Often what we're eating is a reflection of the tender condition of our hearts... Bad day = pizza, burritos, etc. Good day = green juice, veggies, etc.
Consider allowing each meal to reflect LOVE for yourself, your body and all it does for you. This holiday weekend is the perfect time to practice since you'll likely have LOTS of opportunities to chow down!
May you have more good days than bad and a waist line that makes you feel all kinds of sexy!
xo, Lacy
image source I've been in a huge organization mode lately. We cleaned out + organized the garage and it's stayed that way! Same story with my studio closet. In fact I've been so happy with my handy-work I kept the door open all last week so that I could admire all the organized bliss! Staring into that closet all week I wondered what I'd be inspired to clean out next.
When the answer arrived it washed over me and I was giggly at the thought. BILLS! I will organize the bills. We're in a BIG year of debt payoff. We've made so much progress and we're committed to keeping it going! This move to Texas has allowed us to get really honest about our finances, live within our means and pay off old debts that are no longer serving us.
What needed to be cleared out where the bills were concerned was my feelings about them! For example: Cliff had to have dental surgery earlier this year and I have been so aggravated paying that bill. It was unexpected, it was expensive and frankly it interrupted my plans for paying other things off.
I want my feelings around money and our bills to be one of joy! Serious JOY!
I've seen the power of energy in my life over and over again. When I stay in a good feeling place things flow easily + effortlessly, I'm happier + more creative. When I start getting bogged down and frustrated things get clunky + hard, I feel sad + lost.
Thanks to a pod cast I heard by Bari Tessler (OMG I think I am in love, she's such a kind, gentle soul) Cliff and I sat down with our bills and decided to rename every.last.one. We were inspired by Bari to give them names that elicit a feel-good-feeling. Names that remind us what we receive from that service that we most enjoy. That dental surgery bill is now called Pearly Whites! When I pay it I will think of Cliff's smile and the way I feel when I see it. I LOVE that smile and of course I want him + his mouth to be completely healthy. WOW- that feels so much lighter!
The cable bill makes me think of sitting on the couch and spending time talking with Cliff. Every night when he comes home from work I have candles burning and the Soundscapes channel on the tv (it's soothy music). We sit and talk about our days and drink hot tea or red wine. It's one of my favorite rituals that we have together and so I'm completely happy to pay for "couch time" each month when that bill arrives!
Here are a few of our other bills and our new names for them! I hope you'll be inspired to start re-naming your bills! Imagine what we could create if we all lived from joy and blessed the people + companies who provide us the comforts that we so love. Think about it next time you click the pay button or seal the envelope!
Does this get you excited? Will you work on re-naming your bills? I hope so! I'd love to hear what you're calling them after this exercise!
Wishing you abundance of money! Abundance of joy! Lacy
I am thinking of you, of this community... I am home from a day on the road. I went to a funeral in support of a dear friend to say good-bye to his dad. Had so much good time to think today and what kept coming up over and over is how easy it is to love... It's so easy for me to love each of you --- even those of you that I don't know. Today at the funeral it was so easy to love each person in that building.
As you head into the weekend I hope you feel so very present in your life, in your body. I hope you feel deeply loved.
Grateful for life, Lacy
image source
This week was joyous.rough.profound. It was really, really--- real. We are all at different places in our journey, yet from time-to-time we align in this moment of WILL IT GET BETTER? Yes! THEN--- WHEN WILL IT? I hear it from my clients, I see it in my own life. There seems to be this singular thread... an unavoidable combination of days, moments or even seconds of feeling utterly alone. Sure you know there are people who love you and have your back. I bet you can list 3 right now (yes, your pet counts)... but there are those times, those quiet moments of wondering just feeling like... you're standing there naked and so very alone. I heard it in so many versions this week. And so, as I sit here wrapping up the week, eyeballing the stacks of papers on my desk I can't help but think of each of my clients. As a true procrastinator of clearing piles and also a joyous permission giver for following my inspiration here I am with fingers to keys. This is for all of you (and for me.)
Hey beautiful girl!
I see you there. I see you drinking your green juice, chopping your veggies and moving your body. I see you standing in the mirror wondering why you still look like you did yesterday. I see you trying on your clothes and shrugging your shoulders with a sigh. I see you trying desperately to say "I accept you exactly as you are right now" and actually mean it.
