Can you actually reduce the clutter in your house in only 30 days? We set a goal and crafted a plan to get our clutter back under control and be Clutter Free in only 30 Days! Join us on our Clutter Free Adventure!
Is it possible to have a clutter free home as a busy mom?
As a busy mom, keeping your home clutter-free can feel like an overwhelming task. However, with a well-structured plan and some practical tips, you can conquer the clutter and create a peaceful and organized living space. In this blog post, we will provide you with a comprehensive 30-day plan to help you declutter your home, even with a busy schedule. From quick decluttering strategies to effective organization techniques, we’ve got you covered. Get ready to reclaim your space and enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free home, all while balancing the demands of motherhood.read more
One thing people forget about often is the importance of sleeping enough.
The CDC reports that insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. Lack of sleep is affecting our ability to concentrate, remember important information, negatively affecting hobbies, driving, taking care of money, and work.
When we don’t allow ourselves to rest, we are actually hurting ourselves more than we realize. Beyond reduced learning and memory ability, lack of sleep is linked to increased weight gain by slowing our metabolism, increased hypertension, and increases our risk for disease. read more
This challenge won’t only affect your health, but will also affect your wallet.
Have I mentioned that I’m cheap?
One of the first reasons I started cooking when Adam and I got married was because we couldn’t afford to eat out. I was in school and we were both commuting an hour to work and school (in opposite directions). Talk about burning through some cash!
By eating at home and cooking from basic ingredients, we were able to save so much money and would usually be able to eat leftovers for a bonus meal.
Know what is in the food you are eating
Have your ever looked at the ingredient list in a chicken nugget? Sometimes it is hard to find the chicken?
As I became more and more aware of ingredients in processed take out and boxed foods, I began to cook more and more from scratch. This process didn’t happen over night.
This challenge is to first make the decision to cook at home.
Second, take a favorite meal that your family loves and turn it into a whole foods meal.
That way you know exactly what you are eating!
I am pretty much a self-taught cook. I’m no fancy chef. I started with simple Rachel Ray type 30 minute meals which helped me get more and more comfortable cooking.
I’ve learned a few tricks over the years and can throw a meal together without a recipe now. When I started cooking, I was slave to the written recipe.
Recipes don’t have to limit you, they can be a jumping off board.
Start with a meal you know and see how you can modify it to make it healthier!
Do you have a favorite meal that uses canned cream of soup? Have you looked at the ingredients? MSG is usually one of them… besides hydrogenated yuckiness.
For many years, I thought that eating butter and extra fat was “bad” or at least unhealthy. Thankfully, I understand more about eating healthy and making better food choices. Today we are going to talk more about why you should eat butter and how it is actually good for you!
Steps to a Healthier You
I have shared easy steps you can start today towards a happier and healthier body. We have already covered drinking more water each day and cutting out the sugar. Now we are going to focus on adding something back in – healthy fats! read more
Last week we focused on awareness: Being mindful in what you are eating. Thinking about what you are feeding your body is the first step to changing your habits. Did you pick up on anything you need to change already???
To increase our water intake, this could include drinking more water, tea, or fruit infused waters. My favorite way to drink tea is in Trim Healthy Mama apple pie sips. These are amazing!! I love them so much during these cold winter months when drinking a cold glass of water isn’t as appealing.
My sister and her husband really like to drink sparkling water.
Another tip is adding a little lemon to water with some stevia – a very simple lemonade! Adding lemon to your water also increases your vitamin C intake, which is great in these winter months for keeping you well and helps detox your liver! I made some really good pomegranate tea over Thanksgiving and sweetened it with some stevia for a real treat. Fruit infused water is easy to make too!
Something I’ve been trying more recently is doing fruit infusions in my water, it adds great taste and is really simple if you use an Infusion Pitcher, here’s the one I prefer!
By drinking more water, you will help your body stay full. Sometimes when we feel the urge to eat, we really are just thirsty. Drinking Water is also good for constipation. Did you know that if you aren’t having a bowel movement at least ONCE a day (and 3x a day is the recommended amount) then you are constipated??? (cue music: The More you Knooooooooow!)
Summary: New You New Years Week 1: Increase your water!
What are you favorite ways to increase your water?read more
New Years is next week! I know you are already thinking about what you are wanting for 2014. Some of you make the same resolutions every year and by February they are already a thing of the past.
This year will be different. This year you will make a change and stick to it!
How? You may ask. Because We are all going to be a part of New You New Years!!!
So lets talk about what New You New Years is going to look like. Every week, a new challenge will be presented to focus on the whole week. It may be to eat one vegetable at lunch and dinner. Or maybe it could be focusing on eliminating white sugar for the week. Maybe we could even focus on adding a 20 minute walk in or another exercise each day for a week.
Every week, we will focus on one single step… and take this one bite at a time (wink, wink).
This is YOUR time! This is THE time to choose to be the person you want to be in 2014. A healthier you, a better feeling you!
Our first week’s challenge will be simple… We are going to be aware.
Awareness is the key to change a habit.
In speech therapy, when we would work with people who stutter, most of the time they wouldn’t even realize they had just stuttered in conversation. We would replay their speech, and help them identify the problem areas, then they could back and restate the phrase or sentence and fix the stutter.
I want you to be aware about your food choices you are making each day. Read ingredients. Read nutrition labels. Figure out what you are actually putting in your mouth… You really ARE what you eat.
1) So look for the number of ingredients listed, and also can you pronounce or identify every item listed.
2) How many grams of carbs and sugar are you eating in packaged items?
3) How many items have something with soy, the word hydrolyzed or hydrogenated, or corn?
Now I want you to comment or write onmy facebook walland let me know how you are doing during the week.
What foods are you surprised to see sugar in or High Fructose Corn Syrup? How many carbs are in your favorite foods? Keep me posted!