I had a great run yesterday. It was a weird moment. Logan told me I needed to run. I don’t normally run when he’s awake and his nap was too short today, as they’re finally diminishing. He just looked over and said, “Mom, you go run, I eat cookies and watch Dora“….ok 
So I did. I ran in the Altras seeing as anything other than barefoot runs have been hurting me and the 3 miles went by smooth and amazingly well
In other news Handful sent me a whole whack of stuff and I just want you all to know how much I am LIVING …..yes living in their new adjustable tank I seriously love this company – is that weird?? lol I have deep feelings for a brand….something must be wrong with me – or maybe it’s just awesome! You should check them out because their new products are 10,000X better than their original and I LOVE their original bras – I currently own 5!!!
Other OMG moments include…….the fact that I am currently reading The Eat Clean Diet!!!
Me and clean eating! WOW!!!! Has Hell frozen over because I never thought I’d see the day where I was interested in that! I thought you’d never read those words here on RwS, but here I am: trying to eat better and actually enjoying it! Who knew!!!
I think my journey towards self acceptance and love is what happened. It wasn’t until I started caring about my self that I began realizing what I was actually doing to my skin and my body. I have horrible skin, you last saw me on a vlog and told me my skin was great (thank you) and while it does look good if I a) don’t pick it and b) since switching to self-made skin care regiment, when something does trigger a break out – like sunscreen at the cottage coupled with a Wendy’s burger on the way home that picking begins again and the cycle goes on and on.
The same can be said for my eating habits. Once I start eating chocolate I want more! Although right now I’m watching Colin eat an ice cream sandwich and all I can think about is how I’m mad the grocery store was out of kale. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME!?
I am not going to lie I used to steer clear of too many “clean eating” sites because I thought they came off as “better than me” or too preachy …or if I’m honest I was upset because I wanted to eat like them but had no clue how!
since starting to pay attention to how I feel after what fuels my body I think I’m finally ENJOYING PRODUCE! lol I find it hilarious - I’m loving how making all my own food connects me to my womenly roots. I feel so connected to my ancestors. Even Logan has begun “making” cleaner food choices….
“It’s really good Mom” – if you have ever had to pretend eat plastic food raise your hand….
Anyway I just wanted to tell you guys that as much as food is difficult for me to understand, I’m learning what “healthy” means to me and better still I’m actually enjoying it. I feel like a true foodie now. I am even creating my own ideas for healthier options on some of my tried and true classics.
I hope to have an Ali Mc-made clean eating Pumpkin Pie Blizzard by next week 
lol Of course, that obviously means I’ll HAVE to get a real one, just for comparison purposes obviously.
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DON’T FORGET TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!!!!!
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Questions:
1. how much would you say you know about food?? rate it 1-10
On a scale from one to ten, ten being the highest I’d give myself a 5 or 6 at my current standing. FOOD IS SO MYSTERIOUS! Why is this not a mandatory component in schools???
2. LAY IT ON ME: how often do you indulge? and if you do, does your body look the way you want it to??
I ask because the main reason I want to eat better is because I’m tired of looking so unhealthy, even though the doc told me I was the epitome of health…..lol
3. ever eaten plastic food??
I’m just curious b/c even though as a mother I have to pretend to eat plastic food, it reminded me of a time my mother bought plastic fruit as a centerpiece in our kitchen and I think we have all tried to actually eat it at one point or another ;P
4. who’s running today??
I am 
pumpkin pie blizzard? sign me up! I love that your son told you to run, what a great son! I think finding what clean eating means for you is smart, I think going by what others define it will do nothing. ps. ran in my sports bra again this morning. gets me the mood to run for sure!
Alex, it is seriously the most amazing treat to ever enter my body. I can’t wait!!!! they only come to dairy queen for the month of October…..so I’m going to work on a healthier version
lol and YAY for the Zensah bra. It is so comfy! I love mine.
1. Id say a 6 about food lol! I am trying to revamp a lot of my dishes and integrate more organic everything… but having a Lebanese significant other doesn’t always help. Can you say Baklava and Cheese pies
2. If I don’t indulge in that glass of wine or a beer or two, or a slice of cheese pizza, I feel like I’m cheating myself.. everything in moderation!
