Busy mom of two beautiful children. Balancing faith, family and fitness. Working on changing my lifestyle into a healthy lifestyle & helping others do the same.
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, finding time to take care of yourself is hard. Stay at home mom's are usually working off of one income which makes gym memberships a financial burden. Working moms like myself tend to feel guilty about spending time away from their kids. Exercise is so important to add to our routine for ourselves and our families. I know I want to live a healthy life to be around for my kids for many years to come. I also want to raise my children to live healthy lives. Being active gives me the energy to have fun with my kids.
Being a mommy is a non-stop unpredictable job! You never know what the day will hold. I know for me when my kids are awake I barely have five minutes to myself. So how do you find the time to exercise? I want to share with you 4 tips that have worked for me.
1. Get your exercise done when the kids are sleeping.
The most efficient workout I have is early in the morning before the kids our up. Getting up just 30 minutes before the kids gives me time to get my workout done with no interruptions. I normally set my alarm for 5:00 a.m., an hour before my kids wake up. That gives me 30 minutes of devotion while waking up with my pre-workout drink and 30 minutes of exercise. For you it may be during nap time or after the kids or sleeping. I know it's not always easy to get up earlier when you are going on so little sleep already. You will find though that working out gives you an energy you didn't have before. You may find it easier to get your workout done during nap time or after you put the kids to bed. I also have had my husband help out in the evenings. I have him do bath time giving me time to exercise. It's easier to stay focused and complete your workout without hearing "Mommy, I need you!" every five minutes.
2. Entertain your kids with a special activity or toy.
As we all know kids are unpredictable and they may decide to wake up early or not take a nap. Most popular workouts are 30 minutes or less. It's not too hard to find something to keep your kids occupied for 30 minutes. With my three year old I usually put her favorite program on the iPad along with giving her a snack. Otherwise I like to pull out an activity that she doesn't do often to keep her occupied. Play-doh works great to keep her busy. Giving her a craft she can do herself or even just coloring. My youngest is only 8 months old. As an infant he would just lay and watch me. He then progressed to a bouncy seat where he enjoyed just laughing at me. Apparently my jumping jacks and burpees are pretty hilarious. Now that he has started crawling and getting into everything, I set up an area with some toys to occupy him. As you can see in my pictures, that doesn't ALWAYS work too well either! He is fascinated these days by my hot pink sneakers. So now I get him in his walker with a snack so he isn't crawling around me. Every kid depending on age and interest will differ.
The important thing is to find what works for your child. For some just watching mommy jump around is enough entertainment. Build this time into your routine. Your children will expect to see you workout everyday. My three year old knows by the end of her favorite program I will be done. "Most" of the time she lets me! You are setting a great example for them.
3. Let your kids workout with you.
My three year old loves to copy the trainers on TV. We have a great time working out together. I even purchased her a pair of 1 lb. dumbbells to use. She loves to copy me and Shaun T. Older children can be an even better workout partner. Make it a family activity and get everyone involved. Go for a run or walk with your children. You can push them in the stroller or have them ride along beside you.
4. Utilize your children's energy to your advantage.
We all know children are FULL of energy. Take them for walks, play dates, and play sports with them. A game of tag will help you burn calories and make precious memories with your children! Once the warmer weather hits I love to dust off my jogging stroller. I run the kids to the park as often as I can. I get my exercise in on the way there and when I get there. I don't just sit on the bench playing with my phone. I use the monkey bars and do pull-ups. I run up and down the playground with my little girl. She gets her energy out which is a must for a peaceful evening and I get my exercise in.
Jumping always gets some giggles!
"I am coming to get you Mom!"
"Need some extra weight resistance?"
Exercising doesn't mean you have to pay costly gym memberships. You don't have to spend hours in the gym away from your kids. Don't let your children be your excuse to live an unhealthy life. Taking care of them means taking care of yourself and teaching them a healthy lifestyle.
You start a new "diet".
You join a gym.
You purchase a DVD workout program.
You purchase an elliptical or treadmill.
You start the New Year out and tell yourself "this will be the year you make a change!"
At one time or another EVERYONE has done one, if not all, of the above. We have all been there. We get tired of feeling sluggish. We can't fit into our clothes anymore. We are embarrassed looking at ourselves in the mirror. We look at that number on the scale and want to cry. We see the disappointed look in our kids faces when we can't chase them around the park. We receive a bad doctor's report. So we say "enough is enough!" We say we are going to cut calories, carbs or junk food. We are going to workout everyday. We may do good for a day, a week or even a month. All of sudden you decide to skip a workout one day. You start to increase your "cheat meals". Go to a gym in January and see the wait lines for the treadmills. Go back in February and notice the empty treadmills. Look on the internet and you will always be able to find "barely used" or "never used" workout equipment people are trying to sell.
