Real Life

Wow, it has been a long time since I have posted anything on here. Life has been busy, and blogging hasn't been high on my priority list...which actually, is a probably a good thing. While I enjoy the time spent processing, writing, and sharing ideas online- sometimes it is nice to just enjoy real life without constantly connecting it to the internet.

Sometimes it scares me to think about how much time I spend in front of a screen. Between my phone, my computer, and my television, I spend a significant amount of my day engaged in technology.  The worst part is, in some ways it is like I've trained my brain to think that I need to do those things in order to relax, feel connected to others, and maybe even feel happy. That is what worries me the most.

It's not always a bad thing. In fact, there are some really great things that come from technology. And sometimes it really is nice to just come home from a long day at work and turn on Netflix so I don't have to think about anything for awhile. But I think the problem for me is that when I turn to the internet or TV in a moment of relaxation, it can so easily become hours of idleness. When that happens, I always feel worse than when I sat down to take a break. I never feel recharged or re-energized.

I think one reason for that is that the kind of moments that give meaning to our lives and fill us with positive energy and emotions don't happen in front of a screen. Sure, watching an uplifting or funny TV show or winning a game on our phone can temporarily engage us in good thoughts and emotions. But that is not the kind of happiness that lasts. Real happiness and real love is found in real life moments. Along those same lines, getting 30 likes for a shared photo on Facebook can also bring a temporary feeling of worth and validation. But real confidence and self-worth doesn't come from what others like or recognize on the internet. It comes from real experiences with healthy relationships as we love and accept ourselves and others.

I've decided to end of this year on a better note and to make the holiday season more special and meaningful, by using my time differently. I want to spend more of my time in real life moments of healthiness, happiness, and love. Instead of watching Netflix when I have alone time at home, I could watch conference talks, read, cook, clean, exercise or create something. Instead of constantly trying to keep up with other people on the internet, I could actually talk to someone in person, serve someone, or do something active. It might be difficult to take a small step back from technology in this world, but I believe that it can be really beneficial, because I don't think we can find true happiness on a screen.

You Are Not Hungry.

Let me begin by saying that I am an advocate for food. I love eating. I especially love eating treats.

However, since this is a health blog, I feel like eating healthy is supposed to be good.

We, as Americans, have this nasty habit of eating food ALL THE TIME. Eat when we watch TV, eat when we do homework, eat when we do laundry... basically, we can't just do one thing at a time. We always have to do something and also eat. A party isn't a party without the food, right?

Like I said, I love food. I'll just reiterate that.

However, I saw something today that really made me laugh.

Whenever I don't have anything to do, my first instinct is always to eat. Always. I go look in my pantry for snacks, or my freezer for treats, or my fridge for milk. But most of the time, I'm not actually hungry. Eating excessively is a big part of the reason why we, as Americans, have a reputation for being obese.

I propose a solution. You don't have to cut out your snacking habits--you just have to buy more healthy snacks. Obviously, not too healthy, or you might go insane. But instead of a candybar after class (or work), eat a bowl of lightly salted popcorn or some grapes. Don't buy a lot of the candy, or you will eat it. (That's something I had to learn the hard way.)

As an added bonus, you probably won't get sighs from your dentist anymore. Two reputations saved with one simple lifestyle change.

Can I Give 1%?

Did you know that 15 minutes is 1% of your day. 

I am most happy when I study the teachings of Jesus Christ. I am most happy when I take time to study the scriptures. Living a healthy life is also living a healthy spiritual life. 

I was thinking we have been asked to study the scriptures everyday. Then during one of my group scripture studies someone pointed out to me that 15 minutes of scripture is only 1% of your day. Is it that hard to give 1% of your day to the Lord? 

Then it got me thinking can't I give more than 1% of my time to serving, or teaching, or learning about Jesus Christ and his gospel? I began thinking about tithing and how we pay 10% of what we earn to the Lord and his church, wouldn't it seem like we should at least be giving 10% of our time to the Savior, so we can be instruments for him to bring people to the gospel? 

10% of your day is 144 minutes thats 2 hours and 24 min. I am not saying that this time should just be studying the scriptures, but if we get so busy in our lives that we can't give the Lord, who gave us everything he had, 10% of what he has already given us, shouldn't we filter out some of the less productive things in our life to make us happier by giving back to our Savior? If 10% seems like too much at least strive to make time for 1% of your day to get to know our Savior better. Can you give 1%?

I Love...

This past week my cousin came home from serving an LDS mission. He started his talk off stating he was not blessed with public speaking, the very next words were "But I love Jesus Christ". It was instantly then the entire congregation became silent and his entire talk was his testimony. He battles with Asbergers Disease. Yet the Atonement allowed him to serve a mission, and for him to bring people to the gospel. 

