Today I have a guest post for you from my friend Heather who is trying to become the next Mamavation Mom. She has some great tips on how to get started with an exercise routine. Please take a second and vote for her too!
A few weeks ago, I applied to be the next Mamavation Mom. Mamavation is a network for women to provide support & encouragement to other moms on their weight loss journey. On Monday, two moms will be chosen to lead the sistahood in an eight-week virtual bootcamp led by Bookie Boo. They’ll receive tools, mentors and support to be successfully.
Part of the application process included jumping in to a healthy lifestyle. I’ve been working out twice a day, eating more veggies and eliminating soda & snacks. I made it to the finals – and could use your vote! I thought fitting in the training was going to be a challenge, but it’s been easier than I expected. Here is how we’re making it work:
- Use bits of time – my twice daily workouts have run anywhere from 20-45 minutes each. On a day when I’m crunched for time, fitting in 20 minutes here & there keeps me moving without taking up a lot of my day.
- Multitask – This one is, of course, the greatest trick of motherhood. I haven’t quite gotten the hang of working while walking the way my friend Tricia does, but I have done some exercises in front of the stove while dinner simmers. I’ve done calf raises on the bottom step while waiting for the girls to come downstairs for school. It’s just about fitting in little bits, when you can.
- Involve the kids – Lorelai, my 5-year-old, calls herself my manager. She’s in charge of the timer during my workouts and helps count my reps. This is perfect for her, since she’s still learning to count into the higher numbers, and I don’t have to miss my time with her to exercise.
- Make it fun – Part of my workout routine has been done through the Wii Fit and Just Dance. At first, Brenia (my 8-year-old) told me that wasn’t exercise because it was fun! I used to watch them dance from the couch. Now, I have a blast joining in – it really is a workout! (Especially the Hamster Dance on Just Dance Kids. Whew!)
- Include the whole family – I don’t have to worry about taking up family time for my fitness routines, when we’re all in it together. I’ll be combining our regular spring/summer fun with physical activities to keep us all strong & healthy. We’ve been rock climbing, geocaching and skating. We’ve only gotten in one walk so far, before Indiana decided winter should stay awhile, but we’re looking forward to nightly walks through the neighborhood or to the park as it warms back up again.
The cool thing about working out with & in front of the girls is they get the full impact of what I’m doing. I have the chance to show the girls what I’m doing, since they’re my motivation anyway! This is all about providing a good example for the rest of my family. I can’t expect them to listen to Mom advice on health & fitness when I’m not living the lifestyle.
Can you please support my family’s journey to health with a quick vote for @JustHeather?
Heather Sokol is the married mother of three girls, trying to have it all. In between carpool, girls’ nights and this new fitness routine, she shares miscellaneous mom secrets and her tricks for living inexpensively
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