Category Archives: Links

Well, if we are lucky, by the time you read this Garrett and I will be down in San Luis Obispo. Buster is hanging out with Grandma (Dog massages! Walks multiple times per day! Unlimited brushing! AND TREATS!) so you know he is a happy camper, and we are too — I definitely foresee some relaxing and celebrating our future. Hopefully there is some of that in your weekend too?

How about we roll right into this weekend with some links? So many to share this week:

*I was in Whole Foods last weekend buying a few things and the checker said to me “Oh you must be Paleo.” That’s the first time that’s ever happened and I sort of panicked. I have a lot of anxiety around being vocal about my love for Paleo and not having The Ideal Lean Body. I think this touches on some of the reasons why, but I’m working on it. The last paragraph reminded me of my friend Amy’s recent post about worthiness. Also: about Stacy’s recent post about fat phobia in the Paleo-sphere.

*I bought an ice cream maker last weekend and it will either be the best or worst decision I’ve made this summer. 🙂 Not gonna lie, this is first on my list to tackle. Also: this is a close second.

*How Happiness Changes With Age –I sure shouted AMEN! reading through this article. Loved the breakdown of promotion vs. prevention motivation. I’ve never quite heard it broken down like that. Makes sense!

*I’m saving this list for when I’m in a rut.

*In case you were wondering, this is what I consider Food Porn. I really want to do this when we get back from vacation!

*Since I won’t be doing much prep cooking this weekend, I think next week should involve A LOT of crockpot recipes. I want to try this.

* I was once told by someone I cared about that it worried them that I was the type of person who would never be happy. I think they meant it as a criticism. I took it as a compliment. I’m annoying like that. 🙂

*Productivity Maximization? I need to read this with a highlighter.

*I love the concept of Energy Density with respect to food. I obviously don’t agree with the nutrition breakdown they use here, but the concept itself was sort of fascinating. I may bust out my scale!

*I recognized a lot of myself in this post about Running Mistakes I’ve Made.

*Did you guys catch Sarah Wilson’s 10 Beefy Reads for Vegans and Meat Lovers. OHMAHGAWD, juicy. And full of links.

*I enjoyed listening to Jonathan Bailor from The Smarter Science of Slim on The Balanced Bites Podcast recently. Some of his Simple Tips were interesting, and you can find a 28 Page PDF of his 7 Days of SANEity Quick Start Guide right here.

*Can we talk about something that is striking me as the best idea EVER, lately? HAMBURGER SALAD:
Nourished Kitchen has one
Pioneer Woman has one
My girl Mel has one
I mean, why didn’t this occur to me sooner?

*Speaking of Paleo pals…did you see that the dynamic duo at Nom Nom Paleo wrote a cookbook? Oh you guys, I would buy anything they sell. No joke. They are good eggs!

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What’s on your reading list lately?

Yep. We matched. Unintentionally. Like Dorks.

Happy Friday, y’all!

I still have some fun things to say about Iowa last week (So good to see AndreAnna — I’m so glad you all agree with me that she should bring her blog back: BRING YOUR BLOG BACK ANDREANNA! HEEEEEEE) but this week has been NUTS-O (Of course it has. When, oh when, will my life feel under control? UNKONWN.) But I guess I will be saving that for another day. Today I thought you might want some things to take your mind off…well, whatever it is you are avoiding doing right at the moment.

Internet rabbit holes, FOR THE WIN:

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So I’ve been contemplating my workout routine and trying to strategize how to make it more well rounded for me personally. I know! What a concept! There isn’t One! Right! Workout Routine! (GASP.) Anyway, based on my current life, stress load, health goals, etc I haven’t made any decisions but I’m gathering information and working it all out. The following posts have given me some good food for thought:

*Steady State Cardio A Thyroid Killer
*15 Ways to Squeeze More Yoga Into Your Everyday Activities
*Sprinting and Walking are totally underrated
*Top 30 Tips to Lose Belly Fat — Look I’m sick of Bikini Body magazine articles too, but this list is actually useful.
*Core Fitness For Women — Yep, they talk about kegels as core fitness. WHAT?

Anyway, that was a lot of info about exercising…sheesh! How about some other stuff, like…

*100 Questions to Inspire Rapid Self Discovery— ooooh, some good ones, right?

*I watched this in the Minneapolis Airport on my layover last week and totally loved it.

*Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls…so I will — nothing like a sensationalized title to get ya clicking, eh? But I thought there were a lot of great points in here.

*Why Vegans and Paleos Should Stop Hating Each Other YESSSSS!

