Life

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A Letter to Fitness Instructors

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Hey all! I hope you are having a great week! This post is a way for me to get out something that has been weighing on my mind lately and to hopefully make a difference.

I have been taking some awesome group fitness classes at the same studio(s) for the past 3 years. I can't even believe I have been going that long since I was so scared to go in the first place but here I am, still taking my place at the barre most days of the week. They offer a wide variety of classes, none of which are easy. They are fast-paced, high energy, kind of addictive and I like them. Maybe I like them too much. I started because I wasn't happy with my body but I've continued because it makes me stronger and better in many other ways. I've mixed up my schedule over the past 3 years with different classes, different times and different instructors trying to find which ones suit me best. I have a few instructors that I prefer and I few that I tend to avoid, but I think that is the same for most everyone. I need someone that plays great music, can keep my attention for the full hour and puts me in a great mindset. I don't think that is too much to ask for (eye wink, tongue out emoji).

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Weight Isn't Everything

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Weight Isn't Everything

Happy holiday season everyone. I felt like the timing for this post would be perfect amongst a lot of talk about weight gain, weight loss, food restrictions, accountability around the holidays, etc. Is anyone already thinking about weight loss as a New Year’s Resolution? Well I’m here to tell you that weight loss isn’t the best goal to set and it is certainly not the only measure of success when it comes to health and wellness.

I will admit that I’m guilty when it comes to weight loss being at the top of my list of reasons why I’m making changes. But the disappointment when the scale doesn’t budge is real! The disappointment leads to emotional eating, bad moods and wanting to quit. Anyone else?

I know my body very well after living in it for 36 years. I know that I retain fluid and my weight can fluctuate a few pounds pretty regularly. I know that it will go back to normal but it still pisses me off every single time! Back when I was training for half marathons I would easily be up 3-4 pounds the day after my long run. I knew this was going to happen but it still messed with my head and my positivity. I burned 1000 calories running 10 miles, why did I put weight on?

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How to Plan for Multiple Diets at Mealtime

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How to Plan for Multiple Diets at Mealtime

Is anyone else dealing with a multiple "diet" household and struggling to find meals that please everyone? How about multiple food allergies? I'm convinced pleasing everyone is impossible anyway then you throw in the "I don't eat that" or "I can't have that" and it's a whole different ballgame. Maybe it's food allergies, auto-immune disease, against animal cruelty, or maybe for other reasons. Ok, so it's not totally impossible but it takes a little more time and effort as well as a little bit of I don't give AF (if everyone is 100% excited about the meal) to make it happen with less stress. The problem is that I give too many Fs when it comes to what we eat so I need to work on that last part. Also, I am in NO way recommending anyone adhere to any particular diet, just offering ideas if needed.

In my house, we are working with a generally picky 9 y/o who hates change, a vegetarian that just moved back in, and I'm gluten-free and mostly dairy-free due to my thyroid health. My husband just doesn't like cilantro or snap peas, weirdo! I'm also really working toward more real food when possible. Like, gasp, real butter! Who's with me on that? I'm trying to keep it simple with decent ingredients and keeping in mind everyone's preferences. I have a few staple meals that we make when we are all going to be around for dinner. Here are some ideas on how we make it work:

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Real Talk, Take 2

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Real Talk, Take 2

I went to a local event this week called Food Yeah! put on by Indulge, which hosts wellness events in KC. They had a panel of 5 experts in their own realm of the food world. This included a dietitian, 2 health coaches, a doctor and an organic farmer. They had wine! and we tried The Unbakery and Juicery's juice and protein balls. It was a lot of fun and I even won a giveaway.

This event was a great way to bring together like-minded people to discuss food. Topics included food priorities, diets, fats, where we get our food and why it's ok to not be perfect. The overall messages were great and definitely topics to build conversations on. They agreed that dieting doesn't work. High fives on that! Nutrition is very individual and it's important to find what works best for you when it comes to feeling your best. They agreed that we should be eating fat, in different varieties. They agreed that we should enjoy our food and enjoy the experience that food brings. Yes, yes and yes!

Real Talk

Real Talk

I have been into listening to podcasts lately, mostly nutrition and health related with some motivational ones thrown in there, and I love them! It's hard for me to sit down to read because I get bored and fall asleep quickly. Truth! I can listen to podcasts while I'm driving, cooking, walking or getting ready, which works great for me. I listened to one today called RealTalk RD, which gave me the idea for this post. She broke down articles and other topics with another RD. I will probably be doing more like this because I have a few RealTalk topics I'd like to put out there.

So, can we talk about diet, diets and dieting? I haven't really talked about this on the blog yet but I've been suffering from disordered eating for a while now. My disordered eating includes constantly thinking/obsessing about food, falling victim to dieting, and considering self-worth based on my weight and body size. I really don't know when all of this started but it has gradually gotten worse the last few years and I am so ready to deal with it so I can live my life again.