Fun

My Top 11 Blog Posts from 2017

February 13, 2018 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

The reason I started my blog about 3 ½ years ago was to share my life experiences and hope that they would help others going through the same stuff. The reason my blog is all about food, fitness, finance, and fun in your 40s is because those are the 4 issues in my own life I struggle with the most. I know there have got to be others like me out there, so I am putting my life out there in hopes of connecting with other like me. We are not alone!

My favorite part about sharing is when I get a message from someone saying how much they appreciate what I wrote because it helped them in some way. My mission in life is to inspire others to be better just by being myself. This is how I can do that!

So THANK YOU for loving me for ME and not because I have accomplished something or did something amazing, but because I am human and flawed and need love and connection as we all do!

I was reminiscing about 2017 and looking through my posts from the past year. I wanted to share with you my top 11 of the year. The reason they are my faves is because they are the ones that gave me the most response from others that they appreciated the post. And the reason there are 11 is because 11 is my favorite number!!

So without further ado…

MY TOP 11 POSTS FROM 2017…

Transition to a Plant-Based Diet with Ease
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/food/transition-to-a-plant-based-diet-with-ease/

Daily Dose of Hope
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/food/daily-dose-of-hope/

Baby Steps: Love Yourself More
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/food/baby-steps-love-yourself-more/

Homework: Plan Ahead For Success
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/homework-plan-ahead-for-success-myfitnesspal/

My Friends ROCK!
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/my-friends-rock-sending-kir-to-kona/

Race Report: 2017 Ironman Boulder
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fitness/race-report-2017-ironman-boulder/

One Day At A Time
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/finance/one-day-at-a-time/

Homework: Share Your Story
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fun/homework-share-your-story/

Suck It Cosmo!
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fun/suck-it-cosmo/

Haters Gonna Hate
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/business/haters-gonna-hate/

Homework: Let It Go
http://www.foodfitnessfinancefun.com/fun/homework-let-it-go/

Thanks for being a part of my amazing life!!

I hope you decide to make 2018 your best year EVER!!!

Stay in touch!

www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/newsletter

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: finance, food. fitness

My Next Big Adventure!

February 6, 2018 by Kirsten 4 Comments

I tend to set big goals and work towards accomplishing giant feats. And since I have gotten in the habit of announcing all my goals and dreams and plans to the world, when I get done with one thing, people always ask me what’s next!

I usually have a plan and a plan after that plan! But last year after my 2 year goal of qualifying for and racing the ironman world championships in Kona, Hawaii, I didn’t have a plan.

I had no idea what was next for me. Throughout 2017, my year of transition and change, when people would ask where I was going to live or what I was going to do for money and other “easy” questions, I didn’t have an answer. Instead I would say time and time again, “I’m open to what is next for me.”

And I was.

I didn’t make many plans or set many goals throughout the year. I took one day at a time, one moment at a time, and learned to live in the moment and be grateful for where I was right then and there.

It felt uncomfortable at first, but over time, I truly began to be open to what was next for me. I took advantage of every opportunity that was presented to me, even if I had no idea where it would go or what it would do for my future.

And by the end of the year, when people would ask me what was next, I could say with 100 percent certainty that I was open to whatever was next for me. I would take on whatever was presented to me, and make the very best of it, knowing that that was where I was supposed to be in my life.

So although I was very VERY surprised, I was not scared, when I found out six weeks ago that I was going to have a baby.

I stated over and over again that I was open to what was next for me in my life, and this is what the universe gave to me.

As a 45-year-old, who was not trying to get pregnant, who had been on birth control the majority of my adult life, and rarely had a period to begin with, the chances of me getting pregnant were less than one percent. So I know this baby really really REALLY wanted me to be her mother.

So that’s it! That’s my new adventure for 2018. I feel excited for this new chapter of my life, and I know without a doubt this is where I am supposed to be right now and this is what I am meant to be doing.

P. S. It’s a girl!

Come along for the ride…
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www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

See you SOON!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: family, pregnancy

My Word For 2018: Trust

January 16, 2018 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Every year I choose a word that will help guide me through the upcoming year. This year I chose “trust” as my word, or it chose me!

Last year I learned to be open to change, the unknown, and what was next for me. In the process I have become a more flexible and malleable human, which in my opinion is one of the great characteristics of success. I am learning to adapt to change and “go with the flow”, which is something I had never been good at in the past.

