had to start being kind to myself, learn to love myself the way I was and continue to work on overcoming my struggles. It didn’t happen overnight, but day by day, I started to feel healthier and happier. I think when I realized that I was in control of my thoughts and could create my best life, I stepped up to the plate and started to make positive changes in my life. I know that if you are struggling with any of the issues that I had, you too can overcome them. I have faith that you have the power to work through any negative traits starting today. You can choose to overcome them.

One of the best ways to start working through an issue is to first admit to yourself that you have one. You’re not a bad or damaged person. You’re real. We all have negative issues that weight us down. Then reach out and learn how you can work through it. Buy a book, talk to a mentor or someone who has overcome what you’re going through, hire a counselor or coach. Whatever you do, don’t sit around and wallow in your own self pity!

I feel a lot better and more open with you now that I’ve shared how I was able to overcome these negative issues and live my best healthy, happy life. My life purpose is to help other women create their own happy, healthy life and I feel lucky to get to share my life and the lessons I learn with you through this blog.

Layla says, "Hi!" She's happy to be back home.

Have a great day and feel free to comment below or email me with any personal issues that you are in the process of working through. I’m here to help you lead your healthy, happy life!

Much love,

Kilee

Don’t forget to comment on *this* post if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook to be entered in the GIVEAWAY!

My Story: Part 1

Hi! Happy Monday. Did you go to a Super Bowl party? Did you get outside and go for a walk? Did you prepare your healthy meals for the week? Whatever you did, I hope you had an enjoyable day. I was chatting with the lovely Kris at iheartwellness and we were talking about how I could share my gifts and talents with even more people than I currently do. I know in my heart that I am here on this earth to help other women feel their best and to help others overcome challenges that I have struggled with in the past.

In order to better help you and other women, I think it’s best if I go back and share my personal story. It’s something that I have put off for quite a while because it’s frightening to me to share the low points of my 26 years on this planet. But, if I can help other women see that I’ve been there and have overcome these obstacles and now lead an amazing, healthy, happy life, it’s worth it. This isn’t a weight-loss story or a tale of how I overcame substance abuse. It’s my story of how I took control of my health and happiness naturally. I’m going to spread this out over two posts because I have so much to share and don’t want to overwhelm you.

I loved arts and crafts projects

I got started baking at a young age

Childhood

I was always a very creative and outgoing child. I loved to be in front of the camera, had a lot of friends and was always busy with my arts and craft projects. My life was idealistic and I was lucky to have such a great family and support system. Something changed when I was in the 5th grade; my best friend had recently moved to a new school and the friends that I had school started to distance themselves from me and made fun of me. I didn’t understand why they suddenly didn’t like me and I started to feel alienated at school.

The following year, my family moved to a new town and I attended a new middle school. I felt like I was being “passed” around the playground by different cliques of students and didn’t really connect with any of my new classmates. I focused on my studies and was always in the accelerated learning classes. My 7th grade year, I was in a math class with all 8th-graders, the class above mine. I started to make a few new friends and felt like I connected with them a little better than with my fellow classmates. In my final year of middle school, the class above mine was already at the high school and I remember making a few new friends within my class, but never feeling like I really “fit in” with everyone.

High School

Running cross country and track became my main focus outside of my classes at the high school. I loved running and dedicated myself to being disciplined when it came to training for races. I made friends right away with two girls on the cross country team, twin sisters. They were in the class above mine and we have been close friends ever since. I was even a bridesmaid in Laura’s wedding this past summer. Back to high school! The first three years went pretty smoothly. I excelled in school and always received “A’s” in my classes. My perfectionism was in full swing all throughout high school. I thought I had to be “perfect” at everything or people would not approve of me. I would get so stressed if I got a poor grade on an assignment, if I didn’t meet my goal time in a race or if my hair didn’t look good that day. I honestly thought that if I could be just like Martha Stewart, my life would be perfect! I now see the irony in this thought.

I had my two friends, Lindsey & Laura, and we did everything together. I still didn’t feel that close or comfortable with most of the other students, but it didn’t really bother me too much.

Sophomore year of high school, I had the BIGGEST crush on Blake, but never got up the nerve to talk to him. He now says that he had no idea I even liked him. Junior year, we somehow got hooked up to go to a formal dance together and I knew that this was my chance to test the waters to see if he liked me. We started hanging out and within a month or two, we were dating. Sometimes, I wish we started dating when we were older because he remembers all these embarrassing things that I said and did back in high school!

Fast forward to Senior year. I turned into a little stress ball! Lindsey and Laura moved to California for college, Blake moved two hours away to live with him mom and I felt like no one liked me. I now see this feeling as a theme that started back in 5th grade and continued up until a few years ago, but I’m over that now. All of a sudden I felt depressed. I started crying all. the. time. I felt sick to my stomach for weeks at a time. I had anxiety about how well I would do in my races, if I would get good enough grades to be awarded college scholarships and if Blake was dating other girls at his new school. I missed Blake, Lindsey and Laura so much and I honestly felt like no one else liked me.

I ended up not doing track my senior year because I felt so miserable and didn’t want to added pressure of competing in track meets. I graduated as one of our classes valedictorians and remember feeling embarrassed to speak in front of all my classmates. However, I was so thankful to be headed off to college and leaving my small, hometown behind.

My “Core” friends: Courtney & McKenzie

College

I told myself before I took off for college that I was going to a) make lots of new friends and b) be more easy going than I had been throughout high school. It’s amazing what what you can achieve when you make yourself believe things because I made some amazing friends my first day there and felt a little more relaxed about things than I had in high school.

My new friends, challenging classes and fun social life made college a lot more enjoyable than high school. Though, one thing was missing from new life: Blake. Seriously! I think I had to tell every guy that I dated in college about him and I ended up visiting him a few times throughout college. Finally, right before my senior year of college, we got back together and I traveled to Maui any chance I got to visit him. This is also when my anxiety hit an all-time high. I was so convinced that I had to look like a super-model for Blake to want to keep me as his girl friend. (Long story, but I got over it.) I also started to stay in a lot more instead of going out to parties with my friends. I felt like I didn’t “deserve” to go out and have fun because I didn’t look good enough or feel good enough about myself. (Again, I got over this.) The year drug on as I cried and cried, resorted to anti-anxiety pills and started to see a student counselor to help me work through some of my issues. I’m also lucky because Blake was so supportive of my craziness throughout the whole year.

On one of my many hikes on Maui

Layla got all wet from going in the water during this hike.

Post-College

I made it through my senior year of college (I’m seeing a theme with these rough senior years in school) and moved to Maui as soon as I graduated. I thought that my life would be perfect now that I was living with Blake in a tropical paradise. I got a rude awakening! Yes, I was so happy to be with Blake and the sun and beaches were amazing, but I started to experience some major issues within my life:

PMDD

I finally started putting 2 & 2 together. I was an emotional wreck the week before my period. I would spend my days off in bed crying all day. This leads to a very puffy face and unproductive day! I felt like I didn’t deserve to go to the beach or go shopping in the cute shops. I don’t know where those feelings were coming from. My mind would race about all the things that were “wrong” with me. Some mornings, I felt so bad about myself that Blake would sit down and try to “coach” me through these feelings. Let’s just say that the week before my period was especially dreaded each month.

Poor Body Image

I’m like every other girl out there. We look at the celebrities and models in the magazines and wish that our body looked more like theirs. I was working out less and less and my stomach was becoming more and more bloated from the foods that I was eating. I was so embarrassed of how I looked and didn’t want to be seen in my day to day attire let alone a swimsuit. I’d sometimes cry before we went kite boarding and make Blake promise that I looked good enough to go to the beach with him.

Bingeing and Purging

I had bouts of time where I would feel so overwhelmed with my negative emotions and feelings that I would crave the comfort of sugary foods. I remember eating a bowl of ice cream or a plate of cookies and then feeling so bad about myself that I would make myself throw up. I later learned that I was lacking healthy coping skills and this practice was my way of trying to make myself feel better. Luckily, my experience with bingeing and purging was off-and-on and there were oftentimes months between my episodes. I have felt so embarrassed by this piece of my past, that I almost chose not to share it. However, I know that there are other women out there who are going through the same struggles that I have gone through and I want to help them see that they can overcome anything!

Low Self Confidence

There were times when I lived on Maui that felt like I was just following in the shadows of Blake. He had a successful helicopter tour company, he was a pilot, he knew a lot of people around the island, he was my boss at work and he had a whole life set up for himself before I moved there. I gave up on my passions in life and this lead to me forgetting my strengths and what I’m good at. I lost a piece of myself by choosing not to follow my own dreams, stay creative and pursue my own passions. I started to feel worse and worse about myself.

