Exercising while on vacations

We just got back from a week vacation away with the family. I have been so concerned that I would falter this summer on my exercising, but it has been quite the contrary. Being with other people that love to exercise and make it a priority has made all the difference.

During my week vacation I made it to 1 kickboxing class at the local 24 hour fitness, Ran/did elliptical twice for about 40 minutes and combined that with a few weights, and did a P90X video with my hubby and bro in law. So, on a week vacation I fit in 4 workouts! Its really amazing how when you make something a priority you really can fit it in. Instead of feeling horrible when I came back from vacation, I felt great!

So....Survival tips for vacations,

#1 Make exercise a priority
#2 Surround yourself with people who enjoy exercise or be the motivator! (Everyone will thank you later)
#3 Enjoy the relaxation but do not over indulge in the food.

Good Luck with your summer vacationing!!!

Saving money

I love learning and trying new things. I think its so fun to educate myself and see how far I can take myself in new explorations. I think exploring is a healthy thing to do :) My newest little "hobby" is couponing and saving my family money. Most hobbies take a few extra dollars, so its pretty fun that this hobby is actually saving us tons on our grocery bill!

I would not call myself an extreme couponer~as I only purchase one paper per week and shop only maybe twice a week, but still its been fun and exciting to see those savings.

For example: Last week one of my best transactions(its often best to do multiple transactions at one store), I scored 2 gallons of milk, 2 dino gogurts, a danimals drink 6 pack, and yogurt 6 pack for.....

$2.19!!!!

This week I took a picture of my loot, so here it is

8 boxes of fiber one bars, 4 bottles Sweet baby BBQ sauce, 2 Kraft dressings, 9 lawry's marinades, 1 frenches mustard, 1 Kraft Mayo, 1 gallon milk, 1 knudsen sour cream, bag of twizzlers, and 7 boxes of brownie mix

All for $16.80!!!!

I stuck to stuff that we buy on a normal basis so I feel like I'm only buying things I normally would. The fiberone bars alone would have cost me more than that amount had I bought them at Walmart where I usually shop, so I figure everything else on the counter is just bonus and free. My pantry is starting to burst out the seams and I've spent less in the last month in grocery shopping than I do on a normal month. Its amazing!!!!

Balancing the changes

Sorry, I didn't realize its been so long since my last post! I've been staying busy working out, playing volleyball again, couponing, crafting, and doing lots of other fun stuff with the kids.

My latest concerns with staying healthy both have to do with Balancing the Changes...

FIRST~
How do I fit in exercise with all 4 kids home from school and so many fun vacations planned? There is no way I am paying $12 each time I go to the gym so my kids can be babysat there or paying the $80 monthy fee it would cost to have them all enrolled in the unlimited babysitting! I've gotta figure out a way to fit it in, so I may be trying to do a few laps at the pool or do some extra squats while I fix meals. Should be interesting :)

SECOND~
My bad knee is starting to bother me a bit. If you don't know, I tore my ACL completely my senior year of high school. I walked on it for a year instead of having the surgery right away (this was the only way I was going to be able to go to the college of choice). So, I ruined a lot of cartlidge along the way. The doctor told me I would never be able to run again. I feel blessed that I can do as much as I can exercise wise. Recently I wanted to slim down, so I've been taking lots of kickboxing and other cardio type classes (which totally work)~ I think this is starting to irritate my knee a bit. So, that is my other dilema, how to I choose between staying fit and putting too much strain on my knee.

So, those are my thoughts for the day. I know I need to take care of my body, and I want to, but as a mom of 4 it isn't always easy. I'm going to work on finding a new balance for the next 2 months and figure this out.

Thoughts on Venting

Some days are good and some are bad. I try my best to find the good in everyday, but it is really hard sometimes!

SOMETIMES I JUST WANNA.....

*kick and scream like a kid
*splat, I AM GOING CRRRRAAAAZZZZZZZZZY and I'm so frustrated all over facebook
*call up the subpoena clerk and explain to them that my husband would appreciate more than 2 1/2 hours of sleep a night and scream to them about how I would love to see my husband at least every other day!!!

WHAT I TRY TO DO INSTEAD...

There are a few ways I deal with hard days. Most hard days I just grab my journal and write and sometimes I cry (a girl needs a cry every once in a while right?). As I write I try to find the positive in what is going on. I think of how this trial of loneliness and exhaustion is strengthening me. I think of who I may be able to relate to in the future because of this hard time I am going through. A few times I have called up a listening ear such as my mother, sister, or good friend. Other times I think of others who I can do service for to get my mind off of myself (some of those who live close by are often recipients of baked goods on my really hard days). For some reason baking with my kids and delivering cookies, or bread to a friend make me feel so much better (then eating a cookie afterward helps too :)

HERE'S WHERE YOU COME IN!

