Fit Friday ~ Keeping up with it All

This week I have been working on doing all those things I have set out to do over the past few months: drinking more water, getting out for walks more often, more sleep etc.

I have been getting headaches lately and been super tired {usually taking a nap the whenever Lady A took one} so I went in for a physical. Secretly, I was thinking if there were something in my blood work it would be the kick I need to do some more intense workouts. Well, it was all normal. I was in the middle all across the board. So I guess I will continue going to bed earlier since that is the only thing that has helped to keep the headaches from coming on.

I still think that the best thing I have done so far is drinking more water. It is simply amazing how much this can affect your body, weight, skin, health and so much more. I highly recommend that if you are looking to feel better, this is a good place to start.

~Mindy

Fit Friday ~ the odd couple

When we first moved into these apartments, we knew it was only going to be for about a year and half. With such little time I could keep to myself and not worry about making friends with my neighbors. Instead I decided that I was going to force myself to say 'Hi' and get to know as many neighbors as possible. The biggest hurdle for this resolution is that probably only half of all those living here speak English.

A couple doors down is a grandpa who is always out with his grandson. I don't know how much English he understands but I have only ever heard him say 'hi' and 'bye' and he LOVES it when Lady A waves at him. There are also quite a number of fun toys out in front of their place and Lady A has to stop by at least once or twice a day to make sure they are all working.

Now when we step outside the first thing she does is look over to see if the little neighbor boy is out, but if the Grandpa is out she'll gasp with excitement, wave and shout 'eye' {that's 'Hi' in toddler}. Before you know it, Lady A has gotten the little boy {he's only a month younger than she is} into his stroller and either me or the grandpa will be holding her so she can push the stroller. I have to laugh to myself a little bit as I think of what it must look like to see us walking around the complex with the little kids, knowing that we can't talk with each other.

This has been my exercise this week, rain or shine {and it has been mostly raining}, helping Lady A push the neighbors toddler in his stroller. So I have gotten out of my bubble and made friends with some neighbors and it has been a really great experience. My little girl has even gotten comfortable enough with the Grandpa that she will walk right up to him and hold her arms out so he'll pick her up, or help her at the top of the playground to go down the tube slide. She's busting out of her shell and I love it.

With all the rain this week we have also gotten a lot of puddle jumping in.

What have you done this week to get your exercise in?

Fit Friday ~ Rainy Days

This past week we have had a LOT of rain.

It comes and goes but it is usually raining when Lady A is up so we can't go on our walks. She does however, love the rain. We have spent a lot of time outside this week puddle jumping and changing into dry cloths.

This week we have been doing more inside for our workouts. {I say 'we' because Paul is done with classes for the summer so he is working out with me right now.} Paul was looking on-line and has put together some exercises for us to work on in the evening.

Some of them are......
Squats, push-ups, sit-ups, crunches, lunges plus a couple other core strengthening exercises. Get out there and make up your own exercise routine.

Fit Friday ~ the Sun is Out

I missed last week...sorry about that. It has been super busy around here, getting ready for the summer, planning trips, Paul finishing up another year of Grad School.

The past two weeks we have enjoyed going out for walks. Lady A and I would walk {she was in the stroller, we would not have made it to the bottom of the street if she was walking} to the University and meet up with Paul. It felt great to get out and stretch our legs after the long winter and cold spring. 

Lady A really enjoyed it too. She would point and 'oh' and 'ah' over everything as we walked by.

My recommendation this week is a good pair of walking shoes to go use. My Dr. told me that New Balance are a great walking shoe but also good for your feet. They aren't too thin and will squish your foot and the cushion in them has been just right for me.

Get out and Get walking

Happy Trails

Fit Friday ~ Getting Enough Sleep

Like I talked about last week, I was going to focus on getting more sleep this week.

I can't believe how hard this has been. For the past while we have been staying up late, this seems to be the only time that we can spend time together. First we get Lady A to bed then Paul gets to work on his homework, then we finally get to spend a bit of time together. On average we get to bed around 2 a.m. and Lady A wakes us up between 7-8. This week I have been getting to bed around midnight but my internal clock wakes me up at 5...AAHHHHHH!!!!