Negative Mindset & Complaining

This lack of confidence, poor body image and overall negativity on my part manifested itself into me becoming a huge complainer. I was always able to stay positive and kind at work and in public, but behind closed doors, I was a complaining machine. I complained to Blake about everything. “All we do is stuff for you and your business. I look fat. I don’t want to go here or there. I just want you to come home and spend time with me.” This behavior went on for a good year or two, I’m very embarrassed to report. Looking back, I now understand that it was all because I wasn’t happy with myself and my choices and I was taking it out on poor Blake.

Gluten-Intolerance

I had always had an upset stomach. Like literally, every single day my stomach would hurt. I also had a bloated stomach that got progressively larger as the day went on. I had really bad, embarrassing gas. My anxiety was starting to flare up. I had this weird mental fog (that I didn’t even realize until I cut the gluten out and my mind became so much clearer.) I was crying all the time. My facial acne was getting worse each month. Let’s just say that I was not cute or fun to be around. I was eating what I thought were healthy foods: whole grain cereals, turkey sandwiches on whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta dinners. I had heard about gluten-intolerance from a friend and even tried a gluten-free diet back in college. What I didn’t know at that time, was that gluten is a tricky little bugger that is in tons of unsuspecting foods. My health and well-being was getting progressively worse as I continued to consume gluten in my diet.

Lack of Life Passion

I have always known that I was meant to accomplish great feats. I’m a hard worker and will bust my butt to get the job done. What was going on back then was that I wasn’t pursuing any of my passions. I wasn’t making homemade cards or creating new workouts. I didn’t know that I could inspire and help other women to feel their best and live their healthy, happy life. I was literally just plugging along, working for Blake’s company and not making an effort to do the things that bring me joy.

Are you depressed yet? Seriously, reading the struggles that I’ve gone through and remembering how I felt during those times is painful. I promise that I have a happy ending to my story. It’s coming up in tomorrow’s post. As embarrassing as it is for me to share my weakest moments, I know that I am able to help other women overcome these painful issues and live a life full of health, self-confidence, positivity and happiness.

I’ll be back tomorrow with all the information about how I overcame each and every one of these issues. Do you ever feel better when you tell others about your past or what you’ve overcome?  I’m hoping I feel better once I hit “Publish!”

Don’t forget to comment on *this* post if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook to be entered in the giveaway!

Pics From the Road

Good morning! I am so happy to tell you that I will be flying back to Portland today. It has been an unexpectedly long trip out here to Nevada and I want to thank you for hanging in there with me throughout this journey. I was really excited to call the doggie hotel and tell them that I would be picking up Layla tonight. I hear that she has a new boyfriend – a papillon named, Maximilian. My sister is picking me up from the airport and then it’s straight to pick up Layla.

I took a bunch of photos and videos out here on the road. Even though I was in Reno, Elko and Eureka, Nevada, the landscape pretty much looked the same outside of the cities.

One thing that was new to me was “basque” style dining. It’s where they bring a ton of different side dishes to the table and serve them family style. Then everyone orders a main entree and leaves the restaurant stuffed to the brim with all types of foods. I usually just ordered the side dishes and a baked potato or had a few bites of Blake’s steak because all the side dishes were a meal in and of themselves. There is a specific type of salad dressing that all the restaurants use called “basque” dressing. It’s a white mayonnaise/vinegar/garlic/hard boiled egg based dressing that is addicting. I’m going to try to recreate it at home. The dinners always started with a big pot of soup and bread, then salad, then green beans, potatoes, beans, and spaghetti plus whatever entree you order. The two restaurants that I ate at in Elko were The Star Hotel and Toki Ona. They were both delicious!
I did a lot of driving in areas with hardly any radio. This gave me plenty of time to think about things and reflect on the multiple lessons that I learned throughout this trip. I would say the most beneficial life lesson that I learned and practiced on this trip was “attitude is everything.” It is safe to say that almost everything that could go wrong, went wrong on the job that Blake is on right now. I wasn’t even supposed to be with him at the job site, but it ended up that way. Instead of complaining and being in a bad mood the whole time, I practiced staying calm, nice and upbeat. It really helped keep up the moral of our group and I believe that little things went smoother because of our positive attitude.

For example, we checked into one of our hotels to find out that the heater in our room wasn’t working. We kindly asked the hotel manager to look at it and he brought us a portable heater plus extra blankets for the bed. When we got back to the room the next night, the heater was fixed plus we still had the portable heater for extra warmth.

Another example is when I was without my luggage and my cell phone battery was dying. Two different people that I was around offered to let me use their chargers to recharge my phone. I made a lot of new friends on this trip by staying in a good mood and being friendly to everyone around me. However, I did still have a few breaking points, but I learned from those too.

Something that I reminded myself throughout the trip was that the universe does not hand you more than you can handle. There were times when I was scared driving in four wheel drive, swerving down a muddy road, but I reminded myself that all would be okay and I would be safe. There were also times when I had to have one of the guys hop in and drive too, but I am now confident in my off-road driving and backing up a trailer skills.

I’m not going to go into all the details of what went wrong, but let’s just say that my patience was tested and I was outside of my comfort zone for a good part of the past week. I’m so thankful that I got to spend this time on the road and job site with Blake and I have an even greater appreciation of what he does for his job. The only thing that could have made this trip complete would have been if little miss Layla was out there with us. I’ll bring her out on my next trip!

I also want to share two of the videos that I filmed recently. I’m getting a lot more used to filming videos now. I’ll be back with some healthy eating videos that I made over the past few days. Take care and I’ll be posting from home next time I see you!

Much love,
Kilee

Lessons from Reno

Hi! I hope that you’re having a great day so far. I wanted to fill you in on some lessons that I learned while visiting Blake in Reno. I tend to do a lot of personal growth and lesson learning when out on the road with Blake. You might remember lessons I shared this past summer and fall while visiting Blake in Alaska. There is something about being out of my comfort zone and having to deal with the unpredictability that comes with his job and being on the road that makes for challenges and learning lessons. I am a strong believer that going through tough situations and challenges helps you to grow as a person and better prepare you for your journey in life.

Sometimes I feel embarrassed to share my stories of when I haven’t acted my best or struggles that I’ve gone through, but I remind myself that I’m here to help others work through these same challenges. I want to inspire you to get back up and keep living your best life. We all hit speed bumps on our roads of personal growth. No one is perfect and the best we can do is learn from our mistakes and try to do better next time.

So, what little lessons did I learn while in Reno?

1. Always, always, always read the label or ask for the ingredients of what you are going to eat.

I was excited to try out some new bars that I had packed for my trip. I thought that I checked the ingredients of these “new-to-me” Cliff MoJo bars. Apparently I was more focused on the macronutrients (they are pretty close to Luna Bars) than examining every ingredient because I ended up eating half of a trail mix bar before I realized that it had pretzel sticks in it. Red-flag gluten alert!!! I was mad at myself because it was a silly mistake to make and I was frightened because I never know if an accidental gluten ingestion will result in any unwanted side effects. Luckily, I was not punished with a gruesome stomachache, but did suffer a possible side effect that I’ll explain in lesson #3.

2. Exercise, even when you are away from home.

I exercise 5-6 days a week. Not because I’m training for a big race or because I need to look amazing for an upcoming photo shoot, (although, I wouldn’t be opposed to those reasons in the future) but because I depend on my workouts to help keep my anxiety and PMS levels down. I’ll write a post in the future about natural ways I have been able to personally reduce my anxiety, but I want to focus on the benefits of working up a sweat when away from home and out of your daily routine.

My sister got my the Insanity DVD’s for Christmas and I started doing them a few weeks ago. I have stuck with the recommended training schedule and have noticed that I feel better when consistantly preforming these high-intensity cardio workouts. I packed my DVD’s and workout clothes for the trip with every intention of preforming the daily workouts. Um… I didn’t really feel like working up a sweat the first few days that I was here. I told myself that I was “on vacation” and that “I deserved a break from my workouts.” I wish that I had just powered through the workouts because I ended up feeling crappy until Monday, when I made myself put in a DVD and do a workout. Ahh, that burst of endorphins was exactly what my body and mind needed. After realizing how important these 30-40 minutes sweat sessions are for my sanity (even though they’re called “Insanity” haha!) I made the choice to continue my regular workout routine.

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3. Stop, breath and focus on a solution.

I had a mini-meltdown in Whole Foods Sunday night. I want to say that it was induced by accidentally eating gluten that afternoon, but I’m not sure if there was a link or not. Here is what happened: we’re reading books and magazines at Barnes and Noble and realize that it’s getting late and we should try to pick up some dinner before heading back to the casino. (We were trying to save money on food after our expensive, amazing dinner at Charlie Palmer.) We hopped in the car and drove around looking for a place to get dinner. I spotted a Whole Foods and decided that hot bar would make a perfect, healthy dinner. We got inside at 8:55 to find the hot bar food was already taken down and a voice over the loud speaker said that they would be closing in five minutes. This is when the anxiety took over and my bad behavior started. It seems so silly now, but at the time I was actually in panic mode.

