Has it really been almost TWO MONTHS since I last wrote??? I guess in the midst of planning/packing/moving/unpacking writing a blog post had slipped my mind! I back now, though, and really excited about what we’re going to talk about tonight!

This morning I had the opportunity to go for coffee with a wonderful woman and we spent a lot of the time talking about food and nutrition (one of my favourite topics of conversation!). And thanks to her suggestion, I watched the documentary “Food Matters”. If you haven’t watched this before, I encourage you to google it or find it on Netflix and check it out. As a dietitian I know very well how powerful foods are in our bodies, but watching this has reignited my passion to pass on this knowledge to others. So I’ve compiled a couple of rules of thumb to guide you in your grocery shopping and food choices as well as a “suggested foods” list thanks to a suggestion from a friend.

1) Choose foods that are as close to their natural form as possible (ie. fresh chicken breasts instead of chicken fingers, or steel-cut oats instead of flavoured quick-cooking oats)

2) If a food product has to try to convince you that it’s good for you it’s probably not (you don’t see a bag of apples or carrots screaming at you that they’re good for you, but you can certainly see tons of food packages boasting that they’re high in fibre/ low in sodium/ fortified with _____/ all natural/ etc)

Foods to choose:

- Veggies and Fruit- These nutrition superstars should always find themselves on your grocery list and in your fridge. These foods are bursting with antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fibre, and a host of phytonutrients that our bodies require in order to thrive. To save some money, stock up on some frozen berries and frozen veggies (they’re just as nutritious as fresh). Stay away from canned fruits and veggies, though. The heating process they’ve undergone will have destroyed the heat-unstable vitamins in them (like vitamin C). As well, canned vegetables are generally very high in sodium, and canned fruits typically have sugar added. We’re learning more and more about how the pesticides and herbicides on fresh produce are harmful to our health, so try to choose organic fruits and veggies more often (check out the Environmental Working Group’s website for which fruits/veg contain more pesticides, aka “the dirty dozen”, and which ones contain lower amounts, aka “the clean 15”- http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/).

- Healthy sources of Protein- Including protein at each meal is important for our good health, but it also helps us feel full for longer. We know that eating red meat often isn’t good for our bodies, so choose healthier sources of protein like fish, legumes (lentils, beans, chickpeas), poultry, nuts and seeds (1/4 cup of raw pumpkin seeds gives you the same amount of protein as a small chicken breast!), eggs, and plain Greek yogurt. Stay away from processed meats of any kind (deli meats, sausages, hot dogs, etc)- they’re loaded with sodium, preservatives, and our way less nutrient-dense than the foods listed above. Also, while cheese is a great source of calcium and protein, it’s also really high in sodium and saturated fat, so try to keep your cheese intake to a minimum.

- Whole Grains- When it comes to grains in North America we typically just eat wheat (and some oats, rye, and rice), and most of these are refined (aka stripped of much of their nutritional value and also high on the Glycemic Index). But there are tons of whole grains that we’re missing out on! Quinoa, buckwheat, amaranth, millet, brown and wild rice, steel-cut oats, bulgur, and sprouted-grains bread (ie. Silver Hills bread) are all examples of nutrient-rich, minimally-processed, low-Glycemic Index grains (the Glycemic Index is a scale that ranks how much a food that contains carbs raises our blood sugar- we want to choose low-GI foods).

- Healthy Fats- There are 3 different types of fats: unsaturated, saturated, and trans. Unsaturated fats are the ‘healthy fats’ (stay away from trans fats and try to avoid animal sources of saturated fats). We find unsaturated fats in vegetable oils (like extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil), avocados, nuts, seeds (like chia and flax seeds, and raw sunflower/pumpkin/etc seeds), and fish (omega-3 fats).

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of this! Also, I’d love to hear any grocery shopping/ food choice tips that you’d like to share! :)

xxoo Kristy

If you’re a parent - or if you plan on becoming a parent one day - this post is for YOU!

We know that parents’ actions have a big impact on their kids. Kids are like sponges that just soak up everything they see - which includes how their parents act, speak, and live. For instance, a child who grows up in a home where problems and disagreements are dealt with by yelling, name-calling, or even physical agression will grow up thinking that this is the way you solve a problem (unless that belief system is addressed and re-wired). Or a child who grows up on sugary cereals, fast food, and frozen pizzas will learn that this is how you eat, and may have a tough time changing his or her eating habits down the road.

