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carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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May 25, 2023

Raw Honey is Good

I’m with Winnie the Pooh when it comes to honey. Although, I don’t recommend eating pawfuls of it from a honey pot. To get honey’s natural healt

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Food, Health
May 17, 2023

Savor the Season

Here in the Midwest, it’s finally safe to plant flowers and vegetables without fear of frost. We hope. I’m going to risk it. The daffodils and tul

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Health, In the Garden
May 11, 2023

A Simple Morning Ritual

If you’ve watched television recently, perhaps you’ve noticed that not a commercial segment passes without the mention of a prescription drug. Or

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Health
May 4, 2023

Baby Angelos Turns Two!

For those of you who have been following my blog for the past 2 ½ years, you may recall my weekly posts about the size of my friend’s baby in utero

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Family, Food, Fun, Health
April 27, 2023

Tomatoes and Acidity

This week I was asked, “My young son gets some red irritation around his mouth when he eats lots of tomatoes. Why does this happen?” The answer: a

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Food, Health
April 20, 2023

Better than a Chia Pet

Lately I’ve been honoring my addiction to chia pudding. While not everyone is a fan, you may like to give it a try if you: like pudding don’t have

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Food, Health
April 20, 2023

No longer limited to ‘the pottery that grows,’ chia seeds add fiber, antioxidant oomph to your diet

(The following article was written for the March 2022 issue of Get Healthy magazine, a publication of The Northwest Indiana Times.) Chia seeds have be

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Food, Health
April 13, 2023

The Scoop on Avocados

The avocado can sometimes be a heartbreaker. If you’re a fan, you know what I’m referring to. You buy what appears to be a beautiful avocado. You

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Food, Health
April 6, 2023

Time for a Reset

Spring. The time of year when we think of new life, cleaning, outdoors, daffodils—and rain. Lots of rain. Winter was mild here in the Region. Thankf

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Family, Food, Health, Hope, Personal Development
March 30, 2023

Foods for Healthy Skin

Here’s a big surprise (not): your diet influences the health of your skin. Besides the natural aging process, other factors that affect our skin inc

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Food, Health, Personal Development

High Fructose Corn Syrup

January 31, 2019
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Food, Health

The other day I was searching for ketchup without high fructose corn syrup, also known as HFCS. I bet I spent at least 10 minutes reading labels until I found one that was acceptable.

Why is this a big deal? Is HFCS any worse than cane sugar? Short answer: YES. It is sweeter and cheaper than regular sugar and is in every processed food and sugar-sweetened drink.

While all added sugar is a negative when it comes to health, HFCS promotes more adverse health conditions than regular sugar. The main reason: it is “hiding” in so many foods that it sneaks up on us.

In recent history, we’ve gone from 20 teaspoons of sugar per person per year to about 150 pounds of sugar per person per year.  That’s a half pound a day for every man, woman, and child in America.  

When you eat sugar in those doses, it becomes a toxin.

High fructose corn syrup contributes to: weight gain, cancer, fatty liver and liver stress, increased cholesterol levels, diabetes, high blood pressure, leaky gut, heart disease, and increased mercury intake.

HFCS is in a long list of food items. In fact, take a look at what’s in your kitchen. Go on, I’ll wait. Read a few labels. Check your ketchup, cereal, soda, bread, crackers, candy, juices, sweetened yogurt, frozen junk food, other condiments, granola bars, jams and jellies, powdered creamers, and salad dressings.

GASP! I know; shocking, isn’t it?

Items that you may believe to be healthy are loaded with sugar in the form of HFCS. Sneaky.

Foods containing HFCS are of poor quality and are highly processed—not REAL food.

Sugar is not healthy either, however we tend to be more aware that we are eating it. When I bake Mr. Non-Compliant his favorite cookies, I know exactly how much of everything is in them—including the sugar.

High quality homemade cookies that taste amazing sure beat a “healthy” (NOT) granola bar with HFCS.

Kicking HFCS (and artificial sweeteners) out of your life is a huge step on the road to improving every aspect of your health. It’s also the toughest, since sugar is as addictive as cocaine.

Today, take note of how many foods you eat that contain HFCS. Practice cutting back and eventually  eliminating those foods.

When you stop consuming high fructose corn syrup, you also eliminate many chemicals that have no business being part of your diet. Your body will thank you in surprising ways.

Need help getting your body back on the health track? If beginning this process is stressing you out, and you are sick and tired of being stuck, I’m here to help you move in the right direction. Let me know and we’ll create a plan for your most awesome life.

To your health,
Carol

“Take care of yourself as if you’re the most awesome person you’ve ever met.”
― Jen Sincero, “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life”

No Excuses

January 24, 2019
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Health

You’ve made your plan to get to the gym. It’s important for many reasons.

Oh, but it’s been a long day and you remember that you need to run to the store and pick up a few items for dinner.

You pick up those items, look at the time, and think to yourself, “I don’t I have time to get to the gym today. By the time I get home, make dinner, eat, do the dishes, I’m done.”

