Definition of Perfection: A load of BS!!!

Why is it that when we aren’t exercising, we frequently say F*&k It! It doesn't matter if I eat like crap.

How does that make sense?  It's like since we aren't burning extra calories via exercise, that gives us the excuse to eat whatever processed, extra fried, sugar on the side, chemical shit storm stuff? 

The truth is that doing this really screws with our heads it makes us gain more weight, be even more tired, and feel even more depressed and anxious than before. 

A common fallacy is on Friday night we say: ‘Well my eating is down the toilet already, I might as well throw progress out the window for the rest of the weekend and start again on Monday.’ 

But guess what.... THAT only reinforces our negative thought patterns and causes an even bigger set back.

This type of all or nothing way of thinking is the exact reason why the general population, and you, may be gaining more weight every year. 

We put soooo much pressure on ourselves to be perfect, and when we can’t (because hello! We are human after all), we just say screw it all. Why make any attempts to be healthy?

Soooo. If you're ready to DITCH PERFECTION AND MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES please keep reading for some tips:

BABY STEPS

First, realize this: No one is perfect. Not even bodybuilders. Did you know that after 12 to 16 weeks of extreme dieting, it is common for bodybuilders to put on a substantial amount of weight right after their competitions end? 

Why? Because you can’t always be perfect or stay in a caloric deficit. It’s not healthy or natural and your body will rebel. Instead of perfection, the best advice I can give is to try to be better than you were yesterday.

Baby steps work best. I recommend picking one small change in habits, then work on it until it's just part of your routine, and then move on.

For example, most of my clients are actually not eating enough. Not enough calories, not enough healthy foods and definitely not enough nutrition. So the first thing we change about their daily habits is getting them to eat small, whole food meals every 3 or so hours. And what happens? They lose weight. 

Then,once that becomes easy for them, we pick a new habit change, and so on. The result is they end up losing more weight than if they tried to be perfect all the time and they adopt new lifelong healthy habits that lead to keeping their weight off.

BEING FLEXIBLE, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT STRETCHING WELL AFTER YOUR WORKOUT

Life happens. Stress at the job happens. Injuries happen. Family emergencies happen. Falling off the healthy eating train happens. Plateaus happen. Drowning your sorrows in Taco Bell/McDonalds/ Fill in the blank crappy food HAPPENS (hopefully only occasionally though). Holidays, kids, travel, school, illness, fatigue, a-hole bosses, family, traffic, etc. It all happens!!

But they don’t have to get in the way of your goals. The trick is to know how to handle it when life happens. It can and it will. Expect it. Plan for it. It's 100% true if we ‘Fail to plan, we plan to fail.’ 

Figure out what keeps getting in the way (travel a lot for work), what it causes (meal skipping, extra alcohol, limited meal choices etc), and figure out a way to plan to beat it (ex. protein shakes on hand at all times, Lara bars in your purse, a small cooler of healthy snacks).

When you can’t make it to your workout that day (or because an injury stops you for 6 weeks), that is okay.  You don’t have to gain weight and lose energy just because you have to take extended time off to heal an injury. You can absolutely stay on track with your progress when you would otherwise fall off.

----Bump up your healthy eating 90% of the time vs. the 80% when active.

----I bet there are other exercises you can do that don’t include your injury. Foot injury?  Do more upper body work. Or, want more cardio? Try modifying a cardio fusion workout like PiYo. Start to think outside the box and be flexible.

KEEP IT REAL 

Be brutally honest with yourself. Are you soooo busy that you can’t squeeze in at least 10 minutes of breaking a sweat to your day or is it that you aren't making your health a priority. 

If you really and truly are unable to do even 10 minutes, is it a matter of something else is more important to you than completing even 10 minutes? And if so, you can combat this.

---My husband and I usually watch a show most week nights together. We sit down, cuddle and enjoy one anothers company. But, if I didn't get in a workout yet that day, I do it during the show. We are still spending time together, plus, I'm taking care of 2 priorities at once.

---For me, when I make up B.S. about why I can't be healthier, identifying the excuse, and thinking of alternatives is the very first step to making progress.

