Personal Growth

If there’s anything working gals, wives and moms want more of at the end of the day, it’s energy.

I have seriously gotten up some days and been tired by 10 a.m. Not acceptable.

But there are a few things I’ve discovered the past couple of years that help me boost my energy level when it is low.

1. Exercise
   This is one of those things I make myself do even when I don’t feel like it. I know that I always feel more alert and happier after as little as 20 minutes of movement.
2. Get out in the sunshine.
   When I feel sluggish or a little blue, it is really helpful to get outside. I’ve found that even a 15-minute walk around the neighborhood makes a huge difference in my attitude and energy.
3. Sneak in a power nap.
   This one is a bit harder to make time for, but many studies have shown that a short nap of 20 to 30 minutes has a huge impact. And if you’re someone who has trouble falling asleep that quickly, even lying down and closing your eyes for that long has benefits.
4. Drink more water.
   Sometimes slight dehydration feels like tiredness. Make sure you are getting in those 8 glasses of water a day to avoid feeling draggy.
5. Eat less sugar.
   This is by far the hardest one for me. But eating sugary foods causes your blood sugar to rise and when it goes down again, you just feel tired and crave more sugar. Sound familiar? The only way to stop blood sugar-related sluggishness is to cut back on the sugar.
6. Improve your sleep.
   When it comes to sleep, it’s not just about getting enough (7 hours minimum). It’s about the quality of your sleep as well. If you toss and turn or wake up several times at night, you wake up feeling exhausted. You can improve the quality of your sleep by keeping your bedroom cool, blocking out all light, using a sound machine and/or avoiding screens before bed.
7. Lower your stress level.
   It’s really easy to feel tired when worries and stresses are weighing you down. If this is a regular struggle for you, make it a priority to carve out time for prayer or meditation to help better manage your stress.
8. Eat smaller meals more frequently.
   Ever had a big lunch and wanted to spend the afternoon napping it off? Or feel like Thanksgiving dinner should come with mandatory naptime? That is proof that you are better off eating small meals more frequently than eating large meals that leave you dragging. Some people swear by eating every three hours, but experiment to find what works best for your body.
9. Make time for a dance break.
   Keep a playlist of your favorite, energizing songs to play when you need a pick-me-up. It may sound weird, but cranking up the music, singing aloud and dancing will wake up your body and spirit. My favorite feel-good song currently: this one by Carrie Underwood and Ludacris.

Start with the habits that seem easier to you. Save the ones that require more discipline for later.

And unfortunately, some of these will require you discipline yourself to do them even when you don’t feel like it. And discipline isn’t always fun.

But isn’t feeling better and having enough energy to live your life well worth it?

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Maybe I’m just nosy, but I love reading recap and recommendation posts from my favorite bloggers.

Plus, doing a recap post each month helps keep me accountable for meeting my goals.

So, at the end of each month, I’ll write a post to review my progress toward my goals and share a few things that I tried that month and loved.

My 1st Half 2018 Goal Progress

• Simplify home management.
  Though I’m still struggling a bit to get a good plan for lunch, planning my meals once for the whole month (using themed dinner nights) was a huge help. I also decluttered quite a bit in December and at the beginning of this month, which has sped up my cleaning routine considerably.
• Spend more time making memories with my family.
  I didn’t make a lot of progress on this in January, but I’m going to make this a bigger priority in February.
• Prepare for new baby’s arrival.
  I knocked a few easy things out this month like making a few freezer meals, pre-registering at the hospital and washing all the baby clothes and accessories. I plan to really hit this one hard in February as well.
• Make quality time with Jesus a part of my morning routine.
  I am doing a study on 1 and 2 Kings through First 5 and am getting so much out of it. I have been working through the study after my workout on weekday mornings. Weekends feel more challenging and less structured, so that’s an area I can improve in the next couple of months.
• Prioritize quality time with my husband.
  We did squeeze a date night in at the end of the month when my parents came to visit, but I still want to work more on connecting, especially before our little one comes and things get really crazy.
• Spend more time with my daughter doing things she enjoys.
  This goal has actually been going well. We joined the local children’s museum at the beginning of the month and have been there twice. She loves getting out and doing activities, so I have made sure to take her somewhere to play one day per week.
• Eliminate or reduce time wasters to spend more time on goals.
  I have found more time by unsubscribing from emails, only checking emails when I set aside time to respond and batching errands and phone calls. Spending less time on Facebook is still a challenge, as well as deciding how I can still be productive when my brain needs a break.

