Bloggers of the Day (chosen randomly from your comments)

• Newlywed, Newly Veg – Anna creates amazing meals and shares gorgeous photography. Look, how pretty! Plus, she’s such a sweetheart!
• Kris Tastes – Krista is another great cook and photographer, plus a runner. I want to make BOTH of these recipes.
• Frontyard Foodie – Diana has a gorgeous newborn baby boy and already is whipping upthings in the kitchen, like pumpkin butter and pickled peppers.

Crazy. That would come as the initial thought when considering posting a picture of your pregnant body in a bikini where anyone with an internet connection could stumble across it. Too bad my mind doesn’t quite work like that. Empowered immediately follows feelings of crazy. When the opportunity to practice what I state to believe opens up, who am I to deny it?

What would that say if I shied away because posting such an exposed picture could strike fear in a woman’s (aka my) heart? Haven’t I worked long and hard to grow into a more self-loving person? Shouldn’t my actions speak louder than my words which claim I feel proud of my body and all it provides me? I spent an entire 30 Days working to share a message of loving ourselves, inside and out, including appreciating the gifts of our bodies.

So when Michelle from Eating Journey asks me to share an Exposed message on my blog, what would it say if I avoided it because what I look like in a bikini right now is not something I would have posted with confidence even six months ago? You know we can all be pretty picky of the photos we share with others - being sure to pick only the ones where we successfully managed a flattering body angle, smile, open eyes, combed hair, and still look natural. Well, that goes all out the window for me today, folks. So hello world, this is me!

In reality, though, that isn’t truly ME. When completing this project, this image becomes a blank canvas. A place to splash the truth and paint the person behind the skin. Those outward qualities are not the defining truths of my whole. They are not the mother, the wife, the friend, the child of God, the woman passionately blogging her heart out to the world, the fitness enthusiast, the bookworm, the football fan, or the cockroach hater. The real me looks more like this…

…but covered with even more text to even begin to tell my story. We are not what we see in the mirror. And a picture of you, or me, is worth so much more than a thousand words. It is worth a soul, a heart, a life. Expose the reality. That is what matters. That is who you are. Beautiful, purposeful, created with love, and deserving of all the care and respect in this world.

• What’s something you would write on your “blank canvas” to paint the beautiful picture of who you are?
• To learn more or to participate in the Exposed Movement, CLICK HERE!
• Something to do? Ask me anything by CLICKING HERE. Turns out the box on my sidebar didn’t work, so CLICK to ask away. C’mon! I only have one question so far and will need more to do a Q&A during November.

Evening! I hope you all have enjoyed a fabulous day. Mine included the easiest pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, so you can imagine mine went well. I also enjoyed reading your thoughts on the most common fitness mistakes SELF magazine shared. A lot of you pointed out some things worth mentioning. Here’s a few:

• Nicole brought up the great point that strength training comes in other methods some may enjoy more than hanging out in the weight room. A great thing to consider and remind us that we can all find some way to strengthen our muscles – yoga, classes, crossfit, at home DVDs, body weight functional training, etc.
• Theresa shared that another common mistake we may make is not listening to our bodies and resting enough. Good one!
• Brittany brought up being too rigid with a plan as another possible fitness issue. It’s okay to adapt workouts and training plans.

Tonight, I felt like sharing something fun. The other day Leah published a guest post I wrote for her and I felt like posting it here too. I believe many of us are familiar with Jeff Foxworthy’s You might be a redneck if… jokes. Sometimes I catch myself saying You might be a blogger if… with a country accent in my head when I catch myself doing strange things. Like the following example from today.

You might be a blogger if…you take insanely random photos of things people likely do not want to see. Like ulcers in your mouth.

My mouth hurts from these two painful ulcers underneath my lower front teeth. I caught myself capturing those buggers to share with you all and laughed at myself. It’s almost as good as the picture of me putting on deodorant I did awhile ago. 😉

Now here are some of the ones I shared with Leah and a few more to reflect my day.

You might be a blogger if…you feel like a kid on Christmas morning every time you receive a new comment.

You might be a blogger if…you can read and type faster now than when you were cranking out college essays.

You might be a blogger if…you haven’t met in person most of the people you consider very close friends and supporters. And anticipate the chance to do so. After all, blogger meetups are the best. Can’t wait until the ATL one on Oct 29!!

You might be a blogger if…you put spinach in your smoothies and eat kale as chips.

You might be a blogger if…your craving for pumpkin never ceases thanks to unending posts sharing delicious recipes that you must try. Like these…

A box of spice cake mix, a can of pumpkin, 1/2 a bag choc chips, a thank you to Power class for giving you strong arms to mix the THICK batter, baked for 10-15 mins at 350. That. Is. It. Likely my new favorite cookie.

You might be a blogger if…you cannot imagine your life without such a powerful outlet and form of expression that you can come to whenever you please and however you like.

Blogging does have some negative sides to it – comparison traps, getting caught up in statistics/popularity, feeling overwhelmed with the many things to do/see/try, and the time commitment (to name a few). However, as a whole blogging (whether as the author or reader) brings us all such an opportunity for growth. I love it!

I believe it develops us into more loving people, cheering one another on. It teaches us new things and may bring us out of our comfort zones in fitness, cooking, or self-reflection. Blogging can foster new passions and skills, like photography or writing. Do your best to not succumb to some of the pressures blogging can bring. Say “Screw it! This is for me and I will have fun!” Because you know…being involved in this community is a pretty remarkable thing. And way cooler than being a redneck. 😉

• Give me your best “You might be a blogger if…”

Something to Do: This month, I have been featuring “Random Bloggers of the Day” (which I’m thinking to continue). For the month of November, I thought it would be fun for you to have the chance to ask me anything. It’s not a Reader Request for posts, although I’m welcome to those as well, but more a way to ask general questions. I know Julie has entire posts like this if you want ideas. It can be anything from things I like, to plans for after the baby, to personal (within reason) questions. I would love to feature one question a day. Email, post a question on the blog, or do the anonymous thing on Formspring by CLICKING HERE.