WANT LASTING CHANGES? NEVER GO ON A DIET

People who go on diets rarely plan on eating that way for life. It's "gotta lose 10 lb for the reunion", "I wanna be skinny for my wedding" and therefore almost ALWAYS gain the weight back (or more) once they stop following their ‘diet.’ The secret that people who lose weight and keep it off for life know is that they first must accept that they need to adopt a complete lifestyle change. It includes eating healthier and getting in some heart pumping along the way.

They also know they don’t have to completely give up eating foods like cookies, pizza, take-out, etc. They first must change their mindset. No food is "evil" or "bad" just less nutritious so they cut back on those items.  They stop thinking "this is the last time I will ever have these cookies". Because they know they will allow themselves grace and eat that food again. This allows for that food to have less power over them and therefore they tend to have more control over it. They aim for eating healthy 80% of the time.

PICK ONE HEALTHY HABIT YOU ARE CONFIDENT YOU CAN DO EVERY DAY. LET IT BECOME A HABIT. KEEP THE HABIT. START A NEW ONE.

     *Join a support group and get a free coach like a   Like Me. Community is soooo important. You are not alone in this journey and there are new friends waiting to help you reach your goals

     *Download a calorie tracking app, and log your food daily. Get to know what is in everything you eat. It might      surprise you. It will also hold you accountable to what you are putting into your body.

     *Try to get in at least 10 minutes of breaking a sweat per day. When that gets easy, as 5 more minutes, and so on.Start writing down all the ‘excuses’ you give yourself as to why you couldn’t eat right or get in some exercise.          *Watch for patterns.

     *Be brutally honest with yourself. Not mean. Just honest. NEVER talk badly to yourself. It just feeds the negativity that holds you down in the first place.

     *Aim for eating healthy 80% of the time. This means whole foods, high lean protein, high fiber, low sugar, unlimited veggies.

     *On Sundays create a weekly meal plan. And use proper portion control and make sure the meals are balanced and therefore will fill you up. Also, incorporate treats and/or drinks into your meal plan. This way you don’t set yourself up for a complete over eating melt-down because you think you will never be able to eat junk food again. The all or nothing attitude sets you up for failure. At each meal, aim to keep a 40% carb, 30% fat, 30% protein ratio. An easy way to do this is thru a portion control system like the 21 Day Fix. Or their color coded Container System. 

  
  *Drink as much water as possible throughout your day. Think 64 oz is enough? Aim for twice that by keeping a gallon of water next to your desk, so you will always be refilling your water bottle.

    *Eat tons of veggies.Veggies are way less calorie dense but are very high in volume so they'll help fill you up. 
     

    *Don't be afraid of fruit but limit your fruit to 2 or so servings per day.

    *Stay away from sugary drinks and sodas, and stick to additive free, calorie free choices.

    *Get enough sleep. Being rested plays a HUGE role in how easily you will be able to adhere to healthy eating habits and an exercise routine.

    *Get in a positive mindset as opposed to negative. If you need help in this department let me know, I have a ton of suggestions for mindfulness apps and books to help.

******MOST IMPORTANTLY******

If this seems overwhelming and you can’t do all of these suggestions at once, start with ONE of them! One thing will put you in the right direction. Once that becomes a habit, then add in another. Know and expect to have good weeks and bad weeks. Just do what you can and be positive about it. If you fall off of eating healthy, get back to it as soon as you can.

AND DON’T QUIT TRYING just because you had a bad day/week/month. Just keep trying to be better than you were yesterday. THAT is your main goal.

P.S.

I would love to hear in the comments below why you think  that we give up the moment we can’t be perfect? Do you think you can’t change your body unless you are perfect every moment of every day?

 Because I’m telling you right now, your body and your mind will never be able to change until you STOP trying to be perfect.

5 Easy Tips To Save Money On Shopping For Clean, Healthy Foods

I know it sounds crazy, like when we’d play the opposite day game as kids. Saving money and healthy foods aren't usually said in the same sentence. However, as a person that lives for the best deals without coupons (I never use them because they’re time consuming to collect and I always forget them or lose them), I can personally verify that it is possible. Saving money while eating clean is possible!  So below, I've listed a few  tips to eating healthy on a budget while feeding a family in a fast, convenient and simple way.

