Tag Archives: body

Growth and Development

What we stop is as important as what we start. 

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We all have outdated practices, old mindsets, and habits that no longer serve us. We tend to default to the familiar, even when that familiar is broken.

One broken practice I often observe is the cycle of complaining about everything and everyone.

Executive coach Marshall Goldsmith found that almost a third of American workers spend 20 hours or more monthly complaining about their bosses or upper management; that doesn’t even include time spent complaining about their peers and other topics.

Based on my anecdotal evidence as a human, but most importantly as a trained educator and HR professional, these same people talk about how they have no time and are busy. 

Imagine the productivity gain of reducing all those complaining hours. 

Imagine the mental and emotional wellness you could restore to your world with negativity reduction.

Complaining only momentarily feels good because it triggers dopamine. Complaining negates the ownership of your behaviors and actions that have helped frame the current situation. Complaining strengthens the blind spots we have about our contribution to the issues surrounding us. 

Stop complaining. Start owning. Take personal responsibility for what you can control. We either passively allow or actively create our environment. 

Your words and actions have power. 

Reflection:

  • What personal and professional behaviors and patterns need to be tweaked to move forward?
  • Whether it’s a person, process, or policy, where do you need to focus energy for successful transformation? What can you control and contribute to for productive, lasting change?
  • What if we stop complaining and blaming circumstances and instead identify how we contribute to outcomes we are frustrated with? 
  • How can we align our actions with desired changes and drive results while managing challenges?
  • Who can help you identify your blind spots and things you have the power to change? Assistance makes us all better. Strategies and alliances can be formed and strengthened. Time can be invested in change-making conversations instead of time wasted.  

A good assessment of where you currently need to focus energy for successful transformation is to pay attention to what you are negatively attuned to.  Pinpoint some needed areas of actionable change and prioritize strengthening your self-awareness.

Your time and productivity ROI from personal and professional development is enormous. 

What if we dont immediately need new processes or systems, but instead first think about what we need to stop and what we need to start?

My personal intersection of mind, body, spirit:

Body side note: I have triggered an old running injury again and I’ve had to stop running temporarily the last couple of weeks, since completing the CLE Hermes 10. I used to try to push through these things, but now I know stopping, assessing, cross training, and doing both rehab and prehab will get me where I want to be quicker!

Mind side note: I am trying to stop searching for perfection because it can lead to paralysis. Excellence and perfection are not the same.

Spirit side note: I am focusing on finishing all things well. God goes before, beside, and behind. God knows the beginning and the end. I need to just lean into His will and His way. My responsibility is just to press toward God’s high calling on my life. His power begins and ends His work in and through me.

Encouragement, Growth and Development, Identity, Inspirational, Uncategorized

HealthFull Living: Create a Life you Love

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Welcome Back to the Blog!

I’m excited to say that HealthFullLiving is at home here now. 

While I have left all of the old, outdated, and somewhat embarrassing souls and sweatband posts up, especially since I still run, walk, adventure, live, laugh, and love, I want to lean in to a more strategic focus.

I have spent the last few years writing, speaking, and sharing through many other mediums, but the time has come to collaborate at this location again. Life moves at the speed of relationships, and I want to connect!

As a coach, faith-led strategist, consultant, concierge, communicator, and curator of stories and information, I envision this space to be a mutually beneficial partnership that helps you and I create and live lives we love—on purpose & with purpose. For me, this involves being a purveyor of Mind, Body, and Spirit.

I have always enjoyed writing and sharing, so my abundant LIFE needs to include that. You can check out my LinkedIN and my Facebook, but HealthFULLliving, as a blog, will combine a growth mindset and lifelong learning posture to coach and coax you into whatever authentic, vulnerable, and transformational path you may desire personally and professionally.

Mission

To inspire and equip individuals to live abundantly by aligning mind, body, and spirit. Through faith, professional wisdom, and purposeful living, Healthfull Living empowers people to grow, lead, and thrive in every area of life—personally, professionally, and spiritually.

Vision

A world where people live fully—grounded in purpose, strengthened by faith, and energized by well-being. Healthfull Living envisions a community of individuals who are strong like a cord of three strands—thriving in their health, leadership, and calling—while making meaningful impact in their homes, workplaces, and communities.

Core Values

Faith-Centered Living
We believe in God’s promises and the power of living on mission. Our faith is the foundation that guides everything we do.

Wholeness
True well-being is found at the intersection of mind, body, and spirit. We cultivate all three to create sustainable, joyful, and abundant living.

