Living 2,000 miles away from my family for the past few years has given some perspective.  In light of visiting my parents for the past two weeks I've been thinking about what they taught me and what I hope to pass on to my children one day.  I miss them dearly and I value the lessons they have taught me.  Not a day has gone by that I have had at least one of these thoughts pop into my head.  

1-"Don't give up what you want most for what you want now."  I was about 14. I remember riding in an old, beat up farm truck with my dad.  He felt like chatting that day (which is rare because he is man of few words) and had me repeat that phrase word for word.  Over and over and over.  He was telling me stories of friends or family that he felt sacrificed special things for 'living in the moment'.  The ability to endure and see the big picture shapes nearly every decision I make.

2-"There are two sides to every story".  Growing up I would come home from school to vent to my parents about a sob story where some person was rude....mean...conceited....arrogant....stupid...etc as most children and teens do.  I would beg my mom to call the teacher and stick up for me.  Her response was always, "There are two sides to every story.  You never know what is going on in his/her life."  She would then ask me what I did wrong.  Can you believe that?  Making me be accountable for my actions?!  She never let us pass blame to someone else.

3- "I don't care if you make a mistake, I care if you lie about it." I was probably 3 or 4 years old.  I took dental floss from my dad's drawer without asking.  I used the whole thing up, baffled with how cool the dispenser was.  He later asked me if I had seen it.  Worried I would be in trouble I quickly responded "No."  The guilt was horrifying.  After waiting forever to confess, which was probably 1-2 minutes.  I started bawling and told the truth.  He replied, "I don't care you that you took and used all my floss, I care that you lied to me about taking it.  I would have given it to you if you would have asked."  I never lied to my dad again until I was 17, and he caught me.  Once again I was in trouble for lying about staying out past curfew, not for being late.

4- Family dinner is essential.  We didn't eat consistently together each night.  We were highly involved in sports, church activities or work but my parents did cook homemade, real food most nights of the week.  I loved coming home to Dad's homemade chili we could eat for days.  We never wasted food.  Dad would often hunt for game meat and Mom would cook from scratch.  Night after night.  Eating out was special and a rare occasion.  If we complained we were told to "eat what's put before you". They took turns cooking and the children's job was the dishes.    Some of my best memories are in the kitchen near mealtime.

5- "If your out-go exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall".   My parents are meticulous with their money and passed that onto us.  In our house, debt was not an option. Credit cards were paid off every month.  I don't ever remember them borrowing money from others but I also know that in my early childhood we didn't have much.  My dad was always fixing anything broken and  never just threw things away.  We were taught to save money and work for things we needed.  


Thank you Mom and Dad.  I love you.  I know I was meant to be your daughter.

Love,

Ashley

About This Author:  Ashley Johanson Farr was raised in small town in Northern Utah.  She graduated from Southern Utah University with a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences Education also known as home economics.  She taught foods, nutrition and sewing to inner city junior high students for three years until she married her husband, Tim, and became an Army Wife.  Her passion in health and fitness has included three Ragnar Races, two half marathons, three sprint triathlons, crossfit, and most recently an NPC bikini competition.  While she has always enjoyed exercise yet she has always loved food and dessert even more!  She turned to eating a real, whole foods based life two years ago and has never looked back!  Her attitude, spirit, performance, emotions, strength, physical appearance, and energy all improved when she learned to focus on what humans were meant to eat. "The older I get, the younger people think I look and THAT is priceless!" she says. To learn more about Ashley visit her website @  http://farrcleanerlife.blogspot.com/

My first year of teaching inner city Title 1 junior high school the most stressful time in my life.  I was in serious survival mode. "They" always say the first year is hard but, hard doesn't even describe it.  I was drowning.  This was my schedule:

• 4:45 wake up
  
• 5:30 Arrive at work, plan lessons/make copies
  
• 7:30 School starts
  
• 3:00 School ends
  
• 3:15 Coach volleyball practice
  
• 5:30 practice ends--->grocery shop/fabric shop for school (home ec teacher)
  
• 6:30-7 put away groceries
  
• 7:45 arrive home, grade papers until I fell asleep
  

And repeat the next day.  I didn't grocery shop every day but the days I didn't buy groceries for class I had volleyball games and/or tournaments.

But that isn't the whole truth.  On my way to school, I would cry.  At lunch I would cry.  After school I would lock myself in my pantry, eat chocolate chips and cry.  At night I would come home--->usually stop at McDonald's for french fries and Coke because, hey I survived another day and then commute to my parents house (I moved back in with them post-college for 6 months) and cry.

My dad was a former teacher (and a mighty good one) and one day he told me, "Quit your bawlin' and figure out what you need to do to improve your situation."  More true words were never spoken.  And while it may sound extreme, this father of FIVE daughters (no sons) had been listening to me whine and cry for two solid months, I deserved a stern talking to. There were a few other things my ever-so-wonderful parents did to make sure I was okay but that talk stuck with me forever.

