The Better Butter & A giveaway!

I LOVE almond butter. I never really tried it till I started reading blogs, but now I just LOVE it. I usually just buy it bulk at my local co-op. I know it's all natural and organic and it's cheaper than buying a big jar of expensive butter. 

A few weeks ago when I went to the Minneapolis Blogger Meet Up, inside of our goodie bags was a little squeeze pack of Barney Butter. It was a single serving size already measured out, it was awesome! 

This is The Wedge Co-op almond butter with Agave sweeter on top, still a fan favorite! 

Last week as I was shopping in a little juice bar and cafe called Tao Foods, which is near my house and I always pass on my runs to the lake, I spied this: Justin's MAPLE Almond Butter! I grabbed a pack to try so I could blog about the Nut Butter Face off!! 

Verdict: While I am loyal to the bulk stuff at my co-op and I really like the consistency of the  Barney's Butter. It was a little smoother and not as grainy. The co-op stuff can get a bit grainy and separate, but it's in bulk, not a little pouch that keeps it mixed well, so that's understandable. I also think the Maple Justin's had a better taste, but I could be partial to the maple flavoring! I have a bit of a sweet tooth.

I am just NUTS about the Nut butter!! 

Speaking of the Minneapolis Blogger Meet Up, you have a chance to win one of TWO of the goodie bags that Jen at Prior Fat Girl had the sponsors put together for us...

The goods: snacks, coupons, recipes, treats a sweet sticker!

All really wonderful products to try and all in a great tote!! 

There are TWO to give away! And this is going to be a short one! 

I will pick two winners Friday --to enter, 

just leave one comment telling me your Favorite Nut butter!! 

This contest is open to those in Canada and the Continental US only, you must have a valid email address to contact you. The Winner will be selected by Comment number using an amazing random generating number machine and the giveaway is open until Friday, March 12th at 7pm Central time!

Glo Bar Winner, Hope and vision!

And the winner is.... 

Congrats to Junghwa, she is the winner of the Glo bars! Her comment, #17 was:

And her vision for her life was building a family! 

Congrats Junghwa, I hope that the giveaway items help to encourage you as you strive toward your vision and remind you that we can go after our dreams and the life we want! 

On a side note when I was telling my mom about this giveaway, I was explaining to her that despite the fact I am just a few tiny steps onto my new path and into my journey, I wanted to encourage others to do the same. I feel like I have succeeded already by just stepping out in faith and moving forward, even if a little bit. 

Maybe by writing their vision in the comments, someone realized what their vision truly WAS for the first time, maybe someone took a small step of action after it, maybe the hope of winning the amazing Glo Bars, gave a reader hope for their vision and life! 

For me, this was more than just a giveaway. Personally it was a way to pass on what I felt like I had gained: the courage to step out in faith and hope after my vision! For you guys, my readers, I wanted to pass on that same hope for your visions to be realized. Find your vision, pick a dream, write it down, prepare for success and take steps to make it happen!! Your best days are ahead of you!! 

Lamentations 3:22-23

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!  His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness;  his mercies begin afresh each morning!

March Madness

First of all Happy Birthday Dad!! I love you and I hope you have a GREAT day!!

* Dad told me this was 1958 in Trinidad when he was in the Navy!! 

Not only is March a big birthday month for us, March is going to be a BUSY month for Fit this girl and in my life!!

• A trip to Chicago to see my fave band In the Cinema
• My last day at my current job!
• A St. Patties Day race! 
• Tons of giveaways here at Fit this girl!
• The MN Real Food conference
• A BIG test for part of my Leap of Faith 
• An internship for part of my new career path...
• Some volunteering!
• The Restore Holistic Expo I went to this weekend... 
• New irons in the fire and wheels turning in my head there is SO much ahead!

 Not to mention spring is right around the corner, it's been above 30 degrees all week and everything is melting! I feel like I am hunkered down at a starting line just waiting for the beginning of so many wonderful things!

Spring always feels like a time to start over and get moving on goals that have fallen to the way side or taken back seat. I have more ambition and more energy when the sun is out, the snow is melting away and everything seems to come to life.

One of the things I have been thinking of is having a schedule I stick to. I don't really have a set schedule for much of anything in home or personal life (save for when I am training for a race, which I get to focus on more again!)

A wake-up time 
a bedtime
 specific classes that I hit at the gym
nightly (or morning) runs
 time for myself
 time to keep my apartment straightened
Quiet time for me and the Man Upstairs
 reading for FUN 
(this completely falls to the way-side--SO sad!) 
& blog time!

Sound familiar? Haven't I ranted about making time for these things before?
Well this life is not about the destination, it's about the journey and if I find myself having to refocus and reset, no worries!

In the meantime,  I think a better schedule is in order so I can be on top of all these important things!

