Hey everyone,
I’m not sure who of you is still interested in reading my blog, but if you are… I’ve moved to a new address: Inspire the Best You. Follow me there if you’d like. I will still be posting about healthy living and wellbeing topics such as eating healthier, getting exercise in, feeling better mentally and physically, and much more. I hope to see you there!
Thank you!
~Bonnie~
Do you struggle with afternoon or evening snacking?
These are common times where we might be more apt to reach for the sugary or salty foods. Sometimes it is such a habit that we sabotage that day’s hard work in one swift move. I know I’ve personally done it. It took a lot of hard work to reign it in until it wasn’t totally damaging, and then more hard work to get it under control… or at least as under control as it can be.
Today I would like to share with you some of the tips I have found to help me manage my afternoon and evening snacking.
#1: Go for the lower calorie snacky foods.
If you feel an uncontrollable urge to grab something and you just can’t summon the energy to fight for control, reach for lower calorie snack foods such as marshmallows, dry cereal that is low in sugar, crackers, etc.
#2: Cut up fruits and veggies ahead of time.
Another great idea is to cut up fruits and veggies ahead of time. If you have some small containers for dips, get those prepared with low fat dressings, nut butters, or other healthy dips to dip your fruit and veggies into. Then when the snack monster rears its ugly head, you have something prepared and easy to grab.
#3: Divvy up other snacks into baggies.
Measure out other types of snacks into baggies such as nuts, seeds, cheeses, low-sugar and high-protein cereals, dried fruit such as raisins/cranberries, popcorn (without a ton of butter), crackers, etc. Make sure to keep the portion sizes manageable and store the baggies in a place where you can see and grab them as needed. You might even consider using a permanent marker to write on the baggies how much is in there and how many calories it is so it’s easier to figure out which is best to grab at any given moment.
#4: Plan snacks ahead for the times you feel most snacky.
This one works really well if you like planning. In the early parts of the day, maybe when you have just eaten breakfast, think ahead to what you can have for your afternoon and evening snacks. Keep in mind things that are healthy and filling, that will leave you feeling satisfied and content. Pairing a fruit or veggie with a protein for your afternoon snack could really help your energy levels. Some fiber and/or protein in the evening can help you feel satisfied so that you’re not reaching for the less desirable foods.
#5: Keep your mind and hands busy.
Keeping yourself busy during the times of day you feel most drawn to snacking, especially when boredom eating is playing a part, can help a ton! Figure out some activities that keep your mind and hands/body busy such as taking a walk, going out in nature, reading, writing, cleaning or other housework, playing games, etc. Anything that keeps you busy enough to keep you away from snacking is a good idea.
#6: Drink your water.
Staying on top of your water intake is a great way to combat snacking as well. Sometimes when we feel hungry, we’re actually thirsty. Stay on top of how much water you’re drinking, and also finding the sweet spot of how much water you should be drinking each day, can turn out to be one of the best weapons in your arsenal against snacking.
What are your favorite ways to overcome your snack attacks?
~Bonnie~
This is my life… my story… my book. I will no longer let anyone else write it; nor will I apologize for the edits I make.
-Steve Maraboli
What is life if not worth living?
The truth is, you really can change your life to one that you enjoy living… at least most of the time. No one’s life is perfect but we all have the power to make our lives better.
A lot of this power of change might very well include shifting your mental energy to better things and/or things you can actually change. So fair warning: this isn’t some magical or easy answer to live your dream life. After all, if it were, I would have been doing so in my own life for a while now.
Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.
-Brene Brown
The good news is that you can OWN your life and shape it to be something you actually enjoy living. Here I will share with you some things that I have personally learned in my pursuit to a better life for myself:
First of all, remember that you are worth this and you deserve a life you can enjoy living.
You are worth living a life you find satisfying and rewarding. It will take quite a bit of work, and a lot of mentality changes, but it is so very possible.
Realize that your idea of a life that’s satisfying and rewarding may be quite different than others’ idea of that life.
This is your life. It isn’t up to them how you live it. Don’t let others’ opinions poison your mind and make you doubt your abilities. You are powerful and a force to be reckoned with. You have so many more options open to you than you can even see right now. Open your mind to them. If other people don’t like it, then they can just deal with it or move on.
Think about what you really want out of life, either long-term or short-term, or even both.
What do you want your life to look like? What do you want your future to hold? Consider what your biggest dreams are right now. Don’t limit yourself to what you feel is possible for you right now. Like I mentioned above, there are so many more options available to you than you can see right now and you never know what you can accomplish until you set out to do it!
