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Blogging is all about reading and then commenting.  If you read something and it speaks to you or you want to enter a give away go to the bottom of the article and press comment and it will let you leave a comment at the bottom.  You have to put a name and an e-mail but I promise no one will try to sell you something!

Looking back and moving forward

Today is my daughter, Kayla’s, 20th birthday! 

My Kayla when she was one

She is an amazing young woman who has loved me all different sizes.  She has grown with me and allowed me to be all that God meant for me to be.  She experienced me loving but depressed, loving and completely consumed with myself, loving and trying to find balance.  She has accepted me in all different places. 

Kayla was gone last year for her first year of college.  It was a hard adjustment for us at home but we were so excited for her to get to experience life away.  She came home this summer and lived here until the first of October.  She moved in with some girls.  We were all happy with her at home but as anyone who is growing up she wanted to experience life on her own.  I can’t tell you how happy I am for her.  She is searching to become all that she is meant to be.  She is willing to put herself out there, try new things, experiment and love with abandon.

Birthday fun!

Prom 2008

Kayla and her man, Joseph

Me and my girl

The Ingram women

 

As a mom it is not always easy to let your baby out of the nest but it is the best thing for her and that is always what I want for her.  She takes my breath away at her beauty, maturity and wisdom.  The next decade will mean many changes for Kayla, I cannot wait to see her as she continues to grow up into herself.

Do you have a memory of Kayla Belle to share?

Pushing up

Push ups are a much feared and hated exercise by women, men don’t want to do them and look foolish, but friends they are a great exercise you can do in the privacy of your own home and get a great core and upper body workout.   

Push up

Proper form is key!  Below is a website that will help you with form and give you a plan how to get to 100 push-ups (you think crazy today, but it is possible!)  They give you a test so you can get a starting point and how to progress.  You can start on the wall if you are weaker and eventually get down to the floor.

100 push up challenge

Give it a try and let me know in six weeks where  you are at.  I am working on mine!

Take one step today to make yourself feel better and healthier. 

Have a healthy day!

Ruthie

Woke up negative and overwhelmed

When I woke up this morning the weight of the world felt a little (mild version) heavy.  I could feel myself starting a list in my head and the list was not positive, a lot of the things I was thinking were true, just not the entire truth.   The Bible and The Secret say the say thing, “where ever you put your thoughts, there you will go.   There are negative things that are true, I acknowledge them and I am working on them, BUT I want to focus on the positive things in my life.

So I caught myself early in the spiral and said, “No, there is more to the story, what is the other side?”

So here is the other side, these are things I know:

I am glad there is a God and Love greater than myself. 

I have a family that loves me (husband, children and extended family)

I have amazing friends

I love my job.  I love the people I work with every day.

I live in a country that it is encouraged to express yourself

I am a work in progress and I am moving forward (slower some days, but

     moving just the same)

My tastes have changed to healthier foods, I like oatmeal with pumpkin    

      now and not only is it healthy, it really taste good to me.  I am not

     saying I don’t like a good hot french fry, cuz I do, but healthy is better for

     99% of the time. Okay, maybe 85% is more accurate, I am just telling the

     truth.

I have friends who keep pointing me towards healthier thinking and

     actions.

Everyday that I laugh I feel better.

Everyday that I choose to be positive I feel better.

I love to exercise

I love to move

I love to take deep breaths and smell the Fall air.

I ran/walked five miles in the woods Sunday with 350 other people who

     wanted to be outside and trying to be healthier.  I had friends running

     with me and family cheering me on.  (that is the best thing ever!)

Battle Creek Running Friends

 

I am still growing and moving.

It is a new day with new possibilities.

I like the positive truth way more than where I was headed first thing this

     morning.   My list could be longer, but I must run to work!

 

 Tell me something you know to be true and positive for you today.

 

Interview with Holly

Friends there are always people a little head of you in life.  They have walked a healthy path longer and more effectively.  I try to study people who have followed a healthy path longer than myself. 

My friend, Holly, is one of those people!  I have asked her some questions and asked her to share with us part of her heatlhy journey.  Please click on her name above or her link to the right and read about her journey.

Holly, The Healthy Everythingtarian

Tell us a little bit about you and what makes you eat so healthy?

To sum up my 24 years on earth thus far, I am a former emotional eater turned health nut who realized that ‘health’ is so much more than food and exercise.  It is a general term, I think, for doing what is right for YOUR body.  For so long, I ate not for enjoyment but to mask something deeper.  Once I realized this, I began to deal with feelings, workout not for weight loss but to FEEL GOOD and starting eating things that helped keep me in a place of whole health.  Knowing where I was helps keep me on track – although I was never severely overweight, I was unhappy with myself.  Now, I know being healthy makes me feel GOOD.

 

Do you eat meat?  How do you get your protein?

