Tuesday Tip - 50/10s

While reading through the many blogs that I follow daily, I came across this little gem.

50/10s by Moms With Cameras.

She was talking about how she finds herself most productive if she splits her work time into 50/10s per hour. In other words, she'll work for 50 minutes and then do 10 minutes of cleaning or playtime with her kids. Giving herself a bit of a break and refreshing her view.

Brilliant!

I know she was talking about work. But I found myself thinking, "Self, what if I put this into effect regarding exercise?"

And so I put it to the test. 50 minutes of everyday life, then 10 minutes of exercise.

I set specific guidelines for my 10 minutes. Writing them out. Because if I write them out, then they are real rules and less un-bendable (at least in my mind).

Guidelines:
- I will set a timer (so that I don't declare myself "close enough")
- I must move constantly for the 10 minutes.
- At least 3 of my 10 minute increments must be cardio based
- Complete at least 6 50/10s per day.


So far it seems to be going well. Many times I just include the my kids and they think it's a fun game of Simon Says.

Plus, 10 minutes of constant moving is a long time (especially for the cardio). I am always sweating and out of breath by the end of my 10 minutes.

Here's a quick list of exercises I've tried so far:

• dancing
• running in place
• mountain climbers
• burpees
• frog leaps
• high knees
• boxing punches (no...I would never let you watch me do these...)
• kicks
• walking lunges
• crunches
• push ups
• planks
• jumping jacks
• weight lifting
• squats
• reverse sit-ups

If you think of any great ones, add them in the comments. I could totally use a few new ideas.

Plus, I found this on Pinterest and thought I'd share. (No direct link, so I'm not sure where it came from.)

I should totally hang this on my fridge...

Monday Mountains

Okay, I know it's a tad early for a Monday Mountain post. But I already know what my mountain is going to be this week, so why wait?

My nemesis?

Schedules.

Yeah, remember my last tip? Well, let me first say that it's a solid tip and that I stand by it. I work out first thing in the morning every chance that I get.

But those darn schedules.

They aren't always conducive to morning workouts.

Errands to run, children to shuttle (and I only have 2 little ones), play dates, shopping trips, and, mostly importantly, The Hubster's work schedule.

You see, we've decided to do the running thing together. It's a good arrangement.

Unfortunately, The Hubster's schedule is very...well...flexible. And I don't mean that in the good kind of way. I mean that in the one-day-it's-one-thing-and-the-next-day-it's-completely-different kind of way.

For example, last week. The Hubster got stuck doing graveyards. Ick! It wreaked havoc on not only our exercise routine, but our entire family routine. He would leave just as I was going to bed, get back just as I was getting up, sleep all through the morning, wake just as the kids went down for naps, then family dinner and by then it's dark outside and the kids are cranky, ready to wind down.

This week I don't even know what his schedule is yet. That's part of the frustration, it's almost impossible to plan for because even if he "knows" his schedule, it could change at the drop of a hat.

So I guess my mountain is learning to be flexible and steady at the same time. It's something that I struggle with.

Any suggestions?

And please tell me I'm not alone. What's your current mountain?

Tuesday Tip: Work Out First Thing

I have found this next tip to personally be very useful.

Get your workout done first thing in the morning.

As far as burning calories goes, it doesn't matter when you exercise during the day.

But for me, later just never seems to work out.

(Haha. Get it? Work out. I kill me!)

I have found that if I put my workout off until later, there are a million more things to distract me. Projects to be finished, cleaning to be done, kids that need attention, a hubby that needs attention, meals to be made, Facebo-...uh...I mean highly educational and informative online articles, and (most importantly) exhaustion.

Seriously. By the end of the day I am ready for it to be the end of the day. I find it very difficult to produce a surge of energy for exercising when all I want to do is sit, put my feet up, and just be lazy for a bit.

I recently found an online article which has some excellent tips for working out in the mornings.

Rise and Run by Doug Most. It is specifically geared to runners, but I think it could apply to pretty much any work out.

One of my favorite quotes from this article is:

• "If I run now, I can feel good about it all day. If I skip it now, I'll feel guilty all day... A few moments of discomfort now, a day's worth of elation later."

And it's true. So true.

Chelsey Weekly Weigh In

Sorry I'm a little late. I think I need to be reminded of what day we are supposed to weigh in. Cause I don't remember!

Today I was

178.2

Darn. I gained two ounces. But I'm really not surprised as yesterday I had Pizza for breakfast, pizza for snack, pizza for lunah, and YOU GUESSED IT! Pizza for Dinner. I should really be surprised I didn't gain more than that!

I had my 13 week check up Tuesday and everything was just dandy. Only one more week to go until I'm into that second trimester, so hopefully I can find something that sounds good besides pizza and sugary lemonade so I can keep my weight down...Speaking of, I just drank the last of our Simply Lemonade and I desperatly need more. Who's going to go get it for me??? Not joking..I need it. If I had any money I would be packing up the car right now to run and get some. I think I will have to make a call to the hubby with Lemonade demands. My pregnancy cravings aren't being good on our "save money and don't buy things we don't need" plan.