3. no plastics yet!
4. I am running today!!!!!!!!!! Doing the breast cancer 5k at the end of September here in Ottawa so training starts now!!!
I try to buy organic but it is SO expensive. One day I’ll be growing everything I eat….I’m currently trying to find a local butcher I like for my meat, not that we eat that much of it.
Starting sept 1st I am going to stop drinking – not that I drink a lot but the sugary drinks aren’t leaving me feeling too great so it’ll just be red wine for me – because who can give that up
lol
I agree – everything in moderation. I had some buttery popcorn last night. I can’t eat that plain! lol
Oh I’d love to race in Ottawa, such a beautiful city. I hope you kill it!!!!
Good for you reading that book! I hope that you are able to find some helpful things in there. I’m an ok eater. I get my daily servings of fruit and veggies in, but I also have been known to down a sleeve of cookies or have a potato chip sandwich for lunch. Other than my belly my body is nice. First on last off so they say. Enjoy the new clothes! I love new clothes! OF COURSE I’ve tried to eat plastic fruit. And I ran 8k today. Enjoy your run.
LOL I have been known to do those things too
and to be 100% honest I don’t think people are bad for eating that way. Those foods taste amazing and I am loving making healthier choices (which is weird for me) but I think some people take it too far….however, who knows….maybe I’ll be a crazy person one day too. lol Although, I could never stop making cakes and cupcakes! I love to decorate them 
Nice job on the 8k.
1. I know how to make savory food taste good! I watch a lot of cooking shows and read a lot of cookbooks/recipies and that really helps. I would say I’m about a 5-6 though. I do a LOT from scratch, but also buy a lot more processed stuff then I’d like to.
2. If I’m honest, I indulge in snacks that are not healthy every day. Even if it is just a PC Blue Menu granola bar that I stole from my kids lunch snacks – it is not that healthy. I have a bad time with post kid-bedtime snacking. Last night I had popcorn. After battling acne all of my life, including a stint on Accutane, I don’t actually believe that food can affect your skin within hours. I can notice when I’ve eaten like crap continually – I can feel the salt that causes bloating and the crap weighing me down. I find tapering and carb loading for races difficult because sometimes all of those bagels and pretzels make me feel so heavy. I find that if I combine this kind of crappy eating with no running, it is worst (e.g. I don’t poop for days!).
3. Yes. I have two kids!
4. No running for me today. I am going to the Jays game with a supplier and while I DO have time to fit it into my workday on the treadmill, I don’t want to bother with another shower/clean up. Plus my hair looks awesome today and I don’t want to ruin it. LOL. I’ll do at least 10k tomorrow though.
I have read that nothing you eat can cause acne…..I’ve got sensitive skin and am finding now that I’m using everything 100% natural my skin seems to finally be clearing up…..I just need to figure out how to make my own sunscreen. lol
Oh and Nicole – I was completely like you, so don’t feel bad about eating great tasting foods! you definitely run enough ;P I was a daily, mostly MULTIPLE a day indulger….I told myself I wasn’t going to judge myself if I did indulge and I can’t believe that the more I prepare my own food the less I want packaged. I am finidng Tosca’s Clean Eating book to be a bit over-the-top. She wants you to put soups in the fridge so you can spoon off the fat from the top before serving! and not eat ground beef….um sorry. Beef is cheap. lol
However, the book is smart in a lot of ways and definitely explains how our bodies utilize foods.
OH and I love that you aren’t running b/c your hair looks good – i am the SAME way – why ruin a good hair day?! Have fun!
I love that Logan told you to go for a run! Aren’t the newest handful offerings the bomb?! LOVE THEM! I did have to size down for the tank, the smalls were big on me. LOVE the purple and the gray, I hope they get them in more colors!
I tend to indulge in cake at work when they have it, even when I think I am going to be strong and ignore it. I just can’t, I really really love cake!
