Running With My Mom

I convinced my mom to train for, and run, a half-marathon with me this spring. 

She got really into yoga after I introduced her to it, and I would love if running could become something she enjoys doing after this is all said and done. 

After I ran my marathon last fall I only ran a handful of times over the past three months (because I can’t be bothered to run outside in the cold.) But now that spring is here, and the weather has been teetering around almost warm, it’s been great to get back outside again. 

Normally, I don’t like running with other people. I like being in control of my own pace, walking when I want and choosing where I want to run. Thankfully, my mom lets me be in control of all that for our runs together.

We’ll be on our fourth week of training together at the time of this post, but we’ve been going pretty strong from the start. 

The training plan I chose to base ours off of was pretty mild, starting with 2 or 3 miles of a walk/jog combo that first week. But my mom is kind of an overachiever, always saying no let’s do more than 2 miles. There was one day we set out to do three and ended up running five miles. 

The place my mom works is on my way to the coffee shop I’ve been enjoying working from so I’ve been stopping in and saying hi quite a bit, but it’s nice to have this extra time to get outside, run together and chat about who knows what. 

And the best, most unexpected part of all this has been their new little puppy. She’s a little Dachshund named Martini (I call her Weenie), and she is the best little running buddy. We leave her in the car with my mom’s other little dog on the really nippy days, but if it’s in the 40’s she usually goes with us. 

There was a rare nice day in February after I got back from Sri Lanka, and I went for a walk around Grays with my mom and the two little dogs. Weenie was about three months old at that point and didn’t quite get the whole “walk on a leash” thing. Plus she would get pretty distracted by all the smells (and people) around her, just begging to get sniffed. 

Now she’s able to stay on course without getting tangled in your legs or stopping to sniff something new every 3.2 seconds. 

Not to mention she’s very popular when she’s running with us. People find it hilarious and oh so cute that this tiny little weiner dog is our running buddy. 

For now, we’ve got the one race booked for June, but I’m on the hunt for more this summer!

Welcoming in Spring

Spring is one of my favorite seasons. I love the return of warm weather, trees budding, flowers blooming. 

When it’s mid-February and you’re bundled all the way up to your eyeballs, bracing yourself against the biting wind as you walk to and fro outside, you fantasize about spring. 

I always hopefully expect a clean transition from winter to spring, from cold to warm. But I always laugh at my naivety when spring first starts and mother nature doesn’t seem to quite have it all figured out yet. 

I know it’s different depending on where you live, but it’s kind of a local joke here in Iowa. You’ll have a 60-degree day where everyone comes outside to soak in the warmth, and then there will be a blizzard two days later. 

I suppose this just makes you that much more grateful for the warm days when they are here. 

Just this morning as I was walking to the coffee shop to work I realized it felt like a spring morning. It had that mild crispness with the promise of warmer temperatures later in the day.

We all have different ways in which we welcome in each season as it arrives, but I’ve realized I have a few different things I’ve been doing during this transition. 

An obvious one if you’ve been following along with FemmeHead is that I switch up my wardrobe with each season. So, I’ve got a capsule that a combination of all the things I’ll need for the undecided weather. It’s always so exciting to put short-sleeve shirts, dresses, and shorts in your capsule, knowing you’ll get to wear them soon. 

The next thing is something that a lot of people do, and have been doing long before I was born, deep cleaning and decluttering the house. There’s nothing better than throwing open all the windows on a Sunday, putting on some music and cleaning out your whole house. I love being able to get to things that I have put off for a few months, and the final product of a squeaky clean, decluttered house is all worth it.  

I am a hermit in the winter. It takes a lot to get me to bundle up to go outside. So, staying active is a real problem for me when it’s cold. But there’s something about those few warm days at the end of winter that gets me so jazzed up about getting outside and doing something active. This spring its training for a half-marathon with my mom, but even just going out for walks, hikes, bike rides, you name it, I love it. 

Overall, spring is just a time of change for me. It’s a fresh start in many senses. It’s a great time to reboot habits you’ve let slip like waking up early, eating fresh fruits and veggies, and doing a mental assessment of things you want to change. 

Just yesterday I made a list of books I want to pick up because I have that itch for some self-improvement. It’s so easy to be static and consistent in the winter, which isn’t a bad thing, but when spring rolls around I’m ready to spice things up, to try something new. 

What are the ways you change when spring rolls around? I always just get this burst of energy, motivation, and inspiration to get cracking on being the best me possible. 

Your Period Is Not Evil

I’m just continually trying to do my part in breaking the taboo surrounding our periods and menstrual cycle. And today I want to talk about how our periods aren’t evil. 

Because I see all too often so much negativity surrounding our periods. 

When we’re younger, and first get our periods, there’s this sense of “this is unfair, boys don’t have to do this!”

When we get older they’re seen as an annoying inconvenience mixed with gratitude that they came. 

Then when women start trying to conceive their periods transform into something that is downright evil. 

Our poor periods can’t ever win with us. 

Our periods aren’t this thing separate from us, happening to us. They’re just a part of our reproductive system, just like breathing is a part of our respiratory system and our heart beating is part of our cardiovascular system. 

But at the same time if there’s something painfully wrong with your period, don’t feel like you just have to deal with it. It takes women so long to get diagnosed with hormonal issues like PCOS or Endometriosis. And most of the time doctors will try and put you on hormonal birth control to “balance your hormones”. Don’t even get me started with this BS “band-aid”, one size fits all solution. 

This idea that our periods and our fertility are all things that need to be controlled by some outside source is ridiculous. 

I’m guilty of these beliefs just like anyone else. 

I fell into the trap as a teenager thinking my period was this out of body thing that I needed to contain. I went on hormonal birth control to “make my periods easier”, but the pill didn’t improve them that much, and not enough to make up for all the negative side effects that being on the pill came with. 

By trying to control something, my period and later my fertility, I ended up doing more harm than good to my body, and mind. 

Don’t get me wrong I am forever grateful for the easy access I had to hormonal birth control at that age. But I’m also really bitter about everything I didn’t know at that age too. 

These days I hear about teenagers who use period tracking apps to actually know where they are in their cycle, something so simple now was always a guessing game for me growing up. I never knew you could track, let alone chart your cycle. 

I just wish I could share the knowledge I now have surrounding cycles and charting with every girl headed into getting her first period, every teenager and young adult annoyed with her period, trying to control her fertility, and every woman trying to get pregnant. 

That’s part of the reason the first course I created was Chart Your Cycle for everyone who is new to FAM and charting. It’s a place to learn the sympto-thermal method in an understandable and relatable way. Zero judgment, embarrassment, and very little confusion. And the confusion is where I come in to answer questions. 

Knowledge is power and learning about my cycle, my fertility and my body were one of the most incredible things I have done for myself. I wasn’t always this period or body positive. I used to groan when my period showed up, expected the guy I was dating to know what to “do” instead of telling him what I liked, and I mentally picked my body apart wishing I looked different than I did. 

You wouldn’t think there were so many positive effects from one small change, but it was a huge change in my little world, splitting it wide open, changing my direction in life and so much more. 

I truly believe I wouldn’t be who I am today without getting off the pill and learning about my body. It all stems from small shifts in our attitude and perception, and can start with something as simple as realizing that our periods are a part of us, not some evil witch out to ruin our lives. 

What I Pack for Work

I’ve been working at a coffee shop a lot recently. I seem to fluctuate between feeling more productive at home and craving the atmosphere of being around other people. So, I pack up and work for the first half of the day at my favorite coffee shop, Ritual Cafe. 

Everything I need for a day of work fits in my backpack, and today I thought it would be fun to give you a mental snapshot of what those things are. 

First off and most importantly is my laptop, and the charger to go along with that. I have a 2015 13” MacBook Pro that I adore. You can read this post about how I thought I ruined it on the way to Sri Lanka, and this post about how it magically came back to life when we got home. My laptop is such a necessity and the center of everything I do. 