Also this past week I was able to go to my friend's Baptism. This child of God, was someone I would have never expected to accept the teachings of the LDS faith, yet he did.

 These two experiences taught me a lot about love. Yes I know, how did a baptism and a homecoming teach me about love? Well, I believe that when we LOVE Jesus Christ he will fill in all the spaces missing in our life. 

Imagine the kind of love that performs miracles. The kind of love that accepts everyone. The kind of love that is within all of us. This kind of love is the pure love of Christ. I have been thinking a lot about charity lately and how I can acquire more of it in my life. I realized that to have more love for other people you need to love Jesus Christ more deeply. My cousin's mission president had a theme for their mission and it said:

 " Obedience is the Price. 

Faith is the Power.

 Love is the Motive. 

The Spirit is the Key. 

Christ is the Reason."

I have realized that being obedient is a great way to start, Faith is the way to act. Love is the way to move forward. The Spirit tells you the direction. And Jesus Christ is the person that makes everything possible. 

The pure love of Christ not only allows us the use His power but to become like Him more than we could ever imagine. His power is Happiness. His power is Love.

Turn on the Light

Over the summer, I picked up this book at the library:

It is a book with daily tidbits of inspiration and suggestions 

that stem from one woman's journey to find peace and happiness in her life.

I didn't read it cover to cover,

but I did find many ideas that were meaningful to me.

 I especially love this excerpt about accessing spiritual light in our lives.

"Making the absolute best of ourselves is not an easy task. It is a pleasurable pursuit, it is the reason we were born, but it requires patience, persistence, and perseverance. For many of us it also requires prayer. That's because we find it far easier to learn to live by our own lights when we access a Higher Source of Power to illuminate our path. The filmmaker and writer Julia Cameron calls this switching on "spiritual electricity" that transcends our own limitations.

"In my own journey I have found this to be very true. Usually I limited the times I requested that the Power be turned on to the occasions when I was appearing in public: giving workshops, lecturing, holding business meetings. Then it occurred to me that this was like living in a house with electricity but turning on the lights only for a couple of hours every few months. And I wondered why I was frequently bumping into obstacles. So I started to ask for the Power to be switched on in my daily life: as a mother, a wife, a writer, and a friend. When I asked, it was turned on. When I didn't, I stayed in the dark. You don't have to be a master electrician to understand what's going on here: someone has to turn on the switch. Asking is the way of activating spiritual electricity. When there is Light we see remarkably well. We see with clarity. And what we can see if we look deep within is that the authentic self is the Soul made visible.

"Do not try to remake yourself into something you're not. Just try making the best of what God made. The sacred art and craft of nurturing our souls and the souls of those we love is Simple Abundance soulcraft. Begin today by turning on the Light.
(February 4: The Authentic Self is the Soul Made Visible)

Sometimes it can be hard to see things clearly. 

Sometimes when we look at others or our experiences or even ourselves,

we are looking in the dark.

We see only the negative things, the failings, the weaknesses.

We see only how things are hurting or inconveniencing us.

We see only our mistakes and disappointments.

I believe that turning on spiritual light in our lives

can help us to see things as they really are.

We can see the good in others and in our experiences,

even if they are painful or challenging.

But most importantly,

we can see who we really are.

We can see and understand the worth in ourselves

and that can give us the power to do both simple and hard things.

Think Positive.

So, my roommate is a psychology major. She also loves to talk about psychology, and today she talked about the psychology of self-control. Whilst spouting off jargon and other stuff I don't really know about (she knows A LOT about psychology), she said a particular something I didn't know before that pertains to the general welfare and healthiness of the body.

Did you know that exerting self-control is physically taxing? Controlling urges and breaking habits not only puts a strain on your mind, oh no. It physically drains your body as if you were doing physical labor. 

So what does this mean? For me, it means that resisting the urge to put another handful of cheese in my chili is much harder than I thought.

I mean, think about. Have you ever thought about why it's so hard to break bad habits? Have you ever thought about why it's so hard to only have one scoop of ice-cream, or indulge in a bowl of fruit instead of a piece of raspberry cheesecake? How about why it's like you feel more tired just thinking about going to the gym?

Everyone in the whole world and their mothers are creatures of habit. Our bodies like to do what they've been doing, and they definitely don't like to change. It's our minds that change that. It's our minds that make our body do what we want.

However, in order to get your body to do what you want, you need more energy.

Sleep, a balanced diet, a healthy routine... once you are in the habit, it's all you want to do. But once you break the habit, it just makes you tired thinking about it. And now you know why.

