Healthier Lifestyle Tips – Page 40

Spring Deep Cleaning Guide

If you are anything like me, few events are more personally gratifying than my annual Spring Deep Cleaning! It’s an opportunity to throw open the windows, let fresh air in, and make our homes clean, safer, and more joyous spaces. For many people, however, the pleasure comes only after the work is finished. While your spring cleaning may never become effortless, you can make the project more manageable – and even enjoyable. So, let’s jump in!

Here is my timeline leading up to Spring Cleaning and Allergy-Proofing my home each year.

Three weeks before cleaning, I request Thredup bags to donate unneeded clothing.

Two weeks before cleaning, I create my seasonal Capsule Wardrobe and utilize my Thredup collection bags.

A week before I start Spring Cleaning, I prepare my cleaners. A tip: to avoid hauling a caddie around my home during Spring Cleaning. Here’s my list of all-natural, diy cleaners I make:

The night before I start cleaning:

I place the cleaners I will be using in the rooms they will be utilized the next day. Along with cleaners, I place any towels, rags, or sponges I will also be using. I do this because as soon as I finish cleaning each room, the cleaners make their way back to my storage closet. When all the cleaners are put away I know my work is done!
Then I create a donation station. Three reusable bags are set up in my dining room. One to hold donation items to go to our local women’s shelter, a second bag for items at the thrift shop, and a miscellaneous bag for items that can go local animal shelter. To keep clutter to a minimum in our minimalist home, my husband takes all donations to charity the same day I clean. Also, I also pull in extra recycling bins too.
I also prep my clipboard. I use a clipboard to cross off completed tasks, take notes on the condition of my house, to remind myself of items I need to bring to my husband’s attention and to keep up to date with our seasonal inventory and shopping lists.

At this point, I’m ready to prepare myself to clean!

Here are the steps I take to prepare myself to start cleaning:

Scheduling. I try to schedule grooming appointments and play dates around my cleaning schedule. This frees up to time to devote fully to my endeavors and to keep little hands and little paws away from cleaners too!
Getting Dressed. While Spring Cleaning, I dress for the occasion. For me, this means wearing all white. Cotton shorts and a tee. This outfit is conducive for cleaning, as I am sure to become soiled, splashed by cleaners, or sweaty while sprucing. This also prevents my clothing to become a visual distracting while cleaning room-to-room. You see, white is pure, clean light. It has clean energy. It allows you to focus on your space and not yourself while cleaning. In fact, Marie Kondo, famed decluttering consultant, wears only white while cleaning, consulting, or engaging at speaking events!
Vacuum. I start with light vacuuming around my whole home before even gathering my cleaning supplies. I do this because I remove my socks and shoes while cleaning. I want to be aware of how my floors feel. If there are any splinters or squeaks that need addressing I can attend to them immediately. And if your floors are clean enough to walk barefoot on, then they are clean enough for little hands and paws, too!
Music. I am known to put awesome music on for encouragement while Spring Cleaning. Sometimes I even create a playlist for the occasion.
Light. I open windows, light a candle, and diffuse while cleaning. This is simply to keep me happy!
Meals. I know I will be too tired to cook after cleaning so I generally prep crockpot meals before I start projects so I have hot, healthy meals ready for my family when the day’s work is done.

Zone 1. My Food Stockpile and Basement

Pantry and Stockpile:

Canned goods: I dust cans, rotate by expiration date, and donate anything that will expire in your current month you don’t plan to consume.
Soft Drinks, Cooking Oils, and Cleaners: Again, I dust containers, rotate by expiration date, donate anything that will expire in your current month you don’t plan to consume, and place all oils in the fridge for summer, especially coconut oil.
Dried Foods: I inventory my stock and rotate jars accordingly.
Room: As my storage room is in my sunroom, I sweep the walls down, dust the room’s trim, clean the windows, clean the ceiling fan, clean my glass doors, and mop my way out of the room.

Basements:

Clean electronic air cleaner elements monthly for most efficient operation; replace filters as needed.
Clean humidifier elements before the next season begin.
Schedule furnace inspections; many areas offer free, or reduced fee inspections. Schedule appointments now!
Buy a 3-month supply of furnace filters.
Drain sediment from hot water heaters.
Clean windows.
Vacuum baseboards, floors, vents, and tools.
Re-evaluate your holiday, seasonal goods. Declutter, re-sort and purge as needed.