Things I Loved in January

• For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn
  This book about what women need to know about the inner lives of men was a quick and easy read and opened my eyes to a few things I’d never considered. Check out my Facebook video recapping what I learned.
• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
  I read this book after Money Saving Mom recommended it. Though it is fiction, it helped me to better understand the life of a paraplegic and what would make someone consider assisted suicide.
• Milestone Birthday Gift
  My mom celebrated a milestone birthday this month, and I stole this idea from Pinterest to put together a basket of gifts related to things that happened the year she was born.
• Dr. Jart Black Label Beauty Balm
  This is technically the second time I’ve purchased this BB cream, but I am a huge fan. It is good for all skin tones, is very moisturizing on my dry, winter skin and covers my skin’s imperfections without feeling heavy.
• Prayer Journal
  I have been using this prayer journal as a way to write brief thoughts from my Bible study, a couple of prayer requests and things I am grateful for that day. So far, I love using it, especially since I prefer a paper journal to jumping on my computer immediately in the mornings.
• The Happy Planner
  I started out the year with The Day Designer, but the page-a-day format wasn’t working for me, so I switched to the Happy Planner. It has been so fun to be crafty for five minutes each Sunday night adding stickers and stamps to the layout for the coming week.
• Geostorm
  We watched this movie recently, and my hubby and I both enjoyed it. If you like a good action movie and aren’t bothered by unrealistic plots, add this to your watch list.
• The Champion by Carrie Underwood & Ludacris
  I know what you’re thinking. Who would put these two together on a song? But trust me it works. They recorded a song to promote the Super Bowl and Winter Olympics.
• I Will Be Confident by Steven Furtick
  Check out this video Steven Furtick and the peeps at Elevation Church put out if you need a kick in the pants to go after something God is calling you to do. Epic.
• BLT Flatbreads by Emily Bites
  It has been a long time since I’ve tried a new recipe that I absolutely loved, but these BLT flatbreads hit the spot. These were great for lunch but are an option for a light dinner too. Just a note: they are low calorie and Weight Watchers friendly, but they are not dairy or gluten free.

Thanks for joining me for this recap post.

I encourage you to review your goals at the end of each month as well.

When we stop to evaluate our progress, it motivates us to keep going and gives us the chance to celebrate how far we’ve come.

Here’s to an epic year!

And if you enjoyed the section about things I loved this month, sign up for my email newsletter. Each week, I always share something from the week that I am loving- whether it’s something I’m watching, listening to, reading or making.

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Many people set health goals at the beginning of the year, but often they give up after only a few weeks. Why is that?

It’s common that when we want to improve our health, we make it too hard. We are too ambitious (want big results quickly) or try to be too perfect (the “I will never eat carbs again” mentality).

No wonder we fail, and shortly thereafter, give up completely.

This year, try a new approach: baby steps.

Darren Hardy, author of The Compound Effect, says:

Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE

That’s why I put together this list of 12 hacks to will help you get healthier that don’t involve kale or burpees.

