How To Make Sure You Remain In Good Health

Pexels

It’s important that you have plenty of energy each day that you wake up. You don’t want to have to be dragging yourself around and feeling sluggish. If you’re a busy person then you may have pushed off sticking to a self-care routine lately.

Ignoring your health and well-being for too long may bring about negative consequences. You must find ways to take better care of yourself for the best outcome. You’ve come to the right place to learn more about how you can make sure you remain in good health over the years.

Exercise & Eat Right

If you want to remain in good health then you should exercise regularly and eat right. Make sure you’re participating in a variety of activities that keep you active and increase your heart rate. Do your best to fit in more daily movement as well. Eating healthy isn’t always easy but it can be done. The more you work out the more likely it is that your diet will change in a positive direction as well. Consider cooking more meals for yourself at home and carrying nutritious snacks with you during the daytime. 

Check Your Vision & Hearing

Another tip is to make sure you check important matters such as your vision and hearing. Make appointments with your providers and then make sure you attend to these important matters. You want to ensure that you can see properly for doing activities such as driving a vehicle. If it ends up you have hearing loss then you may want to consider getting some hearing aids. This will help improve your quality of life and allow for better communication with others. 

Get Plenty of Rest & Sleep

If you want to remain in good health over time then make sure you get plenty of rest and good quality sleep. Be sure to take breaks when you need them and consider taking a power nap every so often. Configure your bedroom for optimal rest by investing in a comfortable mattress and bedding and making sure the room is at the right temperature when it’s time for bed. Also, consider your evening routine before bed and make sure you are doing something relaxing to help you wind down. 

Address Bad Habits

Everyone has bad habits they wish they could break so you’re no different. Make sure you remain in good health by addressing poor habits and trying to overcome them. Create a list of what these are and then set goals to try to change your behavior. For example, maybe for you, it’s that you want to quit smoking or not eat as much processed foods and sugar. Whatever it may be, address it head-on and be honest with yourself so you can come up with a plan to change your ways. 

Conclusion

You now have some practical ideas and ways to look after yourself and your health. Apply this advice in your daily life to help you improve your well-being. You’ll thank yourself for taking action once you realize how good you feel with your new approach. 

5 Tips For Hosting The Best Thanksgiving Ever

Image Credit

Thanksgiving is fast approaching! If you’re hosting, you’re probably controlling your excitement with a hint of anxiety. Will the food taste great? Will they love the wine? Will the turkey turn out nice, moist, and well-cooked, or the wine pair perfectly with the food? Will your guests be happy? Thanksgiving is a time for gratitude and not worrying. Understandably, you want everything to turn out perfectly fine. So, use these tips to create and host your best Thanksgiving ever.

1. Your menu should be ready by November

Don’t wait until about a couple of weeks to the d-day before you start scrambling for ideas. Start creating your menu and have it done by November (or earlier if you have time). Why this early? It gives you enough time to schedule your shopping and other pre-arrangements. Plus, you’ll avoid the pre-holiday rush and possible hike in prices. You might even have more than enough time to get your trial-and-error moments out of the way. But it would help if you resisted the temptation to try fancy recipes. Instead, stick to something simple and nail it. 

2. Start trying out your food-wine combination

Your Thanksgiving wine should go perfectly with the food. So, waste no time deciding which option is best for the meals you want to prepare. That means you should get your menu right before deciding on your wine. Several tricks and tips are available to guide you when pairing wines with food. The key is to find refreshing yet acidic wines to match the heavy dishes without overpowering any of the meals in terms of taste or flavor. 

3. Set the mood with the right decor

You want your home (or wherever you want to host the dinner) to be in the perfect mood for Thanksgiving. Start making plans for your table setting. Ideally, you want to use fall-themed decorations like pumpkins, seasonal flowers, and scented candles.

After picking your decor elements, give your guests a personalized feel by creating handwritten gratitude notes and leaving them on each seat. The final touch to the perfect mood will be soft background music during the dinner. 

4. Calculate the timing of the meal itself

The main course dish is at the heart of any Thanksgiving dinner, and you need to serve it when it’s at the perfect temperature and texture. Calculate the timing by working backward from when you intend to serve the dinner, then write a step-by-step plan for making the dish. You can do this for every dish, timing each one based on how they’ll overlap. Do this until you’ve gone through all your dishes for the day. 

