Do You See What I See?

Never have I looked to the next year for salvation. It is not that I haven't had low moments, and yes I know that there is someone reading this rolling their eyes at my definition of "low moments", but this is my story. I will not sit here and bear my soul in all its entirety these next 12 months, but I will do my best to be transparent. Without admitting struggle I cannot change or grow and that's my reason for this adventure. However my heart is in my chest for a reason, to protect it from outer harm, and I intend to keep it safe by maintaining some barriers between it and this world.

I intend to change starting January 1st and, like I've stated, it is not because I currently do not like who I am. It is more because I will change whether I take control of my life or not. We all start pure with our paths in life, more or less, undefined. We begin wearing unfiltered glasses to help us see the world for the first time. As we meet new people, learn new skills and have new experiences we grow. Our heart and mind hold on to these items and films cover our once clear lenses. I don't think it's worth the effort, or possible in most circumstances, to wipe off this coating. That layer has been built for a reason and it now changes how you see your world so that you can become more of yourself. This allows for you to see a flower and a wall and a baby different than I do. Based on what you were born with and what has happened to you since that day, we will never be the same. And that is beautiful! 

What a wonderful opportunity that we all have to share our views with someone else and enhance their perspective. I see perspective as this... Imagine if I was born on an island where I have to stay forever but my view is always staring at the Caribbean sea and you in similar circumstances but staring at the rolling hills of Ireland. Each view stunning in their own regard, but wouldn't it be amazing to see both? In this analogy, we can't leave. Just as we can't truly alter how our minds see our world. However, sharing perspective allows us to do just that. I may never leave my island, but my friend could share the shades of emerald shining from that Irish land and I could appreciate more of the world thanks to them. 

Every single one of us are our own being and every day we evolve more and more into who we will become. There is no end game, there is only what you put out into the universe and how you help shape others into their potential selves. A year from now, I will not be who I am today and I intend to grab onto the wheel with two hands. 

I've defined my next 12 months based on categories where I've found opportunity and I am excited. Truly. 22 years old and here I am grabbin life. I am technically lying in bed, but my mind is all that little girl standing on the bathroom counter shouting about how much she loves her life into the mirror. She gets it. Life IS freaking great if you just take a second to appreciate the little things, like loving up on your haircut and pajamas. I am not overly religious or spiritual, but to some extent I believe there is a purpose for all of us already defined. I believe each of us has someone at the end of our lives who we COULD become. Someone who has faced countless set backs, but has accomplished more than our now selves could ever even dream of accomplishing. BUT I don't believe that everyone becomes that person. Becoming someone we will be proud of is hard and terrifying. 

I have a good idea of what I want to see in the mirror at the end of my life. What I would have liked to have achieved so that the wrinkled eyes staring back at me are proud of the life I've lived. I like to live with that mindset, that the only person I am trying to impress is that woman. Every set back I face, I let her be my motivation. Some find it lonely once they realize that the only person who will always understand and be there for them until their last breath is their self.. but I find calm in knowing she will be there in the end.

Next month, I'll let my body do the talking... More details to come. But now that's enough about glasses, it's time to fill mine with champagne! 

I Don't Have Commitment Issues... Thanks To You

My freshman year of college I lost 25 pounds. My sophomore year of college I built a team of a dozen peers and lead a very successful direct sales team. A few months back I trained for 13 weeks and ran my first half marathon. Last year I gave up coffee for Lent and did not cheat once. Why am I giving you a laundry list of random recent accomplishments? Because there is a single reason that those were all not only goals I set, but fully committed to and succeeded at. Why were these goals different than the countless others my mind has dreamed up? I made public commitments to you. "You" meaning not just myself... I put my goal out there into the universe. After it escapes my mind, it truly does not matter if my progress is followed intricately by 40 friends or celebrated with a high five from a family member at the finish line. Once it's out of my mouth and written down it is real and it has expectations that mean something.