I complained to Blake that we wasted too much time at the book store, that they didn’t have any food that I wanted to eat and that I was too stressed to find anything to eat in the next five minutes. I could see the tension and anger building in him and decided that we were already at Whole Foods, I should just make do with the salad bar and pick up a rice paper roll since I was craving one. We bought our dinner and some vitamins that Blake needed and headed to the truck. And, the mini-meltdown continued. Blake told me that it took every last bit of his patience not to explode at me in the store, that I was acting like a child and that I could not let little stressors affect me the way that I let them. I started crying like a toddler, was ashamed that I had just acted like one and agreed that I let my anxiety get the best of me during those stressful (?!) five minutes in the store.

What I should have done was stopped my racing mind, taken a deep breath and decided if it was worth the stress of having to find something for dinner in under five minutes or if we should just leave and find another place to eat. Instead, I let my fear and anxiety come over me and acted like a toddler who wasn’t getting her way. Wow, that is embarrassing to admit! I learned a lot from that moment and got what I deserved once we were back at the hotel. My salad tasted gross and my rice paper roll was stale and unappetizing.

So, there you have some of my lessons that I learned while in Reno. I won’t even get started writing about how I have had to ditch my “everything has to go according to planned” attitude for a “go with the flow” one. That’s a whole other post in and of itself! I hope that by me sharing the lessons that I learn, you are able to learn through my mistakes and experiences and hopefully avoid them. I’ll keep sharing them with you because I’m sure there will be more that I’ll learn in the next few month and beyond. Have a great day,

Kilee

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Wealth Wednesday: What Does Wealth Mean To You?

One of Blake's Photos from earlier this year

Hi! I hope that your week is going smoothly. Sorry that I missed you yesterday. I was without internet and didn’t have a chance to go to the coffee shop. The wi-fi was so slow at the coffee shop on Monday that I actually had to go to McDonald’s to be able to upload photos for Monday’s post. I was impressed with my grilled southwest chicken salad that I ate while I was there. McDonald’s has stepped up their game in the healthier fast-food department.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about what it means to be wealthy. Wikipedia defines wealth as:

“Wealth is the abundance of valuable resources or material possessions … The concept of wealth is of significance in all areas of economics, especially development economics, yet the meaning of wealth is context-dependent and there is no universally agreed upon definition.” - source.

My view of wealth is beginning to shift meanings. I understand that there is still a need to generate money in order to create a comfortable lifestyle, but what does true wealth mean to you? My first inclination was that being wealthy meant that you felt secure and happy with your life.

I spent some time thinking about what makes me feel secure and happy. I listed off things like spending quality time with Blake and Layla, cooking healthy dinners for my family and friends, going for long walks and having a warm and cozy place to live. As I reviewed my list, I recognized the fact that none of these items regarded material goods or required an extra high level of income. My list was centered around relationships, healthy activities and having a comfortable place to call home. It was in that moment that I was reminded of how full of wealth my life already is.

Take some time today to think about what “feeling wealthy” means to you. It could be feeling free, grateful or loved. Then write down things in your life that already make you feel this way. For example, “not having to depend on anyone, taking time to say grace before your meals or receiving lots of kisses from your dog when you come home each night.”

By focusing on and being thankful for what already brings us wealth in our lives, we will in turn attract more wealth to us.

What makes you feel wealthy?

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Motivational Monday

Hi! I hope that you had a fun weekend! Blake had both Saturday and Sunday off, so we slept in, took Layla for lots of walks and practiced our shotgun skills. Well, Blake practiced and I tried it out for the first time.

Today I wanted to talk a little bit about what motivates us to lead a healthy lifestyle. We all know that we should try to be healthy, but it’s much easier to ignore the advice and indulge in more of our guilty pleasures than we’re willing to admit. There are some healthy activities that I love to do and naturally fit into my daily routine, while there are other practices that require constant reminders and motivation to accomplish.

Healthy traits that come naturally to me:

1. Working out about five times a week. I enjoy going for runs, lifting weights, taking group exercise classes and going on long walks with Layla.
2. Cooking healthy meals. It’s no secret that I love to cook and I feel so much better when I use healthy, gluten-free foods in my recipes.
3. Getting enough sleep. I was the girl who always fell asleep first at slumber parties. My body cannot function properly without 7-8 hours of sleep a night, so I’m pretty consistent with going to bed to get enough zzz’s.

Healthy traits that require more motivation:

1. Not reaching for dark chocolate, gluten-free cookies or coconut milk ice-cream after dinner. I have a major sweet tooth. Over the past year, I have calmed it down, but I still have to resist the nightly urge to eat a sweet treat after dinner.
2. Keeping my negative self-talk and anxiety under control. I have worked through 90% of my negative self-talk and anxious thought patterns by practicing positive thinking and focusing on the present moment.
3. Letting go of an “All or Nothing” approach. I get pretty fired up about ideas that I have, but sometimes when something isn’t going as planned, I give up on it entirely instead of accepting the set back and continuing in the positive direction.

None of us is perfect and has 100% control over every aspect of his or her life. I accept my positive and negative attributes because they are all part of what makes me, me. I continually strive to be the most positive, healthy version of myself and on some days, this takes a little more motivation than others.

What Helps Motivate Me to Live a Healthy Lifestyle:

Writing post-it notes to myself to workout first thing in the morning and sticking them on the bathroom mirror.

Rewarding myself with small treats when I achieve a mini goal. For example: a new fitness or cooking magazine when I stick to eating healthy meals all week or a relaxing epson salt bath after a grueling workout.

Creating fitness-goals for particular events. For example, I wanted to look my best in Laura’s wedding this summer, so about eights weeks before the wedding, I stepped up my workouts and was a little more strict with my healthy eating.

Lots of workouts and healthy meals

went into getting ready for this!

Writing down why I want to be healthy. It’s great to have a page in your journal or a piece of paper on your inspiration board stating the reasons why you want to be healthy. This way, if you’re feeling down or unmotivated, you can reference your list. Some of my reasons include: feeling my best, being a positive example to others, keeping my body healthy incase we choose to have children in the future and staying active to be able to do activities that I enjoy – like hiking and SUP.

Readers, what methods do you use to motivate yourself to lead a healthy lifestyle?

I’ll leave you with some photos of the snow that we woke up with this morning. I went for a beautiful run around the lake, but ended up slipping on some ice and falling on my hip. I also managed to drop my ipod in the snow and couldn’t find it for a few minutes. Maybe I’m not meant to run outdoors when it’s this snowy?

Positive Thinking Thursday

Hi! What did you think about yesterday’s post about generating more wealth in your life? I have been letting go of the fear that I’ve been holding onto regarding money and learning view my life and wealth from a place of love and abundance.

Today’s post will be short and sweet. I wanted to talk a little bit about the power of positive thinking. Your thoughts and beliefs create your life experiences. You hold far more power in creating the life of your dreams, than you probably realize.

Your assignment for today is to stop any negative thought that may cross your mind and replace it with a positive one.
Examples:

Replace, “I don’t have any time to make a healthy dinner” with, “I have a lot of time to make a healthy dinner.”

Replace, “My stomach looks too fat in this outfit” with, “My stomach looks tiny in this outfit.”

Replace, “I will never have enough money to travel to Europe” with, “I will soon have enough money to travel to Europe.”

It’s important to rephrase each negative thought into a positive one because the way you think about your life shapes how your life plays out. Continue this exercise all day today and work to make it a habit.

Here of some photos from Layla’s and my walk last night. The days are getting shorter and the air is much cooler up here in Alaska.

Wealth Wednesday

Hi! Sorry I’m a little late posting today. The wi-fi that I had been using in the pilot cabin suddenly stopped working, so I’m joining you from Alaska Coffee Roasters. They roast their own coffee beans and provide free wi-fi here at their popular coffee house in Fairbanks.

Last night, I listened to one of my favorite podcasts, “Everything is Energy” hosted by Kristin and David Morelli. They are married, millionaire intuitives who promote the idea that everything in our life is made up of energy and that we have the power to change our life experiences by changing our energy. Their weekly show (that is currently off-air, but you can download the episodes on iTunes) features inspiring guests ranging from medical intuitives to spiritual leaders to best-selling authors.

The podcast that I listened to last night talked about money and fundraising. Their guest, “The Soul of Money” author, Lynne Twist, shared advice regarding money and fundraising for charitable organizations. She has been raising money to give to charities since she was five years old and has a great deal of knowledge about how we can create more wealth in our own life and generate more wealth to give to others. I want to share three of her valuable tips on creating an abundance of wealth.

