Month: October 2019

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Beginners Guide to Weight Lifting and Gym Life

This post  may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclaimer for more info.

 

If you’ve never been in a gym before, it can be very intimidating! Here are a few simple steps to boost your confidence before you walk through the doors into new territory!

Fat burn

If you have been in the gym for awhile, but never had anybody help you with some basics, you might find something here for you, too!

I know how daunting it is to walk into a large gym of seasoned gym rats and trainers, and know nothing.

I remember how overwhelmed I felt and how stupid I felt when I couldn’t figure out what some of the machines were for, how to use them, or how to adjust them to fit me. And just like middle school, you feel like you should already know and don’t want to appear dumb, so instead of asking someone for help, you skip that machine as if it weren’t leg day, and pretend it’s arm day and use something a little simpler. I’ve been that girl.

I’ve also been that one that did one set of arms, half a set of legs, some abs, and then something else, totally not knowing what body part I was working, just to keep moving and make it appear as though I had a plan and knew what I was doing. Been that girl, too.

But if you’re a newb, you might not even know a thing other than, you want to get in shape and a gym seems a good place to start!

Well, let’s get to work then!

 

TAKE THE TRAINING SESSION

First things first, when you sign up for a membership, sign up for a free session with a trainer.

Yes, the free sessions are an attempt to get you to sign up for training, and if you want a trainer, do it! But if you don’t want to pay for a trainer, sign up and show up, for that first couple of introductory classes anyway, just to have somebody that knows the gym and equipment to show you how to use the equipment with proper form. It makes all the difference in the world when you know your way around the gym and equipment.

 

WEAR PROPER CLOTHING

To some of you, this may seem like a duh. And if you don’t need this tip, skip right along, grasshopper. But, if you’re already insecure about going where you’ve never been, you don’t want to stick out like a sore thumb.

When you sign up for a gym membership, find out what the dress code is!

This way, you don’t get embarrassed when you walk in the door with a (sports bra and flip flops?) and get approached by the big guy and sent home.

Don’t go to the gym in any sort of jeans or stiff, loose, clothing. You will need clothes that allow you to get into awkward positions and move freely without lumps and bumps to work around. Good form is a must for safety. Your form is more likely to be compromised when wearing uncomfortable clothing,  just by trying to get away from the discomfort.

 

beginners guide to weight lifting

SHOES

When buying shoes, ask the person in the shoe Dept for “training shoes”. Running, walking, casual, and training shoes, are all different. It does make a difference!

 

 

beginners guide to weight lifting

LOUD NOISES AND SLAMMING WEIGHTS

Loud grunting, no matter male or female, is not attractive, and in some gyms not even permitted. There’s no need to be obnoxious. It won’t bring the sort of attention you’re looking for. When you’re pushing or lifting heavy weight and an audible exhale of relief slips from your lips, this is different (and fine). You will know what I mean once you get there. You’ll see (hear) both.

Slamming or dropping weights is also a no. It ruins the equipment, again draws unnecessary attention, and in general is just rude and unattractive. You’re also more likely to hurt yourself, or those around you, if you do this. You may even get asked to leave, depending on what gym you’re at.

 

FORM AND SAFETY 

If you don’t have a trainer or a friend who is knowledgeable on what good form is, do yourself a huge favor and Google how to have proper form when using gym equipment and weights!

I am not going to be the one to give you those tutorials here, but study this before you start.

Proper form is for your safety!

Trust me, depending on how bad your form is, you can (and will) injure yourself, possibly for life, if you do not understand proper form and technique.

This is also another good reason to sign up for training for the first month or so, especially if you’ve never in your life worked with machines and weights.

 

SLOW DOWN

Faster is not better. Along with good form comes good lifting technique. This includes a slow, steady pace of up and down, or push and pull, at the same, steady, speed. Again, a trainer can explain this. But as a general rule of thumb, when lifting, you want a 2-0-2, steady rhythm and speed when doing your reps.

Count slowly 1, 2, 0(here you’re at the “top” of your move) 1 , 2.

When you’re throwing your weight around recklessly (with speed), you’re out of control and more susceptible to injury. You’re also not giving your muscles the proper training of endurance and load to grow adequately and evenly.

