Maintaining Healthy Choices All Year

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It’s crazy to think that we are already heading back home after four days of visiting family. We have had a simple time – we haven’t done too many things, but I think that sometimes it’s the little moments spent together that create the biggest memories.

Saturday evening my Dad took us to a park in Canyonville. It turned out to be at the old abandoned grade school tucked away close to a mountain. Apparently the fields still get used for sports games, but it’s pretty primitive - even the track is just an old circle of dirt. The building is all boarded up, but the play structures remain for kids to enjoy. They are a mixture of pretty old and fairly recent structures, set underneath big trees.

Dad and the kids had fun swinging and going down the old slides – enjoying the freedom of a playground secluded with no one there but us. I decided to walk the old dirt track a few times. It’s been a tough summer with maintaining my health; my workouts have been fewer and farther between and now that summer is winding down and I know that I need to keep maintaining and step up a little more with all of the kids going in to school full time next month. Last summer I began using the Balance Rewards for healthy choices™ app and it made it easier to keep track of the choices I made on a regular basis – and I think it’s going to be great to help me achieve my health and fitness goals during the hustle and bustle of getting into a new school routine this year.

Walgreens launched the Balance Rewards for healthy choices™app in an attempt to help their 80+ million cardholders modify behavioral risk factors that are associated with many urgent public health issues. With the Balance Rewards for healthy choices™ app you can make every healthy choice rewarding – and you can regularly track yourself to reach goals, and the initiative rewards members for things like walking, weight management, and more.

As I walked the track I just looked around, observing my surroundings and letting the peace of the moment sink in. As much as I am a “go go go” person, once I finally get into a relaxed mode I do end up feeling better. Kids don’t always need to be doing something fancy or extravagant to have a good time – and sometimes just some outdoor play in an abandoned school with their grandpa is all they need.

                                    

Besides the app, some other ways that I plan to do to maintain my health after school starts back up are:

Keeping more water on hand – I have a difficult time drinking enough water on a daily basis, and I know that it’s easier for me if it’s easy to grab and ice cold. I’ve been trying to keep a couple bottles in the freezer as well as the refrigerator so I can just grab one when on my way out the door.

Minimizing late night snacking, and getting a little more sleep – I KNOW this has been a tough problem for me (and many parents) in the summer! The kids are home, going to bed late, work gets put off – and I find myself staying up even later to try and get caught up on everything, and then I’m always more apt to eat something because my body is craving energy to keep going, when what it really needs is sleep. This I’ll definitely be working on more – once the kids are in school and we have a better routine!

Having the stuff I need at home so I don’t have any excuses – I can pretty much talk myself out of everything if I wanted too. Things like aches, pains and allergies really keep my motivation away, so keeping products on hand to help eliminate those excuses is also a good way to help maintain health. Things like Motrin, Zyrtec, Benadryl, Neosporin, and Band-Aids are always things that should be kept in the house to help out.

Right now you can earn 2,000 Walgreens Balance Rewards points ($2 reward) when you buy any two J&J Healthy Essentials participating products from 7/26/15-8/29/15 - and you can start getting points today for your healthy activities at Walgreens.com/healthychoices

Have you been doing a good job maintaining your health this summer? What tips do you have to keep motivated? Comment below – I’d love to hear!

~Melissa