You set your alarm so that you can get up early and get to the gym in the morning. That will work better, or so you think.

Not so much, when you hit snooze three times. Going now will make you late for everything all day. 

You plan to take a walk later. The weather doesn’t cooperate, so you bail on that idea.

Tomorrow is not much better. You have plans and no “free” time.

The weekend rolls around. Who wants to work out on the weekend when weekends are made for fun?

And so it goes.

You have spent how many hours and situations justifying why you simply cannot exercise? You’re tired, cranky, and have the “I haven’t been to the gym in a month” guilt.

Let me say this: You will expend much less energy and thinking by getting your workouts in. You will feel better mentally, physically, emotionally, and you may even have some fun.

A few tips for getting yourself moving and avoiding guilt:

*Stop making excuses. You have the time. It is not your priority, so you don’t do it.

*You’re tired because you have lots going on. Your brain could use a rest and physical movement is a wonderful diversion.

*Showing up at the gym or on the walking trail gives you the gumption to show up powerfully in other areas of your life. You’re overcoming self-sabotage, which is not always easy.

*Do things you enjoy. When you have fun moving, you’ll look forward to your workouts.

*Make it convenient. If you like to exercise at home, that’s great. However, it’s also easy to skip because other tasks pull at you. Be creative and figure out what works.

*The benefits of moving far outweigh the stories you tell yourself in order to avoid doing so.  

*If you have a spouse, consider doing something together: dancing lessons, yoga, walking.

*Be accountable to someone. Having friends at the gym make getting there a whole lot easier and fun.

If figuring out a plan seems like mission impossible, let me know. I love a challenge.

To your health,
Carol

“Think of your workouts as important meetings you’ve scheduled with yourself. Bosses don’t cancel.”

Now is Your Time

January 17, 2019
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Health, Personal Development

Are you waiting for the perfect time to deal with your nutrition, fitness, and health?

If so, when is that time?

Next week? Once you have a break in your busy schedule? When you clean out the pantry and buy some vegetables?

The truth is that there is no perfect time. Whether it’s starting a fitness routine, getting that dream job, learning a foreign language, or writing the book, the time to begin is today.

When we plan to eat smarter “someday,” or get to the gym when we “have time,” we end up doing nothing. Procrastination keeps us safe. If we do nothing, we don’t mess up.

Today, take a step. Do one small thing that moves you forward. If it isn’t the “perfect” time or seems insignificant, do it anyway.

Do the next right thing. It’s okay if you do it “badly.”    

Choose water over the soda. Park further away from your destination and walk at a rapid pace. Eat some protein for breakfast instead of only having coffee. Add an extra vegetable to your dinner.

Do one thing and build upon that. Do the best you can today, for tomorrow is not promised. Now is your time.

We sometimes look at others and think they have it all together. They have more time, more motivation, more talent.

YOU have it all together. Seize the day, seize the moment, and make your move.

If you have a feeling of overwhelm and aren’t sure where to begin, let me know. Overwhelm is a state of mind that we may choose to override by setting priorities. Sit quietly, close your eyes, and take some deep breaths for a couple minutes.

Now is your time.

Cheers to you,
Carol

 “If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.”—Lao Tzu

Perspective

January 10, 2019
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Health, Personal Development

The other day I headed to the gym to do a cardio step class. I’m a huge fan of classes—for the obvious social reasons. They also push me to work harder.

When my friend showed up next to me and admitted that wasn’t sure she could handle class that day, I inquired as to why. She told me that she felt a bit wobbly in the legs.

Okay. We all have what I refer to as “low energy” days, when it takes all you’ve got to get out of bed, let alone get to the gym.  

She then admitted to me that the girl in front of her jumps so much (and so high) that she feels bad about her workout.

Ewww. That feeling of Not Good Enough.

At that point, I suggested that we change her perspective. My friend moved her bench to the other side of the room, where the participants tend to be less jumpy.

We each experienced a great workout and were then ready to take on the day.

Good enough plus.

It’s a real power play when you push your way through a challenge and make it to the other side.

Questions to ponder: Is there something you could use a fresh perspective on? Do you need to move to the other side of the room?

We’d like something to change, yet we continue to work in the same point of reference. Instead of breaking free and moving from point A to B, we continue in a circle.

When we stay in a spot that makes us feel safe, yet not good enough, we sell ourselves short. Sometimes all we need is a new outlook—a fresh perspective—a different spot in the room.

Powerful.

Could you use a fresh perspective on your health, work, or life? (Sometimes it’s all of the above.) If you are nodding yes, I’m here to help. Send me an email and we’ll figure it out together. You’ll be amazed at how a slight shift in your perspective can change the entire look of a room. It’s my New Year’s gift to you.

Powerfully yours,
Carol

“The only thing you sometimes have control over is perspective. You don’t have control over your situation. But you have a choice about how you view it.”—Chris Pine

 

 

 

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