Tip #1 – Put Together a Weekly Meal Plan for You and Your Family

If you are naturally a fly by the seat of your pants type of person, planning dinner even a day ahead of time may sound foreign. In fact, I used to be the worst at this! My husband would call at 5:30 p.m. to find out what I had planned for our dinner at 7 p.m. and I wouldn’t have a clue. Then I’d anxiously scramble to make something that was nutritious, well balanced and tasted good that the whole family would eat. Since I am a lifetime member of the Messy, Disorganized & Forgetful Mothers Club the idea of meal planning was overwhelming to me at first. However, I have realized during my quest for a healthier lifestyle, if you want to lose weight, gain more energy, feed your family healthy options while saving time and money, planning ahead is critical.

Initially, sitting down one day a week and planning a menu of meals to last us the week was difficult and time consuming (1-2 hours). But thank goodness I had the guidance of my coach and inspiration of my challenge groups. They helped me to create the habit and now it's second nature (it only takes 10-15 minutes to meal plan now).  To keep it simple, I tend to repeat breakfasts and lunches and then vary my dinners. For example, almost every morning I drink a vegan chocolate Shakeology with 6 ounces of unsweetened coconut milk, 4 ounces of coffee ½ a banana and a handful of spinach. Then, for a morning snack I  eat carrots and hummus or a few scrambled egg whites mixed with veggies. Eating a  rotation of the same meals each day at breakfast, snacks and lunch but allowing yourself the ability to be creative and flexible at dinner is an easy way to save time with planning but still allowing for kitchen creativity and exposure to new foods. Plus, this manner of eating allows you to save money by buying food in bulk. Also, if you prepare your meals once or twice a week, it saves you from those last minute, "I'll grab anything and shove it in my mouth," moments and allow you to reach for healthier options instead. Plus, to keep things simple, most mornings I feed my kids basically the same thing. Usually it’s cereal and milk with fruit for breakfast, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit and/or veggies and hummus for lunch and a cheese stick, yogurt or a Lara bar for a snack.

There are plenty of programs to help you with meal planning if you’re not sure where to start. For example, become a Team Beachbody Club member and you will have access to a comprehensive personalized meal planning app where you plug in very little information and it creates a meal plan personalized for you and your family based on your goals and likes and dislikes. Also, joining a challenge group with one of the coaches on our team is so helpful! We help our challengers create a personalized meal plan and arm them with tons of healthy recipes. Lastly, planning ahead can save money at the store by only buying things on your list which cuts down on impulse buys (my personal weakness).

Tip #2 Not EVERYTHING has to be Organic

Before kids I tried to eat mostly organic, but after giving birth to premature kids I became obsessed with it. I wasn’t happy unless everything I put into my family’s bodies was produced on a certified organic farm. In my mind that meant that the cows and chickens were treated so humane that they roamed the property freely, ate all of their meals with the family indoors and every day was rainbows and smiles. However, after a few months of this, reality set in and I realized how much that my requirements were costing us I began to shop following the “EWG” (Environmental Working Group)  EWG Dirty Dozen and Clean 15. This lets you check to see what produce should be bought organic due to the amount of pesticides on it and the produce that is relatively clean even when grown on a conventional farm. In fact, what makes most Certified Organic products more expensive is primarily due to the farm or distributor that it comes from having to undergo rigorous, expensive practices.

Tip #3 Choose Locally Grown Produce and Products

When purchasing your produce, dairy, meats and other fresh products another way to save on groceries and make sure your food’s likely organically grown and more fresh is choosing to purchase foods that are locally grown. These farms can operate using organic procedures (even if not certified organic) because they travel shorter distances to get to where they are sold. Also, locally grown foods are usually less expensive due to being in season and fresh coupled with the fact that most of them haven’t gone thru the rigorous and expensive procedure to become Certified Organic. Some easy ways to find foods that are local are:

1)      Look for locally grown products at your grocery store. They are almost always labeled as such and/or clearly marketed.

