Tag: healthy

“Have You Tried Restarting?”

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Photo courtesy of Acid Pix 

Working in computers for the last two decades, I know this question all too well. It’s the first one we’re taught to ask a user any time they are having an issue with their computer, smart phone, etc. If I know this is the FIRST question to ask in technology situations, why did it take me so long to ask it in other situations?

It’s no secret that I’ve gained a good bit of weight in the last year – anyone who sees me can tell. My face is fuller, especially my neck, and I’m starting to look like Mama June (not that there’s anything wrong with the way she looks, I just don’t want to look like her…I want to look like ME!) I want to feel better, more energized, and just be healthier for my family and myself!

So when the husband and I had a long talk recently about our health, we both asked ourselves, “Have we tried restarting?” We were both in agreement that we needed a hard reboot of our eating, fitness, and mindset toward both if we were going to get healthier. The talk was long overdue, but it was so good. We decided on clean eating as much as possible for the next 30 days, as close to Paleo as we could get.

We went through the pantry and fridge and threw out everything that wasn’t in line with plan. We discussed breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and snacks for the next 30 days, creating a meal plan for the week. He went shopping and got everything we needed to SUCCEED this week, with plans to continue for the next three weeks (at least). He cooked crustless quiches (basically eggs and meat or veggies) for us to have each morning for breakfast during the week, fixed his lunches (my Lunch Lady Revolution gal got me all set up), and we’ve got good, healthy dinners covered each night when we’re ready to make them.

I can’t tell you how excited I am about this restart and that we’re doing it together. He always does so well when he’s focused and keeps me in line when I want to get off track. He has no problem sticking to the plan when he takes it on and I am inspired by his determination and success. I could not do this without him and I hope he understands how grateful I am to him for the team support, the cooking, and the love. I can’t wait to see what changes happen for us over the next month and then on. We both weighed in on Monday, our first day, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted on our journey…good or bad!

Cutting Through the Nutritional Noise with Mindy Jo Santo

Mindy Santo
Mindy Santo
Mindy Santo

Dear Readers,

Meet Mindy. Mindy is an expert in helping others become their best selves through healthier choices, education, and sustainability. She presented a great lecture on demystifying food labels to attendees of the Birmingham Girls Club conference a few years ago that turned out to be the hit of the conference. Numerous ladies contacted Mindy after to ask her expertise in everything from shopping to preparation to maximizing resources.

Mindy has been helping me for years with making better choices when it comes to food and my body. She’s part counselor, part nutrition guru, and completely legitimate. During our first meeting she asked about my current habits for shopping, eating out, dietary restrictions, and more. She delved deep into how I felt food affected me and my body, as well as what I hoped to change. Since then, with her help, my irritable bowel syndrome has calmed down enormously.

Mindy’s skills have grown tremendously in recent years and she’s revamping her client packages to encompass her added talents. She’s currently looking for feedback to maximize the effectiveness of her programs. She’s offering the first five women who email her at mjsanto3 (at) gmail (dot) com a 45-minute discovery session to help her pinpoint the most common issues affecting ladies today. Please be sure to mention this blog post so she can honor this complimentary offer. And please know this session is not to try and sell you anything – she’s reaching out to various groups to better learn how she can be the most helpful with her work. This discovery session is an informal talk that may include questions about issues you are having, what you’ve tried in the past to help with the issues, how important it is to you to feel better or be your best self, how you would benefit from an accompaniment to the grocery store to help look over labels and foods before purchasing, and so much more.

Her target audience is women who would like to create a sustainable lifestyle starting with food education – including selection, preparation, storage, and waste – and slowly spreading that knowledge throughout your life and home. Her services include food label demystification, pantry reorganization, grocery store education, reducing food waste at home, compost learning, and more. “Helping people create a sustainable lifestyle, starting with food education and transitioning to other facets of their life, is how I want to help,” says Santo.

Mindy’s own experiences led her down this path beginning five years ago. She began having recurrent severe stomach discomfort that would keep her up many nights. After doing some research, she decided to start keeping a food journal. Upon reviewing what she was (and wasn’t) putting into her body, she started to see some patterns. Numerous changes in her food lifestyle helped resolve the stomach issues completely. Soon after she fell and crushed her wrist. With her recent dietary changes, her wrist healed in record time and she attributes much of it to knowing how to properly read and respond to her body’s needs.

Let Mindy help you like she’s helped so many others, including me. Take advantage of the discovery session to give her your feedback and take the opportunity to meet a true healer. The bottom line: She wants nothing more than to help you feel your best by helping you with lifestyle choices that empower you, starting with cutting through the nutritional noise.