I see you.
I have a secret for you. Lean in! You don't look anything like you did yesterday. Today, I find you more luminous than all the yesterdays combined. Keep talking to that brave girl in the mirror! There's a softness in her that is so inspired by what tomorrow brings. There's courage in her that is consciously choosing healing in every waking breath. Don't worry so much about what comes next. You're doing the work, you've placed your order with the Universe and it's conspiring in your favor!
So... yes, it's still ok to feel your feelings. Be bummed if you need to be bummed. Watch a sad movie if you need to help the tears find their way out (Steel Magnolias is a personal favorite). But then instead of going into some old way of soothing that would involve pizza and brownies (or whatever it is for you) go forward to your healthy habits. Go for a bike ride. Blend up a smoothie. Pick rosemary from the garden to put into your water. Rub lotion on your feet and bless them for carrying you around all day. Touch your face the way you would a new baby.
I see you. I've got your back and you've still totally got this. Keep going.
With love + so much belief in you, Lacy
Good things around the corner:
My first e-course begins October 1st! A 10-day sugar detox with daily messages delivered right to your inbox. More info + register here.
The next group coaching session begins Nov 11. The groups are small, intimate, supportive and meaningful. Pure loving nourishment to help you change your relationship with food for the better. More info + register here.
It's a Sunday afternoon in July. We're all sweaty, red faced + breathing hard. I am feeling completely satisfied with myself. It's NOT what you think. For the first time in who knows how long I've just been running! It's nearly a month later and I am still in love!
post run shine
THIS BOOK has changed our life. Literally. It completely transformed the way I think + feel about running. It completely changed the way that I run.
I've got long legs, I was always taught to spread out my stride and really cover ground. I was taught to inhale for three counts and exhale for three counts. To pump my arms hard and roll heel to toe through each step. That made running really hard which lead to my STRONG dislike of distance running.
In middle school I ran track because they made me. I was decent at hurdles, extremely mediocre at the mile relay and made a strong effort on high jump. In high school I was in drill team and only ran when I was told that I must (seeing a theme here?). Those glorious high school runs usually ended with dry heaving on the side of the track feeling angry, depleted and broken. I remember getting A LOT of shin splints. In college I did the Body For Life challenge a good half dozen times. I was always working towards the perfect swim suit body, it was all about results in those days. I wasn't concerned about health or well-being. I was willing to suffer for a flat stomach, toned arms and strong legs. I made suffering an art form. Running was necessary for getting the results the challenge promised and so I ran and loathed every step (I got the promised results about 3x). Running has NEVER brought me joy... until now.
I started Born to Run when I was in Hawaii. I got a few chapters in and put it down. I was enjoying it, intrigued by it but it wasn't resonating for me. I was in the midst of profound life change and had other work to do. Reminds me there's a season for everything. For some reason that Cliff and I still don't recall (feels divine) the book found it's way from me to him. He devoured every page and immediately started running.
I didn't notice for a while because he's always loved running. It was normal for him to go for a jog. What struck me as completely crazy was that he was getting up at the crack of dawn to go run before work and coming home FULL OF JOY. Every. Single. Day. I noticed that he stopped stretching before his runs. He'd just take off and GO. I noticed that his words changed. There was no more talk of "I need to run." All of a sudden he was saying "I can't wait to run." He got serious about chia seeds (ahem, which I had been telling him about forever). He drank noticeably more water. He bought new running shorts and got online to look for nearby trails. He came home with red feet from running barefoot on the track. I noticed but stayed solid on the fact that running was not my thing. Nope. Not for me. I don't run. I swim. I do yoga. I walk. I hike. I bike. I DON'T RUN.
Fair warning... it's contagious! My mom is running now too!
And then one day something happened. I had a hard day. A really hard day. I knew that I needed to change something in my life and that soft, still voice inside was saying 'Move your beautiful body baby, get out there and GO! RUN!' And so I did. Right then. I already had the shoes. I've been wearing Vibrams for years now for walking, hiking, weight lifting but never running, because you know... I don't run. But that day in July I did. As I ran I remembered everything Cliff said about the book. Run on your toes not your heels, focusing on the outer ball of your foot, spread out your toes, run lightly as if sneaking up on Ned, arms relaxed in motion of the run, keep your spine straight and your head looking forward. TAKE SMALL STEPS. Breathe, relax, take in the sights and sounds around you.
