Hello all!

I am over the moon to announce the launch of my new business, Olivia Bowen Communications, tomorrow, February 1st.

For the past few months, I’ve been having way too much fun (and yes, moments of frustration–but mostly fun) doing market research, building my website, working pro bono, and developing a launch plan. And tomorrow it will all come together as my baby goes live.

Olivia Bowen Communications is all about helping small businesses and entrepreneurs master their messaging so they can get back to the work they love.

If you…

• know your website copy could be better, but don’t know how or don’t have the emotional energy to fix it…
• have a bio that doesn’t reflect the amazing work you do and the spark behind it…
• avoid sending newsletters because you’re afraid of finding a typo or writing something boring…
• steer clear of social media for business purposes because you don’t know how to do it without being spammy…

Brenna, my instructor for yesterday's class

Thanks in part to the disincentive bet, I finally made it to a yoga class last night. It was a gentle class, just what I needed to ease back in. When it came time to set my intention, I decided to depart from my usual method of dedication and instead focus on being kinder to myself.

It freed me to honor where I was in my practice, to laugh as I fell out of poses, and learn from the discomfort of poses that used to be easy. I left class feeling energized and joyful, and didn’t berate myself for spending most of savasana dreaming about the roasted garlic gluten-free pizza that I’d be having for dinner.

It also freed me up to re-evaluate my disincentive bet goals. Where they achievable? Absolutely. But they were also a big stretch. More of a stretch than I want right now. So I’m dropping the running piece. Hopefully I’ll slip on my running shoes and get a few miles in, but it feels more like a chore than a joy, and, well, I want to squeeze in as much joy as possible this December.

Since the hubs and I just joined the yoga studio down the street, we were able to take advantage of a new student discount offering two weeks of unlimited classes for only $25. (Bonus: It came with a gift certificate for a free meal at one of our favorite veg eateries, Jyoti-Bihanga.) I’ve learned that when I try to just jump into a fitness goal whole hog, I often wind up sick or injured, and I think it’s safe to say that running a few days a week plus a yoga class almost every day would be too much. So I’m swapping out a brief home yoga practice and occasional runs for a (near-)daily studio yoga practice that I hope will help me really recommit to to time on my mat.

My upper back and shoulders are perfectly sore from yesterday’s class, and I’m looking forward to a Yoga I class tonight to really engage and lean into my practice.

How are you practicing self-kindness this holiday season? What are you doing to nurture your health and wellness, and where are you giving yourself a free pass in the name of sanity? 

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

In some ways I’ve been doing a good job of taking care of myself (I’ve been slugging 32oz of delicious green juice on a pretty regular basis, for example), and in others…not so much. As in, I don’t know the last time I meditated. And my plan to start a regular running routine never really took off.

Then I went back east for two awesome weeks of visiting family, and my (oh-so-tasty) wine and cheese consumption went through the roof. And I caught a super nasty cold that knocked me on my butt. Finally, a week and a half later, feel like I’m thinking clearly and can do more than lay on the couch.

I want to kick my health into gear so I start 2012 feeling like the best version of myself, not bloated and run down.

Which means…disincentive time is back. My girls Paloma & Amanda first introduced me to the disincentive bet when we lived in Seoul, and man oh man I have never been so diligent about meeting my goals! I created a spreadsheet to track my progress, and invite you to join in. It’s an open google doc, so anyone can edit it and add their own goals. (Remember: It’s a LIVE document, so don’t type over anyone else’s fields; just add your own in blank columns.)

I’m being ambitious, but I’m also being reasonable. I commit to:

1. Running a total of four miles a week, broken into at least three sessions. (Baby steps!)
2. Practicing yoga for at least 20 minutes a day, 6 days a week.
3. Doing my favorite ab workout, Jennifer Galardi‘s 10-minute Standing Abs video, 3 times a week.
4. Meditate for five minutes every day.

Dancing with Jen at my wedding last year

Hi folks! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving; I lucked out and got to see my whole immediately family, too-cute
niece & nephew included.