Zone 2. Inside the home:

I work from the farthest rooms in my home and work my way towards my front door. I start in my master bedroom, then onto my family bedrooms, guest room, den, living room, office, bathrooms, closets, kitchen, and end with my dining room. Here’s what I do in each area:

In my bedroom I attend to:

Turn mattresses front-to-back and end-to-end to equalize wear.
Launder or clean all bedding: mattress pads, pillows, duvets, blankets, comforters.
Change or scale-back linens as needed.
Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
Clean window sills and windows.
Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
Clean out and vacuum vents.
Vacuum upholstered furniture.
Wash interior windows.
I have my eyeglasses professionally cleaned in Spring.

Kitchen and Dining Room:

Prepare the kitchen for holiday cooking; organize kitchen cabinets, paying particular attention to baking supplies, pans, and equipment.
Clear kitchen counters of all appliances not used within the last week.
Pull refrigerator away from the wall, and vacuum the condenser coils.
Declutter your cabinets. Clear out your cupboards of anything that you don’t use on a regular basis. Make room in your dining room, basement, or stockpile area for seasonal items, such as punch bowls and holiday dishes. Purge, recycle, sell, or donate items that have not been used in a year.
Zone your cabinets. I have a zone for coffee, baking, and pets; keep like items together. Creating zones in your kitchen helps to keep your cabinets organized, helps you to know where to store things, and helps you work more efficiently in the day-to-day running of your home.
Random clutter. Anything random left over, and not able to be placed into cabinets, think of creative, upcycled ways to display and store these items.
Wash light-diffusing bowls from light fixtures.
Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
Clean window sills and windows.
Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
Clean out and vacuum vents.
Re-season pots and pans, as needed.

Coat Closets:

I steam clean coats, blazers, and jackets.
All winter gear is laundered and then stored in baskets in the top of the closet.
Add cedar and tea bags to all closets to prevent mildew and bugs over the Summer months.
I dust upper closet shelves.
I vacuum and steam mop closet floors. I then allow floors to dry for 1 hour before replacing items.

Linen Closets:

Bundle like sets of sheets together.
Keep necessity items in small baskets, labeled, and clustered on a single taller shelf together.
Corral cosmetics on servings trays for easy removal.
Any mismatched items should be donated.
Any fraying towels should be donated; animal shelters are a great place to send unneeded linens.
Prevent dust from covering linen sets, by placing them inside their coordinating pillowcases
Antique linens are best to hang; install two hooks and a dowel rod in the bottom of a closet for hanging linens.
Store throw pillows and guest pillows in a top shelf basket.
Store towel sets in stacks for easy removal.
Store like items on like shelves; linens with linens, towels with towels, and the like.

A few tips for Spring Cleaning your bathrooms:

All cosmetics older than one year, should be purged.
All cosmetic sharpeners, brushes, or curlers two-years or older, should be purged.
All hair coloring products or kits, two years or older, should be purged.
All vitamins or supplement older than one year, should be purged.
All flu, cold, sinus, or allergy products older than two years, should be purged.
All essential oils three years or older, should be purged.
All first aid items, older than three years, should be purged and replaced.
All digestive aids, older than three years, should be purged.
Any fiber-based supplement, older than a year, should be purged.
Any nail lacquers that have been to separate should be purged.
All manicure and pedicure supplies not utilized within the last six months should be purged.
All paper or cotton products should be visible, organized, and easily accessible.
Purge your oldest towel set; towel, hand towel, and wash cloth.
Take inventory and re-stock medicine cabinets.
Clean contact lense cases.
Replace toothbrushes and floss.
Clean window sills and windows.
Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
Clean out and vacuum vents.

Living Room and Den:

Vacuum drapes and window treatments.
Clean window sills and windows.
Vacuum baseboards and corners well.
Wash down walls with a mild astringent or cleaner, and dry with a dust mop.
Clean out and vacuum vents.
Vacuum upholstered furniture.

Zone 3. Outside The House:

Clean and store patio furniture, umbrellas, kid’s summer toys.
Touch up paint on trim, railings and decks.
Check for breaks in exterior caulk lines around windows and doors.
Inspect external doors and garage doors.
Wash exterior windows.
Drain and store garden hoses.
Install insulating covers on exterior spigots.
Check gutters, rain barrels, and downspout openings.
Have chimneys and flues inspected and cleaned, if necessary.