5. Decide on your helpers and let them know ahead of time

If you’re expecting quite a turn-up, you’ll need all the help you can get. Decide who will be your helpers in the kitchen and tell them their roles beforehand. This way, you wouldn’t have to dictate commands on Thanksgiving day, as everything will flow seamlessly. 

Also, leave the dessert to your guests. If you know who to expect, let them bring the dessert (and even wine) they prefer. Of course, you can still make yours, but you won't be burdened with too much work and’ll have time to focus on the main dish. 

6 Easy Budgeting Tips You Should consider

Budgeting is a vital component of living a financially healthy life. It enables you to use your money wisely to always have enough for the essential things. Rather than being limiting, these practical budgeting tips will assist you in developing a clear image of your spending. They can assist you in discovering extra cash that you can leverage more effectively. Budgeting correctly helps you save more money. The best thing is that effective budgeting habits can be implemented with only a few simple changes to your money-spending routine. This is especially beneficial, considering 83% of Americans overspend. Here are some practical tips you should consider. 

1. Remember that each month is unique

Image credit 

Some months will require you to budget for back-to-school supplies or basic vehicle maintenance. You may also want to plan for birthdays, vacations, and holidays in other months—plan for all your costs, including those unique needs. As a tip, use your calendar while making your budget to achieve the best results. 

2. Make room for debt payments

Sometimes, you may need a loan to undergo some tasks, and knowing how to pay them is necessary. It’s worth noting that each loan type has its own set of conditions and distinct terms, interest rates, and repayment structures attached to them. Fortunately, an in-depth understanding of things like credit cards, personal loans, and auto loans, home equity loan rates will allow you to budget for the specific terms and repayment conditions attached to the loan. 

3. Organize your invoices and receipts

Organize your bills and receipts if you need to refer back to one to dispute it. This may be useful for tax considerations. Documents can be physically filed using hanging files or expanding folders. If you choose physical filing, arrange your documents by account or month, whatever works best for you. You can also file everything online if you get most of your invoices and receipts by email. 

4. Set goals

Remember why you are budgeting, whether creating an emergency fund or paying off your house. What motivates you to make these sacrifices? Then, write out your objectives. Make them noticeable. Give them a timetable so you can stay on track. This process can help you stay motivated even when you do not feel like it. 

5. Practice budgeting to zero 

This implies you are developing a strategy and naming every dollar before the month begins. This is referred to as a zero-based budget. That does not imply that you have no money in your bank account. (set aside a few hundred dollars as a safety net). It implies that your revenue less all of your costs equals zero. This ensures that no money falls through the gaps or is spent by mistake. This is how you have complete control over every dollar you earn. 

6. Consider observing a no-spend day

Image credit 

Set aside one day every week to spend no money other than what is essential. This is a simple technique to ensure that your weekly spending days stay within your set budget. If you are having trouble saving money, consider a no-spend month. The plan is to go a month, spending just on basics and putting any surplus money into savings. 

How to Start a Successful Online Business'

Photo by Gerzon Piñata

When you decide to run an online business it's very exciting and it may set butterflies flying in your stomach. After all, you're going to be able to run this business from just about anywhere in the world and make a lot of cash doing it if you know exactly what you're doing. 

However, before you can cross this hurdle you need to make sure that you have systems in place that will skyrocket your business quickly so that you can have the dream lifestyle you are imagining all the time. Here are some tips for making it work.

Focus on Your Passion 

Don't just jump into the world of online business just because you see everybody else doing it. One idea that works for someone may not be right for you. Before you dive off into the water make sure that you are passionate about what you are doing. 

Running an online business is not easy and your feet are going to drag along the way. When this happens the only thing that will assist you from falling flat on your face and failing is your passion for what you are doing. 

You won't want to quit if you have a strong belief in what you are creating. Never just go with the status quo, always make sure that it is fulfilling something deep inside you or you will quit before you see success.

Choose the Right Platform

There are many platforms out there in which you can put your online business but you need to make sure that you are hitching your wagon onto one that is right for you. Sit down and make a list of all the things that your business needs to strive and prosper.

Examine each platform under a microscope and don't leave any detail out. Your e-commerce platform should be one that serves you and your business. Once you have a look at all the microscopic details of what is being offered see if it matches up with your business. If it lines up, move ahead.

