Eating Clean…Reality & Tips for Success

Eating Clean…Reality & Tips for Success

I’m in my 3rd round of the 21 Day Fix and I fell off the wagon last week…hard! It was terrible! Following the 21DF means I’m supposed to be eating clean and whole foods.  I did NOT do that last week!  Well, actually in the grand scheme of life, it wasn’t the worst eating I’ve done, but I certainly didn’t follow the plan and it certainly wasn’t healthy either. But…I’m back on the wagon!

It’s so easy to fall off the wagon because temptation surrounds us.  I know deep down in my heart that I feel better both inside and out when I eat much more clean and whole than I have been this past week!  So, how am I going to do so? Here are a few easy tips that I’m following:

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Body Shaming: Shame On Us

Sara of All In An Iowa Mom’s Day shared a story on her Facebook page the other day about a teenage girl and her mother at a department store and a clerk who said that the teen age girl needed Spanx.  The discussion that followed in the comments got me thinking about body shaming and how out of control it is.  Some of the comments that followed the story made me furious!  The majority of women on this post were incredibly supportive of course and saying that the clerk was out of line, but there were others that were insinuating that the girl would look better if she was wearing spanx underneath.  I was flabbergasted!

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Social Media and 5 Things I’ve Learned

Social Media and 5 Things I’ve Learned

I’ve been on Facebook (personally) for about 8 years now. I’ve been on Twitter for three, I’ve been on Instagram for about 2, and I’ve been blogging for two as well. That’s a lot of years of social media. That’s a lot of experiences and that’s a lot of lessons learned!  So, here are what I consider my most important lessons that I’ve learned about social media!

1.  Not Everything Has to Go On Social Media – To most people this may seem like common knowledge, but we all know the other group who aren’t quite aware of this yet!  It doesn’t matter if it’s that adorable naked baby picture of your youngest or the reason why you were arguing with your spouse.  Some things just don’t need to be on social media! And, it doesn’t matter whether it’s being posted on Facebook, Instagram, or a blog…somethings just don’t belong.  So, before posting really think about who is going to be viewing it and the message that you want to send to them and everyone else who might see it.

2.  Nothing is ever “Gone” from Social Media – I think we’ve all done it…posted something to a social media and then seconds or minutes later thought, “that probably wasn’t a good idea” (see Item #1); so you go back and delete it and breathe a sigh of relief!  I hate to tell you but…it isn’t gone!  Since the invention of the cellphone and all it’s amazing features, we now have the screen shot!  We all need to remember that when posting because we have no idea who may have taken a screen shot of our post to use for later.  I urge you that if you are posting something on a knee-jerk reaction, please…take a deep breath and step away from the platform.  After you’ve thought about it for several minutes, if not hours, proceed!  Remember, it’s never really gone!!

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Banana Cherry Chewy Granola Bars

Banana Cherry Chewy Granola Bars

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Hang with me as there may be a string of healthy recipes (hence another recipe this week…this time Banana Cherry Chewy Granola Bars). It’s where my life is right now! I actually have the time (basketball season is over and track hasn’t started yet) to focus a little bit more on me, which means working on making healthy whole food taste better than the processed junk!  I’m in my 3rd round of the 21 Day Fix and it’s tough getting back into the swing of things, but I am quickly reminded at how much I can eat when I eat the good stuff!  Seriously…check out that collage of pictures!  That’s the meals I’ve been eating this past week!!

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Facebook Page or Group for Direct Sales??

Facebook Page or Group for Direct Sales??

You’re in business! You’ve got a brick and mortar store or have just decided to start selling for a direct sales company! You’re very excited to start spreading the word…now, to get a presence on Facebook, right? The number one rule is to not flood your personal feed with your business!!  (See THIS post if you’re curious about why!)  That’s great and I commend you for getting out there.  But, do you start a Facebook page or a group??  It’s all so overwhelming!!  To help you succeed and not lose any friends or family, or even business in the meantime, I’ve created a couple lists for you to consider when choosing a Facebook page or a group!!groups vs pages

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Live Healthy Iowa: A Challenge

Live Healthy Iowa: A Challenge

52bb93ec5f0f8.preview-620I’ve heard of Live Healthy Iowa and their 10 week challenge for quite some time now, but have never actually participated until now! When Kelli of The Sustainable Couple posed the question of some Iowa bloggers partnering up with The Iowa Food & Family Project and Live Healthy Iowa…I knew I had to be all over this! This was right up my alley…fitness, health, fun, and friendly competition!

Let’s break this down now.  What is the Live Healthy Iowa challenge??

“Live Healthy Iowa brings together friends, families, businesses and communities in team-based wellness challenges designed to promote positive lifestyle change. These challenges are proven to change the culture of a company or community, one team at a time!”

 

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Super Bowl Fun, Your Way

Super Bowl Fun, Your Way

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The Super Bowl is Sunday! Do you know how you’re going to celebrate? Are you someone who has a big party with family or friends? Maybe you prefer to go out? Keep things low-key? Either way, I have some ideas on how to make it a fun afternoon & evening.

Big Party Fun, In – If you’re a person who enjoys throwing a big party, invite your friends over and have them help you do the “work”!  Encourage each person coming to bring their favorite appetizer to share!  If you’re having women, have them bring a bottle of their favorite wine, then grab some paper bags and cover the labels up, have a taste test and have the women all vote for the winner…have a small gift for the winner (think $1 spot at Target or clearance from Bath & Body Works, fun napkins for entertaining, etc).  Make sure to use paper plates and silverware to cut down on your cleaning up!  I also would encourage 2 different areas…one for those who actually want to watch the game and one for those that are there just to socialize!

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