HOW DO YOU VENT? DO YOU THINK ITS A HEALTHY THING TO VENT? DON'T WE ALL GET ANGRY SOMETIMES? IF YOU'VE BEEN ON FACEBOOK LATELY YOU PROBABLY KNOW LOTS OF PEOPLE WHO GO AHEAD AND PUT ALL THEIR COMPLAINTS OUT THERE EVERYDAY FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL HEARING ABOUT OTHER PEOPLE'S ISSUES CONSTANTLY. DO YOU THINK VENTING SHOULD BE PERSONAL OR IS IT FINE TO VENT PUBLICLY? (I'm not sure how everyone feels on this issue, so please do share).

Inspiration from Jennie

One reader of my blog emailed me and let me know that she had been working on becoming a healthier mommy ever since I posed the challenge in January. I was excited that she was willing to share her story with us.

"My name is Jennie Burke and in January I took Joanna's challenge on to get more fit and healthy. I started out walking 5 days a week for about 30 minutes. Over the course of the 4 weeks I was able to start jogging about 2.5 miles in the 30 minutes. After the 4 weeks was over I continued to jog/slow run about 3 times a week. Well in early March an opportunity came up for me to run in the Southern California Ragnar Relay. Ragnar Relays are an overnight race where you and 11 of your team mates run for 200 plus miles. My husband and sister in law had run one previously and their new team needed a runner and they asked me to join. I was only running about 2 to 3 miles so taking on something like this was really overwhelming for me. But I used Joanna's positive thinking and decided to join. So in April I ran 12.5 miles of the 200.9 mile race. From January to April I lost 35 pounds. It was incredible, the way I pushed my body and did things I didn't think I could do was so amazing. The challenge really changed my life for the better. I am still not as healthy as I would like to be I have a lot more weight to lose but I am on the right path and I am definitely more active than I have been since high school. Which really feels amazing. We have signed up to run another Ragnar in September which is so exciting and will help keep me motivated. Trust me I am living proof that if you set your mind to something you can definitely do it no matter what the stands in the way. "

Thank you so much Jennie for being an inspiration. We all start at different points. I love that you took on something challenging and were able to share that experience with your husband. Good luck in your continued goals toward health and fitness. Please share with us again~ we'd love to have an update again in a few months!

Zumba and Treadmill

I wore my calorie counting watch on Friday to the gym and these are the #s

Zumba (50 minutes)- 300 calories

Treadmill (17 minutes running)- 170 calories. Thought I'd note that even after putting in my age and weight into the treadmill the calories said that I had burned 250 calories, so my watch proved I burn less than the "average" person. Keep that in mind when you are using the machines. Its all based on averages, so everyone's body is a little different. If you are trying to be exact on your calorie intake/exercise than you may want to get something more accurate instead of counting on the averages being correct for your body.

I'm going to have the hit the gym hard next week after all the celebrating we've been doing. Since Thursday its been fun around here celebrating my hubby's 31st birthday and enjoying time with family this Memorial day weekend. It will continue until Monday~then the next couple weeks I will work on whipping myself back into shape to burn off all the yummy food and dessert that I've been eating. YIKES! I may need some extra motivation, who's with me?

Fun with counting :)

I've absolutely been loving testing out my new new mother's day present! Most women wouldn't be excited for their husband to them anything to do with exercise for a gift. Usually that would be an insult right? Not for me! My hubby listened up and surprised me by getting me the New Balance heart rate/calorie counting watch that I have been wanting for a few months now. Its making working out more fun and making me work a little harder at the gym to see what the results are calorie wise.

So far I've logged in 4 of my normal morning workoutsand one day out with the kids and here are the results:

24 Lift (50 minute weight class) 250 calories
I was a little disappointed at first, but strengthening those muscles is just as important as the calorie burn. A balance of weights and cardio is important to being healthy.

Turbo Kick (I was 10 minutes late and had to leave once to change a poopy diaper), so about a 40 minute workout burned 375 calories~ pretty good eh?

Turbo Kick (full class) 450 calorie~ even better!

Step Class (full class) 385 calories

3 hours at the Zoo- 690 calories This was at the L.A. zoo pushing a double stroller up the hilly pathway, picking up kids, and all the other stuff that goes with a day at the zoo with 2 kids :)

Its fun seeing the #s and how the classes compare to just running on the treadmill. I love exercising. I see the results in the mirror, and also in the way I feel. Anything that makes me feel better about myself makes for a good mother's day present. Good job to my hubby for a great gift!