Sunday Funday (3 Tips for a Productive Week)

Sundays are one of my favorite days of the week. As is Monday! But both for different reasons. Mondays are the fresh start, the new beginning, the starting line. You have the chance to set the pace and tone for the week on Mondays.

Sundays? That's the cap of the week. The cherry on the sundae, icing on the cake. It's a chance for me to simultaneously look back at the week, see what worked, and what didn't, as well as look ahead and prepare myself for success in the week to come.

It's a day that I love to use to plan and prepare while I relax. It leaves me refreshed and peaceful instead of scrambling on a Monday morning. And I want to share with you some of my top tips on how I use Sundays to plan ahead!

1. I write down 3 things that need to happen each day of the week. I generally break down my big goals into manageable daily goals, and distribute these throughout the week. Things like meal planning, blogging, and business goals make it onto my daily goals. They can be big or small, but keeping it to three helps me accomplish them and stay on track!

2. I schedule out my workouts. Life can vary week to week, and while I love a consistent routine, sometimes that isn't always possible. So I look ahead at what the week holds and make sure that I have planned out when and what workouts I will do for the upcoming week.

3. Meal prep! This is one that really helps out. Whether I can get all of my meals prepped or not, at least knowing what meals we will be having and getting my vegetables prepped helps a ton! If I have a healthy option available to eat on the go, I'm much more likely to choose that than the unhealthy option. Get as much of your vegetables and fresh produce ready as you can! You can even batch cook chicken and ground turkey to use in recipes throughout the week.

While there are a lot more tips that I could give you on how to use your Sunday to your advantage and prep for the week ahead, I will keep it to these top three! Spending even a little bit of time looking ahead at your week, or even the next few days can ease the stress of the upcoming week and help you break bigger tasks into manageable pieces.

How do you use your Sunday? Do you do any preparations of your own on the weekend? I would love to hear what works for you!

3 Tips to Help Get More Focus

Time. Seriously, is there anything in the world that we want more of but use worse than time? I would argue that there are little things. Especially in our culture these days. We talk a big talk, scheduling our calendars until they are overflowing, always stating that things are "busy and good" when people ask us how we are (I am guilty of this too, by the way!).

In a culture that is captured by screens and constantly on the go and getting things done, it's time to get something new. FOCUS. Distraction free, real, genuine, productive FOCUS.

Let me tell you, it can be hard to come by. Like I said, our schedules are full. Add in five thousand notifications of every one of our phone apps dinging constantly, text messages and emails being received, a running grocery list bouncing through our head, an alarm clock blaring for some reason, the TV mumbling in the background, music playing from our computer.....stressed out yet?

I mean, really narrow in your mind what it feels like to have all of these going on in your life all at once. I know for me, it's stressful. I like moments of peace and quiet, I like my inbox to be sorted and replied to, and I like some organization and clarity.

But a lot of times, my life feels like the other paragraph, garbled, over saturated with notifications and noises and distractions. So lately, something that I have been trying to do is get more focus in my life. Real focus, like no distractions, no dinging, no notifications, no multi tasking, no noise, just concentrated focus.

While it takes effort, the times that I have gotten it right, it is so helpful, and definitely has increased my peace and productivity. I want to share the three top tips that I have from that with you to encourage you and challenge you to maybe try some of these on your own!

1. Work in 45 minute spurts without distraction, and then take a 15 minute break. Studies are showing now that people who work with this sort of schedule, and have focused work with no distractions and then take a 15 minute break are more productive. I have been trying this method and it helps keep me from mentally burning out or sidetracking and losing time. When you enter into this 45 minute/15 minute model, get yourself away from distractions. No scrolling, no multi tasking, just focus in and get it done. Then take an active 15 minute break. Walk around, start at nature, doodle, get away from screens and take a break.

2. Turn your phone on silent, put it in another room, or even put it on airplane mode! It may seem unnatural at first, and you might try to check your phone for notifications, but DON'T. While you are on your 45 minutes of working, make sure that your phone is on silent. So many times it can just be habit to pick up our phones and check, but then get sucked into scrolling and responding and getting distracted.

3. Don't look at your phone after the first hour you are awake, or the last hour before you go to bed. This one has been a challenge, but also very rewarding for me. It used to be that after I woke up, I would scroll through my newsfeed for a little bit and then get to work or do my quiet time. But, time can sometimes slip by way too fast doing this. We get caught up. Same goes for at night! Even more importantly at night, taking time away from screens for the last hour that you are awake will help your body prepare for rest better, thus allowing you to sleep better!

