Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states. ~Carol Welch

Being a mom keeps me very busy, yet I make it a priority to find time each day for movement.  I am a firm believer that everyone can fit fitness into their daily routine.  We need to make movement a priority and treat it as an important awesome stress reliever that it is.

Studies recommend that you should move each day.  I am sure you are familiar with the saying, "you need to walk 10,000 steps a day”.  Life is busy.  Life is constantly moving forward.  We should take care of our body.  We need to move. 

Technology today has many of us (myself included) stuck on our hiney’s all day long: at the computer, on our phone, watching the television, etc.  We have become a lazy society and have lost our movement motivation.  We need to move.

Why am I such an advocate for cardio/aerobic exercise? It is fun! It helps your overall well being and well, quite frankly, this is where some serious calorie burning comes into play!!

What is aerobic exercise?

It is any kind of rhythmic, continuous exercise that causes you to consume a large amount of oxygen for an extended period of time.

What are the benefits of aerobic exercise?

• Endurance. When you workout, you begin to train your lungs to deliver oxygen and your heart to pump out greater amounts of blood to carry that oxygen to your muscles. With regular exercise, you will be able to perform without gasping for air or tiring after a few minutes, thus increasing your endurance.
• Your body produces aerobic enzymes which help you burn more fat!
• Aerobic exercise increases your metabolism and creates a leaner body.
• Aerobic exercise increases HDL (good) cholesterol and reduces blood pressure, increases insulin sensitivity, and seems to provide some protection against cancer.
• Increasing circulation can also help your skin and hair stay healthy.
• Aerobic exercise releases certain brain chemicals that reduce stress hormones.
• You burn calories!!
• When you have an intense workout – you can temporarily boost your metabolism post exercise (called the after burn).
• When you get very fit, the rate at which you burn calories stays elevated permanently!!
• You change your metabolism!!

There are many questions regarding how OFTEN and how LONG and how HARD do you need to workout. I think it all depends on what results you seek. If your goal is to reduce your risk of disease and keep your heart and lungs strong three days a week is a great start.

Basically, it is very important for you to move your body each and every day!!

What are you doing to reap the benefits of aerobic exercise?

Truth be told, my body is very far from perfect. I’m rounding the corner on turning 32 and as much as I wish the fountain of youth would have showered me with timeless beauty, flawless skin and perfect teeth, I’m no more immune that any of you out there. I have bags under my eyes from not enough sleep, spider veins on my legs and grey hairs popping up in multiples. I suppose I could focus on those things but really, there’s not much I can do about it because believe it or not, I am in fact getting older. Rather, I choose to love my body for all it can and does do for me on a daily basis.

-My body has carried me through nearly 32 years of life including long hours of studying in university, longer hours of partying, poor diet, no exercise, starvation and binging. And though it has complained against me, it never let me down.

-My body has grown a human being, birthed that human being and nourished him. And if that’s not amazing enough, it’s doing it all over again for me.

-My body has gone from being an abused, neglected specimen to a fully functional, toned, fit machine that’s run miles and miles.

-My body is the only body I have and I have chosen to love it, cherish, treat it well and nourish it with good foods, lots of exercise and a much rest as I can get.

Sure there will always be moments when I wish I looked better, felt better, could do more but when I stop to think about everything my body has done for me and the potential it has to do even more, I can’t help but be amazed and incredibly thankful for everything I do have in this body of mine.

Thanks body, if I haven’t told you lately, I think you’re swell.

Over halfway through my pregnancy and still rockin’ my regular jeans.

Getting ready to do what I love: Sweat baby sweat!

I have been super interested in trying, yet totally intimidated by the sheer strength of those who practice crossfit on a regular basis. 

I was scared and intimidated.

A local gym in my area has a free open gym on Saturday’s for those people (like me) who are curious and want to try before committing.  I jumped on the wagon, and I lost my crossfit virginity.  My good friend invited me to join her to the open gym where she works out. 

