"Owning it"

I never quite understood what was meant by the expression, "Own it". 

To me, you were either in a situation, or you weren't.

Why would "owning" your circumstances make any difference?

And how would you do it, anyway?

They are your circumstances, not possessions.

But today, I think I get it.

Thank you, Quicken, for today's life lesson.

Here's the deal:

For many things in life, if you aren't satisfied, you change.

For example, you don't like being brunette? Go blonde...

Tired of being overweight? Use Herbalife and get active...

Missing that connection with your husband? Start listening, stop nagging, 

and choose to prefer him until you are at a place where you can 

communicate lovingly enough to have a conversation about it... 

Some things can change, and should.

But what about the circumstances which may not go away, at least for awhile?

What if you would like to eat wheat but you are gluten intolerant?

You wish you could run but have bad knees?

You are built like Audrey Hepburn, but think that Marilyn Monroe epitomizes beauty?

OWN IT! 

It's all about choosing to believe that your challenge is a good thing.

By the way, those are not all examples from my own life. I would love to be built like Audrey Hepburn... 

Or Marilyn Monroe, for that matter...

But I'm built like a slightly too tall gymnast

 (without the years of discipline to keep my body fat below 15%...)

So, I will stop complaining about it and just enjoy that I have biceps like a 17 year old boy...

Okay, but it wasn't flexing my arms today that gave me my revelation.

It was spending hours figuring out how to use Quicken.

Did you know that you can set it up to calculate all of your

 monthly bills, income, etc, and give you daily projected balances?!

I invested my entire afternoon into understanding our finances and making sure that, 

with our planned budget, that daily balance is always in the black.

And now, instead of feeling vague and slightly terrified about the question, "Well can we afford it?", 

I have an answer. 

Just tell me which day and I will tell you how much money will be in the bank.

I gave myself the tools to stop being confused by our budget.

Now, I own it.
Join the movement of moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your moments of change or situations you "own", and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can support your journey!

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 with a downline 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.

A team

I know, it might seem odd to start a M.O.M. blog post with a picture of men who are 6'5" at least, where size humongous shoes, and make more money annually than we will spend on groceries in our entire lives...

Nevertheless, they are the team who last won the NBA championships (right?!), 

and therefore deserve recognition from a group of moms wanting to 

become a real team.

As a movement of moms, there will be different levels of involvement 

where different ones of us feel comfortable.

Some of you may want to sit in the bleachers, even the front row seats, and cheer on the values and activities which drive this movement.

Others of you may want to play the game, i.e. discover what fuels our healthy active lifestyles and get some for yourselves.

Still others may find that they want to be involved in the coaching -

 actually being part of what produces this movement.

But we are all a team. I believe that. Right now there are 4 of us saying "Let's do this, let's create a movement based on community". Two of us are moms, two are not.

 And we are obviously energized and supported by Herbalife, a company active in over 90 countries in the world, with the most prestigious businessmen and doctors in the world providing our logistics.

But if I didn't have clients every month wanting to be committed to their own health, 

and if I didn't have fans reading this blog and offering their emotional support, 

then this wouldn't have the potential of being an actual movement.

It might qualify as a stroll... A jog, even.

But there would be no hope of an actual momentum-creating movement unless there were fans, players, and coaches.

So thank you for being a fan, at least, since you are reading this!

Do you want to play the game and get in on good nutrition?

Do you want to get healthy and help others do the same by coaching?

Either way, join our call tomorrow (Friday, August 8) at 4pm Pacific time to find out more.

We will be having a conference call to share our vision and hear your thoughts.

Just dial: 559-726-1300, and when asked for your access code, enter 761373#. 

I will be waiting...

Join the movement of moms, be part of our team!

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own healthy active decisions, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can cheer you on!

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 with a downline 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.

An absent minded anecdote

I'm sure that none of you are absent minded.

I'm sure you never blame anyone else for your forgetfulness.

Okay, actually, I'm pretty sure that if you are a mom, you are constantly trying to remember where the sippy cup is, where your shoes are, and even possibly where the bowl of oatmeal from this morning is!

