Tuesday, January 31, 2012

FITNESS: Exercising

***I'm no expert. Just a mamma's ideas on exercising

Have you been drinking your water?

Have you been exercising?

Do you like to exercise?

I think exercising is important if you want to lose weight and/or stay healthy. I don't think it matters what kind of exercise you do, just as long as you do something.

In my younger, pre-marriage, pre-baby stage of life, I loved to exercise! LOVED IT!

As a kid, I would beg my parents to buy me workout tapes (VHS-the kind on infomercials) and exercise equipment.

It just looked like fun.

I still have these tapes, and I still use them too.

One Christmas I received a gazelle.
The gazelle exercise machine. 
It was on my list.
The machine that was in the infomercial with this guy. 
We even look alike.
We have the same hair.

I used this thing all the time.
We eventually moved it to my cousin's house because it was taking up a lot of room.
But I really did use it a lot

I also really wanted a treadmill. I never got one.
But as soon as I got married and moved out, my parents got a treadmill.

Guess where they put it.

My room.

Anyways, back to exercise.
I do not have the same motivation for exercise that I once did.

My problem is that I am busier and tired.

Cold weather is also a hard time to get motivated.

So here are my tips for exercising:

1. Make it a habit. 

If you currently don't exercise, try setting aside 10 minutes everyday to exercise. It could be any time of day, and it doesn't matter what you do. 10 minutes is better than 0 minutes.

Once you start, you might find out you can go longer than 10 minutes.

You can also do two or three 10 minute intervals throughout the day. Sometimes a certain child may interrupt me in the middle of exercising, and I'll have to stop. A few hours may go by before I finish my workout. If you don't get all your exercise in one sitting,  you can always finish later.

I don't think you HAVE to exercise everyday to get fit or lose weight. Three to four times a week is good for you. However, in order for exercise to become a habit, you may want to start with every day or every other day until you get into a groove.

It is easy to get out of the habit of exercising. Just skipping two or three days can turn into two or three weeks. You must make yourself do something until you get to the point where it is in your daily/weekly routine.

2. Be creative. 

Sometimes my time to exercise is when Millie is playing on the floor. My workout can sometimes turn into her entertainment. She thinks jumping jacks or any kind of kick is hilarious. Sometimes exercise moves can make her stop crying.

I'll also lie on the floor next to her and exercise. Leg lifts, push ups, sit ups. This is also a good time to do the plank pose (shown below).
This works your core, and there are modifications to this too.

So entertain your child when you workout.

If you don't have babies, then exercise while watching TV, listening to the radio, or any other 'lounging around time.'

Another time I exercise is when I'm cooking. Waiting on water to boil or something to finish heating in the microwave or the oven is a perfect time to jump rope in place, jumping jacks, push ups on the counter, or even squats.

Yes this sounds silly to use my imaginary jump rope in the kitchen, but it is better than snacking on grated cheese while waiting on my water to boil.

You get my point. You can exercise anywhere or any time. Just use some imagination.

3. Take advantage of nice weather. 

Walk outside, swim, walk around the park. Anytime it is nice, go outside and exercise.

Sometimes it is easier to go on a walk than do a video. However, in the winter months this can be challenging, especially if you have to take a child with you. So if it is pretty weather, like it has been around here, call a friend and go walk.

4. Use you IPhone, IPad, and Internet.

If you have a device that can download apps you can get some free exercise videos and information.

I have downloaded some free pilates apps that give me multiple videos. They are only a few minutes long, and they work! Just search for 'free exercise' or 'free pilates.'

I have also found free videos for light weight lifting or other aerobic exercise.

Just search around for what works best for you.

5. Videos (not on the internet)

I go through stages with videos, and I know some people who hate doing exercise videos.

If you hate them, then just stop reading.

I still use some old exercise video tapes to help change up my routine. I already showed you these videos.


But I also have MTV's The Grind. Anyone else do this one? It is really fun.

I won't embarrass myself any more by showing you the rest.

The best up-to-date DVDs I have are The Biggest Loser Videos. Most of them have 3 different levels. There are 3 different workouts in one DVD. It takes longer to get tired of the same old video.



6. Change up your routine

Doing the same thing everyday will eventually become less effective. So change it up every now and then.


It is now 72 degrees on January 31st. I'm taking my own advice and going on a walk.


Saturday, January 28, 2012

Our Tooth Fairy Better Start Saving Up

Happy Saturday!
Enjoy the sunshine!

Monday, January 23, 2012

The Baptism

We had our sweet Millie's baptism yesterday. 
We were so glad our families could be here with us.
We love our church, and we are thankful for all it has to offer. 
 The last baptism picture of this group was for Laurie's baptism. 
I was 8.5 months pregnant.
 We celebrated the baptism with a delicious lunch.
   And a good strawberry cake.
 We were happy our church family could join us too. 

