Category Archives: Encouragement

Strategies to Get Outside and Exercise for Those with Chronic Pain or Mobility Issues

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Strategies to Get Your Broken Body Outside and Moving Again

Are you disabled or have mobility issues? Do you wish you could get outside to exercise or hike again?

More than 1 in 4 adults in the US have a disability according to the CDC and Harvard. And due to some of these disabilities, it can cause you to stop exercising which can lead you to be 3x more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc.

Being outdoors can not only improve your physical health but also boost your emotional and spiritual well-being. It has been known to cure the blues, bring a smile on your face, relieve stress, snuff out of a bad day, relieve depression, and just a general feeling of well-being. 

But sometimes for those of us who are disabled, have mobility issues, or have chronic pain, it can feel like it’s Out Of Reach. I can totally relate to these feelings. I am a Big Boned and Broken person with chronic pain and mobility issues too and have dealt with having to give up my love for hiking. However, being outdoors, walking and hiking can be for just about everyone. It will just look different depending on your body and your disabilities.

I have+ 15 easy strategies for those with all levels of disabilities, chronic pain, or mobility issues to help you get either Outdoors or out on those trails. Try 1 or try them all. So let’s get started.

  1. Look for paved sidewalks or trails. Now I will say for those of us who have chronic back pain this can actually be a more painful experience having the hard concrete underneath our feet. But for those who are on crutches or a wheelchair, this is a perfect option.
  1. If you are in a wheelchair look for either wheelchair or stroller access Trails. There are many sites that will give you detailed information about different trails in your area
  1. Take it slow. Build up your endurance and strength by taking it as slow as you need. Don’t be a speed demon. Speed is not the goal, time outside and endurance should be the goal here.
  1. For those of us who are walking, use hiking poles, even on pavement. This can take a lot of the weight off your back, hips, and legs and distribute it more evenly throughout your entire body.
  1. Hike with a partner. This is really important when you’re first starting out. Think about it this way. If the pain gets too much to handle, you fall, or you just can’t go any further, your partner can go and grab the car while you sit and wait.
  1. Start small. Start with ¼ of a mile or ½ a mile and build yourself up. This is a great way to start getting your arms and legs straightened and increase your endurance.
  1. Don’t be a weekend warrior. Hike or walk a few times each week. It is much better to have three short ½-mile hikes than one big huge 3-mile hike. This will keep you from being laid up for a day or two because of excess pain.
  1. Be careful of hike ratings on some of the apps. What a fully capable twenty-year-old deems as easy can be much more difficult for those of us who are Big Boned and Broken and have mobility issues, disabilities, and of course chronic pain. Read the reviews to get a better picture of what the trail really looks like.
  1. Look at Google Maps either at the terrain or the satellite to get a better idea of what the trail inclines and terrain will be like
  1. Consider getting an app like alltrails where it will give you ratings, pictures, explanations of what the trails are like Etc. 
  1. This next one goes along with #10. Be willing to write your own reviews on hiking apps to help other people to know how the terrain and trail are for disabled or handicapped individuals.
  1. Get the right shoes for hiking. If you’re going to hike, whether it is on the trails, concrete, or in the hills, tennis shoes might not be the right fit for all those adventures. Your feet, back, legs, etc will be very unhappy. It is not only important to think of your injury, but your feet and the right shoes will make or break your new adventures outside.
  1. Find a hiking group in your area that have similar interests and circumstances. This can not only make the hiking fun if you’re new to it but even if you’ve been doing it for a while. Shoot, you might make a new bestie!
  1.  If you’re not ready to get on the trails consider taking a nature challenge. This is where you go out each day for a week or even a month and you find different natural elements and draw them or take pictures of them and post them to the group. This can be done just walking down a neighbor or two, in your backyard, or even at a park while your watching your child play on the swings.
  1. Lastly, I know there are some of you who are saying this is absolutely not possible for me yet. I am still in recovery, or this disability thing is still new to me. I get it. I was there for 3 years after my accident. So if hiking or walking is just not a possibility then at least sit outside once a day in the Sun for 10 or 15 minutes. If you are in an apartment, surround yourself with potted foliage, flowers, and even pictures inside your house of The Great Outdoors. Do you remember why? You got it. To boost your emotional and spiritual well-being

Hiking and walking were once taken away from me after my accident. But I started with walking just down and back 2 houses, then around my block, which is only 1/2 mile, and I did this several times a week. Then to my neighborhood’s, very flat, 1-mile dirt Trail. This is when I realized my body was getting stronger and I could do more. 

So I gathered up the courage and went to my nearest Regional Park after researching all the trails and realized that one of the regional parks had a dirt trail that was flatish. So I walked this for a while. Then I moved up to going on steeper inclines and then moved to longer hikes and then moved to the hills. And now I hike some pretty good hills and go anywhere from 2 to 5 miles each hike. But it took time, research, trial and error, walking to a certain point and realizing I had to turn around because it was too much. And sometimes, unfortunately, it also caused more pain. Why? Because there were multiple times that I did more than I should have. I didn’t start off with the right gear. I did this by myself instead of with a partner. So when I got tired or felt I could not go on, I had no choice. This is why I decided to share these strategies with you. If I would have found something like this video when I was starting out, it might have saved me from aggravation at the beginning. So if you know anyone who needs to hear this information hit the share button now and send this video to them.

I believe hiking is for just about everyone no matter your fitness level, type of disability, or even your pain level. Whether you’re on crutches, in a wheelchair, or walking. You can get out there and walk and take a hike. It may take time to build up to it but you can do it and it may be 1 or 2 houses and back, around your block, with a helper or guide, or out on the trails in a park. It doesn’t matter. Just try something new today and be willing to do your research, get your right gear, and take it slow, and above all, talk to your doctor and make sure it is safe for you to do this. So today get out there and see some more green even if it’s just surrounding yourself with flowers and potted plants on your balcony. Start today with a little more outdoor and green time and see if it doesn’t start to uplift your mood.

