A couple weeks ago, Becca from Love Grown Foods granola contacted me about visiting over coffee while the Love Grown crew visits and does some business in Atlanta. I loved the idea and couldn’t wait to meet some of the faces behind a company I believe in and wholeheartedly support. I suggested we visit one of the three Land of 1000 Hills coffee house locations in the metro area.

Land of 1000 Hills serves fabulous coffee that is also fair-trade and focuses on helping build and invest in communities around the world with their coffee business. I couldn’t pick a better place to have coffee with two other individuals who represent a business that cares so much about providing quality to its consumers as well.

I spent a little over an hour yesterday sipping an iced coffee and chatting with Becca and Jason about a wide variety of things – their travels in the Love Grown Foods bus this year, the background of the company, how I got into blogging, my vacation, things to do in and around Atlanta, Makenzie’s antics, and more. I like to think any outsider could see us as a passionate crew as we shared all about our different ventures and interests. Without a doubt, our conversations had me sparked with a good energy and vibe.

For example, the way Love Grown Foods has developed and grown in just around a year amazes me. They went from being offered in one store, to just under 100 stores, to now over 1000 stores across the nation and they’re still spreading like wildfire! Stories like that inspire me that if you put out a good product, the opportunities and rewards will come.

I think that is all any of us can hope to do with any of our goals, hopes, and dreams. We simply must put in the effort to give our best, open ourselves to opportunities, and then trust the process to work out. For me, I strive to share genuinely and honestly here in order to hopefully provide realness and quality to FFF. For my future ventures in personal training and consulting, I will focus on working hard to provide quality training programs/support/etc and I have to trust that will bring positive results for my goal. Even with my fitness endeavors, I can only take each day one at a time and recognize that my choices add up to how I progress. Yesterday emphasized to me that it all boils down to believing in goals, putting in the effort, remaining true to your values, and keeping a kind heart.

Yes, my simple coffee date left me with such detailed thoughts. It also left me with a lot of granola love!

Becca and Jason fed my addiction. So what else was there to do than immediately bust some out for yesterday’s pre-workout green smoothie?

A green smoothie topped with the Simple Oats granola makes perfect pre-workout fuel. And for the record, it’s quite the challenge capturing a photo like above before all the granola sinks. Nevertheless, it got me going for a great strength training workout followed up with sweating it out in a spinning class.

Ahhhh. It felt so good to be back. Now time to make today as good as yesterday. Have a good one, friends!

• Is there a certain company you love for what they stand for?
• Do simple things ever lead to in-depth tangents in your mind?

Before getting into tonight’s post, I need to let #68 - Julie @ Savvy Eats know she won the Physique 57 DVD giveaway! Email me with your shipping address details so I can get your info to Natasha and your workout headed your way. Congrats!

Last week while at the beach, I opened up about my initial body image struggles at hanging out in a bikini for the week. Through expressing those thoughts, I wizened up and felt immediately better. Thank you for your support, because I think having this blog has helped me approach post-vacation with a much healthier mindset.

I enjoyed my vacation. A lot. I did my very best to remain as balanced as possible and I believe I succeeded. I kept up regular activity. I chose healthier meal options for breakfasts, snacks, and most lunches. I didn’t take a “to heck with it, let me gorge myself” mentality like I would have done in the past. I pride myself on those accomplishments. Yes, accomplishments – because I believe we should all pride ourselves on every healthy decision we make for our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls as an accomplishment.

Typically I would return from vacation feeling down on myself. Telling myself that I should have tried harder. Or that I shouldn’t have had that extra margarita. Or that I could have managed some additional workouts this weekend after getting home. No matter how many healthy decisions I accomplished, if I didn’t do “perfectly” it wasn’t enough. In the past, I may have taken a downward spiral upon feeling somewhat bloated from my trip and think I have negated any and all previous progress. Today, however, I feel good. Great, even.

I enjoyed my vacation. End of story. I enjoyed my vacation. I expect that my dietary choices over the course of the trip did add up to slightly more than my body needed. But, who cares? It can come right back off with a week or two of my regular habits. I’m still healthy. I’m still able to work hard at the gym. And now I’m also able to have many fond memories and zero guilt from my time with family at the beach.

Healthy living endures. Healthy living doesn’t halt because of a week with my fair share of frozen yogurt. Healthy living doesn’t negate itself because I decided to live my life by experiencing a quality vacation, including dining out and chilling by the beach. My lifestyle, the fitness goals I hope to achieve, and my “happy place” where I feel best all occur over time.

As the good ole cliché saying goes - “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. The fitness and health I have will last because I stay forged on a path of balanced living. A path that can stroll along the beach while eating some key lime pie and have the steady pace to watch a gorgeous sunrise along the way…while still ending up in the same destination – only happier and more fulfilled.

• What is one of your favorite cliché sayings because it’s just so true?
• How have you seen small, healthy decisions add up over time?