The best adventure outfit

Its no secret that Hawaiian sunsets are out of this world. People fly to the islands from all over the world just to see the most beautiful & colorful sunsets that paint our skies on a nightly basis. It's also FINALLY summertime in Hawaii which means that the days are longer and the sunsets are even more breathtaking. Recently, Danny and I have found ourselves hopping in the car after dinner to catch the sunset from different places on the island. This particular night, I just grabbed the easiest & comfiest outfit I had and jumped in our truck to catch the sun! 

My wardrobe has changed A LOT since we moved to Oahu from Southern California. I used to LOVE shopping, following the trends, and mixing and matching different looks to capture my personal style. These days, though, I gravitate towards simple, easy-to-wear wear and wash clothing that is timeless in nature. If you look in my closet at the moment, It consists mostly of Navy, Black, White, Grey, and Pale Pink. I pretty much only wear those colors... and STRIPES! I think I have 8 striped t-shirts. It may be a problem. 

When I found this two-piece set at a cute boutique in our town, I knew that it had my name ALL OVER IT. It's so simple but still looks like I put myself together. It's my go-to outfit for spontaneous adventures and its so comfortable that its perfect to explore in all day. I think it's important to have at least 1 or 2 "adventure outfits" that you can pull together in a moments notice so that you aren't too focused on fashion and more focused on the adventure ahead and living in the moment! I looked for so long and couldn't find the exact outfit online but I had fun scoping out some over fun adventure outfits that I'll be getting for my upcoming travels this summer!

Oh and incase you were wondering, it was an EPIC sunset that night.

Live Well,

Lo

Stress: 5 tips on managing stress and keeping balance

I'm not sure about you, but stress is very much a part of my everyday life.Stress has seemed to follow me since I was a child and it’s something I have dealt with my entire life. I absolutely hate saying this, but I don't know what life looks like without stress. It makes me sad to acknowledge this. It's not that I like being stressed, but it’s all I have ever known. I am used to it. It is a part of my daily routine and it has been a tough character flaw to release of mine. Stress is something I have clung to when I need to get something done. Stress is something I crave when I feel "unproductive". Sometimes, I even get high off the adrenaline rush of stress. It's insane. I hate it. If you are a type B person, you will probably have no idea what the heck I am talking about. If you are a type A person, you probably know EXACTLY what I am saying and this may hit you to your core. 

Let’s talk about what the definition of stress is before we go into more detail. Wikipedia says that, “Stress is a feeling of strain and pressure.” Stress is a normal reaction in our bodies and when we get stressed, our bodies react in a “fight or flight” response which triggers cortisol levels to go up and puts strain on our adrenal glands. Stress, quite literally, puts strain and pressure on the body and nervous system. When we are stressed to finish an assignment, complete a project, run a mile, do the dishes, engage in an argument, or simply keep up with social media, it puts STRAIN AND PRESSURE on us. In small doses, like running a mile for example, stress can be beneficial; but for most of us, we are stressed out way more than we should be. 

Much of my childhood was very stressful. I don’t remember many times as a child that I wasn’t stressed. I did not have a care-free childhood which meant that my body was used to experiencing a high amount of stress on a daily basis. I plan on publishing a whole piece on my health story but in short, all of the stress caught up to me and I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease, leaky gut, and adrenal fatigue at 19 years old. 

I am the first to know how damaging stress is for the body, yet I still engage in the act of being stressed every single day. It’s like a drug that I cannot quit. I choose to over-extend myself, take on too much and put unnecessary pressure on myself in order to feel like an accomplished person. Feeling accomplished and feeling stressed go hand-in-hand for me and it’s taken me a long time to realize that it is not normal or healthy. 

I think of stress like I think of grocery shopping. Little stressors add up just like I add items to my shopping cart. A new weekly commitment? Add it. A new goal to achieve? Add it. Someone else’s opinion? Add it. Something I SHOULDbe doing? Add it. A bed full of clothes to fold? (my current reality) Add it. Little stressors add up and up and I don’t even realize it until I am having a panic attack for no apparent reason. Do you ever find yourself at a grocery store with a cart full of items that weren’t on your list? That’s kind of how stress is, you add unnecessary stressors to your life without even realizing it until you have an overflowing cart. I know that I am not the only one who feels this way. There are people DYING everyday over stress-related illnesses. We need to get better at managing stress before it completely consumes us. 

