Beach Bound

I snuck in one last workout after work last night (evening workouts=not my thing) and am taking the next week off, other than maybe a walk or bike ride here and there. But no gym, no classes, no weights, only fun happy workouts :)

The time has come. The car is packed. Florida here we come. Only 17 hours in the car. With kids. :)

Park Play

Happy Monday! For me, this is vacation week, we are headed to the beach on Friday. I can almost taste the salty air and beach it's so close, just a few (long) days of work ahead.

This weekend gave me a chance to test out a couple new creative workouts. I was alone with the kids and the tail end of a cold so a class at the gym wasn't happening but the boys were up early and ready to get moving so we packed up and headed to the park. It works like this: me jogging with the youngest in a stroller, oldest is on his bike, cooler and snacks packed up and water bottles of course, (now that the midwest summer is upon us) and we set out for a local elementary school. Since kids are out for the summer and it was early on a Saturday morning, you are almost guaranteed to have the place to yourself! Ran and biked a mile to the school, the boys played for half hour and I invented all sorts of workouts using every piece of playground equipment I could find!

My 4 year old took this one for me :)

I have been working out on playground equipment since I was on my first maternity leave and would take the baby for a walk and park his stroller somewhere and jump all over the play set. I'm sure there were people driving by thinking I was a nut.

Some of my favs, all using the lowest step to the slide seen above:
1. Step ups, alternating legs
2. Tuck jumps, if the step is low enough! (pictured above)
3. Push ups
4. Tricep dips

Total workout, around 2 mile jog plus 20 min of high intensity playground craziness. I ended it with a couple of games of red light green light with the boys and then we ran up and down some hills and by the time we headed out on the mile jog home I was wiped out!

Plus, I'm pretty sure my kids get a huge kick out of watching me jump around :)

Weekend Workouts:

Saturday - playground

Sunday - Circuit class

Monday - early a.m. fusion class

No Excuses!

How do you fit it all in? I hear that question about 3x a week. Well, I drink my fair share of a certain diet soda... but I also don't believe in making excuses. There is always time. And when there isn't, I skip it and make up for it another day. If you have kids and a stroller and a small window of opportunity, why not take a walk. Make it a jog. Kids too big for a stroller??? Get them a scooter, a bike with training wheels, anything with wheels!!! Walking home from school is a luxury we have because we are only 1 mile away, that's an easy 2 mile workout for mom. I like to sprint there and walk or jog home with one in a stroller and one on a scooter. We pick up sticks, watch construction workers, say hi to passing by dogs. It's the highlight of my day and I'm pretty sure the boys' too, and there's your workout for the day :)

There is always time. Like Nike said, you just have to do it.

This is what I look like walking with an empty stroller and scooter to school, I get some funny "where is your baby?" looks from people passing by. I love it.

Workouts:

None. I have a nasty case of bronchitis. BOO.

Back at it on Monday, for now doctor's orders to rest. :(

Baller Workouts

I am leaving for a sunny beach (family) vacation in 9 days. There are endless days of swimsuits and fruity beach drinks in my near future. I want badly to take the entire vacation off from waking up early and scheduled workouts, so in that case, the next 9 days need to be AH-MAZING. Less cookies. More cardio. Done.

I have taken a couple new classes this week and found a new love/hate relationship with the big exercise ball. We don't use it too often in class because its bulky and the room is crowded, but this week they busted it out 2 days in a row. Under your legs, between your ankles, above your head while holding weights... there's nothing you can't tone with the ball. It's my new fav.

Funny thing, I have had a ball like this at my house for, hmmm, let's just say a few years and I'm pretty sure the only person who has ever used it is one of my kids. Maybe it's time to dust it off and put it to good use.

Workouts:

Tuesday - early a.m. fusion class

Today - early a.m. bikini boot camp +

 if its not raining I plan to walk to pick up kids from school (time to get back in that habit!)