Releasing fear

We as a culture need to reallocate the wealth of the world away from fear and towards love. Most money is spent on materialistic goods, depletion of  our natural resources and violence. We spend our money on material goods because we fear that we don’t look good enough to others or we don’t feel good enough about ourselves. We spend money on consuming an enormous amount of oil and do not consider the consequences of how this affects our planet for the years to come. We fear our safety and therefore spend money on personal weapons and wars. All of these purchases are made out of fear.

What we need to do is release this fear, trust that the Universe will support us and reallocate our wealth in the spirit of love. By shifting our energy towards supporting love, the health and wellbeing of the human race, animals and the earth, we are creating a positive flow of energy and abundance.

Clearing unconscious beliefs of lack

A current pandemic in our modern psyche is that of scarcity. The idea that there is not enough wealth to be shared with everyone exists in our mind, and is not a reality. It is the product of our consumer culture. If you believe that there will never be enough wealth for yourself and you fear living below the poverty line, that belief will become a reality. If you change your mindset and focus on the abundance of wealth and resources that the world provides and focus on sufficiency, this idea will come into existence.

Lynne shared that, “if you let go of trying to get more of what you don’t really need, it frees up oceans of energy to make a difference with what you already have.” This mindset will help stabilize your thought pattern and bring you a peace of mind. Recognize what you already have and be grateful for it. Let go of any unconscious belief of lack that you may be holding onto.

Live a life of passion, fulfillment and financial freedom

You only have one life to live on this planet. You should spend your precious time doing what you love. By discovering your passion in life and doing it, the amount of love and fulfillment will override any feelings of lack or doubt that you may be holding on to. By stepping into a place of love and living your dream life, financial wealth will come to you. The important lesson is to not worry about the money, but focus on doing what you love.

I’m not saying that you should quit your job, move to Spain to study Spanish dancing and assume that you will become a millionaire. However, if you continue to make enough money to cover your basic living expenses and dedicate your free time to pursuing your passion, you will eventually generate wealth doing what you love.

These tips provide the perfect starting point for creating more abundance in your life. How can you shift your financial mindset out of fear and into love? How can you let go of unconscious beliefs surrounding lack and scarcity? What can you do to start adding more personal fulfillment into your everyday life?

I encourage you to visit Lynne’s website, soulofmoney.org as well as Kristin and Davids’s everythingisenergy.com. Have a wonderful day today and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Much love,

Kilee

I doubt Layla ever worries about money. All she cares about is food, getting plenty of attention and sleeping!

“Goal Setting” Monday

Good morning! I hope that you are having a great day so far. It has been absolutely beautiful up here in Alaska the past few days. I want to create a more structured approach to how I post here on the blog and this morning’s post is my first “Goal Setting” Monday post.

As you may have already noticed, I’m a big supporter of setting goals for yourself. There is a strong link between following through with your intentions and being confident in yourself. Think about how you felt when you gave up on something you were working on. Negative self-talk probably started to play in your head and you might have felt like a failure. Now consider how you felt when you kept a promise that you made to yourself and achieved a goal that you set. Did you feel happy and proud of your dedication and hard work?

Goals need to be meaningful and authentic to your true self or else you won’t be as motivated to achieve them. Does your true self really want to own a Corvette, or do you simply think that other people will like you better if you drive one? In order for you to really get excited about and dedicate yourself to your goals, they need to come from your heart – your authentic self.

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Today’s exercise is about focusing on what you really want in life. Take out your journal or notebook and write down 5-10 things that you want to accomplish within your lifetime. They can be as simple as owning a dog to as extravagant as sailing around the world in a sailboat. Whatever you heart desires, write it down. The trick is to let your authentic self tell you what it wants to accomplish, not what you think “sounds good” to others.

I took some time last night after dinner to write out ten things that I wanted to do in my lifetime. Here are three examples from my list:

1. Travel to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and Asia.

2. Help other women improve their self-confidence and live their best life.

3. Stand-up paddleboard on a regular basis.

These are all things that excite and inspire me. The next step is to write out a mini-action plan for each of your goals. Some goals can be accomplished within a few months, while others might not be doable until years from now. The key is to write down how and when you will start working towards your goals.

My example:

1. Travel to Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Scandinavia, the Mediterranean and Asia.

Blake and I have already decided that our first international trip together will be to Australia and New Zealand. We have watched many documentaries featuring these countries and researched attractions that we’d like to visit.

My first step is to research how much a trip to Australia and New Zealand will cost. I’ll look at different airfare providers, find out if a cruise ship or rental car would be the best way to see all of the sights that we want to see, ask my cousin and his girl friend (who will be living near Perth for the next year) when is the best time to visit them, create an estimated vacation budget for a 2-week stay with airfare for Blake and I and finally, figure out where Layla would stay while we’re gone.

Next, Blake and I need to sit down and go over the financial aspect. Do we already have enough saved up for the trip? If not, how much money will we need to put aside each month to cover our expenses for the trip?

Finally, when we have made all of our decisions and saved up enough money for the trip, it will be time to book our flight and make travel arrangements.

Whew! That was a lot of planning, but it will all be worth it when we’re in the Outback on an Australian safari.

2. Help other women improve their self-confidence and live their best life.

This is something that I can do here on the blog by sharing ways that I’ve improved my self-confidence and created my best life. I can encourage others to find what makes them happy and feel good about them self.

I can also volunteer with adolescents and encourage them to discover their passion at a young age and commit to doing it. I can volunteer my time to help women who have experienced abuse and help them rebuild their self-confidence and start living their best life.

I can work with women who feel hopeless about where their life is headed and show them that they have the power to create their own destiny.

What I now see, is that there are numerous ways that I can help other women improve their self-confidence and live their best life.

3. Stand-Up Paddleboard on a regular basis.

I started stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) about a month or two before we moved from Maui. Since then, I’ve been dying to go more often. We live in Portland, OR and I’m ashamed to say that I haven’t gone SUP anywhere around here.

My options are to:

Wait until next summer and go somewhere around Portland or drive to Hood River for an afternoon.

I could move to Bend, where SUP is very popular, and go all summer long.

I could move back to Maui and go SUP year-round.

I could move to Southern California or Mexico and go SUP year-round.

I should point out that I’m a sun & bikini type of SUP-boarder. Sorry, but if I have to put on a wetsuit, it’s not as much fun!

I hope that you found my examples helpful and inspiring. It’s important not to get so focused on completing your goals that you miss out on all the other fun things in life. We need to strive to keep a balance between what we want to accomplish and being open to the other amazing adventures that the Universe has in store for us.

Now it’s your turn! Take out your journal or notebook and ask yourself what you really want to do during your precious time here on earth.

Happy Monday everyone!

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Be sure to tune into Oprah’s Life Class on OWN tonight and check out the live webcast with Mastin Kipp (founder of onedailylove.com) afterwards on oprah.com at 6pm Pacific, 8pm Central & 9pm Eastern.

Today’s Assignment: Do What You Love

Hi! I’m excited to debut my new video post. I’ve never recorded myself for the blog before, so please excuse any lack of video quality. I promise that I’ll work to improve future videos.

Your assignment today is to take some time to think about what you love doing. It could be as simple as walking down to the coffee shop on Sunday mornings and enjoying your americano while reading the newspaper or as elaborate as planning a five course dinner party for a dozen of your closest friends. Write down a list of activities that bring you joy and happiness in your journal or notebook. The next part of your assignment is to schedule some time to do one of these activities within the next seven days. Open up your planner and write down when you are going to devote some time to doing what you love.

Here is my list that I wrote out today:

For my assignment, I plan to read magazines by buying two new magazines when I go to the grocery store in Fairbanks. If I can find a Barnes and Noble, I’ll sit and read tons of magazines and maybe choose just one to purchase.

It’s that simple! You deserve to take some time devoted to doing whatever makes you happy. Please let me know what you plan on doing and when you’re going to do it.

Take care,

Kilee

Lake Iliamna: Lesson on Judgement

Hello friends!

I have been reluctant to post anything lately because all of the photos that I took on our four-hour helicopter flight from Fairbanks to Lake Iliamna are on Blake’s super-fancy camera and I can’t get them to upload to my laptop. As soon as I do, I’ll post some of the breathtaking photos from our flight.

We have been staying at a lodge on Lake Iliamna for the past five nights. Because we didn’t know what our accommodations would be like or how Layla would do for that long of a helicopter flight, we booked her a stay at a kennel in Fairbanks.

Our little trouble-maker is right where she belongs - behind bars!

They even have a “Muttesorie” school for her to go to during the day. We called and checked on her and they said that she was having a blast playing with the other dogs and behaving like a good girl. I’m not sure if I believe them about her good behavior, but feel relieved about her excellent report.

Today I wanted to talk about a lesson that I learned during our first few days here.

We were picked up at the airport by one of Blake’s co-workers and driven to the “lodge” where we’d be staying. I was expecting a resort-like place with a lobby, restaurant and lounge and hot tub because that is the only type of “lodge” that I have been to. However, we pulled up to a large, house-looking building that had antlers hanging from the front. As we walked through the narrow hallway and to our room, I quickly decided that I was not going to like it here because A) it had not been remodeled for at least 25 years, B) it lacked a fancy restaurant and spa and C) it felt like the set of a horror film.