From there a crucial part of my work productivity, regardless of where I am, is my bullet journal which I use as my planner. I use a Rhodia dot journal, and I don’t know if I’ll ever go back to a standard planner. I have my calendar, my ideas, my to-do’s, everything in here. 

I normally also always have my personal journal with me. It’s just something I love having on hand because you never know when the mood is going to strike where you’re like “I need to write about this!” It’s a great way to document life as well as work through thoughts. It's not necessarily a must-have for work, but if something is floating around my head, distracting me, it helps to have a place to put in into writing so I can get back to work. 

Lately, I’ve also been carrying around a plain lined notebook. I like making lists, taking notes, and such in here instead of on my computer or in my bullet journal. I really like physically writing some stuff out, and it’s great to have paper on hand for when you need to do that. 

Because of these three paper notebooks I carry around I always have my pencil pouch with me, and while it only has a single mechanical pencil in it I keep other important bits in there:

+ Headphones (a must when you’re working outside the home whether it’s for editing videos or needing to listening to music)

+ Foray StyleMark Fine 0.5 mm in black (my main bullet journal pen)

+ Papermate Flair Medium (an unnecessary pen I use to create my fake calligraphy in my bullet journal)

+ Frixion Ball Slim in blue and orange (my favorite pens to journal and write with)

+ small clear ruler (use it to fill out my bullet journal)

+ Chapstick (who doesn’t travel with this?)

I normally have my Seagate 1TB external hard drive in my bag. This is where I keep old video footage as well as important documents. It’s nice to have it if I’m editing a video where I reference back to something I have footage of. (I need to get a second external hard drive because my current one is just about full.)

I almost always have my Canon g7x for me for filming when I’m out and about. I’m awful when it comes to filming in public, but if the mood strikes I want to have my camera on hand. Oh, and I guess it’s worth mentioning that I have my phone, keys, and wallet with me at all times, but that’s pretty much a given for everyone.

I also bring my travel coffee mug with me for working from the coffee shop because even though I’m going to sit there and drink it, I find that it stays warmer longer with the lid, and if I don’t finish it I can bring it with me. (But this rarely happens). 

What are your work must haves? At minimum, it’s obviously my laptop, but I’m pretty much unstoppable with these few things I talked about today. And it all fits easily into my backpack. 

Writing "Letters to the Universe"

I mentioned that I had written a Letter to the Universe in a recent weekly email. I thought I had talked about doing this before on FemmeHead, but I’m not sure I have. So, of course, I had to take a moment today to share the power of doing this. 

I’ve never been a very religious person. I tried really hard growing up, I went to bible study, youth group, and church with friends and family. I worked to memorize where in the Bible the different chapters were because it was always so embarrassing to feel like I was the only one that couldn’t just flip to a chapter as it was called out. 

I also grew up in small-town Iowa where everyone was religious. There’s nothing wrong with this, but it never resonated with me no matter how hard I tried. Eventually, I stopped trying to squeeze myself into that mold that I just didn’t fit in, and I feel like I’ve been able to connect to a level of spirituality that I never found with Christianity. 

[This is not going to be me talking smack about Christianity, I promise. I just have to share how it wasn’t for me, and I think people shouldn’t force themselves into something that doesn’t work for them because there are plenty of options for discovering spirituality out there in the world. There is no right or wrong option as long as you’re not harming anyone or discriminating against anyone.]

I’ve never been able to wrap my mind around the idea that there is one entity in control. Instead for me, it’s more like there’s this energy that connects everything. And everyone has a different name for what this is to them. For me, I like to picture this “energy" as Mother Nature or the Universe. 

Ok, that’s enough of me trying to explain all that. But it’s important for explaining why I love writing Letters to the Universe so much. 

I first discovered LTTU from the lovely Vienda Maria. She was talking about them as a tool of manifesting in a course of hers. I wrote one for the first time back in 2015, and it’s been something I’ve been doing ever since. 

So, what the heck is a Letter to the Universe” you might be wondering? 

For me it’s like writing in my journal, but bigger. Because I’m not just documenting, or musing about something. I’m consciously putting a desire or wish into words and then releasing it to the universe. I’m asking for help with something I want to happen, or guidance on an issue I don’t have an answer to. 

I start it like any letter you’d write, “Dear so and so” only the “person” I’m writing to is the Universe. 

My most recent one started with “Hello Beautiful Universe” and went from there. I also like to date my letters for when I stumble across them again. I love to see what I asked for and to think about how that came to me, or didn't. 

I always start my letters with something I’m grateful for. I say thank you for x y and z. From there I get into what I’m there to ask for. I like to get detailed in these letters. What is it exactly I want, why do I want that and how is that going to make me feel? 

After I feel like I’ve adequately explained my request I’ll finish off the letter with even more gratitude and thanks. 

Sign that letter with love, and then let it go. 

I keep all of my letters in my Evernote because that’s where I keep everything I write (except for my journal of course). So they’re there if I want to look at them, but I rarely do. 

You want to imagine it as taking what you want and releasing it to the Universe with the expectation that whatever you’ve asked for is going to happen. Because it always does in one way or another. 

It’s all part of manifesting, the law of attraction, prayer, whatever you want to call it. 

The great thing about writing these letters is that it forces you to get detailed about what it is exactly that you want. How often do we “want” something but when we sit down and think about it we don’t have a clear idea of what exactly that is, or how it would work out.

If we don’t know what we’re looking for we’ll never find it. 

And once you put in the time of actually writing down what it is and how it would make you feel to have it, things start to happen. Opportunities come, you start making decisions to get yourself there, and the magic starts happening. It’s a way to open yourself up to different possibilities, a way to stay conscious so when something does come along you’re able to stop and say “Hey, this might be my answer from the Universe”. 

In the end, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. People do it all the time in so many different ways. Writing letters is just one way I like to put my desires and intentions out there in the world. 

Do you do anything similar to this? What does that look like for you, and what are some of the cool things that have come from it? 

Natural Period Pain Management

Normal period pain is caused by the release of prostaglandins in your uterus. Prostaglandins are hormone-like and have different effects like construction and dilation of blood vessels. More estrogen and less progesterone can mean more prostaglandins and pain. This should improve with a change in diet and supplements, if it doesn’t it’s severe period pain. By this I mean unbearable pain that lasts for many days, can happen between periods and doesn’t improve with ibuprofen like normal period pain. If it’s so painful you vomit or have to miss school or work, it’s severe pain, and not normal. It’s probably being caused by some underlying issue like endometriosis or adenomyosis. 

Unbearable period pain is not something you should just “deal with”. It’s something that’s pointing to a bigger issue going on. 

Your body is not out to get you. It’s not out to make you miserable. You are your body, and your body is you. You’re not meant to suffer from period cramps, your body just needs a little support. 

Women who experience more cramping have higher levels of those prostaglandins we just talked about than women who have low amounts of cramping. 

But I need relief now!

You might reach for Ibuprofen, or any number of other pain relievers. Midol was my period drug of choice through high school and college, but I do all that I can to avoid these types of medication these days if I can. But if you’re going to take something don’t overdo it. Start with the lowest dosage and give it time to kick in before taking more. 

I’ve never tried it, but I’ve heard more people than I can count talk about the power of Magnesium. It’s said to relax your uterus and reduce the amount of prostaglandins. So you can try taking a daily supplement throughout your cycle to help relieve the pain.

Personally, I find more relief in heat. My two go-to’s are a heating pad or jumping into a toasty tub. And sometimes when my lower back cramps are a bit more than heat can fix I’ll either dig in myself or ask my hubby to give me a quick lower pack rub. 

There are also times when I just have to get out of whatever position I’m in. The same goes when I’m experience stomach pain or a number of other ailments. What I often do is go into some variation of child’s pose. And this is another great time for someone to come and push down on your lower back or rub it. There are a number of recommended yoga poses for period pain relief. I never do a routine, I just pick a few that feel good and sit in those for awhile. And you wouldn’t think it relieves pain but it does. 

