Just Because I'm Little.....

I sometimes get comments like, "You don't need to workout! You are little enough!" Or, "You're so tiny. Why are you working out?" Or, "You don't have to worry about what you eat." I have even been asked if I eat! These comments actually kind of hurt my feelings at times. I can get a bit defensive when it comes to this matter. Yes, I have a small frame (5'2"). Yes, I understand that I am smaller than some people. Yes, I get that you think that I don't have anything to worry about in regards to my size. But, just because I have a small frame and might be smaller than you, doesn't mean that I don't have to be concerned with my health. And just because I am of small size doesn't mean that I do not eat. (Believe me, I eat all the time! My close friends and family can confirm that.) 

I haven't always been the size that I am now. I mean, yes, I have always been short. There is no changing that. I guess I could walk on stilts, but I am not coordinated enough to pull that off. Although, I do have a few pair of high heels that allow me to feel like one of the "tall" people. Ok, enough of that digression. Back when I was in high school, I weighed more than what I weigh now. I ate poorly, just as most teenagers do. Oh my Mom cooked great healthy meals for the family, but that wasn't the only food I had all day. I ate hot fries, chef boyardee, pizza, french fries, potato chips. cookies, candy, junk, junk, and more junk, whenever I could get my hands on it.

It wasn't until after I suffered a miscarriage in 2003, that my weight changed. The change in my weight wasn't from any workout or healthy eating habits either. I lost a lot of weight due to sinking into a depression. I didn't want to eat. I had no appetite. Food just didn't appeal to me. So, as I quit eating, my body changed. I actually began liking the change too. I mean, what woman doesn't like to go to her closet and discover that she needs new clothes because all of her current clothes are TOO BIG? I thought I was doing pretty good. I didn't see that I had lost weight in a very unhealthy way.

As my appetite returned, I decided to eat a little better. I didn't want to go back to the size I was before. I wanted to at least maintain the weight that I was at during that time. So, my eating habits got a little better. Eventually I started exercising. I began with working out with Denise Austin in the mornings before heading off to work. It wasn't anything too tough, but it was still something. During this time those nasty comments that I mentioned in the beginning of my post began.

At first, I would shrug off the comments as compliments, but after a few years I no longer saw remarks such as these as any form of encouragement. Sure, some people actually spoke them out of encouragement, but not everybody was supportive in their words. I mean, when you approach my Mom and voice your concern over my size, you are not being supportive. (At no point during this time was my weight ever at an unhealthy level.)

So, fast forward to the present. I am now a little more educated on what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. I know now that when I first starting shedding weight, I went about it all wrong and completely unhealthy. I work my butt off now to stay healthy. I don't workout to be "skinny","small", or "thin." I work my butt off so that I can be healthy! I am not working out to lose weight. I do not avoid certain foods or eat certain foods because "I am on a diet" (anyone close to me knows that I hate that word, and do not believe in that word). I eat healthy to be healthy! I don't deprive my body of the fuel that it needs. I want to treat my body right. I want to take care of the body that God has given me, because it is His temple. I want to set an example for my kids, my friends, and my whole family. I want to set an example for strangers. I choose to live a healthy lifestyle, because I want to give my body the best of what it needs, and give other people the best of me.

My motivation here in writing this is not so that I can talk about my size, and have it mean that I am any better than anyone else. I wanted to write this in hopes that it would inspire someone to continue on his/her healthy lifestyle journey. I want to shed light to the fact that just because someone might be smaller than you, doesn't mean they do not have to be concerned with their health. There is a big difference in being skinny and being healthy. I want to be healthy, so I choose to eat clean and workout. Be careful in how you speak into people's lives. Seek to be an encourager.

If you would like to know more about how you can live a healthy lifestyle, I would love to help you. You can visit my website at www.beachbodycoach.com/jaclynturner1, or email me at jaclynturner1@beachbodycoach.com.

*And please, if you or someone you know is at a truly unhealthy weight, speak up. I am not speaking against helping people.

Parenting Is Not About Being BFFs

"Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it." Proverbs 22:6, NLT

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord." Ephesians 6:4, NLT

Did you ever get this look from your parents? Oh, I did. I got it more times than I would care to admit. I can remember thinking to myself, "Oh no! I'm in trouble," whenever my parents gave me this look. I can also remember times when I would think that my parents just needed to lighten up a little. You know, chill out. Relax. Quit being such tyrants. Don't tell me you never thought that your parents were kin to Hitler at one point. (I mean no harm here, folks.) I use to think that I had the strictest parents in the town world! I saw some of my friends' parents, and I thought they were way cooler than my parents/ I mean, their parents let them do what they wanted to do! These friends could stay out as late as they wanted to. They could smoke and drink if they wanted to. They had no rules! I thought these friends were living the good life. I mean, their parents wanted to be their friend. 