The same goes for how you view food and eating. I’d like to share an example to illustrates this…

A year or two ago I was out for coffee with a high-school age girl and this principle came through loud and clear. This girl (I’ll call her Jessica) is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL teenage girl who has a healthy body weight. But she was caught up in the belief that she didn’t quite measure up physically and was quick to list things about her body that she didn’t like. This body-critcism could be attributed to a number of things - the unrealistic portrayal of the female body in magazine ads, female celebrities who appear flawless (thanks to personal hairstylists, makeup artists, and personal trainers), or comparing herself to other girls her age. But as we chatted another possible reason came to light. Jessica told me that her mom (let’s call her Angela) was currently on a diet and trying to lose weight - and was encouraging Jessica to join her. Now, just so we’re all on the same page, Angela (much like her daughter) is stunning and likely has no need to lose weight, medically-speaking. But nevertheless, Angela was convinced that she should lose weight, and her view of food was negatively affecting her daughter’s relationship with food and view of herself. I’m sure Angela never intended for this to happen, but it did - and it caused Jessica to look at her own body through a critical lense.

I share this story, because I think this is likely very common. Mom is concerned about her weight or appearance, Daughter notices this, and because Mom is someone she admires and looks up to, she begins to wonder if maybe she should be more concerned with how she looks or if she needs to lose weight as well. While I am all for parents being health-conscious and providing their kids with healthy, whole foods and modeling an active lifestyle, I am NOT for parents letting their own preoccupations with weight and image affect their impressionable children.

So what’s a parent to do? I think one of the biggest things is to not make body weight a regular topic of discussion (ie. don’t ask your daughter “Do these jeans make my butt look big?” when shopping together, or don’t say to your daughter “Are you sure you want to wear that dress? It kind of makes you look fat”, or ask your son or daughter “You’ve put on a few pounds, eh?”). Kids and teens already have to deal with enough insecurities and the last thing they need is to have this amplified by their parents.

Secondly, it’s important to put the focus on health, rather than weight loss. Teach your kids right from when they’re young why healthy foods and being active are important - and speak in a way that they understand (ie. tell your 5-year-old that healthy protein foods like beans and lentils, eggs, meat, and Greek yogurt will help him grow big and strong, or remind your 12 year old that eating a healthy breakfast will help her be able to focus better in class and do well in school).

And finally, if you are trying to lose weight (maybe your doctor has advised you to do so, or you just realize on your own that your weight is negatively affecting your health), please don’t decide to just go on a diet and broadcast this to your children. Instead, seek out some reliable counsel about healthy eating and healthy weight loss from a registered dietitian and begin making positive changes in what/how much you’re eating. And if your kids start asking why the frozen pizzas are being replaced with grilled chicken breasts, brown rice, and steamed veggies, you can just tell them that you’re trying to eat more healthy because you want to take care of your body so you can live a long, healthy life - and that you want them to learn how to eat well.

My hope is not that this post makes you feel condemned if your approach to food and eating has been negatively affecting your kids, but that this post encourages you to recognize that your relationship with food affects your kids. I believe that as a parent you want what’s best for your kids. So please take these words to heart and take an honest look at how your eating habits are affecting your kids and their belief systems about food, eating, and themselves. Set your kids up for success by instilling healthy eating and exercise habits in them, while affirming their worth and value - and teaching them that their value is not dictated by how they look or how much they weigh.

Kristy

To say “eat food” might seem kind of silly. “Of course I’m going to eat FOOD!” But if you stop and think about it, a lot of what we eat in Canada today doesn’t really resemble actual whole foods. Cereals that are full of sugar and sodium; processed meats so full of sodium, preservatives, and fillers that they look like a far cry from something that actually came from a cow; desserts that can sit on a store shelf for months and months without going bad…. I could go on and on.

Our typical way of eating has undergone a huge shift from the way our great, great-grandpa and grandma ate. And we now have the negative health consequences that go along with this new way of eating. Even though we’re more nutrition-conscious than ever, we’re becoming less and less healthy, with chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, obesity, and cancer on the rise.

So that’s why I’d like to propose a change in the way we think about what we choose to eat. In his book “In Defense of Food”, journalist and author Michael Pollan puts forth a very simple, but potentially revolutionary, idea: Eat food, mostly plants, not too much. (More info about Michael Pollan and “In Defense of Food” available at http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/ ) It’s a great read and one that will challenge the way you think about food and eating, and that will hopefully change what and how you eat. Tonight, I’m going to focus on the first part of this idea: eat food.

