10 days down and 40 to LIFE! more to go. Bet you’re wondering if I’ve fallen off the wagon huh? Such haters 🙂 haha! The great part is…there is no wagon for me to fall off of. For me, this process is about the journey. I can’t fail. I won’t fail. Taking failure out of the equation feels incredibly freeing as there has been many a diet or workout regime that has suffered or ended poorly from me feeling like I’ve failed.
These last 10 days have been super busy and full of temptation opportunity for me to test my 50 days to LIFE! muscle starting with being a sober guest bartender!
From Happy Hours to Yoga
This past week, I had almost forgotten that I had volunteered to be a guest bartender for our weekly Thursday Happy Hour. At first, I was a bit nervous about serving drinks and not being able to at least try them, not even a SIP! BUT luckily my awesome friend Jen and I also decided to try out a YogaRok class that evening so it made it easier for me to not drink since I had a healthy commitment after. I got in, made my amazing Easter Basket Cocktail, vowed to be as friendly and outgoing as I would if I had a champagne in hand and shake those shakers. I had such a fun time and also probably most definitely made better drinks for the crew since I wasn’t distracted by feeding my own buzz. 1st sober Happy Hour was a success and really FUN!
Catching up with your friends over drinks and apps can be the most amazing thing EVER can be a such bore! Once you blackmail persuade your friend that working out is more fun than giggling over a glass of bubbly you may discover you both have found a new activity to bond over! I am so thankful for all my friends who have signed up to try new exercise classes with me, scheduled weekend hikes and who have indulged me in turning our meetings into walking meetings!
Lastly, “When in doubt, distract yourself”. It was Easter this past Sunday and with Easter comes chocolate (you know after Jesus rising from the dead). There are so many holidays that are built around eating that it can be hard to nudge your mindset away from the abundance of food. The best way I have found to do this, is by pure distraction. Instead of gobbling down pounds of chocolate, I split a dark chocolate ice cream bar with the hubs and dug out a pair of bunny ears and concluded Easter would be much more fun if I got some good pics of our little fur babies in the ears. The dark chocolate ice cream treat did the trick (truth be told is was better in my mind) and the dog pictures entertained and distracted me from focusing on what I wasn’t doing (eating a butt load of chocolate).
What’s up next? One theme that has constantly come up these past 10 days has been my eagerness to REACT. I’ve found that I tend to make quick reactive choices that clash with my journey instead of giving myself a chance to thoughtfully think about how it aligns with my goals. I want to work on being less reactive and give myself more time to be more strategic. My nature is to jump up, raise my hand and jump off the diving board but instead, I’m challenging myself to practice the art of thinking about my game plan or strategy before starting my day, going to an event or even going into a meeting. To help me hone this skill, I want to try meditation. Would love any feedback or tips on this if you have any! Stay tuned in one of my next blog posts for my thoughts on meditation and using this practice to be more strategic in my daily life.
Thanks again for your ongoing support! Wishing you good vibes on your own journey!
XO,
Ashley
Living the Lamond Life 