Book review: Reshaping it all

My new Year's resolution was to read 100 books this year....and because that isn't challenge enough, I decided that I should incorporate as many new(as in, I haven't read before) books as possible, specifically non-fiction, which has never been of much interest to me. The book I'm going to be reviewing today, "Reshaping it all" by Candace Cameron Bure, is a non-fiction book, and my first, actually, since starting my resolution.

alright, let's do this thang!

This book was not recommended to me, I didn't read anything about it, nor had it been something I'd been wanting to read for any amount of time. I literally was in my library, wandering around, saw this on a shelf, grabbed it, and checked it out. For those who may not know, Candace Cameron Bure(Bure is her married name) is an actress, wife, mother, and Christian. She played DJ Tanner on the show "Full House" in the 80s, and her brother, Kirk Cameron, is also an actor, first on "Growing pains" in the 80s, and more recently the "Left Behind" series, among like a hundred other things. Candace is also currently a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars", which is why I think her book was even on display. I already knew these things about her, and I really like her a lot, so I figured her book would be a good place to start in my journey through the realm of non-fiction, so, I checked it out.

Before I get into the details of the book, I should let you know that "Reshaping it all" is a book geared toward helping people obtain physical and spiritual fitness(remember, Candace is a Christian, so of course it's going to be about God!) In general, it's about her story of weight struggle and eventual weight loss, and how, through hard work and strength in God, she managed to keep off the weight and beat her addiction.

Sound interesting? Yeah, I did to. And guess what! It was really interesting. I wouldn't say I'm on some health kick or anything, but I feel like I have been finding myself gravitating toward more health related talk shows, cooking shows, etc lately, and I'm always open to learning new things that I can apply to myself, and then pass on to you guys, my wonderful readers!

Now down to business. I think the most important thing about a book is how it's written. The content is important, but no one's going to get to the content if the format is bad. Not so with Candace's book. It's written in the typical non-fiction first person, and it's easy to read, without being dumbed down or condescending to those like myself that are used to a little higher level of literature.(I had just finished reading Lord of the Ring, so you can imagine the shock my brain went through reading "Reshaping it all" lol) Also the chapters are short, which makes getting through them much more enjoyable...because nothing is more overwhelming than thumbing through a book and realizing each chapter is like 47 pages long.

While we're on the topic of chapters and writing format, I'll let you know that at the end of each chapter, Candace has a summary of what she talked about, a fan letter with a health or spiritual question, her answer to that letter, all the Bible verses she used in that chapter, simple tips on how to apply that chapter to your life, an inspirational quote, and then a healthy recipe that she makes for her own family. WHEW! That's a lot packed into a few pages, huh?!

Because Candace is a Christian(and not afraid to proclaim it to the world, thank you very much) she does scatter bible verses throughout her book as they apply to what she's talking about, and many of her tips on motivation and staying strong revolve around prayer and staying strong in God, which is something a lot of people don't think about when it comes to their physical health. But think about it. God calls us to take care of our bodies, because they are a temple for Him, so it makes sense that we would need Him to help make us new. Genius.

She also talks a lot about how a healthy lifestyle is necessary, rather than optional. Basically she's saying that, once you've committed to living a healthier lifestyle, you have to stick with it, and not just live healthy when it's convenient for you. She also discourages diets. She doesn't discredit them, but going "on" a diet implies you will one day go "off" the diet, and the only way to stay healthy is to....get this....stay healthy. Candace encourages a lifestyle change, which is what she did, and what I did, and it, frankly, works.

Candace has MANY tips and tricks on how to make that lifestyle change, and how to make it so habitual that you eventually don't even have to work at it. One of the things she suggested was to write down your reasons for losing weight, whatever they may be, and read them whenever you get discouraged. Keep the list somewhere you can see it, like by your bed or on your mirror or fridge, so you never forget WHY you're doing this.

I don't want to give away too much information, because I want you to read this book, but I'll leave you with a quote that really impacted me, and will hopefully speak to you and give you the push you need to get yourself healthy....for the right reasons!

"You are beautiful, interesting, accepted, and loved by the most high God. Be content with both the woman you are today and the woman you'll be tomorrow."
-Candace Cameron Bure

Living healthy? Ain't nobody got time for that!

