My life is so beautiful. My life is a total blessing. My life is busy, hectic, and often focused on meeting the needs of others. I am a mom. Like many of you, we work full-time to boot. I wake up every morning 40-minutes before everyone else so that I can shower, dress, get breakfast ready and have a conversation with my husband before Hudson wakes and I turn on “mommy” mode. When at work, I focus on the needs of my clients. I educate and fill their minds with knowledge on how to lead healthier, happier lives. When work is done, its time to circle back with family, clean up the house and prepare dinner. Before you know it we are off to sleep to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again. My life is so beautiful. My life is a total blessing. My life feels like it is often not about me. I am your typical woman in so many ways, feeling stretched thin, but no matter how crazy life may get, I do not let my own needs and wants disappear from my daily agenda. I consider self-care, no matter how small, to be as necessary to my health as the nourishing foods I eat and daily exercise. Finding time to take care of yourself is an absolute must, mama. Self-care is really a non-negotiable. As moms (working outside the home or not) our lives revolve around meeting the needs of others day in and day out. New to motherhood and I already understand the endless demands, rewards, sacrifices, sleepless nights and countless unscheduled interruptions and mostimportantly, what a beautiful gift it is to be a mom. Seriously, I don’t think there is anything better in this world than waking up every morning to my little boys smile and kisses, it is the best. Being a mom is my most important full-time job, and my favorite, but it can be draining. And we I am drained, I cannot be the best wife, mom, friend and coach I can be. Finding time to recharge and celebrate who I am as an individual SELF-CARE WILL MAKE YOU A HAPPIER INDIVIDUAL, WIFE, & MOTHER. Time spent caring for yourself should be considered as an investment in your long-term health. Before Hudson was born, I had an idea of what motherhood would be like, but I didn’t understand what motherhood would actually be like. Now I understand and cant stress enough to my fellow mamas, moms-to-be and moms-who-will-be how important it is to take care of yourself, and that means something different for everyone. What I can tell you though is that it needs to be a daily practice. Keeping it real, you may need to fight for this time to invest in yourself and make others understand why it is important to you. Your boss, kids, partner or other family members may not understand why it is so vital that you take 30 minutes to yourself to read your favorite book, or why you take the time every few weeks to get your hair done. They may not understand that these needs go far beyond wanting to look pretty. That is where it is crucial for you to stand up for your needs and believe that you are worth that sacred time of recharging. You deserve the same level of care that you spend most of your day ensuring everyone else has. Love yourself! When you make your self-care routine a priority in your crazy, hectic life, something amazing happens. You become the very best version of you. Yea, its true. You will be able to laugh with your kiddos rather than snap, and kiss your significant other rather than bark at them. You will smile more. You will enjoy the days more. Finding time for self-care in your busy life isn’t exactly simple or clear cut. Therefor, it is something that you have to plan for. Take time to plan and book yourself a mani/pedi or spa day. Self-care can also be as simple as getting up 20 minutes earlier and adding some sort of movement/exercise into your morning routine. Maybe you use that time to take a longer shower, dress and apply some make-up. Maybe self-care is doing a facemask and sipping a glass of wine. Maybe its 15 minutes where you can hide out in your room and do as you please, maybe read a book, scroll through Instagram, go for a walk, whatever you want. Just 15 minutes of uninterrupted time to yourself. New to self-care practices? Start small by just scheduling 15 minutes to yourself in your day. Being a mother is such a beautiful gift, but it is easy to lose yourself in the juggling act and forget that you are important! So take the time you need for you… and be that happy mama, for everyones sake. Share with me your go-to favorite self-care routines! New to self-care? Share with me what changes you are going to start tomorrow in order to take care of yourself. Xoxo
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Spring is here and that means… our family road trips! Timmy and I decided before Hudson even arrived that we were going to continue to travel and live our active lifestyle and just bring Hudson for the ride! After all, your children have to live with you… not the other way around. Last weekend we packed up the truck and headed north to Burke, Mtn. for our annual 42 mile, grueling, gravel bike race. Of course this year I took the role as a cheerleader with Hudson, but we made a family weekend out of it. I wasn’t sure how traveling with a newborn was going to go, especially with our breastfeeding schedule, but I was pleasantly surprised of how do-able it was with a little preparation. If you too are deciding to travel with your little one, I am so happy for you! Traveling as a family is such a wonderful bonding experience and babies, even when they are the littlest, love to see and be in new places. Plus, how fun will it be to tell your little one about all of the adventures you shared and show them pictures. Now, all that being said… being on the road with a baby while breastfeeding can present a few challenges, but with a little preparation, you will be all set. Here are some tips that I gathered after taking our first road trip to Burke, VT with our little one.
