Little Push 5 Day Challenge: Confidence Day 2

Are you uncomfortable with how to respond when someone gives you a compliment?

I've been there.  For years I would get a compliment and point out something bad about myself or how I did something wrong. I have since learned to accept compliments with a simple "Thank you".  It takes practice but it's a good skill to learn. 

Try this for the rest of the week: 
Learn to take a compliment (and keep notes). How many times does someone say to you, "You look pretty" or something similar? What's your response? Women struggle with accepting compliments. We make excuses- "In this shabby dress?", "But my hair's a mess!', etc.,etc. We rarely just say thank you. So try this for a couple of weeks. When someone compliments you, say thank you. Then write it down. Keep a list of the kind things others say about you- and not just physical things. Every compliment!

Next, I want you to give compliments- There's just something reciprocal about compliments. You know when you do something nice for someone else, it makes you feel good too. Be generous, but sincere with compliments, and remember, these women struggle too, so let them in on your new secret about keeping track of kindness!

Repin this post in Pinterest if your doing our Little Push Challenge too! And share your progress in our Facebook group too!

Little Push 5 Day Challenge: Water Day 2

I found an interesting info graphic on the effects to your body without enough water at

Mind body green.

Whether I eat too much at lunch and suffer a classic food coma, or have a horrible night's sleep and feel groggy the next day, I've learned the hard way that I need to manage both my diet and sleep to avoid the extremes. But there's one other crucial component of health that just doesn't get as much attention: Water.

We've all experienced what it feels like when we don't drink enough water. We're groggy, hungry and typically just feel off. But did you know that not drinking enough water can affect your skin, eyes, weight, hair and nails, too? Staying hydrated is so important. Whether you drink warm water and lemon each morning or find other ways to drink more water, the facts below will likely motivate you to boost your hydration 

So don't forget to drink up today!

Remember to Repin today's Little Push Challenge posts to your pinterest board in your following the challenge along with us!

Little Push 5 Day Challenge: Exercise Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of our 5 Day Little Push Challenge

Today I wanted to share a short workout video clip by Shaun T the creator of Focus T25, Insanity and many other home fitness programs.

Go here to view Shaun's 5 Minute extra workout that he shared on his Facebook page.  These free mini workouts are a great way to fit in a little fitness into your day and he always tells you how many reps and how many repeats to do to get the full workout in!  So awesome!!

Today's 5 Minute Extra for Tuesday is all about Stretching.... but he says not to think it's too EASY!

Do each exercise for 1 minute for an extra 5 minute BURN (do it TWICE to enhance the stretch)

1. Lift arms hips forward
2. Reach to floor knees bent
3. Fingers down lengthen
4. Downward dog child's pose
5. Spider lunges slow

Check it out here!

Check out his other videos to get the rest of your workout in for today!

Little Push 5 Day Challenge: Clean Eating Day 1

Welcome to Day one of the Little Push Challenge!

Here is your Clean eating post for the day.  Below I have listed my TOP 10 tips to eating real unprocessed foods.  Throughout the week I want you to try to stick to this tips and keep them in mind when you are planning your meals. 

Also please feel free to explore the clean eating recipes I have posted here on the blog.  

Here are my top 10 tips to eating Real food:

1. Eat whole, fresh, unprocessed foods.
   • Whole foods typically don’t have a label telling you that they are healthy for you. Think of an apple… An apple doesn’t try to convince you that it is healthy so you will want to buy it, but the foods that claim to be healthy “Low Fat”, “Low Sugar” and the like are usually overly processed and when one thing is removed they will add others in order to make it taste good!  Choose wisely.
2. Stop eating when you feel full: Listen to your internal cues and stop eating when you feel full.
   •  Michael Pollan says instead of using our internal cues to know when to stop eating, most of us “allow external, and usually visual, cues to determine how much we should eat.” Think back to your last meal…did you stop eating when your gut told you you’d had enough or when your plate was clean, the package was empty, or the T.V. show was over.
3. Never cut any food group out of your diet, including carbohydrates.
   • So many diets are based on cutting out one food group or reducing the amount of something.  My suggestion is, rather than cut out a food group, cut out anything man-made (in a lab).  If you don’t recognize the ingredient, chances are your body won’t either and it won’t know what to do with it.
4. Need a sweet treat? Dark chocolate is packed with healthy nutrients. Moreover, it improves mood!
5. All grains consumed must be 100% whole-grain.
   • Read the labels, as many products claim to be whole wheat, but they must be 100%, not 50/50, to be considered real food.  Also make sure you read the ingredients list on the back of breads, buns and crackers…
6. No more than 10 ingredients - Avoid any and all packaged food products that contain more than 10 ingredients, no matter what ingredients. When buying packaged foods, read the nutrition labels carefully.
   • The more ingredients in a packaged food, the more highly processed it probably is. Note 1: A long list of ingredients in a recipe is not the same thing; that’s fine. Note 2: Some products now boast, somewhat deceptively, about their short ingredient lists. Be sure to check out that short ingredient list and be mindful of the other tips listed when scanning the list.
7. Beverages should be limited to coffee, tea, water, and milk (only naturally sweetened with a little honey or 100% pure maple syrup). Limit yourself to one cup of juice per week and NO soda!
   • As far as sweetening your beverages, all sweeteners (sugar, honey, maple syrup, raw sugar, brown sugar, etc.) are high in calories and low in nutrients. The artificial sweeteners that have no calories are just chemically created imitations invented in a lab somewhere…YUCK! So no matter what kind of sweetener one uses I hope that it is, first of all, not an imitation and second of all, used in moderation. Best to stick to 100% pure maple syrup or honey.
8. Do not eat any food products that are labeled as “low-fat,” “lite,” “light,” “reduced fat,” or “nonfat.”
   • Scared of whole milk, cream or full fat cheese?  Don’t be.  Trust me, the low-fat diet fad is just that… The trouble is, it’s ingrained in so many of us that low fat is better for us!  It’s really not! Fats in things like sour cream and yogurt are replaced with hydrogenated oils and the cream in ‘whipped cream’ and ‘coffee creamer’ are replaced with corn starch. Usually if they take something out (like fat) they add something in to keep people satisfied (like sugar). Sugar is the enemy, not Fat!
9. No refined or artificial sweeteners including (but not limited to): white sugar, brown sugar, raw sugar, sucanat, splenda, stevia, agave, corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, brown rice syrup, and cane juice. 
   • Foods and beverages should only be sweetened with a moderate amount of honey or maple syrup. (See reasons above in beverage note #7)
10. No refined or hydrogenated oils including (but not limited to): vegetable oil, organic vegetable oil, soybean oil, corn oil, canola oil, organic canola oil, margarine, and grape seed oil.
    • Instead, choose real Butter, olive oil, coconut oil, sesame oil, and flax seed oil.