Do you do any of these tips already? Which ones help you focus in the best?

The Inn at Christmas Place

Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring not even a mouse.

Snow was falling softly, but quickly from the darkened night sky above. Sounds were muffled from the streets below as people hurried home to their warm beds. An orange glow filled the night sky, and everything was peaceful. Inside, a Christmas movie playing, and Christmas lights blinking. It was peaceful, and magical.

It would sound like Christmas was here, but in fact, this scene was set last week, in February. Zach and I found ourselves completely in raptures during our adventure to a new to us town, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Our destination, the Inn at Christmas Place. Where the spirit of Christmas is held all year round!

For those of you who know us, you know we love Christmas. It is our absolute most favorite time of year. We may have put up our tree right after Halloween last year. And we got married around Christmas! It is a special time of year that we love to spend time with friends and family and spread joy and cheer.

So when we found out about the Inn at Christmas Place, we knew we had to visit. And finally, our time came to have a weekend getaway at the Inn! We booked our two nights, and drove up early (read er arrived at 3am) to Pigeon Forge because we knew snow was coming the next day.

The Inn at Christmas Place was everything we expected and so much more. From first glance to when we drove off, it was an exceptional experience, and I just had to share it with you all!

Christmas Place is a beautiful hotel, and reminds me of a Bavarian building, all decked out in Christmas lights, wreaths, garlands and bows. And of course, it was even more picturesque because snow was on the roof and ground!

The customer service at the Inn is second to none. When we walked in, we were greeted by some really friendly doormen, and then checked in to our room. We were even given some ornaments since it was our first time at the Inn! We were also informed at every night they put out fresh, homemade cookies for free for the guests. Yes, please!

Walking through the hotel to our room we were taking in every detail. Christmas paintings and art, every floor with a themed center desk at the opening of the elevator, there is even a Charlie Brown Christmas themed area playing the movie all day long!

If we thought everything was amazing to that point, our breath was taken away opening the door to our room. We had a mini kitchen area, cabinets, a spacious, clean bathroom with granite countertops. The beds were decked with a lucious red cover and fluffly white pillows. The TV armiorre was topped with a mino Christmas tree, and the walls adorned with winter paintings.

We were blown away. Never have I ever been to such a unique and special hotel!

Our stay only continued to get better as we took morning dips in the pool and hot tub. We also watched the snow fall from the indoor hot tub! We definitely enjoyed our nightly cookies, an incredible hot breakfast included in the mornings, and to top it all off, time with singing Santa on Thursday night!

If you love Christmas, and especially if you love near Tennessee, the Inn at Christmas place is absolutely worth your visit. The customer service that we received alone was well worth our stay. In our culture these days, you don't always find such great service. But the Inn went the extra mile to make sure our stay was incredible, and boy was it!

We will absolutely be back to visit the Inn at Christmas Place.

Some fun places to visit around the Inn:
-The Christmas Place store! Across from the Inn is a huge, amazing Christmas store! Well worth the visit, even if just to look.
-The Old Mill- a working mill from the 1800's, complete with fun country store and restaurant! Very picturesque.
-The Island- an upbeat section of town with some arcades and even a ferris wheel!
-Smokey Mountain National Park is less than ten miles away! A beautiful place for sure.
-Blue Moose Burger and Wings. Zach and I ate here and it was so good! A sports bar and grill feel, but they have some incredible burgers!

Pigeon Forge itself has lots of dinner and theater shows, Dollywood, and lots of fun seasonal outdoor race tracks, putt putt places, and the like!

So if you are near the area and looking for a fun quick getaway, Zach and I can highly recommend the Inn at Christmas Place!

Who else loves Christmas? 

Post Valentine's Day Tips

Valentine's Day has now come and gone for another year, leaving many a sugar coma in its wake. Roses, chocolates, candy hearts, chocolate fondue. For many, maybe too much of the sugar and rich foods that we normally don't have as much of throughout the year.

Coming out of a holiday weekend can make or break your health and fitness routine. It can go one of two ways. You can move past the holiday and whatever you may have indulged in. You pick up and move on, move towards your goals. Or, you can give up on your goals and continue to indulge in the sugars and treats. Either way, the small choices you make, especially this week, can make a big difference!

I want to share a few tips on how to get back on track quick. These steps are easy to do, and easy not to do. But they will help you get on the fast track back to a routine towards health and your goals!