Those first few runs all I could focus on was breathing and taking one step at a time and trying not to bounce. After that I was able to engage my core and check in with my body. Now I can actually look around and take in the colors of the sky, the grass. I listen to Pandora and sing along. I never thought I'd say this but I LOVE RUNNING!
This video helped me tremendously!
Go move your beautiful body! You'll be so glad you did! Love, Lacy
p.s.There's some good stuff happening around here:
- FREE webinar next Tuesday on Juice cleansing! Everything you need to know to conduct a 1 - 3 day juice cleanse! + live Q + A! Register here.
- Next group coaching sessions starts Sept 3rd! More info here. Register here.
Earlier this week a client said:
STOP! STOP! I interrupted her. WRITE THAT DOWN RIGHT NOW! Holy crap, yes! YES!
She'd been eating out of longing for LOVE. She wasn't truly hungry for food. It was a pure, beautiful moment. That message came to her via a brownie. It didn't taste like what she hoped. And it didn't satisfy the hunger. While we were still on the phone she dumped her "candy closet" into the trash bin once and for all.
The work we do on food is about so much more than what you eat. I can tell you to eat something green, drink more water and get plenty of sleep but you already know all that stuff. The magic is connecting all the parts of your life that nourish or deplete you. The magic is in shining a light into those dark corners and saying out loud OMG I NEED LOVE NOT A BROWNIE! And then working together on ways to infuse more love into your life!
These are the moments that light me up from the inside and leave me floating after I hang up the phone.
Does this sound like you? Are you ready to illuminate your life and infuse it with love + healthy foods? Consider joining us for the next Group Health Coaching session!
Do you want to be reminded that you’re not alone? Do you want to lose weight? Gain confidence? Do you want to feel healthy? Do you feel overwhelmed by all the contradictory diets out there? Are you tired all the time + want to get your spark back? Does balance feel unattainable? Or perhaps it’s just within your reach but you could use a boost! Are you ready to change your relationship with food?
Session starts Sept 3rd!
Dates: Sept 3, Sept 17, Oct 1, Oct 15, Oct 29, Nov 12 Time: Two times to choose from 12 PST or 6 PST Cost: Earlybird $349 until August 15
$399 after August 15
In 3 months you will learn the Foundations of Food and receive the tools and support to change your relationship with food. The process is gentle and supportive. You’ll find what foods work best to achieve your goals and support your body. The groups are intentionally small and you can share as much or as little as you’d like.
In addition, you’ll also receive a 1:1 coaching session with me.
We talk every other week for one hour from 12 - 1 PST OR 6pm-7pm PST There will be two groups running this round. Please say which time you're joining.
If I had to describe in one word what I’ve taken away from my health coaching with Lacy, it would be: FREEDOM. Working with Lacy has been a momentous landmark in my personal health journey. Through her encouragement, acceptance and grace to help me identify my pitfalls, I’ve made serious progress not only looking better – but feeling better emotionally, physically and mentally. I’ve learned how to take better care of myself, and thus improve my overall heath. Besides the added bonus of looking and feeling better through lifestyle food and activity adjustments – health coaching with Lacy goes much deeper than counting and burning calories. Digging into the emotional space and learning how to love myself has been the highlight of my time with Lacy because it has brought incredible healing, acceptance and freedom into my life. - Kendra
Working with Lacy has changed the way I experience food and my body. Her strategic and effective approach was delivered with such loving compassion, patience and optimism that I always felt certain I would reach my personal goals around weight, health, fitness and HAPPINESS. (I’m well on my way! Thanks, Lacy!!) – Lizzy
Thank you for walking with me and the rest of this group down this path. I feel like I have a whole new world of food- primary and secondary – to explore and I am enjoying it. I do not feel a sense of deprivation, only education. I believe whole heartedly that coaching is a better investment of my time, money and efforts than anything I’ve done previously (and you name it, I’ve thrown money at it in the name of losing weight!) – Summer
Read more testimonials here.
Before I begin anything new I always ask myself… what will it cost me to participate? and what will it cost me not to?! Your time is now! Sign up here or fill out a confidential health history + schedule a free call to talk about your health concerns and goals to see if the group is a good fit for you.
