make time, one step at a time

As a dietitian I am always hearing about the latest diets and trends in the food world.  People will ask me questions about them or ask for advice.  Should they take a certain supplement or eat a certain way.  Honestly, not much has changed in the food world.  Granted, I’m not a fan of genetic modification and pesticides, but overall, not much has changed.

I don’t eat perfectly, but I try to make most of what my family eats myself.  I make our dough when we have pizza night (per my husband’s request we have pizza on Fridays but I feel better that I’m making it and we can put more veggies and less greasy meats on it), bread when we want bread and ice cream and waffle cones when we want ice cream.  (I probably eat more ice cream than I should and my excuse is that I am breast feeding right now.)

Often I notice that many people go entire days or even weeks without eating an actual vegetable.  It’s so easy in the American society to eat lots of carbs or meat sandwiched between carbs.  I have people tell me they don’t like vegetables or they don’t have time for them.  I think it’s important to make time.  Whether it’s an hour per week that you get off facebook or another social media site, we have time.  We make time for what is important. 

I am a busy mom myself and food preparation helps me a ton when planning what to eat or if I don’t really plan what we are going to eat, at least I have salads cut up and put into containers and peppers and onions diced for different dishes that I can throw them into.

It takes a little practice and is tough in today’s society to eat well, but it’s definitely possible.  You don’t have to go and buy completely organic or buy all fresh (frozen veggies are awesome and frozen at the peak of ripeness so they have all the nutrients and everything still in them!).  One step at a time, work on making healthier choices for you and your family.

-run for life

work for His glory

Back to the grind stone.  That's what they say when you get back to work, especially after a vacation.  Does it always have to feel like a chore?  I suppose it depends on who you work with and what you do.  One thing I try to remember is that I am working for God.  I happen to love my colleagues and get long with them great, but it doesn't matter unless I am glorifying God with everything I do.  Everything includes my job also!  

Sometimes there are paperwork things or parts I'm not a huge fan of but I am thankful I have a job and that God has allowed me to be able to speak to so many people.  I pray that He is able to show Himself through me to everyone I come in contact with from co-workers to patients and clients.  We aren't allowed to bring up the topic of God or religion but hopefully from my work ethic and the way I do my job everyone knows who I really serve.  It definitely isn't a clock or a grind stone!

I hope that we all can remember that in the end it's about Who we serve and that we do it with joy because others are watching.  They notice when we complain or grumble about our jobs or anything for that matter.  Personally, I am not always amazingly upbeat but I pray that I am a good example of a Christian who is a work in progress-trying to love others like Jesus does instead of judging them or pointing fingers.  One day at a time.  No matter what I'm doing, I choose to praise Him.

- run for life

3 reasons to cut back on technology

I have a love-hate relationship with technology.  I love that I can FaceTime my family across the nation and keep in touch and actually see them when we are talking now!  If you have family that lives far away you understand my joy in seeing everyone’s faces.  I grew up in the Bay Area and live in Tennessee now with no move in sight so I try my best to visit and make sure my baby knows her grandparents and my side of the family.

That’s the good side about technology – that you can keep in touch through video calls, phone calls, emails and texts.  I prefer talking but sometimes emails or text messages have to do.

The bad – well let’s just say there are quite a few reasons I don’t like technology.

1)      Technology can get in the way of actual face-to-face relationships.  Now when I go to restaurants or out in public I like to look around at other diners and see who is actually engaging and talking with their companions and who is sitting on their phone.  I have seen people who have 4-5 people at one table eating “together” and everyone will be on their phone not even talking to each other!  In this way, I think technology is a barrier to relationships and we need to put the phones or tablets down and learn to talk with one another without multitasking.  I’ve read multiple studies stating that America is one of the loneliest nations and I think technology contributes.

2)      I feel like technology has aided in my mental laziness.  Remember when we were kids and had to memorize our friend’s phone numbers?  I actually still have them all memorized!  I can tell you at least a dozen phone numbers from friends in high school before I got a cell phone in college.  I don’t even know my parent’s cell phone numbers because I just push the button.  That’s sad.  I still have a good memory, but definitely not as good as I did.  Whether that’s from getting older or from not using it as much (we can google everything now if we don’t know the answer), I couldn’t tell you, but I know it’s true.

