Don't Tell Me I'm Skinny

We all know we shouldn't call someone fat, and yet there's this strange phenomenon where people think it's ok to call someone skinny or say that a person doesn't eat. Out loud. In front of a person's face. Where does this privilege come from? Why is there a need to mention it, particularly in presence of said person him/herself? And, most importantly, why is this even bothersome at all?

We live in a society and culture where image is everything. Those who preach 'never judge a book by its cover' are hypocrites. It's human nature, I get it. To be human, though, is also having the ability to be civil and think before we speak as well.

There's this saying:



A person may be thin because s/he has cancer; diabetes; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); HIV; or a gastrointestinal, renal, cardiac, or neurologic disease. A person may be thin because s/he is depressed or has an eating disorder. Or, perhaps, a person may be thin because s/he just has a small frame, is more active, or just simply eats less. Less DOESN'T equal nothing, it means not as much or more, just less.

There is a shitload of reasons people may be thinner than you'd like them to be but whatever the case, you may know nothing about it, nor should you feel the sense of entitlement to act like you're in 6th grade and be rude about it to their face.

If a person is thinner than you would like them to be, ask yourself why it's bothering you. If you aren't happy with the way you look, don't criticize others. Instead, do something about it.



Because, you know...



And...



Yes, it's that easy. Maybe not as easy as making someone else feel bad but it's doable.

If you're on the other end of the stick figure (pun intended)...



And...





And finally... don't tell me I'm skinny because, hunny, you don't know what skinny is. #piecesofm

Thoughts? Leave them in the Comments below

How To Deal With Negative People

Haters never win... unless you let them.

All of us encounter negative people sometimes (or often) in our lives and they are truly a bummer. Truly. Their actions, their words, their everything. It's important to remember, though, that you cannot control them nor should you bother to try. You can only control you— how you behave and react, who you hang out with, and how you filter messages and let them affect you. That doesn't mean you won't get hurt— because feelings are easily susceptible to harm— but how you DEAL with those feelings is what will define your HealthyButJuicy. Let them suck you dry and you will plummet to SickAndDepleted.

Whether you are a YouTuber, public figure, or neither, this video is motivational and empowering.



If you feel like people or things are getting to you, drop by and listen to the wise words of Miss Jessica Harlow. It helps. And remember: Believe in yourself. You are worth it. And you are not alone.

Have inspirational words or messages of your own?

Share them in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :>

Happy Healthy Juicy Inspire Empower Take Control

Beauty Is In The Function

- Friend, CK


Some other thoughts on beauty...

How do YOU define beauty? Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear!

Happy Healthy Juicy Beauty-full!

What We Can Learn From Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephen Merchant's Lip-Sync Battle

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Stephen Merchant induce tears in their lip-sync battle performances on a recent episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The HealthyButJuicy lesson is this: Just.Let.Go.

Whatever it is you might be holding onto. These guys show us the freedom is admirable, the response is positive, and the act is uplifting, if not downright hilarious. And who couldn't use a little more laughter?





What crazy funny things have YOU seen lately?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear and share in the laughs! :>

Happy Healthy Juicy Letting Go!

Raising Awareness And The Throes Of Hunger

As part of Hunger Action Month, the CEO of Panera, Ron Shaich, has been taking the SNAP Challenge this week. In case you didn't know, SNAP stands for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as Food Stamps, and is a US federal-aid program that helps low-income individuals and families purchase food.

The SNAP Challenge is a voluntary exercise with the goal to increase awareness and understanding amongst those not affected by hunger, and to help get a better sense of what it is like to struggle with hunger by living on only $4.50 per day.

Below are some poignant sound bites of each of Mr. Shaich's daily posts to date.

Day 0:
We live in the “land of plenty,” and yet nearly 48 million people receive food stamps and 16 million children go to bed hungry.

Day 1:
I haven’t even felt the first pangs of hunger, and I’m already gaining a whole new perspective into challenges that so many people in this country face in dealing with food insecurity – from the embarrassment of having to leave items at the register to the diligence and ongoing calculation required to constantly prioritize and rank every purchase and potential purchase, big and small.

Day 2:
When I finally ate lunch at around 2:30 p.m., it really felt like a reward, and I didn’t take for granted the satisfaction that the meal provided... I was hyper aware whenever those around me consumed.

Day 3:
The face of hunger is as diverse as this country is.

Day 4:
This week, through my participation in the SNAP Challenge, I have had a glimpse into how detrimental and all-consuming hunger can be – and I’m barely halfway through my merely seven day challenge. I can’t stop thinking about food.

Day 5:
“It’s not just about food to fill a belly, it’s about life.”

Mr. Shaich's writing is insightful and raw, and hits sorely close to home.

