Does skinnier mean happier?

It’s very common for women to feel imperfect. We only see our flaws and we ignore our true beauty. It’s easy to let ourselves fall into the trap of thinking we will love ourselves more if we lost 10 pounds; we’d love ourselves more if we had a thigh gap; we’d love ourselves more if our arms were thinner, stomach was flatter, butt was firmer. I could go on and on.
Here’s the problem with that way of thinking. It doesn’t stop.
You will never find confidence, happiness, contentment and self-esteem through losing pounds and shedding inches. When you do lose that first 10 pounds, you may feel great at first, but it won’t last. This is a temporary satisfaction that fades as soon as you find another flaw in yourself. It is easy to slip into believing that 10 pounds wasn’t enough, that you’re still “fat” and need to lose more. Suddenly 20 pounds doesn’t make you feel beautiful either. You stare in the mirror and think maybe 30 will be enough. But what is enough?
You need to find happiness and confidence in something else. For me, I find my confidence through religion. I know that Jesus is the only one who can fill my voids, make me whole, and love me relentlessly. I know that my body is His temple and He commands me to take care of it. He gives me strength to fight challenges and overcome fear and self loathing. He gives me confidence and reassurance that I am enough, just the way my body is.
God created all of the beautiful things in this world. He created sunsets with their ever-changing hues, rainbows, cute and cuddly kittens, every exotic and gorgeous flower, the soft skin of a baby, all of the stars in the sky and galaxies beyond our imaginations.
And He created you.

There are other ways to help gain your self confidence and to help see your body in a more positive way, too. Nothing will fill the void you feel like Jesus can, but these things will help you along the way.
1. Take up a new hobby or take lessons to learn a new skill.
2. Get creative, paint, write poetry, make scrapbooks, etc.
3. Give back, volunteer, help others
4. If you enjoy cooking or baking, work on making well balanced meals from scratch, try new recipes.
5. Make a positivity jar or diary filled with positive things, your favorite quotes and scriptures, uplifting and encouraging words that you can read when you’re feeling down.
6. Get the right amount of sleep (8-10 hours) and get a little sun each day. Sunlight actually gives you mood-boosting endorphins.
7. Care for a pet, or plant a garden of flowers and fruits and vegetables.
8. Do all of the errands you’ve been procrastinating on. Clean your house. Feeling a sense of accomplishment is rewarding.
9. Read books on confidence, take time to relax and pamper yourself, treat your body to a nice bath, pedicure or massage if you’re feeling comfortable enough for it.
10. Don’t over-exercise. Take up a mind-body exercise like yoga or tai chi. A 10 minute walk gives your body 2 hours of energy and feel-good endorphins. Over exerting yourself has the opposite effect and will leave you feeling tired and down.

I hope that these tips can help you to realize that self confidence does not come from being super-skinny, but it comes from having a healthy mind and attitude.

Lots of love,
Miss Michelle

25 Easy Ways to Exercise

Here is an article from Prevention on how to incorporate more exercise into your regular everyday activities. Don’t have time for the gym? No problem! Add a few standing push-ups while you’re cooking dinner. Work at a desk all day? Do some squats and calf stretches in the elevator at work. There’s no excuse that can defeat all 25 of these ideas.
Newton’s first law of motion is “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” If you get up, get moving, and get active, you’ll stay that way!

25 Easy Exercises

Lots of love,
Miss Michelle

The “D” Word: Diet

The term “diet” has taken on a new definition and word association. While the term used to mean “what a person eats,” it now means “what a person doesn’t eat” or “what a person eats to lose weight.” My goal is to change the way we see this word.

Diet as originally defined:
1. Food and drink considered in terms of its qualities, composition, and its effects on health: Milk is a wholesome article of diet.
2. The foods eaten, as by a particular person or group: The native diet consists of fish and fruit.
3. Food or feed habitually eaten or provided: The rabbits were fed a diet of carrots and lettuce.

Diet as defined by society today:
1. Such a selection or a limitation on the amount a person eats for reducing weight: No pie for me, I’m on a diet.
2. To select or limit the food one eats to improve one’s physical condition or to lose weight: I’ve dieted all month and lost only one pound.
3. To eat or feed according to the requirements of a diet.

Let’s work together to consciously change the way we view the word “diet”. Let’s focus on eating balanced meals and snacks. Let’s make sure we are getting all of the proper nutrients our body needs. Let’s focus on giving our body what it needs and stop focusing on depriving our body of what it wants and craves.

Lots of love,
Miss Michelle

Healthy foods to start eating now!

Below is a link to an article that gives you some fruits & veges to add to your salads. These foods can also be eaten alone for a snack or as a side with your other meals besides salads.
The article explains the nutrients and benefits of each food. Are you eating balanced meals? Are you lacking certain nutrients? Think about adding some new foods to your diet to keep things fresh and well balanced.

Foods to start eating!

Lots of love,
Miss Michelle

Embrace your body

Below is a link to watch a preview video. One woman is on a mission to change how we, as women, view our own bodies. She is crowd funding to pay for a documentary aimed to change the perception of every woman who watches it. They have almost reached their goal. I am not sharing this video in hopes that you’d financially support the project. If you’d like to, that is great, but I am in no way affiliated with this project, I am only inspired by it.

My reason for sharing is because I believe if you only watch the preview alone, it will stir something in your mind. It may help you start to appreciate the beauty of your own body. The goal of this site is to make sure that not only are we healthy physically, but also mentally. I also strive to change the way we view “healthy”. Super skinny doesn’t mean you’ll suddenly be happy. And more times than not, super skinny means not healthy physically or mentally.

I urge you to watch the short video and to strive to EMBRACE your body!

EMBRACE documentary

Lots of love,
Miss Michelle