When I say “eat food”, what do I mean? Here it is:

• Try to eat foods as close to their natural form as possible
• Make meals from scratch as much as possible
• Make buying and preparing healthy foods a priority
• Don’t overthink it!

Try to eat foods as close to their natural form as possible

Here are a couple of good examples:  choose skinless chicken breasts or thighs and bake or grill them at home, instead of choosing chicken fingers;  buy a bag of steel-cut oats and cook up a couple of breakfasts worth and portion them out in the fridge for quick breakfasts instead of flavoured packaged instant oatmeal (cook steel-cut oats in milk for some added protein and flavour with a little brown sugar and lots of cinnamon - DELICIOUS!); stock up on whole grains (like quinoa, brown or wild rice, bulgur, etc) and season with fresh-ground pepper or your favourite herbs or spices, instead of going for the instant flavoured white rice. Following this guideline will help you make healthier - and, in my mind, more tasty - choices. Also, simple staples like whole grains, legumes (lentils, beans, and chickpeas), frozen veggies and fruits, and eggs are fairly cost-effective, which is a nice bonus!

Make meals from scratch as much as possible

I can already hear some of you groaning, “But I don’t have time to do that!”  Yes, it can take a lot of time if you want it to, but it doesn’t always have to. Take making your own salad dressing for instance… Just whisk together equal parts of olive oil and your choice of vinegar (balsamic, red wine, white wine, and cider are all great!) and some dried oregano, and in literally TWO MINUTES you have a good-for-you, real-food, super tasty dressing! Or how about homemade pizzas for dinner instead of one from the freezer section of the grocery store or a take-out one. Just spread a little tomato sauce on a wholegrain pita, sprinkle some partly-skim cheese, load on the fresh veggies (I love spinach, tomatoes, red onion, and peppers on mine), add some of last night’s leftover chicken if you want, a little basil or oregano and then bake it in the oven for 10 minutes. Dinner’s ready in 20 minutes!

Make buying and preparing healthy foods a priority

Does eating healthy take some extra time and energy? Yes. But I firmly believe that the benefits far outweigh the costs. Plan out a week’s worth of suppers and base your grocery list off of that so you can go to the grocery store knowing exactly what you need (and then you won’t have to ask yourself “What am I going to make for dinner??” on your way home from work!). And while you’re at the grocery store, try to spend more time around the perimeter of the store- that’s where you typically find the fresh fruits and veggies, fresh meats, eggs, dairy, and some whole grains. Those middle aisles do house some other healthy foods (such as beans and lentils, whole grains, olive oil, nuts and seeds, etc), but they’re also often home to chips, pop, sugary cereals and granola bars, and sodium-ladden sauces, condiments, and ‘instant’ foods. So just be mindful of that.

Don’t overthink it!

Through working with clients, talking with friends and family, and my own experiences, I’ve found that we often tend to overthink things - especially when it comes to what we should be eating. So keep it simple: drink water, have vegetables or fruit as part of every meal, choose meat alternatives (like beans, lentils, chickpeas, tofu, nuts and seeds, Greek yogurt) more often than meat, choose whole grains instead of refined grains (ie. switch out white rice for quinoa at supper), and pay attention to when your body tells you that it’s full.

I hope that these simple thoughts have challenged you to rethink your view of what you call “food”. Healthy eating doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, and time-consuming. It can be simple, cost-effective, quick and easy, AND delicious!

Happy eating!

Kristy

PS- I’d love to hear your thoughts on this and whether you’d like me to write more posts about food and nutrition! :)

I recently started reading “Fight Like a Girl” by Lisa Bevere, and it’s really got me thinking. Thinking about what it means to be female, why being female is a GOOD thing (we are not problems; we are SOLUTIONS!), and things that hinder women from working together for a greater good. I think it’s so cool that God designed men and women to compliment each other (not compete with one another). I see it played out every day in my own life: Stephen is strong in areas that I’m weak in and I’m strong in areas that he’s weak in. It’s so freeing to just embrace who I am and not feel like I need to compete with him.

But what about competing with other women? That’s what I want to talk about today. Through my own personal experience, getting godly wisdom from the bible, and reading some great books, I’ve learned that it’s not wise to compare ourselves with other women. Here are four reasons why:

1. Nothing good comes out of it.

Have you noticed that? I don’t know about you, but when I think back to times I’ve compared myself to other girls, I either came away feeling proud or feeling like I wasn’t good enough. And neither of those are good. Better to appreciate the great qualities in yourself AND the great qualities in other women, rather than comparing.

