MamaManagement

The problem with these brownies is that they're so good we always start eating them before I ever remember to take a picture! No beauty shot here! So, it's January, and I'd say there's a decent chance that you're currently trying to eat healthier...and possibly you're wavering in your efforts. Eating a clean, healthy diet is an awesome goal. But completely giving up all indulgence isn't my kind of thing. I tend to be a eat super healthy 90% of the time, kind of girl...the other 10% is mainly pizza and chips...and brownies! BUT, I love it when I find indulgent treats that are good for me, too. I found this recipe on Danette May's website. She calls them "No Guilt" brownies. I call them healthy and delicious. These are as good as any brownie out there--just ask my husband and kids--but there are no "bad" ingredients in them. I'm pretty sure I'm still not supposed to eat an entire pan (I totally could...just by nibbling...

I LOVE the new year...like, really love it. After the crazy indulgence of the holidays, there's something just refreshing about the blank slate of a new year. Everything seems possible at the beginning of the year. The fatty, sugary food gets trashed. The decorations come down. The kids go back to school. New calendars and planners come out-- fresh and clean . It all makes me want to deep clean the house and get rid of all the junk. It makes me want to detox my body and rekindle a healthy relationship with food and exercise and meditation. I make lists of all the things I want to do...all the things I want to be. I brainstorm and read articles and listen to audiobooks and meditations. I get so excited by all the possibilities! I mean, I could be a completely different person this year, than I was last year. I could be anyone...anything. More of this. Less of that. What will I be? What will you be? Every new year, it's like being young again...if we let it be. Th...

Hey friends! It's that time of year again! New year...New you! Last year at this time I was gearing up to start my first Danette May 30 Day New You Challenge. I completed that, went on to join her Forever Fit program, and have stuck with her eating, workout, and meditation plans ever since. (If you want to read about my experiences from last year, you can click on Danette May's name in "Tagged Stuff" in the righthand column. Or start with this post here: https://mamamanagement.blogspot.com/2017/02/30-days-to-new-me-danette-mays-30-day.html ) Buuuuuuuut... November and December were kind of crazy months with Nanowrimo and the holidays and some anxiety (insert dramatic eyeroll here) and, well, let's just say that I fell off the Danette May wagon (don't tell her). I almost completely stopped my workouts and meditations and I'd say I was eating on-plan about 60% of the time. And my belly will tell you...not so good an idea. So, here I am at the st...

A pic from shortly after the 30 Day Challenge So, September 9th was my 8-month anniversary with Danette May. (Yes, I realize that's sounds a bit like we're dating in high school, but I assure you, this is so much more serious that all that.) In case you haven't read my other posts on this: Eight months ago I pretty much dropped everything and decided to focus on my health (right on the heals of dropping everything for a month to focus on the holidays and everyone else...which wasn't super successful in the "make me happy" department). I began changing lots of things, but the biggest change I made at the time was joining Danette May's 30 Day New You Challenge. And in the eight months since then, so much more than weight loss has happened. (Click here: https://mamamanagement.blogspot.com/2017/02/30-days-to-new-me-danette-mays-30-day.html  to read more about my 30 Day New You Challenge experience.) The photo above was taken shortly after I complete...

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 ...