Zone 4. Greenery:

Bring flower pots out of storage; plastic pots will need to be cleaned, emptied, bleached, and air-dried.
Terracotta pots should be sun-sanitized, stacked, and stored on their sides.
Sew grass seeds, as needed.
Purchase bird seed, and keep feeders stocked for the winter.
Prep/service your lawn mower, riding mower, edger, and tiller for warm weather.
Pull back winter mulch, replace as needed.
Clean out flower beds, plant annuals as needed by May 15th each year.
Edge lawns and sidewalks.
Clean and disinfect your outdoor mailboxes.
Service outdoor fountains, solar panels, decorative installations.
Maintain your indoor and outdoor compost bins.

Zone 5. Allergy-Proofing: Now that you’ve deep cleaned your home for Spring, I advise Allergy-proofing your home for Spring too! Here are a few of my favorite tips:

Clean blades of ceiling fans.
Sort and clean any extra zones such as linen closets, utility closets and office spaces; even the best kept linen closets trap dust, which can be inadvertently transferred to bedrooms and common areas.
Check for mold. Bathrooms, basements and areas that are tiled can be especially prone to mold. The key to reducing mold is moisture control. Be sure to use bathroom fans and clean up any standing water immediately. Scrub any visible mold from surfaces with detergent and water, and completely dry. You can also help ward off mold by keeping home humidity levels at or around 60 percent and cleaning gutters regularly helps too!
Check the fur-babies! Remove pet allergens by vacuuming frequently and washing upholstery, including your pet s bed.
Diffuse! Using a diffuser daily can not only help to make our home healthier, by allowing ourselves to breathe in health, natural elements, but we can also help to make out homes smell as inviting by diffusing essential citrus, cinnamon, sage as well.
When mowing and gardening, be sure to wear gloves and a N95 particulate pollen mask (Centers for Disease Control (CDC) NIOSH rated), and to avoid touching your eyes, and be sure to wash your hands, hair and clothing once you go back indoors.

Keep in mind, deep cleaning and allergy-proofing your home from top to bottom will essentially take several days. Do not attempt to clean your entire home in a day, or a weekend for that matter. Take a week, break off chores into chunks, utilize your family for aid and resource, and give yourself the grace of time and consideration of your everyday life when completing this expansive list. Also, you can get a head start by changing your air filters every three months and using filters with a MERV rating of 11 or 12.

My biggest tip? Be sure to vacuum regularly to get rid of dust mites. Use a cyclonic vacuum, which spins dust and dirt away from the floor, or a vacuum with a HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter. And as always, be sure to wash bedding and stuffed animals weekly.

Moreover, consider this when devising a fall cleaning schedule:

Are you the kind of person who wants to do a little every day?
Would you rather tackle it all at once so that you don’t have to think about it for the rest of the week?
Do you work full-time or are you home during the day?
Do you have young children at home whose chores can be incorporated into this system?

As there is no one “right way” to keep house, and so no universal cleaning schedule that will fit every household’s needs. Just sit down, take an hour, and create a system that will work best for you. Being prepared for the cooped-up winter months ahead is the long-term goals, so by adding a few small, obtainable cleaning goals a day is the way to go! This is a challenge to make your home as healthy as it is steadfast this coming season.

Also, don’t be daunted by the size of this list, many of the jobs are small ones that will go by quickly, and you’ll be so glad you took the time to do them! And if you are looking to see how I organize my year round cleaning schedule, you can also take a look at my general year-round printable list, too!

After you read through the zone lists, be sure to tailor the list to your home and yard. I encourage you to create a realistic Spring Cleaning schedule, keeping in mind that a single weekend won’t suffice, as you’ll need several days for more involved projects, such as shampooing carpets and organizing closets. Pick a plan. Create a stop and start point, whether it’s starting from the attic to the basement, outdoors to inside, or just focusing on one task at a time. Just have a plan. And be sure to enlist the help of family members.

So, folks do you have any tried and true methods for cleaning around your home this time of year. I’d love to hear about them below.

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The Benefits & Guide to Juggling

Guest post, by Daniel (The LadyPrefers2Save’s better half).

Spring break is just around the corner. That means no school for a whole week! Kids home for a week and looking for something to do. This may be the article to help keep your sanity, and look like a pretty cool parent to boot. How? Teach them to juggle. Balls never need batteries, they’re cheap, and will keep your kids doing something productive and healthy. “I can’t juggle!” you say. That’s fine, I’ll teach you and you can teach your kids.

So, you may be asking why Juggling? Well juggling is a really good exercise for life. In fact, there are a lot of benefits to this sport too! Juggling can help you with the following life-boosting skills:

Brain growth: Juggling has been scientifically proven to help your mind grow larger, prevent gray matter deterioration in the elderly and help with focus issues with children with ADHD.

