As I am entering my final week of the Arbonne 30 days to Healthy Living Program, I have done some reflecting on what this program has meant to me and how to best communicate that out to my followers. If you followed me from the beginning (see post 'Out with the Old, in with the NEW" post here), you know I have been on a journey toward taking back my health since January 2018. As I entered the new year, I remembered feeling just 'blah'. I was a year and a half postpartum, still wearing maternity clothes and using the phrase ' I just had a baby, my body needs time to adjust and bounce back.' I would indulge in just about every dessert that passed my way and tell myself 'next week is the week I will start', 'next week I will get my act together, start exercising again and start eating better.' How many 'next week's' had to pass by before I actually got my tail into gear? How many more times did I have to stare at my size 10 jeans in the closet and sigh before I actually did something to get me back into those jeans? Enough was enough and on January 29th, one week after my ACL surgery, I went back to work with a new mindset....a new me. Fast-forwarded seven months and I can honestly say, the Arbonne 30 Days to Healthy Living Program works. From January to June of this year, I took small steps at moving toward my weight loss goals by supplementing a protein shake for one meal each day. These vegan shakes are 160 calories, soy/gluten/dairy free with no fillers, no mineral oil and no artificial colors or sweeteners. They are made of yellow pea, brown rice and cranberry, are easily digestible and provide essential amino acids plus more than 20 essential vitamins and minerals per serving. They are also SUPER filling. Just by supplementing one meal a day with a shake, I was able to lose about 10-15lbs over the course of six months. While that may not seem like a lot, take a look at this visual of fat vs muscle. Clearly, losing fat, regardless of the amount, is more than I realized! Here is a before and after picture from January 2018 to June 2018. Same shirt, just fits a little better :o) In August of this year, after just returning from Ryan and I's all inclusive (all indulging) anniversary trip to the Caribbean, I set a goal for myself to go all in for the 30 Days of Healthy Living Program. I wanted to push myself to the limits and see just how far I could go (see blog post 'Get out of that Rut' for more info on what this means). On August 6th, I started this program which included:
Now that I am moving into my last week of the 30 day program, I am reflecting not only on the things that I have lost.....but also the things that I have gained. Lost
This is the version of me that I love. A much healthier, happier, more confident and loving version. This is the me that I want to maintain. If I have not sold you on this program yet, I hope you will see the transformation others are making as well. These are real people. Real Life. Making REAL changes. You can tell how passionate I am about this program (and Arbonne in general) because I believe in it. I have seen how it can change other's lives and I want to shout it to the world and make others aware of just how much it will help anyone looking to make a change in their health and wellness goals. As I close out this week, I welcome your encouragement to finish out strong. But I also invite you to join me . If you are experiencing any of the feelings that I have felt in the past year and a half, know that it is never too late to start. If you are feeling in a state of 'blah', or catch yourself saying 'next week I will .......' or feeling an inkling of what I felt, I encourage you to take a leap of faith and jump on board with our next group. We will be starting again on September 10th and would love to have you join us. Email me or direct message me to find out how to get started. And thanks for your continued support and encouragement along the way!
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Have you ever looked around your house and asked yourself, where in the world did all of this come from?!?! I experienced that feeling many times this past weekend. Our family is in the beginning stages of remodeling our kitchen. As part of this remodel, we are removing a couple closets and blowing out a few walls to make it, as HGTV would say, more 'open-concept'. I cannot tell you enough how excited I am about this. But, in order to bring this vision to reality, the hallway closets have to go, leaving me with a bunch of 'stuff' that does not have a home. So what do you do?? Well, there are a few options. I could pile all of this stuff in a trash bag and donate it to a good cause. I could try to have a yard sale at the house to recoup some of the expenses associated with our new kitchen, but that would require way more coordination than I have time for. Or, I could do a combination of both, but do it in a way that was convenient for my busy life.....BINGO. See, the thing I love about technology and the social media age that we live in is the ability to reach mass amounts of people in a timely manner. As I was pondering what to do with all of this 'stuff', it dawned on me that I always see people host virtual parties to promote the items they are selling, so why could I not do the same thing with our household items that we no longer need? If you know me, you know that I ALWAYS shop the local online yard sales to find the best deals, so what would keep me from hosting my own online yard sale? Many more questions came to mind. Would people join? Would they be interested in what I am selling? Would this be a one-time thing or something that I continually update throughout the year? Well, there is only one way to find out. Read on for more :o) Since I work full time, evenings and weekends are the only time I get to spend with Rhett. That time is precious and I do not want to ever take it for granted. So, being the planner that I am, I planned out my Saturday and Sunday schedule and based my online yard sale work around Rhett's nap time. As soon as his head hit the pillow, I started clearing through every single closet in our home. I pulled out every piece of clothing that Ryan and I had. I scoured through ever pair of shoes that we owned (some still new with tags on them). I pulled out every household item we never use and went through all of Rhett's cabinets and chests, only to find many items still unopened. I then made three piles which consisted of :
