Happy new year.

I loved scrolling through instagram and facebook this morning- I got to peek in to the glamorous ways my family and friends spent the last night of 2014. What is it about new year's eve that generates so much excitement and makes us want to dress up in our finest? (I will have you note that after a yummy home-cooked meal, Josh and I put on our finest jammies, played cards, and had a Nerf gun battle. Not quite the excitement of new year's eve past, but hey, that's what happens when you get older, right?)

Perhaps new year's eve offers anticipation of a fresh start. After the best or worst of years, the turning of the clock offers new promise that this next year just might be better. I have the opportunity to become my best self yet- emotionally, spiritually, intellectually, financially, and/or physically. I can do more good for others. I can improve relationships with others. I can slow down and smell the roses. The list can go on and on.

In order to capitalize on this promise, many people set resolutions. Resolutions get a bad rap- the media highlights losing weight and getting fit, companies may capitalize on them, and they are forgotten by the Super Bowl- but I really think they have a place. I applaud any all who set out to do something, so let's talk about how to make your goals or resolutions more personalized for you:

• Set S-M-A-R-T (R) goals. This is a fun acronym I learned many years ago, and it has withstood the test of time. Set goals that are:
  Specific- Measurable- Achievable- Relevant- Time-oriented, and then ~(R)eward.
     - Specific: Think about who, what, where, when, and why. Making very clear goals will help prevent you from wondering what you really meant :)
     - Measurable: You want to be able to track your progress and eventually gauge whether or not you achieved your goal. A couple ways to measure include how often or how much you do something
     - Achievable: Be realistic. Don't plan something out of reach, but be sure to push yourself. Also think about what skills or resources you need to achieve your goal. Make it possible to achieve your goal.
     - Relevant: Choose something that matters. If it isn't really important to you, you probably won't work towards it. Also consider whether this is the right time to tackle this goal or task.
     - Time-oriented: Give yourself a deadline. Even if you procrastinate, it's still possible to achieve the goal before the deadline. You might have a long-term deadline of 6 months from now, but it may also include daily actions (or deadlines) you will take to achieve the bigger goal.
     - Lastly, plan some sort of reward. It is important to honor your work and achievement, so be sure to plan a small celebration of some sorts. This may mean an extra 30 minutes to read your favorite book, 10 minutes of quite for yourself, a movie with friends, or anything else that is meaningful to you!
  
• Start small. Lao-tzu once said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Set a goal based on the criteria above and jump in. Another tip is to pick a something that you know how to work towards and feel confident that you can achieve. Then continue to build on your momentum- you'll be moving mountains in no time.
• Be true to you. What is important or necessary for you, is probably different from your friends and family. Own where you are and what you need, then go for it!
• It's not too late. Maybe the new year isn't the best time for you to make changes. Think about other times of the year to find a fresh beginning- your birthday, the beginning of a month, a random Wednesday. The point is, even if you fall off, it's never to late to pick right back up and get back to it. 

As I've gotten older, I've struggled with new year resolutions. Are they really necessary? The answer for me is, no. If I don't feel strongly about anything on that date, then why change it? Instead, I've decided to set or modify goals as needed. Last year I didn't have anything in mind but on January 1, I stumbled across a great article from a photographer who changed her life perspective simply by photographing something she was grateful for each day for 1 year- 365grateful. I made it about 6 weeks before my photos fizzled. I always had plenty to be grateful for but often couldn't find a picture for it. I think I shall consider modifying that goal to better suit my abilities and access. Instead, I could keep a running list in a note in my phone. My notes are accessible on any technology, so it will be much easier for me to jot down a note of what I am grateful for. I also gifted Josh a 'Jar of Happiness' that would be an easy spot to drop a note in each day :)

The year before that, I chose a mantra- "present". Every day I reminded myself to be present. I found that this helped me slow down and focus on who I was with or what I was doing. I felt more stimulated and less stressed. Maybe I should bring this one back for a second go around... :)

In spite of all the planning, goal setting, and hard work, sometimes you need a little luck. This year we indulged in a southern tradition known as Hoppin John. Eating this dish on New Year's Day is thought to bring a prosperous year filled with luck. Greens on the side are supposed to add to wealth since they are the color of American currency. I also threw together some homemade applesauce for a sweet treat. I tweaked the recipes just a bit- doubled the celery and green peppers in the Hoppin John (don't tell Josh or Michael), used brown rice instead of white, and I only used the brown sugar in the applesauce.

