Battling Obesity Head ON!

It's a difficult war to fight... the war against Obesity.  Trying to get people healthy when they have been stuck in a rut of overeating and overindulging is very difficult.  We've also become slaves to our technology (she said as she typed on her netbook, while glancing at her smart phone).  Another issue are the armies of people with supposed quick fixes to being overweight.  Belly bands that suck in the fat and make you thin (yeah right), pills that trap excess fat in your stomach while you eat (tried them back when they came out in 1998 they are BS), diet pills like dexatrim or xenadrine (hello heart attack waiting to happen), energy drinks loaded with things to raise your BP and heart rate, and a whole bunch of others.  I have tried all the magic remedies.. and I've tried fad diets.  Diets in general will only make you fatter than you were when you started.  You have to come off of them at some point.

So, when you offer to someone, "Hey, I can help you.  All you have to do is: Exercise, eat right, and come to me when you need support."  and they all of a sudden think you are lying or scheming on them.  This could not be further from the truth .  Do I make a commission if someone buys from Beachbody through me? Yes, but the REASON I became a coach was first and foremost to help people.  It is what keeps me going when 40 doors are slammed in my face.  When people have yoyo'd so much they have whiplash, they are really afraid to try something new.  But, in truth... the Beachbody challenge is nothing more than doing what the food pyramid and government have been saying to do for years. Exercise, eat a balanced and portion controlled diet.  Beachbody just happens to throw cash incentives, job opportunities, AND support in the mix to HELP people succeed.

Truth be told, in my opinion I don't care what exercise program you do, as long as you are consistent, and you do it daily mixed with proper nutrition, you are going to get healthy and fit.  For most of us, fitness is something we must work for every single day.  I just try to be there to help those who really want to work for it... because that is who I am.

Small Business Owners, LISTEN UP and GET KNOWN!

If you are a working parent, and part of your work consists of running a business, you may have fallen on hard times.  You may be having trouble finding clients who are willing to take a chance on your service or product.  Marketing has become much more difficult during these rough economic times.  Your products and services may be amazing, and life changing, but if you don’t know your target audience… if you don’t know how to talk about your products/services, how in the world are you going to get the word out and keep your business afloat?  There are a lot of options out there to help you get your edge, or teach you the basics.  Social media has become THE force in marketing, and if you are not using it, you are missing out, and potentially falling behind.

I want to take a minute to give a shout out to a business I came across on Facebook: 

Direct Impact

Direct Impact is run by a woman named Stephanie Little Ball, a very intelligent and amazing woman in my opinion.  She offers help to teach you HOW to talk about your business, to set up Facebook pages, set up Linked In accounts, Etsy pages, and more.  What’s more is that she will meet with you or correspond if you are outside of her immediate area.  She works with you and your budget.  The reality is that business is a risk, and if you are unwilling to promote your business, you have taken an unnecessary risk.  If you believe in yourself and your business, seek to educate yourself on the best way to get your business known.  I implore you to get in touch with Stephanie, at 260-442-7730 or her Facebook Page at : http://www.facebook.com/pages/Direct-Impact/525001930862729?ref=ts&fref=ts

You will not be sorry you did so.

Direct Impact is located in Fort Wayne, IN

The untold anxiety (until now) of being a mom

I don't know about many of you, but there are are times when I wonder, "Am I totally screwing up?"  I look at my kids who I cannot seem to get to listen to me, and I wonder what I am doing wrong.  I do not spoil my kids, and I do not give in when they whine.  But somehow they think they do not have to listen to me.  I've tried talking on their level, I've tried yelling, I've tried spanking, I've tried grounding, and time outs.  I worry that I am not doing enough sometimes.  I worry that I am screwing up both of my daughters.  There are times when my kids are so unruly that my friends say something to them.  I welcome this, because I think maybe it will shock my kids into behaving... but I am embarrassed when it happens on a small level.  I don't have the answers.  I have no idea if I am doing things right with my girls, I just hope I am.

