Getting More Bang for Your Buck!

Any mom out there knows that trying to work out with children can be a challenge; in fact for the most part it is always challenging! It just comes with having kiddos.

Take these scenarios for example:

-You plan the night ahead that you are going to wake up really early and work out before they wake up. I mean you plan to get up REALLY early. You set out everything you need, plan your workout, and you go to bed motivated and committed to getting the best workout. Well it seems that your children have a sixth sense because they wake up REALLY early the next morning as if they were anticipating your plan and wanted to be a part of it as well! This happens a lot in our house.

-So the kids got up really early, but you are still committed to getting the workout done.  You give each time plenty of things to keep them occupied; a movie, coloring items, snacks, toys, etc and you place all these items in the same room as you thinking that if they see you, they will be content.
Well it just so seems that on this day all they really want is YOU! In fact, they NEED you! They need you to color; they need you to get them more juice, more pancakes, they need you to hold them, etc. This happens a lot in our house as well!

There are a million more scenarios that I could come up with, but you get the idea; it just doesn't always go as you planned!

Obviously my children are my highest priority, but working out is also a huge priority for me. I feel like I am a more patient mother through out the day when I have that time to work on myself. That might sound selfish, but I NEED that time.

I like to work out between 30-60 minutes everyday, but on those days where that just isn't going to happen I hit it hard in my workout and try to get more bang for my buck! I use the Hiit (High Intensity Interval Training) method and workout harder and I feel that my "tank" is full for the day.

Incorporate interval training in your workout on those days when all your plans seem to unravel, which unfortunately seems to happen quite often doesn't it?

Here is a cardio routine that will get your heart racing and that incorporate the method of interval training:

(I found this workout from another fitness enthusiast's blog):

60 jumping jacks
20 push ups
20 walking lunges
20 mountain climbers
30-60 second wall sit
20 prisoner squats
10 burpees
20 high knee run in place
15 jump squats
15 cherry pickers

*Repeat this 2-5 times, depending on how much time you have

Make your own by just doing a variety of plyo and strength moves and you will be good to go!

Goals for the week...

I like Mondays because it is a day where I feel like I recommit myself to do better fitness/nutrition wise.  So I am going to use this blog to help me stay accountable to these goals I want to set each week.

This week's goals:

-Aim to burn 300-500 calories at each workout. I have this awesome HR monitor that is my workout buddy that helps me to determine this.
-Start a food journal. I have a friend who does really well with this and I have never been good about keeping track of what I eat, so I want to start doing that.
-We have 3 Halloween parties this weekend, and I am not going to have 2nds.  That shouldn't be hard, but it is for me.
-Do resistance training 2 times this week.

We will see how this goes!

Happy Monday!

Finally!

I love to run and have run since high school.  I just love it! I have ran in several races; the longest distance race I have ever run is a half marathon, and I would love to some day run a marathon just to cross it off my bucket list.

However, after I had Kayden and I was "cleared" to workout again, I couldn't run because I would get a horrible pain in my left knee.  Greg and I had planned over 10 races that we were going to compete in over the summer because that is something that we really like to do together, but a month into training I knew that I couldn't do it.  It was disappointing but I found other ways to exercise without any pain.  I could do any other type of exercise and would have no pain, but 5-10 minutes into a run I would get a horrible pain.

That was back in May when it started.  I rested it thinking that would help and tried running when I was in Wyoming over the month of July, and it was still bad.  When I got home I saw my Dr. They took x-rays and could not see anything wrong, which I was expecting to be the case.  They finally prescribed me to see a physical therapist, and I have been going there 2-3 times a week for the past 3 weeks.  Over the past 4 days I have ran 3 times! Today being my longest run; 5 miles, and I had relatively no pain! Bless the Maker! I was not planning on running 5 miles, but as I was running it didn't hurt so I kept going!

My sisters and I had talked in the past about training for a marathon next fall, and now it actually seems like that could be a possibility!  I am excited if you can't tell:)

How to get it done

I follow a blog that features "fit parents" and asks them questions related to what inspires them to live a healthy lifestyle, and today I read one of these features of a stay-at-home dad who trains for Ironmans!

One of the questions that was asked was how he how time to train for such a thing when being a stay at home dad?

That question immediately caught my attention because I am interested in training for another half marathon or a marathon, and a huge reason for just thinking about it and not actually starting to train for something like this is because of the kids. (Not that I am blaming them, it is just reality!)

I loved his response: "...it comes down to desire. To me it’s like a good book you can’t put down. Somehow, someway you read it."

This is how I feel about working out; I can't NOT do it.  Trying to find a time to work out though with two small children has been really challenging lately.  I decided I would get up before they got up in the morning, and the day I started this they both decided to get up early from now on too!  Most mornings Greg is still home and he can watch the boys for a little bit, but I always felt guilty for making him do this.  We decided to try cycling classes at the Y at night, and I love working out at this time! Free day care, and a great way to end the night!

I am coming to accept that I just can't structure my workout as well as I would like to, but I am getting them done because I just can't "put" it down!

How do you make time to work out?

Ready for a good week!

I always slip a little on the weekends it seems; eat more sweets than I should and what not.  But I am determined to make this a good week!  I am babysitting for a family in the area today all day, and at first I was thinking I would not have time to work out, but I just got up an hour earlier than normals and got it done! I am so happy that I just did it because I know that is what is going to help me get through this day.

I have a dear friend who has inspired me a lot by her blog, and she regularly makes goals for herself in regards to living healthy.  That is what I want to start doing.

Here are a few of my goals for the week:

-Try a new fitness class at the Y
-Eat dessert at only 1 meal each day.  (I have a mega sweet tooth, so this one is going to be hard!)
-Try a new recipe (I tend to get in ruts, so I am hoping to break out of that by trying at least one new recipe a week.)
-Take the kids outside every day and let Deagan run around as much as he wants (We are experiencing an "Indian Summer" here right now; the sun is actually shining! Who knows how long this will actually last, so we are going to take advantage of it while it lasts!)
-Replace negative thoughts about myself with positive ones; my body is a gift!!
-Study for my PT test a half hour each night

I have a million things that I want to work on in my life, but I think we will start with this for now.

Happy Monday everyone!

Try Something New!

I normally work out at home because of time constraints (I have two small kids at home), but this past week I have been going to our local gym to try out some new fitness classes. I am loving it! The classes have ranged from full-body strength training classes to Zumba and to spinning classes.  My body is soar and I am loving it!! Nothing like feeling sore to know you are making progress!  

The one thing I have noticed about working out with a group is that I push myself a lot harder, and I love to sweat! 

If you are stuck in a rut of the same old same old workout, mix it up and try something new! 

Whole Wheat Bread

I love the smell of bread cooking in the oven.  I love it even more when I know that bread cookin' is full of "good for me" ingredients.

I found a great whole wheat bread recipes that I love that I wanted to share:

1 1/8 cups water

3 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup honey

1 T dry milk powder

1 1/2 T soft butter spread (I use smart spread)

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast

(These are my additions)

4 tsp vital wheat gluten*

2 T ground flax seed

2 T wheat germ

I have a bread machine, so I use that to mix the dough and then I bake the bread in the oven.  I just like how it turns out that way.

*I use this because whole wheat bread is notorious for being dense, and this helps to make it "fluffy."

Come on over!

I am going to be writing about my 4th pursuit on this blog as well.  We'll see how it goes...

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