The Fed+Fit Podcast | Nurturing a Healthy Mindset for a Healthy Lifestyle
We’re back with our 18th episode of the Fed+Fit Podcast! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!
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Episode 18 Topics:
- A Busy Life vs. a FULL Life
- Freezer Treats
- Equipment-Free Butt & Thigh Workout
We would LOVE some feedback, so feel free to leave a review in iTunes, comment below, or even give us a shout on social media!
Ep 18: Busy life vs. a FULL life
This is the Fed and Fit podcast starting your week off with motivational thoughts on real food and fun fitness activities with Cassy Joy Garcia and co-host, Charissa Talbot. Remember our disclaimer; the information and opinions shared in this podcast are solely those of any given individual, and not a substitute for medical advice. Here are the ladies.
Today we’re going to talk about the difference between a busy life and a full life, treats you can keep in the freezer, and the no equipment butt and thigh workout.
Topics
1. Updates from Charissa [1:20]
2. Updates from Cassy [8:05]
3. Busy versus full [14:04]
4. Three ways to deal with “busy” [23:47]
5. Three ways to deal with busy negators [33:23]
6. Fed segment: Freezer treats [39:24]
7. Fed segment: Butt and thigh workout [45:41]
Cassy Joy: Good morning Charissa!
Charissa Talbot: Good morning, Cassy! It’s a beautiful day, and it actually is morning. Sometimes we don’t always record in the morning, but we actually are and I’m glad because I’m awake, I’m excited, I’ve had coffee, I’m ready to go.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, totally! This is the time of the day, the birds are chirping.
Charissa Talbot: It’s Saturday morning!
Cassy Joy: {laughs} I’ve got a big morning. But I want to switch things up today; let’s jump into girl talk, and I want you to go first.
1. Updates from Charissa [1:20]
Charissa Talbot: Ok, no problem. I can always talk about lots of stuff. So, right now I’m recording from my brand new place. Granted, I have set up a little chair and an outdoor table because I have no furniture in here yet, but the moving truck is coming later today. But, I have wifi, a laptop, and a place to sit, and coffee. So we’re good to go this morning! {laughs}
Cassy Joy: What more could a girl need.
Charissa Talbot: Exactly! Well, a lot, but let’s not go there. So, a little funny story I’ll get into real quick is, yesterday I took myself to IKEA to buy a brand new bed and bed frame because I got rid of my old mattress. But I figured, I’ll be able to put this together, and then I’ll have somewhere to sleep last night, because last night was the first night I stayed in my new place, even though I didn’t have any of my stuff here. And you know, #singlegirlproblems, complete fail. It’s so funny; you open up the IKEA instructions; this is hilarious. I’m going to have to Instagram this on Monday or something, because I’m on a social detox right now. But you open up the instructions, and there’s the little IKEA dude, he’s kind of like this fat, chubby, happy looking dude, and he’s got a smile on his face and he has someone standing next to him, and he’s got his tools. It’s kind of saying, you need someone. And then it’s got a picture of him all sad and upset by himself.
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: So it’s like, there’s no words. It’s just a picture, and I’m like, I can do this by myself. I’m not going to be the sad guy.
Cassy Joy: {laughing}
Charissa Talbot: No, last night, I tried 3 or 4 times, it kept falling apart, and I realized that you really need another person to hold up the other end, to attach this, and I definitely ended up being the sad one, by myself.
Cassy Joy: Ohhhh!
Charissa Talbot: Like, at 10:30, I finally gave up. I was like, that’s it! So I just unrolled, because the IKEA mattress comes in this tight roll, if you’ve ever bought one.
Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.
Charissa Talbot: So unrolled it, laid it on the floor, and just slept on the mattress on the floor last night. But, yeah, huge, huge single girl fail. But you know, you’ve gotta try. Gotta try.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, that’s a part of the experience, right?
Charissa Talbot: Yes. Yes.
Cassy Joy: Because if everything worked perfectly, then maybe we wouldn’t appreciate it when…
Charissa Talbot: We have help? {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Yeah! Exactly.
Charissa Talbot: Yes, yes. Exactly. So I have some friends coming over to help me unload my U-haul later, and hopefully I can talk one of them into helping me set up my bed as well. {laughs} So, we’ll see.
Cassy Joy: Oh, just blink your big lashes at them, say pretty please. I need a place to sleep.
Charissa Talbot: Please! Ok, other news that’s really exciting is I have a date for my upcoming full No-Cook Paleo eBook.
Cassy Joy: Whoop!
Charissa Talbot: There will be 30+ no-cook paleo plates, we’ll call them. And it will be out no later than August 1st, hopefully sooner, but that’s my target date. So that’s exciting.
Cassy Joy: Excellent.
Charissa Talbot: I’m really excited for that. And PaleoFx, still coming off the PaleoFx high. I slept pretty solid for about 2 days, and then got right into getting ready to move, so definitely a crazy week, but been trying to get my sleep. I’ll be happy to get all of my stuff unpacked so I can get back to my morning meditation, because not doing that the past week with being all over the place and disjointed, I can definitely feel a difference.
Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.
Charissa Talbot: So, excited to get back into that. And the one last piece of exciting news; I’m like taking over girl talk today, I have so much to talk about.
Cassy Joy: No, it’s good.
Charissa Talbot: So when I was at PaleoFx, an interesting thing happened. I had a handful of people come up to me and say, how do I find someone like you for my business? For similar stuff for what I do for Sarah.
Cassy Joy: Uh-huh.
Charissa Talbot: And then I had also a similar number of people come up to me and say, how do I do what you do for a living? So I created a whole new business model that I’m going to be rolling out over the next three months, and I’m also going to be now known as the Paleo Broker.
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: So I’m working on a business model, I’m going to have it similar for the way you would for, I don’t know, I guess real estate. I’m going to have a finder’s fee or a percentage or something like that, and I’m going to; you know, I have this knack for connecting with people, and I have a knack for matching the right people. Because working together can be very difficult if you’re not well matched for each other, just like in a relationship. It’s something that I’ve done for a while on the side, and helped other people out. I just realized this actually could be a business, so we’ll see how it goes.
So far I have 7 people that I’m helping look for people, and I have about 25 people looking for jobs. So we’ll see how this goes. {laughs} It’s a brand new adventure. So, if you have a resume and are interested in working in the paleo community anyway, you can email me at thepaleobroker@gmail.com. And if you are a blogger who is looking for help in any sort of fashion, whether it be for barter or internship or you can actually pay someone, you can also email me what you’re looking for. So, you know, we’re going to see how this goes. It’s pretty exciting. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I think that is an excellent idea. And you know, it’s something that comes really naturally to you, Charissa, and I think those are some of the best businesses, those that stem from real passion, you know. I’m really passionate about…
Charissa Talbot: Yeah, who knew.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, exactly. You don’t know until you know {laughs}, that makes a lot of sense. But you don’t know that it’s going to be something that’s needed and necessary until folks tell you. So that’s great, go get it!
Charissa Talbot: Thank you, thank you. So, what’s going on in the world of Cassy?
2. Updates from Cassy [8:05]
Cassy Joy: {laughs} In the world of Cassy. Well.
Charissa Talbot: Or we should say Gus’ world.
Cassy Joy: Oh, I think he heard you. He just awoke from his mid-morning nap. Things are great.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I’m wearing slightly different ear and microphone piece, so I sound like I’m underwater, or I feel like I sound like I’m underwater. But aside from that, I am sitting on the floor in my future home studio.
Charissa Talbot: Woot, woot!
Cassy Joy: And I’m very excited about it. I could record this call from my real desk in the house, but I wanted to be in this space. So that’s exciting, and I can’t wait. A lot of really great stuff came out of PaleoFx; most of all, you know with spending time with friends and colleagues that I don’t get to see very often, and that’s so refreshing. I felt like I walked away from a friendship spa, you know? Just totally refreshed and excited and really just, I just want everybody I know in the industry to just be successful beyond their wildest dreams, and it’s so fun to sit there and really coach each other a little bit more. So that was great.
I got some other really fun news that will take me a while to unveil, so working on that. And then on the home front, my {laughs} because I don’t know if y’all are curious or not, but we are getting ready in a couple of weeks to have our first little pre-wedding party. We’re having a house warming/engagement party at our house here, and we put this on the calendar because I knew that I would need a deadline to get the house finished decorated. And if we have the deadline, it will happen. Otherwise, if we don’t have something like that to work towards, it will be 4 years later and we finally get around to getting a dining room table. So it’s been a lot of fun putting those last pieces together. The dining room has been the last one, because we didn’t think we wanted a dining room when we were house hunting, but the perfect house had one. And it’s turned out, I think it’s going to be my favorite room in the whole house. I wound up shopping for a metal base we found on Etsy, and then I just went to the granite stone yard and found a slab of marble to put on top of it. So, it’s just going to be super cool and unique.
Charissa Talbot: Wow!
Cassy Joy: It’s just so fun to put stuff like that together, and you wind up saving a lot if you can think about things that way. So that’s been fun. I’ve got some major projects going on right now, and I’m literally, I’ve never been more exhausted than after PaleoFx, and I am too excited to sleep. I am my own worst client, because I find myself working on my computer until way late.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: At least I’ve got flux on my computer.
Charissa Talbot: It’s like I said, coming off that PaleoFx high, and then you get all these other people around you that have ideas for you and feedback, and just from talking to people you get new ideas, and it’s just like this wave you ride for like; I remember last year I think was like a full month of just, whoa! Because new projects and new ideas. And I love how you said, in the beginning of your girl talk about how the best part of PaleoFx is that you want all of your friends to succeed, right?
Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.
Charissa Talbot: And I love that paleo, whether you want to call it paleo or the health and fitness industry or this genre that we dive into. It’s like there’s so much room, and there are so many great ideas and so many different avenues that there’s room for everyone to be successful. I think by supporting each other and helping each other out in any way we can, we all grow from it. There’s just so much room for everybody and I love that at PaleoFx, it’s like everyone kind of just shares all of the information they have. I don’t know, it’s like big warm and fuzzies.
