Rise Up and Light the World

I’ve been in a funk. My husband’s health issues continue to cause him pain and keep him isolated and then last week, I got bad news about my spine after I went in for a MRI after some numbness in my hand and pain in my lower back. I’ve been down and depressed and feeling

The Little Things Are the Most Important

I thought about titling this “how NOT making my bed messed up an entire month for me,” but then I started thinking about how many other little things go into adding up to a good month or a bad month. Last month, in July, we picked up our puppies. I had been doing great with

Gifts for Future Me

I have a weird hack I use to get things done that I don’t really feel like doing sometimes. I divide life up into two separate “me’s.” There is current me, that probably doesn’t feel like meal prepping, brushing my teeth, working out, or (insert mundane task here), but then there’s also “future me” that

When It’s Not About Size Anymore

I just completed my first month on a bodybuilding program. There were times I was tempted to give up, like when I was on vacation in Florida surrounded by delicious food or after my poor old dog passed away and I was craving the comfort of carbs like crazy. I’ve learned a ton and even

Every Spring an Awakening

What do you do when things start going well? My family is growing more and more healthy all the time and the house is full of laughter again most days. Work is chugging along and the hours are a little less awful. I have a vacation coming up. I’m down over 30lbs from this time

How Routines Bring Freedom

I used to crave variety…in everything. A little bit of this, a dash of that. Unpredictability was exciting. It was also, unfortunately, exhausting and made it difficult to develop good habits. Routines, I thought, were confining and boring, life of beige in a world full of colors. Over the years, I’ve definitely changed my feelings

The Difference is what You Do AFTER

Yesterday was what a favorite children’s book calls an “all bad, no good, very bad day.” Of course, in hindsight, I can see how my thoughts spiraled to make it seem like that, but in the midst of it all…I lost that perspective. It all started with my daughter having some very painful complications from

Comfort is a Slow Death…Get Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

In one of the workout videos I like to watch, the trainer says, “Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” I’ve also been eyeing a workout t-shirt that says, “Comfort is a Slow Death…Prefer Pain.” Maybe pain is too strong of a word, but discomfort certainly applies to most of my workouts, but I’ve found that this

Exercise and Brushing Your Teeth

When I was in college, I was also in Air Force ROTC for 2 years. I didn’t complete the program due to my genetically imperfect knees, which in the 90’s was enough to get you bumped. Still, I learned a lot and found myself in the best shape of my life. Even so, I hated

You CANNOT Make Someone Else Healthy…and They Can’t Make You Unhealthy

This is a difficult and painful truth. Many of us have people in our lives we worry about, people who desperately need to make changes in their lifestyle to be healthier. It might be a parent, sibling, spouse, child, or close friend and it comes from a place of love. You can see them suffering.