Choose to Love your Life!

I really like my life, and I hope you do too.  I am pretty sure I think that at least once everyday. "Gosh, I love my life." It doesn't mean I don't have hard days because I definitely do, but at the end of the day, I always have everything I need. If you repeatedly say that to yourself, you will begin to look at your life differently. Take time at the end of each day to think of 3 things you are thankful for, and put away the bad. You don't need it dragging you down!

I went to the podiatrist for my plantar fasciitis, and he gave me cortisone shots. This was a week ago tomorrow. He said to wait a week, and if they start hurting, I will have to do physical therapy. If they don't, I have to wait another week and can start running a little! Well, I went until just this morning without my feet hurting. The right one is sore today. I might call tomorrow to order some physical therapy. This has been such a long journey. It has been really difficult not having one of the most important things in my life--running. Running is my time, the only time I relax and think about nothing. It gives me endorphins like no other exercise does. I miss it so much. I forgot what it was like to live without pain until I got these shots. It is amazing how much it was weighing me down and I didn't even realize it. I know I am on the road to recovery, and I have discovered a lot about myself during this time. It has also forced me to give my body a break from running which will be a good thing in the long run. As hard as it has been, I know there is a lot of good that has come out of it. For now, I will dream of running and know I will get to someday soon!

I haven't blogged lately just because I have been lazy, but I try my best!  I hope everyone is doing well, and you choose to love your life today! 

Early morning alarms on cold, dark mornings

The weather is getting colder. It is darker in the morning. It is so easy to stay warm and snuggled in bed this time of year. Our bodies naturally tell us it is time to hibernate. When you have that alarm set to get up and work out, but it goes off and you want to stay in bed- FORCE yourself to get up. Remember that it is worth it to get up and do it! 

I go into work later on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so I could easily sleep in. It takes a lot to make myself get up. Nate and I swim together on Tuesday mornings, so I have to get up early with him so he can do it before work. I really wanted to sleep in this morning, but I didn't. We went, and I felt so amazing. My whole day is going to be great because of it. If I wouldn't have woke up, I would have missed my time with Nate and our converstaions we had. We swim together and we chat in the hot tub after. Why would I ever want to miss that?! I would have missed having a good breakfast and a great work out that got my metabolism and endorphins going. If  I would have slept in, I would have felt like a slug and been down all day with this gloomy weather.  The positives on this situation FAR outweight the negatives. The only positive of sleeping in is that you get to lay in bed a little longer. That's not worth it for everything you get out of waking up---so do it! Get out of bed a little earlier in the morning to start your day off right. Rushing through the morning will only cause you to rush through the entire day. Life is too short to miss out on having a great day!

A few updates:  Friday, I was coming out of teaching my TRX class, and I walked passed the front desk. "Oh, I know them." and it took about 10 seconds for me to register "oh my gosh! they aren't suppose to be here!"  It was Sydney and Mark from Cedar Falls! Sydney came to my yoga class at the rec center, and Mark is her husband. They had me to their house for Easter this past year. I couldn't believe my eyes!!! I screamed and hugged them! It worked out perfectly because I was just finishing up at work, so they took me out for lunch! They were on their way to Door County for the week and thought they would surprise me. How sweet!! It made my whole weekend!  I met Melissa, Kelsey, and their Dad in Dubuque Friday night to go to Chicago with them. Melissa and Kelsey ran the marathon on Sunday, and I went along to cheer. I was suppose to run, but I couldn't because of my plantar fascitis. Stupid injury! I have hope it will go away! I can't wait to run again!  They both did really well in the marathon. I had been sick since Wednesday, so I wasn't 100% all weekend. It was so nice to spend time with my best friend and relax in our hotel. She is coming to stay with me the first week of November, and I am already looking forward to that time together as well. She is the most amazing friend I have ever had, and we have a pretty incredible friendship. I'm really lucky!

I came home on Sunday, and being gone all weekend made me miss Nate so much. Whenever we are forced to have time apart, I always fall more in love with him. I have felt a connection with him like no other lately, and I can't imagine it getting better, but I know it will!  I'm sure you are reading this, my love---I love you! :)

Currently, I am doing the Advocare 24 day challenge, the Burpee challenge and the Eat this Book Challenge.  The Advocare challenge is awesome. I did it once before, and I had never felt so amazing. You take their products and eat really healthy. It is such a good way for me to "get back on track". We go through phases with our eating, and it is the perfect amount of time to go back to those healthy habits. It is only day 2, and I already feel better--someone just told me I had an extra "glow" to me today. There is proof right there!  Today is day 17 of the burpee challenge. I even did them when I was sick which was really hard.  I am attempting to do them all in a row for the whole challenge. It is already getting pretty hard. It is going to be tough, but I know I can do it!  The Eat this Book Challenge is a bible reading plan through my church. Everyone in the church is reading the same passages each day and there is a study guide online. In the end, we will end up reading the entire bible in a year. I am on about day 20 of that, and I have not missed a day. It's amazing how much better my life is when I am in healthy rhythms. It is hard work---HARD work--- to be healthy, be a good person, do the right thing, etc., but it is 100% worth it. The outcomes of doing so will make your life the life you deserve to be living. 

