Hi Friends!

It’s Monday. But not just any Monday. My break is over and today is my first day at my school food service rotation. This rotation is 4 weeks long and i’m hoping it will go by quickly. Actually I’m hoping the whole rest of my internship will go by quickly.

My mom posted this quote on my fb wall the other day:

It couldn’t be more true for me. Almost exactly 4 years ago, I left work early and drove down to the local community college to attend the first night of my “going back to school” adventure. It was a Sanitation and Safety class and it bored me to tears.

Over the next 4 years I went on a whirlwind ride. I went from just going back to become a Diet Tech to deciding I wanted to take it all the way to becoming an RD. I took more math and science classes than I ever wanted to. I spent more hours studying for those classes than I care to admit. I worked full-time while taking 3 classes a quarter. I quit my job to go to school full-time. I got accepted to Ohio State. I took classes at two schools simultaneously while working a part-time job. I graduated. I gave a speech as valedictorian. I passed my Diet Tech exam. I made new friends. I learned A LOT about nutrition. I took tests. I did so many case studies that if I never have to do another one again, it will be too soon. I worked my ass off to maintain a 4.0 GPA. I applied for internships. I spent dozens of sleepless nights stressing about internship applications. I got matched to my first choice internship. I graduated again. I started my internship. I completed 16 weeks of said internship.

It’s been a LONG road, friends. And I’m tired. I’m tired of being a student. I’m tired of being an intern. I’m ready to be done.

You’re probably wondering why I’m tell you all of this…but there is a point!

The point is this: There were so many times on this journey when I could have given up. When I could have taken the easy way out…done something that would have taken less time. There were so many times when I could have done less, not worked as hard, just slid by. But here’s the thing:

So I didn’t give up. I worked harder. Because I’m doing this for me. So that I can spend the rest of my life doing what I love. And yeah, 4 years seems like a ridiculously long time…but like the quote says, those 4 years would have passed anyways. And if I HADN’T made the choice to follow my dreams, it would still be 4 years later, and I’d still probably working the same job- no better off than I was before.

Instead, I DID take those risks. And I’m HERE now. I’m happier. I’m smarter. And I’m less than 3 months away from finishing my Dietetic Internship!

It’s time for the final push.
3 more rotations.
1 big exam.
One dream COME TRUE 🙂

And then what happens?

Then it’s time for new dreams! Bigger dreams.
Stay tuned, friends- big things are coming!

So for those of you out there that are sitting around giving up on dreams just because you think they’re too big, or too hard, or that they’ll take too long…Remember this:

Dreams are meant to be scary.
They’re meant to push your limits.
And some of them may take a while to achieve.
But you know what?
That just means that when they do come true,
they’re that much sweeter!

 Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

PS. The winner of my Oakley Sunglasses giveaway has been chosen!

Congrats girl! I sent you an email 🙂

 

Hi Friends!

Happy New Year’s Eve! Can you believe it’s almost 2013?! I’m just popping in today with a fun little giveaway for you guys!

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Jess over at  The Sunglasses Shop with an offer to send me a brand new pair of sunglasses. And not just any sunglasses…my very first pair of Oakleys! (Free sample. All thoughts and opinions are my own).

Let’s talk about me and sunglasses for a second. I’m the type of person that buys $10 cheapo sunglasses because I always seem to be losing them/breaking them/etc. In fact, that explains why my current pair is looking oh-so-attractive with half the color peeled off the front of them. It also explains why I’ve been known to wear a pair of sunglasses with one side missing. Yep…it’s true. Very fashionable. So to say I was excited about some high quality sunglasses would be an understatement!

Anyways, if you haven’t checked out The Sunglasses Shop….you’re missing out. They sell all sorts of  designer sunglasses at reasonable prices. I was so thrilled to get to try out a pair of Oakley Sunglasses! Jess even let me pick the pair I wanted. After MUCH deliberation…I settled on these Oakley Women Sweet Spot Sunglasses:

Aren’t they beautiful?! I can’t say enough good things about them. They’re super lightweight and they fit my face perfectly. I picked this pair specifically because I loved the shape..and I love they don’t have a separate nose piece like some glasses have- those always get stuck in my hair when i push them up on my head. My order from The Sunglasses Shop came VERY quickly and the sunglasses came in a protective case, which is perfect for me because it keeps me from just throwing them unprotected into my purse like I usually do:

Plus, I feel a little bit like a movie star when I wear them…
and that’s never a bad thing:

I’m in love with them!

