1-219-765-8600

carol@inkwellcoaching.com

Crown Point, IN

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September 28, 2023

Why You Can’t Stop Eating Junk Food

“Who ate all these chips?!” You look around and, alas, not even a dog to blame. Oops. It’s not your fault.  If you’ve had this experience—r

September 21, 2023

Harvesting the Balance of Autumn

September 23rd ushers in the autumn equinox, a time when day and night are in perfect balance. It also opens the official season of cozy sweaters, pum

September 14, 2023

More Brain-Boosting Foods

Last week I shared a list of brain-boosting foods with the promise of more to come. Here are some additional foods that you may choose to include in y

September 7, 2023

Ten Brain-Boosting Foods

Thank you for the many recommendations of farm stands with tasty corn on the cob. Mr. Non-Compliant happened to be in the vicinity of VanDerGriends Fa

August 31, 2023

Mr. Non-Compliant’s Unwavering Passion for…Corn

Mr. Non-Compliant LOVES corn on the cob. Since the corn season is rather brief, I do my best to oblige him with this indulgence. And as my dear cousin

August 24, 2023

Tips for a Sluggish Thyroid

Lately, I’ve been getting lots of questions about the little gland known as the thyroid. It seems to be underperforming for many of you. Hypothyroid

August 17, 2023

Healthy Anytime Toast

Since my encounter with bar food last week, I’ve been focused on eating more plants. I came across this idea to enjoy “toast” and get more veggi

August 10, 2023

Confessions from The Antler

What does one eat when in a bar? Bar food, of course. The bar options: The Brown Bear vs. The Antler: Horniest Bar Around (There were deer heads with

August 3, 2023

6 Ways to Enjoy a Staycation at Home

August. Already. Is summer slipping by too quickly? Feel as though you’ve not experienced enough lazy days? Can’t manage to get away for one reaso

July 26, 2023

The Wonder of Apricots

When I think about the abundant fruits of summer, apricots make the list. Although some of you may not be fans, I ask that you consider giving this da

Become a Fit Foodie

“I’m too busy to plan healthy meals, let alone prepare them.”

“I don’t have time to eat vegetables.”

“I love food too much to diet.”

“My life is crazy and it’s easier to eat drive-thru.”  

If any of these sound familiar, or you could use some support around eating well, feeling better in your body, and not stressing over it all, I’ve got a surprise for you!

My new Facebook community, “The Fit Foodies” is now live and running to come to your rescue. Here is the link to check it out: The Fit Foodies

The purpose of the group is to have dialogue between members to offer ideas, tips, and simple habits to get you through the busy times in life, which is almost always. I’m the administrator of the group and will be leading the community.

Let’s be real. Most of us eat well when the circumstances are controlled for a week, or two, or four. We get our mindset right. We can be disciplined. We can even starve and be miserable and grumpy. UGH!

This is not a lifestyle that is necessary or sustainable or hardly fun. Food is a wonderful gift and we simply need to practice making it work in our favor for sustaining health and wellbeing.

So, if you love food, love to feel fit, and love to have fun, this is a group for you. You’re probably already busy, so there’s one qualifier you don’t need to think about.

The goal: love yourself at the end of each meal. How cool would that be?

There are a few questions to answer when you request to join the group so that I am clear on the type of content that is most relevant.

Please let me know what you think. The Fit Foodies

This community will evolve as we go along, and I’m excited to see where we go!

Your Fit Foodie,
Carol

“PEOPLE WHO LOVE TO EAT ARE ALWAYS THE BEST PEOPLE.” — JULIA CHILD

The Power of Food

Is there a particular food(s) that has power over you?

For some people, if there is a bag of chips, cookies, chocolate—you get the idea—in the house, they lose all self-control and eat every last bite. The result is typically massive guilt and feeling really bad on many levels.

Or, perhaps a beverage has you hooked. Coffee, energy drinks, wine, etc. have the potential to keep you revved or relaxed, and result in really crummy sleep.  

Consider this: when you can’t say “NO” to something, it probably has power over you, rather than you having power over it.

When you give your power over to food or drink, it spills over into other areas of your life as well. There is not much we can control; yet most of us can choose what we eat–and how much we move.

This also applies to the excess time we spend on Facebook or other social media, watching television, and any other habit we have that keeps us from doing something more meaningful. I’m not talking about legitimate down time here; it’s the “Gee, an hour just flew by and I had planned to _________________.”(accomplish something else)

We all have stuff that gets in the way of us living our best. It’s just different stuff.

What’s holding you back? What’s taken your power?