I remember when I was in grad school— actually discussing the very issue of food insecurity, the SNAP program and Challege— one student couldn't understand (out loud) why those suffering from food insecurity couldn't just go out and get a job so they could pay for and get the food they needed. I interjected, asking, How can these people get jobs if they don't even know how to pack a grocery bag? [We had just finished talking about food banks]. I'm not sure he really understood concepts, yet, such as the basics of Maslow's hierarchy of needs, but don't blame him either as it is extremely difficult to understand issues at the core when you haven't experienced them yourself first-hand.

I've never gone hungry because I couldn't afford it. But I can tell you the symptoms, experiences, and consequences of hunger, as Mr. Shaich describes, due to the struggles of income are the exact same as those due to mental illness and, more specifically, anorexia.

To re-iterate, in both instances, you really can't stop thinking about food when you're hungry nor can you really be productive (if at all); it really isn't about the food; and it really is about life— trying to figure out how to build one worth living given the very dire, arguably extremist, circumstances. Every day is a battle.

For me, it was a 10-year battle that crept into my life silently and one that is now silenced because of hard-working efforts and achieving a life of recovery. Yay! Well, not so yay. Because I still live with the consequences of the silent disease, unemployed and in silence about it.

Despite two degrees from an Ivy League university, functional brain, good health, and eagerness, how do you explain to potential employers what the hell you've been doing the past 10 years of your life while everyone else you graduated with are now managers and directors? You've been TO hell and back but that isn't exactly the experience employers want to hear about.

The effects of hunger are profound. This always brings up the Minnesota Starvation Experiment, which is a HealthyButJuicy recommended read, if you don't know about it already. It's nearly impossible to be productive when you are starved— physically, mentally, and emotionally— and when the elemental need of food and nutrition, and focus on survival become your world and all-consuming.

This post isn't just about food insecurity and eating disorders, though. It's about raising awareness, increasing compassion, and bettering ourselves and each other. Before we can solve or address issues, whether they be our own or others', we need to begin to fundamentally understand them first. And, by asking ourselves things like 'In what kind of society do we want to live?' and What kind of life do I?, perhaps, one day, we can reach our goals.

You matter. You can make a difference. And you can be the change.

Share your thoughts in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Happy Healthy Juicy Inspire!

We Can't Stop... Talking About Miley Cyrus

Days after her performance, the world is still buzzing about Miley Cyrus and her performance at the VMAs.

This picture pretty much sums it up, in case you live in the outer-vortex of pop culture.
Source: Getty Images

It was all tongue and very raunchy. Man, her tongue.

But, really, could we have expected any less? Her latest hit, We Can't Stop, has over 162 million hits on YouTube alone (not to mention #4 on iTunes' Top Music Downloads, just under folks like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga) and, there, already, we got a glimpse of the ever-evolving, ever-straying-away-from-Disney sexual princess, tongue and twerk and crotch and all.

I just finished reading Miley Cyrus Inc.'s Branding Tips (via LinkedIn, no less!) and, despite the author's disapproval, personally, I think the girl got it right. Miley continues to engage audiences, larger and larger, and gives people something to talk about. As an entertainer, it's basically her job to do that and one she's obviously doing well. Marketers and branders can all learn from it since, apparently, We Can't Stop watching or talking about her.

That said, though, from a different, non-business perspective, where should the line be drawn? While her marketing/branding/engagement skills are top notch, as a public figure to such an influential demographic, is she violating her responsibility as a role model, which, unavoidably, she is and cannot escape. We get angry when images of murderers are shared and, arguably, idolized in the mass media, like when the Boston Marathon bomber was beautifully portrayed on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine. Equally, are we doing the same with Miley?

As a parent to a little girl [thankfully(?) not old enough to understand any of this], what would I say and how would I react if she were to have seen Miley's performance as, say, a t(w)eenager? Surely, I don't condone porn stars, which Miley is unfortunately erring on the side of; on the other hand, I don't know if the world really realizes how young Miley still is— she's not even 21 yet. Despite all the money and fame, she's still a kid and will make mistakes and go through stupid phases. As much as a role model I think/know she is, as a parent, my reaction would be continuous and way pre-determined. Way.

We all know entertainers and mass media are out there and can influence our kids, even ourselves. It's our jobs as parents not necessarily to abhor and shun it, because likewise, they can also be very positive forces in our lives and they're just sometimes simply unavoidable. In the very least, Miley wasn't hurting anyone, with the exception of maybe herself? (TBD) and some eyeballs and stomachs (which could have easily told their hands to change the channel). Take it/her for what it's worth (possibly nothing). Teach your kids values and media literacy and move on.

Here's a clip of her lyrics:

It's our song we can sing if we want to
It's my mouth I can say what I want to...

