results are in

Congrats Team. You did it! 24 days of challenging yourself to change your habits in the way you cared for yourself...and along the way I hope you found out by caring for yourself better, that you can better care for others too. So everyone is asking...how do you feel? So lets answer them!

I personally, feel pretty good. I went into this with the main goal to gain more energy, feel alert and awake. Be strong all day to tackle what chasing four kids all day takes. And I can truly, most honestly say...I feel great. I really do sleep better, I really do have a more sustainable energy all day. I really still am in the tired days of little years with these kids, but my stamina is much stronger then it was. I love feeling good. I am energized to go about my day not so worn down, overwhelmed, and exhausted. And the bonus? I lost 3 pounds, lost 3 1/2 inches off my waist line, lost 1 1/2 in off my hips, lost 1 inch off my legs, arms stayed the same, and lost 2 inches from my chest line. Not bad for 24 days!

Not only do I feel good and lost a few inches, but I learned so much too. Some of my high-lights and lessons along the way...

1.) 24 days is longer then you think. Better to look at it one week at a time or you might fall off the challenge bus before it gets to the end. Also, if you aren't willing to follow the nutrition plan recommended as well as take your Advocare products properly, you will probably fall off the challenge bus before day 24 too.

2.) Body cleansing is awesome! I have wanted to do a cleanse for a few years, but have had so many excuses not to. Including not wanting to spend money on myself to "feel better".  I loved this part by day 10. It made my body feel so much lighter, cleaner, alert. My husband and I did this part together and I loved that too...for many reasons. Totally worth it for us.

3.) Food is so much more then food to so many people. When it comes to food and bodies, everyone has a story to go with this theme. Maybe my favorite part of this journey with the team...tackling what food is for us and grasping what God intended food to be. Much, much to be learned here.

4.) Eating healthy does not have to be boring. But it does take practice to get the hang of it and be creative with it. And 24 days will definitely help a person get a new set of habits lined up to keep nurturing as you go forward.

5.) I would HIGHLY recommend doing this challenge with at least a partner, if not a team. Lots, lots, lots of questions, ideas, encouraging, brain-storming and so on goes on... I think if you have never done a challenge and are thinking about it, I would strongly encourage you to get a partner at least. There is a lot that happens here and it was so helpful to have a group I could turn to with questions or ideas or thoughts as we walked through it together. And I think some people will just succeed better with a group around them.

6.) Being careful of what you consume isn't only for our stomachs. Our hearts are worn down too, often times by what we let fill it. When we start to care for our bodies, our hearts need good nourishment too. And there is truth in physically, emotionally, and spiritually feeling better as one whole package.  Again, so much learned here.

7.) I was totally a Spark fan before this challenge. I now can confidently say I fell in love with a few other products that have really helped me take care of myself. I love the Core-plex w/ Iron multi-vitamin (like a good prenatal for me while breastfeeding), the Omega-plex vitamin with amino acids (I never eat fish so this is a great option for me), the Probiotic Ultra (to help with maintaining the good bacteria in the intestines), and last but not least...catalyst. I didn't start taking catalyst until half way through the challenge and then I saw a big change in my over-all inches slipping away and my afternoon sluggish time disappearing. I've been so happy with these Advocare products!

8.) Counting my gifts as I make what I eat count helps my heart stay focused. Knowing what matters, who matters, and that now matters as does 10 years from now...what I do now really is impacting not only how I live today, but days from now too. And I want to fully be present to see these 4 kids launch someday and know I've done my part to care for the body God has given me to use for His glory.

9.) I'm not gonna lie...I am totally getting a chocolate cheesecake blizzard from Dairy Quenn today. Just a little victory treat for me :)

So any challengers that want to share...now is your chance! Leave a comment, let us cheer for you, and I'm so proud of each of you!! Whether you made big changes or little changes...you started some where...24 days really can build new habits. Take it from here, team!

Also- Stay Tuned for a Surprise Give-Away and Future Challenge Opportunities!

closing time

The challenge is coming to an end. But with every ending is a new beginning and I hope that this is just the start of something new for you. While you gave yourself 24 days to be challenged in how you ate, what you drank, how you cared for yourself… my hope is you will give yourself a lifetime of providing your body with the nutrients it needs to sustain itself and to flourish.  24 days will get you started in the right direction, but it is the days after that will define how you really want to care for yourself. 

What will keep you going…?

If you enter this next phase with the expectations that you will never have cravings for junk food again or you will always have a bundle of energy to use or you will always fit into those skinny jeans or you will always have a healthy food option in front of you…you will fail at going pass 24 days and staying healthy. You have to live. You have to be flexible. You have to know your goal for over-all health and live from there.  You have to make the small changes where they can happen and know the small steps to living better will make a big beautiful journey towards better living.

In our culture we face each day with the pressure to go big or go home. But as years pass for me and I grow older, I am seeing more and more that small…simple…slow…is where the biggest steps in life happen. Embrace what doing little things for yourself can do to give you a life that is so very full… full of living well. Eventually you will realize that by staying with the little things, you have created a bigger way to live. And it is so very good.

So take that journal out that I hope you still have. And today, as closing time is almost here, write down the little things that are making a big impact on your life as you strive for healthier living. What are you doing that feeds your body so well? What are you doing that feeds your soul so well? Write these down and start here when day 25 arrives.  Don’t feel like this has to end, when this could be the start of something very wonderfully new.