Hope & What You're Paying For

Self-Love Series: Installment #3

Sep 12, 2024

Hope Matters

Hey there, Hope Buddies! Let’s talk some more self-love. Throughout my childhood, I remember my mother often saying, “You get what you pay for.” Typically, it was in reference to some purchase that was either high quality or absolutely terrible. What I’m about to do is make it about our health. So, let’s go.

I know some of you are already rolling your eyes 🙄. That’s okay though. I’ve had over half my lifetime of personal eye-rolling to back up what I’m about to type in this hopeletter. What I’ve come to realize over my lifetime struggle with my weight is that committing to and sticking with a specific health regimen is one of the best ways I can love myself.

For those of you who frequent Hope & Coffee Matters, you know I practice a ketogenic lifestyle and do my best to stick with an exercise regimen. Over time, I came to realize that doing these things consistently keeps me in desired health, and my body doesn’t like when I don’t do them. As a matter of fact, she flat-out rebels. Occasionally, when I tell people how I live, I consistently hear one or both of these things. So, let’s talk about them, and why they no longer make sense to me.

1. I couldn’t do that, ‘cause I’ve got to have me some…

Oh, this is a biggie when people ask me what I did to lose weight, and I start talking about ketogenic living. They begin telling me how they have to have a little dessert after dinner, cornbread with their greens, crackers with their salad, and the list goes on. They can change their minds about a lot of things, but that chocolate chip cookie and ice cream ain’t one of ‘em. 😆 and also 🙄. Some of the people I’ve encountered have convinced themselves that they have to have the thing they’re craving and can’t do anything different.

Now, let me clarify that I don’t believe keto is for everyone. There are alternative ways of eating healthy that don’t require a large reduction in carbohydrates, and I’ve seen them work for other people who are in the best health of their lives. You get to choose what works best for you. Trust me. Once you start doing whatever it is, your body will let you know if you’re on the right track.

2. That’s too hard.

“Does that mean I have to count…? That’s too hard. I couldn’t keep that up.”

I read a meme once that struck me deeply and strongly impacts the way I think about my health and how I choose to live.

Working out is hard. Being unhealthy is hard. Choose your hard.

This is so true. Whatever we choose to do or not do will take considerable effort and money.

One day I was listening to someone talk about how much medicine they have to take, how much it all cost, and the number of doctor’s visits they have. As a person who complained often about the cost of healthy food and training sessions, I began to think about which I’d rather pay for. Would I rather preemptively pay to take good care of myself, or would I rather keep living my best chocolate-and-potato-eating and sedentary life and pay medical expenses later? I decided I’d rather love on myself now by choosing a healthy hard.

Now, let me clear this up before some of you try to come for me in the comments. Most certainly, I’m talking about health challenges that are preventable via a healthy lifestyle. Even still, for those diseases we can’t prevent, healthier living supports more holistic well-being during the disease process.

I’d rather manage my time to fit my workouts in, pay extra for healthier options, and (very loosely 🤦🏾‍♀️) count my macros than deal with the effects of hypertension and heart disease. All these choices require me to use additional resources-whether time or money-to be the healthiest version of me. I do understand that not everyone has the financial resources to do what I do; at one point I didn’t. Yet even a 30-minute walk can change your life considerably. (Shout out to GirlTrek for helping to change mine at a time when all I could afford to do was make a time investment to walk outside the door.)

Hope Buddies, I encourage you to ‘pay’ for the life you love. Give yourself and your loved ones the gift of you by loving yourself.

💜,

Parthenia

Coffee Matters

What’s good, Coffee Buddies? I’ll tell you what I’m sipping on this way. This one is for all the pumpkin-spice people, of which I am not one. 😆 I mentioned this coffee to you last year, and I still have the same bag in my freezer. Storing it that way isn’t the best idea, but hey…🤷🏾‍♀️. I keep it around to add a little switch-up.

Now, back to the sip. Let’s do a little comparison. This time I made a cup of the Pumpkin Cream from Cups Espresso Cafe in my pour over dripper. Last year, it was prepared in my regular coffee pot. What I notice is that when I try it as a pour over, the spice is more pronounced than the pumpkin. I’m getting a lot of cinnamon and a bit of nutmeg. Also, it does have a creamy body, which I didn’t feel when I was drinking it before.

For me, this isn’t a coffee you gulp. (You pumpkin-spice, cream-and-sugar-it-up lovers can have that. 😆) I enjoy this best when I add a bit of stevia, sip slowly, and let it linger.

Sadly, I’m not seeing it as one of Cups’s fall offerings this year, so you’re just going to have to take my word for it (or not 🤭). Since we’re heading into a new season soon, I wanted to revisit this one and give you all a different perspective.

Happy Autumn Sipping!

What are you paying for? How are you loving yourself this week?