Cassy Joy: It is. It’s a great feeling. I want to reach out to all the listeners here right now, too, whether you have a blog, you’re just starting one, or you’re thinking about starting one. I and I know Charissa does too, whole heartedly encourage you to chase that. Nobody has your voice or your perspective. So if you’re stuck in that mindset of thinking, oh well, it’s kind of all already been done and what unique things would I have to say, how many chicken finger recipes could you get in the world, you know? Kind of squash those thoughts, because nobody can do it like you. And you never know where it can go. So if that’s something in your heart and a passion that you have, please chase that.
I get emails all the time from folks who want advice, to pick my ear, and as often as I possibly can I am so excited to answer those emails and to {laughs} probably give people more than they asked for. But it’s just, please know that I’m here for you in that regard, and I completely support and encourage you. I’m really excited for the entire thing. That’s where, when your heart is invested in the movement, and you’re wanting the world to wake up.
Charissa Talbot: Yes.
Cassy Joy: And realize a new realm of health and wellness founded in this sustainable model. Please, join the team. It’s like we’re building an army kind of thing. Please, please, please. We’re recruiting constantly. So anyways, it’s so exciting.
Charissa Talbot: Yes.
3. Busy versus full [14:04]
Cassy Joy: Ok, I think we should probably jump into the topic today. It’s something that has been, you know, I want to say a burr in my saddle, but it’s not that negative. {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: No, I don’t see it as a negative, but I think it’s a topic that we need to talk about.
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Charissa Talbot: I love that we are talking about this on the podcast, and I think a lot of people will relate to this. I get fired up about this too; but it’s not like its negative, but it’s like, come on people! {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Yeah. I just want to shed a little light on some middle ground and on both sides of the equation.
Charissa Talbot: Love it.
Cassy Joy: So, today we are going to talk about, I guess to put it succinctly, the difference between a busy life and a full life. And what spurred this conversation is busy has really become a buzz word, right? And it evokes different emotions from different people. And some people have a positive response to it, and some people have a really negative response to it, but it’s hardly a neutral response, right? And we get really wrapped up in it, and it becomes, I don’t know, we’ll talk more about that in a second. But I think it’s something worth discussing, especially if you’re somebody who; people, birds of a feather. All of us listening to this podcast, you’re probably, if I had to guess, without actually conducting a survey, you’re probably a little bit type A, you probably have some goals and dreams, and you’re an achiever. And, as achievers, we band together, or we constantly want better and we constantly want to improve ourselves. In that path, we wind up tripping into this world of feeling or looking busy.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: So that’s why I think it’s relevant on today’s Fed and Fit podcast. Bullet point quickly; actually, no, Charissa I’m going to let you take over here. We’ll start chipping away at this {laughs} some of these thoughts.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah so I’m just going to run through, because I don’t know how much time we’re going to have, and I want to make sure we’re going to get through everything. But I’m going to run through the bullet points really quick of stuff we want to cover, and we’ll jump into it. And if we have, we can do a number 2. And there are sirens in the background. Sorry people. {laughs} Ok, so things that we want to talk about today is, is there a way to look busy but not feel busy. Is it a badge of honor or character trait? Love that one. Why feeling busy is a symptom of something wrong. Mm-hmm. Why looking busy is a symptom of absolutely nothing. Amen. And, you have to decided and only you if you’re busy or not.
And I just want to say one thing before I’m going to let Cassy dive into the first big meat of this. This is very relevant; if there are single girls out there, they’ll appreciate this. Probably one of the best pieces of dating advice I got is if a guy says that he’s busy, it doesn’t mean that he has so much going on, it just means that he has other things that are priorities than hanging out with you. And this is true, not only in dating relationships, but in business relationships and personal relationships. We kind of use this word “busy” and I really don’t like it because it’s kind of not the truth. Does that make sense?
Cassy Joy: Totally.
Charissa Talbot: It irks me {laughs}.
Cassy Joy: it’s become a scapegoat. Like one of the points that I typed out that bullet list when I was feeling a little ranty.
Charissa Talbot: Well I love it. I love it.
Cassy Joy: But yeah, back to the piece on, is it a badge of honor or a poor character trait?
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: Folks usually think of it as one or the other. If you follow a lot of business Instagrams, people like that in the business world, they’re out there, they’re hustling, they’re busy, they’re working 20 hours a day 7 days a week, and they say that over and over again. They say, I don’t just work hard, I work smart and hard, and that’s where I’ve achieved so much or I’m able to accomplish so much.