Have you and your family traveled with the newest member of your family? Would love to hear about your adventures! xo With spring time in the air, what better time to do some serious, “out with the old, in with the new”, cleaning. Today, I am sharing with you how our family does “Spring Cleaning” and what tips/tricks I have found super helpful to make the task manageable and even… enjoyable! Step 1: Start With Your Closet. Follow these really simple questions as you clean out your closet to help get rid of the old and make space for something new this spring!
Once I have created a “good-bye” pile that is ready to go, I bag up everything and prepare it for donation. Often times I will take them to Salvation Army or good will. If you live in an area that has Savers, they have opened several drop off locations! Step 2: Spring Clean Your Pantry. As the warmer days approach and we try to shake off the winter blues… there is always one room in our house that needs some serious TLC, the kitchen. Spring is such a great time to clean out your kitchen, beginning with your fridge and pantry. Once you have a clean and orderly fridge and pantry it’s easier to lead a healthy and even more economic life. I always feel like once I have cleaned out the pantry and fridge I can get rid of any processed, nutrient-empty foods that have snuck into our home and replace them with nutrient dense, whole foods. It also really helps to eliminate double buying. When I can see what rice, soups, etc. we have in our pantry, I won’t buy them again the next time I am shopping.
Step 3: Spring Clean Your Mind.
As far as the people go, you can’t just pull out of every negative situation in your life. We all have loved ones in need of our support, bills that need to be paid and a healthy lifestyle requires effort. But when you can’t change the world or people around you, you can still change your attitude and the way in which you approach the situations.
Do you have "Spring Cleaning" techniques that you love? How do you like to reset after a long winter and get ready for the longer, brighter days ahead? Spring is here! As the weather starts to warm up, the sun shines brighter and the days are longer… we can’t help but get excited that Summer is on its way. We have plenty of warm sunny days ahead! With warmer days on our mind many of us are looking for ways to lose a few pounds, lead healthier lives and/or feel better about ourselves. Now is the time to spring clean bad behaviors and develop new healthy habits to help you feel your best this spring and summer season. I have compiled five ways you can achieve your goals and included three of my favorite protein packed smoothie recipes for you to try.
1. Bottoms up! I always tell all of my clients, “You can not exercise to burn off a poor diet.” It just doesn’t work that way. If you are putting in the effort and time commitment to workout consistently, DO NOT ruin it in the kitchen. And more importantly, drink more water!!! It is that easy… put down the ice tea and coffee, and drink more H2O. Water is vital to all of the bodies systems and to every single cell in our body. If we don’t drink enough water, our body cannot purify our system of toxins. If our body cannot detox from the toxins, we ultimately slow down the operating systems in our body, like our metabolism. Drink more water and I guarantee you will notice healthier looking skin, higher energy levels and shed some weight. 2. Eat Breakfast There is much debate about whether of not eating breakfast is really that important. I will continue to argue that, yes, breakfast is very important and should not be skipped. Here is why… when you eat breakfast, you activate the thermogenesis process thus you stimulate your metabolism. After 6 + hours of no food while you are sleeping at night, your body goes into rest and digest mode and your metabolism will slow down so that other systems can work at recovery. Eating a meal in the morning turns on your bodies’ metabolism. You want to consume a meal that is high in protein with moderate fat and some complex carbohydrate for sustained energy and ideal fat burn. An example of this might be one of my power protein smoothies below or a bowl of organic oatmeal with ½ a banana, some berries, crushed walnuts and shredded coconut. 3. Get Moving! If you want to live well and live longer, you need to exercise! This doesn’t mean you need to run out to your local gym, buy a membership and spend an hour there everyday to achieve wellbeing. While the gym scene may appeal to some… you can get exercise done right in your living room or even outside. Going for a walk around your office building on your lunch break, cranking up your favorite music and dancing in your living room for 15 minutes, go for a hike, ride your bike, hit the gym, or even jump rope. Just get moving. Here is a plyometric workout you could complete in your home in less than 24 minutes. All you need is a space to workout, a clock and your workout shoes! Beginners: 2 rounds, 30 seconds work, 1-minute rest between exercises. Advanced: 3 rounds, 30 seconds work, and 30-second rest between exercises.
