Self Care.

The words Self Care get tossed around a lot these days. Do you know what Self Care is? Are you practicing it? What's your favorite way to practice? Have you made it a priority in your life? Earlier this week I had not one but three people ask me to share my self care routine and practices. I try to honor and listen to those signs so I thought I'd share it here as well! Self care has been a journey for me and it's something I still really work on. You know how getting sick is your sign to SLOW DOWN and take better care of you? Yeah. Self care started off like that in my life. I learned the hard way at first via overwhelm and burn out. Raise your hand if you're a recovering people pleaser too!

self care defination

It's been years of systematic changes in my work and lifestyle to take better care of me. Learning the hard practice of saying NO has been key. Letting go of self judgement and stories around slowing down has been huge too. I used to think busy meant successful and that somehow working all the time made me more worthy of success. Those were some BIG stories that 1) weren't serving me and 2) just aren't true. Allowing myself to lay down if I need it or to sit in quiet and meditate have been massive shifts in my life. These days my self care has been taking a turn to mirror my food life... it's all about healing, what feels good and prevention.

Here's what I've laid out for myself. As you read notice what resonates with you and what makes you feel light. Perhaps those are the practices to try on, modify and put to work in your self care routines.

FUN:

Weekly I schedule 1 date with myself reserved for fun. I take myself to the movies. I swim. I take myself to lunch or for a drive. I do whatever feels really good in my body. During that time I UNPLUG from all technology (A MUST). Some weeks it's just an hour. Others it's an entire day. It all depends on what I'm feeling that I need. If I'm super busy and the week is wearing on me then I take m o r e time for myself to go and remember what fun is. I block off the time in my calendar and treat it like a client appointment. That means I always show up! Cliff always says, "no one is shooting at us" and I take it to heart. He's right. This is not a life or death situation. It's my life and I get to choose how to LIVE IT each moment of each day and the more fun the better!

WATER + BREAKFAST:

I drink water daily upon waking. And eat within an hour of waking. So key. On days when I allow myself to get sucked into technology too quickly I can easily skip breakfast or wait way too long to eat and I feel it. After all this time I'm still in awe that I'm the boss of my food life and however I feel is a direct reflection of how well I did or did not prioritize taking care of my needs.

EATING CUT OFF:

I've recently added no eating after 6 or 7 at night. So far that's feeling really good. I'm not crazy strict about it... if we go to dinner I enjoy dinner without looking at the clock. I'd say at the moment I'm sticking to it a good 5 or 6 days a week. The circadian rhythm of our bodies dictates that we are to eat when the sun is out and rest when the moon is out. Practicing an eating cut off time is my way of trying to honor that a little more each day. Eating late at night is a sure fire way to pack on lb's and as a recovering sugar addict/ emotional eater night time eating was a particularly tender time for me. You know you better than anyone... set some safe boundaries for yourself within your routines and honor them.

KEEP IT FRESH + GREEN:

I make sure to eat something green everyday. A green juice, a green smoothie, steamed veggies, salad... doesn't matter I just make sure to get in green veggies. I tell every single one of my clients about the importance of greens and anyone who knows me knows that veggies are way more than just a food preference... it's a lifestyle. My lifestyle. If I'm traveling and can't access greens like usual I use a green powder in the mornings with breakfast. I also try to eat 50% + of my daily food raw to invite the most nutrients possible into my body. That's part of why I love green juices and green smoothies so much.

GO WITHIN:

Creating my day is always the goal. The way to create your day is through meditation. When I approach meditation from a creation stand point knowing that it has the power to change my day and my life I show up every time without fail. It's pretty hard to argue with facts like these. When I forget how rich and deep meditation is I remember to keep it on the list because it's "good for me" and honestly some weeks that is enough. This week has been exceptional, so far I've meditated everyday and I'm aiming to do a long one this afternoon. Last week I think I meditated 3x so it definitely ebbs and flows over here. Some days are 10 minutes via a short and sweet Deepak Chopra mediation. Others are long up to an hour or just over via a Joe Dispenza mediation. I almost always use a guided meditation. I'd say about 1 out of every 10 times I will sit and meditate on my breath alone in silence. I don't have any rules on guided or not... I just go with what feels good and most often I go with how much time I want to spend.

