The Challenges and Benefits of Getting Healthy

Challenging yourself it's not always easy...

I've been challenging myself for 6 months now. Challenging myself to eat healthier, with healthier portions, exercising, and growing my mind...

Sometimes you have to give up stuff, like your favorite ice cream...thank you Ben And Jerry for creating an awesome dessert. And sometime you have to give up your time..Hello 5 in the morning. And sometimes you have to give up something you enjoy doing...watching TV at night....
And sometimes you have to give up other things...

In doing so though, you are doing something more, something more for yourself. Letting yourself grow, letting your brain grow, make new connections, and becoming you, the you that you body and mind dream of being. A machine that is functioning so well, top performance, doing exactly all the things it was made to do.

You get benefits too...my kids, they now like to eat healthy. They make smoothies for breakfast instead of Poptarts. My youngest is trying new foods, and allowing other foods she always refused before to be on her plate. She has sensory issues, and if something doesn't feel right, look right, or be in the right position, she doesn't want anything to do with it. So that is a HUGE VICTORY!

Your kids also watch you, they watch you exercise...they watch you make sure your portions are right. And kids IMITATE! So can you imagine the possibilities for them?

6 Months ago I began listening to personal development audio...such as Chalene Johnson and Shawn Achor.  Though I didn't realize it, my daughter was listening in too...and now she is working on herself to become a confident beautiful person and she is also inspiring friends to do so as well!

I now have more energy, I'm confident, I feel beautiful, I''m not afraid to look in the mirror, and I have a desire to keep giving up things that aren't healthy for me, and REAPING the benefits!

This Challenge Group? I have lost 5 pounds, and I still have 5 days to go!

I have a new group starting in FEBRUARY...want to REAP THE BENEFITS TOO? Head HERE.

Why. 
Why do I try. 
Why do I get up everyday and exercise. 
Why do I eat well, why do I put on clothes that are well put together. 
Why do I take my kids to all their appointments and school times, and make sure they are properly put together. 
Why do I make sure my dogs are fed. Why do I clean obsessively to make sure my spouse has the things he needs. 
Why do I go and meet siblings I hardly know of, why do I say goodbye to a father who really didn't know me? 
No. This isn't about self pity. It isn't about getting well wishes, or even surprise from readers. No, this is about something else entirely. Can you think of why you make dinner for your family? Why you send a thank you note? 

You can say, "it's because I love them," or you can say, "it's because I have to, because I'm a mom or a sibling" or whatever it may be. Is that the true reason? 

Let's dig deeper. If none of those things got done, if you didn't get your children from school, if you didn't make dinner, of you didn't exercise, what would happen. What are the consequences? Children get upset. Kids are hungry. Heart disease. These are good reasons, but not good enough. 

Let's look at a different angle. What do you feel when you get something done? Think about it, last time you accomplished something, like making a dinner that everyone talked about, or dressing up and getting compliments, or saying goodbye to a father who hardly knew the real you. What was that feeling? 

Peace. Quiet. Stillness. Less stress. Less worry. You knew all was right in this world, even for that moment in time. 

That my dear friends, that is why I try. When all is right in this world, I have a knowledge that comes from that peace. That knowledge that just for a moment in time, everything is as it should be. My family is loved and I am as well. Without that inner peace, chaos reins. Storms crash and adrenaline spikes within our minds. Nothing seems like it can be well. Nothing is as it should be. Horrible consequences can take hold, even if it's only within our mind. Ruining our day, ruining our week, and hurting our souls. 

Peace, tranquility, love...those are the things I strive for. Those are the things I try for. It doesn't always go my way, and I can accept that, even if it takes me a while to do so. However, I know that when I try, when I put one foot in front of the other, I can make a difference. I can make a change. I can become Me. 

Diet? Or a Change of View?

Diet? Me? No freakin' way. 

I'm not gonna diet. I like my chips, I like my chocolate, and I love my ice cream and cookies. Why would you want to anyway? Those things, they give me a good feeling inside, a single moment of zen. Why would I get rid of that?