Until next time Stay healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Wise!

LINKS:

Hiking Journal:

Boots cover – https://amzn.to/34zvW9E

Hearts cover – https://amzn.to/3oEJAiS

Leather cover – https://amzn.to/3HI1MiT

Pain Journals:

Hearts cover  – https://amzn.to/34vBlhZ

Face cover – https://amzn.to/3HFAmdH

Bandaid cover – https://amzn.to/34sEFdK

OC Hiking Club: 

Orange County Hiking: https://www.meetup.com/OC-HIKING-com/

USA Hiking Clubs: https://blog.activeadventures.com/hiking-clubs-usa

Disabled Hikers: https://disabledhikers.com/

Nature challenge :

Challenge & Contest:  https://citynaturechallenge.org/

Young Family 5 day: https://www.takethemoutside.com/5-day-family-nature-challenge/

Year-long: https://disabledhikers.com/52-nature-awareness-challenge/

2 Rants for Those Who are Disabled

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So I have two subjects surrounding being disabled that really bug the heck out of me. Today I want to cover them. I will say this is a more serious subject matter and is a bit more about my particular engagement with it and how I have handled it.

Let me start by saying I was not born with a visible disability. I was born with a deformity of my left hip called hip dysplasia, which even though I did have some problems in my youth, did not fully present itself until about 2012. In 2015

 I got a hip replacement and directly after this, I fell down some stairs and broke my ankle, torn ligaments in my ankle, pinched a nerve behind my knee, slipped 3 discs in my back which is currently pressing on my spinal nerve. 

I am not telling you this to get sympathy. Because of my subject matter, I want you to know I understand this topic first hand and I want you to know where I am coming from.

During my recovery, I cannot tell you how many people, sent me cards, emails, IM’s etc I got them from friends, family, and even strangers wishing me well. A  good handful of these beautiful and heartwarming notes that brightened my day also thought I was sick and recovering from an illness. From my explanation above, you can see I was not sick. Even my son would tell people I was sick. However, I will give him a break. He was a young teen at the time. 

Have any of you ever been through this?

I did some research about this subject matter and believe I may have found the reason why people with disabilities or recovery from an injury are linked to being ill.

I think this comes from the association between people who have had accidents and end up in a wheelchair or walker or whatever, usually spend time in the hospital at some point or time. And we associate hospital stays with what? Being sick. 

However, a wheelchair, crutches, walker, scooter or even monthly Dr visits to pain management do not equal illness. I know, because I have been in all of that plus! 

This stereotype really is not fair to those of us who have or are going through this tough time, but we also have to look at it from the other side. It is the way we have all been conditioned. Yes, even you.

So how I did handle it? Most of the time I would just let it go. However, on social media, I felt the need to set people straight. And I think this comes from me being Big Boned. I did not want people to think I was sick because of my size. I know silly, but there I am all exposing my inner thoughts to you all.  I would very gently correct them. I would post something like that. 

‘Thank you all so much for your wonderful comments. Thank God I have been very healthy through this ordeal which is making my injury recovery go very well. Your comments are giving me smiles through this extremely rough time. Thank you!”

This allowed me to straighten out the fact that  I was not sick while making sure people,e who out of the kindness of their heart spoke incorrectly, did not feel berated or scolded. After all, they were all so kind and they really did brighten my very extreme dark days.

The second subject that bothers me is what people believe is disabled or handicapped and what it truly is. 

So let’s look at the definition of disabled and handicapped.

A disability is the result of a medically definable condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities.

A handicap is a barrier or circumstance that makes progress difficult, such as not being able to climb a flight of stairs.

So I am going to go back to my condition for a moment. From my explanation above I was 100% handicapped.

I was unable to walk properly without some form of aid, I could not descend or climb stairs, nor could I get up from a chair without the help of a person or sturdy table. I went from using a wheelchair to a scooter to crutches to a walker to a cane for a long period of time. I was, by all definitions and by Drs, considered handicapped. 

At the end part of 2017, I decided to do some procedures on my back which allowed me to walk better and handle stairs a bit better. It was a blessing but I still had a barrier or circumstance that made progress difficult.

In 2019 I took up hiking on trails to help with leg strength and to help with my slow decline of stamina. It was slow going at first. This eventually helped with walking better and mostly eliminated the use of a mobility scooter. It also helped me to descend and climb stairs more easily. Now does this mean I am not disabled anymore? Absolutely not.

I have more days than not of extreme pain in my back, leg weakness, and overall body stiffness and struggling. On days I feel fantastic I do not use my handicapped placard. I figure I feel good enough to let someone who needs it have it! But on days I feel like I got hit by a bus, I use it. These are the days I get looks, comments, and even notes on my car. Yes, you heard me right. Notes!

Because I very rarely use mobility aids I get the comments of how could you use someone else’s plaques like that. How could you park in the handicapped? You are not handicapped. I have never done it, but I would like to show them all my surgery scars. 

There is a miss understanding from the nondisabled/handicapped people out there that if you are not in a wheelchair or using some sort of mobility device you are NOT handicapped or disabled. Well, I am here to tell you this is NOT true.

I need to use a handicapped spot because of my back. 

My left leg is not strong enough to handle the push-off by itself that most people can do when they get out of their car. I need 2 legs on most days to get out of my car. Therefore I need to open my door all the way and need the extra room a handicapped spot provides for me. 

On days when my back is really bad, after shopping for groceries for my family,  standing in line,  if I don’t use a scooter, the thought of walking 15 car spots is so agonizing it sometimes will leave me in tears in the parking lot.

Even though I hike a few miles a week, it is very different than going to Disneyland. First off I am not on concrete. And those of you who have back injuries, know exactly what I am talking about. 1 hour of walking on concrete is about equal to 2 or 3  hours of walking on the trails.