Come join in the magic! Lacy
P.S. Listening to this on repeat. I loved this movie. LOVED it.
I give my clients permission all the time. To try a new food, to get rid of clothes that are too big or too small, to just feel what they're feeling. Sometimes I forget to give myself permission to do what it is that I need. I was a total grump early this week. My home office, where I spend most of my time, has accumulated clutter + my whim at cleaning out the closet just left piles everywhere. My outside environment was starting to make me feel chaotic inside. It was a subtle shift of having a permission granting conversation with myself that changed everything. It went a little something like--- "Hey I'd love to go swimming, could we drop everything for 30 minutes and swim laps? TOTALLY!" I literally grumbled all the way to the gym, all the way to the pool but once I got in the water I was a new person. It was comical but so simple.
Since then I've been taking note of the permissions that I've given out to myself + to others. I hope there's something in the list that will resonate with you!
give yourself permission to try green smoothies + fall madly in love with the way they make you feel! to like who you're becoming. she's the real deal!
give yourself permission to use NO as a complete sentence. to put self care at the top of your list. Promise it will keep you sane + maybe even set you free.
give yourself permission to break up with dieting forever + keep it simple when it comes to food. Just eat real food. to drink more water, it really is powerful + your skin looks best when it's glowing!
Remember everything in moderation except love + green veggies. Take a double helping of both.
With love + permission to do what makes you feel most like yourself! Lacy
Lately I feel short on words. I put them somewhere I'd absolutely find them but like my tweezers I just can't seem to locate them given my best efforts. It's so frustrating. Right at the moment I was ready to get in here and blog my heart out the words have disappeared. Gone. Nada. Nothin. Then something wonderful happened. I received an unexpected puffy little envelope in the mail and a post card from a far away land in the same day.
The beautiful people in my life keep showing up and bringing love, gestures and whole perfectly crafted sentences. So I'm just going to let it be ok that I don't have the words. I'm just going to keep my eyes and heart open and see what shows up.
That feels better. Lacy
Sometimes we just need permission to be right where we are.Sometimes we just need to cry. Sometimes it doesn't need fixing, because nothing is broken.
You feel me, right?
Last November I was in Boston balling my eyes out. I'd been to to doctor for a check up on my trachea and didn't like what he had to say. I was sitting there talking to my sister on the phone with stories running rampant in my head- with my heart broken- sobbing--- all the while listing off all the reasons why it was a perfectly great day and I was ever so thankful to be here and to be able to get it looked at and blah blah blah more positive shit that didn't matter in that moment. Kayla took a breath and lovingly said... "Lace, positive is good but honest is better. It's ok to just feel rotten. You don't have to make it better." And so I sat. And cried. And let my Boston tribe surround me. And let it feel rotten.
The next day I went back into the operating room for them to get a closer look. This time I wasn't afraid because I'd allowed myself to really feel the pain and confusion and uncertainty of the days before and the events leading to all the surgeries years ago. I felt it, released it and have been getting better ever since.
So if you're needing permission to just be honest, permission granted! From two sisters who have struggled well and seem to find the words that the other needs in the exact right moment.
With love, Lacy
I'm going on a rampage, wanna join me? A few of the dear women in my life have been going through a LOT lately. I guess we are all always going through a lot but you know those times when you could use a little extra love and you feel like no one is listening. No one sees you. No one can possibly feel what you're feeling. You've been there, right? Lordy, I have.
Since I'm a do-er, I decided a rampage of appreciate was in order. I Rampaged all last week. I chose 10 people that I wanted to give some love + appreciation to. I chose the first 10 that came to mind. Then picked several times throughout the day + set an alarm reminder so I didn't forget. Each time the alarm went off I sat, got quiet, took a few deep breaths and then either said aloud or wrote down what I appreciate about that person. Some felt it + called me to say 'Hey! are you thinking of me? I was feeling you!' Some never knew. Some I told. Some I sent notes to via email or snail mail.
That's it. Sweet + simple. Taking time to appreciate someone doesn't take much time at all. After it's all said and done your heart will be a little bigger + your spirit a little brighter. And that person will consciously or unconsciously have something that we all need... to be seen, appreciated + loved.
I Love + Appreciate YOU! Lacy