This may hurt or sting a little or a lot depending on how you take it but my intention is only to assist/support.
To love is to be honest with one another and sometimes that isn’t easy to do or to take.
One thing I would like to say first is that if there is a mental health or physical health ailment/medication in association then this is not directed at you.
Do what you can with what you have until you can build upon it.
A few days ago I saw a post that really lit my fire. I am not going to re-post it but I have been giving it a lot of thought and I concluded that it was an opportunity for a teachable moment.
So here goes.
The post was what appeared to be an obese child drinking from a cup (it looked like it was a fast food drink), the caption is not important but the visual is what triggered me to respond. When I see people both adults and children (especially children who are in the hands of their caregivers) who are obese or morbidly obese I hurt deep down inside for them. I worry for their health, I ache for their self-esteem/confidence, and I feel a strong sense to go and rescue them. But I can’t. I can’t carry that burden of worry, I can’t make them believe that which they have already chosen not to believe, I can’t rescue them. What I can do is try to help, whether with posts, pictures, recipes, blog entries, conversations, etc…
Most of the time the excuses I hear about eating healthy are as follows:
1. Healthy food is expensive.
2. I don’t have time to cook every day or often.
3. I don’t know how to eat or cook healthy.
My initial responses are:
1. Eating healthy is not expensive.
2. You don’t have to cook every day.
3. There is such a thing as self-education/asking for help.
I would like to follow this up with the following, (brace yourself – winter is coming…)
1. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive it just takes a little MORE EFFORT (I’ll come back to this).
a. It is better to eat whole foods even if they are not organic – buy what you can afford.
b. Seasonal foods are usually cheap and the sales are printed and mailed to you in the form of weekly store ads.
c. There are also wholesale sellers like Sam’s Club and Costco where you can buy some things in bulk.
d. Some of the meat markets also carry cheap produce as do farmers’ markets.
e. Some stores also have in-store not advertised flash sales on some of their items.
f. Use coupons.
g. Here is the stinger… Ready for it…. WAL-MART price matches almost everything INCLUDING FOOD!
i. Take your store ads, ALL of them, make your list, and as long as the item is the same you can price match it.
ii. If you don’t have a lot of time – here is your ONE STOP shopping option - WAL-MART!
iii. HAVE NO SHAME in holding up the checkout line, saving yourself some money, and feeding yourself – your family- your kids healthy food. If I can do it so can you!
2. You don’t have to cook every day.
a. Cook/prep 2 to 3 large meals and spread them out throughout the week.
b. Eat fresh/frozen foods like fruits and veggies and RAW – not salted nuts.
c. Things that save time canned tuna, sardines, canned beans with no sodium, frozen veggies/fruit, plain yogurt, etc...
d. When you put your groceries away especially meats/poultry pre-pack (you can even pre-season) them into the amounts you would use for a meal so they are easy to grab and cook.
e. When you bake food you don’t have to stand in the kitchen at the stove trying not to burn the food you could set a timer and take care of other stuff. The same goes for a crockpot.
f. Look for easy to make healthy meals. There are so many websites/blogs/facebookers/instagrammers/G+ that provide lots of ideas.
3. There is such a thing as self-education/asking for help.
a. If you can read this post then you can read a recipe or read about food options.
b. Ask a family member or friend for help/ideas/recipes/substitutes, chances are they have been dying for your to ask!
With that said all these things require a little extra EFFORT. Our problem is that we like convenience and we shame the lady holding up a line at the grocery store who is price matching or using coupons instead of learning from her. We lack shame in taking the easy route, we lack shame in our laziness, we lack shame when we feed our families and kids chemicals, we lack shame in not taking more interest in our own well-being, we lack shame in not making the extra effort.
Now I’m not one to point fingers and accuse anyone, we live in a country where freedom allows us to live as we please but with freedom comes responsibility.
GIVE YOURSELF A FIGHTING CHANCE, commit to your health, to your happiness, to your success, to your family, and pass it along to your kids, by God help them before it is too late! Give them the gifts of self-confidence, self-worth, self-love, self-discipline, self-responsibility, self-control, show them bravery, commitment, and show them how it's done. Words, actions, results.
I’m not shooting this out of my rear-end. I tell you this because I know it is possible. I have a busy life too.
If you don’t know me this is my current situation:
I am a single mom of a 2nd grader who has Karate every Friday now.
