How to Get Your Man Healthy

Let's hear it for the BOYS!!!

I spend a lot of time here sharing what it is important for women to be healthy. How we can often put ourselves on the back burner. How we are doers, nurturers and just aim to please others.

But what about our awesome male counterparts?!!!

My husband is like a lot of men I know. He was active his whole life; participating in team sports from an early age and then competing competitively year round in different sports. Like a lot of guys, he didn't pay too much attention to what he ate. He didn't eat great but didn't eat bad and certainly didn't have to think about portions or if that late night trip through a drive through was a good choice.

I'm not sure when it exactly all changed, it seemed like after having kids, but Andrew's weight started to fluctuate. And then last year, with a job that had a lot of traveling, dinner meetings and long hours, I noticed not just my husband's weight change, but his whole well being too!

And, honestly, I think of a lot of guys are like my husband!
Hard working. Spends lots of time with their kids. Does things for others. Not a lot of free time.

I don't want to be the only one getting healthy over here. So this spring, Andrew and I committed to getting our healthiest together. Since starting, he's gone down pant sizes, more than 15 pounds and has energy that he was SERIOUSLY lacking before!

I wanted to share my simple tips for any guy wanting to get healthy!

{O N E}
Eat breakfast. 
This one is a biggie. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. It revs up your metabolism for the day. Your body is ready for that energy boost! I mean, you haven't eaten since dinner the night before! Not only does your body need nutrients--but so does your brain! You need fuel to thrive! Studies show eating breakfast aids in weight loss, enhanced memory and energy levels.

A healthy breakfast doesn't have to take a lot of effort. Shakeology is a simple go to my husband can grab as he runs out the door. Prepping some egg muffins over the weekend to use throughout the week, or some granola with greek yogurt and fruit can be scarfed down pretty quickly! The point is, something besides black coffee!

{T W O}
Eat often. 
When talking with my husband, I was often surprised to hear how LITTLE he was eating during the day. Same principle as the breakfast idea, our bodies need fuel. Think of your metabolism as a fire. For it to burn hot and strong, you have to add fuel to the fire consistently!!! Every 2-3 hours a small meal or snack is going to not only keep that metabolism running high, but also you won't experience those hard crashes!

Keeping snacks on hand, in the car, at your desk, in the gym bag makes this easy. Nuts.com has some awesome healthy snack options that your guy (and kiddos) would love. I like to vary snack choices: healthy fats, fresh fruits and veggies, dried fruit options and proteins!

Some of my favorite, travel-friendly options are:

*Energy bites
*Protein bars
*Beef Jerky
*Nuts (almonds, pistachios, peanuts)
*Trail Mixes

Check out this yummy option!

{T H R E E}

Exercise

I know, I know. This one is a given. But it can be easy to put on the back burner, be inconsistent, or feel like you don't have the time for a good workout. Newsflash! Any workout is better than NO workout! It doesn't matter if it's as hard core as it used to be, fellas. Run, lift, walk, swim, crossfit--just add in some activity!

My husband likes variety and with his schedule he absolutely can't make it to the gym regularly. So between running, working out at home with 22 Minute Hard Corps or streaming something off Beachbody on Demand at his hotel while on the road--he has no excuse to not get in a quick workout a few times each week.

Ladies {fellas}--let's keep pushing towards that healthy lifestyle. Weight loss may be a by-product but a long healthy life free of health issues is the best thing I can think of for my man! And I know I want my male counterpart to be around for as long as I am! ;)

For more healthy, easy to pack snack options, check out Nuts. com

Why Working from Home WORKS for Our Family

Thank you to everyone who reached out about yesterday's post.  There is so much beauty in the opportunities we moms have. It is a wonderful thing to celebrate and support fellow moms in whatever their decision is because, at the end of the day, deciding what works best for our own families is the most important thing we can do.

I want to share today why our family has found me working from home to be our best fit.

The blessing it has been to never have to leave this guy and GO to work.

I like to work.
When we found out we were pregnant with our second child, Andrew and I really began to have conversations about me working outside of the home. Day care was going to be more expensive, life would be more hectic. Did me working still make sense for us? And when we looked at the black and white facts of it all, it did.

One reason being that we, like most families, needed two incomes. But more than that, I like to work. Every summer, as it was drawing to an end, I was anxious for the school year to start up. Not because I wanted to leave my boys, but because I missed work. I missed the routine, the challenge of using my skill set to help all my students succeed, problem solving, being creative, adult interaction. I liked having a role that was MINE outside of wife and mom. Working gave me a very real identity that was me, not who I was in relation to someone else.