Boy was I ever wrong. Of course, I didn't see the error of my ways until I became a parent of my own. When I became a Mom, I knew right then exactly how much love my parents had (and still have) for me. They weren't tyrants. They weren't mean and cruel, and totally out of touch as I thought they were. My parents loved me like crazy! They wanted the best for me. They saw the things in my life that were not good, and they wanted to do their best to help me make the right choices. They gave me rules, not out of control and this "power hungry" drive, but out of the great love for me. They chose to be my parents instead of my best friend, because they cared about me. I had friends I could talk to and cut up with, but I needed my parents to be my parents. 

You see, being a parent isn't about making sure your kids like you all the time. It's not about making sure your kids get ever materialistic wish that they could ever imagine. It's not about whether or not you help our kid to be popular in school. It's not about being your child's friend. Being a parent is about just that, BEING YOUR CHILD"S PARENT! It's about loving your kids enough to tell them no. Loving your kids so much that you would rather have them so mad at you, than to see them go down a destructive path. It's about caring about your child's well-being enough to step in and set boundaries. It's about choosing to be your child's parent and not their friend. 

As the new school year begins, I encourage each of us as parents to leave being a friend to our kids to their friends. I encourage each of us to love our kids enough to tell them no. Care enough to set boundaries. Want what is best for your child and do our parts as their parents to see that they do their best in life. Let's stop trying to make sure that our kids like us all the time, and let's start showing them how much we love them by being their parents and not their friends. 

I know being a parent isn't always easy. And I know that some days are more joyous than other days, but your child is a blessing from God. God has entrusted you with this child. He is counting on you to be their parent. Will you step up to the challenge and be your kids' parent?

I Just Wanted to Scream

Today as I was looking through my newsfeed on Facebook, I came across a friend's post that made me want to scream. "40% of American children are considered overweight. 16% are already classified as obese." Say what?!? I mean, that ought to make you scream too. It breaks my heart and makes me mad all at the same time. I mean, what are we doing America? Driving through the golden arches for a "quick" meal. Grabbing that nice boxed up "all in one" dinner from the grocery shelves. Stocking up on the cheap "noodles in a bag". Cracking open that can of what is trying to pass as "Italian" food. I know it may seem as if I am coming off a bit harsh, but this is something that I am very passionate about. I won't lie and tell you that I have never enjoyed any of these food products, but I also am not going to tell you that "it's all good." Let's face it folks, we know it's not "all good."

Have you ever read the label on the food products that you place in your buggy at the grocery store? I am a label freak. (My husband and family can testify to that.) The sodium content in some of these products is outrageous. The sodium content for a package of the shrimp ramen noodles is 1040 mg, and 240 calories (completely empty calories)!  That is almost all of the recommended daily sodium intake. The sodium in the cheeseburger Hamburger Helper is 913.5 mg! The sodium found in a can of Chef Boryardee ravioli is 900 mg, with 240 calories (empty ones again)! The Institute of Medicine recommends that the daily intake of sodium for one person should be no more than 1500 mg (that is per day, not per meal folks). And the current American dietary guidelines suggest no more than 2300 mg of sodium per day. If you are over 51 years of age, African American, have diabetes, or have chronic kidney disease then it is recommended that you have no more than 1500 mg of sodium per day. I know I am on a sodium kick, but it is one of the things I look for when purchasing food at the grocery store. I like salt. I mean, it DOES make food taste pretty good, but I don't like too much of it. And if you have heart health issues, then you definitely want to watch the salt. 

These foods all make us think that they are quick and easy, and some even claim to be nutritional for our families. It's all lies though. It's a myth that we have all been fed by our culture. I don't do the "all in one meals from a box" in our house. When we want mashed potatoes, I buy a bag of potatoes and make homemade. When we want an "all in one meal", I take out my crockpot (which I am utilizing today). I won't tell you that we never grace the doors of a drive-thru. I mean, I understand that sometimes it happens. I do my best, though, to provide my family with most nutritional meals that I can possibly give them. I want my kids to be fed the nutrients that their growing bodies need. I want my husband to have the fuel for his body, in order for him to be able to get done what he needs to get done for the day. I want for our kids to grow up knowing that we, as their parents, did the best to take care of them. I want our kids to grow up and do the same for their kids. And above all, I want to take care of what God has blessed us with. Our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit. I want to take care of my body, and my family, to the best of my ability for the glory of God. So, if that means I have to search online for meal ideas, purchase healthy magazines, swap recipes, and educate myself on healthy habits, in order to provide my family with healthy meal & snack options, then that is what I will do. 

