Angry No More.

We have all encountered situations in our lives where we have been hurt or wronged. Relationships don’t work, friends screw you over, pathways we thought would work no longer do…things just don’t work out the way we wanted or planned. 

I used to spend my life holding onto this anger and hurt. I would hold grudges towards people simply because they wronged me. I would let it affect my daily life and my mood. My eating would be off, I would be grumpy, and overall, I was just filled with anger. 

Then I realized something. We are all different. We all think differently and act differently. Choices you would make, someone might choose the opposite direction…does that make them a terrible person? No. Is it ok to feel hurt and anger? Yes, of course. Is it ok to carry that through your life? No. 

We meet certain people and they teach us things. Every person, good experiences or not, teach us something. We make the decision who we keep in our lives and we also have the power to decide how we will feel about certain situations. 

We can choose to hold onto anger and then what? We become bitter. The other person you’re angry at has moved on, let things go, and started a new chapter. The anger you hold onto is not punishing them, only yourself. 

Forgiveness is a choice we make. Not for the benefit of the other person. It’s not so they can skip away merely into the sunset. It’s for ourselves. So we don’t have to carry around hurt, anger, and bitterness. They weigh us down, blur our vision. Make our journey slower and painful. Forgiveness allows us to drop all of these things. To no loner carry them with us. To continue our journey, lighter and more at peace. 

So, for a healthier and happier you, choose forgiveness and happiness. 

Decide what type of energy you let into your life and what kind of you give off. You have that choice. Energy is contagious and you can choose to give off and receive negative energy or you can choose positive. 

Seems like an easy choice to me…

And today, tomorrow, and the next day…I choose positive energy, and I hope you do too. 

Happy Monday and start your day off with a smile, because you never know who needs it. 

   

       

~xoxo, Jules 

You Do You, Boo Boo.

Do you ever not do something or not say something in fear of embarrassment? Do you not voice your opinion because you’re afraid of what someone else might think or say? We all do it. We all hold back to some extent. Maybe it’s because we don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings so we tiptoe around what you say, maybe it’s because you want to come off in a certain way like desperate or needy, or maybe it’s because you’re afraid of rejection.

There are so many reasons why we hold back things we say and things we do. We overthink situations and read into every detail of things people say. Our minds start to wander and eventually you’ve decided on how the other person feels and you’ve created this false idea of the situation. 

I’ve done it a million times. When I was my most self conscious and insecure, this would happen to me on a daily basis. I would think people were mad at me for no reason, I would read into every text and think someone wasn’t interested, and I would avoid saying things in fear of their reaction. 

Of course I still hold back on certain things I say in fear of hurting someone’s feelings but I still say how I feel. I don’t completely bitch someone out because I really want to. I have restraint, but there’s a difference between having no filter and saying how you feel. I have become a person that is not afraid of rejection or the word “no” and just realize it’s a part of life. 

I always ask myself, what’s the worst thing that will happen? You upset the person. You get rejected. They say no…there are many ways a situation can go and if you don’t voice your feelings or your opinions then you aren’t being true to yourself and you’ll never know how a situation would’ve turned out. 

I always like to give my girlfriends this scenario…

Say there is a guy you just met and like. You guys had awesome conversation and you exchanged numbers. You haven’t heard from him and you want to contact him and get a drink. Your fear is that you might come off desperate and needy. You think the guy should contact you and you should wait an X amount of time if he does before returning a text to seem less interested. The idea is to come off like you’re not interested so then he wants to chase you. 

Well here is my take on it….you like this guy, and he clearly liked you. If you want to ask him for a drink and text him good morning or something… WHY CAN’T YOU? If some guy is going to think you are desperate simply because of that, then I highly doubt you’ll get along and he won’t like you in the long run. Say what you want, say how you feel, and be confident in that. The worst thing that will happen is a simple no or be ignored. 

So there is it…that’s my rant for today. Stop living in fear of what others might think or say. Be you. People already love you for who you are, and if someone doesn’t like that… Then ok. Move on. Be done with it. But don’t try to act a certain way or be someone you’re not to come off attractive or desirable. The most attractive thing you can do is stay true to yourself. Be confident in your opinions and feelings. 

YOU DO YOU, BOO BOO! 

Happy Friday, enjoy the weekend, say what you feel and don’t be scared. 

When you stop living in fear of others opinions, you will begin to see a whole new world. Stop trying to meet certain expectations and just be yourself. 

   

   

Xoxo, Jules 

Picture Perfect

Do you ever take a picture, look at it, and then immediately delete it? 