Building muscle means loading your muscle properly, and strengthening is done with endurance by gradually loading on more weight as you get stronger over time. This happens after about 2-6 weeks, depending on your fitness level in the beginning.

 

LIGHTEN UP

Heavier weight isn’t always better, especially for a beginner! When you are starting off, start light. Don’t worry about what others think about you. At the beginning you need light weight, – sometimes even no weight – with high reps. Once you’ve mastered this with good form, you can then increase your weight and lower your reps. (All of this in more detail later). Again, this will be 2-6 weeks from starting, depending on your fitness level at the beginning.

 

CARDIO MACHINES 

As I keep saying, good form is necessary, not only for injury prevention, but also for gaining results.

There are a lot of cardio machines and options. All of them need to be used with proper form, but I am going to point out just two common machines that are used a lot and very often with bad form.

Treadmill:

The treadmill has a button that will change the incline. This will change your position from walking on a flat surface to up a hill. It can be slight or very steep, depending on what you want. When you use this button, never hold onto the handlebars to hold your weight so that you can lean back while walking. This is terrible form and potentially dangerous. If you increase the incline, you should always walk on the treadmill exactly the way you’d walk up a hill with no handles, leaning forward. If this is too hard, don’t use an incline until you have the leg strength and cardiac endurance to walk up a hill at a steady pace. 

Stairmaster:

The stairmaster is one of my favorite’s. It also has handles for safety reasons. But they aren’t there to lighten the load. It is better and safer, to keep your speed slow, rather than speed it up and hold on in an unnatural position. Walk up the stairs the same way you would if you were walking up real stairs: standing in an upright position. Never lean (hunched) down while supporting your upper body weight on your elbows, forearms or hands.

If you are too tired to stand upright with good form, slow down, take a break or stop for the day. 

CLEAN UP AND PUT AWAY WEIGHTS

Finally, wipe down and clean up your area before you leave to go to a new machine or location. It is rude and inconsiderate and just gross, to leave your sweat behind for the person that comes after you.

Always put away your weights.

ALWAYS.

Everybody is at a different level in their fitness and have different goals and workouts. Some move quickly and are on a timed workout that requires moving from one place to another in a timely fashion. Having to work around someone else’s weights, or re-rack someone else’s weights before they can do their set, slows them down and is just very irritating and also inconsiderate.

Also, if you are a large man and using heavy weight, a nice little lady coming behind you that does not have the strength that you have, cannot use that machine because she is unable to rack those weights. Always think of others when you are moving from one machine or location to another.

SHOULD YOU LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE JOINING A GYM? 

Losing weight before joining a gym is absolutely not necessary!

A gym is for all body types, on all fitness levels, and for people that have all sorts of goals. It is a great place to start, no matter your fitness level.

You do not need to lose weight to walk into a gym, just like you don’t need to be saved before walking into a church, or be healthy before going to a doctor.

Check out several gyms before making a decision as to which one is for you. There are just about as many gyms as there are personality types, so take your time.

weight management

 

If you have any other questions, I’m here to help! Hit me up on any of the social media platforms you enjoy the most. I’m on (almost) all of them. . .  Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest ,Linkedin, and balance8life.

 

 

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Balance8life in Motion

Balance8life In Motion

 

Balance8life in motion is simply that. It is always changing, evolving, moving, shifting, and never is one position of balance maintained for a long period of time before another one comes in to take its place.

Balance8life is actively engaging 8 expressions of health to our daily routines for true completion. It’s a dance. It’s a touch and go. It will always be in motion, and you will never stay in one place for too long, or the balance will slip away.

Balance8life is an orbiting cycle of balance and harmony within our minds, our souls, and our bodies as well as our emotions.  

REST

It doesn’t seem that important, especially to teenagers, who, ironically, need more sleep than adults. There are so many things that distract all of us from getting the recommended 6-8 hours of sleep.

To name a few: caffeine, alcohol, eating too heavy of a meal too late into the evening. A new relationship,  sports, TV, partying,  school, worry, anxiety, health issues, snoring, poor air quality, light, noise, or lack of, etc.

Read this article for tips on how to have better quality sleep.

Once you’ve truly had a good night of sleep, the next thing to do, the first thing in the morning, is . . .

