The "reality" we share...

Facebook and social media can be sooooo deceptive. 

All the happy posts.

The happy pictures.

The picture perfect poses.

It's like a movie reel of "best of"s.

You don't see the real behind-the-scenes. 

The imperfections. The tough times. The sad moments. The angry moments. The fights. The moments we wish we could undo and make a better choice. 

It's all a bit of an illusion, isn't it?

And I get it. Who wants to be posting all of that for the world to see anyway?

I could go on and on about how everything you see is Photoshopped. Like this article. Or this video. Or this collection of photos. 

Or heck, even a celebrity teenagers swoon over!

And let's not forget about all the fancy filters we have on our phones to "enhance" photos. I will be the first to admit to being guilty of that! There's a reason people put #nofilter on their posts these days. 

Or trying to capture a perfect scene in a frame. 

Like last night's birthday dinner:

Gorgeous. Beautiful.

But, oh, let me omit the mess that is our dining table with all our wedding planning! LOL!

There is an element of being authentic that is necessary. 

At the very least, with yourself.

So check in with yourself. 

What's real? What's really going on? How do you really feel about what you have going on in your life? Have an open and honest conversation with yourself. Don't worry, no one else is listening. 

Today's Giant Set shoulder workout (with some abs at the end):

Be real but be you.

Do what makes you happy. 

37 things

Today I finished another 365 day orbit around the sun. Just finished up my 37th year on this planet. Yup. It's my birthday. 😃

I tend to get a bit reflective around this time. And man has A LOT happened since last September.

I completed my first year as an elementary school general music teacher. I moved in with my boyfriend and secretly surprised him with a CRAZY piece of piano music (#Rach3foraRock). I got engaged. (!!!!!!) I performed in a solo and collaborative piano recital. I held my grandmother's hand as she took her last breath. I completed a Body Therapy program I had been working on for the past 5 years. I traveled to France, Poland and England over the summer. I am planning a wedding. I am getting married in 76 days!

I've learned a few things this year. And the previous 36. I could go into more details, but I'll just leave it as a simple list. Here we go: 

1. Don't sweat the small stuff.
2. No one is perfect. Not even you. Go easy on yourself.
3. Slow down. Waaaaaaay down.
4. It's OK to say "I don't know." And even better than making something up that you don’t really mean.
5. If you're not happy with yourself, you'll never be happy in a relationship.
6. Start with YOU first.
7. Friends come and go.
8. No one knows you better than you.
9. Everyone deals with death differently -- and every death is different. 
10. Don't try to be someone you're not.
11. Don't compare yourself to others, especially if it makes you feel worse about yourself.
12. Vacations are a good thing. A VERY good thing.
13. Travel light.
14. Take time to unplug.
15. It will aaaaaaaaaaall get done. No stress.
16. If you're passionate, you will prioritize.
17. Quiet time is key.
18. Meditation is also key.
19. If you blame it on someone else, don't expect it to get better. 
20. Forgive others in your own time.
21. It's never too late to make a change for yourself.
22. It doesn't make you spoiled to let others take care of you sometimes.
23. Going to bed early doesn't mean you don't have a life.
24. When you need a reality check, ask a child what they think about you.
25. Then again, don't take what children say too seriously ("out of the mouths of babes...")
26. Take time to play.
27. Honesty is the kindest thing you can offer people.
28. If it's funny, laugh. Even at your coworkers. 
29. Read more. Get lost in a novel. 
30. Listen to music you wouldn't normally listen to.
31. Stand-up comedy is the best way to get through traffic.
32. Take time to indulge in your creativity.
33. Remember, you can't please everyone.
34. Also remember to breathe.
35. Pinterest is amazing, but don't compare your life (or wedding!) to it.
36. For the right person, you won't have to hide any parts of yourself.
37. Do you, your way.

So there ya go.

This morning's workout was a theme of "37". 

37 reps.

37 minute workout. 

My day continued with some lovely gifts from coworkers and my fiancé (yey, Star Wars!), school cookies and student cupcakes. It was a good day.

Now I am going to let my fiancé spoil me with his gift of cooking. 😃 

Do what makes you happy.

Especially on your birthday.

Sunday Funday

On the weekends I take time to have fun.

Well, as much “fun" as one can have in the midst of wedding planning. LOL!