I am by no means an expert on managing stress but over the years I have developed a tool kit of things I do to manage my stress. I would encourage you to experiment with your own ideas and find things that work for YOU.

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1.   Check in with yourself: This is probably the best way that I am able to manage my stress because oftentimes I am dealing with stress and I don’t even realize it. Every morning check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? What do you have to accomplish that day? Are you anxious or overwhelmed in any way? Asking these questions to myself helps me to pay attention to any stressors in my life that I may need to get rid of. It also helps me gauge if I need to change anything in my daily schedule in order to not take on too much. 

2.   Take breaks: No matter what you have going on during your day, it is vitally important that you take 1-2 breaks to do absolutely nothing. Allow yourself to be “unproductive” for 10 minute increments and see how amazing you feel. My favorite way to take breaks during my day is by stopping everything I am doing to do a 10 minute meditation. Truthfully, I am not good at taking breaks and so this is one that I need to get better at! 

3.   Create Rituals: This has been a game changer for me. Creating rituals in my everyday life has allowed me to think less and be still more. I have a morning ritual to prime myself for the day, a nighttime ritual to prepare to rest, and a self-care ritual (sauna + drybrushing) that I aim to do every day to keep me balanced. 

4.   Tea: This may seem pretty minuscule but never underestimate the power of a cup of herbal tea. Sipping on herbal tea reminds me to slow down, to not take things so seriously, and to enjoy the simple things in life. Below I will list my favorite herbal teas. I try to sip on tea 2-3 times a day! 

5.   Un-freaking-plugging: you guys I cannot stress this one enough. Working entirely online keeps my stress levels high pretty consistently. I release so much stress and gain so much clarity when I put my phone on airplane mode for simply 3 hours. THREE HOURS. That’s it! Unplugging doesn’t mean you are disengaging from your phone for a week, it simply means you are giving yourself a little break. I am also not great at doing this but I aim to do it a couple of times a week and whenever I do, I feel SO GOOD. 

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Here are some other ways I treat stress: 

-Going for an evening walk

-Swimming in the ocean

-Painting or doing a craft

-Journaling

-Reading outside 

-Stretching

-Talking about what I am feeling with my husband or a close friend

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I truly hope this helps you find more balance and manage the stress in your life. My encouragement to you would be to implement stress-balancing activities in your life and make them a non-negotiable part of your routine. Stress is a nasty beast to master, I’m right with you sister! Together, lets pledge to take off the busy badge in order to live lives of more meaning, more space, more inspiration, and less stress. 

live well,

Lo

PS- these are my favorite herbal teas... I always have a stash of all of these and I switch off depending on my mood!

#FridayFaves: Playlist

I am excited to start a new series on the blog where I will be sharing my current favorite things every Friday! I will be sharing different wellness products, music, recipes, beauty favorites, and so much more! 

Today I am sharing the music that has really kept be going the past few weeks. A good playlist is so powerful for me because it keeps me motivated with work during the day, pumps me up during my workouts in the gym, and also helps me wind down at the end of the day. This playlist consists of all my current favorites and I have been keeping this playlist on repeat every single day! 

Some other things I'm currently loving:

-This week's hike... In this season of life I don't take time off work very often... but when I do, its to go on adventures like this...

-Sauna Therapy: four times a week I sit in the sauna for fifteen minutes and this practice has quickly become my new obsession! I started sitting in the sauna for detoxification but now it has become a favorite for self-care, meditation, and helping me gain mental clarity. I will be doing a whole blog post on this soon! 

-My new Berkey water filter- I had been eyeing this for years and finally took the plunge this month and got one. I am obsessed! The water tastes so pure and I am aiming to up my water intake every single day. I also feel confident knowing that I'm not drinking water that is heavy in chlorine or pesticide residue (unfortunate part of living in the country near a ton of farms). 

-This Summer's travel plans- I officially have island fever and I am so excited to take a much needed trip with Danny next month! We will be headed to Southern California to see our families and then we'll be spending a week in Alaska! Anyone have any Alaska travel tips? I'd love some insight! 

Thats all for this week... Here's my playlist! I hope you love it. 

Have a great weekend!! 

Lauren

Kitchari: Ayurvedic Healing Food

While I was in my yoga teacher training last year, we learned extensively about Ayurvedic medicine and how to treat modern ailments with ancient healing remedies. Ayurveda is India's form of medicine and it is actually the oldest form of medicine ever recorded! As a natural health junkie, I couldn't believe that I hadn't learned about Ayurveda sooner. In India, it is still very much a part of their culture and they use Ayurvedic principles to this day to maintain health and wellness. 

