I am about to embark on a new adventure and I'm both excited and nervous. I am joining my beloved friend and life coach, Tiffany Han , on a 30 Day Social Media Rehab . For 30 days, I will be unplugging myself from Facebook and reconnecting with myself. My reason for making this commitment is not because I lose hours to Facebook daily (although weekly could be a different story), but because I continue to fall victim to comparison gremlins. Even though I just wrote a blog post about not comparing ourselves because we are all special and different, I still find it difficult to remember this at times. And Facebook just gives me too much material for comparison. In the past, it's mainly been about my creativity and productivity, but at this point I'm also comparing myself as a runner. In training for my first marathon (the CIM , quickly approaching on December 2nd), I've unfortunately learned that training doesn't always go as planned. So I'm feeling under prepare...

Red Typewriter by Mandy Lynne Are you a storyteller? I am discovering that I am. Now, I don't mean the kind of storytelling I started on Monday on with the Marathon Mondays . Not the kind where you are retelling a great adventure or sharing an interesting experience with a friend. Or the kind of stories that you might tell your children about knights and princesses and dragons, etc. I mean the made-up "stories," or lies, you tell yourself, like "I can't do ____, because I'm not _____." Earlier this week, thanks to Tiffany and an eye-opening conversation, I began to realize that I am quite the storyteller. I often tell myself "stories" about things that aren't necessarily true. For instance, I used to tell myself I couldn't lose weight because it's too hard or I couldn't be an athlete because I'm not coordinated. But I finally recognized these things as untrue "stories" so now I've lost 40lbs and I...

I've probably hinted at it, but have I mentioned that I am training for the California International Marathon (CIM) on December 2? My very first marathon. I've been meaning to explore the road that brought me to this decision because prior to last year, my only running experience was playing in elementary school. I never ran cross country or participated in any sports (I was a band nerd). So how did I choose to train for a marathon? Great question. A question that I even wonder about...... a lot. It was an interesting process coming to this decision. Some of which I can't truly explain, but I am going to try. It's kind of a long story and I'm not usually much of a storyteller (that would be my husband). But my running story has become such a huge part of me that I think it's worth telling, even if it's just for me and my family. Life is full of choices and it's fascinating to look back at how some of them are made. Especially the more signific...

For many years I've struggled with my weight, especially after having my two daughters. I tried countless times to lose weight, using various diets or exercise regimens, but never successfully. Often, I'd find it difficult to maintain changes long enough to see results, so I'd get discouraged and return to my old, bad habits. My emotional eating, my sweet tooth, and my fairly sedentary lifestyle would always get the best of me. But last year, things finally started to shift and change. It happened little by little, but it started happening. For instance, I increased my physical activity last year, first using our elliptical machine while watching television and then switching to running using the Couch to 5K program in May 2011. Being more active didn't come naturally, especially the running, but I did it because I knew something had to change. I needed to get healthy for myself, but also for my girls. I wanted to be an example of how to live life, not an example...