WIAW - Actually, WIDW!

WIAWbutton Happy Wednesday everyone! Today I’m joining the Peas and Crayons link up, What I Ate Wednesday. Instead of just sharing what I ate yesterday, I’m going to share what I did (sounds boring, but I’m doing it for a reason, I promise!).

WIAW - did heart

I left Seattle for the holidays as, pretty much, a total mess. I had just survived (barely) my first round of graduate school finals and my sanity was hanging by a thread. [I can whine about this now cause it was totally worth it!] I literally shoved as many clothes as I could into a giant bag and left my apartment as is for three weeks.

I just came home to that apartment late Sunday night to start the new quarter Monday (this would be 1/6). I might have felt zen after the break, but my apartment was still lingering in the midst of the mental overload/breakdown I experienced before the holidays (consisting primarily of crying into textbooks on the floor in my pj’s…eating cookies and drinking coffee). Since I had an early morning and full day, I knew I didn’t have time to dive into the mess and cleanse the place of that awful ora till Tuesday. No joke, there was even a textbook still open on the floor in my kitchen.

Oh, and my internet/tv/phone were ALL not working and mailbox was stuffed with bills and other annoyances.

The holidays also gave me a big fat wake up call about my budget. Most importantly: eating healthy is going to be more difficult. Since I got home to an empty fridge close to midnight, not willing to let myself pay more than $10 for dinner, I ordered a pizza. (Hey, at least I’m an honest health blogger!) I knew I couldn’t grocery shop till Tuesday and didn’t want to spend on going out to eat, so I split the small pizza as follows: 1/3 for dinner, 1/3 for breakfast, 1/3 for dinner tomorrow. (I could snag a really cheap salad for lunch!)

ANYWAY, now that you’re up to speed. Obviously, I couldn’t wait till TUESDAY. I woke up Tuesday around 6am and immediately made my bed (something I rarely, but should always, do).

I also: unpacked, did several loads of laundry, went to class, cleaned my floors (vacuumed AND mopped) assembled a chair (that had prior been a giant cardboard box in the middle of my tiny apartment), organized all of the ginormous stack of miscellaneous papers on my desk, scrubbed the bathroom, disinfected and cleaned all countertops, threw away my very dead (and very heavy) plant, ran a ton of errands, paid a ton of bills, sat on a ton of boring phone calls about the worst kind of life issues (any number starting with 866…), caught up on work, grocery shopped (and got HUGE deals), cleaned all of my produce and lettuce (a serious, tedious task!), and finished the day reading for pleasure with a delicious glass of wine after a girl’s night watching Mindy Project. I even made it to a steamy hour of hot power yoga.

spinach (cleaning fresh spinach)

All. in. one. day. But how?

It is oh-so-easy to plop down on the couch and turn on the tv. Especially under stress. Especially when you think you deserve it. Especially all the time. I do it, too, trust me. This morning, I could have totally said to myself Lisa, you just rocked these floors, you deserve to sit down and watch some mindless tv. I kept going because I reminded myself of the joy I get doing these things.

This is why I’ve been blabbering on: you need to consistently remind yourself of the joy you get in everything you do and the simple pleasures that come out of life’s mundane tasks. In my opinion, this is an essential part of leading a happy and fulfilling life.

Where did I find the joy of cleaning, working, and running errands in the pouring rain?
(Cause if I can find it there, you can find it too!)

1. Make your bed! I feel like making the bed is such a pain, but I always want to do it for two reasons. One, I loveeeee getting into a tight, cozy bed at night! Two, I have read in several different places that people who make their beds are more productive and successful…or something like that.

2. Don’t exaggerate. In the past, I’ve been on hold with an annoying customer service person rolling my eyes and bitching about how much I hate X company and how blah blah blah. It’s just not worth that stress. Today, I simply did other things while on hold. I read up on Bloglovin, answered emails, and didn’t even notice how long I was on hold for.

3. Take pride in what you do. Today, I assembled a freakin’ chair. Sure, it had directions and wasn’t that hard, but still. I made that chair. It was in pieces in a box, now it’s the prettiest part of my living room. I could have whined about getting Ikea’d and needing a boy to come over and help me. Instead, I took pride in what I made allen wrenched. If you made something beautiful or worked hard on something, let yourself be proud of that, no matter how small it may be.

Apartment (sorry for the iPhone quality, but my chair and new flowers in my clean apartment!)

4. Know what relaxes you. I get so incredibly anxious in cluttered, messy spaces. (I literally have trouble sleeping in my boyfriend’s apartment cause of clutter!) I knew that cleaning my apartment would keep me relaxed, and seeing everything in it’s place and off my desk would bring me zen. So, I did that first. It completely calmed me, and everything I had to do seemed less stressful.

5. Look at the big picture. As I’ve said before, forward thinking can make life much more exciting and enjoyable. I didn’t clean just to clean. I cleaned so that it wouldn’t be dirty anymore. I didn’t grocery shop just to go out in the rain and do it, I did it because I enjoy cooking and eating healthy. I studied because one day I’m going to need this knowledge to be a good great dietitian. Sometimes we have to do things that we don’t enjoy, but we need to focus on why we’re doing those things.