*A friend of mine is gathering 8 people together for dinner and sent us an email that included a link to this interactive online scheduler. HOW BAD ASS IS THIS? Game: Changed!

*Things I am cooking this weekend:
Chicken Bacon Alfredo
Avocado with Warm Bacon Cilantro Dressing
*Kiwi Blackberry Summer Sangria
*Bloody Mary Salad
and maybe just maybe a Grain Free Chocolate Pudding Pie 🙂 We’ll see!

*Speaking of things to cook: I’m hosting a Great Gatsby themed dinner party in a couple of weeks for book club — any recipe suggestions? FIRE AWAY!

What are you all up to this weekend? We are getting Buster groomed for the first time (OMG that dog is shedding like a crazy dog. He is leaving clumps of hair around the house that look like those old school rabbit’s foot keychains. Which, btw? Those were GROSS, right?) Also doing some heavy lifting, some dog walking, and some serious iced coffee drinking. It’s going to be over 100 all weekend! Hope you all have a good one!

Howdy folks! Happy Friday! I don’t know about you but I’m counting the minutes until cocktail hour. (PS – Sarah once told me to go out on a limb and try this Pinot Grigio ($6.89 at Costco, WHAT???) and I’m so glad I did. It’s pretty darn awesome!) It’s been a great week around our house and even better on our plates. We’ve been eating super duper clean (I feel GREAT!) and so I think I’ve earned a little Friday night glass of something special. I can’t wait to sink my teeth into some tri tip tonight and coast into the weekend.

I plan to soak up some time at home because I’m going to be in the great state of Iowa all next week for work (and some play!) I’ll definitely be missing Garrett and Buster, but I really like Des Moines and haven’t been there in a while, plus I also get to squeeze in a little visit with AndreAnna! Fun, fun!

What are YOU up to this weekend? Cooking or reading anything fun? Please dish! And now…onto some links:

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*In the mood for a marathon? Uh, TV Marathon that is…I have enough running lately. 🙂  Check out The Best TV Shows for Binges

*Mark’s Daily Apple has had some good posts up lately. Not that he doesn’t regularly or anything, but I just particularly enjoyed: Why It’s Important to Cook Your Own Meals and 10 Psychological Hurdles Keeping You From Losing Weight & How to Overcome Them.

*I’m intrigued by this homemade electrolyte drink. Let’s be real, I’m equally intrigued by this recipe for Lava Flows because they make me miss Maui! (Hot damn, we had a fun time there!)

*I’m in a kitchen creating mood – I think I’m going to make these lemon bars this weekend.

*I love this post about resilience. Volatility is the new normal.

*Who couldn’t use a confidence boost? I liked these 10 Rules for Feeling More Confident and these 50 Self Esteem Quotes to Give Your Confidence a Boost.

*This tip about The Magic of Later is something I do ALL THE TIME! So useful!

*Need some web distraction? How about checking out 100 Websites You Should Know and Use.

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Hope you all have a great weekend!

Don’t bother me. I’m reading. 🙂

Seriously, this book is just…I don’t even know what to say about it. It came at the right place and time for me and I’m just loving every word of it. What are YOU reading?

I plan to do a lot of reading this weekend and definitely some cooking. Are you guys as happy as I am that it is Friday? I don’t have any big plans and I am THAT excited about it!!! I’m going to try and catch up on blogging this weekend because my brain is FULL and my fingers just can’t seem to keep up during the week.

Speaking of blogs, let’s talk about some links:

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*The Relay is next weekend. Probably should have read this months ago. 🙂

*I would like to be eating these for breakfast right now. PS – Thank you for all your breakfast and lunch ideas! I’m also sifting through this and this on recommendations.

*I finally broke down and bought these (I don’t know why I say “broke down” because they look awesome) and according to UPS they will be here Monday. I am so excited about this! Perhaps they will also help bring my mojo back!

*Check out A World Map of Flavors – 36 Regions, 36 Herb & Spice Combinations. PLUS RECIPES! They aren’t all Paleo, but I love advice on flavor combinations.

*You know I love routines, so I obviously loved How Rituals Can Supercharge Your Productivity (And Peace!)

*I get a lot of emails about troubleshooting Paleo. Paleo Mom wrote a pretty comprehensive post talking about exactly that.

*This caught my eye this week: Fitness + Stress – Some Thoughts On How To Manage Yourself.

*Speaking of fitness, Paleo Parents have a fun giveaway of CrossFit gear and clothing going on until May 1st. Also, Stacy’s post about Sugar + Metabolic Derangement (complete with dramatic photos!) really hit home for me.