So I feel like that, you see those campaigns out there; stop the glorification of busy, and I feel like it’s speaking to that world. It’s kind of to the unrealistic representation of what people are actually doing. So those folks wear busy as a badge of honor, whether it’s true or not or authentic or not.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: And then what it causes, the reaction is, everybody else out there who’s trying to be really honest about how much they’re “hustling”, they see that as, well if that’s busy then that doesn’t look healthy.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: Busy is not balanced. Busy is bad. And if you feel busy, then like you said, maybe your priorities are out of whack. So it’s either become something that people are really proud of, or something that people are going to smack down.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: I do believe there is a way to look busy and not feel busy, and I’ll talk about that in a little bit. I do believe that feeling busy, if you truly in your heart feel busy, like you’re a little bit overwhelmed, a little bit out of control, then it’s a symptom that something may be amiss.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: It’s a symptom. It’s not, that is your life. It’s a symptom of something else going on in your life. And then if you are looking busy; if everybody else looks at you, and they’re like, dang girl! You are so busy, how do have time to talk on the phone with me? You know, it a symptom of nothing. That’s just their perception.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: Of what’s going on. I get that a lot.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: I know some of my friends and family listen to this podcast, so, I’m not talking about you! {laughing}
Charissa Talbot: {laughs} No, of course not. Of course not.
Cassy Joy: And I’m kind of putting myself out there right now, but it’s because I really feel strongly about this and I think it will help people by using myself as an example.
Charissa Talbot: I just wish we could get rid of the word busy, because I just I don’t like it, I don’t find it productive. When I think, I don’t know, it’s like an annoying, ugh. I don’t know, it just irks me. It irks me.
Cassy Joy: I know. And it’s just, I get that Charissa, but that’s also just a part of the unfortunate negative connotation that we’ve put with it.
Charissa Talbot: No, it’s true.
Cassy Joy: I kind of want to come to busy’s defense, but it’s not busy’s fault. {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: Nu-huh. No.
Cassy Joy: It’s not busy’s fault that people …
Charissa Talbot: No, it’s not the word’s fault!
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Charissa Talbot: It’s what we’ve come to utilize the word as.
Cassy Joy: Totally. Exactly. Like I said before, it’s kind of become that scapegoat.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: I will talk to people, and I am, and it’s something that I’ve realized in my later, more recent years, because people used to accuse me, especially in college and high school when you just don’t know any better. You’re kind of looking to the world to tell you what you are. You know? You operate, you work, you do things, you follow your heart, you chase projects and passions, and then you kind of look to the world to see how they respond to you, and that, in your late teens and early 20s, you kind of look to that to be like, who am I? And the world says, you are X. You are smart. You’re a smarty pants, you know? You do really, really well in school, or you are a social butterfly. And you kind of wear that, whatever cloak people have assigned you. And in high school and college, people assigned me personally with the title, the cloak of a busy person. I’m just always busy, I’m always doing things. And I got so confused by that title, because I was like, well is that a good thing, or a bad thing? I don’t feel busy. I feel like I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.
Charissa Talbot: Right, right.
Cassy Joy: I sleep well, I’m not stressed out, things are great. And there were times in my life where I dialed back how much I did and how much I produced, and I felt terrible when I did it. It didn’t feel like me. So what other people say, if they call you busy, please just know, shout out, it has nothing to do with who you are. You are the only person who decides whether you’re busy or not. That’s a feeling of when something is wrong. But yeah, I get that a lot.
This is kind of a little mini rant, but people will talk to me on the phone, and they’ll be like, I don’t know how you’re going to have time to do all the things that you do, and how are you going to plan a wedding, you’ve got all this stuff going on! Oh my goodness, you’re just so busy! And you just kind of …
Charissa Talbot: I’m productive, dang it!
Cassy Joy: Yeah, you have to smile and shrug it off, and not let it get to you.
Charissa Talbot: Right. Right.
4. Three ways to deal with “busy” [23:47]
Cassy Joy: Anyways, let’s jump into the meat of this.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah, let’s do. So do you want to start with these…
Cassy Joy: Yes.
Charissa Talbot: Oh, this would be good. Ok, so if you feel busy, what are three ways that people can deal with that?
Cassy Joy: Yes, so I’m speaking out to the person who is listening to this that’s like, I get that busy may or may not be real, and it’s nobody’s business, but I feel busy girl. I feel like things are spinning out of control, I am a slave to my to-do list.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: So that’s who we’re talking to right now; and I’ve been there too. I identify. So 3 things that we’re going to do to deal with this; number one, I want you to take out a pen and a paper. And it’s best if you’re actually writing and not typing on a computer. And I want you to write down every single thing that fills up your life. That you think contributes to making you feel busy. And this is everything; I mean taking the dog to the groomer, making the bed in the morning, taking a shower. Shout out to the moms, you know {laughs}, when taking a shower a brushing your teeth is this, oh my gosh, it’s on the to-do list!
Charissa Talbot: {laughs} Yeah.
Cassy Joy: And sometimes it doesn’t get done. Write down absolutely everything, from the big things to the small things. Getting ready for the engagement party, for example, or going out to brunch with the girlfriends because you have a weekly date to do that. Whatever it is, write it all down.