Yep. I have, a million times. I’ll look at it and instantly dislike it and find a million things I don’t like about it. I’ll pick myself apart….my arm looks fat, I have a double chin, you can see cellulite, my stomach looks gross, my face looks fat… I could go on and on and rip a picture apart. 

I still do it. It’s something I’ve done my whole life, and just like the bad habit of biting your nails, it’s a hard habit to break. When you get used to criticizing every picture you see it’s hard to break. 

I think I started doing it because if I picked myself apart first, then no one else could do it. I was afraid of someone seeing what I saw, that I would say it first, and it became such a pattern that I would very rarely find a picture I liked. 

I’ve started to not care as much when I take pictures. Just like in life, things aren’t perfect. Your angel might be be good, you might have just eaten and be a little bloated, you might be really laughing and have a double chin… WHO CARES?! Does anyone else? No. If they think you look bad, fat, ugly, who cares. You are more than just a perfectly posed picture. 

Who cares if you have that little back crease, or a little muffin top, or cellulite…we are human right?! We have flaws…no one expects you to be perfect, and if they do…screw them. They are a waste of time. 

So…I just thought I’d post about how everyone picks apart their pictures and no one takes a perfect picture. You don’t see yourself like others do. 

So below are some pictures that…well… I don’t love but heck…I’m going to post them anyways! 



 

  

 

Instead of critiquing every picture you take, pick out the things you do like. Don’t delete them, they are memories. Remember that you’re beautiful, strong, and more than just a perfect body. Be confident in that. 

~xoxo, Jules 

You are more than a body.

Happy Wednesday all my beautiful people! 

I hope these last weeks have been treating you well. I’ve been incredibly busy with life, like most, and haven’t really had the time to blog and I didn’t just want to write some crap until something came to me…

So, this past weekend I went to the beach. It was my friends birthday and a big group of us all went to the beach…sounds fun right?!

Well it definitely was, but until I got there I had the same anxiety like last time being in a swimsuit. I didn’t want to be in a swimsuit and I was feeling really down about myself. 

I kept looking back at pictures of myself when I was at my peak of fitness and doing Crossfit and comparing it to how I look now… Let’s just say that was a stupid idea. I always tell people “don’t compare yourself to others, you’re not them and they’re not you,” but you know what I need to stop doing…comparing myself to myself. 

Yes my body is capable of being in better shape and I could really buckle down and get there but I’m also at a different place in my life. I shouldn’t beat myself up that I gained a little bit of weight since last year. I was constantly working out and even though work was more stressful, I had more hours to spend working out and money. I was happy with my body but overall I was not in a good place with my life. I am very healthy now, I hike, I workout, I eat pretty well for the most part, but I do indulge more than before. I have a social life and I’m enjoying my life, I’m truly happy. 

As I sat on the floor of my room last Friday with swimsuits surrounding me, trying to think of what would look best on my body I had such an overwhelming feeling of anxiety. The swimsuits I wanted to wear that I wore last year no longer look the same on and I was ashamed. I was mad I let myself gain weight and I was choking back tears. I was also mad that I even let myself get this anxious about simply being in a swimsuit. 

I texted my mom and she said, “what would you tell your readers on your blog, tell yourself that.” 

And that’s what I did. I would tell you that your friends are friends with you for your personality, not how you look in a swimsuit. I would tell you that all body shapes are beautiful and it’s ok to have some jiggle. It’s ok to be skinny. It’s ok to be curvy. It’s ok to simply have a body that is not picture perfect, because it’s yours and you should be proud regardless of it not fitting into societies standards ! Don’t compare yourself to others and don’t compare yourself to your past self. If looking at past pictures of yourself as motivation works for you, awesome! But for me it doesn’t, it only makes me feel ashamed that I’m no longer there, and why should I be ashamed? 

I quit my job, left people I loved, and moved across the Country. I completely changed my life around and I should NOT be ashamed and remember I am more than a body and I can be proud of myself in other ways, not just for losing a couple of pounds. 

The next time I am going to be in a swimsuit I am going to remember you, and what I would tell you. I need to take my own advice and not revert back to my negative self talk ways and neither should you. 

Your self worth is not measured in pounds. You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are you, and that’s something you should celebrate. 

Happy Hump Day and give yourself a hug today, you deserve it. And OMG here’s some pictures of my enjoying the day and not caring about being in a swimsuit! Enjoy! 







 

~xoxo, Jules 

Swimsuits are NOT your worst enemy.