And now for the good news! The Sunglasses Shop is letting me give away a pair of these Oakleys to one lucky reader! The winner will receive a pair of Oakley Women Sweet Spot Sunglasses in this fun Rose Metal color:

How’s that for kicking off the new year in style?! Enter below via Rafflecopter for your chance to win! Mandatory entries including following Sunglasses Shop on Twitter and tweeting about the giveaway…plus there are a few optional entries!

Good luck!
–Lindsay–

Disclaimer: I received these sunglasses for free and was compensated for this review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Holidays!

From my family to yours 🙂

Hope your day is filled with lots of laughter and love.

–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Remember how I’m a Dietetic Intern and I used to be really good at blogging about all the things I was doing in my rotations? Yeah, I do too. Not quite sure what happened there. Anyways, today is the last day of the rotation I’ve been at for the past 8 weeks so I figured I should get my act together and fill you guys in on what I’ve been doing!

I’ve been interning at the Center for Healthy Weight and Nutrition, an outpatient clinic at Children’s hospital here in Columbus. The center works with overweight and obese children and teens. Here’s how it works: patients are referred by their primary care physician. They meet with the CHWN team (a doctor or nurse practitioner, plus an RD and Physical Therapist) and  the team and the family decide their course of action together. They can keep coming for follow-up visits with the team, they can enter an evening nutrition education and physical activity program called New U, or they can go the route of bariatric surgery.

Patients that choose to come back for follow-up visits are seen in the Healthy Weight Clinic. Each time they come in they see an MD/NP, an RD and a PT. There are three RDs that work with the CHWN- one has 30+ years of experience and the other two were closer to my age so it was nice to be able to see a range of different counseling styles and approaches from the three of them. Everyone at the center works well together, and they take a very collaborative approach to patient care, which you don’t see everywhere.

I started out shadowing for a couple of weeks, but after that I was fully able to counsel patients on my own. I got A LOT of practice counseling and was able to really develop my skills which is something that I needed help with.

Almost all of the patients struggle with the same 4 main problems:

1) Not eating breakfast
2) Not having a snack or having an unhealthy snack
3) Drinking lots of high calorie drinks
4) Not eating enough fruits and vegetables and eating too large of portions of starches and meats

When we met with patients, we obtained a typical day of eats from them and then provided nutrition education based on the problem areas that came up during our discussion. At the end of the session we set goals for them to work on until their next visit.

We spent a lot of time educating about the importance of regularly scheduled meals and how they affect metabolism, encouraging healthy breakfast options and emphasizing the importance of combining a carbohydrate and a protein source for breakfast and all snacks. We also spent a lot of time reviewing the MyPlate diagram, reviewing age-appropriate portion sizes and encouraging them to use the 20 minute rule.

Finally, we emphasized the importance of keeping sugar out of their drinks. We had test tubes full of sugar to show them how much sugar was in the regular sodas they drink. Many families were also drinking whole or 2% milk so we tried to get them to switch to at least 1% milk and eventually to skim.

Some typical goals we set for patients were things like:

1) Have a healthy breakfast daily that includes a protein + carbohydrate
2) Have a healthy snack daily that includes a protein + carbohydrate (Keep snacks between 100-200 calories)
3) Choose all sugar-free drinks and limit juice to 4-6 oz per day
4) Aim for 1/2 plate fruits and vegetables with meals (Use measuring cups and downsize plates and bowls to help with portion control, use the 20 minute rule and encourage vegetables only for second helpings).

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Two days a week, the clinic sees patients that are interested in or who have already had bariatric surgery. On those days I spent a lot more time shadowing because it is a more specialized area of dietetics. I learned a lot about the surgery itself, the process leading up to it and the bariatric diet plan that the patients follow starting 2 weeks before surgery and continuing for 8 weeks after surgery. In addition to MD/RD/PT, bariatric patients also see a psychologist and a social worker at each visit.

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Finally, two nights a week I assisted with and taught the New U  and New U Jr. classes. New U is geared towards teens. They come with their parents and both attend a nutrition education session where a different topic is covered each week for 10 weeks. Following the nutrition lesson, the teens do 45 minutes of physical activity with the athletic trainers. New U Jr is geared towards younger kids and the parents come and get a nutrition lesson while the kids get some activity in with the physical therapists.