I know this story all too well because this has been me for so many years. I have set goals and never seen them through. I give in just a little until I eventually give up. How do we break this cycle? CHALLENGE GROUPS! Beachbody has come up with an amazing support system that I am so proud to be a part of. Challenge groups are all about accountability. With the Challenge Packs it is all simplified. Let me first explain the basics of a Challenge group:
1. You pick a workout program that you would like to do. Programs range from 21 days to 90 days & from beginner to advanced.
2. You follow the nutrition guide that is provided along with replacing one meal a day with Shakeology.
3. You participate in a private Facebook group along with other people following the same program as you.
The basis of this is FITNESS + SUPPORT + NUTRITION = SUCCESS! The support and encouragement is what keeps you on track everyday. This significantly increases your chances of seeing your desired result. You must be 100% committed to getting results. It will only work if you are really ready to make a change. I can tell you from personal experience that being in a Challenge Group helped me lose my first 10 pounds. I enjoyed the group so much I decided to take it a step further and run my own challenge groups. I want to help people feel better and live healthy happy lives. I also know that by being a coach I am being looked at. I need the accountability and work right alongside you!
If you are ready to reach your health and fitness goals I strongly suggest you join a Challenge Group. It's not about fad diets that don't last. In the Challenge Group you will learn how to eat healthy so you will never have to "diet" again. Check out this video:
What are the requirements?
1. Be 100% committed. To get the results you want you have to be committed to your health and fitness. You have to commit to the fitness program and your nutrition.
2. Purchase a Challenge Pack. You get the fitness program of your choice, complete nutrition guide, 30 days of Shakeology, and a 30 day Beachbody Club membership. The Challenge Packs save you $54 or more! If you already have a program, you can just make your Shakeology purchase.
How do I sign up?
Go to my Beachbody Website and click Join. Pick the Challenge Pack that is right for you. Please contact me if you need help deciding which program would be best for you. If you already have a workout program, just go to Shakeology Website and purchase your Shakeology.
BONUS! Beachbody gives daily prizes for those in a Challenge. Everyday they give away $500 to one Challenger! Monthly they give away $1000! Quarterly winners receiver $5000, plus a paid trip. A grand $100,000 prize is also up for grabs! GET PAID TO WORKOUT!
So what are you waiting for? Don't waste money on a fad diet or costly gym membership. Challenge Groups are proven to be successful time and time again. Just take a look at these success stories:
There is always a Challenge Group going on monthly. For more information on which one you would like to join contact me! I look forward to helping you achieve your weight loss and health goals.
Shakeology is a dense nutrition shake filled with nutrients, vitamins, proteins and minerals. More than 70 superfoods in one meal! You can choose between 4 flavors: Chocolate, vanilla, tropical strawberry, and green berry. They even make a vegan shake. One shake is the equivalent of $41 worth or fruits and vegetables. Even the healthiest of people can't get that much nutrition in one day. It is NOT just a protein shake for people working out. Everyone can benefit from drinking Shakeology!
The one and only complaint I here is "It's too expensive!". And I'll be honest, it IS expensive until you see all the benefits! It equals out to a little over $4 a shake for customers, or $3 if you sign up to be a coach. And yes you can be a discount coach! In today's economy we all have to be careful where we spend our money. So you are probably wondering if it's worth the $4 a shake? Here are some of the benefits and ingredients:
I want to share my personal experience with you. I recieved my first month supply of Shakeology with my T25 challenge pack. I started drinking it daily for breakfast. I fell in love with my chocolate shake instantly! My shake replaced my red bull and egg biscuit in the morning. It gave me energy and kept me full preventing me overeating. No secret that I despise vegetables and don't really care too much for fruits. I have such a hard time eating healthy because I am as picky as my toddler. What I love about the shakes is I get all my nutrition in one meal. It also taste great! On busy days I just mix it with water. However I enjoy blending it to give it more of a shake consistency. With a little peanut butter or banana it taste just like a dessert shake! Beachbody has a ton of recipes, but thats how I drank mine 95% of the time. After my shake I was able to make better choices throughout the day as well. I lost 10 pounds in those two months! Then I made a very bad decision. With christmas around the corner I decided to cancel my Shakeology order for a few months. Everyone needs a little extra money during the holidays. What a mistake! I went back to drinking more energy drinks. Energy drinks cost at least $3-$4 a piece. I was drinking two a day sometimes. When you stop and add that up, I was already spending more than I would have been on my Shakeolgy. I was skipping breakfast. I was so hungry at lunch time I began to make bad decisions and eat more. I didn't feel as good and healthy as I did the previous months. Your body needs good nutritious food. I was feeling so much better when I was drinking my Shakeology everyday.