Again, I’ve been MIA…cause well, life happens. Sometimes it’s ok to simply just enjoy life, but don’t worry, I didn’t forget about my followers.

So over the past few weeks a lot has happened and I’ve realized many things. As much as I sit here and preach about self love sometimes it’s hard to take my own advice. It’s easy to give it, when you’re not the one feeling the emotions, but when you’re in it, it’s so hard to take a step back and realize some things.

One thing that was hard for me in the last 2 weeks was swimsuits. It’s been getting a lot warmer here in Cali, and that means beach or pool days…and that’s also means the dreaded bikini season.

Everybody always says…I’m not bikini ready, I got to lose some weight before I even put this on… Bla bla bla… I do it too! But guess what…inure never going to be “ready” if you can’t accept your body and all its flaws. You will always find something wrong with it and always find something to be insecure about.

This past weekend I went to a pool party AND the beach…and I had anxiety through the roof! I tried on a million of my swimsuits and wanted to wear one of my full suits…it covered my tummy and that’s all I could stare at in my bikini. BUT I also had this awful thought that people were going to think…”oh fat girls in the full suit” and yea I know… CRAZY. But hey, we all have those thoughts sometimes. We all think someone is going to be thinking something, but guess what?!?! EVERYONE IS EITHER INSECURE THINKING ABOUT WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE OR NOT GIVING TWO SHITS AND ENJOYING THEMSELVES. So in reality… No one is judging you, and if they are, it’s probably because they are insecure themselves. No one who is a true friend is friends with you because of how you look, so why would they judge you for having a tummy and wearing a bikini?!

So guess what I did?! I wore a motherfreakin bikini! And at the beach I did too… And I even played frisbee. Which is HUGE. I usually would just lay there hoping to not have a big gust of wind jiggle my tummy, but I said screw it and got up and played frisbee and I definitely jiggled… And guess what?! I had a great time.

So stop worrying about what everyone is thinking and STOP worrying about what you’re thinking, cause you’re wrong. You are amazing, you are beautiful, and you are more than your body.

I love you all and TGIF!!!

~xoxo, jules

Love yourself NOW, not later.

I hope you enjoy my awkward video blog everyone! ✌️ Missed you all!

http://youtu.be/6nk-pJikv1k

~xoxo, Jules

STAY WEIRD.

Do you remember a time when you did not care what people thought of you? You said what you felt, you acted like you wanted, you wore what you wanted to wear…you were JUST YOU.

For me, that was when I was little, before middle school, before I cared about being “popular”…before all that junk.

I wore what I wanted to wear, I said what I wanted to say, and I did what I wanted to do (as long as my parents said ok, of course!)

There’s a certain happiness you get from that. A certain happiness you get from being silly and ridiculous, and at some point I sort of lost that for awhile. I cared what people thought of me, I tried to wear what was “in style” (despite how awful those 90s trends were) and I held back from truly being me….but somewhere along the way, I found that again.

I wear what I want because I like it, not because it’s in style, I say what I feel and recognize my feelings while also trying my best to not hurt someone else’s, and I do what I want to do. I may look like I am a complete idiot dancing at a club feelin’ the music, or I may look silly jumping off a swing set and face planting in the sand…but you know what?! I am thoroughly enjoying my life.

Amy Poehler says it best… “There’s power in looking silly and not caring that you do.”

It’s like a weight has been lifted and I can truly be my authentic self, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t either. People may judge you, laugh at you, talk about you…but like I’ve said before, you don’t want that negative energy in your life anyways. When you are truly being you, you will attract others who will accept you and embrace the fact that you’re just doing you.

Sometimes I want to break out in dance while running or lifting weights…and you better believe that I do, because it makes my workout that much more enjoyable, and why the heck shouldn’t I?

Be that Fruit Loop in a world full of Cheerios. Be whoever YOU want to be. Don’t hold back and don’t get embarrassed by people’s reactions to you being your authentic self…cause lets be real…they’re just jealous. 😉

Be crazy. Be wild. Be weird. Be WHATEVER your little heart desires, because life is entirely too short to be anything but happy.

LOVE yourself and BE yourself.

~xoxo, Jules

Happy Tuesday, people.
STAY WEIRD.

Radiate Positive Energy

Do you ever notice that when you surround yourself with negative people your outlook on things tends to be a little more negative? Or that when you surround with positive people your overall outlook is more positive?

Do you ever think about what type of energy you’re giving off?

