#FindAFriend

It's the time of year we begin to reflect on our accomplishments of the past and create goals for the future. Choosing to improve our health through exercise and better food choices is often a focus for us. If you've decided to create better health choices in the new year, I encourage you to find an accountability partner to help you stay on the healthy path you're striving to attain! We can talk ourselves out of good choices and into bad ones really quickly, but if we have someone helping us make the better choices it's easier to stay on the healthy path!

Last year my friend, Holly, and I began working on Yoga Pose Challenges. Even though our poses didn't always look the way we wanted each day, we continued to encourage each other to do our best. Having someone cheering you on towards your goals is important. Big changes take time, and knowing it will be a lifestyle - habit forming - change is important for changes to become a long term part of who we are.

To achieve success, make small, specific and attainable goals. For those that have a fun yoga pose as a goal - create a plan to succeed! Make a goal to stretch areas of the body that will allow the pose to develop over time. It took me 4 years of working on my hamstrings and hip flexors before I was able to successfully complete the forward splits yoga pose. And, it's still not an easy pose for me!

If yoga is a means of movement towards weight loss, make a plan to yoga daily. It can be at home or attending a class. A key to success is to choose small weekly goals in order to attain even small successes. Celebrate when you are able to yoga everyday - even if it's only for 5 minutes of quiet reflection and meditation.

When choosing weight loss as a goal, it can be overwhelming when starting a long journey. Losing 1-2 lbs each week is attainable, but doesn't always occur and can be frustrating. This is where our accountability partner helps us by encouraging us to stick with our healthy choices!

Cleaning unhealthy foods out of the pantry, fridge, and freezer and replacing them with healthier choices is important to stay on track. Keeping a food and movement log that includes encouraging and inspirational quotes to share with your accountability partner on a weekly basis will also help keep you on track. Writing down that I ate 1 cupcake doesn't seem as bad as writing down I ate 3. But knowing you're sharing these daily logs with your accountability partner helps you keep striving towards healthy goals.

For the month of January, we've created a fun yoga pose challenge to encourage you to #FindAFriend to create and keep healthy and maintainable goals together. Here's a little intro into why we chose this theme -

You don't have to do the pose-of-the-day with a friend to be a part of the challenge. You can do any of the poses by yourself. If it's two different poses, choose the one you like the best! But, even if you're not doing the poses with a friend, be sure to still find an accountability partner to help keep you on your health goals.

For everyone that participates in the yoga pose challenge - either posting pics alone or with a partner - you will be entered to win this fun prize made by Holly! These are a matching set to encourage you to #FindAFriend to not only share the fun of yoga with you - but share this great prize! Remember - your poses do NOT have to look like the poses shown. Do what feels best for your body each day! If it's a stacked pose and you're not comfortable standing on your friend - do the pose side-by-side instead. The challenge is meant to be fun!

Making changes can be difficult, but aiming for a more healthy lifestyle is important! There are multiple reasons to choose yoga - real food - an accountability partner and positive encouragement to enhance our health in every way! No one wants to be ill or have major health issues. And while there are no guarantees for perfect health, the odds increase for us the longer we stay on a healthy path.

Please let me know how I can help encourage you on your health journey! I do have a Fitbit account and you're welcome to join my team. The Fitbit app does allow you to easily log your food and exercise, along with other options depending on the device you choose. Just knowing our calorie intake and out-take can help to stay on track with health goals!

I look forward to seeing your poses each day! Please feel free to do any pose with a friend that you'd like! If you're not sure how to get into the partner pose, please ask me! This is a demonstration of the Stacked Downward Dog Pose -

Visit the home page of this website to access my FaceBook, Instagram or YouTube channel - just look for Clarissa Pyeatt Yoga. You can also see Holly on Facebook through Golden Dragon Yoga or on Instagram hollyleaf5!

It will be a great year in 2016! Let the #FindAFriend fun begin!!!