These are just 3 examples of why I still am considered disabled and use a handicapped placard.

One experience was actually hilarious. My husband was driving and pulled into a handicapped spot. As he got out of the car a lady actually yelled at him that he was not handicapped and he had no right to park there. Well, she ate crow as he proceeded to get the wheelchair out of the back of the car, help me into it and roll me past her. Do you think she apologized? Nope!

When people make these types of comments or I see people parking in the lines of handicapped spots or even when they park in a handicapped spot and they do not have a placard, it upsets me. 

We just saw this the other day, A person parked in the lines of a handicapped spot with no placard just to unload some large boxes. They were there for 20 minutes.

Now could the person be handicapped, sure? But there is a reason for the lines. It gives disabled people more room to either open their doors or get their wheelchair out. And let’s not forget the Drs and DMV hand out the red and blue placards or license plates for a reason… it’s the law. 

This whole experience saddens me. The disregard for those of us who need these spots is downright disrespectful. I know here where I live we can report the violator car to the store or to the police department, but I never have. I have not come up with a decent response to these comments I have gotten of ignorance or disrespect. If you have delt with this and have come up with a way to handle it let me know in the comments. 

Meanwhile, I will continue to just walk past the belligerent person, stares etc and ignore them knowing that they are misinformed!

I know this video was more of a rant than it was helpful information like most of my videos, but I know I am not the only one who goes through this and wanted those of you out there to know I understand and you are not alone. Plus for those who might happen across this video and are not handicapped, I am hoping you will learn something and pass along the information!

I’m Kristin nitz with Big Boned and Broken

Consider Checking out my Instagram & Facebook channels @BigBonedAndBroken and of course my YouTube

Until next time Stay healthy, stay happy and stay wise.

Are You a People Pleaser

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People Pleaser

Are you a people pleaser? There are so many people out there that are people pleasers and trust me when I say from my own experience as a people pleaser, it is exhausting! 

Let’s look at some of the traits of being a people pleaser.

  • You have a hard time saying “No” to people ever your kids when they demand or request your time, your energy, and even things they want from you.
  • You tend to agree on everything. You have such a high fear of not being accepted you will agree on everything even if you really don’t.
  • You apologize for everything or worst yet will take the blame for things even if you did nothing wrong. Sometimes you do this to make the conflict stop other times it is just to please the other person.
  • Self-care is not in your vocabulary. You have a hard time taking time for yourself.
  • You crave validation from everyone, sometimes even strangers.
  • If you set boundaries, you have such guilt from it that you will end up giving in especially with your kids.
  • There is a feeling of always being anxious, especially when you are around people.
  • You have a high fear of rejection
  • You secretly resent people for constantly asking you for something.
  • You struggle with being genuine. You struggle to be honest with who you truly are to others.
  • You are a giver, but this is not the giving out of love and kindheartedness. The goal is acceptance. This is not genuine giving.
  • Fear of conflict. Even if the conflict has nothing to do with you, the fear of being around any conflict is high which sends you into either fixer mode or blaming yourself mode.
  • You probably are a perfectionist!

These are just a few traits of a People pleaser and yes, I can honestly say I use to have just about every single one of these traits. But I know from experience you can change it. You do not have to put this label on yourself and keep it there. Now I will say I am still working on myself with this one so It is a work in progress.

Let’s take a look at some of the effects of being a people pleaser. 

But let me preference this by saying that wanting to help people out of care, concern, love, affection, and kindness is not a bad thing. This is a trait that more of us should have. This is not the type of helping we are talking about.

So when does it become a problem? 

When you do it for acceptance, affection, or love of the other individual. We parents who are people pleasers have a hard time with this. Because as soon as our child gets angry, upset, or throws tantrums with us we are right there trying to fix it and make them love and accept us again. 

 It is also a problem when you just cannot say “No” and you end up feeling frustrated and overwhelmed. Which can all lead to people taking advantage of you. Then you start to feel burned out which leads to stress. And if you are someone with chronic pain or disabilities, this can lead to even more physical pain from the stress of doing too much or even from worrying. All this stress leads to higher blood pressure and elevated cortisol. Whew! That’s a lot!

So how does one change? 

Well, it is not easy. Let’s just be honest here. It takes time, commitment, and a willingness to remove this label sitting on your forehead that you have had there for most of your life. 

So let me walk through 8 things that you can start today to etch away at that label of People Pleaser.

  1. When you are asked to do something and you are ready to say yes ask yourself a few questions.
  • Am I saying yes and doing it for the right reasons?
  • Will it overtax my mind, body, or time?
  • Is this action going to be within my boundaries I have set for myself?
  • Do I have the time for this after my needs are met?
  • How will it make me feel? Resentful or happy?
  1. One of the other things that I have done is set self-care appointments in my calendar. I set Dr. appointments right? So I also set exercise, meditation, reading appointments and try to stick to them as best I can.
  2. Remember you do not need to get an opinion from every person in your life. When you need a person’s opinion ask just 1 or 2 people close to you, not everyone.
  3. Set boundaries. I mean actually write them down. Write down a list of the things you are currently doing and mark the ones that make you happy and the ones that don’t. Now a job might be in the don’t, so this need to be evaluated and maybe a change of jobs need to happen. Get the picture.
  4. Learn to say “No” NOT “I’m sorry but I can’t becasue…” No should never need an explanation.
  5. Try scheduling alone time. This is hard if your a parent soconsider  hiring Dad or a babysitter for 1 hour a couple times a week for some quiet time with just you!
  6. Be more honest with your feeling with your close friends and family. It is OK. Start out slow, because I know from experience this can be a hard one. Pick 1 person to start being honest with about who you really are and keep adding until it becomes second nature to be YOU!
  7. Lastly, if you struggle with chronic pain, disabilities, chronic illness, etc., it is imperative to make yourself a priority. It is important to know just how much time you can give outside of your daily routine and activities and to not go over this. Our broken bodies need a bit more TLC and when we overdue ourselves, even if it is just “sitting” it can really do a number on us physically.

