"Be Better Than Gift Cards" Weekly Wisdom

 Before you buy a bunch of stuff this year for family and friends here is some #foodforthought...

This holiday season, I am sharing some ideas to help you think out of the box on buying things for others. No one really needs more "things" to add to their lives but I bet many people in your life would appreciate and utilize more thoughtful ideas to be gifted. 

Which brings me to my last idea...

Gift giving should be thoughtful. We should actually spend some time purchasing a gift for someone because we care enough about them to buy them a gift. I have looked at other peoples gift lists and it amazes me the amount of people being shopped for - all crammed into this tiny amount of time. Why don't we be more thoughtful during the whole year?  I would love to receive something thoughtful purchased for me on April 3rd, when I am least expecting it. When we put the pressure of gift giving on during the holidays, we get less thoughtful with our purchases and the crutch of gift cards help us cross off our list. 

We are better than that. 

Take the time to be purposeful with your gifts, really look at what someone needs or gift them something they would never purchase for themselves. And if you don't find it before December 25th, wait and there is always a random day in April it will mean just as much. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

"Be Present Instead of Presents" Weekly Wisdom

Before you buy a bunch of stuff this year for family and friends here is some #foodforthought...

This holiday season, I am sharing some ideas to help you think out of the box on buying things for others. No one really needs more "things" to add to their lives but I bet many people in your life would appreciate and utilize more thoughtful ideas to be gifted. 

Which brings me to my second idea...

Being present instead of buying presents. Sometimes I think it is easy to give actual things than it is to give your time. How many times have you hesitated when thinking about going to visit family and friends? I get it - thinking about our crazy schedules, how long it takes to get there and back, the feeling you're not staying long enough - there will always be plenty of excuses. 

If you have 30 minutes or 3 days, it doesn't matter. Your time is the best thing you can give. I also love the added touch of making something homemade and bringing it with you. Throughout the year, my mom likes to make a loaf of homemade bread and take it to people and I just love that. It is so kind, thoughtful and delicious. 

Nothing says I love and care about you than sharing moments of your time and homemade food. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Before You Buy" Weekly Wisdom

 

Before you buy a bunch of stuff this year for family and friends here is some #foodforthought...

Have you started the hustle and bustle of the holidays?  I am sure you have, it is hard not to once Thanksgiving is here and gone - with black Friday and Cyber Monday just tempting us with discounts and deals, waiting for us to buy all the stuff. Most of which we don't need. 

This holiday season, I am sharing some ideas to help you think out of the box on buying things for others. No one really needs more "things" to add to their lives but I bet many people in your life would appreciate and utilize more thoughtful ideas to be gifted. 

Which brings me to my first idea...

No one is going to tell you they need a bill paid off or they are behind on a payment for their electricity.  If you are close with your family and friends, you know if they are struggling. This could be your chance to help. Many utility companies will allow you to pay outstanding bills or provide them with a gift certificate. This could also be applicable to paying rent, credit cards or maybe an unexpected bill for medical treatment, a vet bill, dental work, car insurance. Times have been tough for many people and if you are paying attention, you will know exactly what a loved one might need help with. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

Month of Gratitude: "Looking Forward to Thanksgiving" Weekly Wisdom

 

What are you excited for at Thanksgiving tomorrow?

I want to spend the month of November being more grateful. I have gratitude prompts for each day of the month to think and write about. Each week, I am sharing one of my favorites and hope you will be a gratitude groupie with me.

Thanksgiving is has been growing on me as a holiday. In the past, it wasn't my favorite because it stressed my family the F out. But there is so many great qualities about it now as I am getting older. I am always grateful to spend time with my heartbeats, share some eats (Mom's Potato Casserole and Polly's Aloha Bake yummm) and drinks and just enjoy the adventure of the day. 

The one thing I am most excited for tomorrow is chaos that awaits. The goofiest shit happens on this holiday with my family. This year, I can only imagine how it's all going to play out as the party is getting bigger as the family and friends are being extended. Chaos makes life beautiful. 

Cheers to all the food, all the love and all the thanks we will share with our heartbeats tomorrow. 

#gratitude #embracethehellyeah

~AE

Month of Gratitude: "Embracing Your Body" Weekly Wisdom

 

What is one thing you love about your body right now?

I want to spend the month of November being more grateful. I have gratitude prompts for each day of the month to think and write about. Each week, I am sharing one of my favorites and hope you will be a gratitude groupie with me.

