Slim Down, Clean Up Challenge

Goodness, I am so excited to announce the first health and fitness challenge for P+K! We have teamed up with a few local health and fitness advisers and one or two other bloggers for a new year's challenge that everyone can be a part of, no matter where you live! This challenge will help all of us start the new year feeling healthier and happier! It will also get us meeting new people and being freshly inspired to live a healthier life! Oh, and did I mention prizes?! Yes, lots and lots of prizes! But, before we get to that, let's talk about what this challenge entails, how long it is, and what you need to do to get started.

The Challenge

The goal of the Slim Down challenge is to help give our bodies a restart after the holidays and possibly, days, weeks, months, or years of eating less than healthy. This is a six week challenge that will start next Thursday, January 15th and end the first of March. In order to complete the challenge you will need to:

Buddies

Every challenge participant will be paired with a buddy. If you have a friend who would like to do this with you, they can be your buddy. If not, we can pair a buddy for you! Either way, let me know so we can count you as participating.

You will check in with your buddy each day. It does not have to be much, just a quick idea for a workout or something that might encourage them. The buddies are meant to be quick encouragers, nothing more :)

Eating

Eat 5 small meals per day. Two of these meals should be a meal bar or meal replacement shake. These are the bars and shakes that I take and what I STRONGLY recommend you taking yourself since they are filled with all the right proteins, low in carbs and fat, and high in vitamins and nutrients. All the vitamins in these are organic (something no other brand can boast!). If you, however, would prefer to take your own, that is no problem.

Drinking

Drink 128 oz of water per day (If you weigh less than 140 pounds, you can drop those ounces down to something closer to 100 per day if you like)

Vitamins

A big part of this challenge is making sure you get all the proper nutrients. For this, you must be taking a multivitamin each day.

Again, I highly, highly recommend these vitamins since they are 100% organic, all parts are grown instead of synthesized, and this company handles every part of the product from growth to packaging. These are simply the best vitamins I have ever seen. They have never had a recall on any product and boast an absorption rate 3x higher than any other vitamin on the market.

Exercise

Simply enough, increase your physical activity. This could be anything from trying a new workout or running a bit farther than you usually do. We will be having weekly challenges on the blog to help with this part of the challenge so as long as you are doing the challenges, you will be set for exercise!

Side note: I would recommend increasing your average daily steps as part of this challenge. Walking more is so good for our joints and helps decrease the dreaded bloat!

Get Started

1. There are one or two simple steps to get started on this challenge. The first would be to e-mail me at PandK.contact@gmail.com and let me know you are wanting in! Also let me know if you have a buddy already or if you need one. I will add you to our Facebook group and make sure you are in for all the prizes- this is what you will get for simply following the program for the six weeks!
2. Next, you will either need to order the products, or make sure that you have your own in stock. I can say from experience that these products will make a difference in your results. But, again, purchase of anything is not necessary. Here is everything you may need:

• Multivitamin $85.90 for a 30-day supply
• Glucosamine for joints $63.80 for a 2-month supply
• Meal Replacement Shakes $51.48 for twelve
• Meal Replacement Bars $40.15 for fifteen bars

1. Start encouraging your buddy! Again, the challenge goes from January 15th to March 1st. In this time you should loose weight, gain muscle, and feel refreshed and renewed by the end!

My 2015 New Year's Resolutions

Happy New Year!!

Can you believe we are in 2015?!?! Just the number itself is crazy, let alone how fast I feel 2014 flew by but was one of the most productive and happiest years I have had yet. Sure, there were low points (some being very low points with family loss and sadness), but overall, I look back and see more happiness in 2014 than sad.

For me, a lot of this can be attributed to the goals I set in at the beginning of 2014 and my mental space throughout the year. This past year was about self improvement and getting things done. All my goals were related to breaking out of my shell, increasing what I do for others, and becoming a better person. Boy, did it make a difference! Mental clarity was higher and decisions were easier since I knew where I was going and what was most important to me. Of course, I still had those days of marathoning 7 different Netflix shows without seeing the light of day or sitting on the floor in our bedroom thinking that my life was pointless, but nobody is perfect, right?

