TED Tuesday: Mindful of the Moment

Ready for a good TED Talk?

First, do me a favor and think very hard of the last time you did simply n o t h i n g. No phone, no laptop, no worrying, no planning, no chores - nothing. 

Can you think of a time? It's pretty hard for me as well and even thinking about thinking nothing seems like it would be difficult.

My brain and probably yours too is always turned on. Unfortunately we have done ourselves a huge disservice by not allowing rest for our minds every once in a while. We have somehow convinced ourselves that no brain 'down-time' is okay and just a part of the world that we live in. That instead of mental health we should focus our attention on physical health, appearance and social lives. Mental health is just as critical as food, water, air, love and self worth.

The present moment is so valuable and yet so underrated. Sadly, what we miss out on when we are not mindful of the moment is life itself. We ignore the here and now and are distracted by the clouds and veils of stress, responsibility, emotions and simple anxiety. 

In the quiet moments that I've experienced over the past month I've learned how critical it is to let your mind sit in the back seat and to allow your senses to take over. Seeing, feeling, hearing, tasting, smelling - you can be so present when you abandon worries and fears - do yourself a favor and allow the human experience take over, if only for just 10 minutes a day. 

[ted id=1640]

Redefining Priorities

Hello and Happy Monday, friends and family!

Also hello to all of Brooke's friends that are checking in because she put me on blast today!

Thank you for understanding my temporary pause from blogging as I've experienced some big changes in my world over the past month. Like any change, it takes time to understand yourself and who you are, but most importantly the changes I've experienced have been a catalyst to help me realize the important things that truly matter. Things like love, friendships, trust, mental health, balance.

I am happy, healthy and enjoying some well-deserved time to focus on myself. The me that was writing before was burning the candle at both ends, working too hard and placing too much pressure on workouts, blogging and being everyone's everything.

The new me that's writing today comes in to work 2 hours later (and I'm still the 3rd person in the building), stops and gets a coffee before coming in to work, only has a running goal of 50 miles a month (half!), is doing strength training, is drinking ALL THE WATER, and only has that little twitchy eye once in a blue moon. This girl also took an entire week of work off in October. This girl feels balanced.

Speaking of balance, this weekend was a perfect example of what is important to me. Coffee dates, girl chats and much overdue real-talk with some of my closest ladies who probably have felt neglected the past year as my life has gotten career-crazy.

Sit back, smell the fresh roast and thank you for sticking around and supporting me.

Love,

Jessi

A New Leaf

Hey October, please will you promise to be a bit nicer to me than September was at the end?

That's right, this happened. I was sent home from work and I didn't even try to fight it. I had super important business like eating soup, drinking water, shooting Day Quil and sipping tea. Also cuddling with Holly girl and not stepping foot outside of the house.

Guess what that also means - I missed my 100 miles a month running goal for the first time nearly 4 years. I missed it by 14 miles so I can't make excuses for myself for being sick the last 4 days of the month, seeing that I had the entire other 26 days to do some dirty work. I've come to terms that it's a lesson learned on procrastination, making the best decision for your health and learning to 'go with the flow' sometimes.

Sure somewhere along the way I've banked 14 miles in the 4,632 that I've carried myself since November 2009, but just for accountability those miles will roll-over into October and I'll tackle them there.

This also may be a good time to share with you that I've decided to decrease my running goal. I keep track of every run in an elaborate spreadsheet and see a striking trend this year as compared to last.

Check out 2012 vs 2013:

What the heck - 2013?

My weekends used to be some of the least miles, even in 2012 when I ran a marathon my Sundays were my least. Now it appears that all I do on the weekends is run and the weekdays any miles I do fit in cause a late dinner and an even later bedtime.

The decision has been made for October and beyond to cut that goal in half, increase my strength and flexibility, treat my body right and run because I love it, not because I have pride and an ego to keep up with.

Saying "I run 100 miles a month" for the last 4 years has been fun, but it's not what I want to define me. I want to be able to spend time with family on the weekends rather than be a slave to the streets. I want to see my friends more often, give Brooke her birthday present (yes, overdue from July) and be able to head down to the coast without worry of how I'm going to fit all the normal weekend running in. I want to do my miles during the workday, and let the rest of my time be mine - free from worry about trying to 'fit it all in'.

So, this month's measure will be 64, and I'm quite happy with that.