*This Thorough Spring Cleaning Checklist makes me oddly inspired to bust out my swiffers and my steam mop.

*Need a little pick me up? Check out these 3 TED Talks on the recommendation of Brene Brown. I would TOTALLY invite Brene Brown to a dinner party. Wouldn’t you?

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Hope your weekend is fantastic and full of your favorite things!

Happy Friday! Let’s do the happy dance for the weekend!

I survived teaching my Paleo cooking class last night and it was so much fun! Now I have a Next Food Network Star hair up my ass! (NO I DON’T! I tell you what, it’s harder than Giada and her giant boobs make it look!) I have had the longest week ever and tonight I am looking forward to getting in a workout, having a glass of wine, seeing friends, and then SLEEPING THE SLEEP OF THE DEAD! I am literally planning the epic-ness of my bedtime. I’ve already had a pep-talk with Buster and he is on serious orders to not wake up wanting to play before 9am tomorrow. (Ha! We’ll see if that happens!)

On to some links, yes?

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*I’m running a 10 Mile race on Sunday and I’m so freaked out about it I can’t think about it, so I’m not. But I am wondering if these pants would make it more pleasant?

*I realized this week I need a little more of this “Magic” in my life.

*Rachel’s post about Lifting Heavy made me do a slow clap.

*On putting your actions where your intentions are: The Power of Goals. Simple, but powerful.

*Discovering Truth in the Silence. I need to tape this up to my bathroom mirror. I am not above that kind of dorky reminder.

*Here is some super awesome basic style advice: 8 Tips for Developing Personal Style

*I could really relate to Andrea’s thoughts on learning how to change behavior. And then, like a lightbulb going off, I thought about this post I read last week on Identity Based Habits.

*I want to make this guacamole STAT. Guacamole just feels like summer to me.

*There is no such thing as a calorie! Shout it from the rooftops, please.

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And that’s all I’ve got for the moment. Knock this weekend out of the park, friends!

Hola, friends! Thank you for all your kind words, suggestions and emails after Monday’s post. Over the past few days, instead of writing here, I’ve spent my time getting my head together, cuddling my dog, accomplishing tasks that have been stressing me out, and going to bed at like 8pm. SENIOR CITIZEN ALERT! As you can see, Buster is completely ok with this idea of getting more sleep. I don’t care if it makes us senior citizens or not, sleep is amazing for getting your head together. It works miracles, actually.

I wish I could say I also spent that time revamping my fitness and correcting some of the sub-par food choices I’ve been making, but I’m saving that for next week. 🙂 Also on the docket next week? I’m teaching a Paleo Cooking Class and running a 10 mile race. BOTH HAVE ME PANICKING JUST A LITTLE BIT. 🙂 Oh what would life be without a little self-imposed panic. OY!

Since I’ve been MIA around here (and clearly reading the internet more instead) (ok, and also playing Candy Crush – a bad habit I picked up from one of Garrett’s friends while in Tahoe) I thought I’d leave you with a few extra links for cruising into your weekend. Lots of good stuff around the internet this week!

*I CANNOT get over this. And while we’re at it, this either. Both made me do some serious head shaking.

*But let’s move on to some good stuff! Friday is for fun – and to me LISTS ARE THE MOST FUN! Here’s a few good ones:
–17 Things To Do Today That Will Make You Proud of Yourself In A Year
–4 Secrets to Being A Shining Star in Business + In Life
–13 Ways to Bring More Mindfulness to Your Life
I needed to read ALL of those this week.

*Amy’s post about deciding what to read next is basically a map of exactly how I keep my library queue full. Too bad I’m hardly finishing any books lately so I mostly renew and return….but it’s exactly how my brain (and my reservation situation) works.

*Are your Facebook Statuses Costing You Thousands? I wanted to fist bump this author of this! We are all smart enough to not be slapping up drunken photos on our Facebook pages, I’m sure — but this was AWESOME food for thought about how the world’s largest social network may just be affecting your…ahem…networking.

*I loved this little nugget from Thomas Keller on Passion vs. Desire. I thought about it again while I was reading about “intrinsic motivation” in this post about Addressing Your “WHY” and Your Fears. PS – The CrossFit Invictus blog is always full of good stuff!

*Are you reading Hollywood Housewife? She’s a great writer and talks about so many different things (kids, makeup, LA living, spirituality) and honestly I can’t remember how I even stumbled across her, but I’m so glad I did. Anyway, this week on she did a little house tour on Design Mom’s Living With Kids feature. It was fun to see a little behind-the-scenes.