With my new found adaptability in life and comfortability with change, my next step is to trust what will come next. Trust that I am working toward where I will be going to next. Trust that the universe will provide for me. And trust that I am on the path I am meant to be on.

One of the things I have struggled with in the past is letting go of an outcome. In the past, I have typically only done actions and activities that move me toward an outcome I am sure of, or that I have more control over. It always felt good to be in charge of my life and create what I want, but it is also exhausting to constantly be pushing toward something. And devastating when all my hard work, time, and energy doesn’t end in the result I was hoping for.

In my year of trust, I am looking forward to letting go, learning to follow my intuition, listening to my body, heart, and soul, and seeing what becomes of me and my delicious life.

Part of trusting is knowing that everything happens for a reason and that it will all be ok in the end.

Just thinking about it makes me uncomfortable still, but I know with time and practice and patience and forgiveness when I screw up, it will soon be a part of who I am, like change and flexibility now are.

I encourage you to pick a word for YOUR 2018. Something that will guide you into the next phase of your life. A word that helps you become the best version of yourself. An idea or concept that will ultimately bring you peace and happiness and unconditional self-love.

And have the best 2018 EVER!!

I would love to know what your word is this year!

Join our supportive community…
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See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: focus, word of the year

Focus With Your Word of the Year

January 9, 2018 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Each year I pick a word that encompasses what I am working on in my life and want to accomplish in the following year. I don’t try hard to find a word, I wait for one to choose me. I reflect on the past year, think about the upcoming year, and then meditate on how I can be the best possible version of myself.

I always want to be taking baby steps toward my ideal life, so my word helps me stay focused and reminds me of my priorities.

Last year my word was SIMPLICITY. I spent time in 2013 getting rid of physical stuff when we got rid of everything and moved into the RV. I spent 2014 simplifying my businesses, debt, and finances. And then I spent 2016 working on my time management and making space in my life for the things that were most important to me.

In 2017, I wanted to simplify even further, working toward resolving some of my complex emotions and cleaning up my mental garbage I had been clinging to for too long. I wanted to create more space in my life, more systems to make my lifestyle goals work, and make a life I could feel at ease with.

I had no idea how this would all matriculate, only that I was craving more simplicity in my life.

Throughout the year, when I was feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I would remember my word and see what I could get rid of. Even when I was living pretty much out of my car, I would always find something to get rid of.

Sometimes it was material things, sometimes de-cluttering my lists, sometimes deleting files from my computer, and sometimes just saying “no” to opportunities, people, and activities, which isn’t always easy!!

By the end of the year, I had made room for whatever was next to come for me and my life. I enjoy seeing space on my calendar and like to over-plan the time each activity will take me during my day. It’s relieved stress, anxiety, and over-whelm which causes me to over-eat and under-sleep. So a total upward spiral!

Focusing on this one word helped me in all areas of my life throughout 2017. I still have some work to do (as always) and still would like to create more systems in my businesses and life to simplify even further, but I’m constantly a work in progress and I know it will come.

I’m excited to see what comes of my 2018 year of “trust”.

What is your word?

What is a word that encompasses not only what you are working toward in your life, but also what you want right now?

What would help give you peace of mind?

What would help you love yourself and your life more?

What would help fill what is missing from your life?

What is something you have always wanted but were afraid to go for?

If you haven’t put any thought into any of these questions, take some time over the next few days in silence or mediation or before you go to sleep at night or in your car before work when you have a few minutes to yourself, and consider picking a word for yourself for 2018.

I would love to hear your word for 2018.

Join and share in our community…

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Here’s to the best year EVER!

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: focus, time management

Homework: Be Brave

December 5, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

This past weekend I was racing in South Dakota. While riding my bike on the gorgeous Iron Mountain Highway in Custer State Park, I made a decision that I wanted to simplify my life EVEN MORE than I already had so I could train and race all the time to feel the way I did in that moment. I have been struggling to get rid of some of the “stuff” I have left in the 5 bins I still store and cart around with me everywhere I go.

But being excited about living more simply so I can race and train more, made it easy to get back home and start tossing stuff!!

This also got me thinking about emotional baggage and holding onto people, places, jobs, habits, and relationships that no longer serve us but we struggle to let go.

Here is what I came up with…

The more excited and passionate you are about the outcome (or potential outcome) from what you are giving up or changing, the easier it is to let it go.

So I started thinking about the things that have been hard for me to let go of, give up, or change. I then thought about what the end result would be. I asked myself “on a scale from 1-10, how excited am I about this end result”? If it was an 8 or higher, it was easy to make the change, if it was any lower, it was a struggle.