While you may never find perfection you should come pretty close. That's when you should start spending money with the platform to set up your business.

Communicate Effectively

Remember that when you run online business you won't get to see your customers face-to-face. This means that you will have to build trust in other ways. The only way to make your customers let down their guard with you and spend, is to make sure that you have open lines of communication. The more avenues you have for them to communicate with you the better off it will be for you in the long run.

Remember that customers should be treated with kid gloves. Think of them as babies in a nursery they have to be treated tenderly and pampered. There are several methods you can use to communicate with them such as email, live support chat for website, and phone calls.

When it comes to business you cannot afford to sleep on anything that can bring you progress. This is especially true in the online world where things change rapidly. Make sure that you're always on the ball, this way you will see your business skyrocketing to success.

How to balance out warmth and style in your winter wardrobe.

Image credit

When it comes to summer, autumn, and spring, there are so many outfit possibilities, from chunky brown knitted sweaters to flowy summer dresses, but what about winter? Winter doesn’t exactly get the best reputation when it comes to winter fashion. Sure, if you search on Pinterest, you’re going to find plenty of adorable outfits, but then you need to keep the temperature in mind, the wind chill, the weather, and so on. So there’s a lot of considerations. 

But with that said, no matter how cold it gets in the winter, whether the weather is snowy, icy, wet, dry, and so on. While yes, sometimes it can feel like a challenge to dress stylishly and comfortably but it’s possible. So, here's what you can do to have that balance between dressing up in style while still staying warm. So, here’s what you need to know!

Invest in Quality Outwear

Your choice of outerwear is paramount to staying warm and stylish during winter. You’re going to want to look for a well-insulated, versatile coat or jacket that complements your personal style. Consider classic options like wool pea coats, trench coats, or puffer jackets, which offer both warmth and timeless appeal. Quality outerwear is an investment that can elevate any winter outfit. 

Also, you may want to have several coats; when it comes to winter, sometimes it’s so cold that you need to dress up to the point where you feel like a marshmallow, and other times, just a thick coat with thin layers will do. So be sure to be cautious on what you pick. 

It’s All About the Layers

Layering is the secret weapon for maintaining warmth and style. Layers are never going to go away, and layering is always going to be a major component when it comes to style. This could be wearing thermal wear with a cute cardigan on top or even something simple like a button-up top with a sweater layered on top. These are timeless, and you’re always able to count on staying warm- plus, it’s easy to manage if you’re going to be both indoors and outdoors throughout the day. 

Accessories are Everything

As you most likely know, the accessories you chose can dress up an outfit or even dress it down. Most likely, winter is going to be the most accessory-heavy time of the year. Just think about it: hats, scarves, and there are even stylish thermal gloves for women that can take your whole outfit up another notch.  So just embrace the amount of accessories you can wear because it’s not as stylish to be accessory-heavy during any other season. 

Mix Textures and Fabrics

As stated above, accessories are one of the only things that are more than welcome during the winter; you can over-accessorize, and it’s deemed to be okay. It’s similar to mixing up textures and fabrics. While mixing is always great, during winter, you can take it up another notch, and it’s considered super stylish. Adding texture to your winter outfits is a surefire way to stand out. Mix fabrics like leather, faux fur, suede, and wool to create visual interest. For example, pairing a leather jacket with a faux fur collar and suede boots can elevate your winter ensemble to a new level of sophistication.

Let It Be.

I think our confidence today comes from three places: our past, our present and our future. 

I realized that instead of letting our past go, we need to simply let it be. 

NOT LET IT GO, BUT LET IT BE. 

I thought about this, I thought about this deeply. 

What would our lives and minds be like if we just let it be instead of let it go.

I don't know how to let go that a "friend" ( which I say loosely) tried to destroy everything about me, I don't know how to let go of a very broken relationship with a "best" friend. I don't know how to let go the fact of an abusive employer.  I do know how to let it be and give it to God. One sounds easier then the other, doesn't it? 

To me, letting go something's seem hard, it feels like clenched hands and whitened knuckles negotiating with my past. Letting it be sounds like a release, acknowledgment of what it is but still choosing to sit it down and walk away.  We're still able to see it, we know it's there, but we are choosing to let it be and put the unforgiveness, bitterness and anger at the feet of Jesus. 

