Baby Steps to a Healthy Diet

Eating healthy is very difficult, especially in a time and money constrained world. Fresh out on our own we are trying to prove ourselves to our colleagues, keep a social life, network, stay in shape, and stay in budget. Millions of people have done it before us, so it shouldn't be so hard, right? Well, everyone is different, we all have different strengths and weaknesses and that is what makes the world wonderful, but our own lives stressful. When deciding to start something new, it is important to take baby steps so you won't be overwhelmed. In this blog I will go over some tips to hopefully get you started on eating right.Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional and not liable for your health (but I am doing research and following my suggestions myself, I won't intentionally steer you wrong). Seek the guidance of a healthcare professional when changing diets or starting a new fitness program.

#1: Make a food journal

There are multiple ways you can do this. You can get a small, pocket-sized notebook and write down everything you eat (write down the date and time as well) or write it on napkins and scrap pieces of paper (unless you are prone to loosing those) or use a smartphone app. The purpose of this exercise is to see what you eat everyday. You may be unaware how much junk food you eat, or how healthy you eat. At this point I just want you to write down you daily meals and snacks, go over them at the end of the day and begin thinking about them. Jot down notes when you think of them about how you feel about your meal. Are you proud of yourself for what you ate that day? Do you think you made some wrong decisions?

#2: Drink plenty of water

The rule of thumb is to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Dehydration is very serious and can occur very quickly. By the time you are thirsty, you are already dehydrated! Early symptoms of dehydration include tiredness, low energy and headaches. Do you feel this way through out the day. Try just carrying around a water bottle and drinking out of it regularly! This may solve your problem! On top of that, water helps with digestion and helps your immune system. Drinking this much water is very easily doable for several reasons:

• A single glass of water is only 8 ounces. That is about the size at least 3 medium drinks at a fast food place.
• This includes all liquids consumed: juice, fruits, soups... But keep in mind that caffeine and alcohol are dehydrating. So sodas and martinis don't count.
• It is now the in thing to carry around a reusable water bottle. No more going to the drink machine and shelling out more money every month, flattening your last dollar bill on the corner of the machine, or begging people for change.
• It is also possible to flavor water without spending much financially or space wise. Just stick a box of the flavor pixie sticks at your desk and dump a new one in each time you fill up. However, these are full of sugar also. I would suggest, instead, adding a bit of fruit juice to your water as a healthier alternative.

So I want you to go out and make a small investment in your health and buy a reusable water bottle, and maybe even a refrigerated filtration pitcher while your at it! The water bottles are usually just around $10, and they are reusable! Water is cheap, this one little change will do you a great deal of good with little cost. Maybe even just reuse the last bottle you will ever get out of a soda machine. But there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Wash the bottle daily!
• If you purchase a bottle, purchase one with a kind of a spout that you put your mouth around (I have one like a coffee mug and it spills everywhere! But if you have a trick then buy one like that).
• Do your research. There are certain chemicals in plastic that are being discovered to be harmful when used in water bottles. I would suggest reading several, recent articles on the subject, or going to a camping/sporting goods store. You would not believe how much those guys know.

This is all I will leave you with for now. Be sure to watch what you eat and drink you water. Write down how many times you drink your whole bottle a day. There is such thing as water poisoning, but that involves so much water it is very uncommon. And hold yourself accountable! Look at your food journal, and even show it to others. You may be able to hide your junk food habits behind closed doors, but once it's written down for even just your eyes, your secrets out!

Crohn's Disease and Diet

Sitting here, in the hospital, without much to do, I have begun my research on my projects. I have begun with what I think is the most important: diet. What you eat is everything! It controls how your feel physically and emotionally, and whether or not you are able to complete simple or complex tasks. Think about how you feel at the end of the day when you realize you had nothing to eat, or nothing but junk food out of the snack machine, or if you ate healthy, balanced and regular meals. What you eat makes a huge difference in your day.

I began my research with what is suggested for a normal person. The government just came out with a new method for figuring out what to eat each day called MyPlate. They have simplified the classic pyramid to hopefully help people figure out what the are supposed to each at each meal. But this isn't the answer for everyone. I did research on this and found a great article that goes over MyPlate and gives it's own suggestions for making it even healthier. For instance, they suggest putting dairy foods in with protein, rather than making them separate. I will write a comprehensive blog with this information and other information, but in the mean time, here is a link to the article.

