Fit Family Challenge and a new twist

I found this picture online courtesy of Poppy over at Facing40 and thought, how perfect that this shows up on my radar right now.  Ultimately, this is my goal.. I have two daughters, one that is a full fledged teen going into high school in a few short weeks and one that truly is my little sponge.  Dad and I can say LOTS of things, but a s mother...as a woman, I am the person their sweet and crazy little estrogen filled minds will look to first.  This is why I try and keep myself accountable.  I want to be healthy for me of course...to feel good and be comfortable in the skin I'm in...but I also want to be a good example to my girls (that and the added bonus that the healthier I am, the longer I can make them crazy in these lives of ours) LOL.

I am VERY proud to say that we are five days into the Fit Family Challenge in our house and we are still going strong.  Even the pup has been getting more exercise as we have been taking her on our hikes and letting her swim in the river.  Here is a recap of what we have done so far:

Day 1: Swimming in the pool
Day 2: Swimming in the pool
Day 3: 2.75 mile bike ride (Mini me was feeling rough by the end of this one)
Day 4: Swimming in the pool
Day 5: Hike in the woods

Now some of these days had overlapping things...we hiked a few days actually, but yesterday that was our main exercise.  I feel like whatever is our main source of focus with exercise is what we will track.  It makes me feel pretty good seeing how well we are doing, and this is NOT counting that fact that I have been pretty good with my step goals too. 

I have been so proud of us that I forgot part of the other side of this coin, and that is where my new "twist" comes in.  As a woman getting closer each year to the big 4-0, I have seen this change in my metabolism.  It is not the rapid fire friend of my 20's, not even the still chugging along friend of my early 30's.  It has gotten slower, and to me it feels like it has gotten S--L--O--W--E--R.  This is hard when you have been pretty blessed in this arena for the better part of a 15 years.  My metabolism has always been there to keep my happy despite what I achieved in the exercise arena.  Well, no more I say.  This brings me to the new "twist" I am adding to my version of our fit family challenge.

I am generally pretty good about tracking my food on MFP.  But lately I have gotten into the habit of allowing the hard work I do with my workouts allow me more food.  Like if my goal is 1400 cals/day, and I burn 300 working out...I have gotten into the habit of allowing myself 1700 for the day.  And where this is OK, I know, it's not helping me remove those last few pounds I want to remove.  And when getting on the scale I also am taking into account that with the renewed dedication to working out I have to allow for some influx with muscle rebuild, I still need to be better about the choices I am making and the indulgences I am allowing. 

Today I start fresh with MFP and I am aiming to eat the allotted calories for me each day.  No more, no less (well not too many less...I need the fuel to workout out).  I am committed to doing this for a week and see how I feel and how successful I am.

If you have any great family fitness ideas, please share them!  I love swimming and getting some laps in, but I need a little variety as well.  And with soccer this week for the big kid and dance camp for the little, finding time to get to the pool will be tricky for me. 

Wow...I'm thinking like a real grown up

t feels as though it has been forever since I posted.  I am not sure where the time goes sometimes.  I have the best of intentions and have so much to share with you,  but then life gets in the way.   Isn't that always how it seems to go?!?!  Well my friends not today.   Today I am making YOU a priority.  Doesn't that sound sweet, I wont lie though…this is only partially for you.  By taking this time, these few moments to update you…I am making time for ME!  Where to begin.

Over the weekend I saw something that scared me, shamed me and disgusted me.  It was the number on the scale  in my bathroom.  Now this post is not going to be a shamefest.  I was  actually more disgusted on the whys of  this number than the number itself.  I know that I don’t always make the best  food choices,  but I am human hear  my stomach roar!   I  also know that I am   not eating every meal from a box or wrapper though.  I don’t always get in the workouts I should, but I have upped my step goal by 2000 steps  a day in the past few months.  I am walking 3-3.5 miles everyday at lunch during the workweek, I am hitting my step goal earlier in the days on the weekends.  I  was coaching soccer and running around with my kiddos 2 days a week…how did this happen?!?!

Before you jump on  the “muscle weighs more than fat” band wagon,  let  me assure you that I am aware of  that and that in this circumstance, it’s not the issue either.  I can see the loss  of tone my laziness has brought on.  But  it has given me reason to  pause.

I am just as bad  as everyone else out there.  I know we all  want to be the person that “doesn't care about what  then pics in the magazines look like” or  the person that can say,  “as long as  I’m healthy I  don’t care  what the number on the scale says.”  I agree.  I am that person to a point.  Where  does that point end…at the number I saw this weekend.  If I was more  secure,  I would share  it  with you…but I know that YOU know that its different for all of us.  We all have a number  that scares us.  One that defines us.  I hit  mine.  i knew what  it was before, so  this was no shock…I just didn't  plan on seeing it again for a long time.

Now, I  have read that after 30 people tend to put on 10 pounds a year after 30.  WHAT!  That wont be me.  I  will defy all odds…well l guess what, I have less than 3  years  to now prove that wrong.  This weekend, I  saw THAT number.   This weekend my eyes opened wide, as wide  as my butt felt. ;)

Is this irreversible?  No of course not.  But I am realizing (slowly and in my own denial riddled way)  that I have to make changes if I want to see changes.  Not  the kind of changes that are  obvious,  eat better/exercise more, but the kind of choices like really monitoring what I put into my body and how it reacts.  I can feel sometimes how foods I have always loved make me feel differently now.   They don’t all agree  with me the  way they used  to…examples you ask?  Gluten and nuts stand out the most.  I’m not  trying to be hip with the gluten,   I can actually see  and feel a difference  in my body when I cut the gluten out though.  I drop a few pounds in just a few days from water.  I can see my belly flatten  out,  it’s just so darn hard to cut gluten all together and without having a legit medical reason too…I get lazy.