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Whew! So there you have it. A recap of where I’ve been spending my time for the past 2 months. Up next? A three week break and then I head to a local school district to do a 4 week food service rotation.

Happy Friday!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

This weekend, Round 1 of Elf4Health is coming to a close. I can’t even begin to tell you how awesome the first two weeks have been! This challenge has more participants than Elle or I ever dreamed it would when we were putting it together, and every single one of them is amazing! I’ve had such a great time watching everyone rock challenges like going meatless for the day, trying new workouts, tracking their fiber, donating to Goodwill and sharing healthy snacks…but i have to say, yesterday’s challenge to go makeup-free absolutely blew me away.

In fact, it moved me almost to tears at times throughout the day.

Just look at all of these BEAUTIFUL smiling faces:

Aren’t they gorgeous?! Every.single.one.of.them! I’m SO PROUD of all of my elves that went makeup-free yesterday! I know it was a big step for a lot of you and I’m so happy you took a risk and let your true beauty shine!

I got so happy reading some of the FB posts and tweets throughout the day about how they felt after going makeup-free. Here’s just a few:

See what I mean? If those posts don’t inspire you, then I don’t know what will! HUGE thank you to every single elf that participated in Round 1. Stay beautiful!
–Lindsay–

Hi Friends!

Today we’re kicking off Foodie Penpals for Hurricane Sandy! Here’s a little reminder about why we’re doing this:

As you know, each month, I organize Foodie Penpals. As you may or may not know, my parents live in NYC and their neighborhood was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy. While I’m grateful that my parents are safe and escaped with very little damage, my heart is breaking for those that were not so lucky. Looking at photos of their neighborhood, seeing all of the small businesses that flooded, the parks and streets littered with trash and debris is overwhelming. Thinking of all the people that lost their homes, those that are still without power, those that are struggling to stay warm as the cold temperatures set in makes me want to cry. A natural disaster + the approaching holidays means there are lots of people out there that need more help than ever. So I’m turning to you guys. 

Whether you’ve participated in Foodie Penpals in the past, are doing it currently, or are thinking about doing it in the future…this is the month to get involved! Heck, even if you’ve never done it and aren’t planning to, you can still help!

My suggestion would be to donate $15-$25, the amount you would have spent on Foodie Penpals had this been a regular month. HOWEVER, every little bit helps…so please give any amount you’re able to. No amount is too small!

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Please read the following instructions carefully if you’d like to donate:

I did a lot of research and even though this setup is not the way I originally envisioned this event would be, I strongly believe that it will allow for the maximum amount of money to be donated directly to those who need it.

I contemplated using a site like Paypal, Razoo or Crowdrise to collect donations, but each of those sites take a certain percentage of the money so not all of it is going directly to charities. So, this is how we’re going to do things.

I’ve selected New York Cares as our charity. We will all be making donations directly through their site.

From their website:

New York Cares is on the frontlines of disaster relief, working around the clock to bring post-Hurricane Sandy aid where it is needed most. In the weeks following the storm, we have deployed thousands of volunteers to the hardest hit neighborhoods, distributing hot meals and warm coats, helping local social service agencies get back up and running, and mucking out homes that were ravaged by the storm.We were the first faces that many displaced New Yorkers saw- a reminder that in these especially tough times, New York Cares is here for them.

But our work didn’t start when the waters rose, and it won’t stop when the headlines have faded.

Every year, more than 400,000 New Yorkers depend upon New York Cares to build a better life. Day in and day out, we help high-risk students get into college, we provide job training  to unemployed adults; we teach kids the joy of reading- and so much more. And now, for as long as it takes- we bring hurricane relief and restoration to our suffering neighbors .

———————-

———————————–

Step 1:

Make a donation.
In the tribute box on their donation form,
I put “on behalf of Foodie Penpals”
You will receive a confirmation of your donation via email.
—————————

Step 2:

Come back and fill out the simple form below to tell me how much you donated so I can keep track of how much money we raise. I will update the total throughout the day.

Amount raised so far: $1,915

PLEASE NOTE THAT FILLING OUT THE FORM HERE ON MY WEBSITE IS ONLY FOR TRACKING PURPOSES!!!!! You have to go to the actual website by clicking the link above to donate the money!