So is Shakeology worth $4 a shake? I would say YES! Take a look at this comparison:
You can spend $4 on a Starbucks coffee, or in my case an energy drink, and get no nutritional value. A fast food lunch is at least $5. We all no the horrible amount of calories and sodium in fast food. You can easily blow $4 a day on things you don't need. Things that are bad for you. Or you can cut those things out of your life and invest in YOU! There is no price tag you can put on your health. Shakeology is proven to be a great nutrition shake. You get all your servings of fruits and veggies. It's fast and convenient.
So what are you waiting for? It's the NEW YEAR! Time to make a change. Start small by replacing one meal a day with Shakeology! Free shipping when you sign up for home direct orders. You can cancel at anytime. Beachbody also stands behind there product. They offer a 30 day money back guarantee.
I completed Shaun T's Focus T25 and absolutely LOVED it! I was very skeptical about trying an at-home fitness DVD. I always loved going to the gym and found it hard to really focus at home. However with two small kids and working full time getting to the gym is almost impossible. I already hate leaving my kids for work so I didn't want to spend more time away from them at the gym. What really attracted me to this workout program was that it was only 25 minutes a day! I was blown away after my first workout! I didn't think that I would be able to get a good workout in such a short period of time. Not even 10 minutes into I was already sweating. I knew I was getting a good workout in when I woke up sore the next day!
So in 10 weeks I went from 183 to 173. 10 pounds lost. I was a little discouraged at first that I didn't lose more after seeing others losing 25 pounds or more. However I am still very proud of my 10 pounds I lost. T25 gives you great workouts. It's only 25 minutes a day. Being that it's only a 25 minute workout, you really have to FOCUS (hence the name) and give it your all.
T25 is a 10 week long program. Its broken up into two parts- 5 weeks of Alpha Cycle and 5 weeks of Beta Cycle. Each cycle has 5 workouts that rotate on a calendar provided. I was nervous to move to the Beta Cycle since I still wasn't nailing all the Alpha workouts. Beta was my favorite! I loved incorporating weights into my workout. The calendar has you scheduled to workout 5 days a week. Friday is a double day where you complete 2 workouts. Saturday is a day to do the bonus stretch video and Sunday is a rest day. If you are unable to complete the double day on Friday, you can do one on Friday and the other on Saturday. Since I had more time to workout on Saturday or Sunday, I would normally do my doubles on those days.
Like everyone I had days where I really didn't feel like working out. Being only 25 minutes a day, I really had NO EXCUSES. Once I hit play, within 5 minutes I was pushing myself to finish and nail the workout. Shaun T is a great trainer and keeps it entertaining. I didn't get bored with the workouts. I loved Tania who is the modifier. Following her I was still getting a great workout. And many times I NEEDED to follow her. She keeps it low-impact so that everyone can do the workouts. When I started I couldn't do the "V Hold" at all. Within a few weeks I could! I also can do a few push-ups now. I felt stronger everyday.
Nutrition really goes hand in hand with the program. You can't just workout for 25 minutes and eat C.R.A.P. all day. A meal plan is provided, which I regretfully tossed to the side. I know the reason I didn't lose more weight was because I didn't follow the nutrition guide. I did change my diet a little. I was eating healthier meals and drinking Shakeology. Every morning I would drink my shake and it gave me energy and helped me eat smaller portions. My "cheat meal" however would become a "cheat day", or worse a "cheat weekend". All the hard work I would put into my 25 minutes a day I would ruin by not controlling my eating. Nutrition has always been my downfall, which I have confessed before.
All in all T25 is the perfect workout for all fitness levels. The #1 reason people don't workout is because they don't have enough time. EVERYONE can find 25 minutes in their day. It's not about finding the time, its about putting in the work. You can wake up just 30 minutes earlier. Give up a little TV time in the evening to get it done. Learn from my mistake and make sure you follow through on the nutrition aspect! Remember it's 70% diet and 30% exercise.
If you are ready to put the excuses down and make a change, I would love to coach you through this program. You can go to www.beachbodycoach.com/SarahDellaV and click JOIN. Order the Challenge Pack that includes the 10 workouts + a bonus workout, 30 day supply of Shakeology (your choice of flavor), and meal plan. Contact me for more info!
I am now in the third week of Focus T25 Beta. I love the workouts. I thought I would get bored with repeating the same 5 workouts every week. Each day is a challenge though. I feel myself getting stronger and nailing more of the workouts. I can do push-ups now, which I couldn’t do at all before I started this program. In Beta you use weights or resistance bands. I found the weights to be easier to follow along quickly. I use two 5 pound weights. I really enjoy the weights even more than the cardio now. I am still using the modifier at times because some of the moves I just can’t do. No matter your fitness level this is a great workout. The modifier keeps it simple and low impact. Following the modifier I still feel a great workout.