I know that I am not alone in this  fight, this journey.  How do you  cope with this?

WORKing out

I have mentioned in previous posts that I am participating in online challenge with The Journey, and this week one of our challenges was to get in 3-4 reps of 5 dead lifts on each leg.  Well, as I was summarizing my "dead lift experiences" I was actually laughing out loud at how ridiculous I must have looked trying to balance in these dead lifts with both children and pets trying to break my concentration.  It got to the point where I finally decided, forget it...I will do this at work.  You see, I have a traditional 9-5 job, but I get to work it in a 7-3 format instead.  What makes this so great (well besides being able to pick my kiddos up from school myself) is that many days I am in the office solo in the mornings for upwards of 2 -2.5 hours.  Perfect time for workouts! :)

Well, as many of you may remember this is not my first time using the office space as a gym.  No, I'm not talking about the fancy gym that we get the free week pass to twice a year, I am talking about the actual office as a gym space.  See I stumbled upon the POP Pilates series on YouTube back in July and it has been a life saver some days, as its the only moving I get.  I said it once and I'll say it again, These are ah-may-zing!  The ones I have tried so far are the Saddle Bag Shaver, the Call me Maybe Squat Challenge and the Slimmer Inner Thighs & Runners Calves Workouts. Between the dead lifts and these I have quite a routine going, bit it got me thinking, what else can I do while at my desk all day?!?!  Enter pinterest. ;)

Now, I will admit I have not tried all of these, but thought I would share what I found out there in the land of pinning with you. 

Going Well offers these easy exercises to do at the office, this one has great little stick figures to "show you the way", nothing too complex and it breaks it down by body area.

Infofit offers this office workout, including treatment for common office related injuries.

And one of my personal favs, office yoga from Yoga Relief Tips. 

I also like to take the stairs every day (my office is on the 3rd floor) and I tend to park on the 4th floor of the parking garage and take the steps there too.  What are you doing in your everyday work routine to help get yourself in better shape?

Feeling Alive!!

Over the past several weeks I have felt sluggish!  Actually more like a sleep deprived lump!  I now my sleep patterns are erratic (thank you fitbit), but even with that, with 7+ hours of "not so great" sleep, I was feeling just blah.  Cutting back on the gluten has helped some...but it wasn't quite the surge I had hoped for.  So, as we sat enjoying Thanksgiving dinner I announced that we would begin exercising again the following day.  No more excuses! 

Everyone at the table agreed.  So we enjoyed out delish dinner (my husband does an ah-may-zing job with the turkey), and this year it was a more "shared responsibility" turkey day which I loved!  usually the hubs takes on the brunt of the cooking, but we spent the better part of the early day enjoying the kids laughter as we worked side by side in the kitchen!  My fav turkey day to date!

While others were battling the crowds to shop deals on Black Friday, we went to the library and got some workout DVD's to try, some more gluten free books and a juicing book (our next possible morning adventure).  I have to say, I am excited about these videos.  We opted for a few of The Biggest Loser workouts.  There is something inspiring about seeing others who are fighting the same good fight as you as opposed to a group of trainers working out.  We have done three days in a row, and I feel GREAT!  My energy is back up where it used to be, I don't feel like I am going to nod off at 6 or 7pm anymore.  It's great!  And because you can customize the workouts we can go anywhere from 25 minutes-an hour!  Loving them so far.

We have done:

LOVE them all so far...the boot camp kicked my butt some, but its great!  My hubs put it the very best way I could think of the other night when he said, "I'm sore, but my muscles feel alive!"

So true!  Alive!!

Feeling a Bit MisInformed

I don't know about you, but I take great issue with BMI calculators.  I always have, even at my skinniest.  It seems to me that they are just too arbitrary.  There is no consideration of musculature or activity.  My hubs, awesome man that he is, is on the end of the BMI charts that he does NOT want to be on...but his arms and legs are like tree trunks of pure muscle. And now, in the past two weeks I have had to more pushes over the BMI line.

I took my sweet mini to the pediatrician for her 4 year check up.  She is perfect.  Smart, funny, healthy, quite brave (she sat through two shots), and according to her BMI overweight.  The look on my face said it all I'm sure as my pediatrician explained how it's not a concern because of how strong she is...she has a lot of muscle (she comes from strong parents after all).  It did help that the doc also said that she hates the BMI stuff and doesn't put stock in it.  If our medical professional disagrees, that is enough for me.

My second push was my own biometric screening.  I am VERY proud to say that I was in the "green zone" on all areas: HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, BMI...but I was darn close to the overweight zone on the BMI (also the glucose...worry!!!!!)

While I struggle with my weight, I know my fight is not the same as others.  Mine is more of a vanity fight...but with health repercussions.  I watched my Dad collapse with a heart attack when I was 15.  I am lucky that he was ok, but I know my genetics and my eating habits and workout habits (or as of late lack of workout habits) is going to bite me in the butt!  I have heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer looming out there in my genetic cloud...and I am trying to take action to overcome them all.  I will not be passive in my life.  While I am on the "normal" side I am barely hanging on there so I am taking action.  I am on the downward slope to 40, I have a family history that is not so great, and I have 2 amazing kids that I plan to watch grow old...so I have to take action and this whole BMI thing makes me think I am failing sometimes.