How I Had Been Dealing with Stress:

1- Cry
2- Eat food.
3- Complain to others around me.
4- Isolate myself because "no one understood", I thought.

I did what he said. I sought out every means I could improve my situation.  I found three stellar male veteran teachers in their 40's & 50's and adapted to their advice.  I had to learn that my way wasn't working and I needed to be willing to try things differently.  I learned it was all attitude, that I was in control and I HAD to be in control of myself.  I had to learn how I was going to react to situations before they happened.

I learned I need to prioritize my time and be well planned.  If I wasn't happy, ain't no one gonna be happy--it meant sacrificing a few things *swallowing my pride* for what I thought was important.

So after a few weeks I was still exhausted and barely hanging on BUT at least I wasn't sobbing my way through; I could feel slight improvements. I had started saying silent prayers when I felt like crying, snacking on grapes instead of chocolate chips, and going for walks with my mom when I got home at night. I made sure to exercise at least every Saturday; throughout the week I would play volleyball with the girls instead of just coach them.  By the end of the year I was a whole new woman, and so was my classroom. I began to love what I was doing.

My dad's advice has stuck with me ever since.  "Figure out what you need to do to improve your situation".  I realized what stresses me most is what I don't have control of, but I do have control over a lot of things.  I am no longer a school teacher but I am an Army Wife and I have a new kind of stress. In 2012 we lived in four states, six months we were separated and never felt like we had a home.  

How I Reduce Stress Now

1- Take a deep breathe and try to isolate exactly what is stressing me. Take accountability for what YOU can do to change YOUR environment. 
2- Go for a walk/run/exercise.  I always feel better after endorphin's flow so my problem no longer seems as big.  If my husband and I disagree, we go for a walk with our dog and we always feel better when we get home.  
3- Play calm or happy music and sing to it, pick out my favorite calming essential oil and just breathe it in--I'm obsessed with lavender right now.
4-Write in my journal. Writing is crucial therapy for me so most days of the week I try to record what I'm doing right and how I feel.  If I am feeling bad or frustrated I try to figure out why.
5- Cry. Yes I still allow myself to cry.  It is no longer my first reaction but more like a few minutes to release and move on.  I've never been an angry person that punches, hits, or throws things so I've learned this is how my physical body releases stress.

What I Have Learned By Adapting:
1- Life is meant to be enjoyed, not frustrating.
2- Sometimes it takes saying "No" to people.  It is okay to not be busy.  Busy-ness does not equal success.  It is also okay to ask for help!
3- Learning to de-stress is a skill! It must be practiced and it is not easy.  

Much Love,

--Ashley

About This Author:  Ashley Johanson Farr was raised in small town in Northern Utah.  She graduated from Southern Utah University with a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences Education also known as home economics.  She taught foods, nutrition and sewing to inner city junior high students for three years until she married her husband, Tim, and became an Army Wife.  Her passion in health and fitness has included three Ragnar Races, two half marathons, three sprint triathlons, crossfit, and most recently an NPC bikini competition.  While she has always enjoyed exercise yet she has always loved food and dessert even more!  She turned to eating a real, whole foods based life two years ago and has never looked back!  Her attitude, spirit, performance, emotions, strength, physical appearance, and energy all improved when she learned to focus on what humans were meant to eat. "The older I get, the younger people think I look and THAT is priceless!" she says. To learn more about Ashley visit her website @  http://farrcleanerlife.blogspot.com/

Continued from PART 1

My journey of losing 130 lbs was a lot of work. I planned out my meals every night on a form I created before I went to bed. I woke up early every morning, which by the way was freakin difficult for me since I am NOT a morning person, I made a call to someone and told her what I would be eating down the ounce of tsp, I prepped my food every morning, went to 3 weight loss meetings a week, made 3 phone calls to people in my program a day, wrote on a question everyday and did service. People tell me it's hard what I require of them, but let me tell you, I WORKED MY BUTT OFF to get the results I have and although I don't think you have to do as much as I did, it still requires good healthy habits. But you have to WANT IT. I discovered after working with soo many people that I can't want it more than they want it for themselves. It's also NOT as difficult to make that SWITCH as most people think. 

STOP with the GARBAGE THINKING. Start by taking one step in the right direction. Make a plan, get a support around you to help you NOT give up and GET ON WITH IT. 

I just got a call today from an old family friend of ours that I haven't seen in years. Although he hasn't had the same story as mine, his story was just as powerful. I could hear in his voice the frustration as he shared his experience of watching many of his friends struggling with such health issues as, heart disease, high cholesterol among others. His friends watched as he took back control of his own life and lost 43 lbs. After beating the odds of having to deal with high cholesterol issues the rest of his life, he began sharing what he did with others and he realized that some were open to his suggestions and some where not. The ones who listened, he said lost weight and look like a million bucks and the ones who didn't died! 