6. Smile, dance, and be nice to people! Smell the freakin’ roses. Yes, I know, this is obvious. But, all day today I made an effort to be especially nice to everyone. I smiled extra, said extra hello‘s and have a good day!’s, and kept a spring in my step. Even if you’re totally not in the mood, making yourself act pleasant can really change the way you feel on the inside. Singing and dancing in the shower also does wonders for me. Seriously, try it. Blast your most embarrassing favorite song and just let go. I look like a total geek in the shower, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pike's Place flowers (apparently people outside sunny LA do dry flowers in the winter instead of fresh, scored this b-e-a-utiful bouquet for only $5!)

As for what I ate (since that’s what you came for!)…
Breakfast: whole grain bagel & hot green tea (zzz…pre-grocery shopping)
Lunch: some delicious Pike’s Place smoked salmon and taste-tested delicious fruits and veggies
Dinner: a handful of spinach (snacking while cleaning it, of course), seared shrimp rubbed with salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic over basil gluten-free pasta (Pike’s place has this amazing homemade pasta that’s infused with anything and everything, even chocolate pasta!)

I’m sorry this was so long. My day just started as an impossible to do list and ended as a great inspiration, so I wanted to share it with all of you! Hopefully you can keep these in mind so that the next time you have to do something like laundry or bills you can find a way to enjoy it!

xx
lisasig Follow me on Bloglovin!

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  • Sydney

    I have that exact same Spanish book in my shopping cart on amazon but haven’t gone through and purchased it yet. Do you find it helpful? :)

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      What a small world! I actually just got it as a gift from the program I’ll be working for in Peru (I’m working at a dietetic intern at a hospital in Peru in August). I have skimmed it and it looks really helpful, definitely thorough and straightforward. I’ll be able to help you more once I dive into it!

      xx
      Lisa

  • Ashley Scholten

    I just found you blog and I think it’s fantastic! I just committed to a healthy eating and workout plan and your blog just provides me with inspiration and motivation!

    mintsparkles.blogspot.com

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      Thank you so much! I’m so happy to motivate and support you and your healthy goals! :) Please always contact me if you have any healthy eating/workout questions!

      xx
      Lisa

  • TheHealthyMaven

    K I seriously needed this today (wish I’d read it in the morn and not at 7!). Not to have a pitty party or anything but my to-do list is ridiculously long and I have a cold. Instead of tackling the to-do list I just lay in bed all day. Sure I need rest, but even a little sniffling shouldn’t keep you in bed all day. Tomorrow I’ll be up and at em! You never know who you’ll inspire with your posts ;) Keep em coming!

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      Thanks Davida, I’m so happy I could reach ya! :) Feel better, girl, rest up!

      xx
      L

  • Amy @ Long Drive Journey

    I love this, both the tips at the end, and your story about getting up and going to yoga even though you don’t feel like it. I’m convinced that some of the best things in life happen because you push yourself to do something that you know is good for you, even if you don’t feel like it. Being zen, resting, and relaxing all have their places, but so does getting into gear!

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      Thanks Amy! I really appreciate it and totally agree. Life doesn’t happen if you’re just waiting around for it to!

      xx
      L

  • http://www.consciouskitchenblog.com/ Dana @ Conscious Kitchen Blog

    I absolutely love the honesty and message of this post. Your number 5 totally resonated with me - look at the meaning behind why you’re doing things. To me, that’s completely motivating. Lately I’ve been keeping a list of things I could work on when I have “down time” aka I’ve spent more than 20 minutes mindlessly scrolling through Pinterest. I’ve found it helps me get things done because it keeps them in the front of my mind.

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      Thnak you so much Dana, I’m so happy it resonated. That’s a great technique to keep you on track. Writing a list of why you’re doing all those things might help too! :)

      xx
      L

  • http://painfreekitchen.com/ Rachel

    Totally get not having the energy to make food while not wanting to spend a ton of cash. I’m super lucky that there is a roast chicken place nearby that delivers. $10 for an entire roast chicken with a side of coleslaw.

  • http://www.with-an-open-mind.com/ Ksenija @ With An Open Mind

    I love this totally different WIAW! Awesome post. Seriously I feel so much better when I get stuff done in a day and also when my apartment is clean. Especially now that I am living in such a tiny one-room thing with barely any place to spare keeping it clean is super extra important and so is making my bed. But after I actually started doing this things everyday, I noticed that they don’t take half as much the time as I always thought they would.

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      Thank you! I feel ya, a clean apartment makes everything better. I just realized that time thing too! I used to think “bleh making my bed will take like 10 min out of my morning, who has time for that?!” Now, I’ve realized it’s really like a minute or two…. hahah

      xx
      L

  • Kathryn@ Illustrated Nutrition

    Looks like you got a lot done yesterday! I’m guilty of ordering a pizza when I’m too busy/too cheap to buy dinner too. It happens to the best of us! ;) Good luck on your next quarter Lisa! xo

    • Skinny Opinion

      Love how even the healthiest bloggers can still admit to eating pizza once in awhile! Thanks for being real!!

      xoxo
      Jenn
      http://www.skinnyopinion.com

      • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

        haha I mean, pizza is pretty much the greatest in certain situations. :)

        xx
        L

  • Amy @ The Little Honey Bee

    I love this take on WIAW. You are certainly a busy gal! Your place is so cute. When I finally move out can you come decorate for me? xx

    • http://www.theskinnyonhealth.com/ Lisa @ The Skinny on Health

      aw thanks Amy! You’re so sweet. I would LOVE to. Long-distance interior decorator. It’s a major hobby of mine, actually!

      xx
      L