*Speaking of CrossFit, 10 Things I Learned At The Open has been floating around since the final workout was completed and I just LOVED it. The Open is always a bit of a transformative experience. I am in a such a different place this year compared to last year (DON’T COMPARE, HOLLY. DON’T COMPARE!) (EASIER SAID THAN DONE.) but regardless, it is a really motivating time. Garrett + I are about to make some major life routine changes (more about that next week!) (why do I feel like I need to clarify that I am NOT pregnant) and I’m really marinating on how I want my fitness to fit into that. (Hint: I WANT IT TO BE A VERY HIGH PRIORITY.) Every once in a while I just think to myself how glad I am that I found CrossFit. I’ve been doing it regularly for TWO AND A HALF YEARS, which is just crazy to think about. My life *always* feels out of balance when I’m not in that gym regularly, which I don’t think I ever said once when I was doing spin and yoga and kickboxing at 24 Hour Fitness. <3 *So I've seen a ton of "healthy living" (GAG. Can we come up with a new term for this? Suggestions welcome.) bloggers posting lately about participating in DietBet and it has just really nagged at me. Jennifer over at Wine to Weightlifting (two of my favorite things!) did a great job articulating why the whole concept just rubs me the wrong way.

*You know what rubbed me the right way? This video over at Marie Forleo about creating a vision for your life. She is speaking my language.

*Last but not least, I found Kristen’s post titled My Vegan Diet Caused Health Problems quite courageous. Kristen has been a raw, vegan blogger for a long time and her transition to Paleo is getting some flack on the internet. (Flack on the internet over food choices? SHOCKING, right? HA!) But what I really appreciated about this post though was her honesty about her choices and her openness to re-examining everything she thought to be true. I think it takes a really mature person to admit that something that you have been attached to for so long, may not actually be working like you thought it did. On top of the post was incredibly informative and well researched and connects the dots on a lot of food related problems that people don’t always realize are food related. It’s a long one, which is why I left it for last, but a worthwhile read no matter HOW you eat.

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Have a great weekend, friends! What is in your plate?

I would like to know where the expression “Working like a dog” came from because in Buster’s world this means laying on the couch a lot, demanding we pet him and throwing tantrums if he can’t eat salami and cheese for dinner. 🙂

Let’s celebrate making it to Friday by reading some fun things, shall we?

*It’s so weird to me that people still think this is such a radical idea, but I love it: Butter is a health food. It would be REALLY nice if butter slathered on sourdough bread was a health food too, but the butter alone is a good progress. 🙂

*Kathleen’s Forever Young manifesto made me so ready to go to Lake Tahoe this weekend. I want this weekend to be restorative because I need that so bad in my life right now. And when I get home, I feel some lists coming on. I need to get a little more focused on managing how I feel and my stress levels because lately I am feeling like a crotchety old lady (a little bit physically but mostly emotionally) and that is NO BUENO.

*I love seeing how other people organize their email inbox. It’s like medicine cabinet snooping in this modern age.

*If you have ladyparts, you should TOTALLY listen to these two episodes of the Balanced Bites podcast. (Hey, maybe next week I’ll talk about some new podcasts, eh?) Super great info!

*You know what you should do this weekend? Get some sleep! I hope some of you find space to write Take a Nap on your To-Do List.

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Speaking of lists, I have to go write my packing list! Have a fantastic weekend you guys!

Well would you look at that? Another week down and another weekend on the horizon. This household is might happy about that. Last weekend was the first in well over a month that made me feel super rested and rejuvenated — I’m looking to do the same this weekend!

As usual last night we headed to the gym to Open Workout 13.3. The big news this week was that Workout 13.3 was the same workout as last year’s 12.4 — meaning we had all EXPERIENCED THE TORTURE BEFORE. I have to say, I much prefer NOT knowing how the workout is gonna feel because I was so anxious about re-doing this. I HATED it last year and my quads were sore for almost a week afterward. Knowing that going into things did not excite me. The workout was as follows:

In 12 minutes, do as many reps as possible of the following:
*150 Wall Balls
*90 Double Unders
*30 Muscle Ups

Last year I barely eeked out 150 wall balls in that time and got a few double unders for a score of 153. (YOUR LEGS FEEL LIKE JELLY WHEN YOU ARE JUMPING ROPE.) The honest truth though  is that I was in better shape last year – so I was fairly certain that I would struggle just to get through the wall balls this year. I tried to push out all the crappy negative self-talk though and just give my best in that moment though and I ended up not only completing the wall balls but also 23 double unders for a score of 173. HOLY CRAP ON A CRACKER, I was happy. So obviously I celebrated with a little champagne afterward! But don’t worry, I also hydrated with some coconut water too. 🙂

Anyway, let’s talk about some fun things to read, shall we?