I used to be a BIG complainer. It was always something. I feel fat today, I wish I didn’t have to go to work, I look tired, I have nothing to wear, I hate my stomach…the list goes on and on…I was always self conscious or stressed about something.

The one thing I never thought about is how it affected the people around me. How did it make my family feel, my friends, my boyfriend, my students…I never truly thought about how my negative attitude could make others feel.

I constantly needed validation for how I looked and always needed some sort of pep talk. And if I wasn’t outwardly complaining I was holding all these insecurities in and my mood would be low, which I’m sure affected those around me.

After watching the video below about how mothers feel about their bodies and how it can affect how their daughters feel and then how their feelings can affect others it made me think about this vicious cycle. You never think about how your insecurities might influence someone else.

The things you say about yourself are being heard and that negative energy can be contagious. Just like positive energy can be.

You don’t want to be the one always radiating negative vibes, be the one to change it and be that positive light. Make it ok to be positive and love your life.

I never truly realized how much my outlook on life and myself affected my relationships with others. Not saying you shouldn’t ever voice your feelings when you’re having a bad day, but try to change those negative thoughts.

One thing I’ve started doing is saying positive affirmations to myself. Anytime I get a negative thought in my head I try to change it into a positive one. Below I posted a picture of how to create your own personal affirmation for yourself. I want you to follow these directions and post your positive affirmation somewhere that you see everyday!

I would love to read your affirmations, so post below if you want to share! 🙂

Today I want you to radiate positive vibes and change those negative thoughts into positive!

You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are worthy. Love yourself.

Enjoy the vid!

I was feeling particularly good this morning, so like usual, I took some selfies 😉 oh and I ordered these swimsuits and I am VERY excited to rock my curves in these bikinis! Woot woot!

~xoxo, Julia

Haters Gonna Hate

Yesterday was a tough day. Some days are just harder than others. Sometimes for no reason at all, but yesterday I had a reason. I usually am pretty good about brushing things off and letting things go, but not yesterday. This hurt and I felt like it needed to be talked about.

I have spent my whole life saying awful things about myself and feeling insecure and I’ve finally gotten to a place where those thoughts have subsided and I can actually enjoy my life, but sometimes there are people that bring you back to that place of insecurity…and that was yesterday. After yesterday I’ve come to the realization that some people are so unaware of what they say and either stupid, an asshole, or completely insensitive.

So here’s the story…
Yesterday I was in Venice at a little cafe with Zoe. I was getting tea and some lentil soup and as I was leaving a woman (between the age of 50-60 and by no means a super model) stopped me and goes, “how old is she, if you don’t mind,” and I replied with a smile, “9 months.” The woman looks at me and says, “she’s big…like her mom.” And then laughs. Zoe then grunts and the woman says, “not funny?” And I replied…”No, and she’s perfect.”

I then walk away and was in complete shock. I wanted to throw my hot tea in her face. I felt a huge pit in my stomach and I felt tears well up in my eyes. I texted some people what this woman said because I was furious. I needed to talked to someone and vent.

My mom ended up calling me and telling me how she was an idiot and rude, to not let her have the power and get to me. But it was too late. I began to cry and I wanted to run home. I felt angry, sad, embarrassed, and every other uncomfortable emotion you could possibly feel. I was trying so hard to not let it get me down…but this is not the first time I’ve had comments like this said to me…actually 3rd time here.

My mom kept telling me that I may not be at a weight I want to be at right now but that I am more than my weight…I am not defined by that number. I finally calmed down and wiped my tears and finished my walk back with Zoe.

Things like this make me so angry. I wish I told the woman off and made her realize how she made me feel. I just do not understand why people EVER think they can say those type of remarks. Who the F**K do you think you are?! You have no idea what that does to a person! You don’t know their past or anything about that person. I will never understand how people nonchalantly make remarks like that and then laugh like it’s nothing. You know you’re a bitch. You know it’s not kind. Maybe you’re having a bad day but does that mean you must hurt someone else and bring their day down?

I am not in a place right now that I feel super confident in how my body looks and will always be incredibly sensitive to comments like that…and I want you to know that if ANYONE ever says anything to you about your physical appearance try your absolute best to not let it get you down. Call them out and let them know how you feel.

You are more than your looks. You have people who love you despite your weight and that care about you. You have done amazing things with the body you’ve been given and you deserve to feel good in it. You are a good person and you’re beautiful.

You would think that bullying is a thing that happens in school but it truly never ends. People who are miserable will always feel the need to bring others down…but do not give them that power.

