Fitness Photos -Take 1

Last month I met with my new friend and fabulous photographer Kerri Thauby for a little photo session. Kerri owns her photography business Wake Photography and just happens to also be taking our wedding photos. She is a wonderful photographer and has quite a diverse repertoire. I talked her into spending the afternoon with me trying to take some new photos for my blog and such... Unfortunately the whether was not cooperating but we got a few good ones anyway. Here are a few of my favs, you can see more of my photos and Kerri's work on her blog: www.wake-photography.com/blog.

We're on the "A" List!

One of our fabulous clients at Back To Sports nominated me as one of the top businesses in The Bay Area as part of the Best of Mind & Body page on the SF Gate website. The "A List" is an online guide to local businesses that launched this month where consumers from all over The Bay Area can vote for their favorite businesses (think yelp for San Francisco only).
I am honored to be nominated and would love to have your support in voting for my business. You can access my page at the link below and then click the yellow "vote" button. You can also write me a review or spend some time browsing other favorite businesses in the area. They do require you to sign up on their site, but it is full of great information so take advantage!

Thank you for your continued support - I would not have the business and success that I do if it weren't for all of the amazing people that are a part of my life and blessings from above. I am such a lucky girl!

You can access my page at:

http://baylist.sfgate.com/lindsay-stiegler/biz/220799

What has been keeping me distracted?

I am embarrassed that I haven't posted ANYTHING since March 15th. Can you believe it?! Well, if I have any followers left, let me start by saying, "I'm sorry for my absence" and follow that with, "I have lots of exciting things to post about... I hope I can get to them soon!" So, in the mean time, I thought I would share all the fun things that I have been up to, maybe they will be inspiring, or maybe they will just help you feel like someone else out there feels just as crazy and in need of a spring break as you do! Here is what I have done over the last few weeks (pause while I consult my calendar because I can't remember back that far):

• I took a Friday to go visit a great lady doctor in Watsonville who I have wanted to talk to about my headaches and fatigue issues - so I did! Yeah for me taking care of me!
• With great amounts of encouragement I decided to give up coffee in the hopes of feeling better - I am proud to say that I am on week three of my 'Tea Only" caffeine fix and I am feeling great! (Not even a bad coffee withdrawal at all!). More on this later...
  
• I spent a Sunday afternoon with a great photographer taking some fitness shots for my website and blog - can't wait to share them!
  
• I got the yucky cold that went around - but managed to fight it in a week. Thank goodness for good health.
• I spent a week in bridesmaid-zilla mode helping plan an amazing shower for B that turned out lovely - it felt so good to do something so nice for someone I care about.
• I got to spend quality time with B and T in Santa Barbara at Nanna and Pappa's and loved getting to know T's family more. I even got to experience Reality in Carpenteria for the first time and had a great time, very motivating and spirit renewing.
• Then, I got to stay in Santa Barbara an extra day with my BFF and we had a wonderful time catching up, looking for bridesmaid dresses and eating cupcakes!
• Last week I was recovering from the weekend and playing catch-up at work, but I did manage to start the packing process and moved a lot of things up to the country over the weekend (which Jake and I proceeded to unpack and organize, we love our apartment, it is really coming along!)
  
• When not unpacking, Jake and I spent the weekend with friends and family and I had a chance to get to know my Sutter Creek "world" a little bit better - and the whether was GORGEOUS!
• This week I have been trying to spend a little bit more time on me - back to eating healthy, sleeping well, and today I actually got some time to workout - woohoo!!!
• I love all the things I get to do every day - but I'm ready for some me time!
  

Moral of this long story:

Sometimes life is busy and seems to rush by as we complete our daily "to-do" list. But, as important as all of those "things" may be, we have to take time to think about ourselves, our routine, and what we need to get in order to be so good at giving. This weekend I would like to spend some time re-filling my own tank - maybe I will even make it outside for a much needed run in the fresh air. Can't wait to share more soon... happy re-filling time, I hope you have a moment to enjoy an Easter blessing for you!

Inspiration, Inspiration....

We've had some beautiful sunny days here in the Bay Area... I hope you have had some time to get out and enjoy. If you are looking for some new inspiration to get your booty moving, her is a fun list of 10 reasons why I think you should get a move on (in case you didn't have enough!):

1. Summer is just around the corner - bring on the swimwear!
2. It's almost time to put away all the black clothes and bring out those spring colors... yikes!
3. The rainy, gray, weather that has kept you curled up on the couch and feeling a little yucky... is going away! Get out there and soak up your Vitamin D.
4. Spend some quality time with your family - for free! Find a playground near you and swing on the swings.
5. Meet some new friends who have are like-minded... find a new fitness buddy or have some time to gossip with the girls while you walk the lake.
6. Get a caffeine free energy boost - It only takes 12 minutes for your body to release all those good feeling endorphins and send your energy sky high.
7. Exercise helps boost self esteem - without surgery or new clothes!
8. If your feeling great, you're going to have better sex and a happy partner...
9. Do we need any more reasons?
10. My wedding is less than 6 months away and we need to be looking fabulous to celebrate!

I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend... I think we are all feeling like we are ready for a vacation and some of us don't have that wonderful thing called a Spring Break. So, lets make the best of it and enjoy the moments we have with each other.

Happy Exercising!

Embrace the Time Change

I don't know about you but I have a hard time enjoying daylight savings in the spring... that lost hour in the morning seems to really affect me! However, is it not fabulous to have extra hours of daylight in the evening?! I love driving home from work in the sun rather than bundled up in my jacket and scarf. This also means we are closer to summer - and I am definitely ready for some warmer weather. In the mean time, I hope you all take some time to enjoy the evening light and take advantage of a longer day and more time to fit in exercise. A walk after work or after dinner is always a great way to end the evening.

I wanted to share a comment my Aunt left me. I love her suggestion for keeping track of steps on a daily calendar and setting goals for the week. I hope it inspires you to set a small goal for yourself, or at least take that extra evening walk. Enjoy!

After ankle surgery last fall I have been able to slowly resume my walking program. I wear a pedometer everyday with the minimum goal of taking 10,000 steps (about 5 miles) per day and the ideal goal of taking 12,000 steps per day. I track my steps on a daily calendar, add the number of steps at the end of the week and set a goal for the upcoming week. My current average is about 3-5 miles per day and this week I have already walked 19 miles. My "dream" goal is 30 -35 miles per week and a 20 pound weight loss by August 29, 2009!!