We're gonna start a revolution!

How does one begin?

Have you seen the Fiat commercial that sets itself in a Revolutionary War village and has a man ride through town yelling that the Italians are coming? Aside from my nerdy sense of humor that loves any clever play on history, there's something in the video that sticks with me. Check it out on YouTube if you can... And notice the music: "We're gonna start a revolution!"

And yes, if you find it and listen you will then be singing the catchy tune for hours as I have been... You're welcome.

Regardless, the idea of a revolution captures my passion.

Before I was a full-time stay at home mom, I worked as an RN. Long days, long nights, bringing dignity and compassion to people's tragedies and grief. When I arrived at the hospital I could only be confident that I would be greeted by mayhem and be responsible to subdue said mayhem for 12 hours. I was often terrified. But what a rush! Wow, to walk into a patient's room and bring hope, order, clarity, and safety. To simply have a big, big list and check everything off by end of shift! To be able to give the next nurse "shift report" and actually tell someone else how much I was able to accomplish! To create new and valuable relationships every day...

And now I'm home.

It's what I dearly wanted, every day at the hospital, even when being a nurse was its most rewarding.

What I didn't imagine was the challenge of having nearly everything I do in a day be undone by bedtime... The immense joy and equally burdensome responsibility of being a toddler's primary companion and shaping his framework for understanding the world...

How does one begin, indeed...

After Little Man's first year, we felt like we had found our rhythm. For 12 months, I prayed, listened, read, learned, and created with my husband a philosophy of parenting to guide us for the years to come...

Now Little Man is 17 months old, and it has become my firm conviction that one of my most  important priorities is to stay relevant to the world around me. Please note, I said "relevant". Not "hip", not "cool" (good thing, because I was never cool...ever...). As defined by Merriam-Webster online, relevant means "having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand". In other words, choosing to be valuable to your situation.

As moms, we give so much to our munchkins that we often overlook the higher calling of enhancing thier lives. They will grow up in the world around us - is it not in everyone's best interest, then, to be a blessing and force for change in that world?

I'm a stay at home mom, yes, but not a stuck at home mom!

Everyone gets to choose her niche, the slice of culture for which she has passion to invest. I cannot imagine a movement I could love more than the healthy active lifestyle momentum building in our country. Of course, as a follower of Christ my first love is my Savior and my highest calling is to live as a child of the King. In these two, I happily see no conflict. There is nothing inherently godly about eating healthy and being active - but I know the clarity that I experience when I can have my healthy Formula 1 shake and Herbalife Tea. It's simple - I can focus better when I read and pray if I don't feel sluggish.

I know that this is what I will do, for as long as God permits. To promote a healthy active lifestyle, this is my passion. But it's more than that - to offer that lifestyle to other moms, that's what really gets me fired up.

Challenge: we ARE moms (whether at home full-time or not) and are BUSY, with more logistics every day than we can manage. How can we possibly create a community atmosphere to participate in healthy activities, or sit down to enjoy a shake and tea together, when we literally can't even find both of our sneakers because Little One has discovered that he can hide things in trash cans?!

Solution: we will create a virtual movement, an online community that truly promotes the healthy active lifestyle for moms! I will share my own daily struggles and triumphs on my journey, and would be thrilled to hear yours. Let's get even more amibitious - follow me on Instagram, @happyfitnessmama, and search #movementofmoms for photos of our healthy active lifestyle moments...

What could possibly give me the long term interest or energy for something this ambitious? I am fueled by Herbalife. It's simple, I get fabulous nutrition, lost 42 pounds which gave my body incredible results, and I can still enjoy yummy food in controlled portions. I have the energy to exercise (when I have the discipline to make time and do it!). And by helping other people get their own results, I have the freedom to BE at home and be that primary relationship for my son. Like I said, it's simple.

We're gonna start a revolution, I really believe it. What if every mom you knew could have the confidence, nutrition, and skills to make just one new healthy active lifestyle decision every day? Can you imagine what that would do to our communities? To our schools? To the world we will give to our children?

Join the movement of moms.

 

Disclaimer - Research shows that those people having a Formula 1 meal replacement shake twice daily as part of a healthy eating and exercise plan can reasonably expect to lose 1/2 to 1 lb a week. And the average annual compensation provided by Herbalife to its distributors at the Supervisor position is approximately $5,800. I have chosen to consistently follow my Herbalife nutrition plan and work hard at running my business, which is the reason for my personal results.