minimalism

Is a quiet simple life mediocre?

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I read an article last week. What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life? I am not crazy about the title, but it caught my attention on Facebook. It was written by Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui.

Krista writes, What if all I want is a small, slow, simple life? What if I am most happy in the space of in between? Where calm lives. What if I am mediocre and choose to be at peace with that?”

What if all I want is a simple life? I went back and read my post from November 26th. What do I really want? The things I listed are quiet and simple. A few examples are a clean uncluttered house, more time in nature, and my intention around OutdoorFit  to being more than a typical boot camp.

This morning, I made DHH roasted pepper and tomato soup. I am going to sew linen napkins this afternoon. I know I could just buy soup and new napkins, but there is something very satisfying about making your own.

There is part of me that feels my quiet simple things are not enough. I have a sense of resentment and agitation lately. Why? I have a good family, close friends and a group of ladies that will work out with me in the winter time! Isn’t that enough? Actually, OutdoorFit is more than working out with friends. I have seen wonderful changes in the women’s balance, strength and flexibility.

Do I need more? Do I need to create a virtual program and build a six figure business?  Do I need more likes on Facebook or hearts on Instagram to feel good about myself? All that takes time and effort that would take away me away from my creative projects. I wouldn’t have time to sew napkins and make soup.

There is a part of me that wants to move. I think about moving to Vermont. We have spent a lot of time there. I didn’t  feel the pressure to be more, do more or dress better when I was there. I would go to the Northshire book store in Manchester, Vt. and buy books about simplicity. That was vacation time though. Would living there bring me joy and happiness, or would I have the same type of day that I have now in a different location? I think I need to focus on being grateful for what I have and find contentment in my daily quiet life.

Krista O’Reilly Davi-Digui says, “What if I just offer the small gifts I have to the world and let that be enough? ” As I am writing, I don’t consider my gifts small. What if I offer my fabulous gifts to the world and know that is enough? Now, that feels better!

This blog was helpful to write. I hope you enjoyed it too. What gifts do you have to give to the world? What brings you joy? Please share. I would love to hear from you.

Thanks for reading.

Love,

Mary

The 28 Day Fit and Fabulous Program starts on January 24th. I hope you will join me. We can make great soup and do mountain climbers together.

Click here for more information.

I have changed my mind.

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I have changed my mind. I have decided to move the start date of my January Fit and Fabulous Program to the New Moon on January 24th. It feels like we all need more space and time to ease into the New Year and the new decade. The New Moon is a time to slow down and reflect on what is not working in your life.  It is important to take the time to journal and set an intention of what you would like your life to be.  We will move forward together from there.

In order to live at your fullest potential you need to be fit and healthy. 

The Fit and Fabulous 28 Day Program will put you on the path of looking good, feeling strong, confident, calm and creating a positive attitude. The program includes:

  • 28 day nutritional support. This program will change you from a sugar burner to a fat burner. This is where the magic happens. You will have lots of energy throughout the day. You will lose those annoying sugar cravings and you might just let go of your menopausal weight gain. Delicious Easy Fat Burning recipes are included.

  • Unlimited OutdoorFit classes. Strength Training, Endurance and Flexibility. The winter is an empowering time to join OutdoorFit. You are outside in the cold, working out. You will go home feeling strong, invigorated and ready to take on the day.

  • A weekly sprint session. Once a week is sufficient. It is a path to stay youthful, energetic, vibrant and self confident. “Brief, explosive all- out sprints are the single best activity to promote rapid reduction of excess body fat, achieve fitness breakthroughs, flood the blood stream with anti-aging hormones like testosterone and human growth hormone, and boost neuron function in the brain.” Mark Sisson, a Fit guy over 65 of Mark’s Daily Apple.

  • Holistic Tips for a Happy Healthy Life. There’s more to vibrant health than diet and exercise. I will provide great tips on creating a soothing clutter free home environment, as well as the importance of restful sleep, meditation, and spending time outside daily.

  • A daily core exercise. A strong core is so important for your overall health and well being. It enhances balance and stability. It helps to prevent falls and injuries. A strong healthy back is critical to living well. A strong core makes you feel powerful!

This program will help you get physically stronger, lose excess weight, reduce nagging aches and pains and have more energy. As a result, you will feel stronger, move with more ease and confidence, and you’ll have a healthy glow that emanates from the inside out!