(Funny thing, just now, when I typed in "sippy", it got one of those squiggly red lines underneath it... Apparently, Google spell check is not up to date on life with a toddler... That, or I really don't know how to spell "sippy" cup! Hmmmm....)

Anyway, to celebrate the fact that we are moms, and therefore we are often both a few steps ahead of ourselves and a few steps behind, I have chosen to share a story which epitomizes my current state of fog.

Don't be fooled. You see coconut oil, you see Herbalife, you think, "This is about the health benefits of coconut oil added to my morning shake..."

Tricked you. Yes I do like coconut oil in my shake but it just happened to be sitting there on the counter next to my shake when I took the picture. I didn't plan that, and this is not about health benefits.

That healthy, harmless Costco sized vat of oil will provide 

my Hubs with teasing ammunition for months to come.

As you may know, coconut oil is liquid when the temperature gets somewhere around 75F, and is solid at cooler temperatures. I prefer it in its liquid state because I find it easier to manage.

So we always keep it in the cabinet right above the stove and blender. 

Except that, recently, for 3 mornings in a row, I discovered it in our fridge. Hard and definitely difficult to scoop into my shake.

Each morning, I reminded myself that I needed to explain to Hubs (who does kitchen clean-up every night... I know, awesome, right?!)... Anyway, I needed to explain to Hubs that it wasn't going to spoil our oil for it to stay warm in the cabinet, so please stop putting it in the fridge...

And for 3 mornings in a row, I made my shake, scrambled Little Man's egg, and put the coconut oil back in its place.

Finally, after the third morning, I recollected to mention it to Hubs.

"You know, Babe, that coconut oil really doesn't need to go in the fridge. It's fine in the cabinet."

"Yes, I know."

"Well then why do you keep putting it in the fridge every night?"

"I don't. I've been meaning to ask you the same thing, actually."

"Wait, you mean... I've been putting it BACK in the fridge every day?"

Yes, I had. Every day, while figuring out a clever way to ask Hubs to stop doing something so annoying, I was actually walking back to the fridge and putting the oil right back on the shelf.

And that's just one story.

I'm sure you have one, too.

We would love to hear about your mom moments, even the less than brilliant ones!

Join the movement of moms, where we have nothing to prove.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own amusing moments, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can be encouraged that we are not alone!

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 with a downline 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.

No snooze challenge

I love to sleep.

I love the research studies giving statistical significance to the benefits of sleep.
I love having my Herbalife tea when I have to be done sleeping.
I love hitting snooze...
I don't love losing a quality hour because I am hitting snooze every 5 minutes, 12 times in a row before Little Man finally does the trick of wailing me out of delirium and into the day...
Have you ever thought about that wasted time?
Honestly, if we need more sleep and can anticipate that it will be a "snooze" morning, then we should just set our alarms for later and not miss out on quality shut-eye.
I used to be a great morning person.
When I was working day shift as a nurse, I was getting up no later than 5 every workday, having my hot beverage and reading in bed, taking deliberate steps to start my day well... And I loved it.
I would even get up early on vacation just to enjoy that "secret" time when no one else is moving around yet.
Then a year of working nights and I completely lost my morning mojo.
I've let it stay that way.
Now there is nothing wrong with being a night person.
The problem for most moms who are night people is that we are awakened accidentally every day by our kiddos, and don't really take the initiative to start our day "on purpose".
I feel like that means I'm missing out on some wonderful benefit of the day,
some special sense of "I can do this"...
Maybe that's what "not snoozing" does - it proves to myself that I can start the day with a self-controlled decision, which gives me hope that I can also overcome the doughnut craving and choose a yummy shake, or make the choice to squeeze in 10 minutes of exercise instead of giving in to Little Man's whining...
Anyway, that's what it did for me this morning.
Yes, I gave up "snoozing".
I did set my alarm 30 minutes later than I normally would have.
I did still waste those first few minutes by scrolling Facebook (as if anything incredibly meaningful had happened by 6:30 in the morning!!), but I never claimed to be perfect.
And I did get to enjoy my Formula 1 shake and tea before Little Man woke up, which gave me a rewarding sense of achievement by only 7:08, when I normally have achieved nothing by that time...
I do have high hopes for how those precious 30-40 minutes will be used tomorrow morning, but am trying to be realistic. Just refusing to hit snooze for 2 mornings in a row will be discipline enough on it's own, I think.
So here's to day 1, taken just before the meaningless Facebook scrolling began this morning -

Who else is up for a "no snooze" challenge?

