3 Morning Practices for More Energy Through the Day

So excited to present my free guide to "3 Morning Practices for More ENERGY Through the Day." This is the "big project" I've been working on. If you are on your third cup of coffee by 11am, this is the guide for you. Make these easy shifts in your morning routine and you'll go from rushed to relaxed and exhausted to energized: https://lindsey-oconnor.leadpages.net/morningpractices/

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Coach Spotlight: Stephanie Madison Podgor, Fitness Coach and Total Inspiration

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Stephanie Madison Podgor. She is a fellow teammate and Beachbody Coach and couldn't be more of an inspiration. I mean, seriously, her energy and enthusiasm crossed time zones and cyber space...I was in awe. I had been drawn to her unique, genuine and positive posts on Facebook, but it was her blog post that me realize I needed to interview her pronto. We chatted about what got her started with Beachbody, her journey as a coach and her "why." Which is always my favorite thing to learn about someone: What is their story? What is their why? 

Our interview lasted over 30 minutes, but I have put together a video that highlights all those points above. She also has some great advice to anyone wanting to get fit and healthy, but is finding a lot of excuses (legit or not) to avoid that positive change.

(**sidenote** Our WiFi/Internet connection was a little shaky, so there are times when the picture and voice do not match up. But...we're all adults here, we can handle it ;)

Enjoy watching!! She's an absolute delight.

You can follow Stephanie on Facebook here.

Meltdowns, Mascara and Organic Peanut Butter

I think we all have this expectation that when we have a meltdown, we’ll somehow look like the Disney princesses as they flawlessly toss their heads into their arms and do a few snot-free, back-heaving sobs. Who are then suddenly surrounded by their small woodland friends, all of whom have a vocabulary larger than mine, who comfort them in their weaker moments. 

But “flawless” was the furthest thing from my meltdown today as I found myself sitting in my car, full-on sobs, nose running, eyes dripping and with nothing to wipe my face with other than the sleeve of my woolen-ish sweater (ew) and my hands.  

If you’re like me, you can kind of tell when a mini-meltdown will be happening. Like how weather/science/geologist people predict something will happen within a given timeframe, they’re just not sure exactly when and what will set it off. 

Welp, I am a super-scientist when it comes to my meltdowns. I know they’re gonna happen, but since I'm a fairly even-keeled person, I don’t know what will set them off. Although when the switch is flipped, it’s usually because of something completely unrelated…that “cap on the pickle-jar” scenario. It's usually something ridiculous, like the trash bag not fitting on the lid of the trashcan. And rather than pleasantly giving up and buying different trash bags like a normal, sane person, we stretch that sucker until it breaks and the trash can flips over. 

“Oh my gosh, why are you crying Lindsey??”

“The f*cking trash bag won’t fit on the f*cking trash can and it’s so stupid and I’m just so sick of this shit!!”

It wasn’t a trashcan that set me off today; it was finding zero parking spots in my neighborhood. Like zilch. All the ones I did find were free because of the street cleaning tomorrow, which was exactly why I was moving my car in the first place. After about 20 minutes of zooming around, I finally gave up and angrily jerked my car from drive to reverse from drive to reverse until I was backed into an open spot that was indeed marked for street cleaning tomorrow. And then I burst into tears. 

A few weeks of going from my day job (which I love) to my apartment to do my work (building my health and fitness coaching business), with too little sleep and too much coffee, already had my poor adrenals on high alert. I wasn’t giving myself enough breathing time. 

I love every single thing I am doing; it is a lot of work, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel like it. If I need to stay up until midnight to get my projects done, then so be it! I’m full of passion for what I’m creating and doing. The last few weekends have been great…but filled with work. Again, something I’m totally, 100% willing to do. Another under-lying factor is that I am confident in what I’m doing, but at the same time, I also feel like I have no idea what the hell I’m doing. I just keep believing in myself, taking action and feeling so blessed that I have support from amazing people.

