8 New Ways to Boost Your Body Image Health & Fitness

I wrote a blog in February entitled Real Beauty.

Since that time I have had a rather large self transformation due to my fitness show preparation. Over the past 14 weeks, Ive lost over 15 pounds. I get asked every day if Ive lost weight and what did I do. I worked my butt off is what I did. Co-wokers that jest "Oh I hate you". I am amazed at the low confidence level regarding persoanl appearance that exists with women. Yes, I do strive to be the best I can be and do go above and beyond the avergage female, but this is my choice. It is a lot of work and yes I reap the benefits of it. Trust me I still have my own insecurities but I dont let them run my life.

So I read an article in Glamour recently that I decided to post.

8 New Ways to Boost Your Body Image

Change Your Mantra
What thoughts usually go through your head? I wish I had thinner thighs? Why can’t I have a flat stomach? I hate my butt? Sound familiar? You can stop these thoughts and feel better about your body by doing a simple thing, says Patricia Farrell, Ph.D., a psychologist in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and the author of How to Be Your Own Therapist.“Create a new mantra—something you can repeat that will reinforce that you are strong, beautiful and worthy,” she says. Some ideas to get you started: “I am thankful that I have a strong, healthy body” or “Outer beauty comes from inner strength.”

Write Yourself Love Notes
You would drop a little love note in your boyfriend’s lunch, so why not do the same for yourself, suggests Farrell. It might feel a little odd at first, but she suggests leaving sticky notes around the house—everywhere from your bathroom mirror to the door of your refrigerator—to remind yourself of your beauty and your worth.They can be funny (“Hey, hottie!”), thoughtful (“What should a chair and a body have in common? You should be comfortable in them”) or motivating (“The ice cream carton will not make us happier”).

Be a Little Childish
Paula Bloom, Ph.D., an Atlanta clinical psychologist and speaker, says the best body-image lesson comes from children. “When my daughter was two, someone came up to her and said, ‘You are so pretty,’” she says. “She responded, ‘I’m not pretty, I’m Rachel.’ Kids seem to intuitively know that they are what they are. She couldn’t fathom being called anything but her name.”Take Bloom’s challenge and try to re-create that for yourself. Allow yourself to run, play or splash around in a pool with zero concern about how you look doing it.

Go Shopping
A lot of women hang on to clothes that are too small, hoping they’ll lose weight and be able to fit into them again, says Bloom. Although it isn’t a bad idea to save your clothes, it might be best to box them up for now, because they could be sabotaging your body image.“Being assaulted every morning by things in your closet that don’t fit does not make for a positive start to the day,” she says. Instead, do a little shopping for clothes that are both comfortable and cute—in the size you are now.

Get a Massage
You already know that massage is a great stress reliever, but did you know that it could also make you feel better about your body? “Touch releases some really delicious hormones, like oxytocin, which flood us with feelings of well-being and safety,” says Tina Tessina, Ph.D., a psychotherapist and author in Long Beach, California. It’s common, she says, for women to leave a massage treatment feeling at peace with their bodies.Can’t afford a massage? “Holding a baby or even petting your dog or cat will also have the same effect,” she says.

Focus on How Your Body Feels
If body insecurities are affecting your ability to enjoy sex, Debby Herbenick, Ph.D., author of Because It Feels Good: A Woman’s Guide to Sexual Pleasure and Satisfaction, has the tip for you. Instead of agonizing about the way your body looks, think about the way it feels.“Stay in the moment,” she says. “Focus on how the sheets feel against your skin, how your hand feels on your partner’s back or butt and how your bodies feel as they move together.” This, she says, can increase arousal, reduce any body hang-ups you may have and make it easier to orgasm.

Try This $2.99 Bathroom Trick
One of the best things a woman can do to feel better about herself is to start the day with a healthy, positive view of herself, says Tessina. She suggests you try this one cheap and easy thing: Toss any unflattering, glaringly bright bathroom lightbulbs and replace them with softer bulbs. “It’s such a cheap and easy fix,” says Tessina, “and it can help you start the day feeling so much better about the way you look.”

