Exercising with an audience

My birthday is coming up (at the end of this month) and for my birthday, my husband bought me Just Dance 2. I opened my present early because I was so excited to use it. It has a fun "sweat mode" and I had fun dancing in the comfort of my own home. The whole time my kids were telling me "Good job, Mom!" and "You're doing great." It was fun having some positive reinforcement, even if it comes from a 4 year old and a 5 year old! What makes you feel good about exercising?

Shopping and Burning Calories

 I am not a fan of shopping. My sister, Jordanne, my Aunt Gwen, and my cousin Lana, all came to Henderson to visit me.  We went shopping, because that is what Jordanne does best. The only benefit to me for the trip was, well, visiting with my Aunt and Cousin, and the calories we burned. Total it was 1,202 calories! I was so tired that night, and so were my kids. My sister is a maniac! Do you like to shop?

Exercising with Asthma

I have exercise induced asthma. It makes for exercising a little bit more difficult. Sometimes my legs can keep going, but my lungs are screaming STOP! I have an inhaler and try to remember to take it with me when I go anywhere, but sometimes it gets left behind. I these occasions, there is no way I can go running, so I try to do stretches instead. I did try to go running up in Beaver without it, and because of the cold (34 degrees) and the wind, and the fact that I forgot my inhaler, I made it about 1/4 of a mile and thought I was going to collapse there on the spot and die. I may be a tad over dramatic about it, but breathing is one of those things that I feel should always happen. So do you have asthma? What do you do if you can't run?

Exercising with kids

One of my favorite things to do, is to do activities with my kids. I have found that there can be some of the best calorie burning activities that involve my kids and don't make it feel as though I'm working out. Here are some of my favorite things to do with them:

•  Going to the Zoo. Just pushing the stroller around with a child in it burns 217 calories per hour! When we go to the zoo, we go for at least 2 hours or more.
• Going to a museum. I had the chance to take my kids to a Science museum. They loved it and it gave me a chance to push the stroller around for a bit. (The picture is from the museum). So not only are the kids learning something new, I am getting a chance to burn some calories!
• Splash pads. You can burn up to 548 calories in an hour just playing with your kids! That sounds great to me!

What do you like to do with your kids for fun?

Refreshing summer drinks

Here is are a few summer drink ideas!

1.  Crystal Light with diet soda. It gives the soda a fun fruit taste but you can't tell that it's diet soda. Add a little frozen fruit to go along with the flavor of your Crystal Light and it's a HUGE hit!
2. Add lemons or limes to your water. It freshens up your water without adding a lot of calories. One full lemon's juice is only 12 calories. (My son would love to just eat the lemon that I didn't use)

Also, trying using inexpensive reusable water bottles. They are eco friendly and depending on which one you buy, will make your beverage stay cold much longer.

Fresh Fruit for Snacks!

Just a quick snack idea. Fresh fruit! My kids LOVE fresh fruit. While it is a little hassle at the beginning, it is well worth it in the end! Also, Costco sells Fruit Roll Ups that are made with real fruit. They are soooo yummy! My kids love them, and they are only 50 calories!

Adding Nutrition

I am one that likes to occasionally prepackaged meals! I admit it, I know their not healthy, but I like how easy they can be. I do have a few suggestions to adding nutrition to these meals.

 For Ramen noodles:

• Add an egg right as it's boiling. It adds protein and makes the taste amazing!
• Add Cauliflower and boil until soft. It adds Vitamin C!

Mac and Cheese:

• Add cooked peas. They add Vitamins A & C and fiber!
• Add drained Tuna fish. It adds Protein and Iron!

These are just a few of the foods I like to feed my kids. It's amazing what adding a few ingredients can do to your meal!