Food, Family, and Life
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Heart Association / American Stroke Association. All opinions are 100% mine.
Regrets – we all have them. I know I have my share.
There are many little regrets. The chances we did or didn’t take. The choices we made or didn’t make.
As time passes, we appreciate what we learn from our regrets and challenges . But the big ones are a reminder of our opportunity and power to change.
I met with my therapist this week, just as I have been doing every week for over a year now. And for the first time in a long time I ran out of things to say. She said this is the best I’ve looked and sounded since I started coming to her last May. At first I was shocked to hear those words. After all I’ve been through I never thought I would hear those words. But then I realized, no, it’s not a shock. I’ve been taking better care of myself and it has clearly paid off.
We recently went for a doctor’s appointment for Sawyer. While everything checked out fine (and she’s 32 pounds of cuteness!) I mentioned that I thought something was going on with her tummy. We weren’t quite sure what it was but there definitely seems to be some digestive issues as of late.
Our doctor mentioned getting more protein and fiber in her diet. She loves fruit and veggies but we needed an easy, healthy snacking option for her.
I’ve been a mom for almost eight years and have only just begun making exercise a priority. Why did it take me so long to make a solid attempt at getting healthy?
That’s right. I had exercise guilt.
How many times have you thought about exercising but guilt stopped you? You spend all day either working or taking care of your kids, yet you can’t bring yourself to carve out a mere thirty minutes to take care of yourself!
Wow. The support on my last post has been overwhelming. Not only have I received amazing encouragement on my facebook page, but I have received messages and emails letting me know friends are there for me if I need anything or they are available to chat and listen.
Just so you know – that means the world to me. It truly does.
It has always been my hope that opening up about my illness could help someone else. I’m still amazed that anything I write would be worthy of saving a life. But apparently it is. And I know for a fact that it has saved mine. Writing is like a life vest for me. I can be drowning in the ocean of depression and writing words will allow me to float until I can reach the shore.
If I tell them, they’ll think less of me. Even I have a hard time believing it happened. But it’s the truth. It’s my truth. And after holding it in for nearly a year I’m ready to tell it. My story is worthy of being told.
I got sick last year. Not the kind of sick you’re thinking about. Not a fever or a stomach virus. No, not that kind. And not the kind of sick that is widely accepted in our society such as cancer or diabetes or even a broken bone.
One year ago I laced up a new pair of tennis shoes and went for my first run. I didn’t have any fancy running gear. And I didn’t have any clue how I would feel. But I assumed it would hurt like hell and I wasn’t looking forward to it at all.
I’m not sure why the trend stuck this time. I just knew I was tired of feeling like shit all the time, physically and emotionally.
When I trained last spring for my first 5k it was an 8-week program using an app on my phone. Due to the onset of depression this past fall, I lost steam and have had to go all the way back to week 5 of my 5k training. It’s really hard getting out of bed some days. So you can imagine how difficult it is to tell myself to get up and go running.
*This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #TryALittleGoodness *#CollectiveBias
I have now been running for nine months and although running has become my favorite way to exercise, I know it’s time to diversify my workout. I can tell my body needs a break from the strain running puts on my muscles and joints. As hard as it is to admit it – I’m not a spring chicken anymore! I have a full-time job and three kids so time is short. I’m just plain worn out after the day is over! But there will always be excuses, am I right?
I set a goal for myself in March to run my first 5K in the summer and I’m happy to say – I did it! I really did it!
::throws hat and does Mary Tyler Moore jump::
As I mentioned in my post on running last week – I used the 5K Runner app, a version of Couch to 5K, to whip myself back into shape after years of not doing much physical exercise due to pain from a car accident. It’s safe to say that this little phone app has changed my life.
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HydrationToGo #CollectiveBias
In March I began a running training called Couch to 5K. This basically means you go from not being able to run AT ALL to being ready to run a 5K in as little as eight weeks. Although I had a couple weeks in there where I wasn’t able to run, I’m finally finishing my training at 13 weeks.
This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of DairyPure Milk. All opinions are 100% mine.
I’ve always loved milk. From the time I was a little girl I drank it like crazy! I still have fond memories of my grandma fixing me some warm milk on the stove to help me fall asleep after having a bad dream.
I think I went through at least a gallon of milk every few days when I was pregnant with the boys. I was the crazy pregnant lady standing in the kitchen at midnight scarfing down a bowl of cereal because the cold milk just tasted soooo good! And don’t even get me started on how many milkshakes and bowls of ice cream I had. We’ll just not talk about it, mmmkay? But yes, milk and me, we’re buddies. Always have been. Always will be.