Me, being a brat because I was freezing cold and judgmental.

I whispered my disappointment in our accommodations to Blake who told me to relax and appreciate this new experience. As we headed upstairs and sat down for our late dinner of salad, sauteed vegetables, sausage and pasta, I became anxious because I assumed there would be little to no gluten-free food choices. I explained to the lodge owner that I wasn’t trying to be impolite by not eating the pasta, but that I was gluten-intolerant. He asked me to explain what that meant and would try to accommodate my dietary restriction.

The "game room"

He then proudly showed us the “game room” that displayed at least 20 different types of mounted animals from a famous hunter’s personal collection. By that time, I was grossed out by the dead animals, old decor and amount of sausage that I had just consumed. I decided that I was going to have to suffer through a week with slow Internet, being by myself in a creepy place and being isolated from any modern-day town. (The village is about a mile away and consists of a trading post.)

Blake’s food and lodging is covered by the company he works for, but he is paying $150/day to cover my food and lodging. I told him that he was being “ripped-off” for paying that much given the condition of this place and the few gluten-free food choices that I had. His response was that he “wasn’t paying for some grand hotel for me, he was paying for me to be with him.” Hmm… I hadn’t thought about it that way. I was too busy complaining about everything that wasn’t “perfect” that I forgot to be grateful for the fact that we were together and Blake was willing to shell out some serious cash for me to be able to stay with him. Right then, I started to become embarrassed of my childish behavior.

The next day, I went for a long walk around the lake and spent some time reading books and magazines. I started to feel relaxed and comfortable.  The lodge owner was kind enough to make me a chicken and vegetable soup from scratch along with a salad as my lunchtime meal. He asked what kinds of gluten-free foods that he could prepare for me. He then built me a fire in the “game room” and encouraged me to watch the T.V. and relax by the fire.

While on my run that evening, I was blown away by how judgemental I had been. Within 30 seconds of arriving at the lodge, I decided that I didn’t like it and thought that it was creepy. I’m embarrassed by my snap judgements. The lesson that I learned that day is, You don’t have to actually like something, but do not be so quick to place judgement on it. I don’t particularly enjoy where we are staying, but I should not have judged it the way that I did on our first night here.

Posing along the river in my new pink Carhartt jacket

Me falling down the super-steep trail that led to the river below.

I have so much to be grateful for at this moment; Blake and I get to spend time together while he’s not working, I have all day to do what I want to do, I’m healthy and able to go for runs and do outdoor workouts, I have plenty of clothes to keep me warm, Layla is being well taken care of, etc.

Readers, please learn from my mistake. Do not be so quick to judge someone, something, someplace. It’s alright if you eventually decide that you don’t care for it, but give it a chance.

I forgot to mention that there was a mouse in our room too! Of course, Blake was not phased by this, but I was horrified. The lodge owner offered for us to move rooms and that he would catch the mouse. Blake refused and eventually him and the lodge owner chased the mouse into another room and set out a trap for him.

It turns out that the left-over food that we had thrown in our trash was too appealing to the little mouse. So basically, Blake and I created our own problem, then freaked out over it and then it was solved. So many life lessons being learned on this trip!

Have a great day and I hope that you enjoy some of the photos that I’m sharing with you from our adventures up here!

Life Lessons from Stand Up Paddleboarding

Hi! I hope that you are having a fabulous day so far! I wanted to share some inspiring lessons that I’ve learned from stand up paddleboarding (SUP) over the past few years.

Suzie was recently featured in the July issue of Self magazine.

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I was introduced to SUP by the lovely, Suzie Coney, of Suzie Trains Maui. She was my trainer when I lived on Maui and she taught free women’s SUP workshops on the weekends. All that you had to do was bring your board and paddle and she would instruct us on proper warm-up exercises and SUP techniques. I gained some major confidence and camaraderie with the other women out there on the water. I want to thank Suzie for introducing me to such an exciting and invigorating sport!

Life Lessons I’ve learned from Stand Up Paddleboarding

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1. If you fall off your board, get back on

This is true at every point in your life. We are constantly “falling off our board,” whether it’s not getting the job we applied for, being dumped by our significant other or eating a bag of Oreos after we swore off of junk food. What’s important is that we pick ourselves up and get back on our “board.”

When I first started SUP, I was in the water half of the time that I was out there. Instead of calling it quits and swimming back to shore, I pulled myself out of the water and back onto my board. I continued to work on my balance and learn the best ways to maneuver my board in the choppy waters. The last time that I went SUP on my trip to Maui, I went out for about 30 minutes without falling once!

I know that we all have times when we’re feeling down or have gotten off track. My best advice is to stick with our goal, get back up, and keep working towards it. Our hard work will pay off!

2. Keep your eyes ahead, not beneath you

This one is especially important, both when your on the water and in life, when your striving towards large goals. I realized that when I looked at the ocean beneath my board, I was more likely to be wobbly and lose my balance than when I focused on a point in the distance. I liken this to staying focused on your overall life goals instead of worrying about the issues that arise on a daily basis. There will always be little problems that come up along the way, but if we work through them, everything will all work out.

Next time you find yourself panicked about a current “crisis” remind yourself that “this too shall pass” and that you will eventually achieve your goal.

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3. Go with the flow

This is one that I am constantly working on! When you are out in the choppy ocean waters, your board is continually bobbing up and down with the waves of the ocean. If your legs are locked straight, you are more likely to get tossed off your board. However, if you slightly bend your legs and allow the board to rock beneath you with ease, you are less likely lose your balance.

In life, it is easy to get caught up in the day to day drama, but if you roll with the punches and don’t worry too much about the little things, it will all work out.

There you go. These are my life lessons learned through my experience with stand up paddleboarding. Readers, I have 2 challenges for you: apply one of these lessons to your week this week and if you have the opportunity to try SUP, do it!

Have a great day today!

Much love,

Kilee

How to Start Your Day “Right”

Good morning everyone! Are you enjoying your long weekend? I sure am. Yesterday was a very good “Kilee” day. I took Layla on her morning walk, had my carrot cake protein pancake and coffee while working on the computer.

Check out that cute mug. I got it for Blake because it reminded me of Alaska and Layla. (Sometimes she resembles a bear!)

Then I went to Costco to pick up my toiletries. I find that Costco has the best deal on all of my “necessities” – Cetaphil, Secret Clinical Strength (this is seriously the only deoderant that works for me. I’ve tried all the “natural ones” and they just don’t cut it) Venus disposable razors and pretty pink lip gloss. The only downside to shopping at Costco – opening up their ridiculous cardboard and plastic packaging. I even bought a set of heavy duty scissors yesterday because we didn’t have any at the house.

After my little venture to Costco, I went on an amazing run at a park near our home.

Once I was home, I inhaled an extra large chicken and romaine salad, then picked up the house and finally busted out this Tone It Up workout.

I am rather cheap when it comes to buying most everyday items. I have learned that you should not buy the least expensive exercise ball because it will end up deflating easily and the foot pump that comes with it barely pumps any air when used. With that being said, when this one goes ka-put, I will be buying one that costs more than $9.99!

I went tanning to make up for my lack of being in the sun all day and headed over to my sister’s “PJ” themed birthday party. I even packed my “lean & green” quinoa burger and steamed spinach so I could have it for dinner while at the party. Very exciting, I know :)

While on my run yesterday, I listened to a Everything is Energy podcast with Joan Borysenko. She spoke of the importance of starting our day in the best mindset possible. In order to shift our energy into a positive place, recommends doing something that inspires and invigorates us first thing each morning. What works for one person might not inspire another person, so be authentic to your true self.

Examples of uplifting activities include:

• Taking a walk
• Listening to your favorite music
• Writing in your journal
• Doing a meditation
• Going for a run or bike ride
• Working on a craft project

The key is to start your day doing something you love and create positive energy. I can tell a big difference on the days that I go for a walk with Layla first thing in the morning versus when I have to rush and forgo our morning exercise.

Be sure to sign up for Tone It Up’s Fall Fitness Challenge! I’m going to be participating and strongly encourage you to join in on the fun! You can sign up here.

Inspiration Board 2.0

Hi! How is your weekend going? Mine has been good. Pretty low-key around here. I took Layla for her morning walk around the neighborhood, had my coffee and breakfast and then devoted a good three hours to this:

My new inspiration board. A few months ago, I posted about my inspiration board and how to make one. For the past two weeks, I’ve had this little voice in the back of my head nagging me to make a new one. My life feels like it’s at a cross-roads right now and I need a little direction. So what did I do? I spent some extra time writing in my journal. I have never been a religious journal writer. Mine is usually just filled with to-do lists and goals that I want to work on. Whenever I start to feel like I need to re-evaulate where my life’s going, I spend a little more time reflecting in my journal. Recent entries may or may not have included my thoughts on:

• Things that make me happy
• Where I see myself in 1, 3, and 5 years. 10 years always seems so far away!
• New ideas for Whole Nutrition
• Feelings that I have been carrying around with me for awhile that I want to work through
• My core values. What makes me me?