I went from meat eater to vegetarian to vegan to vegetarian to semi-meat eater.  Now, I eat meat occasionally (around 1-3 times a month), but realize I don’t love it enough to need to make it an everyday staple.  Also, meat is expensive!  As a gal strapped with student loans, a can of beans is much cheaper than 1 lb. of organic chicken.  When I do eat meat, I try to make it organic and grass-fed so that I am supporting eco-friendly farmers who grow their animals humanely.  Eggs, yogurt, beans, nuts, milk, veggie burgers, tofu and tempeh are all great protein sources I happen to adore.

 

Your food looks amazing, do you enjoy the way you eat? 

Of course!  If food tastes bad, I could care less if its healthy.  I won’t eat it.  I need to be getting nutrients AND be satisfied when I am done eating!

 

Is eating healthy a burden?

A couple years ago, I may have said yes, Now, I do not think so at all.  I am comfortable with my choices and have found that most people WANT to eat healthy.  If you can set a good model/standard to help others, that is the icing on the cake!

 

For someone out there who is not a healthy eater how do you suggest they get started?

I think substitutions are a great way to start.  Make it whole wheat bread instead of white; choose fruits, veggies and lowfat dairy for snacks; try new foods at the grocery store; experiment with recipes and start cooking.  You have to like what you eat. So, get to know your palate, find healthy foods you enjoy and incorporate them more and more in your diet.  Don’t put too much pressure on yourself…slowly but surely, things will get easier and easier to where you are eating healthy and not even realize it!

 

Do you have easy go to foods?

I am a big fan of yogurt and adding lots of goodies in them.  It’s easy to transport and oh so delicious.  Fruit, bars (Larabars, Clif Bars, KIND bars and ProBars are all good choices) and crudites are all easy to pack.  Also, become a fan of leftovers.  There is nothing easier than grabbing a Tupperware of leftovers on my way to work and having a delicious lunch!

 

Do you drink caffeine?

I do.  I LOVE coffee.  Not only the taste, but the warmth, feeling and ritual of it.  I limit myself to a cup or two in the morning, and all is well the rest of the day.  I have also been known to guzzle an afternoon Diet Coke or two

 

Do you worry about calories?

I used to FREAK OUT about calories and obsessively count.  But ya know what?  It’s time-consuming, defeating and horrible.  If I can focus on making all the calories I eat good, wholesome and nutritious calories, then I really don’t need to worry. There is so much more to life than food and exercise – it is an important part, but I always like to remember, it’s not the only part.  There is always room for splurges because life is too short not to be enjoyed (and tasted!).

 

Holly is living a balanced life.  She works hard, she eats healthy, and she moves.  I want to be her when I grow up!   Holly is having a contest through Friday, check it out!

 

Have a wonderful day!

Week not as I planned it

Well, I must say I am a little disappointed in my ability to get “it” all in this week.  I had such great plans early in the week and because I had many unexpected things come up (Candace to the doctors, moving to the new locations for our gym, working late at night two nights, dinner out with a friend) I have had to let it gooooooo.  It has been an emotional struggle but feel I have grown.  I know that I cannot get up at 4:00 a.m. and be my best for my family, my clients or myself.  I need my sleep.

Balance sometimes means being flexible and letting go of my expectations.  I plan this weekend to spend some time getting organized for the next week and hopefully my blog will not be what is suffering!

I am running a trail run at Battle Creek this weekend. It is the first time I have run 5 miles.  Rather exciting!  I will have pictures and stores to share!

Peace to you this weekend.  Have a healthy restful time.

Cutting out Monday moaning

One of my favorite times is Monday morning sipping coffee in bed with Lucy sitting on my lap waiting for a little drop of her morning coffee.  Keith and I discuss the weekend and then talk about the upcoming week.   Somehow focusing on all the good things about the weekend put Monday moaning at bay and I am ready for a great new week.

Some of the things I am thankful for this morning:

Coffee

Fall is here, my favorite time of  year

Back deck

Candace was cute at halloween

Candace for Halloween is an 80's Hair girl

Lunch was already made

Dinner is already made

Date with Keith tonight

Date with Keith Friday night was great

Got to see Kayla

Snuggled with Candace and watched TV

House is not to dirty

Laundry is almost caught up (praise be to Keith)

My best bud, Robin, had her annual family Pumpkin carving contest,

              you gotta go look, these people take their pumpkin carving very

             serious, (I missed it, had to work, but at least get to look at the

             pictures!)

Yummy pumpkin maple oatmeal for breakfast

Ran Blankets Creek Sunday and got to spend time with friend, Sonia,

           felt close to God and one with nature.

Went to Halloween Party and had a great time (Newlywed Game)

Complimented by my boss

Got  caught up with my friend,  Holly who is an amazing young woman         

               who eats so healthy and is making me try new things

              just because of  her awesome pictures of what she eats.

Faith gave me information to help my blogging pictures come out better!

Got complimented by the boss, made my heart warm

Having coffee with Toni, lunch with Beth and Karen

This weeks line up on the blog:

Exercise:  who needs it?  Who, what, and where?