So let's get serious for a moment (I know, saying we might have to get rid of cookies is completely serious). Let's think of why you might want to make a change. Yeah. You. Why would you want to make a change? Here's my reason. Longevity. I want to be one of those grandmas on Facebook that say, "let's give this 100 year old a billion-gazillion likes." I want to see my grandchildren, great-grandchildren and possibly my great-great grandchildren. Would eating all that stuff, just the way they are, stop that? Well, let's see. In my father's side is heart attack, stroke, diabetes....and on my mother's side we got psychological disorders such as Parkinson's and others. Scariest of all: Cancer. Yeah. Cancer. If I eat all that stuff, will it cause me to get it too?

Well, let's think about this logically. What's the point in eating? Yeah, cause you're starving! Hmmnnn, well, what's a more scientific reason to eat? 

According to the University of Minnesota, nutrients give our bodies the substance it needs for “growth, development and maintenance for bodily functions” (University of Minnesota, 2013). So if we are giving our bodies what they need, they can then perform the functions for a happy healthy life. We give it what it needs, and then in turn the cells get what they need, and the metabolic processes are quite happy. 

However, if we do not give our body what it needs, the metabolic process does not work efficiently, and can lead to mutation and dysfunction (University of Minnesota, 2013). These mutations, and dysfunctions can cause diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity and cancers, just the things that are present in my family genes! How scary is that? 

Okay, so now we see a point to why we need to be careful with what we eat, but how do we do that? Enter...drum roll please..Eating Clean. No, it’s not about washing your food, rather instead, you are watching your food. What exactly is in that cookie from the cookie aisle in the grocery store? Can you even pronounce it’s ingredients names? How about what’s in that yum yum yum macaroni and cheese? So eating clean is basically this, you eat ingredients that you know what they are. Chicken. Lettuce, egg noodles, bananas, oranges, rice, barley, oats, yogurt, herbs, honey...and the list goes on and on. Can you picture in your head what those are? Yeah! Then you are on your way. 

 

So now we get into a harder area, what’s the right amount? If I know what a steak is, then it’s ok right? Well, let's think about that. If I were to eat a perfectly wonderful, juicy steak with just a bit of red, grilled to perfection on the outside, but it is the size of my plate...is that healthy? According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, a serving size for meat is the size of a deck of playing cards. Anyone carrying card around in their wallet for when they go out? If you do, let me know! I’d like to go play some Euchre or Hearts! No really, the point is, it’s hard to know exactly what sizes are best, and it’d be hard to measure it out all the time, weigh it, size it, it’s a puzzle. 

So, after seeing my dad suffer from diabetes, from a heart attack, and a stroke, then seeing my mom get breast cancer, I knew it was time for a change. It was time to make changes so that I can see those great-grandchildren. So I can even live to see my grandchildren. What did I do? I found that since diet is so important to health, and exercise as well, I wanted something that combined the two. Something that could teach me clean eating, since processed foods have been showing connections to cancer, to obesity, and diabetes. So I did my research, and went with Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix. 

Here’s the thing. It’s not a diet. What? No, it’s not a diet. I eat, every 2 hours. Stuff that I enjoy. Today I had scrambled eggs with pieces of chicken. I also had a burrito with taco meat, lettuce and greek yogurt. Last night, I had taco salad! I eat spaghetti, and I can even make pizza and I eat chips and cookies. I just make them in a more clean way. 

 
  
And the cool thing is, the program takes the guess work out of it for you. It comes with containers that show you how much you should eat. It teaches you the better choices of foods. And guess what? You get support group of people just like you, who are learning how to eat clean and exercise. 

Hmnn...what about those cookies, and icecream? What about chocolate? Well, the name of the program is 21 Day Fix. So, it’s only 21 days. That's three weeks of being super clean, and one week break! So on my off week, I let myself enjoy some Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, or some chocolate, or even that Chai Tea, that I love. You know what happens though? I find that I don’t want to splurge, I don’t want to pig out, because I enjoy being healthy and feeling good more. 

One more bit that I do, I drink the Shakeology from Beachbody. Yeah, looks super expensive. I get that, I am a military spouse, I have to watch where I spend my money. I bet many of you do too. However, Shakeology has super food ingredients. Those ingredients have shown in studies to prevent heart disease, stroke, and cancers. It’s $3.50 a day for one serving. That means for breakfast, I have spent on myself, $3.50. Cheaper than that Chai tea I love and it’s spent on something much, much more healthy for me, to get me to where I want to be. 