I'll be the first to say that I am my own harshest critic and I am not one to give up easily, but I accredit almost every large success I have had to other people. Not always their physical role, but the fact that I told another soul my intentions. Many of you have seen your friends on social media post that they are quitting a bad habit or getting a gym membership and proceed to  ask your computer screen why they feel the need to share... I am guilty as well. Most of the time, I am also guilty of allowing my own selfish reasons prevent me from encouraging them in these new endeavors.

The scene plays out as so... Status of random Facebook "friend" that I haven't seen since high school "Announcement all, I am starting Paleo for humanitarian reasons. Please post below any recipes you have! So excited for this journey!"... I can't tell you how many one liner jokes come to mind when I see this on my feed. Even though I have considered pursuing a similar dietary move, for similar reasons, almost weekly myself. Why is poking fun my natural inclination? Almost certainly insecurity. Stemming from fear and lack of willpower to do the same. This stranger has chosen to share their new goal, which most likely scares them, with all of us via social media. How brave! Who knows whether they are looking for supportive advice or encouraging words or, like me, just need to tell the universe so that I am held responsible. Social media has a bad rep and for many good reasons, but for this I'll defend these platforms. As humans, we have a need to connect with others and sites like Facebook allow us to do this. We all spend more hours inhabiting these spaces then we will admit... and I do not see that changing on a large scale any time soon. Let's all do our part to put a little more good energy into these social sites instead of complaining about the negatives. If you were really that "anti-social media" then you would not be posting a status about it. Since you've chosen to spend your time scrolling why not use minimal effort to encourage someone. Be the positive difference instead adding more negativity to our newsfeeds.

In conclusion, let Jen go vegan and Steve quit smoking and Jackie start Crossfit. They set a goal and have taken the first step by putting it out there and telling a friend or their 1000 friends on social media. I can speak from experience, when I say that public commitments have made all the difference between goals I have set and goals I have accomplished. Give them the thumbs up instead of the middle finger and maybe they'll do the same when you decide to pursue your next adventure.

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Speaking of adventures.... starting January 1 I will be going on my own. A journey I am bursting with excitement to journal and share. 2018 will be the year of my very own Happiness Project. Modeled after the book by Gretchen Rubin. My short synopsis of this read is.. Though she was a successful career women with a beautiful, loving family she commonly found herself stressed, argumentative and unappreciative. She didn't live with happiness as a high priority and as an avid researcher she decided to learn as much about the subject as possible. After months of collecting information and self reflecting on her very own happiness-hurdles she set a 12 month plan. Each month was given a broad subject like "January, Vitality: Boost Energy" with smaller steps under each larger focus. At the end of the year and her book.. well you'll have to read it yourself to hear the result... BUT I was inspired to do the same. Until I closed the cover and returned back to my day-to-day with not much more than a few small "happiness tips" implemented into my life.

I graduated last May and for the past 6 months I have been adjusting to my first full-time job and living back at home with my parents. For lack of better words, both aspects of post-college life are "great". I have a loving family, a supportive boyfriend, a cuddly dog and a job that provides me constant excitement and challenge. I can hear you all now... yeah, yeah that's nice Kirsty. So what's the problem? That's just it!! I haven't been able to put my finger on it and for someone who has never found words very difficult, this has been frustrating. I completed Gretchen's book months ago, but for the first time... the lightbulb clicked. This feeling I can only describe as 'uncomfortably comfortable'. I have determined that comfortable makes me itchy and stir-crazy and leaves me with a gross taste in my mouth. So I considered moving out... and booking a few long trips... and returning to school... and getting another dog. Well that all seemed a immature or unrealistic for the time being, as I am a recent grad with minimal resources. So how could I get out of my own way and continue to grow as a person while living back in my childhood room? Shake things up a bit. So I've done it. I have set my very own 12 month plan...

Details to follow.

My body can handle it, but hers can't.

This morning I ran 5.5 miles and it was 55 degrees and sunny. You're probably wondering why you should care... but there is a point I promise. Yesterday I ate a bagel for breakfast, wings for lunch and pizza for dinner with an unknown amount of beer. Again, there is a point.

