Beauty

 

What is beauty? That is the question I have decided to ponder as I work to change myself from the inside out. Just so you know I do not know the answer I am just brainstorming. Remember in brainstorming there are no wrong answers. All my life I have thought that beauty had to do with weight and the way one's body looks but as I learn more about holistic health I am challenging this mindset. I think I have always known there is more to beauty but day after day we are bogged down with messages all around us that we are not OK and whatever product they are selling will make us OK.

I think most would agree confidence is beautiful. I know the more I take care of myself (eat healthy, exercise, etc) the more I am myself and am more confident. Today I was working a college fair and a rep said they were disappointed that I would not be at the next fair. That they thought I was so fun and smiley. When I am not taking care of myself therefore not feeling good about myself I am not my smiley fun self. That was a HUGE compliment and I felt beautiful.

My friend wore bright red lipstick on Saturday when we went to brunch that was beautiful. It was not the product but the confidence she had wearing the bright and sassy color. Just a lazy Saturday made more beautiful with red lips.

My grandma Lawrence was very beautiful in the way she loved others. As grand kids after she passed away we argued because each of us assumed we were her favorite. My brother Bob in all his wisdom said that is what made her such a perfect grandma. She loved us to the point that we all assumed we were her favorite. I hope to love people the way she loved.

Instead of looking at the one part of me my body I want to look at the whole picture. I am not sure how to do this yet but I think working on it is half the battle.

Amy 1--Brownies 0

This post is about temptations that are inevitable to come up while trying to make healthy life changes. I am a dog sitter on the side. I typically stay at people's homes and take car of their beloved pet for a night or two and sometimes a week or two. Being March and Spring Break season I am dog-sitting most of the month. Shout out to me for packing up all my healthy foods and taking them to stock the cupboards and fridge. I used to sabotage myself while dog sitting. Using being out of my routine to get off my eating plan. NOT ANYMORE. As I unpacked my goods I pushed the unhealthy food out of the way. I hide it deep into the fridge and put the healthy options front and center. As I went through this process I was was feeling awesome about this great step..... then I saw a pan of brownies with a half of inch of frosting taunting me on the stove top I was feeling defeated before even take a step! I managed to escape the kitchen without eating the whole pan. When I got to work I was g-chatting with my BFF Anna She suggested I put the brownies in the garage or someplace out of sight. I was so distracted by the temptation I did not even think of that (DUH that is what I was doing with everything else). Right when I got back to the house I put them in the oven. Out of sight out of mind! I did it. I finished dog sitting without eating ANY of their tempting foods (fruity pebbles, cream spinach dip, brownies, cookie dough etc). YAY! Now on to the next house. They have M&Ms on hand. Not just any M&Ms but the peanut butter ones! I will admit I did eat those. I had a half of cup with homemade stove top popcorn. I do not feel bad about eating them I actually feel GREAT that I was able to STOP myself with one serving. The is a Christmas miracle in March. I think the biggest thing with treats like brownies and M&Ms is to make them treats--not cheats and feel bad about it. I am ok with eating desserts if I choose it and not just end up with a mouthful of sugar without even thinking. So my take away is choose your battles and ALWAYS have friend and families there to support you in your personal and unique journey. As my wise friend Anna says "I feel bad after eating certain foods but I never feel bad or regret saying no to them." A great gut check "do I really want to eat this or will I regret it later" Eating because you are hungry for fuel is way different than eating for emotional reasons. 

Different

Change is hard and I am really trying to make lifelong changes right now. It is like my whole way of thinking about food is changing. I had a conversation with a dietitian at a friends shower. She essentially said that if people gave up processed foods they would lose weight. It really hit me. To be honest I did not even know what processed foods were. I was so sucked in by "fake foods." Growing up that is all I ever knew. Since meeting Lea the dietitian I have watched three food documentaries over one weekend and read a book on clean eating! I want to move away from processed foods as much as possible (so hard!). Now that I am finally looking at labels for the ingredients I am horrified! Since this change is hard and pretty drastic for me I am doing it in stages so I do not get too overwhelmed. Stage one--I've given up Diet Soda and fast food (the only "fast food" I will do is Chipolte because my research shows they are not so bad if you order the right thing). I am also cutting out ALL FAKE SUGAR and cutting WAY back on sugar. This is one thing I would like to discuss with Lea when we meet to work on my food plan. How much sugar can be a part of a healthy eating plan? I honestly think I am a sugar addict so I am trying to cut it out as much as possible. I am also trying to eat whole foods as much as possible(veggies, fruits, lean protein, beans, nuts, whole grains). I have noticed that since I have changed my mindset and my eating just for the last couple weeks I do not feel as hungry and I feel satisfied. More satisfied than I have ever felt... So many years of eating fake foods. So stage two changes I am going to figure out once I meet with Lea. My BFF Anna and I are on this same journey. Our journeys different but our goals are the same--Life long change! We are both blogging our journey. Her blog is much more entertaining and well written Trust me! Do you have a friend to cheer you on!? If not, get one!