'Tis the season for New year’s resolutions, and while we’re all still motivated to keep them up, I thought I’d talk about the most popular resolution, getting healthy.

So I was talking with one of the ladies I work with the other day, because she’s trying to loose weight. I always like to talk about stuff like this, not only because I find it interesting, but because I know what these people are going through. Not too long ago, I was pretty fat, until my church started a program called C3Fit, where the whole church would come together and try to live healthier. (Your body is a temple, etc. You get the idea.) Doing that through my church kick-started my interest in health, and to date I have lost 45 pounds, solely with exercise and eating healthier foods/portions.

I want to say something right off the bat. I am not a vegetarian or a vegan, and I don’t eat super healthy organic everything all the time. I had Taco Bell last week. So I just want to let you know that you can live a healthier lifestyle and not deprive yourself, or be that friend who is always complaining about how they can’t have what their younger friends are having because they’re a victim of a slowing metabolism, or whatever. I have had to give a up a few things, but I found in the long run that I didn’t even miss them or want them.

I guess I’ll start with the foods I gave up, but it’s a small list, so don’t panic. I stopped drinking soda and eating candy. I still will have those things now and again though. I’ll have a glass of soda maybe when I’m eating out…and you gotta have soda when you’re eating pizza! They just go together! But I was drinking three or four cans a day, and that’s a lot of fructose, which is what causes belly fat. When I gave up soda, I actually did it because I read somewhere that drinking it was bad for your skin, and I had really bad skin at the time. So I decided I wasn’t going to drink it anymore, and I gave it up cold turkey, fully expecting to go nuts craving it within three days. But you know what? I never had any cravings for that soda! Now I feel like I can enjoy the soda more now, because I’ve made it a treat.

The candy was something I started eliminating from my diet when my parents made me do this fasting thing(Which was horrible.) As I was going through this fast, my youth group had a pizza party that I didn’t know about until I got there(Doesn’t that just suck when you’re on a fast?!) And, knowing I couldn’t have any of it, I was eyeing the pizza, and soda, and all the things like that, but I realized I wasn’t even interested in the bowls of candy, and it got me thinking…I wonder if I could give this up? I know it’s not good for me. I think I’ll try it! And just like with the soda, I found I didn’t even miss it after about a week. I know the vice for a lot of people is the candy, but let’s face it. Chocolate is better anyway!

Those were the only things I really “gave up”. With everything else, however, I just cut WAY back on my portions. I think this is the only way I was able to loose weight at all, and it’s also one of the healthiest, because you’re changing your lifestyle, but it’s not a diet. Like my mom says, “You can’t go off your diet if you were never on one!” Eventually, though, I did start incorporating some healthier alternatives into my diet.

First, and probably most important, I started drinking smoothies for breakfast every morning. People drink smoothies at any time of the day. I chose breakfast for a couple reasons:

1-It’s the most important meal of the day!!!

2-I wasn’t eating breakfast. I would always just wait for lunch. Mostly because I liked to sleep in and wouldn’t be hungry for breakfast, but also because all that heavy breakfast food would fill me up, and then I wouldn’t feel hungry for lunch, so then I would eat WAY too much for dinner. And that is really bad for you.

Anywho, so I have smoothies for breakfast. I bought myself a nutribullet and started experimenting with different fruits and veggies. FYI, I love my nutribullet. It is SOOOO much better than a blender, I can’t even tell you. Seriously. When I started, I didn’t like many veggies, so I would add as much fruit as possible and leave the veggies as almost an afterthought. As time went by, and my body got used to eating healthier foods, however, I started adjusting my fruit-to-veggie ratio, and now I’m almost entirely veggies, with the fruits acting as flavor. I made a video showing how to make my favorite smoothie that you can check out now:

When I was fat, I thought the only way to loose weight was to starve yourself, and I was pretty sure I would never be able to do it. But I started doing my research, and I discovered snacking. Best. Discovery. Ever. To supplement my smaller meal portions, I started eating little snacks throughout the day. Little things, like a Clementine, or a handful of carrots or apples, or, my newest discovery, dates. While having a small snack a couple times a day has been proven to be a healthier way of eating, I had to be careful what I was snacking on. It’s really easy to go for chips, etc. That’s a snack food. I had to do a lot of reading, but I did eventually find several things I could snack on that wouldn’t blow my whole day.

