I have discovered two wonderful things! First up are Cuties! These are wonderful mini seedless oranges that they have at my grocery store. They are super easy to peel, and great to take on the run. I approve. :-)
Unfortunately in this picture, I was peeling and for the first time cut through an actual slice instead of in between, and got the juice everywhere. No bueno...
Next up... Pure and raw local honey!!
I had an epiphany to study the benefits of buying local honey, and I came across this little gem in my nearby Drug Emporium. Pure and raw local honey made just up the road from me actually. Good as an anti-inflammatory, healthier than your average store-bought honey from China or Indonesia or whatever the crap they get honey these days, tastes way better, you support local economical growth, and much more. On their website I read that after harvesting the honey from the hives, the only filtering they do is through a cheesecloth, so you still get all the benefits of the actual pollen in your honey. I'm addicted! I have it on toast with almond butter, in greek yogurt, or in tea most commonly.
If you are able to buy local, please do. It helps out local small businesses, and 9 times out of 10 it is much healthier for you and probably (depending on what it is and the time of year) cheaper too. This is definitely approved in my opinion, and I'm sure I'll be a frequent buyer of this lovely treat.
On another note... My dad killed two deer this season (Sorry vegetarians!) and graciously gave me enough deer to stock up my entire freezer. I have tried hard not to let the deer sausage (that was my dad's insistence- I don't really like sausage, not to mention it's bad for you, but he insists it's the greatest thing since beer... Meh, I could live without both personally, but whatev. :-\ ) run off my frozen veggies and smoothie ingredients, so Muscle Man and I have been getting creative with the deer. One result was our stew from the other night. I bought a bunch of fresh veggies from the store and basically we sat down and said, "Ok, now what do we do with it?" Well, THIS lucky girl finally got a Crock Pot for Christmas!! :-D *I know I'm getting old when I get excited about a household appliance for Christmas* So we decided on a wonderful stew!
Voila!! Beautiful amazing stew!!
For the record, it tasted phenomenal. Muscle Man is quickly learning to enjoy my culinary creations. :-)
And to round out my accomplishments for the New Years break (yes, I know this post was delayed... I think you'll live :-)... *drum roll*....
My Inspiration Board!!
I decided this would be a great idea because in some form or another I have always kept something around to remind me of what my long term goals were, or had something where I would stick inspirational quotes/pictures, but I needed a central location. Well, after seeing the initial idea from Fitnessista for an inspiration board, I decided that was exactly what I needed! I'm a huge scrapbooker as it is, so this was actually perfect for me! And I made sure to leave plenty of room so I can add to it as the year goes on. Perfect! I couldn't be more happy with it.
Starting the board... Yes, I have wayyyy too much scrapbooking stuff... But I think it's good for the soul to have a creative outlet. :-)
2012 Goals
*Finish with UCA- I got my bachelor's degree in Marketing from there, but before I get my master's or decide on another degree, I have to finish paying them off and decide which test I want to take. I am considering getting my MBA (Masters of Business Administration) but the more active I get and the more I start getting into food and nutrition, I am starting to feel like my real passion is helping people find their way when it comes to exercise and nutrition and see past all the lies in the fitness/nutrition industry today. This is my biggest goal for 2012: To find my way career wise.
*Reach Goal Weight- While this is specific, it encompasses so much for me. Yes, I am finally within reach of being able to reach my goal weight. I have lost about 45 pounds, and I plan to lose 55 more, which is completely doable in a year. But it is NOT just about the scale- I plan to continue changing my relationship and perspective with food and activity. Food is not something to be restricted and hated- it is something to be loved on a healthy, whole level. I want to continue to explore new recipes, try new fruits and vegetables, and learn to fuel my body without all the junk food. I want to find out what my body's potential truly is. And with exercise, I want to move every day. Whether I'm running, doing Crossfit, trying a new class, weight training, or just taking a walk on a beautiful day, I want to get out more and just move. This is totally doable, and this is the year it will happen. I have decided.
*Take a Big Trip for my Birthday- I turn 25 this year!! That is huge! At least to me it is. :-) I wanted to make the most of my birthday this year since I am a quarter of a century old. ;-) So I want to take a trip somewhere in the US. Washington to see my ultra-running uncle, Florida to see family, New Mexico to see a friend, New York to see friends, I don't know... Just something! I have not decided yet, but I know I want to do it. I also want to go skydiving, but I didn't want to make that one of my goals just in case I make this trip a big one. :-)
2012 Challenges
* Read at least one book a month
* Write one sentence a day in your journal about something memorable that happened that day- We tend to only focus on the big things that happened in a year, but what about all the small things? Life is mainly made up of the small things, as they happen every day whereas huge milestones happen maybe once to a few times a year. And I want to learn to be more grateful for even the smallest of things, so I am going to write at least one sentence a day about something that happened that day that is worth remembering. It can be as small as "Finished a great book" or "Beautiful weather today" or "Jonas told me how special I am to him and it made me feel so loved." Just something small! It takes next to no time, and you can write as much or as little as you want. That simple. Imagine how "feel-good" that would be at the end of the year? :-) I know I will realize that much more how blessed I truly am.
* Build your savings account!
* Don't be afraid of change.
* Be creative! Have fun! - Everyone should enjoy some kind of fun or creative outlet. For me, exercise/running is my energy and stress outlet. For my creative outlet, I scrapbook, paint, read, write, write music, or any other DIY I can get my hands on. It's just fun, pure and simple. And I love anything that's good for the soul. :-)
* Worry less! Just enjoy!
* Do something for yourself. - Yes, it is SO important to give back and be generous. With me, that's not hard. I LOVE helping others and putting others first. But so much to the point that I get frazzled and stressed. Well, it's because I don't ever take time for myself. Go for a walk on a beautiful day just because I want to, take a bubble bath, read a book just because I want to, fix a recipe just because it sounds fun, that kind of thing. Something that you do just because... Well, just because you want to. Pure and simple. :-)
* Challenge yourself constantly! - Do not become complacent or lost in the every day. Set new goals, reach higher, push yourself and others. Do it just because it's fun!
* How do you want to be seen? - This is huge for me. Do you want to be seen as caring, creative, strong, hard working, laid back, what? Whatever it is, however YOU want to be seen, that's who you want to be, and that's how you should act. Your habits have to match your goals if you want that end result. Period.
* Support, encourage, and motivate people as often as possible.
* Be happier with who YOU are.
* SMILE MORE! :-)
Center of the board has encouraging pictures, phrases and words. Things to push me. I have the runner, as well as the toned body. And I love the words I was able to find. I especially loved pairing up the woman doing a plank, and below it (even though you can't really read it in the picture) says: "No more wimping out on your workouts." How true is that?!? Now THAT is something so many people need to see when they wake up in the morning or at least on a daily basis! And by the 3 point plank at the bottom it says: "What will you gain when you lose?" Love it!!
I am extremely happy with how my board turned out. NOW the key is going to be the action to follow it up. Who's with me?!?
And on a final note for Friday, I leave you with the below picture... I don't how many of you are familiar with damnyouautocorrect.com but it's amazing. Hilarious! It is pretty much guaranteed to make me laugh, and partly because I myself am often a victim of unfortunate (and sometimes embarassing) autocorrect mishaps. Enjoy!
Any thoughts on my goals and challenges for the year? I would love your input or thoughts!
What are some things that you like to get locally?
Have you ever had a crazy embarassing autocorrect?
Have a great weekend!!
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