Posture: The average person spends 8-12 hours daily at a computer, causing your neck and back to become unaligned. You can combat this unhappy hunched back situation by juggling is perfect. As juggling forces the proper body and spine alignment used to stand up straight, relaxing neck muscles, and correct hand-eye coordination.

Anxiety: Juggling can help users learn ways to de-stress, aid in anxiety relief, and help relieve computer screen eye strain.

Focus: Juggling helps users focus various muscles, including neurological related muscle groups, and through regular practice and focus can be an overall, built-in reward. Consider this, one of the worlds premier jugglers, Reid Belstock, transformed by juggling. He sited focus and developing time management skills as the two major benefits to juggling:

Being an adaptable learner: The act of Juggling helps your mind adapt to learning new sequences of movement, and when you gain the learning to learn idea, you’re on your way to being a super learner.

Relaxation: Juggling is like meditation for the mind. Juggling is like Active Meditation, in that it helps you focus on the present, be more aware of your surroundings, positive self awareness, and helps you be aware to shapes, colors, and space in new ways. be aware of yourself.

So with this in mind, how do you start?

First find three balls that are about the same size. Tennis balls, racquetballs, and even baseballs will do, but I recommend tennis balls or bean bags. The following steps are laid out to help you train your brain to do to things at the same time. The balls will travel in a pattern similar to an infinity sign. Don’t rush yourself. So take a deep breath and let’s start.
Take one ball and toss it from your right hand to your left. The ball should be at a comfortable height. The hand that is about to catch should not need to move much to catch the ball. This will make the next few steps easier if your throws are consistent.
Once you can throw the ball back and forth at least 10 times without dropping it, pat your stomach once with the hand right before you catch the ball. This will help you prepare to make the second throw. Do this until you can go ten throws in a row without dropping the ball. Go for two pats before you catch and ten throws without a drop.
Now you are ready for two throws. Throw the first ball from your dominant hand. At the top of the arc of the first throw, throw the second ball behind the first ball. It should happen at an equal cadence of 1, 2, 3, 4 or throw throw catch catch. Take your time.
This is the last step. Place two balls in your dominant hand and one in the other. In the hand with two balls, hold one with your first two fingers and your thumb. Hold the second with your other two fingers and your palm. Start with the ball between your first two fingers and thumb. Make the same pattern you have practiced. This time instead of stopping, make another throw. It should follow a pattern of 1, 2, 3, 4, or throw, throw, throw, catch. You have just completed a cascade pattern.

So, that’s it folks! Take your time. If you run into issues go back a step. All things worth doing, take time and effort. Believe in yourself. You can do this on your own first or even try to work on this as your kids do. Whatever you choose to do, have fun.

I will post a quick video to give you a visual of the instructions.

Your friend,

Daniel

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Thanksgiving Day Sensible Eating Tips!

Hello again, savvy savers! With Thanksgiving less than a week away, I wanted to share a few of the ways I plan to stick to my diet this Thanksgiving!

Whether you love or dread the Thanksgiving holiday, one thing for sure is: it’s hard to stick to your diet. A plate, or three, lovingly heaped with turkey, gravy, buttery mashed potatoes and all the trimmings can blow any progress you’ve made in the previous months.Before your grumpy cat face overtakes your entire mood, fear not for there are many things you can do to stick to your diet and still enjoy a Thanksgiving meal!

Here are some “turkey day” tips to get you through Thanksgiving as an Eater:

You know the old wives tale, to never to go food shopping on an empty stomach, right? The same applies to the holidays! Never sit down to a holiday meal on an empty stomach. Eat a high protein snack beforehand, such as a 1/2 cup of almonds and a piece of string cheese, or a small apple, and drink a full glass of water to alleviate overeating at the table.
If you’re invited over to someone’s home, bring along a tray of veggies, and low fat dip, so that you’ll have something healthy to snack on; low fat cream cheese and two teaspoons of Greek vinaigrette make an awesome option.
If you are a turkey day traditionalist, and feel Thanksgiving cannot go on if the substitution of any family favorites commences, foods,then commit to limiting how much you eat, plan to eat one plate and that’s it.
The Golden Rule: Portion control is key here. A serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards; mashed potatoes (1/2 cup) about the size of 1/2 a baseball; use a spoon to measure out gravy instead of pouring it on, etc.
Commit to 20 minutes of exercise, even on Thanksgiving. Take a twenty minute walk with family members or friends in between courses. If the weather permits, play a game of touch football in the backyard. Just stay active!
Try to avoid empty calories. Stay clear of sugary sodas, punches, and mixed drinks or even better, water.