I’m not totally up to date on the use of essential oils, not to mention I gave the majority of my stash to my sister while she was pregnant, but I know there are a number of options for oils to help with any cycle woes you might have. Some I’ve seen mentioned are lavender, eucalyptus, rose, ylang-ylang, chamomile as well as clary sage and peppermint. I have a diffuser that I love to use, even though at the moment it’s just lemon I put in there. There are other methods of using essential oils, so it’s up to you to use what works for you. 

I’ve mentioned this one in the past but I really think ditching tampons helped with my periods overall. I now use a combo of a cup and period underwear, but if I’m feeling especially crampy I’ll just avoid putting anything up there and stick with a thicker pair of period underwear. 

I really also believe in the importance of being adequately hydrated as well as properly nourished with your fruits and veggies. If there’s ever a cycle (and there’s been plenty) where I’m not drinking enough water and eating a bunch of processed crap, I 100% feel crappier during my period. 

None of these are a quick fix pill that many of us wish we had when we’re experiencing gnarly cramps. But the point I want to say today is that if you’re experience pain beyond what can be calmed by what I’ve mentioned today that isn’t normal period pain. You’re going to want to go in and figure out what’s really going on. And don’t take “that’s just part of having a period” as an answer. If you feel like something isn’t right, it probably isn’t. 

What are your go to remedies for period pain? Like I said above mine is heat either in a heating pad or a hot bath depending on the time of day. 

Meals I've Been Eating Now That I'm Bored

I don’t know about you, but winter is a season full of comfort foods. They’re heavy, filling and not always the most healthy options. 

And while I try to eat intuitively, giving my body what it wants, it always gets to this point at the end of winter when I find myself weighed down and sick of what I’ve been eating. 

I wrote earlier this month about how I was over what I’d been eating for winter so today I wanted to share what I’ve been eating lately to balance out those heavy meals. 

I’ve been craving more light meals, fresh fruits and vegetables and basically foods that wouldn’t have me wanting a nap after I finished them. 

The easiest one is adding a salad to your day. People cringe when they’re told to eat salad. They think it’s so boring and unsatisfying. But that just means you’re doing it wrong. Sometimes I love salads full of other ingredients like tomato, onion, black beans, etc. and other times I just want a basic kale salad with a tasty dressing. 

Seriously, I’ve been craving salad that is literally just kale that I mash with some avocado, kraut, salt, pepper, balsamic and sriracha. There’s so much you can do with salad. If you’re not feeling greens try something like a cucumber salad with onion tomato, vinegar, salt pepper and a dash of oil. (There’s a ton of recipes online for this). 

Get on Pinterest and feel the inspiration!

Another thing that I’ve been craving and loving lately is fresh juices. Recently it’s been a basic combo of grapefruit and a few clementines that I needed to use up. And it is one of the most refreshing juices I’ve tasted. Juice is also a great way to squeeze more greens into your day. 

Along the line of liquids, I always find I come out of winter dehydrated and dry. When you’re feeling bogged down I think just drinking water is such a great trick. I always feel so much better when I’m adequately hydrated. 

But plain ol’ water can get boring. If I’m chilly I’ll make a cup of herbal tea, but now that it’s warming up I’ve been loving this light lemonade I’ve been making, and it’s so easy. Just squeeze a bit of lemon or lime into a glass of water, and mix in a bit of honey or maple syrup. You’ll be slurping that down easy. 

I’ve been avoiding pasta, potatoes, and too much bread, which were all staples in my winter diet. So many potatoes. 

Instead, I’ve been really loving rice dishes. Curries, veggie bowls, you name it. There are so many amazing recipes to try.

Last week I made a buddha bowl with roasted chickpeas that was on point. And I also made these to die for veggie rice bowls with my sister. 

Really, I’ve just been trying to listen to my body and what it wants. What are some of your favorite spring recipes to shake off the winter blues? 

Stress + Your Cycle

Stress is a real pain in the ass. It has plenty of negative effects and is all around not good. 

Effects on your body:

+ headaches

+ muscle tension/pain

+ chest pain

+ fatigue

+ change in libido

+ upset stomach

+ sleep issues

Effects on your mood:

+ anxiety

+ restlessness

+ lack of motivation/focus

+ feeling overwhelmed

+ irritable

+ sadness/depression

Effects on your behavior:

+ eating too much/not enough

+ outbursts

+ drug/alcohol use

+ social withdrawal

+ exercising less

But how can it mess with your menstrual cycle? 

I can see from that list a whole host of ways it can interfere. 

If you’re in a rut of chronic stress or have recently experienced a very stressful event (think the loss of a job or loved one), your hormones can be suppressed, which can cause your period to be delayed or stop altogether. 

When you’re stressed your body secretes the hormones adrenaline and cortisol, which can suppress estrogen and progesterone production, which we know are necessary for a healthy cycle. 

Your body reacts to stress and being in a state of “fight or flight” by sending signals to your body saying "now is not a good time to get pregnant." 

I’ve seen it before in my own cycle. In a time of stress, my body will delay ovulation until things have calmed down a bit. 

And if you’re trying to conceive, stress could be playing a role in your difficulty getting pregnant. Because if your body is sending around the “not a good time to get pregnant” signal that’s no bueno.

Your PMS symptoms can also be exacerbated by stress. Think acne, irritability, fatigue and so on. Yay.

Being stressed is not another thing to stress about, there are easy things you can do to help de-stress. 

The three main things I found that help reduce stress are diet, exercise and sleep. 

If things aren’t going great we can find ourselves reaching for comfort foods that might not be nourishing our bodies how they need to be. Plan out your meals before you go shopping. What are some nutritious recipes that get you excited about cooking and eating them? Some people find meal prepping before the start of the week makes eating healthier easier. And if you have a busy life being able to grab your lunch quickly from the fridge on your way out the door is going to help a lot. 

Exercise can be the last thing on our minds when we’re stressed. “I don’t have time for that!” But there are plenty of easy ways to fit a little movement into our days. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator, go for walks even if it’s just 10 minutes. Some people find attending a workout class works better than having to come up with a workout routine on their own. 

And along that same line can we talk about yoga for a second? Not only is it exercise but it does so much more for the mind as well. Plus you can pop on a video from YouTube and do a quick 15-minute routine in your living room. I also like doing a few yoga stretches before bed or even in bed. Just this morning I did about five minutes of stretching to prolong the whole getting out of bed thing. 

And when you find yourself restless at night, unable to sleep but exhausted, it might be worth looking into a natural sleep aid to help get you back on track with sleeping. You can try melatonin or something like Bach Rescue Sleep Liquid Melts (not sponsored, Michael loves them). 

A few other things that can help you de-stress and sleep better: meditation and journaling before bed (as well as those yoga stretches). I can’t begin to talk about how beneficial meditation and journaling has been for me. I can tell a huge difference between when I’m consistently doing both and when I’m not. 

Neither of them have to be fancy. Find a meditation app like Headspace or currently I’ve been enjoying meditating to the music on the Calm app. And just grab an old notebook and write down what you’re feeling, what happened that day and anything that comes to mind. Get it out of your head  and onto paper, and I promise you’ll feel so much better after. 

Some people like to work through things on their own (hello that’s me), but consider opening up to a friend because you’d be surprised how many people are stressed or anxious and it can help to have someone to just talk to about it. 

In the end listen to your body. Pay attention to how you’re feeling, when you need to take a break, step back and breathe. And it’s so important to make self-care a focus. Give yourself ten minutes a day of “me” time and maybe a  bit more time on the weekend to focus on yourself. 

Stress is a pain and you can definitely stress more about being stressed, which can spiral out of control. Just being conscious of it, and willing to take the time work through it goes a long way. 

What are some of your ways you deal with stress? Beyond the things I talked about today I also enjoy running, being out in nature, bubble baths, deep cleaning my apartment and having at home spa dates with myself. 

Easing Back Into Running

I thought that maybe I’d bundle up every now and then and continue running through the winter.

Yeah, right. I should have known better.

It was hard enough to muster the motivation to bundle up to just walk to the coffee shop to work. 

But March is here, which means spring is just around the corner, and with it warmer weather. 

