It might sound a little silly...Fitting In Your Workout & Getting Motivated *updated*

Completely stunned, overwhelmed, honored and motivated by the many messages I have received in the form of cheers and feedback!  There are so many questions and topics that you want me to weigh in on and I 'm excited to work on every single one! Thank you!

I am hearing many requests for more recipes, and I promise to get those up as soon as I can!  Of course that's a favorite part for me!  But, my reason for starting this blog was to try to help Moms, soon-to-be-Moms and others running a household, to learn some ways to fit it all in and make life run a little more smoothly!  So first, there are many other areas of saving sanity that I need to get to!

Relief comes from getting rid of some of the things that add stress to our lives; that's where organization, fitness, fun, self-esteem and self-time come into play!

Fitness is so important in our family, so I am tackling that first!

If I do not get to exercise, I am NOT a nice person.  It's the one thing of MINE that I make a priority. I have to have that outlet for the stress that life can throw my way and I think it's really important to give yourself a little time investment.  Fitness is a priority in our household, both for us and for the people we are molding our children into.  I know that getting a workout in is SO tough for a lot of Moms, because it takes time, commitment, motivation and makes taking more showers necessary!  Let's face it, we've all been a few days without one after having kids!

I DO fit a workout in everyday...somewhere.  It might not be the be the workout I'd like to get, but you CAN fit it in.  The first of my silly things I do to help myself, is put on my running shoes.  Yes, the FIRST thing... before my coffee, my teeth, everything...I put on my workout clothes and my running shoes.  This way I am always at the ready, should the opportunity present itself!  I have also found that I get more done throughout the day if I have my running shoes on.  Weird, maybe...but true.  I might not always look all cute, but I am getting it done!

Fitbit
I love my Fitbit!  Some weeks I do challenges with people, some I don't; some weeks I only do a challenge with my husband so we can keep track of each other and keep each other moving and drinking our water!  It even allows you to log HIIT workouts and diet!  I love the water log!  I log my wear every time I fill up my cup and it makes it easy to get that gallon in everyday.

I love the Goal Day option.  Sometimes, usually on Fridays, my husband and I will do a goal day and try to get a maximum # of steps that day before we kick off the weekend!  It's fun to look at what % towards your goal you have, who will hit it first and it's motivating to see who is ahead! Plus, it feels good to hit that goal!

It definitely works to keep you moving when those moments creep in of wanting to sit down! I just keep my running shoes in and try to hit my goals!  You can change your daily goal to whatever you want!  I have absolutely found that my best progress comes with both a daily HIIT workout and a hefty step goal, 15-20k!  Some days that goal is easy to get and some days it is NOT!

If you don't know about BodyRock / DailyHIIT, get on that now!  A few years ago a fantastic friend introduced me to www.Bodyrock.tv.  I was stuck at home most of the time, with newborn triplets and a not quite 2 year old, dying to get out and get active again.  She told me that this insane phenomena had saved her when she was stuck at home with a newborn.  This FREE HIIT database of workouts should be on signs leaving the Mother & Baby wing at the hospital.  It can be a stay-at-home Mom's best friend and especially if you have a newborn or small baby who naps those frequent short naps, it's perfect!  These people have hundreds of short high intensity interval training workouts that can be done with almost no equipment and in a small space.  They are generally only 12-15 minutes long, about 50 seconds work/10 seconds rest, interval exercises like push-ups, dips, squats, lunges, burpees, kicks, wood-chops, mountain climbers, etc.  Mostly things you can do with a set of weights, a chair and your body resistance!  Yes, it can be intimidating at first, but it's 50 seconds, you can do anything for 50 seconds.  Trust me, the physical limitations left from carrying triplets don't make getting back in shape easy, but I love this and it totally saved me.  Warning: The people on these videos are really fit and show it, it's kind of like fitness porn, but it works!

No excuses, who can't find 12 minutes?  When everyone used to nap, I would try to fit in 2 Bodyrock workouts, or make my own workout up.  I keep a list of all the exercises I have done on their site, and I will quickly pick 6-10 lower body, and 6-10 upper body and create my own HIIT workout.   This is awesome for me because I have to modify many other workouts because of severe diastisis recti, which many other Moms suffer from!  You will need an interval timer, but there's an app for that!

If it is a really overpacked day, do 10 push-ups & 10 lunges every hour throughout the day.  Between 8am-5pm, you've done 100 of each!  I do this a lot while I am cleaning the house, put sheets on a bed, 10 push-ups, clean a toilet, 10 squats.  Hey - you do what you gotta do and you will be proud of yourself for making it a priority!

Having a tough time getting motivated?  My 3 minute warm up!  Everyone has a hard time pushing off and getting started sometimes.  Today was rough for me!  Coming off of a BUSY active weekend, and I was already sore from a weekend excursion, but it ended up being one of my best workouts in a while.  So....here's where I really begin exposing myself...I begin every single workout the same way...every one!  Anyone who knows me well knows that I never miss a dance party!  All my college girlfriends, are snickering right now!   But really, who ever busted a move to an awesome groove and then said, "that made me feel crappy!" No one!  So everyday I pick a song that strikes me, usually something from my college days or a Latin tune, turn it up and DANCE!  Just one song, about 3 minutes and it's my warm up.  But when I say dance, I mean GET IT!   J. Lo meets Kevin Bacon, Footloose style as if I am a Superstar who was just never discovered...no one's watching and you can let it go!  By the time that song is over, I am always laughing at my skills and ready to work! Get it girl...I guarantee it will help you get going and give you a smile!

Mix it up and track your progress!  I usually run 1-2 days a week and aim to do better than the run before, either farther or faster.  I use the Fitbit app and tracker that logs all your activity, so you can see all your recent runs!  That is SO motivating!
I LOVE Bodyrock, so that makes my schedule often and you can track how many reps you are able to complete in the 50 seconds!  It's amazing how fast you improve.

Check out their channel on youtube.com - Bodyrock they have thousands of videos, long and short!  There are several bootcamps or challenges you can follow.  There are awesome burnouts to add-on, or you can subscribe to a daily workout that is sent to your email.  I like to do their bootcamps all the way through, it leaves no guess work when your time is limited.  You know exactly what time/equipment you need for the next day!  Check out the 21 Day Bootcamp, I think this is my favorite one.  The first couple of days are longer workouts and then the rest are shorter.  I like do add on a bonus or burnout to each one!

P90X3 is another great program that really gets it done in a short time frame, only 30 minutes.  With this program the workouts are varied for you with everything from agility, to Pilates and even yoga.  My husband and I both do the Yoga from this program a couple times per week - my hubs is addicted!  He gets up most days at 5am, just so he can get his P90X3 workout in!  And he has been a Crossfitter for years!

But even more....Get outside!  Get moving!  Pack a picnic and look for a park with trails!  When we take the kids to the park, we take turns running sprints, back and forth by the playground!  Sure, people stare...but then again with triplets they already were.  Play chase!  Studies show that adults who engage in play tend to be fitter in both mind and body!

So there it is!  I wish I could say that I workout for 1+ hours each day, but my life just doesn't afford that.  But this is how I get it done, and it works!  So make a pact with yourself, try it and let me know!! Hope this helps!

Next up...The Lunch Salad