Motivation...it hits like a ton of bricks sometime...

The HILL

Lately, I have been less than thrilled to go to the gym and workout.  Do you ever feel like that?  There have been many reasons excuses.  My long list of injuries/pains, the weather, or just simply wanting to have morning coffee on my patio.  The main reason I mention this is because , I forced myself to press on.  It has been beautiful yet unusal weather here in TN for March, but I am not complaining.  Even though I felt less than motivated, I decided to take my little man on an "adventure" to a nearby walking track by a nearby historic war site.  I threw his bike in the back of the car, and off we went.  I packed my ipod, so I could enjoy some tunes while I walked and sometimes jogged behind him.  The temp was about 82 degrees, and the wind was blowing.  We hit the pavement and WOW, I felt the urge to take him to see the "cannon".  It was atop a  beautiful, but HUGE grassy hill, so I was a bit nervous that he wouldn't make it up there. I said, Buddy, you sure you wanna try to make it all the way up there?"  He just smiled at me and said, "Momma, I will be fine, just fine." 

And there it was, M.O.T.I.V.A.T.I.O.N!!  I was fine, just fine.   

      I don't know about you, but do whatever it takes to get 

     you moving.  You never know when your motivation may

     find you.   

My Lil Motivator

War Cannon

Atop the Hill

         



Say What???

I don't know about you, but this whole organic vs. natural sure is confusing.  My rule of thumb (my opinion) is try to buy things with fewer ingredients.  It usually end up being the easiest way to make quick decisions at the grocery store.  I've read all kinds of blogs and articles that both have great points.  Today, I decided I would be brave and throw my "healhier" choices out to help others know what to look for.  Are they the best choices? Probably not, but I am still learning and I bet they will be better options than what some are choosing.  Therefore, take them or leave them, but I just want minimal ingredients with still a slight convenience factor.  It is about the journey for the rest of your life, and I'm practical and REALISTIC. 

 According to Wikipedia, "Natural foods" and "all natural foods" are widely used terms in food labeling and marketing with a variety of definitions, some of which are vague. The term is assumed to imply foods that are minimally processed and do not contain manufactured ingredients, but the lack of standards in some jurisdictions means that the term assures nothing. The term "organic" has similar implications and has an established legal definition in many countries and an international standard. In some places, the term "natural" is defined and enforced. In others, such as the United States, it has no meaning.

The fact is that we can get duped by “Natural” labels. They do not necessarily mean the product is healthy for you. If you want no growth hormones, antibiotics, and free pastured cows, but be prepared to pay for the more expensive organic products. Sometimes there may not be a reasonable organic options, so the next best thing may be "natural" . 

Simply Simple....

Last summer, one of my workout girlies  ask me to take her shopping and help skinny up her food choices in the pantry.  It gave me an idea about sharing Shaklee with my fitness family.  Therefore, I created an event on my SkinnyGreen Facebook page to see how much interest I would get.  It created a lot of excitement and new energy around food choices, so I was excited to host my first Shaklee event.  The main purpose was to share natural alternatives for items that we love in everyday life.

  The catch was going to be it create a format that was only 3 SIMPLE STEPS.  Most of my peeps know that I am passionate about Shaklee products, so some expected to hear more about how they had changed my life. Most importantly, I was able to land rockstar speaker, Jenni Oates, former Division I athlete, soccer coach, and creator of Burst Club to speak at our meeting.  Wait for it, wait for it, and they are:

3 Simple Solutions to "Skinny" Your Life

1. Swap Out Toxic Products
2. Simplify Shopping
3. Supplement

We discussed everything from women's health, grocery shopping, recipes, and even tips to clean up your pantry.  It was really informative, but most of all, it was easy to understand.  I served samples of Shaklee Meal Bars, Performance Drink, Cinch Protein Drinks, and just about anything that has become a staple in my pantry.  I even displayed all my clean eating foods from the store such as Whole Wheat Flour, Coconut Oil, Shaklee Cooking Protein, GreenTea, etc. 

The hardest part of the whole evening was trying to get all the awesome information to them in such a short amount of time. I think it went great, and I am proud to say that I am willing to come to you and your friends to share tips too!