As I was running today, I couldn't help but become increasingly aware of how fortunate I am to have a healthy, capable, young body that can handle an occasional day of garbage food and drinks and then allow me to run almost 6 miles with ease. I am not bragging nor ignoring the fact that I usually treat my body very well eating whole foods and exercising regularly. However, after a day of trash I was concerned that my body would revolt and refuse to let me run even though my head and heart wanted to enjoy the sunshine and sweat more than anything. Fortunately, my 21 year old muscles can take a hit and bounce back. For which I am extremely thankful! Many of you can probably relate in the sense that sharing my workout and health success has always come much easier than admitting my mess ups. Or what I would have titled "mess ups" a couple of years ago. Two years ago I would have enjoyed fatty food as a "treat" or have it and then feel a strong  sense of guilt. I would have run this morning to "make up" for the trash I push in my body and felt bad for probably a few days about my "mistake". These days I am able to see the bigger picture most of the time and allow myself to indulge on fatty foods that I like in moderation and exercise because it feels good and is great for me.

I began my post with that information so that I could thank my body and acknowledge my growth. I find super important to measure growth, whether that be physical, mental or emotional. In fact, I tell my clients countless times to take progress photos to see weight loss, body comp changes and/or muscle growth, but very rarely do I take the time to see how far I am coming in other aspects of my health. Physical health is important, but we rarely forget or are afraid to speak about our mental health as well.

Though my run felt great, my mind became increasingly upset as the miles passed and I attempted to appreciate my surroundings. The sky was clear blue, sun was warm and grass was covered in empty beer boxes, bottles, plastic containers and other garbage. I was stunned. I wanted to stop running at that moment and begin to pick up every single item, but regretfully I did not. I couldn't help but question why my Facebook feed is constantly filled with health activists stressing that we only have one body so we need to treat it well, but no one seems concerned that we only have one planet too. When we place garbage into our bodies we gain weight, lose energy, break out in acne and see clear signs that our body is not performing optimally due to our choices. If we paid attention, we'd see that Earth has her own way of sending signs that she is hurting. Her climate is not changing because she is bored with how it was... she is crying for help as we are planning more days by the beach. If personifying Earth makes you uncomfortable, I am truly sorry for you, but let me paint another picture to help you understand. Not only were there other cars and runners out this morning, but dozens of little animals. Birds, chipmunks and two adorable dogs were enjoying the sun as well. Watching a chipmunk nibble at a beer can made my stomach hurt and I hope that it would bother you too. Earth may not be a cute and fuzzy creature, but she can choke on this debris just the same.

I remember when I was about 10 years old someone told me that it takes about 7 years for gum to digest in a stomach if swallowed. That terrified me and I truly have done my best to never swallow a piece of gum since that day. Having gum in my stomach for 7 years was not a fate I was interested in, but boy do I wish someone would have told me that it takes 200-500 years for a can to decompose. I wonder if my choices through my childhood could have been altered a little more extremely than my bubble gum habits if I would have heard that statistic or the thousands of other equally startling facts.

Long story short. My ability to reframe and knowledge of macronutrients have allowed me to find a more balanced approach to eating and exercising. I see food as fuel and never "good" or "bad" because, like many of you know, the minute a food is on a "do not eat" list it suddenly becomes your favorite food! Weird how that works. I see exercising as a way to thank my body for all of the wonderful things that it does for me and truly enjoy the time I spend working out. The more I learned about health and fitness, the more I shared with other people who I love so that they could experience the joy and benefits that I saw. It was not until this run that I became to understand that I should be doing the same with the environment. I rarely speak about my views because I am truly not informed, but I know enough to be upset with our current situation and want to increase my knowledge so that I can share and do my part to help. Sure, using a few less paper towels or plastic cups may not change the world before I leave it, but it could aid a movement that will impact the world that my children's children's children live in.

This morning I ran with a true appreciation for the clear blue sky and warm sun because of a deep understanding that it may not be like this for long. You have one body and we have one Earth and both give you everything they are able to every single day. If you treat yourself like junk, you will have to deal with the consequences which is sad but truly only affects yourself. Your choice to litter affects us all. Our bodies can handle a few skipped workouts or second slices of pie, but Earth truly can't handle any more mistreatment. She's not a trash can, she is our home!