I wanted to share this with you guys in case you have something that is hard to let go of, hard to give up, or hard to change. Go through the process I just described and see where it takes you!

If your “why” is lower than an 8, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not important to you. You many need to re-think why you want to do it or maybe it’s not something that you’re ready to let go of or ready to change in your life RIGHT NOW! And that’s OK.

We’re not always ready to make those big changes in our life.

If it’s something that’s important to you, you’ll find a way when you’re ready to get excited and get passionate about it and make the change.

If it’s FEAR holding you back or the UNKNOWN (2 things that hold most people back) I just want to share one of my fave quotes: Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great.

Will it always work out the way you want it to? Probably not. But is it always worth it? IMO yes!

I always learn something about myself in the process which moves me closer to self-love, my ideal life, and being the best version of myself I can create.

If you are ready to make a change in your life whether it’s in your finances or your health or your fitness or your relationship or just loving yourself more and you need some guidance, I can definitely help!!

I have coached hundreds of people just like you who are ready to make a change but not quite sure where to start. My philosophy is baby steps, one day at a time, small incremental changes over time that will result in big life changes!

I offer coaching calls anywhere from 15 minutes to 60 minutes depending on how much time you have and how much guidance that you want to help you go from where you are now to where you want to be.

Please reach out to me and let’s set up a time to talk. If you’re not ready that’s OK, I will be here when you are. And in the meantime I have some positive places for you to hang out with me!

www.Facebook.com/FoodFitnessFinanceFun
www.Instagram.com/VeganDivaKir
www.Facebook.com/groups/RealResultsRock

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: mindset, minimal living

Baby Steps: Discipline

November 28, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

In my line of work, the health, fitness, and nutrition industry, and as an athlete, the word discipline gets thrown around all the time. People seem to think because I typically eat healthy, I get all my training in and work out daily, and I race a lot as an athlete, that I am a very disciplined person.

I don’t believe that anyone is naturally a more disciplined or undisciplined person.

I believe that discipline is a skill that we can all practice, learn, and get better at.

The other day at the pool, I was thinking about the concept of discipline. I was breathing on “twos”, which for you non-swimmers out there means that I was breathing to the right side every time my head and body turn to the right (ever 2 arm strokes). This isn’t the most effective or efficient way to swim, but for me it’s the easiest. A harder way is to breathe on threes or fours or fives or sixes which means I have to hold my breath longer and breathe on opposite sides (called bilateral breathing), which for me means I have to work a little harder and focus a little bit more.

So I challenged myself to breathe on threes or fours for the entire next set and I kept saying to myself “practice discipline in the small things in your life so that it’ll be easier to be disciplined in the big things in your life”.

Practice discipline in the small things so that it will be easier in the big things. So basically in the grand scheme of life it really doesn’t matter if I breathe on twos, but breathing on threes or fours is more of a challenge so I am practicing discipline.

Then when something that actually matters in life comes up, such as skipping a work out or doing the work out, I have practiced and gotten better at discipline and it will make it easier for me to just do the work out rather than skip it.

So here is your homework for today:

Throughout the day, if there something that you think you should do or that could move you toward the life that you really want (but maybe don’t really feel like doing it), I challenge you to do it.

Even if it’s something super simple and small such as choosing a salad over French fries as your side dish at the drive-through. Or choosing water over soda at the gas station when you’re thirsty. Or if you’re trying to save money, filling up your water bottle with tap water instead of buying it. Or choosing to park far away from the office instead of close so that you need to walk a few extra steps. Or choosing to turn off the TV after one show and get an extra half an hour of sleep. Or choosing to set your alarm without the snooze option to get up and get your day moving. Or choosing to adding spinach in your shake for breakfast in the morning. Or choosing to say no to something that isn’t that big a deal but you really didn’t want to do it. Etc, Etc, Etc!! GOT IT?

Once you get used to being disciplined in the small seemingly insignificant choices that you make each and every day, when a big or more important decision comes up, it will be easier for you to choose wisely it’ll be easier for you to be disciplined in that choice as well.

I would love to hear about your tiny successes just like mine I had in the pool the other day, because your successes in being disciplined in the small things AND the big things will inspire me and others to start making better decisions and choices in their own lives.

We all need the inspiration and motivation to be disciplined, if it was an easy choice it wouldn’t be called discipline!

