ReNew Challenge

  If you want to see my face at 4:30 AM-  here you go!  Beautiful, right?

I got up at 4:35 AM, had my Vitalbiome and  Slim and Active Combo and did my gratitude and goal setting practice.  Why? Because every day we have a choice to be a new us, today this is me.  

 I exercised by doing a mile run and then a quick exercise routine.  My husband and accountability partner was supposed to get out of bed and work out.  That didn't happen but I wasn't letting that be an excuse. Today is freaking day 1. 

Breakfast on the meal plan today is my smoothie so I made that and had my antidepressant pill, Ease for crazy sinus with our crazy weather, and my x-factor.  I packed my lunch bag up and Lyle's too, and snapped a quick picture before my shower.  

I went to work, had lots of water!  Had my BioCleanse between meals.  For lunch I had a yummy wrap I made with a low carb wrap, tomato, lettuce and lean chicken breast.  

More water, and then some grapes and some more BioCleanse mid-afternoon. 

On the way home in the car- which is dinnertime mind you- I had 2 boiled eggs, a bag of carrots and an apple for dinner.  Apple not pictured. 

And when I got home, I was full because I ate in the car!  I got here and our packages for all of our stuff for our Plexus ReNew Challenge came in the mail!  Yay!

Now I get some relaxation time because I worked out earlier, will take my Probio5 and Mega X before bed, and will be ready to start again tomorrow!  

If you can't tell in my tone- my medication for anxiety and depression is really helping me be excited for good, positive changes.  The super benefit is when I make these changes my habit again instead of the old way, I won't need as much medication because I will be taking care of my body better again!  

Here's to the best me in 2020!

Checking in.

So the last few days have been still trying to get my to-do list my already done list.  I've made pretty decent progress, but with a week leading up to Christmas that we're traveling for- it's not the easiest thing. 

I think medication might be kicking in.  I know that it takes time and tapering (I mean, I do prescribe the stuff too), but yesterday I had way less negative self talk in my head and had a little more energy.   Not to mention I'm looking forward to January, I'm even starting to not dread Christmas.  I mean, on my phone to-do list I put on my phone says to "pack for the trauma session named Christmas".  So looking hopeful.

Random Graffiti on the bathroom stall at work

So exercise check in- while I'm not where I'd like to be, my mom and I are doing a 12k of christmas virtual race with my son.  So you have to run 1k a day- and Eli has to do it too.  So every day since the 12th I've done at least 1k (0.62 miles).  I've had 2 days where I've ran with Ella and done more.  I plan on doing a full 12k one single day (7.4 miles I think) like I did the last time I did this virtual race- probably Saturday.  So I'm moving every day which is a great thing.

Eating check in- well.  There appears to have been a struggle.  Just kidding, mostly.  I'm still having my smoothies every morning.  Work days I ate out at least once each day and didn't have salad so that's not good.  Last night was freezer pizza, so that's not good. But I've also had ham and veggies and salad another night.   So basically mixed bag- pretty much where I was all last year.  Not ideal.

That being said- on my to-do list is to meal plan with the family for the new years.  Also exercise plan.  They all said they want to be on board!  This is a huge deal!!!   Doing it alone is not only hard but if everyone in your house is eating junk and you can't control yourself around junk.....well you aren't exactly setting yourself up for success!

Actually, Lyle and I are signing up for a New Years Weight Loss/Healthy Living Challenge through Plexus.  It's called the ReNew You challenge and Starts anytime after January 1st. 

Many prizes including $10,000 for the winner!  They have meal plans (we're going to use it to help our meal plans), support, exercise ideas and more.  Here's the package Lyle and I are getting- which Ella will definitely be stealing some meal replacements and Active from because she loves them both.  And fine with me- teenager choosing healthy options?  No worries. 

  I'm actually looking for more people to be accountability partners too.  I have some coupon codes for people who sign up with me for discounts on some fitness gear to sweeten the deal a little too. 

I'm going to do weekly weigh in and meal planning- both online and in person, so if you want a full experience with support get with me and get on my team!  

Another reason I think my meds are kicking in- I'm not only looking forward to my family being healthier, but I'm wanting to help others again too!

Blessings in Health and Happiness-

No judgement until the meds kick in....

So it's been 5 days since my post and I still haven't been the best with both healthy eating or doing my food journal.  I'm giving myself grace. 

I shared on my Facebook wall this week my thoughts on anxiety, depression and a visual of a cup overflowing.....Here's it copied if you haven't seen it. 

"We often think of cup overflowing as a good thing- as in the Bible talks of cup of blessings overflowing.

But I think to use a cup analogy for anxiety/depression/mental health issues and stress.

We all have a cup. And our life stress goes into that cup. Everything good and bad. New job? Dump in there. Broke your foot? Dump in too. Got to get out of bed? Put a little more in.

Some of these stresses are just a few drops and rarely matter in the big picture. Some are huge even if they’re good.

Now, what empties the cup? Your normal coping mechanisms. Exercise, eating healthy, sleeping, music, books, movies, video games, meditation, prayer. Whatever works for you. Life isn’t always easy, but is good because it works.