What would it be like if we just sat down the box containing our stories of tragedy, hurt and bitterness?

What if we simply put it down and kept walking.  We know they are there, we know that we can go back to them, but for now we choose to let them be.

Forgiveness- of yourself and others--- is the only way to tell a new story. To tell a story of victory and triumph and not one defined by hard or even evil moments that may have occured decades ago. Carrying unforgiveness forces us to live life as victims. When awful things happen to us, we have the choice to stay in the hole dug by the above mentioned hurts or crawl out and brush off the dirt. We can decide to let it be, put the pain at the feet of Jesus over and over. 

The enemy loves when we get stuck carry the weight of unforgiveness, it makes him happy to see how the big heavy box prevent us from living our lives to the fullest capabilities. He hates to see us set free. The weight of our unforgiveness only harms ourselves. I don't know about you but I am tired of carrying that poison around, so put down that box and walk into freedom. 

what I thought marriage would be vs what it is

Today is the day we first met 27 years ago :)

This coming May, we will be married 22 years. 

To be honest marriage is nothing like I imagined but yet it's w.o.n.d.e.r.f.u.l and so much better.

I thought marriage would be: 

-Roses delivered weekly.  Instead I get them at surprise moments which is so much more romantic. 

-Kisses, hugs, make out sessions 24/7

-Lingerie and sex every day and night like the newlywed stage 

-No arguing 

- spending all your free time together

The fairytale wedding is over and the realities of married life are sinking in. Are you missing the "happily ever after"?

Instead Marriage is 

- a text in the day to check in 

- walking to the Operating room door, saying a prayer over me and the drs

- learning to braid my hair while I was recovering from lung surgery 

- driving me to and from apts, interviews, random shopping trips 

- random teading to make me giggle 

- acting silly together 

- road trips, holding hands even at 22 years in.

- waking me every morning so I don't over sleep 

- arguing ( heated discussions)  but always making up 

- praying together 

- cleaning the floors for me every week before small group.

- grocery shopping because I didn't want to go after a long day at work

- vacations together and having a wonderful time.

- booking hotel rooms when my dr tells me I need to disconnect from the world. 

- putting up with grumpy me 

- first person I kiss in the morning 

- last kiss at night 

- my best friend 

- my advice giver 

I feel like the most blessed person in the world to be married to my love ♥️

3 Tips for Keeping Allergies Under Control

Image credit

Around 100 million people in the U.S. suffer from one or more allergies that impact their lives. From seasonal allergies that cause massive discomfort during the warmer seasons to life-threatening allergies that can kill you, there are various degrees of severity and, quite literally, hundreds of things you can be allergic to.

In children, the most common allergy is to milk; in adults, it is shellfish, followed by nut allergies. No two people will experience their allergy symptoms exactly the same as you can have varying levels or reactions depending on how your body reacts and, if you are allergic to airborne allergies or particles, or if it is in contact with your body or digestion only.

This post looks at some of the best ways to help you reduce the risk of allergic reactions.

Avoidance

Most people with allergies know to avoid triggers and anything that can trigger an allergic reaction. This means avoiding places that sell foods you are allergic to prevent cross-contamination, staying away from green spaces if you have hay fever, not wearing latex or touching items with latex in for latex allergies avoiding household products, and so on. It's easier said than done, but it is also one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of coming into contact with anything that makes you ill.

Awareness

The more people who are aware of your allergy, the better. This means telling family, friends, contacts, work colleagues, and staff at venues of your allergy so they can help you avoid a reaction and ensure no one is bringing anything near you that you are allergic to. While this isn't necessary for all allergies, for those with life-threatening allergies such as shellfish or nuts, especially if airborne particles trigger your allergy, you need to tell people so they know what might happen should you be put in this situation.

Medication

For seasonal allergies, you can purchase OTC medication to help you control your symptoms and reduce discomfort. There isn't always a suitable treatment plan for other allergies past avoiding the trigger, but you can click here to learn more about medical treatment for allergies. But you can ensure you have an Epi-pen to use in case of exposure and you need emergency treatment. Always ensure it is in good working order, and you replace the device once it has been used so you always have some form of protection with you. Know how to use it and ensure others know you have one so if the worst does happen, they can administer it for you to help you recover faster.

