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!

10 Books I am Reading in 2015

There are a few times in the year that I get so completely obsessed with reading that it is the only thing I wish to do. A mug of coffee, comfy chair, and good book are the recipe for days of happiness. Unfortunately, I rarely get the chance to do this and, when I do, the guild of not getting my work done is too great to sincerely enjoy it for too long. Some of you just might know exactly what I am talking about...

Well, instead of having a million books that must be read immediately, I have compiled a list of my top ten must reads of 2015. This goes along with my goal to read 40 books this year, many of which will include classics that I have never read and self improvement books that are just so darn good!

1. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens- Dickens believed this to be his best work, that alone makes me want to read it!
2. Shirley, Charlotte Bronte- This was recommended to me after my love of North and South. I was not a huge fan of Jane Eyre (gasp!), but am liking Shirley so far!
3. The Magic of Thinking Big, David J. Schwartz- This is such a great book and something I need to be reminded of often.
4. The Hobbit, J. R. R. Tolkien- Have you read it? I wanted to wait until the movies were over before starting. It is next on my reading list for this year!
5. The Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle- Ethics is the first part of Aristotle's Ethics and Politics. I have started and am so very, very excited to read the rest!
6. Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis- C. S. Lewis is one of my favorite authors and this is one of his most well known non-fiction books. It just makes sense that it would be in my top ten.
7. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte- Seen the movies but never read the book. No more excuses!
8. See You at The Top, Zig Ziglar- I have heard so many good things about this book that this year just seemed like the right time to finally read it.
9. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier- Have you ever seen the black and white movie made after this book? It is so good and one of my absolute favorites growing up. Funny, but I had no idea it was a book until my Grammie told me a few months back. Thanks Grammie!
10. North and South, Elizabeth Gaskell- I am having to hold myself back from sitting down and reading it all over again. But, sometime this year, it will be re-read!

Of course, if you would like to read any of these along with me, that would be so much fun!! This month it will be Shirley with a review to follow in February and a new book announced then as well. If you have an must reads or recommendations for our little book of the month club, please let me know so it can be added to this year's list!

Will you be reading more this year and if so, what are you planning on reading in 2015?

Motivation for Your Monday

Happy Monday! And seeing how this Monday is the first of our 2015 year, it seemed perfect to inspire vision, discipline, and all around getting things done!

I simply love this quote! It is so true- if we have dreams, visions, and goals but lack the gumption, tenacity, and self discipline to do the work and move them forward, we will stay where we are. This simple little quote is a reminder to go out there are accomplish our dreams! We can all do it, we just need to stick with it. Because, let's face it, anyone can do something for a few days but the truly successful people are the ones who continue day after day after day, when everyone else has moved on to other things. As Aristotle said, " We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit."

Happy New Year and Happy Monday!

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