There are times when I think I am being too hard on my girls, and I feel like the biggest jerk, and I just wish I could travel into the future to double check that the punishment, or the reprimand I just dolled out was the right one.  So much worry goes into parenting.  I laugh at myself worrying so much, because there are all of these younger people out there having kids and those kids grow up just fine... and without all of this neurosis..  Maybe I am neurotic, maybe I'm odd when it comes to my kids... but my main goals are:

To make two well adjusted human beings
To raise 2 kids who can look back on their childhood with fondness and also for pointers when they have their own children
To instill a good sense of right and wrong, and hone their moral compass
To have two nonjudgmental children who believe in the life liberty and the pursuit of happiness by any person who seeks it.
To raise two intellectually amazing girls who understand the worth of their inner beauty above all outward appearances.
To show them what it means to love, and to be loved... to forgive and be forgiven by those you hold dear, and to be able to tell me when I am truly being overbearing and to trust them just this once ;)

It's a tall order, but I'm trying my hardest to make sure this all happens.

Taking time for yourself -Nick Mom

     So the other night my friend asked me about this new show on Nickelodeon called Nick Mom.  The question was whether I had seen this show and if I enjoyed it.  To be honest, I haven't truly formed an opinion.  However I wanted to call attention to the tagline, "Take time for yourself".  I don't know about you, but I don't think about Nickelodeon when it is my turn to watch television.  By the time my little angels are placing their docile heads (yeah right) onto their pillows, I am ready for some American Horror Story, Walking Dead, Face Off, or some other show I absolutely cannot watch when they are awake.  This being said, I have watched a bit of this show because it comes on right after their 8 pm show ends.  So here are some good points about the show:

Stand up comedy - this is a hit or miss.  You may have a bunch of hysterically funny comedians, or they may be terrible.  If you cannot sit through just one comedian, turn the channel and commence normal adult program watching.

MFF (Mom Friends Forever): These two are only mildly annoying to me, but they may be the perfect hosts to someone else.  Trying to stay positive about this show, but honestly its like every other reality tv show that talks about moms.  http://www.nickmom.com/tv/mom-friends-forever/

Comedy sketches are pretty amusing and entertaining.  I actually really do enjoy Parental Discretion when I catch it. http://www.nickmom.com/tv/parental-discretion/videos/parental-discretion-cringeworthy/  .

All in all, I don't go out of my way to catch this show, but if something catches my ear before I change the channel, I would watch it.  Below you will find the promo for this program.  I am not sure if this program plays on Cable, but it does for Directv.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbPPVaHqsSQ


Reader Comment Question of the day:

What do you do to take time for yourself?

Grocery Shopping on a Budget

Ever have those weeks where you dread going to the grocery store, simply for the fact that you know your bill is going to be outrageous?  You are in the same budget-conscious boat as most people.  Families spend a ton of money every week at the grocery store... and lets be honest, we don't all have time to clip coupons and match up items to an excel spreadsheet each week.  For families with 2 working parents, where time is short and budgets are low, we need more options.  This is where grocery stores like Adli, and Compare Foods comes in.  I have done a video about Aldi and posted it to my Youtube Channel.  My username is LRebaglia.  You can find my channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/lrebaglia?feature=mhee .  Subscribe, and enjoy.  I will try to get to Compare Foods to take a video and compare them to Aldi for prices.

A little info on Aldi:

1. You must bring a Quarter to get a cart. You get this back at the end of your trip when you put the cart back.
2. You must bring your own bags. If you do not have reusable bags, Aldi sells them at the register.
3. You must bag your own groceries
4. Some items are seasonal, and you will only see them during that season. Stock up when you can
5. Aldi accepts only cash and Debit Cards - No Credit and no Checks 

Aldi can offer the AWESOME discounted prices because they do not offer all of the bells and whistles of a typical grocery store.  There is no butcher, no bakery, no balloon counter, no florist, no baggers, and no coffee shop.  You can buy everything at Aldi that you usually buy at large chain stores, but for much less money.  They sell groceries, flowers, electronics, household items, and seasonal items.  Produce is where you see the biggest difference.  In North Carolina, at Food Lion, ONE green bell pepper sells for $1.50, and we're lucky, $.99 on sale.  At Aldi, you get 3 for $1.99.  Strawberries usually cost $3.99, $2.99 if they are on sale.  You can buy them for $1.99 at Aldi.  The savings really start to add up.  Aldi is an AWESOME store to shop electronics at Christmas time as well!!  Stay tuned for a review of Compare Foods, coming next week.

For information on store locations visit:

http://www.aldi.us/us/html/service/store_locator_ENU_HTML.htm?WT.z_src=main

Compare foods: http://comparesupermarkets.com/store-locator

Cheers, and happy savings!
Lisa