Living with allergies isn't easy, and as such, you need to take the responsibility of making others aware of your allergy and ensure you remain at a safe distance from your triggers wherever possible. This can help you to avoid any symptoms and hospitalizations from coming into contact with them. Never be afraid to share details of your allergy with others, as this can save your life. No one can remove your allergens from your presence if they are unaware they need to do so. 

Things Nobody Tells You About Being married.

If we offered couples an instruction manual to help contextualize and normalize the challenges that arise in any intimate partnership, I can only imagine how different our divorce rate would be.

When we don’t understand what’s normal, it’s easy to assume there’s something wrong with us, our partner, or our relationship. From there, it’s often a downward spiral to breakup or divorce.

Here are 10 things nobody tells you about marriage, a mini-manual that can help you understand what’s normal (and even necessary!) for a marriage to thrive.

1. Marriage doesn't complete you.

Contrary to Jerry Maguire and the implicit messages embedded in statements like "finding the One" or "your other half," a healthy marriage consists of two whole people who partner to create a third body of their marriage. In other words, one plus one doesn't make one or even two; it makes three. You are responsible for your own aliveness and wholeness, and your partner is responsible for his or hers.

2. You won't always like your partner.

His jokes will drive you crazy. Her laugh sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard. That’s simply the way it is when you spend that much time with one human being. We allow for this when it comes to friendships and family, but with partners, we absorb a fantasy that we’re supposed to like everything about each other all the time.

3. Being in love is a stage of relationship that doesn't last forever.

The romantic model says: “You meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after.” We skip over an essential stage: falling out of love. As one of my clients shared: “I had to fall out of love before I learned what real love is all about.” This is something rarely talked about in the mainstream.

And if you didn't have an infatuation stage, it doesn't mean your relationship is doomed! Some people have it and others don't, and there is absolutely no correlation between having an infatuation stage and the success of a marriage.

4. Love can grow with time and effort.

We also grow up believing that you’re either in love or out of love; there’s nothing in between. And we believe that love is quantifiable and a fixed amount, meaning that you can measure it — “Do you love your partner enough?” — and that what you have in the beginning is all you’ll ever have.

The truth is that real love grows over time. Love begins as an empty garden that requires attention and care, and when it’s thoroughly watered and the weeds are pulled, the flowers will blossom over a lifetime.

5. You don't have to feel love to give it.

In our culture that says that love is only a feeling, it's easy to feel confused when the loving feelings fade. Then we balk against advice that says, “Fake it til you make it.” But sometimes, you have to act as-if in a long-term relationship, meaning that even if you don’t feel like giving your partner a good morning kiss, you do it anyway.

6.  Sex is a sacred act of giving and receiving.

It's sad and often detrimental that we're offered zero guidance about one of the most complicated aspects of being human: our sexuality. We learn from pop culture, peers, and now, increasingly, from pornography, that sex is something you use to gain approval, validation or security. Healthy sex is none of those things. Loving sex is an expression of love, an act of connection where you practice the arts and skill of giving and receiving.

7. Marriage is a crucible designed to help you grow.

Marriage isn't "happily ever after." It isn't the end of the road, the resting spot for eternal happiness. Marriage is one of the most challenging and rewarding paths we can commit to as human beings.

As such, it will activate every element of unshed grief, unattended fear, unfinished transition and it will bring to light the fear and false beliefs you've absorbed from your first blueprint and the culture about love. Knowing that the going is supposed to get rough can give you fortitude when you want to walk out the door.

8. Your first blueprint for intimate partnership informs how you approach your marriage.

If you witnessed a healthy marriage growing up, you're much more likely to naturally implement the principles and actions required for marriage success.

On the other hand, if you witnessed a marriage characterized by criticism, nagging, distance, arguing, or abuse, you’ll have to fight your template at every turn.

It’s not easy work, but just because it’s work doesn’t mean you’re with the wrong person. If you’re with a loving partner, the work is a sign that you’re pushing up against your dysfunctional or limited blueprint and it’s an invitation to create a new legacy of healthy partnership.

9. Life with young children is stressful.

That's it: it's stressful, overwhelming, rich, and beautiful — and it will put a strain on even the best of marriages. I often think it's a small miracle that any couple survives parenting intact, as there's such a demand on time and filling needs other than your own that the marriage is sure to suffer.