Well, since that little goal list I made at the beginning of 2014 was such a personal hit, I decided to do it again. Get ready, because you are in for a super personal post filled to the brim with new goals and personal development. If you do not feel like braving this heck-a-long post, I seriously understand. Just knowing that those in the P+K community have seen these helps me keep them throughout the year. Likewise, I would so love to know what any of your 2015 goals are. What kind of year do you plan on this being for you?

By the way, this year I have categorized them into six different areas of life with goals in each and a game plan of how I am going to get things done. You may notice some overlap between this year and last, that's because I am a firm believer in the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" principle. I also left some things out that are maybe too personal and do not fit with what the average reader would understand (i.e. business stuff and family things)

Ok, here we go!

This year is about becoming a deeper, well rounded, and kinder human being; about Organization and becoming a better leader.

Business

Double blog Readership

• More personal posts
• 5+ posts per week. Must include 1 personal, 1 inspirational, 1 review, and 2 healthy living (workouts or health)
• More personal workout posts network with other bloggers
• Begin advertising on the blog
• Pin more
• Instagram more
• Network with other sites/apps/video content suppliers 

Home

Improve Time Management

• Reduce the time watching shows/movies/YouTube daily
• Set a weekly schedule and daily to-do's
• Get the hardest thing done first in the day. No procrastinating. 
• Read 15 minutes per day

Remove the excess from life

• Cleaning out one room/closet a month and donating or selling the unused things
• Get organized and stay organized. Find a categorical system that will work in the office and implement it. Check it weekly and schedule office organization time. 
• Seriously cut back on buying things on a whim
• Get a new closet organizational system. Ikea!!

Get Wood flooring installed in bedrooms.

Increase Financial Understanding and Well Being

• Invest and give more. Have a secure monthly budget and anything made above that is 50/50 for donation and investment. 
• Keep better track of monthly finances and daily spending/saving.  
• Use check lists for monthly goals and budgeting and go over finances weekly. 
• Give at least $10,000 this year
• Invest at least $20,000 this year. 

Social

Volunteer More

• Either become a big sister or… work at an animal rescue, go on a volunteer trip, or become involved with one more local organization that has values and leadership I agree with. 
• Work harder and have higher integrity with the volunteer positions you already hold. 

Have Better Relationships with People

• Reading books related to the subject
• Be continually in search of better ways to work with people in a team.  
• Become a better leader through reading, practice, and development. 
• Meet with 3-5 friends per week. 
• Talk to three people you do not know per day 
• Be in the moment/ pay attention. Relationships are the most important part of life. Being invested in your time with others shows that you are invested in them. 

Mental

Personally Grow

• Listen to one self improvement podcast/CD a day (at least). Best if 3.
• Do one thing that scares me every day 
• Read a non-fiction and inspirational book once a month (at least)
• Grow Deeper- read at least 6 philosophical books this year. 
• Get a firm understanding of who you are and what you believe. 
• Be more kind to people and about people. 
• Increase your patience level. 
• Go on an adventure
• Accept, at least, one public speaking engagement this year.

Learn Japanese

• Follow the Rosetta Stone System.
• Have time scheduled each day for 15-30 minutes of practice.
• Schedule a trip to Japan in the 2015-2017 year

Physical

Improve Health

• Plan weekly meals ahead.
• Eat less to-go.
• Form a healthier relationship with food. If it does not improve your life,  health, or long-term happiness, why eat it? 
• Read and become more aware of healthy living

Improve Fitness

• Try one new workout a week
• Work out 4-6 times per week
• Complete 1 yoga flow per day
• Increase number of average steps per day.
• Run another Disney race in 2015.

Spiritual

Get a Firm Understanding of What Your Believe and Why

• Pick a church and get into a habit of going often
• Read 6 spiritual related books this year

Ways to Keep These Goals

• Spend more time Outdoors. Go to the beach, park, pool at least once per week. 

• Read goals every day and every night. More on this in an upcoming post!

• Invest more time with family. Show them that you love and care for them.