Please, know that I am not trying to bash anyone or make anyone feel bad. I just want to share my thoughts, and help spread awareness to the trend of obesity that is growing. I want to help people in making good healthy choices for themselves and their families. I feel very passionate about this, and just want to do my best in helping others. We're in this together folks, one healthy choice at a time.

Grace & Peace, Jac

*You can email me at jaclynturner1@beachbodycoach.com

Just Not Feeling It

Ever feel like this when it comes to your workout? I know I do. As a matter of fact, I felt like this just this morning. I knew I needed that my Burn Intervals and Ab Burner was on the agenda for the day, and I even got up early so that I could get my workout done early. But even with all of that, I just wasn't feeling like working out. Let's all face it, somedays we just don't want to do it. We know we should. We have planned it. But we still don't want to, because we just aren't feeling it. 

What do we do when we just aren't feeling it? We do it anyway! Yep. We don't say to ourselves, "Well, I just don't feel like it today, so I'm not going to do it." No, we tell ourselves, "I can do this!" We think about how good we feel after we complete our workout. Sure, it might be tough to get through the workout. Sure, we might want to throw a brick at the tv as our DVD keeps telling us, "You can do this! Doesn't this feel great?" Sure, we probably want to let out a loud scream followed by a few choice words, as we push ourselves through those sumo burpees (ok, maybe that one was more for me). But whatever your workout of the day is, do it even when you just aren't feeling it. Push yourself through it, and remind yourself of how good you feel after completing the workout. Don't skip it. Don't throw in the towel. Shut that voice up that keeps telling you that you're too tired. Push through and rock that workout! You can do it!

To Eat it or Not to Eat it? That is the Question.

Hamburger, french fries, and a large soda? Or, a leafy green salad with a vinaigrette dressing on the side, grilled chicken breasts, and a water? Candy bar or apple? Potato chips or raw almonds?

Sometimes it seems like the choice is just too hard to make. And sometimes we feel pressed for time, and tell ourselves that the "fattier" snack/meal is faster and more convenient. This is a myth folks! A big fat myth! Granted, there are meals that take a bit more in preparation, but not everything healthy takes a year and a day to prepare. And another myth: "Healthy food tastes like cardboard." Again folks, it is all in how it is prepared. You will be surprised how tasty healthy options are. And then, sometimes we just don't know what to choose as a healthy options.

I want to share with you some "go-to" healthy snacks, and some healthier meal options. I want to show those of you who aren't sure of what to pick when looking for healthy food options, that it doesn't have to complicated and flavorless.

Some of my favorite go-to snacks are raw almonds (Blue Diamond is the brand I choose), sliced apple with all-natural peanut butter (make sure your peanut butter doesn't contain any hydrogenated oils...partially or fully hydrogenated), cheese, grapes, strawberries, whole wheat crackers (again read the label and make sure no hydrogenated oils have made the ingredients list), granola bars (make sure they are made with natural ingredients...I like Nature's Valley, Kashi, and Cliff Bar brands) and celery sticks with all-natural peanut butter.  These are all quick, healthy snack options that are packed full of flavor. If you are on the go a lot, then make little snack bags (of a serving size) of your snack choice, and throw it in your bag or car so that you will always have a healthy snack on hand. Also, when you are sending your kids' snacks with them to school (notice I didn't say sending snack money), these are all great options. And please, please, please don't send juice with your kids to go along with their snack. (I could do a whole blog post dedicated to kids' snacks and lunches.) A 4 oz. serving of 100% pure fruit is about all a kid needs per day, as far as juice drinking goes. Instead of sending that sugary juice, pack water. And I don't want to hear that your kid doesn't like water. If your child is truly thirsty, then he/she will drink the water. My daughter hears that a lot in our house.