Remember That Everyone Feels Inadequate Sometimes

Think you’re the only one who looks in the mirror and sometimes sees a sumo wrestler instead of the true beauty that you are? We promise, you’re not alone. Even the most physically fit people struggle with feelings of body inadequacy.
Here’s proof: According to a recent study, Spanish researchers found that many professional soccer players (you know, the ones with toned butts, rock-hard abs and to-die-for legs) reported dissatisfaction with their physique. The takeaway? Whether you’re overweight, super fit or somewhere in between, you may always be dissatisfied with your body unless you tackle what’s inside and find the confidence you need to accept yourself just the way you are.

"Skinny" Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

More fun Fall recipes...this one with a healthy twist!

Pumpkin Chocolate Muffins

Compliments of Brooke Griffin - The 2009 Fitness Universe Champion!

Servings: 12, Cook Time: 20 minutes

1 Box Reduced Sugar Devil’s Food Cake Mix1 15oz. can of pure pumpkin(for smoother muffins, add 1 cup water as well)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Spray a 12 cup muffin pan with non-stick spray or line with muffin liners.
Pour entire contents of cake mix and pumpkin into a large bowl.

If you are using water also add this as well.

Stir until smooth.

Transfer mixture into muffin pan and bake for 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Calories: 126, Fat: .5, Sugars: 18, Carbohydrates: 25, Protein: 2g, Fiber: .5

Welcome Fall!

Fall is my all time FAVORITE season!

Something about the crisp air, foliage, pumpkins, hayrides, haunted houses, apples, FOOTBALL and a certain feeling of coziness. Not to mention the clothes are great ;) sweaters, jeans and boots!

Some of my favortite foods also fall into the "FALL" category so I decided to share :-)

Apple-Glazed Barbecued Baby Back Ribs

ACTIVE: 30 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 4 HRS 30 MIN
SERVINGS: 4
Make-Ahead
Ingredients
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons garlic salt
4 teaspoons chile powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1/2 cup apple cider
1/4 cup apple jelly, melted
1/4 cup honey
2 racks baby back ribs (about 4 pounds total)
1 cup prepared barbecue sauce

Directions
Preheat the oven to 250°. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup of the sugar with the garlic salt, chile powder, salt, black pepper, celery salt, cayenne, cinnamon and white pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon of the spice mix to a medium bowl and whisk in the cider, apple jelly, honey and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar.

Pull the membrane off the underside of each rib rack using a towel to grasp the corner. On a rimmed baking sheet, rub the ribs with the remaining spice mix; bake, meaty side up, for 2 1/2 hours. Pour the cider mixture over the ribs and turn to coat. Tightly cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.

Light a grill. Uncover the ribs and brush with the barbecue sauce; grill over moderate heat, turning and brushing, until glazed, 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut between the bones and serve.

For those Wine advocates, me being one of them!
A bold red is a great choice for ribs, and Syrah’s sweet spice is delicious with this apple glaze.


Pumpkin Bread

This is my ALL time favorire Pumpkin Bread recipe...I'll make it until Thanksgiving and get requests for it every year.

Makes 3 loaves.

Ingredients
4 eggs
3 cups sugar
1 cup oil
1 cup water
2 cups packed pumpkin
3 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions

1Blend the first 5 ingredients together well.
2Sift the dry ingredients together and add to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
3Pour into greased loaf pans to 2/3 full.
4Bake 350 degrees for about 1 hour.
5Remove from oven and let set 10 minutes.
6Remove from loaf pans and wrap immediately in foil for 30 minutes.
7This makes the loaves unbelieveably moist.
8You can also add nuts or raisins or whatever else you want to..chocolate chips are fabulous!

Is Love Real? What is Love?

Love is about control. Control is everything. Whether it be unrequited or reciprocated, love is about control. Self-control, emotional control. For unrequited love, it is a matter of schooling yourself so that your eyes don't shine so bright, your smile isn't so wide. It comes down to how much you want to hurt when you're around that person who has gained your affections and then tossed you aside like a ragdoll; how much you want them to see. So shutting down merely becomes a specialist's tool of self-preservation and ultimately, control.

When it comes to a love reciprocated, it is a game of self-control: be careful not to show how much you care about the other person lest you frighten them away, therefore control yourself and have it appear as though your affections are growing proportionally to the other person's.

However, love is not control.
Control is everything.
Therefore, love is not everything.

Scholars and poets have tried for centuries to describe what love is, how one should love, its origins, as well as the rate at which love should grow. "Love is not love which alters when in it, alteration finds" (Shakespeare).