3)      People pay less attention when they drive making the roads more frightening than ever.  I never liked driving to begin with.  I think it was mostly because there was always traffic at home, but now all of the people on their phones while driving scare me.  I have Bluetooth in my car so I’ll talk on the phone while driving but I don’t text and drive.  I put the phone across the car in my bag and it syncs with the Bluetooth automatically so I never have to touch my phone to answer it when someone calls or I want to call someone.  There are thousands of car accidents every day and the stats are astounding for the amount of people who still text and drive even though research and life show that it’s super unsafe.  I do use my phone for GPS and directions when going to a new place and unfortunately that has made it so I don’t learn the directions to get places as well.  I am working on trying to figure out how to get there before I go when I am driving so that I don’t have to look down at my phone for directions and don’t get lost as often.  I made it across the nation with a paper AAA map when I first moved out to Virginia back in 2007.  People were surprised to find out I didn’t have a GPS while I road tripped across the nation and again to the Mid West ball parks in 2008 (though they really shouldn’t have been surprised since I didn’t get texting until May 2010).

I think the take home story here is to use technology to your advantage.  When you can save time with it or money like coupons or an app (like CartWheel at Target!), do it.  Use it to stay in contact with your family and friends who are far away.  However, we need to put the phone down when we are with people in person and spend time with those we love when we can because they won’t always be there.  Those little moments are what I live for – playing with the baby and seeing her delight and excitement when she discovers something for the first time (like my nose!).  Hanging out with friends and actually talking to them without distractions from phones or what not.  Use them for emergencies.  Honestly, I’m no doctor on call whom people need to access 24/7, so I can leave my phone in my bedroom all night and nobody will know I didn’t have it in my hand.  I want to be a good example to my daughter that people are more important and it’s okay to be ‘bored’ sometimes and not constantly have our minds stimulated by a little colorful screen.

Who’s with me?

-run for life

quality time

Today we did some crafts.  Wow, crafts are way more difficult with a baby!  I have done crafts all my life and I must say I have had quite a few masterpieces in my day!  (Well, I thought they were and my mom probably said they were.)  It takes more than one try to get a baby hand print or footprint for our family.  Babies love to make little fists and curl their toes, which is not optimal for prints.

However, the main thing to remember is that we had fun and made more memories.  Regardless of how a project or craft turns out, it’s more important that we hung out and had quality time.  When I say quality time, I mean face to face interaction – not sitting next to each other watching television or checking your phone.  I honestly don’t understand how that can be quality time.  Sadly, I am guilty of using my phone in the company of others but I am trying harder not to use it when playing with the baby or eating meals with family or friends.  In general, I am using my phone a lot less than I had been though I don’t know if it will be what it was before I met my husband!  I did not use to have texting capability on my phone until after we met.  (It saved minutes to shoot a text to see if they were available or if we could use a land line to talk since we had different cell phone carriers and we still do!)  Now I have a "smart" phone - which sometimes I think makes me dumber, but that'll be another post for another day.

So, this is just a short post – go spend quality time with your loved ones!  Get off your phone and look each other in the face!  Play a game!  Do some crafts!  Go for a walk!  It may seem small, but in the end it’s worth it to actually SEE each other and spend time together instead of looking at your phone or the television.

- run for life

just keep swimming

I feel like I am dragging some day since I get up at least twice a night to feed our beautiful baby.  I try not to complain and just continue to work on getting things done, one at a time.  Yesterday I hurriedly got up and put milk into bottles and put her stuff together so my husband could drop her off at the neighbor’s while I was at work since his mom who has been watching her had a doctor’s appointment.  I double checked all of her stuff and made sure she had everything, even her bottle warmer and put the car seat out on the counter next to all of her stuff.

I was so proud of myself for making a crock pot of cranberry oatmeal (cranberries were super cheap this season, I heard there was an overabundance grown this year up north and I got 2lbs for $2.99 at Costco).  I spent some time putting most of it into a container to save for future breakfasts and threw some into a bowl for breakfast this morning.  I had laid out my clothes to wear this morning even with my socks and shoes.  (If you haven’t noticed, I like to prepare things in advance.)

I grabbed all my stuff including my breakfast and hopped into the car.  On my way to the office I ate my delicious crock pot oatmeal (I can post a recipe if you like, I didn’t really follow one and threw stuff into the crock pot but I know what I put into it and approximately how much!)  Upon my arrival my heart sank a bit.  I had forgotten to grab my lunch: a delicious salad I had prepared the other day in a lovely glass Pyrex container that seals well to keep the lettuce from browning.  I was going to have to eat the dehydrated overly processed food I kept at the office for emergencies.  I was disappointed in myself for forgetting it.  It was as if all of the preparation and everything I had done didn’t matter. 