2)      Shop at a local Farmer’s Market. Buying produce and other locally farmed foods at a Farmer’s Market almost always guarantees that what you are eating is fresh, in season, organic and delicious. Plus you can feel better about your purchases since you are supporting local businesses. Oh and by the way, kids love going as well. To them it’s a fun, colorful, flavorful adventure where they can learn more about the food they eat and where it comes from.

My girly girl enjoying a local jewelry booth at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market

3)      Join a CSA. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a great way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farm or a group of farms that get together to offer a certain number of "shares"(aka a membership) to the public. When you join a CSA, you usually receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season that can be picked up at a convenient location. CSA’s are beneficial to the farms for a many reasons, including allowing them to market their produce earlier in the season prior to their super busy times, allowing them to get paid earlier in the season, contributing to their cash flow. Best of all, it allows them to establish relationships and ties in the local community. Members of the CSA find it beneficial because the food tastes better, is fresher and has more vitamins. Plus, you can get exposure to new vegetables you may not have tried and can usually visit the farm(s) at least once a season. Thus, allowing your family to build a relationship with the farmer that grows your food. This last benefit is a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies since it helps them feel a sense of ownership and pride in “their veggies” knowing where it’s coming from and that they are contributing to the farm. A great way to find a CSA near you is to go to www.localharvest.org/ca.

4)   Order from online services like “Door to Door Organics”. These websites are like a CSA only more convenient. But they're still fairly priced and support your local community. To get groceries from Door to Door Organics, go online and subscribe, choose what types of food you’d like, the size and frequency of delivery. Next thing you know it’s delivered right to your door. The only downside is that you have to remember to check your next delivery on a regular basis making sure that all items scheduled to be delivered are foods your family likes and will eat. If it's not what you want, you are allowed to swap items as long as you do it by the cut off time prior to delivery. Otherwise, you may get stuck with a box of rutabagas no one will touch.

Tip #4 Buy What's In Season

Buying healthy foods (aka produce, dairy, meats) that are in season not only guarantees that they are fresh and treated with less chemicals, but most likely being sold at their lowest price.. Buying in season also makes it less expensive because it has to travel shorter distances to get to your table. Additionally, it’s tasty and fresh. Another tip that I practice is to buy foods in season by stocking up and freezing your favorite foods. That way your favorite produce is guaranteed to maintain its vitamin content and delicious flavor thru the winter. I personally tend to do this with blueberries since they are my kids’ favorite fruit and living in Michigan we cannot grow them for much of the year making the prices during the winter months astronomical. An added bonus is that my kids love to eat them frozen! That way my kids are happy along with my bank account.

Tip #5 You Don’t Have to Shop at Whole Foods

Not to knock Whole Foods since I definitely shop there in a pinch for the convenience factor. However, when purchasing there you can almost always guarantee that the price of your food is going to be more expensive than a local grocery spot. Some benefits of Whole Foods are it is a one-stop place you can find most of your healthy foods in one spot and the employees are very helpful. However, I have found prices at competing grocers like Kroger, Aldi and Meijer to be much more reasonable. Plus, more grocery stores now sell organic and natural products than ever before. Even Walmart frequently has some organic, healthier options available. A few other ways to get the best deals on your food are:

1)      Buy your organic grains online in bulk at VitaCost or Amazon.

2)      Purchase foods in bulk at a Warehouse Store like Costco or Sam’s Club. During summer months my family frequently purchases produce at Costco since it’s usually the best bang for your buck. The downside is that if you are a single person or live in a small, city dwelling it might not make much sense to have a box of 50 apples that you can never finish taking up half of your refrigerator.

3)      Check sale ads in local papers. This will alert you to where the best sales are going on. Also, it can help you become familiarized with what a good deal is on family favorite and allow you to stock up until the next great sale comes along.

I hope that my top 5 tips on saving money while grocery shopping for healthy food was helpful! Happy Shopping!!