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Stay connected…
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I’m starting back up my weekly newsletter!!
www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

See you there!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: discipline, mindset, self help

Homework: Share Your Story

November 14, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

One of the things I have been working on this year is being more transparent. By transparent I mean sharing my struggles and failures as well as my triumphs and successes.

This has always been a challenge for me because I grew up in a very positive house where we focused on all the things that were right in our lives and didn’t give attention to our problems.

I also get annoyed with people who complain all the time and don’t do anything to change what they are complaining about, or complain to the wrong person, someone who has no authority to help or change the situation, and I don’t want to be one of those people. So typically when I’m having a tough time or a low self-esteem day, I stay quiet and work it out on my own.

This year when I made the commitment to share more, the good, the bad, and the ugly, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought for sure people would be irritated by my insignificant, first world problems and my annoying petty issues I have with food, self-worth, inner conflict, and body image. But I found the more I shared my experiences, the more people reached out to me to share their own experiences.

I remember I had a crappy workout one day and shared about it on Facebook and someone messaged me and said “I’m so happy to see you have crappy workouts too”. This made me laugh and I didn’t know whether people wanted to see me fail or if they were just so used to seeing me so positive it was refreshing to see that I struggle too.

I think all we really want is to know we aren’t alone. To know we all share common fears, struggles, and feelings. That we are all connected and we all essentially want the same things in our life: unconditional love and peace within ourselves.

Since the beginning of my year of sharing more of the hard stuff, I have had so many people tell me how much my stories, posts, experiences have helped them share their own. And if you know me, my mission is to help people just by being me. So in essence, the more I share about my life, the more I am living my mission.

And the same goes for you. You are here to connect and grow and be a part of something amazing. And the best way to find where you fit in while helping others feel worthy and supported and loved is to share your stories and experiences, whether positive or negative.

One rule I do have about sharing the bad stuff: I must be actively doing something to change the situation. Bitching about something you have control over and don’t ever work toward changing in my opinion is just plain annoying.

So be brave today! Share a battle you have been secretly fighting, share a success you have been too humble to share, share something unique about yourself that you are afraid you will be judged for and watch what happens. People will surprise you. You may even surprise you!
Let me know how it goes!!!

THANK YOU!

And thanks for being you…all of you…not just the good bits!!

Come hang out with us…

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See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: mindset, self help

Homework: Let It Go

October 31, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Let it go! This is my only goal today! I woke up feeling overwhelmed and anxious!

Like I have way more to do than I will ever have time to get it done. Like I keep making promises to myself and others that I can’t keep. Like I’m barely staying above water and I can’t breathe!!!

I remember something I read in Brian Tracy’s book Eat That Frog…

You will never have enough time to do everything you want to do. The sooner you realize that, the sooner you can let go of the expectation and forgive yourself for not doing it all!!

I was of course paraphrasing since I haven’t read that book in 15 years, but that concept has stuck with me over the years!

Here are some things I do when I’m feeling this way…

Breathe…DEEPLY!!
Write down 10 things I am grateful for
Prioritize my day, week, month, year, life
Reach out to a supportive friend
Focus on what I can control and let go of the rest!

Number 5 is super hard for me! But practicing letting go of what we can’t control will make it easier and habitual. I just need to remember to practice!

OK! I feel a little better!

Hope it helps you today!!! What can you let go of today????

If you need a reminder for daily gratitude…
www.facebook.com/groups/IHeartGratitude

If you just need a safe positive place to hang out…
www.facebook.com/KirstenMcCaySmith

If you want to stay connected…
www.FoodFitnessFinanceFun.com/Newsletter

See you soon!

Breathe <3

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: mindset, time management

How to Get Through a Hard Day

May 9, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

Today I had a hard day. I woke up anxious and overwhelmed after about 10 weeks of moving through life at 100% on hardly any sleep, living off of adrenaline and Shakeology. I have been too tired to focus on my businesses and making money, which in turn has left me dipping into my savings the past few weeks to live.

This has created anxiety, which makes me eat more, which makes me feel sluggish and full and fat, which frustrates me and takes too much of my energy. This makes me tired. And the cycle continues!

Your hard days may look different, much different, but we all have hard days. We all have days where we feel hopeless and desperate and scared. Some days are worse than others, but the negative feelings are always there.

Mine typically make me question my abilities, discipline, and/or choices. This usually leads me down a path of low self-esteem, questioning my self-worth, and asking myself questions like “will I ever be enough?” and “why can’t I make this work?” and “what is wrong with me?” and the worst of them all “will anyone ever love me the way I want to be loved?”