But I could feel the breaking point coming where I would need to release the stress and adrenaline. I had hoped that it would be via a sad movie sob session or maybe even through a longer meditation (in my dreams), but no. Blubbering in my car. And then proudly prancing down Broderick Street to my apartment, face mildly streaked with make up and mascara (it was cute. And one more contributing factor to #thesinglelife.)

So, my meltdown wasn’t flawless. It was gushing, full of snot and clearly non-waterproof mascara. At the same time, it was fantastic and much needed. 

But I can tell you what I am flawlessly doing right now is sitting on the floor of my apartment writing this with a spoonful of peanut butter in my mouth (it’s organic with no additives, thank you). This was post-forced-cuddle session with my bird, which, for those of you who know birds, “cuddling” isn’t their forte. He loved it though. I know it.  

Anyways, I’m gonna go make dinner. 

I know, there were no “action steps to make you life healthier and happier” in this post. But I hope this was a story that provided entertainment and a sense that we all have “those kinds of days.” A relatable "fairytale."

Lots of love from the health and fitness coach who still stress-eats peanut butter once in a while. Peace out friends. 

The ONE Thing That Will Make or Break Your New Year's Resolutions

I seriously hesitated to write this post. I didn't want to be just one more voice in the avalanche of "New Year's Resolutions" advice. BUT, since I do have some thoughts on the subject (surprise, surprise) and I have had some quite intense one-on-one sessions with myself about achieving goals and adapting a new mindset about it all, I thought I might as well share it here.

So, think about the goals and resolutions you set for 2015. You know what separates you from staring at those goals the rest of the year versus you actually achieving them? What separates you from falling off the "I can do it!" bandwagon in 2 months versus making it into a habit and part of your daily routine? 

It's believing in yourself. Like really, truly believing in yourself. 

Yep. The real deal breaker when it comes to achieving your New Year's resolutions is belief in yourself and belief that you can accomplish your goals. 

It's so simple, it sounds stupid, right? 

Again, take a look at / think about your goals. You've most likely written down things that you truly want to accomplish and that you really want to change...but do you really believe that you can? It's easy to write them down and say, "Yeah, I'm TOTALLY going to do it this time." But, do you really believe that you can do it? Do you really believe you can change?

To set yourself up for goal-crushing success this year, shift you mindset to one of true, deep conviction that you can actually achieve them. BELIEVE in yourself! If you believe in yourself and really believe that you're going to do it, no questions asked. When you have that kind of mindset, you are on the path to success. Because with that kind of mindset, little setbacks won't derail you for the rest of the year. You'll plan out action steps for the big, scary goals that don't seem realistically achievable (even though they are.) 

Every time you hear a voice of weak conviction, stop that story from growing even bigger. Shake your head, jump up and down, say "no" out loud, anything you can do to stop that self-doubt from growing louder and ultimately keep you from achieving all that you want. 

Believe in yourself. Shift your mindset. When you look at those goal, tell yourself that you will do it. And then DO IT. Make a plan, take small action steps every day, surround yourself with a supportive tribe, be consistent! 

When it comes to goals. Dream big and dream small. I'm talking about setting short-term, realistic goals for yourself. For me, I'm not drinking until my birthday on the 24th. My little liver got a lot of love over the holidays and I want to give it a break. It also works well since I'm doing the 21 Day Fix for my Challenge Group right now. But I will be that person going out with friends on a Friday night drinking soda water with a lemon wedge. Even as I write it, I'm doing a huge, sulking eye-roll.

But make BIG goals for yourself too! What do you dream of doing? How do you want to feel? Then break it down into action steps. You can't wake up one morning and be 30lbs lighter and have glowing skin. You CAN however, set mini-goals to help you along the way. Workout every day, join an accountability group, cut out fast food/soda/processed crap and adapt a cleaner diet, you can drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water (yes, water). All those little action steps, all those little commitments and goals will take you to that BIG goal of losing a certain amount of weight, having brighter skin, etc. Own it. And most importantly BELIEVE you can do it. Because you absolutely can. I mean, there's not even an ounce of doubt in my mind that someone couldn't achieve that if they put their mind to it and believed they could.