Pardon the silence (again), but I’ve been busy closing up our apartment in Seoul and preparing to move to San Diego. After 10 crazy days, I am excited to say:

We have a home!

This is the first lease I’ve signed in three years, and the first time the fell and I are setting up a proper home. Needless to say, I am stoked.

Because we’re pretty much starting from scratch, we have an amazing opportunity to be very deliberate in what we bring into our home. And I’d like to keep it as green as possible–particularly with regard to cleaning products. Much to my chagrin, I don’t have a whole lot of expertise in this area. Or, more specifically, I lack expertise in effective natural cleaning products.

Fortunately, you are a wise bunch, so I want to know: What are your favorite, effective, natural cleaning products? I’d really like to know what you recommend for tough jobs (hard water residue) and greasy jobs (olive oil coated pans).

So, brilliant folks, if you could leave your suggestions in the comments, I’d be incredibly grateful.

In less than two weeks, my handsome fella and I will be scoping out apartments in San Diego to prepare for our October 1st move.

You know what else is awesome?

My pal Valerie, the mastermind behind City | Life | Eats (which, if you aren’t already reading for amazing ideas of what a gluten-free high-vegan diet can pack for lunch, you’re missing out!) is hosting an amazing giveaway right now. She’s offering one reader a ticket to the Take Back Your Health Conference in Washington, D.C.

Know what’s less awesome?

I’ll be in San Diego, so I can’t go! The conference is October 22-23*, and we’ll already be in San Diego. So I figured I’d go ahead and tell you about it so you could win the ticket in my place. (I admit it: if I had a chance at winning this giveaway and attending this conference, I’d probably keep it to myself.)

But you can go! If you aren’t one of the lucky folks attending Marie Forleo’s Rich Happy & Hot Live (seriously–how much awesomeness is happening the weekend of October 22-23?), you can be one of the lucky folks attending the Take Back Your Health Conference. Just pop over to City | Life | Eats and enter the giveaway.

Wedding photo--just because I feel like it. (Who knew an aquarium cafeteria could look so good?!)

*October 23rd just happens to be my one-year anniversary, so I’ll be sipping wine and camping in beautiful Southern California with the aforementioned handsome fella. I may not be attending an amazing east coast conference, but I think I’ll make out just fine, eh?

In my last post, I listed a bunch of little actions even super-busy people could incorporate into their days. And I promptly stopped doing just about all of them. Whoops.

For the last week or two, I’ve felt a bit sluggish and slumpy (it’s a word, I promise). I needed a way to motivate myself to actually practice self-care. A picture of my sister’s fridge flashed in my mind, and I realized I need a sticker chart. Just like my six-year-old niece has.

So yesterday, in an effort to avoid all my other work, I made what I affectionately call a Glow Chart. It has four main categories, with a few specific tasks in each one. The idea is to pick just one or two items from each category each day. If I can do that, I’m sure I’ll start to feel more vibrant.

Because I love data, I created this in excel so I could easily see my progress and assess metrics. (Nothing says relaxed self-care like bar graphs–am I right or am I right?) You can download the chart here and adjust it for your purposes.

Also, big giant thanks for Jen, the Holistic Health Junkie, and Melinda, of I Cook with Wine, for their input on the chart. The Power of Now, creating a happiest moments notebook, and getting enough sleep are just a few of their wonderful suggestions.

What else would you add to your Glow Chart? I’m particularly interested in your suggestions for the Reflect category. I’m not one for organized religion, but I’ve been longing for a more formal spiritual practice and don’t know where to start. If you have ideas, I’d really appreciate hearing them.

Sunset yoga in Wadi Rum, Jordan

As you probably guessed from the lack of posts, things have been pretty busy around here. I’m back in Seoul to work for the summer, and I’ve been working my tail off getting ready to officially launch my business. In the past, summer in Seoul has spelled disaster for my health (crazy hours at work coupled with intense stress will do that to a girl). Fortunately, this year seems to be going a bit better and I haven’t been nearly as sick. I think a big part of this is my commitment to regularly engage in a sampling of quick-action health tips. Every day, I try to make sure I do at least a few of the following, and I wind up doing most of them at least 4-5 days a week. Not bad, if you ask me.

