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Getting to the gym can be hard enough under any circumstances, but when you are a stay-at-home mom to young children, it can be that much harder. The good news is you don’t have to go to a gym to get your fitness routine in. There are many other options. Two commonly recommended alternatives are walking or jogging with the kid(s) in a stroller, and using exercise videos. Both are good, and if they work for you, great – keep it up! If you are looking for some fresh ideas though, keep reading.
The great thing about kids and fitness is that they are natural movers. Have you tried to get a three year old to sit still? Can’t be done. It is something that is taught to us. Unfortunately, sometimes it is taught too well and we end up living a sedentary life that leads to a host of health problems, both physical and emotional. So take a cue from children and join in on the fun. Just 5-15 minutes of physical activity at a time scattered throughout the day can make a big difference in how you feel. It also helps the child(ren) by encouraging them to stay fit throughout their life. As a bonus, not only are you getting some exercise in, it is a great way to emotionally connect with your child(ren).
Here are some fun things you can do with children, whether they are your own or borrowed from another mom who really needs to have some alone time. Lace up your running shoes and have fun!
Tag – kids love tag! Add in some bobs and weaves as you try to avoid them tagging you for some extra giggles and to work your core.
Race – My son loves to race me. Sometimes we race up and down the hall, sometimes we race in the back yard, sometimes around the neighborhood. Racing is also great when you are trying to get them to leave somewhere: “Let’s race, I can get to the *fill in the blank* first!” (Not to be employed in parking lots.)
Dance Party – A favorite of all ages. You can hold a baby in your arms or in a sling while you dance away, and older kids love to see who can come up with the craziest moves. Get creative! Move your whole body to the music. Don’t limit yourself to what you would do if other adults were around, now is the time to just let it go. Grab a few scarves or large fabric scraps and use them to help you twirl, flirt and fly.
Ball – Go beyond the basic catch (or lack thereof) and add some moves on your end. Bounce up and down, hold in your core, get your upper body really involved. Sure you are only tossing that big foam ball three feet, but feel your muscles as you do it.
Simon Says – Go beyond the traditional “Simon says touch your nose.” Try something like “Simon says do jumping jacks.”
At the Park – There are plenty of opportunities to get some exercise in while you are at the park. Don’t just sit and watch, go hang from the monkey bars. My son loves to swing, and sometimes it can get a little boring standing there pushing. I discovered that if I do things like squat between each push, it makes it more fun. I may look a little funny to the other moms sitting on the benches talking, who cares? Yes, sometimes I am the mom sitting at the park. Sometimes the park is the only place I can sit. On days when I am feeling up to it though, I am right in there playing with him.
It doesn’t have to be an organized activity to get in some movement. I have been known to just spontaneously start marching in place while I am hanging out with my son. Sometimes we turn it into a contest to see who can raise their knees the highest. I do random ballet moves, squats, stretches, bouncing, whatever. Want a real leg workout? Hop everywhere you go for five minutes. Outside I sometimes use the curb like one of those steps that were so popular in aerobics classes a few years back. Up, down, up, down, up, down, “Stop poking people with sticks!” up, down, up, down . . .
You don’t even have to have kids to do these things. Try them at the office sometime. See what happens.
Get Creative! Have Fun! Stay Healthy!
It’s Valentine’s Day! Time to get gussied up.
Which lipstick do you think is better to put on your lips?
Revlon Super Lustrous – Pearl Lipstick, Wild Orchid
ingredients:
Trioctyldodecyl Citrate, Ozokerite, Polybutene, Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Octyldodecyl Neopentanoate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraisostearate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, C10 30 Cholesterol/Lanesterol Esters, Bis Diglyceryl Polyacyladipate 2, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Paraffin, Cera Microcristallina (Microcrystalline Wax), Synthetic Wax, Tocopheryl Acetate, Retinyl Palmitate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Pentaerythrityl Tetraethylhexanoate, Serica Poudre de Soie (Silk Powder), Silica, Caprylyl Glycol, 1, 2 Hexanediol, Mica, Iron Oxides (CI 77491, 77492, 77499), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Bismuth Oxychloride (CI 77163), Red 6 Lake (CI 15850), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850), Red 27 Lake (CI 45410), Red 33 Lake (CI 17200), Yellow 6 Lake (CI 15985), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090), Yellow 5 Lake (CI 15850), Carmine (CI 75470)
OR
Coastal Creations Wetlands Lipstick (Reddish Pink)
ingredients:
USDA Certified Organic sun flower oil, candelilla wax, USDA Certified Organic palm fruit stearin, filtered, high purity synthetic iron oxide red (CI 77491); ultramarine pink (CI 77007)
****(Chosen randomly from Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Data Base. I have not used either lipstick, so I can’t tell you how they look or feel, just what the listed ingredients are. I chose one lipstick that was rated 1 – low health concern, and one that was rated 4 – moderate health concern. Lipsticks ranged from 0-10)****
Three lipsticks/lip glosses that I have used and liked are:
rms beauty lip2cheek
and, my new favorite red-
Kelly Teegarden Organics Lip Gloss
Pucker up!
Sugar Snap Pea Stir-Fry 清炒甜豌豆莢 (Photo credit: beautifulcataya)
Produce Pick of the Week:
Snap Peas! Yum! Easy and fun to grow at home if you have a fence or pole for them to climb, snap peas are loved by just about everyone. They even feed the soil with nitrogen, making them a friend of other plants as well. Delicious by themselves, they also lend themselves to salads and stir-fries and are great for scooping up dips.