Kale, boiling apples, and Hoppin John.

Even if the luck doesn't pan out, we started the year off with a yummy, nutritious family dinner. What more could you ask for?

I hope that 2015 will be the year you make it to be. Be your best self in whatever that means for you and aim to live simply and nutritiously.

Until next time.

A twist on trick or treat.

Eeek. Another month, and then some, has come and gone.

Did you have a Happy Halloween? We had an awesome time eating yummy homemade pizza and checking out costumes.

We love homemade pizza. We typically have all items on hand, and it is a great way to clean out the refrigerator. Our favorite crust recipe comes from eatingwell.com. Then we like to make a simple sauce with canned tomato sauce, tomato paste, any leftover veggies (don't tell Josh), and a random blend of seasonings. Typically we use oregano, basil, parsley, and garlic or garlic powder. Lastly, we top the crust and sauce with whatever tickles your fancy. I tend to make Heavy Veggie for me and any other brave souls. Heavy Veggie means I load the pizza with whatever veggies are available. This might be standard things like mushrooms or bell peppers, but I've also been known to add squash, kale, and broccoli. With all these veggies, the pizza can end up quite heavy. Sometimes I roast the veggies with olive oil and herbs while we prep the dough, this gives them a little more flavor. We also make a Man Pizza. This one is topped with whatever meat is available. Most often the guys end up eating it- hence Man Pizza. It isn't as healthy as the veggie, but but by making our own pizza, we at least give ourselves the option to amp up the nutrition.

Now let's talk about the costumes we saw while eating this yummy pizza. I'm not sure why, but it has been a couple years since we've been able to check out Halloween costumes. We've been fortunate to get pictures of our sweet little nephew and niece's costumes, but we have definitely missed out on the trends. The most popular costumes in our neighborhood this year were ninjas, gypsies, and Disney's Frozen characters. What about you? Our vote for best costume went to the bubble wrap boy- he had created a suit of bubble wrap.

Trick or treat. Halloween is all about candy right? Well, we switched things up this year. In addition to candy, we offered temporary tattoos. Thanks to Aldis for offering these super cheap candy-alternatives! Some of my classmates gave me a hard time. Yes I am "that nutritionist", and I'm okay with that. The tattoos could have been a bust, but they weren't. The kids thought they were cool. The tattoos also came in super handy when a little boy walked up and said something like: Trick-or-treat. I have a peanut allergy. Fortunately none of our candy had peanuts in them, but I couldn't be certain about the peanut exposure during processing (at the candy factory) or the severity of the boy's allergy.  I could be certain that the tattoos were safe, and the boy's father was incredibly grateful for the alternative. I'm sold on non-candy alternatives for Halloween. What about you?

Fun Halloween alternative. 

My aunt then told me about the Teal Pumpkin Project. The campaign is designed to raise awareness of food allergies by providing non-food treats. You can participate by having a teal pumpkin- the color of food allergy awareness- and a printable sign from the Food Allergy Research & Education group. I realize this won't help you this year, but it's something to consider in the future. I'll be sure to have my teal pumpkin next year.

I'm going to keep this post short and sweet. No pun intended :) Emily- thanks for the prompt to get a little something out there. But I will tell you, after Halloween night we got to jet-set home for 36 hours to share in my cousin Derek and Hillary's wedding day and visit with family. In my next post I'll do my best to update you on the fun things we've tried in North Carolina.

A day in the life.

In  case you didn't notice, I haven't posted any updates in 4 weeks. I'm so incredibly sorry for my disappearance! I intended to write about once a week, but who knew 17 credit hours and work would be so time-consuming?!

Well I'm back. And I will do my best to make sure we don't spend another month apart.

Since I've been gone so long, I thought I would give you a snapshot of a day in my life and what I'm doing to stay my healthiest during this time of transition.

7 weeks. That is how many weeks of school I have completed. I have begun to count my life in weeks- one reason is that it helps me keep track of time, kind of. If I've spoken with you in the last month, I may have mentioned that I'm not always fully aware of the day of the week or date of the month, but I somehow make it where I need to go with what I need. Steph tells me this is normal for graduate school....I'll take her word for it, hope that I'm on the right track, and remain grateful for my phone's ability to sync all my calendars and random notes. Another reason I think in weeks is that it helps me keep track of all my class syllabi- what readings do I need to do? Do I have assignments, quizzes or tests? And lastly, it is helping me gauge how I feel about where I am. This may not be a good long term strategy, but for right now I can say "Oh it's only been 5 weeks, give yourself some time".