Next, number two, I want you to reread the list and cross off everything that is necessary. So, whether it makes you feel busy or not, if it’s necessary cross it off. Things like that would include washing the dishes, you know. You can’t just say, oh I’m too busy, so I’m going to stop washing the dishes. {laughs} Because the dishes are piling up.
Charissa Talbot: Well, you could, but that could get a little scary. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Yeah, you know, it’s a necessary task. So is maybe occasionally showering. You know, that’s a necessary task. Things like that. And then I also want you to cross off the things that you really enjoy. So think about it. Read the things that are left after you’ve crossed off the things that are necessary, and you’re like, you know what, I love taking my dog for a walk. Or I love dropping my kids off for school in the morning, it gives me such a warm fuzzy feeling, I love being able to watch them walk into the school building. Cross off those things.
And then, number 3, whatever is left, read back through it, and I want you to critically assess the purpose it has in your life. So ask yourself, is X beneficial in a sense that maybe it opens up your dream job. Are you paying some dues, because it helps create something for you in the future? Then that plays a positive purpose and it can stay on the list. Could it be outsourced, if whatever is left? If you decided to leave laundry, doing the laundry is totally a to-do that is busy work, so to speak. Sometimes, whether you think you can afford it or not, if that is the straw that breaks the busy camel’s back, find a way to outsource it. There are ways you can get creative, even if finances are limited.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: Can it be outright eliminated? If something on your list is keeping you feeling busy, if you can just cut it out altogether, then do it. If you’ve got a party coming up, and it has got you feeling so stressed out, and so overwhelmed, and so busy to prepare for it, you know what? I am giving you permission to cancel it. You can say, you know what?
Charissa Talbot: Cassy said you can, you know, so just tell people, if people get upset. Say, Cassy said! {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm. Listen to episode 18 of the Fed and Fit podcast and you’ll know why.
Charissa Talbot: Right, exactly.
Cassy Joy: And if you are coming back to listen to this, because you’re mad at your friend for canceling her party.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Give her a break, yo. So go ahead and eliminate those things. It is ok to do that. And then, another option, if something on your list is a relationship that is necessary but stresses you out, you know. We all have those, we all have relationships, or people in our lives, that are necessary whether it is a relative, a sibling, a parent, a parent in law, whatever it is, if it’s a necessary relationship but it’s causing you to feel busy and overwhelmed, maybe this is an opportunity to call up that person and deal with it. Say, listen, I don’t think you and I have the best relationship. Maybe you don’t want to call it out directly, but you can talk through it.
So outsource wherever possible; house cleaning, laundry, taxes, and then eliminate the things that you can do without, and have a heart to heart with any person whose relationship weighs heavily on you.
Charissa Talbot: Cassy, I just love that, the one at the end, with dealing with stuff. Because sometimes we know there’s a conversation that needs to be had, or an issue that needs to be addressed, and we just kind of let it sit and fester for a while, and I think it makes it even bigger or worse. I think it’s a good lesson, if you have some things like that, definitely sit down and knock them out. Because the fear you have about having that hard conversation is actually much worse than actually having that conversation most of the time. We build stuff up in our heads, and we actually make things way worse than they really are, especially us type As. It just happens!
So most of the time, it’s not that bad. It’s also a good reminder and lesson, and it’s something that I’m really striving for and that I have to remind myself and work for every day. If something bothers me, I need to say it right away, nip it in the bud, because then it doesn’t become this big overwhelming thing, and it’s like, ugh, I’ve got to have that conversation. So, you know, I just love that. I think doing things like that can free you up mentally, and I don’t know, you feel more free, right?
Cassy Joy: Yeah. You don’t feel busy. And that’s what I’m talking about; feeling busy is a symptom of something being amiss. And being amiss meaning that maybe there are some things in your life that are unnecessary. The things that we feel busy about are the things that in our hearts we know they’re wrong, right?
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: We can’t get behind them. My life, for example, is so, the things that I work on that keep me “busy” make me feel so full, and I’m so thrilled to work on them. Right? My relationship with Austin is so fulfilling. The Fed and Fit project is so fulfilling. My secret project that I’ve got coming up, sometime that I’ll announce in the next 6 months, is so fulfilling!
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: And it’s a lot of work, don’t get me wrong. I am working my tail off.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: But none of it feels like work. Taking Gus for a walk, even though he needs it because he’s a Great Pyrenees and they’re roamers, he needs it, of course it’s something to do, it’s on the to do list and it’s necessary, but it doesn’t feel like work because I get to be with him and I get to go for a walk and hang out under the trees and dodge spiders. {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: Yeah. The point is, take the precious time that you have and make sure that you’re not getting lost in “the busy work” and make sure the stuff that you’re doing is stuff that’s enriching your life and stuff that leads you to achieve your goals and your dreams. Because it’s super easy to get caught up in the busy work, and you wake up 6 months later and you realize you haven’t moved 1 inch towards the things in your life that you really want. And it’s hard, and then you feel bad, and you feel guilty, and you go through this cycle, and then maybe you reach out and you’re not eating well, and you’re not exercising, and it all can affect you. And then it becomes this big cycle, right?
