Last Day....

Live Happy Etsy Shop

Etsy shop sale...Today only!

FOUR amazing Etsy shops with HUNDREDS of Christmas items! Today only score 15% OFF your ENTIRE purchase!

Customized Jewelry, Christmas Cards, Holiday Decor, Children's Toys and much much more!  Don't miss out on this ONE DAY ONLY event!

{use code: merry15 at checkout}

Here are the links to the shops:

My details: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MyDetails

Pink slip inspiration: https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkSlipInspiration

The Little Mommy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheLittleMommy

Live Happy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LiveHappybySarai

Christmas Collection Now Available!

 Sparkle & Shine Trio Charm Bracelet available here

Customized Initial Necklace available here

 Ruby Red Sterling Silver Earrings available here

Snow White Sterling Silver Earrings available here

Silver & Gold Trio Charm Bracelet available here

Happy Holidays

Make your holidays sparkle...new holiday collection

Stay tuned for our Chrustmas collection...coming this week!

Day 6 Photo Challenge: A Favorite Thing-SPARKLES

November Photo Challenge

Join me  for this months photo challenge!

If you Instagram #livehappyphotochallenge

Makeover with McKinli paired with our Mama Bird Necklace

Fashion blogger McKinli Hatch styled our Mama Bird Necklace with her fall wardrobe and I'm loving the results!  Our Mama Bird Necklace is hand stamped to boast the initials of your children or grandchildren. 

For 30% off this item and many  more at Live Happy's Etsy shop use code:

MCKINLI30{valid through Saturday}

 

Motivational Monday: Fitness Series Finale: Pregnancy Workouts

Welcome the Fitness Series Finale!  The inspiration behind our pregnancy workout finale are my two sister-in-laws who just announced they are both expecting!

If you have missed any of the previous fitness series you can find them below:

• Week 1 here
• Week 2 here
• Week 3 here
• Week 4 here
• Week 5 here

DISCLAIMER: I am not a Physician and I am not offering medical advice.  Consult your healthcare provider for questions about working out while pregnant.

BENEFITS OF EXERCISE DURING PREGNANCY

• Boosts Mood
• Improves Sleep
• Reduces pregnancy aches & pains
• Helps prevent & treat gestational diabetes
• Prepares you for childbirth by strengthening muscles and building endurance
• Makes getting back into shape after baby much easier

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends pregnant women exercise at least 30 minutes a day most days of the week.

13 RULES OF SAFE PREGNANCY EXERCISE

• Check with your healthcare provider first
• Take in extra calories
• Steer clear of dangerous sports
• Wear the right clothes
• Warm up
• Drink plenty of water
• Don't lie flat on your back
• Keep moving
• Don't overdo it
• Don't get overheated
• Get up from the floor slowly
• Cool down
• Make it a habit

BEST WORKOUTS DURING PREGNANCY

CARDIOVASCULAR:

• Walking
• Swimming
• Low-impact aerobic
• Dancing

FLEXIBILITY & STRENGTH:

• Yoga
• Stretching
• Weight Training

PREGNANCY SUPER FOODS

• Eggs
• Sweet Potatoes
• Nuts
• Beans & Lentils
• Lean Meat
• Orange Juice
• Yogurt
• Oatmeal
• Leafy Greens
• Salmon

21 Habit of Happy People

I read this amazing article today and had to share!  Enjoy!

1. Appreciate Life

Be thankful that you woke up alive each morning. Develop a childlike sense of wonder towards life. Focus on the beauty of every living thing. Make the most of each day. Don’t take anything for granted. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

2. Choose Friends Wisely

Surround yourself with happy, positive people who share your values and goals. Friends that have the same ethics as you will encourage you to achieve your dreams. They help you to feel good about yourself. They are there to lend a helping hand when needed.

3. Be Considerate

Accept others for who they are as well as where they are in life. Respect them for who they are. Touch them with a kind and generous spirit. Help when you are able, without trying to change the other person. Try to brighten the day of everyone you come into contact with.

4. Learn Continuously

Keep up to date with the latest news regarding your career and hobbies. Try new and daring things that has sparked your interest – such as dancing, skiing, surfing or sky-diving.

5. Creative Problem Solving

Don’t wallow in self-pity. As soon as you face a challenge get busy finding a solution. Don’t let the set backs affect your mood, instead see each new obstacle you face as an opportunity to make a positive change. Learn to trust your gut instincts – it’s almost always right.