MOVEMENT + REST:

I live in an RV and happily work from home. I sit on my booty in a small space most of the day. No doubt about it that's a sedentary lifestyle. Lately I'm light on movement and heavy on rest at the urging (and near begging) of my Ayurvedic doc and team of healers. It's been a tough adjustment for me to SLOW DOWN and follow the advice to not "exert" myself. I run/walk a few times a week. I have also been swimming when the mood strikes (I've been twice this week). Lately I'm feeling the calling back to yoga so it's me and my yoga mat it the RV which is pretty comical actually.

Giving myself permission to nap and rest has been earth shattering. I'm not kidding I used to be an ALL GO, ALL THE TIME kind of gal. The more work I do on healing my body the more I can feel the subtle calls from within. When I start to feel a little frayed, weak or small I go lay down for a bit. Naps are an amazing reset button and immune booster.

HEALING PRACTICES:

Daily I wake and take all my Ayurvedic herbs to support the healing of my body. I'm over half way through 30 days of daily sesame oil enemas (TMI? Sorry.) to help lubricate and restore health to my internal body. The Ayurveda perspective on Tracheal Stenosis is that we have one long tube from mouth to anus and mine is dried out so... I'm taking oil on both ends and also oiling my skin. Oil-a-palooza over here and I have to tell you the oil enemas though not the most comfortable thing I've ever experienced feel like they are totally working.

I share all this to tell you that healing is an all in endeavor. If you're negotiating some kind of sickness or imbalance in your body it can be all consuming. It's been really soothing to add these practices to my daily rituals. I do each from a place of gratitude that each day I get to take actions with a pure intention of easy breathing and believing in healing possibility. My sister reminds me to ask the Universe to wow me in regards to my health. Isn't that a beautiful image to think of! How many times have you been in awe of something that unfolded before you without you having to effort in that direction? Just this past weekend I won tickets to a truly transformational Oprah weekend and I didn't even register to win. My Aunt registered me. I was WOW-ed for sure and so now I ask the Universe to wow me in regards to my healthy and healed body.

SEEK KNOWLEDGE:

Daily I read something that I'm trying to learn. It's usually really quick around 5 - 10 minutes.

SAY WHAT YOU NEED:

I tell Cliff what's happening with me daily. Turns out he's not a mind reader so it's helpful for him to know what I'm negotiating. I ask for what I need... some days it's for him to read/ edit something I've written, some days it's help rubbing oil all over me as part of my healing ritual, some days it's for some space to move through something I'm working on. That practice adds to the ease of our relationship and helps us both feel really supported.

GET BAREFOOT:

The sun + earths energy are crucial for vibrant health. I spend time barefoot in the grass or with my hands in the dirt weekly. Ideally we'd come into contact with the earth daily. I joke (but I'm totally serious) that one day when we have a yard again I want a dirt and sand garden where I can go lay naked with the sun on my face. This is the part where my dad thinks I've totally lost my mind (ha!) but it's so elemental to be in contact with our earth! I think it's one of the reasons why so many of us love the beach. It's one of the rare times we are barefoot and covered in sand! When is the last time you physically touched the earth?

I hope you found one or a few things that are resonating in you. Remember that just like food self care is completely individual. While I'm over here taking it easy and embracing naps you may need to run as hard and as fast as you can! There are some things, too, like saying what you need and taking yourself on a weekly date that I think we could all benefit from.

To caring for your beautiful self in the way that only you can! Lacy

Honoring your intuition is sacred ground.

I received an email from a dear girl who is in the midst of transition and I saw so much of my story in her words. She went to a yoga class, and another and another. She feel madly and deeply in love with the practice and the way her body felt fully engaged in the present moment of each pose. She paid lots of money for proper schooling and credentials. She became a certified yoga teacher. She loved teaching. And now that her shiny new website is built and ready to roll out into the world it's become unavoidably clear that it's time to move on. Disappointment. Guilt. So many feelings are colliding all at once. Then the justification that she spent the money on the site... shouldn't she see it through?