Join the movement of moms, just by waking up!

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own healthy no snooze victories, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can be encouraged to wake up too!

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 with a downline 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.

Stinky Feet

Remember last Monday I noted that I get to participate in an amazing personal development, leadership training call each week?

Tonight was that night, and thank you Laura Holloway for our blog's inspiration.

But not the stinky feet part- that was provided by Little Man.

I figured that if you are like me, your brain is either filled to the brim with random height and weight percentiles from Little One's 3 month check up (years ago!), or it's simply disengaged by 8pm every evening.

So perhaps some personal development might stick better
 if linked with such a vivid and frequently noted aroma.

Truth be told, as I was listening to Laura, we were driving home from our regular walk at the park, and Little Man managed to get his sandals off. The odor quickly wafted to the front of the car, intertwining itself with my thoughts as I listened.

Hopefully, now, whenever I smell stinky feet it will trigger thoughts of
setting a personal standard of excellence.

That's the real point of the post, by the way.

Setting a personal standard of excellence.

Basically, decide what excellence needs to look like in your life, and then show up.

By the way, a standard is simply "an idea or thing used as a measure in comparative evaluations". (Thanks again, dictionary.com).

In other words, you write a simple statement defining daily excellence, and every day you compare the outcome to that statement.

Decide every morning that today will not get the better of you.

And when it does, despite your best intentions, find 15 minutes at the end of the day to choose excellence again.

Even if it means making a list of things you are grateful for so that you don't go to be complaining; cleaning a bathroom mirror so that it sparkles back at you when you wake up; sending an encouraging text to someone instead of dwelling on feelings of discouragement.

And of course, take your Formula 2 multivitamin before bed!

But don't let tomorrow already be defeated because you went to bed without getting your head right.

It's like stinky feet:

They get a bath at night (okay, to be honest, some nights they just get rubbed down with baby wipes...), but that means no stinky feet in the morning.

I knew there was a way to connect that image!

So, choose excellence in something tonight before going to bed.

Tonight, for me, it's my vitamin and this blog. It's discipline, really.

What's your standard?

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own healthy choices (or your kids' stinky feet!), and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can support each other's standards!

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 with a downline 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.

When the mice are away...

We all know what happens when the cat's away.

But what about when the mice leave?

Well, I can now tell you, having experienced such an event myself.

And I realize that comparing myself to a cat, and my husband and son to mice, may seem like poor taste.

Regardless, when the mice are away the cat can settle down and get tons of work done!

My absolutely incredible husband decided that he would bless my life by taking our Little Man away for two whole days and let me catch up on the logistics of life.

Which is what I'm still doing, so I'll keep this brief.

I'm a stay at home mom, which really means a full-time home executive manager.

And I'm a health coach with Herbalife, which means I'm supposed to remember to write receipts and know what to write-off. Which is not easy for me, since my toddler stole my brain!

So celebrate with me, I am now completely up to date on all business accounting (with a filing system in place to help me keep it that way),

and nearly up to date on all household accounting.

Which I must now complete...
After another cup of Herbalife tea...

What are you celebrating this weekend?

Join the movement of moms.

Follow me on Instagram @happyfitnessmama, document your own healthy active lifestyle celebrations, and tag them #movementofmoms so that we can support each other's "executive" decisions!

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 with a downline 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.

Quick fix

Oh dear,
I'm a bit muddle headed! If you are trying to log in for the conference call, I gave you the wrong number! Please dial 1-559-726-1300, and use THIS access code: 761373#.
Thank you!!!
Blessings,
Emily