Stand Your Ground

This is a topic I’ve been wanting to talk about for a while and with recent events in my life, I feel it’s wildly appropriate to touch base on now. I’ve struggled with standing up for myself a few times in my life. It’s strange because I absolutely know my worth, I know what I offer up to people and what I expect to be offered up in return, but still, I sometimes silence myself than make my truth known. I’m one hundred percent a people pleaser, sometimes to a fault, but I don’t think being that way is always a bad thing! Obviously, if you let people walk all over you and never speak up, then you should probably make a few changes, but if you’re putting peoples emotions in consideration and accommodating them, then wanting to please doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

I’ve always been the type to speak my mind and be honest, but sometimes in order to avoid conflict, I’ll stay quiet which over time leads to me carrying so much resentment in. The feeling of resentment drives me sick and can truly be sometimes scary to me. I’ve learned in my twenty-one years that honesty… is the best policy… No matter how uncomfy or scary it may be, holding your feelings in leads to resentment, then frustration with yourself or others, then self-sabotage and the horrifying list literally goes on and on.

I’ve been speaking to my mom about this recently and it shocks me how often we as humans decide to put our feelings aside just to avoid conflict. Trust me, I don’t like conflict and confrontation as much as the next woman but I’ve come to notice how detrimental it can be to the relationship with yourself and others if it’s avoided. A few weeks ago, for example, I was getting breakfast at Dunkin Donuts before heading into work, the woman completely gave me the wrong change and refused to fix it. She tried to say I didn’t give her exact change but it showed I did, I even had the receipt, the manager had to get involve and fix it. The young woman wasn’t nice, she had an attitude from the jump and treated me like I was the dumb one instead of admitting she made a mistake which happens. Yes, that time I spoke up but sometimes I catch myself being quiet. I don’t care if you’re family, friends or a stranger  – I will always speak up no matter what.

As women, we’ve been told that demanding things makes us bossy and annoying so therefore we have to politely ask and hope for the best. NO!!! Demanding doesn’t have to be a bad action if you’re doing it with decisive instruction and polite manners!

Basically, I’m just trying to urge you to be unapologetic for what you want for yourself. If what you want is fair and you’re approaching it in a kind way. You don’t need to apologize for standing your ground or not settling for anything less than what you want, ESPECIALLY if you’re a woman. Don’t let a power trip get to your head but you have every single right to ask for and receive the things you want. We have far too many people trying to silence women and men of all different ages and color, so let’s not succumb to that absurd and prehistoric way of behavior anymore!

Instapurging’ Will Make Your Life 50 Percent Less Stressful

Remember back when you first got an Instagram account? It was a simpler time, full of grainy remnants of drunken nights out and the occasional delightfully nostalgic #TBT.

Now, though, we sometimes find ourselves getting stressed out about during our daily (OK, thrice daily) Insta scroll.

If you’re like us, you need to get on board with “Instapurging,” ridding your feed of any accounts that make you feel stressed, inadequate or any other negative emotion.

All you need to do is go through the list of people you follow and take stock of how each makes you feel. If there’s a lifestyle blogger whose picture-perfect shots make you feel bummed out, unfollow. Keeping up with your favorite celebs and pseudo-celebs can be fun, but staring at Kim Kardashian’s superhuman waist-to-hip ratio for the 700th time can start to weigh on your psyche.

Sometimes, I just need to press that restart button and unfollow everyone except for Oprah, BeautyLeeBar, and Rihanna. It doesn’t mean I hate you, it just means our energy might not match which is okay with me. Sometimes I forget Instagram is just Instagram. Even, a perfect picture isn’t perfect. Its how you see things that can cause either a positive or negative thinking. 

Instapurging is good for the mind and the soul. I do it every month so when you see me start unfollowing bunch of people, this is why. It’s just a refresher that I think we all desire for at times. Taking a break from Instagram helps with my anxiety so much and am glad I don’t really have to deal with trolls. Its okay to take a break, Instagram will be there when you come back. 

 

Sip This: 3 Reasons Why Lemon Water Rocks

Lemon and water are a match made in heaven… I’ve started drinking it every day and feel more energized than ever. After learning about the slew of health benefits associated with drinking water and freshly squeezed lemon juice, I decided to make it a part of my daily diet. Lemons are packed with natural vitamins and minerals that are key to your inner and outer beauty regime as well as your general health.

Here are three reasons why you should pair hot water with lemons ladies:

1. It’s a natural energizer! It hydrates and oxygenates the body so it feels revitalized and refreshed.
2. It’s cleansing. According to NaturalNews.com, the citric acid in lemons helps maximize enzyme function, which stimulates the liver and aids in detoxification.
3. It aids in digestion. Not only will this killer combination relieve indigestion, but it will also help flush you out.

Do you drink lemon water?

XO Lee

P.S. For those of you asking, I usually drink about 12-16 oz of cold water with 1/2 a lemon’s juice. But hot water is great too! It really depends on how I’m feeling that day…

Slim Tip: Why Break the Fast?

We’ve heard it a million times over: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But how many of you actually believe this old adage? Well, ladies, it’s time to embrace this saying because it might just be the key to overcoming your diet woes. Breakfast literally means, “breaking the fast” since it’s the first meal you eat after sleeping, and therefore fasting (unless you sleepwalk and eat… which sounds scary) all night. After this “fast,” we need to nourish our hungry brain and body with nutrients (a.k.a. breakfast).

According to various articles I have read, breakfast has many health benefits. Based on the Mayo Clinic’s article, Healthy Breakfast: Quick, Flexible Options to Grab at Home, those who eat breakfast are more likely to consume more vitamins and minerals. Breakfast eaters also experience “better concentration and productivity throughout the morning” along with a more positive mood. But most importantly, those who eat breakfast typically eat less fat throughout the day. Starting out your day with breakfast will stabilize hunger and cravings later in the day. Eating breakfast helps prevent binging, eating too many sweets and making unhealthy diet choices because your body is stabilized with the appropriate fuel.

So what does this all mean for your waistline? In a nutshell, eating breakfast will control your appetite while also revving up your metabolism, which will help burn more calories throughout the day.

I usually have yogurt, cinnamon raisin bagel toasted with butter and sweet tea or french vanilla iced coffee for breakfast on my way to work.

In the meantime, what do you usually have for breakfast?

XO Lee