Ginger KnowsWell-Being | Ginger Knows

Thanks!

chloeknows — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:17:35 +0000

courtesy of CW8647 on Flickr

I will keep this short and sweet.

Thanks for -

My kids
My hubby
Estelle
Ginger
my family
new learning experiences
Mr. Putters
my awesome friends

Nutrition Nature’s Way

chloeknows — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:58:11 +0000

My daughter came home the other day with a coloring book on nutrition from the county health department. Her first question was “why do they say I shouldn’t drink whole milk? I thought whole milk is good for you.” It really made me look at all the mixed messages she will be receiving concerning healthy eating and exercise.

We have fallen victims to the nation’s very persuasive marketing of diet and exercise fads. I remember being talked into trying this awful diet where all you ate was watermelon for the first week. Sure I lost weight (which I of course I gained back as quickly as I lost it) but I felt terrible and I still thought I didn’t look as gorgeous as my friend and no diet could change that. I’ve tried Atkins, vegetarianism, low-fat, and starvation. I’ve worked out at the gym, did pilates, yoga, aerobic classes and put hundreds of miles on my running shoes. I was so obsessed was I with running 7 days a week that I went running in 120 degree heat in the middle of the day because it was the only time I could fit it in! Can we say heat stroke?

So I began the journey towards discovering the true way to be healthy. I have read and formulated reasons why one thing is better than another, tested recipes, threw everything out the window and I always come back to the same thing….eat good clean whole foods, move your body daily, drink lots of water, get plenty of sleep…that’s it. Not revolutionary nor is it a quick fix but I feel great and am well on my way to wearing my pre-pregnancy jeans after multiple kids.

In our house we having “growing” foods like whole milk, vegetables, fruit, meat and grains which we eat everyday. We watch our portions (only the adults), eat our sweets in moderation (life is much sweeter with an afternoon indulgence of chocolate raisins) and enjoy a daily walk. We don’t follow FDA guidelines. If this is the way we should be eating, why is obesity on the rise? We follow Mother Nature’s guideline’s in our house. If we don’t recognize the ingredient on the label, then our body can’t recognize it as a food source. The closer our food is to it’s natural form, the more satisfied we will be and less likely we will be to over -indulge. If you can’t resist something, don’t let it into your house to begin with! The kids really won’t die if they have carrots and ranch dip in their lunches rather than potato chips.

A nip and tuck here, a lift and suck there?

estelleknows — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:56:14 +0000

Plastic surgery is pretty common today. There’s a good chance that you know someone who has had some body part “done”. A nip and tuck here, a lift and suck there. At one time only celebrities went under the knife. They took off on a little vacation, perhaps a nice little jaunt to a secluded spa or retreat, only to return invigorated and refreshed… looking years younger, much thinner, and boobs perkier. Today it has become so commonplace that 18 year olds are receiving boob jobs for graduation presents. I even recall one trip to the topless pool at Caesars Palace in Vegas. Two young women were eagerly flaunting the still fleshy pink scars below their breasts to a group of highly curious admirers. Uhm…yuck!

Cosmetic procedures have become mainstream but nonetheless still controversial. How many times have you commented on a woman’s overly inflated chest or her Joker mask of a face? I believe there is a stigma still attached to the words “boob job” “face lift” and “tummy tuck” and we initially think less of a person because they’ve had “work done”. Women have the right to make informed decisions about their bodies regardless of what other people think; we should respect their decision and not criticize them for it.

Voluntarily going under the knife is not a decision to be taken lightly. Cosmetic surgery is a major procedure and there’s always a chance of complications. A very petite friend of mine debated for years about whether or not to get a breast augmentation. When we’d go to the mall she would always refuse to go into Victoria’s Secret or any other lingerie store because she was embarrassed that she couldn’t fit into any of their bras. She ended up going against the wishes of her husband (who thought she looked great the way she was) and having the procedure. A few hours after she got home she noticed significant swelling in one of her breasts. She was bleeding internally and they had to do emergency surgery to stop it. She ended up being ok (apparently with the exception of two noticeably mismatched scars) but she put us through a real scare. This didn’t happen to a stripper who wanted to go up a size from her D’s (which would have been totally uncool as well). This was a wife and mother of two who only wanted to shop in Victoria’s Secret.

Women need to think hard about the reasons why they are considering surgery and decide if their reasoning is sound. Physical beauty is highly relative and one should never, under any circumstances, alter their physical appearance in order to please someone else (just ask those people who’ve had to remove their former lover’s name from their chest). It’s a nice idea to get some input from friends, a spouse, or significant other, but ultimately it is a decision for one person and one person only. Is it worth the risk? I don’t know…you tell me.