Along with discovering what is important for everyone to eat, I did a lot of research on what is important for those with Crohn's Disease to eat. As I have mentioned I have Crohn's Disease, and am currently in the hospital recovering from some sort of infection caused by my second bowel resection about a month ago. A bowel resection involves removing a portion of the diseased intestine in order for the patient to hopefully go into remission for a number of years. It worked really well the first time, and aside from this infection, I have done very well this time.

But because of diseased intestine, which doesn't absorb nutrients as it should, and bowel resections, Crohn's patients often have issues with absorption of nutrients and it is often necessary to take supplements. Along with this, many Crohn's patients are sensitive to some foods, varying case by case, which can prevent a patient from getting the necessary nutrition. There are a wide variety of methods for getting extra nutrition into a Crohn's patient, from OTC vitamins to IV nutrition.

I have enjoyed doing my research and doing everything I can to have a healthy future, and helping everyone have a healthier and happier future.

Starting Over

One of the best things about life is that everyday you wake you, you can start over. You can decide to be a different person, a better person. Now I can't say you can change everything about your life (your job, your living circumstances, your credit), just by waking up and wishing for it, but by having this attitude, that you are ready to change you can make a drastic difference.

I have written about my health several times. Just to refresh, I have Crohn's disease. It is a very serious and very unpredictable digestive disease. I was very sick in middle school, and went into remission after a bowel resection. That surgery was 11 years ago. Over the past 5 years I have slowly becoming ill again, and my Crohn's became fully active about a year ago.

About a month ago I woke up in severe pain, and went to the ER. From the first moment I stepped in doctors were mentioning another surgery. I was caught by surprise because my own doctor was hopeful that we could get me into remission without surgery, and I wasn't nearly as sick as I was in middle school. A few days later I had my second bowel resection.

I was granted the chance to start over. Over the past year I have lost 20 pounds, lost a significant amount of energy, missed out on social events, and hadn't been able to properly organize my new home. I already knew that my Crohn's was active, but it was a relief to realize the reason for my recent extreme lethargy.

I was granted a chance to start over, and I am going to take full responsibility for myself and use my fresh start to the fullest. The Lord has granted me this start over at the best time possible. I am ready to start my career and my life, and with my new health I can put everything into this.

Soon after being released from the hospital I discovered some websites that would help with just this. They are all free, and are all designed to make over different parts of your life. I am very excited to follow the free programs, and set up routines that will give me a clean and orderly home when I wake up, peace and serenity, lots of energy, and be a better person to those around me.

The first is called FlyLady. FlyLady is a sweet woman with lots of advice, suggestions and encouragement for those who are interested in becoming her Flybabies, She, and several others, hand out daily advice and encouragement on cleaning and organizing your home, and on improving your life. There are a series of baby steps that I have just begun that help you to set up routines to keep your house clean. Most of them involve a daily wipe down or few minute clean. It is amazing how much can be cleared in just 2 minutes, and how great ones sink can look if you wipe it out once a day. A new, small task is added on each day, and individualization is encouraged. Once the baby steps are completed there are daily missions to be done around the house as your time allows, and a new task is added on monthly that just takes a few minutes. This program is very well organized, and did I mention free! I have really enjoyed every part of it so far.

Another program is similar to FlyLady, but a little bit looser. This one I have barely started, and look forward to starting it fuller soon. It is called HabitHacker. This one is comprised of three ninety day plans, Create, Nest and SOS. I'm going to do Nest first. This involves cleaning and decluttering your home. Each day you receive an email about the next days project. For instance, spend 5 minutes cleaning one area off, and keep it clean. The Create program helps you discover your inner artist and the SOS program is for your personal health.

Currently I am reading a book and the accompanying blog, the Happiness Project. A women, who was completely content with her life, decided she wanted to be more than content. She did a vast amount of research on areas where she felt she could improve, created resolutions, and followed them. In January she decided to "boost energy," and in February she decided to "remember love." I have just begun reading about March in which she decided to "aim higher." While reading this book I have gone ahead and written down various areas in which I plan to improve my life. I am very encouraged by what she has discovered in herself, and how much it has helped others around her. Ones attitude is truly contagious.

My final plan is to completely revamp my health. I have always been very small, and viewed exercise as a method to loose weight, and then maintain it. Over the past year I have changed this view, but was too weak to act on it. I viewed dieting the same way and would eat junk food as much as I could. I plan on beginning a loose workout plan, simply running and walking regularly, and more importantly I am going to work with a nutritionist about eating healthy for me.