Use these 28 days to put your body first and see what unfolds. Are you ready to be Fit and Fabulous? Click here to learn more and to sign up. Let’s do this together.

“When you eat what makes your body feel good, you start to feel so much better. Once I started to cut out the sugar it became less of a craving. It has been really helpful. I know what makes my body feel good. The other surprising thing is working out outside. I didn’t think I would like it but it is so great even when it is freezing cold. I came back in and I am so happy that I have been outside working out under the trees. It brings me so much joy.” Elena

 

Shopping and Makeup.

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I am not a big shopper or makeup person. I try my best to buy what I truly love and let the rest go.

I like to give and receive functional gifts. Black Friday has now become a long weekend rolled into Cyber Monday. I did shop for myself. I love Boom by Cindy Joseph. I bought the Boomstick Trio.  Color, Glimmer and Glow will be in my makeup kit! The Boomstick Trio creates the look of happiness and I don’t need a mirror to apply. They are made from wonderful ingredients like beeswax and honey. I love how the products smell. The color stick is fantastic. I use it as a blush, eye shadow and lip color. The Glo stick is a moisturizer that you can use anytime anywhere. The Glimmer stick is a push for me. It feels a bit fancy. I thought I would step it up for the Holidays.

Here is a video that I created in 2015 with my friend Wendy. I am not a makeup person. It has over 16,000 views about me wearing makeup!

I also like to buy myself beeswax candles from Vermont HoneyLights. Vermont HoneyLights is a small mother daughter business in Bristol, Vermont.  Shawna and Bonita are passionate about making beeswax candles. They are concerned about the survival of  honey bees. They know the importance of using natural ingredients and supporting  hardworking beekeepers. It is my once a year purchase to celebrate the Year. I love beeswax candles. They smell amazing, they give off negative ions which make you feel good. These are the only candles that I use. If someone gives me a candle, I usually re-gift them. Just this morning, a friend gave me her own homemade candle. I told her no thanks, that I only use beeswax candles. She is a wonderful friend that I can say things like that to her without hurting her feelings. She will give it to someone who will love it.

I have to begin to shop for my family’s Christmas gifts. I have one great idea in mind, but I don’t want to give it away just yet. I am buying from a company where 50% of their profits go to buy a particular product for people in need. It will make a great gift!

I am focusing on keeping things simple by shopping local and supporting small businesses this Holiday Season.

What kind of gifts do you like to give? Do you like to make things to give as gifts like my candle making friend? I am always looking for creative ideas. I would love to hear from you.

Love,

Mary

 

 

 

How to Feel Better?

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I enjoy inspiring women to be strong, healthy and fit so they can live empowered fulfilled lives. It is important to put your body first. How do you feel in your body today? Are you cranky and agitated? It is important to lead from a calm and centered place. I have so much extra energy at times which is not always a good thing. I love working out because it calms me and I feel so much better when I am done. Over exercising is not a good idea though. There are other ways to ground yourself.

10 Tips to a Balanced Grounded Life.

How to Feel Better?

1. Get Clear About What You Really Want And Journal. It is very powerful to start writing your thoughts down. I have been listening to Marie Forleo’s Everything is Figure Outable. She has an exercise in her book where she has you answer the question; What do you really want? Every day for 7 days, finish this sentence in writing. I really want… After the 7 days, go back and circle the ideas that repeated for you. I have gotten a clearer picture on what I want.  Being focused is an energy saver!

2. Go Outside. Garden, Compost, Walk, and of course OutdoorFit is an excellent option.  Have you heard of Forest Bathing? The Japanese consider it plant medicine. It is called shinrin-yoku. Forest Bathing is walking in the woods and breathing in the forest air.  It has amazing health benefits. It improves your gut biome, boosts immunity, reduces stress hormones, blood pressure and heart rate. It just makes you feel better!

3. Eat Organic Food. Focus on vegetables and protein. Buy the highest quality food that you can afford. What you put in your mouth truly matters. I love starting my day with a cup of organic bulletproof coffee and ending it with a lovely glass of organic wine.

4. Practice Gratitude. It is easy to practice gratitude when life is going well. It is also so important to find blessings in the struggles. Life will feel lighter when you practice gratitude.

5. Read Daily. It is an effort for me to sit down and read a book. I am now committed to reading at least 10 minutes every morning. I’m currently reading Dave Asprey’s Game Changers. I have picked up a lot of great ideas from the successful people profiled in the book, just by reading 10 minutes daily.