• Make a green smoothie packed with enzyme powder and vegetables
• Crank out a set  of push-ups 
• Go to sleep in time to get at least seven hours of sleep (though more is better)
• Take deep breaths when I start to feel overwhelmed–even if this means doing it conspicuously while standing in front of the classroom (I consider it a teaching moment)
• Keep the apartment picked up so I don’t have to dread cleaning. Dishes get washed right away. All clothes are in the closet or the hamper; nothing draped over chairs.
• Skip the sugar. This was forced on me after a major (MAJOR) candida outbreak, and I’ve just started to reintroduce limited alcohol and very small amounts of sugar in my tea, but that’s it.
• Pass on optional activities that don’t feel fulfilling. No social outings just because I feel like I “should” and no harboring guilt about my long-neglected blog. Sometimes, the extras just have to fall by the wayside.
• Stay hydrated. Guzzle a big glass of water in the morning, and keep sipping throughout the day.
• Practice a few sun salutations in the morning or after work. (OK, I haven’t been doing this…but I’m adding it to my list in the hopes of starting.)

In two weeks, the hubs and I will lug heavy packs back to the airport once again. It’s time to head back to Seoul for the summer to replenish the coffers after an amazing nine-month stint of traveling and adventuring and getting married and lazing and other such things.

I can’t believe it’s “already” time to go back. There is so much happening in these next two weeks, it’s going to fly by: my brother is graduating from Cornell, one of my best friends from college is getting my married, my fella is turning a year older.

And then there’s all that silly “getting ready to move halfway around the world again” nonsense. Going to my interview for my visa. Buying good shoes for standing all day. Getting some new work pants. Making sure I have the right stuff for a stop over in Thailand to learn how to rock climb in September…should we decide to do that. Wrangling everything into a suitcase (maybe two).

Oh, plus squeezing in last visits with as many people I love as possible.

Oh, and trying to crank through a huge batch of tasks for my super cool new business to get it closer to the hard launch.

Oh, and trying to make sure my health is in a really good place before I launch into the insane hours of summer.

I guess you could say it’s going to be be busy around here for a while. What are your favorite ways to find the Zen when there’s so much going on?

Homecoming, senior year, showing our PENN pride.

Don't want to study? Have an extra pair of crutches lying around? Time to stage a fake brawl and have another roomie document the occasion!

Went to Chinese food with the roommates...and of course we had to take a photo with orange smiles.

I don't remember which party this was, but let me assure you: it was awesome.

With the roommates, decked out in our finery for the senior formal.

...and decked out in our most ridiculous to go as the Spice Girls for Halloween. (I was Posh--can you tell?)

Graduation! Kate & I made it!

Going through these pictures definitely got me even more excited to see everyone this weekend. Even though my college experience had some serious highs and lows, all in all, I remember it quite fondly. I learned a ton–about myself more than books, though I did some serious studying, too–and met some amazing people, many of whom are still in my life. Most of all, though, I think my school was a great fit for me. It allowed me to challenge myself academically when I felt like it, but didn’t make it impossible to have a life, too. The professors were (mostly) patient and generous with their time, and campus had (has!) some great bars and restaurants and arts organizations.

Plus, we have one of the greatest (in my totally unbiased opinion) college traditions of all time. At football games, we sing this song:

Drink a Highball at nightfall
Be good fellows while you may
For tomorrow may bring sorrow
So tonight, lets all be Gay!

Tell the story of Glory
Of Pennsylvania
Drink a highball And be jolly
Here’s a toast to dear old Penn!

Toast zamboni. I know I'm a nerd, but that's stinkin' awesome.

Did you/do you plan to go to your college reunion? Did you enjoy your college years?