In order to want to be healthy, you have to actually be healthy. Novel concept, right? Perhaps it will give you that much more motivation knowing that once you start, it's a scientific fact that you won't want to stop.

finding a purpose

It amazes me how the world molds and shapes our minds to believe that we have to look a certain way, dress a certain way, weigh a certain weight, live in a certain kind of home, drive a certain kind of car, and work our way towards a certain career so to speak in order to be somebody. In order to be "ideal".  In order to be of worth. 

I truly believe that in order to be in a healthy, happy state, we need to push aside the worldly views and appreciate who we are as individuals.  We are all different, and all of great worth. There is no "ideal" person.  That is the beauty of this world.  There has never been one individual exactly alike.  Ever.  And I believe that it is not a coincidence.

It is important to live up to your best self and be happy with it.  Living up to your best self does not include molding yourself to be what the world says you should be.  And as hard as it is to push that aside, the already skewed perspective,  the more you do it,  the more you realize who you are and what your great purpose is. When we have purpose, it is amazing what one individual can accomplish. 

Finding your purpose is the first step to a happier, healthy life.  I found my purpose here.  A divine purpose that has provided me with happiness that has never left me, and I believe never will.  They say to find joy in the journey, but I heard someone else say that the journey is the reward.  

I Will Do It

In a recent church meeting, one of the speakers relayed this quote that really hit home for me:

"Excuses are a lack of stronger desire."

It can be so easy to find an excuse to justify what we do - or do not - do.
 I think this is especially true when it comes to making healthy changes in our lives.
At least it is for me.
I am really good at making excuses.

So maybe a way to move from the "I want to do it" step to the "I will do it" step
has to do with our level of desire.
If our desire isn't strong enough,
we will find every reason not to get where we say we want to be.

How do we increase our desire?
Honestly...I don't really know.
Obviously it's something I am still working on.
 

But I think it has something to do with our priorities. 

If our priority is to be healthy and exercise,
then we will find a way to do it no matter how tired or busy we feel.

 I also think it has to do with our hearts.
In order to make healthy changes, our heart has to be in it.
Our motives for making the changes need to be aligned with our heart.
I believe our desire will be strongest when it comes from

our sense of identity and self worth,

as opposed to trying to please or impress others.

 

Just something to think about...

Healthy Habits: Breakfast

So, I will be honest here. Since I started going back to work about a month ago, 

I have been struggling with my first healthy habit goal.  

But this week is a new week, 

and I've decided to start trying to develop my morning habits once again. 

In addition in my goal to do some "wake-up" exercises, 

I am adding another healthy habit to the mix.

Eating breakfast.

While this might sound like a silly goal to those people 

who can't imagine starting their day without eating breakfast, 

this is something I've struggled with my whole life.

I don't usually have much of an appetite in the morning,

and a few extra minutes of sleep are almost always worth more to me than eating something. 

But there is a lot of research and information about there about why breakfast is important. 

(Just google "why eat breakfast?")

So I've been trying to eat something in the morning, even if it is something small:

green smoothies, yogurt, a banana, or even the traditional bowl of cereal. 

 Just like doing a little bit of exercising,

I have found that eating something gives me a little extra energy boost.

And as a Kindergarten teacher,

that is something I could use every single day.

Like What You Love.

So, I follow Emma Watson on Facebook.
I know, I have fallen into the trap of celebrity stalker, but don't judge me. Emma Watson is so cool.

But I digress.

I follow Emma Watson on Facebook, and she (or one of the many people who work for her) posted this quote:

Don't feel stupid if you don't like what everybody else pretends to love.

We've talked a lot about loving yourself. Well, a big part of loving yourself is liking what you love. 

Let me explain. 

It's so easy to get caught up in trends. We listen to the cool music because it's on the radio. We buy the cool clothes because the models wear them. We want the cool phone because the cool people have it. For some strange reason, we (as human beings) have come to the conclusion that if we act like everyone else we deem as "popular", we will become like those people. Known, liked, imitated. 

People spend their whole lives doing things they hate because they think it makes them cool. 

Can I tell you a not-so-secret? It's not cool to hate yourself. If you're ashamed of something you like because it's a bit nerdy, don't be. Honestly, everyone has their nerdy little secrets. It's also not cool to act like someone else when you don't actually like the things they're doing. 

Smoking? Not cool. 

Drugs? Not cool. 

Obviously. 

But even silly little things like music, TV shows, books, fashion styles... sometimes, we're afraid to say we don't like them because they're so popular. Who cares if you don't like The Hunger Games? Who cares if you don't like The Office? Who cares if you don't wear colored jeans? Who cares if you don't like Mumford & Sons or Inception? I don't.