So what do my days look like?

5:00 a.m. hour- This is for getting up to take care of Emma and to either get some quick form of exercise (running, yoga or dog walking) or finish homework/reading for the day.

6:00 a.m. hour- This is for getting myself ready for the day. You know coffee, packing food, etc.

7:00 a.m. hourish- I'm out the door by 6:50 and traveling for the next 1+ hours. I catch the first bus by 7:15. The next 45+ minutes gives me time to study while someone else drives me to campus.  Although this has greatly extended my travel time, I'm able to get some work done. More about the buses in future posts.

8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.- Each day is a little different, but it involves some combination of studying, catching buses to work and back to campus, work and class.

6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.- This is travel time home- walk to the bus, ride the bus, then drive home.

The evening hours involve some food, more studying, and trying to get a little time with Josh and Emma.

My goal is to be in bed by 11:00 p.m., or sooner if I fall asleep sitting at my computer ;).

This makes for a pretty packed schedule, which could make it super easy to skip out on a healthy lifestyle. I feel fortunate that I have spent so much time working with people about how to incorporate healthier choices in to their lives, because now I'm using some of their, and my own, advice. If you lead a hectic life, believe me I empathize. A student income and public transportation has given me great perspective, but I realize there are people who face more time, stress and money constraints then me. This experience will only make me a better researcher and practitioner to help people live healthier lives, no matter their circumstances.

Am I sleeping as much as I would like, or eating exactly how I would like, or exercising as consistently or as much as I would like? No. But I do feel good about what I can and choose to do. Here are some ways I choose to build in healthy choices each day. Hopefully one of these tips will provide inspiration for how you, or someone you know, can continue to build a healthy life in spite of craziness.

• I'm working to stay realistic. Sure I know all the recommendations, but the reality is I have to prioritize and do the best I can. 
• I plan activity in to my day. 
• I have a plan for the number of days I will exercise and what I will do. This plan allows for flexibility so that I can change things around when needed. For example, yesterday my running plan called for 4 miles. I stayed up later than anticipated and was really tired, so I opted to snooze once and cut down to 3 miles. And some days that assignment needs to be completed before I walk out the door, so I slide my exercise to the evening or to a day that I originally planned as rest. Something is better than nothing :)
• I get off and on the bus before my 'stop'. This allows me to walk a little extra each day.
• I started taking a multivitamin. I wasn't ever one for supplements, but since my eating can be sporadic and unpredictable at times, I have opted to take a basic multivitamin as a safety net.
• Hello coffee. I love you. But I limit the caffeine to 2 cups in the morning. The rest of the day it is water or hot herbal tea (non-caffeinated)- oh and of course the occasional happy hour. I'll tell you about Linda's another time. I carry a to-go mug and a water bottle with me at all times. This allows me to refill any time and stay hydrated. 
• I pack meals and snacks for the day. I think I already told you about my snacks- fruit and nuts. They are easy to tote around and provide great brain fuel. I also pack my breakfast and lunch. Breakfast involves fruit and either yogurt and nuts or bread and peanut butter. Lunch is a gamble but usually involves some sort of leftovers.
• One final thing that has made a huge difference, but probably won't be an option for many, is my awesome roomies. Many long days I have come home to a balanced dinner. Let's be honest, some days I would probably just eat peach cobbler and milk if that was what was available, not that I have done that or anything ;) When I don't have help with meals, I cook a lot on the weekend and eat leftovers for the week, or I plan things that take 20 minutes to prep. In that case, I still make extra so that I have lunch or another dinner for the week.

That's all for now. I have so many ideas and topics to share with you! I look forward to getting back in to more of a routine.

Until next time :)

Do you know the Veggie Van?

Last summer I joined my first CSA through Local Farmer Crop Boxes. What's a CSA you ask? CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically at the beginning of a season, when a farmer's costs are at his or her highest, you can buy a share of the farmer's crops. In return you receive weekly or biweekly produce and farm products that are in season. The cool thing about these programs is that patrons support their local farmer (business, families, and community) and in return get fresh, local, nutritious foods.