I talk all about Shakeology HERE.

 And you know what? It gives me that moment of zen. Helping me to change my life, to make changes for the better me. Changing my view of nutrition, to a healthier, happier, longer lasting zen. 

 

If you're already eating clean, let me know how you found it, are doing with it, and liking it! If you're not, and are curious about the 21 Day Fix or Shakeology, let me know, I’d be happy to help! 

21 Day Fix Challenge Pack

Shakeology

References 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2015). Sizes and Portions. Retrieved from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/eat-right/distortion.htm

University of Minnesota. (2013) How Does Food Impact Our Health. Retrieved from http://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/explore-healing-practices/food-medicine/how-does-food-impact-health

Personal Development, Exercise, Eating Healthy, How to Fit It All in???

A day in the life of me… let’s see if I can remember everything.

Monday: 

4:45 get up and get workout clothes on.

5:00 workout

5:30 make Shakeology

5:45-6 work on coaching

6:00 shower, get ready for the day

6:40 wake kids, get them ready, get my daughter her chocolate milk (it's routine and required)

7:35 out the door, get kids in the car! 

8:00 get youngest to her school

8:15 next child to his school

8:35 last child to her school.

Then a few minutes of breathing, to catch up on housework, coaching and calls.

10:20 out the door to pick up youngest

11:30 dropping her off at therapy.

A couple hours of breathing time...zen.

2:00 picking her up. 

2:20 picking up son.

Run home!

3:40 picking up oldest daughter

4:15 Martial Arts

7:00 home, dinner yum!

8:00 kids in bed reading, me in bed, feet up, tired.

So yeah, this is my typical Monday. Most of my other days are similar, with other stuff thrown in such as clubs or Occupational Therapy, Speech Therapy, ABA Therapy for the kids, or even my own doctor appointments for my vocal chords or physical therapy for my hips. Oh yeah, and my husband is deployed. It’s not easy, it’s very time consuming. Here’s what I’m telling you though, even with all that stuff going on, even when some days I’m so exhausted that I’m dragging, I make time for three things, exercise, eating right, and personal development. 

Exercise and eating right give me the physical strength to do all that stuff. They keep my mind clear, and give clarity when all seems overwhelming. They give me focus, drive, and all that jazz. 

And I fit personal development in there too. Personal development is going to help me attain the dreams I had as a child. Have you attained those dreams? I'm sure it's like me, those dreams have been pushed aside, due to kids or a need to provide for yourself, a spouse, a relative or something else. My dreams have also developed and changed over the years. My dream as a child was to help people with disabilities. This dream has evolved so I just want to help people, no matter what may be standing in their way. To do this, I have to become educated, not only with college, but also a true in depth study of areas to help others and to help myself get to that goal. To get personal development accomplished, I have to be healthy, so I can focus on it. 

Have you ever heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? So this is a pyramid that is split into sections. If you cannot satisfy one part of the chart, then you cannot move up. So for example, my life is super busy, if I don't eat well, then I probably won't have the mental focus to drive safe, and thus safety for myself and anyone in my car has been compromised. If I eat, but I eat all junk food, I might not sleep well, or I'll feel sick, or I won't have motivation to get things done, I might make it past safety on the Maslow chart, but will my children feel love from me if I forget them at school? Or will I make to a high self esteem, when I'm feeling fat or bloated because of that junk food? If I cannot satisfy the bottom needs of that chart, I probably won't have good self-esteem, making personal development hard to concentrate on, so reaching self-actualization next to impossible. 

This all stresses one important part, YOU!! YOU are important. YOU are worth putting time and effort into. YOU are a beautiful human being with a purpose! If you don't put effort into becoming a beautiful YOU, then consequences occur: depression, pounds, mistrust from loved ones, disappointment, feeling like you are just going in circles, exhaustion, low self-esteem, becoming sick...the list goes on and on! 

Practically, how is this done? You saw my day, everything is scheduled out. How is it possible to take care of yourself through a busy schedule? So I'm going to give some tips that are practical and attainable. If you know some great ideas, please say so in the comments! I am always open to new ideas!!