Taco Bake 21 Day Fix Approved

I don't know about anyone else, but I adore Mexican food! Especially since my gastroenterologist told us that I should no longer include gluten in my diet. I wasn't that big of a bread eater at the time that he recommended it, but I've really tried to cut down even further, which means incorporating more grains like corn, quinoa and oats into my diet. So it's only logical that I've been making more Mexican inspired meals. Also, it doesn't hurt that it's one of the only types of food that my super picky husband and children are guaranteed to enjoy as well. With that said, I figured that in honor of Cinco De Mayo I should post a favorite Mexican influenced dish made in a 21 Day Fix friendly way.

Try it tonight and let me know what you think!!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 lb. lean ground turkey (at least 93% lean) browned

1 small onion diced

1/2 normal sized low sodium taco seasoning packet

1/2 cup of water

4 oz. low sodium taco sauce

diced tomato

chopped kale

1 red container of plain Greek yogurt

2 blue containers of low fat cheddar cheese

4 hard corn taco shells

Directions:

Brown ground turkey and onion in a pan over medium high heat.

Drain off the liquid and add 1/2 taco seasoning packet with 1/2 c water. Stir until combined.

Add taco sauce and stir.

Place 4 taco shells inside of a zip lock bag, pound with a mallet until crunched up into small pieces, then layer an 8x8 baking dish with 1/2 of the crunched up taco shells.

Pour  a layer of 1/2 of the ground meat mixture in an even layer.

Layer 1/2 of the greek yogurt using a spatula to smooth it out and spread it evenly across the mixture.

 Spread 1 blue container of the cheddar cheese mixture in an even layer.

Spread a second layer of the crunched shells using what's left in the bag.

Pour the rest of the ground meat mixture.

Spread the rest of the Greek yogurt again using the spatula.

Lastly, sprinkle the remaining blue container of cheddar cheese on top.

Bake in 350 Degree oven for 15 -20 minutes or until cheese if bubbling.

Once baked, I top mine with a green container full of chopped kale and tomatoes. And since I cannot have cheese, I leave out the cheese layer on half of the dish and add a 1/2 blue of avocado spread on top at the end. But you can add any other toppings you would like!

Containers as prepared prior to toppings: 1 red, 1 yellow, 1/2 blue

For my family, I cook a side of refried pinto beans and dirty rice. Everyone loved it, especially my super picky hubby!! Enjoy and happy Cinco De Mayo!

Water - How Much Should I Drink?

As a health and fitness coach a question that I am frequently asked is: "How much water should a person drink?" Unfortunately, this is not always easily answered. There are several factors that should be considered when you are figuring out how much water you need. Factors like how much you weigh, if you are a woman or a man, the temperature of your environment, how active you are and if you are nursing a child. In order to get to the bottom of these questions, I did a little research and came up with the following information.

1) How do I determine how much water I should drink?
An easy and commonly accepted way to determine how much you should drink is to first figure out what the bare minimum your body needs to function if you just sit around at a desk job, hang around the house or are just doing sedentary activities like reading. The simple equation to determine this is by taking what you weigh and dividing that in half. Therefore, if you weigh 150 pounds, divide that by two and you get 75 ounces. So if you were to do nothing strenuous at all, the bare minimum you would need to drink would be a little less than eight 8 ounce glasses of water per day.

2) How much water should the average person drink?
According to the Institute of Medicine, the average female adult should drink about 9  cups per day whereas the average male should drink about 13 cups per day.

3) Should I drink more when it's hot?
Heat and humidity can make you sweat more and therefore require additional fluids. So, if you're spending time outside in the summer and you are feeling warm, drink a glass of water. However, heated indoor air in a typical office building during the wintertime for example can also cause a person to require more fluid.

 4) What if I workout?
If you are exercising on a daily basis for at least half-an-hour and you're sweating, you should drink an extra 1.5-2.5 cups. So to be on the safe side, that means if you're a woman, you should be drinking around an average of 11 cups or 15 cups if you're a man. If you're participating in intense exercise, such as training for a marathon, or working out hard for an hour or more you will want to increase this number.