Here are other reasons I loved being part of a CSA:

• My food had a story. I could see who grew my food and he could tell me about the process. 
• The taste was amazing, so amazing that even Josh would dive in to some of the fruit and veggies :) When you eat more local foods, they can continue to grow and ripen in nature instead of the truck or airplane used to transport them to your local store. Only those foods ripe and ready are picked for you to enjoy. Peak taste and peak nutrition can go hand in hand.
• I love a surprise. I enjoyed the challenge and opportunity to try and prepare new foods each week. I often didn't know what I would get until the day before pick up. 
• I ate more variety. I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to buy the same things at the store. This little gift I picked up every two weeks gave me the opportunity to eat a greater variety of foods and thus expand the flavor and nutrition I offered my body. 

Having talked about all the wonderful benefits of a program like this, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that not all of these programs will fit in to a food budget. As much as I loved my CSA, I had a change in food budget and thus could no longer indulge myself. I really missed those Thursday pick-ups at the market.

On a happier note, let's flash forward to the present. Within one week of starting work, I learned about a program that delivers fresh produce to our office. What? I'm at work every day- how convenient would that be? Can I afford this?

After doing a little investigating (because that's what I do), I found out the Veggie Van is so much more. The Veggie Van delivers produce to work places and other central locations, and it also delivers fresh produce to the community. Veggie Van is part of a research study looking at the impact of a mobile food market (meaning the fresh foods come to you) on children's food intake and body weight status defined by BMI. BMI stands for body mass index and this is a calculation of height and weight. It is a very rough estimate of a person's percent body fat. The study is also looking at how and why this mobile market might lead to changes in food intake.

Veggie Van is part of a larger organization called Community Nutrition Partnership. I found out that a colleague of mine, and someone who I feel played a huge role in mentoring me through the graduate school decision and application process, created this program when she was a student at the University. She definitely left a legacy, I can only hope to do the same :)

The mission of the Community Nutrition Partnership is "to grow healthier communities by increasing access to fresh, local, affordable food." They use market-based approaches to increase access to healthy, local food for all people of all incomes and backgrounds. Essentially this means they buy in bulk from the farmers. Buying in bulk allows them to provide foods to the public at a lower cost. For me, the highlight of the program is the sliding scale for the produce. The box delivery program charges a slightly higher price and you can always pay more than what is posted. The 'extra' money from is then used to offset the lower cost charged to the community-based portion of the program. This allows more people to afford healthy, local, yummy foods. I love to think that my commitment and interest in eating healthy is a little help to let others do the same :) The Veggie Van is kind of like the Tom's shoes concept. Buy a pair and donate a pair for the same, slightly higher price.

No doubt about it, eating healthy can cost more than the processed convenient foods that are readily available. But that doesn't mean you can't eat relatively healthy on a lower food budget. (I can come back to tips another time.) My nutrition policy seminar will continue to teach me more about the big-picture politics behind why less healthy foods are cheaper (think financial support from the Farm Bill), but in the mean time I want to share a link to a pretty provocative and interesting question, "Could taxing packaged foods reduce obesity?"

The last thing I would like to bring light to this week is hunger. September is Hunger Action Month. I feel like this ties in nicely to my focus on healthy foods and helping others gain access to those same foods. Oftentimes we associate hunger with developing countries, but it exists in the United States.

Feeding America is the nation's leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Their mission is to feed America's hungry through a nationwide network of member food banks and engage our country in the fight to end hunger. Their statistics show more than 1 in 5 children lives in a household with food insecurity. This means they do not always know where they will get their next meal. The United States Department of Agriculture has defined varying levels of food insecurity with or without hunger, but essentially this means people have a reduced quality, variety and desirability of food intake.

What would it look like to be food insecure? You can take the SNAP Challenge and find out. SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Think of this like the ice bucket challenge that supported ALS. By accepting the SNAP Challenge, you will commit to eating all of your meals from a limited food budget comparable to that of a SNAP participant- $1.50 per meal. If you're not up for the challenge but would like to read about people who accepted, just google it.

Without good, consistent nutrition children and adults will experience physical and mental health problems.

Instead of a list of tips, I want to challenge you to come up with one small way you can impact hunger in a local organization, community or the nation.

Until next time :)

Here. we. go.

If you noticed my post is (much) later than normal, you might have guessed school started. In that case, you would be correct. Even though this post is later than my original plan for publishing, I have to say this Friday afternoon writing session with a hot peppermint tea is actually quite stimulating. This might be my new way to wind down the week.

