Welcome to August! I love August, but I didn’t used to. August used to mean no national holidays (the only month in the year without one!), going back to school, moving to a new dorm or apartment, and really hot and long days. But then in 2008, I got married in August! So now it means a happy time to celebrate, and looking forward to Fall. This will be the third August in a row that I have gone on a great vacation (honeymoon to Costa Rica, Vail, Cabo San Lucas), so that’s fun too! 

I hope you enjoy some guest posts this week while I am gone. Check back for great info about Sarah’s journey to appreciate strength training, Neely’s understanding of how her body works, and Stacy’s start with triathlons. These are really interesting posts!

A special post for Change the Way You See,  Not the Way You Look

In anticipation of Caitlin’s first book, “Operation Beautiful,” where she promotes happy, healthy lifestyles while getting rid of “fat talk, “she asked fellow bloggers to write a post about their own body image stories. I admire Caitlin’s efforts at encouraging positive thoughts about ourselves and others. This is a great book for any young woman.

One summer in college, I lived in Los Angeles and worked at a department store in Beverly Hills. Glamourous people were everywhere! Fancy clothes, beautiful skin, people with legs the size of a bird’s. But I don’t know if they were happy. Like really happy–with a family to go home to and a mom that calls them 4 times a day and a doggy to lick their face. Maybe they still thought their bodies weren’t perfect. I bought into the glitz–I fawned over them too. But when I would think about their real lives, and what happened when they went home, I realized that I had a great life in my much bigger than size 0 clothing.

You have to be in charge of your own image–the way you see yourself, and the way that people see you. People on television aren’t worth comparing to–they have stylists to dress them, their hair isn’t subject to Houston humidity, chefs to feed them and count their calories,  and airbrushing equipment to make their wrinkles go away. I know you tell yourselves that they aren’t “stars just like us” when the tabloids tell us they are, but still, we want to look like them.

Well, stop with the envy–appeciate what you’ve got. Stand tall, smile big, dress the best for your body, and your aura will shine. When I decided to stop comparing and start setting personal goals, I started to tune out the outsiders and focus on me. And it works. I will never ever be a size 0, or 2, or 4 probably, and the scale doesn’t mean anything. Set your definition of happiness and make a goal to get there. It’s not a light switch, it’s a way of thinking. Choose happiness, tune out the outside until you can appreciate yourself.

This concludes “Clean out the Fridge and Pantry before Vacation” Week. Here is one more recipe until I return!

Peanut Butter Overnight Oats in a Jar

Doesn’t it look pretty? Check out that swirl. So delish. This is a favorite breakfast.

1/3 C oats

~1 T peanut butter at bottom of jar

1/2 C Plain Oikos Yogurt

1 big pinch chia seeds

shake cinnamon

sprinkle of Galaxy Granola in morning