One thing we sometimes forget to do when mapping out a HUGE goal we have whether that's a health/fitness goal, weight loss goal, business venture, family goal, etc.... is CELEBRATE the wins along the way.

Celebrating ALL the wins is something I learned which helped me tremendously on my health journey. simply celebrating small successes.  For instance, with every 5 pounds, I would treat myself to something...

• a full body massage

• a new facial mask I have been eyeing

• an avocado t-shirt

• a pair of @JCrew shorts to show off my hard work

• a night to binge watch my favorite tv series (don't judge, it's currently Castle)

Here’s the kicker though, I did this ONLY with my health journey or with the kids goals… but NOT with my business.  What?!?

That’s completely bonkers, right?

With every goal I set for myself with my digital entrepreneurial business, I would break a HUGE goal down into bite size bits.

Then when I crossed off one of the smaller...

It may sound a wee bit, like, duh... schedule your life. And you may not even do it or you may only schedule a few things, thinking "I'll just remember ___ (insert mundane task) ___."

However, if we are being real here - if it's not scheduled, it is 86% likely to get missed by miss. So, I schedule it.

one of my absolute favorite things to do is to wake up early on Saturday morning and attend a local farmer’s market. I have absolutely NO idea why exactly… it’s not like we visited lots of farmer’s markets growing up. actually, I think my first ever farmer’s market was when I living down in the West Indies.

I remember one of my friends invited me to the local market down in the metropolis of Basseterre on the island of St. Kitts. it was a small market filled with local finds, fresh fish displayed on the side walk and goat heads hanging. I was in AWE!!! and I loved every minute of it. gathering fresh coconut bread and produce I haven’t even tried before let alone known what they were… hello, bread fruit! that’s delicious.

anywho. when I moved back state-side with the hubster, one of the traditions we created was to attend local markets on the weekend… and being in Raleigh, NC I got SPOILED! they have freaking phenomenal...

Take a beat to unplug from social media... the tele... what have you + spend a few moments in silence.  Reflecting on the day... and the good which came to be.

Did you grab groceries... bump into an old friend... get a letter in the mail which made you smile... stumbled upon a hilarious quote... wore two socks without holes in the toes... progressed in your handstand project... able to spend a few minutes coloring with your littles... got told "I love you"...

some thing GOOD happened... no matter how big or small

Trust me, I have had some pretty shy-tee days with a lot of roadblocks and mountains to climb... but the point is to shift your focus to the good... see the good.  There's something there.

Which brings me to this HEALTH HACK: End the day with gratitude!

In the book, “The Better Brain Solution” it mentions eating a cup of green leafy vegetables every day will make you (on average) 11 years physiologically younger than someone who doesn’t!

{ did you hear that... someone just shut the front door }

Some leafy greens include: spinach, kale, brussels, swiss chard, etc.  Now, I like to sneak spinach/kale into smoothies... toss them into scrambled eggs... serve as a big sass salad with a droopy egg on top. DELICIOUS!!!

Anywho. 
Leafy greens are loaded with fiber. vitamin K. folate. potassium. antioxidants. anti-inflammatory props and so much more.

How do you sneak leafy greens into YOUR plate? Need ideas, love.  Just ask belowor drop me an email...

NOTE:  one of my superpowers is getting my kids to eat veggies (the other superpower is speaking pig Latin fluently.) ightra?!?

Which brings me to this HEALTH HACK: Aim for at least 1 cup of leafy greens a day!

In a 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas at Austin, Admiral McRaven said:

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.”

Anywho.  This brings me to the HEALTH HACK: Make Your Bed Each Morning

Powerful words, love. The simple task of making your bed first thing in the morning also has been linked to increased productivity, lowering one's stress level and improving one's mood as well as better quality of sleep.

It's a small task. Why not try... for a week to see how making your bed FIRST thing in the morning helps you! You in?  If you want to watch the video... here you go!

alright.

we are going to get the huge elephant out of the room FIRST... this recipe calls for dairy.  { GASP OF HORROR }.  it's true.  I said it... there.  in our household, we strive to keep dairy off our plates, but it happens.  we are human + before the Gillies, our 5yr old twins entered our world... mama + daddy loved them some dairy, particularly cheese.  

it wasn't until our journey into optimal brain + gut health, I realized MY belly doesn't tolerate dairy products well.  um... Amber, let's be real.  I knew my body didn't tolerate dairy well early on in life... for instance: 

1.  unfortunate incident at boyfriend (now hubster) family's fishing cabin... where I was meeting everyone for the first time + they served me homemade vanilla ice cream by the GALLON.  it may not be a gallon size but it took a toll on my gut + there is a hilarious story which developed from there.

2.  at a veterinary job interview, I met my...

dudes + dudettes.

one question I tend to get DAILY is how do I typically break my fast!  well.  let's pump the breaks love.  first.  if you want to know why I tend to skip breakfast, you can score the details HERE! 

otherwise, let's move on.... shall we?  

now.  I love a good breakfast which includes:  eggs, avocado and leafy greens... it's one of my FAVORITE ways to kick off my nutrition; however, with this summer's schedule.  I am finding it a wee bit challenging to travel with my droopy eggs in a bowl.  and avocado doesn't really keep well in the ice-chest.  

that being said, I needed something to keep me FUELED UP with our fast-paced summer routine + energized to throughout the mid-morning/afternoon until I could hanker down for lunch... and lunch is typically around 2-3pm and is a BIG SASS COBB SALAD!  

anywho. 

I wanted to make sure the smoothie contained a few key things for optimal brain health... blueberries,...

dudes + dudettes.

there's a lot of questions popping up in my inbox about how I sneak vegetables into our Gillies, now 5yr old twins, menu.  and one way is through something we call, "emerald sunshine" in our house.  

it's basically a green juice we stumbled across on Kris Carr's website yet made a few tweaks based on mama's tastebuds + trial n' error.  isn't that how MOST good things are discovered?!?  

anywho. 

it's also important to note, that while we have been using this juice for prolly four years now... I recently came across an article which stated the following:  

by the year 2050, the United States will have 14 million people needing full-time care for Alzheimer's disease?
 

shut your face, right?!?  

just to be it into perspective: that number is roughly the entire current populations of New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago put together.

I had to read this somewhere, it wasn't common knowledge for me... I'll try to source it,...