And we can't stop
And we won't stop
We run things, things don't run we
Don't take nothing from nobody
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, ehh

And this is what I take— (See the positive in everything).
' Source


What (positive) things can you take away from Miley's performance or after-effects thereof? Share your Comments below or Tweet/Instagram us your thoughts, we'd love to hear! xoxo

Happy Healthy Juicy Positivity!

Why Women Can't Have It All... Or Can They?

I just stumbled upon Glamour.com's recently-published article: Why The Woman Who 'Has It All' Doesn't Really Exist'.

'Why Women Can't Have It All, According To Barnard College President Debora L. Spar', though, is the title that actually appeared on my Facebook newsfeed and one that drew me in.

Barnard, in case you didn't know, is Columbia's all-women sister school— I went to Columbia, only reason I know. I was curious to see what this Barnard president had to say, expecting something empowering and inspirational. Something on the lines of: 'Feeling down about yourself? [Yes]. Don't feel bad because it's an ideal/unrealizable goal anyway. [...Ok, but that's not what Facebook is telling me...].

The article's headlining photo is a woman dressed as Wonder Woman running in New York City's midtown with a hoard of other women running after her trying to keep up.

As you can see, the woman is 'svelte', 'scantily-clad', hair so thick 'like Beyonce', beautiful enough to be in Glamour's publication, and, actually, real. How appropriate. Does she, the model, have it all..? Clearly, I'm missing the point but the image is loud, hard-to-miss, and relevant. No?

Spar touches on major life areas— self-image, marriage, motherhood, and career— pointing out despite womens' increasing freedom, we are pin-holing ourselves into a greater misery than when we were suppressed. She writes, 'Feminism was meant to remove a fixed set of expectations; instead, we now interpret it as a route to personal perfection. Because we can do anything, we feel as if we have to do everything. In other words, women today face towering expectations: a pileup of the roles society's long heaped on us, plus the opportunities feminism created.'

On this note, Spar has a point. While feminism has opened a lot of doors, at the same time, it has also increased the pressure to achieve more. But is that a bad thing? And is striving for more the same as trying to be perfect? It's one thing to beat yourself up over things you can't necessarily control like finding your soulmate or even landing your dream job— yeah, that's not HealthyButJuicy— but it's another thing to blast others for trying to reach their goals and criticizing 'Why Women Should Stop Trying to Be Perfect'.

Because what about the writer/speaker herself? Spar is the president of 'arguably the most important all-women’s college in the United States', or at least that's what is touted on her book's description on Amazon.com. She is a mother of three, is married to a husband whom she 'adores', and engages in the daily 'burden' of keeping up appearances by spending about 282 hours per year on beauty (unlike the noted, average 30hrs/year compared to men).

It's funny. She shares...
On beauty: 'Any magazine rack confirms our obsession with one scantily clad celebrity after another... As a requirement for success, beauty becomes just another burden.' Huh? Why is this woman publishing her thoughts in Glamour of all places?— a woman's 'guide to the latest fashion trends, outfit ideas, hair + makeup how-tos, and celebrity scoop', and where the focus is all about beauty and 'burden'.

On marriage: 'Marry someone you love and like; finding a person who doesn't care if you're perfect is a good start.' You hear that ladies?! Stop wasting your time on douche-bags you don't even like. Duh. It's easy as finding a box of fiber cereal for breakfast, a great way to start the day. Try the supermarket?

On motherhood: 'Now we've set the standard that if you can become a biological mom—by spending exorbitantly and undergoing endless medical procedures—then you should. Is that liberating? To me, it feels like another way women have to be perfect or, in this case, perfectly fertile.' Ouch. Let's seriously hope her infertile 'friend' doesn't see that comment...

On work: 'Professional women are frequently asked, "How do you do it?" I hate the query, because doing it all, as is expected of women today, is not doable.' But seriously, how did she do it?

Her conclusion: 'The most crucial thing for women to know today? No one does it all. We each, if we're lucky, will have our chance to leave a mark on the world, but we are trying too hard to be perfect. So don't emulate Wonder Woman; think about what's wonderful to you instead. Then boldly, audaciously, joyfully, leave the rest behind.'

In other words, 'You'd be lucky if you have any impact in this world. Stop trying to be like me. And just settle.'

HealthyButJuicy thinks otherwise.

On beauty: To reiterate MissGlamorazzi's philosophy, 'Makeup is a supplement, not a requirement.' Other than maintaining acceptable hygiene (ie. showering), if you adhere to a beauty routine that feels burdensome, stop it. Use the time to work on your inner beauty.

On love: Source


On motherhood: However you became a mother— through sex, adoption, or one of the 'at least 15 additional ways.. none of which involve sex'— makes you no less of a woman nor crazy.


