by Liz B | Jan 26, 2022 | Books, Products I Recommend
By Dr Spencer Johnson, Foreword by Kenneth Blanchard Ph-D
The story behind the story of “Who Moved My Cheese”:
I first came across “Who Moved My Cheese?” during a rough time in my life. I had just quit after five years in the job and was finding it hard to cope with the change in my routine. The title grabbed my attention, but it was only after I read the book that it made total sense to me since I did feel that someone “moved my cheese”.
The book is made up of three parts: The first is the discussion in which a group of students were sitting together and discussing their lives after a reunion. They all state that they have been struggling with change and that leads one of them to tell a story that he claims will help them all.
The second part is the actual fable and it tells the story of 4 characters, two of them were mice and the other two were littlepeople (the size of mice). The story goes on to show how each one of them reacts to a certain situation in which sudden change was introduced.
“Who Moved My Cheese” takes place in a maze where these four characters are searching for “Cheese”; cheese being a metaphor for what each person wants in life. The maze being where the person spends time looking for what he wants.
The last part of the book is a discussion between the former students about the story itself and how it made them feel about their lives. They would point out which one of the four characters they were in their lives and figure out what they need to change in the way they are living.
This book is enjoyable and easy to read. It might seem like a simple kid’s fable but you will start to realize its depth as you go on reading.
Interested in reading the book? Purchase it here.
by Liz B | Jun 26, 2018 | Products I Recommend, T-Shirts
The way my blog at Life in Balance started was all by wanting to inspire people to eat healthier and to learn to really appreciate food.
This passion didn’t come out of nowhere — I had my own journey and realizations through learning to become healthier, and I began to feel like I might be able to help others as a result, because there is a lot that goes into it.
One of my ideas was to create fun characters accompanied by health facts that have a specific story behind them. That way when people were learning about health facts, it would be in a much more fun, unique way and would help the information stick in their minds as well.
One of my projects born from this concept was my “Revenge of the Bananas” t-shirt.
At first this t-shirt had a simple front and an elaborate back which had a whole ton of nutrition information about bananas, what they were made of, and different ways to use bananas.
I ended up simplifying it from there to be more simple on both the front and back so that the design wouldn’t looks so busy.
Basically, with this shirt you can now represent the glorious Team Banana who’s on a mission to take the world over with forces of good health in order to banish the addiction to sugar which spreads like wildfire! By wearing this shirt you’ll reinforce your own well of willpower to stay strong against the temptations of the opposing ever-so-addicting dark forces of sugar and its equally as addicting allies.
Snag your own on Teespring here, or on Amazon here.
by Liz B | Apr 15, 2016 | Books, Diets, Digestive Issues, GAPS Diet, Products I Recommend
This is my all-time favorite cookbook thus far. I purchased it because with all of the strange, persistent bloating, the constipation, and stomach upset that I’ve had for the past year or so, I knew I needed something that would be soothing and anti-inflammatory for my stomach.
This book is based on the GAPS diet. I had heard about the GAPS diet before in doing research in how to treat a variety of stomach conditions. The full GAPS diet is very strict and can be difficult to follow. All ingredients have to be pure and wholesome. I haven’t fully submitted myself to it yet, but based on what I know now about gastrointestinal issues, I believe in its efficacy.
I’ve learned that most G.I.-related problems are hard work to treat, plain and simple. That is, if you really want to get to the bottom of it. They often require a permanent change in your diet which might mean giving up things you’re attached to. It can take a long time to adjust.
I’ve enjoyed the journey, though, because I’m interested in doing what’s best for my body, and I know I don’t have to compromise on foods I love, because there are plenty of amazing, healthy dishes you can make. I had already cut down coffee to one cup a day and added coconut oil to it, I had eliminated any fatty foods altogether and made sure most of what I ate was easy to digest. But, I needed more good recipe ideas. I really felt that soups that were dense with nutrients would help my stomach, and this cookbook is full of those.
Having Digestive Issues Too? Check out this article I wrote a while back →
Regardless, this cookbook is awesome whether you have G.I. issues or not. The recipes are healthy, straightforward, unique, and most are relatively easy to make. You’ll just want to put effort toward making sure you get wholesome ingredients. When you do, you really feel how healthy what you’re eating is!
