If you went through the 28 day “A Better Me Challenge” with us, you are familiar with our “secret weapon.”  I call him the secret weapon because he brought us encouragement and challenged us every week to go further, dig deeper, and to be better.  I’m talking about the dynamic motivational speaker and life coach Byron Davis. The sad truth is most people will spend more time planning for their vacation than they will ever spend planning for their life. And we all know that those who fail to plan, are just planning to fail. Today your assignment is to listen to Byron as he teaches us in just 6 minutes about Unleashing Your Heroic Self! Not only do you get a “power shot”, but you also will get the chance to download a FREE copy of “Your Epic Life Plan” which was written by Byron Davis!!!   Listen to the video for more information.

After you watch the video click here to get your FREE no strings attached copy of Your Epic Life Plan! He’s not even asking for your email. Don’t get caught living someone else’s dreams. Journey through this FREE workbook and learn to live your passion, play to your strengths, and take hold of dreams, NOW!
What you waiting for? Get “Your Epic Life Plan!”

FINAL Step- Day 28

Physical

Congratulations!!!! You made it!!

What a wonderful feeling to know that today you are further along than you were just 28 short days ago.  This challenge has taken you through so many things.  I’ll just name a few of the physical steps you’ve taken if you followed along with us faithfully.  You added juicing to your diet (or homemade smoothies), and possibly completed a 3 day juice cleanse.  You started to drink your recommended daily intake of water.  An exercise routine was established.  You’ve incorporated more whole natural and real food into your diets.  Your pantry should be cleaned out, as you dump the junk, and more!  I’m so excited for you.

Today we will be wrapping up our physical part of the challenge with one of my favorite things… SLEEP.  Normally we don’t think about sleeping as something that will help our health and fitness goals, but let me tell you it is extremely important.  The following is taken from a previous post on our site by trainer Nikki Steven (one of our blog team members).  “The National Sleep Foundation reports that fewer than 7 hours of sleep each night is associated with increased risk for obesity, diabetes, and numerous additional health problems. Most doctors and trainers recommend 8-9 hours of sleep per night. Sleep is one of the most important things for muscle growth and tissue repair. When you get at least 8 hours of sleep your body produces the hormone leptin, which regulates your appetite and makes you feel satisfied after a meal. Enough sleep also regulates the hormone ghrelin, which increases your appetite. So skipping on your zzz’s will leave you feeling less satisfied and hungrier for high carbohydrate junk food. When you’re tired your body is more likely to want a quick boost of energy from sweet or starchy foods.  Lack of sleep will also increase your cortisol (stress hormone) levels and may result in an over production of insulin, leading to the storing of unwanted body fat, an interference in carbohydrate metabolism, reduced muscle size, impaired memory, sluggish immune system, and increased belly fat to name a few.”

Need more proof?  Here’s another study about why you need sleep to help you reach your fitness goals?  “According to a study done by Harvard Women’s Health Watch chronic sleep deprivation may cause weight gain by affecting the way our bodies process and store carbohydrates.”  Who wants that?? I love our writers here at Fit Moms Fit Kids Club, one of them in particular always makes me laugh out loud.  Read this short fun and funny post by our writer Wendy Hagen, author of Totally Desperate Mom- Keepin’ it Real in the Motherhood about sleep.  She has some good ideas for you to reach your sleep goals.  (FYI if you want a great deal.. Wendy’s having a special Valentine’s book sale going on now.  You can get  books to give to your girlfriends who need encouragement and laughter in their experience of motherhood… Click here!)

Your action step is to get some sleep.    Your body needs it.

Here are some tips to make sure you meet your sleep goals.

1.  Don’t exercise too close to bed. Instead exercise at least 3 hours prior to bedtime.
2.  Don’t drink caffeine close to bedtime.
3.  Find things to do that help you wind down like taking a bath or reading a book.
4.  Plan your day to get you to bed early enough to get 8-9 hours of sleep.
5.  Don’t take naps in the day if you have trouble sleeping at night.  If you do nap, 20 minutes max.
6.  Don’t eat sugary food. Eat clean and balanced.

Bonus Tip: Ever since I’ve been juicing regularly (which started with this challenge) I’ve bee sleeping soundly, and not waking up during the night.  It began after I did the 3 day juice cleanse.  One night my alarm was going off at midnight,  I was sleeping so heavily I didn’t hear it!   I usually wake up about 3 times a night, and am a pretty light sleeper.  Juicing has changed my life as far as sleeping goes.  I highly recommend adding juicing into your life.  I drink one green juice and one fruit juice a day using my Breville juicer.

If you have benefited from our challenge please let us know in the comments, and tell your friends!  They can start at Day 1.  Send them the following link, or paste it to Twitter or your Facebook page!  http://www.fitmomsfitkidsclub.com/2012/01/a-better-me-challenge-day-1/

Thanks again for joining us on our A Better Me Challenge!

Tomorrow you will hear a short inspirational video from life coach Byron to help you continue your journey beyond this challenge. If you didn’t see the video yesterday from fellow challenger Unitha Muhammed, please take the time to listen to what she learned from our challenge.  Her video was a complete surprise to me! I didn’t ask her to do this, she was just inspired to do it.  If you have a video you’d like to share with us about the lessons you’ve learned let me know. 

