MamaManagement

I've shared with you my overall experience with Danette May's 30 Day Challenge. I've shared with you a more detailed look at both the clean eating and the exercise involved in the program. The last key component to the 30 Day Challenge is meditation. So that's what we're talking about today! The meditations included in Danette May's program are short, guided meditations that focus on positive affirmations with a little visualization. (Think: listening to a relaxing, 5 minute audio recording and repeating positive statements like "I am enough" and "I love my body as it is today and will be tomorrow.") If you've read my post on Danette's workouts, you know that she incorporates affirmations and intentions into many of her workouts as well, and it's one of my favorite things about how she works. Here's what I think... We spend WAY too much time saying negative things to ourselves and absorbing negative messages from the...

What do I love about Danette May's workouts for the 30 Day New You Challenge and Forever Fit Programs? Here's the short version: - They are fast. - They are easy to do every day. - They are effective. - They are positive and uplifting. - They make me feel good. Before I break it down in a little more detail for you, you might be wondering what her workouts are like. Well, I'll tell you this...they keep you on your toes! Each workout is different. Some are very pilates-focused and some are more burpee-bootcamp. Some feel gentle and all about peace. And others leave you lying on the floor sweaty and panting for breath. It's a little bit of everything. Each workout is defined by a mantra (think: I am strong or I can do hard things or I am peace), which I love. Some of them are 18 minutes straight through, but many of them consist of a 6-8 minute workout set that you repeat three times. And each day, each week, she keeps you mixing it all up. And I can tell you, ...

Hi everyone! After my last post about my experience with Danette May's 30 Day Challenge, I thought I'd share with you all what a typical day of clean eating on Danette's program looks like for me, and a little about some of the biggest changes I've made in how I eat. I have been amazed by how much less I'm eating and that I'm not starving all the time-- you'll be amazed too! One of the biggest changes in the way I eat is that I no longer graze on random food throughout the day. I am much more conscious about what I'm eating and when I'm eating it. And that makes a big difference. I have set meals and snacks that I plan out in advance and that's what I eat. I used to plan family dinners for every night each week...now I also plan my breakfast, lunch and snacks in advance. Big change. During the 30 Day Challenge, Danette does all that menu planning for you. All you have to do is shop, prep and eat. So, how do I handle the planning now tha...

 A little more than 30 days ago I was in despair. If you read my last post, you already know that I found myself in a post holiday/start of a new year funk. And I knew that a big part of that funk had to do with how I was (or in this case, wasn't) taking care of myself. I had let the holiday season take over my life and my better judgment. I had given up good eating and exercise habits. I had stopped writing. I hadn't had a moment to myself. It was not good. But one part of where I was mentally, emotionally and physically wasn't just holiday backlash. It was part of a bigger problem. Since we moved to our current home over three years ago, I had gained weight. A lot of weight, for me. (As of January 1, I weighed the most I had ever weighed outside of pregnancy.) I had tried many, many times to lose that weight, as I was gaining it, over the last few years. I used the same methods I had always successfully used to lose/maintain weight or increase fitness--stepping ...

Go big or go home. When I launch into something new, that tends to be my mantra. Go big or go home. I'm not much of a half-asser. So when I decided, after my annual January soul-searching extravaganza, to make 2017 The Year of Health and Wellbeing, I went after it with gusto! Here's how it all started... When 2017 began (and when 2016 ended) I found myself buried beneath a big ol' pile of funk. 2016 had been a pretty great year--as most of the years of my life have been. But something about that run from Thanksgiving to New Years had left me drained and lifeless. So, as I do at the start of every new year, I began to assess. I sat down with my "Life Notebook" (the same one I brainstorm in every January) and started capturing ideas--what was I unhappy with, what were my goals, where did I want to place my focus and attention (and intention) as this new year dawned? (I really do love-me a clean slate.) Well, I generated a pretty lengthy list...