goodbye gluten...

So last weekend Matt and I headed to our usual Sunday shopping spot, and we stumbled into Chapters for some new reading material.

As per usual, I found myself in the nutrition section. This book found itself in my hands:

gluten-free girl by shauna james ahern

Here's why: for almost fifteen years, I have known that gluten and I don't entirely get along. Gluten might as well be glue for my insides. But I love it - breads, pastas, scones... you name it, I love it!

But let's repeat: it doesn't love me. General gluten intolerance symptoms include:

• Tummy problems - bloating, gas, other ickies.
• Fatigue.
• Depression.
• Headaches.
• Achy joints.
• Irritability.
• Etc...

You name it, I pretty much have it. Fun, fun, fun. So naturally, books like this find their way into my denial-ridden hands.

A big theme of this blog (and soon-to-be website) has been my adventures trying healthy changes, even if I find them challenging. So you guessed it, I'm about to embark on a gluten-free stint.... starting tomorrow! (Today I plan to eat an entire baguette from Mable's).

Why? Because I'm honestly curious if I will notice a huge difference being off the delicious glue.

Only one way to find out. Stay tuned for some gluten-free recipes.

Happy Sunday!

mxo

50 awesome things...

Inspired by 1000 Awesome Things and my beautiful friend, Chrissy... here is my list of 50 awesome things in my life (in no particular order):

1. My honey - and the fact that I'm marrying the world's most incredible man in a month!
2. My crazy cat, Charlie, who provides us with hours and hours of entertainment.
3. My friends - how incredible it is to be surrounded by so many beautiful and inspiring people.
4. My family, and their unconditional love.
5. Yoga, yoga, yoga.
6. This beautiful house I get to live in.
7. High Park, and the fact that it's 30 seconds from my door.
8. Rainy Saturday mornings spent sleeping in.
9. Rainy Saturdays with nothing on the agenda!
10. The plethora of incredible vegetarian and vegan foods out there.
11. Brunch (and brunch dates!)
12. The plethora of amazing restaurants in Toronto...
13. ... like Live.
14. ... and Woodlot.
15. The fact that I can walk... and run... and jump... and laugh.
16. My hair, and it's predictability. It's pretty much always the same, regardless of the weather.
17. My Polish roots, and how they mean I don't truly understand all cultural references.
18. My education, and the fact that it's only really beginning.
19. Getting married in a month and seeing all of my favourite people in one place!!
20. My job, and the life it affords me.
21. Books! So many books!
22. Quinoa.
23. Janey B's body tone class.
24. Coffee... oh my goodness, coffee!
25. How Matt plays guitar for me every morning before work.
26. My health. My body is strong and healthy; this is magically.
27. The fact that Charlie (my cat) waits until we are seated at the dining room table before eating her meal.
28. Cake dry shampoo.... magic!
29. Prosecco, and all the nights it has spent with my Core.
30. Core.
31. The plethora of blogs out there!
32. The word 'plethora'.
33. Patio season and bicycles.
34. CBC Radio 2 Tempo, perfect work music.
35. My new Tom's!
36. Having friends and family who are doing inspirational things: Waves of Hope
37. The fact that my grandma is going to teach me how to make perogies (and other tasties) from scratch this summer.
38. The fact that my grandma will be here this summer.
39. The fact that my grandma is still here.
40. The amazingness that is this city, and how fortunate we are to live here.
41. David's Tea.
42. $5 lychee martinis with old friends, new friends, and beautiful friends.
43. Twitter, and the fact that I just discovered what it's all about.
44. The gym, and exercise in general. I love it.
45. The picture of grandpa and I on my nightstand. I miss you, dziadzu.
46. Clean sheet day.
47. Blue Jays games on sunny days.
48. Autoshare!
49. Coconut ice cream bars.
50. My life, in it's entirety.

Happy Saturday!

mxo

yogi survival...

Hi!

What a lovely day it is in Toronto! 17c and sunny. Perfection. :)

So we're going to change up the format here a little, folks. In exactly 41 days, I will walking down the aisle to marry my sweetie of almost eight years! Why does this matter? Because it means that all of the wedding craziness has left me with the mental capacity and patience level of a... hmmm.... something with very little of both of these! And the thought of having to add a long list challenges to April and May makes me... well, neither happy nor healthy.

SO, with that said, the focus until June will be simply this: survival. Small, simple happy and healthy tidbits to keep me sane and my friends still my friends when it's all done. No theme, just a mishmash of happy healthiness!

Today's mishmash h&h tidbit: yoga. Old faithful. Starting tomorrow, I am embarking on my annual 30-day challenge. 30 classes in 30 days.

Now, I know what you're thinking - 'hey crazy, what are you thinking adding more commitments to your schedule?! Didn't you just say the thought of more commitments causes you to break out in hives?!' - well, yes, but here's the thing - yoga always, and without a doubt, calms and centres me.

And if the challenge causes me to hyperventilate, we'll call it a day then and there. Promise! :)

Here's a thought: why don't you join me?!

Happy Monday-is-almost-over!

mxo

if you're not scared, you're not growing...

Let's be honest... I fell off a lot of wagons this month.

... I fell off the yoga wagon.

... I fell off the veggie wagon.

... I fell off the 'doing scary things' wagon.

... and I certainly fell off the blogging wagon.

Instead, I jumped full steam onto the bridezilla express - "everybody listen to how busy and stressed I am because I'm getting married in a month, woe is me... me, me me!"

Enough.

After two gruelling hours of hot yoga today, I seem to have sweated out the demons (okay, more honesty: it's been a week of sweating out demons). But I can see clearly now, the rain is gone... for now.

And here's what I've learned from this past month - I've said it before and I'll say it again: growth isn't about perfection. It's about stumbling, picking yourself up again and standing that much taller in the end. Everyone will have bumps - your marriage will fall apart, your career won't take off as you expected it to, or someone dear to you will get sick - some version of these is inevitable. What matters most is how you respond. Growth is about learning to stand back up and be your authentic self in spite all of these bumps.

But also allowing yourself to be where you need to be. This too shall pass... that whole thing.

And finally, this: if you're not scared, you're not growing.

I don't mean trembling in your boots because you think something terrible is about to happen.

... I mean standing at the top of a mountain even when you're terrified of heights.

... I mean introducing yourself to the strangers you keep bumping into even when you're scared they'll reject you.

... I mean following your passion, you heart, your dharma and ikigai even when you're scared of where it will take you.

Especially then, that's when you grow.

Blah, blah, blah.

I missed you!

mxo