It’s a beautiful thing when you achieve mental clarity, even in one little aspect of your life. I feel like I’ve had a sort of breakthrough with regards to my health and have decided to take action. My acceptance of my body is a whole other post in itself haha, but in terms of healthy living, feeling energetic and active… I just wasn’t there. I hadn’t been for a while. Eating whatever I wanted, not working out or sometimes not even leaving the house the whole day.. All of these things left me tired, sleeping poorly, irritable and finding myself not able to fit in to a sizeable chunk of my closet. It took a step on the scale a couple of weeks ago to jolt me back in to reality.
I decided that I wanted to start taking better care of myself, for so many reasons, not just the physical ones. I began with making better choices with my food. Eating out less, and when I did dine out, I would pick something healthy, but still tasty, and definitely packing my lunch for work. Next, I made a commitment to go to yoga twice a week (all that fits in to my current work schedule right now). I’ve started taking a number of supplements to make up for some of the nutrients I’m missing in my diet.
Lastly, and perhaps most simply, I knew I needed to just move more. I’d used a fitness tracker previously (the Jawbone Up), but didn’t have enough interaction with it to make it engaging. It also didn’t tell the time, so I’d have to layer a watch with it, which ended up looking very bulky. This time around, I asked for the boyfriend’s help. He’s always reading up on the latest tech gadgets, and showed me a few options he thought I would like. The Garmin Vivofit 3 instantly struck me as streamlined, unfussy, and easy to read. It took me maybe a day or two to get used to wearing it and now I can’t even feel it there. I started at the recommended daily minimum of 8,000 steps and have increased to 10,000. Having that goal in mind really influences my activity level throughout the day. I go for walks on both of my 15 minute breaks at work, and sometimes even do laps on my 30 minute lunch. I’ve actually been following that advice that you always hear about parking far away from your destination, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. All in all, I’ve lost 5 lbs. in a couple of weeks, but more importantly, my energy level has increased immensely. Next up, I’d like to rehab my ankle and start running again in the morning.
What are your fitness and health goals? I’d love to hear them!
😀
Top c/o BohoCheri // Jeans / Stitch Fix // Bucket bag / Shaffer LA from the Box of Style // Lace-up sandals / JustFab // Fitness tracker / Garmin // Bracelets / LA find & Forever 21 // Love Initials necklace / Kyle Chan Design // Sunnies / Amazon
Shot by Holli Zenko Photography.
Hello, loves!
Tank ($48, kept) / 
Cowl-neck top ($58, returned) / 
Sandals ($60, returned) / 
Crochet vest ($48, returned) / 
Top / 
Some days you want to show up to the pool and dive right in, and others you want to just lounge next to it and soak up those rays! It’s still entirely too warm to head to Palm Springs, so I sometimes like to play pretend like I’m hanging out at some luxe hotel on the weekend, complete with my best girl friends and cocktails. We always bring poolside glam in spades with the cute cut-out suits, breezy cover-ups and completely impractical accessories.
Mark and I, pre-flight. Such cheeseballs.
A gratuitous in-flight cloud shot.
The grand chandelier in the lobby of our first hotel. I need this in my dining room.
Mark and I arrived a night before everyone else, so we decided to stay in downtown San Juan at the 
After checking in to the hotel, we headed next door to 
In the morning, we walked along these gorgeous streets in Old San Juan, in search of a delicious meal at the highly rated Caficultura. We were both left entirely underwhelmed at the whole experience, from the food, to the service, to the hammering and drilling going on in the back room. Shaking that off, we continued our morning of exploring little gift shows and boutiques, picking up some framed butterflies and art prints of the city.
Almost ready to meet up with everyone, the heat was really starting to get to me, more specifically my hair haha!
Finally, I meet up with Rebekah, her mom, Martin and the rest of the crew. There were 10 of us staying in a condo in San Juan, and we basically had the entire floor, with tons of room to spread out.
Walking around the gorgeous blue brick streets of Old San Juan, and seeing the chapel at which the bride and groom would be married.
Cathedral de San Juan Bautista.
Several gorgeous views while strolling around downtown.
The next day, while the girls and I wandered around some more downtown, Mark and the boys took a trip to the rainforest! I wanted to go, but it was kind of a boys bonding trip, and who am I to interrupt boy time? 😉
The next day, we took a trip to the beach!
The next day was the wedding, but as an attendee (maid of honor), of course, I wasn’t able to take many pictures of the event. It started raining, but tapered off as we neared the start of the ceremony. After, we headed to the Marriott for the gorgeous reception and enjoyed our first of many drinks, haha.
The morning after the wedding, comfort food from Libros AC was just what I needed to get back to normal. I also picked up one of those adult coloring books, which I’d been wanting for a while. I love the idea of having a full-fledged bookstore and coffee shop under the same roof.
Mark and I decided to branch off from the rest of the group and spend our afternoon at the Museo de Arto. Unfortunately, they don’t allow any pictures inside the museum, but we did manage to take some great shots in the garden area. Miles of paths with works of art on either side, gorgeous trees and plants, and a huge coy pond.
Our last dinner in town was spent with the whole crew, back in downtown Old San Juan. It just so happened to be National Pina Colada Day, and who am I to not partake in such an occasion? 🙂
On the plane ride home, we experienced some inclement weather, meaning circling Orlando for an hour, landing in Tampa to weight for a thunderstorm to pass, heading back to Orlando, and then to Phoenix then Ontario. About 12.5 hours on the same plane. Kind of my nightmare but we made it! I took this picture, thinking that the clouds looked like a wolf breathing fire or something, but Mark thought it, ahem.. Looked like something else. Boys..