My husband died of cancer in 2010, his only sibling died of cancer in 2008.
I help my in-laws and they help me – we are all they have left.
I work full-time, I supervise a group of people, I run a department, and I often work from home after-hours after I tuck my munchkin in.
I am in a 1 year leadership program that I just started this month – I have homework already, I am also studying for my GMAT exam which I hope to take soon and then will start my master’s degree.
I cook and clean every weekend to prepare for the week.
I do laundry every day, I did 2 loads before coming into work this morning as well as emptied the dishwasher and took out the trash and the recycle bin.
I do not let my house chores pile up so I do a little every day after work and before work.
My son can only go to school after he has had his vitamins, 1 bowl of fresh fruit, eggs or oatmeal, and a cup of milk with a drop of coffee every single morning. Yes, I spoon feed him because he loves his mommy.
I pack lunch for both of us almost every day. I make myself smoothies with fruits and veggies every single day.
I workout 5 to 6 times a week for at least 30 mins or more – depends what I have time for – usually at night since I am not a morning person and I usually use my mornings to take care of my son and my house.
I recently fell off my workout routine but I am making the effort to get back into it - 3 weeks in already!
I collect all the weekly store ads, some I print from the web, I make my grocery list, I shop at Wal-Mart for most (not all) of my items, and yes I HOLD UP THE LINE and I DON’T CARE because it is my money and my son’s and my health that I do it for.
I make time to visit my parents, siblings, and nieces once a week.
I have been crocheting a scarf for my son which I finally finished.
After work and dinner I sit with my son to finish up homework, play, chat, and just spend time with each other.
I am the provider so my health, education, and career are very important but not more important than my son’s health and well-being.
Do you have to do everything I do? NO! But to say eating healthy is expensive or you don’t know how or you don’t have time is a down right lie. I take it personally when only excuses are given and no one seems to own up to the problem or have a solution. Recognize that you can do better, find what works for you and do it! Don’t talk about it, DO IT!
So here you go…my support to you, take it or leave it. It’s your life not mine.
Here is some information that might be useful for those who are willing to make the effort:
http://getfitbestrong.blogspot.com/2013/04/healthy-eating-on-budget.html
https://www.facebook.com/LetsGetFitBeStrong/
To love is to be honest with one another and sometimes that isn’t easy to do or to take.
One thing I would like to say first is that if there is a mental health or physical health ailment/medication in association then this is not directed at you.
Do what you can with what you have until you can build upon it.
A few days ago I saw a post that really lit my fire. I am not going to re-post it but I have been giving it a lot of thought and I concluded that it was an opportunity for a teachable moment.
So here goes.
The post was what appeared to be an obese child drinking from a cup (it looked like it was a fast food drink), the caption is not important but the visual is what triggered me to respond. When I see people both adults and children (especially children who are in the hands of their caregivers) who are obese or morbidly obese I hurt deep down inside for them. I worry for their health, I ache for their self-esteem/confidence, and I feel a strong sense to go and rescue them. But I can’t. I can’t carry that burden of worry, I can’t make them believe that which they have already chosen not to believe, I can’t rescue them. What I can do is try to help, whether with posts, pictures, recipes, blog entries, conversations, etc…
Most of the time the excuses I hear about eating healthy are as follows:
1. Healthy food is expensive.
2. I don’t have time to cook every day or often.
3. I don’t know how to eat or cook healthy.
My initial responses are:
1. Eating healthy is not expensive.
2. You don’t have to cook every day.
3. There is such a thing as self-education/asking for help.
I would like to follow this up with the following, (brace yourself – winter is coming…)
1. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be expensive it just takes a little MORE EFFORT (I’ll come back to this).
a. It is better to eat whole foods even if they are not organic – buy what you can afford.
b. Seasonal foods are usually cheap and the sales are printed and mailed to you in the form of weekly store ads.
c. There are also wholesale sellers like Sam’s Club and Costco where you can buy some things in bulk.
d. Some of the meat markets also carry cheap produce as do farmers’ markets.
e. Some stores also have in-store not advertised flash sales on some of their items.
f. Use coupons.
g. Here is the stinger… Ready for it…. WAL-MART price matches almost everything INCLUDING FOOD!
i. Take your store ads, ALL of them, make your list, and as long as the item is the same you can price match it.
ii. If you don’t have a lot of time – here is your ONE STOP shopping option - WAL-MART!
iii. HAVE NO SHAME in holding up the checkout line, saving yourself some money, and feeding yourself – your family- your kids healthy food. If I can do it so can you!