Now let’s say some more stress comes, once again, good or bad. And your cup starts overflowing. Now what?

Sometimes we can pick up a few more coping things we don’t always do. Take a vacation, get a massage, have a night out with friends, vent to someone. Sometimes this works.

Sometimes, however, your other coping mechanisms stop working. You didn’t even hear the music. You read the same book page 10 times. You were so tense the massage hurt instead of feeling good. And you know what happens? You’re in a flood. The cup is just spilling everywhere with no end in sight.

This is where mental health issues like anxiety or depression or others rear their head with a vengeance. You may have some mild anxiety, but with this cup overflowing you can’t handle anything and might be freaking out about dinner for no reason. You may have some mild blues but when the cup is pouring everywhere you cry over a toy in the middle of the floor. Or go to bed wishing you don’t wake up. Not always wanting to harm yourself, but also wouldn’t be bad to not have to do “it” anymore.

When this is happening even the small pours like getting out of bed, taking a shower, brushing your teeth can be a huge undertaking because the house is flooding from the cup running over and even that drop or two makes it worse.

What do you do when the cup is flooding?? There’s no right answer there. Coping mechanisms have to happen even though it’s another chore. You have to eat healthy, exercise and get sunshine. Treat yourself like a complicated plant or pet for awhile. Medication can help add another drain spout to the cup. Therapy and counseling can help with new coping mechanisms. If you are thinking of harming yourself or others you need inpatient treatment short term to get a little out of that cup so you’re safe. If you can decrease any stress- and sometimes we can and sometimes we can’t- then do it.

Why is this on my mind? Because we have some puddles in my house from cups. Because I know some friends have puddles too. Because I know using those tools isn’t always easy, and sometimes you can’t see or know the tools unless someone says it right up front. Because while mental health is less of a stigma today, it’s also a bigger (in my opinion) problem today.

We live in an amazing technological age that is sucking our souls dry, doesn’t keep us nourished and doesn’t give us quiet time. I might not be an expert on everything, but I sure know this is right for me and many others. I hope this gives someone hope today to keep working on their cup and know they aren’t alone."

 I've been struggling for months as I've chronicled here.  Some days are worse than others.  I've been on medication for anxiety/depression before but have been successful in staying off medication for over 5 years.  This week, I finally admitted to myself fully that I need it again.  My cup is pouring all over the place.  I'm suffering trying to do healthy coping mechanisms because of how low I am.  So I've started the medication, with the hope that come January 1st the medication will start to help so I can really hit the new year strong.  Plexus is doing a New Years Challenge with Prizes and fun things- I really want to participate and do well like I did a few years ago!  I want to work on being a healthier, happier me so I can be the best mom and wife I can be.   I'm hoping to get some friends to do the Plexus stuff for accountability- and they have prizes for partners too if someone wins a prize.  Sounds good to me!  Tomorrow we'll get more information and I'll be posting more about what's going on. 

Blessings in Health and Happiness-

Willy Nilly and stress

Willy Nilly is a word that doesn't get used a lot. But for me it fits a lot of the time.   My eating pattern the last few days for example.   And my ability to take pictures of my food apparently! 

So just a bit with life.  Why I haven't posted in a few days....we were recommended to try to get Eli insurance through the state/Medicaid/kidcare/whatever since we're losing insurance and will have to pay out of pocket and someone knowledgeable on it said she's be "shocked" if he didn't qualify due to disabilities.  This was always on the radar for "someday" because if he ends up needing services we know it takes time and effort and red tape, but now it's hurry hurry hurry.  Apparently the best way to start this is by applying for social security disability because if he qualifies there's no other problems.

That paperwork took over 4 hours of my life on Sunday.  And I'm not sure it's complete.  Then after a 35 minute hold time, which wasn't too bad really, I have an appointment at the end of the month for the interview.  Then it's a waiting game. 

I also spent a lot of time the last 2 days searching health insurances both through the state of Florida for kids and also through the marketplace.  That was just tedious numbers work. 

I also had to search for ways to spend my CME money without going too far over- because I want to spend those benefits fully but in a productive way.  So I was researching conferences and DEA renewal instructions and stuff.  I tried to call the DEA to ask questions but the 2 hour hold time was NOT acceptable.  So I sent an email and we'll wait and see. 

I also still have to get my receipts in order for taxes.

We wrapped the Christmas gifts we have so far.

We started packing for our holiday trip to Indiana since our luggage leaves a week before we do.

Our new washing machine gets delivered today.

Oh, and all the normal things of life too. 

These are my excuses for being willy nilly on exercise, eating good, and taking pictures of food.  I think I'll give myself a pass and keep working on the best version of me. 

So since I don't remember which day was what stuff, or what day I last blogged here's a recap....
I ran a 5k saturday with my parents and that was a not healthy day.   At the race alone I had muffins, bagel, donuts, and more.

As you can see from all my pictures.  I've had salads, smoothies, and low carb spaghetti.  I've also had pulled pork, crackers, cream cheese dip (too good!) pancakes and much more not pictured.  