So in the interest of good health I got a Fitbit flex from my parents for my birthday, as I mentioned in my last post.  well it arrived yesterday and I promptly charged it up and have it on now.  Already adjusted the step goal to 12,000 since its been awhile since I tracked my progress and am ready to go.  To top it off, mini asked if we could workout together after reading (yet again) The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food.  I love that she is actively involved in her own health already...our example must be in the right direction!!

What are YOUR thoughts on BMI???

 

 

Summer Sneak Ins

There comes a point every summer when I go to button a pair of shorts and laugh sadly as they pull a bit.  I have to laugh because what else can I do.  Since we were young girls we had the idea of summer perfection drilled into our heads right?!?!  I mean, think about all of the magazines on the stands around March promising to get you that "Beach Ready Body" by summer.  All those tag lines "it's not too late," "8 weeks to go," "6 week crunch," etc.  I laugh because I find more motivation to workout when I am buried in my comfy flannel pj pants and hoodies in the dead of winter then I do in the summer.  Now don't get me wrong, I do what I can when I can...but summer is hard for us.

We are blessed with the fact that my husband's schedules allows for him to be home during the day with the girls in the summer, and he goes in and works basically afternoon shift once I get home.  We both get lots of QT with the kids, we save on no daycare or camp costs, but it makes it hard to find that "me" time for working out.  I try to sneak things in when I can...like little bear has been my assistant dog walker and when I have the pup on the leash I can't pick her up and carry her...she has to walk the whole thing.  It's just over half a mile, not too much...but for a 3 year old I think it is pretty good.  The pup and I have been doing it every morning for the past two weeks...and have been going for  2nd walk in the evenings a few times too.  I also talked them into doing the Call Me Maybe squat challenge, but I want to finds more things that we can do together.  I don't worry as much about my big girl because she does horse back riding once a week and plays soccer on two teams.  She also swims a TON in the summer (which helps make up for the month off from soccer).  Little Bear is moving up to a new dance class this year...a full hour once a week of ballet and tap combined.  I'm SO excited, and she says she is going to try soccer again...we shall see.  Dadoo and I are also planning to put her in swim lessons this year, and all of these things are great but I want to find something, some sort of physical activity that we can do together...or all 4 of us as a family once our schedules go back to school times. 

 

What are some things that you do as a family or couple or in a group that you recommend?

 

Walking Away

So if any of you have checked out my awesome new facebook page :) you may still be wondering about a post I made last week, "Got a free pedometer today for a challenge at work! Details to come!"  Well...today is your lucky day...here are all those juicy details and a few questions that have popped up along the way.

I work at a medical school and it is nice that they actually promote health a great deal and encourage employees to take advantage of all the facilities we have here on campus.  I have mentioned before about free week passes at the "fancy" gym, we also have a walking club on campus just for staff, and now this step challenge.  Each year when a new class of med students come in they are each given a free pedometer.  We take 168 students and divide them up into 20 small groups and that is how they are teamed.  This year the faculty and staff were also given pedometers and put on a team to compete for prizes and see if we can out walk the students!  The goal is to reach at least 10,000 steps each day.  I was worried about being able to reach that goal until I took my pedometer off after the first day and was already at 11,666.  We have also been given conversion charts for other activities (swimming, dancing, etc).  After a full seven days I am pretty proud of what I have achieved. I have registered 99,760 steps in seven days!  I almost broke the 100,000 mark...but yesterday I was just not moving much at all...I didn't even hit 10K for the first time in a week. 

All this "stepping" made me start to think about what I do everyday.  I walk a quarter mile to and from my car at work, up and down to and from the third floor, when I'm home I am constantly going down to the basement or upstairs to the bedrooms...it has been eye opening in a very good way to see that even on days when I feel sluggish and lazy, I am actually doing some good for myself and my health just by walking.  In fact, I took more steps on a day off then I did on a work day even with all my stair climbing and walking to the lots. 

So, now some of the questions that have started ton pop up in my noggin...how much would I have to change in my eating habits to make this even MORE effective?  How do I now if what I am eating is really the right stuff?  Ok, this second question may seem silly, but I have a friend from college who has been seeing a naturopathic doc who has been treating her for chronic nerve pain.  So far it seems a lot of it stems from what she has been eating, as she has food allergies.  She has been put on a no gluten, no sugar no nightshade veggie diet and has seen dramatic improvements already.  I have read about some people stalling out in their weight loss endeavors due to hidden food allergies, so I wonder if that is what is holding me and the hubs back?  I think I may have to do some more research in this area...

What are some of your helpful hints when it comes to working in more exercise and policing food choices :)

VACATION

One of the things I love most about blogging is that other people reach out to you and when they think there is a topic that you may find interesting.  This is the 2nd time I have been lucky enough to have someone do this.  Today's post is about exercise and travel and is brought to you by Mike, stop by and check out HIS blog too when you get a chance.  As we have been busy planning our family vacation...this came at JUST the right time for me...a friendly reminder if you will! :)  Enjoy!

Going on Vacation Doesn't Mean You Get to Stop Taking Care of Your Body

Standing in long lines at the airport, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, and/or spending hours sitting at a conference table in various meetings all day long takes its toll on travelers. Both business and pleasure travelers feel the stress of travel, yet many still make the decision to take a vacation from exercise while away from home.

Combining Exploration and Exercise

One of the best ways to exercise in a new and exciting city is to combine it with sightseeing. Many travelers take advantage of new bike trails, jogging trails, and walking paths in their destination cities. You can skip the treadmill in your hotel in favor of a jog around the city park or along the beach or waterline. Taking in the sights, smells, and local area can make exercise feel a little less like work and a little more like enjoyment. Forgoing your rental car in favor of a walk through the local neighborhoods can benefit your body and your mind. You might find an interesting new restaurant to try, a coffee shop with a great breakfast selection, or even a few little-known places to come back to later in the day.