I ran once while we were in Sri Lanka, it felt amazing. And I ran when we were in Phoenix, equally exhilarating. 

I’m obviously far from in marathon shape where I last was in November. But I know I at least want to do a half this summer, and possible a full marathon in October. 

So, here I am, out of running shape, but I feel like I’m still further ahead then where I started last July when I started training. And it’s because now I know what I’m capable of when it comes to running. But that doesn’t change the fact that I couldn’t go and knock out a 10 mile run right now. 

Where do I start? 

Here’s my plan. 

I know I’m going to run a half in June, and hopefully that full in October so I have dates to work towards. I’m going to start creating my training plan for those, but in the mean time I’ve started easing myself back into all this. 

There were a number of really gorgeous days recently and I went on a few long walks because duh, why wouldn’t I get out and enjoy the weather. 

That’s step one, to just get out there and start warming up the creaky joints again. 

After that I’m going to ease in with some walk/jog sessions. I’ll choose a distance or total time, and start with something like five minutes running, two minutes walking, on and off until I finish that distance/time. 

And I’ll just grow from there into things like 10 minutes on, 1 minute off, until I can run three miles straight. 

Something I am going to do more of this year is strength training for my knees, hips, etc. so I can hopefully avoid the knee problems I had last year. 

And while I plan on a half and hopefully another full, I plan to run other races in-between. 

Another thing I learned from last year is that you can burn yourself out mentally during training. By the end of it last year I was over running. I hardly ran my last month of training (not the smartest thing, but I still did my marathon). 

I haven’t really looked at what I want my training plan to be but I think I’m going to create one to work on for the half in June, then keep that base and have a “separate” plan for the marathon. Who knows yet!

What are your race/fitness goals for this year? What are the steps you’re taking to get there? 

I'm Bored With My Winter Meals

I wrote last week about how I was over winter and ready for spring to come. 

The same goes with my eating habits. I eat many more “comfort foods” or meals in the winter.

I’m not sure why, but I’m not super into eating fresh veggies in the winter. I much prefer warm, cooked things. I’m a cold being in the winter, and I need to warm myself with what I eat and drink. That’s why I have a problem drinking enough water in the winter as well. 

But it’s getting to that point in the season, where we’re coming to the end of winter and I’m bored with what I’m eating. I’m over the meals I’ve been making, and I’m ready to change things up. 

I also wrote a post in January about What I’ve Been Eating This Winter if you’re curious about what some of those meals are. 

And I’m at the point where I’m not craving these filling, comfort foods. I find myself wanting fresh, light meals. 

I haven’t made the transition yet into eating this way. 

To be honest I just made a huge batch of potato and onion pierogi (so good). But I did buy kale and avocados to make a quick salad to add to my diet each day. I also try to have some sort of fruit in my house to snack on when I need a little kick of something fresh. 

I’ve got a huge bag of jasmine rice that I want nothing to do with, as well as a pretty big container of couscous that I also don’t want at the moment. I know I’ll make my way through both of those eventually in the coming months, but for now, no thanks. 

I’m over bagels and oatmeal. I’m nearly over potatoes. All those heavy things I craved, hold little desire for me right now. 

I’m ready for it to get warm so I can have smoothies for breakfast, salads for lunch, and don’t even get me started on watermelon. Could I eat these things in the winter? Yes, but like I mentioned before I’m a cold person in the winter and would be miserable drinking a smoothie in the morning. 

I need to spice it up with the meals I’m making (obviously, duh). So if you have any favorite meals, share them! I also just need to get on Pinterest and do a little meal hunting. 

An Intuitive Menstrual Phase This Cycle

I’ve seen a number of people talking about intuitive eating, where you listen to your body and eat what you feel like, not forcing meals if you’re not hungry and just eating what you want. 

I’ll always be learning and evolving in this area of life, but I have made great progress over the past few years to just listening to my body. 

Who would have ever thought it would have been so difficult to just give your body what it needs? 

I’ve talked before about some different strengths and weaknesses we have in each phase of our cycle. And that’s the obvious first step, just recognizing the different phases and acknowledging that you have different needs in each. 

I feel like I’ve done a good job this past menstrual phase (period) of really slowing down, and going about my days differently. 

Normally, I love getting up early and getting going on my day of work pretty soon after. 

But last Monday was the start of a new cycle, and for whatever reason, it hit me fairly hard. 

I was exhausted, but not sleeping well, which just snowballs as you know. I was feeling zero motivation for work and frustrated for that lack of spark. 

I wanted to stay home and be alone but knew I would feel more inspiration if I went out and worked somewhere public. 

So, instead of pushing myself to conform to my normal schedule I decided to create a new one for that week. 

I let myself sleep in. I took my mornings slowly, making sure I was eating a breakfast, even if it was something small. 

The weather was nice so I made sure I was spending time outside, walking to the coffeeshop or library to work, going on walks in the afternoon, getting a bit of physical movement each day. Even if this meant cutting my work day short I knew that getting outside when it was warm, and moving was going to do for me mentally and physically then forcing myself to stay inside and work. 

Each morning after I made my way to where I was going to work for a bit, I wrote out a to-do list, and focused on the things I had to actually get done for the day. Then if I got those tasks completed, and didn’t feel like working for the rest of the day I didn’t. 

There was one day that I was feeling very reflective, thoughtful and curious. And I used that to focus on some research I needed to do instead of pushing myself to do other projects I wasn’t drawn to. This was a way for me to still be productive, but also to listen to what I needed that day. 

I always find that my menstrual phase is a great time to reflect on how things went last month, what goals I want to focus on coming up. And it’s always a great idea to come up with ideas for content, projects or things I want to do. 

I know I’m very lucky in that I have control over my work days, but there are ways you can support your needs regardless of your lifestyle. 

One thing that always helps me is to cut back on how social I am during my period. Instead, I choose to focus on myself, have a little pamper "me" time, and plan meet-ups for the following week when I’ll be wanting to connect with others. 

Sleep is always a big thing for me. And while we can’t all sleep in, we can usually tweak our bedtime a little. Whether this is to squeeze in 30 more minutes or sleep or an hour more. I promise this always has such a positive effect for me. And make sure the quality of sleep you’re getting is adequate. If you’re tossing and turning it doesn’t matter how much time you spend in bed. You’re not going to be well rested. 

For me this meant taking a homeopathic sleep aid a few nights, and giving myself to wind down with a little meditative music to fall asleep to. I’m very guilty of technology right up until bed time. But I always notice it’s negative effect more during my period. Give yourself an hour or so before bed to disconnect. Maybe this can be when you get ready for bed, take a bath, read a book, meditate, whatever fits into your schedule. 

And whenever I focus on taking care of myself during those few days of my period I ways find that I come out of it with so much energy, motivation and spunk for life and work. So, while I feel that frustration during my period of “why can’t I just focus and be productive?!” I always remind myself to give myself those few days and all of that will return soon enough. 

This month that meant that the first of my period was pretty rough and I didn’t get much done, the second day was a bit better, but by the third day I was back at it and super productive. I just have to back off for a few days and the results are so worth it for me.

What are ways in which you listen to your body? How do you nurture yourself? What are some of the things you’ve noticed since you’ve taken more of an intuitive approach? 

Sorry Winter, I'm Ready For Spring

I can’t actually complain about winter. I’ve gotten a pretty big break with our trips so far this year. Those warm trips always make coming back to a cold Iowa a little more bearable. 

But what gets me itching for winter to be over more than anything is when we have a really nice day here. When it’s the end of February and nearly 70 degrees out. That’s when I find myself saying “This is what my soul needs!” 

You don’t realize how much the weather truly impacts you until you go from having to bundle up just so your skin doesn’t hurt, to being able to go for a walk in just a sweatshirt a week later. 

Blue skies, sunshine and warmth, that’s what I crave. 

Monday this week I felt pretty meh from the lack of sleep I had, and the start of my period complete with cramping. I posted on Instagram about this wave of melancholy I was feeling that day. 