On being a homemaker: Spar referred to the toils of having to make this dish— Harvest Vegetable Pancakes With Greens and Goat Cheese via Martha Stewart's Everyday Day Food magazine. This is yet another case and point about the author and reason to question how relevant what she is saying is to the average consumer/woman/reader. Who makes vegetable pancakes with beets, carrots, potatoes, and chickpeas? From scratch? Seriously. Who? At the risk of sounding controversial, people who are health-conscious might. People who have the time might. People who are highly educated are the most likely. Time and time again, studies show folks with higher education tend to be healthier. It's an unfortunate disparity but one that still has not yet been bridged. Moreover, it doesn't help when leaders in our educational field don't help, or even make the gap wider with garbage to sell.

On work: There will always be someone out there who is better than you. Likewise, though, there will always be someone out there who lacks your talent. But who even cares? It's not about them, it's about you.

The HealthyButJuicy conclusion: Like everything you hear about health, take what Spar is saying with a grain of salt and always ask questions. Is she a reliable source of information? What will you do differently (if anything) and, ultimately, will your actions make you a better, happier version of you?

All in all, women can't always get what they want. That much is true. Neither can men. But does that necessarily and automatically restrict your ability to be happy, to have drive, to be HealthyButJuicy, or to have it 'all'?

I'm single and unemployed. I lost 10 years of my life to illness, and friends and career-building time along with it. I have this beautiful sunshine I call daughter and the most amazing mother that is an angelic warrior who loves me. I smile. And I laugh. It's not a perfect life nor am I expecting it to be but I kinda feel like I do sorta have it all... Is that crazy?

What're your thoughts? On Spar's opinions, article on women, perfectionism, and having it 'all'? Share below in the Comments and/or Tweet us your thoughts. We'd love to hear!

Happy Healthy Juicy Women! HealthyButJuicy believes in you! xoxo :>

Ashton Kutcher Sexier Than Sexy, Post Teen Choice Awards

After reading a couple UNinspirational stories yesterday— AOL's Armstrong rant/public firing and some lady's premier lazy-A parking spot— I'm in more positive spirits this morning after consuming some more inspirational reads.

I first stumbled upon the hubbub about Ashton Kutcher's recent acceptance speech at the 2013 Teen Choice Awards and, hubbub, it was deservedly earned. There, on perhaps one of the most perfect platforms to speak to young people, he took take advantage of his status, popularity, and, most notably, ability to influence and inspire those both young and old (myself included :>).

Image via web


Ashton spoke about three things: Opportunity, Being Sexy, and Living Life.

1. Opportunity

'I believe opportunity looks a lot like hard work... I never had a job in my life that I was better than. I was always just lucky to have a job. And every job I had was a stepping stone to my next job...'

2. Being Sexy

'The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart, and being thoughtful, and being generous. Everything else is crap, I promise you. It's just crap that people try to sell to you to make you feel like less just don't buy it! Be smart. Be thoughtful. And be generous.'

3. Living Life
Channeling his recently-portrayed character, Steve Jobs, he referenced this quote by the latest and greatest:

'When you grow up you tend to get told the world is the way it is and you're life is just to live your life inside the world. Try not to bash into the walls too much. Try to have a nice family, have fun, save a little money. That's a very limited life. Life can be much broader once you discover one simple fact: Everything around you that you call life was made up by people that were no smarter than you and you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you'll never be the same again.'

Ashton concluded his speech with a bang...

'Build a life. Don’t live one, build one. Find your opportunities, and always be sexy.'

Following all of this sexy, I stumbled upon 11 Rules For Success, From The People Who Got It Right, the first line reading: 'No one is born a success, but everyone has the potential to become one.' It's not so much a list of 'rules' per se as it is a list of inspirational quotes.

There's a lot of stupidity and negativity in this world so it's important to refresh with positive, empowering messages like Ashton's speech and this collection of quotes often if not daily.

What inspires YOU? Share your inspirations in the Comments below or Tweet/Instagram your goodies, the world would love to hear! xoxo

Written by piecesofm.

Life Lessons From Tate Stevens

Tate Stevens just won the X-Factor and I, along with many others, am very proud of him. X-Factor told a great story this season and taught a great lesson: It's Never Too Late.

Recovery is a fight, a struggle, a journey. There are ups and downs, and it wastes a lot of time. Pulling yourself out of the deep throes of whatever you're in is rewarding and liberating but I cannot deny the aftertaste isn't always minty fresh than if you never had to bother to begin with.

I left work today feeling pretty upset. It's an ongoing torment— a decade-worth of life, laughs, 'self-empire building'— including esteem, confidence, and career— all down the drain. But Tate reminds us, or me anyway...

It never hurts to try Hard work pays off Love hard Good things happen to good people Dreams do come true It's never too late

Are you living your dreams? If not, what's stopping you?

Comment below, we'd love to hear!