*Truth moment* I've set a huge goal to build my team of health and fitness coaches. I've set a goal to be able to pay my rent each month with income I make from health and fitness coaching by the end of the year. I want to write an ebook. All things that I could so easily not do because they're scary and I am filled with self-doubt. But I'm shifting my mindset, I WILL achieve these goals. 

If you need support, daily reminders and help building an actionable plan to get you there, I'm your gal. Either sign up for a free 30 minute health coaching consultation or joining my 30-day challenge group will give you the support and pathway to a better, healthier year.

SO much love and bouncing-up-and-down-clapping-my-hands-excitement for the new year and what we all will accomplish. Go get it and BELIEVE you can get it.

Ringing in the New Year at the Palace Hotel in SF ;)

How to Rock Your Goals and Be More Productive

I'll never forget watching a video lecture called "Big Rocks" during my training at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. The video focused on time management and prioritizing our tasks throughout the day.

The idea was that we tend to fill up our day (represented by an empty mason jar) with getting all the little, piddly-ass things done on our to-do list. Insignificant tasks (little rocks) that keep us busy, but don't move us closer to our goals and dreams (big rocks). But those larger goals seem like monstrous tasks, ones we can't even begin to think about until we get all those little things out of the way...

For example: I have been wanting to write a blog post for a week and a half now. Have I? Nope. Not until tonight. I wanted to get all the other little things out of the way first, so that I could focus entirely on writing a good blog post.

A week and a half later, the "little things" keep making their way to the top of my to-do list, despite their true insignificance and my desire to sit down and write. I let things like cleaning the apartment, food preparation, doing my nails, grocery shopping, setting up social media outreach for the week, catching up on emails, etc., rise to the top of my list and get ahead of the things I really want to be doing. The tasks that will actually propel me closer (ok, I'm talking like "baby steps" closer) to my goals and dreams.

Which are, by-the-way, to be a writer/self-empowerment guru. I'll be honest.


Back to the video lecture. The instructor filled up the mason jar with a whole bunch of pebbles (the small, busy-work tasks). The jar was full and there was no space for the big rocks (larger tasks and goals). #storyofmylife

But then he emptied the jar and began again. This time he started by placing three big rocks in the jar. They fit fine. He then poured all the little rocks into the jar, which fit snugly in the spaces not filled by the big rocks.

To someone (me) who is blazingly awful at all-things spacial/mathematic/scientific, that visual was amazeballs.

Think about it: So often we prioritize busy-work tasks and small to-do's over the "big stuff" because we assume they are easier to finish and accomplish. But they are never-ending and have a way of continuously filling up our mind...like the way popcorn fills up the bag while being cooked in the microwave. Our bigger tasks, the ones that seem too beastly or "time-consuming" to finish, are pushed further and further down our to-do list.

After a while though, we begin to tread water. We're going no where. If we don't tackle those bigger tasks, they'll just sit there and collect dust. No one likes dusty goals.

Here's the take-away:

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1) The sky won't fall if we don't get allllllll of those little tasks done in one day.
2) We can still do those little things after we finish a big rock.
3) Sometimes after a larger task is finished, you will feel so relieved and accomplished that the little things don't seem as important any more.

I find it helpful to write down everything (big and small) on a list. Then categorize the tasks by "big rocks" and "little rocks." Choose one big rock and two or three little rocks to accomplish each day. For me this was writing a blog post (huzzah!), exercising, laundry and food prep for the rest of the week. My clothes still got washed even though I was bound and determined to finish the "big rock" of writing a post.

Because in the end, we tend to spend more time thinking about those big tasks for longer than it actually takes to do them. I spent a week and a half thinking about writing and here I did it in a 26-minute wash cycle.

Why it is Important to Disconnect from Technology Once in a While...

Thought for the evening! Enjoy :)

Why it's ok to not finish EVERYTHING on your to-do list

I love to-do lists. 