Yes part of our swag was a USB bracelet :)

It's real people. I had the first day/first week of my next 5-ish years. I am officially a PhD Candidate. It sounds prestigious right? I'm not sure that's the case; I might be more crazy than anything. But on those days when I'm wondering what I'm doing, I'll tell myself it is prestigious :)

I will be working on a Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) in Nutrition with a focus on intervention and policy. What does that mean? Well, I want to learn how to effectively plan, carry out, and measure programs (also known as interventions) that will improve people's nutrition, health, and lives. I will also learn how to make the changes that work a more permanent part of our environment (policy).

If you mash it all together, I had about 1 day of orientation to learn about the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina and the Gillings School of Global Public Health. I knew I had my sights set on a good school and program, but I didn't realize it was this good. To say I'm excited about the opportunity to be part of such a prestigious, yet gracious program would be an understatement. I learned the Gillings School of Global Public Health is the #1 public school of public health. Hm. Okay. The Department of Nutrition is also the top-ranked in its field. Not bad. Ignorance was bliss when applying and interviewing. Too late to be awestruck now, I'm already lunching and chit-chatting with people who's papers I have previously read and cited. And to Josh's credit, the basketball team isn't half bad either.

With all these rankings flying around, one might think there could be some ego-concerns. There might be, but I have yet to encounter that. Everyone is so down-to-earth and is genuinely interested in your success and thoughts. I have to confess that it was also pretty cool to have the academic leaders of these respective divisions of the university welcome us then tell us to "stop and smell the roses. Your dissertation will still be there."

I've hit burn out before. It wasn't pretty. So I think hearing this message several times just reinforced my intention to approach this next segment of my life with perspective, focus, and realism. What does that mean? I'm going to make it a point to dedicate myself to my studies and take advantage of the opportunity I have been given, but I'm also going to impose limits so that I can dedicate myself to family, friends, and other aspects of life. I was able to lunch with the Director of the Department of Nutrition and she essentially said- well Courtney, this is really the rest of your life. It will be important to figure out how to fit things in and make it a life. Well said.

Did I mention that the school is also beautiful?

Mostly undergrad (or at least how I perceive it) part of campus

The school of public health- where I take classes.

I mean look at this place.

I will say the honeymoon phase is over. I didn't realize how quickly my body would forget what those 10 - 12 hour work days felt like. The downside is that now I need to study after that. The silver lining is that I'm all over the place in terms of intellectual stimulation and combining work and school. To quote one of my classmates (we technically call them 'cohort' because we started together), after the first day she had a combination of "buyer's remorse and cold feet". My thoughts exactly. Knowing I'm in a such a wonderful position and have quite a rigorous training program in front of me, it's a bit daunting to live up to it all. It's also a little unsettling to dive in to anything but routine or comfort. I think I shall start a count for the number of times that I wondered what I got myself in to/did I make the right choice. Currently we are at 2. One time was a few months ago when it all became very real that we would be moving, etc. The other was last week.

What does it look like to be a graduate student? Well my 'contract' includes 20 hours of work per week for my mentor. I will tell you more about that another time. It also includes 17 credit hours, but I just found out late this afternoon that I got approval to exempt 1 class. Woo hoo! So technically I'm down to 14 credit hours. If graduate school is foreign to you, 9 credit hours is considered full time student status. If you add it all up, this will keep my schedule pretty full.

The beauty of this is that I love the classes. Nerdy perhaps, but I'm happy to embrace it :) My courses include:

• Nutrition biochemistry. This focuses on the processes in our cells that allow our bodies to break down, build up, or make energy from fat, protein, and carbohydrates. You all know those terms- not so hard right?!
• Epidemiology. This is a way to look at large populations of people and to describe the patterns of health behaviors or outcomes. 
• Doctoral seminar. We go to different presentations to engage with other researchers on campus and begin to critically analyze other people's work.
• Nutrition policy seminar. I will learn about many examples of policy's impact on nutrition.
• Research methods for intervention design. I will learn how to design research questions and studies to answer those questions.
• Interdisciplinary health communication. We will explore how communication and messaging can be used to improve people's health decisions.

More to come about all of this. I promise.

While figuring out this new routine I've learned some important things. Some might be applicable only to my position as a graduate student, but some will apply to living a healthy life, which is what I promised you from the start.

