Dear readers,
I have officially packed up and moved to new digs. Our new home is full of dynamic content, information, photos and of course, blog posts. You can subscribe — and continue to receive the posts by email — here.
Thank you, thank you for all of your love shared here. This is officially the last post on this domain. www.HilaryPhelps.com is fully operational.
Fondly xx,
Hilary Phelps & Genuine Joy
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~Dalai Lama
I was traveling home yesterday with my mom and my niece. We were coming from what proved to be a successful and fun trip, and were making our connecting flight through the Detroit airport when I noticed something: Everyone was smiling at my niece. She was briskly walking on the moving walkways and noting, out loud, how “cool” the multi-colored walls looked in the tunnel that took us from one terminal to the next. We saw two little people walking, and she stopped, grabbed my hand and asked “why are they so little?” Not because she was being rude, but because she honestly didn’t know.
First, I have to say, my niece is adorable, so I could rightfully understand all of the smiles. But, I started thinking to myself, why aren’t we this compassionate towards others, no matter their age? We give children the benefit of the doubt, but why not those who are older? What happened to our ability to express childlike wonder, without being judged?
I have to say, the tunnel was pretty cool. My niece was spot on. But there was something inside of me that held me back from expressing a wide-eyed total and complete amazement. I wondered what my reaction would be to someone, around my age, for whom the tunnel was eliciting the same the reaction as my niece’s? And with total honesty, I can say, that I probably would have looked at them and thought “Reel it in, lady.”
At what age do we start suppressing our “wow” factor and start being “too cool for school?” At what age do we have to act a certain way, and ignore the childlike wonder that bubbles up in all of us from time to time? And why is it that we look at people with judgement in our eyes, when they have the courage to express what is truly inside of them, by way of sheer joy?
I had a yoga teacher tell me that I should never speak or say anything to myself that I wouldn’t say to a child or to my best friend. So, I had to ask myself, then why would I speak in such a way to anyone? Until we walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, we don’t know how we would react. So, I ask you, why would you treat anyone other than the way you would like to be treated, and why would you treat anyone differently than you would treat a child? Because somewhere, buried deep inside all of us, there is that child who expresses sheer joy at “cool” things. How many of you are willing to let her out? And, more importantly, how many are willing to let others enjoy their inner child?
Starting tonight, I am officially on vacation… and I cannot wait! It’s been some time since I’ve unplugged completely, relaxed fully and simply “been still” for longer than a day. During my vacation, my site is also getting some R&R. From this point on, HilaryPhelps.com will have a new look. Beginning in July, you will see a new layout, a new logo and fresh content.
I’m awful at delegating, attempting to do everything myself, but this time I let go of the reins and brought in someone who specializes in design, so I can focus on content. I know you be just as pleased with the freshness on the site, as I am excited to deliver!
Until Tuesday…
… the first day of Summer 2013 is here! And what a fun summer we have planed for you on HilaryPhelps.com!
Today is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and celebrated when the sun is at it’s highest peak in the sky. June 21 (officially began at 1:04am Eastern time in the USA) is the day when the earth’s axis is most tilted towards the sun, making it the day with the greatest amount of sunlight. After today, the days will slowly get shorter until December 21, when they will then start getting longer. June 22-23 is the arrival of the Supermoon, which promises to deliver the biggest and brightest moon of the year. (This article tells you when to watch)
Last night, at the POV Lounge a top the W Hotel in Downtown Washington, DC, hundreds of women gathered to meet author Lauren Weisberger. With 1200 people confirmed, Brandlink DC invited a handful of 30 guests to meet and mingle with the author beforehand in a room with sweeping views of the District, more specifically, the Washington Monument (which is currently covered in scaffolding, from damages caused during the 2011 earthquake). “Revenge Wears Prada,” the author’s fifth book, is the sequel to the 2003 #1 New York Times Best Seller, and subsequent movie, “The Devil Wears Prada.”
This ICYMI falls on the heels of the long Memorial Day weekend, which has me thinking about summer. I forget, often, that last year, we were all over the world — Omaha, London and celebrating Michael’s history making, Olympic success — what a year it’s been.