6. Do What They Love

Some statistics show that 80% of people dislike their jobs! No wonder there’s so many unhappy people running around. We spend a great deal of our life working. Choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it. Make time to enjoy your hobbies and pursue special interests.

7. Enjoy Life

Take the time to see the beauty around you. There’s more to life than work. Take time to smell the roses, watch a sunset or sunrise with a loved one, take a walk along the seashore, hike in the woods etc. Learn to live in the present moment and cherish it. Don’t live in the past or the future.

8. Laugh

Don’t take yourself – or life to seriously. You can find humor in just about any situation. Laugh at yourself – no one’s perfect. When appropriate laugh and make light of the circumstances. (Naturally there are times that you should be serious as it would be improper to laugh.)

9. Forgive

Holding a grudge will hurt no one but you. Forgive others for your own peace of mind. When you make a mistake – own up to it – learn from it – and FORGIVE yourself.

10. Gratitude

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Count your blessings; All of them – even the things that seem trivial. Be grateful for your home, your work and most importantly your family and friends. Take the time to tell them that you are happy they are in your life.

11. Invest in Relationships

Always make sure your loved ones know you love them even in times of conflict. Nurture and grow your relationships with your family and friends by making the time to spend with them. Don’t break your promises to them. Be supportive.

12. Keep Their Word

Honesty is the best policy. Every action and decision you make should be based on honesty. Be honest with yourself and with your loved ones.

13. Meditate

Meditation gives your very active brain a rest. When it’s rested you will have more energy and function at a higher level. Types of meditation include yoga, hypnosis, relaxation tapes, affirmations, visualization or just sitting in complete silence. Find something you enjoy and make the time to practice daily.

14. Mind Their Own Business

Concentrate on creating your life the way you want it. Take care of you and your family. Don’t get overly concerned with what other people are doing or saying. Don’t get caught up with gossip or name calling. Don’t judge. Everyone has a right to live their own life the way they want to – including you.

15. Optimism

See the glass as half full. Find the positive side of any given situation. It’s there – even though it may be hard to find. Know that everything happens for a reason, even though you may never know what the reason is. Steer clear of negative thoughts. If a negative thought creeps in – replace it with a positive thought.

16. Love Unconditionally

Accept others for who they are. You don’t put limitations on your love. Even though you may not always like the actions of your loved ones – you continue to love them.

17. Persistence

Never give up. Face each new challenge with the attitude that it will bring you one step closer to your goal. You will never fail, as long as you never give up. Focus on what you want, learn the required skills, make a plan to succeed and take action. We are always happiest while pursuing something of value to us.

18. Be Proactive

Accept what can not be changed. Happy people don’t waste energy on circumstances beyond their control. Accept your limitations as a human being. Determine how you can take control by creating the outcome you desire – rather than waiting to respond.

19. Self Care

Take care of your mind, body and health. Get regular medical check ups. Eat healthy and work out. Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of water. Exercise your mind by continually energizing it with interesting and exciting challenges.

20. Self Confidence

Don’t try to be someone that you’re not. After all no one likes a phony. Determine who you are in the inside – your own personal likes and dislikes. Be confident in who you are. Do the best you can and don’t second guess yourself.

21. Take Responsibility

Happy people know and understand that they are 100% responsible for their life. They take responsibility for their moods, attitude, thoughts, feelings, actions and words. They are the first to admit when they’ve made a mistake.

Begin today by taking responsibility for your happiness. Work on developing these habits as you own. The more you incorporate the above habits into your daily lifestyle – the happier you will be.

Most of all: BE TRUE TO YOURSELF.

Motivation Monday: Fitness Series 5: Find your Motivation

 MOTIVATION...where does yours come from?

If you missed the previous fitness series you can find them below:

• fitness series 1 found here
  
• fitness series 2 found here
• fitness series 3 found here
• fitness series 4 found here

This weeks fitness series is going to be a little different!  Today we are focusing on Motivation!

Personally for me the hardest part to fitness is finding the motivation some days; especially when I'm sick, pressed for time, or a hundred other excuses.  For those of you who need a little inspiration today watch this video below!  It gets me lacing up my running shoes every time.

