Hello to the 5th day!  Yes, we are 5 days in on this 30-day journey.  Have you made the commitment with me? I have achieved the task each day. As I progress to the next day, I work to maintain what I have already started.

What has been most important to me in this first week is the daily consumption of water. Our bodies need water for our organs to function properly, for the blood in our bodies to flow well to all of our tissues that it feeds with nutrients and oxygen. Some debate on whether water is best warm or cold. My stance is this… Drink it however you like it. The main point is to drink it. I did find that drinking the glass of water before my meals resulted in me eating less. So I did tweak my day #2 on day #3 with drinking water with my meals. I drink a decent amount before the meal and throughout the meal and then end my meal finishing my water. I would actually drink more water that way. This morning, I noticed that y skin was clearer, too.

What can you do you do not like the taste of water? Here are a few suggestions to increase your water consumption without drinking a glass of water:

1. Dilute your drinks with water. For example, apple juice mixed 1:1 with water tastes great. Try it!
2. Opt for juices instead of sodas or other carbonated drinks.
3. Be careful with the sugar content of your drink. Try drinks sweetened with stevia or low glycemic sugar alcohols, e.g. erythritol. My favorites are Bai Strawberry Lemonade, Bai Gimbi Pink Grapefruit, and Vitaminwater Lemonade.
   

   Bai Strawberry Lemonade with a homemade steak burrito. Both were delicious!

4. Keep your water cold with an insulated cup or thermos during your workouts. It will taste more like a refreshing treat during your work out.

As for today’s task, plan your meals and add fruit or vegetable to every meal.  Here are 2 tip that I use to keep fruits and veggies in my meal options.

1. Breakfast: Add a banana or sliced apple to your breakfast or have a  breakfast smoothie that contains veggies and fruit.  I love a spinach, blueberry, and strawberry smoothie.
2. Lunch or Dinner: Including a salad, steamed and reasonably seasoned veggies, e.g broccoli, cauliflower, cooked green beans, or soup with vegetables.  Also, I eat more of the vegetables earlier in my meal.

I hope these tips help you, as they do for me. These thirty days are mean to be stress-free and simple ways to improve your health. Modify, as needed to make the small changes in your life that will lead to larger and permanent changes in your health. If you are just joining, use the link below to access the 30-day Healthier Habits Plan.

EM 30 Day Healthy Habit Checklist

The world feels really heavy right now. The stressors of COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, racial injustice, discrimination, the economy (personal, local, national, and global), the educational system, and so many more have reminded me of the value of my health and well-being.  As they say, “your health is your wealth.” Unhealthy lifestyles and habits are not good for us, especially now. We need to be as healthy, both physically and mentally, as possible, for ourselves, our families, and those we serve in our community or at work.  As such,  I have decided to take the month of July to put more emphasis on my health. The better I am, the better I can serve my family, those in my community, and at work, and right now they all need me more than ever.

Today, July 1st (Day #1), I am committing to me, my family, and you to improve my health through purposeful actions every day for the next 30 days to strengthen my body, my mind, and my soul.

My plan for today and the next 29 days is available for download at the link below. I am ready to get started! I welcome you to join me.

EM 30 Day Healthy Habit Checklist

I am the oldest of my sisters. I don’t have any brothers and so having 2 sons was a completely new and wonderful experience. I am enjoying every day with them. I am excited for the wonderful gentleman they are becoming and the possibilities that the future holds for them.

When I was pregnant, friends warned me about how fast they will grow. The best advice given was to pray for them, not only for today, but for the future, as well. I am that I heeded that advice. All of my prayers end with, “may God’s will be done.” The oldest is a teenager and  the youngest is on the brink of his teen years. It does go by fast, too fast. I’m blessed to see how my prayers for them have been answered and continue to be answered.

It is a blessing to be a mother. I cherish the privilege to help raise my sons. It is a joy.

#momofboysforever

The year 2016 did not quite live up to the “sweet sixteen” that many had hoped.  We can always remember the negative so much easier than the positive. Every year brings it own set of blessings and challenges. This is what we call life. We must live it to the fullest. Let’s make a promise to each other to love more, laugh more, forgive more, grow more, and trust God more. I am starting 2017 with open eyes and an open heart.

Love and God bless to you all!