September Self Care Challenge

Self care isn't just important.  It is necessary.  However, it is something almost EVERYONE looks over.  We fill our lives with so much stuff that there is no time to just be, to just reflect, to slow down and think, or to take care of small and simple things.  That is why I am doing these self care challenges.  This September self care challenge is not going to disappoint.  

August Self Care Challenge

Welcome back if you joined in on the challenge for July.  If you are new to this August self care challenge then welcome.  I hope you enjoy this challenge and find it motivating and uplifting.  I hope it helps you take better care of yourself.  I hope together we can learn to love our self more every day.  Don't hesitate to email me with any questions, tips, tricks, or suggestions.  Also, make sure to join our Facebook group so we can interact more often.  

July 2018 Self Care Challenge

I am so excited to get started on this self care challenge.  In the Summer we can forget to take care of ourselves.  Especially if we have kids out of school for the Summer.  This challenge is going to continue to go through December though.  I think that is PERFECT because we also forget to take care of ourselves during the holiday season.  I feel like October through December is a time of the year that we forget about ourselves.  (For the most current challenge click here!)

Tips to Drink More Water PLUS: Busy Mom Workout Plan

·         This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #InspiredHydration #CollectiveBias

Do you want to know a secret?  It's something I have been working on for a long time and I don't love it about myself.  It has two parts.

A Lesson Learned from Flight Attendants

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Mom.

Being COMMITTED is an important word for a mother.

We have many responsibilities to be committed to our family, and the demands of our children who count on us to do MANY things for them.

We also have a commitment to ourselves, and sometimes- we put ourselves last.

As moms we tend to take on A LOT!

Get Rid of Your Running Questions Once and for All

This post is written by Randall Steinfeldt.  (See contributor tab for more details)

My doctor told me that I should get in shape, that I should improve my fitness level, but how do I do it?  I see other people out running and it looks really fun and I would like to do it.  How far should I run?  How hard should I run?  Are these questions that you’ve asked yourself? Are these questions that you wonder if you’re doing correctly?  I would like to take the opportunity and try to answer some of these questions.

How to Save Money on Healthy Food- tips you should try!

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Mom.

Have you ever heard the excuse pop into your head "Eating Healthy is Expensive"

Well I have said it before, and I have heard it a lot.

But so is eating out and eating unhealthy- Right?

So here are some tips for you today that will make you realize it's ok to spend a little bit more on healthy food, otherwise you will spend it on the unhealthy.

Don't forget to take care of yourself

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Mom.

Being a mom is exhausting! Right? But the hugs, the thank you's, and the smiles, that is what makes it all worth it!

What everyone ought to know about IBS

This post contains sponsored links from IBS in America.

"Oh no?!  ANOTHER holiday party with rich foods and lots of it."  This is how a loved one of mine has to to live.  Not just around the holidays, but always.  (I have not mentioned this person's name because I was asked not to.)  I have talked to this loved one about it and it can be a hard way to live.  This person has stomach problems if they eat anything that is too rich or too "heavy".  

Positive thoughts

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Moms.

With anything in life, to be who we want to be, we have to believe that we can be that person and in order to be that person, it starts with our thoughts and what we think of our self and what we think of others.  If we go around having a bad day, it usually stems from what attitude we had about the specific situation that happened to us.  Our health and spiritual well-being is so important. What we want and what we do will turn out to be who we ARE, and who we have become.

As mothers we have lots of responsibilities.  We can wake up with a great start to the day, OR we can wake up thinking negatively and complaining about all we have to do!

I have two tips for you!

Is there something you are forgetting to do while exercising?

I have the green light to start exercising from my doctor.  Only problem...I can't find the motivation to do it!  HUGE PROBLEM.  I know how important it is and I know I will feel better after I do it.  However, those reasons are not good enough.  

I need something that will help me get through it.  I need something to look forward to WHILE I am exercising.  I need that one thing that will push me to do it.  Melissa has a great solution to my problem.  I hope it can help many of you.  

Quest for More Happiness-October 2015-Mindful

My goals for October

The basis for my monthly goals is the AMAZING BOOK, The Happiness Project.  This month all my goals are centered around being mindful.  I also like to think of it as being present.  I love this month's goals, because I can get so caught up with social media that I can easily not be present.  It is actually a sad way to live and it can be quiet stressful.  That is exactly what I want to eliminate...stress.  It is hard to be happy when I am stressed.  

5 habits to create lasting positive change

Life is so very hectic right now I feel like I barely have time to breathe, let alone take care of myself.  I am up at all hours of the night with my newborn.  My daughter recently started preschool and dance.  My work life is a little on the crazy side and don't get me started on the house and the responsibilities I have for church.  