Cassy Joy: Right.
Charissa Talbot: So I think it’s such a brilliant topic that we’re talking about today, I’m so glad that we’re talking about it because, yeah.
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Charissa Talbot: We all can get lost in that busy work cycle.
Cassy Joy: Totally! Been there, been there done that. Do not think, again, we say this all the time, but please don’t think we’re being preachy/high-horsey.
Charissa Talbot: Oh no, it’s because we need to hear it for ourselves, too, so that’s why we talk about it. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Totally. It’s like watching a movie that you love; you love it because you relate to it. I love this topic because I relate to it.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah.
Cassy Joy: When busy is something that is something that is possibly worth working on is when you feel busy, so just remember that. I challenge you to tackle those things in your life and make you feel busy, and either give them the boot, or redefine their purpose. You can do it.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah. For sure.
5. Three ways to deal with busy negators [33:23]
Cassy Joy: Ok, you ready for the next piece?
Charissa Talbot: I am. I’m ready for the next piece. So, if people in your life are accusing you of being busy, what are 3 ways you can deal with that?
Cassy Joy: Yes! {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: Or deal with them? You know. How do we deal with them?
Cassy Joy: Yeah. You know, let’s say you’re out there and your life feels so full, right. People are saying you’re busy, but you’re like, gosh, I don’t, there’s nothing wrong. Let’s say you went through that exercise. You wrote all the stuff down, and you’re like, there’s nothing I’m going to cross off. My friendships are important to me, I’m going to spend time to work on that, my business is important to me and it feels amazing. Whatever it is. So let’s say that you realize that you’re not busy, your life is just really full. So how to deal with busy haters. {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Number one, maybe you can help them see the light. A really good phrase to get good at is “my life is so full, and I’m loving every minute of it.” Just get used to saying that. This is going to be a really quick topic, but just get used to saying that over and over again.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah.
Cassy Joy: “My life is so full, and I’m loving it.” Because if you put out positivity, then it will help open their eyes to, wow, she’s doing a lot or he’s doing a lot, but she doesn’t complain.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: She never complains about it. Ok, number 2, this is the same thread, but try to avoid saying things like, I’m so busy.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: You know, if you feed that machine because you feel like it’s something that people can relate to, or saying I’m so busy is almost like making an excuse for how much you have filled up your life, and I don’t accept that excuse anymore, so stop saying it. I’m not saying that we need to delete the word busy, it’s not busy’s fault, like I said before.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs} Poor busy!
Cassy Joy: Poor busy. You know when you say a word so many times, it stops having any meaning? I feel like that’s becoming the word busy.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: But stop, just stop portraying your life as negative. And when you say, “I’m so busy!” it almost becomes across as a complaint, and a negative portrayal of what you’ve got going on. And what you’ve got going on is great!
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: So do not make excuses for it. You can say, “My life is so full!” So great.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: And then number 3, if you don’t feel like shedding the light and saying, my life is so full, and you don’t feel like stop saying, “I’m so busy”, then number 3 is just shrug it off and ignore them, and remind yourself that you know what is right for you, and their accusation, especially if it’s coming from a negative place is, I hate to say this.
Charissa Talbot: It’s true!
Cassy Joy: I’m going to take a mom route here for a second, because its things my mom always said to me. But when they say something negative like that, it’s more of a reflection on them than it is on you.
Charissa Talbot: Amen sista!
Cassy Joy: And it’s kind of like, if people pick on you in school, it’s a reflection on them, not you is the thing my mom used to say. So, maybe, I’m just going to throw this out there, and it’s something that kind of helped me understand that it’s ok to chase all the things that I want to chase when people have a problem with it, and maybe they’re feeling a little insecure about, maybe they want to be doing more. So to make themselves feel better, they attack others who have filled their lives with all these wonderful productive activities. So how I handle those situations, is I love on those people. I just kind of love it out of them.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: And I show them the difference between being busy and full, and help them figure out how they, too, can have this feeling of fullness. You know?
Charissa Talbot: Love it.
Cassy Joy: Maybe you send them to episode 18 of the Fed and Fit podcast {laughs}. You’re like, hey girlfriend, I know you like to hate on busy people, you should totally listen to this podcast.
Charissa Talbot: {laughing}
Cassy Joy: I think you’d really like it. And maybe if they go through the exercise themselves of, am I busy or not, like we talked about a little bit ago, maybe it will be a little beneficial to them, or at least it will help be a really subtle expression of, please stop hating on me because I’m doing really great things and I just need your support and you to tell me that things are awesome.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: Ok. I know we’re running a little bit over, but to summarize, here is what I want for you. And I am official digging that burr out of my saddle with this whole podcast.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs} Get it out, get it out.
Cassy Joy: Every single one of you, whether your feel busy or whether you don’t feel busy and you’re tired of being accused of it. No matter where you’re coming from, what I want for you is to be a person who feels in control. Not helplessly shackled to the tasks that you don’t enjoy. I want you to critically assess what keeps you busy. I want you to trim the fat, outsource, redefine your way into a full life that has you so blissfully happy that you don’t know what to do with yourself. You’re like, oh my gosh, things are so great, someone pinch me! That is a possible way of living.
