How to Be the Best Me

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Sejoyia, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CocoRoonsAtWalmart http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

Back in 2012, I went to my first blogger conference. I was a bit of a newbie {I began writing part-time in 2010}, and I remember the focus of the conference being Work-Life Balance. At that time, I had a 2-year old at home with me, a 6-month old I was breastfeeding around-the-clock, I worked part-time for a local non-profit, I taught college courses from home, and I was trying to really get my blog going. With all of that happening, I clearly knew nothing about actually finding balance. But now that my kids are both in school full-time {Kindergarten and 2nd grade} and I focus primarily on blogging full-time, I’ve finally learned how to balance it all. Well, as best as possible anyway. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to take care of myself better. Because what I’ve learned is that I cannot be the best mom, the best wife, the best friend, the best employee… if I don’t give myself the opportunity to be the best me.

Organize My Schedule

This is crucial to achieving work-life balance so I can be a fully functioning individual. With the kids in school from 7:45 – 1:45, I have a nice chunk of time each day to focus on all that needs to get done. Every evening, I create a To Do List for the following day. It’s basically a schedule that includes specific work tasks {photography, writing, social shares, email, shopping for blog supplies}, kid tasks {volunteering at their school, preparing materials to help their teachers}, home tasks {laundry, dishes, taking care of the dogs, paying bills}, and an exercise schedule. I cross off each item as I go, and if something was not completed, it gets added to the next day’s list. I also keep a calendar on my computer and a spreadsheet that includes payment for services and budget for materials. I feel great when I am able to tackle most items on my daily To Do List.

Exercise Routine

Figuring out a great exercise routine is one of the best ways I have learned to take care of myself. I go to the gym about 5 times a week, and I track my progress as I go. I divide my exercise into three different components: weight-lifting, stretching, and cardio. I try to mix up those components throughout the week by choosing one or two each time I go. For example, Monday I generally attend a class called “Strength Challenge”. It’s 30 minutes of lifting. After that, I try to get in about 20 minutes of cardio {either by doing the bike, rowing, or treadmill}. Tuesday, I attend a 60-minute “Body Flow” class which is a combination of yoga, pilates, and tai chi. My body feels really relaxed after that, so I usually do about 20 minutes of weight machines after that. Exercise is the best physical and mental health break I can give myself almost daily.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Of course, taking care of myself goes beyond just completing my daily To Do List and exercise. It’s also about what I eat! I try to work on meal planning {not my strength, but I know there’s almost always Taco Tuesday on my schedule}, but we tend to do our grocery shopping over the weekend, so that I at least have fresh proteins, vegetables, and bread for the week. Staying hydrated is necessary, so I’ve been working on taking a water bottle with me wherever I go. I tend to be a grazer, so it’s important that I find healthy snacks to enjoy throughout the day. I recently found an absolutely delicious treat for myself that is organic, made with coconut and cashews, and made without refined sugar: Sejoyia Coco-Roons. I have tried three different flavors now, and they are all absolutely delicious. They remind me of cookies that I used to make myself from-scratch in the past, but now I can just grab a pouch while shopping at Walmart in the gluten-free section.

Take advantage of the $0.75 off ibotta offer when you purchase 1 Sejoyia Coco-Roons at Walmart, while supplies last!
Also, get an additional $.50 for redeeming the rebate on 3 different shopping trips!

The Brownie and Lemon Pie varieties are available at most Walmart stores. Lemon Pie is light and refreshing and Brownie is made with organic cocoa, so it has a delicious, rich flavor. Seriously… grab a pouch or two. They are my absolute favorite new snacks.

When I take good care of myself, I’m able to give more of myself to the people I love. Weekends are for family time. We go to the farmer’s market together, visit local parks, attend events around town, and just enjoy make memories together. We love living in our new town {we moved about two months ago} and look forward to all of our future adventures as a family.

What do you do to be the best YOU?