After Halloween, sometimes we hit the holiday train of no return and just roll into the New Years with complete abandon. It starts a cycle of not feeling as confident in our skin and forgetting how there is much more to life than worrying about your pants getting a little tighter from attending gatherings you are enjoying and eating whatever the hell you want. 

I know it's going to happen every year and that is totally fine with me. What I love about my body right now is I have two legs that allow me to walk, stand and move around. It enables me to exercise when I need some good endorphins, they help me walk a customer to their holiday favorites in the grocery store, they allow me to pick up the bajillion leaves flying around in my yard. 

They have weird veins, cellulite, scars, and a few hairs I missed but they are mine and I am grateful for their support. 

#gratitude #embracethehellyeah

~AE

Month of Gratitude: "Finding the Joy in Each Day" Weekly Wisdom

What is the best thing that happened to you today?

I want to spend the month of November being more grateful. I have gratitude prompts for each day of the month to think and write about. Each week, I am sharing one of my favorites and hope you will be a gratitude groupie with me.

I am writing this in real time today as I wanted to answer the question honestly. I always get up early in the morning, around 3:30 am each day to start my day in a positive way with praying, journaling, exercising and eating food. I am not a coffee drinker and believe it or not, I function just fine. 

As the early morning hours are surrounding me and the day just beginning, the best thing to happen to me today is waking up. The act of opening my eyes, feeling my heartbeat and breathing is something I am grateful for deep down in my soul.  

 I am always so thankful for another day to be alive, be a good human, move my body, have food to nourish my body, have a car to drive and do great things at work. I am also grateful for another day because I get to talk to the people I love, snuggle my kitty and sleep in the coziest bed in the land. 

So today at 3:43 am, my eyes are open, my lungs are full, my heart is beating and my mind is clear to take on whatever this massive gift of a day ahead has in store for me. 

#gratitude #embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

Month of Gratitude: "Loving Your Home" Weekly Wisdom

 

What is your favorite room where you live and why?

I want to spend the month of November being more grateful. I have gratitude prompts for each day of the month to think and write about. Each week, I am sharing one of my favorites and hope you will be a gratitude groupie with me. 

My favorite room in my home is my basement because that's where my home gym is. I fought it for years. I thought I really needed the discipline of going to a gym to make me work out and be more compliant. Once I started putting the pieces together and decided to quit my gym, I have never been happier. The gym was not a place I loved to go. There were always too many man buns and unkept beards, dropping weights, groans, people who don't shower, people who drank a keg of beer the night before, people with body image issues, people in unhealthy relationships with themselves and others - more or less, too much negativity and that was rubbing off on me. Less is more. 

All that is my home gym is good vibes, clean equipment, a window that opens and my kitty spotter. 

#embracethehellyeah #monthofgratitude

~AE

"Live with Intention" Weekly Wisdom

How are your goals coming along for 2021?

We are 66 days away from a new year and yet we have 66 days to see if we are still on track with our intentions for this year. I think many of us hit this last week in October, especially after Halloween and say fu*k it with what we set out to accomplish this year. Kind of a long version of "I will start on Monday."  

You don't have to put 2021 on pause and start over in 2022. Your intentions are still there and waiting for you to tackle them. 

I am guilty of this too. I have had many intentions for 2021 and sadly, many of them have not happened. But I am so excited to know I have 66 days to still get shit done!  I am excited and grateful for the time I still have left to complete a few things and have no reasons to put them on pause until 2022. I am committed to the path I set out for myself this past year and I hope you are too. 

Pick something you have wanted to do in 2021 and do it!  No matter where you are, it is never too late to take the first step. And if you need some help to get motivated, reach out, I will root you on and hold you accountable if you need it. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"It's All About the Sauce" Weekly Wisdom

 

What is your special sauce?

Ya know, the thing you do or add to something to make it uniquely yours. The thing that tells anyone who sees it, hears it, uses it that it is from your creative genius. 

My friend and I always talk about food and sauce. He is very passionate about how the sauce can change anything that is bland, boring or just ok on its own. Plain chicken breast, add a sauce. Steamed broccoli, add a sauce.  The sauce options are endless and can be such a tiny but important factor in making a dish go from boring to delicious. 

We repetitively do things on the day to day. We wake up, have breakfast, work, lunch, work, dinner, spend time with our friends and family, sleep. The mundane can sometimes feel like a black hole we cannot get out of and all we need to do is add a little sauce. We can all add something special to everything we do. It mixes it up, keeps it fresh, rejuvenates us and the others we do it with. 

