Honey Seared Steak
Did you know I worked at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse all throughout college? It’s true. I was a hostess and then a server for about 4 years. And while there are many things I didn’t enjoy about food service, there were some positives to working there. And by far, the most valuable thing that happened during my time there? Learning to love undercooked steak. I used to be a solid medium-well kinda gal. But they converted me to a medium-rare chick. Every time I eat a steak, I’m grateful that I’m enlightened about the superiority of a dark red center. Anyways, enough about me. Here’s the recipe.
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Is Sugar is the Root of Your Health Issues?
I think most people are aware of the negative effects sugar can have on the body.
We talk about the sugar rush kids get at a birthday party, or the sugar crash that inevitably occurs later that day causing epic meltdowns. We talk about how we’re addicted to dessert and that our sweet tooth is giving us cavities.
We know it’s not good for us. But do we really know why?
Blood sugar dysregulation affects literally every system in the body. Before we get into the details, let’s talk about what sugar is.
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Sun's Out Guns Out
If you’re looking for a fun little upper body pump, you’re in the right place.
No, you’re not going to be carrying your dog for this workout, but you could certainly count that or carrying your kids around as an arm workout.
I’m not big into isolating one part of the body, because that can lead to imbalances in other parts of the body. But if you’re alternating upper and lower body, and incorporating the core into your workouts, you should be good to go.
For this workout, you’ll either need dumbbells or a resistance band.
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Self Care Vs. Selfishness
Ooooooh buddy do we have a hot topic for you TODAY! #selfcaresunday is all the rage right now. And while it seems “cool” to self care, I can still feel a permeating attitude of superiority from those who “don’t have time” or “are too busy” to care for themselves. So I want to get into what exactly self care is, and how to differentiate it from selfishness. Let me just start by saying this… there is a fine line here, and I don’t know the answer. But I’m going to share my perspective, and if it doesn’t align with what you believe, you can take it or leave it. What do you think of when you hear self care? A pedicure? Face mask? Girls day? I don’t think any of those are wrong, but I’d like to expand what our view of self care is, aside from the super girly things we all tend to think about. I believe self care is not a day of the week, but small choices that we make every single day in order to care for our well being.
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Southwest Eggs 'n Rice
You like that title? Sounds legit, doesn’t it?
Little did YOU know [until right now] that this meal was born our of pure laziness. Now, I’m not proud of being lazy. But I’m just sayin’… this time, it paid off. Because I now have a simple, tasty meal I can make whenever I don’t feel like cooking a full on meal if you know what I mean.
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Sunscreen: Helping or Hurting?
Is Sun Exposure Bad? We’ve been led to believe that the sun is bad. It causes cancer. Cover yourself in SPF 250 if you want to live. I CAN NOT overstate the importance of Vitamin D in your body. So I’ll let someone smarter than me tell you. Dr. Sarah Ballantyne says, “Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that controls expression of more than 200 genes and the proteins those genes regulate. It is made by specialized skin cells when they are activated by exposure to UVB radiation. After it’s synthesized in the skin, the inactive form of vitamin D must travel to the liver, where it’s further modified, and then is activated by the kidneys. From here, vitamin D can work its magic all over the body.”
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Do You Even Leg Day?
There’s not much that I enjoy more than heavy squatting.
However, not everyone has access to a squat rack, barbell, and plates. And there’s a plethora of garbage out there about working out your legs. Truth is, there’s plenty of ways to do it. You don’t HAVE to lift super heavy weights to build leg strength.
Here’s a leg workout you can do at home without any equipment.
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The Reason You're So Tired
Okay, you caught me.
The title is a little misleading. Of course I can’t know the exact reason why you’re so tired without even talking to you. But I can name a few reasons why almost everyone I work with is tired. Which probably applies to you if you’re a human.
You are? Great. Shall we?
Everything on this list may not apply to you, but I bet almost everyone can name AT LEAST one thing on this list they relate to.
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Sweet Potato Shepherd's Pie
It’s May. But I don’t think Colorado has gotten the memo yet. Because it’s STILL SNOWING.
If you sense any bitterness, you might be right. So to comfort myself, I made some comfort food. Shepherd’s Pie is a favorite in this house for 2 reasons.
IT’S DELICIOUS
IT’S EASY
Here’s how to bring some southern comfort into your home.
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Negative Self Talk: It’s Not Just About You
Our culture is very adamant that you must not make much of yourself. You must downplay your accomplishments, brains, humor, style, and everything else about you. Because if you don’t, you might be… ARROGANT *gasp*. And while arrogance is not a pleasant quality in a person, I think that we swing the pendulum way too far in the other direction. Instead of being proud of an accomplishment we’ve made, we quickly brush it off as if it’s nothing. Or if a friend compliments our new outfit, we roll our eyes and say, “I feel like I can’t pull it off”.