It’s like an organized brain dump onto paper. And ahhh, that satisfactory feeling of crossing/marking/checking something off. Or if you’re like me, you just ink the shit out of one item until it’s a black blob on the paper. Weird? 

But I used to be a little obsessive about finishing my to-do lists. If I felt stress, pressure or lack of control in my life, I "controlled" everything by becoming overly focused on my to-do list (and usually creating more work/activities/tasks that was remotely necessary).

I would put off fun, spontaneous adventures with friends or just simply relaxing because I was so driven to finish every. single. item. on my list. 

As you can imagine, that all went really well. (Not.) 

I would end up overwhelmed by the amount of items I had on my list, I would deprive myself of doing anything but those to-do’s and would feel guilty and angry with myself if I didn’t get through it all. 

Can anyone relate? It was like I was judging my success and productivity as a person on how much I accomplished on my to-do list...yeeesh.

But lately I seem to be having a new realization. A simplistic, "well-no-duh" kind of realization. One that makes the whole to-do list thing a lot more approachable, healthy and gratifying. 

I don’t have to get through the whole damn list. 

Accomplishing 2-3 things (or even just ONE) will still put me ahead of where I was when the day started. Baby steps forward, right?! I'm not a failure if I don't power through everything. 

I have released myself from the idea of "I need to finish everything." I am now content and pleased with the things I do accomplish. This new mindset allows me to have spontaneous adventures, go out with friends, have relaxing moments to myself and…just enjoy my day a whole lot more. The memories and experiences I’ve had in lieu of getting a few (now long-forgotten) tasks finished have been much more meaningful. Taking care of myself and engaging with others is more productive and satisfactory than crossing off one more item on my list. 

If I don’t get myself to the gym, that’s fine…I drank my lemon water in the morning and I did some yoga before bed. Granted, the gym has more of a direct effect on making my ass look good, but drinking lemon water is naturally cleaning for my body and kick-starts my digestion. And yoga calms my mind and body before bed. So, I still took care of myself today, even without the elliptical or weight room. 

I didn’t come up with some grand marketing plan for my website and blog today, but I created a newsletter sign-up form and embedded it into my website. I also wrote a blog post and promoted it. See? Still moving forward with my dreams and passions.  

Didn’t get my car washed, but I made it to the grocery store, cleaned my apartment and FINALLY took out my trash. Look, I’m still functioning! Even with a dirty car. 

And…there’s always tomorrow. A new day. Full of 24 hours.

Of course, you don’t want to use that excuse for everything on your to-do list, especially the items that you really don’t want to face… better to set aside a couple hours to get that one, or few, things done that aren’t fun. Because after a while, you end up thinking about those dreaded tasks for longer than it actually takes to do them. (Believe me, I’m saying that from personal experience!)

So, go into your day with 2-3 things you intend to accomplish. Be content with your decision. And now your energy is focused positively on those few tasks. 

If we go into our day thinking we need to get everything done, we tend to set ourselves up for failure and feeling guilty. Because no matter how super-human we are…sometimes completing our entire list isn’t possible. And it’s not worth staying up until 3am to finish. Seriously, dark circles under our eyeballs are not cute. 

Release yourself from the notion that you need to get everything done. Control and self-worth are not derived from a completed to-do list. Choose 2-3 things that are important to you to finish. And at the end of the day, be proud and grateful of what you accomplished. Focus on what you DID do, rather than what you DIDN’T do. You'll be amazed at how positive and at-peace you feel. 

(A cute notebook like the one pictured above isn’t required, but it certainly makes it all a little bit more fun.) 

Kick Ass and Be Fierce

My mantra for the day <3

The Six Most Powerful Words You Can Say To Yourself

"It's a good thing I'm me."

I will never forget the moment I said those words to myself. The profound effect those six simple words had on my mindset and the places it has given me the courage to go. 