I've taken all my products, so that's good.  And I think I'm ready for a short fast because especially last night at a Christmas gathering I ate way too much! But we had good fellowship which was needed for the soul.

Blessings in Health and Happiness!

Balance and Hope

"Working the Plexus business" is simple and hard at the same time.  It takes effort to reach out and be told no, not now, or be ignored and keep going on.  It can also be very fulfilling and help with the bank account if you're willing to not be bogged down by the nos.  I typically am not.  But, I haven’t done much in the way of messages this last month...mostly because of life.  I really still don't care about the no, but in my general exhaustion with life, I just don't want to overall.  

Tonight one of my ambassadors messaged me out of the blue and we talked on the phone for awhile about life and products.

We talked about how she can’t always afford them- we all know how budgets are- but it’s helped her so much with energy and IBS.

After the holidays she wants to sit down and talk about how to talk to friends to help them- and hopefully help her pay for products so she doesn’t have to go without ❤️

I’m a believer in God’s timing and this works out for both of our needs. I needed this connection and hope just for myself today. I needed a friendly voice saying I made her life better and she wants to help others too.

I did a post in my business group basically saying I'm taking December for me, but come January I want to get back in my work routine.  I want to get back to helping people.  I want to secure that I will be able to continue to purchase these products without worrying about budget.  Timing is everything.  And excitement from someone else who's wanting to start focusing and working at the same time I'll be ready to commit- golden. 

So today went okay- could have been a touch better but I'm going to take it as a win!  Started with Vitalbiome and then a run/walk. 

Had my Slim, then some scrabbled eggs with X-factor and Ease (my blender was in the dishwasher and I really think I would have done better if I would have stuck with the normal program.....but.....)

Water but still hungry shortly after and had a protein bar. 

Water, Water, Water, BioCleanse and some peaches for a snack. 

And for Lunch I made up for not having my Collagen/Lean smoothie.   Filled me up!

Water, Water, Water, BioCleanse, Water. While cooking dinner I got the munchies (uh, oh) and had some crackers. 

But dinner was home made veggie soup.  Yum!  Had this small chocolate with caramel for dessert.  And I took balance before all of those things- so it should help block some of the carbs and decrease the sugar spike!

So you can see not perfect, but stopped eating before 7 PM, drank more water, and I've had my Probio5, Mega-X, and Ease for bed.  

So while the stress stays piled on with responsibility- today has had some highlights and not too many lows. 

Blessings in Health and Happiness

Dinner time fasting

So first my food journal today:

Woke up and had my Vitalbiome and then a Slim.  Then had my collagen/Lean smoothie with my X-factor vitamin and Ease.

Water, water, water, BioCleanse, Water.  Then a healthy snack!  Carrots!

Don't I look attractive eating these healthy snacks?!

Lunch time rolled around and I had my protein bar and Active!  

Then Water, Water, Water, Water, BioCleanse, Water, Water.  Probio5, Mega-X, and Ease.  

I skipped dinner.  On purpose.  

You may ask why and I'll tell you.  Skipping dinner meals is the ideal time when it comes to fasting with hormones and the ability for your body to convert the calories to energy.   If and when people do this it's important to have a calorie dense breakfast like I did with my super smoothie.  

So for all of those wanting to ride the intermittent fasting train- you need to be doing more in the morning and less at night.

That's all for today!

Blessings in Health and Happiness-

For my Stalkers....

Food journal for today for my loving stalkers.  (I think I'm kidding)

Woke up this morning and had a bottle of water with my VitalBiome.  Then enjoyed my Slim. 

About an hour later I made my green smoothie with Chocolate Lean and Collagen Powder.

Drank lots of water, had my BioCleanse and made a morning snack for Eli and I of deviled eggs. 

Now here's where my day snowballed.  We had appointments change around and didn't get to do lunch or dinner as planned.  Somewhere in the craziness I still got some water in and an Active to keep me awake and going.  We ended up with lunch around 3 PM- and to get Eli to keep cooperating I needed to bribe him- so Chick-Fil-A it was.   I got a side salad and some nuggets to put on it!  So good and a much healthier option than I usually get there.  

I had about 6 extra nuggets alone also.  Water, water, water, and BioCleanse.   We went to the movies to watch Frozen 2 and I ate 5 Trolli sour worms from Eli's bag.  That was it.  

More water, then when we got home we went for runs.  Eli did a half mile with me up and down the road, and Ella and I took on 2.5 miles despite the fact it's getting quiet chilly here in central Florida tonight.  

So that's my day.  My good intentions this morning already suffered as I really planned more veggies.  So I was going to do lunch as a salad at home, a mid-morning snack of carrots and almonds, and dinner we were going to make a pot of homemade veggie soup.  The day went to heck in a hand basket but I kept my cool (eating wise) and made good choices.  The good news is after fasting the last few days I haven't even been hungry!  

Until tomorrow- which is a work day so my plan is to have my smoothie in the morning, a protein bar for lunch with carrots for snack and fast through dinner time.  Let's go!

Blessings in Health and Happiness-