Love is affection, but affection is not love. Love is trust - trusting someone not to break you entirely even though you have given then such power, such control. You give someone such control over you even if you know that ultimately they can betray it in a hearbeat.

Love is when a woman who has been married to the same man for fifty years dies, and then five years later her husband follows because he literally cannot live without her. Is that love? Being so intoxicated by someone that they become essential for one to continue on with daily activities? Or is that obsession? Perhaps love is obsession.

Love is merely the go-to term that people use to describe a strong feeling for another person but are too caught up and blinded to try and determine what it really is. Love and loathe are probably the two strongest things that one person can feel toward another, and yet it is "love" that is thrown around so flippantly. Throughout history and time countless men have told women about their undying love and faithfulness, but also throughout time, men and women alike have lied. So does that, therefore, mean that throughout time, love has lost power and meaning? Yes.. and no.

Yes, in that it has lost meaning because as time went by, as the centuries changed love has been taken lighter and lighter. Where once a sign of love was a woman giving herself wholly to her husband on their wedding night, it is now a trifling matter of whether or not she will swallow.

No, in that it has not lost its power. Love has always had the power to steal the breath from one's lips, and shake the foundations on which they have built their defenses, and cause one to make rash decisions that may be regretted later.

It is not fleeting or fickle, it is steadfast and strong. It is a fairytale told by mothers to their daughters. It is never giving up even when it seems all is lost. When you would rather nurse your broken heart than keep the pain at bay by running on hatred.

Love is about control. Control is everything. Love is Sacrifice. Obsession. Tolerance. Understanding. Abstract. Fear. Lie. Truth. Pain. Transcendental. Blind. Timeless. Short. Long. Real. Fake....Love is love, its real, it burns it aches it...is.

I do want the fairytale to tell my children.

"Love is not just to do something for someone - love is not a sort of sentimentality and kissing each other and so on. Love is to enter into covenant - to know that you accept me as I am, that you see my gift, but also that you see my wound. That you won't abandon me when you see my wound, that you won't just flatter me when you see my gift. But you accept me as I am with all that is fragile, all that is broken, all that is beautiful, too."

- Jean Vanier

How to Cherish Precious Moments

Life is made up of special moments which make it worth living. Often, there are many cherished moments that are missed due to the stress and fast pace of daily living. In order to better cherish life’s precious moments, try these steps.


Things You'll Need:
Lust for Life

Step 1
Pay attention and always remember you only have so much time on this earth. This will help you identify magic moments so you can treasure them as they happen.

Step 2
Open your eyes and look at life with wonder. Everything around you is a miracle when you observe it with childlike wonder.

Step 3
Be cheerful and refuse to ride the roller coaster. It’s much easier to distinguish those lovely moments and appreciate them when you are optimistic.

Step 4
Laugh. Laughter will bring you happiness and happiness will bring more precious moments in your lifetime.

Step 5
Invite adventure and enjoy it. Like laughter, adventure will bring magic moments to your life and create memories that will last a lifetime.

Step 6
Smile. Smiling encourages people to talk to you, opening new doors and possibilities for cherished moments with new people.

Step 7
Life is precious and people come and go in your life only to bring you special moments. Welcome these people and what they bring to your life.

Step 8
Love the people who are close to you and even some who aren’t.

"Skinny" Guacamole

For those of you who know me, it should come as no surprise that I would find a way to eat guacamole in a way that it fit into my diet ;)

Compliments of Brooke Griffin - The 2009 Fitness Universe Champion!

2 cups mashed avocado
1 large tomato, chopped
1/4 white onion, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
2 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, minced
3/4 Tsp salt
Combine the avocado, tomato, onion, cilantro, lime juice, peppers, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir until combined. Serve immediately.

Calories: 100, Protein: 1g, Carbohydrates: 7g, Fat: 8.5g, Fiber: 4g

The Value of Having Something Real

Life is full of ups and downs, but isn't it enough to know that you have something or someone REAL to pick you up or just be there to come and cuddle up with. Life is hard.

We can get so caught up with day to day activities of life that we forget the value that an actual human being can offer. Whether it be the sound of someone specials voice, a simple touch, a glance into their eyes or just enjoying someones company - there is a certain peace that comes in knowing you have someone that cares for you.