Now, to tackle the items to sell. Many of the clothes, shoes, accessories, home decor, etc. that we have are all name brand. I went through a stage where premium jeans were my favorite. They were better quality, comfortable and trendy. I did not mind saving up to pay for high-end jeans because I knew they would last for a long time. These jeans, along with a lot of other items that we own, still have a lot of life left in them and can venture on to the next home for someone else to enjoy at a discounted rate. So, to showcase these items, we have created a Facebook Online Yard Sale page. On this page, we have highlighted everything we are selling from women's and men's apparal, namebrand women's coats, women's shoes, household items and even items for infants/children. Here is a sneak peak of just a few of the items that can be found on our online yard sale: If you are interested in viewing more of the items we have listed for sale, follow these steps:
Thanks in advance for checking out our yard sale and for helping us clear out our clutter. If you are feeling like you need to do the same, I encourage you to find pockets of time to dedicate toward this effort. You will be SO glad that you did!! Seriously? Are your glasses fogging up? Was the sun in your eyes? Did you read that right? YES......Read on for greatness. It is no surprise that I have been on a new adventure to health and wellness. If you have been following me from the beginning (see most recent post 'Get out of that Rut' here), you know that I have taken multiple steps to reach some of these goals to help me get back to a healthy lifestyle. Some of these steps include making dietary changes, exercising more and using products that will help me feel better about what I am putting in and on my body. With these changes comes a cost. Making changes in my dietary lifestyle has been expensive. When you eat clean, you are purchasing more raw and organic ingredients which are more costly than conventional or genetically modified ingredients. When adding fitness and exercise into your life, that too comes at a price. Gym memberships, fitness equipment and exercise accessories can add up. And now that I am adding more safe and beneficial Arbonne products to my daily routine, that too will increase what is coming out of my wallet. I cannot read that above paragraph without feeling the stress start to rise. It seems as if one wanted to become healthy, more would be coming out of their bank account than would be going in. Not to mention, with all the above items being added into our monthly budget, there are still the regular necessities that our family needs. Thank goodness for Walmart. My friend Jenn knows my love for Instagram. I follow many pages that gives tips on anything from parenting advice, to fitness techniques, to wildlife art (ahem---go follow @ryankirbyart :)), to favorite healthy recipes, etc. She told me about the Instagram page @woahwaitwalmart. This is a page/blog created by two women who share all of their greatest Walmart finds. It has been a GAME CHANGER, especially when it comes to fashion apparel and accessories for women. On a regular basis, this page will post SO many cute and trendy clothes/accessories. One brand, in particular, that I have fan-girled over lately is the Time and Tru brand. Because of this brand, I have been able to shop for clothes and accessories that are cute, comfortable and trendy, but that also do not break the bank. Here are some of my favorite recent personal finds from Walmart: With the most expensive item in this fashion line priced at MAYBE $20, it is no wonder Time and Tru has become one of the leading brands for its 150 million customers that patron a Walmart facility each week. Not to mention, in addition to Time and Tru, Walmart has also launched other popular brands including Terra & Sky, focused on plus- size women, George, a premium brand focused solely on men and Wonder Nation, a brand exclusively for children ( as if I need more of a reason to go shopping for Rhett?!?!).
Clearly, it is easy to see why I love this brand, and Walmart, so much. Not only am I able to find items for my family and I that are stylish and fashionable, but most importantly, that are AFFORDABLE. I can maintain a trendy wardrobe that fits this mom-bod and still be able to have room in our regular budget to afford any added expenses that are tied to my new health and wellness journey......and for that, I am THANKFUL. I hope you too will take advantage of the many items and deals that Walmart has to offer. And be sure to share any other great Walmart finds you see along the way! |
I am a wife and momma to a sweet boy named Rhett. I live in the mountains of North Carolina and am saved by grace. I believe in all things family, all things food and all things fun. Archives
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