• Audiobooks. With my schedule, I have a hard time doing what I love, reading, but I'm always on the road. So I hook up my phone to my stereo, and play audiobooks through it. I also use Overdrive that I can download books from my library for free.
• Podcasts. This is also free for iPhones. Podcasts are great for me, because I can also listen to them in the car, or on earphones while cleaning or laundry. There are some great motivational speakers, ones about organization and getting stuff done. Some I like are: Get-It-Done Guy, Magic Lessons (all about finding your creativity), Nutrition Diva, The Chalene Show (my all time favorite). I've also heard that Joyce Meyer is excellent, but I haven't tried it. This is also a great way to learn something new, for example, when I was trying to learn how to blog, I did a search on it and came up with some goodies.
• For finding time to exercise, the first thing to do is to schedule it. You are just as important as your child's basketball practice. Make time for yourself.
• Try to rise early. Yeah, yeah, the early bird gets the worm. I hate that saying and sometimes I want to be Fiona from Shrek. The problem is, it's is true. I get up early, and when I do, I get more stuff done, including exercise. I now wake at 5 to exercise, then I have my shake and read some before getting up the kids. By the way, I did it as a process. Started getting up 30 mins early, then another 30, and another 30 until I could do 5.
• Set two alarms. I set my first alarm to go off at 4:45. Then I lay in bed, and tell myself I can do this, maybe read through Facebook, then when my alarm goes off 5-10 mins later, I'm more awake and ready to face the day.
• Know where your exercise clothes are! I keep my on a hook by my door, and have a place designated to them in my drawer.
• If you have to dress your children, designate a special place for their school clothes. Sometimes I'm even put together enough that I lay it out the night before.
• Schedule out your house chores. So on certain days, I designate time for cleaning things. Such as bathrooms. I give myself 30 mins to clean two bathrooms, every Tuesday. On Saturday mornings, is straightening and vacuuming. On Sunday, I give myself 2 hours to work on a deep clean area, like a counter I had called the Mount Doom because it was covered in papers I needed to file. I scheduled the time, and dug out the mountain.
• Chore charts! If you have children, they can do chores!!! My children have phased out the chart, but when I need to, I bring it back. I used a big marker board and graphed out lines to separate out the chores. Then they could check it off that day.
• Food. So I'm still a work in progress on this, but I recommend a menu. Schedule out a week or two of dinners, then add snacks, lunch and breakfast. You should eat at least 5 meals a day (some of the meals are healthy, yummy snacks). This keeps your metabolism working better.
• Also on food, grocery shop for that menu. Helps the budget immensely. And if you don't buy those snacks (chips, ice cream, candy, crackers...) then they won't be in your house and you will be less tempted.
• If you are on the 21 Day Fix, get this app called, "21 Day Fitness Tracker." It is an iPhone app, but I think there are similar ones for other types only phones. It allows be to keep track of what I've eaten that day.
• Planners. I use Cozi. It works to sync up with my kids tablets, phones for me and my mother-in-law (she lives with me! She's awesome), and it is really easy to use. I also keep a calendar on the wall and write important dates. I put into Cozi everything we have going on, from taking kids to school, to hair appointments.
• To do lists. There are two of these. One is a list of everything I can think of that needs to get done. From Mount Doom to finding a lost shoe for my daughter. The other list only consists of three things, the three most important things I need to get done that day, or it's gonna be really, really bad. (By the way, I learned that from The Chalene Show Podcast).

For now, I'm gonna end with that. It's a lot to take in, and I'd love to know if you are going to implement any of these ideas to make your life easier. One last note, make time to spend with your kids, loved ones, or anyone else. Plan a game night, or a movie night. Life is way too short to become so involved with scheduled life, that you forget what's important. Those who walk the scheduled life with you.  

Becoming You with Your Gifts, Purpose and Passion

Today I listened to an important podcast, and I highly recommend it to you. It was Chalene Johnson, "What the Heck is Your Purpose-What is the Difference Between Passion and Purpose." It was so good, I listened to it twice, and I never repeat books or podcasts.
Here is why this was so important, if we cannot figure out what our gifts, purpose and passions are, then how will we Become what we want to be? How can you, Become You?

