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 ~ 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.

Creating A New Me ~ Working It Out

Ok. I'm feeling good so far. I might be going a little slower at this than others but the point is...that I'm still going.

Last month our goal was to pick out what supplements we were going to take. These can help fill in what we are missing from our meals and to cover certain areas we feel we need help in. Everyone will be different so be sure to figure out what works for you, talking with your Dr. is a great place to start if you need help. For me I have gone with a multi-vitamin, iron and fish oil. Again this needs to be doable for me, if I have 6-7 pills that I need to take 2-3 times a day .... that won't last.

I also added water. Yes: WATER. As I was looking through exercise routines the number one thing mentioned, EVERYWHERE, was to drink water .... lots of water. As I was taking stock of how much I drink, well, it was shameful. So this past month I also added water and am excited to let you know I already lost 6 lbs in two weeks. Wahoo!!

Now for the exercise. This gets me every time. I can start out with the best of intentions but will always fizzle out. All these exercise plans want you to spend 1-2 hours at the gym. If I had an extra 1-2 hours in my day ... I would sleep, this momma is tired!! Well I am excited to say I found a plan for me. It can be done at home, during nap time, before she gets up in the morning or in the evening as a detox and me time. Sigh! Here is the BikiniBodyMommy on FB. I will be doing her 90 day challenge. If you go to her photo albums you will see all her workout days. The best part, bikini season is just 90 days away!! I didn't plan this but the timing does work out great.

Hello!! Inspiration. Alright, it's time to get my workout on. Here it goes. From comments by others I hear the first week or two are the hardest but this time I am determined to stick with it! I'll take my measurements and all that not so fun stuff and check in next week. I don't think I am brave enough to put up pictures of me in a bikini but you never know, maybe if I hit my goal I will show do a series of transition pictures.

Creating a New Me ~ Supplements

This past month I have been doing better with my portions, it was a challenge to really stick with it..... 

My main problem is that I am busy during the day and don't usually take the time to eat a large breakfast so in the evening I am starving and that is when I usually eat my largest meal {at the end of the day when I am my least active.}

What's the text step? I have been thinking my next step will be finding supplements to help me. About 3 1/2 years ago I had an incident that required me to take iron and other supplements. Lately I have been feeling a bit sluggish, the same as then, so I'll go back on the iron pills. I know that there are other supplements I can be taking that will help me to increase my metabolism and help with my everyday health and wellness. If you have any suggestions on what to take, leave me a note, I would love to look into and see if it is right for me.