Remember it is OK to say “NO”. People will not hate you for it and those who are currently taking advantage of you will actually come to appreciate you even more. Setting boundaries, especially for us parents, seems hard, but once again, kids and people will come to appreciate the fact you are consistant. And If you do say “YES”, make sure it is coming from a loving, caring place and not a want for love or acceptance. 

I’m Kristin Nitz with Big Boned and Broken

If you like this video and want to see other content like it hit the subscribe and notification button

Until next time, Stay Healthy, Stay Happy, and Stay Wise.

Self Sabotage; Negative Self Talk

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When you think about or talk about chronic pain, you may only think about the physical side of it. However, chronic pain can have a huge impact on a person’s life physically and mentally. It can change our sleep patterns and cause restlessness at night and even during the day. Given the lack of sleep and the constant thumping of pain somewhere in your body, this can lead to a disinterest in hobbies and social events. A feeling of anxiety. It can cause you to starve yourself, binge eats, feel isolated even when people are around you. It can lead to feelings of frustration and destructive self-talk. And worst yet, it can lead to or exacerbate depression.

One of the main things we have to beware of is the internal talk. Having destructive self-talk can make the situation worse and keep you from coping with your pain in a more constructive manner. When we are constantly flooding our brain with how much pain we are in and telling ourselves, “no one cares”, “I am a burden”,” I am useless”, “I can’t take this”, “It is all my fault”, or whatever your internal talk is, it can exacerbate the sadness, depression and even the pain. This was my self-talk for the first few years after my accident and the more I talked to myself like this the more depressed I got. And worse yet? These thought patterns turned into belief patterns which, I gotta tell you are hard to get rid of, but you can! And let me just note here that I still struggle with this every now and then. So this is an ongoing learning process for us all.

 So then what? Our next step then is to hide our feelings. So my thought pattern was, for many years, “I don’t want to burden the people around me or bring them down. So I will say everything is just fine, smile, and if the pain gets too much, grin and bear it!” Does anyone identify with this?

We who deal with chronic pain know how it feels when we have to deal with the consequences of overdoing ourselves and dealing with the extra pain afterward. We know how it feels to want to go to a social function yet when we get there all we can think about is going home because we are so uncomfortable. This continual pain can lead to our brains not being able to focus. My daughter calls me out on this all the time. She will tell me something and 5 seconds later I will ask her what she said. It is not because I am not listening, but between the pain and any medications that someone with chronic pain takes it can fog up the brain and thought patterns. And then we make the situation worst by telling ourselves we are bad moms, wives, friends, and co-workers.

We can also have the thoughts that people don’t believe us. Even with having had an accident, being hospitalized, and casts you would think it would be enough for my brain to not think this. But there it was rearing its ugly head. Especially nowadays because I am so much more active than I was at the beginning. More self-sabotaging thoughts!

OK, so what am I to do? I’m down all the time and I can’t seem to talk to myself in a nice way!  Well, I could tell you to just have positive thoughts. But we know that we cannot control our thoughts 100% of the time. Consider watching When Your Feeling Down-10 Easy Ways to Being Happy These 10 simple steps can bring you more cheer in your day when you’re just feeling a bit down. However, there are just extra steps above that video that can help. 

First and foremost, allow yourself to feel these things for a moment. And if you feel ready, go talk to someone. Let me tell you this was the best decision I ever made. My hip replacement happened, then my accident, and then my mom died all within 3 months. Then I found out I had cancer in the following 2 months. Do you think I wasn’t down? I was ready to give it all up. I blamed myself for my accident, my mom having to go into a center while I was in rehab and even for my cancer. I am not sure what would have happened if I did not go to my church and seek counseling. It changed my perspective on everything. So this is why it is the first and foremost thing you should do. Especially if your thoughts are running into hurting yourself or suicide path like mine was.

The best coping mechanism that was taught to me was to ask just a couple of questions when my thoughts were going off the path. 1. Is what I am telling myself really true? 2. How does this thought make me feel?  3. What would my husband, children, God, or my dearest friend think about what I am telling myself? 4. How would I feel if any of those people said these things to my face? And then journal those feelings. For me the 1st question well, sometimes, i would say to myself, yes of course it is true! But then I would ask the 2nd one and realize how harmful and hurtful I was being. But the last 2 questions? WOW, would I ever say these thoughts to any of the people? NO Would I be happy if any of those people said it to me? NO WAY! I would eventually realize it was my own self-sabotaging self-talk and not truth.

Look there is no 1 size fits all, to help with chronic pain or sadness and depression for those of us who suffer from it. But we can start with self-talk! And if you are watching and have a loved one who suffers from chronic pain, then be willing to sit and listen. They may not come out right away and talk about their true feelings. It may take a few months of consistently getting together every day or weekly, asking open-ended questions, and being willing to put aside what is going on in your life for just 20 or 30 minutes. Eventually, they will begin to realize you are trustworthy, loving, really do care, and truly are willing to listen!

You are taking care of yourself physically already with doctors, exercise, eating right, pain management, etc. So why not continue the process of taking care of yourself mentally. Starting today ask yourself those 4 questions…1. Is what I am telling myself really true? 2. How does this thought make me feel?  3. What would my husband, children, God or my dearest friend think about what I am telling myself? 4. How would I feel if any of those people said these things to my face? Grab a journal and start putting your feelings down. And if you’re ready, go seek help from a  professional. Don’t wait until it is out of control.

I’m Kristin Nitz with Big Boned and Broken

If you enjoyed this video, please consider hitting the subscribe and notification button for more content like this.

Until next time, stay healthy, happy & wise!

