I'm baaaaaacccccckkkkkkk!!!

Oh hello there my wonderful, blog-o-rific readers!


So THRILLED to be back after an adventurous and must needed vacation. As expected, despite it being California, there was rain. In fact so much rain, that we braved ROCK SLIDES while traveling the Pacific Coast Highway on our way to Monterrey from Pismo

Beach! Our little rental Kia Soul was HIT by a falling rock denting the hood...I kid you not! That was just some of the adventure, other things worth mentioning...our flight out was cancelled and then our flight back was cancelled. UNREAL! But we still managed to have a lovely, fun, ridiculous time which included both Vegas and then the roadtrip further west to Cali. All in all...it was so very much needed. And in fact, after visiting some great  friends who recently moved to Las Vegas, I can't seem to shake this "maybe some day we'll move there" bug. Again, getting WAYYY ahead of myself but no harm in dreamin' right?


As for the fitness/health front, boy was I still sick from prednisone side effects when we left for vacation. I didn't honestly start to feel "normal" until Wednesday (of course, more than half way done with vaca at that point...!). And although I KNEW I would end up feeling side effects on vaca, it still freaked me out. I had a very increased heart rate...115 on the morning I woke up in LA. I thought for sure I was dying. But I was not...LOL...simply side effects. Crappy but I pushed through...I mean I was in California after all. Warm, blue skies and no snow! I didn't get very much exercise in except for, well, ya know, the miles of walking we did all over the place. I also, surprisingly, made super healthy food choices because out west, avocados are on everything (yum!) and fresh fruit is always available. I was in my glory! And despite my health not being its best, I am so grateful for the break this vacation gave me. I've come back super charged and have so much on my plate health/fitness/career-wise that I've really got to get these ducks not only in a row but paddling their lil web'd feet and FLYING. And in fact there is SO much going on (much of it happened right before I went on vacation or DURING vacation) that it is overwhelming this brain'o'mine. 

So, a good way to wrangle it all is to share...so here we go...

1) My article "Change Your Mind, Change Your Body" was published in the hard copy print premiere edition of RI FIT Mag. ALL the hard copies have flown off the shelves which just leaves me in complete awe. I'm working on a couple more articles for upcoming issues including how to stay active and eat healthy while on vacation. AND also I'm going to see Jillian Michaels end of month in Providence (yay!) and will be providing a review of her motivational speaking program to RI Fit Mag. So these are some of those ducks I'm working on getting lined up and FLYING! Go duckie, go!

2) Last summer, when I was prepping to run my first half marathon, I discovered this magical "hip pocket belt thingie" by a company called "HipsSister". It was and IS the most magical item ever. It is a very updated, way more hip and super stylish way of carrying items on you HANDS FREE so you can be active without needing to fuss about with a purse. Well, 6 months later I am THRILLED to announce I signed on as an affiliate seller for their product. The company is growing in leaps and bounds and the line has not just expanded, but EXPLODED, with different collections of hip belts in various styles and designs. Take a peak at my online store...I 100% stand behind this product line. I super choosy about representing brands, but j'adore HipsSister!

3) My website...oy my website! As I mentioned in my last blog post pre-vaca, I am working on designing my new website which will be the official "Body Made Better" services website. I am in such angst over completing this mammoth site that I keep stalling in fear that it won't be perfect. Well, as we ALL know, nothing is ever perfect so onward and upward I go. The deadline I've set for myself is March 31st. It WILL be up and running by April so that I may official launch my health coaching and personal training services on a part time basis.

4) And now for a completely unrelated thing that no one saw coming (including ME)...it looks like I am going to return to my MaryKay selling ways. After a very long hiatus from both using and selling the product line, I've decided to return to it. I absolutely LOVE MaryKay but when I made the move back home to RI from NYC five years ago, I let my consulting business expire and then failed to keep using the products. Now that i'm in my 40s and my skin is needing some extra love n' care, I decided it was time to return to my true love...MaryKay. I'm in the process of waiting for the contract to get signed...and I'm honest to God excited to get using the products again AND sharing the magic of MK with my circle of friends. Stay tuned for a link to my online store soon (hopefully!).


5) Half marathon training...TAKE TWO. Yup, it is already time to start training for my SECOND half marathon (imagine THAT!?). May 4th to be exact. After such a refreshing visit to Vegas and Cali, I kicked off my first day back yesterday with my first day of half marathon training. This New England weather should only be getting BETTER so no time like the present to dive into running again. How I've missed it!

6) Everything else...there is SO much more happening that my head is spinning. I need to complete my second round of trainer studies squeezed into other studying i'm doing in the area of basic nutrition. I feel as if there are not enough hours in a day right now to accomplish all that I want, need and dream of. But I know it is all possible if I create a plan. 

And so the plan begins. It is time for vision boarding via the beauty of Pinterest!

Dream big, live big, stay humble, stay grateful.
Rachel