The most invasive part of my plan for health comes from a 7 step plan to break a real addiction that I, and many others, have. It is a sugar addiction. Dr. Kathleen Desmaisons is a therapist who specialized in alcoholism, is a recovering sugar addict, and is currently researching sugar addiction. She noticed that a lot of recovering alcoholics exhibited the same symptoms she did in relation to sugar, and that many alcoholics turned to sugar. Her own experience has shown that she feels physically and mentally better when she doesn't eat sugar, something I have noticed as well. And she has discovered that there is more to both addictions than just saying no. Her book "The Sugar Addicts Total Recovery Program" outlines these sevens steps, and how to customize them for yourself. The steps are primarily about changing your diet to satisfy the chemical imbalance that causes both sugar addiction and alcoholism. There is also a website, called Radiant Recovery, that accompanies this book that outlines the seven steps, has a support community and online classes to help you with each step and beyond. I am very excited about this program and knowing that this will give me many more healthy years.

These are my self improvement plans. Everyone has areas in which they can improve themselves, and these programs will by no means make me perfect. But I would encourage everyone to wake up every morning and tell themselves "this is a fresh start," and to do what you can to enjoy your day to the greatest extent possible.

How to dress your new age!

So now you are out of college, with a closet full of clothes from Hollister and Abercrombie that push your boobs up and out. You are suddenly at a new stage in life and need clothes to match this stage. This is a blog that may help with your decisions when you get up in the morning. As you go shopping, try to pick out clothes that you can wear day to day and at work. This would mean less laundry and less clothes- less money! Also, I do not have the best fashion sense, so do not base your wardrobe 100% on your blog. This is just what I am going for. Here are two fashion on a budget blogs I follow: The Budget Fashionista and The Budget Babe. Also, Shop Style is a great website for style. It has a lot of clothes that are several hundred dollars, but if you adjust your search results you will find some great bargains! 

• Tops: Button up shirts are definitely more grown up. A satin button-up blouse paired with dark wash jeans and black pumps, or a white button-up blouse paired with dark wash skinny jeans and brown boots look great. Also, slight hints of lace are nice. Such as lace on the shoulders. Guys have it a little easier. Day to day guys look fine in a nice t-shirt. But going out at night, once again a button up shirt. The photos below were taken from forever21 (female) and hudson belks (male).

• Bottoms: Dark wash jeans are always great (at least in the past few years). You ladies should have some skinny (for boots) and some flair (for heels). Also, destroyed jeans have been fashionable for awhile now. On men, tighter (not like cowboy tight, but not sagging) slightly destroyed jeans look good. Now, the jeans that I am describing are the jeans that are $100 plus. I bought a pair of big star jeans that start at $90 and only go up for $45 from plato's closet! Go check out here, especially for jeans! The female stirrup jeans (great for boots) are from wet seal. The other two are from buckle. 
  

• Shoes: To me, the most adult shoes for women are heels. There are great heels that aren't very high. I would say at least get black pumps. It takes awhile to get your feet, back and knees used to wearing heels all the time, so don't wear them to the mall your first day. I would actually suggest breaking in new shoes while drunk. I would also suggest brown boots. Beyond this, be careful! Color shoes take practice. Luckily, flats are very in style right now, so wear these as much as possible! But I still like my heels (there is a reason guys like them: they make your butt and boobs stick out the way they make you stand). As far as guys, no more tennis shoes! Never! Always dress shoes. The women's shoes should be simple enough, but I have included a pair of nice mens day to day shoes below from Belks (although I believe this may be a North Carolina based store). 
  

• Make-up: This is only for girls (sorry, you emo boys may be attractive to some girls, but in my opinion, not the sign of a mature 20 something- to each his own though)! Natural. I cannot say this enough, go natural! By this I mean don't wear bright blue and green faded eye shadows unless you want dollars in your g-strings. Use browns and blacks, earthy tones. Use light to medium browns during the day, and light, medium, and dark browns and a little black at night. The smokey look is very in right now. Here is an example of great smokey eyes. Tone it down during the day, but this is great for night. And don't expect for it to look perfect the first time! Try it out on your own, and tweak it until you create a look perfect for you! 
• Nails: This is for girls and guys! Keep your nails trimmed, or at least smooth. Do not bite your nails! Let's get specific: Guys: your nails should be trimmed, below or at the end of your finger. You don't need a manicure, but it is nice to keep a manicure kit hidden away. This goes for your toes, too! Clean your feet! Trim your toenails! Girls: Don't have those crazy long nails! It's not hygienic or professional. Or crazy nail colors! Natural nails or fake keep them just past the tips of your fingers, and keep your colors nice. Reds and pinks, or french tips. Either way, you wear nice clothes, clothes that could get pulls and runs if hang nails get snagged. Always carry a nail file, because you never know what happens! 
• Don't forget! Accessorize! Putting thought into your outfits will show maturity and professionalism. Not only necklaces and earrings, but the appropriate shoes and belts. And even jackets. Just because it's 50 degrees outside doesn't mean you can't wear a nice jacket over it. If one item in your outfit is nice, all the items should be. As you buy outfits plan them out, don't just hope you will find something that goes with it, because you may not! It's better to regret buying something for a season than to buy something and run out of money, and then never even wear it!