WATER

Start on your first 32 ounces of water as soon as you get up. You’ll be surprised how quickly you can get through that much water in the morning.

EXERCISE

Some people have a very difficult time hitting the gym first thing in the morning, so this is only an example schedule, but not the only way to work this.

My boyfriend and I head to the gym before the sun is up, and really enjoy it as an energizing start to our day. When you hit the gym in the morning, you don’t need coffee!

NUTRITION

When I get home from the gym, I eat. And breakfast is supposed to be the biggest meal of the day. I admit, I don’t always make it the biggest, but I do always have a nutritious meal. It’s simple and definitely not overly complicated.

I typically have granola with soy or almond milk, topped with berries or other fruit. I make my own granola and load it up with nuts and seeds. Oats are great for lowering cholesterol and for keeping it in check.

My typical breakfasts look a little like this: granola with soy milk and fruit, and maybe a bagel or toast. Scrambled tofu (vegan egg substitute), homemade muffins, pancakes or biscuits and gravy. All whole wheat, all low in sugar and very high in protein, fiber, and carbs for energy. (You gotta have carbs y’all, it’s a total must!)

MEDITATION

This is my weakness and simultaneously one of my favorite things to do. The reason is, I have a difficult time just being still. I feel like if I’m not doing something productive, then I am being lazy. So I probably need this the most out of all of these. The others, for some reason, just aren’t that difficult for me to do on the daily.

The thing I have to keep in mind, is meditation is being productive. It is being productive in the way of strengthening and rejuvenating the spirit and emotions.

Meditation centers our self in a way that protects our thoughts, our emotions, and our positive vibes!

I don’t know about you, but I really need this a lot. When I do meditate, my day always goes so much better, uplifting, and all around I tend to be more focused on the good in others rather than the negative.

Something else that I love about meditation, is that it doesn’t take long, and you can do it along with the the next two components of health: sun and fresh air

SUNSHINE

We  need our vitamins, and we get these in our veggies and fruits, but vitamin D comes from the sun! And vitamin D is what enables our bones to absorb calcium. We kinda need that; I like the idea of being up in the gym still well into my 70’s and beyond without broken hips and such.

So while you’re meditating, all you need is 10 minutes in the sun to get all the Vitamin D you need in your day. That’s it!

For more about the benefits of sunshine, read my article What is the 8 in Balance8Life?  And, The Bright Side of Sunshine. 

FRESH AIR

Fresh air is calming, it cleanses our minds and gives us perspective, plus it cleans out our lungs and our homes. Fresh air is the perfect setting for elevated meditation. Combine meditation in the sunshine and fresh air, and you’re accomplishing 3 things at once without much effort at all.

 MODERATION

At the end of my day or week, or both, I like to do something for me. This is when I do lazy, or indulge in a cheat day, activity or food. Or whatever it is that I normally wouldn’t do.

Moderation has to be applied to everything in our day, all day long. Work, (ehem… talking to me here) the amount of food we eat, the treats we indulge in (and when we indulge), the people we are around, the thoughts we have, the amount of time we sleep, and how much we play. Without moderation, we simply can’t have a balanced lifestyle.

And this, my friends, is balance8life in motion. 

 

It doesn’t matter how you go about fitting these things in your day. You can exercise in the sun and fresh air, you can sit and work in the sun and fresh air, you can exercise in the later part of your day, the point is, all 8 elements need to be incorporated daily for the ultimate balance experience.

And keep in mind, it is a dance; a touch and go experience. You will have perfect balance in a moment, and your next moment could be complete chaos.  But the more you incorporate these 8 methods into your day, the more you will find yourself in moments of balance, and the moments will last longer, the more you bring them back around.

Have fun, don’t stress. Stress will break the momentum. Just do it.

I’d love to hear how you make this work for you! I’m a real person and I like real people, too! So hit me up on any of the social media platforms you enjoy the most. I’m on (almost) all of them. . .  Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.

 

 

 

 

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How to Be Real (Positive)

 

How to Be Real (Positive)

Today I am trying real hard to be real (positive)! But it is a real struggle!

The thought crossed my mind . . . “How does positive equal negative?”

Let me re-word that. 

How is it possible for "positive" things to turn 
your in-ward thoughts negative?