The first couple of mornings I spent the morning just laying in bed until Lady A woke up. Maybe I could have gotten up and been productive but that would keep me from getting more sleep....since this is my goal. This week I was baby sitting for a friend and realized just how sleep deprived I am. When Lady A goes down for a nap I can too but since I was babysitting that was not an option. Those two days were pretty long.

Finally by the end of the week, I have been able to get at least 7 hours of sleep at night. I have forgotten how wonderful that can be and my days have been more productive.

Fit Friday ~ Feeling Great

There isn't much to share this week. I haven't added anything to my regemend but spent the week making sure I am keeping up with everything I already have set up.

I have been able to increase my water which I think has been the biggest boost to helping me feel great inside my own body. Lady A and I have been able to get out a bit more this week, the sun has been out a bit more, and that has been wonderful. She loves being outside and there is a little playground in our complex that the kids all love to use.

It does seem that my late nights are catching up with me. Paul has a show opening up so he has been getting home about 11:30 p.m. then we both stay up for a bit so we can have some time together. I have been falling asleep during the day or taking naps when Lady A goes down. Maybe, getting to bed earlier will be what I work on for the coming week and see how that helps me during the day.

How are you doing with your New You? What have you been working on lately? What have you found that works and what doesn't? I would love hear from you.

Fit Friday ~ Blah!!

This week has not been my best. I'm just feeling a bit blah, maybe it's because of all the cloudy rainy days. 

I had a yoga instructor once, many many years ago, and I loved her class. One thing she always said was that we needed to be sure to listen to our bodies. No matter what schedule we have set up, if our body is telling us something different, don't ignore it. So this week I spent time doing some Spring Cleaning, going through boxes and getting rid of a bunch of stuff {there is something about taking a box of stuff out of the house and know that it won't be coming back....exhale!} and spending some time out doors with my little girl.

Yesterday morning we did have some sun and there wasn't much wind out so Lady A and I went out and played in the back. It was so nice to feel the sun on my back and be able to take her out and not worry about the wind or that it was going to be cold if we stayed out.

Even though I wasn't too good at keeping on top of my workouts this week, I got a lot done and am pretty pleased with my week so far.

Fit Friday ~ Infused Water

Have you been able to increase the amount of water you drink? I was doing really well but lately it is getting hard. If water wasn't so plan it would be a lot easier to increase the amount I am drinking every day, I need something that will help to keep my taste buds awake.

This past week I have started doing infused waters. So my water has a bit of flavor added to it but I don't have to use sugar or a little flavor pouch. All the juices, minerals and vitamins from the fruits and veggies go right into my water.

Cut up your fruits, veggies and herbs. Make sure that the bottles are not completely full to allow for the fruits, veggies and herbs to be placed inside. If using a bottle with a small opening be sure to cut your items small enough. I also like to use the ends of the lemon, lime or other fruits to squeeze a little extra juice into the bottle.

I found a couple of good sites that lists some of the nutrition facts of over a 100 fruits and veggies. Try here or here. Here is also a great and simple list to quickly look up the benefits of different fruits and veggies by Dr. Lisa Young. There are benefits from helping to recover from a cold, skin health, weight loss, detox and many other benefits.

Here are a couple of the recipes I have used over this past week that I have really enjoyed. This site is also great for infused water recipes and benefits and there's an app too.
Lemon, Lime & Oranges
Strawberries, Pineapple and a Single Slice of Lime
Raspberries and Blueberries

Lemon, Lime & Cucumber

A couple of notes:

You need to drink the water within 48 hours, don't let them sit forever.
The bottles with fruit can be used twice. I usually refill them, then place them in the fridge to chill the water.

Cucumbers have a very strong presence when left in the water to over night, I decided one or two slices is enough flavor for my drinks.

Fit Friday ~ A Workout Buddy

Instead of continuing to count the days I think I will focus more on the events or things through the week that help me stay focused. 

