Fill up to Spill out

Austin Marathon 2020 Life gives us plenty of things to be afraid of, but where there is fear, there is an opportunity to be brave! When we think of being brave, we often think of big bold acts of courage, like things that our first responders or active military do on a regular basis.  We picture firefighters running into burning buildings as most people are running out.  We think of soldiers defending our country.  We think of police officers taking a bullet for his fellow man.  We picture dramatic rescues, crazy escapes, and bold moves.  And yes, these men and women are brave, and I am thankful for their courage every single day.  They have my upmost respect and appreciation for what they do. But acts of everyday courage are all around us.  Every single one of us can think of examples of when we have had to be brave.  Any time we step into discomfort, we are being brave.  Every choice we make requires us to decide if we want to step ...

Is running a marathon on your list of goals or dreams?  Or does the thought of running 26.2 miles sound absolutely crazy to you?  Maybe running 3 miles sounds like an impossible goal.  I'll admit, running a marathon was definitely not on my aspiration list until about 7 years ago.  I had always enjoyed running, but 3 miles (a 5K) was about my longest run.  I don't know if I even knew anyone who had run a marathon or even a 1/2 marathon back then.  After all, less than 1% of our country's population has completed a full marathon.  26.2 miles is a long ways, right?! 7 years ago, my husband went on a transformation journey of his own, hugely motivated to lose weight and get healthier.  It had been a few years since we had run any sort of distance, and he started with the goal of running a 5K, then a 10K, then decided to sign up for a full marathon in January of 2014.  It was quite a lofty goal, but he was determined to do it, and he had my...

You might be someone that has been listening to podcasts for years, or you might be asking what the heck is a podcast?  I discovered podcasts about 2 years ago, and they have literally changed my life.  I used to "multi-task" by running, doing chores, walking the dog, or driving AND listening to music or maybe watching a TV show.  Then one day, I discovered the world of podcasts, and I can't get enough of them.  Did you know podcasts are totally free?  If you have an APPLE device, there is a purple podcast APP already on your device.  Simply click on it and search through thousands of podcasts and subscribe to the ones you want to follow each week. A podcast is essentially an internet radio show that you can listen to via your device.  It's free content on almost any topic you can think of.  The host downloads new episodes each week, giving you something to look forward to.  If you follow any motivational speaker, author, or thought leader,...

My biggest reasons for taking care of my health are these 2 girls right here.  Being Mom to my girls is my greatest joy and will ultimately be my greatest accomplishment.  I want to be healthy so I can have the energy to keep up with them, so I can be around to see them grow up and one day have children of their own.  I want to set a great example of what being healthy means. Women are natural caregivers.  We take care of everyone around us which can include children, our spouse, our pets, people we serve at our job, sometimes parents or other family members, our friends, and our community.  We often carry around a mental load that is far greater than anyone else's.  We know everyone's schedules, when it's time to buy groceries and other home goods, when to make appointments for others, what daily/weekly/monthly endless chores need to be done around the house to keep things running smoothly, and who needs what, when, where, and why.... That mental load...