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Buffalo Chicken Dip- Healthier Football Sunday

Football Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week, especially when I am home from school. Getting together with friends and family to crowd around the television screen and rally behind our favorite team (the Pats, of course) is so much fun! I am going to admit that until the last year or so the only thing truly attracted me to a football party was... the snacks. I mean we can all agree that any excuse to eat chili, chips and endless dips is enough to draw any foodie in. Though my interest and understanding of the sport has truly grown in recent years, so has my commitment to a healthy lifestyle and obsession with finding "cleaner" alternatives for fattening, but delicious, favorites. My boyfriend's family takes football very seriously and the spread of food that accompanies these games is no joke. When halftime begins and everyone floods into the kitchen, they are expecting a few game day staples. So you can understand my nerves the first time I offered to bring my "Healthier Buffalo Chicken Dip"!

Once they got passed my boyfriend informing everyone that there was Greek yogurt in the dip (talk about an interception)... it was a crowd favorite!

The original idea for this dip came from my sister, who refuses to ever measure when trying new recipes. However, this was too good to not be able to share for others to make! Below is the recipe that I use to make our Buffalo Chicken Dip for a healthier Football Sunday. Try bringing it to your Superbowl party and see what your fans think. We may have made a few healthier swaps, but that just means you can eat the whole tray using a spoon, right!? Football Sunday doesn't have to be your "cheat day", especially since us Pats fans DON'T NEED TO CHEAT. 

Serves: 10 people 

1 serving:
Calories- 150
Fat- 3 grams
Carbs- 4 grams
Protein- 26 grams

Ingredients:

Chicken breast or tenders 1.5 pounds 

Plain 0% Greek Yogurt 1.5 - 2 cups

Reduced Fat Blue Cheese Crumbles 1/2 cup

Fat Free Mozzarella Shredded 1/2 cup

Fat Free Cream Cheese 1 Package (14 tbs)

Franks Red Hot Sauce 1/4 cup

Cayenne Pepper 1 tsp

Garlic Powder 1 tsp

** Ultimate Insanity Hot Sauce... to taste. I also put a few drops of this for additional spice, but BEWARE. I have horror stories from using too much of this sauce. It is no joke!

Steps:

1. Trim fat from chicken and cut into tender-sized pieces. Throw in a pot on the stove with a dash of salt and enough water to cover the chicken. Boil the water. Once boiling, place on simmer and keep chicken cooking until it is no longer pink. You will be shredding the chicken, so size of the pieces doesn't end up mattering.

2.  In a medium bowl, mix 1 cup of Greek yogurt and the full amount of all other ingredients (besides the chicken).

3. Once chicken is cooked, shred it by using two forks pulling in opposite directions on a cutting board. Add the shredded chicken to the bowl and mix. 

4. Add remaining 1/2 to 1 cup of Greek yogurt to the bowl, depending on how thick you want the dip,

5. Add more hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper until you reach desired spice level.

6. Transfer bowl into microwave safe container to serve.

I have served this dish three ways.

You can....

1. Before serving, heat in the microwave and stir until it is bubbling and hot! -- easiest way

2. Before serving, heat in microwave, then top with additional shredded cheese. Place in oven on high broil until cheese layer is bubbling. 

3. Before serving, top with additional shredded cheese and place in oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

 ***The cheese layer browned in the oven makes for a more aesthetic dip, but usually I usually choose the easier way.

Serve with:

Veggie sticks or your favorite healthier chip! We love Trader Joes' Veggie and Flax Seed Tortilla Chips in my house.

Additional ideas:

If you have dip leftover (which I rarely do), I have topped a Flatout Flatbread wrap or pizza crust with the spread and baked it in the oven for a healthier buffalo chicken pizza. I simply, bake the Flatout Flatbread at 375 degrees for 2 minutes, top with the dip and then bake for 4-5 more minutes. So EASY! I also, have used the dip to make buffalo chicken wraps, sandwiches and to top salads. 

However, my favorite way to enjoy this dip is all by myself with a big spoon!!

** I used 1/3 less fat cream cheese here because my local grocery store was out of fat free.