2. I can’t find my value in how I measure up to other women.

Through digging into the bible and surrounding myself with wise girls, I have learned that I’m already beautiful inside and out and I’ve found my identity in who God says I am. If we try to find our value in external things (like our looks, our achievements, or how we measure up to other girls), we’ll ultimately feel insecure, terrified of failing in that area, because we’ve tied that to our sense of worth. When we realize that our value comes from being God’s daughters (which will never change), we develop an unshakable confidence and peace.

3. When I compare myself with another woman I limit my ability to build a friendship with her.

This thought just came to me the other day, and I think it’s pretty profound. If I compare myself to another girl, then every time I see her either pride or jealousy rises up. If it’s pride, I’ll look down on her and not want to be associated with her because in my mind I’m somehow “better” than her. If it’s jealousy, my mind will wonder and try to find some kind of flaw in her, in an attempt to make myself feel like I’m as beautiful/smart/popular/etc as she is. Also, I’ll end up feeling discontent with what I have and who I am. So if your mind is constantly pre-occupied with these types of thoughts, are you going to be able to start to build a friendship with her? Mostly likely not. It’s really a shame, because there may be the potential to build an amazing friendship with her, but your own thoughts and attitudes hinder that. Who are you missing out on building a friendship with because you compare yourself to her?

4. When we compare ourselves with other women it limits how effective we are as a whole.

You know the saying “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts”? We can accomplish far more by working together than by each trying to do our own thing while comparing ourselves with each other. Comparing builds walls between people; appreciating and celebrating the differences among women allows us to see other women as allies rather than as the competition. Just think — What could you and the girls around you accomplish if you truly worked together? How much more good could you create if you decided to no longer compare yourself to each other?

There will always be someone who seems to be smarter, more popular, more beautiful, or have more money than you, or conversely, someone who seems less smart, less popular, less beautiful, or less well-off than you. And although it’s easier to sit there and compare yourself with her, that’s not what you were designed for! Remember that nothing good ever comes out of comparing yourself with her. If you let go of that pride or that jealousy, you may find a great friend in her. When you realize that your value comes from who God says you are, there’s no need to compare yourself with her. And by seeing her as an ally, you and her are capable of building great things! See her strengths and appreciate them. And see your strengths and appreciate them. We were created to stand side by side, working together to shape this world into a better place!

xoxo Kristy

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, so what better time to talk about relationships and marriage! I love marriage — I love what it represents, I love what God designed marriage to be, and I love being married :) But does a great marriage just happen? No. It takes effort, patience, and grace, but it’s SO worth the work! When we were engaged, Stephen and I determined to build an amazing marriage that would get better and better. And we’ve stayed true to that vision. I can honestly say that we have a wonderful marriage - and we’re constantly growing in our relationship. Whether you’re single, dating, engaged, or married, I believe there are truths in here that can help you in your future or current marriage.

So here are six things we’ve found to be hugely helpful in building a great marriage - one filled with love, laughter, passion, and trust.

1. Stay amazed

A couple of months ago, Pastor John Burns from Relate Church in Vancouver spoke at our church. John and his wife Helen are passionate about marriage and relationships, and they have TONS of wisdom in this area! Pastor John shared that he is frequently asked “How do you stay in love for a lifetime?”. His answer: stay amazed. He shared that when we start to become familiar with our spouse, that’s often when we run into trouble. But if we stay amazed at our spouse - daily think about what we love about them, appreciate them, don’t take them for granted, and remind ourselves of why we chose to marry them - it keeps the relationship fresh and daily re-ignites your love and respect for that person.

2. Show appreciation

This is one I’ve found to be key to any relationship, whether with your spouse, a friend, family member, co-worker, etc. Appreciation kept to yourself is pretty useless, because unless you show and tell someone that you appreciate them they might not realize it! Thank your spouse DAILY for what he or she does - right from the little things like taking out the garbage to the big things like living with integrity or working diligently to provide for your family.