Get the picture? After spending that time reflecting, I knew that I needed a new vision board. I bought a foam board and some art supplies at Target. (Back to school prices are the best! $1 for Crayola markers right now.) I went through a giant stack of magazines; cutting out images that inspired me. (Mom – thank you for always sending me your old ones!)  And used rubber cement to glue it all together. Instead of writing down individual goals to paste onto it, I tried to categorize different areas of my life: relationships, career, happiness, health & spirituality. It’s funny because once you paste all the images up in the different categories, you see that they all correlate with one another.

Feeling very accomplished after completing my board, I set off to tackle my 6-mile run in the sunshine. I chugged a coconut water before hand and grabbed my iPod. Usually I wait until after a long run to drink my coconut water, but I was feeling low-blood-sugar-like beforehand and didn’t want to wait another hour or so for a snack to digest. What do you do? Drink your electrolyte drink before, after or during a long workout?

My post-workout smoothie was gag-worthy. I must have been somewhat delirious after my run because I thought that powdered greens, cod liver oil, maca and mesquite powders, coconut milk, whey protein powder, cherries, almond butter and ice would be a palatable smoothie. I was wrong. I drank it anyway because I can’t stand to waste my expensive, health foods.

Dinner tonight was one of my “clean out the fridge” stir-fries. I  chopped up some onion, mushrooms, carrots, sugar snap peas, spinach, edamame and Southwest Sunshine Burger and cooked it over medium-high heat in a skillet. When it was done, I squeezed some fresh lemon on top with a splash of Braggs aminos. Delish!

I’m going to go read some books that I downloaded on my Kindle. Have a great night!

Readers: Have you made your inspiration board yet? If you have, do you look at it daily?

How to Get Yourself Out of a Bummer Mood

Hello! How’s your day going today? I am feeling good thanks to another fabulous Tone It Up workout that I did this evening. It’s funny how I can feel so lazy and “blah” and then once I do my workout, I’ll feel totally refreshed and energized. One of my favorite benefits of exercise is how good I feel after I do it.

I know I’ve been away from the blog for the past few days. Sorry! I have been battling a cold/allergies and I have to practice what I preach, “relax and sleep when you’re not feeling well.” It’s so much easier to tell others to do things than to do them ourselves, right? Well, I’m back and I’ve had some time to think about today’s post. I wanted to share with you some tips that I’ve developed from personal experience.

How to Get Yourself Out of a Bummer Mood

If you are anything like me, there are some days when you feel upset about everything. You got into work late, you had to deal with a cranky person on the phone, you’re unhappy with your job, you can’t find a boyfriend/girlfriend or you’re upset with your partner, you don’t have enough money to buy a new iPad. Have you had any days like this? I admit that some days it seems like my problems outweigh my blessings. Deep down, I know this isn’t true, but it’s how I feel at that moment in time. Usually I can make myself snap out of this mindset by reminding myself how fortunate I am to be loved by my family and friends and how lucky I am to have a roof over my head, nutritious food in my fridge and a healthy body. However, there are still some days when I need to take a little more action to get myself out of my “bummer mood.”

Here are my favorite tips for shifting your mindset when you’re not feeling your best:

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1. Write it down. When it feels like everything is going wrong in my life, I take out a piece of paper and make a list of everything that is bothering me. Once I have my list written down I come up with a possible solution for each situation.

Just like that, I already feel better knowing that I have an action step to take and it’s as simple as picking up the phone and calling someone for assistance. Sometimes your issue can be larger than a computer repair.

Attracting new friends can seem like a daunting task until you step outside of your comfort zone and put yourself in a new setting. Sign up for a running club, take a class at your local community college, or volunteer with an organization. These are all great settings to meet new people with similar interests.

2. Call a friend and make plans. Last Sunday I was at home and felt really lonely. What I wanted was a big batch of gluten-free chocolate chip cookies. However, I knew that a sweet treat wasn’t going to cure my loneliness at the time. Instead, I texted some of my close friends to see if they wanted to come over for dinner that night. They said that they could use a study break and would love to come over. Instantly I felt better because I now had to plan a menu, prepare a meal and enjoy dinner with some of my friends. Next time you’re feeling blue, invite someone to do something. If they can’t, find someone who can. I will literally call all the contacts on my phone until I can make plans with someone.

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3. Do a 5-min meditation. Lately, when I get home from work, I feel exhausted and worn out. All I want to do is plop down on the couch and turn on the T.V. A great alternative that I’ve put to use is to go in my room, shut my door and do a 5-10 minute guided meditation. I simply type “guided meditation” into youtube.com. I lay down, close my eyes and follow along to the meditation. When I’m done with my meditation, I feel relaxed and ready to ease into my evening. A 5-minute meditation can turn a “blah” mood into a good mood.

4. Eat a protein/carbohydrate combo. I do not always advocate turning to food to improve your mood. However, if you haven’t eaten in the past four hours and feel a little “low,” try pairing a lean protein with a high-fiber carbohydrate. Some snack combo examples include: 3 slices of organic turkey breast with a handful of baby carrots, 2 Tablespoons of almond butter with an organic apple, a scoop of protein powder blended with 1/2 cup frozen berries, 1 cup almond milk and 2 ice cubes. I promise that you will be feeling energized within 20 minutes. If a snack-size amount of food won’t cut it, go ahead and make a balanced meal with some lean protein, healthy carbohydrate and a little fat. Just remember to keep it light and don’t use this as an excuse to sneak some chips or candy. These will leave you feeling worse than before you ate them.

You already know how much I love my ToneItUp workouts :)

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5. Commit to your favorite workout. Nothing makes me feel as good as a sweaty workout. Well, almost nothing ;) Sometimes when I score a really great deal on a new outfit, I feel pretty darn good! The reason why exercise can boost our mood is because our bodies release a type of “feel-good” endorphin during exercise.

Don’t feel like working out? My top three tips for motivating myself to do a workout include: telling myself that I only have to do it for 10 minutes. If I still don’t feel like working out after 10 minutes, I can stop. Most of the time, I already feel good after 10 minutes, so I continue on with my workout.

Another thing I do is ask myself why type of workout I absolutely do not feel like doing. Then I give myself permission not to do it and instead think of one that I do feel like doing. For example, if a 3-mile run sounds awful, but a weight training circuit sounds better, skip the run and do the weight workout.

My third way of motivating myself to do a workout is to watch a few workout videos on youtube. Once I see someone else working out and looking like they’re enjoying their workout, it usually motivates me to join in and bust out a workout.

There you go! These are my time-tested tips for getting yourself out of a bummer mood. I want to clarify that I am not trying to offer these to support people with depression (you should seek medical support if you think you suffer from depression) and am solely trying to offer suggestions for those who have the occasional “bad mood.”

Readers: What are your favorite ways to improve your mood when you’re feeling down?

I snapped this photo last Friday after running along with Portland waterfront with my friend, McKenzie.

Connecting with Friends & Family

Hi! I hope that you are feeling well and staying active so far this week. I’ve found that the move active I am, the better I feel. Is this the same for you? My Monday has been pretty standard. Some of the highlights include:

A 30-minute walk with Layla this morning.

Bringing the vegan, gluten-free chocolate cake that I baked last night into work for our boss’ birthday.

Mailing off the Purebars and some gluten-free “Super-Charge-Me” cookies to giveaway winner, Faith.

Doing a little ToneItUp workout after work.

Salad bar, rosemary steak & Kombucha from New Seasons for dinner.

Now I’m curled up on the couch with Layla and my mug of cinnamon tea, watching The Bachelorette. Who else loves Ben?!

Yes, Layla has a no-bark collar because she has a few issues to work out

Tonight's Tea Bag Quote: "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them." - Galileo Gaililei

Recently I’ve been taking some time to think about what makes me feel good about myself. I’ve always been somewhat in tune with how sleep, diet, exercise and relationships affect my mood. Something that I hadn’t thought about is how my communication with my friends and loved ones can make me feel about myself.

In today’s modern world it’s so easy to loose direct contact with the ones we care about. 100 years ago, you had to either pay a visit to your friends and family or write them a letter. Today’s means of contact are much less personable. Texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc. take the meaningful and personal connections out of our communications. For example: texts make it much harder to understand where someone is coming from because they lack voice inflections, Facebook makes it way too easy to feel like an outsider peering into someones life & I’m still confused about how to be personable on Twitter (although I do have an account.)