Stress Relief in the Hotel
One of the most important reasons travelers should continue to exercise while out of town is to relieve stress. Your knees suffer from tension when you sit for long periods of time, which is easy to do on long flights or car rides. Exercise can ease that tension and help you feel that much better. You don’t have to sweat it out for hours at the gym while you’re enjoying a family vacation or a few days at a work conference, but you should spend a few minutes every day working out. Try taking a walk around your hotel; the neighborhood in which your hotel is located, using the hotel’s fitness facility, or swimming laps in the pool.

Doing Your Research
Before you commit to a particular hotel in your destination city, do your homework. Most hotels offer a fitness center to registered guests. Others even offer exercise classes, such as yoga or Pilate's. You might find it easier to workout in your hotel if you have a class to look forward to. If you’re traveling with your family, knowing you can sneak down to the 24-hour fitness center while the rest of the family is asleep can make you feel less guilty about missing family time. On a recent trip to Maui I was able to book a hotel with a 24-hour gym by researching on a site called Gogobot beforehand. Here I could get a list of all the Maui hotels and discern which hotels had the best fitness centers. This way I could enjoy the rest of my day after my early morning workout.

Vacation is a time for relaxation and enjoyment. If you are stressed, tense, or your body is suffering from the wear and tear of travel, you shouldn’t skip a workout. Doing so will only detract from the enjoyment your trip is supposed to bring you.  

Garden Fairies

I love when the weather finally breaks!  This week has been absolutely gorgeous!  Mid 70's, sunny, slight breeze...you can't ask for much better then that, and in Northeast Ohio this kind of perfection doesn't last long, so we have been taking advantage of it.

I know I was all stoked last week about the free week at the fancy gym, but I have not gone once!  Instead I am rushing home to "work out" in our yard.  WE have been busy mowing, weeding, turning soil, cleaning out beds, and building raised boxes.  Not quite the cardio I had planned, but even better since I am home in the sunshine ands fresh air working with the fam!

Mini me has been a HUGE help in this endeavor.  She has been finding worms, raking, reporting our errors :).  Every open flower is exciting, every worm a new discovery...I love seeing it all through her eyes.

Now, my hubby and I have never been very green in the thumb department but wanted to try our hands at a few veggies.  This has now expanded to veggies, herbs and possibly even some fruit.  We are building 4 raised beds, plus we did some rearranging in the play area to allow for more bed space there, plus we have a bed on the side of the garage that needs some more cleaning up...this could be quite a crop we end up with.  We have some starter tomato plants from a friend, the neighbor has promised to bring starters of kale and bell peppers...I'm excited!  We have been very busy little Garden Fairies as my wee one has been saying!

Last summer we started going to the open market much more regularly...I am hoping that we can go less and enjoy the fruits of our labors more this year (pardon the pun).  I have been doing lots of research online about how to enrich the soil and stop bug-a-boos, I'm hoping it all works. I am taking it as a good sign that my viburnum, that we've had for a few years now and has never bloomed flowers, finally has nice little bundles of fragrant blossoms...fingers crossed.  Keep them crossed for EVERYTHING!

 

Do you do your own gardens?  What tips do you have for us beginners?!?!

 



Story time

My three year old and I have a pretty set bedtime routine.  Every once and a while she mixes it up and has Dadoo take her to bed, but for the most part it is her and I.  It's my favorite time of the day.  We get all snuggled under her covers and hug, she giggles as I tell her to move her tiny tush over so there is room for me, and then we read.  "Going to bed time" ranges from 830-9pm.  It used to be if we went up at 830, she got 3 stories, 840 meant 2, 850 meant 1, and 900 meant straight to sleep.  Now that she is getting older she is starting to enjoy slightly longer books, so we have had to adjust this time frame a bit.  Now 830 gets us 2 stores and 845 is 1.  She has become a HUGE fan of the Berenstain Bears, and has inherited the collection that my brother and I so lovingly put together as kids.  She has about 30 of them to chose from I would guess. We have even gotten ones from the library that we don already have, as well as Mimi and Papa finding new ones for her Easter basket. 

I always loved the Berenstain Bears books when I was a kid, and like all top quality children's book, I never realized the lessons I was learning from them because they were just plain old good stories.  Little Bear of course has a favorite that we read each night and then she chooses some other one to read as her 2nd.  How fitting that she would want to read The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food as I try and impart to her the importance of healthy eating and exercise. 

I LOVE THIS BOOK!  Thanks to this fun story, we have had a complete turn around in snacking and grocery shopping!  At the store last week, I ask mini me what snacks she wants for the weekend (we were out of town all weekend for a soccer tournament)...her response, carrot sticks and apples!  As we passed by the candy aisle, I hear a little voice saying Mama Bear would NOT like those snacks!  Love it!

It made my heart so happy to see how she has latched onto THAT particular story.  I'm sure part of it is Mommy and Dadoo's insistence on our workout time, but whatever the impetus I'll take it.  She is even asking for water with her meals instead of juice.  Sometimes she'll ask for milk, but she has been asking for the agua, so I am a happy Mommy.

And now for a little Friend Making Monday!

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: http://www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: ABC’s of Me

 Here’s how it works…you’ll choose topics about yourself, your likes, dislikes, etc.  according to each letter in the alphabet, and share a little with us. Oh shhh…you know you love it. 