I had just finished talking with my family about my plans (well, at that point they were more of a vague idea) of moving up to Napa Valley to work in hospitality. It was an uplifting and encouraging talk, but I still was overwhelmed at the prospect of doing something that involved such a radical change in my life. And the overwhelming emotions kicked my ego/mind into high-gear...and I began to tell myself I wasn't good enough to find a job in a new area, that I was making a mistake, etc. 

I went to the bathroom to pee and zen out (normal?) for a second. At that point, the thoughts swirling around my mind went something like this: You want to find out more about wine and hospitality Lindsey? Yeah, you and everyone else in that region. What makes you think you even have a chance of being successful at that? You're not any different from all those people. AND you have zero hospitality experience. LOL, REALLY? My mind continued this string of thoughts until I looked at myself in the mirror and a small, but strong voice came out of nowhere and said:

"Well, it's a good thing I'm me."

It almost felt like I had been slapped in the face or another person had said those words. But no...it was me. My inner voice and wisdom finally standing up to my mind and its bullying tendencies. 

I blinked and stared into the mirror. Rapidly feeling a sense of expansion and self-criticism being lifted from my shoulders. 

Of course I could do the move and get a job. I was me. I had the power to make it happen. As does everyone else. And if it didn't happen, then something better would come as a result of simply trying for it in the first place. What did I have to lose? 

And looking back, I have to laugh. Saying such self-empowering words to myself while looking in the mirror, when years before the mirror had been a source of such self-loathing and negativity. Using it to hate and pick apart my body, trying to fit some delusional expectation I had about the way I should look. It was my worst enemy for years, but now I looked at myself and felt empowerment, not inability and hatred. 

Since then, those 6 simple words began a profound shift in life. My mind, my ego, usually the home of self-doubt and criticism has slowly started joining the same team as my heart and inner wisdom. It's no longer a booming voice that drowns out my heart-induced feelings and inspirations. 

Now whenever I'm faced with a challenging situation or an important opportunity, I am being greeted by self-doubt less and less. Sure, it's still there and doesn't go away overnight. But by nurturing and loving that inner voice of mine, and allowing it the freedom and space to speak, it's become stronger. And that little, encouraging voice in my mind has given me the comfort and confidence to "go for it." To try for something I really want. In so many different aspects of my life.

Thoughts become things and that is certainly true when it comes to the conversations you have with yourself. Allow your inner wisdom and voice the space to speak and guide you. Greet that self-doubting ego with a big, respectful "hello!" but then gently remind it that you're going to focus on your intuitive voice instead. Because the more you fight the ego, the stronger it gets. 

Here's how I think of it: let your heart lead you and let your mind say, "Ok. Game Plan!" Because you do need both; your logical, analytical mind and your intuitive, dream-following heart...but when the two are at odds or if you are constantly led by one and not the other, life gets thrown out of balance. It's hard to move forward in a positive, inspiring way. When that happens to me, I just feel like I'm stuck. My heart is pushing on the gas pedal, but my mind still has the car in park because it's afraid and doubtful. 

Don't let you mind bully your body and inner wisdom. Begin to view your mind and intuition as being on the same team. So, the next time you're filled with self-doubt, go to the bathroom to pee and zen out, look at yourself in the mirror and say "It's a good thing I'm me." And then go conquer the world. 

What To Do With Negative Feedback (tequila-spiked lemonade anyone?)

The out-pouring of love and support I felt yesterday when my article was posted on Thought Catalogue was incredible. I am so grateful and thankful and feel SO beyond fortunate to have such encouragement and wonderful friends behind me as I move forward with this new venture. A sincere and heartfelt "thank you" to everyone; friends, family, acquaintances...it means so much to me and gives me even more fuel to keep doing what I'm doing.

That being said...haha, I made the amateur mistake today of flipping through the comment section of my article on Thought Catalogue today.

LOL. Wowsies.

There were the general, "very inspiring!" "great article!"

And my all-time favorite: "Good advice but not to be confused with, 'I can bang every person that I want, no matter who I am with.'"

