Good Before The Bad

I'm a private music teacher and right now we are preparing for our BIG spring recital. Basically it is the culmination of everything they have learned in the last year. During our lessons the last 2 weeks I have been having the students "perform" for me to help them prepare. After they finish and practice their bows we talk about how they did. I always ask, "Tell me 3 things you did really great!" Often a student will say, "I kept the tempo except at this place." I then say, "only positive. So you kept the tempo at the beginning really well, right." They nod and get a smile on their face because they realize that they really did do well! Then we continue with the other 2 things that they did well. Most of the time they have to really think about what they did well. And it is hard for them. I help them along and then we talk about 3 things that needs improvement.

The first inclination my students have it to say something that needs improvement. I am so sad that a 6 year old and older already see the negative in their life before they see the good. I know they want to do better but I think it is so important that we always look for the good and then we look for the bad. I get it that adults think this way because eventually through school and receiving homework we find out the bad before we realize the good. But if we could change our way of thinking. Imagine how much more positive our lives would be. 

Yes, this is a the glass is half full kind of thinking but that's ok. The main thing is to always remain positive. In working out with Matt I have caught him saying, "ouch I'm really sore, or that really hurt." But hun you did the workout, you did the exercise. Be glad that you were able to do it with 10 lbs weight. (he has chronic tendon problems and sometimes lifting weights can be really hard on his body.)

During this week I want to challenge you. At the end of the day think of 3 awesome things  you did. Think about your whole day. Write it down and write how your day went. The reason for writing it down is to see if it influences the way you think about the next day and the next. Did you talk to someone new? Did you compliment someone? Did you get your report turned in on time? Did you play more with your kids? Try it out and see what happens! Good luck and let me know below! Leave a comment! Like my FACEBOOK page! Send me a message or EMAIL! Let me know how it went! 

How To Save Money With Food Storage

The other day, I decided to take a look into our deep freezer. I was on the search for breakfast burritos that I made a few months ago as a easy dinner night. Just a grab and go type of meal! When I opened up the top and looked into the mass of frozen foods and meals I was shocked to see what was in there. Chicken breasts, chicken tenders, a STEAK! Chicken pieces, bread from panara that was given to us, meals that were given to us when I was in the hospital. Nuts, veggies! I was shocked. I didn't even realize what food I had under my own roof!

My normal procedure before I go to the store is to look around upstairs in my kitchen where the mostly everyday used items are and see what needs replenshment, and what foods I am going to be making for the week. I check the freezer, oops out of chicken again, add it to the list. And so forth! But I had forgotten to check what I already had. BAD ME!

Again this happened last night. I knew we had cans of veggies and stuff but WE HAVE A LOT OF CANS! And I bought some corn at the store when I already had 6 down stairs, after closer inspection! So my solution: MAKE AN INVENTORY LIST! Neat concept huh! Why didn't I think of this earlier is all I keep saying because this has happened before. I send the hubs out at 6pm, "I need some taco seasoning we don't have any." 2 days later I go down and find 2 bags of it! EEK...Sorry babe!

So I finally made an inventory list! YEA! I am going to hang this in the inside of my pantry door so I will have everything at a glance. Having a food storage is a great thing, but you can't just hold onto everything forever. You have to rotate it through. You need to use it and buy more eventually, but for the mean time I am going to be saving lots of money not having to buy chicken for the next month I think. Yeah, I have that much chicken down there! CRAZY!

Now I can just cross off what I use or add more marks when I buy!

So here are tips on how to save money on food storage.

***Coupons, coupons, coupons! How do you think we got so many tomatoes! Watch the coupon sites to see when canned foods go on sale. Try to stock up on the actual coupons so that you can use more than one coupon at the same time. Know the difference between manufacturer coupons and the store coupons. They are different! Because you can use a manufacturer coupon on top of a store coupon on top of a sale! LOTS of money to be saved. Check out Krazy Coupon Lady to get the full details on how to use coupons, what coupons are out now and all the deets you need! This is how we have 23 cans of tomatoes! Oh and double/triple coupon sales too! Those are great!

***Store sales. Combining the coupons on top of sales helps you save even more money. So if you have a sale for 2 cans of beans for $.99 and a coupon for $.50 off then you are going to get 2 cans of beans for only $.50.

***Watch for bulk sales. At Harris Teeter they have a sale of 10 for $10. Which is a really great sale because it is usually mix and match. But add a coupon on top and save more money.

***Make sure that you rotate through your supply. It doesn't last forever so you can't just hoard it. So make sure that you buy what you use so that it isn't collecting dust. You are wasting money on it to buy it if you aren't going to use it, or eventually going to use it. Make sure it is something that you will use! (Believe it or not we had a whole lot more than the 23 cans of tomatoes! We use about 1-2 cans a week!)

Never Give Up!

Believe you can do lose weight and you will! You are worth it to be happy. And not settling for how you feel just because you have tried in the past and things didn't work out like you wanted. YOU CAN DO THIS! You just have to keep trying, keep working and NEVER give up!

Support is out there for you! You just have to be ready for it and when you are, nothing will stop you! EVER!

June 30 day Challenge Sexy Arms Dumbbell Circuit

Time for a new 30 day challenge. This is more for increasing your arms strength but also to build endurance. As you get comfortable with these exercises increase your cardio up to X20. By the end of the month aim for 20 minutes of cardio along with increasing in weight to the next higher dumbbell for you. So if you start with 5 pound weights by the end of the month your goal is to be up to 8-10 pounds. 

Good luck! And for more daily motivation be sure to follow me on FACEBOOK! 

Last Call...

It's the last call to be part of my 30 day challenge group for June! 

Why do I host these challenge groups? Because I know that exercise is easier with a buddy to join you! Seriously, how much faster does a workout go when you have someone doing it right along with you. Last July when I was a participant in my FIRST challenge group (not hosting actually a challenger) I was excited to do my workout and to tell everyone in the group about it. You could tell the ones who wanted it compared to the ones. We all supported each other, asked question and made it fun. I had daily motivation that made me think about how to better myself on the inside while I worked on the outside. It gave me confidence I didn't know I was lacking. I learned a ton about myself that first 60 days and I am so thankful to my friend Janet for encouraging me to join the challenge group. Take that first step and do it! 

I am offering that same opportunity to take that first step. Decide to do this for you. Commit yourself to 30 days of eating clean, working out and enhancing your life through positive thinking. Today is the last day that I will accept people (within reason of course) into the group! I want to be there for you. I want to help you. Let me walk you through this. Take that first step! 

Join me this JUNE for our challenge group to help you get started! Fill out the form below to let me know you are interested!
Being part of the challenge group you as the challenger get:

One on one support from me to help you set and reach your goals.

Daily motivation.

Work with a program that is just right for you to fit your lifestyle.

Provide you with recipes and a meal guide

Daily dose of nutrition.

Plus you will be with other people just like you in our PRIVATE accountability group where you can ask questions and get real answers.

Our Motto for June is: It's not about being skinny. It's about gaining confidence, better health, more energy and HAPPINESS!

(Please do not apply if you are currently a Beachbody Coach, are already working with a Beachbody coach (other than me) or are not willing to make a small investment in your health and wellness.)