Here we go:

• Over prepare. It will turn out to be just enough. 
• Bring a water bottle. Refill whenever you can. 
• When you have time or a see a restroom, use it. See previous point.
• Pack a lunch and healthy snacks. My days are long and the commute can make it that much more unpredictable as to when I actually get home and can eat. Having my lunch and snacks saves money on the budget, prevents random (less healthy) visits to the vending machine, and never leaves me hungry. It also keeps my brain fueled for all those challenging questions and conversations. I like to carry dried fruit and nuts for a quick, sustaining pick-me-up. My favorites right now are raisins and almonds. 
• Start the day with a fully charged lap top and phone. Bring appropriate charging supplies. Plug in when you can.
• Use a back pack so that you can fit everything in one spot and be as kind to your body as possible.

Try setting yourself up with a healthy snack or water bottle, and let me know how it works for you. 

Until next time :)

Meet Emma

Those of you who know me probably know Emma. But for those of you who don't, allow me to introduce you. Emma has been in our life for 7 years and she has also been referred to as: Em, Em&Em, Emma-boo, Emmie, Em-Nem, Emma-girl, nugget, girlfriend, Kujo, Big Haus, and a gentle giant. She pretty much answers to whatever you call her, so say hello to Emma.

This is Emma.

Emma is our not-so-little nugget, but that doesn't stop her from thinking she's a lap dog.

I promise I'm under there. 

She's not a child in the traditional human sense, but she has definitely given me/us great practice for the future. I got Emma when she was a mere 7 weeks old, and here we are 7 years later.

Baby Emma

During this time we have visited the vet for regular check-ups; we have dealt with allergies; we've lost shoes, sunglasses, undergarments, wallets, textbooks, etc. (the Labrador breed likes to eat...); and we've visited the doggie emergency room (because of all those items she liked to discover).

Why am I introducing you to Emma? Because in spite of all the crazy things along the way, she has been a great source of happiness, stress relief, and physical activity. Research supporting the benefits of pets is pretty strong. Pets provide companionship and a reason for exercise. They can also help lower blood pressure, anxiety (unless of course you come home to find the house in disarray...), and symptoms of depression.

I'm here to share, in pictures, how Emma has positively impacted my health.

Emma loves to hit the pavement and go for walks. She really does prefer pavement to grass, probably because she's allergic to it. In fact, she always looks for sidewalks. She is a true city girl.

Morning stroll.

Weather doesn't interfere with us getting some time outside. Rain or shine we get out there, and sometimes we find the 'extreme' weather is more fun.

She loves to run through the snow.

Emma also likes to share her walks with friends. Walking with friends introduces the social context of physical activity. These walks with friends provide a great opportunity to catch up in person or on the phone. It doesn't even feel like work.

Walking with friends.

Even though Emma loves to walk, when she's done, she's done. How do you get a 90-something pound dog up and moving? You don't. You can jump and run around like a crazy person, but she'll just look at you like you're a crazy person. Instead, I try to view this as an opportunity for me to get some bonus activity. And if she's still lying there, then I learn to just relax or phone a friend.

I'm pretty sure she's telling me- "I'm not moving"

Emma also likes to experiment with other forms of activity. Often times she joins me on my yoga mat. This makes it quite difficult to do a bridge pose when she feels the need to lay on me. Again, she thinks she is a lap dog.

Downward dog.

Her latest/newest excursion was a trip to the beach. Emma loved splashing and playing in the waves. She also enjoyed drinking the salt water. Dogs are not meant to drink salt water. Let's just say Emma made quite a scene on the beach, and I was a mortified pet owner.

Emma is always happy to see me, or anyone else who walks through the door. How can you not smile and forget about whatever was stressing you out?

She also reminds me to play. Unfortunately she usually wants to play after I sit down to work, but I figure 5 minutes of play will improve my focus and creativity. In fact, there is research that supports these 'brain breaks'.

No work and all play.

Emma is always up for a good time. She is very social- there have been studies showing that dogs can be date magnets- and thus reminds me to connect with people.

And when it's all said and done, she reminds me that sometimes you need to just take it easy and rest.

I'm not saying you have to get a pet. I'm challenging you to take some of your precious time to think about what constant in your life can prompt you or provide a good excuse to have fun, relax a little and get some activity. Maybe you're a plant person- how about gardening? Maybe you have children- can't they provide these same things? Find your match and dive in.

Did I mention the unconditional love is a nice bonus?