Meat Free Monday:
A great quick and easy meat-free dish is stir fry. By adding an assortment of vegetables you can meet so many of your dietary requirements in one dish. Good add-ins are cashews, pineapple, orange pieces, strawberries and organic tofu. Take it easy on the sauces though. Most prepared sauces are loaded with sodium, preservatives and MSG. No good. Instead, let the flavor of the veggies shine through by finishing with a bit of sesame oil and sprinkling with sesame seeds.
Valentine’s Day is in one week, let’s talk chocolate.
I am a fan of chocolate. I’m sure many of you are. In moderation, chocolate can be good for you, especially dark chocolate, which is what we eat in our house. People are sometimes surprised that my 4-year old son loves dark chocolate. (We are talking 72% here, if not higher.) I explain that due to his milk allergy, he has never even tasted milk chocolate.
I am not, however, a fan of child labor and especially abhor child slavery. I trust you agree with me on this issue.
What does this have to do with chocolate? Everything.
The majority of chocolate in the market place originates from the Ivory Coast in Africa or is mixed with cacao beans from the Ivory Coast. Dreadfully, child labor and child slavery is all to common. The major chocolate manufactures have known about this problem for years, but it is only under pressure from consumers that they are beginning to do anything about it.
CNN International recently did a series on child labor and slavery in the chocolate industry. I urge you to read the articles and watch the videos so you understand just how big a problem this is. Warning- you may want to have a box of tissues handy.
- Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find (thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com)
- Slavery in cocoa fields: A horrible ‘normal’ (thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com)
What can you look for when buying chocolate to know that child slavery was not involved in the production?
Look for chocolate that is labeled “Fair Trade,” “Rainforest Alliance,” or Certified Organic. All three certifications mean the chocolate was sourced without the use of illegal child labor. The workers are treated well, paid fairly and, in the case of organic, pesticides were not used. Here is a list of manufactures who use ethically sourced chocolate: http://slavefreechocolate.org/directory-chocolate/ . I personally can attest to the deliciousness of the Trader Joe’s Organic Dark Chocolate Bars. They are what I have been eating for the last four years as they are one of the few chocolates I have found without soy lecithin in them, another ingredient on my son’s list of things that make him sick. I usually eat them as is, but I’ve also chopped them up for cookies and such and melted them down to mold into new shapes. Don’t forget to look for ethical cocoa powder as well.
You will note that the major chocolate companies are not listed. They may have some lines that are fair trade or organic, but as a whole, it just doesn’t seem to be part of their business practice to ensure that child slavery is not perpetuated.
Sorry, the waxy tasting chocolates in the heart shaped box you were planning on buying at the drug store on the way home Valentine’s night just won’t cut it.
Related articles
- Child slavery and chocolate: All too easy to find (thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com)
- Slavery in cocoa fields: A horrible ‘normal’ (thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com)
Do you have your citrus juicer handy? Fresh orange juice is a great base for a smoothie. Here is a great one I made a few days ago with some frozen apricots I saved from my sister’s tree.
Apricot – Orange Smoothie
4 oranges
1 cup frozen apricots
1 tablespoon chia seeds, soaked in 1 cup water
Put the chia seeds in water and allow to soak at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. It will turn into a gel. Juice the oranges. Add all ingredients in a blender and blend till smooth.
Yes, chia seeds are the same ones you may have used to grow your chia pet when you were little. They are an ancient grain that was used by the Aztecs and is still enjoyed today. They are high in Omega-3 fatty acids, protein and fiber. Chia seeds also contains essential minerals and are high in anti-oxidants. Soaking chia seeds in a liquid such as water, juice or a milk substitute will allow them to turn into a gel which can be used in smoothies, puddings, cereals and other applications. They can also be ground into powder and put in smoothies without soaking or mixed into baked goods. Due to its high anti-oxidant level, the gel lasts for over 4 days in the refrigerator, so you can make a big batch and used as needed if you like.
Image via Wikipedia
Related articles
- Easy Smoothies (teresastips.wordpress.com)
- Smoothie Flowchart (teresastips.wordpress.com)
In my journey to educate myself on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and being environmentally aware, it has become clear how much the two overlap. Here are some ways you can make food choices to help out both your health, and the Earth.
-Eat real food.
An apple is real food. An apple flavored treat is not.
- Eat plants in abundance, meat in moderation (if at all).
Fruits and vegetables are good for you. According to a United Nations report, almost one fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions are a result of livestock production.
- Eat organic food.
Not only will you be spared the affects of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, so will the fields, watersheds, and the people who grow the produce. In the case of meat, organically raised animals eat organic feed and are not given artificial growth hormones and other drugs. The use of antibiotics is also restricted in organically raised livestock. Antibiotic use in factory farms has been directly linked to drug resistant bacteria.
- Eat locally grown produce.
Food that has not traveled a long distance is likely to be fresher, which means more taste and vitamins for you. It also means less greenhouse gasses are produced as a result of the food traveling from the farm to your plate.
- Grow your own food.
It is hard to beat the freshness of food you just picked from your backyard or windowsill pot. If you can’t grow your own (or are still hungry), join a CSA. You can find CSAs in your area by visiting http://www.localharvest.org/csa/
-Reduce the amount of packaging you buy.
Most foods that are heavily packaged aren’t really that good for you, and all that trash has to go somewhere.
