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Valentine’s Day Look & Gift Guide

February 7, 2019 by Rachel Barkules

My Mom was taking the pictures, and the whole time she was cracking jokes and singing in the most hysterical voice. I’m surprised I got even one normal picture without me laughing. :)

I can’t help but love Valentine’s Day, I always have. I love love! So naturally I’m going to love a day set aside to celebrate love and romance. Enjoy flowers, chocolate, champagne, romantic dinner, whatever you enjoy with the man you love. Or enjoy a day treating yourself, because that’s the longest relationship you have been in! Buy yourself a gift, take a bubble bath, go out with your girls. Or do something special with your kids, shower your love on them. However you celebrate, make sure you love yourself and you feel loved.

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I wanted to share a gift guide for some suggestions. But don’t forget about flowers, a spa treatment, a coupon book for favors (you can go many directions with that :) ), or any romantic gestures.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

XO, Rachel

Losing Holiday Weight : Small Changes that Make a BIG Difference!

February 4, 2019 by Rachel Barkules

I had a lot of fun over the holidays! From Thanksgiving to after New Years Eve I didn’t work out one time, and I ate and drank everything I wanted to. No joke, I did not hold back at all!! If I wanted to eat Christmas cookies all day long I did. If I wanted to eat a huge dinner and a bottle of wine at 11:00pm then have dessert after I did. Let me just say, I enjoyed myself and I don’t regret it! :)

All that fun caught up to me and when I stepped on the scale on January 2nd and I had gained 9 pounds. More importantly than the scale going up, I saw a noticeable difference when I looked in the mirror and my clothes didn’t fit the same (meaning I could barely button my jeans). In additional to my body changes, I didn’t feel my best. My head was cloudy, I was always tired, bloated, overall just yuck!

I used to love doing an intense diet or cleanse or detox to get immediate results and shock my body back into where it was. As I get older that does not appeal to me. I’d rather take it easy on my body and make a few small changes at a time that I can actually do and maintain, and not feel like garbage from it being so drastic.

Here are the few things I always start with that I can start seeing results within 2 weeks. They are small adjustments that make a big change in my life. So far, I have lost 5 of the 9 pounds. Then after I have made these things my lifestyle I can build on them; tighten up my diet even more or add more to my work outs.

Eat dinner at least 4 hours before bed and do not eat anything after dinner. This makes a huge difference! Late night snacking is the worst thing you can do. It adds weight quickly and makes you bloated. It can be hard the first couple of nights not eating after dinner, I usually go to bed hungry. But my body adjusts after about 5 days and I don’t feel hungry any more at bed time.
Do not eat candy or anything sugary all day long. I have a major sweet tooth! And when I let myself eat anything and everything I want, I snack on candy and cookies all day long. When I say all day I really mean it. Like breakfast, lunch, dinner, after dinner and snacks all day long. This constant intake of sugar is so unhealthy. Since I have such an intense sweet tooth I still allow myself to have something each day. I have a small portion only once a day and I eat it in the morning or early afternoon.
Move your body for at least 30 minutes, 3 times a week. Ideally this would be going to the gym or some kind of work out. If you have slacked at the gym or your work outs then get back to them! But if you’re not a gym/work out person, trying to add that to your lifestyle may be something you can’t commit to long term. Instead, do something you can stick with. Make this a walk outside or doing something active with your kids, go on a bike ride. Do anything that moves your body.
Switch your alcohol drink to vodka or tequila. Red wine, beer and dark liquors have a lot of sugar and/or carbs. If you want to have an alcoholic drink, have vodka or tequila with as little sugar added to the drink as possible. I loooooove red wine! I used to drink it every night at the end of the day. But I learned drinking red wine every night adds weight to my waistline. I switched my drink to vodka, soda with lemon or lime (no sugar) and my waist stays slim. I drink Tito’s vodka, its very clean and gluten free.
Drink lots of water. Lack of water or being dehydrated makes your body bloat and stay swollen. The body thinks it’s going thru a drought and holds onto all the water it has. Drinking a lot of water flushes out the body and helps with weight loss. And the added bonus, drinking a lot of water hydrates the skin and gives you a healthy glow.
Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night. Getting adequate rest is everything! Our bodies need enough sleep to reset and recharge. I’m sure we have all seen the commercials about cortisol being flushed out of our system when we sleep. And if we don’t get enough sleep the cortisol isn’t fully flushed out and it causes weight gain. Well, it’s true! Our bodies need sleep to reset our systems and wake up with energy. That energy helps us make healthier food choices and get some exercise.
Eat healthy during the week, splurge on the weekends. Eating healthy makes me feel great, and the food tastes delicious. But some times it feels like a job and I just want a piece of pizza or a burger and a milkshake. This is why I allow myself to splurge and eat what I want on the weekends. This mentally makes it easier to make healthy food choices during the week. If I’m craving chocolate cake, I know I can have it this Saturday. It makes it much easier to eat healthy now. Plus, it’s all about balance. I want to be able to enjoy my life and not feel like a slave to a diet.

