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5 Body Positive Influencers I’m Loving Right Now

Five Body Positive Influencers to Follow

When it comes to who I follow on social media, I’m always on the look out for positive vibes and supportive body talk. What you surround yourself with online matters and I’ve recently added a few new body positive Instagrammers to my “must follow” list.

Five Body Positive Influencers to Follow

The Internet can be a wonderful place. But in my experience, the negative often outweighs the positive unless you actively pursue it. That’s why I’m always on the look out for new positive voices to follow.

Here are 5 Instagrammers that I recently followed because they are full of positivity, encouragement, and are actively working to change our current diet culture.

 

 

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Who are some of the positive voices you follow online? I’m always looking for more positive voices to follow online.

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What the Bible Says: All Foods Are Guilt-Free Foods

In today’s diet-inspired culture its easy to feel guilty about the food choices you make. But I believe we are not meant to have a spirit of guilt and shame and, as I’ve discovered, the Bible provides plenty of proof that God doesn’t want you to feel badly about the way you eat either.

When I first started down my career path, I approached food with wonder. As I learned about various foods and our body’s unique ability to break them down and utilize them for fuel and nourishment, I found myself amazed at how it all worked.

Yet it didn’t take long for that wonder to wane. In fact, it seemed as though the deeper I dug into nutrition science, the less it became about wonder and the more it became about finding the most ideal way to eat. Nutrition became a weapon, one I used to weed out the good foods from the bad foods, and set the stage for rather restrictive eating and, eventually, led me down a disordered eating path.

Nutrition isn’t meant to be a weapon and food isn’t meant to be an all-consuming pursuit. Food is just food and although its role in your life matters, we often spend too much time trying to control it rather than enjoying it for the benefits it truly has.

A few weeks ago my husband asked my thoughts about a verse he found while reading through 1 Timothy. The verse went like this:

They’ll tell you not to eat this or that food—perfectly good food God created to be eaten heartily and with thanksgiving by believers who know better! Everything God created is good, and to be received with thanks. Nothing is to be sneered at and thrown out. God’s Word and our prayers make every item in creation holy. 1 Timothy 4:4-5 MSG

Now Paul was writing against religious idolatry that was still being held from before Jesus. But the principle holds here. Our pursuit of eating well can often turn into a pursuit of perfection. A pursuit that ultimately misses the point. This verse illustrates this, showcasing how every food can be a gift and approached with gratitude.

Its easy to think that if we eat a certain way, we can achieve the way of living we desire. Yet this fails to take into account all the complexities of life or the fact that living a full life isn’t dependent on our food choices to begin with. Your purpose, your worth – none of that is affected by the foods you choose eat.

Food is discussed in the bible on many occassions. Not all of those times are pertinent to the discussion here, but I believe these verses do reference food in a similar fashion.

Go eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. Ecclesiastes 9:7

Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you. Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. Genesis 9:3

Therefore I tell you, don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Matthew 6:25

But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. 1 Corinthians 8:8

Looking at food through this context is interesting and for me, serves as yet another reminder that I don’t need to take food too seriously. It also assures me that foods really aren’t meant to be labeled as “good” or “bad” – that food is just food and that no matter what we choose to eat, our value as a person isn’t dependent on how we choose to fuel our bodies.

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September 2018 Side Income Report: How I Made $79.65

Side Income Report September 2018

This side income update post may contain affiliate links and if a purchase is made by clicking through the, I may be financially compensated.  

Side Income Report September 2018

First, I want to say thank you to all who’ve participated in my online poll featured currently on my Facebook page. Your input is incredibly valuable and I’m excited that so many of you would be interested in posts that highlight the various ways I attempt to keep more money in my pocket. If you haven’t voiced your opinion yet, you can do so here.

One way I save money every month is by utilizing a variety of apps on my phone and through my Internet browser. I like to think of these as my “side hustle” and although I don’t make a ton from these opportunities, every dollar matters when you’re trying to live within your means and pay off debt.

Total payout for September 2018: $79.65

First: My Grocery Rebate Apps 

I use Ibotta and Checkout 51 every week to get cash back after every trip to the grocery store. This month I was able to cash out both my Ibotta and Checkout 51 accounts for a total of $41.00.

