There’s no denying 2020 has been a doozy of a year. I’ll be honest, I’ve spent most of it in workout clothes, without having actually exercised. Turns out, when you’re in a pandemic and not leaving the house most days, the chance of wearing pants with a waist band is slim to none, at least for me.

Months on end of this has not been good for me. Not getting ready day after day after day has a compounding effect – leaving me feeling like just a big lump of a person (and looking like one too!)

So last week I decided to give myself a challenge – to get ready every day. For me that means out of workout clothes/pajamas, showered, hair done, make-up done. For accountability, I decided to snap a pic each day and share to my Instagram Stories. Here is a look at my first week.

So far, this challenge has been really good for me. I’m still not leaving the house most days but getting dressed and ready makes me feel more productive and just overall better about myself. Here are a few things I’ve learned:

1 Don’t wait until you lose the weight. For too long I’ve been saying things like, “When I lose 20/30/50 lbs then I will…” No. TODAY I will get dressed, do my hair, put on some lipstick and enjoy the present in my body just as it is in this moment. I have a tendency to “hide out” when I’m not feeling my best, but all that really does is lead to a life not being lived fully. I want to live each day fully, no matter what size I am.

2 If a piece of clothing doesn’t flatter you, get rid of it. Monday I put on a top that just did nothing for me. It’s a newer purchase from Madewell so I was bummed to admit this, but it’s got to go. There’s no point owning clothes that don’t make you feel good! Side note -taking pictures of yourself in your clothes can be very eye-opening!

3 A quick workout is all you need – just do it. I tend to overthink exercise and how much time I need to get it in. Now that I am challenging myself to get ready each day, I’ve been better at jumping on the tread for a quick 20-30 minute workout in the morning. Whereas before I would overthink it or just put it off so that most days it didn’t happen, I am getting better at just doing it. Still a work in progress, of course. But progress over perfection!

4 Vulnerability creates connection. Putting full body pictures of myself on the internet feels extremely vulnerable. All of my pants are snug, my clothes are old and I don’t have a ton of them. But I’ve received so many messages and positive reactions this past week, I feel more connected with people as a result of putting myself out there.

5 Look better, feel better. I hope this challenge doesn’t come off as shallow to others. Trust me, I am the world’s biggest fan of leggings, no make-up and top-knots! There’s no shame if that’s the season you’re in and you are 100% okay with that. That’s amazing! For me, as much as I love no maintenance comfort, a little effort has gone a long way in making me feel better. If you’ve been feeling sluggish or just ‘blah’ in this crazy year, I would encourage you to try it too!

If you would like to join me in this challenge, I would love that! Let’s use the hashtag #getreadyeverydaychallenge on Instagram and give each other some love and encouragement!

Monday (August 3) marked the start of a new practice for me, writing morning pages. I was inspired to start this practice after watching this video from my dear friend Jennifer Donogh (be sure to checkout her YouTube channel!) Jenn has been working her way through The Artist’s Way and has seen big shifts from following the two main principles of the program: 1. Morning Pages and 2. Artist’s Dates.

I was intrigued after watching her video and ordered the book. This will be my first week writing morning pages and I also plan to take an artist’s date, which I can share more on that in another post.

So what exactly are morning pages? As defined in The Artist’s Way, morning pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, done first thing in the morning.

There is no wrong way to do Morning Pages – they are not high art. They are not even “writing.” They are about anything and everything that crosses your mind– and they are for your eyes only. Morning Pages provoke, clarify, comfort, cajole, prioritize and synchronize the day at hand. Do not over-think Morning Pages: just put three pages of anything on the page…and then do three more pages tomorrow.

– Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way

Now, I have only been doing these pages for a few days so I don’t have too much insight into their benefits as of yet, but I will say I am already feeling quite liberated by the practice. There is something about putting pen to paper and producing three pages worth of thoughts. Not writing, just thoughts.

I make the distinction because writing is a much more involved process, for me anyway. While I am a decent writer, I definitely tend to overthink, BIG TIME. I scrutinize my writing to a point where it’s debilitating and therefore I stop writing altogether. I know this comes from a place of fear and I hope morning pages will help me to face this fear and move forward with more writing here on this blog.

I’ve also found that when I’m writing my morning pages, I am filled with so much gratitude. I have not been reading my pages back (as per the instructions of The Artist’s Way program) but I know that a good portion of my pages have been filled with notes of gratitude. This sets the tone for the day, and I can see this creating major shifts for me in the weeks and months ahead.

As I continue with my morning pages project, I will share updates here. If you would like to join me, I would suggest grabbing a copy of The Artist’s Way. You can also find more information on the process on the author’s website, including a nice video overview. Also please reach out to me as I would love to know how the process is working for you.

Do you write morning pages? Do you have other practices that have helped you gain clarity or perspective? I would love to know! Leave me a comment below, send me an email at megan@meganthomasinc.com or message me over on Instagram!