Empowerment
Everyone has the power to transform their life. We provide tools, insight, and encouragement to help others step into their potential and walk boldly in purpose.

Authenticity
We lead and share with transparency, integrity, and heart. We honor the full spectrum of life—because people are multidimensional.

Growth
We believe personal growth fuels professional growth. Through learning, coaching, and development, we help people evolve into the best version of themselves.

Community
We were not meant to do life alone. We build bridges, foster belonging, and create safe spaces for others to be seen, heard, and supported.

At Healthfull Living, we believe you weren’t made to just survive—you were made to thrive. To live a life rooted in faith, filled with purpose, and aligned in mind, body, and spirit. Our symbol, the rope of three cords, reminds us that true strength comes from wholeness—and that you are strongest when you live from the inside out.

This is a space where personal growth meets professional purpose. Where we talk about leadership and wellness, faith and focus, family and calling—because life doesn’t fit in a single box, and neither do you.

Whether you’re navigating a career shift, seeking deeper purpose, or simply ready to live more fully, Healthfull Living is here to cheer you on, equip you, and walk alongside you.

Your life exists on purpose and for purpose. Let’s build it—boldly, joyfully, and intentionally.

Together, let’s CREATE and LIVE a life we love.

Who is we?

You may notice that sometimes I use “we” instead of “me”. HealthFULLliving as a brand is an LLC that was started by my husband, Joanthan Buckland, and me, Jessica Buckland. While I will be the primary driver on this blog, you may also see insight from him. He is also available to help you strategize around concepts to strengthen your mind, body, and spirit.

What’s next?

Check out the blog’s About #HealthfullLiving and About Jessica Buckland sections.

Drop a comment here to say hi. Subscribe to blog updates. Share Healthfull Living with your network.

Anecdotal, Encouragement, Fitness, Growth and Development, Identity, Inspirational, Nutrition, Personal, Productivity, Running, Uncategorized

Marathon Musings

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This week began week 7 of the above 18 week Full Marathon Hal Higdon Training Plan. 564 miles of running are virtuously mapped out in this handy and easy to follow guide.

Said mileage is not counting the final 26.2 mile parade/death march/symposium on masochism, in celebration of the hard work, early mornings, chaffing, blisters, endless loads of laundry, and buckets of sweat and tears.  I have been following Hal’s plan for every single 26.2 mile event in which I have ever towed the line and definitely recommend it.

Hal’s stuff is precise, easy to follow, and doesn’t have all kinds of weird pace and tempo calculations thrown in the mix. My brain is always processing, running is my mediation and time away from precision. Essentially, Hal could’ve written “Running for Dummies.” In fact, he may have. (Someone look into this and let me know)

This week, Valentine’s week, week 7 of the Intermediate Level Training Plan is very significant for me. Now that I’m training for marathon #10, my training doesn’t really kick into gear until week 7. My “off” season running patterns consist of 25-30 miles a week with cross and strength training in the mix, so until I jump above that mileage threshold, my training is more mental prep and anticipation than anything.

I am often asked about my routines, practices, and mileage, so I hope to give the inquiring minds a glimpse into what a very average, middle aged, slow long distance runner does to maintain her mediocre paces as the weeks progress.  (That sentence needs read with all the sarcasm in which I wrote it. I actually kick my tail, own my nutrition, and strive for my best, and yet still come up as a solid mid packer. I guess not every long term love story exists in the land of non stop bliss and progress. Sometimes love is grand. Sometimes it’s mediocre. Sometimes people are oddly inspired by normal. I’m banking on this. I want you to read my angry running rants, sappy running love stories, runs that were inspired into sonnets by nature and birds and joy, and those runs which end with my hip cursing me out.)

I had anticipated telling you about the struggles running and I have been having lately with our relationship, but since it’s Valentine’s Day, I want to honor running for the goodness it has done for me and save the honesty, authenticity and bad mouthing for some upcoming posts. While we are never “on again/off again” (There is no off. Maybe that’s my problem. Maybe I’m worn out.), running and I definitely vacillate between engaging in a great sordid love affair, and me playing bitter, angry, and jealous because running seems to dole out the awards and gains I know it has stashed somewhere to other less dedicated people at high rates than it does to me.

Maybe I’m just tired today. Maybe I’m still upset that my husband kept up with me on our pace run Saturday even though he was suffering from some bird flu deal and I, a perfectly healthy specimen, couldn’t even leave him in my dust no matter how hard I tried. Why does he get to snot, cough, and pant his way to a fast finish while I dug deep and pushed hard, only to find him still at my heels? I did have a minor emotional melt down when we hit stop on our Garmin watches, but then I recovered. I can’t break up with running just yet. Passion is a 2 edged sword and you can’t have endorphin highs to the moon without dealing with some demons that creep in and try to convince you to call it quits on occasion.

