Rest
Dear Friends,
So, I have a confession. An uncomfortable confession for a self-proclaimed food and wine lover. For the last year I have been on a diet. Not the typical lose-weight-to-look-like-an-unrealistic-airbrushed-swimsuit-model diet, but a lifestyle diet.
Last year I decided that I had too much excess in my life. Too much food, too much drinking, too much work, and too much stress. So I went on a diet and started focusing on my health, doing things that make me happy, and being more present in my life. Blogging and social media were not a priority.
Unfortunately, for a food/wine/travel blog this wasn’t ideal, but these are the five things I learned:
- Give yourself permission to rest. Life should be about loving experiences and it’s ok if you need to take a break to reconnect with your passion (or find a new one!).
- Change isn’t bad. Good things will always happen if you keep moving towards what you want to accomplish. My husband and I were over weight, exhausted, and dealing with health issues. We started working out 4-5 days a week and eating simple, healthy food at home. We now look and feel better than we have in years. And have more money in our bank account for travel. Win!
- It’s also ok to indulge every once in a while. Saturday night dinners with a good bottle of wine are things to look forward too. It feels like a special treat for all the hard work during the week.
- Starting over is difficult. Finding the discipline to write before/after work is always a struggle. Just remember to keep moving forward.
- If you don’t enjoy it, don’t do it. It really is that simple.
Has anyone else taken a lifestyle or blog break? I’d love to know what you learned!
Also, look for more changes ahead on the blog, new recipes, and exciting posts about our upcoming trip to Africa and Kilimanjaro!
I was having health problems for 6 months and constantly taking antibiotics to fight infections. The antibiotics never worked so I decided enough is enough. I now don’t eat any processed foods: simply meat, fish, vegetables, fruits, brown rice, eggs and natural yoghurt. I’ve lost weight, feel so much more energetic and am a much nicer and happier person to be around. Trusting in your own body and eating well totally helps! It can be difficult though, for now I’m not drinking alcohol and I ❤ ❤ <
Hi Alice, we basically did the same thing. While I love cooking heavy Italian and French dishes, I now save it for a special occasion. It made a big difference! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Glad to hear you guys are focused on what’s important to you! I could definitely clean up my diet as well – too many potatoes over here! And blogging is a full-time job in itself. But it it’s not fun anymore, it’s a great idea to take a break. Your readers are still here!
Thanks Alisa! Blogging is fun, but you are right, it takes a lot of time. I hope to get back into a routine and experiment with different formats. I’m planning to write about our trip to Ireland last year. Can link to your blog in that post?
Looking forward to reading more of your adventures!