6. Meditate. I am working on meditating 20 minutes a day. It has been very helpful.  I am calmer. Meditation activates the  parasympathetic nervous system. Leading from place of calm instead of having a fight or flight response is very powerful.

7. Declutter. Start getting rid of the things that you no longer love or serve a function for you. Check out my post about my closet. I feel so much better with less!

8. Create a simple cleaning schedule. This has been so helpful to me. I spend a little time everyday cleaning.  It makes me happy to come home to a clean simple home.  Dust your baseboards once in a while. You will sleep better.

9. Say Something Nice To Someone. Be a cheerleader!  Stop talking about yourself and start asking questions. Pay attention to how it makes you feel.

10. Get a good night sleep. This is always a work in progress. Shut off the electronics, have a cup of tea, or take an epsom salt bath before you go to bed.

How do you practice self care? What is important to you? I would love to hear what is working for you!

Love,

Mary

Times of feeling anxious and stress, I clean.

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When I am feeling anxious and stressed I start cleaning. It is very therapeutic to clean out a drawer, organize a closet and get rid of things that no longer serve me. I also love reading about cleaning, simplifying and organizational systems that help with the process. I went to the library and took out Joshua Becker’s The Minimalist House and  The Martha Manual’s by Martha Stewart. It feels like the right thing to do. When in question, start cleaning. The answers to your concerns and a cleaner house might just happen at the same time.

Last week, I tackled my clothes.  What do I love? What do I wear? Why am I hanging on to a dress that reminds me of my mother when she was pregnant? I feel much better with less. I have the clothes and the shoes that I feel good wearing which is key to my joy and happiness.

I share the closet with my husband. I have one pole, one wire drawer, which has my summer clothes, shorts, bathing suit etc. I have a small dresser with my sweaters. I love cashmere! I kept a few sweaters that I love and have donated the rest.

My shoes are a work in progress. I changed over to minimal shoes. I have a pair of Vivo barefoot brown boots and also a pair of Vivo barefoot black boots. I love them and they are so great for the health of your feet. Strong healthy feet is the way I want to go.  Uncomfortable heels are not for me! Of course, sneakers are always a great option.

Socks are a very important  fashion statement for me. In the above picture I have on my Organic “Shine on” Full Moon socks on. You can wear them anytime but it feels appropriate and empowering to wear them on the Full Moon.

Have Fun with your clothes. Clean out your closet. It is an excellent way to feel better!

Love,

Mary

 

 

“Romancing the Ordinary”

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My book club is reading Mirabai Starr’s WILD MERCY. Each chapter ends with a prompt.  Our latest prompt is: “My deepest desire is …” .

My first reaction is, I don’t know. I think how sad is that? So, I gave it a few days and this is what came up for me.

Finding Joy in the Everyday.

Laura from Garden Answer talks about “Romancing the Ordinary”.  Romancing the Ordinary is using something beautiful instead of just focusing on function. She uses a beautiful tomato cage to hold her tomatoes in place instead of a bamboo stick.

I love my morning coffee ritual. I use a 12 oz glass Bodum French Press. I make my coffee bulletproof, of course, and I pour it into an insulated glass mug. I buy my coffee from a local roaster, Fair Mountain Coffee, in Atlantic Highlands, NJ. It is organic, fair trade and delicious!

It is so nice to eat a salad for lunch with my husband. Especially when the lettuce is in season and handpicked from my backyard garden.

I love looking out my kitchen window while doing the dishes. Right now, the zinnias are in full bloom.

It is not always easy to find the joy. I work on finding joy in driving Tom, my special needs son, to camp. He tells me the same stories over and over while listening to his favorite radio station, 1410 am.  It is all about bringing the sacred into the ordinary. He is a blessing.

On a lighter note, I would also like a Big Chill refrigerator, a brick walkway, a trip to Mount Rushmore in a hybrid Volvo station wagon and a golden retriever puppy named Sophie. Oh, and learn to tap dance like Gene Kelly!

What are your deepest desires? Think about it and let me know. I would love to hear from you.

Love,

Mary

Aprons

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“I love any activity that requires an apron.”

Kate Horner

My niece Katie once told me that she loves any activity that requires an apron. I just love that!

Aprons are so homey, comforting and cozy. It is a symbol of generosity and hospitality. It represents family, mothers and apple pie. Fathers too! My Dad wears an apron while cooking in the kitchen or out flipping a steak on the grill.