How to be Grateful in Tough Times

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Just from the title, you may think to yourself “What do I have to be grateful for?” I don’t even know you or your situation but I can think of 10 things you can be grateful for right this moment and I bet you can too. Today we are going to talk about starting a gratitude journal. What is it? Why keep it? Where to get them? And how to do it?.

So what is a gratitude journal? It is exactly what it sounds like. It is a journal that you write in on a regular basis where you jot down the things you are grateful for each day. It is that simple. Keeping a gratitude journal can increase your overall feeling of happiness, reduce symptoms of depression, and increase a more euphoric overall well-being. Hey that is pretty cool for just a sentence or two a day, don’t you think?

As far as what journal to get? Well, that is not as important as doing it. There are some specific gratitude journals that give you a prompt. There are those that are just lined pages, some are dated, but overall it is more important to just start! You can go just about anywhere to get a lined journal these days, but  I’ll link some in the description if you just have no idea where to start. Some of these were ones I liked over the years! 

So this brings us to the how and the meat of this video. How, is pretty easy. Just write down something that day for which you are thankful. Oh, but I know that is easier said than done. So I have a few ideas for you to follow.

  1. Don’t write the same thing every day. “I am thankful for our home”! That is a great one to write especially if you were not sure if you could pay the mortgage that month, but every day? No! Which leads me to
  2. Be creative. What about the nice meal you had with your family that day. How about having a fun holiday? You could even add ticket stubs, receipts, and pics to your journal if you want. I don’t because I write in my bed before turning the lights out and I am too lazy to get the glue and tape…LOL
  3. This leads us to the time of day. I have always thought bedtime was a great time because the last thing I think of before I go to bed is something positive.
  4. Be clear about what you are writing. Let’s use the house example again. If I say I am happy with my house. That’s not really clear. Write down you didn’t know how you were going to pay the mortgage and all of a sudden you got a huge refund in the mail. That is truly clear!
  5. However, we also want to focus on the people around us, not just the things we have in our lives. Make sure you are adding in the really nice cashier that made your day and why, your husband’s back rub he gave you unexpectedly, etc.
  6. Keep all negativity out of this book. This is a gratitude journal. Not a gratitude journal, But…. Get the picture?
  7. We all have terrible days when we can’t think of something fun to write. That’s ok. This is where you can be thankful for your mom, child, or spouse just because.
  8. Get personal. Be grateful for the negative outcomes that never happened because you were able to escape them. An example could be “I am so grateful I was able to swerve away from the car and no accident happened today!
  9. Be Consistent. It does not have to be daily, It can be weekly, daily or just the weekends, but whenever you decide on it, be consistent with it so it becomes a habit.
  10. Give it time to become a habit. A new habit can take as little as 30 days and as much as 100 days to form. So don’t give up!

Just a few prompt ideas would be:

What is one thing I am thankful for about myself

What is something I am doing well in

Did I do something nice for someone today 

Did someone do something nice for me?

Write 1 thing that is positive about a stressor today

Think about a person you admire and write about it

Name something that always puts a smile on your face

Name a way you can be kinder tomorrow

Name off an accomplishment

‘ Write about a place you visited

Write about something physically beautiful like your rose bushes, the 50ft tree in your backyard etc.

.Write about what made you laugh

Even write about a meal

Write a thankful thing from your childhood

Each day take 1 family member and write what you’re grateful for about them

Who are the top 3 people you are thankful or today

For the end of the month, quarter, &/?or year write your top highlights for the month

Write 3 things you love about your body, home, your job, your family

I think you are getting the picture. I hope those prompts help you. I will write them out in the description as well so you can print them.

You can see there are a lot of things you can write about in your journal. It can be short and sweet or big long paragraphs. It is up to you. Just give it a try for a month and see if you don’t start feeling a bit more thankful and grateful and having a bit happier sleep and dreams.

I’m Kristin Nitz with Big Boned and Broken. To get you started this journal is a nice one Here is a journal with prompts: https://amzn.to/3nGxyVA

Until next time Stay healthy, Stay Happy and Stay Wise.

What Happens to the Face is Shockily Cold as Ice.

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I thought I would take a moment and share with you something I have been reading a lot about lately so I went out and bought a product to try out and thought I would share it here with you.

I have always been an advocate of icing your eyes to reduce puffiness, but I have been seeing a lot of articles and IG posts regarding icing the entire face. They say it helps to constrict the blood vessels which reduces inflammation. OK, I knew that already from icing my eyes and wounds over the years.

But then I have read that it can help reduce the effects of a rash and sunburns and even help reduce the redness of acne. That’s pretty cool, but I don’t get sunburns and I don;t have acne. It is also great for headaches and migraines. This I knew. I am a migraine and cluster headache sufferer and I have used ice packs over the years to ease a headache. But what really got me to try the face icing was the fact I have read that it can help your face products absorb better into the face and reduce the signs of aging. Hmmm, now I have always thought that using heat by opening the pores was the way to get the products into the first few layers of skin. But I am learning it is the heat of the shower, putting the face products on, then icing that will help to sink those products into more layers of your skin. And as far as the anti-aging, well, at my age, who doesn’t want to reduce a little bit of the signs of aging. So I figured I would never put an ice cube to my face so why not try a cold facemask?!

I found this face mask which also came with a set of eye patches. Shoot for a whopping $9 I figured I couldn’t beat the price and I know for sure I would at least use the eye masks. Here is a link to them:

So one of the things I really like about this set I purchase is the fact you get a 2 for 1 at a really great price. But I love the effects of this mask. One side of the facemask is like a velvety type material that defuses the freezing cold, while the other is a typical soft icepack plastic. It also has two straps that go around your head so I can use it standing, sitting or lying down. That is very convenient. The eye masks are just 2 discs that you place on your eyes while laying down. But I will say, I have tried them under the facemask while sitting and that works as well.

