I’m Back!

Hi Internet, I’m sorry I took forever to come back. I was caught in a spiraling pit of Facebook posts, Twitter hashtags and Vine videos for a few months. Once I climbed back out of said pit I had to give my brain some time to extend it’s attention span past 6 seconds and 140 characters.

I know, you’re dying to know: Where have you been?! What have you been up to?! WHY DID YOU ABANDON ME?!?!

Truth is, I was tired of writing Fail Blogs on this thing; about how I’d fallen off the wagon but vowed to get back on track. So I let myself fall and enjoy the tumble down to a glorious few months of dinning out, hot cheeto snacking and sleeping in from my gym time. I’m not saying it was a good choice. Part of that came from some big life changes the past 6 moths. I got myself a cool new job far from the warm deserts of California to the cold state of South Dakota IN JANUARY! And let me tell you this cold and snow were a real shock! Between the time I said yes to the job to the time I packed up and moved I had many goodbye dinners, last drinks, reunions, farewells parties, and overall enjoying the precious time I had with my family and friends. As we all know, food often plays an important part in bringing people together and sharing special moments. So rather than resist I simply let myself live, damn the consequences.

The difference this time, as opposed to previous all-be-dammed, YOLO-inspired,don’t-think-just-eat food/binge hangovers is that there I have zero regret. I really don’t. I had a wonderful time sharing special moments over meals and beers. I took the consequences of these decisions and said to myself ‘whatever happens, I’ll work with it loving myself” and wouldn’t you know, that’s exactly what happened!

The one great thing about this new gig I’ve got is it’s allowing me to learn how to focus on myself and find a balance in my life I hadn’t experienced in a long time. I am very dedicated to my work but I also have the liberty to make time for myself. In that time I’ve carved out space to stay active, workout as well as one of my favorite things, cook some healthy meals. I have to say, I have found it so satisfying to look at my fridge and find delicious, nutritious food options for me that don’t feel like a diet; it feels like part of my life. I’m a huge fan of my fridge, it looks downright beautiful. I have also been pleasantly surprised to find an grocery store in this little mid-west town that has an amazing produce department. It could be better than anything I had back home and within closer driving distance. I’ve had a great time experimenting with various veggies- gourds, leafy greens, winter produce and year-round greens. I’ve also had the great pleasure of finding a delicious low-salt seasoning brand called Flavor God that’s taken my meal prep to a whole new level of flavor.

I’m a few weeks into this new job, I feel settled into a nice work groove so I feel I can make time to pick up old hobbies like this blog I started two years ago. TWO YEARS! WOW! I can’t believe so much has changed in that time. This blog has done a lot to help with that change. I’ve found an amazing online community that shines a light on this path I started when I had my wake up call. It’s also helped me connect with my family and long-time friends in a way I never had before. I’m excited to pick up this blog in my new space and share with you how I’ve adopted this new lifestyle, how it’s changed me and what it’s taught me. I know I’ve gained weight, taken a few steps back in that goal; but I know now that thanks to the amazing folks back him at Fit in 42 that I have all the tools I need to move forward. I plan on using every one of them for the rest of my life.

Until next time, here’s some FOOD PORN!