All these questions make me sad when I stop to think about them because 1) I don’t want them to matter as much as they do, and 2) I want to love myself so unconditionally that anything else is just a bonus!

Anyway…my point is, yours looks different than mine, but it all ends in the same way…THIS SUCKS!

So today I dragged my tired, grouchy ass to the gym and sat on the bike to spin out my sore legs on level 0 (yes, that is ZERO! Who knew the bike even went down that low. I guess to accommodate losers like me right??)

I had a grand plan to spin for an hour while I got SO much work done! I even made a list of like 10 things I was going to get done while spinning out my legs at the gym today. I was excited to finally get my shit together. Didn’t happen! I got on Facebook instead and decided to put out a cry for help.

I went to my timeline and posted:

Help! I’m having a low self-esteem day and need you!! Comment something you like about me!!

In 2 hours I had over 50 comments. Many were from people I didn’t know who told me I had touched their life in some way or another. Several were people who sent me reminders of why I should love myself, and some just said the things they liked about me.

I spent the entire hour (plus one more) responding to each comment and taking in everything that was said to me. It picked me up and reminded me all I had to be grateful for.

It worked!

I left the gym feeling 100% better about myself than when I walked in. And for once it didn’t have to do with my work out, it had to do with the amazing people I have attracted into my life. Another reason to be grateful!

Next time you are feeling bad about yourself, try it! Reach out to the people in your life and let them remind you why they love you! And then pay back the favor when they need a pick me up. No one on this earth can thrive without the love and support of those around them.

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LOVE YOU GUYS! Thanks for everything!

See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: mindset, motivation

Suck It Cosmo!

February 14, 2017 by Kirsten Leave a Comment

So today in my mailbox was an issue of Cosmopolitan Magazine. It was put in my mailbox by mistake as it had a neighbors name/address on the label. The cover was AMAZING and completely started to suck me in!

Not only was it hot pink, there was a super sexy bad ass chick on the cover (Ruby Rose), the #1 way to tell if he is into you, “hot-body secrets”, and their biggest sex Q&A EVER!!! So many things I need to see and know and read and judge myself and my life against…and of course failing miserably in ALL departments!

In the past, I would have devoured this issue of Cosmo. I would have taken an hour out of my day and read it cover to cover, lingering on the pics of the hotties and coveting their eyes, lips, hair, wardrobe, and especially bodies.

I used to be OBSESSED with women’s magazines. I had subscriptions to at least 10 fashion, gossip, teen, etc magazines and would spend time every day looking through them, taking the quizzes, comparing my life, looks, body, and experiences to those the women shared between the pages.

But today (thank goodness), I have the will power to say NO! Don’t get me wrong. I considered opening it up and taking a peek! At least to see pics of Ruby Rose or find out if “he” is truly into me, no harm done RIGHT? Wrong! I know myself and how far I have come with my self-worth, loving myself unconditionally, and my confidence, and I know this could potentially be a disaster.

Even if it wasn’t a disaster, it may be a gateway mag to the next one I “accidentally” pick up at the hair salon or the doctor’s office. Which would compound my short-comings and over time I may slide back into my old world of self-loathing and desperation to have someone else’s skin, body, clothing, sex life, career, or life. But I said NO!

It was a therapist I had in college that first approached me with the idea of quitting watching “Days” (Days of Our Lives #embarrasing) and reading women’s mags. I was able to give up “Days” pretty easily after a couple years (thank god we didn’t have DVR back then or it may have been harder to quit), but the magazines were a harder habit to break. It took me about 10 years to finally let go of the need to see how amazing everyone else is and how lame I was.

I did cut down on reading the magazines, but when I would travel or at the gym or in the waiting room, I couldn’t help but pick up the issue and take a peek.

It never ended pretty. I always closed the magazine feeling less confident then when I opened it. So I stopped all together.

I haven’t been tempted for a while before today and I am happy to say I resisted! I am happy with my decision and put it back into the mail slot for the real owner, hoping she doesn’t have the same past issues as I do and the magazine doesn’t make her feel less of a person by reading it.

If you are doing something or watching something or looking at something or reading something on a regular basis that doesn’t make you feel good, STOP! We are hard enough on ourselves as it is. No need to add fuel to the fire!

YOU ROCK! And you know it!

Just in case you forgot!

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See you soon!

Filed Under: Fun Tagged With: self help, self love