February 2025
Every month seems to add a bit of growth. I met someone last month and this month, it’s kinda blown my mind how much fun I’ve had relearning my value. Guilt is a terrible thing and feeling ashamed of my actions led me to a …
Author: Darci Horton
January 2025
… 2025 …Pause. Reflect. Act. I have the choice. Feelings that come and go, are no longer allowed to be the leader of my life.
F*ck 2024
Okay, maybe not fuck it. Was it all bad? Not at all. The year sure ended with a bang for me. Let’s be honest with each other, huh?
Sometimes it takes crap happening to make us realize that change is needed. I’ve been stuck in a loop of terrible behaviors for as long as I can remember. I’ve been trying to heal my abandonment wound with people, and yet I’ve been so afraid of connecting, that I have hurt people I greatly care about. I’ve recently been on the hunt for tools to help me move forward, get out of my shame, and live a newer better lifestyle. THERAPY here I come, time to dig deep, and share what I’m learning because teaching always helps me to hammer it into my thick skull!
What has stemmed this quest for change? Divorce. Was my marriage happy? Perfect? What I truly desired? No. Was it his fault? Was it mine? Yes, and yes. Both of us had our faults, and both of us are desiring to grow. We both care about each other, and we both want to see friendship as a possibility. Right now though, it’s about healing. We all have things that we wish we could sweep under a rug and forget about, but I’m learning that’s not the way. Sometimes that feels more overwhelming than I can even explain, it’s like my whole world has exploded and I can’t see the light to get out of the cave. Is it safe to think in ultimates? No, so I’ll just keep trucking along, focusing on the now, and the things I am in control of. Focusing on making the baby steps that help me to find change.
What am I using for growth?
Youtube, a therapist, self reflection, my psychological astrological profile, books, a hypnotist, chakra work, journaling, positive affirmations, even jokes… How do I know which thing is working? I might not know which contributes, but it all has possibilities for improvement. If it’s the accumulation of things, or even one of those things working, I’m finding joy in the process of learning. That’s enough reward for me.
Favorite YouTube Channels
Psychology Based
- The Healthy Gamer – He is amazing, and easy to listen to.
- This VIDEO has him as guest on another great YouTubers channel.
- Esther Perel – She talks a lot about relationships.
- This VIDEO is the one that led me to her.
- Gabor Mate – He doesn’t have an individual YouTube that I’ve been able to find. This VIDEO is probably one of the most influential ones I’ve watched.
Inspiring
I found The Let Them Theory created by Mel Robbins, and she has been pretty amazing aside from just advice on getting over a breakup. I can’t wait to start listening to the book next. This VIDEO kinda gives the gist of theory, kinda long, but if you have the patience I recommend it. Otherwise, look at her shorts. SO GOOD!
Sleep Hypnosis
I usually type in self love, trauma healing, positive thinking, heal a broken heart, abandonment issues…. along with sleep hypnosis.
Something I’ve learned is that the intention you go to sleep with will set your mind off on a path for your subconscious to follow. I struggle to stay optimistic, and going to bed on a negative, or sadness, helps me stay in that pattern. I’ve started listening to different sleep “hypnosis” videos to sleep. I’m not sure if it is actually contributing, but it doesn’t seem to be hurting.
Positive Affirmations
I try to wake with positive influence. That means NOOOOO social media till I’m out of bed and found joy in my morning. I like listening to positive affirmations while I get ready, but also enjoy them when I’m going to bed.
Current Book
It’s easy to get stuck ruminating on what could have been, or what I should have done differently. That kind of worry doesn’t bring progress. It only brings more sadness and less joy. This book is really helping me to see that life is NOW. It’s the time to focus on because that is what we can work on.
Current Favorite Joke
What better way to heal than finding the funny stuffs?
Why do women fart after they go pee? Because they can’t shake it, so they have to blow dry…
You’re welcome for that.
What’s the right track?!?
Seven years ago I hopped on the “I wanna be a badass” train. I focused heavily on exercise, eating healthy, drinking water, and avoiding just about anything that caused my body harm. Well, last year was a doozy, and for the first time I found …
Cheat Day aka Treat Day Tips
You guys know I’m a sugar junkie. I love it ALL. It’s now holiday food season, and I figured it might be helpful to prepare for all the treats. If I allow myself a cheat/treat day, I tend to behave myself better through out the …
Creatine!!!
A while back, I decided to do a 12 week program focusing on preparing for a pretend physique show because I want to learn. When I learn, I like to share because it helps me remember. I had looked up creatine and many other performance products before and conveniently forgot what I learned. I decided to do a little refreshing of my memory on creatine, and plan to do some digging on BCAAs later. I hope that this post helps you decide whether you want to use creatine as a supplement in your nutrition plan.
