Trust Me I'm a (mom)(yogi) RD

Off and on for the past few years I've suffered from headaches & migraines...ranging in severity from "Eh, I'll just work through this." to "OMG I feel so sick I can't do anything."  My migraines were at their worst during my dietetic internship (due to stress, I presume).  They became so unbearable I ended up visiting the ER ~2-3 times in 6 months, I had my eyes checked due to vision disturbances, was prescribed migraine medication, and even had a CT scan to rule out severe causes for my pain.  Luckily, my brain was perfectly fine (to the X-ray tech and MD, at least) and I quit taking the meds after just one week due to ridiculous side effects. Fast forward a few years - my migraines for the most part faded away after passing my RD exam, but I still suffered from headaches more frequently than I would have liked.  Over time I learned what did/didn't work for me (If Excedrin Migraine was not available, Extra Strength Tylenol was 'ok');

I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason.  I'm also convinced that God places events and people in our lives at exactly the right moments when we need them - making the "when it happened" just as significant as the "what happened." Although the above statements are straight from me, over the past few months my belief in them has been tested.  There have been times I've questioned my true calling, my passions, my "roles" I'm supposed to be in this world...you get the picture.  Things I'd been looking forward to weren't happening as I had hoped, and I was becoming overly anxious and stressed. During this time of questioning I completed a 9-week course through my church called 'CORE' and was surprised by the outcome.  I learned so much about myself, my faith...It even dawned on me that I may not hold the control switch to my life as much as I would like to think I do.  Newsflash to Abbie:  God has his own pl

It's official: a year (plus a few weeks) has flown by.  This length of time signifies how long I've held my newest title as "Mom."  And whether I like to think this way or not, it is the ONLY role I'll continually have for the rest of my life. ...Wow...  Putting it that way seems VERY overwhelming. But to be honest motherhood is just that: Overwhelming. Rewarding.  Exhausting. Amazing.  The hardest thing I've ever done... There are SO many other descriptions I could list and still not fully capture it.  Sometimes I feel like there are a billion secrets about mommy hood people seemed to just 'leave out' while I prepared for 9 months. Which brings me to the heart of this post.  As I'm the type of person who likes to be prepared for what's to come (even though most adventures as a mom are NEVER predictable) I wanted to share some of the things I've learned in hopes to better prepare others for their parenthood journey. 1) You Will b

Oats...Not many other foods come to mind that are so comforting, and yet so versatile at the same time.  I have many memories of eating instant oatmeal growing up - warm, sweet and who am I kidding:  who doesn't love the variety flavor pack?!  As I became older I started following in my mom's footsteps and began experimenting with old fashioned oats for a chewier oatmeal consistency.   Without the packets, I could be creative with not only the amount of sugar I added,  but also with fun add-ins like raisins, dried cranberries or chocolate chips! Even though I like good bowl of oatmeal every now and then, I honestly am more apt to choose dry cereal simply for the convenience.  If you're like me and short on time in the morning, but still want a hearty breakfast, an easy go-to are overnight oats.  You mix your ingredients in a mug or blender bottle the night before, and in the a.m. you can run out the door with your breakfast in hand!  Last week I slept through my alarm

Do you ever feel like life is getting the best of you?  Maybe you're just "going through the motions;" getting caught up in events, work, schedules/routine, commitments...that you aren't really ENJOYING it?!  I truly hate to say it, but the above statement totally describes my lifestyle as of late.  Just when I feel caught up with work or responsibilities at home, something else always seems to comes up.  I love to be involved and be busy, but what I don't enjoy is being pulled in a million directions at once.  Sometimes I just need to GET AWAY.   Thankfully, the opportunity to do so presented itself a few weekends ago.  Dee and I (along with Eli, of course) were able to take a 3-day-weekend to Minneapolis for a nice family re-charge.  In typical Abbie fashion, I did have a personal agenda for visiting the Twin Cities.  This short trip not only allowed me to get away from my everyday schedule, but also to enhance my knowledge on topics I am so very p