I have shared my desire on here and to my friends that I need something different to inspire, motivate, and keep me going on this fitness journey.  I felt like I was just going through the motions: run x amount of miles, do strength, stretch, hydrate, eat well, repeat.  Yet I wasn’t really FEELING the excitement that fitness usually gives me.

I have found it with CrossFit!

Now granted, I have only done ONE crossfit workout.  However, as my good friend Workout Mommy always says, “Never Underestimate the power of a good workout”, CrossFit is an excellent workout!

 My first impression of the cross fit gym was that of an old abandoned warehouse type feel.  It was very rustic.  There was ropes, oversized tires, bar bells, heavy weights, and fitness equipment.

My second impression was the family feel.  I was greeted by friendly, HAPPY, faces.  There was no weird looks of questioning, “Why is SHE here?” but more rather an excitement of a new person trying out the crossfit experience.

Thirdly, everyone was self motivated.  On the wall was a list of your warm-up.  Everyone started their warm up on their own (no prompting from a trainer, or heckling from the crowd).  These people were the real deal – real go getters! However, by the end of the scheduled warm up I felt like I had already had a great workout.  I was dripping with sweat, and my heart was pumping.

When the scheduled workout was explained, my first initial reaction was, This is it?? The plan of attack was a 15 minute team strength circuit called, “Fantastic Four”.  We had a team of four people and were to tackle to stations in a rotating (tag like fashion) as fast as we could.  The stations were:

1. Rest

2. Weighted Lunges

3. Push Press with Bar

4. 200 Meter Sprint

5. Repeat as many times in the 15 minute time frame

Let me just clarify that by the time 7 minutes had past, my heart was pumping, I was dripping sweat, and I was looking forward to that 200 meter run so I could rest afterwards! 

Never underestimate a good workout!

CrossFit is a great workout in a short amount of time!

I really liked the team feel of the crossfit experience.  Everyone was encouraging, laughing, and cheering each other on to work harder, do their best, and challenge themselves.  Having the accountability of my teammates and gym-mates during the workout really helped push me to see what I am capable of doing.

I found myself pushing harder, faster, and doing more than I thought possible.  Honestly, if I were to do the same workout in my garage I would not have gotten the same results.  I would not have pushed through the pain, exhaustion, and sweat.  I would have completed my workout yet not to my full potential.

I am looking forward to going to the open gym again, to get my butt kicked again…. of course as soon as my sore body recovers!

Have you tried cross-fit?
If so, I would love to hear your experience!
If not, do you have a desire to try it? Why or why not?

I may write about that next week Friday.

But for now, I want to share with you a YouTube video my mom posted of my oldest daughter, Sierra:

The woman with her… That was me – four years ago.  At that point I had been battling post-partum depression for 2.5 years.  When I look at that video I see an overweight me – not horribly over-weight, but a good 30 lbs more than I am now me.

But yanno what else I see?

I see the pain.

I see where my brain was.  Or more accurately… wasn’t.  I see all of the over-eating on cakes and cookies to self-medicate., hoping, just hoping it would make me feel better.  (But it never did).  The weight that you see on me, although it’s not A LOT, it’s about 30 lbs more than I am now.  I see the whiner, the complainer and the nagging wife I was.

I see a whole different person in that video – you may not see it – but I do.

Two years after that video was shot I asked for help. I asked my Doctor what was wrong with me. You know what he told me?

He told me to talk. Talk to the people I love. To eat healthy – fruit and veggies are good for your brain too – not just good for your body. And to return to running.

So I talked.

And I ate healthy.

And I’m running….

I’m running a half-marathon on Sunday!

Scotiabank Toronto Waterfont Half Marathon

And you know what? I feel better than I have in YEARS!

(If you’re feeling down, or foggy or weird… talk to your doctor – there are options – options that don’t involve taking medicine – you can do it!).

In those instances we hit the indoor play areas at the mall. The one we like the best is a good 30 minute drive from us so I’ll usually pack up a bag for us before heading out because we’re guaranteed to be gone at least 3 hours. Now you might be thinking, no problem, you’re at the mall, you can grab lunch there right?

Wrong-o!