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Nothing But A Chair Workout
Time to get your booty out of the chair! But bring the chair with you, you’ll need it for this workout. If you’re looking for a workout to do while sitting, sorry. That’s not what I mean. These are workouts that you can use a chair in place of a bench, box, or to modify exercises. These are all strength building exercises, so if you want to start slow, you can just do one round of it and see how you feel the next day. There are videos for each workout, but you’ll just need to substitute a chair for the boxes/benches in the videos.
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Why Women Need to Strength Train
First of all, I must start by saying that there is NOTHING wrong with having a thigh gap. If you do, rock it girl! This post is not about shaming anyone for anything. Rather, I want to encourage women to pursue strength instead of being “skinny”. I’m also not saying that being strong is BETTER than being skinny. And you certainly don’t need to “look strong” to be strong. There are many different ways to define strength. But in this particular post, I’ll be addressing why building physical strength is necessary for good health. ESPECIALLY for women.
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Lamb Gyros With Paleo Pita Bread
Oh boy… have I got a recipe for you TODAY! If you can’t tell, I’m pretty amped about this. Because I’ve been in quite the cooking rut lately, basically making the same 4 things over and over. But not today. Today I branched out far from the norm, and I can’t believe it actually turned out well. By well, I mean REALLY FREAKING YUMMY! Michael raved about these gyros, so they’re hubby approved as well. And in true fashion, this meal is super easy to make. Cause that’s just how I roll. It may look like a lot of ingredients, but NEVER FEAR! There’s a ton of the same spices repeating for different parts of the meal.
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When You Don't Feel Like Showing Up
You know those days when you just don’t wanna. Like no matter what it is? I’m having one of those days. I had planned to write about something else, but I just didn’t feel like it would be authentic. Instead, I’m going to write freely, with no exact direction in mind. So if you’re up for the ride, read on. I’m typically a very productive, motivated person. Especially when Michael is at the fire hall. Those are my intense workdays, so that I can hang out with him more when he’s home. But here I am, on a Sunday afternoon with a nagging headache and to do list only halfway done. So I know that when these days come around, there’s something going on mentally that I need to deal with.
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Full Body Resistance Band Workout
I’ve talked before about how important strength training is for women, and resistance bands are one of the methods you can try. I know some people are intimidated by lifting weights, so this is a great way to build your strength at home without having to worry about getting injured. I try to create workouts with limited or no equipment, because not everybody has the money or space for that. However, the resistance band is one that is cheap and easy to store. So this is one piece of equipment I recommend anyone doing home workouts should own.
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Why Digestion is Queen
“You are what you eat!” How many times have you heard that saying? While there is some truth to this, more recently, people in the health sphere have started saying, “you are what you digest” or “you are what you absorb”. But aren’t they all the same thing? Not quite. You see, just because you eat something doesn’t mean it’s being digested, absorbed, and used by the body properly. While I have no intention of getting super scientific on you in this article, I do want to educate you on the basics of what digestion is, and why it is EVERYTHING to your health.
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Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sammies
I have a confession to make. I’m a cookie monster. Yep, that’s right. A nutritionist addicted to cookies. And if eating cookies is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Point being, I’ve made A LOT of cookies in my day. I’ve tried so many different versions and recipes, but this one is by far my favorite. The amazing thing about these cookies is that I use NORMAL ingredients. You don’t have to go to Whole Foods and spend your whole paycheck on ingredients shipped from the middle east in order to make them.
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The One Thing Worse Than Change
Could there POSSIBLY be anything worse than change? The discomfort and uncertainty can be almost too much to bear for some people. And I’m not throwing shade at those people by any means. Some of us embrace change and like the excitement that it brings to our lives. Others see it as an obstacle or nuisance to their contentment. I typically fall on the side of embracing change. Now, there are some things that are difficult for me to embrace. But I’m growing in this area. Hence my stance. I want to constantly be changing myself for the better. I want to always be pursuing things that challenge me.
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3 Cardio Workouts That Aren’t Running
Anybody else into horizontal running? Love it or hate it, cardio training is an important aspect to our health. However, many people think cardio just means running or spin class. But there are so many ways to train your cardiovascular system. One may even argue… FUN WAYS! And did you know that you aren’t required to hate your life while exercising? Novel idea, I know. Because in our culture, fitness is described as, “No pain, no gain” or “Fat is sweat crying” or some other asinine phrase. If your exercise of choice isn’t enjoyable, it’s going to either be a) unsustainable or b) hours of your life spent hating what you’re doing.
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10 Tips for Better Sleep
Chris Kresser said, "I firmly believe that lack of sleep and stress are the two biggest health challenges we face today. You can eat a perfect diet and take all the right supplements, but if you’re not sleeping well and managing your stress, all bets are off." I’m a BIG fan of sleep. You could also say it’s one of my strengths. I don’t like to brag, but… I could probably out-sleep ALL Y’ALL. But I realize that for many people, sleep doesn’t come easy. So I put together a little list of some things you can do to help you improve your sleep. But first let’s talk about the difference between QUANTITY and QUALITY of sleep, because they are not synonymous.
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