This was a thought I had (and processed for some time) when I was laying lazily on my bed thinking negatively about my day. (I was on Instagram, just FYI). I thought that all I had focused on was (mostly) positive, so I was puzzled as to why I was feeling so negative!

As I pondered this weird thought, I realized that I had attached the word “positive” onto things that weren’t. . . real.

For example:

A girl with an airbrushed face, (or filter) in a professionally taken photo at just the right angle, wearing the perfect outfit, with a huge smile on her (perfect) face, writing, “positive vibes” in the sand. . . and I feel. . . inadequate!

Why? Because I suddenly feel like I need that face, that body, that outfit and that sand, to feel positive vibes!  *You can fake gasp here*.

Sometimes when I read all these “positive” quotes, see pictures of perfect bodies, see other people’s positive encouragement on instagram, and read blogs about how positive of a life the blogger has, I start to wonder if it’s real and, “what’s wrong with me?”

But this is where  positive and fake are friends but shouldn’t be. (Didn’t anybody teach positive how to choose friends wisely!?)

Positive thinking equals positive feelings and vibes and people dig that st**f! But. . .

. . .  positive has to stay real!

 

Your body and actions follow your mind and thoughts. Everything we truly ponder and think about somehow shows itself in our actions – on our face. There is a reason why they say that if you think it, it will be so.

If you say you can’t, you won’t. If you set your mind to something, you will find a way to do it. Say “I can do”, whatever it is you’re wanting to do, but how real were you about that “can do”? And when you “couldn’t”, did you stop? Or did you figure out another way to accomplish the “can do“?

I see this all the time with my kids. “I can’t get good grades”, and they don’t. Why? Because they don’t care, and don’t put forth the effort to study. It has nothing to do with what they can or can’t do. I took away some pretty important privileges and we’ll see how those grades change soon. (I’ll have to report back later, this is still happening as I write.) But it’s not about can or can’t here, it’s about where the mind is focused. 

 

Here are a few tips on how to stay focused on the positive and keep it real! 

    1. BE REAL (POSITIVE)

Positive thinking has to be realistic. You can’t tell yourself you’re going to lose 50 pounds in three months when it took you 3 years to put it on. “I can lose 50lbs!” Is real positive! “I can lose 50lbs in 2 months!” is turning a positive thought and attitude into a quick negative when it doesn’t happen.

Be real with yourself when you see or read positive vibes in a perfect world. There’s no such thing as a perfect world, but there is such thing as positive thinking in an imperfect world! It really makes it a lot easier to deal with, trust me! It isn’t easy, but it is possible! (Tell yourself you can do this! *wink*)

2. ACT IT OUT

Positive thinking has to bleed into your actions. You have to act it, feel it, fake it till you make it. Allow your thoughts to seep into everything you do, and you will eventually feel it even when you didn’t to begin with.

3. TAP INTO YOUR P0WERS

Humans are power packed beings filled to the brim with strength. Mental, physical and spiritual strength. But, just like muscles, strength grows with practice, repetitive behavior, endurance and consistency.

Tap into your powers, the mind strength, and override old, negative habits of thinking you can’t! Then, once you say you can do, believe you can, then you start going on a scavenger hunt within the labyrinth of your mind to find the open doors and windows, channels and alleys, that are the “can do” freeways.

You are stronger than you think you are. We are all stronger than we give ourselves credit for.

It’s all about the focus and belief. You can’t half way do this.

4. FIND THE FIRE

If you can’t get motivated, find out what it is that will put fire under your donkey. It’ll buck and get mad, but it’ll move! Go with it!

5. SHARE

When I am having a bad day and I walk into Walmart (that’s enough to put anybody in a worser bad day) and some stranger smiles. . .  I don’t mean one of those fake things. I mean one of those big, genuine, real deal smiles, it kinda does something to me! What about you?

Share a smile, give positive vibes even if you’re not feeling it in the moment, and watch out. Positive vibes actually start to be real!

If you have any positive vibes to share, I’m so down! Please send them my way anytime! I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.

 

 

 

 

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How to Reduce Belly Fat Naturally

and soul

How to Reduce Belly Fat Naturally 

How to reduce belly fat (naturally) is something that can be so frustrating and equally quite challenging! It is one of the most difficult things to do, no matter who you are.

