He & She Eat Clean | Healthy Recipes & Workout Plans

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Clean Eat Education: What Does Your Produce Sticker Mean?

Education, ShoppingWhitney Carlson1 Comment

Do You "Self Sabotage"?

EducationWhitney Carlson3 Comments

Are you a victim? Do you have the best of intentions, but the second you get close to meeting a goal, you sabotage it because it's easier to give up rather than fail? It's called "self sabotage" and it's one of the main reasons most of us fail to meet our fitness and weight loss goals. Sounds familiar? Keep reading!

Although those pesky "toxic" friends and family may be making it hard for you to stick with your diet and your normal fitness routine, it's ultimately you who needs to take responsibility. Learn to recognize your own "self sabotaging" behaviors. Fight the fight against yourself! after all, you are the only tangible being that can make YOUR dreams come true!

Common Self Sabotage Behaviors

1. Blaming others for your shortcomings. You didn't have time to prep food on Sunday night? Chances are, it wasn't your best friend that kept you out of the kitchen for an hour when they stopped by to chat - it was that hour or two of recorded TV shows on your DVR!

2. Self doubt. Have one of those pesky voices in your head that tries to tell you that you can't do something every time you start to daydream that you can?  Squash it! You don't have to listen to it - after all, you control your thoughts!

3. Setting unrealistic expectations and/or goals. Do you have a tendency to overextend yourself? Work best under pressure? With things like health and fitness goals that take time to perfect and reach, you set yourself up for failure before you even start if your expectations are unrealistic. Do yourself a favor and set realistic goals with realistic time frames.

4. Giving up before you get started (or before anyone notices). I can tell you right now - I do this! It's hard to live like this - just DON'T! Search your heart and learn what is important to you and don't give up. If you do fail and someone notices, it's just a learning experience. Everyone fails - you have to give yourself the right to fail.

Ways to Combat Self Sabotaging Behaviors

1. Tell your goals to a friend you trust. Your friend may not share your desires and you may not be working toward a common goal; however, you can still be of use to them and they to you. Tell them how you need help and offer to reciprocate by holding them accountable for reaching a goal in their life. REMEMBER - Don't judge their goal!

2. Write it down. Do you like to journal? Are you a list keeper? Keep a list every day of the tasks you need to accomplish. You can even prioritize them! I keep mine on my phone and just delete them as I mark them off. Not only is it therapeutic, but when you start the day with 20 tasks and you have 2 to complete by the time you start getting tired, you really learn that you can do much more than you ever expected. Confidence boost right there!

3. Give yourself positive affirmations. When is the last time you looked at yourself in the mirror? Do you know WHO you are? Are you the kind of person that rushes out the door in the morning? It may sound corny, but give yourself just one minute each morning to say something positive to yourself and you will be amazed on your outlook for the entire day.

4. Don't be afraid to fail. This may be easier said than done, but it can be accomplished! Do your best each day - that means accomplishing as much as you can on the "to do" list, starting with the most high-priority and easiest. Tell yourself that you are working toward something and that if you don't succeed the first time, it's not the end of the world. There is always tomorrow. Think about what went wrong and fix it!

Are Your Cleaning Products Really "Clean?" - Recipes to Help You Clean

Lifestyle, Most PopularWhitney Carlson37 Comments

It's hard to go from using your old cleaning products to new, natural ones! I found myself wanting to revert back to what I know works - bleach, formulated granite cleaners/polish, chemical-laden window and toilet cleaners, but alas! Here are my favorite "recipes" for disinfecting your home!

In case you want to copy and paste these recipes to a word doc, here they are in text format! 

All Purpose Cleaner

Stir/shake to mix well. Use a squirt bottle for optimal usage.

Dusting Spray

Stir/shake to mix well. Use a squirt bottle for optimal usage.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

Place ingredients directly into toilet. Mix gently with bowl brush. Let sit at least 30 minutes before scrubbing. 

Granite Cleaner

Combine in a squirt bottle.

Glass Cleaner

Stir/shake to mix well. Use a squirt bottle for optimal usage.

Tub Cleanser

Place salt directly on grapefruit half. Scrub your tub!

Grout Cleaner

Mix in a small, open container. Using a toothbrush, apply paste to grout and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Rinse off.

Not sure what you need to get your Green "Clean" Cleaning Pantry stocked? Check out our shopping list from yesterday's post!

Do you have a favorite green cleaning recipe to share?