Ginger Turmeric Tea… Yum!!
I make the Ginger Turmeric tea out of this cookbook at least weekly now. It’s simple. Just purchase fresh ginger root and turmeric, peel them and slice them up. Boil some water, throw some slices in of both (about half as much turmeric than ginger), 1 teaspoon of coconut oil (I use unrefined, virgin organic coconut oil for consumption), and honey if desired. That’s it! Just don’t go crazy on the turmeric and ginger, because you don’t need much!
Note: The above link is an affiliate link; if you purchase this book through Amazon, I get a small commission that helps to support this blog. However the book is solely recommended based on my own experience with the book.
by Liz B | Feb 18, 2014 | Books, Products I Recommend
This book has been around a while, and it is by far the best self-help book I’ve ever read. I found out about it in high school from my psychology teacher, who made us purchase and read it in the class. It intrigued me at that time, just enough for me to want to read it again. And I did, now eight times over.
The book goes through the story of a college student and top gymnast who stumbles across a gas station where an old man works the night shift. The old man does enough to introduce the idea to Dan that there may be more to life than what he is currently living, just through his words and actions. The visit to the gas station awakens and triggers something in Dan – but at the time, Dan can’t put his finger on it. The old man ends up becoming Dan’s mentor and spiritual guide.
What’s so great about it is it takes eastern philosophical concepts and presents them in such a way that anybody can relate to. Part of the way it does this is that it doesn’t put the concepts and lessons in the book under any label, except for just general wisdom. This is good because it will allow more people to be receptive to its message instead of the message possibly being tainted by any pre-conceived notions of Eastern philosophies.
On top of that, it’s an easy read, and it’s really funny.
One important thing I learned about it is that at first the book may seem completely far-fetched, if you are new to spirituality and Eastern concepts. The more you learn about yourself and life though, and the more better you develop a spiritual connection, the more truth you see in the book.
For all these reasons and more this book has a special place in my heart!
P.S.–I hate to say it, but I did see the “Way of the Peaceful Warrior” movie too, but I personally don’t think it matches up to the book. It isn’t terrible, but I think all the goodies you can get out of this come from the book and not the movie.
by Liz B | Dec 8, 2013 | Products I Recommend, Protein Powders
I was given a sample of this protein in both the chocolate and birthday cake flavor at the Olympia bodybuilding convention here in Phoenix this year. I am always wary of protein powders, as many of them have unwanted ingredients along with the protein.
This wasn’t the case however with About Time All Natural Whey Protein, which has only four simple ingredients on their label.
Ingredients:
One scoop of the powder contains 24g of protein on average, zero sugar, over 80mg of potassium, 25% DV of calcium, virtually no cholesterol and no sugar. The ingredients list, as mentioned, is very straightforward and the powder is sweetened with stevia. It is also lactose + gluten free, and only has 1g of carbs per scoop.
It doesn’t make use of whey protein concentrate in its ingredients, which can be a benefit for people with irritable bowel syndrome, as whey protein concentrate can sometimes upset people’s stomachs.
Taste:
Chocolate: Tasted great! However I typically blend my protein powders with almond milk, bananas, cinnamon, and ice, so I’m not quite so much in a place to judge the taste of the powder by itself. I’d probably know if it tasted horribly, though. It blended in well and in general the solubility is touted to be high for this powder.
Birthday Cake: Also tasted yummy, was a bit of a mild flavor, and blended well. I am more of a fan of the chocolate, though, because there’s more you can do with it as far as making smoothies, and I think overall it just tastes better than the birthday cake flavor.
I’m still not sure I’d replace it with my current protein powder (which is Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard™ Double Rich Chocolate), as Optimum Nutrition includes enzymes that enhance the body’s ability to absorb and use the protein. About Time has flavored the powder with more natural flavors however, rather than Optimum Nutrition’s artificial flavors, which is an added benefit of About Time.
Overall though this is a protein powder that many people think highly of and I would not hesitate to recommend it to people.