Then 11 o’clock rolled around and the door opened, a catering person arrived!  I had been told there was no lunch today and wasn’t expecting anyone to come.  Last minute someone must have filled the slot!  Jesus provided me with lunch!  Thanks Jesus!  Our Father provides even for little needs.  I had food, it just wasn’t very healthy or tasty and He provided something better for me.

But let’s get back to the heart of the matter, why was I so hard on myself?  Why are we so hard on ourselves when we don’t do everything perfectly, get everything right or doesn’t look like a picture in a magazine or Pintrest?  I think that Satan is trying to attack us and make us feel inadequate.  I actually accomplished quite a bit!  Forgetting one thing doesn’t negate everything else I did.  (Mommy brain is real by the way!  There is a lot to remember and we are constantly multitasking.)

So friends, just remember, don’t get down on yourself if you mess up (or think you messed up, lots of times others don’t even notice and it’s just us beating ourselves up!).  We just need to dust ourselves off and try again or go onto the next task, next meal, or next day.  Or as Dori sings in Finding Nemo (I love Pixar), "just keep swimming" (and it's fun to sing too!).

- run for life

perception

We all have our appointments we don’t look forward to.  Oddly enough, I love going to the dentist!  I found out that they have cookie dough flavored tooth polish and request it every time now.  J  I love the squeaky clean feeling of my teeth after I’ve gone and try to keep it that way as long as possible.  The hygienist laughed when I told her how much I loved going to the dentist and mentioned that I didn’t understand when people didn’t like to brush their teeth more often.  She said for those who don’t brush their teeth multiple times a day there is a saying “brush your teeth in the morning to keep your friends, brush your teeth before bed to keep your teeth.”  Sounds good to me, I love brushing my teeth and flossing!

Today, however, I had that appointment that I don’t look forward to.  The OB/GYN.  It actually wasn’t as bad as I was anticipating since they didn’t do a pap smear this time.  Whew.  I have that to look forward to next year!  I love getting to appointments early on the way to work to get it out of the way and not worry about traffic or stress of getting there on time after work.  (Well, let’s be real, I live in Knoxville, TN and there isn’t really any traffic unless there is an accident.  When you grew up in the Bay Area of California, other places that aren’t big cities can’t really boast about the traffic.)

This all just made me think of my attitude toward things I’m not necessarily looking forward to.  Often we need to do things that we don’t like or don’t enjoy – for me that would be putting away laundry and dishes.  I don’t mind doing the laundry (all you do is throw it into the washing machine and then move it to the dryer making sure to pull out the clothes that need to hang to dry) or the dishes.  Or coming across a person who isn’t in the holiday spirit and cross or cranky.  I try to remind myself that they may have had a bad day (or month, year or life) and try to be extra nice to those people.  At another job one of my co-workers said something that stuck with me: “when people are mean or angry, it’s good to remember we only have to deal with them for 5 minutes/an hour/a day, but they have to deal with themselves 24/7.”

It’s also good to remind myself that God loves everyone and everything.  Whether I’m doing dishes, laundry, working, playing with my baby or cooking for my family I need to do it with joy.  I don’t always have to be smiling but I should be thankful I can do them.  I talk to patients every day that have issues and pain and I am blessed to not have too many problems pain wise.  I am a work in progress and working on my attitude and how I perceive things.  I am always blessed and doing better than I deserve thanks to God and His sacrifice for my sins.  I just hope others can see that I’m trying!

-run for life

what is important

I was thinking about priorities and importance since I wrote about it yesterday.  I ask patient's what their goals are when they come to see me. I think any goal is good whether you want to run a 5k, walk to the mailbox or play with grandchildren.  My goal for all my patients is that they are able to do what they want to do and don't have to give excuses for why they can't play with their kids or grandchildren or go for a hike or walk with their friends.

I mentioned that my priorities were God first then family and then others when it came to people in my life.  I thought that was pretty vague so I wanted to be a little more thorough today.

As a Christian my first priority is to glorify God.  That means in what ever I am doing whether it's cleaning the kitchen, making dinner, working or hanging out with friends I want to do my best to be a good example of a Christian - a follower of Christ. I hope others know I love them, I try not to judge others and I try to pray for everyone regardless of how they treat me.  I think those who seem to be mean or angry on the outside are usually hurting the most on the inside.  They probably need the most prayer.