The next day I woke up, fully rested, to blue skies and sunshine. Then to top it all off I found out that it was already above 50, headed towards 60 degrees that day. Sweet baby Jesus get me outside!

And it was amazing, the huge difference I felt between those two days. Granted the start of my period probably had quite a bit to do with Monday (it was nice out too). But I had such a pep in my step walking around during that 66-degree day. 

I felt energized, inspired and just really freaking happy. 

I will buy winter boots for next winter, I promise, but I just crave that sensation where you close your eyes and tilt your head towards the warmth of the sun.  And I swear I can feel it recharging my mental and physical batteries as I do it.  

I want to be able to throw open my windows, let in the fresh air and dance around my kitchen while making food. I want to go for walks, runs, bike rides and you know what, I really want to ride my longboard around again.

I want to set up my hammock in the park to read or journal. I want to walk outside in sandals and shorts and feel hot. I want to sweat.

I want to go outside during a warm summer rainstorm. I want to crack my windows open that night to fall asleep to that glorious sound of the rain outside.

I want to go down to visit my sister and go out on walks with her and my little nephew. (I’ve been getting snaps of her and him doing this since it’s been warm this week.) I want to sit out on her back porch with them. (She has a very peaceful house). I want to go down to my parent's house out in the woods and just sit in that silence of being out in nature away from the city.

Gah, there’s so much I want to do when it gets warm, and I really hope I remember this feeling, this desire for spring when spring finally comes. 

What’s your favorite season? What’s the one you find yourself looking forward to most? If you can’t tell mine is spring, but then again I’m a spring baby so maybe I’m biased. 

Books I've Read This Year | January + February

One of my best friend’s and I started our little two-person book club, and I’ve toyed with the idea of starting an online book club (plus a lot of you have asked for it). But since I haven’t gotten around to actually doing that, nor do I know if I want to, I have just tried to share the books I’ve been reading that I enjoy on here.

I always look to other’s “What I’ve Been Reading” as inspiration for what to pick up next. And I always find some fantastic books. So, today I wanted to share what I’ve read so far in 2018. 

I always love picking up a book or two to read when I travel, and I was torn between getting two or three books with me to Sri Lanka. I ended up choosing two, but I wish I would have brought three. 

There was a lot of laying outside in the warmth reading. It was delicious and such a nice treat after being burrowed up in Iowa. 

So, the two books I brought with me were both about WWII (I didn't do that on purpose), and I can’t recommend the both of them enough. 

The first one I read was, We Were the Lucky Ones, which is about a Polish family torn apart during the war, fighting to survive, wondering what the fate of their family was and working to reunite after the war.

We’ve all learned about WWII in school, the holocaust, concentration camps and the awful things that happened. But I learned so much in reading this book about the horrors outside the concentration camps. How everything changed before, how people didn’t believe it was going to get that bad. How friends who had grown up together turned their backs on their Jewish friends.

It’s one of those books that pulls you apart and then puts you back together again. 

It took me only a few days to tear through the first book, but after I finished that I reached for the second book I brought along, Under a Scarlet Sky. 

This one was about a teenage boy in Italy during WWII. He was a privileged kid who ended up being involved in the war in a few ways that didn’t involve going to battle. 

Before reading this I never really knew much about Italy during the war, and I felt like I learned quite a bit. It also makes me think of myself at that age, how much I’ve matured since then, and what would have happened if I were put in that position. 

He became a driver for one of Hitler’s Generals in an effort by his family to keep him off the front lines when he turned 18, which was basically a death sentence at the time.  

Who knows why I was drawn towards two books about WWII, but I’m very glad I went with both of them. I learned so much and got different perspectives I hadn’t heard known about before. 

I started reading the free excerpt from this next book while I was still in Sri Lanka. I’m not sure why but something about buying a digital copy of a book vs a physical book doesn’t feel the same for me. I like physical copies of things. 

Anyways, I started reading the first 65 pages of The Girl With All the Gifts during our last week in Sri Lanka, and when I got home I checked it out from the library. It was like not getting to finish a movie on the plane ride, you have to find a way to finish it just to know what happens. 

This was actually a pretty quick, easy read. I could pick it up and read a few chapters before bed without really having to use that much brain power. And I was finished in just a few days. 

I’m normally not one for zombie plots, but this one was different. I won’t say much more about it because I would start giving stuff away. I don't know how people normally become zombies in other plots but this one was through a type of fungus. This story combines trying to survive with working to find a "cure". 

And I wasn’t expecting the ending, but I also wish they would have gone a bit further with the ending. It just felt a bit abrupt, and I wanted more explanation. 

All in all, it wasn’t the most thought-provoking read, but it really wasn’t bad either. (Like I said I'm not normally a zombie story person). Sometimes it’s nice to just have an easy, entertaining read in between more difficult ones. 

We Were the Lucky Ones was probably my favorite, but was followed closely by Under a Scarlet Sky. If you're looking for a good book to read I recommend both of those. 

Any favorite reads from this year so far? 

Sri Lanka | Week Three

It came down to our final week. Our friends were leaving a few days early, and even though they were the ones leaving, it felt like we were leaving too. But we actually had an entire week left.

We had driven over from Nuwara Eliya to Negombo because the Colombo airport is actually there. We decided to get a nicer hotel for the night because we were going to have an entire day to spend with them before their flight left and we wanted a nice pool/beach/lounge area to do so in.

We all wanted to soak up plenty of heat after being up in the mountains the previous week. And boy did it feel good after coming from chilly ol’ Nuwara Eliya.

We went in search of a final veg curry for them and ended up at this place just across the street with a character of a guy who worked there. He was one of the co-owners and I don’t even know how to begin to describe his personality, but he was amazing. He had us laughing and brought us way to much food, promising even more. It’s called Scandic Restaurant if you’re in the area waiting for a flight. 

After a tearful goodbye, we parted ways. They headed to the airport in one taxi and we hurtled down the coast in another.

We arrived at our place on Ahungalla beach around 9 p.m. only to be told there’d been a mix up with our booking and they didn’t have a room for us for the full four days, but thankfully they were able to put us up that night. Disappointed we headed to our room and Michael made a phone call via Skype to try and sort out our accommodation situation for the next few nights.

We woke up, ended up finding a new place to stay, and decided it was a lucky break because in the daylight most of the patrons of that hotel were older and just laid out on beach chairs all day, secluded by the hotel walls.We packed our bags, walked out to the main road and grabbed a tuk tuk. He was the nicest guy who was actually taking his son to school but said we could ride along for no cost (we gave him money at the end of it). We talked about tourism along with other things with him. While it can be a little off-putting at first to have tuk tuk drivers constantly asking if you need a ride, don’t let that deter you. We had some of the best convos with our tuk tuk drivers. 

We spent the next three days just south of Bentota along a little unnamed beach (or I just can’t find the name). We ventured into Bentota twice, and it really reminded me of a lake town in Iowa. Very odd and not our scene. But the beach we were on was really nice, quiet and warm.

The following day we decided to venture down to Hikkaduwa to visit the tsunami museum and then further down the coast to Galle. Both of which I highly recommend. We hired a tuk tuk driver for the day to take us to both places for 3000 RP ($20USD).

The tsunami museum was sobering, but if you’re in the area or even passing through it’s a must-see. It takes about half an hour and the lady who runs it is such a sweet woman. She explains different aspects of it, answers any questions you have, shares her story of that day and even asked at one point if we were ok looking at some of the more graphic photos.

Next, we continued on to Galle which I had zero interest in visiting initially. But if you’re on the fence about visiting Galle I definitely recommend taking a day to go down there. We spent a few hours in the fort and it’s filled with cute little streets lined with shops and restaurants. It’s obviously a bit more touristy but after being deprived of food options for so long it was amazing to be able to choose between a few places.

We ended up going to Crepe-ology (a crepe place, obviously). We both got our own savory crepes and iced teas and then split a sweet crepe at the end. It was fantastic.

We spent our final day by Bentota, just hanging around our hotel. Michael worked from the room most of the day and I spent a lot of time out on the beach. It was calm, relaxing and simple. (Not to mention I didn’t have a computer or book.)