The summer months evoke images of beach, bathing suits and sun, but every year sneak up so quickly, feeling as if we’ve skipped right over spring, and gone from winter to summer overnight. Here in the mid-Atlantic that oven means that temperatures dip back into winter for a few days and then jump to 90 degree temperatures, most indicative of Summer. Ey-yi-yi!
Today’s ICYMI are focused on summer, food and fitness…
This weekend was a quiet one. Relaxing, reading and catching up with friends. But I often find the day after a holiday weekend to be a challenge when it comes to getting back into the swing of things. To help ease into the week, here are a few fun photos to start off the day.
Take a sip..
Smile…
Laugh…
Think…
Enjoy!
In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) are stories, posts and interesting tips and tricks. I love a good recap and here is Genuine Joy’s version of link love.
I had 5 minutes with Steuart Martens recently to discuss the upcoming BITE OF DC on May 18th. The conversation went by in a flash and true to form, Steuart’s phone was beeping and buzzing the entire time. There’s never a dull moment (or an off moment for that matter) with Steuart. As a native Washingtonian, Martens is known to many as being a competitor on “The Apprentice” with Donald Trump, but to limit the 30-year old to merely being a reality television star is like calling an Oreo a chocolate cookie–it’s barely scratching the surface. In the five minutes and three questions I had with Steuart, here’s a glimpse of what I mean…
I was blown away and humbled by the number and quality of the responses to the Third Annual 30 for 30. There are a lot of people out there who stepped outside of their comfort zone, tried a new workout and/or set a routine for themselves over the last 30 days. Thank you ALL for sharing your journeys and experiences with me!
The winner of the first giveaway is: Tiffany Pham. Tiffany wrote a fabulous piece about conquering fear, stepping outside of her comfort zone and tackling a bucket list item of “learn to swim.”
Tiffany, congratulations! You embody Genuine Joy and I look forward to your many adventures to come.
Until Tomorrow…
April has come to a close and May is officially here. Events such as weddings, horse racing (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) and graduations are taking over the calendar, which makes me happy that I blocked out the month of April to dedicate to my fitness and health. Health is a journey, not a destination and this year, there were a few lessons I learned.
1) Stay hydrated. This is especially important as the weather warms up and the humidity soars. Water is needed by every metabolic and cellular function in your body, and when you are dehydrated — even slightly — your body has to extract fluid from your food and hold onto it, creating a supply reserve, to ensure your cells have enough to work properly. This energy is used to take water from your foods rather than repair your body. Dehydration also causes fatigue and mimics feelings of hunger. To make sure you are properly hydrated, divide your weight in pounds in half and drink that number in fluid ounces every day).
2) Schedule workouts. I have to put workouts on my calender and schedule them one week out. If I don’t take the time to plan, workouts get pushed to the back burner and work, coffee dates and dinners take priority.
3) I have a hard time trying new “things” and in this case, workouts. I’ve said for months (possibly years) that I’m going to take a Zumba class. Guess what? This year’s 30 for 30 came and went, with nary a Zumba class in sight. Or a barre class. Or paddleboarding. You get the point. I stick to what I know: running, biking, swimming, yoga, strength work. Exercise should be fun, and the above workouts are, but I often “forget” that hiking, hip hop class or kayaking count towards my daily activity.
4) Fitness is more than a number on a scale. While I didn’t lose the 5 pounds I had hoped (I lost 3), I did notice that clothes fit better, which ultimately means a more toned body. I felt better from day to day, there was a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. Working out until it breaks me or severely limiting my calories won’t provide any of those effects.
Thank you, dear reader and 30 for 30 warriors, for joining me on this leg of the journey. But, as I said, this path continues and we continue to walk it together. I LOVED reading all of your experiences and am grateful for all of the wonderful (and constructive) feedback. Tomorrow, I will announce the winner of the Giveaway, which includes a Springy Danielle Nicole handbag and items (including nutrition bars!) from Vega.
Keep plugging along; update me on your progress and remember to enjoy the journey…
Until tomorrow (or next year for the challenge)…
Genuine Joy 