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Stressed Out??

Who doesn’t deal with some sort of stress in their lives?? It could be family, your kids, their homework, your job, your pets tearing up the place, not having laundry detergent when you go to do the laundry, forgetting to pack your clothes for the gym when you have every intention to workout…and the list can go on and I KNOW you all know what I’m talking about!

Yesterday I listened to a podcast regarding mental health and stress management. The biggest take away (and I already know this but it’s so hard to do sometimes!) is to focus on what you CAN control and to set yourself up for success. The only thing I really can control is how I react to a certain situation.

Here are five tips on how to manage your stress in the first place (and managing your stress leads to a healthier mindset!)

  1. Get enough sleep…do not watch the news or have electronics at least 30min before bed. An hour if you can handle it. I used to always stay up and watch the weather for the next day – it was a habit; and what comes before the weather? ALL the news! And what is normally at the forefront of the news-the BAD news…things that will make you angry, sad and depressed so who wants to feel like that before you go to bed OR during the day?? Not me! So schedule your time wisely and catch those zzzz’s!
  2. Get on a schedule! Don’t be running around by the seat of your pants all of the time! Dial it in and then life should run a bit smoother for you. Get up one hour earlier and get 3 main tasks done and you should have a big “W” for the day! I’m already getting one of my tasks done by writing this little blog 🙂
  3. EXERCISE!! I’ve added a 30min walk to my daily habits to help me just destress and do nothing but walk. I’m only on day 3 but I can tell it is going to help me…I also try to schedule in workouts 5 times a week where I’m strength training and doing a CrossFit workout. Good for the heart, bones, muscles and mind!
  4. Practice Gratitude! What/Who are you thankful for? Tell them! Surprise someone with a text or phone call and tell them that you are grateful for them. Two people will have smiles on their face for sure! Make it a daily habit and I guarantee you will have more joy in your life!
  5. Dial in your nutrition! If you eat crap, you’re going to feel like crap! Start off with a healthy breakfast; it doesn’t have to be a “typical breakfast”, it could be an Oikos yogurt, peanut butter toast, a smoothie…anything to get your metabolism going so you have energy for your day. Try it, you might like the way it makes you feel!

Remember, you don’t have to focus on ALL of these at once…start small and go from there. They say it takes 21 days to make a habit stick so let’s see what we can do in the next 21 days, shall we?? Pretty sure if we can make even one of the above happen, we can reduce our stress in our lives! Who’s with me??

Have a Great Wednesday! 🙂

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Bright Spots…

Sometimes (well, all of the time) we need to look for the bright spots in our lives and not focus on what we don’t have or what we can’t do.

Yesterday a friend posted about her son, DIL and two grandsons being rescued from the hurricane. They were trapped in their flooded and luckily got rescued. Now one could think about the total loss that they have endured with their house, but the bright spot is that everyone is SAFE and ALIVE! Thank goodness. I could not imagine being a young couple with young kids going through all of that.

I like for our members to focus on the bright spots in their life no matter how minimal it may seem. Hot coffee, bright sunshine, a car to drive to work, my spouse, my kids, my daughter’s birthday today, ability to workout, and the list can go on! So when you are having a bad day, remember your bright spots and know that someone else might be considering YOU their bright spot!

Make it a BRIGHT and HAPPY day! 😉

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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Rainy Day Blues

Taking care of your mental health…

If you’re in Central Missouri (Jefferson City) and you take a look outside…it’s cloudy, rainy and pretty miserable looking. Some days I like when it rains, a nice slow rain that’s calming, but yesterday’s storm was a little unsettling as it felt almost like a tornado came through.

I think some of us can chalk up our days and compare them to the different types of storms that occur. I saw an IG post the other day of 2 different pictures, one where it was sunny and he had a smile, the other it was rainy and he had a frown. 🙁

What makes the dreariness overtake our moods? It’s our mindset! If we LET the rain/cloudiness bring us down then you can for sure set yourself up for a bad mood. If you make yourself think on the positive – like, we needed the rain, the temps are cooler now, I don’t have to run (in our workout today 😉 ), etc…then this shifts your mindset!

Everyone has bad days, I for sure am one of them, but we don’t need to stay in those bad days…there are things that you can do to help shift your mindset where you can make things better. Speaking from experience of anxiety and depression, I KNOW it’s rough but there are ways to help and to make your mental health a priority…

  • Seek medical help/advice – anyone who has not experienced anxiety or depression, it sucks! But there IS help out there…no one has the same chemical balance/makeup in their brain, we are all different and our brains receive things in a different way. So if you have struggled with anxiety/depression, talk to your doctor because there IS a way to help you with your “blues”.
  • Get enough sleep; depriving your body of the right amount of sleep (7-8 hrs) is setting yourself up for lacking energy during the day, wanting to nap mid-afternoon and becoming irritable with family, friends and co-workers…No one wants that!
  • MOVE your BODY! Exercise is said to be the best anti-depressant on the market…Do this little thing for me, set a timer for 30 seconds, put some music on and just dance…no one’s watching you so let yourself go to town! I bet it puts a smile on your face! Get it!
  • Step up your Nutrition Game and fuel your body the RIGHT way! Stop putting crap in your body and you may stop feeling the same way! 😉
  • Surround yourself with like-minded and positive people…Yes, I’m going to say it, don’t be a “Debbie Downer” or “Negative Ned” 🙂 When your bad mood affects the others in the room, that is a sure sign that an attitude adjustment needs to take place.
  • Spend some quiet time reflecting on being grateful; something that I have been doing (not as regular as I should bc I forget!) is to add to my “Blessings Box”…I write down 2-3 things that I’m thankful for or great things that happened then toss them into my little box. I can then pull from them at a later time to reminisce and it for sure will put a smile on my face.

I for sure do not have all the answers for everything, but I have lived with mental health issues my entire life so I have a little bit of insight on how to deal with some things. I’m not a counselor, but I empathize with people who are going through a rough stretch, but remember – that rough stretch doesn’t have to be forever…seek the help you need and those rainy day blues will soon turn to rainbows 🙂

Have a happy and bright Tuesday!

Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!

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8 Ways to Make Your Day

Wake up earlier-Even 15 minutes earlier can help you not feel so rushed! It will also help you prepare your mind, body and soul.


Meditate-Spend a little time being still. Learn how it’s best to calm yourself during times of stress.


Have a plan for the day-Focus on 3 main items to accomplish instead of 50; get them or do your best to finish those tasks before 9am! 


Get moving-Do a workout or go for a walk; if you’re waking up early then this would be a great way to knock this out! 


Journal-Write down things that you are grateful for or even keep a health and wellness journal logging your food and exercise! Writing things down can help you look back to all you’ve accomplished!


Break your patterns-Try something new! Try a new coffee shop or take a different route to work to enjoy new scenery. Changing it up keeps your mind stimulated and keeps you from getting into a rut!


Help Someone-Pay it forward…There’s always someone out there to help; doesn’t have to be monetary, make a difference and shine your light!


Smile a little more-Spread the Joy from within…wake up, dress up, and show up every day this week and make it a fantastic week! 


Try these out and see how much better you’ll feel at the end of the week! Have a great one! 


Work Hard, Eat Clean, Be Blessed!