This Unfamiliar Road

This month, our fitness goal is all about the zzzzzzz's!

As a whole, our country really underestimates the importance of sleep. We put so much emphasis on filling our schedule that we forget to sleep!

Here are some guidelines to making it a priority:

How Much? The average adult needs 7.5-9 hours of sleep per night! Researchers have discovered that only 3% of the population carry a gene that enables them to function well on 6 hours a night.

How it Affects You: It's not just daytime drowsiness that you have to deal with. Chronic sleep deprivation can cause generalized fatigue, moodiness, and inability to cope with stress. It can also have a negative effect on your immune system and has a direct link to overeating and weight gain.

How To: 
-Establish a consistent bedtime routine and stick to it, even on the weekends
-Avoid screen time right before bed, which can cause over stimulation
-Consider sleep environment, like a dark cool room with the TV off
-Avoid caffeine or sugar right before bed.

Please visit these articles to learn more about sleep deprivation and how to sleep better!

Because I work night shift, I really have to focus on getting good sleep when I can. I have become fascinated with sleep cycles and rhythms.
We sleep in 1.5 hour cycles, and waking in the middle of a sleep cycle can make it difficult to become fully alert.

I use THIS bedtime calculator to determine when I should go to bed to ensure enough sleep that aligns with my sleep cycle.

Check out January and February fitness goals, too!

Happy Snoozing

Happy 2016 everyone!
In an effort to make this a great year, I have spent a lot of time working on my goals (note: I did not say resolutions). In the past, I have had ideas in my head of what I would like to achieve in the upcoming year, but no real plan to get there. It was no surprise that I didn't succeed.

I realized that I am always busy but not always productive. I feel like I bounce around from one thing to the next just to maintain sanity (i.e. tidy house, meals for family, work) while other things that mean a lot to me are being pushed to the back burner.

This year, I'm making goals and a plan to reach them!

Here's where I started: PUSH Goal Worksheet
There are some great things about this workbook, but what I really love:

1) It's free. Duh.
2) The first step is a self-assessment of different areas in your life (like physical health, environment, and romance). By assessing these areas, you really get an idea of areas that need improvement.
3) You focus on one PUSH goal at a time so it's more achievable!
4) There is a section for 10 minute tasks on the daily worksheet. This is really nice because most of the time, I don't have 45 minutes to complete a task from start to finish!
 

Of course, remember to be SMART about setting goals


Happy goal setting!

Things I'm loving this Friday!


{ONE} Family Photos.
We are way overdue for some family photos, and this time they will be BIG! All of husband's brothers and their kids will be in town for Thanksgiving (the first time the cousins will be together) so pictures are a must. Color scheme is planned, but I could use some help on how to distract and get good pictures of 9 kids (ages 1-7)!

{TWO} Monkey Joe's.
Y'all...I am thankful for jumpy places right now. The rain hasn't stopped for 2 weeks, and it looks like it's not letting up any time soon. Between the rain and the upcoming cold, I need this place to help my kids burn off some energy!


{THREE} Walking Dead.
I didn't want to start watching it, but husband convinced me. I didn't want to love it, but I couldn't help it. Somehow I've ended up halfway through season 5 (no, I'm not caught up so no spoilers please!) and I can't. stop.



{FOUR} Nutritional Cleansing.
As a follow up to this post, I have to tell you that my nutritional cleansing program has been better than I ever could have expected! I have lost weight, gained energy and feel great! I am learning so much about how important cellular cleansing is-everyone should do it. You will thank me.



{FIVE} Toddler.
Here she comes! Eliza has been building up the confidence to walk and pretty soon, she will take off! She's taking 5 steps and getting really brave. Growing girl :)


Until next time, friends! Enjoy your weekend!

Wow, 2014 was a great year! It's pretty awesome to think back to January 2014, when we decided it was time to add another member to our family....and by the end of the year, our little Bean was in our arms!
Here are my favorite memories of the year:

I had fun playing with my new mixer: Making cookies with the cutest taste-tester there was!

Recipe here

We experienced some crazy winter weather and I was stuck at work for 4 days straight. Thankfully, the husband was able to stay at home and work....and enjoy P's first snow!


 We traveled to Nashville to celebrate a dear friend and to help her prepare for the arrival of baby Scarlett!

Guess what! There are 2 preggos in this picture :)

In March, we shared some exciting news. Oh, and Peyton got her first haircut. :)


A trip to Chattanooga to visit our buddies kicked off springtime!



We celebrated Mother's Day and watched the baby bump grow and grow!




We celebrated the marriage of dear friends. And Peyton enjoyed her first gig as flower girl!



In June, we celebrated our sweet Peyton's 2nd birthday, and partied Mickey Mouse style!



As the days grew hotter, the belly grew bigger! We attended our 10 year high school reunion and I accepted a job promotion and returned to night shift!





I blogged about my new favorite recipe


We got really brave and decided to potty-train Peyton! Using the 3-Day method made it easier, but it was still a lot of work!


 I celebrated my birthday and counted down the days until Bean's arrival! (Little did I know those days would turn in to weeks!)


We welcomed our sweet baby GIRL into the world and became a family of four!






Fall was a busy time with the fair, pumpkins,Halloween and Thanksgiving! Being on maternity leave allowed me to really enjoy this season at home with my family.





We enjoyed a visit from the Michigan parentals and Ben competed in his first BBQ competition and won FIRST place for sauce!


Christmas was a blast this year!




We celebrated Ben's 30th birthday, then I rang in the New Year with my work family!