Defining ourselves

chloeknows — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 16:09:58 +0000

Picture courtesy of sAeroZar on Flickr

Let’s face it. Life throws experiences at us every day. When we let that experience define as a whole, we limit any potential for growth. A blogger posted her bio. A mum with kids, one on the way, her mother died unexpectedly, her brother committed suicide shortly after. I felt her sadness and I also felt the darkness that permeated her life. This experience as it was stated in her bio, not in a post, had become the way she saw herself. I am not trying to trivialize her tragedy. The sadness of her loss must be with her every moment of her days. I started thinking how experience defines who we are.

There are moments which have such huge impact on our lives. There are small every day moments that may not have a instantaneous impact but still molds our spirit. What types of events have a stronger impact on how we see ourselves?

Certain events in my life have defined who I was for a period of time. A serious relationship ended by the discovery of an affair, a long illness, giving birth. Though these events defined me completely during those periods, they eventually became a part of my life experiences. Wisdom earned to draw upon when I need strength and perspective.

What defines us seems to be not just the event, small or large but how long we process it and move forward. Some are better at this then others (Think about a woman in an abusive relationship who leaves that one to venture into another). Some have less dramatic defining events to add to their experiences than others.

The most important thing to realize is that defining yourself must be an evolving process. We are not single faceted. We are more than just our profession, life circumstances or personality traits. We are all a little bit of everything. Defining ourselves in a limited manner only limits our possibilities. The world does that to us as it is, why should we do it to ourselves as well?

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Post tags: Individuality, Self Worth, Wisdom

A Little Inspiration from Nature

chloeknows — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:32:26 +0000

The Epitome of Spring

Our Valentine Tree

Flowers from Heaven

This little Sunflower forgot to come last summer.

Blossoms for the Bees

Have a great day!

Making Decisions with a Mission

gingerw — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:33:08 +0000

The question: Today’s question comes from me-Gingerw! (@gingerw), I have something I always wanted to do, but I don’t have time to do it, but this may be my only chance to do it.

#wwgwd?

Resolve to lose weight and get in shape?

gingerw — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:14:38 +0000

The question: Jay Thompson (@phoenixreguy) says this: New Year’s resolutions suck, but mine – that I WILL keep – is to get in better shape and lose more pounds.

#wwgwd

The most common New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and get in shape in the New Year and it is probably one of the toughest. So, if you are like many other Americans, here are my tips to help you get in shape. I will be implementing the fitness strategies right along with you!

Make a plan – Most successful business people have a business plan. Use this concept to make a plan for your health and fitness goals. Write both short and long term goals and evaluate them to make sure they are realistic.
Make a journal – Start a journal and write EVERYTHING you eat that day down. When I was trying to lose weight, I developed an excel spreadsheet (because I am that geeky) to write down my everything I ate, how much water I drank, when I exercised including length and time,exactly what exercises I did, and how much I weighed each week. If I wasn’t progressing towards my fitness goals, I could go back and evaluate what wasn’t working. If I had a particularly great week, I could also go back and see what I did that worked. Whether you track it online, in a paper journal, or on your iphone, tracking it is the key to making progress towards your weight loss goals. Send me Direct Message with your email address if you would like a sample excel spreadsheet to track your progress.
Find a buddy - a strong support network is key. Find a buddy or a group of friends to hold each other accountable. Share your progress with them on a weekly basis.
Plan out your meals and snacks- By planning in advance, you will make smarter food choices. Planning also makes it easier to compensate for big events where you know you might splurge. Store up your calories and save them for that special event.
Bring healthy snacks with you- I like to carry small snacks with me during the day. When I don’t, I often end up gorging on a box of Junior Mints. Planning is essential to healthy eating. Some healthy snack ideas include a sliced up apple, skim-milk mozzarella cheese stick, small portion of almonds.
Find an exercise routine that you like or even love!- You are much more likely to do the exercise if you like what you are doing! I LOVE to dance, so I have created a dance routine that I do. It is more like play than exercise.
Develop a routine- Exercise at the same time every day.
Give yourself a break- Take one day off of exercising each week to give your body a chance to recover.
Don’t over do it- if you go crazy by working out three times a day, you may injure yourself or burn out quickly.
Don’t beat yourself up- if you “fail” by eating too much or skipping the gym one day, do better the next day. The only failure is when you give up.