I love the tanks!!! I got smalls (which is what I am wearing) but I’m pretty sure you and I are a similar build – ie: we aren’t curvy, so our hips don’t go out
and I’m swimming in mine, though they were out of XS purple, so Jody is sending me a gray one and then I can compare them 
I also asked for two different sized bras, b/c I think the XS fits nicer now that I can adjust the straps! I could go on and on about Handful….they’re so great!
PS: i don’t think I could turn down dessert! I’m just going to keep it to special occasions and stop making desserts everyday!!! lol
First of all, your son rocks! That’s awesome that he told you to run! Second, I never heard of Handful before – I’m always looking for a new sports bra to try running/riding in and just might have to give them a try!
1. I would say my knowledge of food lies somewhere between 7-9. I owe it all to my mom who’s really embraced healthy/clean living in the past 10 years or so… she’s passed on her knowledge to me. Reading healthy living blogs has helped me a TON too and now I really enjoy the challenge of creating new healthy/clean recipes on a regular basis.
2. I probably indulge about once a week and usually on weekends. I stick to a strict meal plan during the week so that come weekend when my hubby any I decide we want to order a pizza, or when I decide I want an Oreo McFlurry, there’s no guilt there!! My body still doesn’t look 100% where I want it to look, but considering that I lost over 10lbs over the winter and have still managed to keep it off while indulging on a weekly basis, i’m pretty happy.
3. don’t think i’ve eaten plastics yet.. hehe
4. not running tonight, but i will be riding my horse!
Horse riding!!!! I’m so jealous
and you and your gardening clean-eating mom! must’ve rocked having a mom like that…..I hope to teach Logan everything but as for right now I’m trying to allow him and Colin to do their own thing while I inspire from the sidelines 
lol
Good for you on the clean eating front:) I hope to get there eventually. Have a great run! I want to get a run in, but my knee is still bothering me, so I will give it another day or so:(
I don’t know the nature of your knee pain but I’d recommend you hop on a bike if at all possible. Strengthening my quads and doing cycling with running saved my poor patellafemoral syndrome
I follow the Paleo lifestyle. It works for me and I LOVE IT!!! Clean eating, putting only healthy stuff in my body. My runs are better, my yoga is better, my lfe is better.
Doing the Disney 5k on Saturday!! Cannot wait, run through Disneyland, how awesome is that!
I agree Jules, I feel like crap after too many indulgences now that I am not doing it as much. So weird!
and OMGOSH!!!! I am soooo excited for you. I’d love to run through Disney – the greatest place on earth
Have fun!!!!
Out of 10? I think I would put myself at an 8… I have been reading about nutrition and trying out new healthy options since I was… well, for YEARS! I don’t always FOLLOW what I know, but I LEARN it. Lately I am eating gluten free and very few grains at all and only yogurt and a bit of cheese for dairy.. lean proteins, lots of freggies and raw nuts. And the occasional glass of wine, which I had given up for over a year and a half till after my half marathon in May.
Okay, whew! Yes, heading out for a run shortly.. waiting for my protein pancake breakfast to settle in my belly!
Still waiting for my handful package! (: Why does your customs clear faster than mine?
I don’t know! I feel like I always get my handful package before you
The tanks run big through the hips but I think you’re going to freak out like Christy and I! lol I am still wearing mine ;P lol I ran in it yesterday and I was thinking – man I love not having to wear a Handful bra AND a tank….now they are one. I think if they make more colours I’ll just get tanks instead of bras……they need to make ALL types of shirts with boobs in them! lol
and Elle you are such a healthy eater and I’ve NEVER thought you thought you were better than me in your eating. I’ll have to cruise your blog and see how you don’t come off like that so I don’t in my new found love of all things natural and healthy.
I hope you get your package today before you leave!!!!
Oh, I have eaten so much plastic/fake food in the past 10 years
. So yummy.
I would have to give myself a 7 on my knowledge of food. I have started to watch what I eat in the last 3 months and have become very aware of how certain food affects my body. I still indulge WAY too much, though. I have lots to learn.
I DID run today- it actually felt a little crappy, but glad I did it.
hahaha your comments always make me laugh
and isn’t crazy that we are now becoming aware of what we’re eating?? If I recall correctly you liked to eat whatever just like me! 
lol
I hate runs that suck, but I love them after they’re done
GOOD job getting it in
Nice swag! I think I may try to fit a run in today but we will see…it is a nice day for it!