Everything always seems to workout better and be easier to stick with when we have someone to do it with. An exercise buddy is a person that I could benifit from. This is someone that I can report to. A buddy that I can call up and motivate and can help keep me motivated.

This is a short post today but I think it is an important topic. Get yourself an exercise buddy and the weight will be easier to loose.

Fit Friday ~ Day 26

OOPS!!! It looks like I forgot to actually post this yesterday so here is my Fit Friday....on Saturday.

While doing the workouts from BikiniBodyMommy, that I absolutely love, some old injuries started to flare up so I have had to tone down the intense {even if they are short} workouts. Kind of bummed about that!! But the weather outside is finally starting to feel like spring outside so we have been able to go out and do more.

Lady A and I love to go on walks and we even have a pass to our local swimming pool so that is a great way to get some exercise in. She loves getting in the water and splashing around. This week we showed her that if she kicks with her legs she can get an even bigger splash. YEP!! She thought that was fantastic. One thing Lady A likes to do is dip her face in the water, not her whole face, just her chin and the tip of her nose, then she lounges up with a super surprised look, like she is thinking "What just happened to me."

It is great being able to get out and see my little girl enjoy the warm weather, especially now that she is a bit older and likes doing all sorts of outdoor activities.

To change the subject a bit we went to an Easter Egg hunt today, Lady A's first, and had a blast. At first she had no idea why everyone was running around and so excited to pick up the eggs. I had to get down and pick up the first one for her, after that, there was no stopping her. Once her little bag was full she grabbed some more and wrapped her hands around them to able to bring them with her. Then we went in to claim our prize. Yea!!! A bucket and shovel, with two small stuffed animals and bag of candy. We will be there next year for sure.

Fit Friday ~ Day 19

Oh dear me I need some help...Who wants to come get me in the mornings to make sure I get my workout in?!?!?

It seems like we can not get a break here in Connecticut, as I am typing this, snowing falling. If I am going to do more walking it will have to be put off even longer or I will just have to give in and go to the gym. Well, I think it is time to head into the gym for my cardio, I can not put it off anymore.

This week I also signed up for Runtastic, it links up with MyFitnessPal so my cardio can be added. These are just a couple of my latest tools to help in my journey to create a new me.

Fit Friday ~ Day 12

I have a confession to make ... This was not my best week.

It seems like we were running around a lot more this week than normal, coupled with staying up late to spend time with my husband when he gets home from work and school, I have had not energy.

I'm sure you noticed that the 'Day' count is off. There are two reasons for that, I fell behind and for me it would be best if my 'rest' days were on Sunday. To help me get back on track I am going to go to bed earlier and wake up before my little girl gets up and exercise in the morning. This will help wake me up and get the blood flowing for the day. With my cardio days it is hard to get out to the gym and we can't seem to get away from the snow, but hopefully, spring will be here any time. Going for walks/runs would be great for Lady A and I to get out and do together. Ah!! So excited for spring.

If you are interested in what exercise program I am following, just click here. I love the workout that are set up. They can be done from home and are a great length, short enough to keep me interested but long enough to get me sore. Love it!

Water. Water. Water. I need to do better at getting my full amount in for the day. I know that will help a lot with loosing the weight and helping myself feel better all around.

Ok, I am recommitting to this exercise routine today.

How are you doing on your goal? Have you fallen off the wagon? Well, hope right back up there with me, lets do this together.

~Mindy

Fit Friday ~ Day 7

Wow, how are you all feeling? This first week of work outs has really put me in my place.

Of course day one is always a killer {since my body most definitely isn't used to working out like this}, but I have noticed that I am able to finish my work out a little faster and maybe even a bit more pep at the end. OK...maybe 'finish' is a strong word, but I am getting further along in them every time. My goal is that I don't have to be perfect but I just need to keep at it!!

I have found that this week, putting all the tools together that I have been talking about for the last bit, have really helped {it's a lot to keep up on, but it does really help}. I am keeping track of what and how much I am eating, I am most assuredly drinking more water and I am loosing weight...YEA!!

Read up on my goals and how I'm going to achieve them here!

I am creating the new me and excited to see what this next week will bring.

Get Creating!

~Mindy