TOP 101 REASONS TO WORKOUT

1. Reduces your risk of getting heart disease.
2. Increases your level of muscle strength.
3. Improves the functioning of your immune system.
4. Enhances sexual desire, performance and satisfaction.
5. Helps you to more effectively manage stress.
6. Helps you to lose weight-especially fat weight.
7. Improves the likelihood of survival from a myocardial infarction (heart attack).
8. Can help relieve the pain of tension headaches—perhaps the most common type of headache.
9. Improves your body’s ability to use fat for energy during physical activity.
10. Increases the density and breaking strength of bones.
11. Helps to preserve lean body tissue.
12. Reduces the risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure).
13. Increases the density and breaking strength of ligaments and tendons.
14. Improves coronary (heart) circulation.
15. Increases circulating levels of HDL (good) cholesterol.
16. Assists in efforts to stop smoking.
17. Reduces your risk of developing Type II (non-insulin-dependent) diabetes.
18. Can help improve short-term memory in older individuals.
19. Helps to maintain weight loss—unlike dieting, alone.
20. Helps relieve many of the common discomforts of pregnancy (backache, heartburn, constipation, etc.).
21. Reduces your anxiety level.
22. Helps control blood pressure in people with hypertension.
23. Reduces the viscosity of your blood.
24. Reduces vulnerability to various cardiac dysrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms).
25. Increases your maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max—perhaps the best measure of your physical working capacity).
26. Helps to overcome jet lag.
27. Slows the rate of joint degeneration in people with osteoarthritis.
28. Lowers your resting heart rate.
29. Helps to boost creativity.
30. Reduces circulating levels of triglycerides.
31. Helps the body resist upper respiratory tract infections.
32. Increases your anaerobic threshold, allowing you to work or exercise longer at a higher level, before a significant amount of lactic acid builds up

33.Reduces medical and healthcare expenses.

34.Improves ability to recover from physical exertion.

35.Helps speed recovery from chemotherapy treatments.

36.Increases ability to supply blood to the skin for cooling.

37.Increases the thickness of the cartilage in your joints.

38.Gives you more energy to meet the demands of daily life, and provides you with a reserve to meet the demands of unexpected emergencies.

39.Increases your level of muscle endurance.

40.Helps you sleep easier and better.

41.Improves posture.

42.Improves athletic performance.

43.Helps you to maintain your resting metabolic rate.

44.Reduces the risk of developing colon cancer.

45.Increases your tissues’ responsiveness to the actions of insulin (i.e., improves tissue sensitivity for insulin), helping to better control blood sugar, particularly if you are a Type II diabetic.

46.Helps to relieve constipation.

47.Expands blood plasma volume.

48.Reduces the risk of developing prostate cancer.

49.Helps to combat substance abuse.

50.Helps to alleviate depression.

51.Increases your ability to adapt to cold environments.

52.Helps you maintain proper muscle balance.

53.Reduces the rate and severity of medical complications associated with hypertension.

54.Helps to alleviate certain menstrual symptoms.

55.Lowers your heart rate response to submaximal physical exertion.

56.Helps to alleviate low-back pain.

57.Helps to reduce the amount of insulin required to control blood sugar levels in Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetics.

58.Improves mental alertness.

59.Improves respiratory muscle strength and muscle endurance—particularly important for asthmatics.

60.Reduces your risk of having a stroke.

61.Helps you to burn excess calories.
62. Increases your cardiac reserve
63. Improves your physical appearance
64.Offsets some of the negative side-effects of certain antihypertensive drugs.
65. Increases your stroke volume (the amount of blood the heart pumps with each beat).
67. Improves your self-esteem.
68. Reduces your susceptibility for coronary thrombosis (a clot in an artery that supplies the heart with blood).
69. Helps you to relax.
70. Reduces the risk of developing breast cancer.
71. Improves mental cognition (a short-term effect only).
72. Maintains or improves joint flexibility.
73. Improves your glucose tolerance.
74. Reduces workdays missed due to illness.
75. Protects against "creeping obesity" (the slow but steady weight gain that occurs as you age).
76. Enhances your muscles’ abilities to extract oxygen from your blood.
77. Increases your productivity at work.
78. Reduces your likelihood of developing low-back problems.
79. Improves your balance and coordination.
80. Allows you to consume greater quantities of food and still maintain caloric balance.
81. Provides protection against injury.
82. Decreases (by 20 to 30 percent) the need for antihypertensive medication, if you are hypertensive.
83. Improves your decision-making abilities.
84. Helps reduce and prevent the immediate symptoms of menopause (hot flashes, sleep disturbances, irritability), and decrease the long-term risks of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis and obesity.
85. Helps to relieve and prevent "migraine headache attacks".
86. Reduces the risk of endometriosis (a common cause of infertility).
87. Helps to retard bone loss as you age, thereby reducing your risk of developing osteoporosis.
88. Helps decrease your appetite (a short-term effect only).
89. Improves pain tolerance and mood if you suffer from osteoarthritis.
90. Helps prevent and relieve the stresses that cause carpal tunnel syndrome.