I'm here to say permission granted to change course in the very moment that you know it's time. Seriously. We all do that thing over money from time-to-time. You spend "good" money on something really big and then there's that moment of pause... you use the money as a justification to keep going even though every fiber of your being is saying MOVE ON RIGHT NOW!

Honoring your intuition is sacred ground. Do it. At all cost. Some days it may be something really big like NOT publishing the site. Others is may be seemingly small like not finishing a book. It's your life and you get to live it however you want. Exercise that beautiful freedom.

Letting it go (whatever it is) can be excruciating and at the same time completely necessary. It is ok that something (or someone) once filled you up body and soul and then it was time to move on. I spent my 20's trying to make a living out of things I loved. Yoga. Making Scrapbooks. Creating herbal products. etc. etc. etc. I changed paths often and with a great deal of struggle. I wish someone had said that it's O.K. to keep going and change course when you know it's time. Mid way through my 30's I'm seeing how it's all been a part of the journey that is still very much in motion. I can only image the clarity that the 40's will bring.

Release the guilt, dear girl. Forgive yourself. Often. You showed up, burned brightly and when the time was right you let it go. That's practicing yoga off the mat. That's listening to your sacred voice and it's always worth it no matter how much it cost to get there.

Clear space so that your what next can peek through and wink at you. Clear space... In your body. In your closet. In your kitchen cabinets. In your email inbox. Let go of the things (or people) that are ready to move on and take your next step in the direction that feels light and joyous.

I love you. You've got this. Lacy

May I give you some permission?

This me at one of our latest stops in Marfa, Texas. That town is AMAZING. It's the best night sky I've seen in as long as I can remember and the vibe there is so laid back. We'll definitely be back. In my work I give a lot of permission. It's one of my favorite things to do. I give myself permission and ask my sister and husband to give me permission when I am needing it too. There's something about hearing it, feeling it, taking it into your being that allows for change. Here are a few permissions I've been giving out lately. I thought you might like them too. I hope one or many are heart zingers for you.

- BE who you are. - Don't grow up so much as grow into your best self. - When you speak about what you believe do so from your own experience. Sharing your experience feels so loving. - Take photos of things that inspire you. Share them. Don't worry about taking the perfect photo or looking a certain way. And if you're on Instagram come say hi, I'm @lacylike. It's still my very favorite internet community. - Eat food that makes you feel good in your belly. And proud. (hint: Twinkies are not a pride or health inducing food) - Stop buying home goods for a minute and start buying clothes that make you feel amazing. Seriously... You'll spend $3o on a candle at Anthro but not a new shirt that is going to make your eyes pop. Doooooo it already! - Make a new friend. On the internet or in real life. - Don't buy it unless you really love it. - Call someone you love everyday. Not a text. CALL. They may cry happy tears and let you know. Or you may never know how you added to their day. Either way it's always worth it. - Lay in the grass. Walk around barefoot. Let the sun shine on your face. - Challenge what healthy means to you. Fiercely. Remember we are all so different and your body knows what it needs. Create some space for it to speak to you and then diligently listen. If you don't know how, ask for help. - Get rid of something everyday for a month. See what opens up inside of you. - Go to happy hour and don't drink booze. The happy hour police are not going to get you. Or better yet skip happy hour and go for a walk with your bestie. - Trade up one of your beauty products for something made thoughtfully and organically. What you put on your skin soaks into your cells... choose something chemical free. Your cells want to shine, baby! - Congratulate yourself often. Washed the dishes? Tell yourself that you are the best dishwasher ever! Cleaned the clothes but didn't quite get to folding them? Tell yourself that's the most beautiful pile of clean fabrics you've ever seen! See how fun + uplifting it can be?