I knew I was spiraling out of control.  I knew I had to get a hold of my life if I wanted to survive it or if I wanted to be a good mom and wife.  I knew something had to change if I didn't want to be an emotional wreck all day, every day.  But what?  What could possibly help me?  I didn't want to pull my daughter out of her own activities.  I couldn't just ignore my sweet baby.  I also couldn't shirk my work, home, and church responsibilities.  

Thank heavens I had a contributor post coming up from my dad.  I knew he could give me advice.  I knew he could help me come up with a solution.  I mean he is my dad.  Isn't that what dads are for?!  

So you are in for a treat!  This post will help you if you are too overwhelmed to move on.  It will help you have better confidence.  It has actually helped someone in my personal life achieve better physical health, because the stress in this person's life was affecting their physical health.  It can help you achieve so many things in this life!  

Healthy Ranch Dip Recipe

I'm always hungry (I feel like I am starving) when I am nursing.  I was like that with Hannelore and honestly I think I am more so this time around.  Probably because I am also running after Hannelore all day too.  This is exhausting and it can make me quite sick much of the day. 

I had to stop nursing with Hannelore at 6 months because I was dropping weight so fast and I was shaking and dizzy all the time.  This time I am trying to stay ahead of that so I can nurse much longer.  Since I am constantly hungry I am always looking for something to eat or a quick snack.  

I like to eat healthy things so it leaves me feeling better rather than worse.  Raw vegetables are wonderful, but sometimes I want to dip them in something.  So this post that Melissa wrote was perfect timing for me and my life right now.  

I have actually tried this recipe first hand and I am hear to tell you it is phenomenal.  So delicious.  I brought it to a church activity and everyone was asking me what was in it.  I laughed when I told them that it was healthy for them.  I love little surprises like that.  

Setting a goal & keeping with it

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Moms.

I am excited to share with you today 4 tips on how you can set a goal and keep with it!

It's not just going through the motions that will get you there. Hiccups happen, families need attending to, but if you have a dream of what you want, then you need to know how you are going to get there!

First, you have to have a goal, write it down and know why it is so important to you to keep it.  Also, letting others know about your goal is crucial to your success and having them know that you are serious and ready to make healthy changes.

Being serious and not letting anything get in your way, not letting excuses set in, AND giving it your all!

Eating healthy on a budget

This post is written by health/fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Moms.

Eating Healthy doesn't have to be expensive.  I like to think of it this way. . . do you want your body to feel cheap? Then don't by cheap foods.  But also- you don't have to fork out a lot of money to eat healthy.  

I feed a family of 5 for $100/week, sometimes less- and yes this includes everything- even non-food items- EVEN diapers!

Here are some tips on how I do this:

Exercise is medicine

This post was written by contributor, Randall.

Recently, with the uncertainty of the world and our country, there have been a lot of people talking about how to prepare for disasters.  These may be natural disasters, economic disasters, or personal tragedies that lead to stresses in our personal life that we were not expecting.  I was talking to some people recently. They were expressing concern for how to get medications in the event that there was 

some type of disaster. What if they did not have access to their doctor or the pharmacy? They could be out of their medications.  They were coming up with ways that they would be able to be prepared in the event of a disaster, and how they would be able to have their medications to help them with their current disease processes.  

Exercise Ideas With Friends

This post is written by fitness contributor, Melissa.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Moms.

It's so much more fun to workout with friends

A friend, or a bunch of friends to exercise with is the key to getting in your workout.

Creating My Own Exercise Program

I am excited to announce another contributor to my blog.  This contributor is different than the rest because it is my dad.  Therefore, he is not a female.  However, he is one of the most inspirational people I know and I want him to share his knowledge and inspire all of us!  So welcome my dad, Randall, as our newest contributor.  He will not disappoint!

“How do I start my own exercise program”? This is the question that is often asked me, by my patients. 

The body is only able understand three different types of stress. The acronym that I used to explain this is FIT after all that is what we want to become fit. F. I. T. Each letter stands for a different type of stress. F stands for frequency, I stands for intensity, and T stands for time. 

Exercising Summer Routine with Kids

This post is written by Melissa, health/fitness contributor.  She also blogs at On The Go Healthy Moms.  

Summertime is upon us and as a Mom, we are starting to think about how we are going to keep our kids busy.

We need to take full advantage of being outdoors, and being active with our kids is so important.

So here is a Weekly Exercise Routine that you can do with your kids to keep them from telling you that they are bored!