Personal Life Update (And I chopped my hair off!)

I've had A LOT of things change in my life recently and I wanted to update my blog about what's going on!

1. I completely chopped off my hair. Literally 10 inches and then dyed it white blonde. You know when you go through a stressful period in your life (last fall... with my mom's cancer diagnosis and a few other things) and you feel like you just need a change? Well I did it! I've had long hair my whole life and haven't had hair this short since grade school but I'm LOVING IT. It's almost like one of those things you just need to cross off your bucket list to say that you've done, isn't it? Plus it's boring to have the same exact hair your whole life! Nicolette Paige Ballif in Ogden Utah did the cut and color... she's magic! You can contact her on facebook here or on instagram @nicolettepaige!

2. I'm trying to eat less meat in my diet... for multiple reasons.

• One of the reasons is that I'm a self professed animal freak... I was reading an article by Fully Raw Kristina (she's on instagram) and I realized if I wouldn't feel comfortable killing an animal myself I shouldn't eat it. She brought up the point that when we go to the supermarket the idea of meat actually being an animal is so separated from what we are being sold. The meat is perfectly packaged, all of the blood is cleaned off the meat, and we rarely associate the meat with the animal. I would NEVER kill a cow and I would NEVER kill a chicken... so why would I eat it? I'm still eating fish because that doesn't effect me as much and I'm still eating eggs as well (cage free eggs!). 
• Before any one gets offended, I don't judge people that eat meat, it's just not for me! If you live on a farm and kill your animals for food I actually prefer that, I prefer that the animals live free to roam and are killed humanely. I know that just from me not eating meat isn't going to stop many animals from being killed, but one thing I can prevent is them being treated inhumanely while they are alive.
• Another reason I'm eating less meat is because  I watched the documentaries "Food Inc." and "Forks Over Knives"... I put off watching these documentaries for a while because I knew they would leave a huge impact on me. I wish I watched them sooner, ignorance is NOT bliss! We need to know what we are eating! The documentary "Food Inc." doesn't focus so much on the emotional side of animals being killed but more so how disgusting the conditions are in which they are being raised and killed. The animals are being pumped with growth hormones, antibiotics, and are coated in manure as they go through the slaughter house--gross! The documentary is all about knowing what you eat, not necessarily not eating meat but personally it just turned me off of eating meat. The other day one of my coworkers was telling me about a sign her grandparents have on their fridge, it says, "Eat organic, or as we like to call it in the olden days 'food'"! It's so true, food is what comes straight out of the ground. Whether it be vegetables, fruits, or meat... the less involvement of humans manipulating the food, the better!
• The third reason I'm eating less meat is I have high cholesterol. I know, not fair right? I eat healthy, I work out, I do everything I'm supposed to and I still have high cholesterol. I'm genetically predisposed to have high cholesterol! But instead of going on a chemically produced medication to lower my cholesterol, I'd rather just cut out most cholesterol. And guess what the ONLY source of cholesterol is? ANIMAL PRODUCTS! There is no cholesterol in fruits, vegetables, beans, or grains (and when I say no cholesterol in those I'm talking about WHOLE foods). So instead of adding insult to injury by pumping myself with more animal cholesterol, I've just been getting protein from other sources like beans and egg whites!

3. On Saturday I finished Ogden Half Marathon that I have been training for for the past 6 months. I want to do a separate post on this because I have a lot to say... but to say the least it was my fastest half marathon out of the 8 that I've done through the past 8 years. I was really happy about that! Wahoo!

4. I don't know if I've ever talked about it before but I'm a registered nurse on the mother/baby floor at a hospital here in Utah. I've been there about two years now and I swear that floor is like the Holy Grail of nursing jobs... I LOVE it. Anyway, I've been working part-time (two 12 hours shifts a week) and I'm now working PRN (three 12 hour shifts a MONTH). My husband got a great new job that allows me to stay at home with Jake more. As much as I love my job I'm excited to be able to spend as much time as I can with my baby before he grows up!

5. I now weigh 143 pounds and fit in all of my pre-pregnancy clothes. Ideally I'd like to get to my lowest healthy BMI (which is 130 pounds) but I'm just taking it as I go. I think it's important to enjoy your body as well! You know the saying, "I wish I was as skinny as I was when I thought I was fat." Don't be that person! Work out, eat healthy, and the rest will take care of itself.

6. I crave whole foods now. It used to be that burgers and fries sounded AMAZING--but not anymore! I'd take watermelon and mango over processed foods any day! It's so funny because I've noticed the more you eat something, the more you crave it. Regardless of what it is! The more you eat icecream the more you will crave it, the more you eat fast food the more you will crave it, the more you eat salads and whole foods the more you will crave it. It's the truth!

7. If you read my last post you know that I'm cutting social media out of my life. I've gone two weeks without social media now and it's been AMAZING. Seriously, it's freeing! I'm more present with all those around me, I'm more fun for my baby, and I have more meaningful conversations with those around me. Social media is addicting because it creates an idea of being connected with many friends, but unfortunately looking at their posts and liking them isn't connecting with your friends. It's cheap communication--you aren't building friendships that way. I also want to do an additional post about this another time because I'm really passionate about it and have a lot to say, but I will say this, social media is an addiction! If you are getting on FB and instagram multiple times a day, you are addicted! If you find it hard to go a few days without logging on, you are addicted. I found it hard to go "cold turkey" without social media for the first few days but now I don't even think about it. And I love it! Seriously you should try it!

So a few big changes in my life the past little bit and I'm feeling great! I'm looking forward to posting more often on my blog now that I'm working less, more recipes and health tips! Now that I'm not posting on Instagram or Facebook anymore, make sure you subscribe to my blog we can continue to stay in touch! Subscribe by entering your e-mail on the right side of my blog or by subscribing on bloglovin. Talk to ya soon!

xoxo Britney