Ibotta: $20.15

Checkout 51: $20.85

Want to try either of these apps out? With Ibotta, you’ll get $10 back after your first purchase. Sign up here!

You can additionally download Checkout 51 here.

Second: Receipt Scanning Apps 

I also use Fetch Rewards and Receipt Hog to scan receipts and gain points. These points can be exchanged for gift cards (Fetch Rewards) or cash (Receipt Hog). This month I only withdrew $3 from Fetch Rewards on an Amazon gift card to save on a purchase I planned to make. With Receipt Hog, I’m saving my points so that I can withdraw the highest amount of cash for the least amount of points. Currently, I’ve saved up 3642 points and need 6500 to withdraw $40 through PayPal.

Fetch Rewards: $3.00 (Amazon Gift Card)

Try Fetch Rewards out and you’ll automatically get 2000 points (worth $2) when you scan your first receipt. I’ll also get 2000 points if you sign up through my referral link and enter my referral code PD1CE.

Third: Shopkick 

Shopkick gets its own category because its a little different than the other apps I have on my phone. With Shopkick you don’t necessarily have to buy anything to get points. Simply make sure the app is open when you walk into participating stores and you can score some points. You can also get points for scanning the bar codes of featured products and yes, you do get points if you purchase certain items as well.

Shopkick also features daily videos worth 1 point and additional bonus points through their “Explore” feature.

Shopkick: $10.00 (Amazon Gift Card)

Points can be exchanged for a variety of gift cards. Get started with 250 points (~$1 value) when you sign up through my referral link.

Fourth: Browser Apps 

To be fair, I don’ t shop online all that often. That’s more my husband’s style than my own. When I do shop online though, I make sure that I’m always using either Ebates or TopCashBack. I tried TopCashBack for the first time last month and was able to withdraw $15.65 cash back. This was put on a Walmart gift card.

TopCashBack: $15.65

Sometimes TopCashBack has higher cash back rates than Ebates. If you’d like to sign up, you can do so here.

I also utilize Ebates, but didn’t reach my cash out threshold this month. My favorite feature of Ebates is that you can utilize a plug in to place it on your browser toolbar, making it super easy to activate before you make a purchase.

Fifth: Search Engine and Games 

Did you know that you can score gift cards for your Internet searches? Microsoft rewards you for searching plus they have daily reward challenges that allow you to earn points you can use towards a variety of things. I typically go with an Amazon gift card and this month was able to exchange my points for a $5 gift card.

I also enjoy Perk, which you can supposedly earn points online in a variety of ways, but I typically stick with their Perk app and their Pop Quiz app. To be honest, it takes forever to earn enough points to cash out and there are a lot of ads, but if you like quizzes and have some time to kill in between appointments, you could play to win.

Bing: $5.00 (Amazon Gift Card)

Perk: $5.00 (Amazon Gift Card)

Have you tried any of these apps to save or make a little money? Do you have a favorite? Share your thoughts in the comments or share with me on Facebook.

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5 Self-Care Activities You Can Do For FREE this Fall!

Self Care Activities for Fall

Fall can be a great opportunity to relax and unwind. If you need some inspiration, here are five FREE ways I’m planning to practice self-care this fall.

Self Care Activities for Fall

Go on a color tour. The leaves are changing and there is something wonderful about taking in all the beautiful fall colors. Grab your bike or take a walk through your neighborhood or local park for a self-led color tour. As you do, be sure to look for aspects of nature that you can appreciate or admire.

Create your own fall-inspired word search. Develop a word search featuring fall-inspired words. Or download one of these beautifully created downloads.

Gather leaves for a DIY project. While out on your color tour, grab some leaves that you can utilize to make your own DIY project. Art is one of my most favorite ways to practice self-care. It allows me to practice being okay with imperfections and serves as a reminder that masterpieces can require time to develop.

Curl up with a good book. Reading is one of my favorite ways to unplug and unwind. There’s nothing quite as relaxing as curling up with a good book and a cup of coffee of tea. Find a new book at your local library and let it transport you to another world. 

Try a new yoga pose.  As the trees change colors, what better way to practice self-care than with a little tree pose? 

Kati Practicing Tree Pose

I love this power pose because it allows me to reflect on the fact that, like a tree, I’m well rooted and that I have a strong foundation in Christ even though change, like the seasons, is an inevitable part of life.