Today was what every Sunday should be about - resting and recharging for the week ahead. I have officially caught up on sleep – 10 hours of sleep last night!! – and once again had a very low-key day. In fact, most of my day was brought to you by the all so fabulous Ms. Clean Eating Chelsey.

A couple weeks ago we both decided to do an impromptu gift exchange because:

a) we both love packages in the mail
b) we love each other a freakish amount (read Chelsey's beautiful tribute)
c) why the heck not?

Friday afternoon I received the mother load of goodies from this fabulous lady and used many of them today – from the nut butter in my pumpkin oats breakfast to a bit of reading during the kiddos’ naps. She knows me well. We’re like one and the same person, so it makes sense. Check out the goods!

First up, some foodie love. I received some new bars to try, Archer Farms nut butter blend (rocks on pumpkin oats!), and Trader Joe’s peanut flour. Oh, how I have longed to try that stuff. I may need some suggestions on how to use it though.

Next, I found goodies to keep me company after a long day – an easy mix to fancify wine for a fruity cocktail and Lindt chocolate. Should it surprise me we sent each other the same bar? No. No it shouldn’t.

And she knows I can use some ways to decompress - with a pumpkin candle and two really good sounding books. I cracked open The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake today. I already love it! Which I should since my most recent reading has consisted solely of muscle talk and tables that make my head spin.

Plus, she sent me the cutest little Halloween socks for the cutest little wee ones. Along with some new headbands to try out.

Lastly, we cannot forget the best part of the package.

I may or may not have opened that bag immediately following that picture.

And Peter & I may or may not have conquered it over the course of the weekend. Ahem. Candy corn = a weak in the knees Tina. I have no shame that my “lunch” yesterday actually consisted of numerous large handfuls of candy corn followed by a 2.5 hour nap for dessert. I call it the long run recovery formula for champions. Hey – it must work seeing as I had zero soreness today!

• What would you  put in a blogger gift exchange care package?
• How do you like to use peanut flour?

Morning, friends! Time for another chance to share some motivation and inspiration. Leading us in today’s self-love reflection is Elizabeth from Reads, Recipes, Runs – one inspiring lady. Enjoy her story.

Hello fellow Faith Fitness Fun readers! I am Elizabeth over at reads recipes runs, a blog where I share my passion for reading, creating new recipes, and training for my first half marathon. I have been a huge fan of Tina’s blog for quite a while, and I am just so excited to share with you. I absolutely love how Tina takes the time every week to share inspiring stories and things to think about.

On my journey to this half marathon, and let’s face it losing weight, I have found myself losing sight of the big picture. It’s so easy to focus on what you are eating, when you can fit in your workout, and punishing yourself for not meeting goals.

You can read about my roller coaster of a journey on my blog if you are interested, but right now I am on the road to lose 50 lbs. I know it is a huge undertaking, and I know it’s going to take a while. But the fact is, just a small change in perspective can change EVERYTHING.

I work at a children’s hospital and one day I was super grumpy because of one thing or another, complaining constantly to myself.

I walked to the cafeteria to grab some water, and I saw a boy with no arms and no legs. His caretaker was carrying him to the car. I was shocked. What did I have to complain about again? Perspective.

By taking the time to change my perspective on little things, I am seeing changes throughout my life. Here are a few examples:

I don’t have to run, I get to. Every single day I see kids who will never run a day in their life. I am blessed that my body will let me (although some mornings I think it doesn’t want to haha).

I don’t have to eat healthy, but I am fortunate enough to have the knowledge, resources, and passion to nourish my body.

I don’t have to lose weight. I am blessed to have the drive, tools, and support of a loving husband to reach my goals.

I don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn to workout. I am lucky enough to have the
time before work to do so, and I am so blessed to get to see the sun rise. I am also
blessed to live in an area where I feel safe enough to go out when it’s still a little dark (trust me, I lived in some areas where I would never do that haha).

So I had a bad day and slipped up and partook in some emotional eating (OK maybe a
lot of eating). Every single day is a fresh start and if you look at it that way, how lucky are you to have the opportunity every single day to choose how you are going to live your life?

Now don’t get me wrong. I am far from perfect. I sit on the couch and wallow because the scale doesn’t reflect what I want it to. I get grumpy and make excuses because I don’t want to work out. But when this happens, if I take the time to have a little perspective, it’s amazing how quickly my attitude will change.

One way that perspective has helped me the most is that I am no longer beating myself up emotionally any more. I used to think “Oh you are so fat nothing you ever do is good enough, no matter how hard you try you will always be gross.” Now I think things like “This is a journey and by honoring where I am on my journey now, I will appreciate the destination so much more.”

Sometimes all it takes to improve your self love is to just change your perspective and see where it will take you.

• What ways has a change in perspective helped you during a difficult journey?
• Be sure to send me an email if you would like to share your own self-love reflection!