I am only down 7 pounds still and have been at a standstill with that weight. I haven’t been blogging my updates because I was letting this get me down. I was expecting to see a loss every week. I was hoping by now that I could proudly display pictures of me to inspire everyone. While the weight loss hasn’t been dramatic yet, I feel healthier and stronger than ever. I know I am gaining muscle which in turn will help me burn more fat. I have been committed to getting the workouts done. It’s not always easy! Some mornings I stay in bed a little too long. Sometimes my kids need me when I was planning to workout. I have had mornings I was about to push play and Johnny starts crying. One morning Ava wasn’t feeling good and just needed some snuggle time with mommy. Being a mommy always comes first. I have done workouts at 10:00 p.m. when I was finally able to get everyone asleep. I have even doubled up some days.
My struggle has been with nutrition. The weeks I plan my meals ahead of time I do so much better. When I don’t plan I get home and there is pizza waiting for me. So hard to walk away from that! And just one slice is never enough for me. Weekends I indulge too much as well. Instead of a small cheat meal, I end up with a huge cheat day! I know if I want to see the results I have to get my nutrition under control. I am learning more about eating clean. Not always easy for me because healthy foods are not something I like. I am getting to the point when I do eat fast food, I don’t feel good. I aim to remember that feeling so the next time I can turn down the unhealthy foods. The model below is what I aim to follow:
Nothing easy is ever worth it. There is no easy way to lose weight and get healthy. It’s a constant journey and struggle. However, there is nothing better than the feeling you get after nailing a workout. Or when you can run outside and play with your kids at the park. I have not reached my goal weight yet. I am still on my journey and here for anyone else that needs support or motivation to continue or start their own journey.
Last month I signed up to be a Beachbody Coach. I signed up because I saw a friend having great results with it. I want to live a healthy life and lose this extra weight.The Beachbody community is awesome! I see friends and family struggling with weight loss daily just as I am. I want to be able to encourage those closest to me to live healthier.
My first challenge with Beachbody is Focus T25! I choose this one mainly because it's 25 minutes a day. With two kids and working full time it has been hard to find time to go to the gym. With this I just wake up a half hour before the kids. My goal is to do it each morning. Morning workouts seem to set a great tone for the day for me. Day 1 was brutal! I had to remind myself that "Nothing worth having comes easy!" I kept up the best I could and followed with the moderator at times. I woke up sore today but excited to start Day 2. Was still really hard but I felt I pushed myself more today. The great thing about Beachbody is accountability. Home workouts never worked for me in the past. I had the "I can stop cause no one is watching" mentality. Now I am part of a challenge group. I know that they are going to hold me accountable. That really helps me get up in the morning and keeps me going through my workout. This workout is 10 weeks long. 25 minutes a day, 5 days a week, 2 workouts on Friday. I can't wait to see the results.
Along wit the T25 comes Shakeology, which I am loving! I use it to replace my breakfast each morning. It gives me energy and helps curb my cravings. It is filled with protein and nutrients. Great for me since I don't like vegetables. My next goal is to really work on following my meal plan. I need to get the healthy meals and plan ahead so I am not eating bad. That is a challenge for me because I don't like most healthy foods. Trying to open my mind though and give things a shot even if I don;t think I will like it. Even though my body is sore after these two days, I am feeling great!
About two weeks ago I started this blog weighing 179 lbs. Today I weigh 181 lbs.
I was waiting to write when I saw a big change. Every morning I weigh myself and just get disappointed. I realize now I am too focused on the scale. I know I need to get down to a healthier weight, but I don't need to obsess over the number. I have made some changes that I am very proud of in the past couple weeks.
Completely cut soda out
Made healthy lunches everyday
I haven't ate fast food more than once a week. And when I do eat it I am making healthier choices
I have worked out on my days off
I am choosing to focus on the positive. Even though I have gained two pounds I feel better. Just this last week I started replacing breakfast everyday with Shakeology. I am proud of the changes I have made but ready to make more so I can get down to a healthier weight. So starting today here are the changes I plan on making:
Work out at least 5 days a week even if it is only 30 minutes. I start T-25 on Monday. 25 minutes a day - 5 days a week!
Stop the late night snacking! I need to go to bed earlier so I can get up and work out instead of staying up late snacking
Plan healthy dinners for every night of the week
I will weigh myself Monday before I start T-25 and than hiding my scale until I am done!
Keep up with this blog even on days where I may not have made healthy choices
So I have set my goals and I am excited to start! I am not letting the pounds on the scale get me down. I wasn't going to blog because I felt like I had no success. But I do feel better just cutting some of the junk food out of my life. That is a start! I also want everyone to realize that they are not alone with this struggle. Until healthy becomes my lifestyle I will struggle daily to make the best choices. I am not going to let a bad meal or a day I skip a workout get me down. Picking myself up and going at it again!
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