Little Push 5 Day Challenge: Crazy Confidence Day 1

Please listen to this Podcast my Chalene Johnson today on Crazy Confidence!

I don't care who you are, confidence is something we can all have a little more of.

A confident person is someone who is comfortable in their own skin, it has nothing to do with physical traits and it's actually not that person who grabs everyones attention at the party.  The confident person is self assured and doesn't care what other people think of them.

Can you think of someone in your life like that?

Confidence is built with experience.  So first you need to try something you have never done before.  You just have to feel the fear of doing something new, making mistakes and getting better each time you try to do that thing.  Be Bold.

Remember your first attempt won't be perfect, but it's good enough for your first try!  

Let's say you're a decent cook, but you don't venture beyond making quick meals for your family. Now, what if you were to invite friends over for an elaborate, six-course dinner? Sure, you've never done that before, but you wouldn't be starting from scratch; you'd be building on skills you already have—taking what I call a reasonable risk. Controlled leaps of faith give us a chance to feel proud of ourselves for having the guts to try something new. 

Keep in mind... 
Taking reasonable risks sets us up for success not just once but repeatedly. No matter the outcome (maybe one of your dishes didn't turn out as expected), the attempt itself represents an accomplishment that can be built upon. Next time you'll aim even higher, think even bigger—and before long making bold moves will start to feel like second nature. 

By reaching, stretching, and trying new things, you'll expand your life experiences and, in turn, your confidence.

Today's Little Push Challenge is to take risks- big or small. It doesn't matter what kind of risk, but it is essential to take yourself out of your comfort zone. We always lose confidence when faced with unfamiliar situations, so we tend to avoid them. But I am encouraging you to do those things that scare you. Wear a bright color or pattern. Join a gym or take a Zumba class. Sing in your choir. Join a book club. Heck, jump out of an airplane! Once you have completed the task, you will swell with confidence. You will be proud of whatever fear you've overcome, and you will probably discover that you enjoyed yourself in the process!

Comment below on what risks you took this week and how it felt to overcome the fear.  

Remember to repin this post to Pinterest! 

Little Push Challenge: Exercise Day 1

Welcome to Day 1 of the Little Push Challenge

Each day of our Push Challenge we will be doing any exercise for 15 minutes each day.

Here are some ideas:

Walking
Running
Bike Ride
Swimming
Stairs
Home fitness workout

Below you will find a short video clip on PiYo Base moves. If you would like to run through this workout video and learn the moves.  This will count for about 6 minutes of your exercise for the day so go ahead and go through the moves on this video a couple times.  Or add on another 9 minutes of something else today!!!



Now go out there and start moving!  You will feel so proud of yourself once you do.

Have a wonderful day
Crystal

Little Push Challenge: Water Day 1

Water consumption, how much and why it's important.

Water

Hydrate and Cleanse your body by drinking Water.

Take your body weight in pounds and divide by two. That number is how many ounces of water you should drink every day.

For example: 
Lets say you weight 150 pounds.
Divide that by two and you get 75
- so you need to drink at least 75 ounces of water to keep your system properly hydrated.

This is the step people seem to take for granted. But in conjunction with improved food intake and exercise, hydration is the catalyst to flushing out the bad stuff and keeping your body healthy. Given that we're 60% water, keeping the tank full is crucial to keeping all your body's vital systems working. It also helps you feel full during the day.

Crunch the numbers and comment below how many ounces you will be drinking each day.
Then at the end of each day everyone will post in the group to check in at let us all know how they did.

To join our Little Push Facebook group for motivation and support click here.

Repin if your in to your own Pinterest board to spread the word and share this challenge with a friend!