I would love to say that doctors out there understand and know about nutrition but the fact of the matter is, MOST do not! How often do you hear a doctor say "How about we get you in to meet with a local nutritionist to help you with your aching knees, shortness of breath, your diabetes and your back pain." No, they just tell you to take this pill or that pill. Do you realize that your body regenerates it's cells every 2 years and depending on the FUEL or the food you put into your body will give those cells what they need to heal? Yeah, well welcome to the NAKED TRUTH about health. 

We are literally living in a HUGE cloud of DENIAL. I can't listen to one more person tell me all the reasons why they CAN'T lose weight when they can't even get honest with themselves. GET OUT OF YOUR FAT BRAIN and into your BIG HEART is what I say! YES it take work, but the work is worth it. I will tell you from first hand experience after having my weight off for 3 years now and living a life thin has brought me INCREDIBLE experiences let alone connections I don't believe I could have ever had before. 

So maybe you am I so passionate about this?  Well, even though I have tried several different things and are wiling to fall flat on my face and get back up, is because I KNOW what it takes. I am come to realize through massive trial and error, I am NOT looking for the people who NEED what I have to share, I am looking for the ones who WANT what it is that I share because those wanting it will be WILLING to do what it takes to reap the rewards of HEALTHY LIVING. Until you get to that point, there is NO POINT in trying! Good luck! 

About this Author: Becky Sampson has dedicated her life in helping people overcome their personal battles with weight loss.  She provides a unique approach in that she herself lost 130 pounds and has kept it off for over 3 years.  Becky understands the physical, emotional, and physiological sides that people need to overcome in order to release their own beauty within.  She is known to say, “No matter what the challenge is that you face in life, there is always a way to overcome it if you can get your head in the game.”   Learn more about Becky at www.CreatingHealthyLiving.com
801-427-0490 

LIFE 1010 would like to introduce one of our new guest bloggers Ashley Johanson Farr!  We are excited to have her and feel you will benefit greatly from what she has learned in LIFE!  

Here is a little something about Ashley:

Ashley Johanson Farr was raised in small town in Northern Utah.  She graduated from Southern Utah University with a BS in Family and Consumer Sciences Education also known as home economics.  She taught foods, nutrition and sewing to inner city junior high students for three years until she married her husband, Tim, and became an Army Wife.  Her passion in health and fitness has included three Ragnar Races, two half marathons, three sprint triathlons, crossfit, and most recently an NPC bikini competition.  While she has always enjoyed exercise yet she has always loved food and dessert even more!  She turned to eating a real, whole foods based life two years ago and has never looked back!  Her attitude, spirit, performance, emotions, strength, physical appearance, and energy all improved when she learned to focus on what humans were meant to eat. "The older I get, the younger people think I look and THAT is priceless!" she says.
 
She and her husband value planning for the future, saving money, healthy living on a budget, and living within their means.  They have lived in Utah, Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, and dream of raising their family in the beautiful Rocky Mountains one day.   Her favorite hobbies are hiking with her husband and dog, learning to play tennis, "girl talk" with her best friends, or catching up on her favorite TV shows.
 
Future goals include: spreading joy and inspiration through her blog, an Olympic distance triathlon, squatting 200 pounds, running a 5k in under 22 minutes, and having children one day.
Biggest accomplishments include: eating ONE and only one chocolate chip cookie (I'm an all or nothing kind of girl). Having a recipe published in Oxygen Magazine.

To learn more about Ashley, watch for future posts or check out her website: http://farrcleanerlife.blogspot.com/

LIFE 1010 would like to introduce one of our new guest bloggers Becky Sampson!  We are excited to have her and feel you will benefit greatly from what she has learned in LIFE!  

Here is a little something about Becky:  

From a very early age of 7 years old, Becky Sampson has battled with compulsive over eating, low self esteem and suicidal thoughts. Her weight has always been more than just a struggle for her. As she has gone up and down in her weight, so did her confidence. She found herself several times during her lifetime wanting to give up but something inside of Becky kept her going. She knew someday, somehow, she would figure it out and in February 2009 a friend of hers got honest with her and she made a decision that enough was enough. Becky took it one day at a time, one moment at a time, one pound at a time and released 130 lbs. She slowly learned to love and accept herself and to heal what caused her to turn to food. Becky learned that as she got out of the food and on with her life, that she truly had a LIFE....an amazing life she NEVER knew! She soon realized, after 3 years of being on the OTHER SIDE of obesity, it's her daily choices that determine her RESULTS. It's getting up every morning and making the decision to take care of herself. Ironically enough, she never knew she was beautiful and although that is NOT what determines her value, she has learned to embrace her beauty, her inner strength and her incredible tenacity. 

She is known to say, “No matter what the challenge is that you face in life, there is always a way to overcome it if you can get your head in the game.” People ask Becky all the time what's the magic pill and in her opinion, the magic pill is your WILLINGNESS. Becky Sampson now dedicates her life to helping others get out of the downward spiral of unhealthy eating behaviors and CREATING HEALTHY LIVING! 

To learn more about Becky, watch for future posts or check out her website: www.CreatingHealthyLiving.com
Or call:  801-427-0490