Weigh the pros and cons to your decisions. Can you really imagine living your life if you follow through with that decision?
Considering the good and the bad that could result from each decision you make. Is that decision really worth making when you consider the negatives that may come from it? Sometimes the positives actually outweigh the negatives or the sacrifice is worth what you get in return. Thinking in these terms for bigger decisions, and sometimes even smaller ones, can really make a difference. At the very least, it makes you think twice before taking a plunge.
Make goals that are actually reachable and allow you time to pursue them, and then craft a plan to meat the goal(s).
I wasn’t lying when I mentioned that you shouldn’t only consider possible for yourself. However, in order to pursue your goals, they still need to be realistic for you and your circumstances. You can make plans to make some goals fit into your life, while others may be a dream to hold off for another time. Think of the resources you have at your disposal right now or that you could possibly use. Wherever there’s a will, there’s a way!
Take action because none of this means much if you don’t actually take any action to achieve it.
Make plans and prepare, but also take action. All the preparation in the world will mean nothing if you don’t move forward with those plans. You may have to start before you’re ready and that’s okay. Some of it will have to be figured out as you go along because you can’t possibly see the whole path all at once.
Scale back on the negatives… Cut anything out of your life that sucks energy away from you or makes you miserable.
There is no space in your life for the negatives. Those people, tasks, or things in your life that suck energy away from you and leave you depleted… whatever you can let go of, do it! It’s not worth holding onto those things if they are keeping you from the life you want (and sometimes need) to live. Some of these things will be okay without you and some of them may not. However, your wellbeing is more important than most of them if you truly consider it. I’m not saying chuck important things from your life, by any means, but dispose of anything that you can that causes you misery.
Grow the positives- focus on any and all positives.
Along the same lines as the point above, focus on any and all positives and elaborate on them. Make those positives the center of your life and your life will begin to take shape around them as if they are the most important thing. It takes time but it certainly helps!
I wish to live a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body.
-Dele Olanubi
So I ask you, what do you really want from your life? Do you think it’s really possible?
~Bonnie~
Focusing on the bright side of your life is part of taking care of YOU and loving yourself.
People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder!
-Salma Hayek
Last month I posted about how I made some positivity/blessings jars and you can check that out here: How Making a Positivity Jar Can Help You. This has proven to be a great tool for me because it helps me work through each day in a positive light. Think about it: you’re sifting through the parts of your day, much like files in a drawer, looking for each particular positive. You kind of have to work through everything that happened in order to find the pearls of positivity.
You don’t even have to make these types of jars in order to work through your day either. Sometimes simply exercising, journaling, or blogging can really help a lot. You might even find something else that you can integrate into your routine that will help you focus on the positive.
Know what sparks the light in you. Then use that light to illuminate the world.
-Oprah Winfrey
Teaching yourself how to focus on the positive in your life can really help you in general as well. This form of positive reinforcement is encouraging and can even be fun! You are basically rewarding yourself for all your hard work.
What you can do to establish this habit:
What do you get in return (the results):
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.
-Maya Angelou
Building this habit of focusing on the bright side of life can really help you feel happier and more peaceful. It may take time and lots of practice, but someday you will look back and see that you have come so far and you will be happy you made the decision to be more positive!
~Bonnie~
As I mentioned last week, with Valentine’s Day coming up soon, we are all thinking about love in some form. Whether it be a significant other, another family member, a crush, or even simply disliking the holiday… Let’s just accept the facts, we know it’s coming and it is probably on our minds.
What I feel is most important is loving ourselves and taking care of ourselves. Even if we have a loved one to spend the holiday or our time with, we need to take the time to take care of ourselves.
One of our biggest downfalls as human beings is stressing out. We’re constantly bombarded by anything and everything, we have mountains and mountains of work not to mention our home life to juggle, or we simply feel overwhelmed about life in general.
Here are some things you can do pretty much anywhere or anytime to de-stress when life is causing you to feel overwhelmed for whatever reason:
My personal favorites are walking, writing, and reading. If I’m really antsy or anxious, putting myself to work picking up the house or organizing things helps me too. It gives me something to do physically that betters my world in some way! I also love to pamper myself whenever I get the chance to.
What is your favorite way to de-stress when you feel overwhelmed?