I have been using them every day for a little over a week since writing this article. I pull them out of the freezer and place them on my face every morning after my shower and my face creams. Then, while they are doing their magic, I get dressed, shoes, deodorant, etc.. I only leave them on for about 10 minutes while I am getting ready. Then back into the freezer they go.

A side note worth mentioning here is if you put them in the freezer, using the plastic side does not shield you from the intense cold. I use the fuzzy side when I put them in the freezer and I use the plastic side when I use them in the refrigerator. I am torn about which cooling effect I like better. the freezer is great, but the mask is stiffer. While the fridge leads to a more pliable mask, it does warm up fast.

I have to admit, I was amazed that I was getting better saturation of my face cream. At first, I thought it was because of the fuzzy material so I flipped the mask over and used the plastic side for a couple of days and got the same results. WOW! That was great. I have also noticed less puffiness around my eyes and face in general. Now I am not a dermatologist nor a beauty blogger, but this thing is my new friend and daily routine. Do I think it is worth the $9? Yup, I sure do.

If you are interested in trying the facemask I bought click here. Have you ever used face icing? How do you do it? Give me a comment either here, FB, IG, or Youtube and let me know your thoughts on face icing.

When Your Feeling Down-10 Easy Ways to Being Happy

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We all get the feeling of being depressed from time to time. However, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are clinically depressed. 

Those of us with BBAB bodies can get these feelings of being down, sad, depressed etc a lot. Especially since we are in pain everyday-all day. Pain can really bring you down. And if you have the added bonus of being over 50 and a BBAB body, then you know all too well the added stresses of aging can add to this down in the dump feeling.

I am not a psychologist. I certainly do not have the magic answer to why this happens or how to completely make it go away. But I do know what has worked for me over the years and I figure it might just work for you. Take what you want and leave the rest. And if you have a way of making the sad feeling go away that I did not mention, let me know. I am always willing to learn something new and try it for myself!

Let’s first hit on the difference between sadness and depression. 

Sadness every single human being in the entire world gets. It can be environmental, situational, or just even mental. But it is short-term and will go away within a few hours or sometimes days, depending on the reasons. While depression is a very long-term illness and is not to be dealt with lightly. It can compromise our jobs, school, relationships, and even our day-to-day function. So let me make sure you understand we are not talking about clinical depression here today but an overall state of sadness that most of us would call depression.

I have 10 things that I do when I get down. Sometimes I will go for it and do them all, while other times 1 or 2 will do just fine to bring me out of my mood.

#1: Put away social media for the day. We all know and have read how social media plays on our brains to want more, feelings of inadequacy, it causes our memory to be poor, and can actually lead to feelings of depression or sadness. So put the phone and computer away for the day or even a few hours if you are one to spend a ton of time on social media. If you can, do it for a small extended period of time like 3 or 4 days.

#2: Get some sun. We should be getting 15 or more minutes of direct sun every day. But most of us are cooped up sitting all day behind a computer. If you’re feeling down go hug a tree, smell some flowers, watch the bees buzz for 15 minutes and see if that sun on your face, back and the head doesn’t make you feel like singing “The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music”.

#3: Smile. Everyone you see, including your own reflection, smile at them all. Yes, even if they do not smile back. You see when you smile your brain lets off neuropeptides, dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. These are things that help with stress, sadness, and even pain. So go smile in the mirror.


#4 & #5: Meditate for 5 minutes while breathing deeply. This step is really two things. You can do them separately, but I have found when I combine them I get the most benefit. One day I will go into more information about meditation but for now, I just want to say that this is not some praying to the universe or sitting on a pillow for 4 hours chanting. If you are into any of those things, then that is great for you, but for those of you who are not, this is just about laying down, relaxing, and focusing on the feeling of breathing. Sounds funny, but it works. And yes, your mind will wander, but come back to how the deep breathing feels in your nose, or in your chest, or the rise and fall of your belly. You can, if you want, repeat a word like calm or relaxed while doing this. Sometimes if my brain is really active I will do that, but most of the time I just focus on the rise and fall of my belly and the space in between the in-breath and out-breath. Do this for about 5 to 10

minute and you will feel refreshed and happier. And if you cannot lay down, sit comfortably, and if you can lean your head on a wall so you are relaxed. But if you feel like you are going to fall asleep crack open your eyes just a tiny bit to let some light in.

#7: Do 3 things you love to do today. Maybe that means spending some time with a favorite person. I know that a lot of the time it is people who make us disappointed which in turn makes us sad and feel underappreciated or not loved. But everyone has that one person that makes them feel good. Or maybe you like to draw, sing, color a coloring book, take a drive, play with makeup, or bake cookies. Whatever it is, do 3 things you love!

#8: Learn something new. Now, this does not mean you have to go to school. It could mean you read an article, read a good how-to book, listen to a podcast or grab a magazine and learn how to cook a new meal tonight. When we stop learning new things our brain goes into a feeling of uselessness. When we learn new things we have the feeling of wanting to share our newfound knowledge which in turn perks us up.

#9: Be spontaneous. How about helping a stranger. Buy a homeless person a taco, tell the guy at the drive-thru window you will pay for the car behind you if you see someone struggling getting something off a shelf get it for them. Try a new restaurant for lunch. Or maybe you grab a co-worker’s hand and dance in the middle of the office for 2 minutes. Anything that is fun, exciting, or helpful that is out of the ordinary for you. Watch how you smile the rest of the day!

#10: Exercise. Uugghh! Yes, I went there! I know this sucks, but you know I am right. Exercise fills those endorphin needs as we talked about earlier with smiling. It does not have to be hardcore, but maybe go in your yard and throw the ball and chase your dog for 10 minutes, walk around your block. Do you want something easier? Park at the farthest parking stall in a parking lot, take the stairs at work, etc. I know what you’re saying “But I cannot walk that far”. OK, then walk in the place, swing your arms while sitting in your chairs, stand up and just swish those hips, dance, etc. Anything to get your body moving will help. 5 minutes to 10 minutes or whatever time you have. 