Right now this is what most of my "calendar" items look like, a giant list by date:

???????

When I have this GREAT Franklin Planner that is current, and I can use daily for scheduling what I have going on! It is about 4 dollars a year to replace the calendar and is in a really nice, zipper planner case.

I tackled my to do list issue and blogged about it when I bought D.E.B. or my dry erase board, but the schedule thing is something I am going to have to get a handle on especially for my next chapter in life, I will need to be large and in charge of my every hour.

 I am going to come up with a plan for some structure and try and make it stick!  I think using the planner for events,  meetings, races etc and the D.E.B.  for to do lists is the way to go. I am also going to utilize ICal as a way to set reminders for the urgent appointments. I think gold stars may be in order as well....I will have to figure that portion out!

Do you guys use a certain calendar or planner system? 

Do you plan things like your races and workout days far in advance? 

More Size Healthy!

We all know how much sizes vary from store to store and even brands with in one store! (I wear 2 different sizes at Target alone!) And while I have been excited to fit into one particular size and a little bummed when that number went up, it is all relative!  The SHAPE of our bodies can change and transform while the number on our scale stays static and you can be healthy without being a certain size or weight. 

I know a lot of people out there don't gauge their health and weight by a scale or a size, but I understand what it's like to be on a weight loss journey, where your world revolved around numbers! Weekly weigh in's, tracking food points, ounces of water, watching your pants size go down, they can all be great ways to watch yourself get closer and closer to your goal. 

source

Sheryl over at Bitch Cakes wrote a great blog about size recently. She talks about the number of sizes she has lost within Banana Republic clothing, not to achieve a certain size, but to KNOW how many sizes she has gone down. After all, you can be an 8 in one store and a 6 in another, but to know you went down 6 sizes is a great accomplishment and can help motivate you. 

SO WHAT TRULY MATTERS?  

Scale? 

Size? 

Feeling? 

Being healthy. 

Whether your a scale watcher, a point counter or you just watch what you eat when your starting to "feel" sluggish or a little heavier than your norm, what matters is being healthy. If your goal is weight loss or just to feel better and have more energy, there are a few guidelines to follow so you are the most successful!  

 Set a realistic goals: Losing up to 2 lbs per week is safe. Slow and steady wins the race, besides, the over all goal is health and wellness, you can get there with more sticking power if you do it the right way! It is safe to reduce your caloric intake by 500 calories, but speak with a nutritionist or weight loss counselor to find your fit. 

Use resistance training to change your body: When you lift weights, or perform body weight exercises (push-ups etc), you will build lean muscle at the same time as losing weight. IF you lose weight with out strengthening, you run the risk of losing lean muscle mass which you need! Not only will your body shape change & gain lean muscle but you will strengthen your bones and prevent osteoporosis. It's planning for your future, like a 401K for your health! 

Eat for your health- eat the RIGHT way: Cutting calories is the best way along with exercise to lose weight, but cut the right calories out. Toss the boxed, processed, pre made junk out the door and focus on natural foods: fruits, veggies, beans, meat and grains. With portion control and the right foods, you will lose weight and give your body the fuel it needs. 

Add Exercise to your daily activity- Most Americans don't get the minimum recommended daily exercise amount in their busy schedules! But exercise is the best way, along with healthy eating to shed pounds. Even better are the other health benefits: healthy heart and lungs, lower cholesterol and blood pressure, and preventing diseases! Shedding pounds from exercise is only one of the benefits. 

Source

These are all LIFELONG things that we need to do! Eating right, being active and building strong bones are things we will do long after we are at our goal weight, long after we stop thinking about the scale (for those of you not here yet, yes, it does happen!!). But it is a practice to cultivate like any habit. 

I still think about size and weight, just the other day, I went to slip on a pair of jeans and thanks to the creative sizing of womens clothing, I wondered which "size" pair I had grabbed from my closet...so I looked at the tag and saw: 

One Size fit's healthy:

 

I laughed out loud and slipped them on, knowing it didn't matter if it was one size or the other, what mattered was that I was being healthy and they fit. It was a great lesson for me in the truth of what really matters! In case you don't know what the Size Healthy movement is, you can read more about it at the original post here on Angela's Blog, Oh She Glows. 

I took a sharpie to some shirts then too, just for fun and because it makes me feel good when I see the new "size"on them. 

  

How do you feel about the clothing size? 

Do you use a scale or do you go by how you feel and how your clothes fit? 

Birthday Dinner Recap!

My birthday yesterday was a great day! I had off work and spent a lot of my day, talking to family on the phone including Timothy in Germany! Oh, I want to go back there! 