My friend Rosanne is a big apron gal! I reached out to get her take on aprons. She has different aprons for different activities.

Of course, She wears one to cook. Rosanne also  wears one in the garden. It is short with pockets for her tools. She wears one when she paints because she keeps a rag in her lap to wipe off excess paint and she doesn’t want to get paint on her clothes. Rosanne also wears a canvas apron when cutting her husband’s hair.  She doesn’t want all the little hairs sticking to her clothes. All fun activities!  Here is a garden and lifestyle  post with Rosanne  from 5 years ago! I am just sorry that she does not have an apron on!

There is a part of me that is resistant to aprons. I grew up in the 60’s when housework and staying home with your family was devalued. I wear an apron when I cook. Otherwise, I would be wiping my hands on my pants. I borrowed the fancy apron from Rosanne for the post. Honestly, I didn’t feel comfortable in it. I love the function of my stained beige William Sonoma apron. I have no problem wiping my hands on it.

It feels like the apron is making a comeback. I love seeing people wear aprons. I know something creative has been going on. They will probably be serving something delicious to eat!

How do you feel about aprons? You probably never thought about it. Do you wear an apron? Do you like activities that require an apron? If you are interested in health, fitness and feeling your best it is important to spend sometime in the kitchen cooking. Put on a cute apron, get focused and let me know what’s for dinner!

Love,

Mary

A Fancy Apron

An interview with Andreea Fegan!

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I am so excited about this blog post! I have been wanting to interview Andreea of Little Bites of Joy. We were  able to get together today and talk about the impact of her spring minimalism challenges! It felt like the perfect time to talk, right before the typical shopping season starts!

Here comes the amazing synchronicity spiritual part. I wanted to talk to her about coziness. A few years back, I felt like the coziness in my life had disappeared. I would tell friends  and they wouldn’t understand what I was talking about. ( I have figure a few things out like put a lovely candle and a bar of wonderful soap in your bathroom. It will feel cozy.) Andreea understands!  She just posted her latest challenge today!

HYGGE IN DECEMBER!

Hygge is a Danish word which means the quality of Coziness.

Click on photo to take you to a link to read more about the challenge! It would be so much fun to do this together!

Training for an Ultra Marathon at 57!

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This was such a fun interview with my friend Dorian Meyer.  We sat on  Dorian’s beautiful porch overlooking Sandy Hook and the NYC skyline.   I have been wanting to interview her because she has such amazing energy and spirit!  I’ve known Dorian for a long time through running. She was an exceptional runner in her “day”!

During the interview, we talk about fashion, running. and her latest challenge, ultra marathoning.  At the age of 57, Dorian is training for a 50 mile Ultra Marathon!

Dorian’s last race was the NYC marathon in 2004. She stopped racing because she needed to take care of her Mom and sister who both sadly had cancer. She describes how running saved her during that time. I had the same kind of experience when Thomas, my miracle kid was in the hospital for 13 months. I would get up, run and then drive to the hospital. It saved me too. You just put one foot in front of the other.

Enjoy the interview.
Go see Dorian for new sneakers at her beautiful blue store in Shrewsbury, NJ. Shore Footed.

The view from the porch!

 

Take Action!

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Can you get up off the floor easily? I was with a friend this weekend that set up a birthday party for a 63 year old woman. They planned fun games from their past like Twister. The problem was most of the women could not get up off the floor. Please don’t assume this is part of aging. You need to work on staying strong and flexible!

Get down on the floor and see how easy or difficult it is to get up. Let me know!

I have been working on my flexibility. I want to improve my squat and I am running again! Going slow in my new NB Minimus but I am going.  I am running on soft surfaces, the grass or on the dirt path in the woods. Something I had given up on because of my back. I have been diligently working on strengthening my back with Foundation Training. Since I have discovered Katy Bowman I am also working on my feet. I have been able to get rid of my orthotics and I am wearing a cute minimalism sneaker!! So Far, So Good.

Here is a short video of a movement that I am including in OutdoorFit and in my daily life.  It is another great inspiration from Katy Bowman. #HappyHealthyJoints

What are you doing to feel better this summer? Having Fun? Paddle boarding? Reading?

Here is my summer reading list.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Summer!

Take Action! Come try OutdoorFit. You will leave feeling so much better!

Fit and Fabulous…Aging Optional! 

Your Choice.

Love,

Mary