As of the writing of this post, things are slowly opening back up and life is returning to (sorta, kinda, not really) normal. If anything, I’m just sick of being in a state of ‘blah’ and I have the extra pounds and wrinkles to show for it.

These past few months my energy level, mood, weight, emotions and just about every other facet of life have been up and down. Up a little, down a lot. Fall off the wagon and lay on the couch all day binging Dance Moms and mowing down fistfuls of Boom Chicka Pop. You get the picture.

It’s time to get my groove back. Here are 7 things I’m doing to do just that:

1 Daily Green Juice. Whenever I need a reset, I turn to green juice. We have a juicer that we got years ago and I go through phases of juicing regularly…and not. Currently, I’m not doing a juice cleanse (though I might consider one soon). Rather, I’m just adding a daily juice into my routine.

My go-to recipe is kale, cucumber, carrot, lemon and ginger. It’s truly AMAZING what this juice does for my energy. It’s a game changer. I think the best I’ve ever felt is when I was drinking green juice regularly (along with a healthy diet) and walking 3 miles a day. No intense workouts. No crazy diet. Just green juice and walking – I’m hoping to get there again!

2 Walking. Which brings me to my second tip, walking. Now that we have a dog, I really need to be walking every day – for him and for me. We also live in an amazing neighborhood with awesome trails, so I really have no excuse. Plus, I truly enjoy walking. Getting out into nature, soaking up that vitamin D, taking a break from all the screens – what a gift!

With Jason and the kids home, walking also creates a great opportunity for some quality one-on-one time. Whether I take a walk with Jason or one of the kids, it’s a great way to spend time together. But don’t get me wrong, I also love the alone time on my solo jaunts!

3 Probiotics, Multi-Vitamin, Water and a Plant-Based Diet. Okay, so that’s a whole lot of things rolled into one tip. These are the ‘dietary’ things that help me feel better.

I recently started taking a new probiotic and so far it’s been good. No strange side effects and everything is flowing smoothly, if you know what I mean. I know how important gut health is and it feels like this is helping me find more balance in that department.

I also take a multi-vitamin, Ritual. I’ve been taking this multi-vitamin for a little over a year and have been really happy with it. It’s easy on the stomach and delivers all the important nutrients – folate, omega-3, iron, etc. It also has a lovely peppermint flavor – I’m a fan!

I recently purchased this 36 oz Yeti water bottle and it’s helped me drink more water throughout the day. I like my water cold and I like that the Yeti keeps it cold all-day. I also like adding a drop or two of lemon essential oil to aid with digestion!

As for my diet, I’ve been eating a (mostly) plant-based diet for the past few years. With the exception of fish, I try not to eat animal products. I’m not super militant about it, but I would say I eat this way 95% of the time. Other than these guidelines, I don’t follow any sort of diet and really try to eat intuitively.

For the most part, this way of eating has been wonderful for me. I feel at peace with my eating, if that makes sense. I do tend to eat too many carbs/sugar when I’m feeling low, so I’m working on that. A little less bread, a little more veggies.

4 Hair. Having not been to the salon since February, I was in dire need of a cut and color. Usually, I get my roots done every 5-6 weeks, highlights every 10-12 and a cut every 12-15. So going this long without any of those services – yikes!

I did color my roots a couple of times myself during quarantine (otherwise I would have been really gray) and I found the root spray to be a life-saver when I needed a quick touch-up.

But getting back to the salon felt so good. I also found a new stylist and absolutely adore her.

5 Working out. Moving my body makes all the difference in how I’m feeling. Unfortunately, I’m not always consistent with my workouts – especially when I’m home without the social accountability of going to a gym.

While I much prefer exercise in a social environment (group fitness is my jam) we actually got a Peloton Tread last Christmas so we could workout from home – which turned out to be our only option these past few months.

If I get in a good groove, I’ll jump on the tread 4-5 days a week. But once I fall out of my groove, I can go weeks without doing anything. Ugh.

So I’m really trying to stick to a new routine of working out every weekday. For now, I’m sticking with 20 or 30 minute beginner runs as well as doing the ‘crush your core’ program. I really enjoy the Peloton instructors – they are all so positive and motivating!

I can write more about the tread and what classes/programs/instructors I like if there is an interest. Let me know!

6 Social Media Break. In June I took a social media break and it was so, so good. I was inspired by reading Digital Minimalism which I highly recommend. There are so many reasons for doing this, I’m actually working on another full blog post on this topic so stay tuned!

I’m planning to take another break for the month of September and will be sharing more on my experience here. If you have questions or would like to join me in September shoot me an email. I’d love to chat!

7 Blog. Lastly, I am dusting off my blog and really excited about creating my own little space on the internet again. I’m not sure exactly how things will evolve but I plan on writing on intentional living – with a focus on both lifestyle and business. I hope you’ll stick around and thanks for checking out my first post back!

10 more things I’d like to do (but haven’t done yet!):