Pranayama --> prana = “life force”;       yama = “restrain” or “to hold" For those of you who are new to yoga, or have never taken class before, 'Pranayama' is the Sanskrit term teachers use to reference “breath” or “breath-work."    For me personally, pranayama has been one of the most challenging pieces to work on as a student AND teacher, and has really taken me awhile to fully understand its importance.   When I first started attending yoga classes, my main motives were to experience a good workout, gain strength, increase flexibility, and of course—sweat.  I wanted a way to continue being active, while also somewhat engaging my dance background.  Boy was I wrong - there is so much more to yoga.  Throughout my beginner yoga experience, the first thing I noticed teachers saying in class was to "Focus on your breath."    Other phrases commonly used were "Notice your breath" or even ask class directly "Are you breathing?!"  

Yes I am writing a post on my birthday -- because it has been the best one yet!  I also wanted to make a point this weekend to do as many possible things I enjoy...writing included.  Here goes the recap... Saturday started out with me doing what else...taking a yoga class in the park.  Dee and Eli opted out and chose to walk around downtown Des Moines and catch Pokemon instead ;)  Afterwards we spent late morning/early afternoon at our favorite dance studio for fall registration.  There I captured this heartwarming photo of dad and son.. The rest of the day was spent taking a much needed nap so this momma would be prepared for her first night out on the town - WITH dad, and WITHOUT Eli...I thought about baby boy the entire time and of course missed his goofy expressions, but I think Grandma Paula enjoyed them for me :) As for birthday presents??  Dee knows my nerdy self so well and purchased the new Harry Potter screenplay book for me (thanks babe)!  Baby man also cho

This may be taboo to admit, ESPECIALLY as a Registered Dietitian, but for me it is true. Dietitian Confession #1: I HATE TO COOK Okay, okay...hate may be too strong of a word here. A better description may be I dislike cooking.  Or if I dig a little deeper: I'm honestly just not that good at it. If my cooking skills are questionable, you may be wondering how in the world did I end up as a retail dietitian?  While I never imagined myself working in a grocery store, it has been an amazing learning curve.  Quite frankly, a few college courses were also eye opening - "The Scientific Study of Food/Food Prep Lab" being the one I felt most at odds with.  All of my peers seemed to be culinary experts, whereas I was struggling on the proper way to cut an onion (anyone ever hear of onion powder)!?  And no matter what food chemistry topic we were studying that day, my recipe's end result always seemed to be the one to examine on what "NOT" to do.  From this

I was surprised bright and early this morning when I logged onto our Hy-Vee employee website - and found my lil' man grinning back at me!   The caption read: " This Monday Morning Smile is courtesy of Demetrius Scott, assistant manager of perishables at the Des Moines No. 3 Hy-Vee.   His son, Elijah, “loves to support KidsFit just as much as we do,” Scott says (Elijah’s mom, Abbie, is the dietitian at Des Moines No. 3).   Adds Dad: “He says he wants to be the official Hy-Vee KidsFit baby!”   Hy-Vee truly values their employees, and is great at showcasing fun & interesting stories on our company site 'Connect.'  Each Monday they post a quick "Monday Morning Smile."  I may be biased, but this cutie sure did put one on my face, rockin' his Hy-Vee KidsFit headband!    Whether it's a result of your own doing or a surprise by someone else, give every Monday a reason to smile for  :)

Recently our family (along with Dee's little brother) took yet another long weekend summer vacation; this time around we visited Texas for a family reunion.  I had never been to Texas and was excited for Eli and I to meet more of Dee's relatives...what I was not looking forward to, however, was the 12-hour road trip there.  Yes, we were crazy and drove!  Add in a small vehicle and nursing infant to the mix, you'd think we had set up a recipe for disaster...but actually our small getaway turned out great.  No doubt, the drive was VERY long, but we got to enjoy some scenic views... Who knew the South could be so hilly, yet also seem MORE flat than Iowa at the same time!? Eli was also a good sport on our long journey ;-) We left Iowa Friday evening around 10 p.m. and arrived in Childress, TX Saturday morning just in time for the reunion.  I met key family members: uncles, aunts, cousins, Eli's great grandma...along with a large handful of family friends.