Permission granted, Lacy

Eating My Feelings

Last week I went to the doc and had a photos taken of my trachea. They put a teensy tiny video camera up my nose and down my throat. When the doc played the video back for me and I saw what I've been feeling I felt a wash over my body. It was a moment of OMG it's real. I didn't make it up. My next thought was Oh fuck it --- What do I want to eat? It's funny (not funny) how we reflex back. How I reflex back. I wanted a brownie sundae. Or a cream cheese kolache. Or both. I wanted a margarita or a pina colada with a dark rum float and extra whipped cream. I wanted to eat + drink all my feelings. When I realized that we were, in fact at a hospital and the only thing I could likely get my hands on was a candy bar I thought... Snickers! I could go for a Snickers. It was like a Disney movie in my head. Brilliantly dressed up foods dancing past me promising to take away all this anxiety in my body.

Mind you all this is happening while I'm still in the exam chair, the doctor is talking to me and Cliff is sitting across from me asking his thoughtful questions about my health. They say a second set of ears is helpful for that moment when you glaze over. Apparently my version of glazing over takes me right to food negotiations.

And then it happened, as it's happened many times before --- I remembered that any amount of food or drink would not heal these feelings. They'd only serve as a (delicious) band aid that would likely lead to a stomach ache, headache and heart ache. I didn't have a Snickers. Or a pina colada with dark rum float and extra whipped cream. I sat there. I put my hand on my chest and took as deep a breath as my little airway would allow and I said quietly to myself, "Lacy, I love you. You're going to be ok. It's ok to feel this way. You're doing such a good job dear girl. Ask for what you need. Ask your questions. Let Cliff support you. You've got this."

I came back to the present. I asked the very kind doctor my questions and still really appreciate her candor. We left and I continued to take deep breaths to help clear the giant lump of stagnated energy in my belly and throat.

This is the root of emotional eating for me. Emotions well up in such a big, scary way that I just want to numb it out and eat as much as possible to make them stop or at least shut them up for a moment. When I indulge and eat my feelings I'm left in a fog of regret and physical discomfort. When I come back to the present, sit with the feelings, watch them change, and breathe them out of me I feel like I have a tether. At first it's wildly uncomfortable and then a little crack of light opens up and I begin to slowly but surely feel free from those guttural desires to numb and self medicate with food.

5 Steps to Help Navigate and Heal Emotional Eating ::

1. Observe your thoughts.

Do you go right to cream cheese kolaches or your chosen food drug of choice? Notice what comes up and resist the urge to judge or change it. Pay close attention. Can you begin to understand what's causing your thoughts/emotions? Is it fear? Of what? That's so important in establishing their validity.

2. Stay.

Fight or Flight is carnal. It's your bodies innate sense of self preservation. When the going gets tough where do you want to run to? Food? Drink? Can you allow yourself to stay and sit with the emotion that you're experiencing?

3. Breathe.

Notice your breath. Are you taking shallow breaths? Breathing more quickly? Bring a hand to your chest or your belly, lengthen and deepen your breath. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

4. Speak kindly.

Give yourself a word of encouragement. Tell yourself - I see you. I feel you. I hear you. Validating your own experience is a simple but powerful practice. You're not silly for feeling this way. You're quite possibly in the midst of negotiating some really tough stuff and some tenderness can go a long way.

5. Plan.

What do you need to move through this? A plan can help you stay present and grounded. Can you ask for support from friends and loved ones? Have a loved one hug you. Talk it through. Stumble and fumble through your words until you've got it all out. Keep going.

Emotional eating has really deep roots. Healing can be both gradual and spontaneous. Whisper to yourself that you're willing to change, begin to notice when you want to turn towards food. Practice being present and sitting with your emotions instead of hushing them. You're not alone, never have been and never will be. Part of being who you are meant to be in this life means releasing those old behaviors that are no longer serving you. You can move past emotional eating.

Cliff and I fly to Boston tomorrow for my tracheal dilation procedure on Tuesday and then we get to celebrate with dear friends for a wedding on Friday. I still have quite a bit of energy in my body and I'm staying with it. I'm fasting from negative emotions and seeing healing light in my body, especially in my trachea. I'm feeling lifted by the love of so many friends and family. I'm visioning myself going into the operating room and it's standing room only in there. I'm picturing all the physical doctors and nurses and a spiritual healing team as well. On my spiritual team is an adorable gal named Ginger, my ancestors and all the love of every person I've ever met, encountered, passed on the street, hugged, made genuine eye contact with... I keep thinking of airport meetings. When you see someone you've not seen in so long... that moment when your eyes meet and you hug so tightly and there are happy tears. That's the love I'm carrying with me into the OR and I hope that everyone in that room feels changed by my having been there with my big love parade.

