Happy Monday, friends! 
How the heck are you?! Itās been a while since we last talked, and while Iād like to say itās because I was busy doing all sorts of wild and crazy stuff, the truth of the matter is that I simply needed a little break from the blog world. As much as I enjoy blogging, there are definitely time where I start to feel overwhelmed by it. Writing. Photographing. Editing. E-mailing. Reading. Commentingā¦ It may not sound like much, but it definitely adds up. And while Iām not swamped with so many other things that I canāt find a few spare moments in my day to sit down and blog, sometimes I want to devote those spare moments to other things, likeā¦
Holding a Friday night marathon for one of my favorite showsā¦
Shoppingā¦
Rosewater spray and Pacifica Hawaiian Ruby Guava soap and roll-on perfume.
Almost died of cuteness overload when I saw this bunny ninja hoodie. And the best part? Itās got little ears on the hood!
Mac and cheese <3
Putting way too much cinnamon on my cappuccino, accidentally inhaling it when I go to take a drink, and subsequently almost choking to deathā¦
Fixing my holey sock problemā¦
Starting on yet another puzzleā¦
Bakingā¦
Chocolate chip banana breadā¦ Iāll share the recipe tomorrow!
So that was my weekend in a nutshell, save a few dinners, a trip to the grocery store, a bit of WoW playing, and the Oscarsā¦ Nothing exceptionally exciting, but it was marvelous all the same because I was able to spend some time away from the computer and enjoy the ārealā world for a whileā¦
Sometimes I feel as though I live in two separate worlds. On the one hand we have the healthy living blog world, where everyone eats clean, comes up with all sorts of interesting meal ideas, puts nut butter on everything, and exercises pretty much every day. On the other hand, we have the world āout there,ā which is pretty much the polar opposite.
Truth be told, I canāt really say that I fully belong in either worldā¦ My meals are pretty simple, and while I eat clean enough, Iām definitely not opposed to enjoying a healthy amount of ādirtyā food when the mood strikesā¦
I do my best to be active every day, but I donāt follow a formal workout schedule, clock in high mileage, or do any sort of heavy liftingā¦
Iām not saying that one world is better than the other, but I am saying that I need a good balance of both worlds to feel my best. Spending too much time immersed in HLBs can make me forget that not everyone is running marathons and following a Paleo diet, but completely abandoning HLBs makes me miss being around people who have an interest in health and fitness. As with everything else in life, I need that balance. I need to remember that the blog world is not the be-all, end-all when it comes to setting a standard for whatās normal/healthy, and that thereās nothing wrong with going against what I see on the Internet. Itās getting a lot easier to do that as I become more confident in figuring out what works for me, but there are still those occasions where a stray āOh, maybe I should give that a tryā¦ā thought pops into my head, and thatās when I know I need to take a quick step back. Iāve been down that road before, and Iād rather not take the trip againā¦ being inspired is one thing, but being guilted into something is completely different.
And speaking of guiltā¦ itās time to tackle my Reader and inbox 
Happy Monday!
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Do you ever find yourself getting so caught up by what you see on blogs that you begin to redefine what normal is?
āDo you ever find yourself getting so caught up by what you see on blogs that you begin to redefine what normal is?ā ā OMG, YES!!! I couldnāt agree with you more on the whole āseparate worldā thingā¦I love being a part of the blogging community and honestly I have no idea what my life would be like without it (especially since most of my RLFās (real-life friends) donāt have a single interest in health or fitness), but sometimes it can be so overwhelming.
Good for you for āgetting awayā for the weekend. I have this weekend all to myself and I have to say Iām seriously thinking about heading to the store to buy a puzzle! Lol
I am with you ā I need balance between the blog world and the real world as well. Blogging, editing, photographing, and commenting really does take a toll on me and I often step away as well. Itās the best thing for us and itās great that weāre able to see the line between blog and real life. I definitely donāt fit into the āHLBā world and hate to ever categorize my blog as one. While I sparsely post photos of my meals, I canāt deny that by āHLB standardsā my food doesnāt always fall on the healthy side. Like you said though, itās all about balance!
I know I say this a lot, but I always enjoy reading your blog. There are so many times when Iām reading it that I think, āMe too!ā or āYes, I know exactly what you mean!ā I value balance, and while I love and crave whole foods, Iām also no stranger to cheeseburgers and fries. And while I sometimes wish I could be a pro-runner, Iām pretty slow, and I think yoga and walking suits me fine. You are right about what happens when you immerse yourself in HLBsā¦ you start to think, āWell, shouldnāt I be eating Paleo then?ā Itās really nice to take a step back and find your own unique balance, what works for you. Cheers! I hope you have a great weekend.
Welcome back. As much as I love blogging, I think itās super important to walk away for a bit every week because it does take up an incredible amount of time and its so easy to become immersed in it. I actually deleted a bunch of blogs from my iPad recently, but then I went and added yours. Oh well, Iām really enjoying your style. Love the Mac and cheese shirt, the puzzle (youāve inspired me to start another one) and Game of Thrones. Have you read the books? I only ask because Iām in the middle of book three (trying to get it in before the new season starts) and the most scandalous thing just happened. Like I about fell out of my chair scandalous.
