merchandizing 101.

note: this post is also live over on the lovely getfitafterbaby.com

Remember that time about 4 days ago that you set a handful of resolutions for this amazing New Year? Remember how you probably went to the gym on Monday night after work, gave yourself a huge pat on the back for sticking with the first 48 hours of your resolutions? Remember going home after the gym and seeing that huge tin of your aunt’s totally delicious chocolate-coconut-comatose-sugar-filled-badness-but-so-much-goodness baking and then you told yourself it was totally okay because you had done like 18 reps at the gym?

Want in on a few secrets that totally serve me well? In my personal-suburb-loving-superstore-shopping-kindergym-going-humblest opinion, setting long term and short term health and wellness goals is such an important way to condition a healthy lifestyle for your whole fam. But the easiest way to make those changes stick? Re-merchandize your life! Here’s a handful of ideas that have really helped me to lead by example and keep my family’s health top of mind in our super-busy-crazy-are-you-kidding-me day to day routine:

1.  - Re-merchandize your cookie jar. We have a kick-butt cookie jar filled with a wicked selection of all organic snacks. Some are real treats (natural organic gummy bears aka toddler awesomeness), and some are everyday organic cereal bars, fruit bars, and raisins. Marcus totally knows the snack jar is where the magic happens, and thanks to us re-merchandizing it, his idea of a treat it still natural, organic and not going to cause a ten minute sugar high followed by a 10 minute sugar low aka toddler tantrum.

2.  - Re-merchandize your living room. Keep the remote controls tucked away somewhere less accessible so you aren’t so prone to collapsing on the couch in a pile of tired-parent-of-the-year. Instead, keep a gym bag packed on the ready in plain sight. Or keep your fave workout DVD in a more accessible place than your secret stash of non-toddler chips and dip. Make it that.much.easier for yourself to make healthy and active choices.

3.  - Re-merchandize your schedule. Are you as organized as I am as a mother? Maybe yes (love you) or maybe no (still love you. We don’t judge on blogs). But really taking time to merchandize what your week looks like in terms of when you plan to get outside [ahem. EVERYDAY] and what you’re going to do out there [ahem. WINTER HIKE. SLED. SKATE.] will make those everyday choices so much easier to prep for and even better, easier to enjoy.  Being organized may seem borderline OCD – but it also allows me to prep for some awesome and important time with my fam and more importantly, be present and enjoy every freaking bit of it.

It really doesn’t matter if you are into personal, physical, familial, professional or other resolutions at this time of year. Re-merchandizing your life in such small but relevant ways will only make it easier for you to make smarter decisions everyday that will serve your whole family in huge ways. And when you’re done, I totally say you go re-merchandize your closet too. Because after all the cooking, cleaning, driving, shopping, more cleaning, working, loving ... and living that we do as mom’s, it doesn’t hurt to look and feel good too!