1. Drink your water!! Hydrating after a weekend of sugar and rich foods is crucial! This will help flush your body and balance if out and get back into the swing of things. Aim to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces every day! If you are really ambitious, try for a gallon!

2. Get rid of the temptation! If you have extra candy or chocolate, give it away, put it in the freezer, get it out of site and out of mind. Clean house and set yourself up for success.

3. Eat your fruit and veggies! Focus on getting in your fruits and veggies every day. Build your nutrients into your diet and make sure that you are getting things into your body that will nourish it!

There you have it, just a few ways that you can quickly get yourself back on track this week! Just because you indulged this weekend doesn't mean you have to throw in the towel. Just pick yourself up, and move on! This journey is all about balance.

So find the balance this week and rock the rest of February! Who else is getting back on track this week?

Drive Time University

First off, let's have a vote.

When you are driving in traffic, stuck in a gridlock, or just taking your daily commute, what do you do? 

A. Turn on the radio and skip through the channels
B. Turn on the radio and listen to the music and commercials
C. Sit in silence
D. Listen to an audio book
E. Talk on the phone, text or look at your phone

First, let me please say that if you text while driving, just say no. I can't count how many accidents or near accidents I have seen because of it. But I'm not about to get on my soap box about that today.

I wanted to share what I have been doing and have found most helpful! I've actually ditched the radio (and subsequent flipping through every channel because they are either on commercial or playing my least favorite song on repeat), and taken to listening to audio books every time I'm in my car!

The average American spends a lot of time in his car over the course of the year. Driving to and from work, to the store, taking trips, and all various kinds of errands. That means a lot of time that you can't do a lot else with your hands than drive, and you can't look at other things because you are watching the road.

That leaves our ears! I used to shuffle through the radio stations but honestly never enjoyed that much. I love music, but I have commercials more. It would get so old!

I have now replaced that with listening to audio books. My own "drive time university" if you will! For work alone I typically drive at least 3 to 4 hours per week. Do you know what you can do with three to four hours when you listen to audio books? 

I've taken "dead time," time that would just be killed sitting in traffic and turn it in an opportunity to learn, and it is already making a huge impact. I love to learn, and this avenue is free or costs next to nothing. And I can choose my own material!

Here are some great places to start looking:

1. Podcast Addict App. LOVE this app! You can search and subscribe to many different podcasts- pastors, teachers, motivational speakers. Put it on when you get in the car and listen while you drive!

2. Audible. This is linked to Amazon! I have not personally used it yet, but I know some friends who love this app and use it to listen to fiction and non fiction a like.

3. YouTube. You can actually find some great motivational material on there, but it tends to be shorter than other apps. I recommend using the "watch later" button to bookmark what you want to listen to and then create a playlist so you are hands free while driving.

4. Physical CDs. Amazon is great for this too! You can find so many books on audio to get and keep on hand in your car to listen to!

If you have never tried this before, I challenge you to listen to one podcast this week on your way to work and see if you don't learn something new along the way!

What's your favorite audio book?

5 Ways to Get Motivated to Workout

There are days where working out is literally the last thing that I want to do. We are all human, and life happens. You get tired, it's cold outside, you have a million other things on your to do list, and working out starts getting knocked down to the bottom of your list.

I used to get to that point of no motivation, and that's where I would give up. In the past this is where I would say "well, maybe I'll just start over again on Monday." And then Monday would never come. Because when you lose momentum, it can be hard to pick it back up. I know, because I have been there over and over again.

I saw a great quote by Zig Ziglar on Pinterest this week.
"People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing. That's why we recommend it daily."

While amusing, it proves a point. Motivation comes, and motivation goes. It's up to us to get our butts in gear, get motivated and more importantly, get moving. While this can apply to virtually all areas of your life that you need motivation in, today I'm specifically going to give you some tips on how you can get motivated to workout!

1. Get an accountability partner or group. Seriously, I am the biggest advocate for this, and not just because I lead accountability groups and coach some amazing people. The REASON I lead these accountability groups is because accountability WORKS. This is the one key that has kept me going for almost an entire year straight now, when before I could barely keep consistent with anything for two weeks. Get someone to keep you accountable!

2. Write it in your calendar. Get your workout in ink on paper, or marked down on your calendar in your phone. You could even set an alarm! Writing it down helps to solidify your plans. Set a specific time for your workout, and try to plan for the full week at a time. Don't give yourself excuses, block out that time and stick to it. You'll be glad you did!