Do you ever watch those healthy cooking shows where they make holiday favorites like mashed potatoes, but they use cauliflower instead of spuds, and you just sit there like “No.” Because we all know it’s not really mashed potatoes! DUH! One of those foods I didn’t believe in was Spaghetti squash. It’s supposed to replace pasta, hence the name. But I saw it on an episode of Doctor Oz, and I trust what he says more than those pinterest recipes, so I thought I’d give it a try. If I don’t like it, I don’t have to do it again! But here’s the thing. Spaghetti squash is freaking amazing! Like, something that isn’t pasta shouldn’t taste that good. My personal favorite way to eat it is by making mac and cheese, with the spaghetti squash as the “mac”, and then I just make my own cheese sauce. From this experience I learned to try new things! Sometimes I failed epically, but I found a lot of new foods that I really liked!

Along with eating healthier, I very recently started counting my calories, purely because I was curious about how many calories I was eating. I found an app called My Fitness Pal that not only counts my calories, but keeps track of my water intake and how many calories I burn with exercise!

Which brings me to exercise. Anybody who’s put any kind of thought into weight loss knows you can’t get fit if you don’t exercise…which was a hard concept for me. I am probably the laziest person in the history of the world…no, I take that back. My sister took the trophy when she started texting her kids(in the same room) to go get her something(also in the same room). But I’m up there in lazy!

I don’t really have any advise about exercise, except to just grit your teeth and do it anyway. And make it fun. I knew I wasn’t going to do it if I wasn’t enjoying myself. I tried pretty much everything, but I found out I liked Zumba WAY more than I liked Pilates. But my mom prefers Pilates, so you just have to try it all and see what you like best. I was also able to find exercises that I could do in front of the TV, meaning you never loose sight of the screen, and I knew that would work really well for me because I watch a lot of TV. Just do your research. Pinterest has been a huge source for me, for sure!

As I began to get more into a routine with my workouts and was able to do more, I started looking for harder workouts. This past summer, I got into running, and I really love it. Cardio is REALLY important to weight loss. You can build all the muscle you want, but cardio is what will melt the fat so you can see that muscle. I used the C25kfree app, which was a life saver. My first time running was with my neighbor, who’s idea of a beginner’s workout was four miles. Yeah no. But I randomly found this app, which starts you out slow, and with only one mile. It’s a 9-week program, and I think the first week was to walk five minues, run one minute, walk five, run one, etc. for 30 minutes, and then slowly build from there. At the end of the program, you should be able to run a 5k without any walking. If whatever day I was on was still really hard, I would just keep doing it until it wasn’t hard anymore, which is why I’m still using that program. But you can listen to your own music and it tells you when to walk and run, and when you have a minute left. It’s really great! If you’re thinking about taking up running, I recommend the C25kfree app!

I know that running isn’t for everyone, and I didn’t want to run every day, so I found MANY youtube videos and pinterest pins with non-running workouts that I would do on my non-running days. Eventually, I happened upon another app, called the Wherever Workout. And that’s just what it is. It’s an app full of 20 minute workouts designed for small spaces with almost no equipment. All you need is a chair, and the kind of space a hotel room might provide. It also has stretches for if you’re taking long car or plane rides. This app was kind of like discovering gold, to be honest! And all these apps are totally free! SCORE!

I know that, when you’re first starting out, any kind of drastic change is daunting, and you’re like, “I can’t do that! I would be wanting to give up like every day!” And I did. Still do. When I literally roll out of bed in the morning, I have to have a debate with myself because I really want to sleep longer, but I also don’t want pancake butt, so I have to decide what I want more. Bleh. In order to let my healthy side win that argument, I had to give myself a day off. I chose Sunday because it’s the day of rest, and because I was already using that day to do absolutely nothing at all, but everybody has their own “off” day. I told myself I was going to be good all week; get up early, exercise, eat right, etc. every day; and then Sunday I wouldn’t exercise, I would take naps, and, if I wanted to, I would have that s’more, gosh darn it!