The true, unadulterated psychotic hold that running has on me exists, in part, because of how hard I work at it sometimes. Can we ever appreciate fully what we don’t have to pour our heart and soul into?

Perhaps, yes, I should revisit what training plans and approaches I use as I endeavor at some point to run the all elusive sub 4 Hour Full marathon, but for now,  the hectic pace of life, work, family, and marathon seasons past is telling me to run for fun in Pittsburgh in may and remember, I don’t have to do this, I get to do this.

A Glance at my Running Week:

Mondays I do the run scheduled for Tuesdays plus strength training/core work
Tuesdays I do the runs scheduled for Wednesdays (medium length)
Wednesdays I cross train plus strength training/core work
Thursdays and Saturdays I do the 2nd medium length run (which is when I squeeze th pace run) and the other day I do the long, slow run and sometimes do a fast finish or mimic race pace towards th end to get used to keeping it up while tired. It depends no my work and life schedule on which I do on which day. Flexibility is the only way to get it done. The training plan is not a legal document, just an excellent guide. Get it in when and how you can.
 Fridays  I do the run scheduled for Thursdays plus strength training/core work
Saturday, see Thursday
Sundays are my “Rest” from fitness day.  I go for a walk before church by myself to pray and prepare, and then often go for another walk in the evening with the dog.

 

 PSA: Dressing in the dark for a 5:30 AM Run and Strength Training Session could result in a deadly mix of color palettes (Although, navy and white on black and purple could be the new trend. Who knows?) . Thankfully, the “lunks” at Planet Fitness are also in a semi sleep deprived state and most likely don’t notice. Also, I don’t want anyone looking at me when I work out. Also, don’t talk to me because the suns not even stinking out yet. Also, I smell. Please breathe my sweaty air and let it keep you away from engaging me in an overly giddy pre-dawn chat session. I’ve come to get the job done so my productivity can kick off, not to make new BFF’s 🙂

 

Anecdotal, Encouragement, Growth and Development, Identity, Inspirational, Personal, Spiritual, Uncategorized

It’s your job

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“Once we believe in ourselves we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.” –e. e. cummings

Last April, on my 36th birthday, I was approached at an event and asked if I was the mother of one of the young ladies that had just presented on the stage.  Because I was well acquainted with the young lady in question, I stood back flabbergasted. Most likely unbeknownst to the interrogator, I had just been questioned as to whether I birthed and raised a 21 year old.

In that moment I was faced with a few choices:

  • I could be extremely offended that this person thought I was old enough to have a 21 year old daughter.
  • I could assume they knew I was only in my 30’s and were wowed and awed by the prowess I displayed as a pubescent mother.
  • I could be insecure about every line and wrinkle on my face. I could hone in on the dark circles under my eyes. I could become self conscious about my appearance. I could accept that I must look solidly middle aged.
  • I could be completely flattered because this young woman was stunning in both her internal and external beauty and characteristics and this person assumed she was with me, thereby making me also stunning.
  • I could know that, in fact, this person saw we both had blonde hair, had been seen in conversation, and did what everyone else on the planet does, lump all blondes together. Aren’t all Caucasian blondes related?  Although, if I had chosen this option as my reaction, couldn’t they have asked if we were sisters? Why jump to the conclusion that I was mom?

To make matters worse, it wasn’t but just a couple of months before this incident that someone approached me and asked if I was pregnant. I’m the thinnest I’ve been ever in my adult life,and this person also knew I was in the middle of training for a marathon. The two components of thinness and fitness rarely a pregnant female make. Flabbergast was the only appropriate response here.

Short story long, I chose to let the comments go. With the simple extension of a hearty laugh and a knowing smile of forgiveness in both scenarios, the slate was wiped clean. We have all put our foot in our mouth at some point and have probably been the one eating crow. Why then, one year later, do these two conversations still stand out to me with such clarity?

What woman doesn’t worry about maintaining her youthful glow and appearance? What woman doesn’t want to present herself as chic and in control? Perhaps these females exist, but I haven’t met any of them yet. Even the most confident of XX chromosome owners have moments of mirror shaming, photo comparing, and skin, hair, clothing, body envy.

