Fitting in Fitness

I will admit one of my biggest roadblocks when it comes to working out is trying to fit it into my Mommy Schedule.  With 3 kids, a husband who works far more than 40 hours a week, and my own volunteer responsibilities, there is no way I can just escape to the gym whenever I want to.  Our day is on a tight schedule during the school year from the time our feet hit the ground in the morning until the girls get tucked into bed at night. And I know I am not the only one. So many  mothers, especially of more than 1 child, lead a life very similar to mine.
Right now we have activities 5 nights a week and on Saturdays.  We can't just drop our kids off at their activities- I am my oldest daughter's Brownie Leader, and my husband coaches her Lacrosse team.    On top of the activities, I also homeschool our oldest daughter during the day.
 So with all of this going on around me, when am I supposed to fit in fitness?
Luckily I found an online Boot Camp that fits into my life perfectly!  I don't have to get up at 5am to go work out.  I don't have to have an overpriced gym membership and pay a huge fee to a personal trainer.  My workouts come in my email and I can fit them into my day, changing up my workout schedule daily if I need to.  It's been amazing and has kept me on track so far.  Since my mornings are typically chaotic with trying to get the 3 kids ready for their days, early workouts aren't usually possible.  (and no, I am not willing to give up my precious sleep for exercise.  Both are equally important and I don't get enough sleep as it is).
Since I am usually home during the day, I try to do my workout around 10:30am or so.  By this point in the day the middle one is at preschool, the littlest one is occupied with some toys, and the oldest is working on some independent school assignments.  I don't have a fancy home gym or a ton of expensive equipment.  I roll out my yoga mat, grab my weights, (and my trusty laptop with the routines on it) and get to work.

Notice the Little People Castle in the background?:-)

The best part about working out at home during the day is my daughters can join me- and they often do.  They will try to do the lunges, planks, or crunches with me. (without weights of course!)

My Littlest One trying to do some crunches just like Mommy.

They see Mom working out and join in and  hopefully this is setting up a good foundation for them to do this in the future.  I am not trying to make my kids health fanatics, but an early love of exercise and fitness will hopefully help to improve their overall health as they get older.  

 

I don't always include my girls in my exercise though.  I have started running with another Mommy friend of mine a couple mornings a week.  We enjoy the time out and away from our busy lives for a little while.   And I do enjoy letting my husband take over the morning routine those couple mornings a week! 

With 3 kids and the insanely busy lifestyle that goes along with that, I am happy that I have figured out a way to make exercise a part of my day.  If I miss a day or two for some reason I don't beat myself up over it- life happens despite our best intentions.  There's no sense in feeling guilty over it.  If I have to shorten a workout because the little one gets bored or fussy, or because the oldest one needs some help with her schoolwork, then I do.  Working out at home is so flexible.  Any workout, even a shortened one, is better than no workout at all.  

Moms-How do you find time to fit in fitness into your day?

Potato-Less Potato Salad

One of my major food weaknesses is pasta salad.  I love all types of pasta salads and during the warmer months we have one with just about every meal.    My two favorites are potato salad and pasta salad.  This recipe takes the two of them and  puts them together.   It is a pasta salad made the same way you make potato salad, but with noodles instead of potatoes.  You get the same flavor, it just takes less time and less work ( no peeling and slicing of potatoes involved).  It has quickly become a staple salad in our house and one I have to share with you.

 Potato-Less Potato Salad

 Ingredients:

1 box pasta noodles of your choice. I like to use shells or elbows.

6 hard boiled eggs

3 stalks celery, diced

dill pickles, diced (optional)

mayonnaise

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

paprika

seasoned salt

 

Directions:

1. Boil  your pasta noodles according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, hard boil your eggs as well.  

2. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it, rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process, and let cool.  

3.Once your pasta and eggs are cooled off add the pasta to a large bowl.  Chop your eggs into the size pieces you desire and add them and the celery and pickles.to the noodles. 

4. I add roughly 1/4 cup of mayo, or enough to make the salad creamy.  Add as much or as a little as you want-the same as making potato salad.

5. Add your mustard (you can omit the mustard if you like).  I add about 1-2 teaspoons.  Mix well and sprinkle with paprika,  seasoned salt, and fresh ground pepper.  

 

You can either serve immediately or chill for about an hour before serving.  It also makes great leftovers.  

*You can make this Gluten Free by using Gluten Free noodles.

 

Back On Track

Oh hello there! Sorry I sort of disappeared there for a little bit.  It's been two wild and crazy weeks here in my house.   I knew March was going to be busy but I had no idea just how true that would be!  It seems that lately everything has been happening at the same time- start-up of Lacrosse season, my girls big Seussical, Jr performances (more on that in another post!), Girl Scout events, and to top it all off the dreaded stomach bug made a 2 week stop by our house this year- yuck.  This was the first time in 2 years we have had a bug like that in the house and it couldn't have hit at a worse time.  My husband and I got hit the hardest- probably because we were in the direct line of fire when the baby got it.  Despite my best efforts at Lysoling, Cloroxing, and sanitizing every surface in my house we could not escape it this time.  Because of my already temperamental stomach it took me a few extra days to get back into eating normally, which means that I was not cooking much during that time. But now we are back to our regular meals and back on track with our daily routine.

I am still doing the Best Body Boot Camp and loving it!  I did miss a few days thanks to my illness, but I am getting back on track with it.  I love that I have something to keep me accountable with my workouts and with what and how I eat.  I am also in full swing training for my first 5K that is in less than a month.  I am so lucky to have a friend who is helping me train and keeping me motivated.

So now that this small interruption is over we will be get back to our regularly scheduled blogging:-)

I'm Going to Bootcamp

When I was in college I worked out on my own every day.  I had my own routine that I really loved.  I ran a little bit in my later college years as well.  My boyfriend (now husband) and I tried running together but he is a full foot taller than I am, and used to run cross country so that didn't work out very well.  We did go to the gym together on occasion, but for the most part I like to work out on my own.

Even though I don't have an issue with my weight, and I am happy with my diet, I am not  as physically fit as I would like to be. I need to start doing something for myself-t o better myself.  In 4 months I will be 34.  YIKES!!  I want to make sure that as I creep closer and closer to my 40's ( Oh that was so scary to write- my 40's- ouch!) I am in the very best shape of my life.  I have been running more lately, but I wanted something with strength training and toning as well as cardio.  I talked to my husband about joining the Y or a gym but  I can't really get away during the day to spend an hour or two in a gym. Plus I don't think it is fair to take my 3 kids and put them in the gym daycare just so I can work out. Some kids love it, mine would not.  I needed an at home program I can do on my time, that fits my ever changing daily schedule.   Not too long ago one of my favorite fitness bloggers, Tina Reale, posted that she was going to do an online Boot Camp.  This was EXACTLY what I had been looking for!  I can do it on my own time, at my own pace.  

Over the next 8 weeks I plan to do a weekly post  about my experiences with the Best Body Bootcamp and about working out in general.    Yes, this is a food blog, but I  think that food and fitness go hand in hand.  Cutting dairy from your diet because of dietary issues helps you feel better overall. But adding in exercise can make you feel even healthier.  I am so very excited about this challenge and am looking forward to seeing results. 

If you are looking for a great fitness blogger, you should check out  Best Body Fitness.