Good Bye 2018, HELLO 2019!!!!

January 13, 2019 by Rachel Barkules

I am so happy to bring in a new year! This is the first time in my life I have felt this way. I have never been a ‘new year, new me’ kind of girl. I don’t wait for a new calendar year to set goals or evaluate my life and make changes. But this year felt different for me. 2018 was a shitty year (pardon my French) and I could not wait to leave it behind me!

2018 was one of the most challenging years of my life. In my family we had 2 divorces and 3 deaths. There was also challenges with my kids at school, my best friend had a major health scare, and many other challenging things. I remember a day in June, everything had been piling up for months and I was barely holding it together. Something difficult happened in the morning, then that afternoon I got devastating news. I couldn’t hold it together any more, I fell apart and had an emotional breakdown. I was in my Mom’s arms crying the hardest I have ever cried; I truly felt like I wouldn’t be able to go on. Like I wouldn’t make it out of this in one piece. It all was too much and I didn’t know how I would move forward from that moment.

I’m not saying any of this to complain or get pity. We all have bad years and low moments we fear we won’t be able to come out of. You are not alone in this. My advice is to reach out to who can help you and tell them you need help. Go to therapy, talk to friends and family, heal your mind and emotions and focus on moving forward.

I have an amazing family and support system. They were there for me in my darkest moments. They helped me stand when I couldn’t stand on my own. I couldn’t have gone thru 2018 without them. What helped me the most is when I took responsibility for my emotional healing. Yes, my family and friends are there for me. But it’s my responsibility to take the necessary steps towards healing and moving forward.

I think of it like this: my support system helps me stand when I am down. But I have to make the decision to take steps forward. I am the only one who can move my feet one foot in front of the other. In the beginning of my healing process it was a joint effort of my family and friends holding me up while I took my first steps. Then when I felt strong enough I was able to walk on my own. Now I can run on my own :)

I took 3 months off of work and made it my full time job to better myself and be a good Mom. I went to therapy twice a week (90 minutes – 2 hours each session), I was reading every day, working out, eating healthy, praying, going to church. I took control of my life and focused on being healthy in my mind, body and soul. If I was having a hard day, I would call someone and talk to them. I didn’t sit home alone feeling sad. I reached out and asked for help if I needed it. After 3 months I was a completely different woman!!

I am currently mentally & emotionally the strongest and healthiest I have ever been! I have a calm and a peace I have never known. Small things don’t get me worked up like they used to. Yes, I still have bad days and get in fussy moods. But those are now moments or a day. It’s not my life every day and every moment. I am still going to therapy every week because I know there is much more I can work on and I want to keep bettering myself. I want to be the best version of me! I’m so excited to see what this year brings!!

The last couple weeks of 2018 I felt a change in the air. I felt like all the bad stuff is behind me and great things are ahead. I keep getting this picture in my mind of a building with a poor foundation. You first have to tear down the building, fix the foundation, then you can rebuild. 2018 was a tearing down and fixing things, which is very painful and uncomfortable. 2019 is rebuilding! I am excited to be in a place to have happiness, joy, fun memories, love, lots of laughter, babies (a friend of mine is pregnant- not me! :) ), new experiences, peace, adventure, excitement and tons of fun!

2019 is going to be a great year!!!

XO, Rachel

BTW- This faux fur jacket I’m wearing is one of my favorite jackets I own!! I got it last year, wore it a ton then and a ton this year! It looks and feels so much more expensive than it is!