Sep 11, 2017

Lindsay Goes Wild: The Wilder Way

As much of an introvert as I am, I love sharing my life with others online. I love sharing what it’s like to live a more natural and healthier life, but I want to make sure I’m being real while I do so. I don’t want to sugarcoat anything. I just want to be me, and that means sharing all my struggles, my problems, and mistakes. Like the times when I make the bad decision to eat a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. Is that really a bad decision, though? I’m not so sure. My taste buds say it’s amazing! Regardless, I’m not perfect. What I am is trying. Always trying. Only sometimes more than others.

Therefore, in the interest of keeping it real, I’m going to lay down some personal truths for you all right now.

I am overweight.

I am unhealthy.

And the worst of the worst: I am unhappy.

That’s where the Wilder Way comes in (hopefully!).

Why I'm doing the Wilder Way from Big Girls Do It Running: I am overweight. I am unhealthy. I am unhappy. Something needs to change! What I'm going to do about it. | Hot Pink Crunch

Aug 22, 2017

When The Hustle Is All You Have

Self-care is so difficult because it means halting my hustle.

I always feel like I should be hustling. I always feel like I need to be in GO GO GO mode.

And I can't stop.

I can't stop hustling.

I have to keep going. I have to keep hustling. Without the hustle, I am nothing. I am worthless. | Hot Pink Crunch

Aug 14, 2017

Three Hot Ways to Use Thieves Essential Oil

If you’re just tuning in, the Three Hot Ways series is straight talk, no frills help for the average Betty who wants to live a more natural and healthy life by using essential oils all without breaking the bank or her brains.

Today, we’re going to talk about Three Hot Ways to use Thieves Essential Oil.

Thieves Essential Oil is Young Living’s most popular blend. Read the origin story here! It’s got clove, lemon, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary and smells like Christmas and gingerbread cookies. (Funny, I don’t celebrate Christmas and I can’t eat gingerbread cookies!)

This oil is like a ninja. It’s got so many benefits, so let’s get you using this oil right now!

I didn't know how to start using my Thieves Essential Oil from Young Living at first. This has three easy ways to get started | Hot Pink Crunch

Aug 7, 2017

I Am A Self-Conscious Pill Bug

About a year ago, I moved from the “leggings aren’t pants” party over to the “leggings should be the only pants that ever exist as long as your shirt covers your butt” party.

I like it better here. It’s like wearing pajamas all the time. Only pajamas that suck my gut in because I wear the premium leggings from Torrid (they come in such awesome colors!) and they’re like wearing a girdle. So slenderizing.

There’s only one problem with my love of leggings: I can’t really wear flats very often with them. Instead, I have to wear big, clunky, running shoes because they’re the only thing I can fit my old-ladyish orthotic insoles in, which I absolutely need because I’ve had reconstructive foot surgery on both feet in the last year and I'm not about to go through that again!

Sadly, I have to wear those clunky orthotics with socks.

And I think the entire combination looks ridiculous.



Jul 27, 2017

A Game of Thrones Lesson: People Don't Understand Mental Health Problems

Confession: I do a lot of creative writing for an online, text-based role playing game #nerdalert

A lot of what I write has to do with mental health. I put the main character of my stories through a lot trauma, and then I write my little heart out to get her through the aftermath and the inevitable mental health issues she experiences as a result: PTSD, anxiety, depression, self-harm, thoughts of suicide. I like to explore these issues because it helps me better understand them.

Unfortunately, sometimes people don’t get what I’m writing. They don’t read my attempts at portraying mental health issues for what they are. Instead, they see my character behaving a certain way and label it as unnecessary drama, selfishness, or her feeling sorry for herself.

And it’s super disheartening.

It’s made me want to give up trying more than once.

People simply do not get it. They don’t understand mental health problems. Maybe they don’t want to. Or maybe they just can’t. | Hot Pink Crunch


Jul 20, 2017

Introducing Two Series: Simple Swaps and Three Hot Ways

Let’s not sugar coat the truth here (especially since delicious sugar is so soooo evil): Trying to live a healthier and more natural life can be extremely hard and overwhelming.

Where do I start? How do I start? Do I just throw everything out all at once? (I did that with my hair products and then freaked out after!) Is everything going to give me cancer? How do I keep up my momentum once I start? How can I afford this? Where do I find good products? Where do I find reliable information? Is butter good for me or bad for me? I can’t throw out my hair gel!

Jul 17, 2017

Being Healthy Needs To Be Easy

Being healthy needs to be easy.

I seriously do not have the energy for anything complicated.

I don’t have the energy to whip up complicated DIYs so I can avoid all the chemicals lurking in our personal care products or even the easy ones sometimes. I don’t have the energy to spend ten hours at the gym to get fit. I don’t have the energy to come home after work to create elaborate and healthful meals. I don’t have the energy to make my own green cleaning products and then use them to clean.

I just don’t have the energy.

Being Healthy Needs To Be Easy | Hot Pink Crunch

Jul 13, 2017

Coming Unglued

I have a confession to make.

Hot Pink Crunch has been a big hot mess for the last year.

When I wrote about anxiety back in July 2016, I thought I knew what I was talking about. I thought I really knew anxiety. And maybe I did.

But it got much much worse.

Coming Unglued: What Anxiety Feels Like | Hot Pink Crunch

Jul 10, 2017

It's Scary To Stop Thinking And Start Acting

I’m sitting here right now overthinking this.

This stuff I am writing.

I really want to wait another month (or year… no no, better make it two years) before I start putting my words out into the world wide web again because I am anxious about this thing I am doing. About writing. About putting my thoughts and feelings out there for other people to see.

So true! It's so scary to stop overthinking sometimes and just DO something #anxiety | Hot Pink Crunch

Sep 5, 2016

Chocolate Ba-Nutter Smoothie

“And you should drink a smoothie every morning for breakfast.”

Suddenly, I felt like Brian Regan when he was facing his doctor: “And no more happiness!”

I was sitting across from my naturopath doctor, listening to my doom. I was already going to have to stop eating pancakes, toast with avocado and crumbled bacon (or toast with nutella and bananas--yum!), and every cereal ever made aside from Cheerios for breakfast because I needed to go gluten free. Now he wanted me to replace all that deliciousness with smoothies?

YUCK!

My first experiences with smoothies a few years ago were not so great. The chunks of blueberry skin made me gag. The ground flax made me gag. The chemical aftertaste and grittiness of protein powder made me gag.

Do you see the pattern here? Smoothies made me gag!
Chocolate Banana Peanut Butter Protein Smoothie Recipe | Hot Pink Crunch