Renee Booe Photography

I must confess that over the past few months I have not been eating very well. Ok,”very well” is an understatement. I have been eating horribly. Let me demonstrate. We eat at Buffalo Wild Wings EVERY Sunday! That is just one example of how poorly I have been taking care of my body. And as much as I want to I can not blame it all entirely on football season.(the reason we are at BW’s all the time) So I decided it is time for a drastic change! Thus, begins my clean eating challenge.

Here is my plan. For 1 week I am not going to eat any processed foods. My diet will consist strictly of veggies, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats. Now I know what you are thinking. 1 week is not very long. I do intend to do this for 3 entire weeks. But I know myself and I have to start small or I will feel overwhelmed and not make it a day. So I am challenging myself to make it through the first week. That is all that I am focused on now, just the first week. Small steps.

I plan on using a menu that I found in an issue of Oxygen magazine. It is a very strict plan that was designed to help people lose 10 lbs in 21 days. That is really not my ultimate goal. Yes, losing weight would be nice, but my main focus is getting back into the habit of eating good foods and taking care of my body. I know normally if you lose  more than 2 lbs a week that the weight is likely to come right back.  That is not what I want!

So I am blogging about this to keep myself accountable. I struggle with sticking to food goals. I love to snack. I love popcorn and chocolate. I enjoy having a beer with my pizza. I am a big fan of ice cream.  Sadly, all of these foods are super processed and off limits for the next 3 weeks. Yikes. So I am going to need your help to keep me focused.

I will blog about my experience from time to time. I would love for you to comment and encourage me. Tell me about your healthy eating habits. I would also love to know your favorite exercises and perhaps even healthy recipes.  Let’s keep each other in check.

Before I go let me share with you one of my favorite health and fitness magazines, Oxygen (http://www NULL.oxygenmag NULL.com/). I love Oxygen magazine because it really focuses on diet and exercise. The magazine is a big advocate for weight lifting which some women are intimidated to do. But I believe that if you read this magazine you will learn that lifting weights can really change your body and be quite empowering. This magazine is hard core and helps keep me motivated. Check it out for yourself. They even have a blog (http://www NULL.oxygenmagblog NULL.blogspot NULL.com/). Super cool.

Why am I just now hearing about this?

I am sure that is what you must be thinking. And I am almost embarrassed to admit it, but I just recently learned about TOMS shoes. I know, I know! I am a little behind the times. But better late than never, right? Well I now know about this amazing company and believe that it is doing remarkable things for this world.

Allow me to fill you in just in case you are like me and haven’t heard about this company and it’s mission. TOMS Shoes is a shoe company centered around this premise: with every shoe you buy, TOMS will give a pair of new shoes to a child in need. Isn’t that amazing! You buy a shoe and you directly help a child in this world. I have researched this company a bit in the past few days and I have found that it is doing very well. People are buying these shoes and children across the globe are receiving shoes for free. I strongly encourage you to check out the website and see for yourself! I love it that young business men and women are creating profitable companies that are focused on making a difference in this world. The TOMS shoes story is encouraging and inspires me to strive to make a difference in this world in my life and in my business.

Here are some samples of TOMS Shoes. CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE WEBSITE. (http://www NULL.tomsshoes NULL.com/default NULL.asp)