I have nothing against eating at the mall and truth be told, my son and I have split some french fries together in the past. But our regular routine is to pack a healthy lunch for both of us that includes fruits, veggies and water. He’s only 19 months but my little guy is go-go-go every waking second and he needs the best foods to fuel his little body. I need the best foods to fuel mine to keep up with him.

I only wish I could make something creative and pretty. Image from Following in my Shoes

So what kinds of foods do I pack? It varies but always stuff that’s easy to pack, easy to eat on the go and that I know my little man will love: bananas, blueberries, nectarines, yogurt, cheese, granola bars and cheerios will often find their way into our lunch bags.  They’re easy to pack, not too messy (outside of one exploding yogurt incident) and the little man loves it when he gets to eat somewhere different with his favourite plate and sippy cup in front of him.

What do you do when you know you’ll be out for a few hours? Do you bring your own snacks? Look for healthy alternatives on the go or allow yourself a treat?

I have been known to fill up on junk: chips, cookies, icecream and the like.  Heck, I even try to convince myself that some of the junk I consume is really a healthy food option.

- spinach artichoke dip (Score it has the vegetables spinach and artichokes) 
- Veggie Chips (they have vegetable powder!) 
- Orange sherbet ice-cream (made from oranges!)

Lies. Lies. Lies.

I am the type of mom that makes sure my kids eat healthy.  I make sure they have plenty of fruits and vegetables available to them through out the day and in each meal.  Yet, I am ashamed to admit that there have been days where I could not count for a single serving of fruit or veggie consumed by me!

I would be shocked and appalled if my children ate the way I eat!!

I am not sure if it is the mentality of knowing that if I ate that piece of fruit, yogurt, etc… that would be one less healthy item for my child(ren) to eat.

 I do not know. 

What I do know is that I need to start making myself a priority.  I need to start tracking and making sure that I am eating my 5-7 servings of fruits and vegetables each day.

I struggle with eating whole, balanced, fruit & veggie filled meals.  I am sharing this confession with you this week because I am challenging myself to eat my fruits and veggies.

I would love to hear your feedback on tips and tricks to get my fill of fruits and veggies in each day.

What are your go to snack or meals that are loaded with fruits and veggies?

How do you track (measure) your fruit and vegetable intake each day?

I moved my (not so) little pregnant belly for a total of 103km (64 miles). Included in that is running, most of my walking (only when done with resistance and at a pace that raised my heart rate enough that I felt like I was working), and biking. I also started a bootcamp class at the end of the month (not included in my movement total) and have been strength training 1-2 days per week. How did I accomplish this? Quite simply put, with consistency. I planned my workouts, I did them, even when I didn’t want to and whenever I could, I included my son in the fun so that I could turn a quick sweat session into something he was a part of as well.

Enjoying the view on our run

21 weeks pregnant, getting ready to sweat at the work gym

So what is my plan for this month? More of the same. I’m 22.5 weeks along now and feeling great. I plan to get my move on and any way I can. The bump is starting to feel a bit heavier so running isn’t always an option and I’m definitely walking more than running now but I’m still working hard. As the ability to run dwindles, I’ll start incorporating hand/ankle weights into my walking for an extra burn. I will continue to strength train 1-2 days per week and go to my weekly bootcamp. I will continue to eat well and stay completely in tune with my body throughout it all. I’ll be just finishing my second trimester at the end of the month and I know that it’s only going to get harder to move so I have to remain consistent and purposeful in my plans if I want to stay active until the end.

Bring on October!

I shared a totally do able goal for running my fourth half marathon.  That did NOT happen.

Success is most often a by-product of faithfulness

I was not faithful to my training which resulted in me not being successfully prepared to run my race.  Thus resulting in my goal of setting a personal best in the half marathon, not fulfilled.

Truth is, I lost my motivation.  I lost my focus.  I forgot WHY I love running and fitness.  I forgot WHY I wanted to run that race.  I lost my motivation, there wasn’t any!!

At Fitness Collaborative we like to focus on the positive without dwelling on the negative.  I am choosing to focus on the fact that I was active and continued to run (even without the focused training) the past few weeks.

