::order::

This weekend I binged in the best way possible. 

On organization. 

Lately I've been feeling a little out of control, mainly because I haven't been able to workout as I'd like to. And so, after going to yoga and spinning last week and tasting that bit of control I so deeply crave, I suddenly needed order in every way: my closet, under my bed, desk drawers, nightstand, dresser drawers, the bench at the end of my bed, kitchen cabinets, under the sink, in the bathroom...

I couldn't stop. And I didn't want to. 

I didn't intend for it to fall exactly between Nourish and Order, Weeks 6 and 7 of the Wellness Challenge, but it undoubtedly fulfilled both. I felt so relaxed and at ease by the fact that every inch of my space was in order. It was the perfect way to leave things before two crazy weeks of traveling. 

I can't wait to get back to my happy house tomorrow and see things still neatly arranged. Spring cleaning may get all the attention, but there's something to be said for going into the winter with everything in order, too.

Happy Wednesday!

image via my instagram

contain&nourish

Last night I had the pleasure of an invitation to the Container Store's pre-launch party in Buckhead. They relocated to a much larger spot across town and, I'm going to be honest, I really don't have sufficient words for happy I was. 

Thousands of square feet - brand clean - organized by section - by color - by size. 

It's what my dreams are made of.

They have everything you could possibly desire of to organize - even the food they were serving was well contained! From check-in to serving to check-out and valeting, every aspect of the night ran smoothly, and I'm pretty sure, moving forward, I will use the Container Store as my party planners. You think they're offering that service?

Their grand opening is this weekend and a portion of the proceeds go to CHOA, so you should hurry yourself over there realll quick. You won't regret it.

It was the perfect way to jump start next week's wellness challenge: contain. (Not sure a jump start was necessary. But we'll roll with it).

As for this week, I nourished. 

A while back, I wrote about the things that stir me - the things that bring me joy. And as I embarked upon this week's wellness challenge, I realized the answer to nourish: focus on something other than food that fills you up, was right in front of me.

Somehow, this season, August turned to September and September turned to November, and this week my family was discussing Christmas gifts. This fall has been amazing, but it has also been a whirlwind of work and travel and activities that, while fulfilling, have left me feeling disconnected from my long distance buddies.

And so, this week, I focused on one of the most nourishing of all nourishing things: reconnecting with my cross-country friends. From phone calls to texts to emails, I tried to push aside the things that zap those few hours between getting home and bedtiming to reconnect a little bit.

And oh. I take back what I said about last week being my favorite. This was it. Yes, my friends and I exchange life updates via Twitter and Instagram (except for when I unplug). And it works. But there is nothing - other than being in person with wine/coffee/a walk - that replaces a good phone conversation. It was so fulfilling. And such a great way to go into the weekend ahead.

Have the best weekend, you guys!!

boost

On Sunday I made the incredibly rookie mistake of going to the grocery store after church. If you're unfamiliar with this, it's when every single person that isn't at brunch decides to do their shopping. Literally, I think people who don't even live in Atlanta come here to buy food, because those aisles are jammed. 

I kept almost cart colliding with this guy and by the third time, we were making jokes: about being on the same track, how we must eat the same foods...

You get it. 

He was there with his mom, who, at first, I think was wondering why I was talking to her quite possibly 20-year-old son. But then, by the fourth or fifth time it happened, she was in on it, too. I think our grand finale was something about sharing one cart, or something along those lines. 

It was the perfect way to end my week of unplugging, because, I'm often very attached to my phone while grocery shopping. Talking on it, looking up recipes, checking Twitter while I wait at the meat counter. But this week, I was actually paying attention to the people around me, and while I will probably never see those two again, it felt so good to establish a connection with them. A silly one, yes. But a connection, nonetheless. And as someone who thrives and shows love via communicating, it was nice to have an added layer of love to my Sunday morning.

This week is healthy eating. I'm a pretty clean eater, and three veggies a day would actually be a reduction. So instead, I'm making an effort to be more intentional about my meal planning. It's probably more of a budget-conscious move, but that's certainly not a problem. I'm really bad about taking enough food to work during the day, and for some reason, lately I have gotten even worse. So when I was at the grocery with my new pals, I actually planned out enough food for lunches. I also made a pot of veggie-stocked chili to eat each night. 

