The Big Answer

The answer to : Are you done having kids? Why did you buy a mini-van? Why are you dogging it in the workouts? Why did you stop working out with the morning Ladies group? Mommy, when are you going to get me a little brother? Is that a little belly? Why are you always tired? Are you training for anything right now? What are you guys going to do for Thanksgiving this year?

Any other questions?

We are happy to announce that we will be adding to our team. We didn't want to say anything until we told our kids who are really excited and have been telling everyone they see - even the librarian.

Little Pumpkin is due November 20th - So we are almost half way done.

We are not going to find out the gender of this baby until the little pumpkin is born. Farmer is telling us its a boy and Peanut is hoping it is not. Yes, life is going to be a little crazy for the next year or so but we are up for the challenge. Wish us luck!

Sunburn Seeds

Farmer has pretty fair skin so he sunburns quite easily. Last week his face got quite red, he said to me, " Mom do you know why my face is so red? I ate too many sunburn seeds." Today as he was doing his chore of weeding the garden he said, "Mom, why does Dad always plant weed seeds?"

No swimming has not gotten any better, in fact worse. He won't even put a toe in the pool now. I pulled him out of the class. Maybe in 2 weeks he will be ready?


Workout - Done

3 days down - just 27 more to make a habit right? I don't know if I agree with that statement 30 days makes a habit. I think it should be everyday makes a habit. Just from personal experience, if I exercise 300 days in a row and decide to sleep in then my habit is no longer a habit. What happens is that my new habit becomes sleeping in. Exercise is a lifestyle choice. I have to choose to do it everyday - make it a part of my life. Just like brushing my teeth.

Yesterday, I walked with Farmer and Squeak in the stroller and Petunia and Peanut riding their bikes. We went 1 mile, played at the park and walked 1 mile back. Doesn't seem too hard - well you ought to see the hills.

Today, I did the TRX outside. My transitions were much faster but I still couldn't keep my heart rate up like I would like to. That said, I was pretty sore after Mondays workout - so heart rate or not, I still got a good workout. I should also clarify that the TRX is not really my cardio workout so it doesn't really matter except right now I am doing the TRX as a strength/endurance circuit so I would like my heart rate to stay higher for longer.

Teri, looks like you would whip my tail. Keep it up.
Anyone else working out there?

Meet the Team

Runnergirl - Me, the one who writes all of this stuff.

Mr. Smiley - The Husband and great dad.

Petunia

Peanut

Farmer

Squeak

Summer Day 1

Workout - Check

Yes, I did get out of bed. The workout was great. A little lonely since I don't have a partner but the birds were in full song this morning which made it just fine. I did 45 sec repetitions of 12 different exercises on the TRX. My heart rate average was 128 bpm. By the end my hamstrings and triceps were on fire. A good start. I am doing the 30 minute full body express workout. I think I will do this workout for a couple of weeks. The only down point was that my heart rate was only in my zone of 120bpm-140bpm for 10 minutes. I am trying to keep my heart rate in that zone for 25 min. so I will have to work on my transitions to keep my heart rate up. What did you do today?

Swimming Lessons - Check, Check , Flop

1st day of Summer break! Of course we started it off with a splash. Yes swimming lessons started today. Petunia and Peanut were back to pool with their fins on.

Farmer on the other hand really took me by surprise. He wanted nothing to do with the swimming lessons. He got in the pool right away but took a minute to evaluate what was going on and quickly changed his mind. I saw him start to rub his eyes and was soon adding tear drops to the pool. He spent the rest of his class wrapped in a towel sitting on the chair next to me. How could this be? My little fish has turned into a sand crab. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.?.

Science Experiment - Check - hopefully not a flop.

Mondays is our science experiment day. We are going to do some kind of science project every Monday. We started off making rock candy. Hopefully it works out. If not it is pretty anyways. Rock candy is made by boiling water and adding sugar then you tie a cotton string onto a pencil and put in the sugar water. We colored ours to make it pretty. This has to set for 3-10 days while crystals form on the string. What a great thing to make with sugar.

Sugar is not one of my favorite things in the world so it is great to use as a science project. We are trying really hard in our family to limit our consumption of white sugar. I just recently finished the book "Sweet Death" by Dr. Hugo Rodier. I learned a lot about sugar and how our bodies react to the white stuff. Not Good. In our society it is almost impossible to get away from it. You don't even have to buy candy. Candy is always given out freely at the store, bank, library, school, piano, church and from old people. Grandparents used to say, " Eat your vegetables." Now they say, "Do you want a sucker?" Our Grandparents have definitely gotten better at this since some of their grand kids don't eat candy.

Nellie's kids have not been eating candy for 1 1/2 years. Amazing. Her kids have been a great example to many of their friends and teachers. Our kids have decided to take the challenge. We have decided to give them a dollar every Sunday if they have not eaten any candy during the week. At the end of the month we double their money. Nellie has been doing this but doubles their money at the end of the year. Forced savings. Smart.

