Katlyn T

aerial photography of pine trees covered with snow

Tis the Season…

December 11, 2021June 4, 2022 Katlyn T

It’s that time of year! Time for frosted sugar cookies, and peppermint hot chocolates, and candy cane ice cream treats, and caramels melted on pretzels, and…you name it, it’s time to eat it.

Let me play Health Coach for a minute.

(Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell you to stop eating all the treats.)

A little backstory…I try to watch my sugar intake. For most of the year I was mostly sticking to a zero refined sugar goal. The last few months, though, I have been splurging. It’s nice to splurge if you can – enjoy some treats here and there, enjoy the seasonal things.

A number of weeks ago I became curious, so I looked up a peppermint milk shake at a certain fast-food restaurant to see how much sugar was in the whole shake.

It had over 90 grams of sugar. (Which converts to about 7 tablespoons of sugar.)

That was a pass for me!

Honestly, I am all for treats during the holiday season. But I’d like to encourage you to eat those sugary substances…well, responsibly! At the end of the day, sugar does a number on our bodies. Sugar feeds “bad bugs” in our insides – and can make us more susceptible to get sick.

My three tips for eating the sweet stuff during the holidays?

Make yourself a daily sugar threshold, if you can. (Preferably under 90 grams!) Or even a treat threshold if you’d rather do it that way. Make your goal reasonable – it’s no good setting yourself a very low goal if you know you won’t stick to it. Make your goal attainable.

If you go the counting grams of sugar route, please don’t stress over it. If you’re eating something and you don’t know what its sugar count is, that’s totally fine. Make a guess and go with it. It doesn’t matter if you are right on or totally off. Also if you go to a family member’s house and they desperately want to feed you all the things, and you feel inclined to eat all the things, go for it. Enjoy yourself, and then when tomorrow comes you can start again with your goal. Go for awareness, not perfection.

Drink lots of water. Water helps flush toxins out of your body, and can help flush excess sugar out as well. Try for 8 cups a day.

Move your body. Movement requires energy, and your body is going to use that extra sugar as energy. Movement is a great way to burn off some of that extra sugar. Find some sort of movement you enjoy doing and start with even 5 minutes a day. Some movement is better than no movement. Stretching, walking, jumping on a rebounder, having a friendly snowball fight… Movement is movement!

I hope you have a December filled with a reasonable amount of sweet things!

Pause Button

November 27, 2021June 4, 2022 Katlyn T

Two days ago, it was Thanksgiving here in the USA.

Which means full-speed-ahead to Christmas and New Years.

It is hard not to feel the rush-and-tumble of the holidays ahead. But I want to encourage you to press pause every day over the next month, even if it’s just for a moment.

Pause for a few moments to enjoy the sunrise or the sunset. Pause for a few moments to really enjoy that seasonal treat you are inhaling. Pause for a few moments to appreciate the family you have around you and the friends who stayed in touch through COVID. Pause for a moment to revisit your inner child and kick your feet through the fallen leaves – or build a snowman, if you have enough of the white stuff already!

Just pause. Find those moments of everyday Bliss and be fully present with them. Express gratitude in your heart for the moment – let yourself smile, let yourself enjoy it – then keep going with your day until the time comes to hit Pause again.

Enjoy the moment.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Story Time

November 20, 2021November 18, 2021 Katlyn T

delighted ethnic little siblings reading interesting book on couch

When was the last time you sat down and read a fiction book?

Reading fiction can be very relaxing, because it takes you out of your every-day stressors for a few moments and immerses you in a different world, where your personal day-to-day life doesn’t exist.

Added bonus, reading about a fictional character’s life sometimes helps us live our own life.

I’m a huge fan of children’s books. They can be innocent, easy reads that take me out of my own head for awhile. Some are lighthearted from start to finish, while others are pulse-pounding or thought provoking. Many children’s books these days have a lot of depth to them – because let’s face it, kids deal with a lot in their family life, the their personal life, the process of growing up, reaching adolescents, and beyond. In some ways, kids are forced to be older than their years just because of their circumstances.

As an adult, I’ve found nuggets of truth and wisdom in children’s books, I’ve found the words or comfort I had wished someone would have given to me at an earlier age, and I’ve found inspiration to try again when I don’t feel something is woking out.

You can find these components in many books, no matter the age the book is geared toward. So I just encourage you to read. Whether you like reading on your phone or tablet, listening to an audiobook, or reading a physical book, do what works for you. Libraries are a great resource, and they have digital resources for you to use, such as digital books and audiobooks to borrow and download to your favorite device.

Need some book inspiration? Here are some books I have enjoyed:

Children’s books

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Malcolm at Midnight by W. H. Beck
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
Wildfire by Rodman Philbrick
Winterfrost by Michelle Houts

Young Adult Books

As you can see, I haven’t ready many YA books, but if you ask your library’s Children’s Librarian for recommendations, I’m sure they could help you find something you would enjoy!