A few months ago I was at an elementary school teaching Pick a Better Snack lessons when a teacher/friend of mine shared a few products she had recently started selling.  I had an hour break between my classes, so we relaxed in her office while she told me about her new business venture as a Perfectly Posh independent consultant.  At the time I had never heard of it before, but I listened because the products smelled yummy, and I liked that they contained natural-based products and essential oils. My friend (Katie) even recommended a body creme that would be good for my son's eczema.  With having tried so many products already and having little success, I was hopeful these Posh products would do the trick. Before I left Katie wrote me a list of possible items I should check out and I was on my way. I checked out the Posh website and added a few 'maybes' in my online cart.  On pay day Friday I spent over an hour debating what items to actually purchase.  There were a few

Growing up I always enjoyed being physically active - whether it be basketball, swimming, cheerleading, or dance - I was always busy.  Of course the past few years have brought some changes to my life: graduating college, getting married, getting a "big girl" job; but I still tried to make exercise a priority.  I took long walks in the summer, tried fitness classes at gyms; I even found my love of yoga!  This led to me becoming a certified instructor and then teaching at a local gym and studio 4x/week...not to mention trying to practice yoga on top of that.  Did I mention I like to stay busy? ;) However, my biggest life change of all came last year when I found out I was pregnant.  During those 9 months I was constantly hot, exhausted, nauseous, suffered from extreme headaches and had to pee every 30 minutes (this is not an exaggeration)!  Working out was not something I looked forward to, and I spent most of my free time sleeping on my living room couch.  Teachin

As a retail dietitian, I've noticed over the years that clients and customers are obsessed with weight. By definition, the weight of an object only refers to the numerical value of its gravitational pull;  even though this number would be strikingly different depending on which planet we were on, it somehow has the power to either make a person on earth feel "great" and "beautiful;" or "frustrated" and "worthless." In my current job, I conduct biometric screenings for employees and customers.  While this simple fingerstick gives a good snapshot on a person's internal health - cholesterol, blood sugar, triglycerides, etc. -  I've recently become more aware of people's fear with the scale.  I often hear "This is the part I've been dreading!"  or "I've been really bad this week, I just know I've gained 'xyz' pounds!"  I never say this aloud, but when I hear these phrases I always think "

Breastfeeding has by far been one of the most challenging, yet also rewarding, experiences of being a mom.  My son, Eli, is almost 8 months old and I am proud to say I have been able to continue breastfeeding this long.  When I say "proud" I am by no means shaming those who use formula (heck, I was formula fed)!  What I  AM saying is that I'm proud I've been able to stick with my original decision since day one, regardless of outside opinions.  The moment I became pregnant I knew I wanted to breastfeed for a number of different reasons; some were for baby, and some were selfishly for me.  For babies, breastfeeding pros include numerous health benefits, immune boosting and possibly reducing future health risks.  As far as pros for me, I not only give it [almost] all credit to the losing baby weight, but it's also FREE.   YES! Free!!  I am not ashamed to say this was probably the number one reason prior to Eli's arrival why I wanted to breastfeed.  I already

While full of stressful moments, and a heartbreaking tragedy out of Orlando, somehow this weekend was still able to provide me with a few beautiful memories I wanted to share. On Saturday we celebrated the wedding of two close college friends at a gorgeous country club in West Des Moines.  It was excruciatingly hot outside, but the ceremony, reception and food were phenomenal so it didn't matter!  I admit that portion control was NOT being followed by me...but hey, dietitians can enjoy a slice (or two!) of cake, every now and then :). Also, the beautiful centerpiece at our table kept grabbing my attention so I had to snap a quick photo. On Sunday the festivities continued as our son, Elijah, was baptized surrounded by friends and family.  I fought back tears as I watched my baby boy receive this church sacrament - who knew I'd be so emotional!!  In his usual style, Eli made the entire church giggle (more than a few times), which calmed both mom and dad who were nervous