I ended with exercise because this is my #1 way I feel happiest. My daily hiking and yoga takes me to a different world away from everything that bothers me and makes me the happiest I can be. If I start my day with this I know for sure I will, at least, start my day happy. As my environment and body break down, yes the stresses of the day get me down, but that is when I pull out the other 9 things to try to make me feel happier.

I hope this helps you a little bit. And please don’t get me wrong, there are days I will wallow in my sadness, but almost every day I try to pick myself up and make myself happy. Let me know what you think and if there are some other things you have tried that work for you. Go forth and be happy! 🙂

Holy Guacamole Batman, I Did It!

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  • This is my view point of just a portion of Peralta Hills
  • Yes, we just came down that!
  • Noooo, we have to climb up to get home?
  • Get ready for some dirty hands climbing up this mountain.
  • Almost there friend! We can do this!
Just a few shots at our mountain. AllTrails said 35% grade. Eesshh!

Holy Cow, we did it! Yesterday, if you have been following me, I went on a hike and found a really steep mountain I wanted to climb. I tried a portion of it and got scared because I was alone and headed back. But I knew I was going to conquer that hill if it was the last thing I did. Well, why not the very next day.

Last night I texted my girlfriend Kathy who hikes with me 1 or 2 times a week. I asked her if she was going to hike with me tomorrow and she said sure. I also asked her if she wouldn’t mind if we did harder than our normal hikes, and again she said yes! Whoo-hoo! Now I had a partner to go down and back up this mountain and be there in case something happened and I needed help. I went to bed feeling ecstatic in anticipation for the next morning. I arose at 5 am feeling ready to go, did my morning yoga session, and off I went to the park.

When we got to the park before we even set foot in Santiago Oaks Regional Park I asked her if she was OK with about a 35-40% trail grade and she agreed so off we went. When we got to the top of the trail, I think she did a triple take and was a little nervous about it even though she did not say it. We discussed how just 7 months ago, I would have never even contemplated doing a trial like this. I did not have good balance or footing and my fear would have overtaken the hike. As a matter of fact, we did a trial, Grasshopper, that was a pretty good grade and very rocky once at the beginning of the year and I almost had a heart attack doing it. I was terrified and vowed NEVER again!



Well, that never is here. Kathy and I took on Peralta Hills Trail going down very gingerly and slowly making sure every step was secure and firm. It took us probably a little longer than a nimble, not big or broken 20 years old would do, but we got to the bottom of that huge hill. As we meandered further along the trail we were keeping a close eye on the time. I wanted to give us double the amount of time it took us to come down to go back up. I wanted to make sure Kathy was able to get back to her car so she could get to work on time.

Once we were good ways down the trail it was time to turn around. Yeah, that is when the reality of what we had to do to get back to our cars set in. Yup, we had to climb that hill. So off we go. I have to be honest, it was not as bad as I ever thought it would have been. Going down was way scarier and harder. Thank God for my trekking pole. They help me so much with balance and keeping that firm footing on the path as well as giving me a full-body workout while I hike. Poor Kathy she does not have a pair.

Anyway, about 1/4 of the way up Kathy started feeling sick in the tummy. It was time to stop! Unfortunately, she was dehydrated and overheated. She had not hydrated up the night before or that morning. You see when you hike, run, or whatever in this kind of California summer/fall heat, it is so important to drink plenty of water the day before and then drink at the extreme very least 8oz when you get up an hour before the hike. Anyway, I told her to sit right there in the middle of the path, drink, and cool off! I had some extra iced water for my dog (clean water) and I poured some over her head and gave her some to drink as well. We actually had a nice cyclist stop and ask if everything was ok and if we needed help. Aww, most of the people I meet on the trails are so nice. Then we proceeded to watch this guy go down this ridiculous steep mountain at a speed that made my tummy start hurting!



Once we got her tummy and legs feeling a bit better we headed back up. Now I have trekking poles and my girlfriend does not, so unfortunately there were a few spots she had to use her hands to get up that hill. I am very grateful for my poles because my hands stayed clean-ish.



It was the most exhilarating climb I have had on these trails since I started back to hiking mid 2020. When we got to the top I stood there looking out and then I could not help myself. I put my arms high up in the air and screamed “WooHoo”! The rest of the hike was just basic, nothing too hard, but the whole way back to the car I was smiling. I (we) had achieved something I never thought I could do. We both felt so accomplished and able. Even as I write this I am still on a hiker’s High!

I am glad I decided to start sharing some of my hikes with you all. It has made me realize just how much I have accomplished in such a very short time. Especially since I am going backward and writing out my journal from early on in my journey. You can check out some of those posts on the category called My Journals.

Let me tell you if I can do it so can you! I mean obviously, you have to start at whatever level you are at, but just start. I have another girlfriend who is an ironwoman and runs miles and miles. And I realized one day when I was looking at her post and wishing I could hike and be able to keep up with her that she, at some point in her life, started out small as well. She did not go out the gate running 30 miles a day, right? And that is what I have learned from my experience with these hills I am hiking.

About 1 1/2 years ago I was on a scooter for most things that required any amount of walking including the grocery store. I would have never been able to walk the entire OC VegFest like I did last weekend. I was not able to go to Costco and walk the entire store without a scooter. Shoot I wasn’t able to stand and cook a full meal without sitting down every 5 minutes. And NEVER would I have been able to climb the mountain I climbed today!

Yes, I still use my scooter sometimes when I have problems standing still in long lines or anything that required lots of hard concrete walking like Knotts or Disney, but just look at what one step at a time haS done for me? I have come from quitting teaching choir because I could not handle the pain of 3 hours of teaching to hiking a 35% grade mountain. One step at a time has changed my life and It can do it for you as well! All you have to do is start and not expect your body to do what it used to do before your illness or injury. You want to start hiking and live near me, contact me. let’s do it TOGETHER!

