Life talk.
A little pick-me-up.
A little inspo.
All about this “balance” buzzword and ways to help you discover it.
I’ve been hearing lots of chatter about balance lately, which has forced me to look into my own life. Where there is balance, there is happiness… right? In our crazy, buzzing and wacky world, sometimes we need to snap out of it, make some positive changes and find out what truly makes us feel happy. What makes us feel at peace. What helps us to feel our best and put our best foot forward.
It’s not easy to enforce this happy-medium into our day-to-day life. It takes time, work, trial and error and repeating that process literally everyday. Discovering your personal harmony can be achieved by looking deep into your everyday routines, your eating habits, exercise schedule, relationships and mental well-being.
A few weeks ago, I shared this post outlining my feelings about life, as of lately, and basically how I was feeling unhappy. I was missing a balance. For months I felt like we were just going going going and eventually that way of living wasn’t working anymore. Without balance, it’s hard to feel inspired to work at your dreams. Creating this sense of peace in everyday life, as hard as it can be, makes me more productive because it means sleep and doing little things everyday that you love to do. Those happy moments bring inspiration and new life. You can still accomplish everything you need to get done in a day and withhold a balance…. but your lifestyle may need some altering.
So today, I am sharing some tips that I’ve been incorporating to find my own balance and become my best self.
? BEAUTY SLEEP!
Sleep is healing, sleep is magical, sleep is the cure. If you are not getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you may need to re-think sleeping habits. We’ve all heard about the importance of sleep is. It’s time to catch some more zzzz’s! A couple years ago I remember a fitness blogger I was following on Twitter would always tweet out #GYAIB right around 9:00pm. Meaning #Get Yo Ass In Bed. Nothing cool happens after 10:00pm on weeknights. Weekends are a different story but there is no point in staying up late anymore during the work week.
Creating a bedtime routine, even if you feel like you’re back in kindergarten, can put your mind in the sleepy sleep mode. I try my best to be in bed by 10. Not on the couch sleeping, but actually IN bed. Usually I fall asleep to the news. I know watching tv before bed isn’t supposed to help with sleep but I turn the volume down really low and I find it soothing (plus the tv in our bedroom is basically the size of a kleenex box) so it doesn’t really bother me, because I can hardly see it. Ha. TV also helps to drown out creepy noises…
We know why sleep is so important. Lack of sleep affects out hormones and tries to trick us the next day by forcing us to crave sweets for a quick burst of energy because we are sleep deprived, which also has us ordering out because we are too exhausted to cook. Also, if you find yourself rushing in the mornings, #GYAIB earlier!! We’ve all been there. I remember running to the train in heels and a skirt praying I wouldn’t miss it. That was not a good way to start the day!! In creating our balance, we need to stress less.
? Move Yo Body
In order to get a good night’s rest and actually feel tired to the point where we fall asleep when our head hits the pillow, we need to get movin’ during the day. Waking up and starting with a workout is so beneficial for your body. You know it increases your energy and you opt for healthier choices throughout the day. Your body wants to sweat and start off the day on a good note! So do whatever works for you. Make small goals for every day or every week. If you like to workout after work that’s cool too as long as you are doing something. J
ust make sure your workouts aren’t too late as it can affect your sleep schedule and give you too much energy before bed. Workouts can be anything from walking to a quick jog outside to a yoga video or a class at the gym. I know those endorphins work wonders on my mood. Especially during that time of the month when the last thing you want to do is workout… It seriously helps though. Do whatever makes you feel balanced and at peace. Try my go-to workout videos for quick at home workouts! I’m all about the booty workouts.
