I’ve shared before how right now a lot of my favorite healthy foods don’t hold the same appeal as when I’m not carrying around a two ton stomach pregnancy. I do, however, continue to make a concentrated effort to eat as healthfully as possible. That decision has nothing to do with weight gain or how others perceive my eating habits. I simply know that eating vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy fats, lean proteins, etc helps me feel better and live a higher quality life.

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I have certainly been in a place where I could care less where my food came from as long as it helped me reach my daily caloric intake goals. Even when I focused on eating enough calories to fuel my body, the calorie count still reigned supreme. I didn’t consider reading the ingredients of nutrition labels over the other statistics. I didn’t think about where my food came from. I didn’t determine a food’s worth based on its wholesomeness – an apple or a 100 calorie pack at lunch were interchangeable.

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I had already given up those food rules of things being “good” or “bad” but the calories still defined how they fit into my eating habits. After my fitness competition, when I could freely give up calorie counting (and coincidentally a bit later picked up reading blogs), I began to change how I viewed food. Not only did I want to fuel my body with enough food, but also with valuable energy.

I knew my body deserved respect. I wanted to care for the body God had given me. It could do so much for me by surviving years of binging, enduring months of brutal competition prep workouts, carrying a child, and beyond. Why should I not give it my best? And wouldn’t it make sense that the best I could give my body came in the form of the foods God gave us?

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That was how I personally become to understand the importance of giving my body the best quality and choosing the apple over the 100 calorie pack every time. Only I have the choice on what my body receives nutritionally. I still don’t view things as “good” or “bad”. I still will have processed items without any guilt. Now, however, I desire the wholesome foods because of how they support my body, instead of how they support my personal goals or body image. I am still a work in progress and have a lot to learn. Nevertheless, I also know that I will make that progress and continue to honor my body with natural, wholesome foods. Because it deserves it.

• Have you experienced any shifts in how you view food?
• What are the biggest influences in your food choices? Without getting preachy, my personal reason lies in trusting God. He gives me so much…including my body’s wellness. To keep that wellness it only makes sense to me to trust God’s food to feed it as well. Just as His word feeds my spirit and joy in life.

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Check out these bloggers who shared their personal 30 DSLR  thoughts on their blogs!

• Days One By One
• Running to a Healthy Life
• Making A Change
• Ulterior Harmony

I know this comes as my third post of the day, but I really enjoy this manner of posting! It’s actually less time consuming than you would think. Especially since the times I get to write come in short bursts. So this works perfectly for me and goes well with my schedule and writing style. I do what suits me. Not because someone else does it or prefers it…but because I like it. 🙂 Enough about all that now…

I had such a fantastic day! I knocked my to-do list out of the park and accomplished so much more than anticipated. I managed to catch up on emails/blogs, ship some goodies out for a friend (Hi Lindsay!), and fit in a top to bottom scrub down of the house.

All of that, plus some fun! This morning M & I visited the local fire station for a field trip with the mom’s group.

The kids all got to see a fireman dressed up and pretend to go on a rescue.

They were even able to touch the fire truck. Although I think M was more into getting close to her little boyfriend. They are so smitten with each other. Not even 2 and already has her first crush. We’re in trouble!

As a thank you, a lot of the moms contributed baked goods to the firemen’s lounge. I whipped up some of Meg’s Pumpkin Crumble Bars to share. Easy and delicious. I know because I had to do the obligatory taste test. 😉

I ended the day on a high note as well. Since I didn’t get in my morning workout with the fire station tour, I wanted to do something active together as a family. So we took a nice walk together before dinner. Low-key moments like these make for the best nights.

I used to think that multi-tasking made my days so productive. Over the past few weeks, however, I’ve tried something a little different. Each morning I write out a list of things that I need to get done as well as hopefuls.

I focus on one task at a time and give myself a time guide to help me stay focused. It has increased my productivity more than I could imagine! I get so much finished now and have more time to work on the things I really love. Like #1 - my family and #2 - the blog. I think you should give it a shot if you tend to believe the only way you have time to accomplish anything is through multi-tasking. You  might just surprise yourself.

• What time management tips do you use? Do lists help or hurt you?
• How old were you when you had your first crush? I was in 2nd grade. I remember his name was Chuck and he was a football player on the rec team I cheered for. Then, it was Mike in 5th grade. Which, funnily enough, he is a very close friend of my friend who is getting married. Beth (his mom), if you’re reading this you can laugh at me at the rehearsal dinner! 😉