Back at it Again

Whoa, where did last week go??? It was like a blur. Summer activities + husband traveling = hands full with kids, very hard to find time for working out or apparently blog posting! I confess, I even hired a babysitter for one evening to run an errand and hit the gym. But sleeping in a few days in a row really felt nice, maybe a little too nice. 5am this morning was just ugly.

Today I am sharing my favorite summer salad. It's easy to make, lasts for days, low cal and tasty!

All you do is chop a cucumber, tomato, green pepper and toss with some light greek or balsamic vinaigrette. If I really want to get crazy, I add some feta. Makes a great side dish for lunch, dinner, or even an afternoon snack. My tip, chop the veggies and portion it out, then add the dressing right before you eat. Doesn't get soggy that way!

Workouts:

Saturday - Barre class

Sunday - 3 mile walk jog with the stroller

Today - early a.m. fusion class

Staying on Track

This week is going to be a tough one. Traveling husband, big week at work and to top it all of, its sunny and 90 degrees and really I just want to be at the pool... After a small pity party for myself, I have decided that this is the perfect week to shake up the routine. What small changes can I make in my day-to-day that will combat the lack of time to get in my normal workout but still keep me on track?

#1. Stay on top of the diet. With less calorie burn in a day, that means I have to take in less calories. Donuts are SO last week. On this week's agenda... VEGGIES.

#2. Creative workouts. I am going to take advantage of any small 30 minute window I can find and squeeze in something fun. More on that coming soon!

#3. Enjoy the break. Sleep in with my kids. Play at the pool (after work) and be flexible. And make up for it next week!

On a funnier note... race photos are in. Eek! Proof that I complete the race, and proof that I do not look like a celebrity while running :)

National Donut Day.

This post has nothing to do with being fit. Or eating healthy. But it is important.

If I ended up on a deserted island and could only take 1 thing with me it would be a donut. No question about that. I guess you could say it's my biggest weakness...good thing I work out!

Happy National Donut Day!

I passed this gene on to my kids. We just can't help it.

Workouts:

Today - early a.m. tabata class

This weekend - hoping for a fusion class or 2, or maybe just a nice walk :)

Time for a Break.

Well, I ran my race. Felt a little sore. Then felt a little better. Hit the gym hard Monday and Tuesday. Crashed hard today... I'm guessing this is my body screaming "take a break!" So while my plan was to get back to it hard core this week, the plan has shifted a bit. As important as it is to exercise, I know in my head it is just as important to rest, should have listened to my body!

This is now going to be my rest week, starting today, and a week of planning. New meals and new workouts, all exciting changes for the summer.

Starting with a great new recipe for a tasty and super easy-to-make lasagna in the crockpot!

Check out the Let's Eat tab for details on recipe and nutrition breakdown.

So let's rest! Enjoy some downtime, sleep in, catch up on re-runs of Gossip Girl and I will be back at it Monday with a fresh perspective!

Run Like the Wind!

Ahhhh, the race is over and I am relieved. Here's a short recap:

1. What's so big about Hospital Hill Half Marathon??? Well, the majority of the race is uphill. Seriously. They mark a few of the nastier hills on the course map, but they fail to mention that the rest of the race is pretty much slanted upward as well.

My goal was to run this race averaging 10 minute miles (we had trained for 10:30 miles, but I planned to push a little harder on race day.) I ended up shaving a few minutes off my goal time and finished 13.1 miles in 2:06. Woo hoo! For me, that's lightening fast :)

Overall I felt amazing. The hard work I had put in really paid off and although those hills were mighty brutal, I actually felt pretty good through most of the race. Well, until mile 11 which was entirely uphill, or at 12.5 miles when they threw in the steepest hill of them all... that was just mean.

I had an amazing cheering section that got me through, they saw me at miles 5, 9 and the finish.

I am so proud of myself and what I was able to accomplish. A few early mornings, a lot of hard work and dedication resulted in the earning of a medal and a really cool new track jacket! Totally worth it.

On a fun note, June blog posts are going to be filled with fun, new ideas for staying shape this summer, new recipes, new workouts and probably a few cute new workout outfits :) Stay tuned!