The best person you can be is you. The best thing you can do is find out who you are. Like what you love, recognize what you don't, and love yourself. There's no healthier way of living.

Mini Bell Peppers

This summer I discovered that mini bell peppers are actually a really yummy healthy snack. In college I have been craving them and thought I would share my experience with them.

They are sweeter than carrots. I usually like to eat them with ranch but any vegetable dip tastes good too. It sounds really weird but they taste really good. If you try it sometime I hope you're not disappointed, but try it with an open mind. 

The Happiness Advantage

Sometimes being happy is a matter of changing the way we look at the world. 

I love this message from Shawn Anchor 

about the advantages of choosing the see the world

in a positive and happy way.

Listen for his suggestions at the end for proven ways

 to train your brain to think more positively! 

It's like creating a healthy habit, for your brain.

 

I, for one, am going to try it out.

Actively Engaged in Your Own Life.

I think that getting into shape is kind of daunting for some people. The thought of going to the gym for an hour every day can almost be painful.

Going to the gym isn't for everyone, but that's not the only way to be healthy. Even working out isn't the only way to be healthy. Yeah, if you want muscle tone and stuff like that, you probably need to go to the gym. But in order to feel good, you really just need to move. Get up. Walk around. Be engaged in something other than sitting.

ac·tive/ˈaktiv/

Adjective:	(of a person) Engaging or ready to engage in physically energetic pursuits.
Noun:	An active form of a verb.
Synonyms:	lively - live - brisk - energetic - operative

Physically energetic pursuits aren't only running or weight lifting. It's all about choices--how you choose to live your life. Instead of spending your whole weekend on the couch, choose to do something different. Engage your mind, engage your body.

A few days ago, my boyfriend and I went on a group date with my sisters and their husbands. We went to dinner, walked around downtown a little bit, and then went to a park so my nephew could play. While we were there, all of us started playing on the playground, and it was honestly pretty fun. Monkey bars, cargo nets, weird spinny things... all that good stuff. I wasn't sweating after, I didn't feel like I was exercising, but I felt good. I felt active. I was choosing to play instead of just watching my nephew, and that made all the difference. 

It wasn't only that my body was active, my mind was active as well. I was focused on not falling off of the monkey bars. I was focused on not slipping from the rock wall. Being actively engaged with your mind is just as important as with your body. Sometimes, pick one. Sometimes, pick both. Just choose to do something. Make a decision, and then follow through on your decision. By not choosing to make a decision, you are choosing to not be engaged in your own life. That's when you start to feel like you're not worth it. 

Walk around the block, take the stairs, do some cleaning, have a dance party, play basketball with the neighbor kids, have a game night, bake some muffins, go to the Farmer's Market, run through the sprinklers, fly a kite, throw some rocks at the annoying birds in your yard. Then, after you've had some fun, rest. Recuperate. And get ready to be active again tomorrow. 

I promise, once you start making a conscious effort to be actively engaged in your life, there's no going back. 

Green Smoothies

I am a fan of green smoothies. 

I love how natural and wholesome they taste.

No sugar. No grease. They just feel good.

Click the link for this picture to see a video that helped me to get started 

when I first wanted to try making green smoothies.

Source: KSL.com

I have experimented with different ingredients to find tastes that work for me. 

The key is to add fruits that sweeten up the taste naturally.

I especially love to use spinach with bananas, apples, grapes, or pears.

Go green!

Poison of Good Relations.

I know this blog is about healthiness and happiness. I also know that my sisters and I have talked about choosing happiness. I'm not trying to beat a dead horse, but I have a bit more to say on the subject.

For me, a big part of growing up has been learning when I'm wrong, learning that I can be wrong and right at the same time, learning that anger achieves nothing save for heartache and misery. I took this personality test a few months ago. It puts you into one of sixteen categories, and mine just happened to be the most rare. (Heh.) As I was reading about my supposed self, some of the things I read actually rang true. For example:

Because the INFJ has such strong intuitive capabilities, they trust their own instincts above all else. This may result in an INFJ stubborness and tendency to ignore other people's opinions. They believe that they're right.

I'm a very logical person. When I know something to be true, I have the hardest time accepting any other opinion. If you don't believe me, my sisters would be more than willing to back me up. As a result, getting into a fight with me can be quite dicey.

I went to a party a few weeks ago, and I was talking to one of my friends about his ex. He said that, when they got into fights, it was like she thought she was on Gossip Girl. She would say some snarky comeback, aimed to hurt, and then walk away in a huff. I think that, with girls especially, the lure of getting the last word in an argument is great. At least, it is for me.