So let’s begin with gifts. Our gifts are things that come natural to us. They can be things such as writing, singing, dancing, woodwork, teaching, or other things such as seeing the best in people, or a good listening ear. It can be empowering people, or protecting others, loving on pets...the list goes on and on.
What if you don’t know what your gift is though? What if you think about it, and cannot imagine one single thing you are good at? Well first, that’s self doubt eating at you. Everyone has a gift. Everyone has something they are naturally good at. That saying, “jack of all trades and master of none,” well that’s crap. You have a gift, you have a naturally born talent, accept it!

Still stuck? Can’t figure it out? Then ask a friend, loved one, or even a stranger. Well, maybe not a stranger, but you get the point. Ask them what they see as your strength, something that you can just do, without thought, without intention.
Oh, another point, you can have more than one gift and they can change! That’s why you are special! Figure out your biggest one, and max it out to the biggest potential!
Got it figured out? Good! Let’s move on.

The second point is purpose. Purpose basically comes down to this: serving. Serving others. You are helping people, to help them better themselves in some way. While a gift is a natural talent, purpose is something you are doing..wait for it...ON PURPOSE. You are trying to help people accomplish something. So from a practical view, a person’s purpose may be to help people to learn control over anger, or helping a dog find shelter, or even giving advice so they don’t make the same mistakes you did.

Purpose is a drive to improve something. Something Chalene Johnson said that I think we should all take heart to, “our purpose should give meaning to the past.” So, say in the past, you were abused. Yeah, a horrible, awful thing that no one should go through. You could take that awful time in your life, and use it to help other people to protect themselves through self defense. Your purpose has become, helping others to be prepared. Another example, you had a child born with disabilities and had no help. Your purpose could possibly be to help other parents to not have to go through that pain of not knowing what resources are available.
So remember, purpose is about serving others, so that your past has meaning.

Finally, passion. Think of passion as a tool, such as a car. A car is a tool that drives us from point A to point B. It moves us forward. This car is going to get us where we need to go. So if we think of passion like a tool, we now know that it is just something to help us on our journey, to get us there faster. Using the example of the person who got abused, and now has a purpose to help people, so that they can defend themselves. This person’s tool is teaching a gym class. The other example, a parent wanting to help other parents to have resources. Their tool can be a class they teach, or maybe even working for an advocacy. Or even a blog that lists resources, or working for a program such as an Early Intervention Service. These are all tools. We are very obsessed with our passion, driven to know everything there is about it.
So our passion is the tools we have to get us to that purpose.

So how do they all tie together? Here’s the thing. Sometimes they don’t. Sometimes, they come with a knot so hard to unravel, you are a frustrated mess. Sometimes, they are so loosely connected, that they come untied at the slightest bit of resistance. Sometimes they do, and it is like a perfectly tied shoe that will only come untied when you are ready to undo them.

So let’s put an example together. A person has an inner desire to delight the ears of an audience (purpose), studies stage performance and gets lessons (passion), but screeches like a banshee when she sings (gifts). See how those don’t mesh well?
And by the way, that’s so not me, I sing like an angel...hahah...no.
All three can come together in a harmonious relationship. A person with an inner desire to see children grow up with the skills they need to be successful (purpose), teaches at a school (passion), and just knows how to help children understand a concept without thinking about it (gifts).

Now we will take turns. I will go first.
I’m a person with an inner desire to see people succeed and loving who they are becoming (purpose).
I am a mother, a blogger, and a beachbody coach (and I research the crap outta them) (passion).
I have a natural talent to write and explain things in a way that is simplistic and understandable (gift).

You should’ve seen inside my mind...oh the self doubt that crept in! I didn’t want to admit my gift!

Now it’s your turn. Write out your purpose, passion, and gift. Feel free to share it; don’t let that self doubt win!

If your gifts, purpose and passion aren’t matching, this is where you need to really think about ways to connect them. If your job is just a that, a job, then maybe find something after work to fuel that purpose, to use that gift! Find a new passion to make it work! Without matching up those, you cannot become YOU!

You are worth the effort use your gifts, purpose and passion to Become You! You are beautiful and YOU are worth it!!

References

Chalene Johnson's Podcast, "What the Heck is Your Purpose-What is the Difference Between Passion and Purpose." From http://www.chalenejohnson.com/podcasts/what-the-heck-is-your-purpose-what-is-the-difference-between-passion-purpose/