A) Arden, Latin for Fireball.  When I was preggers my hubby found this name in the baby name book, and the little miss in my belly was a fierce kicker and mover so it was a no brainer, Arden Marie…and let me say she lives up to the name! J

B) Blessed.  I don’t always see it, but I am truly blessed.

C) Coffee.  Truly my last great vice, and honestly its coffee!  It’s not going anywhere.

D) Dylan.  My amazing husband.  We have been through our fair share of ups and downs, but we always manage to come out on the other side together and stronger for it. 

E) Exercise.  I am getting better about making that “me” time.  It has taken on a new role in our house too since my youngest heard the Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food.  Those cubs are told to eat healthy and exercise…LOVE hearing those words come out of my 3 year olds mouth!

F) Family.  My family is everything to me.

G) Guy Fieri.  Yep, Guy Fieri from the Food Network.  Pretty sure he is my 3 year olds first crush.  She LOVES him, so much so that her fav Easter present is the autographed head shot of him she found in her basket. 

H) Hibiscus Hula.  It’s one of our fav Minnie Mouse tunes right now, and apparently the mini me was teaching it at pre-school.  How fun would that have been to see?

I) Ice.  I take a lot of my drinks without ice (soda, water) when at home even out sometimes.  My husband likes to tease me about it.  Since my dad does the same thing, it’s got to be something in our Canadian jeans, since my Dad was born in Quebec!  AT least that is the reason mu hubby gives. 

J) Jamie.  My bestie.  She has been with me for 25+ years.  Don’t know where I’d be with out her!

K) Kiddos.  Mine are the lights of my life.  I talk about them all the time, I know…but they just make my heart sing.

L) Little Brother.  I have given him so much grief over the years, but I love my little brother with my whole heart!  He has grown into such an amazing, caring, compassionate man and I hope he finds someone who sees that and realizes how lucky she is!

M) Maddy.  My oldest.  She is my tenderhearted baby, she tries to be strong and brave for the world all the time, but I know her heart!

N) Negative people.  I have been slowly eliminating negative and toxic people from my life.  It’s a difficult and sad process, but when all they do is upset you and bring you down…it’s not good to keep them around.

O) OCD.  There are certain things in my life I am very OCD about, and at a time that is good…at times it is not so good.  I think I am finding a balance though.

P) Parents.  My parents are my example in life.  I hope my marriage is as strong as theirs after 40 years, and that my children love and respect me as much as I do my parents.  I know that even when I doubt myself as a parent that I am doing a good job when my parents see what I am doing and smile.  The support me no matter what, and I can feel their unconditional love!

Q) Quit.  I am not a quitter…except for smoking and I am proud to have achieved that (been almost 7 years).

R) Religion.  This is a constant conversation with my Dad.  I was brought up Presbyterian and my husband is Jewish, neither of us agree with any one religious practice though.  Where my Dad was brought up in a generation of “go to church” mentality I have decided that faith is what is important, not religion.  I have faith, and I am teaching my kiddos to have faith.  It is an any day of the week, any place you want to stop and think/pray/contemplate/question kind of thing. 

S) Slaughter.  I am addicted to Karin Slaughter books right now!  LOVE THEM!!!!

T) Time.  I wish I could make it stop sometimes, or at least slow down. 

U) Useless.  I never want to be useless.  It’s a fear of mine.

V) Viral.  I’m hoping both my blog and my little family business eventually go viral!

W) Wrinkles.  I think I am getting them and I must admit I don’t like it.  If you know where to send them back to, please let me know as the little stinkers did NOT have a return address when they arrived around my eyes.

X) X –ray.  As a kid who was WAT active in sports, I think my poor mom has an x-ray collection of all my knee and ankle injuries 

Y) Yarn.  I have started buying lots of yarn over the past6-9 months with the hopes of teaching myself how to properly crochet and/or knit.  It’s a slow process, but I am enjoying my successes (when I actually get them).

Z) Zoo.  My hubby and I LOVE taking our kids to zoos.  We have made them a part of our vacations, we have memberships.  LOVE THE ZOO! 

Now it’s your turn! Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!! Happy Monday friends!!!!!!!!

Zumba!!

I love Zumba!  It has become one of my favorite workouts over the past few weeks.  I know that a big part of that is because of the awesome instructor I have (Alice the Awesome), but I think even without her I would still love it more and more each time I do it.

As someone who was a dancer a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOng time ago, I find that the more I do it, the more relaxed I become.  I am really starting to just feel the music and the moves, so its not so much a "work" out but a "work it" out.  I also find myself thinking every once and a while that it would be such a fun workout to do with my hubby.  Must be all that hip work.  hee hee

My question of the day is, has anyone ever tried to Wii Zumba?  I am thinking it might be a good way to spend my Target gift card, but was hoping for a little feedback first. 

Thoughts PLEASE!!!

Step by Step

I'm not sure why all my workout machines pictures turn out so blurry, but I am happy enough that you can see the benefit.  This was in the cool down of my 10 minute walk on the treadmill this morning.  I have found that a nicely paced walk right before the  30 minute Muscle Conditioning Express class gets me loose, gets my heart rate up and gets me ready for a fast paced and intense workout.  Even though I have done this class once before, and knew it was going to kick my butt, I still had this mindset going in that because its only a 30 minute class it wouldn't be as beneficial as the others I have done.  Crazy right?!?!  Not sure how to get past that.  Especially since I work on the 3rd floor of my building.  I take the stairs everyday.  It's 63 steps up and 63 steps down.  I do that at least twice a day (when I get to work, leaving and coming back from the gym, and going home) so even if my workout itself is only a 30 minute one at the actual gym, I am still doing my part.  Top that with the quarter mile I put in to and from the garage...I'm actually moving more then I give myself credit for on a daily basis.  If only fitbit wanted to hook me up with a bunch of free gear to try out and sing the praises of (hint hint fitbit). :)  I have a pedometer but it kind of sucks.  It's be nice to see how may steps I average though each day.  Hmmmmm maybe I'll just bust out the old one to see.