I used to think that if I just yelled enough, or if I proved someone wrong enough times, I would come out victorious. But do you know what? It never made me happy. Ever. After fights like that, whether it was with friends, my boyfriend, or my mom, I always ended feeling even more hurt and angry. In addition to that, I felt awful because I knew I hurt someone else. And it's not like they were in any hurry to talk to me after I'd so carefully planned their demise in the argument. And I wasn't any better. After all, I was the one who yelled and then walked away.

Life is not like Gossip Girl. Problems are not solved by hurting each other's feelings. Problems are solved by talking. Communicating. Listening. Even though it's so tempting to hurt someone who hurt you, don't do it. Odds are, they didn't mean to hurt you. Odds are, they're just as hurt as you are.

I'm here to tell you that I've both fought angrily and communicated calmly. I've done both with several different people, actually. It's hard to swallow your pride and actually listen sometimes. I have a hard time listening when I "know" I'm right. But every time I have listened and understood, the argument didn't turn out to be a fight after all. It turned out to be two people talking and understanding each other.  It turned out to be ok.

It turned out that I was, well, happy. :)

Key to happiness in every kind of relationship: mindless anger solves nothing.

Avocado Pasta

We had this for dinner last night- an Avocado based "Alfredo" sauce with pasta.

Definitely a healthier alternative to a heavy, cream-based alfredo. 

It was really good. A fun, new flavor to add to our pasta repertoire.
It was also super easy. We will definitely be trying it again.

Helpful Hint: This recipe uses 2 cloves of garlic. The 2 cloves I used were pretty big, and the garlic flavor was a bit overpowering for our taste, so next time I might only use 1 clove.
You might want to adjust the amount of garlic according to your taste preferences. :)

A New Kind of Gratitude

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."

                       ~Unknown

I always thought of myself being a pretty grateful person until this year. I was going through life like I normally did but I felt different. I began to ponder about why I felt different and what I could do to change that.
 
People who know me know I am not a consistent journal writer, (why this blog will hopefully get me into a better habit). So I was thinking of ways how I could motivate and remind myself to write in my journal. Normally what would happen is it would be several months since I last wrote in my journal so it would take me a very long time to write everything I wanted to write. My solution was what I realized was the reason I wasn't very happy like a usually was. I decided to write every night 5 things I was grateful for that day. It wasn't just like my bed, food, etc. I really tried to think of things I was truly grateful for. It started out with things that I had done for myself, after a couple days it was small things that people had done for me. I had things like someone smiled at me today, or I saw someone that was really close to me.
 
I began to realize that I had forgotten how much people actually did for me. I can live my life doing as much as I can, but I came to a knowledge that I would not have done as much as I have done without all the people in my life to help me. I realized gratitude isn't just about saying "thank you", when people give you a gift or give you a ride home. Gratitude is knowing how much people do for you and being grateful for it and trying to give back in return.

Dieting.

Dieting.  I believe this word to be evil.  (my opinion)  It seems the world is always coming up with some way to lose weight.  Don't eat this, do eat a lot of that, take this pill, give yourself this shot, and so on and so forth.  And yet who has really found the key to a successful maintained healthy body from all that dieting?!

A healthy body is a lifestyle.  Not a temporary pill.  Not starvation.  Not eating only 3 kinds of food.
It is proven that women who eat breakfast compared to women who skip it are able to lose more weight faster or maintain their healthy weight easier.

Moderation in all things.  There are so many healthy foods out there.  It would be a shame to only eat egg whites and salad all day everyday.  Things like Carbs are good for you.  It gives you energy.  Eat it.  Then exercise to keep it balanced.  It's all about a variety of healthy foods, portions, and yes enjoying that piece of cake every once in a while.  The more you limit yourself the harder it is to keep that lifestyle and the faster your body will revert back to being unhealthy and overweight when you give up that lifestyle. So why not enjoy your lifestyle, enjoy the food you eat, and maintain a healthy weight at the same time.

Small changes I have found to make for a healthier lifestyle:
-Don't add extra salt when cooking things.  Often times the natural flavor of the food is plenty and you won't even need to add any salt.
-Eat breakfast.
-Carry a water bottle everywhere you go.  This will make you drink water.  The more water you drink the better.
-Don't eat within 2 hours of going to bed.
-Exercise daily. (This is a bigger one)  It is important to be physically active.  Even if all you have time for is a few push ups and sit ups before bed time, do it.  It will keep you going longer.

Remember.  You can train your body to be healthy.  Instead of dieting, make a happy habit.  You don't have to punish yourself for the rest of your life to stay healthy.  God didn't intend it to be that way.