Yup! Iāve read the books and absolutely adored themā¦ and I think part of that is because of all the things Martin throws in there to literally make me fall out of my chair. Like that thing that happened to Ned in book one? I literally felt like someone sucker punched me. Who does that to main characters?! No one is safe!
No joke, I just finished the chapter on the Red Wedding.
Yup! That was another one that I just did NOT see coming. Iām really hoping that my favorite characters survive this series
That sweatshirt is so you, I love it! I was actually just thinking about this, about how sometimes the healthiest thing for us is actually to step back from the healthy living social media world and put life in perspective outside of it. Spot on insight, as usual.
Oh my gosh I can relate to this so much. Take today for example. I was up at 6 am to go to an interview and I was in Toronto until 4, and when I got home I was way too exhausted to exercise. So Iām currently sitting on the couch wrapped up in a blanket being lazy. But part of me feels guilty because Iām currently reading blogs/tweets that all mention what they did for exercise today. Or Iāll read other bloggersā workout plans that show 6-7 days of intense exercise in a week. And after a while of reading blogs, that starts to seem normal. But in the real world, itās not. I definitely think thatās why itās important to keep ourselves grounded in the real world!
Never Compare! How I roll and makes life a lot easier to get through! I just be ME and donāt really care of people agree with what I do or what I eat, I do what makes me happy <3
Game of Thrones, oh Mike LOVES that show! He has the books too
Happy week beautiful! <3
Beautifully put Amanda! Balance is key and it is hard sometimes to realize that not everyone works out or eats healthy or even knows about health. But is that a good thing either? It is finding that nice balance between all aspects of what makes life worth living (health is a part of that). I hope you had a nice time to yourself, it sure looks like you did! I am getting the first and second season of Game of Thrones soon! SO excited to start watching it!
I completely agree with this. When I start having those comparison thoughts which is every now and then on the blogs, I know I need to either stop looking at that blog for alittle or just the blog world in general. I hate that i still have those thoughts but I am human and I think itās good that I can catch myself doing it. I hateeee when I put to much cinnamon on ! I feel I am drinking cinnamon the whole time, and I love cinnamon but ahh gross. YUMM to that banana bread, cannot wait!
The balance is definitely necessary!
When I look at my brother going without exercise (and heās considered a fitness enthusiast) for more than 2 weeks like its nothing, I wonder why I think itās such a big deal to go 3 days without. He never goes out of his way to be āactiveā (taking stairs instead of elevators, going for yoga/a walk on his rest days either. And heās perfectly healthy and in shape.
So whenever I get too stressed out or overwhelmed by the blog world, I make sure to step back and look at him and his lifestyle.
Iām kind of convinced that stressing about exercise and pushing yourself to exercise when youāre just not feeling it is a lot more harmful than simply being active whenever the mood strikes. Itās a hard position to maintain when everyone seems to be working out 7 days a week, but as counterintuitive as it seems, it really does workā¦
I used to get caught up in what I thought I should be doing based on all the ābigā bloggers I read. Then I realized Iām strange and thatās good.
Totally inhale cinnamon on accident. A lot.
Totally feel you on that ā I struggled with it a lot when I first started blogging. Iāve honestly come to the (somewhat harsh) conclusion that very VERY few blogs in the HLB world are ārealā ā I guess, I really only like to read the blogs of people like you ā who have an interest in food, fitness, etc, but are also likeā¦.real people that arenāt obsessed with clean eating or obsessed with exercise and talk about something OTHER than food and workouts. I guess I got real bored real fast with like 99% of the HLB world because itās soā¦.unrealistic. But youāre right, a healthy balance is a good thing!
Wondered where youād been! Sounds like you feel refreshed
That t-shirt is adorable.
Wondering what you ordered from McDonalds. I LOVE the McGriddle (thought it would be gross but it SO NOT GROSS) without cheese!
I just got some fries and sweet ānā sour sauce from McDās. Sometimes I go for their nuggets too, but I have a serious weakness for their fries.
Your posts always resonate so perfectly with me. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
There are definitely two very different worlds and finding a balance is crucial. To be honest, I donāt WANT to āeat cleanā 24/7 or pass up real dessert on special occasions for a healthy version. I want to enjoy my life and sometimes that means indulging on foods that are labeled ābadā by the HLB community. Iāve come to realize that listening to your body is the most important thing. Our bodies will tell us exactly what they want and need, we just need to stop trying to outsmart them!
PS: I canāt wait for the recipe for that bread! Mmmā¦
hehe i just love that little stick figured guy with the groceries. So me.
Looks like you had a fabulous weekend! Itās nice to be away from the blogs, social media, and the internet, in general, sometimes. Gotta live life!!