I hope everyone is having a great week. Remember to get out of bed in the morning--you won't regret it! Heidi said so!

Let's Play!!

Happy Friday everyone!  It has been a great week since I last wrote. I have been reflecting on my life each day and growing every time I do it.  The weather has been absolutley gorgeous, and the leaves are changing the most beautiful colors.  Sipping on a warm cup of coffee or hot chocolate is so blissfull this time of year. Oh, and honey crisp apples! Heaven!  These things might be simple and small, but they never go unnoticed. I love appreciating the little things in life. They are what make life worth living. As I have written before, it is  how a child would think. They get excited about the smallest things, and they are not complicated. They are straight-forward and see things for as simple as they are. Life doesn't have to be so damn complicated, right?! Right!  I bought a coloring book and new crayons last weekend, and some might think that is silly, but I get so excited to color a picture, and it makes me so relaxed I could fall asleep while doing it. What is something you could do that is "child-like" that would make you feel this way? Break out of your shell, and try something like coloring in a coloring book. Maybe you could go to a park and slide down a slide. Don't hold back--do it, and you'll see what I am talking about!

I am done working at 1:30 today, and I am going to go home for a small nap and then enjoy the outdoors with Oscar a little. A friend of mine invited me to a happy hour downtown, so I may go to that. Then, Nate and I are going to play catch with the football he just bought. We played the other night, and it was so much fun. I can't wait to again!  Tomorrow, we are going on the "happy ride" in Illinois. It is a fun bike ride with a group that Nate rode with for RAGBRAI. His mom and mom's boyfriend will be there too, and I have missed them so am looking forward to seeing them. We are camping in tents at night, and then coming back Sunday. Probably going to watch some football and cook up my food for the week. I love it!

Happy Friday! Do something fun today. Act like a little kid. Try something new. Don't pass by the little things. DO IT!!

Oh...LIFE!

Happy hump day!  This has been a great week. The weather is AMAZING, and I had the most relaxing and enjoyable weekend. I love weekends like that. Where you actually feel rested on Monday and ready to go back to work. That's what weekends are suppose to be--time to relax and rest. We make so many plans and keep ourselves so busy, we forget to take time to slow down. I am guilty of it! I am going to be gone the next two weekends, but after that, I will use my weekends for what they are suppose to be for!! Nate and I spent the whole weekend together, and at the end of it, I feel closer to him than I ever have. We just sat there and looked at each other and I said, "how could life get any better?" Somehow it keeps getting better. We both have amazing jobs and our relationship is one everyone dreams of. It's more than I ever thought it would be. :)

So life is perfect and wonderful, but I still deal with this stupid anxiety issue. It is so hard somedays, but I always seem to push through. I stay positive to inspire others, and that is my whole goal in life-- to be here on this earth to help others. It is what we were created to do. To build each other up. If I have to be the strong one for everyone, by golly, I will do it!  I want you to know it isn't easy, and I can understand people's hurts and pains. I am right there with you, and I hope I can make your day when you read my blogs, look at my facebook posts or when you see me! I'll always share a smile with you :)

Enjoy this INCREDIBLE weather! Get outside and PLAY!!!!! And keep on smiling!!

Love!

Home is what you make it. Family is who you make it.

Madison is beginning to feel more and more like home each day. Establishing roots is the only way to make this happen. You can be happy anywhere if you take the effort to reach out and make wherever you are home. I am taking a class at church called Starting Point which just started this past Sunday. It is a place to meet new people at church, to learn more about what they believe, and to see where you fit in best to volunteer or join a small group. They have groups called Life Groups which are made up of around 10 people. They meet once a week to talk about the message from each Sunday and to grow together as friends/family. I am really looking forward to joining a group and connecting with others in the community.  I also 'adopted' one of my clients as my Grandma, and I am going to spend some time with her this afternoon. You can call anywhere your home, and you can make any one your family! It is also a wonderful time of year with it being fall. I absolutley love this weather and the crisp air! I took a long bike ride on a beautiful trail yesterday out into the country. It was so peaceful riding out there and smelling 'fall', my favorite scent.

Nate and I went to Chicago to a Cubs game this past weekend. I can't believe all the fun adventures we get to go on! We will have our date night tomorrow, and this weekend, we are going to go mountain biking with another couple. I have a dinner date with my friend, Lyndsey, as long as her sister doesn't go into labor before then, on Friday. She watched Oscar for me while we went to Chicago, and she also has two dogs, so it will be fun to have a dinner/doggie date!

Work is going awesome! I love Pinnacle. It is such a great company, and for once, I have one job and see a bright future with it. I am looking forward to what it will bring for my growth in my career and as an individual. It feels more like a family there rather than a gym. I feel pretty darn lucky to leave work every day saying "I love my job!"  If you even want to call it a job--I would call it more of a hobby that I get paid for :)

Hope everyone is having a super day!