The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Jack-O-Lantern House by Francena H Arnold
Twice Freed by Patricia M St. John

Adult Books

The Boy, the Mole, The Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Mistletoe Inn by Richard Paul Evans
Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis
The Honor Girl by Grace Livingston Hill (1929)
Fruit For Tomorrow by Francena Arnold (1949)
The Light in My Window by Francena Arnold (1950)
Hind’s Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard (1955)

Audio Dramas

The Chronicles of Narnia, dramatized by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre
Sir Malcolm and the Missing Prince, dramatized by Lamplighter Theatre
At Home in Mitford, dramatized by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre
The Secret Garden, dramatized by Focus on the Family Radio Theatre
The Hundred and One Dalmatians, dramatized by BBC Children’s Radio
Adventures in Odyssey, by Focus on the Family (Children’s radio show)
Down Under, by Patch the Pirate (Children’s audio drama)

Happy reading! What are you going to read this week?

woman in white long sleeve shirt reading book

Time for a Reset

November 6, 2021November 11, 2021 Katlyn T

I don’t know about you, but I’ve fallen out of the habit of taking time for self-care lately. There has been a lot going on the last number of months, and self-care seemed like the thing that there was never quite enough time for.

But the truth is – it’s November. Which means it is the start of the holiday season. Which means things will only get busier!

So is self-care optional, or essential?

You probably already know my answer on this one. Self-care is essential.

Taking the time to slow down and take care of ourselves helps us come out of the stress response and into the rest-and-heal response. The more we allow ourselves to rest and recharge, the more energy we will have for the things we need to do, and the things we WANT to do. And those lists do seem to lengthen during the holiday season.

Self-care looks different for everyone, and may even look different day-by-day.

When deciding what self-care looks like for you, you could ask these questions:

What do I need to say “no” to in my life in order to create time for self-care?
How often would I like to practice self-care? (Suggestion: 3x per week or more!)
What do I feel I most need right now in order to recharge?
What helps me relax? (A hobby, being in nature, going for a walk, etc.)
What do I love to do that I rarely take the time for?
Why is it important to me to allow my body and mind to rest and recharge?
What will happen if I don’t allow my body and mind to rest and recharge?

I encourage you to schedule self-care into your calendar as a non-negotiable appointment with yourself – especially if you are newly creating a care routine, or you are trying to get back into a routine!

Have a restful weekend!

On Repeat

October 30, 2021November 13, 2021 Katlyn T

Do you ever find yourself listening to a song on repeat?

If you find yourself listening to certain songs over and over and over again, then there is probably a message in that song for you that you are consciously or unconsciously trying to uncover.

If the song has words, I have a little exercise for you.

Grab your notebook, or open a document on your computer.
Begin listening to the song.
Any words or phrases that “hit you between the eyes” – write them down.
After the song is finished, read over what you have written.

Did you find a “hidden message” for yourself in the song?

I sure did.

I watched Disney’s “Frozen 2” with my sister this past year, and I found I couldn’t get one of the songs out of my head. It was the song that I believe is called “Show Yourself”. And to be honest, I wouldn’t call it one of my favorite songs ever, so I wanted to figure out how to get it out of my head.

So I did this exercise, and these are the phrases I wrote down.

I hear you, and I’m coming.

Homeward bound.

I am found.

Show yourself.

Grow yourself into something new.

When I read back over what I had written, I realized I felt called to “come home.” I wanted to realize that I am not lost – I am found. I both wanted to – and felt called to – stop hiding, and allow myself to be seen. I wanted to allow myself to be “grown into something new”.

Interestingly enough, I did this little exercise as I was beginning to wrap up my Life Coach training, and also as was in the midst of a mental and emotional battle of deciding to look for a new, less stressful day job.

I was feeling the call to step out of my comfort zone in more ways than one.

That was six months ago. Now, in November of 2021, I am a certified Life Coach, and I have a new day job that I love. I am blessed to say my stress level has plummeted. Feeling less stress than I ever have in my life before, I feel I am truly beginning to come “home.”

Allowing myself to be seen, and allowing myself to be grown into something new will be a life-long work in progress, but I feel I am on the correct path for this season in my life.

I encourage you to give the little exercise a try. You may find some insight into what you really are wanting with your life right now.

And in case you were wondering – thankfully once I did that exercise, the need to listen to that song on repeat went away.

Welcome to Katlyn’s Ramblings!

October 15, 2021June 6, 2022 Katlyn T

On this blog I hope to offer encouragement, tips, and many random thoughts. They will likely range from how to improve your mindset, to healthy living tips, to maybe even a peek into a day-in-the-life of a Life Coach.

This is going to be an honest look into my thought process. I can promise you doubts and fears are already creeping in, hinting that I can’t keep up with a blog and I have nothing to say of any value.

Even Life Coaches deal with that voice that calls out our weaknesses.

But what if I use my weaknesses to make me stronger?

What would happen to that voice if I stop giving in to it and hiding? What WILL happen if I show up and admit I maybe don’t know if I can do this, but I’m going to try anyway and see how it turns out?

Let’s find out together, shall we?

I hope you’ll come again and see where this path takes us!

Coach Katlyn T