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Being a new mom often makes you push your own personal wellness priorities to the back seat. But for how long can one use the excuse “I’m a new mom,” or “I’m too busy to take care of myself like I used to?” I’m no longer allowing myself to make any excuses in regards to my health. In my opinion, 2013 was all about Itty Bitty, and 2014 needs to be about Tall Mom.

Slowly but surely, Tall Dad and I have been making healthy choices for our family. We have begun eating a more Paleo centered, less sugar and refined foods, diet. I have our freezer stocked with healthy easy options from Pre-made Paleo, and I’ve been better about taking my daily vitamins.

Next I needed to focus on getting more sleep and more exercise…which are, in my opinion, the hardest health habits to fix.
Why? Becuase they both take time, and planning. Neither of which I feel like I have a lot of right now.
I was inspired by my friend Alison of Long Distance Loving to purchase a UP 24 by Jawbone band. Alison explained to me that it acts like a pedometer, tracks how many steps you have taken, and ALSO tracks your sleep. She also challenged herself to walk 10,000 steps for 100 days – mind you – while she is pregnant!

So I researched the fitness band a bit more, as well as it’s competition – the Fitbit Flex – and decided to purchase my own Up 24. A couple days later, it arrived, and it has only left my arm when I shower, swim, or one night at a wedding.

I downloaded the corresponding app on my phone, and it automatically syncs with some of my other favorite health related apps – like MyFitnessPal, MapMyFitness, and the Walgreens App.

Walgreens actually gives Balance Rewards for healthy choices – and they can all be synced through the apps that I already use!  For example, I earn 20 points for each mile that I walk, and 20 more points when I weigh in. I also earned  250 points for syncing  my Up24 to my Walgreens Account!  I am getting rewarded with points just by setting my health goals and tracking my progress! I get Balance Rewards for not only my purchases, but now also healthy choices that I make each day.

At my most recent trip to Walgreens, walking and weighing in saved me $5.00 off of my bill. I used some of that to purchase a balloon for Itty Bitty!

So what exactly are my goals? Well, like Alison, I’d like to walk 10,000 steps each day. Plus, I’d like to protect my skin from further sun damage, and get in approximately 8 hours of sleep each night. So here is what I purchased to help me succeed:

Yes, there is a copy of TV Guide. Tall Dad and I are slightly obsessed with the new show Outlander – and even have a podcast for the show 😉 I figure it can be something I can read to calm down at the end of the day…and maybe I’ll dream of being in Scotland. 

Here’s how I hope to accomplish my goals:

Almost every morning, I wake up, throw on some deoderant, wash my face, take my vitamins and throw on some sunscreen.  Then I feed Itty Bitty, and take him outside for a nice long walk. I love strolling the streets of Providence. Sometimes we take a nice walk down Blackstone Boulevard. 

Othertimes we walk up and down our neighboring streets, checking out all of the pretty flowers, houses, and say a little hello to the friendly dogs. 

Providence is a perfect city to go for walks in. The Blackstone Boulevard is my favorite spot, but strolling anywhere along the East Side is a pretty walk.  There are several parks, some with letterboxes hidden inside.  India Point Park is another one of our top picks, and we spend time there running around and playing catch by the bay.

Once I’m done with our walk, and head on inside to eat my own breakfast. Sometimes I plan for our next day by checking out the nearby fun routes that other people recommend. 

After a long day, my UP24 app reminds me to try to get to bed around 10pm so that I can aim for my 8 hours of sleep goal. If needed, I will take some melatonin to help fall asleep. 

I honestly love living in Providence – it’s full of arts, culture, fantastic people, and also has an environment that promotes being healthy!  Are you hoping to make some healthy choices in your city? Do you already track anything, or are you hoping to start?  Let me know about your own progress!!

Talk again soon friends 🙂

#BalanceRewards #CollectiveBias