I did much needed items on my to do list and treated myself to a new birthday shirt, one of four things I purchased for my birthday with store credit from the Great Clothing Purge of 2009. I am actually going to talk about how I did with my spending and accumulating in a post soon, it was my goal to NOT buy till my birthday... I think I made it, with a few discrepancies! 

Here I am in my new Sweatshirt! 

I headed out to meet my friends out for dinner at Common Roots Cafe a great Organic restaurant that serves unique and local fare, it is a favorite of mine!! 

I checked my mail on the way out the door and had THREE cards! One that I always love to see--the stripey, Luftpost envelope from my brother in Germany! 

 

Wendall and Nita were there! 

It was happy hour so I had 2 starters and it was filling! 

First up was maple-smoked whitefish dip / served hot topped with melted parmesan, anise crackers!

Then arepas / chipotle yams, Laughing Bird shrimp--Spicay! 

Jenna came too! She just had her birthday party like 2 weeks ago. 

Adam and his giant stack of homework! 

Jason came too! 

I had a coffee (what else?) and a HUGE half chocolate covered coconut macaroon! 

When I got home, I flipped through the book my Dad sent me for a gift! Born to Run by Chistopher McDougall. I had been wanting to read this and didn't even TELL him--good gift giving Dad!! 

I got this necklace from Jenna, in honor of spreading my wings on my new journey! 

If only I could run as fast-- then I would be set! 

Thanks everyone for a WONDERFUL birthday, it was a great day and I am surrounded by WONDERFUL friends and family! 

Giveaway: Glo bars & vision journal-Closed

In honor of my career announcement yesterday and in celebration of

my birthday (today-whee!!) I am hosting an special giveaway.

If you are familiar with Angela over at Oh She Glows, then you know that she was on a long journey to find her calling in life, opening her online vegan bakery, Glo Bakery. She did a lot of soul searching about her own career and learning about her true self in the process. She was a huge inspiration to me to have the courage to find and start on my path.

In honor of all my new changes, I am giving away A Glo Bar variety pack!

That is TEN Glo Bars, which are 100% vegan, organic, health bars! They are perfect for healthy people on the go and great for athletes too with flavors like Empower, Endure and Refresh!

The March Madness Variety Pack is here to kick off March in a delcious and healthy way. This variety pack contains not 5, but 10- yes TEN- delicious Glo Bar flavours! Never before has a Glo variety pack included this many flavours in one box!

The March Madness Variety Pack will include one bar of each of the following flavours:

• Adore (Roasted Marshmallow S'more with homemade graham crackers) ^*New!
• Empower (Chocolate Dark Roast Coffee)
• Present (Cranberry Pumpkin Spice)
• Refresh (Dark Chocolate Peppy-mint)
• Classic (Chunky Peanut Butter & hemp, flax, sesame seed)
• Chi (Dark Chocolate Chia Seed)
• Crave (Crunchy Peanut Butter and ‘Jelly’)^*New!
• Endure (Cranberry Apricot Spelt)
• Awake (Dark Roast Coffee)
• Heaven (Carob Brownie Bomb)

ALSO, the winner will receive this handmade vision journal with messages about being well, staying inspired and starting GOOD things in your life!!

I am a HUGE fan of vision boards and have started to make journals as well, what better place to track your goals and thoughts than an inspiring bound journal!

Who do you want to be?

Start something GOOD!

Stay inspired!

Awaken the strength

Stop at nothing!

I LOVE the feeling that turning vision boards into working journals, is a beneficial step in putting actions behind our dreams.

How to Enter:

1) Leave one comment below letting me know why you want to try (or why you love) Glo bars!

2 Additional Entries:

1) Become a follower and leave a comment letting me know you joined

(you can leave a comment if you are already a follower)

2) Tell me about your newest vision for life!

That is 3 chances to Enter using 3 comments. Giveaway ends Tuesday March 9th (my Dad's Birthday)

10 Glo bars and a vision Journal!

Get Glowing and good luck!

This contest is open to those in Canada and the Continental US only, you must have a valid email address to contact you. The Winner will be selected by Comment number using an amazing random generating number machine and the giveaway is open until Tuesday, March 9th at 7pm Central time!

My Big Leap of Faith: Changing Careers

Ok, here's my big leap of faith! I am changing careers! It's been a long road, one that I have had a vision for, for quite a while. I took steps to start down my road about 2 years ago, but did not move forward all the way. This time I am not discouraged or derailed and I have put actions behind my dream!

I gave notice at my current, stable gig to move into what feels like the unknown. I can see there are possibilities and opportunities in every person, situation and in every moment! I will be able to talk more in-depth about the process as I actually move more into it-- right now I am taking things step by step. BUT my initial Leap of Faith was met with resounding support!