3. Guard your relationship

This is one that Stephen and I feel so strongly about. It’s so easy for something or someone to come between you and your spouse, and before you know it you’ve laid the groundwork for an affair to begin. During our first few months of being married, we read the book “His Needs, Her Needs: Building an affair-proof marriage” by Willard Harley. It was a huge eye-opener about how easy an affair (whether emotional or physical) can develop and why affairs occur. Just because you love each other doesn’t mean that your relationship is bulletproof; you need to actively guard your relationship. For us that means making sure we meet each others’ needs (Dr. Harley explains that typically men and women each have five main needs that are meant to be met by their spouse), that we don’t allow ourselves to be alone with someone of the opposite sex (for example, if a girl needed a ride home and Stephen was there by himself, he’d give her money for a cab, but he wouldn’t drive her home; or if a guy friend of mine wanted to go for coffee and catch up, I’d bring Stephen with me), and we intentionally learn how to build a better marriage by reading books and going to marriage seminars. It’s easy to guard your relationship when you place a high value on your relationship and when you become good at setting boundaries together. For more info about “His Needs, Her Needs”, check out http://www.marriagebuilders.com/mb3.cfm?recno=3.

4. Learn your spouse’s love language and speak it often

Have you ever heard of the concept of “love languages”? Basically, it states that there are five main ways that we show love and feel love: physical affection, quality time, words of encouragement, acts of services, and gifts (more info at http://www.5lovelanguages.com/ ). It’s important to learn what your and your spouse’s love languages are (you can do a short quiz at the above website to find out what yours is). Otherwise, you may think that you’re showing him love, but he feels unloved. Here’s an example: You compliment your husband all the time, send him little encouraging texts, and frequently tell him how proud of him you are. But if his main love language is quality time (not words of encouragement), he may be thinking “I just want to hang out with her. She’s always complimenting me, but I feel like she’s too busy to spend time with me,” and unless you understand this, you and him could go years feeling frustrated and like you’re drifting apart without knowing why. Stephen and I are so glad we learned this before we were married, so that we can intentionally speak each other’s main love languages. As a result, we each feel very loved by each other.

5. Deal with disagreements right away

Have you ever encountered conflict, but you just kind of ignored it because you didn’t want to deal with it? What happened? I used to hate confrontation. I thought that if I ignored conflict, maybe it would go away (I learned the hard way that it’s doesn’t! It just gets worse!). Early on in our relationship, Stephen and I decided that we would deal with disagreements right away. This took some effort for me. I would sometimes let things pile up and then one thing would be the final straw, and I’d have a list of things that had been bothering me. I’ve learned that it’s MUCH easier to just bring things up as they happen. We also set clear boundaries for ourselves of HOW we would deal with conflict: stay respectful, attack the problem not the person, no yelling/slamming doors/name-calling/etc, and never go to bed angry. I’m so thankful we have these boundaries in place, and that we honor them. Learning how to deal with disagreements and resolve conflict is a skill and takes time to develop, but it’s so worth it!

6. Laugh often

We laugh A LOT in our house! Whether it’s laughing at our cats (they do the funniest things!), laughing at each other over something silly we did, watching a funny movie, or just being silly. I also think that being able to laugh at ourselves helps prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously.We decided that we wanted to have a fun, happy home full of joy, laughter, and peace, so we have actively created that kind of environment. And that’s something important to remember: You determine the atmosphere and culture of your home. So if you want a happy atmosphere, learn to laugh often.

Stephen and I certainly don’t have it all figured out - I’m sure 40 years from now, we STILL won’t have it all figured out! But I hope that by sharing what we’ve found helpful in building a great marriage, you feel inspired, encouraged, and better equipped to build a great marriage. Yes, it requires effort, but anything worth having takes effort. Marriage is such an incredible gift, so value your marriage, treasure your spouse, and determine in your heart today to build an amazing marriage :)

xoxo Kristy

It’s funny how perceptions of beauty have changed over the years. Back in the time of the Renaissance period (the 14th-16th centuries), the ideal female figure was one that was voluptous - likely what we would consider “overweight” today. And heaven forbid you were tanned - that meant you were of the working class! Being pale was equated with wealth and was very desirable.

Flash forward to the Victorian era in the 1800’s, and “beautiful” had shifted to having as tiny of a waist as possible, achieved by the use of the restrictive (and I’m sure, EXTREMELY uncomfortable) corsets. Imagine not being able to breathe properly or even breaking a few ribs all for the sake of beauty!

Society’s perception of ‘beauty’ has even changed quite significantly in the last hundred years - from women binding their chests in the 1920’s to have a more boyish figure, to the classic “hourglass” ideal with cinched waists and feminine dresses in the 50’s, to the super-slim models of the 60’s (like Twiggy), big hair and big makeup in the 80’s, to today. Although we tend to be more accepting of different body types now, ‘thin and fit’ is still desired by many (and is constantly reinforced by magazines and the art of airbrushing).

Why did I take you on that little walk through history? Because I think it’s important to understand that what society calls “beautiful” or “attractive” has gone from both ends of the spectrum and everything in between. And trying to fit that ideal can be stressful.

