The Tonic Lifestyle

Missed me? I've been so terrible at updating this blog. Life's been busy hectic - no surprise there.

Plenty of changes these past few months. To endings and new beginnings. A chance to start anew and to take this much needed opportunity to focus inward and on my personal development.  Where do I want to go? What do I want to do? What's next? Questions like these to be answered and reflected on in greater depth and with a more thoughtful approach in the coming weeks.  I have already taken a leap of faith, abandoning the comforts of "the known" and am willingly opening myself to the universe; learning what it takes to define what it means to know me, my strengths and what I can contribute to this life, inside and out.

In the meantime, here are a few shots from the Tonic Lifestyle Apparel's Fall/Holiday Collection I modelled for earlier this year. A brand whose testament to enabling your love for active lifestyles aligns true with my passion for physical activity and its impact on my health, happiness and vitality.

The Taste of Freedom

TOP: Wilfred, SHORTS: Zara, SHOES: Loeffler Randall, WATCH: Michael Kors, NECKLACE: Club Monaco

The long weekend is finally here and for the first time in what seems like months, I feel free.  No longer beguiled by some haze preventing better judgment, nor pressured by some lingering burden awaiting resolution. I've learned to say "no", set my boundaries and it's come at an amazing price: prioritizing me and having more time to focus on the things that really matter.  

See, it's hard for me to back away from things without wanting my hand in all of it. Blame it on my OCD, it's just not in my nature to strictly perform to standards - anything less than exceptional just doesn't cut it. Undoubtedly, this stems from fear of losing control and not wanting to let people down, but as of late, I've been finding that this behaviour is a one way ticket to burn-out and self-resentment.  Danielle LaPorte describes this notion to a T (click here).

Recently, an opportunity slipped through my fingers and I was beating myself up over why I couldn't overcome this wall that was set before me.  Something was blocking my ability to complete the task at hand, and while I justified the delay, I knew excuses weren't going to get me anywhere. So you were busy, you couldn't find the time, etc. - the work isn't going to get done while you sit on your ass and watch the world go by.  

What's done is done, and all I can do now is learn from this experience and hope it doesn't happen again.  Can this be guaranteed? Probably not. But I sure as hell won't go down without a fight, knowing that I did everything in my power to not let another good opportunity pass me by.

Still Kicking

When my Grandfather was recovering from chemo and radiation therapy following his second run-in with Cancer, a measure of his physical condition and well-being was his readiness to retort, "I'm still kicking!" - a tongue-in-cheek way of showing us that he wasn't quite ready to kick the can just yet.  A third battle won and seven years later, I'm happy to report he's "still kicking" and shows no signs of throwing in the towel anytime soon...a resilience and stubbornness that runs through my family, no doubt. 

While I'm no where near kicking the can, I have certainly fallen off the blogosphere as of late and all due to good reason...

Resolutions Pt 2

Jan·u·ar·y (jan-yoo-er-ee) n - 1. the first month of the year, having 31 days. 2. a time for renewal by setting intentions and conceptualizing goals to be accomplished within a predetermined time frame. 3. occasionally characterized by frantic work overload in response to foregone productivity during the holidays.

Feb·ru·ar·y (feb-roo-er-ee) n - 1. the second month of the year, ordinarily containing 28 days, but containing 29 days in leap years. 2. a lull period where activity and enthusiasm declines due to abandoned new year's resolutions, or 3. the month when one takes action to achieve the resolutions made in the prior month.

Resolutions Pt 1

If there's one thing I've learned with the start of 2013, passing the time by consuming oneself with work and unessential activities, is a double edged sword. While it acts as a welcome distraction from unfavourable situations, I've also found that in doing so can cause you to neglect and disarrange your priorities.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes the only remedy for your troubles is to curl up on the couch, and watch marathons of Downton Abbey and Suits, complete with a pint of Haagen Dazs and a glass of white wine.