• Find 3 role models. Ideas: Jane Goodall, Mother Teresa, Princess Diana, Nancy Dornan

The Best of 2014!

Happy soon-to-be New Year! I really cannot believe how quickly 2014 has flown by, or the fact that we are in 2015?!?! These numbers are just crazy!

Last year, right around this time, I made a complete list of New Year's Resolutions. Not only did they help me stay focused throughout 2014, but they also seriously helped this past year be one of the most productive, happiest years I have ever had! To be honest though, I have not actually read my resolutions for quite a while- I just memorized the general idea of them. So, today we are going to take a walk down memory lane and see what got done!

Triple Blog Readership

This totally got done! Thank you so much to all those new readers who made this possible! We are still a small community, but I am so happy to say that P+K is now qualified as a business because of all your pins and re-pins!! Thank you so much and I am so excited to make pinning a bit easier for all of you!

It is also great to know that you guys enjoy those informative posts like Blue Apron vs. Hello Fresh, Six Ways to Use Push-Up Bars, The Pros and Cons of Orange Theory Fitness, and The Calories Burned at Disney World. Those were definitely the most popular posts this year and I will be sure to keep that stuff coming!

Personally Grow

I had a few ways to do this in 2014 that included more reading, listening to improvement CD's, noticing the incredible and doing something that scared me daily, and going on an adventure. Check to reading a lot more, the daily's may not have been daily, but they were pretty constant, and the adventure- we climbed a mountain, so I think that is a check!

We were also able to take my first trip to Greece and do some adventuring there! That was an incredible. life changing trip and I cannot wait to go back!

Get Better Time Management

This one was more internal than external, but I did manage my time much better in the past year. About three years ago we got rid of our cable; that was the beginning of getting better time management and something I totally recommend. It is amazing how much time the average person spends with the TV on. Take that out and times seems to overflow. With HBO, Hulu, Netflix, Amazon, and all those other streaming services, we are able to watch what we want to watch when we want to watch it without being tempted by everything else on TV.

This year I also started a daily checklist system that we will be talking about more in an upcoming post all about hacks for 2015. I also made a schedule for myself that can be seen here!

Learn Japanese

I started, but did not finish. This year will be different though!

Remove the Excess from Life

This one did not happen quite they way I wanted it to, but the hubs has cleaned out our garage (so much better!), our guest bedroom actually looks like a guest bedroom, and our hard to keep clean closets have all been cleared out. Now, they just need it all all over again. This year, I have the same goals for organization, plus a little extra. We will be getting a custom closet this year and be massively cleaning out what we do not use or do not need. It will be wonderful!!!

Oh, and the buying on a whim? It was going great until that new mall came in. I need to seriously get some self control with that thing there. Thankfully though, I have only been tempted a handful of times!

Save More

We did, we did, we did!! I am so happy about this one because we seriously needed to start increasing our savings. It was not a crazy amount more than usual, but things like using a financial planner, Acorns, and moderation really helped. This year we plan to save a lot more and really increase our investments for the future!

Finances were better tracked, but nowhere near what they should be. There were still times where I had no idea how we had spent such large sums of money so fast. It was like someone had stolen from us, but no such thing happen. This year, I plan on being much more strict with my budget and using Mint a whole. lot. more.

Become More Fit

Yes and no. The first half of the year was the healthiest time of my life. I ran a race (albeit short), did so much more yoga than ever, and tried many many new workouts. Unfortunately, something happened at the end of this year and I gained some serious weight and lost some serious stamina. I am still trying to figure out if this is a diet change, hormonal, or some other health thing.

I also had a goal of running in two races and getting my yoga instructor certification. Although one race was run, there has not been a second. I also had to put the instructor certification on the back burner for some new and exciting business goals. This year I plan to run a longer race and I am thinking that 2015/2016 will be a great time to become a yoga instructor!

Volunteer More

Wow did this happen and NOT in the way I saw it. I have been trying to volunteer at a local aquarium/rescue for all year long, but to no avail so far. Where I have stepped up the volunteering is with All Children's Hospital. I am now the president elect of our guild and the chair of a black tie event. Excuse me while I go vomit and curl up in the fetal position. That is a lot of responsibility.

