Random Tips!

Hey everyone! I'm always looking for practical ways to make life easier so it only makes sense to pass along my own little tips that I pick up here and there.

Today I only have two to share so here it goes!

1) skip the shaving cream and shave your legs with cheap conditioner. You can literally buy a big 'ole bottle of condition for $1 at the dollar store and though it may not do great things for your hair--I've learned it works great for shaving legs! And, it's waayyy cheaper than shaving cream so unless you have ultra sensitive skin I vote go with the conditioner.

2) buy bananas in bulk. I have a smoothie about every day sometimes twice a day--that said I go through bananas really quickly. Of course the day I buy extra bananas is the day I slow down on my smoothie intake and they end up going bad. I found a solution by cutting up ripe bananas and freezing them! The frozen bananas work great in smoothies (and if you blend up a few chunks of banana and some milk you get a healthy "ice cream"!) and when frozen they don't really go--though I haven't exactly experimented to see how long they last in the freezer! Oh! And another plus to cutting up and freezing your bananas is you don't have to eat a whole banana you just grab as many banana pieces as you need.

That's all I've got for now!

Em

Week 2 Update

Well, I gotta confess, this was the week of cheating.

I was doing SO good and then--I wasn't going good. No I didn't give in to a midnight craving or have an emotional breakdown resulting in eating my body weight in sugar.

Thursday, Abbie made dessert and I wanted to try some. I only had a couple bites and that was that. Then Saturday I went to a lingerie shower. I knew there would be a plethora of yummy food and I didn't even attempt to ignore the sweets. I gave myself 1 day and by the time Sunday rolled around I was more than ready to give up sweets--again. Today is Tuesday and so far I am back on track and feeling great.

So, on that note I thought I would put in a few thoughts I've had on cheating on a diet.

When it comes to sticking to a diet people are incredibly concerned about failing their diet. So when they do slip it's catastrophic. Honestly, I feel like people allowing themselves to become so upset when they are not perfect in their eating habits is just as problematic as actually falling off the diet bandwagon. Sure, it's a band idea to allow ourselves too much liberty in what we eat. After all what's the point of a diet if there is no intention to stick with it? But, we can't feel like a failure if there is a slip. It's more important to keep your chin-up and keep going.

-Em

Week 1 update!

Woohoo! I made it one week without eating wheat or sweets! Honestly, it hasn't been as hard as I thought. Sure there have been a couple times when I've wanted something sweet, but in reality it's just mind over matter. I'm starting to think there might be some truth to the whole "the less you eat the bad stuff the less you crave it".

As for any changes I've noticed since changing my diet up I can't say I've noticed much. I do drink more water these days, but I can't pinpoint any one thing specifically. I haven't been sleepy during the day, but that probably has more to do with going to bed at a good time.

Here's a snapshot of my lunch today. Steal cut oats and an orange!

Sugar Free, Wheat Free, Me

Here we go again, another health kick.

Last fall I went sugar free for about a month. This semester I ate less of the "bad" stuff and more fruits and veggies. Now I'm ready to take my relationship to eating healthy to the next level. From now until my birthday (may 3rd!) I am going sugar free and wheat free. Crazy, I know. I love sweets and I love carbs, but I've got to give it a try.

It recently occurred to me that God has given us all intricately designed bodies yet many of us will never know what it's like for that body to reach its full potential. Personally, I want to see what my body will do if I treat it right. For all I know there might be things that I struggle with that will disappear because of a cleaner diet.

Anyway, I'm curious to see how this goes and I'll certainly keep you all updated.

-Em

While studying for a nursing midterm by myself in the very empty computer lab at school I overheard the follow:

We should put up fliers all over campus "single awareness study session Friday nights in the clab"

A guy can change how the world views a girl.

Through his eyes the world can see her as less beautiful

Or he can convince the world she is stunning

Girls--avoid the former

And recognize that the latter is a very good man.

wowzeeeee I am bored!! I have plenty I probably could do, but I simply have no motivation. What better time to update everybody on my life? Well, life's good.

The Lord is so faithful to remind me of how blessed I really am. Last week, I was driving to take a test and had a flat tire. Long story short, by the time the day was over I had been rescued by three guys. One picked me up and got me to my test and it took two more to take me back to the car and change the tire. The funniest part about the whole thing, was that the day before I had been complaining about not having any guy friends. I can't even say how much it warmed my heart to look in my rearview mirror and see a familiar car racing toward me a very illegal speed. Or to watch my friend sweat and strain trying to get the lubnuts off the wheel. Or when I got a text from another guy friend who said his "heart broke" for me when he heard about what had happened. All I could think was, "I am blessed." Some girls are just looking for one hero--some hunk of a guy who will who will change her flat tire--but look at me! I don't even know how I got here. Even if I had 3 wishes I couldn't have come up with this life. It's funny that it took ending up on the side of the road at 7:45 in the morning with tears of panic running down my face to realize how truly, deeply, and unimaginably blessed I am.

-Em