Recipe:  Wild rice and chicken soup with a host of variations. 

Mind:  Do you mind?  Telling the truth?

Freakin Friday:  Giveaway and quotes (get your favorite quote ready)

 

Make a list of what you are thankful for and leave it in a comment below!

Love love my friends,

Ruthie

Candy and Winners

This weekend there is going to be a lot of candy everywhere you look.   You may have even bought the mega family value pack with a million and one little pieces of candy.  I will be honest,  I was not fat because of candy.  Candy is not my weakness.  If I am going to get weak over a candy it will be an Almond Joy.  So, guess what, I don’t buy any package with Almond Joys in it.  It is the easiest way for me to be successful. 

Candace is going to go trick or treating and she will bring home her candy and pour it out on the table.  This has been our ritual for years:  Pour the candy out.  She puts her very favorites in a ziploc bag, then Kayla and Keith their favorites and then I pick 2-6 pieces that I like.  We all have a baggie of our favorites.  I have always allowed my kids to have candy in moderation so they are not shoveling it in.  We just have one rule:  two pieces a day. 

We donate all the other candy to the school. 

Don’t put undo temptation in your way.  Get rid of your favorites! Make a promise to yourself that you will not eat a piece until you know how many calories is in each serving.  You can go to any candy website and it will give you the nutritional information.  If you decided to eat it, know what you are eating and how much it is going to cost from your calorie bank.   Save yourself from failure and a sense of no control by being on the offensive this Halloween!

I left my list of winners at home so as soon as I get home I will post the winners!  I will tell you a secret–EVERYONE IS A WINNER THIS TIME!!!  The four numbers that Candace picked win their choice and everyone else will get another magnet!!

My first give away–Contest–Perfectionism

Kids are the worst.  Everything I tell them, they are thrilled when they get the opportunity to dish the advice right back.  Okay, maybe clients are worse, they love to tell me things that I have been telling them for months.  It feels terrible at the time but is much needed when my brain goes psycho.  

 Case in point, my daughter and I love to get the paints out and paint whatever for hours.  When she does not like what she has done or is upset that it does not look just right I am always telling her, “Stop, it does not have to be perfect.  It is the thought that counts.  People will appreciate your effort and that you did it for them out of love.”  Sometimes she rolls her eyes, sometimes she hears me and moves on to acceptance or pitches it in the trash.

 Boy, two days later, did I get it right back.  I was making little motivational magnets for my clients and a giveaway.  I had a perfect plan.  I could see in my head just what they were going to look like.  Not one of them turned out as I thought they should.  I was huffing and puffing and acting all disgusted when my precious, Candace, said, “Mom, remember it is the thought that counts.  Don’t be so hard on yourself.  They don’t have to be perfect.  People will appreciate your effort.” 

Contest Magnets

 At that moment, besides the fact I wanted to poke my eye out, (and hers if I am honest), I knew what she said was true!  I did want it to be just right and I did want each one to be perfect.  Perfect has been the name of the game in the past, all or nothing.  I had to be perfect with my diet, my exercise, my motherhood, my spirituality or I gave up and did nothing at all.  Those days are over.  Baby steps, day by day, moving forward, and leaving the past behind are the new way of thinking. 

 Soooo, I am swallowing my pride and having a give away. 

How to win a magnet:  Pick the magnet you want to win and tell what it means to you.

Four magnets-four winners.  Contest ends Thursday night at midnight and winners announced Friday.  (Candace will chose four numbers)

The Journey Heart

Asheville, North Carolina is where my sister, Susan, lives.  It is a four-hour drive so we don’t get up there often.  We love to go see my sister and her son, Eldridge and sit on their back deck eat, discuss life and love.  We also like to go into the small town of Asheville and visit all their art galleries.  Asheville is the home of many craftsmen. 

Last time we went I came across this heart and saying.  It spoke to me and I bought a few and have it in my little blogging closet sitting on the shelf to remind me about what this journey is all about.  The heart is not pretty, it is rough, looks a little battered but the spiral in the middle draws your eyes away from the ugliness and makes you look a little deeper.

The Journey Heart

The card that  came with it reads:

The most ancient of all symbols, the spiral honors life, growth, and the soul’s journey.  Each turn brings us nearer to our center and to a higher level of spirituality and connection to our Creator.  May your journey be light.

There are few that I know that their journey is always light.    I have enjoyed the light times in my journey but know that in order to have a beautiful Spring you must have Fall and a very cold Winter.   This last Summer seemed like a very bad Winter in some areas of my life.  The sun would occasional shoot out and give me hope of Spring.  It is still Winter for me but I feel renewed hope that Spring is coming.  I got a large warm ray of  hope this morning.  

 One thing I have learned with age, don’t let the Winter in one area of your life take over and cloud all of your life.  I am so blessed with joy and peace because I can see the whole picture.

(The definition of hope:  the feeling that what is wanted can be had or that events will turn out for the best)

May your day be filled with hope as you travel on your journey.