Focusing on the positive, I am choosing to have a fresh start this month.  My fitness goals for October are to keep running and moving. 

I am going to run the local Turkey Trot 10K on Thanksgiving morning.  I talked it over with my husband, when discussing how I lost my running mojo.  He agreed that I needed to find something to run for, train for and get excited about.  I know that, for me, a 10K race is totally doable and attainable. 

The biggest challenge for me this month (and November) is to be consistent with the training schedule. 

I also want to include strength training.  I know that last year when I added strength training to my fitness routine I reshaped my body and the pounds melted off.  I think the change in fitness routine would be a good challenge for me, and that is what I need.

My fitness goals for October are to find my running mojo and train for a local 10K.  I also plan on doing strength training multiple times during the week. 

What are your goals for this month?

If a time machine existed and I were given the chance, I would love to go back to high school.  My only stipulation would be that I could go back knowing what I know now and make some changes, only for it to not effect my current life.

You know… focus on certain friendships that are going to last and forget those that aren’t going to last beyond high school.  Don’t concern myself with certain boys that are so dreamy when in fact they won’t be so dreamy in 10 years.  Actually pay attention in certain classes because that is what you will actually use in a few years!

You know… stuff you WISH you knew THEN… now.

I was an active, social butterfly in high school.  I had my core group of friends, yet floated and was friendly with all social circles.  I was even nominated for homecoming queen my senior year… but lost.

I was very busy and always involved in extra curricular activities.  Leadership activities such as: student council, class officer, and leadership in student groups.  Academic activities such as Future Teachers of America, French Club, Math Club and National Honors Society.  I was also involved in a few musical productions (plays) while in high school.

My favorite activity was sports.  I participated in cross country, track, softball, basketball (sophomore year only), and cheerleading.  Below are some flash back photos I found from my yearbook:

The funny thing about cheerleading is, I tried out as a joke.  I played basketball at the time, and would always goof off doing jumps and flips.  The coach asked me to try out, and I did.  I made varsity and had a blast cheering for my team.  

Cheerleading was fun, I loved performing in front of an audience.  However, it wasn’t my favorite sport in high school.  My favorite sport I was proud to be on the team was softball.  I was on varsity freshman through senior year.  I played first base and loved every minute I was on the dusty field!!

Reminiscing about high school almost 15 years later, is bittersweet.  I miss the ease of life, the freedom, the restrictions, the laughter, the friendships, the innocence of life.

   I am thankful for my experiences: academic, social, leadership, and athletic.  For those high school experiences helped mold and shape me into the woman I am today.  I am an excellent multi-tasker, active with sports (running, biking, hiking, etc) and academics are a major core value for myself and my family.

Through the years I have learned that who I was THEN really doesn’t matter NOW.  I have a choice to be the woman God has created me to be.  I am thankful for my past, but I am blessed to know that my future is not determined by those past mistakes. 

I am thankful that my love of sports  and athletics has stayed with me beyond high school.  My husband and I enjoy sharing our war stories with our children and look forward to cheering our own children in their adventures as they brave the halls called high school. 

If you could go back to visit with your high school self, what ONE PIECE of wisdom would you share with your young self?

I thought about it some more and I ended up on a personal time trip back to elementary and junior high school and suddenly remembered a whole whack of things I did do at one point in my life:

-I played softball through school for several years and was a pretty darn good pitcher.

-I did track where I was one of the faster runners in the 100m sprint and rocked the triple jump. I think my throw in discus was great by my aim was terrible

-I played volleyball.

-I played tackle football…with guys…and without padding. What was I thinking? I was thinking I was tough enough to play with the guys (and I was!)

-I participated in our schools first ever run club and actually arrived at school an hour early 2-3 times a week to run.

I’m amazed that I forgot about all this stuff I did. Part of me still wishes I’d had the courage and the confidence to put myself out there more in high school because I remember really wanting to play on the sports teams but at the same time, following that path may not have led me to where I am today and I love who and where I am right now. So I guess my re-discovery of my love of fitness and being active wasn’t so much a re-birth as it was a homecoming.