Blessings-

Annett Davis

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids

Baby and Big Step 27

Spiritual

What a journey we’ve been on right?  Today I’d like to share with you a video by one of your fellow challengers. I had NO idea that she was going to do this. It was a blessing to see how much A Better Me Challenge has touched her.  The reason I want you to see this is because you can tell she really poured herself into this challenge, as I hope you did. It shows that if you put your mind, body, and spirit into something you can go far.  I hope you enjoyed A Better Me Challenge as well.  Your action step today is to watch this short video by Unitha Muhammad.  After the video read the rest of your assignment below.

Part two of your action step is to write in your journal the lessons you have learned over the last 28 days. It may take a few days for you to complete all of this. Take your time, don’t rush this. This is very important. Taking note of where you have come from and where you are going is extremely important. Give thanks for your growth, for what you’ve accomplished. Accept grace for where you’ve fallen short. If you stopped the challenge at some point, start back up again. In a few months, revisit your journal entries to see how far you’ve come.

We’d LOVE to hear from you. Please share any lessons you’ve learned with us below in the comments, and/or on our Facebook page.

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids

Hi Ladies!  I’m excited to tell you about a blog post I did over at OnceAMonthMom.com.  She has a series going on there about gradually switching over to Real Whole Foods in 2012.  The series is called “Get Real.”  Each month has a new topic and reasons why to switch.  This is something that I have wanted to do for awhile, so I will be following along with the series, eliminating things as the months go on.  Take a short detour over to read how I did this month on the “Get Real” series action steps.  Click Here!

Baby and Big Step 26

Mental

Today is your final metal action step.  I struggled trying to figure out what I could leave you with.  After much thought and deliberation I decided that I would encourage you today.  I will be giving you little tidbits of wisdom, and hopefully inspiration.  We’ve had some tough steps along the way, as well as some fun ones.  What I think we all need most is a mindset of determination.  We also need to continue our journey with truth and grace.

A lot of times during this challenge people have written me discouraged because they didn’t see changes in their bodies after just 2 weeks time.  Remember ladies it didn’t you 2 weeks to gain the weight, or lose the muscle definition you once had.  It won’t take you a month to be back to your goal weight looking like a rock star either.  Getting to our goals takes patience. (I’m talking to myself here too.)

When you look in the mirror and don’t see what you’d like to see, that’s a great time to practice grace.  We all fall short, we all make mistakes, you aren’t any different.  Give yourself a little grace.  Forgive yourself.  Love yourself.  This may be a revelation for some of you who are perfectionists, YOU ARE NOT PERFECT.  You weren’t created by God to be perfect, you will never be perfect. If you were you’d have no need for anyone else.  You’d be the only person on the earth because you’d be able to do everything alone.  No need for husbands, children, God, friends.  Sometimes just being able to accept that and believe that you aren’t perfect will take weight off of your shoulders.  Just because you have made mistakes doesn’t mean that you cannot still reach your goals and dreams.  You mustn’t be so hard on yourselves.  I know I’ve said it once, but I must say it again, give yourself a little grace.

Don’t be complacent. Sometimes we decide that we are okay right were we are.  That place could be 30 pounds or more overweight.  Honey, that is not okay.  Your body was made to run an an optimal level.  Would you accept it if your husband was kind of faithful to you?  No!  It’s not okay if he’s not 100% faithful.  Your relationship is unhealthy otherwise.  Likewise, you are unhealthy when you carry too much excess weight, and are not fit.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Don’t get comfortable and be satisfied with being stuck in your current situation, when being healthier is possible.  Would you like it if your child, whom you knew could do better, didn’t apply themselves and got a D average in school?  No, you wouldn’t let that happen.  You’d encourage them to do better, to do more.  Ladies, I’m encouraging you to do better, to do more.  This challenge is about becoming A Better Me, the best that YOU can be.  Don’t settle for less.  You deserve more, and so does your family from you.

Own your stuff. This challenge is about facing the truth, the good, the bad, and the ugly.  What things have you been holding back from achieving or striving for during this challenge.  Have you still not forgiven?  Is your pantry still full of the same stuff that made you gain the weight in the first place?  Have you not implemented a workout plan?  Are you working harder and smarter when you workout?  Do you need an accountability partner because you’ve decided you just can’t do it alone?  Are you not drinking water, and snacking late at night?  Whatever it is, you need to own your stuff.  You need loving truth tellers in your life to help you walk into your destiny.  The new rule for you in your life is that there will be no more complaining, and no more blaming.  Take responsibility for the only thing you can control in life…yourself.  One powerful thing I heard in a sermon by Mike Breaux yesterday was “self deception + self reliance = self destruction.”  We cannot lie to ourselves anymore.  We must face the truth, and be honest with ourselves at all times.  We cannot depend solely on ourselves, we got ourselves in this mess anyways 90% of the time.  You need support from God, your friends, your family, someone who you can depend on.  As I have said so many times before, YOU CAN DO THIS (but you don’t have to do it alone)!

Your action step today is to journal about what’s still holding you back from moving into the direction of your goals and dreams.  What lies are you still telling yourself.  What is the truth behind the lies.  What needs to be done to turn things around in your life?  Who is your support (your truth teller)?

Annett Davis, Olympian & Founder of Fit Moms Fit Kids