91. Makes your heart a more efficient pump.

92. Helps to decrease left ventricular hypertrophy (a thickening of the walls of the left ventricle) in people with hypertension.

93. Improves your mood.

94. Helps to increase your overall health awareness.

95. Reduces the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding.

96. Helps you to maintain an independent lifestyle.

97. Reduces the level of abdominal obesity—a significant health-risk factor.

98. Increases the diffusion capacity of the lungs, enhances the exchange of oxygen from your lungs to your blood.

99. Improves heat tolerance.

100. Improves your overall quality of life.

101. Lifelong regular exercise may be protective against the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

GOOD OPTIONS FOR PRE & POST WORKOUT MEALS

Pre Workout                 Post Workout

Food Friday:Favorite Snacks

Hello Friday!  Oh how I love Fridays.  This might be wrong but I kind-of live for them.  I feel like a little kid in a candy shop when 5PM rolls around on Fridays.  I leave work satisfied and in need of a weekend to do whatever I please.

So to help roll in your weekend I wanted to share with you some of my most FAVORITE SNACKS!

For all of my chocolate lovers out there this is a must have!  Dark Chocolate with a touch of sea salt...delicious!

Can you tell I like sea salt?!  'Boom Chicka Pop' popcorn with a touch of olive oil & sea salt.  That's it!  Healthy and delicious...you can't beat it.

I love all nuts but especially raw almonds and pistachios

Chobani has some delicious greek yogurt with add-in packs.
I love this Key Lime Crumble & Their Coconut greek yogurt add-in.

Depending on where you live you may have absolutely delicious tap water.  Right now I live in a place where the city water is revolting.  So I have opted to buying bottled water.  I love smart water mostly because of it's bottle cap.  These bottles are great to keep and store and fill with your own 'free water'.

What are some of your favorite snacks?

My Fall Favorites

Fall has become my most favorite season!  There is just something magical about Fall. Here is my list of fall favorites:

• Fall Wardrobes. Scarves, boots, & sweaters.  I love getting all cozied up for the day!
• Football Season
• Hot Cocoa by the Fireplace
• Pumpkin Patches
• The crisp Autumn air
• Pumpkin Bread & Pumpkin Cookies
• Leaves Changing Colors
• Chili & Cornbread.  I am aware I can eat this anytime I like but it is so much better in the fall
• My Anniversary!

Happy Fall!

Motivational Monday: Fitness Series 4: Best 30 Minute Workouts

Welcome to week 4 of the fitness series!  If you missed any of the previous weeks you can find them below:

• Week 1 
• Week 2
• Week 3

This week I'm focusing on the best 30 minute workouts I've found

"A 30 minute workout should consist of both resistance training & cardiovascular training"-personal trainer Jonathan Ross

WEEKLY WORKOUT

30 MINUTE WORKOUTS

Jillian Michaels: Shred it with weights

Best way to sculpt your body is cardio mixed with weights.  

I love that this DVD combines both of them in a quick 30 minute workout.

Buy on Amazon here

Or at your local Target

Jillilan Michaels: Yoga Meltdown

This DVD is perfect during my cross training days when I like to give my body a

good stretch & cardio recovery.

Buy on Amazon here

Or at your local Target

SPRINTS&BLEACHERS WORKOUT

(If you don't want to buy any workout DVDs just head on over to your local high school track/football field for my sprints&bleachers workout!)

Complete 1 full set of bleachers.  1 full set of bleachers is running up the first set of stairs on the bleachers and coming back down those same steps. Run to the next set of stairs, run up the bleachers and come back down those same steps.  Repeat this until you have completed the entire set of bleachers.

Hit the track and do 8 sets of sprints.  This means sprinting the length of the football field(long portion of the track) and slowly jogging around the curved ends of the track.  You will do 4 complete track circles.  

If you feel up to more of a challenge do 10-16 sets of sprints.

RECIPE

Grapefruit-Walnut-Feta Salad

{Recipe & Photo Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine found here}