(Don’t recognize an exercise? Send me a message and I can send you a demo!) 4. Fix Nutritious Snacks Often times snack foods are considered a bag of pretzels in our pantry or a granola bar we found in our workbag. I challenge you to fix yourself more nutritious snacks. It is a great way to get more vegetables and fruits into your diet and doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of my favorite snacks are carrot sticks and almond butter, avocado toast, yogurt and raspberries with a little shredded coconut and dried fruit (apricots are my fav!) with a handful of almonds. 5. Think Small. Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. The magazine tabloids and the ads that overwhelm our Internet browser are constantly throwing out new health claims on how to lose 10 pounds in one week or what “super foods” will make you thin. Rather then getting caught up on the overwhelming amount of information out there, try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead, keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions. Three of my Favorite Power Protein Smoothie Recipes! Chocolate Peanut Butter
Blueberry Banana Power
Strawberry Banana
What gets you motivated this time of year? Do you have a "not so healthy" habit that your looking to change? Share below, I would love to help! xoxo So many people are under the belief that clean eating means restriction, and I am here to tell you, that is not the case. The basic idea of clean eating is to consume primarily whole, unprocessed foods. The idea of clean eating has been evolving for decades, and it really means something different based on the individual. Eating clean revolves around maintaining a balanced and personalized diet of fresh, unprocessed foods, including fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains. For some people, it also includes eggs, meats, fish and dairy. Why are more and more people making the shift toward clean eating? When you eliminate processed foods from your diet, you will notice a mental boost, clearer skin, weight loss, increased energy, stronger hair and nails, improved mental health and better sleep. Rather than going on a 30 day diet or some silly cleanse… making the shift to clean eating becomes a sustainable lifestyle. There are no rules to follow or cans & cant’s, rather, it’s a frame of mind.
A simple shift that if you can accomplish, you can change your life, forever. Clean Grocery List Vegetables
Sample Clean Eating 2- Day Menu Day 1 Breakfast Oatmeal with blueberries, coconut flakes, crushed walnuts and cinnamon Tea or Coffee Lunch ½ cup of brown rice or quinoa, sautéed spinach, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, hard boiled egg, avocado 1 oz of dark chocolate water and lemon Snack Brown rice cake with nut butter and a sliced banana Fresh green smoothie Dinner Grilled wild salmon Baked sweet potato with coconut oil and sea salt Sautéed kale with onions and garlic Day 2 Breakfast Poached eggs over whole grain toast with sliced avocado, tomato, sea salt and olive oil Tea or Coffee Lunch Lettuce turkey wrap with hummus, cucumbers, lettuce Sliced Apple Water with lemon Snack Celery sticks and carrot sticks with guacamole Dinner Grilled grass-fed steak Sautéed peppers and onions over arugula 1 oz of dark chocolate and fresh raspberries Not so bad right? Clean eating again, doesn't mean restriction, it means eating wholesome, nutrient dense foods, and feeling satisfied. I hope many of you find my sample grocery list and 2-day sample meal plan helpful. If you give it a try... let me know what you think! Currently, I work with many individuals on optimizing their nutrition, personalized exercise programing, and taking a hold of their health and their happiness. I offer a free 30 minute, online consultation for anyone who may be looking for some coaching. Please send me a note to [email protected] with your contact information if you are interested in a consult! I would love to hear from you :) |
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