People can lose weight, exercise, eat right, and can still just not be 100% satisfied with their tummy.

Today, I am going to give you a few tips on how to reduce your belly fat naturally.

weight management

OMIT 3RD MEAL

The number 1 thing I focus on when trying to reduce belly fat, is not eating before bed (this includes mid-day nap as well!) When I know I want to fit in a “skinny dress” a week ahead of time, I will not eat a third meal. Eating no later than 4pm is ideal for losing belly fat.

 

Photo by Edward Franklin

EAT FRESH

Maximize your fresh fruits and vegetables and lower the amount of fats and sugars consumed. Things that are heavy/dense and high in protein and fat, sit in the stomach longer and need a lot of digest time. Eat those earlier in the day and eat salads, soups, smoothies and low calorie foods late afternoon/early evening when you’re eating your last meal.

Photo by Anna Pelzer

 

NO SNACKING

Snacking adds belly fat.

I have known people that snack regularly, that have asked for help with losing that extra belly fat, but don’t think snacking is the problem. When I tell them to cut out snacking, I often hear, “but it’s just apples and carrots.”

No. Snacking. No matter what it is you are eating, if you want to reduce belly fat, no snacking ever.

“Only 100 extra calories daily are capable of adding 10 pounds per year to one’s weight”, Dr. Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.

To  understand better why it is that snacking and drinking other drinks between meals is not a good idea, read: Snacks and Eating Between Meals, an article written by Dr. Agatha M. Thrash.

One other thing to keep in mind as far as snacking goes, don’t eat while cooking. It can really reduce your appetite. Once you sit down to eat, you won’t eat as much, but you’ll be hungry before it’s time to eat again, and will be more likely to snack and eat between meals.

DRINK WATER

. . . but not with your meals.

“Many make the mistake of drinking cold water with their meals. Taken with meals, water diminishes the flow of the salivary glands; and the colder the water, the greater the injury to the stomach. . .The more liquid that is taken into the stomach with the meals, the more difficult it is for the food to digest; for the liquid must be absorbed. . . the enzymes necessary for digestion can function optimally only at body temperature. If the temperature gets either too hot or too cold, the enzymes can’t function well and thus digestion is slowed.” Dr. Agatha M. Thrash, M.D.

You should get 8-12 cups of water a day, and anything other than water between the meals is going to add belly fat. Getting 96oz of water in a day can be very difficult sometime, but I gotchu! Check out, How to Drink 96oz of Water in a Day, here!

If drinking water really isn’t your thing because of the lack of flavor, check out, 5 Ways to Yummy-Up Your Water.

 

detox for your mind body and soul

NO DAIRY

Dairy is one of the most popular culprits for causing water retention.

As we get older we lose the enzyme required to break down and process milk sugars, and as a result, this can cause bloating.

When Dr. Agatha M. Thrash M.D. talks about weight control, she says: “Eat no form of animal products.” Period.

Cheese is the one thing that can really cause belly fat. It is a high fat food that doesn’t digest well at all. If you want to have a particularly “skinny” day, stay away from cheese for at least 3 days prior to “skinny day plans”.

 

EAT TO LIVE, DON’T LIVE TO EAT

Food is fuel. Just like gasoline isn’t needed when the car  already has gas in it, our bodies don’t need food when we’ve recently eaten. Even when your car is on “empty” you can still drive 30-50 miles. Our bodies are the same. Fuel (food) is for energy and nutrients.

Enjoying your food is great, but it is not a need. The true “need” is simply the nutrients.

Before you eat (or drink) anything, ask yourself: Do I need this? Or do I just want this?

 

Food in blue bowl

CARDIO

Nobody just loves cardio. (Well, that’s a blanket statement, I am sure some people do). I don’t. But if you’re wanting to trim and slim the mid section, I suggest you start to learn how to fall in love with cardio, or at least tolerate it, because nothing is going to trim down the extra like a consistent regime of aerobic activity!

The key to getting cardio to work is, do it for more than 30 minutes, and do it no less than 4 days a week.

Low impact cardio is best for beginners, people who have had injuries, are overweight, have back or knee trouble, and for those who are over 50-60 and have not been physically active for some time.

