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