My family: husband, daughter, parents, sister, cousins, in-laws, etc. are also very important to me.  However I know many who make the mistake of neglecting themselves and say they are taking care of everyone else and don't have time to take care of themselves.  I believe it is important to also take care of yourself too. Now I'm not saying leave your children alone to go exercise or do quiet time when your baby needs you, but I am saying its important to do those things.  I often remind patients that I understand they want to take care of others but they also have to take care of themselves so they will be able to care for others more effectively and for a longer duration.

Everyone is different. I personally fit those things in usually by multitasking.  Exercise usually consists of baby lifts (Norah loves being lifted in the air so I do sets of baby reps), walking or jogging with my BOB stroller my sister got us when Norah was born, jogging in place while cooking or walking around the house while wearing Norah in her Ergo pouch.  My workouts aren't are intense as they used to be, but I am still getting my 30+ minutes of exercise a day and aiming for at least 10,000 steps/day.  (As a bonus our dog Blitz appreciates going for walks with us too!)

Of course others are also a priority and I do my best to cook healthy food when we have guests, invite friends for walks and be open with others so they feel welcomed and hopefully loved.  I may not always say Jesus loves you every time but I am sure those who know me know Jesus is the most important person in my life and I need grace just as much as the next person.

Well, I'm sure I could say more but the baby is sleeping and it's time to get some cleaning done (and more steps!).

- run for life

Priorities

I have all these fabulous ideas and this blog was one of them.  Of course when you tack on being a mom, a wife and working full time while helping at church and all that... Other things go by the wayside... Like this blog.

How do people get everything done?  It comes down to importance.  If it's important to you it will get done.  I'm standing in my kitchen right now wearing my baby as I type this on my phone.  My priorities are God, family and then others so I'll do my best to update a few times a week and I hope that will be enough to encourage you from day to day.  Know that sometimes even those moms who look like they have it all together don't (don't worry I definitely don't look like I do).  No one is perfect.  That's the beauty of life.  We have grace and God to guide us.

It's getting cold outside so I am getting steps downstairs in the kitchen while typing this and wearing my sleeping baby.  (She likes to be held and sometimes I need to be hands free so my ergo has been a huge blessing.). I can't do all of the workouts I would like to do when wearing a baby but I can still get 10,000 steps a day!  I'd love to be using my TRX and running to prepare for my next marathon but it's worth it to me to be able to keep my baby close while I still can.  Soon she will be walking and won't need to be close to fall asleep.  It's all about those priorities and what is important to us.  

What's most important to you?

new direction

So, it appears that life has completely taken over and I haven't been able to write/haven't made time to write since 2012.  It's almost 2015!  If I make a real effort to write I can do it.

Let's catch you all up over the past 2 years of my life.  I had some amazing adventures last year in 2013.  Nathan and I traveled to Alaska in July.  It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to!  We did it all - explored Matanuska Glacier (with no cramp-ons, I highly recommend those!), flew over Denali and took a tour bus into the park, went deep sea fishing on a little charter boat (take motion sickness medicine if it's storming because the boat will rock - it was rough - literally), etc.  I found out I was pregnant at the end of August and in September we went to Glacier National Park in Montana and did my 48th state marathon just outside the park.  The following weekend I went to Nebraska and did my 49th state (it was getting more difficult to breathe even in the beginning for the Montana and Nebraska marathons).

In January of this year I finished my 50 states on Maui (about 5.5-6 months pregnant).  Nathan was right there by my side when we crossed the finish line - my slowest marathon ever but I didn't care.  I finished under the time limit and waddled my way there at almost 30 pounds over my normal weight.  Some people say if you have been running before pregnancy you will still be able to run... that was definitely not my case.  I could walk and that was about it.  I walked 4-5 miles a day since I couldn't run up until I found out I had gestational hypertension at 37.5 weeks and they told me to be on modified bed rest.

In May and we were celebrating the birth of our first child.  I can't even describe how amazing being a mother is.  I have never known any love like the love I have for my baby.  It just gives me a little glimpse into how our Heavenly Father feels about us - His children.

Fast forward to today - basically I wanted to write this post to let you know that I am going to try to make a better effort to write and I hope this blog helps to inspire other women, mothers and people to work on being healthier one step at a time.  You don't have to run or walk or even take actual steps with your feet.  The most important thing is to try to take steps to improve your health one step at a time, one day at a time.  Incremental changes add up over time.

So cheers friends (you can clink your water bottle with me - insert clinking sound here), here's to a new direction!