Loving and agreeing with your thoughts on this post Amanda, as always
When I first began blogging I did a post every.single.day and would get quite anxious if I didnāt get one out! That was the first time I noticed the blog world changing my mindset, making things seem ānormalā when I donāt actually believe it. That is a very minor example, but the beginning of it all nonetheless. When I started to cut down to a few posts a week, I realized that was totally fine to do. But then another āneedā would come alongā¦ such as needing to follow a certain āhealthyā trend I saw out there, the different exercises, amount, etc. When I took my major blog break last semester, it was for a number of reasons and one of those was because I was getting WAYYyy too caught up in the whole blog world!
I have more thoughts on this I am sureā¦ and they will likely come to mind a bit later on haha
While I enjoy reading these types of blogs in my downtime, I found that too often I end up comparing, judging, or even feeling jealous at what some bloggers seem to achieve with their āhealthyā lifestylesā¦ even if I knew deep down that they werenāt being so healthy to begin with! Iām quite sick of it and now only read a handful of blogs, and not so religiously either!
ā¦And, Iāve almost given up exercise in addition to eating over 2,000 calories, and dude, I have never felt better. Of course, the scale tempted me, andā¦. Iāve maintained. For 2 weeks now. Not exercising obsessively to counter the food I eat AND eating whenever I feel like it = healthy! There are too few bloggers out there who do this! They need to get on the bandwagon so they can REALLY blog about healthy living
P.S. That perfume sounds amazingā¦
!!! Omigosh! You gave it up?! Thatās so amazing to hear! I remember you mentioning that itās something you were struggling with, so a huge congrats! I definitely think that more people need to hear about stories like this to give them courage to face their own exercise addictions. Itās scary as heck because it seems so counter-intuitive, but it honestly does workā¦ Happy for you
Yeah! And whatās crazy is that my hunger has been off the charts too so it initially caused me some anxiety, but I kept honoring (well, KEEP honoring) my hunger and its the truth that your body does not screw you over. It does what it has to. Itās been quite the eye-opening experience.
awww itās been so long since Iāve been able to comment on your blog ladyyyy
Lately (as you know) Iāve been super busy so havenāt really been in the blog world and honestly, I had the same thoughtā¦ that wow not everyone is crazy about their food/diet/exerciseā¦ I think what it comes down to is that this community is so immersed in HL that they forget that itās ok to live a little and have a ābadā day.
Iām loving that cheese shirt hahaha too cute!!
Taking a step back and not being āplugged inā 24/7 is healthy and important! I can totally understand needing a break.
This is so where Iām at right now! Iām having to take a step back from blogging and the blog world to live a real life! We certainly donāt want you slipping back into where you were! It is so refreshing to take a break then come back. That is why I completely unplug on the weekends!
I think itās great you brought this up.. seems to be the pink elephant in the room of āhealthy living blogsā, right?
Would be nice if more blogs were what most people I believe actually read them for.. real, relatable people living their lives, sharing insights and little highs, lows and experiences. Always enjoy your ādirtyā pics of McDās.. went myself for a treat last Friday with coworkers 
Like, no one actually lives that way, wants to live that way, or really likes comparing themselves to that ideal! Funny then how that image continues.. hopefully posts and discussions like this will bring about some change
And I have never seen or heard of that perfume brand you showed, sounds lovely, looks like my kinda thing.. I have Lavanilla brand perfume and body butter from Sefora that is Vanilla Grapefruit and itās simply amazing.
Iāve never actually tried the Lavanilla perfumes, but I use their deodorants and I absolutely love them <3
Looks like a pretty good weekend to me!! And that jacket and shirt are seriously too freakin cute for words. I need them both. Especially the mac and cheese one, its so me!!
I get what you mean about the 2 worlds thing, but seriously HLB make me feelā¦.normal. NO ONE around me in my family or friends are even semi interested in healthy living. I mean I have a co worker who is and he and I chat maybe once a week for 5 minutes about working out/new recipes, but thats it. Before I started blogging I felt like a freak, and I felt alone. Like you though, I do live in this REAL world. In fact, Ive had cookies and cream ice cream WITH hot fudge the last 2 nights because Ninja brought some home. Would other HLB do that? Prob not. They need banana soft serve with a cocoa powder/coconut oil mixture, and theres nothing wrong with that either. To each his own! Its all about balance in my opinion. I refuse to eat crap all day everyday. It makes me feel gross and sluggish. But I also refuse to give up sugar, carbs, and even french fries :):)
Itās definitely all about balance. I know for a fact that I couldnāt live off sugar and processed foods, but I also know that I couldnāt live without them. I have a sneaking suspicion that a lot of bloggers donāt either, but that maybe they donāt show those meals so that they can fit the idealized HLB mould. I wish more would, though! Then maybe everyone would start feeling more normal.
When I first started reading blogs, I did. A girl commented on my blog that she never took a day off. For a month after that I tried to workout every day and I think thatās how I injured myself
Sooooo I learned my lesson. Now I just do what is right for me. Everyone does what is best for them. Thereās no reason why I have to be like any of the bloggers I read about. Now I just use them for ideas to inspire myself but donāt get too caught up in it.