Dressing your age is very important. At 23, trying to be an adult also means looking like an adult. If you are anything like me and do not look your age (I am constantly mistaken for a high school student, college at best) it is even more important to dress my age. Not everyone feels like dressing up everyday, I constantly have days where I run out in sperry's and a t-shirt, but the way I see it, you never know who you will see that you want to impress (your boss, an attractive member of the appropriate sex...) so it is important to dress the way you want to be perceived. These are just suggestions based on the fashion I see and I like, but fashion is different everywhere and with everyone. I would suggest not dressing totally for someone else, you should always be comfortable and confident in your clothes! 

Decorating on a Budget

Since writing this post I have had a lot of new experiences in decorating and a lot more advice. In addition to this post I would encourage you to read other posts such as Making a House a Home for additional information on decorating on a budget.

When you first move out on your own, you often have only what you used to decorate your dorm or prefurnished apartment in college, sometimes you childhood furniture. But this is usually not enough to decorate an entire apartment. On top of having no decorations, you generally have no money. This blog will help you in your quest to create a comfortable place to live that you love showing off to your friends!

• Roommate: If you have a roommate, you have an additional income, but also additional taste, that hopefully matches. But it would not be wise to purchase a major item to decorate the common areas of the apartment without consulting your roommate, or without a returnable receipt. Also, make sure all the items you purchase you really do like, and don't just go with this decorating theme, because once you two separate, which will happen one day, you have to decorate your next apartment or house with these items.
• Paint: Few things will make your apartment more unique and comfortable than painting it. If you can, getting a professional painter will be best, but make sure the carpets are covered if you do it yourself. Also, check to make sure the apartment allows this. At mine, if it's a dark color I have to put a layer of primer before I move out, but many complexes repaint the walls anyway before the next tenant.
• Stores: There are a lot of stores out there that sell a lot of decorating items geared towards people our age that are less expensive (and often less quality). Target is one. Target is constantly changing what's on their sales floor. But they have everything you may need. Some more are Bed Bath and Beyond, and Linens N Things (if one is still open around you, they are going out of business). What would not be suggested is to order furniture online. The S&H would probably be $100 plus, and you could go to a nice store and buy really good furniture for the price of this S&H. I would suggest going to the stores and picking it up yourself, maybe even renting a UHaul for a few hours and driving it yourself if you or a friend don't own a big SUV or truck. Great furniture stores would be IKEA, Ashley furniture, and Rooms to go. Especially right now, many places have low or no interest for a long time.
• Second-hand: Much second-hand furniture is second hand for a reason, because it is no longer stylish, but there are things to be done about this. Goodwill and other stores have furniture for very low prices. Also try yard sales and flea markets. Sometimes you can find antiques that look great. And you can often haggle with these guys. To spruce up wood, try painting it, especially white. If it has doors that are missing glass, or the glass doesn't look good, take the glass out and put lace in instead. As for couch's and chairs, buy slip covers. If you are not a smoker, smell it very closely, because a smoker may have owned it previously and it's nearly impossible to get that smell out.
• Creativity: Getting creative is the best way for you to decorate on a budget.
• Hang your necklaces on the wall. It's easy storage, and it decorates your bedroom. Add a mirror and write on it using dry erase markers.
  
• Buy some fabric you like and hang it as curtains. Hang panels of it! Borrow a sewing machine from a friend and simply fold over the edges to keep them from fraying. Then take scraps about two inches wide and about six inches long, fold the edges, and then fold them in half and sew them along the top to actually hang with.
• Buy posters, and then buy really inexpensive poster frames and hang these. From a distance they look really good.
• Keep it simple, but use color. Having things everywhere looks tacky. Putting a picture frame or two on a side table, a candle set on your coffee table, just a few things makes it look put together. But decide on a theme, and try to stick to this theme.
• Look up apartment websites such as Rental Decorating Digest and Apartment Living for more ideas. These ideas will cater to apartment living, with non permanent decorating ideas.