It applies to our work, our home life, our side hustle - that purpose and our passions lighting the fire within us. It can all feel like insanity, doing the same thing over and over again. That's where your special sauce comes in. Sprinkle that shit on everything - everyone will take notice and will know it is specially crafted by you. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

"Dietitian FowaRD" Weekly Wisdom

 

Are you attending virtual FNCE this year?

I will be completely honest, I miss the in-person FNCE event. I know these times have been challenging to make the decision to keep it virtual but it just isn't the same. I love the in-person meeting to see old friends, make new friends, learn, grow and re-establish my enthusiasm and joy for being a registered dietitian. 

I am opting out this year but have been choosing to be present in my 20th year of being a dietitian by attending the Iowa Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics conference in a couple of weeks, being a mentor and writing the second edition of "I'm a Registered Dietitian...Now What?" The mantra I am carrying with me until I can attend FNCE in person is "Dietitian ForwaRD." 

What am I doing to moving our profession forward?  How can I be a better dietitian for my clients but more for other registered dietitians?  We can help thousands of clients in our daily lives through our jobs, helping them with their health and nutrition goals. But what are we doing to keep this profession thriving?  

What are you doing? 

If you are attending FNCE this year, I ask you to keep this in mind during the sessions you attend and the networking you do. Think of how you can make this profession be better, do better and stay relevant amongst all the "nutrition experts" in the world today. We are getting farther and farther away from getting a seat at the table, we need to every dietitian to make this a priority.

#embracethehellyeah and #DietitianForwaRD

~AE

"Do Good, Feel Good" Weekly Wisdom

 

What are your reasons for doing different things?

We do things for a variety of reasons. I am hopeful it is always with good intentions, but I know sometimes that isn't true. We all know people who do good things for the wrong reasons. I will never disregard someone wanting to do something good but not if they are being disingenuous. If authenticity is not part of the equation, they will never truly feel the goodness from doing something good. 

Doing good things for others is very important, we all need a little more goodness in the world. However, we also need to keep doing good things for ourselves. Even the small things add up and we start to see a change in the way we feel - in our minds and our bodies. Maybe for you it is being consistent with meditation or prayer. Maybe it is making your bed everyday or cleaning your dishes right after using them. Maybe it is dinner each night with your family. Whatever you do, always doing it with intention of changing your life in a positive way. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE 

"As A Reference" Weekly Wisdom

Does your mind often wander to the past?

I will be the first to say, I have one of the worst memories of anyone I know. My sister could remember small details of almost all things in the past. I only have glimpses of my past experiences. Even the most significant times in my life, I only can recall bits and pieces. Sometimes it makes me sad that I don't remember and sometimes I am grateful, especially if the memory wasn't the most kind. 

The past is place we can never change but I feel many of us have moments we wish could go back and do some re-arranging. What if?  What if we did something differently?  How would it have changed our course?  We will never know and we cannot keep going back there, daydreaming of what could have been. 

The past is a place of reference. It is a place for us to visit on occasion to do things a different way or make a different decision based on what we had learned from events happening before. It is a place to learn from and grow from - to encourage us to live our best life right now in the present. It is okay to go there every once in a while but to keep moving forward, please don't stick around too long. You don't live there anymore. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Change the Frequency" Weekly Wisdom

How is your vibe providing a ripple effect?

"Vibe" is such a trendy word and I am here for it. I have been thinking a lot about how someones vibe really is impactful. It can change the whole ambiance of a room because not only do we see it, we feel it. We all know a person who has the best vibes. We want to be around them because more and it changes our own vibe. I know when I am having one of those days, I find those people because they totally change everything about my day. 

When you wake up each day, you choose your vibe for the day but we all know that can change very quickly. The ups and downs of your day happen naturally and so does your frequency. But what we forgot is we can also override it, consciously, if we are not digging that vibe. You can be the person others want to be around. You can be the person who changes the atmosphere. 

Be the person who decides each day to change the frequency. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Invest In Yourself" Weekly Wisdom

Do you invest in yourself?

I am a giver and a caretaker. I want everyone to be happy by giving my time, energy, money - whatever I can do for something else means a lot to me. I invest in my friends, my family, my job and my clients. And I probably am at fault for dong it more for others than doing it for myself because that's not me and that's not comfortable. 

Investing in yourself doesn't need to be expensive. If fact, it is more expensive if you don't invest in yourself. You compromise your mental and physical health because you're not doing what you need to take care of you. Caring for yourself to feel the happiness and goodness within from the life you live. 