*First, a truth bomb. That term is completely stolen from Danielle LaPorte, but yesterday when I read the quote at the top of this post I thought to myself: BAM! THAT IS THE TRUTH! So, you know, truth bomb is appropriate.

*Life Before and After Cell Phones – HA! How true is this? So true.

*Loved this reminder about habits.

*So here’s an interesting story: The Professor and The Bikini Model & The Suitcase Full of Trouble Doesn’t it just sound juicy?

*Watching the news all day long? Here’s how it is affecting your health.

*But what will you do when you turn off the news? How about some reading: Proof that good books can change your life.

*I’m a big fan of dreams and goals, but you know what I’m even a bigger fan of? Action.

*On the other hand, if you ever feel like you are expending a lot of energy but not really getting anything done? Read this, please.this hysterical t shirt the other day, but it showed up yesterday in a size XL and it is MINIATURE. Sad trombone. But maybe you are miniature too, so I think you should totally buy it. Hilarious! I may have to order the mens version just because I love it so much.

*I’ve talked before about the importance of being coachable, but here is some great practical advice on how to make that happen if it doesn’t come naturally to you.
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Woo hoo! It’s Friday! Which means not only is it the weekend, but another CrossFit Games Open Workout is in the books. I had a friend ask me to explain the Open because it was kind of confusing, so in case you are also confused, here is the scoop:

Every year there is an annual competition within CrossFit to determine the Fittest Man and Woman (ON EARTH! HAHA) It’s held in the summer, but to get there you first have to start in the Open. Anyone worldwide can set up a profile and participate, and it consists of doing 1 workout each week for 5 weeks (that are a secret until each Wednesday night at 5pm) at their home gyms and then submitting their scores online. (They have to be validated by your judge, so it’s not just willy nilly internet lies! lol) The highest scores move on to the Regional competition which is a big event, and then those winners move on to The CrossFit Games. Make sense?

For someone like me…well, I’m NOT going to the Games. Most regular people aren’t. But those are JUST the people who should be competing. It’s hard to explain, but everyone gets really excited and into it and it’s a really awesome time at the gym because it brings the whole community together since we are all attempting the same feat every week for a month. Most people pushing extra hard and many achieve new personal records during this time of year so it’s inspiring to watch.

It’s fun to speculate about the workouts, try your best, and see how you stack up not only in your own gym but against athletes around the world. I HIGHLY recommend participating even if you aren’t someone who is destined to get to the games. One of our coaches wrote a great post the other day about CrossFit in general, but I think the idea is relevant to the Games Workouts as well — it makes the whole thing feel like a Team Sport. Good Times!

So that’s what Garrett and I are spending our Thursday nights doing for the next 3 weeks so I thought I should explain in case you were like, “What is she talking about every Friday morning?” Anyway, enough talking, shall we get on with the links already? I think we shall!

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*First, can we talk about this Google Reader Crisis! How can they take it away….WAH! Ah, well, instead of pouting, check out Katy Widrick’s advice on using Feedly as an alternative. I actually really like the look of Feedly, so hopefully I will get used to it as a replacement.

*I feel like I’ve seen the idea of “Being Brave” tossed around so much on the internet this year that, for me, it was kind of losing meaning. But I’ll tell you what, when I read Kathleen’s take I thought she really nailed it.

*Caity’s 2013 Hair Trends made me want to have a whole new head of hair. Your hair is probably awesome already though, so head over and check out some fun inspiration!

*You know what sounds like WORST JOB EVER: This job. Fascinating article though.

*Speaking of fascinating, here is a person I think is fascinating interviewing a person I think is fascinating. I mean, it’s like exponential fascination. Recipe for success!

*Can we talk about the Fear of Missing Out for a minute? Oh wait, let’s not. Because now that I am 34 and a bit more settled with myself, I’ll tell you what, I wholeheartedly agree with this.

*So what are you guys up to this weekend? I’m thinking about spending equal amounts of time outdoors and lounging on my couch. If you’re doing the latter, maybe check out of few of these: 82 Best Comedies Currently Streaming on Netflix.

*Or if you’re kind of in a movie mood but would rather just curl up with a good read, have a little look-see at The Oral History of Pulp Fiction. LOVED this.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND ALL!