December Fitness Challenge -- Let's DO this!!

Every year between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the challenge to maintain a healthy eating, sleeping, and exercise routine can be daunting.  There are often so many items on our to-do lists and so little time to get them done.  Fitness and healthy choices can easily be shoved to the back burner.   While I cannot attend parties with you (to supervise your eating) or ensure that you turn off the television and get to bed on time, I would love to encourage you to stay on track with your fitness this December.  (Plus, you may hear from me about those other issues along the way.)

My challenge to you:

      1) Enlist a buddy.  Call up a friend, talk to your mom, coerce your spouse, etc. and tell them they are doing a fitness challenge with you this month.

     2) Pick a fitness challenge level (your buddy can choose the same level or a different level).

     3) Post on Mommy Fitness 101 or sign up via mommyfitness101@gmail.com. Registering isn't mandatory, but that extra accountability can make a huge difference. Plus, you'll make sure to receive extra tips and helpful articles along the way! 

     4)  Maintain or improve your fitness this December and enjoy all the benefits of fitness this month – Improved ability to handle stress, lowered risk of depression, additional feel-good hormones, enhanced quality of sleep, and increased productivity are just a few!

 

Fitness Challenge Levels:

Level 1: 

Exercise at least 25 days in December for a duration (minimum) of 15 minutes.

Level 2:

Exercise at least 25 days in December for a duration (minimum) of 25 minutes.

Level 3: 

Exercise EVERY day in December for a duration (minimum) of 35 minutes.

Exercise may be walking, jogging, swimming, or doing fitness YouTube videos or DVDs.  Dancing, lifting weights, attending fitness classes…find activities that you enjoy, can include in your day, and DO them!

Track your fitness days on your own calendar, or print this one out..

I truly encourage you to not skip step #1. You need the encouragement and accountability…and someone you know needs that as well.

Make this December a time of positive change and improvements! Let’s make the time to stay healthy and fit.  Remember, if we moms let ourselves become run down, overworked, stressed, and unhealthy, our families will pay the price.  On the other hand, if we are doing well, making healthy, fit, and wise choices, our families will reap those awesome rewards.  Let’s do this!!

Fitness Friendships

Finding the right fitness partner may be one of the best ways to help you stick with (and learn to love!) an exercise program. While you might be tempted to cancel your solo workout plans when that alarm goes off, you will likely think twice about deserting a friend who is counting on you. A workout buddy will push you on the days when you feel like slacking, make the time go faster as you swap stories and laughs, and help keep you motivated to reach your goals. As a mom, I often feel that friendships are difficult to maintain, because our work and lives are often so busy. Fitness friendships have become very valuable to me, as I can multitask! Catching up with a friend during a run or a walk at the park with our children means that I can enjoy an adult conversation and get in some fitness minutes--preserving my sanity on two fronts!

Thinking about a prospective workout partner? Consider a few points first.

1. Are your fitness goals similar to your partner’s? If your friend wants to be able to swim a mile in the pool and you want to be able to run a 5k, you are either going to have to compromise –swim one day, run the next- or you simply need to find someone that wants to train for a 5k along with you.
 2. Are your fitness levels similar? If your fitness is very high and your partner is just starting out, you may need to be creative in your workouts or you may get frustrated. However, not all workouts need to be super intense, so you might meet up with that friend on a light workout day instead and be an encourager to them.
3. How close do you live to your prospective partner? I get rather inflexible if my drive time is going to be much longer than my workout. Perhaps you can meet in the middle between your locations, or switch back and forth with who does the driving. If you do have a friend that lives further from you, make it a goal to meet up for a fitness date just once or twice a month. You’ll enjoy the opportunity to catch up and still make a great use of your time together.

If there isn’t a name that has already popped into your mind as a potential partner, start with your close friends or family members. You might find that your best friend has been really needing the encouragement to start exercising and changing her diet. Make a plan together and carry each other through the tough days.

Still no takers? 
1. Go out on a limb at work and see if anyone is interested in working out at lunch or before or after work; you just might find a kindred spirit. 
2. Check out your local Craigslist ads or fitness ads on Meetup.com. (Just please play it super safe if you are meeting up with someone you don’t know.) 
3. If you are interested in running, check in with a local running shoe store for details on running clubs in your area. 
4. Do you enjoy a sport? Find a new club or team to join. 
5. Try a new fitness class at an area gym or community college, you might meet someone who is as passionate about Pilates as you are = instant friendship!
 6. Create a free account at www.sparkpeople.com and join an online exercise group with similar goals. You may even end up finding a friend in your area. 

Friendships are important to cultivate and fitness is essential to maintain. 

Try putting the two together and enjoy the satisfying results.  

Fitting in Fitness

Moms often have a very difficult time carving out time just for themselves.  If you are pulled in numerous directions and coordinating a number of schedules and activities, how is it possible to fit in fitness? Recommended physical activity is 30 minutes per day of moderate-intensity movements, at least 5 days per week.  These activities should cause at least a small increase in breathing and heart rate, and might include brisk walking, some supermom cleaning, pushing the lawn mower, bicycling, etc.  However, if you are short on time and you would like to put some extra ‘oomph’ into your workouts, you can do just 20 minutes per day, 3 days per week (Yes, you had better be sweating—not just glistening—in those twenty minutes!). 

Now, if the thought of exercising 3 or more days a week is daunting, before you say “I can’t”, stand up and grab your weekly planner, pull up your Outlook calendar, or simply go through your mental file of this week’s activities.  

Answer a few questions regarding your schedule:

·         Is there a specific time that my spouse or a family member can handle the kids? Physical activity is awesome for the entire family to enjoy, but getting some time to yourself to focus on your fitness goals and hitting the reset button can be even more valuable.

·         Are you a morning person? Statistics show that morning exercisers are often very successful because they get their workouts in before anything else comes up to take precedence in their day….BUT, if you’re not a morning person, don’t plan 6:00 a.m. workouts! Set yourself up for success.

·         Can I utilize my lunch hour at work and get in a quick workout?  Lacing up your fitness shoes and finding a walking route can be a wonderful pick-me-up and lead to greater work productivity throughout the afternoon.  You might even meet a new friend that does the same!

·          Are there any periods of time that I am waiting during one of my children’s activities?  Sure, there are definitely times that should be spent watching your child’s soccer practice, but perhaps you can still catch most of it while walking the sidelines.  Be creative.  While waiting for one child, plan a fitness activity you can do by yourself or with your other children.

·          How busy are my evenings?  Are there favorite shows that you always catch on television certain nights?  Roll out your stationary bike or treadmill that has been collecting dust and set it up so you can multitask.  Or, simply put on a pair of shoes and march or jog in place while you watch.  Throw in some abdominal work, pushups, and squats during the commercials and you’ll have burned quite a few calories during an hour long show.

·         Do I have 10 minute breaks anywhere?  Even short 10 minute spurts of activity add up.  Make 3 happen in your day and you’ll have met that the 30 minute goal!

Be wary of the weekend warrior mentality. Even if you find yourself with more free time on the weekends, don’t plan to do 2-3 hour workouts to make up for the rest of the week.  Be reasonable on the weekends and do your best to find at least 2 other days throughout the week so that your body is able to adapt and recover well from your workouts.

This next week, do you need to get in 5 days of fitness if you are starting from scratch?  No! Pat yourself on the back if you can get in 2 or 3 days and go from there.  Ease into it and don’t get discouraged if you have a bad day (or week!).  Try, and try again.  Your health is worth it.