Lessons learned from my 26th year

Alright, time to rip off the break from blogging band aid!  I know I promised more posts in 2015 but things have been crazy.  Every time I sat down to write I just couldn't quite find the words (shocking for a gal like me).

I wanted to pay tribute to a dear friend but was very much at a loss for how to put into words what an excellent person and gift he was.  Unfortunately we had to lay him to rest last month, he passed away very unexpectedly at the age of 27.  He was a behind the scenes supporter of this blog, always sending me new ideas and places to check out, my fellow foodie, my tailgating partner in crime or as his wife and my husband called it: my tailgating husband.

In the days following his passing it really made me think about the year before.  As corny as it may sound I learned a lot about myself and underwent some big changes in just one year but most importantly I realized how incredibly blessed I am.  To have a friend that made such an indelible impact on mine and my friends' lives is a great gift.  Though challenging to sort through the emotions of such a loss I fully intend on honoring that friendship.

One way I plan to do that is by not giving up on this little corner of the internet just yet!  Even though Google didn't approve me for AdSense (because who couldn't use a little spare change for their thoughts ya know?).  They said I promote drug use and illegal activity, yup I'm just that kind of blogging hoodrat I guess (stay tuned for a potential platform update).  WWSV will press on!

That being said I wanted to share some lessons I learned in the past year as well as in the past few weeks thinking of life and loss.  

-Negative people create negative energy which has a negative effect on your life, ain't nobody got time for that!  Keep it positive or keep out!
-In the words of my fav talk show host Ellen DeGeneres: "Be kind to one another."  Life's too short to send nastygrams.  Plus everyone is fighting their own battles, don't add to their burdens.
-Tell your people how much they mean to you.  In a world full of technology with tons of ways to communicate, don't let things go unsaid.
-Food stigmas/dislikes: they can be broken!  Fish and sweet potatoes used to be foes in my life, now they are tolerable friends. 
-Everything in moderation, except for martinis.  No one likes a stingy bartender!
-Be grateful, not because other people might have it worse but because you are blessed.
-Your body knows more than you think, learning to listen to it benefits you tenfold.

So for those of you who are still hanging with me, thank you!  For those who are new, welcome to the crazy, hope you enjoy!  With so much time off I've got LOTS of posts to catch up on so stay tuned.

Cheers, Namaste and Be Kind!
Steph

Local Fitness Moment: #Namaste

Sheeshh I haven't blogged in over a week!  I apologize for my absence but the start to fall has kept me hopping!  Since I posted a lot of Foodie Moments recently I thought we could switch it up with a Fitness Moment and share with you what has added to my busy schedule lately.

With the rapid rate at which my commitments have basically bombarded my life I have found a great release and restorative practice to keep myself physically and mentally on top of things.  Yes my friends, I have found yoga, inching myself wildly closer into hipster territory.  I'm going to be honest here, I used to think yoga wasn't much of a workout and was more of an elitist fad.  But I've had a major change of heart!  I have found that it is a welcoming community that really focuses on love of self and making your practice serve you. 

After my first yogalates (yoga and pilates mix) class I was kind of obsessed with what a great workout it was and just how centered and focused I felt afterwards (woah Steph the hippie talk is getting pretty thick!).  I thought "Hmmm this could be the start of something good here, but let's give it a few weeks, the jury isn't out yet".  Well a few weeks later and I'm borderline a yoga junkie.

In addition to the yogalates class I've been taking at the Westerville Rec I've found great opportunities in the community for classes free of charge!  The coolest opportunity I got to take advantage of so far was a yoga session outside of Nationwide Arena in the plaza through a group called POGA (pop up yoga).  It was so awesome to be practicing in the heart of the Arena District, cars and people passing by, just feeling the energy of the city!

Outdoor POGA, the message in the Nationwide building (live united) couldn't be more fitting! 

Another favorite of mine is complimentary yoga at lululemon, each Sunday at 11 at the store they bring in an instructor from one of the local studios for an hour long session.  They switch up instructors each week and switch the studios each month.

lululemon recently posted this and I just love it!

On the path to wedding weight loss it has been nice to switch things up with a practice that isn't so tough on my joints and helps me to put things into perspective.  I don't think I'll be a full time yogi anytime soon but I've really been loving the change in pace it provides from my toning and cardio exercises!

In doing more research I found there are a lot of free fitness opportunities in the area that are helping to elevate the community, everything from outdoor Zumba to CrossFit!  What free fitness will you take advantage of this fall?

Cheers!

Steph