As you know, my parents live in Brooklyn. Their building was affected by the storm, but they remained safe and lost only the food in their refrigerator and electricity. Since a lot of us don’t have any first hand experience with what it’s like in the areas that were hardest hit, I asked my mom to share a little bit about what she’s observed in their neighborhood:

We returned to our apartment in Brooklyn the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Our building now has heat, hot water and electricity and one elevator. The basement has been stripped to the bare walls while discussions continue on how to rebuild both there and on the first floor. Most of our neighbors on the first floor are living elsewhere while their apartments are being rebuilt.

The neighborhood is adjusting to the new normal – most businesses have reopened but some are greatly missed.  The new restaurant across the street is still cleaning out and rebuilding, the French bakery is virtually destroyed and trying to figure out how they can pay for rebuilding and the world famous River Café is dark. Our major grocery store won’t be open for at least 3-4 months.  And yet, as a neighborhood, we count ourselves lucky.

One month after Sandy, others elsewhere in Brooklyn are still without hot water and heat in their buildings or elevators in building as high as 20 floors. They cart water up 12 flights of stairs. Some don’t have a home to heat- they have lost everything in neighborhoods like Red Hook, Breezy Point and in the Rockaways. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed in Staten Island. These New Yorkers carted all their belongings to the curb and they were hauled away.  They are isolated – cell phones still only work sporadically in the hardest hit areas. Many now face having their homes leveled by bulldozers because the city deems them to be a safety hazard. Housing is tight in the best of times in New York City. Where do these people go? How do they eat when many of these people were already living in poverty before the storm with few resources?

I know the emotions I personally experienced over the last month as I dealt with the minor inconvenience of being displaced even though I had the means and the invitation to go elsewhere and live. I can’t imagine what these people are feeling as they face the long winter ahead of them.

Thank you for thinking of my fellow New Yorkers this holiday season who are struggling after the storm. 

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Let’s do this you guys! WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Please give what you can. Every little bit helps.

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Did you donate? Grab a button below to spread the word! If you have a blog, I’d love it if you shared the info so we can recruit more donors!!

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Thank you!
–Lindsay–

 

 

Hi Friends!

It’s foodie penpal reveal day tomorrow so we’re moving Fitness Friday up a day. Today I wanted to take some time to tell you guys about GaiamTv. I recently had the opportunity to test it out and really enjoyed my experience! Thanks to GaiamTV for sponsoring this post.

So what is GaiamTV?

It’s an streaming internet TV channel. For $9.95 a month, you get access to over 2,000 titles right from your computer. These titles include documentaries, feature films and special interest programs in categories like films, personal development, spirituality, metaphysics and explorations. Check out all of the different categories and subgroups:

 

On the fitness side, the site offers hundreds of fitness and yoga workout videos, plus food and nutrition documentaries like Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead, and many more!

Before I had a chance to review this website, I knew that GaiamTV offered workout videos, but I thought that was it. I had no idea they had so many other great documentaries and videos available! The first thing I did after logging in was spend some time exploring the non-fitness side.

So what’s on my watch list??

I can’t wait for winter break when I finally have time to watch them!

Next, I moved on to the fitness side. Over the span of a couple weeks, I tried out several different workouts.

First up, abs! When you click on one of the titles, it gives you a description of the video, the length, the different levels available and tells you any equipment that you will need. It also lets you add videos to your queue so you can start a list of ones you want to try.

 

I found it was most convenient for me to go to the GaiamTV website on my ipad. Then I could just set up shop in the basement and get to work. I’m a sucker for anything Jillian Michaels so I also tried her Ripped in 30 workout. Marucs, however, is not a Jillian fan. He turns his back on her.

This was definitely my favorite workout! Fast paced, a mix of strength, cardio and abs and done in 30 minutes. Win!

Up next, yoga! So many yoga videos to browse through…can’t wait to try some of them out.

So, if you like workout dvds, I’d highly recommend GaiamTV. It’s reasonably priced and has tons of great options that you can do at home, in a small space, with minimal equipment. I truly enjoy making up my own workouts and sharing them with others, and I will continue to do so, but there are some days when I’m just to tired to come up with anything on my own. On those days, GaiamTV is perfect because it gives me instant access to tons of great workouts! The access to tons of great documentaries and films was definitely an added bonus.

Let’s chat! Do you like workout videos?

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–

Fitfluential LLC compensated me for this campaign. All opinions are my own.