Creatine is produced in our body using the amino acids glycine and arginine. You can find glycine in beans, asparagus, and of course spinach, Popeye! Arginine can be found in nuts and seeds, beans, and seaweed. If you are eating meats, you are getting creatine from what the animal produced.
Creatine helps your body generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP, an energy storage and transfer unit) from adenosine diphosophate (ADP, a high energy compound found in cells) to help maintain high intensity exercise for about 10 seconds.
Using creatine in supplement form with a strength building program has shown to increase muscle strength and mass, along with anaerobic performance. Anaerobic activity is an exercise that doesn’t use oxygen as it’s energy source, something with short bursts, like weight lifting or sprints. Studies have shown a 1-2% increase in strength or speed while taking creatine and using the appropriate training. Like any other sports nutrition supplement, you have to put in the work to see the results too. Men tend to see better results with creatine than women. Also, people who aren’t eating meat tend to have a greater response to creatine supplementation.
When taking creatine they recommend that you take a dose of around 20g a day to help build up the supply in your body. After a week of build up, they recommend the dosing to be between 2-5g a day. The first week of taking creatine may cause 4-5 pounds of weight gain. That is the result of water build up in the muscles. After that initial week is when it levels out and you, hopefully, start seeing the results you are aiming for. Taking creatine paired with carbohydrates enhances the uptake of creatine, like pairing iron with vitamin c, they work better together.
It’s not known what the long term side effects of using creatine are. Some people complain of headaches, abdominal cramps, and muscle cramps while using creatine. Taking the regular dose of 2-5g can also result in a urinary concentration 90% higher than normal, which could mean damage to the kidneys if used long term. It is recommended that anyone with kidney problems should take creatine after speaking with a doctor.
After becoming informed, again, I decided to use creatine through my 12 week program. I can’t say that I saw significant results from using the creatine, but it definitely made my bladder more active. Diabetes runs in my family, and due to the possibility of kidney issues, I don’t want to push my luck using it long term, if at all anymore. BUT, you do you boo! <3
Broccoli Cheeze Soup
The rainy season is here, that means it’s time for soup! Featuring my favorite veggie of course. 😉
Everybody was WILDFIRE fighting…
Okay, maybe not everybody is doing it, but I am getting ready to start my first season. To say I’m a little excited is an understatement. It’s going to be REALLY hard work. Long, hot days. I’m going to stink like a sweaty camp sock, …
No Race COVID Blues
Anyone else feel like the hits keep coming? First it was a shut down in March. I handled that because it was warm enough to enjoy outside time, plus there was a perk of extra money on my unemployment. After that being shut down started to get to me. I couldn’t go to the gym. I couldn’t go hiking anymore. I was done. Then we re-opened for the most part.
I enjoyed the summer months, probably not as much as I could have, but it was good. THEN… November hit and the numbers went up and we are shut down… AGAIN!!! Living in the Pacific Northwest where the temps get low and the rain, or fog, seem never ending, has definitely been a downer. Exercise has been a life saver for me because it gives me something to focus on, and there are so many varieties of working out that I can do from home.
My drive to workout lately has been only because I’ve set out to complete 75 Hard, and don’t want to fail. Otherwise, some mornings, I don’t even want to get out of bed. You know what I miss about signing up for races? It’s not the winning, because I’m not that fast. It’s the energy, the motivation to get my booty off the couch and put in the miles. It’s the drive to prepare for something. This is the time of year I usually sign up for races to help with that fire. With all the uncertainty of the times though, I’m not going to sign up for anything.
I know it seems like COVID is never ending and there is no hope. There is though. We’ve got to focus on what we can do. Focus on goals that motivate us, even if it looks different that what has worked in the past.
A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look at the positive side of what I can do. -Chuck Norris
I know not every one is a runner chasing a better mile time. Not everyone is a weight lifter, or crossfit junkie, looking for the next PR. But we all have something in common. Exercise releases endorphins that boost our brain health and help battle depression. So here’s my challenge to you…
Get moving. Do something. Anything. Run. Do burpees. Walk. Stretch. Do body weight exercises. Find an accountability crew to keep you on track. Shout to the world, or you social media crew, what your plan is. AND then, reward yourself for sticking to those plans for the next month. Buy some new running shoes, or a new dress for when we get out of this thing to go out on the town in. Whatever it is that floats your boat, we’ve got this together!
My Vaycay in Turks and Caicos
Before this year, I’d never heard of Turks and Caicos. But I gotta say, I’m glad I was able to go!