I am looking forward to tomorrow.  It should be a GREAT workout day for me.  My boss gives us a half day off on the day before a holiday, so I WON'T have to get up at 5 to fit in a workout!  I can sleep in, see my girls as they wake up in the morning (maybe even take the little one to school), take my time and get in 60, heck maybe even 90 minutes at the gym, and then work a short day with a few programs going on.  That is the plan, although I use that word very loosely. :)

I was pretty happy yesterday overall as I feel like I planned well.  I knew we were going to have dinner with friends and that would mean indulgences that aren't everyday (lots of food, a beer).  I knew my caloric intake for the night would be high so on top of my kick butt Zumba class I cut back throughout he day on calories having:

Breakfast: weight control Quaker oats instant oatmeal, maple and brown sugar

Mid-morning snack: Yoplait light strawberry yogurt

Lunch: baked sweet potato, green bell pepper and a snack bag of peanuts

Talk about a fairly low cal day!  So I don't feel guilty today about indulging in a few empanadas, guac, con queso and chips and my 1 beer.  Even with the higher calorie foods, I still kept it to smaller portions.  Very proud of myself.

As an added bonus, my 3 year old asked if she could take swim lessons.  Just popped the question out of nowhere.  She knows swimming is good exercise...and its fun, wonder what brought this on?  Not sure but love that the kids are starting to see the importance of exercise.  Maybe the Just dance is inspiring her to be more active too.  In the past 2 weeks she has asked about playing soccer, swimming, and to play (multiple times) just dance.  All this in addition to our sweet little mom and me dance class.

    

Shaking It up

Well, I'm not sure why I even try to set up a specific workout schedule...seems to be a FAIL most of the time.  Not in getting my butt up and moving, but in trying to plan it out as though each day could flow by problem free.  Today I am proud to announce that I am in fact sticking to the original plan and hitting Zumba.  I keep going back and forth on my feelings about Zumba.  Some classes are great, some I'm left thinking that I would have been better off on the treadmill or elliptical.  Fingers crossed that today is a sweat inducing, heart pumping, booty shaking good time.  I need it.  This week has been crazy, and I just want to lose myself in a hard, fun workout. 

The girls have been enjoying Just Dance 4 on the Wii.  I love, love, LOVE hearing their squeals of laughter as they dance together.  It is the cutest, most wonderful thing in the world to my ears.  I have discovered too that there is a workout option on the Just Dance 4.  Has anyone tried it?  Good?  Bad?  I'm very intrigued.  I do love to shake my booty butt as my 3 year old would say.

It's Time to get Moving

Back in the good old days I was crazy!  Back before children, before the stress of home ownership and being a "grown up" I felt like a rock star.  At the ripe old age of 21 my metabolism went into overdrive.  I could eat and drink pretty much whatever I wanted and see no fluctuation on the scale.  Go ahead, I will plug my ears as you get out all those nasty comments. :)  I understand...I hate that girl too!  I had to easy, too easy.  It was a blessing at the time because I saw a significant increase in the pounds from my senior year of high school through college...but it was also a curse as there was no real reason for my metabolism to just jump start the way it did so I learned nothing from that first major weight loss achievement.

Fast forward to my 35th birthday this past September.  It must have happened while I was asleep because I have no recollection of the conversation happening.  I don't know, maybe there was a secret meeting planned while I was fretting away about soccer practices or dance classes and making sure every one's schedule lined up, but there was some sort of conversation between my metabolism and my body that I was not included on.  I imagine it going something like this:

Metabolism: "Hey body, what's up, how are ya?"
Body: "feeling good Tabby, how are you?"
|
Metabolism: "I'm tired.  This chic has been running me ragged for almost 15 years, I think I need a vacation."

Body: "You do work really hard, I can't even imagine.  She NEVER works me as hard as you."

Metabolism: "Yeah, that's why I'm thinking...she's 35 now.  It's time to let her work and EARN the body I have given her over the years.  I know that may seem mean, but I just can't do it alone anymore."

Body:  I understand, here's hoping she does."

How rude! I mean, to not even INCLUDE me in this monumental decision.  Unbelievable, I mean when "Tabby" decided to jump start we sat and talked for...wait, no we didn't.  There was just an amazing jump start and my metabolism went into overdrive.  Ok, but then there was the time when...oh, no.  That was more of my selfishness.  Dang, this sucks!

It sounds so clichéd, but truly I have really felt the slow down in my metabolism since turning 35.  My hubby and I talk about it a lot.  His body type, he feels like he has never really HAD a metabolism to begin with, so I am starting to understand more now his frustration of working out and working out and not seeing a difference on the scale.  I now there are things I  can do, but need to do more research.  I read a great article today on boosting your metabolism from Active.com, and there are some great pointers in there...but I need to know more.  I need books and articles to help my on this quest.  My hubby needs answers.  I need to reconvene this meeting of the metabo-minds and get an agreement we can all live with.

What are some ways to really fire up your metabolism?  Suggestions?