I think it's going to be one of my favorite weeks of the challenge. 

&we unplug

Oh week of unplugging, how I have been dreading you so.

When I first took on the challenge, I thought I deserved a pass on this week, because my job relies almost entirely on being online, many of my relationships are long distance, warranting lots calling and texting, and blogging helps me stay connected to those I love.

But then, last week I had a conversation that I can't seem to shake. A friend told me: you can tell what people care about based on how they spend their time.

And yes, I spend a lot of time on the phone, because I care oh so much about the loves in my life that are far away. And I care about my job. And I care about being connected.

But I also spend a lot of time Instagramming. And Tweeting. And sometimes a little Facebooking. I.e. I check Instagram when I get in bed, and when I wake up. And OK. When I walk to the bathroom at work. And at stoplights.

Yikes.

That's not necessary. I don't need to see every photo my friends put out into the universe, the minute it happens.

And maybe, if I stop filling every empty moment with thoughts and images from the lives of others, I will more easily get centered and find the peace that I am so dearly missing during this running&yoga hiatus.

So here's to a week ahead of less Gramming and Tweeting. And this time, seeing really is believing. So when you don't see my social mediaing, you better believe I'm doing it.

[image via my instagram. ironically enough.]

hoop

My roommate Katie was in a hula hooping club in college and, needless to say, she could hoop you under the table. She's got skills.

This spring, she taught me how to hoop - a hobby that really took off at the beach over Memorial Day. Not only is it a good workout for your waist, it also turned out to be a great way to make friends. Everyone wanted a piece of our hoops.

I hooped my way into Week 3 of Laura's wellness challenge. It isn't technically a brand new exercise, but it is a broken-foot-friendly-exercise, and offered an alternative to just arms and abs every day.

As someone who finds comfort in routine and relies on my daily run to clear my head, help me reconnect with what matters and find peace, it's been incredibly hard not to have this time alone&away from my desk (and everything). Although hula hooping didn't fulfill these needs, it was a nice way to be outside and feel a little bit of rhythm and routine.

I hope you had a good, stretchy week!

::healthy life::

When I started talking about how I broke my foot, there was a ridiculous amount of people who asked me if I thought maybe my foot broke so easily because I run too much.

My first thought was: Um. Excuse me? To imply that I am weak? And to imply that I have done this to myself? And to imply that I do something too much? Rude.

But then, after enough people started saying it, it started to make its way into my conscience.

Could that be it? Could it be that the searing pain that shoots through my foot constantly was trying to tell me something? Trying to tell me to scale back?

And isn't that how it works? When you're immediate reaction is frustration with someone, it typically means they're right.

And then, as I dove back into the blogosphere last week and realized almost all of my top blog obsessions were either (1) workout or (2) healthy-living related, the theory really began to take legs.

Fortunately, I clearly will not be running until December, so whatever break from running this body may have needed is going to take place.

But it got me thinking about how almost everyone I know does too much of something - whether it be a good habit turned vice, or work, or leading charity committees - it's hard to remember moderation. Too much of a good thing is really a thing. And it's important not to let those things control everything.

So, I thought this the perfect opportunity to participate in Laura's healthy living challenge. I mentioned last week that I already know that when I do some of these things, I feel like a significantly better person. So why not really dedicate these next booted-up weeks to this? I'm skipping the first week (drink more water) because I don't think it possible for someone to drink more water than me. If I drink any more of it, I might actually drown myself. And that'd be, yet again, too much of a good thing.

So this week is rest, which is just what the doctor ordered (for real though). I am going to try to go to bed at the same time every night this week, which is going to be hard because I have two birthday parties and a 10 pm flight to LA Thursday. But, I am going to focus more on the rest my foot portion of things. So not letting myself walk places I know I shouldn't (like to MARTA), not mowing the lawn, etc. I think it's going to be a good goal.

You should join me in this endeavor, too! Check out the plan below. See you next week, Stretch!