We decided to take the train from Bentota to Weligama where we were going to finish off our stay. It cost us a whopping 280rp for our two tickets, which comes to a grand total of .91 cents each. Insane.

The train ride was pretty great (especially for that price). We chugged down the coast to Galle pretty fast, but after that, we were stopped at Galle for 20 minutes and then we got stopped at another station for 30 minutes, which got us into Weligama an hour late. But still worth it at that price if you’re a bit time-flexible. 

We pulled into our final stay, Elephant Stables, and it ended up being the best accommodation of the trip. The rooms are lovely, the property is lovely, it’s on the beach and within walking distance to almost everything. What more could we ask for? 

And wow, Weligama, I was not expecting it to be so happening. We had debated between going back to Mirissa or trying out Weligama and I’m thrilled we ended up going with Weligama.

The beach was lined with places renting out surfboards and offering lessons, there were fishing boats and places to eat. Michael grabbed a surfboard for the three days we were there, which I stole for a bit on the second day.

But mostly I just legit frolicked in the sea for three days. My goal was to be outside as much as possible, and I’ll give myself an A+ on that assignment.

It was absolutely brilliant. I loved every moment of it. I remember showering and looking out the window, seeing the palm trees and just feeling giddy with gratitude.

There were countless moments on this trip where I found myself wondering how is this real life, and how is this my life?

One of the nights we grabbed a tuk tuk over to Mirissa beach for dinner and ended up getting veggie burgers at Zephyr. And we joked how we had completed our circle of the island by going to Mirissa for the second time.

Sri Lanka is much bigger than I had realized and there’s so much that we didn’t get to. There are a few different paths you can take around the island, but I think you would have to go back a few times to even get close to visiting it all.

We had an entire day on our final day being that our flight left at 2 a.m. in the morning. And of course, we decided to spend the time in Weligama instead of heading up by Negombo. Michael surfed and I grabbed a boogie board to just float around on. We had booked in for massages at Good Spa for 5 p.m. which I recommend before jumping on a long flight. You’ll still get home a bit jumbled and cramped, but it’s a much better baseline to start from. We both got 90-minute massages for around 40USD, which is pricey but cheap when you compare to prices back home.  

From there we went in search of a final full meal before heading up to the airport. We ended up on the other end of the bay at Tiki Cliff Top Restaurant & Bar. It was super chilled out and the food was delicious. Oh, not sure if I’ve mentioned this before, but don’t forget bug spray. They come out at night, and since most places to eat are outside you’re going to want some so they don’t go to town on your ankles (which they will). 

We had a taxi scheduled to pick us up from our place at 9 p.m. which is obviously more than taking the train, but then we weren’t limited to the train schedule and could squeeze out every last ounce of beach that day. We made great time on our way to the airport, and after a grueling 30+ hours of travel we arrived back home in Des Moines jetlagged, a little sick and ready for sleep.

And that finishes off our three-week adventure in Sri Lanka. I hope this has helped if you’re planning a trip there, or just like reading about travel.

Sri Lanka | Week Two

I wasn’t totally ready to leave the beach, but I was excited to see other aspects of Sri Lanka.

Michael had found and booked a safari guide for Udawalawe National Park, which was around 2/2.5 hours northeast of Talalla. We had contemplated staying a night or two in Udawalawe (maybe in a treehouse), but in the end we decided it didn’t require that much time so we planned it as a stop over between Talalla and Ella. Which was the right decision.

We woke up at 3:30 a.m. and then got a knock at our door at 3:55 a.m. from the lovely villa manager who had came in early to make us tea and coffee. Seriously, Handun Villas was one of our favorite places we stayed.

We had arranged a driver for the day to pick us up at 4:30 a.m. and wait for us while we did the safari before taking us the rest of the way to Ella.

Now, there are a few different national parks to choose to visit for a safari tour. The most popular is probably Yala, which is east of Tangalle. It’s known for its leopards, which there are still only 20 or 30 in the park. The sightings are rare and if one is spotted all the safari jeeps race to view it causing a clogged traffic jam. But if you want to see one head to Yala.

Udawalawe is the place to go to see elephants. Seriously, I was not expecting to see that many, and it was so magical to see them out in the wild instead of in some sort of enclosure. There were also a ton of beautiful birds, which I’m normally indifferent to, but our guide was really enthusiastic, knew a lot and had a great eye for picking them out. We saw water buffalo, crocodiles, a chameleon. But the best was seeing a maybe 2 week old baby elephant.

A few other places you can go and what you’ll see in Sri Lanka:

+ Wasgamuwa (NE of Kandy) — elephants

+ Sinharaja Forest (N of Mirissa) — birds

+ Minneriya (N of Dambulla and Polonnaruwa) — in Sept/Oct 300 elephants converge on the Lake

+ Horton Plains (S of Nuwara Eliya) — birds + ‘World’s End’. The train from Ella went through Horton Plains and boy oh boy it was beautiful.

+ Wilpattu (NW coast) — sloth bears and it’s the largest park

+ Knuckles (NE of Kandy) — lizards

The following day we hiked Little Adams Peak, which was such a chill hike past tea fields and ended with a stunning view of the valley and Ella Rock. We sat up there for quite some time taking it all in, and then made our way down and decided to stop for lunch at the swanky 98 Acres. The prices there are super reasonable so I suggest making that stop. We decided to hit the Nine Arches Bridge on our way back to town, and it was a fun little path to get down to it. We waited to watch the train go by and then walked along the tracks back into town.

We had planned to hike Ella Rock, which is a 3-4 hour hike (Little Adams Peak took an hour to get to, plus a little more to hang out up there). But we all woke up the next day feeling a bit iffy so we decided to hang out around town. Everything I had read about Ella was pretty misleading. Everyone said the town was crap, but to go for the surrounding area. And while the scenery did not disappoint, neither did the town. There was a little strip on the Main Street that had a ton of food and cafe options.

While in Ella I had one full body massage one day and a head and leg massage another day. Neither of them were very noteworthy. I mostly felt like I was just getting oiled up, and I always find myself wishing they would put a little more umphf into their massages, but the prices weren’t bad.

The following day we made our way on the train to Nuwara Eliya. The manager of our hotel was kind enough to go to the train station that morning to get us tickets with reserved seats. And because he got the tickets they set aside for employees they were a steal of a deal. But you can very easily get 2nd or 3rd class tickets for next to nothing, and if it’s not too busy you’ll probably get a seat. But if not find a door to hang out next to.

The train from Ella to Kandy is said to be the most beautiful train ride, and we did about half of it on our way to Nuwara Eliya. The station is actually 20 minutes away and called Nanu Oya, which confused us at first when we were looking up train schedules.

We got some veggie samosas on the train, talked to a family who were both English teachers and spent a lot of time hanging out by the open door.

Ok, so Nuwara Eliya. It’s the weirdest place we visited in Sri Lanka and possibly the weirdest town I’ve gone to. It wasn’t a town until a Brit came through and said, this reminds me of England, let’s build a town here. So, it became known as the home away from home for those visiting Sri Lanka from England. So, it’s this odd mix of Sri Lanka and England.

We had high tea at the Grand Hotel, which was my first high tea experience so I don’t have anything to compare it to, but our friends from Bristol said it could have been a lot better. I’d still recommend it, and to check out the hotel.

That night we went over to Saint Andrews Hotel, which was probably my favorite place in Nuwara Eliya. They have a 100+ year old billiards table. I’ve only ever seen pool tables and billiard tables are huge in comparison. It has all the original parts and has only been buffed. The boys decided to play a game, which I think cost like 650 rp ($4) for 45 minutes. They have a guy who’s only job is to work in the billiards room. He was awesome, and very encouraging to the guys, who started off the game a bit rough.

At one point another traveler came in, he was a professor in South Korea and informed us that the billiards table had been brought from Colombo to Nuwara Eliya by six elephants, and it took them 6 months to get there. I would love to see a drawing of that.