Petunia and Peanut have not been eating candy for over 1 month now. I am so proud of them. The girls have given away their candy or have asked for stickers or pencils instead. Petunia got a Rubik's cube from her piano teacher instead of candy. I think she came out ahead. This was a hard month as it was the end of school and there were many parties with lots of candy. One of Petunia's friends came over today and gave her two flower clips for her hair because he gave everyone in their class candy on the last day but Petunia.

We are not depriving our kids. This is a decision they have made. They can choose to have candy whenever they wish. What am I going to choose to give up for a dollar? hmmm. What are you going to choose?

On my Own

I have been working out with a group of women 3 days a week at 5:50am since November. And as all things must eventually change this is going to be a change. I have decided to stop going to the group and go out on my own. This has been a difficult decision but I feel it is time.

Now, let us get one thing straight - I am not a self motivated and disciplined individual who can just inflict pain to herself on her own. No, I have always needed someone to crack the whip to get me moving. Lets face it, unless someone I respect tells me to do something that causes discomfort, I won't do it. But I can and have done many workouts that I would have never done on my own without the help of others. There were many workouts while I was at University that pushed me to crying, peeing my pants and throwing up all in the presence of onlookers. Most of whom were of the opposite sex and I might have had a chance of getting a date with but rarely did because they saw my nasty side. What drove me to such extent as to ruin my social life? Someone else telling me to.

That brings me to my point of this blog. I cannot do this alone. I am going to be posting my workouts and my progress to this blog as my motivation. I need the one person who reads this blog (hopefully at least one person is interested in what I have to say) to give me encouragement so that I will get my lazy bones out of bed in the morning. You will be my trainer so to speak. I am usually the one who tells people to get their butt off the couch but now it is your turn.

Also, as my trainer, I would like you to send me your favorite workouts. If it is possible, I will do your workout and let you know what I think about it. I will start tomorrow morning at 6:15am. I am planning to use the TRX outside hooked onto our Mulberry tree. I'll let you know how it goes. Hopefully, I get out of bed.

TRX

Just wanted to introduce a little piece of equipment that recently replaced all of my weightlifting equipment. The TRX suspension system has been great! I had a whole room dedicated to my weights and machines for personal training and for keeping myself fit. I sold all of it and changed it out for the TRX. I can get a great workout without needing a whole room to keep all of my equipment.

I took it to the park this morning and had a great workout. The TRX is portable, fun and anyone can use it - it doesn't matter what kind of shape you are in. A professional athlete and a couch potato could use this and get results. The TRX was used on the "Biggest Loser" this past season.


Normally, I don't recommend anyone purchase home fitness equipment because it usually ends up being an expensive coat rack. Never used and taking up to much space. The TRX is much different and I would recommend to anyone. As a personal trainer, I would recommend the TRX as one of the best pieces of equipment I have ever used. As an owner of a TRX, I would recommend the TRX as the most versatile pieces of equipment I have ever owned.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a TRX, I am a TRX affiliate. Just click on any of the TRX links on my blog and it will take you to my storefront or use this link:

https://www.fitnessanywhere.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&AFFIL=Fn634X75

The Foolish Man

What made the foolish man foolish? Was he foolish because he knew building on the sand would make his home unstable and eventually washes away but decided to build on the sand anyways because it was easier and cheaper? Or was he foolish because he didn’t know? Did he not do his research and find out the best way and place to build a home? Any way you look at it he is foolish.

This is what knowledge can do to you. Either you will be the foolish man or become the wise man. The past 3 years I have been studying about alternative health and nutrition. I have read many books and I have learned much. I have acquired knowledge. No, I don’t believe everything I read or hear. But when something rings true in my heart, I have pangs of anxiety that come along with my new found knowledge. What I choose to do with that new knowledge will make me the foolish man or the wise man.

Sometimes I wish I hadn’t learned something because I don’t want to change my life or alter some life long habit. But now that I have learned better, if I don’t change I am the foolish man. If I hadn’t researched and acquired the new knowledge then I am also the foolish man.

Changing life long nutritional habits can be very difficult. When I hear something that makes me question my eating habits, I decide to research. The more I research and learn the more likely I am going to want to change my old ways. True knowledge can be a powerful motivator. It can help you do things that you never thought was possible. When you get correct information most likely you will decide to be the wise man and change your life.

The other powerful motivator is my family. When I learn something, I want to share it with them. I want them to live long and healthy lives. But at that end, I cannot tell them to change their lives unless I am willing to do it myself. The following story illustrates my point perfectly.

A mother took her child to Ghandi, to help her child stop eating refined sugar. Ghandi thought for a moment: “Bring your child back, tomorrow.” The puzzled mother did so, at which time Ghandi said to the child: “Stop eating candy.” The mother then asked: “Why didn’t you tell him that yesterday?” Ghandi replied: “Yesterday, I was eating candy myself.”

I hope I can be the wise man. I hope I can gain enough self respect, control and determination to be the wise man.