It’s actually not that bad. At all. But I feel like my mind is constantly buzzing with wedding stuff in the background. Because there’s always something to still do, something to think about. That’s just how life is right now. And that’s OK. It’s all temporary. 

But I do have a birthday coming up.

And an amazing fiancé. 

So we had a lovely night out in DC to celebrate. 😃 

But it got me thinking...

It’s important to take time to have that fun when you are in the middle of LIFE. 

No matter how small it is, or what that means to you. Maybe it’s your favorite show on Netflix and takeout. Maybe it’s an evening walk or morning run. Watching the Sunday game together. Something that connects the two of you.

For us we continue to have date night one night during the week. And, for the most part, we have good chunks of our weekend together.

But you may be thinking “You’re co-habitating! How hard can it be?!?!” 

Believe me. With our late school schedules and my private teaching in the evenings (not to mention I’m a lark and he’s a night owl!), sometimes we do have to intentionally carve out that connection time to be “us”. And the weekends are often filled with errand running, various domestic chores, connecting with friends and family, and oh…wedding planning. 

Today I spent most of the day catching up on things I had meant to do during the week. And several loads of  laundry. And vacuuming (we live with a feline friend). And dusting. Watering the plants. Stuff like that. 

But getting to sleep in and enjoy a leisurely brunch? Good times.

This deliciousness was followed by a back/tricep workout. Our “fun times” last night took its toll in the gym today, but that OK. I got it done.

Make time to have fun.

Spend time with people you love.

Do what makes you happy. 

To those who inspire us and don't even know it

I woke up at 4:15 am this morning. 

On purpose.

I know. Craziness.

Why?

Because I needed to be at school earlier but still wanted to have time for my morning routine and workout.

Turns out the 5:30 am gym vibe is quite different than the 6:15 am vibe. I actually really liked it. Everything I wanted was available. The 6:00 am training crowd hadn't rolled in yet. It was quiet. All things I love.

This definitely won't be something I can do consistently. Just Fridays (we started our before school choir program today - YEY!!!!).

But part of it is also what inspires me every morning to get up and workout. Well, I guess that's the main part of it. 

Some of you know that I started this blog to keep myself accountable (regarding my workouts) to get in shape for my upcoming wedding. 

But it's not just about that.

It's about being in shape for life. 

Feeling good in my body.

Feeling strong. 

And, just like you, I am inspired by others. People I work with. People I see at the gym EVERY MORNING (and never talk to...LOL!). People in my Facebook feed who I kind of know, but not really. 

Like one amazing woman I met through my figure competition coach waaaaay back.  She set her sights on competing in the infamous Olympia body building competition. She freakin' did it. She is there RIGHT NOW, totally rocking it. It's AMAZING. And incredibly inspiring.

What inspires you? Who are you inspired by? Maybe someone you quietly observe from afar? Someone you don't really know but would love to get to know better? Someone who's podcast you listen to? One of your coworkers? The barista at Starbucks who has the best attitude EVER? 

So here's to those who inspire you and don't even know it.

Cheers to them!

Today's early morning hamstring/glute workout:

Be inspired. 

Become what inspires you.

Do what makes you happy. 

Embrace your flawsome-ness

I am not perfect.

Say what?!?!

I know. 

True story.

And I’m faaaaaar from perfect.  

But I do have perfectionist tendencies. Which can be both a good and bad thing.

I realize that it all has to do with the motivation and energy behind why I am trying to be "perfect." Is it to impress others? Is it an attempt to avoid failure? Is it out of concern of what others will think of me?

Have you read “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brene Brown? GREAT book.

Here’s a thought-provoking quote:

Healthy striving is self-focused: "How can I improve?" 

Perfectionism is other-foucused: "What will they think?"

Healthy striving. I love this idea. When I think about all the ways my perfectionism is good for me, it is usually in the "healthy striving" sense. Like learning a new piece of piano music and playing it as well as I can. Or being consistent in my workouts and doing the exercises to the best of my current ability. Or creating a lesson plan that will meet my students where they are, and not one that looks text book “perfect".

This grand plan to appear perfect all backfires when I am trying to impress people. The people I am performing for. Or the folks at the gym. Or my students. 

That's when perfectionism gets the better of me and knocks me down. Hard.

It creates a lot of extra mental noise in my head. Self-doubt. Self-criticism. Self-judgement. All those “self” words that are no good.