5) What if I'm breast feeding?
If you are breastfeeding a child it's especially important to stay hydrated since you're drinking to keep you hydrated as well as being the primary source of hydration for another person. The Institute of Medicine recommends that a nursing mother should consume an average of 13 cups per day, which you will probably need to increase if you are breast-feeding along with working out.

6) Can I get water from the foods that I eat?

It's important to note that what you drink is not  the only way to meet daily fluid needs. In fact, on average, a person's diet accounts for 20% of their water intake. For example, most fruits and vegetables are comprised by as much as 90% water. Also, things like soup or broth are pretty much all water and therefore can be counted towards your daily total.

7) What if I don't enjoy drinking water? What other beverages can I count in my daily total?
Beverages like milk and juice can count towards your daily fluid intake. However, be careful, because certain drinks like coffee, for example, are diuretics and should not be counted as part of your daily intake since they do more to dehydrate you than help keep you hydrated. Also, milk and juice have additional calories and sugars so they should be consumed in moderation, especially if trying to lose weight.

8) How will I know if I'm well hydrated?
If you are drinking enough fluid so that you rarely feel thirsty and your urine is colorless or very light yellow you're probably well hydrated. However, if you're concerned about your fluid intake because you have health issues or are taking any medications that may make your water needs unusual please check with your doctor. They can help determine the amount of water that's right for you.

Some helpful tips to try and follow on a daily basis to make sure that you're getting enough water are:

• Drink a glass of water with each meal
• Carry a water bottle around everywhere you go and try to make sure that you are constantly sipping
• If you're a person that carries a planner, put when you're going to drink water in there, schedule it like you'd schedule a meeting
• Drink a glass of water before you exercise, one during and one after
• Drink a cup of tea when watching television at night

How To Get Your Workout On As A Stay At Home Parent

Prior to becoming a mother, I used to fantasize that being a stay at home parent was the dream job! You got to stay at home all day with your kids and just have fun!!! Between taking them to the zoo, museums, on errands, and playing with them, how could anyone have time to work, anyway? So when we found out we were having twins, I immediately started dreaming about how amazing my life would be if only I GOT the opportunity to stay home with them!!

 Then, when our babies unexpectedly arrived 7 weeks premature and NICU bound, my dream became a reality. Only the reality was that there was no other option, I had to stay at home with them. Due to their prematurity and lengthy NICU stay and the doctor’s visits, physical therapy and various other specialists needed for such vulnerable newborns, it really didn’t make financial or emotional sense for me to go back to work. Not to mention that nursing twins was a full time job itself! The “dream job” gave way to the reality of being a stay at home parent to two premature infants.

 A typical day was comprised of sleeping for 1 hour, changing diapers, nursing each twin, pumping bottles while eating something myself, giving them each a bottle then cleaning up my liquid gold they spit up due to their acid reflux, sleeping for 1 hour again, bringing them to a doctor’s appointment, and some variation of these activities round the clock for the first year.  Although the weight I’d gained from my pregnancy fell off, I felt sluggish and tired all the time. On top of that, I felt like I needed my life to be more than being a caretaker and well, a cow. Prior to being a mother, I’d been active most of my life in one way or another and not being active was taking a toll. So, after living in a daze for close to a year, I knew I needed to start doing something for myself in order to gain more energy and some sanity or I was never going to have a life or identity outside of being a SAHM again! This led me to start figuring out ways to get moving while not feeling like I was neglecting my children and I came up with this list.

1)    Put your baby in a baby carrier and just get moving!!  Not only is carrying your baby amazing for them since they love that feeling of being close to you but it also helps with bonding and trust. It’s great for you because adding 5-25 lb. to your frame helps burn calories and build muscle. I started carrying my babies right away and still do today with my 2.5-year-olds. Not only is it healthy, but it’s convenient. You can carry them while you get stuff done and start getting your house back in order. I carried my kids while vacuuming, unloading the dishwasher, going to the park and just trying to prevent meltdowns. Lots of moms even nurse while carrying their babies (although I personally was never coordinated enough to figure it out, but I always thought it was awesome). Another great thing is that carriers come in all different sizes and shapes for the multiple stages of babies to toddlers. My personal favorites were the Moby wrap when they were super tiny and the Ergo Baby as they grew, which is still what I use today.