What I’m trying to get at here is that it’s easy to feel disconnected from our friends and family nowadays. Technology and social media have made it so convenient to “stay in touch” but they’ve also made it more difficult to have meaningful, human interactions with others.

I’ve noticed that I feel amazing when I spend actual time with my friends and family members. I also like to set aside some time to call people when I’m not driving or multi-tasking so that I can give them my full attention. I enjoy hand writing thank-you cards to let people know that I truly appreciate their gifts and kindness. None of these gestures involve social media.

On the other end of the spectrum, I’ve noticed that I feel uneasy when I can’t decipher what someone means by a text. I feel isolated when I’m by myself looking at people’s party photos on Facebook. I feel unexciting when I scroll through 10 blogs back to back with eventful posts. I think that we as humas crave meaningful interactions with others.

Does anyone else feel this way? It’s something that I’ve just recently noticed as a theme in my life. Therefore, I plan to:

1. Spend as much of my free time with my friends and family as possible

2. Call my friends and family who I can’t meet up with when I have a free afternoon

3. Stop scrolling through Facebook & Google Reader on a daily basis. I’ll try it every other day for now!

Readers: How do you feel about your connections with others? Do you ever notice that you feel better or worse with different types of communication?

Saturday at the Coast

Hi! How is your weekend going? Mine has been a whirlwind thus far. I got off of work on Friday, did this ToneItUp workout.

Post-workout berry smoothie

I then got ready & packed in 30 minutes! Here were some of my “eats” that I packed Friday afternoon:

ThinkThin protien bar, Zico coconut water, powdered greens & stevia packet

My mom, sister and I helped Laura and her family assemble her wedding invitations. Later that night I drove back to the coast with my mom. Yesterday I had a perfect Saturday at home: coffee talk with my mom (in bed,) shopping at the Seaside outlet mall (new shampoo and workout shoes,) and a 7 mile run on the beach. It was the typical rainy coastal weather and my beach run looked like this:

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Then I got to go out for dinner with my parents. Our waiter was one of my friends from highschool whom I had not seen in about seven years. It was really good to see her and we had a wonderful dinner.

My dinner consisted of: a glass of Pinot, side salad with balsamic vinegarette, hazlenut crusted salmon drizzled with brown sugar butter sauce and vegetables. It ate and loved every last bite. :)

My dad and I then drove back up to Portland and called it a night. Today is another rainy day. I’m going to be prepping for the week and getting caught up on laundry.

This morning I spent some time working on my personal development. Every 3-4 months I like to devote some extra time to focus on “checking-in” with myself and evaluating my goals. I learned about Christine Hassler, “Quarter-Life Crisis Coach” though my favorite blog: TheDailyLove.com. (*If you haven’t already done so, go sign up for their daily newsletter & then meet me back here*) I subscribed to her Transform 20 Something Coaching Kit:

I also listened to The Feminine Power Teleseminar Replay here. It was lead by Katherine Woodward Thomas & Claire Zammit. Here’s a description of the 75-minute teleseminar:

Don’t these tools sounds amazing? I highly recommend both of them. I’m off to work on my “Quarter-Life Crisis” & “Unleashing My Feminine Power.” Have a great Sunday!

How to Be Healthy Over the Holiday Weekend

Hi! How is your week going so far? Are you getting excited for the 4th of July? With our 3-day weekend coming up, there are going to be plenty of parties, barbecues and get-togethers. Are you wanting to avoid the fattening party foods without feeling deprived? Here are some suggestions for eating well and having fun during this weekend’s celebrations.

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How to Be Healthy this 4th of July Weekend

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1. Set a game plan. The number one way to stick to healthy habits is to write down your game plan ahead of time. This Thursday or Friday take out your note pad and write down your workouts for the weekend and when you are going to do them. I’m planning on going on a long run Saturday morning, the gym Sunday morning and meeting up with my friend for a run Monday morning.

Now that our workouts are planned, let’s plan out our meals and pack some healthy snacks. Write down healthy meals and snack ideas. If you feel overwhelmed and tempted to stray off track at a party, whip out your list of healthy meal plans and stick to it.

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2.  Pack as much as you can. (No, not clothes, healthy foods!) If you are going to be traveling or staying away from home, pack a few easy to prepare breakfasts and snacks. You most likely will be at parties for lunch and/or dinners so breakfast items and snacks are the foods that you should focus on packing. Packets of instant oatmeal, fresh fruit, and greek yogurt are all healthy options for breakfast. Some healthy snack ideas include: baby carrots, sugar snap peas, grape tomatoes, raw almonds, Larabars, ThinkThin bars, Purebars, apples, and grapes.

3. Bring Your Own “____” No, not “beer,” salad! This is the easiest way to make sure that the party you are going to will have a healthy vegetable option. Check with the host or hostess first to make sure that it’s okay with them for you to bring a salad. Then, make a large, salad full of fresh greens and lots of raw vegetables. Even if there are no other healthy food options at the party, at least you can eat a lot of your salad.

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4. Keep it lean and green. When selecting foods to eat at your gatherings, remember the mantra “lean and green.” Load up most of your plate with green vegetables: lettuce, fresh greens, zucchini, broccoli, etc. Then choose a little lean protein: chicken, fish, quinoa, beans, etc. By sticking with light foods, it will give you a little more wiggle room to enjoy a drink or slice of pie.

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5. If you indulge yourself, NBD (no big deal!) Being too strict and rigid with your diet and exercise over a holiday weekend can make you a party-pooper. Celebrations are about relaxing, coming together with your family and friends and having fun. Go ahead and enjoy a a cocktail or a slice of your mom’s famous chocolate cake. What you don’t want to do is feel guilty and end up overindulging. Fill up on your healthy meals and snacks and leave that last 10% of your eats for fun foods that you want enjoy.

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6. Focus on what’s important. Barbecues, bonfires and block-parties feature great tasting food. But instead of staying focused on the food, think about the other reasons why these get-togethers are so much fun: the company! Keep yourself busy catching up with friends and loved ones. Learn about what’s new and exciting in their lives and give them your full attention. By working the crowd, you will be less likely to dish up a second hamburger or veggie burger. Be thankful that everyone can get together and celebrate this patriotic holiday.

I hope that these help you stay healthy and feeling great this holiday weekend. What are your favorite tips for staying active and eating healthy during holiday celebrations?

How to Achieve Your Goals

Hi! How are you doing today? I’m feeling fabulous right now! I woke up early, took Layla for her morning walk, worked at the health center, got all my appointments made, worked out, made one of my Gluten-Free Lean Cuisine dinners, and now I’m sipping my Blue Sky Cherry Vanilla Creme soda as I type this. And, The Bachelorette is on right now, so I guess you could say I’m multitasking.

Today I was driving home thinking about how I had crossed almost all of my to-do’s off of my daily list. This lead to me start thinking about how I am a “go-getter” and am constantly working towards my goals. This trait can be seen as a good or a bad thing. For this post, we’ll focus on the positive aspect of it.

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What makes someone an achiever? Why do some people have the ambition and drive to go after their dreams and not give up? Why do others choose not to set goals and work towards them? Does everyone desire to achieve great things, but only some act on it? What differentiates the achievers from the slackers?

I am no expert at achieving goals, but have achieved some goals throughout my life. I strongly believe that regular goal-setting is detrimental to being successful in life. If you don’t decide where you want to go in life, how are you going to get there? Set goals to help you create your life map.

Here are my top 5 personal tips for achieving your goals:

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1. Write them down. I know that this doesn’t seem like a big deal, but the simple act of taking out a pen and writing your goals down on paper makes you 99 times more likely to achieve them.

2. Post them up. Remember that inspiration board post that I did a while back? The point of creating an inspiration board is to look at it and be inspired each day. By writing down your goals and pasting them to your inspiration board, you are constantly reminded of your goals.

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3. Just Do It. The Nike tag line is not just for athletes; it’s for all of us. Procrastination can get the best of all of us, but only you can push past it. Instead of making up excuses of why you “can’t” do something, make an action plan and “just do it.”

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4. Be kind to yourself. It’s easy to let self-doubt and negative emotions get the best of you. Instead of thinking about your weaknesses and what you haven’t yet achieved, focus on your strengths and how you’ve already started working towards your goals. Remember that positive thinking creates positive results. Being kind to yourself will enable you to achieve your goals and feel great while you are doing it.

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5. Reach out for support. This is such an important step. We as human are becoming more and more isolated as time goes by and technology changes. You need to reach out to others and share your goals with them. By interacting and socializing with your peers and mentors, you will have more support for working towards your goals.

Some great websites with goal setting tools include:

Lululemon Goaltender - This application lets you set goals for a year, 5 years and 10 years from now. It even emails you to check on your status with each goal.

Tim Ferris’ Dreamline Worksheet – This excel worksheet allows you to set personal and business goals and create the steps to make them attainable. I highly recommend both of his books for getting you motivated to set some goals.

