Workouts Can Be Found in The Strangest Places

Yesterday morning I set off  for my sister and brother-in-laws to help them move.  As we moved the first load into the new house, I saw that their neighbors were working out in their driveway.  I have to say that I was a little jealous that I was not going to be able to workout because I would be helping all day with the move.

WHAT WAS I THINKING?  Missing out on a workout? Far from it!!! I have NEVER climbed up and down so many stairs in my life and not empty handed obviously.  Boxes and boxes and boxes!! Oh and two VERY large flat screen televisions and rearranging the furniture more than once!

So you see girls a workout is not just lifting weights in the gym, your home or even your front yard.  Workouts can be found in the strangest places!!

Another super great workout is cutting the lawn with a push mower.  I do this every week.  It takes me 2 1/2 hours and is a killer workout.  Did I mention my lawn mower is not self propelled.  Yep!  Hardcore.  Works every part of my body all while I am jamming to tunes on Pandora and getting some sun.

I live in Buffalo so of course the winters do not disappoint.  Another great workout – shoveling snow!! Ladies, do not let the boys do all the physical work.  Let them do some laundry or dishes.  They can watch the kiddos while you get  moving!!

No excuses!!! You can find a workout anywhere!!!!!

WORK it OUT!!

Have a fight with your husband, brother, sister, mother? Have a bad day at work?

WORK it OUT!!

Whenever life slaps me in the face with some type of challenge, I don’t go sit on the couch with a box of tissues and a 1/ 2 gallon of ice cream. I WORK OUT!!!

These are usually my best workouts! I am all alone and turning all the negative energy into a positive!!! I tend to workout without music, but when I am stressed I like to crank it up and work my butt off!

When I am done I tend to feel better about whatever situation I was stressing about and I definitely feel great about myself.

Don’t even sit down! Get on your workout clothes, throw your hair up in a ponytail and let the stress relief begin!!!

20 PLAYGROUND SUMMER CHALLENGE

It is very important for me to stay in shape and be fit, but it is just as important that my kids grow up with a healthy lifestyle that hopefully carries with them forever.

As I passed a fabulous playground on my way home from a dentist appointment, I knew my kids would love it and that we would have to come back over the summer.  A brilliant idea hit me that minute – The 20 Playground Summer Challenge.  I came home and told my kids the plan.  We would challenge ourselves to go to 20 DIFFERENT playgrounds this summer.  With so many schools and parks around, I knew we could find them, but would we have time with everything else going on.

Luckily, my kids are young enough that video games have not become a big part of their lives.  We do not have a gaming system such as Xbox, Playstation, etc. I know it is my future, because of my son’s age, but I am hoping the more he enjoys being outside now, the less those games will consume him when he is older.

Who is with me for this fun, fun, fun challenge?????  I will keep you posted on our progress.  My idea is to take pictures of them on every playground and then make a little photo album out of it.

What better way to stay active and get your kids moving. Challenge yourself too!  Either get up there on that playground with them (I can still fit on the swirly slide. yahoo.) or jog/run around the playground while they are on it.  That way you can see them while still being active yourself.  If you think people will think you are cuckoo crazy.  They might, but who cares.

On a side note, I am sad to report that our herbs did not make it.  If you saw one of my previous posts, both my kids planted an herb (parsley and basil).  Lesson learned.  I did not put enough potting soil in the containers so I guess it didn’t give the roots any room to grow.  Plus, I think we put WAY too many seeds in.  We will try again!!  I will keep you posted!!  Also, I was hoping to plant a garden this year, but time has gotten away from me AGAIN this year.  We all know the feeling am I right?  The school activities involved in my daughter entering Kindergarten and my son moving out of the primary school into the intermediate school were crazy.  My May and June have been flying by!!!  We will start the herbs again soon. The garden will have to wait until next year.  I guess it is back to the farmers market for me.

First stop tomorrow after volunteering at my son’s field day – a playground!!!!

 

Moms Can Be Fit And Healthy Too!!

As indicated in my first blog, last February I made a choice to get fit and healthy and to make myself a priority for the first time in a long time.  I have surpassed my goals and continue to feel great about myself.

In my opinion (and based on my experience), if you have a goal of losing weight in mind, slow and steady is the best way to meet your goals and maintain them.  There is always room to put yourself first, but you still have a family to take care of and work responsibilities.  You can throw yourself into 6 days at the gym and feel like you will be able to maintain this, but chances are that this schedule is not going to last. That might work if we were single with no other obligations.  The downfall of going full force ahead is that you get discouraged quickly and then give up completely!  Bad idea!!!

If you were like me, I did not workout one single day of my life.  Yes.  I did outdoor activities with my kids, but it is not the same thing.  At one point for a couple of months I was working out 6 days a week.  My 6 days a week was about 30 minutes at a time in my house.  So 30 minutes was 30 minutes. I did not have to account for driving time.  I did not jump into that kind of schedule.  I eased into it.  I truly believe that I am maintaing now because I went into the process slowly, revved it up WHEN I WAS READY, and then slowed back down when I hit my goal and was ready to maintain.

On the other hand, you can not ease into eating healthy.  This is a lifestyle change and you have to approach it head on.  If you do not rid your body of all the sweets and junk, it will never get use to and appreciate all the healthy food.  Now that I am maintaining, I do have sweets here and there, but I truly rarely crave them.  I have had a can of Cherry Pepsi in my fridge for 2 months.  I haven’t had any urge to drink it.  Why? because my body craves the good stuff now.

I apologize if I am repeating myself, but I am so passionate about my new lifestyle and want to spread this passion with anyone who will listen.

You can NOT start from nothing and go hog wild.  It is a crazy amount of pressure on yourself which sets you up for failure.