When I became a coach, that void I was worried about was instantly filled. I have a very real role outside of my children. I get to interact with other adults on my team as well as my clients. I am constantly connecting with new people, problem solving with clients and my coaches and getting to be creative in how I approach helping others.

Working from home perk--comfy coach, workout clothes, messy bun

I'm the boss.
I know that sounds cocky but think about it. One of the hardest parts of working outside of the home and balancing motherhood is the lack of flexibility. I had an amazing and super empathetic principal to work with. She was always understanding when the boys would get sick (or our sitter would get sick). I was really blessed. But at the end of the day, I worked for someone else.

I had to haul my butt in to get plans ready for a sub either early in the morning or late at night, depending on when sickness struck. If I didn't have any time off, I got docked pay. I had to return to work after my first son was born via c-section, after only 6 weeks off (and still had a few days of docked pay because I didn't have enough sick days accumulated)!! I get that all of this is part of having a real job, but I wanted more.

I wanted to be home with my kids when they were sick and not be thinking about work and wondering what I would come back to. (Not all substitutes are created equal). I wanted to be able to see my hard work and give myself a day off when I wanted. I wanted to decide if I wanted to work, what hours I wanted to work and where I wanted to work them. {I much prefer working poolside while my boys splash around. I've also worked in the passenger seat on the way to the beach, in an airport, from the couch, at our backyard table...all with my family nearby.}

I worked at the library while they got books and colored. 

Impromptu afternoon off so we could get out and head to the mall. 

I also wanted to decide my worth. Think about it? At the end of the day, your hard work's worth is determined by someone ELSE. I could put in long hours, come up with creative, engaging plans, spend my own money on items for my classroom and still make the same as another teacher doing half the work. What kind of incentive is that to work hard?

Now, my hard work is directly reflected in my pay. I have given myself a raise 3x since becoming my own boss. I have matched my old monthly income working a quarter of the time each week and if I want to make more, it is up to ME!

I get to be there.
Unless my kids were going to go to the school where I taught, I realized pretty quickly I would miss a lot. Their class parties, their field trips, their fun days at school. I wouldn't be able to go. Not unless I took a day from work to do that. All my life, when I thought about being a mom, I thought about those moments. I wanted to be there.

I wanted to volunteer. I wanted to be available to run up a forgotten lunchbox. I wanted to be waiting for them after school with a snack to hear all about their day. I wanted to send them off without being rushed to get out the door. Call me selfish, but I wanted all the memories.

Working from home allows me to make an income for our family and have a something else that gives me passion but also allows me to be there for all the moments; big and small.

I get to be on the preschool board, volunteer in Hud's classroom, go to all the school parties. I love those memories I have stored up. I loved the excitement when I got to share in his experiences.

Hudson's Mother's Day Tea

Thanksgiving Feast

I like adventure.
Deciding to take the leap into coaching was one of the most adventurous decisions I have ever made. To take a risk and decide to put yourself out there was not in my comfort zone. I like consistency. I like predictability to a degree. I like acceptance from others.

I had no idea where this was really going to go. I have no business degree, no fitness or nutrition background. All I had was a desire in my heart to do something well, to continue to make a living doing something I loved, and to do it in the presence of my children.

That passion has led to more adventure than I could ever imagine. The friendships that have blossomed from this opportunity blow my mind.

*I've flown to Texas alone to meet a group of people I had only met through social media, save a couple of people.
*I've roomed with people I hadn't met in person {but loved immensely already!}
*I've driven to Nashville with a girlfriend.
*I've booked hotels and made traveling arrangements (something typically left to my husband).
*I drove the boys and I to visit friends 6 hours away.
*I've spoken in front of large groups.
*I've earned us free trips. {Punta Cana 2017--EEKK!!!}
*I've been challenged in my faith.
*I've dared to dream for more for my family, monetary goals aside.

Working from home, this opportunity, opened up a whole new world to me and in turn opened up a whole new {BETTER} ME.

If you asked me what my perfect working world would look like--I'm living it. To be able to feel fulfilled, driven and alive while mothering my boys.

**If you are interested in what I do, how to make working from home a reality for you, or just a chance to add to your family's income, I'd love to chat. I am currently expanding my online business and am looking for people who want to change their life!**