3 Year Blogiversary Recap: Feedback + Giveaway Winners!

Oh wow. I just finished re-reading all of your comments on my 3 Year Anniversary post and my heart is full. And so is my head--with all of your fabulous ideas and feedback!

Thus, I wanted to take today to recap some of the comments that I received and let you know how I'm going to incorporate your ideas into the blog...

-Healthy eating/mindful eating/recipes: A few of you mentioned that you would love to see more healthy food-related posts on the blog, and I TOTALLY get it--and agree! However, since I am not a cook (I'm more of a sous chef--I prepare lots of salads and chop lots of veggies for Ben to cook!), I've decided to open this up to my fabulous community of readers, who probably have MANY more wonderful recipe ideas to share than I could ever imagine. So, I'm introducing a new bi-monthly column--READER RECIPES! See the next bullet point for more info...

• Call for healthy recipes: I need your help! Do you have a favorite healthy recipe that you would like to share with my readers? Something quick + easy that you don't have to be a Master Chef to prepare? If so, please send it my way! To submit your recipe, email me the ingredients and directions with at least 1 picture of the cooking process/final product (more pics welcome/encouraged!). When I post your recipe I will also share your name and and links to your personal blog/website/social media accounts, so that you guys can get to know each other! I hope to start this column the week of March 24th, so send me those recipes ASAP! Thx ;) 

-Mini sequences/class videos: You guys want more videos that include mini-sequences that you can do at home! Consider it done. This week's Mat Matters will be a 15-minute hip-opening sequence (my fave), and I'll start working on putting together a few more short sequences and maybe even a 30-min "class" of sorts in the very near future. Stay tuned!

• You guys also had some other great Mat Matters ideas, including: Handstand away from the wall, covering additional transitions from one pose to another, pranayama, and some episodes geared more towards teachers. I have added all of these topics to my list and will definitely try to get to them over the next couple of months!

-Sayde Sundays: A couple of you sent me messages and/or emails saying that you love this idea. Sayde is very flattered and really wants to be featured, so I've decided to use Tara's idea (thanks, Tara!) and do a Sayde Sunday post once per month--on the second Sunday of the month. Keep an eye out for the first "Sayde Sunday" in April! 

-Being a "Stalker" revisited: Basically, almost all of you included some sort of comment about feeling like a stalker. STOP IT! I said it in my post and I'll say it again--I blog in hopes that people will read it and that it will inspire them in some way (or make them smile, laugh, learn something new, etc.), so you're basically just doing what I've asked you to do!!  Now no more stalker talk. 

-Ben will tackle this one: "I would love a post about kettlebells, either how to use them correctly or ideas for incorporating them into a workout routine."  We have kettlebells all over our house (literally, I can see one from where I'm sitting in the living room right now), and Ben knows A LOT about how to use them. Stay tuned for a Malebox about kettlebells shortly...

-New series entitled "The Reality of Doing What You Love:" Starting tomorrow, I'm going to be doing a 3-part series on the nitty gritty side of "doing what you love and loving what you do." This was inspired by Andrea's question: "I think it would be fun to learn more about your 'career' - a semi-regular column on doing what you love, how to make it happen, and how to sustain that lifestyle (realistic things like budgets, how you live, etc.)."  This is a great idea and I hope that by sharing more info about the not-so-glamorous side of working for yourself, I will be able to help you in your own career decision-making process! 

-Other fabulous post ideas that you'll see me responding to over the next couple of months: 

• I frequently have aches and pains from the repetitive nature of yoga- I was wondering if you could speak to that in one of your blog posts?
• I'd love to see you continue to share your personal essays (maybe a semi regular column?). 
• I would love if you write something about everyday yoga for office workers and everyday meditation.
• Recommendations for earth-friendly, multi-functional, budget-friendly beauty products?

-Dog years notation: I mentioned in my post that 3 human years is 28 years in Sayde years/dog years. Did this confuse you because of the common belief that 1 human year = 7 dog years? If so, check out this handy dandy dog years chart--which is where I got 28 years from--and which breaks down dog years by your dog's size. Little dogs = more than 7 dog years per 1 human year. FYI ;) 

-Oh, and this is one of my favorite comments: "Can we get more dating advice from a guy that hasn't been single in 10 years and has never approached a woman in her 20s??"

Bahahaha! Written by one of Ben's friends, but hilarious nonetheless ;) If you don't know what he's referencing, check out this Malebox video. 

Also, please note that although I didn't have the time to respond to all of your comments on the blog, I read every single one and my gratitude cup runeth over (if I haven't already made that clear). However, if you asked a question or gave some feedback in your comment and you don't see it addressed in this post, check your comment on the original blog post, as I may have responded with a link or some tips ;) 

That being said...our giveaway winners are...drumroll please...commenter #41 and commenter #51...Kelly M. and Tracy Y.! Ladies, check your inboxes for all of the details about "claiming" your prizes ;) 

Have a wonderful week, readers, and THANK YOU for starting your Monday off with me!