Suggestions for low impact cardio are: swimming, riding a bike, and power walking.

For more on How to Get a Flatter Stomach, I highly suggest this easy to read article which offers more foods to stay away from, exercises to perform and other great things that help tighten and flatten that tummy!

 

maintaining weight

 

SabraIf you have any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear them! Please reach out to me anytime! I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.

 

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8 Steps to Improve Your Quality of Sleep

8 Steps to Improve Your Quality of Sleep

 

Whether you’re going to catch some Z’s, crash, hit the hay, get some shut-eye, hit the sack, go nod off for a spell, snooze a bit, turn in, or . . . just catch forty winks, all you want, is just to sleep!

Whatever it is that you like to say when you are about to go to bed, it all means the same thing, and that thing often doesn’t happen for a lot of people, at least not in the way they want it to!

There are a lot of reasons some of us can’t fall asleep, or wake up in the middle of the night, unable to fall back to sleep. It can be a busy mind, medication, work, kids, stress, health, etc. But I’m going to give you just a few tips that I hope can help you improve your quality of sleep!

REGULARITY

As annoying or uncool as it may seem, our bodies are actually extremely responsive to habits and regularity. When these get all messed up, it throws off our circadian rhythm.

when we follow a regular schedule, our bodies become accustom to it and our quality of sleep tends to be much better.

In a Neuroscience and Biobehavioral review done by Zelinski El, he says, “Health problems can result from a disturbance to the circadian rhythm.”

 The circadian rhythm is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours.

Although the circadian rhythm is built-in, it is adjusted to the local environment by external cues, which include light, temperature and redox (chemical reaction) cycles. This is why we are able to adjust when we start staying up later, working nights, travel, etc.

Symptoms of depression, high blood pressure, migraines, and other health issues and diseases, worsen, when our sleep cycle is interrupted. Even one night of missed sleep can create a prediabetic state in an otherwise healthy person.

CAFFEINE 

It takes 4-6 hours for the body to metabolize caffeine, which is a stimulant that can disturb a good nights rest. Just 1 cup of coffee (even early in the day) can still effect quality sleep.

If you’ve decided to quit drinking caffeine altogether, it can take 2 weeks and up to 2 months of being off of caffeine, before the detox process is complete. During this phase, you may find it very difficult to sleep, even though you’re not consuming caffeine at all.

ALCOHOL 

Initially, a drink helps most people fall right  to sleep. But did you know that, even though you fall asleep quicker and sleep sounder right away, it actually reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. And the more you drink before bed, the more pronounced these effects. REM sleep happens about 90 minutes after we fall asleep. REM sleep is when you dream. It is also the part of your sleep that strengthens your immune system. Deep sleep is “for your body” and REM sleep is “for your brain”.

Because alcohol messes up the natural sleep patterns in our bodies, the quality of sleep is compromised.

WATER

Dehydration causes your mouth and nasal passages to become dry, setting you up for sleep-disruptive snoring and a dry throat. A lack of water can also lead to night time leg cramps that can keep you awake.

On the flip side, drinking water too close to going to bed can keep you up at night visiting the bathroom. So be sure to get those 96oz out of the way, starting when you wake up, tapering off later on in the day so that you’re not super thirsty right before bedtime!

DIET

An investigation showed that a diet containing fresh fruits and vegetables, low saturated fat, and whole grains may be optimal for people wanting to improve sleep quality.

Woman exercising

EXERCISE

Physical activity improves sleep quality and increases sleep duration. Exercise also reduces stress and tires you out, making sleep sweeter.

FRESH AIR

Fresh air can actually increase your immunity levels, preventing from a lot of common sicknesses, and of course if you’re well, you’re going to sleep much better. It can also reduces stress, and I don’t know about you, but stress makes my nights awful!

BE THANKFUL

A positive thought pattern promotes better sleep because your mind is more accustom to peace and gratitude. When we worry and focus on the negative things in life, sleep becomes harder to achieve because the mind is too busy worrying. Practice positive thinking and gratefulness before bedtime to put your mind in a worry-free state.

If you have any thoughts or questions, I’d love to hear them! Please reach out to me anytime! I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.