Some of you are like, oh, whatever she’s had too much coffee. This is really a way to live! It’s really out there. And everything, I want you to get to a point where everything in your life serves a meaningful purpose, or just brings you good old fashioned joy. Driving the car with the windows down and blaring some Katie Perry? {laughs} Which may or may not be something that I do on occasion. That doesn’t necessarily have meaningful purpose, but it brings me just pure fun, you know?
Charissa Talbot: Yeah.
Cassy Joy: So fill your life with the things that are purposeful, or the things that are fun, and that is how you get to the point where it feels really full and not really busy. So, there we go. End rant. Scene. Cut.
6. Fed segment: Freezer treats [39:24]
Charissa Talbot: Mm. Love it, love it, love it. Now, I know we are running over, we’re already at 40 minutes, but I feel like we haven’t given people a Fed and Fit segment in a while.
Cassy Joy: Let’s do it.
Charissa Talbot: So I think we should do it, and if you guys have got to run and do your thing this morning, that’s fine. You can come back and listen, or if you can hang out with us a little longer, we’ll run through this. So, Cassy, what’s on the Fed segment today? Because honestly, I want to do this because I want to hear this {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Oh, {laughs}.
Charissa Talbot: I’m excited about this one.
Cassy Joy: Ok, so I’ve got tricks girl, I’ve got tricks in my back pocket.
Charissa Talbot: I love your tricks.
Cassy Joy: {laughs} So for today’s Fed segment, there’s a lot of tricks to the trade of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, right? There’s a lot of things that people do. I’ve been doing this for 5 years now, and I’ve been healthy and happy, and I’ve sustained this way of living. Some of the ways I’ve done that, we like to highlight here. One of them is, I utilize my freezer big time.
Charissa Talbot: See, I need to hear this from a no-cook perspective. I like the idea of freezing and not heating, so I’m excited.
Cassy Joy: Totally. So today I want to focus on a freezer is a really useful tool in a lot of ways. Of course, you can meal prep and make big things and you can keep them frozen, you can buy in bulk in advance and in season and freeze stuff like. But I kind of want to dial it back and look in a slightly subset of that. I want to talk about freezer treats. Freezer treats are all of the sweet goodies and num-nums, {laughs} because num-nums is a real word in my life.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs} No, it is. It totally is.
Cassy Joy: I’m going to have a chapter in a book one day called “The Num-Nums”. {laughs} This is a big part of my lifestyle, so I’m going to talk about 4 treats that I keep in the freezer. And the reason I like that is because, when you’re wanting a treat or a dessert after a Sunday dinner or whatever it is, you don’t have to whip out all of the bake ware and fire up the oven because that kind of can be a consuming process. So here’s a really easy way to nip that sweet tooth in the bud and go on with your happy self.
So, number one, chocolate chili pecan clusters are one of my absolute favorites. It’s an old Fed and Fit recipe that I posted like 3 years ago, but I reshot it so it had better pictures.
Charissa Talbot: Nice.
Cassy Joy: You can find that on the blog home page. That’s something that you just make them, let them harden in the fridge or freezer, and then you just throw them in a big Ziploc bag and you throw them in the freezer, and you pop them out one at a time when you want one.
Another one, cookies or brownies that are individually wrapped and frozen. This is one of my favorite tricks. I love; you guys, if you write a cookbook, and you send me a copy, there are 2 things guaranteed that I will make from your cookbook.
Charissa Talbot: {laughing}
Cassy Joy: I will make the pizza, if you have a pizza recipe.
Charissa Talbot: Mm-hmm.
Cassy Joy: And I will make the brownie recipe. So, I love making all of my friends’ recipes, and the brownies especially I’ll make a huge batch. Nobody can eat that many brownies, and I don’t always want to share with everybody at the office that I have an office at.
Charissa Talbot: Right.
Cassy Joy: So what I’ll do is I eat whatever ones I want fresh, and then I will whip out the wax paper or whatever you feel good about wrapping something in; saran wrap, I’m not going to hate on you. Wrap up each of those puppies individually and throw them in a Ziploc bag and freeze them, and then when you want let’s say a hot brownie, you pull out one of those, you let it defrost on the counter, you pop it in the microwave. Don’t hate on me for using the microwave. And then you’ve got a fresh baked good.
Charissa Talbot: So, Cassy, I’m going to call you out.
Cassy Joy: What.
Charissa Talbot: What brownie recipe is your favorite?
Cassy Joy: The one I’ve got in my freezer right now is Brittany Angel’s. Because, you guys, I’m totally not kidding, these are things that I use like all the time. Brittany Angel’s Every Last Crumb, her PMS brownies; I die. {laughs} Over those brownies; I have a Rachel Zoe moment over those brownies. And I sprinkled some pecans over them. I made these brownies over 2 months ago, and I’m still enjoying them, so they last a long time.