1. Eat more veggies.
   Veggies are packed with tons of nutrients that do powerful things in our bodies. Veggies are the Avengers of foods. If you only make 1 change to your diet, this is it. Start with eating more of the veggies you already like, and then experiment with new veggies.
2. Swap sugary drinks for water.
   Even if you still eat sweets, you can eliminate a ton of sugar from your diet by swapping soda, fruit juices, sweetened teas and “frappa, latte, cino” coffee drinks for water. Plus drinking more water naturally detoxes your body, improves your complexion and may help with weight loss.
3. Consume probiotics.
   All the latest nutrition research is showing that many of the health problems we face are the result of poor gut health. But you can improve your gut health by eating probiotics, which are in foods like yogurt, kombucha and fermented veggies. At the very least, make sure you are taking a high-quality probiotic supplement.
4. Take a technology break.
   Give your eyes and posture a rest by getting away from your phones, tablets, TVs and computers for at least 15 minutes a day. Unplugging is critical in our available 24/7 world.
5. Move every hour.
   They say sitting is the new smoking, so make sure you are moving at least once every hour. Activity trackers can remind you to get moving or simply set a reminder on your phone that goes off every hour.
6. Keep a food journal.
   Just the act of writing down what you eat will make you more aware of how much and what types of foods you are eating. If you’ve already written down 10 Oreos, the thought of writing down another 10 Oreos may discourage you from eating them.
7. Prioritize sleep.
   Many of us skimp on sleep in order to get more accomplished or have more time to ourselves. But our bodies pay the price for that decision. Aim to get at least 7 hours of sleep for your mental and physical health.
8. Try to eat mindfully.
   How often do we eat while standing, using our phones or doing something else? Make a conscious effort to sit down while eating and pay attention to how your food tastes. Really enjoy the experience.
9. Always eat off a plate, not out of the bag.
   It’s much easier to eat a half a bag of chips if you eat from the bag than if you put them on a plate. Combine serving your food on a plate and eating mindfully, and you’ll naturally eat less.
10. Don’t keep trigger foods in the house.
    You know your trigger foods. We all have those foods we cannot say no to. Whether it’s ice cream or pasta, don’t keep your trigger food in the house. It’s better to make a special trip to enjoy your favorite food at a restaurant than it is to have 24/7 access to it at home.
11. Keep healthy food visible and ready-to-eat.
    The opposite of #10, keep healthy foods like fruits and veggies prepped and very visible so you reach for these first if you want to nibble on something or are just too lazy to fix food.
12. Spend at least 10 minutes daily on a quiet, relaxing activity.
    We live in a busy, noisy world where quiet is hard to find. It is overload on our minds and causes stress, which hurts our efforts to get healthier. Take 10 minutes each day to be quiet. You might like to read, go for a walk, just sit still, color, pray or journal. Find an activity that is restorative to you.

And most importantly, don’t try to add all these new habits at once. Talk about overload.

Start one new habit at a time and give yourself a chance to get in a rhythm before moving to the next.

Baby step your way into accomplishing your health goals, and this year will be your healthiest yet.

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I’ve been reading Jon Acuff’s book, Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done, and he makes an excellent point about pursuing a goal: You have to choose something to bomb. 

He says:

“You only have two options right now:

1. Attempt more than is humanly possible and fail.
2. Choose what to bomb and succeed at a goal that matters.”

Now, he doesn’t say that you choose to completely eliminate something in your life permanently. Only that if you want to make great strides in one area of your life, something else may have to move to the backburner.

If you want to pay off $1000 in debt, you may need to stop buying organic food and make cheaper meals for a bit.

If you want to lose 10 pounds, you may need to skip going to your favorite Mexican restaurant on date night.

If you want to grow your side business, you may need to take a break from Netflix for a while and spend that time working.

See where I’m going with this?

So, if you want to crush your goals this year, you must say no to some things. And here are 6 things you can say no to, so you can say yes to actually finishing your goals.