Knowing this can help you weather these challenging years, while remembering how important it is to find time to nurture both yourself and the marriage, no matter how small.

Four Pillars to help you thrive as a mompreneur

Most moms out there strive to be something more than “just a mom.” We often want to feel that we also have the power to build our own little lives and livelihoods while still loving and embracing every minute of being a full-time mom! Merging the nurturing world of motherhood with the exciting realm of entrepreneurship is a challenging yet super-rewarding process. Taking on this journey may feel like a stress overload, but believe this: Your nurturing spirit and multitasking ability have already set you several steps ahead of the crowd. So, as you stand proud at this exciting junction, let’s take a look at some things you have to keep in mind. 

Via Pexels

You Need To Discover Your Niche

Most successful ventures are rooted in passion. Without passion, you might be successful in terms of finances, but you will probably lack the super-important reward of purpose. So, it’s important to remember that it’s not just about identifying a gap in the market, which is essential, but finding what genuinely resonates with you is the key. Whether it’s creating artisanal jewelry, offering unique home décor, or diving into the world of affiliate programs such as becoming a payday loan affiliate, you have to make sure your chosen niche aligns with your authentic self. Heartfelt dedication is often what sets apart thriving businesses from those that falter. When you love what you do, challenges become milestones, and setbacks become lessons.

Networking Is So Worth It

Every entrepreneur out there will tell you that your network has tremendous worth. Collaboration often trumps competition. Ever heard the saying, “There’s power in numbers”? Well, it’s true. By networking with fellow mompreneurs, you open doors to shared knowledge, resources, potential partnerships, and, importantly, markets. These relationships offer insights that books or courses couldn’t offer you. Through shared experiences and mutual support, your network can become your most treasured asset on your path to success.

Juggling Time Is The Key To Success

As a mother, you’ve probably mastered the art of multitasking. So, more than others. Knowing when to switch roles and set boundaries is an art and science. So try to incorporate your everyday wisdom into your business. Create dedicated time blocks for tasks, ensure undisturbed moments with your little ones, and remember the golden rule: It’s okay to seek help. Delegate tasks, consider automation tools, and always prioritize family, even if that means bringing in some external help from a grandparent so that you can focus on your business without the guilt of neglecting the kids. You will have good days and bad days; sometimes, things will be urgent, and it is important to remember why you’re in this game. 

Continuous Learning & Growth Will Allow You To Thrive

The business world has been, currently is, and will forever be changing; so staying up-to-date with the latest happenings, technologies, and skills is crucial for sustainable success. So don’t forget to dedicate time to personal and professional growth, as this will help your business to thrive. Attend webinars, read related blogs, or even enroll in short courses. This commitment will ensure your business remains competitive and fuels your confidence and expertise as a mompreneur!

So, while these pillars provide a framework, it’s really important to remember that your journey will be truly unique because there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to entrepreneurship. It will be filled with moments of delight, self-doubt, and numerous learning experiences. So, embrace them all, trust your intuition, and, most of all, believe in your potential and your cause.

God, Family and Football

If you are a football coach, or football family, this one should be played for the team.   Hard work is what it takes, but hard work, trust and believe when you are waiting for answers. 

God. Family. Football., is a coming-of-age docuseries following former pro football player, legendary high school football 

coach, and pastor Denny Duron, as he comes out of a 30-year retirement from head coaching to lead the football program he founded at Evangel Christian Academy back to national prominence. 

A sneak peek for you here trailer

In the series #GodFamilyFootballFV the perennial high school football powerhouse—14 state championships in the 

last 20 years—coming off their worst season in school history, redemption is everyone’s goal. 

Pastor Denny Duron has returned to the head coaching position to lead this talented group of kids, with dreams of playing in college and the NFL, into prominence on the field, while molding them into future leaders off of it. 

As the team faces struggle and triumph on and off the field, they are united by 

coach Duron’s formula for success: “God first, family second, and football third. NFL quarterback Russell Wilson is an executive producer in #GodFamilyFootballMIN

• Stream the brand-new series on 9/1 on Amazon #FreeveePartner – for free. 

Disclosure: 

Many thanks to Amazon Freevee for providing a sample of the product for this review. Opinions are 100% my own.