3. Set out your workout clothes before you workout. If you are working out when you first wake up in the morning, set your clothes and shoes out ready to go for the morning. Cue up your DVD, get  your gym bag ready, whatever you need, get it ready. If you work out at night when you get home from work, same thing. Set everything out so that it is ready for you to get into when you come home. The more you prepare, the less excuses you can come up with to talk yourself out of it.

4. Pump up the jams! Find or create a playlist that inspires you. Wake up to it, get ready to it, and workout to it! Music is a great way to work yourself up into the mood and motivation. Keep it ready and have fun with it.

5. Find a way to put a visual up in your house of your goal. What do I mean by that? Well, personally, I have a goal to fit into a certain dress by my husband and I's second wedding anniversary. It's many sizes smaller than I wear, and a gorgeous dress, and it's my goal to get into that dress by the end of this year! Yours could be a pair of jeans, a swimsuit, anything really. If you have it though, put it on a hanger and put it out where you can see it every day to help remind you why you are doing this!


There are just a few ways that you can get yourself motivated to stay in the fight for your health and fitness. Of course there are so many others, but that's a start for you. Above all, remember that consistency is key. Not just with health and fitness, but every area of life.

How do you get yourself motivated to get your workout going? Share below!

5 Tips for Getting Organized

It's no secret that as the new year is upon us, everyone is wanting to get more organized. Just today in fact, I was in line at Target to get a few things, and I saw at least three other people in line with a planner or calendar in hand. Ready to take on the world, one page at a time.

I myself have gone through phases of using a planner, using a calendar, using my phone, going by my memory, having a million post its and to do lists crammed in my purse, and any number of other "methods" I tried to use to stay organized.

But over this past year especially, I have found that I am actually a pen and paper gal, through and through. Writing things down concretely on paper helps me to gather my thoughts, lay out a plan, manage my time, and most importantly, stay organized.

So I became one of those people, planner and three other notebooks in hand, and began to plan and write. I actually had my goals written out, in several places. But I wanted all of my plans, to dos and ideas in one place (or between a notebook and a planner), in an effort to keep life simple.

From all of my experiments, I have a few tips to share with you if you are looking to get your calendar and life organized this year and are determined to stick to it. I could write a whole series of blogs on how to stick with things, but we will start with some organizing tips for now.

1. KISS. Keep It Super Simple!! Whether you are tech savvy and love your apps, or you need a pen and paper, remember above all to keep it simple! The fewer amount of places you have all of your information stored, the better. Try and keep everything in one or two locations to keep you sane. This will also aid in consistency!

2. Write it down. Over the course of your year, you are going to have parties, appointments, to dos, gatherings, meetings, and an endless gamut of things with a deadline. Write it down. Again, whether on your phone or in a planner, write it down. It may seem simple, but sometimes the simple things are easily overlooked.

3. Take one day a week to plan. This may take some time to get in the habit of if you are not used to it. But truly I am telling you, if you take even just 20 minutes one time a week to look ahead at your week and plan out what you need to do, spread it across your week, I promise it's going to take some stress out of your life.

4. Use your planner! Okay, I'm going to break the mold and encourage you to do something that might make you a little uncomfortable. Put the phone down, get your planner (or calendar, or go get one) and a pen, and WRITE. The art of keeping a planner and a hand written calendar has been lost on our culture for a few years. Some people help keep it alive, but the benefits are much overlooked. I'm going to challenge you to try using an actual physical planner for at least one month to see what you think!

5. Prioritize. When you are looking at your calendar and planner, and comparing them to your goals for the year, take each day and each week and see what you need to prioritize to make your goals and "to do's" happen. Breaking your goals down over the entire year makes them much more manageable. So take some time to prioritize your schedule!

There you have it, a few simple tips to get organized in your calendar and life this year as we start off 2015 strong. Stay tuned on my blog and keep following me on Facebook  and on Instagram as I share more tips on how I keep my planner up to date and how I'm working smart to stay organized!

Let me hear YOU weigh in, do you prefer technology to keep your schedule, or are you old fashioned pen and paper like me?

2015 "Dream Big 15"

"If you aim for nothing you will hit it every time." Zig Ziglar coined some wise words when he spoke this phrase, and it's one that I believe to be very true. For the past few years, and especially in the last year, I have grown to love the concept of setting goals and dreams.

Not only is it fun for me to pray about and dream about the places that I am called to go, and set goals for the things I am called to do, but it gives me direction. Without the goals, sure, I have ideas floating around of things I want to do. But I am a visual person, and I need a concrete list in front of me to remind me of the direction I am headed in.