If You’re Doing the Cooking

Serve twice the number of non-starchy vegetables dishes as you will gravy, turkey, or calorie-laden dishes; think salads, crudites, butternut squash soup,etc.
Limit the amount of courses you serve this year. By limiting the number of dishes, you will stress less, and spend more time enjoying the holiday, food-free!
Make your mashed potatoes low fat by using skim or almond milk, think sour cream over butter. Also; consider making creamed cauliflower instead!
Instead of the array of desserts, pies,tarts, and the traditionally fair served every year, why not make an angel food cake and top it with berries and low fat whipped cream, or perhaps a low-fat, budget-friendly berry trifle instead.

I hope these tips help to keep you, and your waste, on the thin and narrow this Thanksgiving!

Love and healthy dishes,

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Cardinal Health™ Hospital Quality at Home™ #BringTheCaringHome #ad

Disclosure: I received a complimentary Cardinal Home Health product, and by way of this blog post, Cardinal Home Health donated to a charity of my choice.

With a child at home, a husband who’s a woodworking enthusiast, and my affinity for gardening and DIY projects, bumps, bruises and the general blahs of life are an inevitability for our family. In fact just this past month, I suffered through a severe cut to one of my fingers assembling office organizers. Ouch! So I can more than commiserate with the many families who face the everyday ouchies of life.

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What I also love about Cardinal Health Advanced Wound Care products is that they offer a wide range of needs that not only offer superior aid in self-healing, but also offer long-lasting, sanitary, yet comfortably moist protection; this protection helps to ultimately speed healing time and promote the regrowth and regeneration of healthy skin cells.
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Here’s to healing,

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Lose Weight With Fall Housework!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today I am 32 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 198 lbs; I am down one pound since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today this changes! Spring has sprung, and so shall I! I have taken up yoga, and have started working out with a pedometer on as well!

For this weeks Battle-of-the-Bulge, Budget Style post, I wanted to share with you one of my favorite ways to exercise, and that is with basic, everyday housework! Consider the amount of time you spend each week completing the following, and you will see how much extra pounds you will be able to shed!

Here is a simple guide as to how many calories you can earn by completing each chose for 15 minutes (as from the American Diabetes Association):

Carpet sweeping, sweeping floors: 39 calories
Mopping: 43 calories
Multiple household tasks all at once, light effort: 26 calories
Dusting: 26 calories
Washing dishes, While standing: 22 calories
Vacuuming: 43 calories
Butchering/Freezer Cooking Prep: 85 calories
Cooking and Canning: 17 calories
Serving food: 26 calories
Feeding animals: 26 calories
Putting away groceries: 26 calories
Carrying groceries upstairs: 111 calories
Food shopping: 22 calories
Ironing: 22 calories
Doing laundry: 17 calories
Putting away clothes: 22 calories
Making the bed: 17 calories
Moving furniture: 85 calories
Scrubbing floors: 48 calories
Sweeping garage, sidewalk, and outside of house: 51 calories
Watering plants: 26 calories
Playing with children: 26 calories
Carrying small children: 34 calories
Elderly & Disabled Adult Care: 51 calories
Playing with pets: 26 calories
Bathing pets, while standing or kneeling: 43 calories

While this weeks bulge-post is pretty short, it’s a game changer. For me anyway!

Here’s to better health,

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Why Authentic Perceptions Matter Most…

This morning I intended to post about my usual point of reference-savings, couponing, and ways to bring home the bacon this season. But something else spoke to me this morning.

This morning In our personally-focused, life coach-dependent, plastic will do-you kind of world, it’s all too easy to think you need to change. Not just the things you do, but who you are.

It’s one thing to invite transformation for the sake of growth, improvement, and personal betterment. It’s another thing to feel so dissatisfied with yourself that no amount of change could possibly convince you that you’re worthy and lovable. This type of intrinsic self-loathing formed the basis of my adolescence and most of my twenties. It was like I was constantly trying to gut myself so I could replace my being with someone better, a person devoid of issues, conflict, and change.

On most days, I kept a running mental tally of all the ways I messed up—all the dumb things I said, the to-do list tasks I was not able to complete, the term papers that I felt were sub-par, stupid ideas I suggested at work, and the biggest of them all-my inevitably unsuccessful attempts to make people like me. It never occurred to me to say: how could they when I wasn’t willing to lead the way?