~Bonnie~
With Valentine’s Day coming up in less than two weeks, so many of us are thinking of love… So I wanted to mention how important loving yourself is! Whether or not you have a significant other, you need to love yourself. This is definitely easier said than done and I know that from experience. It took me a long time to accept myself as I was and love what makes me, me. However, now that I do, I feel so much more comfortable in my own skin.
Thinking about what you like about yourself at least once a day can seem like a huge task, but is so worth it. It’s like an exercise for your mind and helps you strengthen your view of yourself, a little at a time. Journaling your thoughts might be the easiest way to make more concrete progress because actively writing down what you like about yourself really helps you absorb it better, but you can also just simply take a few minutes each day to reflect on these things. Start or end your day with a few minutes of dedicated time spent appreciating yourself.
Another thing you can do to learn to love yourself is to think kind thoughts as you go about your day. Each time you think something negative or put yourself down, correct yourself gently and replace that with something positive and kind. It takes practice but before you know it, it will become more of a habit! Becoming your own biggest cheerleader will pay off so much in the long run. Practicing positivity and kindness towards yourself will help you cheer yourself on and learn to rely on yourself the most!
First of all, I want you to remember that you are beautiful, and you are worth it.
Here are some questions to ask yourself
(Just do your best to answer each one):
Also, here are some positive affirmations that might help you go about your day in a more positive and kind manner:
~Bonnie~
P.S. You can download a worksheet copy of these questions to fill in or print and answer later. Just click this link: Love Yourself as You Are.
When the weather is less than ideal, or you’re stuck inside for some other reason, it can be tough to get those steps in. The good news is that there are lots of ways you can get your steps in!
Don’t give up because you can still get those steps in. Make it fun and challenge yourself, or a friend, to get in as many steps as you can. The Fitbit app allows you to start and join challenges such as these and is an awesome way to keep that motivation alive! Or you can simply take a picture of your pedometer and post it on Facebook, send it to a friend you want to challenge, etc. Make it work for you and have fun with it!
Here are some of my favorite ways to get my steps in when I’m stuck indoors:
~Bonnie~
Life ain’t always beautiful, but it’s a beautiful ride.
-Gary Allan
Finding inspiration each day to live a healthier life can be a huge task sometimes. Motivation naturally wanes as the novelty wears off. If you have trouble finding inspiration and things to motivate you each day, urging you to move forward day-to-day, I might just have the perfect tool for you!
My 365 Days of Inspiration: Quotes + Words of Wisdom can be just what you need. It is an eBook that contains daily inspiration for those striving to live a healthier life and lose weight. There is a quote for each day, including some words of wisdom from yours truly where I put a spin on the quote to show how it applies to your weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey.
You can check it out here: 365 Days of Inspiration: Quotes + Words of Wisdom.
The most valuable skill or talent that you could ever develop is that of directing your thoughts toward what you want.
-Abraham Hicks
Now, how do I know that this will help you with your weight loss and healthy lifestyle journey? It’s simple… Making it helped me with mine! As I mentioned last week in this post: How to Survive a Big Slip-Up, I had a big slip-up. When someone ordered this eBook and I had only finished about half of it, I crunched to put it together. Making it and typing it out ended up having an effect on me similar to that which I hope my readers have while reading it… it inspired me and helped me feel motivated again! It lit a fire under me and helped me get myself more on track again.
This can be a great tool to save to your phone, tablet, or computer and take a peek at each day. Inspiration will be at your fingertips and will be fresh each day. You can also print it to have a physical copy of the eBook as well.
If you are interested, take a peek at the official page here: 365 Days of Inspiration: Quotes + Words of Wisdom
For a limited time, you can also get all THREE of my products to-date for a special price, here: Getting Started Weight Loss Bundle which includes my previously free Getting Started Weight Loss Workbook, 365 Days of Inspiration: Quotes + Words of Wisdom, and Goals to Become the Best You Workbook + Guide. This bundle and it’s low, low price will only be available for a short period of time!
~Bonnie~
Most parents and caregivers can agree that getting kids, especially young ones, to eat healthy can be a constant challenge. They don’t want to try new things and when they do, they can be put off by the texture or the taste, or even something else. Here are some tips that have worked for me or a family member:
Rule #1: Don’t force them to eat certain things! It doesn’t get you anywhere and may even backfire.
Rule #2: OFFER all foods by asking them if they want it and/or placing a small amount on their plate. The more the food is mentioned, the more likely they are to at least say yes at some point.