Health and Holiness

I have been thinking about spiritual health lately. 

I think so often we compartmentalize our health.

We focus on our physical needs separately from our emotional well-being. 

I believe true health and happiness come from strengthening all aspects of who we are.

Including our spirituality.

Source: trivita.com

Although spirituality is typically defined by religion,

 it can mean many things to different people.

In general, it can mean connecting to your inner self-

the core of your identify, values, and beliefs.  

For me, I find that when I feel a connection to God;

a connection to personal holiness.

 I love this thought from Patricia Holland:

"I have pondered long and hard about the feeding of our inner self. It is no coincidence that we speak of "feeding the spirit" just as we would speak of feeding the body. We need constant nourishment for both. The root word hale (as in hale and hearty) is the common root to words like whole, health, heal, and holy. Our health and our wholeness are unquestionably linked with our holiness. We need very much for body, mind, and spirit to come together, to unite in one healthy, stable soul."

Connecting with our spirituality can be an individual and personal process,

as our needs and perspectives may be different.
Yoga, prayer, meditation, time in nature, journal writing, creative pursuits...

however you choose to feed your spirit,

I believe it can positively impact your overall state of health and well-being.

I know it has for me.

I'm Not Shy, I'm an Introvert

I am an introvert.

This means that when people first meet me, they often think I am 

a. shy

b. stuck up or snobbish

c. disengaged or disinterested in what is going on
d. not happy

when more often than not, the exact opposite is true.

It can be really frustrating at times to feel so misunderstood,
or to feel pressure to be something different than I am.

One of my sisters teased me for checking this book out from the library.

(even though she is also an introvert)
But it was actually very enlightening.
It was a great reminder that, although I am often surrounded by extroverts
who don't always understand my quiet behavior,
it's okay to be an introvert.

It's okay to be quiet and reflective and enjoy time alone.
It's okay to be happy with who you are,
even if you are different from the majority. 

As the author put it so well...
"There is nothing wrong with me. I'm just an introvert!"

I think one of the biggest things I learned from this book was that

being an introvert and being shy are different things.
While they can go hand in hand, they often do not.
 Being introverted is not a matter of being shy,

it is a matter of energy. 

Extroverts physiologically and emotionally derive their energy 

from outside stimuli- like other people. 

Introverts are the opposite, as they feel drained by outside stimuli,

and turn inward to renew their energy.

I was recently watching some home videos of me as a child.

Someone commented on the fact that I was pretty loud and talkative as a kid.

When did that change?

 Although I did briefly consider the possibility that a traumatizing event in school

turned me into a shy, socially awkward kid somewhere along the line,

I don't really believe that's true. 

I have always been an introvert. 

When I was a kid, I thrived on time alone 

because my imagination could run wild.
Time-out was not a punishment for me.

I was energized by reading books, listening to music, and writing.

When I was with my family- that was small at the time-

or in a situation where I felt confident and comfortable,

I was anything but shy.

The same is true for me today.

I can be loud and talkative if I want to be.

I am not necessarily a shy person,

even though I do tend to be more quiet in social situations.

Not because I am having a panic attack about talking to people--

but because I process information quietly,

and tend to only say something if I think it is really worth saying.

...And because it can be hard to get a word in anywhere 

when extroverts are controlling the conversation.

"It is the chiefest point of happiness that a man is willing to be what he is."

(Erasmus)

There is nothing wrong with me.
I'm just an introvert.

Healthy Habits: Morning Exercise Update

I have been looking around for some exercises that will work for my morning workout goal.
I wanted to find things that I can do at home for 10-20 minutes.

Here is what I've been trying:

• Good Morning Yoga Sequence from MindBodyGreen-- I put on some calm, instrumental music and tried out each pose. This was still a workout, even though it felt a bit more relaxing. :)

• Free YouTube video workouts from Fitness Blender -- there are a lot of different workouts to choose from. This morning, I tried this one for abs:

 

These other YouTube videos look like they might also be worth a try...if you can handle cheesy workout instructor talk, haha.

• 10 Minute Cardio Workout at Home
• Fat Blasting 10 Minute Workout
• BeFit videos- another channel with a lot of options

I've been trying to work different parts of my body every day, and it has been feeling great to move and get my heart rate up in the mornings. It's short and simple, but consistent, which is really working for me right now.

One Step At A Time.

Since I'm sure the Olympics are one thing everyone in the world knows about, I think it's fair to say that EVERYONE is feeling a little bit less of an Olympic athlete. Except, of course, for the Olympic athletes.

I got these from Google Images by typing in 2012 Olympics. 