I may write these blogs and preach about loving my body and being confident with what I have…but the reality is…I am always going to struggle with it and I have down days too. But whenever it happens…I need to stand up taller, keep chin up and brush them haters off.

Because you know what….

I’m fucking awesome.

~xoxo, Julia

Haters gonna hate. ✌️

Sorry about the middle fingers… 😉

Green with Envy

Have you ever been browsing on Facebook or Instagram and come up on a picture of your friend and they have lost weight?

Most likely.

Have you ever thought to yourself…”Ugh, I wish that was me…”

Most likely.

Have you even been so jealous of them that deep down you weren’t even happy for them?

Well that has happened to me before…too many times, and I hate it. I physically have to stop my jealous thoughts and tell myself, “Be happy for them.” I have struggled for so many years with being ok with my weight and accepting my body that sometimes when I see others lose weight quickly or drastically I automatically think it was easy for them. Just because someone loses weight fast, or loses a lot of weight quickly doesn’t mean they didn’t struggle every single day. I have to remind myself that I don’t know their story, I don’t know their struggle, and we are all in this together. I need to remind myself to sincerely congratulate them on their accomplishments, because I know firsthand how hard it truly can be!

I also had to tell myself that every body and everybody is different. We don’t look the same, we don’t act the same, and our bodies react to things completely different. I have spent so many years comparing myself to Victoria Secret models, wishing that I would look like them…but you know what, I won’t ever look like them. Mostly because they are all photo shopped but also because I AM NOT THEM! I am built curvier than they are, and I will never be 5’11” so how could I possibly be like them? I think it is a good idea to have a goal of what you want your body to be like, but don’t become obsessed with it, because no matter what, you will never look exactly like that picture. You are you and you need to be your own inspiration. Every time I start to fall off the band wagon I look back to pictures where I felt really good about myself and I try to remember why I am doing this. I try to use my own pictures to motivate me. Of course I love some good curvspo or fitspo to keep me motivated, but I know not to get caught up in that picture.

The funny thing is, every girl in those pictures that we strive to be probably have some insecurities too. They probably pick apart the picture and don’t like certain things about their body, so what makes you think you will like your body 100% at if you looked like that. I remember being 138, the smallest I have weighed in a long time and I still picked apart my body!!! I would say…”5 more pounds and I will look a lot better…,” yet I was saying that at 150 too. No matter your weight, there will always be things you are unhappy with…but you need to learn how to push those stupid thoughts to the side and be happy with where you are RIGHT NOW…not 5lbs from now, but RIGHT NOW!!! You only have one body…don’t treat it like shit, be nice to it.

My mom always tells me this, and I love it…”Would you tell your friends the things you tell yourself about your body?” My response…”No, of course not.” My mom then says…”Be a friend to yourself then.” And it is so true!!! Be your best friend, be that awesome supportive person you are to your friends and be that to yourself! You would NEVER tell your friend she looked fat or that you hated her tummy, OF COURSE NOT…Sooooo WHY say such awful things to yourself?!

Be your inspiration. Be your support system. Be the best you, you can be. You only get one chance, so make it count! Don’t start next Monday because it’s convenient, start TODAY!( I feel like I sound like those awful college commercials…ARE YOU SITTING ON THE COUCH? GET UP. DO SOMETHING….so bad haha, please tell me if I sound like that.) Start being that happier version of yourself and don’t look back. Be happy for your friends accomplishments and support them. Support each other in this amazing journey to healthier, happier you.

SO GO…RIGHT NOW…STOP READING THIS…AND GOSH DARNIT…GO BE HAPPY.

Here’s 2 of me, being happy. I felt super amazing after a workout and decided to snap a selfie and I was feeling strong this morning! Hehe!

Oh wait…YOU NEED TO TRY THESE AAAAAAAAAMZING COOKIES, Megan they are finally here!!! These are from my AWESOME friend Jaime Glonek! Find this chick on instagram, she is fricken awesome and pushes me each and every day. Love this girl to the moon and back!

These are No Bake Oatmeal Bites (Crack Cookies I like to call them!)

¼ cup melted Coconut oil

¼ cup melted natural PB (Or any nut butter)

¼ cup honey

1tbs. vanilla extract

2 ¼ cups oats

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I added this!)

Some chocolate chips or sprinkles

MIX IT ALL TOGETHER! Chill for an hour or so….and BAM… AMAZING COOKIES!!!!!!

I mean…how awesome do those look?!

Have a good day beautiful people 🙂

~xoxo, Julia