As far as healthy meal options go, choose to bake instead of fry. If you have a grill, utilize it. A steamer is a great investment to have. I use my steamer a lot to steam veggies, and I have used it to steam chicken as well. One healthy quick lunch that can be done in the steamer is boneless, skinless (yep that skin has got to go) chicken breasts, squash, and zucchini. Quick, easy, and delicious! Also, start using olive oil or coconut oil to cook with, instead of vegetable oil or canola oil. Start using all natural or organic ingredients, and food products. You can still find deals on these items. If the cost of organic is still out of your budget for now, at least choose one food item that you will buy organic (milk is what I would push for). Ok, I am seeing that I am getting on a tangent here, so back to healthy meal options. Buy magazines, go online, ask friends for healthy recipes. If your family is picky when it comes to veggies, then look for recipes (healthy ones) that might add a bit more flavor than usual.  HeavenlyHomemaker.com and feedingmytemple.com are two great online resources for meal ideas. Stay away from recipes that have the words "smothered" or "covered."

Really, I could go on and on, but I feel that this post is becoming more of a novel that a blog post. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. I will be happy to help you in any way I can. Remember folks, eating healthy doesn't have to complicated or boring. Happy healthy eating!

Turner Dinner Menu for the Week

I have been looking over blogs, magazines, and the web for new supper ideas to cook. I have to admit that I had gotten into a rut with my cooking. It seemed as if every week I was cooking the same thing. To me that can get, well, boring. So, I got tired of the same boring menu for each week, and decided that I would go "treasure hunting" to find new recipes to prepare.

I should probably tell you guys, as well, that our family doesn't eat a lot of red meat, and I don't fry food (didn't grow up on, makes me feel icky, and frankly I hate the mess). I also have a few picky eaters in the house, so my treasure hunt didn't lead me into any exotic places (yet, anyway.....I mean, if I don't tell them what is in it they might actually like it).

So, why am I sharing all of this with you guys? I thought that maybe I might could help some other "stuck-stuck-in-a-rut" cooker out there, so I wanted to share our supper menu for this week. And I will even share with you where I got these yummy ideas from. So, here is Turner Menu #1! Enjoy!


Turner Supper Menu #1


Monday: Italian Pork chops (found online: http://dukanitout.com/italian-baked-pork-chops/)
               Brown rice
               Baby Lima Beans

Tuesday: Cube Steak (I will use the recipe for Shaun T's Easy Sirloin Tip Roast found in Thin Kitchen           Recipe Book, just using the Cube Steak in place of Roast)
                Mac-n-cheese
                Spinach

Wednesday: Turkey Sausage & Red Bean Stew (http://heavenlyhomemaker.com)
                     Cornbread

Thursday:  Italian Cream Cheese Chicken (http://heavenlyhomemaker.com)
                  Salad

Friday: Sloppy Joes (http://heavenlyhomemaker.com)
             Baked Sweet Potato Fries (Alexia Brand found in frozen section of your grocery store)


* I also have found http://feedingmytemple.com to be a great blog to find delicious dishes! I prepared three recipes from this blog last week, and plan to prepare more recipes from here.

So, what are some supper meals for your menu this week?
           

You Are Beautiful

I am sure we have all at some point, looked at someone else walking by and thought to ourselves, "Why can't I look like that?" I am sure we have flipped through magazines, looking at all the "beautiful people" on the pages, and compared ourselves with them. Shoot, we may even have a close friend or a relative who we have compared ourselves with, but the comparison game gets us nowhere. It doesn't change how we look. It doesn't make us feel good, and it doesn't help us to see the beauty in ourselves or in other people. Yes, I said beauty. You are beautiful, friend! And those people whom you have compared yourself with, are beautiful too. 

We all created differently, and that means that even our body types are different. We each have our own design make-up that makes us unique and us. Just because I may not be 5'11" doesn't mean I am any less beautiful. Just because I don't look like I stepped out of Vogue magazine doesn't mean I am not beautiful. Again, we all have different body types. I cannot look like Heidi Klum. Why? Because Heidi Klum is well, Heidi Klum. She was created to be who she is, and I was created to be who I am. I am short (tiny but mighty, baby), and that will not change. I have blue eyes, brown hair, and small frame. That is how I was created. Can I do things to improve my health and appearance? Absolutely. But can I  do anything to make myself into Heidi Klum? Absolutely, positively not! 

I workout and eat healthy, because I want to be the best ME I can be. I don't workout or eat healthy so that I can look like someone else. I do it for me. I do it for my family. I do it to take care of the body that God has given me. So, why do I say all this? I say all this to encourage you to be the best YOU that you can be. Stop playing the comparison game, and start loving who were created to be. You were fearfully and wonderfully made, and you are beautiful!