What I'm trying to say is that it can be hard to watch 16- and 17-year-olds propel themselves off of a vault, turn at least three times in the air, and then land safely and gracefully without a single step or hop. All the while, you're thinking: Man. I really should do some push-ups today. But... this ice-cream sounds better. 

Watching the Olympics can be discouraging for so many people. But I say we take the amazing feats of these young adults and turn them into inspiration. Do you know the sacrifices these athletes have to make to maintain their physique? I once heard an athlete (via an inspiration advertisement) say that he hadn't ordered dessert in four years. FOUR YEARS. These kids don't have social lives, they don't have GNO's or parties, they don't have any spare time except for eating or sleeping, they don't even get to enjoy ice cream--which is happiness whipped into a perfectly delectable frozen cream and sugar substance.

So, ask yourself this question: how badly do you want the "perfect" body? Also, ask yourself this question: how many of those world-class athletes have the "perfect" body? I will answer that one for you: none. They don't have "perfect" bodies. They have healthy bodies. And guess what? You can have a healthy body, too. 

Those athletes didn't start out as experts. They had to put in their hours, put in their time. You don't have to sacrifice what they have, but you do have to sacrifice a little. 

Here's my advice: take this healthy thing one step at a time. Every day, make a plan. Make one conscious healthy decision. Whether that is exercising for ten minutes or two hours, eating yogurt instead of ice cream for one meal, or going to bed an hour early instead of watching the Tonight Show, that's one more step in the right direction. 

Pretty soon, you'll have so many steps under your belt, you won't ever be able to go back. 

The new me

{photo via pinterest}

It has now been 2 months since I have exercised on a regular basis.  Doesn't seem like that big of a deal.  Back in January I found out a few ladies in my neighborhood would work out every morning (Mon-Fri) for 1-1 1/2 hours at our near by church.  And the kids would play in the nursery room.  

For quite some time before this I was feeling pretty stuck.  I was not content with my mommy body, my teenage acne came back after having a baby, and I just seemed to be missing a portion of good self esteem that was starting to wear on me.  It seemed as if all the women around me who had just had a baby looked far better then I did, and everyone else around me that hadn't had a baby didn't quite understand what it feels like to have your body completely change on you with out your consent.  Yes, the baby is worth it ( I would do anything for my little man), but it still doesn't change the fact that even after I lost all the "baby" weight my pants never fit the same.  And over time, with the wrong attitude, my self esteem dropped. Fast.

After a while I realized that sitting around and moping about it was doing me no good.  I gained the courage to ask the ladies if I could join their group.  I had no idea what an impact it would make on me. Especially after I have gone with out it for 2 months.

3 healthy habits I have learned:

1. Exercise.  People, its only function is not just losing weight.  After about 4 weeks of consistently working out, I not only looked better, but I felt GREAT.  I didn't lose a single pound. (gasp)  I was in shape, a toner more lean body,  and little things like carrying my little man up and down stairs no longer made me pant for breath.

2. Social.  I didn't realize talking to a 2 year old all day can limit your self esteem.  I am moving in a month, completely across the country.  I thought I successfully didn't make any close enough friends to have it be a hard goodbye when we leave our neighborhood.  In a matter of a few months seeing these ladies everyday I can say I have made life long friends and would trust them with anything.  They are truly amazing and lift my spirits everyday.  It is important to have friends that are positive in life.  It's like seeing someone smile, you can't help but smile back. 

3.  Attitude.  "if your feeling blue, try painting yourself a different color." I still couldn't fit my jeans.  But with the uplifting friends and exercise I happened to gain a bit of courage.  So instead of moping about it, I went and bought jeans that did fit, and from that day on I have far less days spent looking in the mirror wishing and hoping for a better.  Change is good.  Especially motherhood. Since my change in attitude towards my body and trying to love the new me instead of always wishing for something different,  I truly feel my appreciation for motherhood has grown immensely.  I am completely in awe each day with the love I get to feel as a mother, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  Even if it means getting bigger and bigger hips as the years go on.  At least,  I know what matters most.  And that perspective was all I needed for a happy heart.

Happiness Simplified

 

 

From: happinessinyourlife.com

Healthy Habits: Morning Jump Start

My healthy habit focus right now is exercise.

As a teacher on summer vacation, my mornings have been pretty lazy. 

All too often these slow, lazy mornings lead to an unproductive day. 

I decided to start my day off in a more active way 

by making a small change to my morning routine.

Now, I'm not usually one for exercise videos, but I needed some motivation.

Netflix instant stream has these 10-minute Solution workout videos.

I decided to give it a try, and did one, 10-minute video each weekday last week. 

 

Even though I was only exercising for a short amount of time,

it really helped me to start the day off right. 

I felt like I had more energy and motivation to be productive during the day.

This week, I felt like I could do more and increased the time to 20 minutes.

 

Sadly, these videos will no longer be available on Netflix, starting tomorrow. 

So, my willpower to maintain this habit is being tested a little bit. 

But I'm feeling pretty determined, 

because 10-20 minutes in the morning feels really doable. 

I think it's something I can keep up, even when I go back to work.

 

At least these videos have given me some ideas and a place to start.

I may have to use a timer and add my own music,

but I will be exercising first thing tomorrow morning. 

I'm Worth It.

In the last few years, I've struggled with an issue that so many people struggle with: self-worth.

My story is not an original one. It's not even a particularly inspiring or heart-felt one. Everyone in my family weighed less than 100 lbs, and I weighed more. My mother was constantly dieting, my sisters were eating whatever they wanted and not gaining any weight, and I was eating cookie dough all the time.

The sad part is that there were many more people out there who had it worse, which only made me feel more unworthy. It's not like I was struggling with my weight. I wasn't overweight. Most people didn't even know I was having a hard time with my body image. I, however, was having the same mindset that so many people do. I was thinking that if only I could lose ten pounds, I'd be happy. If only I had a boyfriend, I'd be happy. If only I could fit into a size 2, I'd be happy.

If only, if only, if only.

Longing for something doesn't make it happen. Longing for something only makes you sad and disappointed.

After longing so long for the kind of life my sisters had (a skinny life), I heard a saying that really struck me.

If you're not happy with yourself in the present, you won't be happy with yourself in the future. 

This might take a bit of explaining. I'm all for wanting to be better and changing bad habits. But, in this context, being happy with yourself has less to do with unhealthy habits and everything to do with self-worth. If you don't think you're worth anything when you're fat, that's not gonna change if you get skinny. If you don't think you're worth anything when you're single, that's not gonna change when you get a boyfriend. If you don't think you're worth anything now, and you continue thinking about the future instead of the present, your perspective won't change.

You deserve happiness. Everyone deserves happiness. It's ok to want to be better, as long as you know that you are worth everything to somebody. You are.

It took me a long time to figure that out. Once I truly realized that my family and friends love me for me, I decided that I wanted to be healthy. I had motivation to be better.

Honestly, the way to be healthy starts in your head. So, you. Start now. Look at yourself in the mirror every single day and say these words:

I'm worth it. I. Am. Worth. It.

I don't even know you. But I know that no matter how far gone you are, no matter how lost you think you've become, no matter how overweight or lazy or lonely or unhappy you think you are, you're worth it. A loving heart has no physical form.

I believe in you.

Be Happy

Source: sayingimages.com

A quote from Sara Breathnach's book Simple Abundance:

"When we can't access our inner resources, we come to the flawed conclusion that happiness and fulfillment come only from external events. That's because external events usually bring with them some sort of change. And so we've learned to rely on circumstances outside ourselves for forward or backward momentum as we hurtle through life. But we don't have to do that any longer. We can learn to be the catalysts for our own change...

"...you already possess all you need to be genuinely happy."

I love this. 

All too often I find myself in the "I'll be happy when..." trap.

I forget that my happiness depends on only one thing--  me.

I can find and create my own happiness. 

I already possess everything I need to be happy. 

That power is inside of me.

I just have to choose to use it.

Healthy Habits

Whenever I think about changing my eating and exercise habits, 

I get really overwhelmed.

There are so many things I could be better at!

But getting overwhelmed is a big barrier to making changes. 

So I've decided to start with smaller goals.

I'm going to focus on one or two healthy habits at a time.

That just feels more manageable. 

Well, now that I have a plan, 

it's time to start doing something about it.

Let the changes begin.

Starting Somewhere

I want to be more healthy.

This is something I've said to myself, and others, time and time again.

I almost always say it around New Year's...

and when my pants start to feel a little too tight.

It's a nice thought,
but thinking it has never led me to lasting change.

So I think it's time to start doing something about those thoughts.

I want to be more healthy, and not just physically healthy.

I want to improve my mental, emotional, and spiritual health as well.

I want to cultivate healthy relationships with others around me.

I want to have a healthy heart, literally and figuratively. 

I consider myself to be a happy person.
I have a great life.
I think working to create habits and live a healthier lifestyle now
can help me to maintain and even increase that happiness as the years go by.
I want to keep my happy heart happy.

I plan to use this blog as a place to record and reflect upon

 the healthy ideas and experiences I'm hoping to find.


You've got to start somewhere,
so I'm starting here.