Small Steps...Mean Big Results

I have loved taking part in this campaign. 2013 has all been about health and well being. This year is all about getting healthy for me. So this campaign by ShesConnected and Adult Essentials couldn't have come at a better time for me. It has helped me keep focused and be accountable since I am blogging about it!

As the campaign comes to a close it is important to say that my health and wellness journey has just begun! I hope to never close the door on getting healthy...mind, body and spirit.

I have come to realize that the best way to get the best results if for me to take small steps every single day. For example, I am striving to cut out or at least cut down the amount of coffee that I drink every day! It is a challenge every day but one that I welcome. I am also challenging myself to eat more fruits and veggies every single day, or should I say drink more fruits and veggies. We bought a juicer at our house and juice every single day ( although I will admit some days I don't get a glass down. My husband is a champion at the juice-every-day challenge!)  I am challenging myself to eat better at work. It is something that is hard for me since there is a pop machine and a vending machine just a few steps away from my desk. Finally, I am exercising more than ever before and to be honest that is saying something since this time last year I was doing very little exercise. Every week I hit the pavement with a group of women, led by Sue Abell, who kick my butt every single Thursday. If you are downtown Burlington Thursday mornings at around 10 o'clock honk or wave!




 I will continue to take vitamins, particularly Adult Essentials mainly because that are just so tasty. Gummy vitamins are a family affair. My kids love the IronKids Gummy vitamins. The kids are just  glad mom and dad finally have their own Adult Essentials gummy vitamins so we will now stop eating their vitamins.

What small changes have you made that have made a big impact in your life? Or on your overall health?



Disclosure - " I am participating in the Adult Essentials Blogger Outreach program by ShesConnected. I received a supply of vitamins and compensation in exchange for my participation in this campaign. The opinions on this blog are my own" 

Guilt is a GOOD Thing

SOMETIMES!

Sometimes guilt is a good thing.

Let me explain what I mean. Every week on Thursday morning I join a group of women who get fit with the help of a great trainer. Sue Abell of TreadPowerfully gets us sweating. It is an hour long workout. It is hard. This group of ladies is seriously fit and kick my butt every week. Every week I am  holding down the end of the line. I am last every week but that is OK. As I have mentioned before I struggle every week. For the first thirty minutes I want to quit. Honestly, I think about how hard it is. Then the last thirty minutes I forget about quitting and really get in the zone. By the time I am finished I honestly do feel great.

That being said I will be honest most Thursday mornings I think about not going, especially on the days when the weather down right sucks.  Last week was one of those days. I wasn't feeling well and it was really cold. I seriously didn't want to go and was already listening to that inner voice that was telling me to just sit back down on the couch. BUT this is where GUILT can be a good thing. I didn't make it out to class the week before. The week before I was so tired I just couldn't get motivated so I skipped class. No biggie. There was no harm in missing one class BUT missing two classes in a row was a bit much. Just the thought of missing two classes in a row was making me feel bad.  So when I started to think about not going to class AGAIN the guilt kicked in. I was feeling guilty for wanting to be lazy. I was feeling guilty for not doing something good for myself. I was feeling guilty for allowing that inner voice to convince me that it was better to sit on the couch. SO, I kicked guilt to the curb and laced up my running shoes and walked over to the meeting spot. I still wasn't convinced that I wanted to do it or that I in fact could do it because I was coming down with a cold but I did it anyway. You know it was hard. The first 30 minutes were hard and I was having that usual conversation with myself about going home but I didn't. I stuck it out and started to feel good with the sweat and the exercise. I pushed myself and it felt good for a lot of reasons; firstly because I was actually exercising and taking one more step to a better me, secondly it was great to get out in the fresh, crisp winter air, and third it does the brain good to get out and move your body. In fact it is a total package deal... all about mind, body and spirit.


So as you can see, sometimes guilt is a good thing!

A Better Me For 2013 #AdultEssentials

I have set a goal for 2013. I am striving to be healthier and happier this year. 


I am in my forties now and after years of raising kids, working hard and neglecting myself I am taking this year to focus on myself. As I have mentioned before I have started to workout once a week with a great group of ladies with TreadPowerfully, we have started juicing in our house, I am trying to kick my coffee addiction and started to be conscious of what I am eating.

The other thing I am expecting this year is some challenges. I think when we set goals inevitably there will be challenges along the way. I have already faced a few challenges, like struggling to kick the coffee habit. I knew it would be hard but in order for me to be successful at it needs to be top of mind... all the time. I have not always been successful at going all day without a coffee but I am certainly cutting down on what I drink.  Exercising is also hard. I don't always want to do it and I am hoping when the weather warms up a bit it will be easier. 

My husband and I are both juicing. He is better at it than me but I am working at getting better. It is a great way to get fruits and veggies in your diet. Thanks to Adult Essentials and ShesConnected, we are also getting our vitamins. The multi-vitamin is great. We also take Vitamin D and an Omega 3 vitamin. That are so tasty it hardly feels like a chore. The taste is one of the things my husband has been so impressed with. We have taken multi-vitamins before but they were also these big pills that needed to be swallowed but Adult Essentials taste great.

One of my next goals is to start meditating every day. I believe there are great benefits to meditation. I have tried it before but struggled with making it part of my every day routine. It is a challenge ( there is that word again!). I am going to start with baby steps, doing just a few minutes every day as I build up to a more substantial time of thirty minutes. I hope it will help me learn to focus more. I will keep you posted over the next month on how I do with my new routine of meditation.


To read my previous post in this campaign click here


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I received this bundle of vitamins as part of a blogging campaign with Adult Essentials and Shes Connected. I was compensated for my time but the opinions in this post, and any subsequent posts, are my own.