They also had a few fireplaces in the hotel, which felt great to curl up next to because it is noticeably chillier in Nuwara Eliya. We had to wear pants and a sweater or two to stay warm at night.

Nuwara Eliya is worth seeing, but I would only spend a day, maybe two there if I had to do it again.

Our friends had to leave a few days early so we all decided to head up to Negombo together, and ended up stopping at Bluefields Tea Factory and Ramboda Falls on the way there. Which was a much needed stop because that was by far the windiest, vomit inducing ride I’ve gone on.

The tour at Bluefields was fascinating, and free. I learned a lot. For example I didn’t know that black tea was fermented or the difference between white, green and black tea.

Ramboda Falls doesn’t look like a place you want to stop from the road. I could have easily passed it by, but Michael wanted to go for a swim. So, we made the 20 minute hike up to the top, and man I was happy we didn’t skip it.

One week left. 

Sri Lanka | Week One

I wanted to share our adventures in Sri Lanka because when I was planning our trip I looked at so many blogs trying to get a sense of what to do and where to go.  

We arrived in Sri Lanka late on January 17th, and had booked a hotel in Colombo for the night. After a few hours of sleep we all rallied and ate some breakfast near our hotel. I started off strong with a fruit plate.

We were traveling with friends from Bristol, England and their bags hadn’t made the connecting flight in Amsterdam so we had a little shopping to do courtesy of KLM.

But before we went over to the shopping center we went in search of Colombo Fort, the train station to see if we could get some seats on the train down to Matara. No such luck, but we talked to a taxi driver outside who agreed to drive us down there. Quite a bit more spendy when compared to the train ticket, which was just over $1, but it wasn’t too bad split between the four of us.

Colombo wasn’t our jam, and we were happy to leave.

Our driver’s van was older, and not very fast, but we made our way down the coast. We thought we had booked a place in Tangalle beach, but it ended up being right next door at Talalla beach, which ended up being the best mistake.

We basically had the beach to ourselves. It was magical. Just a few restaurants to choose from along the beach.

We spent five nights there at a place called Handun Villas, which I can’t recommend enough. Talalla is a great home base between Mirissa and Tangalle. And it’s a great place to rest and recharge after all that travel.

We spent the entire day of the 19th on Talalla beach and in the ocean. It was pure bliss. The boys geeked out, ordering pina coladas, and pina coladas in coconuts. We even split two orders of veg curry on our beach chairs at Sun Bay.

The following day we made the trek over to Tangalle. We set up shop in some hammocks on the beach after eating lunch...on the beach again of course. Michael found a boogie board and we spent far too long crashing around in the waves. If I had to choose one of my favorite things about this trip it would be frolicking in the waves. Seriously, I felt like a kid again most days. 

On the 20th we decided to head over to Mirissa beach, which was probably our favorite beach between there and Tangalle. There were restaurants all down the beach, a spot to surf and the water was perfect for that good ol’ playing in the waves we all loved so much.

One thing I decided I wanted to do while we were in Sri Lanka was surf, and after looking into it I decided to do a surf lesson. I’ve been surfing a handful of times, but I’m a definite beginner with almost zero confidence. We met a guy at Tangalle beach who had started his surf school not that long ago. His reviews were good and I thought, what the heck, I want to support the new guy. Tangalle Surf School

And it was awesome! We went to a quiet little place near Tangalle called Blue Beach that had some baby waves, perfect for beginners. It was great to practice my form popping up on my board and to gain that much needed confidence I was in search of.

And on top of all of that, it was just so much fun. I love surfing, I’m just not that good at it.

That pretty much sums up the excitement of our first week in Sri Lanka. Two weeks to go!

I Ruined My Laptop | Part Two

So, if you can recall I busted my laptop on the way to Sri Lanka.

I was bummed out to say the least. It was a big purchase for me two years ago, and it’s not like I have a ton of cash laying around to buy a new one (especially after our trip).

But obviously something was going to have to give because I need a computer for work.

So, while I was enjoying vacation I was also trying to come up with a solution when I got home.

I haven’t taken my laptop into Apple yet, so I’m not sure if there’s an “inexpensive” fix to it or if it’s gone for good.

Michael and I were talking about it one day and he suggested using the iPad as a temporary fix until I saved up and found a computer I wanted. He also has a MacBook with a broken screen that’s a $400 fix if I want to go that route.

In the long run I think I’ve decided I want to save up for an iMac since I work from home 85% of the time. But I need something until then and I need a portable option for when we travel.

I opted for the iPad option. We already had it from a Black Friday deal, and didn’t really use it. So, while in Sri Lanka I started researching the best way to ‘turn an iPad into a laptop’ essentially. And here’s what I’ve done.

The first thing I knew I would need was a keyboard. No question about that. So, I opted for a keyboard case instead of a keyboard and stand option so it was portable.

I also knew I needed a way to get video footage from my SD cards onto it so I could edit videos. My camera does have a WiFi option, but seeing as I didn’t want to hassle with that I decided to get a lightening to SD card adapter, which was a great options.

The first day I was using it with the keyboard I found it a bit fussy to not have a mouse or keypad so I looked into buying one of those, but for the time being I’m just using the screen, which just takes some getting used to.

It can be a bit finicky at times and has taken some time to get used to the differences, but because we already had the iPad it was a pretty inexpensive solution.

Depending on how I like it this might actually become my long term portable option after I get the iMac, which hopefully I can buy in a month or two.

Update: I’m sitting outside Apple waiting for an appointment. I’ve decided to pay the money to get Michael’s old MacBook Pro (which is the same model as mine) fixed. After trying to edit a video yesterday on the iPad I just found myself pretty frustrated. There’s an obvious difference between the iPad and the MacBook Pro, and I was beyond frazzled by the end of the day.

I was working to get a video up because I post every Tuesday and Thursday. Well, it’s still sitting on the iPad because even after I got the very simply edited video exported it now won’t upload to YouTube.

I just came to the conclusion that having a computer is too much of an intregal part of running FemmeHead. I really don’t want to see it hurt by not having a computer and I think it would be.

I think I’m still going to save up for an iMac, but for the time being having a MacBook Pro to work from will be such a treat. I’ve brought both his laptop to send in to get fixed as well as mine to see if there’s anything to be done about it or to at least get stuff off of it.

If you’re just looking to type documents, send emails and such, you can definitely do that on an iPad with a keyboard case. But when it comes to editing things, videos and such, the iPad is not made for that.

Update: I got called in for my appointment. We started by sending off Michael’s old MacBook to get repaired and mailed back to our house. That was going to cost $475, which was fine. And then he took my poor laptop to the back to open it up and look to see what sort of water damage there was.

He came back probably 10 minutes later and said, wait for it, that it looked fine inside and he wanted to plug it in and turn it on.

Wait what?

Ok, I said, as I fumbled in my bag for my charger. I plugged it and he pressed a few keys along with the power button and I holy mother of god it turned on. I about pooped myself.

I still didn’t want to get my hopes up because he said that he was going to run diagnostics on it. That took another 5-7 minutes. In the mean time I asked him why my screen looked like it was separating around the edge, and he said it was called ‘delaminating’ and we could look at repair options for that once the diagnostics finished.

And here’s the kicker, the diagnostics came back and he said it looked fine.

He said that even though my laptop was out of warranty, there was this replacement warranty thing when it came to screens delaminating because they aren’t supposed to do that. So, while it normally costs $475 to replace a screen they were going to do it for free (excuse me?!)

Then he said that my batttery wasn’t holding charge for as long as it should, and right before I could say I didn’t care about that he said he was going to try and get that replaced under the same thing as the screen...for free.

At this point I didn’t want to jinx myself, seriously, is this real life?

But I had to politely ask to cancel the repair order on Michael’s Mac because obviously if my computer had miraculously came back to life I didn’t need his as a replacement. And the Apple guy was kind enough to go grab it from the back and cancel the order.

I thanked him profusely, told him he was a rockstar and that he made my week, no the entire month for me. And then I left.

So at the moment it’s best case senario. My laptop is being sent in to essentially be spruced up, and it’s not going to cost me a thing (unless something else pops up while they have it).