May I bring your love with me too? Will you think of me on Tuesday at 12:30 Eastern and smile? I'll be in my super cute hospital gown with frizzy hair and an amazing hair net thinking of you and seeing love envelope that room, all of Boston, all of the east coast and on and on and on. As I'm counting backward from 10 I'll be seeing love frosting on all of us. ha!

Love, Lacy

On Togetherness.

I started Togetherness Tuesdays Drop In Group Coaching a month ago. My intention was to create an affordable option for those who want on-going coaching. It's $65 per month for a 1-hour call happens every Tuesday from 2 - 3 pm central. That's 4 - 5 calls per month so $13 - $16 per call. Crazy high value coaching deal. The idea has been rolling around in my heart + mind for so long and I hoped it would be well received. What's come out of our time together in just a month has been nothing short of miraculous. It's clear that what's happening is less a drop-in call and more a tribe. A community is forming and I find myself leaving each call with full body chills and feelings of WOAH that was g-o-o-d!

A few words from some of the group members:

"Two words. Greater Awareness!"

"I'm excited by how many veggies are in my life now!"

"Like you say it is spot coaching ... everyone gets what they need in that moment. We have seen some really profound break-thru's! C deciding that life is too short to not have the life she deserves. K learning to lovingly stand up to her family about raising her son. Both of those instances gave me chills! I have found that when I come into the call with something big bothering me we can talk it out and break it down into something small and manageable. I leave with an entirely different perspective. Love that!!! And, no matter what someone's issue is, at the base of it all is always to take care of ourselves ... primary food, secondary food, physical activity, sunshine. All the things that make us whole and happy."

"The idea of who do I want to be in this moment has stayed with me. I am so empowered that I get to choose!"

"I get new energy + inspiration when I talk to you. Thank you, Lacy!"

This is a come as you are, all hearts welcome kinda group. It's a share as much or as little as you want, this is a safe place kinda place. It's an opportunity to pause. There are 10,080 minutes in a week. This is the place where you set aside 60 of them just for you. To show up, be seen, listen, share, receive, grow + transform. This is a place to say that you're ready to see yourself with love. To embody the beauty that you are. To add in healthy practices (like green juice)! To release the extra weight (both physical + emotional).

Togetherness Tuesday is where you become conscious to compassion. To enthusiasm. To possibility.

If you're in need of regular + real support this is your tribe. I share practical tools and a whole lot of love. You'll gain knowledge + awareness. Sometimes we talk food. Sometimes we talk life, love, stress, children, marriage, work, play +++.

What kind of life do you want to create? What kinds of food do you want to fuel your body? What do you want your grocery cart + your heart to be full of?

This is the place where you will grow. Where you will learn to truly listen to your internal compass and make the decisions that are best for your life + body. If you're ready to expand your repertoire + remember that you're not alone in this journey please join us for Togetherness Tuesday!

I believe in Togetherness. I believe that uncertainty is really possibility! I believe in the power of what we can create together.

Read more about Togetherness Tuesday + enroll here.

Together we are mighty! xo, Lacy

When things get hard.

This lifestyle takes work. Eating whole foods isn't always the easy choice. We are surrounded by junk foods, processed foods + fake foods that are dressed up to look, smell and taste pretty delicious. Even an ugly cupcake makes people smile. Staying mindful and acting in alignment with your desires is a practice. Often that means overriding old ways of being. When  stress + anxiety well up inside it can be so easy to self-soothe with food. For me it used to be sugar. Anything cake, cookies and ice cream. Looking back usually only the first bite made it better (if that). After that I was negotiating a killer headache or belly ache with a side of guilt for having done that to myself yet again.

The truth is that there's always an option that will support + nurture you and it usually doesn't have anything to do with food. Inspired by a client going through a tough time I've compiled a list of motivational tips + tools to help.

