Connections - Wordless Wednesday

TedTalk Love - Think About Happy

Every once in a while a video comes a long to really get me thinking. This did just that. I have been doing a lot of reading, thinking and writing about happiness and finding bliss in life every day over the past few years and I love the ideas that Shawn Achor speaks about here. I think we do often have the idea of happiness backwards. Just something to think about as you move through your day today

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!

Old Photos That Make Me Smile - Wordless Wednesday

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


Adult Essentials are available at a number of locations, including Fortinos, Real Canadian Super Stores, Loblaws, and Sobeys

For the latest about Adult Essentials, healthy recipes, sale announcements and more follow them onFacebook and Twitter.



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. 

The Creative Type - Wordless Wednesday

Thank goodness for washable markers!

Things That Make Me Happy - Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Can you see who is hiding?

Resolutions....Refresh

I have to admit that I don't really make resolutions ....really. What I do isn't really as firm or committed as a resolution.  BUT this year I made plans to be healthier, healthier mind, body and spirit.

 It is February and so far the plan is still on course. I am trying to eat healthier, including scaling down my coffee intake and juicing. I am also continuing to work out having joined a group of ladies who walk (ok, speed walk) and exercise every week with TreadPowerfully.

Now what?

What happens if your interest wains? How do you stay focused on the goal or resolution you have set for yourself?

Here are just five tips that might help you stay on course.

1. Stay Focused
I like to remind myself often of what I promised myself (no one else, just me) for 2013. It is not meant to be pressure just encouragement! Write yourself a reminder note, post it somewhere you will see often.

2. Be Kind...to yourself
Don't be too hard on yourself. This is one that I struggle with often. It is all about a journey and change doesn't happen in an instant. If you have a bad day, don't beat yourself up, just strive to do better the next day.

The next three tips are from my friend, Sue Abell,  motivator and kick-A@* coach every week when I hit the pavement with a group with TreadPowerfully.

3. Accept today
You will be propelled into success if you can be okay with where you are right at this very second instead of lamenting what got you there.

4. Get out of your head
There are going to be ups and downs in this resolution journey. Each day write down one thing you're grateful for and three little things you learned about your habits.

5.Partner up
No resolution is complete without uttering your commitment to someone and thus creating accountability. Pick someone who is a cheerleader and a butt-kicker.


Thanks Sue for being that cheerleader and butt-kicker for me every Thursday morning!

What do you do to help keep those resolutions? I would love to hear a few others

Curb the Urge to Eat Out - Frugal Friday

Ah, Frugal Friday. Nice to see you again!

Budgeting has always been something that I struggle with. Numbers are not something I am good at BUT something that I need to learn more about, especially when it comes to the numbers in my bank account. So one of the things I am trying to do this year is eat out less for two reasons, firstly to eat better and secondly is to spend less and save more.

Being that it is February 1, I thought it would be a great idea to look back at how I did the first month of the year and to look forward to the months ahead. I am very proud to say that I have brought dinner to work with me every single night for the past two and a half weeks (hurray for me!). I have managed to eat better and spend less for January! I am hoping to keep it up and make February a complete month of no eating out at work!

Tips to curbing the urge to eat out

1. Make sure you bring food you like.
I find that if I bring tasty food that I enjoy I am less likely to look at take out!

2. Bring snacks
Besides bringing a meal, I think it is really important to have some delish and healthy snacks.

3. Drink Water
I find if I drink lots of water I feel full and am less tempted to order out or hit the nearby Tim Hortons