BTW, when I say we hiked an hour I meant just an hour going down. We hiked another hour+ going back up.

I Chicken’d Out

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This morning I decided I wanted to take a new trail on my hike. Raven and I went one way and realized it led to my normal trail up to Robber Roust so I turned around and went back to take a new trail, Peralta Hills. I knew from when I walk inside the main park this was a tough trail, but I wanted to see what it was like from up top! This trail started out lovely with a nice lookout point and bench at the top. BUT as I kept proceeding, I realized that this was an extremely steep and rocky hill. Today was not the day to try it out.

I went down a portion on the very rocky steep path with about a 45% grade. Sheesh! I went maybe a couple of hundred feet down and proceeded to turn around. I got scared!!! When the trail is this steep and rocky I like to have someone with me, just in case. This is one trial I will do, but I want to do it with someone. This way if I fall, twist an ankle, or just can’t get my butt up that hill, I can have some help.

At first, I was bashing myself, inside of my head. Telling myself I was not accomplishing my goal, I am never going to be able to do it, I can’t climb this steep hill, etc. All the negative thoughts I have usually in my head about myself! But then I realized this was silly. Look at what I am doing. I am out on the trails. Even my back Dr. is amazed at what I am doing. I am exercising 4-5 days a week, I got my hind side out of bed this morning and even though my ankle was aching, I still got out to the trails. OK, Kristin, tomorrow I will attach this hill and master it!

The reason I am telling you all this? I want to help you realize it is ok to stop once in a while. It is ok to have fear. It is OK to turn around. The problems come when you repeatedly do it over and over and never go back to try it again. You never push yourself to perpetrate more, always telling yourself you’re a failure!. If I would have given up the very first time I took a hike on a steeper hill and never came back to it, where would I be today? Not stronger. Not healthier, Not having more endurance. And certainly not accomplished! Yes, accomplished. I may not be doing 25-mile hikes, but for my body, my size, my injuries, my handicap, I am accomplished. Should I, can I, will I do more? You bet!

So on those days where you have more aches and pains than a normal day, your body is screaming at you from the get-go, but you still head out to the gym, the trail, the walk around the block, it is OK to take it slower, to only do some, and if necessary to stop and turn around and head back. Just make sure you lace up those boots tomorrow and head back and NEVER give up entirely. Never tell yourself you are not able to accomplish whatever goal you set. And NEVER let the fear and negative self-talk take completely take over and rule your goals!

OCVegan Fest is Back

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This is a 360 view of the OCVegan Fest Use your mouse or fingers to view it in it’s entirety

Some of you may know that I am a pescatarian/vegetarian. I went from a meat-eater to a vegan right after Easter 2012. I was feeling bad all the time, always had an upset tummy, sluggish. I had done some research on different ways of eating to make my tummy feel better and decided since I was not a huge meat lover anyway, trying veganism couldn’t be that hard. Well, I was wrong, going from meat 3x a day to nothing was not an easy task. Not hard to stop eating meat, but hard to figure out what to cook.

Anyway, after about 2 months of trying to figure it out, reading, reading, and more reading, I decided to go more of a vegetarian lifestyle with eggs and cheese now and then. Plus I had to think of my family. All three of them were vigorous meat-eaters. Well, eventually, I decided to add fish back into my diet. I am a massive fish lover. I grew up eating squid, clams, trout, salmon, etc. I could eat it 24/7. Now I only eat it when we eat out or 1X a week at home. So that is, in a very brief nutshell, how I went from meat-eater to pescatarian/vegetarian and I feel my best when I stick to very little eggs, no milk, and a little cheese and lots of colorful vegetables with some fish 1 or 2 times a week. My tummy feels better too. And the best thing, my family (even though they won’t admit it) feels better too without all that meat! But this article is not supposed to be about my eating habits…LOL.

After a very long wait, the OCVegan Fest is back. They actually changed their location and it is better. And let’s not confuse this with the SoCal Veg Fest which is 10X the size and happens only 1x a year. This is a small hometown (Santa Ana) one time a month food fest that happens in a nearby town to where I live.

I am so grateful that they are back. The food is Out Of This World delicious. If you have never tried vegan food, you don’t know what you are missing. My husband and I decided to have the Franks. I never was a huge Hot Dog fan when I ate meat (except when we were really broke), but these sausage dogs are the absolute best. OMGsh! There were also tamales, tacos, fresh-squeezed flavored lemonades, faux chicken and burgers, of course, fries, salads, shoot, you name it, they had it. My only complaint about the whole thing is they had about 4 tables with a tent over it and the rest were in the direct sun. For next month I am hoping they will bring out more tents, at least until it cools down.

On the other side of the fair were several traders selling their wares. It is always fun to look at what people are selling. Some of the products were crystals, homemade clothing, tie-dyed T’s, Mexican wrestling masks, vegan purses, jewelry, and more. I do hope since they are back the vendors will start wanting to come and sell and that as time goes on, there will be more and more vendors selling their goodies! it is fun to look at all the handiwork and buy the stuff you don’t really need and sometimes really need! LOL

The other thing is this is very dog friendly. My only complaint, it is on blacktop and only one tent for shade. It was a bit too hot for my all-black coated pooch. While we were eating, I shoved her under the table with some water to keep her cool. That worked well, but my poor shoulders got a bit of a beating while we were listening to some great music and munching on our lunch.

Overall, I am so glad we went. We had a great lunch and spent a couple of hours looking around, eating, and then strolling some of the shopping on the main shopping street in Santa Ana. If you are in or around the area, I highly suggest you check out the links above or below for them and come visit next month. They hold it every month. Hope to see you there next month!

@ocveganfest #ocveganfest @socalvegfest #socalvegfest