2)    Sign up for a parent/baby yoga class. These are amazing! We took one when the kids were super little and it’s a wonderful way to build strength and coordination, bond with your child, and a great way to meet other mamas. It’s also a terrific place to learn moves to do at home since they often only involve a yoga mat, you and your child.

3)    Turn on some music, dance around and just be silly!! This is a personal favorite of my children. Many mornings, my husband and I turn on some Disney Movie music reminiscent of our childhood and start singing, dancing and giggling with our kids. Not only does this get you moving and building strength from tossing around children and wiggling your tush but it boosts your mood and gets you smiling. What’s so hard about that?

4)    Get out your stroller and go for a walk. What’s easier and more convenient than just taking your kids for a walk around the block or to the park? Not only is this great for you physically, but it can work wonders for you and your children’s mood. Most days as long as it’s nice outside, my kids and I have a routine of taking a walk at least once. We’ve done it since they were tiny and it’s something we all look forward to. And even when it’s not nice outside, you can always take them to a local mall. My kids love mall walking because they know at the end they get to go to the kids’ play area. Also, it’s fun to window shop and people watch for all of us. However, if you’re more motivated by working out in a group, there are loads of mommy and me stroller classes and groups you can find locally or even create your own with a group of neighborhood moms.

5)    Join a fitness center that offers babysitting or child care. When my twins were almost 2 years old, I decided we were finally out of the woods in terms of health concerns and I could really just use a daily break so I joined a gym with a daycare. It was great for me to get out of the house and moving physically while enjoying adult interaction as well as getting my kids used to being around other adults and children.

6)    Get on an at home exercise and health program. My personal favorite is 21Day Fix. The cool thing about this program is that it only takes 30 minutes and there is a variety of workouts included to avoid boredom and work all different muscle groups. Most days I fit this in while my kids eat breakfast or watch a morning cartoon. Also included is a 10 minute ab video, which is super convenient when all you have is a few minutes. Plus it involves a meal plan, accountability group and a coach! So you won’t be doing it alone.

7)    Play like a kid, with your kids. Ever wonder why your four-year-old has rock hard abs? Well, have you tried swinging from the monkey bars or running around from place to place at the park? Don’t just watch your kids play, play with them! I climb the jungle gym and swing on the swings with my kids and it’s an amazing workout. Plus my kids love seeing me have fun too! And don’t let winter stop you, sledding with kids and building snow men is a great workout as well. Between dragging them around on a sled and creating giant snow balls it’s like an Olympic sport. Not only will you burn calories and get some fresh air, but your kids will take a fantastic nap afterwards.

8)    Clean. I know cleaning is something we all dread doing, but it’s a necessary part of being a stay at home spouse and part of our responsibilities of keeping the house and the kids taken care of. So when you vacuum, make a game of it and try to see if you can move around as much as possible, or when you bring clothing up the stairs take it in 3 trips instead of 1. Once I realized cleaning isn’t only a must have to keep my spouse happy and me from feeling disorganized, I now count it as part of my daily way to stay fit and I actually enjoy it.

9)    Just do something!! Embrace the chaos that is parenthood. So you had to run from the soccer game to the grocery store to ballet and you just couldn’t make it to yoga. Do lunges on the sideline or tricep dips in the stands or see how fast you can get the grocery shopping done by speed walking thru the aisles. Sure, at first other mamas might give you weird looks but you’d be surprised, pretty soon they’ll join in. And getting something done is a heck of a lot better than nothing!

10) Make Exercise a Priority. Set your alarm ½ hour earlier in the morning and throw in that workout DVD. After you put the kids down for nap time go for a run on the treadmill. Do crunches while watching TV at night with your spouse. You’ll be surprised how quickly working out can become just part of your routine, a habit, and how it will change your life in countless ways including your health, mental state and confidence. But the best part is the amazing example you will set for your kids.