This year I plan on becoming a Big Sister and getting my foot in the door at our local aquarium!

Get Better people/Social Skills

Well, my hope is that I am on a better path to being better with people and social skills. This is the type of goal that is never really finished, just continued. From my work as a volunteer, I am working more with people. I also kept up my meeting with one friend a week and talking to people I do not know [almost] daily. As for staying in the moment, way better! This goal has helped me see that relationships are the most important thing we can build in our lifetime. Making sure the people we care about know we love and care about them has become more important to me this year than it ever has before. My hope is to continually improve in this category and keep the yearly goals coming!

What about you, how was your 2014 and your yearly goals? I would absolutely love to hear some of this year's highlights for you!

How to Loose Weight Over the Holidays

Does it seem possible to you to loose weight over the holidays? For many, that is a laughable thought. But, it is possible, nay, probable with just a few simple steps. Every holiday season I go into it a bit heavier than maybe I want to be and come out with my healthy, lowered weight. It is not from starving or fad diets. Not from massive 3-hour workouts or days in a sauna. It is from simple changes in lifestyle that we all can do all year long. Follow these steps and chances are that you will get to the new year feeling happy and healthy too!

Smoothies

My biggest secret to any quick, easy weight loss is smoothies and juicing. It is way healthier than what most of us eat in the morning, afternoon, and evening. With a smoothie or juicing you are not having to worry about added fats, salts, and starchy carbs that can sabotage any weight loss regimen. Just be sure you are putting the right things into your body to get the right stuff out. Smoothies and juices that are completely filled with fruits will only give you more sugar than needed and [most likely] keep those extra lb's on.

My go-to smoothie is two handfuls baby spinach, half a banana, and three strawberries. Blend, then add some ice cubes and blend again. It tastes. so. good. As for juicing, my favorite is the mean green juice recipe.

Now, how I loose weight with this is to have two of my big meals per day be smoothies. It usually falls into the breakfast and lunch times, but a smoothie for dinner is not bad either! This keeps the calories, carbs, and fats down but allows me to get plenty of good food in! It is also wise to eat 2-3 solid food snacks during the day (things with oats are great) and a dinner with lean protein and complex carbohydrates. Mixing chia or hemp seeds in a smoothie is pretty great as well.

Micro Workouts

Next up on my favorite things list for loosing weight is micro workouts. These are the best around the holidays and keep your metabolism up the whole day through. Really, a micro workout is anything that raises your heart rate and/or tones muscles for anywhere from 1-10 minutes. Micro workouts can be done in the morning when you are waking up, every hour, before eating, or any other time in the day.

I like to fit in 1-4 micro workouts throughout my day and, hopefully, a full sized workout as well. This keeps my body toning and raises my metabolism higher than the average would otherwise be. It also keeps me thinking healthy thoughts and ensures that I will get a workout in somehow, even if there is not enough time for a full 1-hr class.

The best advice I have for a micro workout is to make it something easy that you can do at certain times of the day. Fifty jumping jacks at the top of the hour is sure to add up in the calorie torching department. Forty squats before each meal will kick that metabolism up and help you burn more than usual. Heck, speed skaters every time you use the restroom is an easy thing that can be done anywhere without much attention being drawn at all.

Think Healthy

This post has run away with itself and there are still a few things that can be done to loose weight over the holidays. The no-brainer of them all though, is to just make healthy choices. We all want to drink our weight in holiday cocktails and hot cocoa, or eat as many cookies as humanly possible, but those are just bad choices. By no means do I encourage going through the holidays as a healthy grump who makes everyone else feel fat, but everything in moderation. Opt for the farther parking space instead of battling that grandma for the one up front. Walk up the mall escalator or take the stairs instead of the elevator. Carry your groceries to the car instead of using the cart. All of these are good ways to keep your body a bit healthier and happier over the holiday season.

Chances are, you will also find the stress level to being going down, energy levels to go up, and more enjoyment to be had this holiday season!!