1. TV
   Everyone of us has something they love to watch. My husband and I like to watch Parks and Recreation reruns after putting our daughter to bed. Your entertainment of choice may be Netflix binge watching, YouTube cat videos, morning shows, documentaries or Game of Thrones. Though they are very entertaining and a great escape at the end of the day, this is time that could be spent working on something else. That something could be reading a book related to your goal, getting everyone ready for the next day or doing meal prep.
2. Social Media
   Deleting your social media accounts permanently may be going too far for many of you, but consider taking a break from your favorites like Facebook or Pinterest until you make major progress toward your goals. The first step for many of us in limiting social media time is to delete the apps from our devices. For more about that, check out this post about my love/hate relationship with Facebook.
3. Phone Use
   I know some phone functions are critical– the ability to make a call, to use maps, to take a photo. But let’s be honest, that’s not what we spend the majority of our time on the phone doing. Instead, we are browsing the internet, checking social media, playing games and sending text messages. Try putting your phone on airplane mode for short periods of time– start with just 15 minutes and build up from there. Or even better, turn your phone off and put it in a drawer. Use that 15 minutes of distraction-free time to knock out tasks you’ve already identified to help you hit your goals.
4. Errands & Phone Calls
   We all have certain errands we have to complete like going to the grocery store, picking up a few things at Target or getting gas. But running all over town every day to take care of just one errand eats up too much time. The same can be said for phone calls. No one enjoys making appointments, calling insurance companies, asking questions about bills. Batch tasks like these together– the errands on one day or the calls in one morning to save time and energy.
5. Information Overload
   This one is a huge challenge for me. It is SO easy to get information on anything you’re interested in. Whether it’s blogs, podcasts, books, YouTube videos, social media or TV, we are drowning in information and lacking implementation. Consider temporarily sending blogs or email subscriptions to an email folder, unsubscribing from podcasts or reducing the number of books you’re reading. Challenge yourself to implement something from what you’ve already read or heard before moving on to something else.
6. Emails & Texts
   It may not seem like it takes very long to respond to an email or text, but it is very disruptive. You have to stop what you were doing, reply to the email or text, and then remember what you were working on before. And that’s the best case scenario. Likely you will get sucked into an email or text conversation that majorly distracts you and disrupts your day. The solution: Turn off your text and email sounds and notifications and schedule a couple of times during the day when you will check each and respond. Remember, you are in charge of your time, and no one has the right to tell you when you should respond to their needs. (And if it makes you feel better, you can give your hubby and kids a special designation so their messages always come through.)

If you are a recovering perfectionist like me, this part is tough, because we still have the twisted idea that we really can do it all with better planning or systems. But that is a complete lie.

And even if we could do it all, we would be depleted and exhausted and definitely not the best version of ourselves.

Make the hard choice to say no to some things for a short period in order to do things that really matter.

For my free guide on other things to say no to and ways to reclaim time, sign up here.

Goal setting is my jam. I am a full-on believer that we can only become better Christians, better wives and better moms through intention.

However, this year, goal setting seems to be another thing to add to my list of to dos. And all the advice people online give about “the best way to set goals” does nothing but overwhelm me.

So, if you are looking for a way to set goals that is doable and fun, even with an already busy life, this post is for you.

Check out these printables that help you decide what goals to tackle this year and have a lot of fun accomplishing them along the way.

If you want to focus on having more fun this year, this printable from While He Was Napping may be the one for you.

This printable from College Life Made Easy incorporates habits and self-care.

This printable from Live Laugh Rowe has a spot for your word of the year, which is a popular trend in goal setting.

If you are looking for a printable to help you brainstorm goal ideas, this one from Life with Me may be perfect for you.

Have fun brainstorming different things you would like to do throughout the year with this printable from the Art Bar Blog.

If you are looking for a more comprehensive technique for goal setting, I recommend you watch this video from Chalene Johnson that explains her process for crushing goals in 90 days or less. Another good one is Allie Casazza’s blog post on how she sets her goals and intentions for the year.

No matter what method you use to set goals, you can’t stop at just having goals. If that’s as far as you go, you probably won’t have accomplished much by this time next year.

You have to make plans for each of your goals, made of bite-sized tasks, to ensure your goals will actually happen. If you need help figuring out how to do that, check out this post on making plans that will help you shatter your goals.

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