I hope this helps in your quest making your apartment your own. It is very important to feel at home once you get home. It helps you unwind from work or shopping. Do everything you can to decorate your apartment the way you want to, but don't go out a max out your credit card. You may have a relaxing place to live, but that will change once your bill comes!

Figuring Life Out

I was reading a forum on 20 Something Bloggers (a social network for 20 something bloggers) and a young 20 something (20 to be exact) said that she was scared of growing up. Growing up... This is what my blog is all about. How to deal with growing up, learning independence, and not failing at this.
Almost everyone is afraid of the future. I know I am. It is a very sad and scary thought, but at any moment you may loose your job because you company may fold, someone close to you may pass away, your apartment/house may burn down. I won't go into any more detail, but it is a reality that things can go wrong fast. And dealing with any of these things on your own is an even scarier thought.
In order to deal with the possibility (and hopefully not the reality) of these things it is important to do things to make you feel more comfortable with the present and future. These things can include staying happy, having a place to go when you want to be alone, and preparing for the future.

Staying happy

• Friends! Everyone needs a good group of friends that they feel comfortable around that can cheer them up. Unfortunately, friends move, and so do you. But luckily, it is possible to meet new people: through work, through friends, through personal ads (craigslist has strictly platonic ads). So if you ever feel lonely in a new city, definitely check out some of these outlets for new people. 
• Therapy and meds: If you ever feel as though you are too unhappy, you may have a chemical imbalance of some sort... it may not be your fault! There is nothing wrong with this, and you will feel better once you get help. But professional help can be expensive. May I suggest B12 supplements. I currently take these, and I love them! Vitamins are water soluble, and what isn't necessary just passes on through. B12 makes me not stress the small things and the things I can't control. 

Have you own place:

• Sometimes this isn't always possible, especially if you have a roommate, or if you live in an apartment that you can't customize. If you have a roommate, make this place your bedroom. Invest in a very comfortable mattress or mattress pad and a really nice bedspread. Decorate your room with things that make you happy and relaxed. Go here if you ever feel like being alone, and just breath for a little while. As far as apartment living, many apartments let you decorate as you wish. If you paint the walls, you may have to put a layer of primer over dark colors, and for heavy wall hangings, you may have to hang at a stud. Ask your apartment leasing office what their policy is on decorating. If you ever realize that when you come home, you don't feel at home, paint your favorite color and hang up your favorite posters, invest in decorations because this is where you spend most of your time. 
• As I type this, this happened to me, as I hear the person who lives above me open and close his door and walk from the stone tile, to the carpeting, it makes me realize that this living arrangement is only temporary. If this happens to you, invest in a white noise machine. It makes a humming noise that somehow blocks out background noise. 

Prepare for the future

• Save! You never know when you income may stop coming in. Set up a savings account and put aside a certain percentage of your paycheck. Most people live paycheck to paycheck. It is wise to have at least two months of living expenses saved up. But don't worry about it if you don't. There is always unemployment, but this isn't very much.
• Insurance: Don't just get the bare minimum on insurance. Get as much as you can afford. I have Nationwide, and can tell you that it is great. Each insurance company has its own perks, so you need to do your research and figure out what you want. I have full car insurance at $86 a month (I have 3 tickets, one at 16, two at 21. The first two were thrown out and the last I used a PJC, I also have no accidents). I also have renters insurance at $8 a month (I have an 838 sq ft apartment). But if something were to happen, having all of this insurance helps me out a lot.
• Fireproof box: If a fire starts in your apartment or house, you will very likely loose many very important documents, including renters insurance or home insurance, necessary documents for getting help from insurance. You should keep insurance documents, personal identification documents... anything you feel is necessary, in a fireproof box. Also invest in a safe that can be drilled into the floor (if you live in a house) for your passport and social security card, and any other documents with important numbers such as check books. 

Overall, you need to live you life day by day. Live it to the fullest. Don't turn down any opportunity just because you are scared. Take reasonable risks (don't jump off a bridge just because your friends say it's cool). Don't have regrets. If you do something you wish you hadn't, think about how it really affects your life, and if it doesn't affect your life in a bad way, think about how much fun you had doing it! 

Don't ever think you have anything all figured out, including yourself. Everything constantly changes, including yourself, and the best way to deal with these changes is to adapt. Let everything flow! Nothing is permanent, this is both good and bad. Good things don't last, but don't worry, bad things don't last either.