Investing in yourself can be as simple as journaling your gratitudes each day, stretching for 5 minutes before bed, hiring a mentor or coach to help you with your career, a weekly massage, an evening walk, a new computer to help you be more efficient - the opportunities are endless. Some don't cost a thing but provide big results. No matter what you do to invest in yourself, not one thing or any cash amount is going to solve all your problems or make things magically perfect but it will help you discover more about what your goals are in your life.  It will also help align you with the right people who value you and your investment. 

Continue to be a giver and a caretaker for others, but don't forget to do the same for you. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Spend Your Yes Wisely" Weekly Wisdom

What value do you put on your "yes"?

I stretch myself too thin at times. We all stretch ourselves too thin sometimes. Why do we do it?  Why do we make plans and then when they get here, we are looking for reasons to cancel?  Why do we commit to a task, when we know it is going to keep us working longer than we had planned or take us away from something else we need in our life?

We don't spend our yes wisely. 

We need to put the same value on our yes as we do money. If a yes was a $10 bill, we should make it be 10 times worth that - $100. Our yes has more value than any currency because our yes encompasses so much of ourselves. When we hand out our yes like it's candy, it takes away from what we really should be saying yes to. 

For me, it is yes to more quiet time, yes to less time in front of the computer, yes to reading more, yes to taking care of my health, yes to quality time with my humans, yes to sleep, yes to my mental health, yes to all the things to keep me balanced. 

Next time you are tempted to say yes to another commitment, what valuable thing for yourself are you saying no to?

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Celebrate Everything" Weekly Wisdom

 

Do you celebrate all the great things happening in your life?

I loved a lot of things about my sister but one of my favorite things is how she found joy in celebrating all the things. Big or small, it called for a celebration. I have been thinking about her and how she was so right in doing so. After writing this post, my mom even brought up Kate's enjoyment in celebrating all the things. It truly was one of her many gifts. 

Why don't we be more like Kate? Why do we wait to only celebrate when things are "big" by society's definition?  There is something in everyday worth celebrating. Very similar to finding the joy in each day. Every evening, I have been writing my daily joy and thoughts of Kate have giving me a shift in writing down a daily joyful celebration. It might sound cheesy but how can you be sad or depressed if you can find this in everyday? And p.s., I know you can. 

You don't need a party, champagne or anything special to celebrate something each day. By all means, please do if you want to! What you do need is to find recognition in the amazing things you are doing and the amazing things that are happening around you every day. If you're not paying attention, it's on you for missing out. 

Waking up, being alive, breathing and being able to smile is pretty awesome. It's another day on this earth, to be with who I love, to do what I love, and be better than the day before. 

Be like Kate, celebrate everything!

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

"Money Can't Buy You Happiness" Weekly Wisdom

Over the course of the last couple years, has your views on beef changed?

In the past 2 years, there has been a lot of dialogue about agriculture and its effects on the environment. I think this had led to a lot of confusion for all people, including health professionals on how they view food from crop and livestock production. It has gotten a little cloudy and I feel it has taken many of us away from the nutrition these foods provide us. 

I am not here to educate you on how currently, emissions from cattle, including those that come from the feed production, fuel, and electricity only account for 3.7% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. But I want to share why beef is happiness to me. Not only is beef delicious and nutritious, but the beef industry continues to implement numerous proven sustainability practices throughout each and every step of the “pasture-to-plate” process that contribute to the way beef is responsibly raised today.

Being responsibly raised and being full of nutrition is why beef makes me happy. One of the biggest way beef has made me happier is because of my own personal health. Because beef has 10 essential nutrients, it has added back some nutrients I was missing from my diet and I have to share with you my own personal story. 

I love beef and all animal proteins but because of a busy lifestyle, my intake decreased. I wasn't finding less time to cook as much with a crazy work schedule. As a result, I was getting less protein, becoming more fatigued, and noticed a few more strands on my hair brush. This led me to a trip to the doctor and I found out I was iron deficient and I knew I needed more protein in my diet with beef. Sure I could take a supplement but I am a firm believer in food first and beef has protein, iron, selenium, vitamins B12 and B6 and zinc - the major nutrients I was missing for energy, muscle growth, and preventing hair loss. As a dietitian, I know all of these are so important to make sure my brain is working, my hormones and thyroid are functioning properly and to keep my stress levels down. 

Along with increasing my produce intake to 6 servings a day, I increased my lean beef intake to 12 ounces a week for 3 months and noticed a change in all my symptoms including my iron deficiency. Making time to make meals in a non-negotiable and I am happier because I feel better. 