Acompl.sh.com – This site used to be named 101 in 365, but they recently changed their name. They offer a place to store 101 goals that you would like to accomplish over the next year. The goals can be big or small, but you want to cross them off your list within the next 365 days.

What are your top tips for achieving your goals? One of my goals is writing my blog posts on a daily schedule. I haven’t achieved it yet, but I’m working on it ;)

Inspiration Board

Hi! I hope that everyone enjoyed the maple syrup information yesterday. Tonight’s post is going to feature one of my favorite things: Inspiration Boards.

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Inspirations boards are a collage of images, quotes and written goals that inspire you to achieve your dreams. You can clip photos from magazines that inspire you to be a better version of yourself. You can write down quotes that are meaningful to you. It’s helpful to write out individual goals that you want to achieve.

I started making inspiration boards back in middle school and hanging them up in my closet so that I would see them each morning when I got dressed. Then in high school, I made collages out of magazine clippings and put them inside the covers of my binders. Fast forward to now … and I have a little inspiration board in my room. It serves as my daily reminder to work towards my goals, stay positive and create the life that I want to live.

You may have seen Gina’s Inspiration Boards a while back. She kinda reminded me about my love of inspiration boards. Another great post on making inspiration boards is on the Lululemon blog. A few months ago I gathered up the magazine clippings that I had set aside and tacked them up on my bulletin board along with some of my handwritten goals. This summer I’m making working out, taking Layla for lots of walks and getting enough rest a priority, so I wrote myself a little reminder about these too.

So, what’s going on your inspiration board? You can make one to hang up on your wall or if you want to make one on your computer, check out Oprah’s Dream Board Maker online.

I’m going to be sending mine to Karena and Katrina at ToneItUp for their post that they’re doing on inspiration boards. We’re all here to support each other and encourage one another to create our own dream life! Feel free to send me a picture of yours if you make one. Take care, Kilee

How to Not Feel Like You Have to Accomplish a Life’s Worth of Goals This Instant

Hi! I hope that you are having a fabulous Friday so far!  Here’s a pic of my cute little wheat grass pot in my kitchen. I juiced some the other day and cannot believe how much instant energy it gave me :)

I have spent the last few days re-prioritizing my goals and how I spend my time.  As I reflected over the past year, I started to realize that I have been putting so much energy into *making things happen* that I haven’t stopped to smell the roses along the way.  My goals that I plan to achieve are grande in size and I have spent the past few years in the mindset that I have to work non-stop, spend all of my free time building my business and go-go-go to accomplish these goals.  After taking a few weeks off from this mindset, I have realized that it’s unhealthy to always be in this mode.  My mind was constantly thinking of what I should be doing or how much I need to accomplish to create the life that I want.  I was striving to be be a super-human.

Then it hit me.  I’m never going to be super-human.  None of us are.  Even Martha Stewart, one of my long-time idols, is not super-human.  She built an awe-inspiring media empire, but was not super-human enough to avoid jail-time.

Looking back on different times in my life I started to see a theme.  I wish that I would not have worried so much and just gone out and had fun.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had lots of fun, but there has always been a part of me that worried that I wasn’t doing enough to work towards accomplishing my goals. What am I going to do about this? I’m going to change my mindset. Instead of continuing my theme of worrying and always feeling like I need to be doing more, I’m giving myself permission to go relax a little and enjoy life.  Even the most accomplished individuals have some fun now and then, right?

The reason why I wanted to share this with you is because leading a fulfilling, healthy lifestyle involves balance.  Work and play, healthy, alkalizing foods and indulgent treats, working hard to accomplish your dreams and relaxing.  I pledge to keep a more balanced mindset when it comes to achieving my goals.  I trust that the universe has an even greater plan for me than the one that I strive for.

Because I just spent the past year working my buns off and am now realizing that it’s beneficial to slow down and enjoy the moment you’re in, I want to share with you my tips on easing off of over-drive.  If you are on the other end of the spectrum and feel that all you want to do is lay back and not set any goals, wake up and use these tips to get motivated!

1. Identify your top three goals.  Write them down in a notepad or on a dry erase board.

2. Remind yourself that you will accomplish these goals at the right time for you and your journey through life.

3. Trust that the universe has an even better life in store for you than the one you have planned.

4. Create an action plan of how you are going to achieve these goals. Do not become fixated on achieving them a.s.a.p. but instead recognize that you will accomplish your goals when the timing is right.  Remember my favorite life quote that I’m sure my friends are sick of hearing from me, “Everything happens for a reason.”  If something doesn’t happen exactly when you want it to, trust that there is something greater that is meant to happen.

5. Make time to relax, hang out with friends and family, have fun, treat yourself.  Life is too short to only focus on your goals and not enjoy the wealth that you already have: health, loved ones & purpose.

So, I just wanted to remind myself that I’m not super-human.  Even though I would LOVE to write a new blog post everyday, at this point in my life, I cannot accomplish that goal.  It doesn’t mean that it won’t happen someday, just not today.

Please remember not to be too hard on yourself and realize that your goals will come true if you progressively work towards them.  Take some time to have fun and be with the ones you care about.

And, for daily inspiration delivered right to your inbox, check at http://thedailylove.com.  I always feel so inspired and enlightened when I read Mastin’s daily email newsletter!

Sunny Day Trip

Hi! Happy Easter everyone! Since I had the day off from work yesterday, Blake, Layla and I took a drive out to McMinville to meet up with some friends and enjoy the sunshine.

One part of personal health that is often overlooked is leisure. You could adhere to every healthy diet and workout rule in the book, but if you don’t take the time to relax and have fun with loved ones, your health can suffer. This article explains some of the connections between how much leisure time a person takes and their overall health.

So, in the spirit of taking time to enjoy life, here are some of the highlights from our day yesterday:

Layla and I loaded up in the truck and ready for the drive

Salad and Tofu Lunch at Whole Foods

Raw Chocolate Coconut Cookies for Snacking

Back country roads in the Dundee Hills

There were all types of vineyards and farms too

We found some adorable lhasa apso puppies for sale and just had to stop and hold them

And Layla got a little jealous! She had a lot of fun running around the park though.

Then we met up with some friends for drinks and dinner. We were there for three hours just catching up and having fun. I love when we get to go out to McMinville because it’s so beautiful out there and we get to spend time with some of our good friends. It’s days like this that remind me that life is not all about working hard and crossing a million things off of my to-do list. It feels good to take a break, spend time with those you care about and appreciate life’s simple pleasures.

I’ll be back tomorrow with an Easter re-cap. Have a very special Easter (or Sunday if you don’t celebrate) and take some time to relax and have fun!

Take care,

Kilee

Baby Steps

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Hi! I hope that you’re having a good day so far.  I have been making it through my workweek and a Liver & Gallbladder Cleanse.  I always feel a little more tired when I’m on a cleanse and this week is no exception.  When it comes to working out while on a cleanse, I listen to my body and do not over-exercise.  Long walks, yoga, light cardio and weights are all great ways to stay active without putting too much strain on the body.

While in the sauna this evening, I started to think about the easiest ways to transition into a healthy lifestyle.  I know what doesn’t work – deciding to give it an all or nothing approach.  This mentality sets you up for failure because you are tempted to throw in the towel as soon as you have a slip-up.  Be gentle with yourself and realize that no one is perfect.  If you go against your goal to have desert once a week and you have a cup of ice cream two nights in a row, relax.  Your world is not over! You are not a bad person!  You had a human slip-up.  Do not feel awful and consume the rest of the carton.  Instead, appreciate, your indulgence and move on.  Tomorrow is a new day and a fresh start towards your “once a week desert” goal.

So, we have accepted the fact that we (and everyone else on this planet) are not perfect and that there will be slip-ups on our path towards a healthy lifestyle.  The next thing to keep in mind is that a slow transition can become a life-long healthy lifestyle.  My favorite way to approach healthy lifestyle changes is to take “baby steps.”

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“Baby steps” are small, continual changes which over time, create a lasting, painless change.  An example would be my (12 ounce) can of Diet Coke that I drank with lunch each afternoon during college. Even for a few years after college, I’d occasionally indulge in that afternoon craving.  After a while I learned about the dangers of drinking regular and diet soda and decided that I did not want to put it in my body.  Instead of telling myself that I could never drink a drop of soda again, I devised a “baby step” plan to painlessly remove it from my diet.

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The first thing I did was think of other bubbly drinks that were less harmful to my health.  La Croix sparkling water and Emergen-C packets made the list.  After lunch each day I would treat myself to one of the substitution beverages and remind myself how much better they are for my health.  After awhile it got to the point where I didn’t need to drink one of my new drinks and could do with just water.

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This is just one example of the many “baby steps” that we can take for our health.  Please don’t take the all-or-nothing approach to health.  Readers: what “baby steps” have you taken or want to take for your health?