I’m pretty sure just about EVERY woman tends to be critical of her body, comparing herself to her best friend, co-worker, or the airbrushed models who grace the pages of magazines. I even wonder if the current female body builder trend is causing more woman to feel worse about themselves (even though many believe body building or fitness competitions are about health and inspiring others). After all, how realistic (or even enjoyable for that matter) is it to spend hours in the gym every day and meticulously weighing out your food for each meal and snack?

To try to put the concept of “beautiful” into a box is so limiting. I really believe that what it comes down to is feeling good about your body and being healthy. And remember that it’s not necessarily a ‘one-size-fits-all’ mentality with what guys find attractive. What one guys thinks is attractive, another might find unattractive! So when your boyfriend or husband tells you you’re beautiful, thank him! (and believe him!) Don’t insult his perception of beauty by putting yourself down or criticizing the parts of your body that you don’t like.

It’s fine to want to look a certain way, but please remember that your health and wellbeing should come first. And there’s no magic pill or diet to become healthier (despite what you heard on Dr. Oz or read on the internet). It comes down to eating healthy whole foods in health amounts, becoming more physically active, getting enough good quality sleep, managing your stress levels, and setting realistic attainable goals. Your ‘best weight’ is one that you can achieve and maintain while still enjoying your life.

I hope this post has given you something to think about and I pray it helps you feel more comfortable in your own skin :)

xoxo Kristy

If you’re like me, you often feel like you have a million things that need to be done and not enough hours in a day to get it all done. As a result, sometimes other things get pushed back in your calendar, leaving you feeling even more overwhelmed. (Case in point- I originally planned to write this on Sunday and it’s now Tuesday night.)

If we’re not careful we can end up feeling like a duck- on the surface we look beautiful and graceful and like we’ve got it all together, but under the water we’re paddling like crazy to stay afloat. If we maintain this kind of lifestyle long enough, it can feel like we’re running on empty and that at any moment we might run out of gas and be left stranded on the side of the road.

So what can we do about this? Well, I think there are a couple things we can do.

First, take a good hard look at what and who you give your time to (try tracking your time for a day or two). Do you complain about being “so busy” yet you spend 2-3 hours watching TV every night? If so, I think I just found a way to give yourself some extra time :)  Are you constantly running around with little to no time to relax (from school to work to home to study and then crash into bed, only to wake up the next morning and do it all over again)? If so, maybe there’s a way to figure out how to better manage your time - could you use your spares at school more productively so you have less studying to do in the evenings? could you talk with your boss and see if you could cut back one shift a week? could you study on the bus instead of just daydreaming or staring out the window?

Second, think about what your priorities are. You may say that your family is your main priority, but if you spend so much of your time just on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook or going out with friends every night of the week that you have no time with your fam, then it looks like your friends and creeping people on facebook are your real priorities. (I know, sometimes the truth hurts) We tend to make time for what’s really important to us, so if you really do care about your family and want to spend time with them (or with friends, or working out, or whatever that priority may be) take a look at your calendar to see how you can rearrange things to make your actions line up with your intentions.

Finally, to prevent yourself from feeling burnt out, take time regularly to recharge yourself. What makes you feel rejuvenated? A great cup of coffee and chat with a good friend? A massage? Curling up on the couch with a great book and cup of tea? Going for a run? For me it’s curling up on the couch with a cozy blanket and reading a magazine or a book while sipping a cup of yummy tea. Whatever it is for you, take time to build these times into your schedule. Also, never underestimate the power of taking time to spend with God. That’s the ultimate way to recharge your batteries and leave yourself feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! Carve out 15 or 20 each day to spend time reading the Bible, meditating on what you’re reading, and talking to God. I guarantee you’ll notice a difference :)

I want to leave you with a picture that illustrates this well…

Picture a pitcher full of water. You take that pitcher and begin pouring the water into a few glasses. What happens if you just keep pouring and don’t periodically refill that pitcher? It runs out of water. The same goes for us. If we’re constantly giving of ourselves - to our job, our schoolwork, our partner, our family, our friends, our church - but never take time to ‘refill’ ourselves, eventually we’re going to find ourselves feeling pretty empty. (and then we won’t be much help to anybody!)

