While this post on 5 Tools to Get Healthier and Flourish in the New Year was sponsored by NutriBullet LEAN via Socialstars, all thoughts and opinions remain my own. #ad #getLEAN
Last year, for the very first time, I chose a word for the year. My word was “self-care” and I worked insanely hard last year to take more care of myself. After having Addie, I slipped into a mode of fear, depression, and I didn’t ever bother to care for myself. I was so worried about Addie constantly! We were also really unhealthy with our eating during 2014-2015. We ate out constantly because I was at the hospital from 8 am- 8 pm most days. It was awful. When 2016 hit, I saw how well Addie had been doing at home and how much I’d let myself go. If you remember, I started my self-care journey with new glasses, then had the opportunity to get LASIK, I went to monthly Young Living team dinners, traveled to Utah for Young Living convention, visited Branson with my mom and sister, and so much more. I really stuck to my word and made sure I was focused on getting back to the old me so I could be the best mother possible to Addie and the wife that Mathew deserved.
The last few days of December, I wasn’t sure what word I wanted to choose for 2017. The more and more I thought about it, the more I decided on “flourish.” I want to flourish in my relationships with my family, friends, and teammates. I want to flourish in Camp Gladiator and not struggle with running as much as I did when I originally started. I want my business with Young Living to flourish and bring essential oils to so many more homes than we did last year. I want to flourish in regards to my health and become more fit, drop more weight, and be at a point physically where I feel we can begin thinking about another addition to the family (something I’ve struggled with since our miscarriage in August.)
I’ve been using many tools to flourish and get healthier in 2017 already. Several, I implemented throughout last year, and some are new that I’m implementing this year! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail, right? I’m not one for failure, so I always love putting a good plan in place. I wanted to share my 5 tools to get healthier and flourish in the new year in hopes that my suggestions will help you too!
#1 Use Essential Oils Daily- This one is one I’ve been doing since 2015 and it really has made a huge change in my overall emotional and physical well-being. I’ve been using Young Living Essential Oils for 2 years now and our family will never turn back. I am going to be focusing more on support for my adrenals (being busy makes me tired!), emotional health, and general wellness. I will be setting up some time for myself to make some roller ball bottle combinations soon specific to those needs.
#2 Get 3 Workouts in a Week- I joined Camp Gladiator mid-October and have consistently gone 3 times a week. I’ve missed only 2 or so sessions, and I even went once when our trainer was gone and helped other teammates coordinate a workout. I’m really committed to Camp Gladiator and actually upgraded my account from a 6 month membership to a year long membership. I usually can’t stand contracts, but I’m determined to make this work! Find a workout program in your area that you like, whether it’s an in home dvd, a gym membership, or a team-based workout like CG, and go for it! Whatever you do, just commit. I’ll be right there with ya! You can also get a fitness tracker (I have the FitBit Charge 2) and track how many steps you take a day. I love challenging my friends to see who can get the most steps in a week.
#3 Eat Healthier & use my NutriBullet LEAN Blender– I know this sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s an important one! From Halloween through Easter it’s sugar season, and every month there is some excuse to celebrate and indulge. Staying on the wagon can be hard. I’m loving easy recipes from Skinnytaste.com for our family, but I also wanted to change things up a little this month so I’m not doing the same thing I’ve been doing. My body needs a little detox because I may or may not have enjoyed a few tamales this holiday season. Along with healthy meals, I’m going to be making more protein shakes! I love protein shakes after my workouts, and I recently got my hands on a NutriBullet LEAN Blender.
The NutriBullet LEAN Blender is pretty much the best thing I’ve found for my lifestyle right now. I’ve been tracking macros since October, and it has really helped me lose weight I need, but I still need a little help. The NutriBullet LEAN 7 day Transformation Plan follows a “weight loss code” that helps you plan through healthy, nutrient-rich, delicious recipes and LEAN smoothies. This “weight loss code” for their weight loss smoothies is balancing macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. When you don’t get enough protein, you feel hungry. When you eat too many carbs, your blood sugar spikes and you have cravings. When you don’t have enough fat, you’re not keeping sustained energy and then you reach for a quick fix snack. I love using My Fitness Pal to track my macros and keep myself accountable, and now I’m able to access recipes on the Nutribullet LEAN app too! The NutriBullet LEAN system helps you get the right amount of macros in your body by using their special blender cup! You just stack your ingredients- greens, fruits, proteins, and fats to each little line, and blend it up to make a healthy, delicious meal!
On the 7 day Transformation Plan, they suggest having 3 meals a day (2 smoothies and 1 balanced meal) with 2 snacks so you’re never left feeling hungry. Although the plan suggests to do it 7 days, the 7-Day Transformation Plan can be repeated as many times as needed to achieve desired weight loss. Once you’re at your desired weight, they provide a Maintenance Mode option to keep the weight off. Here’s why I love it- I get to choose what goes in my body. We buy organic fruit and vegetables, I’ll keep myself accountable by actually making sure I adhere to the lines on the blender, and I have a ton of different recipes to choose from. If I want to eat something else, that’s ok too! The plan comes with a Portion Perfect Plate Divider so I can eat the portions I should and not over indulge.
I’m excited for this little change in the way we eat and can’t wait to see more weight come off, eat more fruits and veggies, and get a jump on the new year! If you’re looking for ways on how to lose weight, this is one big step you can do. Like my trainer always says, “Abs are made in the kitchen!”
#4 Drink all the water- One thing I’ve had to learn to love lately is water. I’ve always had this bad habit of not drinking enough water, simply because I’m not usually very thirsty. Since starting working out and working to get healthier, I’ve tried to focus more on drinking as much water as possible. The NutriBullet LEAN 7 day Transformation Plan actually suggests drinking 1/2 oz. per pound you weigh, and that’s a goal I’m going to be reaching this year. I will most likely have to work up to it since I don’t typically drink that much, but drinking water does SO much good for your body. I won’t lie, I’ll be sneaking some of my Vitality essential oils in with my water to make it taste better. My favorites are lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine. Yum!
#5 Get More Sleep- This one is hard. Like I said earlier, I’m going to be working hard this year to support my adrenals as best as possible. I’m so bad at getting those midday slumps! The reason behind it though is I go to bed pretty late. Mathew falls asleep pretty quickly, but I enjoy having some quiet time to myself before I hit the hay. I love watching Dr. Pimple Popper, NikkieTutorials, and even Simply Nailogical on YouTube and before you know it, it’s 2 am. Oy. I love wearing my FitBit at night because it tells me how I’ve slept, and lately, I haven’t been meeting my goal of 8 hours. It shows. Heading to bed early will be something I work towards this year because studies show that poor sleep is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity, being linked to an 89% increased risk of obesity in children, and 55% in adults. There was also another study I read that showed those who slept less than 7 hours were almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept 8 hours or more. Yikes!
All in all, I’m excited to implement my new goals to get healthier and keep utilizing the old ones that worked. I am SO READY to get healthier and flourish in the New Year. I hope that this post will inspire you to do the same and that you’ll join me in this journey. The more accountability we have, the better, right? RIGHT! I can’t wait to keep you all updated on my progress with the NutriBullet LEAN 7 day Transformation Plan towards the end of the month!
Someone JUST told me to get a NutriBullet!!! I’m hearing so much about it lately I need to get on board. I need a big lifestyle change!
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I’ve used essential oils in my crafts, but I have to say that I am so happy that I discovered them for their health benefits last year. They have definitely become a part of my daily routine. I am also working on eating healthier and drinking more water this year. I fell so off track during the holidays so now it’s time to get back at it! Good luck with your goals!