“Keepin it real”
If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed my handles have changed. Depending on how familiar you are with my blogging or you found this blog entry, you may also notice you’re reading it on a new site. I didn’t get hacked, both are intentional! I’ve changed the name of my blog and moved to a new site – welcome to Wellness In Real Life.
Still a running girl – with her dog
When I first began blogging a few years ago, I was mostly focused on running – who am I kidding, I still am. But as I continued to write, I realized my life was less about just running and more about striving for wellness. Running just happens to be a major player in my quest for wellness, physical and mental. And that’s not changing any time soon, unless my body just up and falls apart…
So why the name change? I mean, really, “What’s in a name?” Thanks to the Always ‘Like A Girl’ campaign that launched a couple years back, girls’ running groups, and the recent rise of new-age, social media feminism (none of which I’m associated with), my original name, ‘Run Like A Girl’ has taken on a life of its own. It has become almost gimmicky and doesn’t really jive with the reason I originally chose the name – which was, simply, because I’m a girl. So I run like one.
Another common theme in my writing is honesty – no matter how unpleasant, feisty, or, sometimes, gross it may be. Working out, eating right, controlling stress, everything that goes into wellness, it’s not always pretty. Working out takes, well, WORK. Being hungry sucks. Some days, cardio is the worst. And I can’t even imagine the tough days for all you parents out there. All in all, there are times it all just sucks. Bad.
I really, really like food
I’ve never been one to sugarcoat. Pretending I don’t enjoy chocolate and waffles and Cheez-Its? That’s not real. Saying I pop out of bed and go running at 5 a.m. with ease? That’s not real. Taking 100 gym selfies to get one that hits the perfect balance of looking like I’m working out, yet maintaining a perfect ponytail, and flexed butt and biceps? That’s not real.
In short, there’s a lot of fake stuff, bullshit advice, and things that just aren’t realistic in our real lives. Wellness is choices, it’s work, and it’s an ongoing effort.
Yes, I’m all about keepin it real. And I felt a new name would better represent me – what I’m, my writing, and my mission is all about.
So once again, welcome to Wellness In Real Life. I’m still working on the site and fully transitioning, so there are still some hints of ‘Run Like A Girl’ here too – I don’t want to totally confuse everyone who visits just yet. Above all else, it’s still me so I hope you’ll stick around and keep reading.
As always, if you have comments, please leave them below. For questions or other things to say, tweet me, @LindsayIRL. And use the hasthtag #wellirl to share your real-life wellness moments – the grosser, funnier, and real-er, the better.