Do I have this all figured out? No, I’m still learning too. But I’ve definitely gotten better at this by intentionally applying the principles I’ve talked about here. Practice good time-management skills, be disciplined, align how you spend your time with your priorities, and take time to rejuvenate yourself - you’re so worth it!

xoxo Kristy

Earlier tonight while I was just scrolling through my fb newsfeed for a couple minutes I came across a video from MissRepresentation.org that prompted me to write this. Here’s a quick look at what “Miss Representation” is…

“Miss Representation is the award-winning documentary film that exposes how mainstream media contributes to the underrepresentation of women in positions of power and influence in America. The film challenges the media’s limited and often disparaging portrayals of women and girls, which make it difficult for women to achieve leadership positions and for the average woman or girl to feel powerful herself.

MissRepresentation.org is the social action campaign of the documentary film. Its mission is to shift people’s consciousness, inspire individual and community action, and ultimately, transform culture so everyone, regardless of gender, can fulfill their potential.” (http://www.missrepresentation.org/about-us/)

I strongly encourage you to check out missrepresentation.org, look around their site, and check out the trailer for the documentary. But don’t stop there. Encourage your friends, your mom, your sister, your aunt, as well as the guys in your life, to check it out as well.

If all you ever watched was shows like Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives of Atlanta/ Beverly Hills/ etc, and Bachelor Pad, you’d think that being a woman means caring more about your hair/makeup/nails than what’s actually going on in the world, dressing as provocatively as possible to land the hottest guy, acting as some guy’s arm-candy, and treating your ‘friends’ like dirt.

Is that really what we females were created to be?? Absolutely not! It breaks my heart to see girls growing up thinking that this is what it means to be a woman, and I think it breaks God’s heart a thousand times more.

So before we talk about what defines a woman, let’s clarify what does NOT define you as a female.

You are NOT defined by your bra size, your clothes, or the size of your jeans.

You are NOT defined by whether or not you have a boyfriend/fiance/husband/partner.

You are NOT defined by what some random guy thinks about you.

You are NOT defined by where you’re from, your family background, or what you’ve done.

You are NOT defined by how much money you make, what kind of car you drive, or how nice your house is.

You are NOT defined by how many friends you have, how many people follow you on Instagram, or if you were invited to last weekend’s party.

And you are certainly NOT defined by how the media has portrayed women.

So what DOES define you? It’s pretty simple, actually. Who God, your creator and amazing father, says you are. And what does he say you are?

Precious.

Beautiful.

Stunning.

Brilliant.

Creative.

Loved.

Able to make an amazing positive impact on this world.

I encourage you to read Proverbs 31, verses 10-31, about what kind of woman God desires you to be. Here’s my summary…

She is worth far more than diamonds. Her husband trusts her completely and loves her unconditionally. She works creatively and diligently to provide for herself and her family. She’s a go-getter. She works hard to make the world a better place. She is organized, self-disciplined, and motivated. She’s a wise manager of her finances and plans for the future. She takes care of herself- physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. She knows her purpose and her immense value. She is quick to help others and is generous with her resources. She faces each new day with the peace, joy, and confidence that comes from having a growing relationship with God. She is beautiful- inside and out. She is admired and appreciated by her friends, family, neighbours, and co-workers. She uses her words to bring life, not death. She smiles. She is full of wisdom. Her kids love and respect her. She recognizes that life isn’t about appearances, so she builds a life of meaning and substance. She pursues Jesus daily.

Wow! What a stark contrast to the picture the media has painted of women! It’s time we changed our view of what it means to be female.

This world NEEDS you to recognize your value and potential and then go live that out. And this world needs the men in your world to view women according to God’s views as well (and it also needs them to see themselves how God created them to be- bold, strong, confident, passionate men who love God, love their wives, and seek to use their gifts to serve others and build healthier societies).

Please share this with the women in your life who may need some encouragement in this area. And do what you can to begin to inspire change in how our society views women - starting with yourself. Speak, act, and live in a way that reflects Proverbs 31 and watch the lives of people around you begin to change as well.

xoxo Kristy

Since I’ve been home sick the last couple of days, I’ve had some extra time on my hands, and this morning I found myself going through the cards I received after my dad died. Five years ago on November 1st I received the news that my dad had passed away. The following days, weeks, and months were a blur as I was processing it all. My dad had worked as a clinical psychologist and I remember reading emails after the funeral from his former clients talking about how ‘Dr. Wiebe’ had helped them, and from his former colleagues who wrote about how he was great to work with and a brilliant psychologist. I thought to myself how great it was that he had helped so many individuals improve their mental and emotional health and thus helped them experience a better quality of life. But then, with the concept of death so fresh in my mind, I thought, but eventually each of those people he helped will die and then they’re in eternity.I realized that out of the many people my dad helped and worked with over the years, some of them probably don’t have a relationship with God through Jesus, in which case when they pass away they won’t spend eternity in heaven. So even though my dad helped improve their lives on this planet, unless he pointed them to Jesus, it means nothing in the big scheme of things.

