Health is just as important for you as it is for your family. If you are not caring for your own health, how will you have the energy to care for the health of your family? Let this year be the year you really commit to strengthening your arms, running your race, and competing for your own crown of health so you can better steward your family, your homeschool, and the many blessings you have.

5 Apps for Health

• Keeping track of how much water you consume is a great way to take smaller steps to better health. There’s a fun little formula to help you know how much water you should be drinking: your weight multiplied by 2/3 = how many ounces you should be drinking daily. Fr example, 130*2/3 = 86 ounces of water each day. I use and recommend Daily Water!

 

• The FitBit App: I love my Fitbit One! It’s durable, easy to hide, and helps me stay active since I’m competing against myself. You do need a Fitbit of some kind, but they are awesome activity and sleep trackers and the app allows for recording specific exercise, food, etc. And you can set it up to see how friends and family are doing, too, if you like a little extra competition.

 

• 5K Runner App: I love this for traveling since I can run pretty much anywhere. Even on a dreadmill if I have to, but it keeps it easy to stay active without needing to think about what I’m doing.

• Sworkit Pro – Lots of fun options you can customize to fit the time you have for a workout.

• HealthOut – Find out nutrition info for lots of restaurant meals and so much more! It’s a great resource to have if you are on the go a lot!

5 Awesome Home Exercise Programs

There are many reasons I choose to workout at home. The cost of a gym membership with childcare, the gas, the time in the car, and the fact that I feel most gyms are not great places for modest-minded ladies (I know we can’t control everything we or our children see, but there are some places that just overflow with immodesty), and I like not being tempted to compare myself to others are some of the reasons I prefer exercising at home. I also like knowing that I can spend a fraction of what a yearly membership would cost and have 3-5 really great quality programs that I can alternate between for years. The ROI is much better that way 🙂

• PiYo – A combination of  Pilates and Yoga, this is an active resistance training program that is low impact, high results, and requires no additional equipment. This is my favorite when I need to stretch back out and to keep active when my joints give me trouble.

 

• 21 Day Fix – This program comes with portion control containers which make eating the correct foods in the correct sizes so much easier! And you can lose up to 15 pounds in 21 days. This program is awesome for those who are looking to begin a new lifestyle, not just a diet. There is also a new 21 Day Fix Extreme coming out in February that I can’t wait to try!

 

•  P90X3 – All the good stuff from P90X but in only 30 minutes a day. I know our time is valuable, and sometimes 30 minutes is all we can truly commit to. This is a seriously intense workout regimen. Be prepared for some awesome changes!

 

• Brazil Butt Lift – This is an oldie but a seriously incredible goodie! BBL is for ladies who (like me) struggle a bit with too much curve. It’s awesome for all over results but really targets the upper legs and derrière area. If you are looking for a perkier behind and slimmer thighs you will love this one! They are also super fun workouts. It’s one of my favorite programs for a workout and a giggle.

• Turbo Jam – Chalene is such a fun gal to workout with! Turbo Jam is a great cardio and fat blasting workout. It is awesome for beginners, too! It’s an oldie but so good.

 

5 Tools for Staying On Track

Tools are an important part of any health arsenal. You need great food, accountability, encouragement, and someplace you can go to ask for help if you need it. Here are my 5 favorite tools for staying healthy!

• Modere Trim. Made with clinical-strength Clarinol®CLA from natural safflower, Trim inhibits cellular fat storage, reduces fat cell size and reduces fat cell formation. It goes beyond weight management with a unique combination of clinically-tested ingredients to promote a sculpted, lean body.
• Portion Control – It’s a problem most of us struggle with. We just don’t know what a “real” portion looks like. So I love using portion control containers and we usually eat off salad plates. Then there’s no pressure to “fill up” a big plate! The Beachbody Portion Fix is 7 sized and color coded containers with meal plans and suggestions that completely takes the guess work out of trying to figure it all out!
• Get an accountability partner! I love having ladies to encourage me, and I love to encourage others! Even with hypothyroidism, I’ve lost weight, gained energy, and found a love for encouraging other moms to really value and take care of themselves and their health. You matter, mama!
• Set goals and make a plan to get there! Paper and pen, a planner, or the amazing Power Sheets from Lara Casey are all great places to start. Goals without a plan never happen. Break your plan down into small, achievable steps. The get going!
• Scriptures for encouragement. I’ve got my favorite in a printable here. There are so many awesome and inspiring references to exercise, health, and our bodies being God’s Temple while we are here on this earth that you have a wealth of scriptures to help keep you moving and on track!

5 Incredible Books to Help You on Your Journey

It never hurts to know others have gone through the same struggles. Here are some awesome resources for filling your heart with hope and inspiration, and maybe a little tough love, too.

• Made to Crave – Replacing mindless eating, comfort food, and trying to fill a void with food that only God can fill in a wonderful book from Lysa TerKeurst.

•  Reshaping it All– Candace Cameron Bure is open, honest, and full of hope about her struggles with weight, food, and life as a mom.
• Make it Happen – This isn’t just about your health physically. This book is all about listening to God to find and fulfill your purpose. It reads like Lara is speaking directly to you, over coffee, in your living room. With tools and tips to find your purpose and passion, set “impossible” goals and real steps to achieve them, and encouragement to get you going, Make It Happen is an incredible help to get it done! Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

•  Peak313 Fitness (Nope, not a book but an amazing blog!). Clare is such a fun mom and such a great inspiration in the Christian Fitness world. She has an incredible heart for encouragement and a lot of awesome workouts on her blog!
• Trim Healthy Mama – The concepts in the book are awesome and have really helped me in dealing with hypothyroidism. The recipes are delightful, too! Plus there’s a super active Facebook group you can go to with any and all questions! And you probably already know at least one mama who loves THM.

Happy New Year!