It’s time to stop filtering yourself. (And when I say you, I also mean me–I’m almost always talking to myself first before I ever give advice to others. No double standards here!)
Case in point: I’ve been writing blogs, recipes, health tips and managing my public and private Facebook and other social media for Fit+Faith for almost a year now, but I have been afraid to be full out…
I’ve still been holding back. Afraid it will be too much. Too bold. Too cliche etc.
And now I’m done. I’m over it. I’ve got a message God has placed in my heart and a fire in my belly to implore people to succeed and live their BEST LIFE, so I’m not holding back ANY MORE!
If that means I lose some people along the way who don’t want to be inspired, encouraged, motivated or held accountable to live their best life, then so be it.
MY job is to love myself and to love people–every day. That’s it. It’s so simple. Why have I been hiding it?
And how can I do that if I keep it inside? If I don’t use my gifts of encouragement and empathy and if I don’t share my knowledge of health and the body that I spent over $100k and 21 years of my life accruing?? What was it all for?
So I can have a nice degree on the wall and a pat on the back as I write my student loan check???
Heck no!!
So there you have it. No holds barred. You were created to be unique, beautiful and amazing and God has a perfect plan uniquely designed for you and your gifts and talents. So how are you dimming it down? How are you NOT letting it shine? How are you letting fear and social stigmas dim your light? God created you to be BRIGHT!
Let’s decide that from here on out, nothing else matters except that we’re being true to who God created us to be–in every facet of our life and in every way we can.
>> Final Thought: What would you be doing differently if you decided that enough was enough for you as well? And decided to freely live in the grace and beauty of your true self?
He’s been waiting. 😉
Your sister in Christ,
~Dr. Melody
P.S. As of today, June 11, 2016, I will be doing my part to be true to myself–and that means true to daily encouraging and inspiring you to live your best life and have your best health. I will continue my mid-week Wednesday tips where I specifically share one tip each on Fitness, Faith and Food, but these daily encouragement emails will be led by God’s direction and inspiration.
Let’s see what He’s got in store….
In this recipe, I combined four things I love: coconut, chia, cinnamon and almond milk.I’m crazy about cinnamon—the more the better in my book. 🙂
So this satisfied my love cinnamon, plus the shredded coconut for a textural contrast to the tapioca-like chia. Plus I’ve completely swapped over from dairy milk to almond milk–for many reasons–but it makes this yummy breakfast pudding completely dairy free. No tummy aches or digestion issues, plus all the health benefits of almonds–vitamins, protein and unsaturated fat.
Ingredients & Recipe (Single serving)
- 1 Tbsp chia seeds
- 1 Tbsp unsweetened coconut shreds
Dry ingredients - 1 tsp cinnamon (or if you LOVE cinnamon like I do, add an extra 1/2 tsp.)
- 1/2 c. unsweetened almond milk
- Fresh or dried fruit, optional
Chia Breakfast Pudding with dried cranberries
- Combine all ingredients, mix or whisk thoroughly until cinnamon no longer floats on top.
- Refrigerate overnight in covered bowl. This is when the chia-magic happens! Single serving ready to go for the next morning.
- Just before serving, add fresh or dried fruit (I used dried cranberries) to add natural sweetness (optional).
Just so you know, don’t expect this to be very sweet–that’s where the fruit comes in. If you’re used to sugar-loaded pop tarts or breakfast cereal, this will be a drastic change for your taste buds. BUT, as you begin to desensitize your taste buds and your body to overdoses of added sugar, the beautiful NATURAL sweetness of the fruit, almond milk, coconut and cinnamon will shine through. Breaking the chain of sugar-overload can seem daunting, or even bland at first. But we don’t realize how our taste buds have been masked by high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or skyrocketing levels of sugar in our daily processed food and drinks.
I encourage you to start taking steps to take the self-induced glucose burden off of your body, allowing your insulin levels to stabilize causing food and sugar cravings to dissipate.This great new breakfast pudding, along with other small changes in your daily routine and diet, can be just the thing to greater vitality, more energy and rediscovering the beauty provided to us in natural, whole foods. 🙂 Take a look at my other great recipes featuring whole, satisfying foods under the “I Love Food!” category. Cheers! ~Dr. Melody
Eek!! 2016 is almost here! If you’re anything like me, you’ve finally had your fill of the bon-bons and holiday cakes and it’s time to get to work!
New Year. New You.
I love the New Year! A fresh start. Clean slate. Moving on from mistakes or disappointments of 2015, and into new and promising horizons!
Have you chosen your 2016 word of the year yet? Ever done that??
Super easy but super powerful!
Think of an over-arching ONE WORD to describe what you want 2016 to be like for you.
Here’s a list of ideas just to get your gears turning (courtesy of myoneword.org)
See if any of these work for you, and if not, choose your own!
My word for 2016: Liberation.
You want it to be able to apply to all areas of your life, so take your time and choose wisely.
Let me know what you choose, or better yet, head over to my FB group, Worthy To Be Me, and share with us over there! Everyone’s been posting their words and it’s really cool to see what people are resonating with. 🙂
>> Now I promised in the subject line that you can look no further for how to shed that holiday weight. (And I’m right there with ya!)
I’m excited to share with you the launching of my new online program: Lose 10 Pounds in 30 Days…Or Less! I lay out exactly what, when and how to shed those holidays pounds, and then some!
If you’re interested, keep an eye out I’ll be doing a new post when the doors open TOMORROW, if not sooner! But you’ll be the first to know, and then you can gather up some friends to join us as well!
In the meantime, think about your 2016 WORD and share it with me. Can’t wait to hear!
Your sister in Christ,
~Dr. Melody
Doctor of Physical Therapy
Founder & CEO | Fit+Faith
P.S. Let me be the first to wish you a Happy New Year! Have fun and be safe however you end up celebrating tonight. 🙂