I had been thinking about how to move toward my dream I had been carrying around for 2 years. I started by putting some logical stuff in place: finances, possible paths, a class to help me prepare. Little by little I lined things up with my planning and preparation. With each little prompting from God, I would wait to see what doors he opened then I would move forward through the door.

Then came the point where everything had added up, all my praying, planning and prep was at a tipping point and I actually had to make the official decision to move from a place I had been for years: behind a desk. I have worked in many offices: a marketing assistant, receptionist, associate publicist, customer service phone rep... and so on and so forth. These were never really a career for me, but my dream is a career and in the complete opposite direction of working 9-5 behind a desk.

Administrative Mary from 4 years ago!

Four days after giving notice at a great, stable, administrative gig with nothing solid on the horizon but my little plan, my baby steps in the direction I wanted to go, and a still small voice that was prompting me to move, I was met with a great big Yes from the man upstairs! (I will write more later on this!) There is nothing like having your own Leap of Faith affirmed by the God you are placing your faith in!

I am so excited about my life change and career move. Some people might think I am crazy, in this world of people losing their jobs, getting laid off, and I walk away from one job to go after my dream? I think not! I am single, no kids, no house, just me and the kitties on this little adventure, so there is NO better time to do it. Besides, I believe that God is my source, not my bank account, not the economy. God's not struggling or in a recession. And I know I am following his voice through this!

Will it be hard? Maybe!

Am I scared? No! I am surprisingly at peace and excited!

Why did I wait? A number of fears held me in a static place for a long while, when I tried to start this before, I had just quit drinking and was in a strained place.

What made me start on my path? A lot of factors came into play. One was that I felt an urgency to not waste my time outside my calling anymore. I knew I was to make this change and couldn't ignore it. Also, I wanted to do something everyday that really resounded with who I am:

Someone who helps other

someone who enjoys every day

someone who makes a difference

I want to be who I have ALWAYS been! ME!

Professional coffee drinker me--I wish!

I am sure I will write tons more on this over the next few months as I dive into it headfirst!

What am I going to do? What is my new Career? Well, I am moving into a place that I have talked about a little bit before (one announcement a long time ago) and will be able to tell you more info and exactly what I am doing-- but not quite yet! I am going to use a dash of discretion and see where my feet land, then spill.

THANKS for listening, I could really use your happy, fuzzy thoughts this week especially as I have a big day coming up!

AND watch Wednesday for a giveaway to go along with my Big Leap of Faith!!

Minneapolis Blogger Meet-up Recap

Saturday was a healthy blogger meet-up at The Beat Coffee House in Minneapolis.

Thank you SO much to Jen over at Prior Fat Girl for organizing it! I was nervous about meeting all these new people-- there were close to 40 women who came! Most were bloggers, a few readers, all wonderful women, all sharing their stories and all on a journey.

I came away feeling renewed and inspired by the great people I met!

At my table were Jenny, Audry and Ann who writes over here

Also at my table was Megan who I had met the day before for lunch! She is a reader who found me through Healthy Tipping Point and was happy to see I was local! It was the first time meeting a reader for me and she is super cool!

It was a beautiful day, with great coffee, great gals and the sun shining in!

Amanda from Another Prior Fat Girl spoke about her journey--

Love that shirt Amanda!

Lindsay from Another Prior Fat Girl talked about her journey as well. Everyone in the room could relate to a portion of all they said.

Both of these blogs were take off's from the original Prior Fat Girl Jennifer.

She is A-Maze-ing. She claims she is not a public speaker, but I think otherwise!!

As I was taking photo's and listening away, I had a blueberry scone and some french press coffee!

Next up was some activities! Jen had us each take an index card and write out one of our fears, anonymously. They were piled on a table in the front and each table came up front so every girl could read a card to the group.

It was a wonderful exercise & even though I read what someone else wrote, that fear had been present in my journey at some point. It goes to show, we are all more alike than we think!

Mpls bloggers Melissa, Cindy, Alexa and Sarah read our fears!

Why am I looking down? Hmm..

Next on the agenda was writing a letter to ourselves and where we are now on our journey and then in 6 months Jen is going to mail them to us! Wow, what a powerful exercise! I could have written much more, but just gushed a lot of encouragement and some goals that I am working on now, so in 6 months I can see, yes, how far I have come!!

Met these completely kindred spirits Samantha and Cindy

Finally got to MEET the wonderful gals: Amanda from Another Prior Fat Girl

And Jen the hostess with the most!!

Then, we were sent home with a big bag of goodies and samples and COUPONS (yippie!) from the sponsors of the event! I can't wait to dig into all the goodies in there and try new things!

THANK YOU!

Smart Food

Barney Butter (LOVE the squeezable packs!)

Funky Monkey

Mom's Best Naturals

Better Balance

Light life

Fiber One

Amy's Organic's

Popsicle

Saiba Smart

& Orgain!!