I think if you’re not going to go crazy doing this, you have to give yourself an “off” day, where you don’t have to think about what you’re doing and eating…at least for a day.

And that brings me to my last tip. Do this every day (except your “off” day). One bad meal doesn’t make you fat, just like one good meal doesn’t make you skinny. It took me two years to get to where I am today…because I had to make this a lifestyle, not a diet. I had to get in the habit of doing all of these things every. day.

If you’ve been thinking about how to live healthier, I hope you found this helpful! Living healthy is better with a friend, so make this a community, comment and tell me your story, or any advise you may have for me! I’m always learning and changing, and eager to hear more! Let’s make this year the year you actually go through with your new year’s resolution!

Running out of time

Do you ever feel like you’ve got so much to do that you’re running around like a chicken with its head cut off? Sometimes I have so much crammed into my day that I just want to curl up in a ball and weep openly.

 

I recently started a new job, and I’m also a college student….and I like to get in about an hour of exercise a day. I don’t have a family to look after or anything like that, but I know that feeling of drowning in your day. I had to learn quickly how to manage my busy schedule or I wasn’t going to make it at all…and I’m pretty sure most of you know exactly how I felt.

 

First thing’s first…you’re going to want to give up pretty much every day. I don’t know how many times I’ve decided I’ll just be dumb, fat and poor, but then that pesky little common sense steps in and ruins my pity party. So annoying. So, I had to think of other ways to make my life easier.

 

I started writing down everything I had to do each week, split up into individual days, and, more often than not, I was surprised to see that I didn’t have as much to do as I thought I did! By writing it down I also made sure I didn’t forget anything. I always like to get cute little notebooks(currently I’m sporting a vintage mickey mouse journal! Yay!) I mean, who said organization has to be boring?

 

Along with making a to-do list, I’ve also had to work at getting rid of my frankly worrying habit for procrastination. Seriously. It’s pretty bad. The biggest problem I was having with cramming everything I needed to do in just 24 short hours was, well, I was spending a good number of those hours not doing anything productive. I’m not saying that breaks are bad or that you need to go go go all the time, but I was spending too much time watching TV, or something equally useless. Basically, don’t leave it for later, because later quickly becomes never. It’s like what your mom always said, “Clean as you go!” or was that just MY mom? Ah well, you still get the point.

 

This next tip was something I still have a hard time with. Sometimes you have to say “No”. I know, I know. But don’t get out the pitch forks just yet. Remember, we’ve only got 24 hours in a day, and, let’s face it. We’re not going to spend all 24 hours crossing off stuff on our to-do list. So, foul as it may seem, I had to train myself to realize my limits, and to never go past them, which meant sometimes I couldn’t do everything I wanted to, but in the words of a wise lady called my mom, “There’s always more”. She calls this her e-bay method. Seriously. I think she needs to write a book of one-liners. She could make millions and then I wouldn’t need a job, and wouldn’t have to use any of these tips!

 

Something that goes along with this is realizing you may not be able to do all the things you’ve planned for each day. Ideally, I would like to work out for an hour or more every day. But sometimes that just isn’t going to happen, no matter how early I get up. So I modify my plan, and maybe work out for half an hour. But each day is going to be different. Saturday I barely squeezed in 20 minutes, but today I had enough time to devote that entire hour! As much as managing my life requires structure and discipline, I also have to remember to play it by ear and understand my priorities. If I had taken an entire hour on Saturday to work out, that would mean sacrificing homework time, which, frankly, is more important to me. Ya see?

 

Anywho, I come now to my last tip. Get ready, because it’s massively profound. YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF. Boom. I’m talking to you, moms! I know you have a bit of a control problem and you just feel more comfortable doing it yourself. At least you know it was done right! But you’re only human, and sometimes you need to act like one. Chances are you’ve got a kid or a husband who will take those library books back if you just ask them. Hypothetically. I understand that this will be really hard for most of you. Trust me. I am a HUGE control freak, and I get fidgety when I have to let someone else do something for me…but you know what? More things get done and the world doesn’t end! Which means less stress over how much is left to do at the end of every day!

 

This may have been a rambling bunch of nonsense to many of you, but these things really helped me make the most of every day, and I hope it helps you a little too!
 