Yet owning my imperfections…so incredibly freeing! WOW!

I’M NOT PERFECT!

I am ... FLAWESOME!!!!

 YEY!!!!

I don’t teach my students perfectly. 

I don’t perform pieces of music perfectly.

I don’t write blog posts perfectly. 

I mess up ALL the time. And it takes the pressure off. Completely.

Some of today’s lessons were a disaster. They did not go as planned. Nor did my workout. Nor is the writing process before I press the “publish” button on this post. 

But if I don’t let go of this need to be “perfect”? 

It is PARALYZING. 

I will never get anything done and just feel bad about myself. All. The. Time.

So embrace your imperfections! Do it wrong. Make mistakes. 

Because we are all perfectly imperfect. 

Today’s shoulder/bicep workout:

Be you. 

Do what makes you happy.

And do it all imperfectly. 

The importance of a morning routine

I wake up at 5:00 am every morning. Well, every weekday morning.

But trainers at the gym will be the first to tell you that they don't see me stroll in until around 6:15 am or so. That's because I have a morning routine.

A what?

A morning routine. Or ritual, one might say.

In fact, I thrive on this. My days are very long. And if I don't set myself up for it, I can get incredibly discombobulated and frazzled by the end the day. Ungrounded. Grumpy. Not myself.

I consider myself an introvert, so I need this quiet time to recharge. I like to say I am an introvert leading an extroverted life. 

As an elementary school specialist (Music, Art, P.E., Library, Tech, etc.) you have to be "ON" ALL THE TIME. Seriously. I teach 7 to 9 classes a day. 

(my schedule)

I'm done with one class and the other is waiting outside my door, ready to come in. I am mentally switching gears between grade levels, ability levels, classroom dynamics, kids with special needs, differentiation, the chaos that elementary school can be. And remember, this is only my 2nd year of teaching elementary general music, with no prior experience, so just keeping all the songs in my head is enough of a challenge! 

It is all incredibly draining.

In fact, these first two weeks of school, I did not want to talk to anyone after I finished my school day. I sat in my car in silence. I didn't call my family. I didn't return calls to friends. I just needed to take care of ME. 

And this was not because I didn't want to. I was just getting used to the energy of being "on" all the time and the over-stimulation of constantly being surrounded by music and sound. Non-stop. 

I love silence.

So I begin my day that way.

I wake up to a gentle alarm. Put on the hot water, feed my cat, make my coffee, set up my meditation pillow and inspirational reading, get my coffee cup, light incense, sit for 11 mins, read, journal, drink coffee, pet the cat, accept his love. 

It's not terribly profound. But it really makes a difference. 

What is your morning routine? How do you set yourself up for the day?

Today's workout included legs and plyometrics. Fun times.

Take care of yourself.

Be in silence if you need to. 

Do what makes you happy.

Hydrogen + two + Oxygen

Did you know that the average human body is made up of 50-75% water?

The human brain is comprised of 75% water.

So the benefits of drinking water are pretty awesome sauce.

Like, it...

Increases energy. 

Flushes out toxins.

Promotes weight loss. (YEY!)

Improves skin complexion.

Boosts the immune system.

Is a natural headache remedy. 

Maintains regularity (of you know what...).

Prevents cramps and strains.

Just to name a few. 

You get the idea.

I'm sure you've heard the old rule of thumb about drinking 8 glasses of 8oz of water (or 64 oz) a day. There are other more detailed calculations based on your age, height, how much you exercise, etc.

When I was training for figure competitions, my coach recommended that I drink a gallon of water a day. That's 128 oz! Far from your recommended 64 oz! And once I got closer to a show, I was drinking a lot more. That was mainly to flush everything out, especially with all the protein I was consuming. 

So what do I do these days? Well, I basically try to make sure my urine is on the lighter side (sorry if that was TMI). Well, minus the neon color it changes from certain vitamins I take. LOL! 

I carry around a Klean Kanteen bottle that holds 40oz. My goal is to drink 3 of those a day. So nearly a gallon. And that's of just water. That's not counting coffee and tea. And wine. LOL!

I try to go through one of those when I workout. And all the teachers know that bathroom breaks are often few and far between, so I barely get through another bottle during the school day. Again, 3 of those bottles is the goal. Almost managed it today!

Speaking of which, here is today’s back/tri/some abs workout:

Drink your water.

Do what makes you happy.