Let me Hear that Cabbage Roll

     I am very excited for the next few days.  It has been a good week so far, and I am hoping to get on the computer tomorrow for the "official" Feel Good Friday post, but just in case I wanted to sing some praises today.
     My cousin is getting married tomorrow, and my sweet little peanut has been cast in the role of flower girl.  We will see how this goes.  The girls in my family are notorious at being terrible flower girls.  Not that the intentions aren't good, but there have been a few weddings where the beautifully dressed flower girl never makes it down the aisle.  Being that my little one JUST turned three, I am feeling like she may join the ranks of her family members.  Only time will tell.  She does have a gorgeous little dress to wear, so if nothing else she will look good. :)  Anywho...with this wedding since it is happening during the week, I get a 3 day weekend and the wee one and I are staying at my parents for the next two nights.  I can't even remember the last time OI stayed the night at my folks house.  My mom is SO excited she has given the guest room a complete face lift, gotten me my beloved pumpkin spice k cups for her keurig, and has made appointments for the three of us to get our nails done tonight after rehearsal.  Have I mentioned before how girly the three year old id and how she has not been able to stop talking about the nail salon since Mimi told her two days ago?!??!!  There will be pictures to come.
     On top of that, I have been diligently adding all my food and exercise into myfitnesspal.com again.  I haven't been under my goal EVERYday, but am getting closer.  I got in a great domestic workout yesterday.  I spent three hours scrubbing my entire house clean.  Vacuuming, dusting, windexing, laundering...you name it, I did it.  I even cleaned ceiling fans.  I got everything sparkly and fresh smelling and then the little one and I spent the early part of the evening decorating for Halloween.  I even got my new message board hung for this month:

     The final part of my day yesterday was I finally attempted to make stuffed cabbage rolls.  I found  a great recipe on allrecipes.com and where I have never made these before I felt that a 223 calorie recipe seemed pretty good, and then I substituted ground turkey for the beef so that should have shaved a few more calories off, right?

my cabbage leaves boiling in salted water...look at that beautiful green color

ground turkey, onion, rice, tomato soup, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning

getting ready for the oven

the final product


 

     I think for a first attempt they were pretty good.  I will experiment more next time.  Maybe add a little Italian sausage in with the turkey for flavor or try a flavored rice.  All in all, I was happy with the turnout.  The hubs thought they looked great and he was pleased with the taste as well.  Not too shabby if I do say so myself.
    
    

Where's My Cape?

So, how many of you want to conquer everything but just dont' have the hours in the day or the stamina to do it all?  I am constantly jealous of my BFF who is a stay at home mom.  Her house is always clean, her scrapbooks are all caught up, she works out when she wants to...I WANT THAT!  But, my situation is not the same as hers...I work full time and my children are in more activities then hers and life is just different for the two of us.  I dont' begrudge her anything, I just wish I had a cape some days and the superhero ability to do it all.

This comes on the heels of a weekend in which , yes I indulged a bit, but not in excess as far as I thought...yet the scale seemed to think otherwise.  I was SHOCKED this morning when I got on the scale...shocked I say.  My hubs always tells me that I have to move the scale around and check a few times and take the "average" because our calibration is sometimes sub-par...but this was not just a calibration issue.  This was a full on assault of the numbers.  I mean, wow.  WTH! 

I have been feeling "doughy" lately, as that is the only word that seems suitable.  But I had a great week at the gym...well, two weeks ago.  I know I need to be better, and should have been building oin that momentum and moving onward and upward last week, but schedules and need for sleep got the better of me.  I even was at a point where I was craving comfort style food and embraced that in my cooking last week (although, I am SUPER proud of my version of beef stroganoff that I made).

So, this morning when I saw those numbers staring back at me I knew it was time to take charge and jump start this body of mine.  First plan of attack, I made myself a sensible breakfast.  I made 2 eggs to start my day off with a burst of protein and had a small glass of OJ.  I even went through the cabinet and got my vitamins out to hopefully help kick my sleepiness.  I made sure to log everything with myfitnesspal.com (something I have also been slacking in) and packed a sensible lunch with controlled portions.  It's a start.  I am hoping that the hubs gets out of work early enough to relieve me at soccer practice and maybe I can even get a workout in tonight.  I may need to think about getting up earlier and trying to workout before work.  It just means I will be going to bed earlier...which means getting the little one to bed earlier...so that is actually a good thing, right?!?!  I still need to find time though where I can have some QT with the hubs.  Where is that cape again????

So my request to you is to help keep me going, keep me challenged.  I am going to make sure I have time each day to "come clean" to you...or sing my own praises...hopefully more of the latter.  I need to get back on track so I can start feeling good about myself again.  When I feel good, I can see my positive energy radiate out through my kiddos and husband and it makes the world a brighter place, well, my world anyways. 

With that being said...what is your challenge to me this week?  I am going to ask you to help me.  Be more than just my inspiration and source of accountability...be my virtual trainers and chefs.  I implore you!!

Now for a little Friend Making Monday, even I need something a little lighter after all that :)

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

Uniquely You

1) Do you prefer to talk or text? Lately I would say I prefer to text, as I can do it anywhere and feel like I’ve been running all the time from activity to activity.

2) How often do you make your bed? I make it every day, but generally after work.  When I leave in the morning for work everyone in my house is asleep…so one of the things I do after work is make beds….absolutely makes the room look better.  If my youngest is in my bed when I leave, I will go make her bed so as to feel like at least 1 room is pulled together.  I have that fear of someone wanting to stop by for a surprise visit and get a whole house tour…not sure whey!

3) What sounds do you hear right now? The water cooler in my office and the keyboard as I type.