Rule #3: Make the food appealing or attractive in some way. Entice them. For example, with broccoli, I told my nephews that it looked like a little tree that they could eat. It still took a while for them to try it but the tree thing intrigued them and helped them get used to the idea.
Rule #4: If they really don’t like a certain food, don’t force them to eat it. They may learn to like it later on and you can certainly keep offering it to them, but if they’ve already tried it and say they don’t like it, don’t force them to eat it.
Some other ideas:
Children will learn to view it as their choice which makes them feel as if they have more control over what they are eating and is usually more constructive long-term as well. Sure, it may take longer for them to even try a food let alone actually eat it, but it gives them a much more positive view of healthy eating… particularly regarding vegetables.
I have used these tactics with my four-and three-year-old nephews for at least a couple years now and have much better results than when forcing them to eat certain fruits and vegetables. My mom also did this with my siblings and I when we were younger and I fully believe that it helped us enjoy healthy foods more. My sister and I especially like a variety of fruits and vegetables. My brother likes a few too, just not as much as us girls. I know for sure that what my mom did helped me and now I love all kinds of healthy foods that even she doesn’t particularly like.
My opinion is that the better a view of healthy eating that your kids have, the better it will serve them and your whole family. So teach them about healthy living and simply encourage them to live a healthier life. Most of the time it doesn’t have to be rocket science to teach our kids good habits!
What do you do with your own children to get them to eat healthier, drink more water, or exercise?
~Bonnie~
Many of us can find it hard to stay positive, especially when life keeps throwing lemons at us. I am not naturally a positive person myself. In fact, when I had just graduated from high school, a friend gently informed me that I complained too much. Still, it hit me hard and that’s when I began to make a transformation. It has been slow going and it isn’t all continuous. I make progress here and there but it adds up in big ways. The lesson I learned then has stuck with me.
When I began my weight loss journey this time, one of my focuses was to be more positive. I’m not even sure how or why this got driven home so well, but I’m glad it was! I’m thinking it was a combination of reading motivational articles and receiving consistent positive support and encouragement from my friends on SparkPeople. Part of it had to be a natural gravitation on a personal level as well though, because I know it wouldn’t have had this much of an impact if not.
Either way, I still may not be the most positive person but I learn more and more each day on how to be more positive. One thing I have learned is that the more positive I am in general, the happier I am and the better my life is. I can see so much more beauty in the world each day than I ever could have before!
Here are some questions to ask yourself in the moment:
There is always something positive to be found in each day and there is also something good in every bad. Sometimes we just have to dig deep or look hard for it!
How you can stay positive each day:
You may be wondering by now, what is all this about a “Positivity Jar” mentioned in the title. Well, I have been seeing this idea all over the place but on Facebook mainly, about a New Year’s memory jar. You write down good memories and put them in a jar to look back on at the end of the year.
My spin on this is to put anything positive in there, not just memories necessarily. You can write anything good that happened each day on a piece of paper, fold or roll it up, and drop it inside. Then you can take them out and read them throughout the year, whenever you’re having a hard time or needing inspiration, as well as at the end of the year. This encourages you to focus on all the good happening in your life instead of letting your life pass you by. Then you get to remember even the “little” things that happened throughout the year when you read them again.
Some ideas for jars:
What you can write down to put in the jars:
Really, anything goes for what you want to write to go into your jar each day. You can make the jar however you want. I personally used the coffee cans you see in the above picture. Then I put labels on them and wrote what I wanted it to say. Your ideas for your jar might change over time. Also, don’t be afraid to make two jars. It can be double the fun and double the dose of positivity.
In the short amount of time that I have been using my jars, I have noticed great results. They are a fun way to focus on the positivity in my life and end the day on a good note. Not only that, but they are also very easy to make and use. Now, who doesn’t love easy things that actually work?
Here are some blog posts by some women who are doing similar jars themselves:
Michelle from Dishes and Dust Bunnies has a “DIY Dollar Store Memories Jar” with a free printable for the jar! This post is from 2015 but she has made an update in there for a 2016 printable. Check it out here: Memories Jar.
Heather from Mommypotamus discusses making her own as well. You can check it out here: Gratitude/Happiness Jar.
And finally, Vicky Barone has a post from this year for making a “Happy Things Memory Jar 2016” and also has a free printable for it as well. Check hers out here: Happy Things Memory Jar.
You can also search Pinterest for even more ideas or just visual inspiration for your jar! Remember you can use anything. There is probably what you need in your house right now. Either way, take the idea and run with it if you want!
~Bonnie~
Be the Best You 