1. Pause + breathe before you act on the emotion or feeling you're experiencing by eating.  Place one hand on your belly and one hand on your heart. Take three deep breaths. Sometimes it's all you'll need to bring you back into presence to gain some control + perspective.

2. Say to yourself, "I love you. I see you. I feel you." You're feeling rotten and taking a moment to affirm that you're here with yourself, on the same team, being seen can work wonders. Consider a practice of saying it in the mirror daily.

3. Look at what you'd like to do and then decide differently. Ok-- the shit has hit the proverbial fan. You're ready to cart yourself down the street to the local coffee house for a baked good and cup of whipped cream with a little coffee in it. What could you do instead? What could you do that would take you out of the moment you're in, still feel satisfying but NOT filled with sugar + regret? Have a glass of water and write in your journal. If you're in a really tender state consider writing all you're feeling and then burning the pages to help release any trapped energy! (please burn the pages in a safe place like a fireplace)

4. Is this an opportunity to set a healthy boundary? Sometimes the thing that pushed you over the edge was a result of not standing up for yourself in a loving way. Could you say 'NO' sooner next time or change some routine, behavior or practice that would honor your boundaries?

5. Naps are a wonderful reset button. Maybe you need a nap to bring you back. Sleep is basic, necessary and a total life saver. Maybe it's time to look at your sleep schedule and commit to getting into bed earlier each night.

6. Be oh so gentle with yourself + respect your feelings. Chances are something has been building up over time to lead to this moment. Could you practice more kindness with yourself this week? Maybe that means letting go of those old rules about how things need to be done in a certain order before you take care of you. Leave the dishes in the sink + light a candle to soften the mood. It's ok, advisable even to take care of you first.

7. Ask yourself what you're really craving and then create space to invite it in. It could be you're really craving... more peace, physical touch, quality time alone, intimacy, a little hope, some more energy etc...

If you're struggling, you're not alone. We all face challenges in feeding + taking care of ourselves. There is a way to fill the well without overdosing on food + booze. There is a way to move through life without the guilt + shame hangover. I totally understand what it feels like to want to change but not know how. I have been in that moment where I knew it was going to be more painful to stay the same than it would be to do the work to change. I baked a whole sheet of cookies once only to take them out of the oven and put them down the disposal in tears. Been there. Done that.

If any of this is resonating with you and you'd like some support please reach out. I have eCourses, lead groups and do 1:1 coaching all geared at changing your relationship with food, creating balance and healing.

Love yourself enough to do the work to change. You've totally got this! XO, Lacy

Listen. Love. It's what we are here to do.

Recently I sat with a friend as she cried.... about her life, about her love, about the details that have come to define her existence. What I learned yet again as I sat with her, knee deep in her pain is that listening and loving goes a long way. She didn't need me to fix anything and I couldn't even if I tried. She said thank you with gasping breaths between sobs and I felt her gratitude.

It feels important to note that there are two ways to listen... you can glaze over and take it all in or you can gaze at them with love and allow their words to be heard. Think about the way a puppy looks up at you. That's gaze. Do that.

When it all boils down we all just want to be seen, heard and loved.

Next time a friend calls or reaches out and needs you be there, listen and if you're face-to-face allow yourself to gaze at them with love. Send them the message through your quiet listening that it's going to be ok. And almost always better than ok because once you say it out loud space is created for the universe to begin conspiring in your favor.

With love, Lacy

All I ever wanted.

I've been thinking about big themes lately... about what's next for 2014. About what lead me to this work. About this life I've intentionally created (I mean... come on I'm writing to you now from my home office wearing purple fleece footie pajamas, totally serious). I completed a group coaching session last week, the last one in the series. As I hung up the phone I went back to my notes on what the gals wanted to achieve during our time together. I checked off each one and felt this tremendous sense of gratitude. We accomplished what we set out to do and so much more.

I feel gratitude for getting to show up + just be me, share what I know and invite others to do the same. Really... all I've ever wanted + I'm living it. In the years of doing this work here's what I know for sure...

Do one of these resonate with you? I hope so. Take one and make it yours. Sending you all kinds of love today. I believe in you, in your dreams and in your power to create a life that makes you wildly happy.

With love, Lacy

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