2. You don’t have to cook every day.
a. Cook/prep 2 to 3 large meals and spread them out throughout the week.
b. Eat fresh/frozen foods like fruits and veggies and RAW – not salted nuts.
c. Things that save time canned tuna, sardines, canned beans with no sodium, frozen veggies/fruit, plain yogurt, etc...
d. When you put your groceries away especially meats/poultry pre-pack (you can even pre-season) them into the amounts you would use for a meal so they are easy to grab and cook.
e. When you bake food you don’t have to stand in the kitchen at the stove trying not to burn the food you could set a timer and take care of other stuff. The same goes for a crockpot.
f. Look for easy to make healthy meals. There are so many websites/blogs/facebookers/instagrammers/G+ that provide lots of ideas.
3. There is such a thing as self-education/asking for help.
a. If you can read this post then you can read a recipe or read about food options.
b. Ask a family member or friend for help/ideas/recipes/substitutes, chances are they have been dying for your to ask!
With that said all these things require a little extra EFFORT. Our problem is that we like convenience and we shame the lady holding up a line at the grocery store who is price matching or using coupons instead of learning from her. We lack shame in taking the easy route, we lack shame in our laziness, we lack shame when we feed our families and kids chemicals, we lack shame in not taking more interest in our own well-being, we lack shame in not making the extra effort.
Now I’m not one to point fingers and accuse anyone, we live in a country where freedom allows us to live as we please but with freedom comes responsibility.
GIVE YOURSELF A FIGHTING CHANCE, commit to your health, to your happiness, to your success, to your family, and pass it along to your kids, by God help them before it is too late! Give them the gifts of self-confidence, self-worth, self-love, self-discipline, self-responsibility, self-control, show them bravery, commitment, and show them how it's done. Words, actions, results.
I’m not shooting this out of my rear-end. I tell you this because I know it is possible. I have a busy life too.
If you don’t know me this is my current situation:
I am a single mom of a 2nd grader who has Karate every Friday now.
My husband died of cancer in 2010, his only sibling died of cancer in 2008.
I help my in-laws and they help me – we are all they have left.
I work full-time, I supervise a group of people, I run a department, and I often work from home after-hours after I tuck my munchkin in.
I am in a 1 year leadership program that I just started this month – I have homework already, I am also studying for my GMAT exam which I hope to take soon and then will start my master’s degree.
I cook and clean every weekend to prepare for the week.
I do laundry every day, I did 2 loads before coming into work this morning as well as emptied the dishwasher and took out the trash and the recycle bin.
I do not let my house chores pile up so I do a little every day after work and before work.
My son can only go to school after he has had his vitamins, 1 bowl of fresh fruit, eggs or oatmeal, and a cup of milk with a drop of coffee every single morning. Yes, I spoon feed him because he loves his mommy.
I pack lunch for both of us almost every day. I make myself smoothies with fruits and veggies every single day.
I workout 5 to 6 times a week for at least 30 mins or more – depends what I have time for – usually at night since I am not a morning person and I usually use my mornings to take care of my son and my house.
I recently fell off my workout routine but I am making the effort to get back into it - 3 weeks in already!
I collect all the weekly store ads, some I print from the web, I make my grocery list, I shop at Wal-Mart for most (not all) of my items, and yes I HOLD UP THE LINE and I DON’T CARE because it is my money and my son’s and my health that I do it for.
I make time to visit my parents, siblings, and nieces once a week.
I have been crocheting a scarf for my son which I finally finished.
After work and dinner I sit with my son to finish up homework, play, chat, and just spend time with each other.
I am the provider so my health, education, and career are very important but not more important than my son’s health and well-being.
Do you have to do everything I do? NO! But to say eating healthy is expensive or you don’t know how or you don’t have time is a down right lie. I take it personally when only excuses are given and no one seems to own up to the problem or have a solution. Recognize that you can do better, find what works for you and do it! Don’t talk about it, DO IT!
So here you go…my support to you, take it or leave it. It’s your life not mine.
Here is some information that might be useful for those who are willing to make the effort:
http://getfitbestrong.blogspot.com/2013/04/healthy-eating-on-budget.html
https://www.facebook.com/LetsGetFitBeStrong/
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