And then there were the negative comments. Like, "ouch" kind of negative. Ranging from "this is a terrible article" and "a horrible piece of advice, as you obviously have a severe anxiety disorder" to some crazy troll Internet person who just lambasted me. It was almost deranged sounding...calling me derogatory names, tearing my writing apart...it was quite charming (not.)

I was skimming over this as I rode in the car (in the passenger seat Dad, don't worry) to the Marin Headlands and thankfully I had the sense to shut my phone off and put it away. I quieted for a minute and looked out the window as we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. I felt a little sick, taken aback by the craziness of that one comment. I was able to shake it off quite quickly though and enjoy the rest of my afternoon. Especially the view from the Marin Headlands, I mean OMG gorgeous.

Our next stop was Stinson Beach, and as we relaxed in the on-and-off again sun I told my fellow adventurer what I had read and how I felt.

Honestly, I was glad it happened. I am the one entering the field where negative feedback and disagreement is 100% bound to happen. I'm setting myself up for it! And I know it. But on the flip side, there will be people who are hopefully inspired and motivated by what I write. I just want to help people, in any way I can, and those are the ones I want to reach. But it's not always going to be a bulls-eye every time.

I went on to tell him that not only was I glad it happened with the first article (I mean, let's just get this negative feedback going from square one and then it will never be a shocker again, haha!), but it also allowed me to toughen up my skin a bit for the upcoming journey.

Here were the two lessons I learned:

1. I will focus on the feedback, advice, constructive criticism and thoughts I receive from people I know and respect, and from those (strangers or not) who reach out to me in a respectful way. As someone said to me the first day I posted my YouTube video about this blog, "Don't invest energy pleasing the critics...it's a go-nowhere path." I now fully invest my energy, not in combating the critics, but in doing my best to reach as many people I can in a positive way.  
2. No more looking at the comments from my guest posts. Aha. Whether it's on the website/blog's Facebook page or the comment section itself, I believe it would be best overall to not review those sections. I am beyond open to criticism and feedback, but I think reading it on sites and blogs that are not my own, where it's not 100% my true audience, would be more detrimental than productive. Why expend that kind of energy? I'll focus on what my audience has to say on my blog and website. (Any other seasoned bloggers/writers have thoughts and feedback regarding this? :) ) 

Anyhoo. Sending love and gratitude to those who have given me encouragement and productive criticism. And now I'm off to go make lemonade, accidentally spiked with tequila, with those lemons I received today. Grateful for those lessons learned. 

Cheers! 

3 Self-Love Affirmations

The Glow Stick Diaries: My New Blog!

This Week In Happiness

My internet navigation skills have brought me to these articles/sites/pictures/quotes/thoughts...enjoy and HAPPY TUESDAY!! ( << Because why not celebrate today like it's special?)

Elite Daily: Discovering Your Entrepreneurial Spirit: Why All Millennials Should Try To Take Their Ideas To The Next Level. Not only did I agree with and relate to almost 100% of this article, but it made me feel better about writing long-ass titles and capitalizing "the" in those said titles. (#itsthesmallthingsinlife)

Find Your Spirit Animal: I got on the subject of Spirit Animals while having dinner with a friend last night. Pretty cool. Check out the quiz here.

Thought of the Day: Everything serves a purpose and happens for a reason. Keep going.

Health: Why coconut water (well, coconut anything in my opinion) is bomb. And of course, Trader Joe's is aiding my obsession of coconut water/oil/milk/roasted chips (FML they're good).

Inspiration: Shine from the inside out <3

Mind: Pick three to five words to describe how you want to feel in your life. For example, my words are, "light, vibrant, free, energetic, balanced." Now list three to five things you can do today to feel that way. And what actions can you take this week to feel that way? Strive to pursue your goals through how you want to feel in your life. Solid, materialistic, I-can-actually-touch it, goals are practical and necessary, but when it comes to the bigger picture of life and happiness, following those "core desired feelings" will really take you to the places you want to go. When I follow my core desired feelings (or try to at least!) I find I have a greater sense of happiness, abundance and peace in my life, no matter what ups or downs I may be going through.