New Year's Resolutions? Ain't Nobody Got Time For That....

So here we are again. The start of a New Year. Amidst the glitter throwing and the parties and the sparkling juice and the ball dropping in Times Square, there is a little tradition that most people participate in: making New Year's Resolutions. We approach the New Year with great ambitions and noble goals, such as, "I WILL exercise and get buff this year! I WILL NOT eat any more sugar! I WILL NOT put off my homework till the night before it's due! I WILL get up at 5:00AM, read my Bible, exercise, and clean the entire house before light even filters through the windows!"

But roughly around the same time that the bloaty-ness from eating one to many BBQ meatballs wears off and the bags under our eyes from staying up till 2:00 AM New Year's Eve fade, the motivation is already lost and the goals are long forgotten.

Well, this year, I really want it to be different. I was thinking, "How can I make this different? How can I insure the goals I've created aren't totally forgotten as soon as the pen leaves the paper?" 

After deliberating for many, many minutes over this question, I came up with only one solution:

Don't write any New Year's Resolutions. 

I personally think it's pretty genius.

....Ok, ok, so saying I didn't write New Year's Resolutions isn't completely true... BUT! It is a fact that ain't nobody got time for "New Years Resolutions". So what I've decided to do is not a list of New Years Resolution. It is really a list of things I've been dreaming about for awhile now, and the New Year just so happened to coincide with my plan of writing them down. So no, these are not New Years Resolutions. This is a list of long-thought-out stuff I want to do with my life in the near future. As in, within the year 2014.

Here's my list:

1. Read the Bible More - Ok, so I actually used this as an example in the first paragraph as a regular New Years Resolution. The difference between that example and this is that I'm not getting up at 5:00 AM to do it. ;) All joking aside, however, this one is first because it's the most important. Any time I haven't read the Bible in awhile, I do something or react in some way that makes me go, "Oh look, there's that the person Jesus died to save me from. Myself." and that's not a pretty sight. Life doesn't work without Jesus. I don't function properly without the Bible. That pretty much sums it up!

2.  Start an Etsy Shop - I'm hoping to get this started soon! This is one of those things where I'm fighting against the part of me that goes, "Ya, that will never be successful. You might as well not even try." But I know for sure I won't be successful if I never even try so I might as well risk it!

3. Learn Archery - I'm getting a bow and arrow in a couple of months here, and I'm really hoping to develop a new hobby! Think how awesome that would be... launching arrows at targets! Hitting the bulls eye! Really, it sounds so fun! Maybe someday I'll even try hunting with my bow... well, as long as I have a guy there who is willing to drag whatever I shoot back to the truck because... I'm not doing that. I'm also not skinning anything... and I don't eat wild game... Ok never mind. I'm not going to be a hunter. But I am going to learn archery! and it will be awesome! (and yes, I love Hunger Games. So, shh.)

4. Get at Least a 3.7 GPA in College - I start my second semester of freshman year this week, and I've officially made it my goal to get at least a 3.7 GPA. Why that number, you may ask? Well, because you need a 3.7 GPA to get into medical school or law school. Despite the fact that I have no intention of entering either, I like to keep my options open. Plus the way I see it if I'm getting the same GPA as a lawyer or a doctor I'm doing ok. :)

5. Get In Major Shape - Another cliche' goal, but I'm young, and a healthy weight, so I think it is a good idea get into shape now while it's still fairly easy to do so! Plus, I want to get these habits developed so they're there. Apparently life doesn't get any less hectic after college... heh.

6. Stay Good - That sounds silly but basically it's an all-encompassing goal which pretty much includes just doing what needs to be done.

7. Get Scholarships - I got enough scholarships last semester to cover this year, but a couple of them expire after a year, so I have to reapply. It's mildly annoying, but it's really nothing when you think about how many YEARS of my life would be spent trying to pay off student loan bills... You know, come to think of it, it's not annoying at all.

8. Start a Blog - Bada bing, bada boom. 

So, those are my goals. I can imagine my life when they are all complete and I really like what I see. I just need to stay on track and get there! "What about after that happens?" you may ask.

Well, as always, anything is possible.... :)