Even this part of the cake was eaten by the time the last guest left. 
  The clean up wasn't too bad. 
 Nick had it done by 3:30. 
He's the better cleaner of the two of us. 
I wanted to rest on the couch. 
He wanted to do the dishes. 
So we did the dishes. 

 Our sweet baby after all her people left. 
 She was happy and worn out. 
This is the summary of What Christian Parents Should Know About Infant Baptism by John P. Sartelle, "The Bible teaches that the sign of salvation is to be applied to the children of believing parents. In the Old Testament, circumcision was the sign. In the New Testament, baptism is the sign. The baptism of our children symbolizes the reality that they are set apart in the sight of God. In this baptism, parents covenant to raise their children by the directions of their Lord. Such a baptism calls a child from his earliest days to confess Christ as his Savior. 
It is God who initiated, drew the terms of, and seals His covenant with His people. He graciously binds Himself to the promises of His Word. And He calls His children and His children's children to keep His covenant and know His blessing from generation to generation."
We do not believe that baptism saves Millie. 
Colossians 2:11-12 is where we find a reference to baptism fulfilling circumcision as the outward sign of a person's entrance into the community of believers. 
We pray everyday that she will know that Jesus is her Savior, and that she will love Him and worship Him the rest of her life. 
 My prayer for Millie is from Hebrews 13: 20-21, "May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen."

Monday, January 16, 2012

FITNESS; Drinking Water



This is one of many posts on fitness. 


January is usually a time of getting fit and loosing weight. I am no expert,  and my body proves it, but I do have a few tips (my ideas) on fitness.

These are ideas that have worked for me. They are also ideas that make me feel good.

The first installment of FITNESS is the easiest of all my 'tips.' 
Tip number one: drink water.

I have read in several places that 8 cups of water is the recommended amount to drink every day. This always sounded like a lot of water. However, after some research, 8 cups of water literally means drinking 8 ounces of water 8 times throughout the day. Not 8 huge glasses of water. 

In some other articles, I found that your lifestyle determines how much water you should drink.  The more you exercise (sweat), the more you need to drink. The healthier you are, the less you need to drink. Those were some points made arguing against the idea of drinking a lot water.  

I got to a point where I was hardly drinking any water. I'm not saying you have to drink 8 cups to survive, but I think striving towards a goal might help drinking water become a habit. 


This is my usual drinking cup. 
This is 16 oz or 2 cups of water. 
I keep one glass throughout the entire day. I don't refill it until I finish the water that's already in my cup.

On my first day of trying to drink the right amount of water, I drank all 8 cups by 4 pm. Therefore by the end of the day I drank 10 to 12 glasses before I hit the sack.

I also recommend to stop drinking about an hour or two before going to bed-because you know why. 

Drinking water is good for your hair and skin.

Water removes toxins from your body (that's what the internet says).

It keeps dehydration away which is good for your entire body.

Drinking water before a meal can also help you feel full sooner. Therefore you won't over eat.
This is a common problem for me. I eat til I'm miserable.

Sometimes in the afternoon I feel hungry, but I'm not sure what I want. So I start to eat chips.

Nope that's not it.

Then I eat chocolate.

That's not what I wanted either.

I continue to eat until I'm finally full of junk that I don't feel very good.

If I would only drink a cup of water I might have been more satisfied. Hunger can sometimes masquerade itself  with thirst . So when you are achin' for a snack, drink some water and re-asses your hunger.

I am by no means suggesting to starve yourself. When you are hungry, EAT. Just make sure what you are eating will fill you up and won't leave you wanting more.

The point is to DRINK WATER. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are full. Drink some more water.

Click here, here, and here to read more on why water is beneficial for your health and how much you should drink.
More FITNESS to come soon.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Pictures From This Week

We have had a slow January.
A sick January.
With little housework getting done.
And a lot of lounging around.
Outside of Publix and Target employees, this guy and his household have been the only outsiders we've seen in while.

This girl is overcoming a cold with crawling and pulling up on everything.
These skills have helped her find the fun kitchen cabinet.  
 
 We will hopefully reemerge into civilization next week, illness free.

Hope you have a good weekend!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

7 Months

This girl is 7 months old today. 
We spent yesterday afternoon outside. 
We watched Nick build another fence. 
 The hat was for protection from the sun.
 Her dad said it looked goofy. 

And it kind of did.

  But I didn't want her head sunburned. 
It was a beautiful 70 degrees in January. 
I wish all winter would feel like this. 
But we just got a truck load of fire wood, and we need to use it.    

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Spread the Word Montgomery Friends


Montgomery friends, please spread the word to anyone that may need some help with their math skills. 


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