I tell you this not as an after picture of a person who can’t even remember that girl from before, but as someone who has lived this past decade taking two steps forward and one step back, and I see the signs all too well. For my willingness to give you this honesty, I am proud. I am focused. I am aware.

So, why the change today? I dawned me again that people are more apt to share their struggles once they feel like they’re on the other side. It’s a lot less scary so say “This is who I used to be” than “This is what I struggle with sometimes.”

Last evening, while on company a newly cultivated community of women, and dare say, friends, I found myself feeling isolated, left out, and abandoned in a chat that was centered on a topic dealing with the exclusionary action of other women. The feeling so of inadequacy I’ve faced for many years of my life all started flooding back to me, and left me feeling less cultivated, and more empty, unfocused, and depress than I had prior to the chat. I thought, where did I go wrong? Why did these women seclude me?

I also took time out to think, was I truly excluded, or was it just my perception?

But this is my truth, and I give it to you, wholeheartedly and uncensored. I am a flawed woman. I am a woman who seeks the approval of others. I am a woman who feels guilty when people don’t agree with my opinions. On a primal level, I really want to be loved and accepted, but I learn a little more every day that my own self-respect is the foundation of lasting joy. I am getting better and better, with not having to seek approval for the choices I have made, and will make in my life.

I know that I am not so different from most people. Who doesn’t want to feel that people understand them, get them, bond with them, seek their company, and at the end of it all love them for who and what they are anyway? I think we all want to believe it’s perfectly okay, and maybe even wonderful, to be exactly who we are.

Of course, that has to start with us. People can only love us if we believe we’re lovable. And you may not fully believe it if you:

Constantly compensate for who you are with apologies or clarifications for your actions.
Beat yourself up when you make even the slightest, silliest mistake.
Think about your flaws and allow yourself to feel overwhelmed as a result.
Cling to people who see only seek to the best in you, the surface you, to seek coddling friends.
Find it hard to maintain those positive feelings when these same people walk away.
Tell yourself that you’re being selfish whenever you consider meeting your own needs.
Being unable to gracefully say no.
Repeatedly invest your time in self-destructive choices that disrespect and devalue your worth.
Don’t consider your needs a priority.
Refuse to give yourself the grace to grow in your person-hood.
Always find a reason to talk yourself out of your dreams, instead of seeing the beauty they possess.

In full disclosure, I have done every last one of these things at some point. Some in the recent past. Some as we speak. Some that may be yet to come. Moreover, I suspect we all have, because it’s challenging to love ourselves, particularly in a world where change generates a substantial amount of revenue.

There are always going to be people, products, and ideas for us to get better; and it’s a beautiful thing to embrace life-long growth. Life is all about transformation; staying static is a kind of death,. But it’s important that we all realize that we are beautiful and wonderful just as we are—perfected with time and patience in both our light and dark, in our complete, authentic selves. We have to learn to be our own guru.

So, here are a few tips I have that I have relied on for strength this morning:

1. Know that you are not an amalgamation of mistakes. Our past actions shaped today, but we are not what we’ve been. We don’t need to carry around labels or mistakes from yesterday, in hopes of defining who and what we are. Labels should never define us. Mistakes don’t have to brand you, particularly not if you’re making the conscious choice to do things differently now. Be a person of change, not a person who constantly changes to be someone whom they are not.

The truth is this: We can judge ourselves by the weakest moments or the strongest—that’s our choice. Choose to focus on the strongest moments in your past. Whether you believe in the positive or the negative, you’re right.

2. Know that you have nothing to prove to others. This goes double for women. I don’t care how esteemed or successful someone is; there are things they’re proud of and things they’re ashamed of, and inside they wish people would see more of the former and less of the latter. What to really be freed? Don’t think you need to be someone else to make someone like you, and don’t expect anyone to answer or prove anything to you in return. If someone makes you second guess yourself, take a step back. You don’t have to show the world you’re good, you just need to be the good you seek to see in the world. This worked for Gandhi, and it can work for you too!

3. Being authentic means being vulnerable. The act of letting people see all your different facets, trusting they won’t judge you, and knowing that if they do, that’s completely on them. I’d rather be real with people, and know the ones who accept me accept me fully, than pretend and then have to maintain the illusion that I am something I’m not. Seek out a tribe of like-minded, authentic friends, and know that authentic friendships will happen for you.

