What other people think of me is NONE of MY business.

Years ago, I was sitting in a counseling session going through a pretty rough time.  It shook me at my core and triggered many emotions within me.  My counselor looked at me and said “Sarah, what other people think of you is none of your business.”  Uh huh, yeah.  “Sarah, what other people think of you is NONE of your business.”  I must have had the glossy look in my eyes because he then handed me a print out of that quote filling an entire page.  It took a few days for me to let that one sink in. 

Ya’ll,  I had spent my life being a people pleaser.  I’m not sure up until that point I can remember doing ANYTHING that I didn’t think about “what will others think of this” before I acted.  This is not a very authentic, full of joy way of life.  It is pretty much like living in a prison within your own body.  Honestly, I am thankful I have gone through a couple of hard periods of rejection and ridicule that made me look at that ...

Buffalo Chicken Topper:

This is a fast and easy dinner that I love to add on top of a sweet potato and then use the leftovers on top of a salad the next day!

Ingredients:

2 tsp. of coconut oil (or any you prefer), plus 1 Tbsp.

2 pounds of ground chicken (or turkey)

1 Tbsp. arrowroot powder -I am sure cornstarch would work

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground black pepper

2 carrots

3 stalks of celery

¼ cup of hot sauce (or to taste)

Toppings:

Sliced scallions

Ranch Dressing *I love the Bolt House Farms ranch (found in the produce section of both Walmart and Wegmans)

Directions:

Prep- you can do while the chicken cooks:

*In a small bowl combine the arrowroot, salt and pepper; set aside.

*Thinly slice the carrots, celery and scallions.

Place the oil in a large non-stick skillet and heat over medium high heat for 2 minutes.  Add the chicken (or turkey) to the skillet and cook, breaking it up until it is loose and no longer pink.  Add the spiced arrowroot powder to chicke...

I recently heard the quote: “The way you do one thing is the way you do everything.”   I don’t 100% buy into that because my house is WAY cleaner than my car.  But there is A LOT of truth to that statement as well.

In our country, some of the top struggles are with finances and health. By health, I mean by what we have control of, what we put into our bodies and how we move our bodies.  I also think the way many people manage their health and their finances go hand in hand.  They just don’t pay attention or feel they don’t have the time to take control.

Both areas have WAY TOO many shiny objects distracting us to what we truly want.  You cannot leave your house or look at ANYTHING without some enticement for MORE,  MORE,  MORE. 

When finances are out of control, the solutions seems simple.  Set a budget based on your income and your expenses and tell your money what to do.  If you need more income then pick up some extra work.  It’s not exciting, it’s not fancy but IT WORKS...

There is a lot going on between the skin on your back and the skin on your stomach that can be making your waist thicker.  Most people think they either need to strengthen the abs or they need to lose weight.  While both of those may be true there are a few other things that could be happening.  Here are 5 strategies to help you narrow your waist.  If you work on all 5 you’ll have the best shot at getting the stomach you’ve been hoping for. 

Straighten Up!

As funny and over simplified as it sounds just sit and stand up straight.  Most of the abdominal muscles attach from the ribs to the hips.  If you think about these muscles like a rubber band they are tighter when they are stretched more.  If you slouch your ribs are tipped forward and usually your hips tipped back.  (this is also the recipe for back pain).  The front and bottom of your ribs is now closer to the front and top of your hips.  The muscles can now relax well as stick out.  On top of this the organs inside...

In May of 2019 my wife Samantha and I had a miscarriage. A few short months later in October, we miscarried again.

The first miscarriage was incredibly difficult. The grieving process was sharp and we felt many powerful emotions flowing through us. The pain of loss was indescribable. We are blessed to have a strong network of family and friends who were able to share with us in that time and since. If you’re reading this, you are likely a part of that special group. Thank you.

The hardest part of the experience was the changing of expectations. We had been imagining playing with a new one, going through feeding rituals, seeing her smile for the first time, and picturing a future with a family of four. None of that was going to happen. Perhaps it would some day with another child, but not this one. 

We worked through our grief and put our focus on the future. And we tried again. The positive pregnancy test seemed like the answer to our prayers. We felt relief, joy, and jubil...

This is a great story of the pilgrims.  If you have a chance before you eat your BIG meal listen to the whole thing. 

(see bottom of the page for the full story)

I'm going to share with you one thing that stood out to me that I found really powerful.  From their own journals...The pilgrims were a group of 140ish protestants seeking religious freedom, not exploiting Indians like some other new world visitors.  The mayflower was the size of a volleyball court and it took 66 days to get to the new world.  They landed in December near Boston (they were aiming for Virginia but storms got them off course). 

There were no magical provisions in the cold barren surroundings.  They were left to try to make it through winter with the supplies on the ship.  They got down to 5 kernels of corn per person per day. 

Starving. 

The one's that made it through that winter made contact with Indians who had been watching them.  The Indians helped them learn to grow food in this new place.  They found ...

Sometimes I am consistent with my kale smoothies as a snack, chicken and spinach salads for dinner and eggs with veggies for breakfast. I feel like I am on top of my snacking and cravings and channeled into my inner Jane Fonda (without the high waist leotard)!

Other times, I have a bad day and my self-control is minimal in the snacking department. I am able to turn it around the next day and make better choices for my health and feel confident in my nutritional choices. 

Then there is the other scenario that loops around occasionally. My healthy bandwagon is chugging along until it comes to a steep hill just as my brakes fail.   I hit a construction bump and my healthy bandwagon bursts into flames on the side of the road. I have seriously been derailed and it is bad. Bad for a good long while.

You may be chucking at that visual, but some of you are nodding your head, as you've just polished off a bag of chips or a quart of ice cream. You guys- consistency is HARD. Even i...

I remember in high school the “NO FEAR” thing started getting big.  I didn’t really think much of it at the time- accept if you wore the T-shirt your parents must have had more money than mine because those t-shirts weren’t cheap. :P

Recently I have been “marketed” to and have seen the “NO FEAR” or “FEARLESS” pop back up in my demographic in a more feminine way and frankly IT DRIVES ME NUTS.  I get what they are saying and know it is meant to be encouraging.  BUT-I think it does a HUGE DISCREDIT to those who are winning every day battles or doing impressive things.  They are doing those WITH fear!

When I think of someone who has “no fear”- I often wonder what happened to them??  Were they born without some connection in their brain??  I don’t relate with this person.  Honestly, I really don’t think they exist.

Often, we look at people doing things that scare us and are quick to think- “they must NOT be scared to do that- they must NOT have fear”.  I can’t count how many tim...

About the Author:

Jeremy “the tall trainer” Biernat is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength Coach, has his Bachelors in Exercise Science, and enjoys writing, speaking, and inspiring people online and in person. See his new book!  More importantly he is a husband, father, and follower of God. His practice is in upstate NY (Canandaigua) where he works with people in one on one and group sessions to make awesome changes in their lives. He doesn’t do everything perfect, cries in movies, and would love to hear from you. You can contact Jeremy by commenting to this post, emailing [email protected], or calling 1(800)380-7047. 

Please share this with friends!

About the Author:

Jeremy “the tall trainer” Biernat is a Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Strength Coach, has his Bachelors in Exercise Science, and enjoys writing, speaking, and inspiring people online and in person. See his new book!  More importantly he is a husband, father, and follower of God. His practice is in upstate NY (Canandaigua) where he works with people in one on one and group sessions to make awesome changes in their lives. He doesn’t do everything perfect, cries in movies, and would love to hear from you. You can contact Jeremy by commenting to this post, emailing [email protected], or calling 1(800)380-7047. 

Please share this with friends!