I would say I am an 8 on my knowledge of food. Little more than average but not as complex as a chef….
How is the weather where you are now??? I can’t even believe these words are being typed by my hand but I actually miss snow! lol
Ahh this post has come to me at just the right time, in fact I might email you about it this weekend!
Normally I am a pretty healthy eater but lately I’ve been craving (and often indulging in) junk food
It doesn’t make it on the blog because I don’t blog on those days – I usually feel a bit rubbish. I think the fact that I’m shattered from work and not feeling great fatigue/pain wise doesn’t help so I’m hoping things will change from next week when I’ll have finished with this work but I’m struggling. As you know, I don’t feel hugely comfortable in my skin and would quite like to lose about 10 pounds over the next year but for some reason lately I keep sabotaging it for myself! Boo 
On a much more positive note go you for wanting to take care of yourself and feed yourself in a healthy, clean way! I’ve always admired your attitude to health, even before you started eating a little more cleanly
Plus you’re the kind of person who wouldn’t deprive yourself a treat if you really wanted it or if it was a special occasion which I think is the right approach!
You should email me and also – start reading Minimalist Beauty my cuz got me hooked on her and I’ve completely switched to her skin care regiment and I am finding I’m getting great results.
and Sophie, don’t feel bad when you indulge. It was weird the other day when I ate wendy’s was the first time in my life that I had ever felt guilty about eating something….I didn’t like it. So now I’m going to make better choices ie: choose my indulgences wisely. Why waste it on a wendy’s meal when I could eat a blizzard – is my point
I love you girl!!!!
I would say I’m about a 5 as well, I know a bit about food and nutrition, yet I wish I knew more! You’ll have to let us know how that Eat Clean book is! I too wish I could eat cleanER, not so much over the top as I do love my indulgences now and then!
Oh man the number of plastic foods I’ve eaten back in my nanny days, and now with my 2 year old nephew! haha It’s a great fantasy though…if only I could really eat those chocolate cakes and dinner rolls without them going to my hips…
The eat clean book is helpful, but I was already slowing going that way. For me I think the road to healthy eating IS just that: a road. So I’m taking it slow and changing things when I WANT to
and of course indulgences! lol
Oh, I eat plastic food all the time. You can’t have kids and not eat plastic food. I also drink pretend milk
I have a small treat every day. I just make sure that it fits into my calorie count for the day. Sometimes its a 100 calorie ice cream bar, sometimes its a tootsie pop, sometimes its half a Dove chocolate bar. Everything in moderation!
mmmmmmm true dat! I actually really want to start recording my calories, as I never know if I’m eating too much or not enough! thanks for reminding me. Do you use myfitpal??
Has Logan become your personal coach? ‘Go running’ sounds like he’s got his future career sorted. When my youngest was his age he wanted to either be a shotput thrower or a pizza delivery boy – high ambitions indeed.
Oh Char! I love your boys original goals. Logan told me today that he wants to be a dancer when he grows up – I am 200% behind this!!!!
PS: yes, Logan is now my coach. That, or he is extremely intuitive to when mom is going crazy and needs a run ;P
That is so cool you are eating better and enjoying it! I love the way good, whole foods and fresh fruits and veggies taste. I also love the way French fries and fried shrimp Po Boy sandwiches taste so I eat both. More healthy when the weight starts going up.
I agree – I LOVE FRIES!!!! this new clean food tasting good to me is something new
I grew up on fast and convenient foods but no fault of my mom, she worked full time and had to look after us AND our drunk dad 
I bought two handfuls and one was delivered today. I hate confrontation. I hate that I have to call and “complain”
Oh they’re awesome you should email right away! I was once sent the wrong size and everything got sorted out instantly. I’m sorry that sucks that you only got one
booo – ask them to toss you a hat!!
I pretend to eat food on a daily basis: plastic, wooden, even real food that the youngsters are eager to share: Cheerios, oatmeal, sippy cups….Yum
lol that must be so much fun!!!!!!!