4. Know the dark is valuable. We are all fallible. So you’ve made mistakes— just this week, just this morning, who hasn’t? The beauty of having faltered is that you can help the world with your experiences. Because we err and hurt, we can empathize when other people are hurting. When we can reach out of ourselves, move beyond our comfortable threshold, we can then be put into a position where we can hold other people up when they need it. We are most supported when we support others. Know that when you are vulnerable you can pour kindness into others, and except them to do the same for you. When you realize your flaws can bring us closer together, dare I say, help change the world, suddenly flaws seem less like liabilities, and more like assets. As my hubby says, it’s all about how you spin the story.

5. Know that you matter in this world. When I was a child, a teacher told me, “If I was your age, I wouldn’t be your friend. It can’t always be someone else, its you.” These words depleted me. Worse, I held onto this for menacing mantra for years—that given the choice, most people wouldn’t like me. As I got older, a lot of people appeared to feel uncomfortable around me, and for good reason. I was like a leech on them, desperately hoping they’d whitewash that one horribly undermining comment someone spoke over me years ago. That somehow others would make me okay. I lacked perspective. I refused to believe I mattered until someone said it to me. Well, now I know differently—I know I do matter, and that how my life matters is dependent on what I do from day to day, from minute to minute, from moment to moment. Know that you touch countless people’s lives every day, even if someone isn’t blogging or tweeting about it, even if your new scopes community doesn’t see it, it just is. Just like George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life, you do kind things that have a ripple effect you can’t possibly measure. Be the ripple.

6. Embrace the fuzzy. Learn to give yourself enough grace to accept personal platitudes. Learn that goodwill means little when you sit alone, wishing you could experience the world differently. Once we accept that we’re worthy of love and our dreams, the natural next step is to actually create those things—not what we think we should do; what we really want to do, when we want to do it. Get out into the world. Do that thing that scares and excites you. Recognize you’re awesome for doing it. Give yourself permission to fail. Feel the fuzzies when you learn to love yourself while doing it. Sometimes the greatest moments in life are when we stand up, even when we stand alone.

So, what does this all mean? For me, this has been a little uncomfortable for me, to be honest. I’ve yet again split myself open. But this time I’m not trying to change what’s inside. I’m grateful that others last evening reminded me that what I needed was in fact more introspection, and less plastic, artificial thoughts on what friendship should be. I’m just here telling you that I am flawed, like we all are, and that’s not only okay, but beautiful.

This tale does have a happy evening, folks.

Recently, as my readers may know, periscope has become one of my new past-times, and though some newer connections on the site have left me feeling frazzled, some have in fact been helpful and engaging. Dare I say, uplifting. I have found several great connections. Several awesome like-minded women of faith and family on periscope in the past few weeks (and if this message resonates with you, than be sure to check out Stephanie Cozby’s #LoveMeChallenge available on Katch too).

Moreover, I am taking up the baton of my new Periscope friend, Tami Decker, the co-host of an awesome Blab show called Topic Mamas (along with the awesome Jessica Hinojosa), and the morning spin-off scope, Coffee Chat (in case some of my readers may not have plugged-into these shows, it’s a must have scope follow for those new, and looking to renew their periscope connections.), and scope for the first time coming Monday.

Why Monday? As this week seems to be full of new challenges and endeavors, I will be finishing up work reports early, creating topic sheets for periscope, and… getting a new pixie cut. Yes, I’m cutting off over a foot of hair this weekend, and starting a new look, as well as a new social media platform. I’d love for you all to check me out there Monday. I’ll be on scope @LDYPrefers2Save; you will also be able to check out my link on twitter and watch the replay on Katch.

So, I hope these thoughts may help. They have certainly helped me. Especially as you walk away from the screen, and into your own.

Here’s to you,

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Workout Plateau!

Hello again, savvy savers! It’s time again for another Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style post!

As always, this series will focusing on ways to live a healthier, more active lifestyle while be able to afford clean, organic, obtainable foods! I believe this series can be worthwhile for many, who like myself, wish to get more in shape, not through crash-dieting but by small attainable lifestyle changes! With that said, here is where I am currently: I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. I am looking to lose 50 lbs., find affordable non-gym membership options for working out, and change the way I consume food; this includes meals, snacks, and splurges!

Here’s where I am today:

1) I am 32 years young
2) 5’6”,
3) Weight 189 lbs; I am down two pounds since last week.