Until next time :)

It's my party (and they're my people)

Two weeks ago I told you I was on a stealth mission. Do you remember? I should forewarn you that the nutrition educator in me likes to continuously reference back to previous information. The more we can expose and reinforce, the more likely you will be to connect, remember, and perhaps even make a new habit. You've had your warning, so let's get back to the point :)

Two weeks ago I wrote about all the wonderful things people did and said before we moved. I also mentioned that I was on a stealth mission. Now that it has been executed, I can let you in on the secret.

Over the past year my friends turned the big 3-0, and they have been doing it big. One friend gave birth to her first child the day before her birthday, one friend got engaged, one friend celebrated her birthday the same day Mizzou played in the SEC championship game (pretty awesome considering this was only our second year to play with the 'big dogs' ), one friend hosted a Roaring 20's soiree to benefit a foundation created in remembrance of children who lost their battle with a rare disease, and there were lots of surprise parties in between.

I'm one of the 'youngest' of my friends, so I had a little extra time to observe and think about how I would ring in the new decade. The logistics of moving to a new place around my birthday told me that I wouldn't be having any crazy bash. So what could I do to still make it special?

Back in March I put together a book to commemorate my husband's birthday. Thirty of his closest family and friends (1 for each year) contributed a variety of stories, pictures and messages. It was so touching to read each message and see the time and effort everyone put in to it.  At that moment I knew exactly how I would celebrate my birthday. I would send messages to some of my most important and influential people.

After searching long and hard, I came across a small business owner who would humor me and my lack of really knowing what or how I would orchestrate this. I finally came across a quote that I felt captured the essence of what I wanted to do, and she kept it nice and simple. That's me- nice and simple. Well maybe not always, but I sure strive for it.

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it" ~William Arthur Ward

Now that I had the cute stationery, I had to figure out what to write. I was a bit more nervous about this part. How could I put these thoughts in to words and put them on paper? How could I say something meaningful in such a tiny amount of space? What if I start going on tangents and the note doesn't make sense?

Once I committed to it, the notes actually provided quite a lot of time to reflect on the impact people have had on my life. This made me feel at peace and simply happy. I feel like a lot of times happy is paired with excitement and energy. But this was a different happy. Like a zen happy. I even peacefully smile as I recall and share these events with you. Have you ever felt that way? If not, try to find or do something that makes you relaxingly happy. You won't regret it.

As I committed to putting words on paper, common themes began to surface. My people are graceful. They are inspirational. They are role models. They are nurturing. They embody strength. They are compassionate. They are faithful. They are supportive. They have open arms. They love.

Call it selfish, but writing these thoughts and feelings on paper is perhaps one of the best gifts I've ever given myself. The demands of daily life, and those sometimes unpredictable stressors, can make it easy to kick in to autopilot and cut off from those around us. This gift to myself was a way to reconnect with my people. I wanted to let them know that they don't go un-noticed.

The anticipation of dropping them in the mail was like Christmas morning. No one knew this was coming. Knowing I was delivering an unexpected thank you was gift enough. Then the gift kept on giving.

I began to hear from people- by text, by phone, by e-mail, and even by Instagram and Facebook. I didn't really want to hear anything back. You know it can be awkward to put yourself out there. I just wanted them to know, and I wanted life to go on. But I'm so glad some of them responded. My heart warmed and my eyes watered. Now that I think about it, who wouldn't love to hear that someone thinks the world of them? People felt as special as they really are, even if it was only for a brief moment in time.

Thirty isn't so bad, especially when you have such great people surrounding you :)

Now I promised to offer some healthy tips each time, so here is how I'll tie everything in. Oftentimes people want to celebrate with food. I found my gift for the heart and mind to be more rewarding than any of my favorite sweets, but that's not to say you can't have them. There are a couple ways to approach this; it may just take a little creativity and a little confidence to do something different.

• Sometimes it's okay to have your cake and eat it too, maybe just have a smaller piece. 
• Sometimes it's fun to think outside of the box or strive to make something a bit more nutritious. We tried some black bean brownies and energy bites for a work celebration.  These were 'taste' size treats, instead of 'jumbo' size, that allowed gluten-free people in the office to partake. 
• Or maybe, just maybe you can come up with some other treat. Would you like to go for a walk with someone special? Maybe you want to meet up for good old-fashioned fun like tag, flag football, or other childhood favorites? 
• Or maybe you could do something good for the soul.

Whatever it is, do something that makes you feel good. Isn't that what celebrating is all about?

Until next time :)