Outfit Details: Old Navy Pants (old, love these though!), J.Crew Tee (old, similar here and here), Merona Sandals, Cult Gaia Bag
August is going to be an interesting month for me. I have some fun trips planned over the next couple of weeks to Minnesota, Wisconsin and San Diego, and although I am excited for them, I can’t help but feel summer is (quickly) coming to an end. This summer has been one of my busiest summers yet, and as it starts winding down the only thing I can think about is what will be an even busier fall…
Between now and the end of the year I will be traveling a boatload for work (San Diego, Nashville, Dubai, Barcelona and more!), so since I will be home for a bit more time this month, I am trying my hardest to get myself into a solid routine.
To help me stay on track, I’ve set three (realistic) goals that I think will help me not only feel better physically and mentally, but help me stay organized and focused throughout this month and the rest of the year!
GOAL 1 – Be Well by Kelly Smoothies for Breakfast
Breakfast has never been my strongest meal of the day. I usually struggle with getting out of bed in the morning, so once I do that doesn’t leave much time for anything else but throwing on some makeup and running out the door. Since I don’t usually have time to make myself something at home, I end up buying breakfast at work or just grabbing a yogurt out of the refrigerator and wind up being hungry an hour into my day.
To end this cycle, I am making a conscious effort this month to get up just 10 minutes earlier Monday – Friday so that I can make myself a breakfast that will keep me full and focused all the way to lunch. For a while now I have been following Kelly LeVeque of @bewellbykelly on Instagram and have always been curious about her Fab Four smoothies. The Fab Four rule is the idea that each meal should include protein, fat, fiber and greens, which helps to balance blood sugar levels while providing your body with the nutrients it needs.
I’m hoping these smoothies will help me get into a healthy breakfast routine during the week, and I will definitely be sharing an update on how I’m feeling at the end of this month! If you’re interested in these smoothies and looking for some inspiration, Kelly has a bunch of recipes on her website, and she just released her first book, Body Love: Live in Balance, Weigh What You Want, and Free Yourself from Food Drama Forever, which I am so excited to start reading. Shop Kelly’s book here!
GOAL 2 – Move Every Day
This goal should be so simple, but for some reason for me it’s not. I love to exercise and love even more how I feel when I do, but once I get out of the routine, it’s so hard for me to get back into it. When I first start working out again I tend to overshoot my fitness goals, and say things like I am going to run five miles when I haven’t run in two months…
With that in mind, this month my goal is simply to move every day. Whether it’s a fitness class, a walk, a run, it doesn’t matter as long as for 45 minutes I’m moving. I am hoping by not setting super strict parameters on what my workouts will look like each day, I will be able to enjoy them more and remain motivated to continue.
GOAL 3 – Set Aside an Hour
This goal definitely is going to be the most difficult for me. Every day I make a list of all the things I want to get done outside of work and the blog, and I become so overwhelmed by all of the items on the list that I end up not getting anything accomplished. Whether it’s doing laundry, cleaning our apartment, running an errand, calling my friends or family, grocery shopping, etc. the list goes on and on.
To combat this I am going to try and start setting aside an hour a day to tackle one or two tasks on my list, instead of running around like a crazy person trying to accomplish a million things in one day. My hope is that by doing one or two things in an hour, I will feel more accomplished and less stressed about what I need (or want) to get done.
Photography by Courtney Ann Photography