Thought for the day: Your power works best in weakness

"My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness. So now, I am glad to boast about my weaknessess, so that the power of Christ can work through me. For when I am weak, then I am strong." -2 Corinthians 12:9

I love this verse. We are made strong in our weakness. It is when we are torn down and weak that we gain the most strength. Hardships and troubled times are put into our lives to make us stronger. We learn the most about ourselves when we are going through something hard. Be thankful and boast in your weaknesses because you are only becoming stronger because of them.

I have a split shift at work on Wednesdays which I LOVE. I worked from 5:30-11 this morning, and I have to go back from 5-7:30 tonight. I spend my afternoons working out, showering, eating lunch, napping, and I go to a coffee shop close to my house to plan work outs for my clients for the week. Then, on Wednesday nights, Nate and I have date night because it is one of two nights we get to see each other during the week. Thursday used to be my favorite day, but I think Wednesdays might be now! 

Good news! I ran this morning! My foot is SLOWLY getting better. I was only going to go 10 minutes, and I made it 17! YAHOOOO!!!!! It is a little sore now, but I know it is getting better each day! Plantar fascitis is the worst injury! It takes so long to go away! It has been a good thing for me though because it has forced me not to run. I have been running for a long time, and I would have never taken this much time off willingly. I think my body needed a break from it, and I will be even stronger when I get back at it. I have been swimming, biking, and doing lots of strength training, so I actually feel like I am in better shape than I have ever been! I have really been watching my nutrition, and in the past month, I have lost 6.5 inches total. I use the app: myfitnesspal to log my food and exercise each day. It has been so great for me to do this. I think everyone should. You need to know what you are putting in your body each day, otherwise, you don't think about it and those pounds slowly creep up on you. 

Happy hump day to all!

I'm back!

I haven't written in a while. It isn't because I haven't had time or haven't wanted to. I wasn't feeling inspired, so I have held off. I have had a hard past couple weeks with anxiety/depression/being home sick. Anxiety and Depression is something I have had to deal with my whole life. I unfortunately inherited it from my family, but I know that and have learned to deal with it.  I was so busy before I moved: working 60-70 hours a week and only have 4 days off a month. I have so much more free time now and every weekend off, so I actually have time to myself to think and feel.  This is a good thing because I am learning so much about myself. Another reason why moving to Madison was a perfect decision at the perfect time in my life. I can't stress enough how important it is to slow down your life. Take time to reflect and think each day. If you don't, you will be setting yourself up for a melt down later because you are bottling all your feelings up inside. I have been dealing with these the past few weeks, but as hard as it has been, it has been wonderful! This is why I have not written. I wasn't feeling like myself (thankfull, I do now!), and I like to keep my blogs as positive as possible. Out of every situation--both good and bad--you can always find the positive. ALWAYS.

Updates: I went to my first Badger game where they played UNI. I traded sides for the day and sat in the Badger student section and wore my Badger shirt! How dare me!! It was so much fun. My friends Katie and Heath came to stay for that weekend and Nate went too. Our friends Skyler and Karch came that night and stayed until Labor Day. We had a crazy and weird weekend, so we like to say! We went out at night, went to Taste of Madison, toured the capitol, went to the union terrace, saw a boat parade and fireworks and went to the game! Great weekend!

This past weekend, I went to Cedar Falls. I took my friend, Lyndsey, who comes to my bootcamp class at Pinnacle. She ran her first race, and she has had mono for the past few months! I was so proud of her. My client and friend, Megan, also ran her first half marathon--wow!! I couldn't be more proud of these two girls. I was able to stay with Megan for 6 miles in the beginning and the last mile at the end to cheer her on. She was on top of the world when she finished! I hope she never forgets that day and that she can do anything!

I came back that night and spent the evening cooking with Nate. We went to bed early so we could get up early the next day to see the start of Ironman. It was so surreal watching it because I feel like I did it just last month, and it has already been a year! It brought back so many great memories. It is who I am today. I am an Ironman. I will always be an Ironman. No one will ever be able to take that away from me. Ironman saved my life and brought me to the most amazing place, amazing job, and amazing man. That decision changed my entire life. So, as you can see, it was very surreal watching that and reflecting on this past year!  After we saw the start of the swim and bike, we took off for Green Bay to go to the Packers and 49ers game (Packers=Nate's favorite team. 49ers=my favorite team). Nate got the tickets for me--what a great guy! It was my first NFL game, and I got to see my favorite team win! They played so well!  We tailgated and walked around before the game and as always, had such a great time together. Nate was also sweet enough to drive home so I could sleep, as he knew I had to be up at 5am the next morning for work. What a guy! 

That is a quick recap of what has been going on in my life. I will try a lot harder to write more frequently because it is hard for me to keep in contact with everyone back in Iowa, so this works well to update everyone! Please email me or call me anytime. I love hearing from everyone. I hope some how my life inspires you in some way. That is my goal of writing! 

Love,
Heidi :)