It's so easy.

This is the first official entry! This is so exciting, I really hope this becomes a great place for me to share ideas and thoughts and photos.

Let's start by talking about what a great easy day this has been. Usually Mondays are stressful for most but I don't have much going on so it's been a relaxing day. I don't know if that's a good thing or not... We'll see. I usually wake up around eight am regardless of what my schedule looks like. Michael sleeps in until around ten am or whenever I get too bored and need company and Mila sleeps in with him until whenever he gets up. That means that I have roughly two hours in the morning to chug two cups of coffee and catch up on whatever goes on in the world via my iPhone, whether it's actual news or an updated blog of whoever I follow. 

I can get into specifics (like how I love the Trader Joe's coffee I've been drinking lately... More on that later) but I became super intrigued by an article I found via Pinterest about coconut oil! In my "About Me", I wrote about how I plan to use this blog to update on how I'm attempting to get healthy and this was my first task. First of all, I had no idea how versatile coconut oil can be! You can use it to aid in digestion, help with thyroid function, as a sunscreen (it has an SPF of about four), to make Goo-Gone and the list literally goes on with 48 more ideas about this magical, all natural product.

A few weeks back, while grocery shopping with Michael, I convinced him that we NEEDED coconut oil because of recipes I've read from my cookbooks. The jar has been chilling in our pantry and I finally busted it out today. I put a tablespoon in my coffee and it actually sweetened the coffee up a bit (I drink it black) so I will definitely try it again. I mostly used it for what I read about thyroid function and aiding in digestion, two problems that run in my family and if it's something I can help ease, then that would be amazing!

I also started taking these Wellness Vitamins from Mother's Market. I bought them about 6 months ago when I got sick with, what I think was, the flu. I don't like taking over the counter drugs or anything foreign or synthetic so I knew Mother's would have the answer. I'm not sure if it was a placebo effect but I felt like I got better right away. Now I've lowered my dosage and try to take one every day because, with the way I've been eating, I feel like I definitely need more vitamins. 

Besides the usual of trying to eat more nutritious food, I want to start doing some cardio regularly. Today I hit the treadmill for a half hour but at a low speed. I feel so bummed at how unhealthy I let myself get because I used to be able to run 4 miles a day, five days a week and now I have to start out slow so as to not strain my body and cause an injury. I know I can work up to it though! I'm ping to do my best to remain positive. In addition to the treadmill, Michael and I also took Mila for a good long walk to Old Towne Orange, something that we never really do but definitely should. Mila needs to be better at learning to heel and not jump on people and the walk was great practice for her and great exercise for us. Although I do wish it could have been a couple of degrees cooler, but I can't complain! I'm starting to appreciate how lucky I was to have such great weather for most of my life.

And now, Michael is making sure I stay on track so we're both going to do some push ups and sit ups. Yay for my first entry! I hope you guys enjoy what's to come!

-Karen.