Ways I’ve used to workout this past week:

I walk my dogs.
Continued yoga and meditation.
Using a pedometer
Portioning my meals
Measure myself monthly using seamstress tape

So for those who may know know, I used to be in shape. I played tennis, took jazz, ballet lessons, and would walk for miles on end at the beach. That, of course, was then. That was before life piled up. A decade of graduations, working, saving, relocating, marrying, and general laziness began to take its toll, on my health and life.

As the years wore on into my twenties, exercise became less important, less frequent. Injuries began to take their toll, starting with my ankle, then a diabetes diagnosis, and further limiting my activity, working from a home office upwards of twelve hours a day. The predictable result is that today I am but a shadow—a soft, blurry-edged, crusty shadow—of my 120-lb tones, svelte frame of yore.

While I’ve made my peace with my life-work-toil life at home, the overall dénouement of hitting the big 3-0 and beyond, occasionally when Facebook posts photos of “this was your life, many moons ago” wall posts, I can’t help wondering: What went wrong? And one night recently it occurred to me, my problem was not with consistency, but results. I hit a workout plateau. I knew I needed to make a few exercise tweaks, and I started to incorporate some of the tips I share in this post.

First, do we all know what exercise plateau is? If you have never hit a training plateau, consider yourself lucky! Generally most who workout, gym-nuts and newbies alike, will run into a point in their training when they have a stop in their progress whether it is muscle gain or just overall performance. A training plateau is a time when you are no longer progressing in your workouts. The worse part about hitting a plateau is that it could be due to a number of reasons which only leaves you feeling more confused than ever!

Here are a new ways to overcome plateaus while working out:

1. LOSS IN STRENGTH: A common sign of hitting a plateau is when you suddenly experience a loss in overall strength. This is a tell-tale sign that your body has not been able to properly recover and grow more muscle tissue. To prevent this loss? Listen to your body. Do you need more rest? Rest. Do you feel dehydrated? Drink water? Are you mentally exhausted? Perhaps its time for a life, office, and home de-cluttering session. It’s time to give yourself the much needed grace to work on you!

2. FEELING FAILURE: Ever notice when you take a break from training, your body doesn’t give you that ‘pumped’ feeling? This could be from one of two things. First, a lack of exercise, for which case you already know how to correct this issue. However, this sense of failure could be due to overworking your frame. If this is the case, consider excising every other day.

3. LACK OF MOTIVATION: Do you feel unmotivated to shake it up in the morning? When you lose motivation, it could be caused by a number of reasons such as personal matters, pursuit of different interests, personal and business, but if those are not your reasons then it is more than likely caused by hitting a plateau otherwise known as over training. When your body is tired, fatigued and does not feel like going to train with heavy weights. This is pure instinct and your body will tell your brain ‘We need to recover…STOP training’. Your body, your proverbial temple, knows better than you might think. In order to let your body recover properly.

4. NO PROGRESS IN AT LEAST 2 WORKOUTS: A good rule of thumb, is that when trying to constantly progress in your workouts, small, consistent goals are key. The progression doesn’t have to be much, but it does have to be enough to trigger new growth. This could be an extra couple of reps on your bench press, one to two pounds of weight loss, or the ability to walk one extra mile a week. All the little progressions WILL lead to new muscle formation, new determination, and new plateau reductions. Through the ‘adapt and grow’ principle is tough when working out consistently, eating nutritious, wholesome foods, packed with heart-healthy calories is also key to recovery, in terms of exercise plateaus. Listen your body. My best advise for ending exercise plateau is taking several 2-day rests from working out each month.

Why small, planned breaks?

These small breaks will help to ensure proper recovery and muscle repair.
Refresh and relax your central nervous system.
Gives your joints and ligaments a much deserved break.
This will give you time to hit your home gym, or gym refreshed, and with much more motivation than ever before.

So, here’s a recap of how to fight off exercise plateau:

-Do not change everything all at once.
-Make small changes in your workouts over time.
-Make sure to give yourself sufficient time to apply new changes before seeing results; think weeks not days.
-Do not change variables on a weekly basis.
-Don’t panic. Healthier living is not about your total weight, but your total health.
-So if you are looking for new, creative ways to help end your workout plateaus, I hope these tips will be helpful for you. Creativity is key. Be diverse. —Listen to your body. Stop examining the success stories of others as a marker for your current rate of progress, when it comes to how healthy you are. -You will only trigger change when you work injunction with your mind, muscles, and total mass.

The best news of all? If you keep with a plan of change, you will eventually be able to return to your original plan, healthier and more progressive that before!

Here’s to a healthier you,

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