I heard recently in a personal development call for my coaching that to thrive, you need to set at least three goals, and to really triumph, you need to set 12. Well, considering it's 2015 this year, and that's only three away from 15, I decided to make this year's goals my "Dream Big 15."

Fifteen goals and dreams that I am actively working to achieve and make happen. There are a mix of personal, relational, financial, health and work goals in this list of 15. And honestly, I have a few more than 15 goals, and have written those down into four categories (spiritual growth goals, marriage, personal, and business) and hang those on my fridge.

But I wanted to take a minute today and share my "Dream Big 15" with you in hope that it encourages YOU to write your own goals. Give yourself direction this year, I promise, it is worth it. Even if you do not achieve all of your goals this year, you are moving in a direction and can check your progress along the way.

My Dream Big 15

1. Help 60 people on their health and fitness journey.
2. Take two vacations with my sweet husband.
3. Save up for a down payment on a house.
4. Pay off two of our credit cards (working towards that debt free, baby!)
5. Lose 100 pounds and wear my special dress for our anniversary at the end of this year.
6. Read 12 books (at least).
7. Build an emergency fund of $1,000 (Anyone else done Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University? Seriously so good, and this is one of his first tips to financial freedom.)
8. Do at least one "Pay It Forward" outreach.
9. Create community by getting involved in a small group and host monthly gatherings for ladies at our home that foster spiritual growth.
10. Achieve the leadership position of two star diamond in my business by my birthday in May.
11. Achieve the leadership position of five star diamond in my business by Christmas.
12. Become a full time coach!
13. Hike Blood Mountain in north Georgia with Zach.
14. Go camping with my hubby!
15. Have one "intentional day" each month in our marriage. This is where one person picks something that both of us do together that we might not normally do together, but it helps us connect with each other on what the other likes.

There's my Dream Big 15 list for 2015! I am honestly really excited about this list of goals, as well as the other goals that I have set for myself and that we have set for our marriage this year. Something that the Lord has been laying on my heart for this year is "Excellence."

Excellence in everything that I do, in every area of life. Spiritually, relationally, in work, in business, in day to day interactions, in chores around the house, literally everything. So I am ready to put my all into this list of dreams and goals this year and see what God has in store.

If I don't achieve them all I won't be an utter failure, but I know what direction I am going in and I am giving this my heart and am working towards hitting each of these goals! What are some of your goals for this new year? I would love to hear your dreams and goals!

12 Days of Christmas Fitness - Day 8

EIGHT Glasses of Water.

Stay hydrated during the holidays! Getting the proper amount of water every day is important no matter what time of year it is, but around the holidays it can make an even bigger impact!

Aim to drink at least eight eight ounce glasses of water every single day, and that’s the bare minimum. Generally you want to drink half of your body weight in ounces every single day. So it could be less, depending on your weight, but eight glasses is a good amount!

To help get your recommended amount of water in every day, drink a full glass of water when you wake up, a full glass of water before every meal, and a glass with every meal. This will help keep you full, keep you hydrated, and give you energy too!

I’m pretty sure we can all use more energy around Christmas time, so drink up on that water!

How many glasses of water are you going to drink today?

12 Days of Christmas Fitness - Day 7

SEVEN hours of sleep a night.

I don’t think I have to tell you just how important a good night’s sleep is. Sometimes it just isn’t possible to get your full seven hours, but at least make it a point to carve out that time and attempt to get a good night’s rest every night.

Turn off your phones, computers and other screens and hour before bed time and get your body prepared rest! Take a bath with lavender essential oil diluted in the warm water, or drink a cup of chamomile tea to calm you down from the day.

Create a warm, cozy space for you to sink into at the end of the night and sleep away the stress of the day! Not only will a good night’s sleep help you feel better, but it aids in weight loss, your energy throughout the day, and keeps your body working at it’s full potential!

How much sleep do you normally get per night?

12 Days of Christmas Fitness - Day 6

SIX small meals a day.

Spread your eating out throughout the day! Like I suggested earlier on day three, bring three small snacks with you on the go so you have healthy options. Along with that, plan out your other three meals for the day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) so that you can make healthy choices!

If you are going to a Christmas party, eat some veggies and protein before you go so you don’t arrive starving. Drink a full glass of water with each meal to keep your body hydrated and your metabolism revving throughout the day!

Spreading out your meals will help you maintain your energy and help you keep your body balanced, especially as you go throughout your busy shopping, work and errands that you have to get done!

Which meal is your favorite meal of the day?