Another freezer treat, chocolate bark with nuts and fruits, and I like to add a little sea salt on top, because I like that balanced flavor.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: But what I mean by that; melt some chocolate, pour it on some parchment paper, drizzle some nuts or dried fruit and maybe some sea salt on top of it, let it harden in the refrigerator or freezer, and then break it up into shards, and then throw that in a bag. Then you’ve got these little yummy, nummy things you can munch on.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: Lastly frayed up; {laughs} frayed up. Straight up, frozen berries when they’re in season. Austin is not a huge cook, but he loves a deal. {laughs} My fiancé Austin loves a good deal, and he came home one day and he was like, Cassy, do you like blueberries.
Charissa Talbot: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I said, I do. I love blueberries, why? And he said, well good, because I just bought 50 pounds of them! {laughs}
Charissa Talbot: Oh my gosh! {laughing}
Cassy Joy: So he found a deal, in season local blueberries last year, and they wrapped them up into 1 pound bags. They’re washed and they’re just so delicious.
Charissa Talbot: Nice.
Cassy Joy: But we’ll pop those out and enjoy them every once in a while. It’s just a nice little frozen snack or as a dessert.
Charissa Talbot: Nice.
Cassy Joy: Ok, Chili pecan clusters, frozen brownies, chocolate bark, and then frozen berries. Those are my freezer treats.
Charissa Talbot: Love them. Now, normally I don’t jump in on the Fed, but I do have a little something I will add.
Cassy Joy: Let’s hear it.
Charissa Talbot: So, take a banana, peel it, wrap it in tinfoil and freeze it. Then, you take it out, and you eat it like a popsicle, and it is delicious.
Cassy Joy: Yeah!
Charissa Talbot: Simple, easy, and it’s also great for kids. But that’s something I do, and I love it. I love it.
Cassy Joy: Awesome.
7. Fed segment: Butt and thigh workout [45:41]
Charissa Talbot: Yeah, that’s my little no-cook trick there. Ok, let’s bust out the Fit segment, and then we’ll let everyone get on with their Mondays. Today, I’m going to share with you my favorite butt and thigh workout that requires no equipment, but you could add weights to it if you wanted to up the ante, but you don’t need it. And I challenge you guys to do this one 3 times this week if you can. Again, all you need is either a set of stairs, or you could do step ups, if you like.
Sumo squats; sumo squats are also known as plie squats. So you get into a really wide stance, and you angle your feet out, and you go just about parallel, and as you’re coming up from the squat you really want to squeeze your butt and your thighs always the way up, almost if you were holding a quarter in between your cheeks. {laughs} Those, I love how they get into my inner thighs. It’s my favorite.
The second one is the round the world lunges, which we’ve talked about on a prior podcast. That’s where you lunge to the front, then you lunge to the side, so a side lunge, and then you lunge to the back. And then you do the same thing on the other side. Those really get every part of the thigh and butt, which I love.
And then the last part to this little workout is a set of stairs or step ups. So here’s the workout, it’s really simple. It’s 5 rounds, and you’re going to do 16 repetitions. So you’re going to do 16 sumo squats, then you’re going to do the round the world lunges, so you’re just going to do 8 on each side for 16 total, and then you’re going to go find a set of stairs somewhere, and you’re going to up and down the set of stairs 2 times each round. Or if you’re going to do step ups, just double the amount of step ups you’re going to do, so you can do that. And then you’re going to do that, like I said, for 5 rounds. Trust me, you will feel this really nicely in your butt and thighs, and it’s pretty quick to get through. I love this one. It’s a fun one.
Cassy Joy: Sweet! I’m going to do it today.
Charissa Talbot: Yay, me too! Well, I’m going to do a lot of stairs today, because I’m moving into my new place, I’ll be doing a lot of up and down with boxes. So that will be my workout for today, but yeah.
Cassy Joy: That’s totally a workout, don’t you even worry.
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: I’m currently not in my yoga class that goes on right now, so I’m excited about this workout. I’ll definitely do it. Awesome.
Charissa Talbot: And if you want to add weights, you can hold some dumbbells for all of them, or you can do a kettlebell, or if you don’t have weights, you could use jugs of water. That works too. And then just hold those while you’re doing your lunges and your sumo squats. And you can either do one in each hand, or you can just put your hands together and hold one weight or one jug of water, so it works really well.
Cassy Joy: Awesome.
Charissa Talbot: Cool.
Cassy Joy: Sweet.
Charissa Talbot: Yeah!
Cassy Joy: Good one Charissa.
Charissa Talbot: Whoo! We made it! Well, we’re under an hour so that’s good. We went a little long today, but we hope you guys really enjoyed it. And you know, productive.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, I think it was a great show. So give us some feedback; we say this a lot, but we really, really love to have your feedback, and we’re going to keep doing more shows of what you say you like, so let us know what it is that you like. And I think that’s about it!
Charissa Talbot: Yep.
Cassy Joy: Thanks for listening everybody. We will be back again next Monday.