4) List three things that you always carry with you. Pictures of my kids, my iPhone and my lipstick.

5) What are your favorite TV shows? While my TV time is limited to what I tape and watch when I can…I do have a few guilty pleasure shows…Drop Dead Diva, Grey’s Anatomy, The Office, Bones and Pretty Little Liars.

6) Is there a hobby that you’d like to devote more time to? If so, what is it?  I wish I had more time (and funds) to scrapbook the way I’d like to.  I also want to learn to knit (properly), crochet and sew.

7) What is your favorite drink? Cherry Coke Zero.

8) Share a couple of cool facts about your family. My girls look exactly alike at age markers (meaning my 3 year old looks just like my 11 year old did at 3), my husband is just as much of a neat freak as me, I try to talk to my mom and dad a few times a week and although he may not know it, if something were to ever happen to my husband and me my little brother is the person I would want to take over care of my children.

9) List one thing that you will do for yourself today. Get back on track!

10) Share something that you’re thankful for today. My family, as I am every day.  I am a very lucky girl!

Now it's your turn to answer this week's questions! Don't forget to come back and link up in the comments. And try to say something to someone new this week. There are some pretty cool people connected here. Happy Monday, friends!

Feel Good Friday: a great week

Friday, Friday, Friday!  TGIF my friends!  I have had such a great week. I think that instituting Feel Good Fridays has given me a subconscious reason to find the positive in things throughout the week.  It gives me something to look forward to at the end of the week (other than the weekend of course) where I can celebrate my accomplishments!  HOORAY!

So this week my Feel Good Friday has actually been inspired by another blogger,  Jenna Zemering, over at Stay Fit. Stay Classy. Stay True.  Earlier this week, Jenna did a post entitled What Are You Grateful For?, and it seemed a fitting topic for my overall week.  So my Feel Good Friday warm fuzzy is how grateful I am for where I am in my life.

Sure, I have those days where I feel overwhelmed...the kids, the mortgage, the salary free taxi service I seem to provide for all things activity related...but in the big picture those are all things I wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.  I am SO grateful for my amazing husband who stands by me no matter what, and my two beautiful and healthy daughters (did I mention that the little one had a GREAT 3 year check up this week...she is off the charts!)

I am grateful for a boss who values health and fitness as much as I do and who plans our workouts during free fancy gym week.  I am grateful that I am healthy enough to take advantage of free fancy gym week. 

I am grateful that my number got picked off the waiting list at work to finally (for a little extra cost) got me a garage spot rather than the open lot I have been parking in the past year and a half...and right before winter HALLELUJAH!

It has been a great week...but so far it has also been a great life and I am very blessed.  We sometimes get so caught up in everything else that we forget how each little thing is a gift.  I am "great" ful for my life and look forward to what the universe has in store for me, and we know that she has been talking my ear off lately.

So, what are you Feeling Good about this Friday???

It' a Shoe In???

Oh dear readers, I need your help!  My week of exercise immersion has been amazing so far...but I found one one thing that can be improved upon...my shoes.  I guess because I was down so long with my foot injury, and workout barefoot (I know...bad me) at home I haven't given much thought to the mileage on my sneaks.  That was more than apparent after my Zumba class Monday.  Class itself was fine, but as the day progressed in my trusty old running shoes my dogs went from uncomfortable to downright rabid.

I know that there is a mile limit, I have informed others of those limits...but alas.  So what I need from you, my fabulously stylish and well educated readers, is recommendations on shoes.  I used to swear by the asics gel

 

Then when those gave out I went straight back and they were different somehow.  Not as comfy, so I tried some Nike shoes. They have been good...comfy, stable, supportive, but their time has come.

 

My hubby swears by his New Balance shoes.  He has bunions and finding him shoes that were comfy and good for working out has been quite a task. 

 

So now I turn to you...what do you think?  What do you like?  HELP!!

 

 

 



Jump Start

I got an email this week that made me VERY happy.  Once again, thank you Universe for interceding.  Both my husband and I work in the wonderful world of academia.  This has many perks; college tuition for the kids...CHECK, flexible work hours...CHECK, fancy college gym facilities at our disposal...CHECK.  At first, I was intimated at the idea of going to the gym where I work...imaging throngs of hard bodied, young college kids everywhere reminding me that age keeps marching over me, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

The university I work at has a free college rec center (my normal workout location of choice) but also has a fancy gym you can buy a membership to.  The fancy-pants members only gym offers a wide range of classes, has a smoothie bar, and has excellent equipment (proof that they USE those memberships fees wisely).  It's super nice, but spending that kind of money each month when I have access to two free gyms is silly to me.  A few times a year though, it's like Christmas for the workout community.  A few times a year, the fancy gym offers a week long open house with access to all of the classes, facilities for the entire week for FREE!!  I have mentioned the fab freebie before, and was SO excited to see that email! 

I tend to take the free classes when they are offered, then I can try things I may not normally try...and also squeeze in a few tried and true classics.  So, without further delay...here is my class lien up for next week:

Monday: Zumba! (bright and early at 7am)

 

Tuesday: Yoga (a personal fav)

 

Wednesday: Qigong/Tai Chi (what?!?!  Not sure, but it sounds interesting)

 

Thursday: Barre Fitness (showing off my Mom and Me dance skills :)

 

Friday: Cardio Muscle   (ending the week with a bang)

I am psyched!  Has anyone tried some of these?  I am very intrigued by the Qigong.  Never even heard of it...I have done Tai Chi before, so I am hoping for the best.

What are some of your favorite workout classes?