While chicks around the world may have some raw nerves and universally agreed upon taboo points of discussion (i.e. never ask a woman her age, her weight, her income, or if she’s pregnant), the job is up to us to do the hard work of knowing ourselves and our true, inherent worth as a human being. Never leave the job up to anyone to tell you who you are or what you look like. External validation and motivation can disappear as quickly as it appears. It is fickle. It is finite. It is based in fashion and fads. However, a true, deep down, internalized system of validation and motivation will keep your head held high and your confidence soaring whether you’re rocking Jimmy Choo’s or slippers.

We, as women, can be our own best asset or our own worst enemy. Do not hand the job of self validation over to anyone else in your life. Your parents, your significant other, your children, your co-workers, your boss, your personal trainer, or the random person you met online in a chat room cannot and should not be expected to butter you up, prop you up, and fill you up. My value and my worth will not be held hostage to opinions, criticisms, the social media commentary, postings, and activities of others, Hollywood, Washington DC, trends, styles,the cultural zeitgeist, or the random woman in a tweety bird t-shirt and leggings at the gas station.

Take the time to get to know yourself. Learn what it is you like about yourself and what areas you need and want to improve in. Take action everyday towards the person that you are becoming and desire to be. No one else can cheer for you or take that action for you.

The journey is your work to do. Be your own kind of beautiful!

Anecdotal, Encouragement, Fitness, Growth and Development, Inspirational, Monday Musings, Nutrition, Personal, Productivity, Running, Uncategorized

Why Monday Matters

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Monday has long been the bane of human existence. If you follow the generally accepted calendar, Monday is day one of the “work week”, and thus the perceived dreaded bearer of bad news. Those who are more optimistic try to convince themselves that Monday has magical fairy powers to motivate the otherwise immobile sacks of human flesh that we all have felt like at some point.

From the Garfield comic strips, which tell a tale of Monday woe, to the the ever present social media memes declaring Monday to be anything from the day for Motivation and fresh starts to the 24 hour time period in which we should all retreat into an apocalyptic style shelter and pray for survival.

Whether you cheer and “rah, rah, rah” on Mondays because this is your week, your time, your chance, your moment to shine, or rather choose to pull your blankets over your head in anxiety ridden sorrow, Monday seems to carry with it a certain mystique.

For better or worse, Monday is not going anywhere anytime soon, and the call to responsibility and action has been sounded from deep within its cavernous expanse. Monday matters because to manage Monday means to manage yourself. To prioritize your time, tasks, and energy on day 1 of the week, means to produce and move forward with the behaviors that become accomplished actions, which in turn result in accomplishment and accolades.

I will be the first to admit that this Monday, February 6, 2017, tried to kick my tail. This Monday truly played its role as the playground bully quite well. You see, this isn’t just any ol’ Monday, it is the Monday after the Super Bowl. When my alarm went off at 5:45 AM, which is actually later than the optimal for me 5:15 AM needed to squeeze things in, I forgot that it was Monday. I actually thought it was Sunday. Once I realized that “Groundhog Day” had already passed (ancient movie reference which makes me seem old, but wise), I was faced with a choice.

  • I could get up, dress up, show up, and never give up, or
  • I could reenter my carb, fat, and sugar induced coma that I justified due to it being Super Bowl Sunday. The good news is that I do not drink alcohol. The bad news is, studies have proven that unhealthy eating, habits, and patterns can knock you for a loop and produce a legitimate state of “hangover”.

I am happy to report that I chose the former. I got my sorry tail out of bed and went about my usual running and strength training routine. I then caffeinated myself, put on business clothes, and went to live out my calling and purpose ( I said I don’t drink alcohol. I never once mentioned my drug habit. If it’s from a bean (coffee) or a leaf (tea) and produces hyper focus and productivity, I’m all about it.)

The moral of this story is that Monday Matters.

  • Monday provides us with 24 hours to make progress on our goals.
  • Monday offers up the balance that need to in order to discover and live out purpose.A drum that plays at random and with no rhythm is a cacophony of noise, not the beat maker and dance director that it was created to be.
  • Monday reminds us that we can’t eat like a 897 pound gorilla and expect to jump out of bed with pep in our step.
  • Monday mentors us into making choices that benefit our future selves, verses always living in the sweet siren call of present self.
  • Monday means we are alive to live another glorious day on this planet.
  • Mondays that require an alarm mean we are either gainfully employed, or have people in our lives that are counting on us to provide diligent care. It reminds us that we are not alone.

So, on this Monday, remember that self-care means living in a way today that will help you thrive tomorrow. If you cast off restraint on the weekends, know that Monday is your personal trainer, chef, guide, assistant, and friend to make sure the entirety of your life doesn’t go off the rails.