One of the healing remedies I learned about was Kitchari. Kitchari is an amazing meal used  in Ayurvedic detoxes which aids in healing digestion issues. The recipe in itself is super simple but the health benefits are huge! Kitchari is known to be super easy on the digestive system so that it gives your system a break to heal and repair. Kitchari is also super high in fiber, iron, and protein and so it cleans out your intestines and removes toxins that may be wreaking havoc on your body.

I love the simplicity of Kitchari: Rice, Mung Dal, and spices. Some of the healing spices used in Kitchari are turmeric, cumin and fennel seed. These spices stir up the digestive system and help aid in inflammation. I feel like so often we caught up in the newest health fad and supplements that we over complicate our health. Ayurvedic philosophy reminds me that it truly is so simple! Show your body love and compassion, eat warm, healing foods, know your body type to feed it accordingly, and you will find balance in all areas of life!

When I decided that I wanted to learn to make Kitchari, I went to the two places I always go: Amazon and Pinterest. ;) I simply followed the Banyan Botanicals Recipe and I ordered the ingredients off of Amazon! I bought a Kitchari spice mix instead of buying all of the spices individually and it made it so much easier! It came out so creamy and delicious and I ate it for my lunches all week last week. 

I would highly recommend making this if you have low energy, digestion problems, irregular bowel movements, or if you simply need an easy and healthy recipe to meal prep! Let me know in the comments if you make this recipe and let me know how you like it! 

xo,

Lauren

INGREDIENTS USED:

Priming yourself for a successful day: Morning Routine

I am not a morning person. I never have been and I don't know if I will ever be that person that jumps out of bed ready to seize the day. I would much rather stay snuggled under the covers until the very last moment but that never served me well. From a young age I knew that I had to CHOOSE to be productive and get out of bed each day in order to be a successful human being. Starting in junior year of highschool, I did online school and so it was all on ME to wake up and get school work done. Now that I run my own business, it is more important than ever for me to prime my day for success. My morning makes or breaks my day and so over the years I've had to set some boundaries in my schedule so that I can stick to a routine. I am learning that boundaries are not bad or selfish or limiting. Setting boundaries is a way for me to show myself self-love and respect for doing things that keep me inspired. 

My boundaries for success:

1. SCHEDULE in your "Power Hour". I write this on my calendar every single night when I plan out each day. It takes me about an hour to get everything I need to get done in the morning to make me feel inspired to start my day (This doesn't include the gym or podcast listening which are also crucial components to my routine each day). Because I know this, I purposefully don't plan meetings or business calls in the mornings because I know I will feel stressed about starting on work rather than filling my cup with devotion & inspiration. 

2. WAKE UP an hour earlier. I am still not a morning person but I have SLOWLY trained myself over the last year to start waking up earlier. I don't know if I will ever be that person up before the sun rises but I try my hardest to start my morning as early as possible so that I have time to just BE before my day starts. 

3. PLAN your morning inspiration. This will be different for all of us! For me personally, I spend some time in my Bible and in prayer first thing in the morning and then I will pull out a current personal development book I am reading to read for twenty minutes or so while I drink my matcha. This may look different for you! Maybe you need to journal, maybe you need to stretch and do yoga or meditate. It may take some time and trial and error to figure out which activities are going to best inspire you in the mornings. Just keep devoting an hour each morning to YOURSELF and you will figure out what works best for you! 

4. CREATE an inspiring atmosphere. This is super important for me. I really like to diffuse essential oils in the morning and open all my windows and doors so I get natural light in my home. I will also play inspiring music. Lastly, I always make sure I have a warm beverage in hand whether thats herbal tea, coffee, or a matcha latte. 

my typical morning

-Wake up- 6:30-7

-Power Hour- 7-8ish

-Go to the gym or start my work day- 8:30-9am 

Because I work from home, I don't have to be as strict with my schedule as most people and I am very blessed for that. That being said, I try to stay as disciplined as possible to make sure I am on some sort of schedule because it truly impacts the productiveness of my day!! 

This photos are from today's morning power hour. Simple & quiet & perfect. Plus, I HIGHLY recommend this book Girl Wash Your Face. It will change your life. 

I hope these practical tips help you have a more productive morning and a more productive day! You've got this!

xo,

Lauren

THINGS I LOVE MENTIONED: