Life

Memories Beyond the Dinner Table

I believe that food has a fascinating way of connecting us.  Sitting at the dinner table with friends, family, and maybe even some people we don’t even really know very well, we are able to share experiences, foods, memories, and laughter, intermingling our personalities, stories, beliefs and preferences all into beautifully woven art.

But food is not the only way memories are made.  In fact, most of my most cherished memories as a child, the traditions I adore, and the reflections I relive, are the ones outside the dinner table…

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Health, Life

Living with a Picky Eater: Another Angle

Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of a picky eater? What makes them judge a food before they have tried it?!  Why does their stomach lurch just at the thought of a food?! What makes them open up to new flavors, tastes and food experiences? If you have ever wondered ‘What can I say, do, share, or encourage?’ with someone you know that has very selective and unique food preferences, you are not alone!

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Health, Life

Living with a Picky Eater: A Story of Hope

Green beans.  That is the only non-starchy vegetable that my husband ate when I married him 10 years ago.  Canned green beans, not fresh.  Really. While we were dating, he ate a lot of family meals at my house and gradually transitioned to eating more whole grains, beans, and unprocessed potatoes, but he refused to try any different vegetables.  That was just the way it was. My nutrition-loving self loved him anyway. He stole my heart and we married and moved 15 hours away from everything and everyone we knew.  Then, as our first year of marriage began to unfold, I realized the challenge before me.  It wasn’t like someone just pulled the rug out from under me, tumbling to the ground to realize my husband hated vegetables. Instead, it was like we stepped up to a game of tug-o-war and the tension built with every tug.

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Life

How Many Attempts Until Success?

How many times are YOU willing to try?

Many of us might respond that it “depends on what we are trying to do.”  It is human nature to get frustrated when our plan does not go well.  It is normal to feel disappointed when our efforts don’t appear to pay off.  It is understandable when all of our hard work seems to get us… nowhere.  If you have ever felt like you are running circles, it is fatiguing and the goal in the distance doesn’t get any closer, right?

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Health, Life

Giving Our Kids a Taste for Fruits and Vegetables

According to the CDC, statistics from 2003-2010 show that only 7% of children, adolescents and teens (age 2-18) eat the recommended servings of vegetables each day (1-3 cups/day, depending on age).  Better news shows that some progress has been made in the area of fruit consumption, but 60% of children still fail to meet the 1-2 cup serving per day.  Fruit juice consumption is on the decline which is also an improvement. While schools play a role in a child’s early exposure to fruit and vegetables, parents have the ultimate responsibility…

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Life

Beauty Through the Seasons

 

It took a solid year after having my little girl to regain my “close-to” pre-baby body.  No, it will probably never look exactly the same and that is completely okay with me, but as I learned to extend grace to myself through the sloooowwwww weight loss process (nursing did not help me lose weight like it does for some women), I also learned some ways to treat and clothe my body to boost self esteem along the journey.  

 

If you or someone you know is on a weight loss journey, you don’t have to punish yourself or allow yourself to feel dull and drab just because you have not reached your endpoint.  Love yourself through the process and celebrate you, not your body.  

 

Here are my tips for embracing beauty at any weight:

 

01. Accentuate one feature you have that you like. EVERYONE has a least one great feature and while you are waiting for changes to occur in the rest of your body, I encourage you to dress yourself to accentuate this.  Some examples include, a longslender neck; toned calves; slim ankles; trim waist; hour-glass figure; slender fingers.  If you cannot determine a feature to highlight, ask your spouse or a close friend to tell you.  You can then search online for fashion trends to highlight this feature.  There are several types of shirt necklines that will accentuate a slender neck as well as hair styles.  If you have slim fingers, find some fun and sparkly rings or hand jewelry.  

 

02. Smile.  A true, authentic smile can warm up a room but more importantly for you, it can elicit pleasurable emotions within you.  It actually produces neurotransmitters that improve your mood.  And, in reality, smiling is contagious!  So, if you smile at someone else, just think of how it is helping their mood in that moment- what a gift!!  Smiling also brings all attention to your face and away from other areas you don’t want attention.  When you flash a warm smile to a friend or even a stranger, you are more attractive and you will feel better.  Skeptical?  Try it and find out!

 

03. Wear colors that you feel good in.  Most of us could identify one or two colors that we feel great wearing.  Maybe these colors highlight your eyes or hair or skin tone.  Maybe these colors give us a certain feeling of confidence or cheer.  If you don’t know, head to the store and begin trying on colors until to find out what makes you feel amazing!

 

04. Exercise in the morning.  I find that I feel better about myself and more refreshed, energized, lean and toned if I exercise in the morning.  You may differ in opinion, but this has worked for me.    

 

05. Get yourself ready every single morning!  As a stay at home mom, I find myself easily walking into the trap of delaying getting ready each morning.  By following a morning routine, just like I would for work, I am telling myself that I am worth the time and effort… AND I feel better about myself all day.  Do yourself a favor, even on the weekends, get yourself ready.  That may include makeup or lip gloss, styling your hair and putting on clothes that fit and flatter.  While wearing gym or lounge clothes all day is okay on occasion, I have found that putting a few minutes into my physical appearance puts a little pep in my step.  

 

I was truly inspired after reading a Dashing Dish blog post, Creating a Successful Morning Routine.  While my life is somewhat different from hers, she inspired me to create my own successful morning routine, write it down and make it happen.  Although it takes some discipline, I have never felt better about myself and my days as a mom.

  

Embrace it.  Own it.  Live it.  Your beauty is one of a kind and no one can wear it exactly like you.

   

I’ve never seen a smiling face that was not beautiful. ~Author unknown

   

TRUTH: You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you.

Song of Songs 4:7 (NIV)

 

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Life

Beautiful You

 

If any of you have been on a weight loss journey in the past or present, you can probably relate to a time when you discovered the perfect “goal weight” outfit… the one you were going to wear when you reached your long awaited achievement.  You may have hung this outfit within view to motivate you through the tough times and inspire you when you felt like your efforts were not yielding results.  Maybe you discovered this special outfit on the sale rack when you were out shopping with a friend, or maybe you spent more than usual to buy it just knowing that “one day” you would feel like a million bucks! You could envision exactly how you would wear your hair and the perfect makeup colors to accentuate your features. Essentially, you had an image of the perfect looking beautiful you.  

 

We build up this moment in our head that eventually, after all of our hard work, sacrifice, sweat (at the gym!), and discipline, that then, and ONLY then, are we worthy of such beauty.  That only then, will the world, our friends, our spouse, label us beautiful and mean it.  That only then do we possess true value.  We have come to believe that our beauty is wrapped up in our weight and appearance, but not just that, even deeper. That our beauty and value result from a victorious fight and coming out on top.  In other words, we become more beautiful when we have fought the demons and won.  

 

If you have been struggling with weight loss for years, we can convince ourselves that since we have yet to reach “the goal” and can’t boast of a victory, that beauty cannot be fully claimed yet. This can also lead to a cycle of negative self talk, shrugging off healthy practices, and downplaying progress, progress that may have required a lot of perseverance.  What I would like to propose is that your beauty is not found in the goal attained, but in the fight, the dance, the trek.  That maybe, just maybe, your courage to get up, frustrated, hot, exhausted and even a little bit angry, just to try again is beautiful.

 

Growing up I remember hearing and learning all about inner beauty and how “it is what is on the inside that counts.” Honestly, that phrase makes me cringe.  No woman I know wants to be told that they are ‘beautiful just because of who they are.’  We want to feel beautiful, embrace beauty, experience it with all our senses.  We want to see our reflection in the mirror and be delighted with what we see.  We want a spouse or friend or family member to tell us that we are worth looking at and admiring. But, when I start to think about whom I admire and consider to be a beautiful person, it is not the physical appearance that draws me in and makes me take a second glance or day dream, it is their joy, laughter, confidence, strength, courageous nature, warmth, sincerity and authenticity.  

 

Essentially, those that are living life well and loving it- they exude true beauty.  So, am I really seeking a specific weight, physique or fitness level in order to feel the fulfillment of beauty? Or, is whatI really seek the courage to fight again, laughter when I feel awkward, and confidence when my knees are knocking?  Maybe beauty is in a gleam of excitement taking the risk, and authentic connection in my relationships that allows me to be vulnerable and love big?  From this point of view, beauty far exceeds physicality.  Maybe the physical is a means of expressing beauty, but not the foundational source.

 

As you continue on your health journey, it doesn’t matter where you are on trek, you can be beautiful.  Your beauty is not wrapped up in a number or size.  Your beauty does not come from achieving a “healthy” BMI or reducing your body fat. Your health may result from your food, exercise and lifestyle decisions but your beauty beams out of how you live.  Be beautiful today!

 

TRUTH: “Many women have done wonderful things, but you’ve outclassed them all!”  Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.  The woman to be admired and praised is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.  Give her everything she deserves!  Festoon her life with praises! 

Proverbs 31:29-31 (Message)

 

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Life

Becoming Alive

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” — Howard Thurman

What makes you come alive?  For me, providing individuals with encouraging support, practical resources and effective coaching along their health journey is what brings me incredible excitement and fulfillment!  For years this was not just my job, but my life.  I was able to be a part of people’s lives, a little piece of their story, and I am so honored.  

 

After having a little girl in May 2015 and then moving for my husband’s job 6 months later, I decided to stay at home full time and embrace all the joys and complexities of mommyhood.  But I found myself searching for significance and fulfillment, wondering why the snuggles, messy mealtimes, giggles, laundry, and long nature walks weren’t meeting this need.  If mothers are “naturally nurturing” and loving, then why did I feel dissatisfied?  I sought to feel purposeful and productive.  I desired to invest in other people’s lives. I hoped that I still had something of value that I could share that would mean something to another person, but with who?  

 

As I began thinking, praying and talking with my husband about these competing desires to feel satisfied with my days at home with my daughter and grateful for this opportunity that many moms claim they would adore, the true reality was that ultimately, I missed my work schedule, interaction with co-workers, sharpening my skills, problem solving, leading support groups, facilitating group talks and celebrating my patients’ victories.  Mostly, I missed loving people through my work.  

 

Have you ever felt like all that you had was good, really good, but you felt like you just wanted more?  Maybe like me, you didn’t know if these persistent desires and thoughts were selfish or a sign that you needed to take action.  

 

While I have considered going back to a traditional dietitian job many times in the last 6 months, every time I began applying for a position, I reconsidered and would then delete my application.  I began to ask myself why?  Was it that I had become lazy?  Did I doubt my ability to integrate back into a corporate medical environment?  Did I fear the strict time schedule and routines now that I had a child?  My questions led me to ask myself some scary questions about my courage, identity and values.  But, they also led me on a journey to discover what it is thatreally makes me come alive… It is YOU.  

 

Helping people discover a path to improve their health and weight that works for them and their lives is truly fulfilling and the reason that I went to work every day for years.  I would pray that every time I encountered a patient or client that I could say just 1 thing that had the potential to change their perspective and ultimately, their lives.  I would hope that a smile, affirmation and even my demeanor towards them would scream love, acceptance, and that they are truly valuable.

 

For many years, my job was the vehicle I used to pursue my passion of nutrition education and counseling.  It allowed me to “come alive” but it wasn’t the true source of my joy.  Human nature has a way of taking a vocation and turning it into an identity and source of fulfillment.  It is a slow and steady invasion, where we begin to seek (and find) meaning and value in the wrong places.  I am guilty.  It is my dissatisfaction in the last several months that have caused me to re-evaluate what I love to do and why.  I heard Lisa Jo Baker, author and speaker, say in a talk to women posted on Qideas.org that “God gives women dreams that don’t end in the labor and delivery ward.”  Well said.  

 

When environments and life seasons change, living “alive” may look differently.  It is not bad or wrong.  What we have to offer does not diminish and is not insignificant.  It is just different.  At the present time I still feel drawn to stay at home with my little girl.  Oh the joy she brings to my life every single day!  I laugh so much more than I ever have and have learned to value the special, unexpected moments that can’t be planned or created.  In fact, she has actually caused me to think about what it means to be alive, as I marvel at her fearlessness, laugh at spontaneous moments and love affectionately.  

 

However, just like you, I have a desire to make a difference and to add value to the lives of others, beyond my family.  I want to feel alive wholly and completely!  I want joy to bubble up from deep within instead of choosing to be joyful today.  I want to embrace my calling and enjoy it!  This blog is my opportunity to give, love, and inspire where I am right now.  I may have to redefine living alive many times over my lifetime, depending on my season in life and circumstances.  But this I know, there is no place else I would rather be.  Join me.

 

TRUTH: You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command:Love each other.

John 15:16-17 (NIV)


  

 

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