Kelli’s Booty Workout – 32 minutes
TIU – Inner and Outer Thighs – 13 minutes
The Ultimate Cardio Pilates Workout – 30 minutes
? Do something everyday that makes you feel fulfilled
Feeling fulfilled and working on your passions can make the world of a difference in your everyday life balance. Even if it’s something small! At least you are working toward a goal. And it’s never too late to start. This blog challenges me everyday and that feeling of empowerment has led to self-worth which I had never felt before in my other jobs. The corporate world was not for me. The feeling of fulfillment contributes to everyday happiness and balance. So quit talking about your passions and do something about it! Get off your lazy bootay and get to work. We are always told to chase our dreams but actually getting out there and taking action is what I’m talking about. Sticking to it and accomplishing one small goal a day or a week will eventually add up. You may surprise yourself 🙂
fulfillment = happiness = balance
? Nourish, Nourish Nourish
You know how I feel about nutrition! I like to believe everything that happens within our bodies and minds stems from what we are consuming. All of it. This means taking a closer look at that nutrition label, not the calories, but the ingredients. Check everything. So many hidden ingredients are added to everything and anything nowadays and if I can’t pronounce it or have no friggin clue what it is, I will not eat it or drink it. We are not helping our balance in any way by eating chemicals which can throw off our hormones and in turn leave us feeling totally imbalanced and off-key. Minimally processed, whole, organic, real plant-based foods with actual vitamins/minerals our bodies will recognize is the way to go.
Don’t believe me? Check out the Food Babe. You won’t believe what ingredients can be found in food nowadays. Some foods are hardly food at all! I’m not kidding, check everything. Your nutrition plays the biggest role in your life balance. Counting calories is old news. I never count calories because somehow it messes with my mind and leads to feelings of deprivation which equal stress which in turn make me want unhealthy foods. No thank you. I eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full.
I would rather count greens instead of calories!! Are you having greens and vegetables in at least 2 of your meals/snacks each day? Are you drinking a green juice or green smoothie? Incorporating more greens changed my life. Kale, spinach, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, brussels sprouts, green bell peppers, you name it, I love them allllll. I like to have two raw meals with greens a day. Usually a green juice in the morning or mid-day for a pick me up and a huge salad with tons of veggies for lunch. They give me that energy buzz I swear, my body depends on greens and vegetables to function. To see what I am eating on a daily basis, check out my instagram.
? Remember to smile.. and laugh a little
When was the last time you had a really good belly laugh? You know, the one where you are laughing uncontrollably almost to the point of tears and you can’t breathe. I LOVE those laughs. You can’t stop smiling for like 10 minutes after a really good laugh. I wish they happened more often. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge FAIL videos are pretty hilarious. And don’t forget to smile! Smiling automatically puts us in a better mood. Having a good laugh and lightening up a bit can bring you back to balance. So live a little, laugh a lot, and smile 🙂 🙂 🙂
? What is stressing you out?
Stress is a killer. Stress definitely does NOT help with balance and happiness. It can leave you feeling depressed, angry, sleepless and unhappy. Figure out if there is any way to change the amount of stress you deal with on a day-to-day basis. There has to be something you can make better or change in order to reduce the amount of strain in your life. Stress can also be a communication issue. If something is truly bothering you to the point that it affects your everyday life, you need to confront it.
Whether it be at work, at home, in your relationships or within yourself. Take control of it, make a plan and go forward with those changes. We also get stressed when change is happening which is natural. Change really sucks sometimes. People hate change! But deep down, you always know its for the better. This is your path, your life. This is the way in which your life is moving. There are new things on the horizon which could mean new opportunities and new energy. So spice up your life. And positive thinking REALLY works. I know you know this.
? Visualizing Your Perfect Life
Picture how you want your life to go. Where do you want to be in 5 years, 10 years etc? Where do you want to live? Do you want to work at your current job for the rest of your life? How do you see your happy life? Visualizing your future and mapping it out in your mind will bring everything together and will allow you to make a plan. Choosing success and knowing your vision will make you feel grounded with a purpose which leads back to feeling fulfilled. Everyone has a purpose. Tap into what you are good at and what you love to do. Figure out how to bring success to your life through your passions and visualize it. Make an outline in your diary for no one but yourself. And like I said above, do one thing everyday that is working toward that end goal. The Skinny Confidential recently talked about visualization, she titled it Tips for Grabbing Life By The Balls. Don’t you just love her?
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I’m not a life expert or life coach whatsoever, but I believe in these balancing tips. They have helped me become a better version of myself and I hope they help you too.
Are you feeling inspired?! How do you stay balanced?
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