But you guys! I’m over the moon right now.

I tried to turn it on after it got wet on the plane, but then my brother told me that you’re not supposed to try and turn on or charge electronics when they get wet. Not until they dry out. So I waited until a few days before we came back to try again, just for the hell of it, because I was pretty sure there was no hope. And it didn’t turn on so I thought it was toast.

There is nothing better than electronics coming back from the dead.

Viva la MacBook Pro!

I Ruined My Laptop | Part One

I always work when I travel, that’s one of the perks of having an online based business, you can work from almost anywhere. But through all of this, I really came to understand just how important a computer obviously is to running your own online business. 

So, I packed up all of my usual work necessities for Sri Lanka. My laptop, external hard drive, headphones, planner, cameras, SD cards, all with the plan to work on a new course while there and film and edit videos from Sri Lanka.

My downfall came from trying to be hydrated while I flew. I brought along a water bottle that had a lock top. At some point during our flight from Amsterdam to Colombo, while I was snoozing away the “locked” water bottle started leaking into my bag.

I woke up to a wet sock, and thought Michael had spilled some water or something simple, but as I went to investigate further I saw it was coming from my bag.

From the outside it was just a small innocent spot,  but once I opened it up I realized the canvas material has essentially trapped the majority of the spilt water inside my bag. And lo and behold my laptop was at the bottom of all this.

I immediately freaked out, popped it out of it’s protective case and wiped off all the water with my airline blanket. I said a little prayer in my head and tried to turn it on...

Nothing. I later learned that if you get your laptop wet you shouldn’t try to turn it on, or charge it. And if you can take the battery out do that. Well, you can’t take a Mac apart, and I was just a few hours into a 9+ hour flight, headed to Sri Lanka for three weeks.

Michael looked at me with genuine pity, and I think he was pretty concerned I was going to have an emotional breakdown. I’m surprised I didn’t.

Not surprisingly there aren’t any Apple stores in Sri Lanka. (I saw mostly old Nokia phones while there).

So, the best I could do was to leave my laptop out and open in an effort to dry it out.

And if potentially ruining your laptop isn’t bad enough, having to lug it and everything else around that you know can’t use is a cruel punishment.

More than that I was irked I wouldn’t be able to work on my new course, which was the plan for my time there, and why I had worked so hard to get ahead on my upload schedule.

But I’m beyond grateful that I had all my content done and scheduled through the end of January, because it would have been a trick to somehow get it done at that point. Not to mention the internet in Sri Lanka is spotty at best.

I could have been upset, I could have let it put a damper on my trip, but I made the decision on that plane that maybe it was just a sign that I was supposed to step away and just be in Sri Lanka for three weeks.

I was able to keep up on emails with my phone and Michael let me use his laptop one afternoon to launch January’s Chart Your Cycle session.

And in the end I did the math and for the amount I paid for my laptop, and the time I had it, it cost me less than $2 a day to use it, and that’s next to nothing for all the work I was able to do on it each and every day.

Now that I’m home I’ve sorted out a temporary replacement situation, which I’ll talk about next week, and have my sights set on saving up for a new computer.

But you better believe your sweet tush that this isn’t going to stop me from continuing to pluck along with FemmeHead. And at the end of the day it was just a laptop, which is pretty insignificant when you look at the bigger picture.

[Part two of the story coming next Tuesday. Stay tuned.] 

Have you ever broken a computer at a pretty inconvenient time? My college laptop crapped out in the middle of mid-terms, which was pretty stressful, but I ended up getting a used MacBook for $400.

What I Eat On Flights

I really set myself up for success with all the snacks I packed for our flights to Sri Lanka. I even had enough left after we landed to last me for the first few days there (I even shared).

You can see the video I filmed where I shared all the snacks I packed here. 

I’m basically this little girl when it comes to ... snacks. 

But besides what I packed, Michael and I also requested “Asian Vegetarian” meals on our Delta flights. Both there and back they were a rice and curry combo, which was pretty tasty (considering it’s airplane food). 

Unfortunately, our flights between Amsterdam, Colombo were operated by KLM, and we weren’t able to request our meals for that one (because we booked through Delta), and they really don’t give two hoots about your ‘diet’. On the way back our option was chicken and rice, which I obviously didn’t want. 

Seriously, if you’re partner airlines you should be able to let your customers request meals from each other. Especially for 9 and 10 hour flights. End rant.

I picked up some spicy chips, and ginger cookies from a shop in Weligama before we left Sri Lanka, and I was happy to have both of those on our flights. And we had a nice last dinner in Weligama before we left for the airport and a bit more to eat in the lounge before taking off which thankfully held me over till Amsterdam. 

Either way I really recommend bringing some sort of food and snacks with you while traveling. Regardless of if it’s a plane, train, car, bus, boat, you name it, it’s nice to have something to eat. Even if you’re able to request a meal, which I’m always so thankful to have a veg meal put down in front of me, there’s no guarantee it’s actually going to be all that tasty or filling. 

My favorite things I packed were:

+ clementines (I always travel with these)

+ pretzels (the tiny bag you get on the plane is NEVER enough)

+ Traders Joes dark chocolate peanut butter cups (were the MVP of the first week)

+ The Ginger People’s ginger chews (I don’t chew gum, and these have a nice little kick)

You really can’t go wrong because whatever you have you’re going to think you’re a genius for bringing it. 

What are your favorite travel snacks/foods?

What I've Been Eating This Winter

I was scrolling through my Instagram the other day and I came across some of the refreshing smoothies, salads, and plates of fruit I had enjoyed in the warmer months. And while I dearly miss things like avocado and watermelon I'm still making it through the colder months just fine. 

And it got me thinking how my diet changes with the different seasons. So, today I wanted to share some of my current staple meals, regardless of how boring they might be, they are what's getting me full through the winter. 

Every now and then I like to share what I'm eating to show that you can be plant-based without having beautifully arranged acai bowls and that it doesn't have to be expensive or difficult

Oatmeal  — an easy, inexpensive breakfast that can be made without much thought. You can keep it simple with just some brown sugar, molasses or maple syrup, or you can doll it up with fruits, nuts, seeds, and countless other toppings. 

Potatoes — easy to pop two in the microwave or oven. You can pour some soup (chili or lentil) over the top of them, or you can top them with beans, hot peppers, pickled beets, sauerkraut and pickled cabbage. Potatoes is one of the things I always try to buy organic because they're on the dirty dozen list. 

Chickpea Sandwiches/toast — so easy, so filling and so customizable. I can just simple mash up some chickpeas with a few spices and sriracha or stack them to the nines with all the fixings like saurkraut, pickled beets and seeds. 

Soups — warmth is key in the winter. And whether it’s making a stew or chili from scratch, or picking up a couple cans of soup to have on hand for a quick meal, soup is an easy option. You can also add different toppings to them, eat them with potatoes or chips. And if you make a big batch from scratch it can last for quite a number of meals. Not to mention you can often make an amazing soup from leftover ingredients and vegetables in your fridge. 

Nachos — odd, I know but easy, filling and you can throw whatever you have on top of a pile of chips and it works as nachos. 

Pierogi — a little time consuming so I don’t make them more than like once a month, but they are so satisfying. I always put potato and onion in mine and then eat them with a little vegan sour cream, sriracha, and pickled beets. Drool.

Salads — a lot of my meals have been “heavy” and I guess that’s just something I crave in the winter. But I also have to balance it out with something lighter like a nice big salad. Sometimes I just want something fresh, and that’s when I go for a big salad. And there are literally so many options when it comes to salads. 

Fruit — the ultimate compliment to breakfast or any other meal to be honest. I always try to add in some fruit whether it's a snack or a side dish for the same reason I reach for salads because I’m craving something light and fresh. 

As you can see none of these are time-consuming or fancy (Pierogi maybe but they're just flour, onion and potato so therefore easy). I do try to spice things up by trying a new recipe every few weeks, but keeping things simple cut down on the time used up planning and cooking.

What are some of your staple dishes for the winter months?