For Christians, this Lenten season (which began on Ash Wednesday, March 6) is the perfect time to examine what it is that has a hold on us. The point is to make us more available to experience a deeper relationship with God by paring away the “stuff” that gets in the way.

Some people choose to give up chocolate, ice cream, alcohol, meat, sugar, even cauliflower—ok, that’s an easy one for me because I don’t eat it anyway.  

Here’s an idea: practice letting go of whatever you feel has a real grip over your life. These forty days of Lent leading up to Easter offer intentional time to work on being your best you, by creating a different norm.

It’s about doing something that has a long-lasting positive impact, rather than doing something just to do something. And it doesn’t necessarily have to do with food.

Figure out ONE thing that would significantly impact your life, and go for it.

For me, it’s time to clear out space and let go of distractions that I allow to creep into my day. (The distractions have power over me. ENOUGH!) Creating blocks of time to focus on one thing will be of great benefit. For example: I set a timer and spend 50 minutes working on a project then take a 10-minute break. The break may be Facebook time, walking my dog, intentionally doing nothing.

I’m here if you could use some help around your stuff. I’m only an email away.

Powerfully yours,
Carol

“Incredible change happens in your life when you decide to take control of what you do have power over instead of craving control over what you don’t.” ― Steve Maraboli

What Are You Grateful For?

I walked past a couple people recently and overheard a comment that went something like this: “There’s got to be more to life than getting old and dying.”

The comments that followed had to do with aches, pains, and total depletion of joy.

Whoa.

At that moment, I was overwhelmed with gratitude…and heartbreak. Gratitude that life, even in its darkest moments, is so worth living because of so much good.

Heartbreak that not everyone can tap into that place. Ever.

Where are you today? Is there even one thing you are grateful for that makes life worth living?   

I challenge you to find that “something.” Last week, I challenged you to make a commitment. Commit to feeling gratitude more often.

Here’s the deal. When we are grateful, lots of other crummy emotions and attitudes get out of the way—anger, sadness, impatience, anxiety, fear, and so on.

Try it. Right now—go ahead. Maybe you are having a day where NOTHING is going right. Or your boss is making you crazy. See what happens when you turn on the gratitude button.

You are breathing. You are YOU. You have a computer or cool phone, or you couldn’t read this. You can see. You are loved.

There, feel better? Even just a little? Our mind is the most powerful force that we can control. Use it in the best way possible.

Here’s another tip: Find the things that really light you up and that make your heart sing. Do those things. AND be grateful.  

When you figure out the path in life that is right for you, you’ll love soaking every minute out of everyday. I believe that this is a great recipe for improving your health. It is a foundational piece of the puzzle.

Since I love to write, I’m grateful that you’re reading this.

THANK YOU!

If you could use some help finding clarity around how to get your gratitude game on with more consistency, send me an email and we’ll set up a time to work on it together. (My treat, because this is something else that I love to do.) There IS more to life than getting old and dying.

Gratefully Yours,
Carol

“It is impossible to feel grateful and depressed in the same moment.” —Naomi Williams

What Are You Committed To?

Commitment: the trait of sincere and steadfast fixity of purpose.

Today, I’d like you to consider what you are committed to that is all about you. Yes, that’s right. It is YOUR time to focus on YOU.

No, this is not about being selfish or self-centered. This is about your commitment to being your best.

We do well when it comes to being present for our families, work, and service  organizations. What about your commitment to you?  

Have you honored your recent appointment with the gym? Are you getting your required amount of sleep? How many vegetables are you eating during a week?

Most of us KNOW what to do. We get busy, pre-occupied, stressed, and we fall into our customary and most comfortable habit—whatever that may be. It’s rarely the option for our highest good.

When we aren’t paying attention, we grab the chips, drink coffee all morning (or all day), munch on the M&M’s, and forget about eating anything green (except the green M&M’s).

When life gets challenging, we often fall into default mode. When our habits are not the best, neither are we.

My challenge to you this week: Decide what you are committed to and make it non-negotiable. You will do whatever it is NO MATTER WHAT.

Some ideas (this does not need to be crazy over-the-top huge):

*Schedule 2 workouts of your choice and make them happen

*Eat an extra serving of vegetables each day

*Go to bed 10-15 minutes earlier than you usually do every night

*Get a massage, do a deprivation float, or enjoy some other spa treatment

*Read a thought-provoking book 15 minutes a day    

Choose one thing. Commit to change and make it happen. You are strong. You are courageous. You are worth it.

Powerfully yours,
Carol

“The real value of setting goals is not the recognition or reward, it’s the person we become by finding the discipline, courage, and commitment to achieve them.” —Anonymous