The fact that what we do for ETERNITY is what matters most was so strongly impressed into my mind.

I’m NOT saying that we should all drop out of school, quit our jobs, sell our houses and just go around preaching about Jesus all day.

What I AM saying is that we must make sure that we don’t become so wrapped up in our day-to-day lives (going to school, going to work, cleaning our homes, paying our bills), that we forget about what REALLY matters. We’ve got to point people to Jesus in whatever we do. From the girl who’s going to highschool and working part-time at Starbucks, to the guy working for a construction company, to the stay-at-home parent, to the self-employed husband, to the woman who works for a large corporation… if you’re a Christian you must keep eternity in mind. Treat people with love and respect - even if you don’t think they “deserve” it. Conduct yourself with integrity. Build a marriage that makes your friends and coworkers sit up and take notice. Invite people out to church. Offer to pray for people when the time is right. And when God presents you with opportunities to talk to people about Him, take the opportunities!

You see, if my life is all about helping people change their eating habits to improve their quality of life and extend the length of their life but I never point them to Jesus, then it’s like all I’ve done is for nothing. If the focus of my business is to make money just for my own personal gain, then that’s pretty selfish and empty. But if my focus is to make more money so I can GIVE more money to church and other causes that are reaching people for Jesus, then that’s making an eternal difference.

So continue building your relationships, your job, your finances, your knowledge, but remember this:  Life is short, and, in the big picture, the only thing that matters is showing people God and helping them enter into a relationship with Him. Live life in a way that when you die, people won’t just talk about what a great business person you were or how much money you made or how beautiful your house was, but about how you LOVED people, how you put GOD first in your life, how you showed people JESUS in how you spoke and acted, how you raised kids who know who they are in Christ and who are making a DIFFERENCE in the world, and how you used your gifts to BUILD Church and God’s family.

That’s what you were designed for. Keep the big picture in mind.

XO Kristy

Have you ever gone through a season of feeling discouraged about something and you wanted to just throw in the towel and quit? I remember I felt like this during my third year of university. After two years of fulltime university knowing that I still had two more years to go (plus a one-year unpaid internship after that), I was feeling burnt out, tired, and discouraged.I just want to be done school and working!I thought. I even considered switching faculties because I was in some pretty tough courses and I thought it was just too hard. (Nutrition is a challenging program!) But in my heart I knew that God had called me to this program in this faculty, and that I couldn’t give up and quit. And I’m so glad I listened to that! Because I kept with it and pushed through the pain, I’m know working as a dietitian doing something I LOVE and making a difference in people’s lives.

In Galatians 6:9-10 in the Bible, Paul offers us this encouragement:

“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.”

If anybody had an excuse to give up, it was this guy! Imagine being imprisoned multiple times just because you’re preaching about Jesus, being beaten, and shipwrecked. If anyone was entitled to say “That’s it! I’m done!” it was Paul. But he didn’t! And because he didn’t let himself get tired in doing good, he played a key role in bringing the good news about Jesus to the then-known world! Because he didn’t give up or quit, he harvested a VERY good crop at the right time!

Often when we’re tempted to give up we’re actually so close to seeing progress! And if we just keep going we’ll see amazing results! So, like Paul said, don’t get discouraged while going good. I think “doing good” can include everything from going through university, working hard to build a business, treating someone with love even though you’d rather not, honouring a difficult-to-honour parent, serving on a volunteer team at church, or working to bring about positive change in a community. If we keep going we WILL see a harvest if we don’t give up or quit.

Earlier this week I came across this on Instagram:

Regularly remind yourself of WHY you’re doing what you’re doing. If you’re studying Education and feeling discouraged, remind yourself of why you chose that program and of the great impact you’ll be able to have on numerous lives as a teacher. If you’re showing love to a difficult co-worker, remind yourself that by you continuing to love and respect that person they will be able to see Jesus working through you. If you’re trying to get a business up and running but feel like giving up because you’ve encountered some setbacks, remind yourself of the purpose behind that business. Often, reminding ourselves of why we started something is the push we need to keep going.

I’ll end with Paul’s words of wisdom:  “Let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.”

Keep at it, because the best is yet to come :)

xoxo Kristy