So in a way, maybe money can buy me happiness and health with a delicious burger or a sirloin steak?

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Make A Wish" Weekly Wisdom

Who is celebrating a birthday this month?

I may have shared this before, but some of my favorite people celebrate birthdays in August. And you know how much I love celebrating other peoples birthdays - it is one of my favorite things. There is a very special birthday this month and that is my moms birthday. 

Now I am guessing my mom is not very excited about her birthday because it is a hard time of the year for her. My parents have birthdays very close together and a lot of the times we would celebrate them together. My mom also shares her birthday with her parents wedding anniversary. This year, is the first year my mom celebrates her birthday all to herself. It is a little sad, not having her favorite people around to celebrate with. It is not the same and will never be the same. I know this will be very hard for her. I know she will carry them and all their memories of celebrations past with her on these days ahead. 

But I hope she finds it within herself to feel worthy of celebrating HER special day. I hope she knows every day is a reason to celebrate her life, not just her birthday. I hope she knows there is a lot of life ahead and she gets to choose what that life looks like. I hope she knows she is loved and celebrated by her friends and family still on this earth - as well as those residing in heaven. I hope she knows I am excited to share another trip around the sun with her. 

And finally, I hope she keeps her eyes open when she makes a wish as she blows out the candles on her birthday cake, because wishes do come true and might be happening at that very moment. 

Happy Birthday Mom!  Cheers to many more! xoxo

#embracethehellyeah

AE

 

"Propelling the Dietitian Profession" Weekly Wisdom

What are you doing to propel the dietitian profession forward?

I recently had a great conversation with my peer about our profession of dietetics. We both had some similar views on the current state of dietetics and also some true concerns. I love seeing the variety of how dietitians are practicing, the innovation and application of science and the places we are going. I think it is great there is a space for everyone in this field, to practice your passion. It is has progressed A LOT since I became a dietitian over 20 years ago. 

However, I feel there are many things taking us a few steps backwards. There is still much change to be done and it starts at the individual level. I feel some of us hold back because we are worried with what our peers will think of us. I feel some of us put too much out there in a less professional way, decreasing our credibility.  I feel there are dietitians who might walking the line on ethics. I feel there are dietitians who control A LOT of what happens within our profession, leaving less room for others to influence the future of our profession. 

 What are you doing to propel the dietitian profession forward?  What are you doing, ethically, o keep ourselves distinctive from other people who provide nutrition information?  What are you doing to be relevant, relatable but still taken seriously?  What is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics truly doing for us?  What are our state and local affiliates doing for us?  What are you doing to get your voice heard and make changes?  What are you doing to represent our profession?  

I want to know more about why dietitians do what they do. I want to better understand your POV and how it is putting dietetics at the forefront. Who is up for these conversations?  

#embracethehellyeah

~AE

 

"Hot Carb Summer" Weekly Wisdom

What are you doing for vacation this summer?

I just got back from a fun little getaway to Milwaukee with my friend Jason and I LOVED IT! All we planned was booking a hotel and then just winged it when we got there.  It was our #hotcarbsummer getaway inspired by my friend Nicole's genius hashtag with beer, pretzels and desserts. This is not like me to have a spontaneous vacation and it was 100% worth it. 

This summer I think it is more about the vacations and time away we didn't get last year. And it reminds me of the privilege it is to go on vacation. When I was a kid, I got to see a lot of the United States with my family. It may have been in the back of a car or minivan, but they always made time to take us somewhere every summer. We packed our snacks of fruit, Pringles and Skittles, loaded up on batteries for our Walkmans and had our fluffiest pillow ready for the car ride. I was so lucky!  I didn't realize it at the time and may have complained along the way, but I was so lucky.  

It is hard for me to understand the spectrum of family vacations. One end is nothing, families that do not have the resources or the time to go somewhere and then the other way of families going to all inclusive beach vacations or 2 weeks trips to Europe. It is hard for a kid to comprehend their picnic lunch to local park when their best friend is lying on the beach in Mexico with all they care to eat ice cream for a week. I know I would have struggled with it as a kid. 

As an adult, I know a vacation does not need to be an exotic location, or long in length. It just needs to be with the ones you care about the most to decompress, laugh and enjoy your time together. It may be a road trip or a 8 hour flight, it may cost $10 or $10,000 dollars - but there is no price tag for the memories you make. 

Whatever you do for a summer vacation, I hope you feel cute, eat lots of carbs, have all the fun, relax and have an endless supply of Skittles. 

#embracethehellyeah

~AE