Category: Exercise

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Exercise

Voome’s Low Impact Home Workout for Busy Mums

Note: I have partnered with Voome. Yes this is very exciting news.

Here is the first of many articles to come. Also with the content partnership my articles will be appearing on the Voome Blog. I am a firm believer in wellness and being healthy and I love sharing great articles and inspiration to be the best you can be. I hope you enjoy these articles from my content partner Voome.

What is Voome?

Voome is a website that designs recipes just for you and workouts as well. Get inspired for meals, have shopping lists easily created and read some motivational articles as well.

And now for the Voome Article….

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Finding the time to exercise can be hard at the best of times. Throw winter into the mix – rainy days, freezing temperatures, layers upon layers of clothing just to leave the house – and this can really bring motivation levels down.

If you’ve ever felt that frustration, heck even guilt, for not getting out and exercising more – stop right there. Know you’re not alone and it is actually a lot harder than you give yourself credit for.

The Australian Physical Activity Guidelines recommend 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical exercise per week. Over the course of 7 days, that’s around 20 to 40 minutes per day.

Cue the sound of Mum’s all around the world snorting with indignation at the suggestion of a free half hour each and every day of the week.

However, according to a recent survey by the ABS, 60% of adults do less than 30 minutes a day (you’re not alone!).

So how to fit more in? There are two pretty simple ways to get your body moving, sweat a little and burn a few calories: incidental exercise and express home workouts.

Feeling happy after the low impact workout from Voome. Now to get the shopping for the yummy healthy dinner.
Feeling happy after the low impact workout from Voome. Now to get the shopping for the yummy healthy dinner.

Incidental Exercise

Incidental exercise refers to everyday movement that builds up over the day. Think: taking the stairs, running after the kids, doing all those loads of washing (who knew there could be so much!?).

By upping the ante on this, you can easily lift your heart rate, burn more energy and include this as part of your daily physical activity count.

How to get more incidental exercise

● Lunge your way to the bathroom from wherever you are – even from the back garden. It might look funny, but this will x10 your calorie burn than normal walking. Do this several times a day and you’ve strengthened and toned your butt and thighs, all while increasing your metabolism.

● Set an hourly alarm to do a lap of stairs in your house: Up and down 3x times.

● Plank in ad breaks or while warming something up in the microwave. Particularly during the morning shows as this will support your spine for the rest of your day.

● If you’re working from home at a desk, try a standing desk and march on the spot or squatting every paragraph or page.

Take a walk and feel great. Any time walking is always great.
Take a walk and feel great. Any time walking is always great.

 

Express Home Workouts

No, you don’t need a home-gym, or even dumbbells, to get a beneficial workout in. All you need is you.

Find a series of bodyweight routines that don’t require equipment or a lot of space and carve out a block of time (or several mini ones), each day to workout from your living room. Here are a few tips to get started.

● Find express workouts you can do anywhere, even at home in the bedroom. The less barriers (physical and time) there are, the easier it is to get started.

● Break a 20 minute workout into 4x 5 minute exercise circuits or 2 x 10 minutes. Check out these 5 minute mini routines!

● Ease into it. You may not be able to do workout every day, and that’s okay. Even if you don’t exercise for 10 days in a row, that’s okay too. Just don’t give up all together.

● Short on time? Push yourself that little bit harder and get a more intense workout in a smaller timeframe. This could be adding weights to your routine, progressing to the “next level” of a move (think: push ups on knees to push ups on toes) or aiming to fit in more repetitions in. However, ensure you always exercise safely and with proper technique. It’s better to perform a move perfectly than to rush through it to fit more in.

● Try the Low Impact Home Workout below!

The Workout: Voome’s Low Impact Home Workout for Busy Mums

Warmup

● 45 seconds of high knees

– TIP: March on the spot then transition from running to sprinting! Get that heart pumping.

Circuit #1 x 3 repetitions

● 20 x squats (take your bum as low as you can go)

– TIP: Start with your own bodyweight but progressively add weights (think: water bottles, laundry, canned food) as you get better

● 45 seconds of jumping jacks

● 20 x tricep dips

– TIP: Start with legs bent, if this is too easy straighten out your legs

Circuit #2 x 3 repetitions

● 10 x burpees

– As you progress add a push up to each burpee

● 20 x dynamic lunges (10 on each side)

● 45 seconds of mountain climbers

Final Blast

● 1 minute of planking

– Start on knees then progress to toes

Looking for more express workouts? Visit Voome and sign up for a one week free trial to experience 150+ workouts that can be done in less than 30 minutes!

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Exercise

Fitting Exercise Into Your Day

The last few days I have been a bit lax, yes I started with great intentions to do my stretches but things got out of hand.

Headache,

Kids not getting ready for school,

Headache,

And then helping at school for home reading.

I love helping at the school but it does mean that when I come home, that my wishful early start to the day was not to be.

I know I should get with it, and get up early. I am planning this for next week, so that I can focus on me and have my time without any interruption. Once I have done my exercises I feel great. The stretches from Body Beyond Birth really do make a massive difference to my mood and how my body feels.

Did I mention the headache?….Well I have had one for a few days now, and I find that when I get to that time of month or before, I get bad headaches. Do you suffer from this as well?

I like to get out in the fresh air and to change my environment. A bit of exercise somewhere different can make all the difference. Having kids stay over at relatives for the whole weekend can have the same calming and happy effect. Pity that the latter is not happening although I have been wishing and praying.

I was on a roll and was doing my stretches and exercises online. I charged the iPad and have done them in the garden, the bedroom and the living room. Sounds kinky but it is just me with the iPad doing my exercises. Yes boring but they make me feel amazing and so tall!

I just love this stretch. What is your favourite stretch or exercise to do?
I just love this stretch. What is your favourite stretch or exercise to do?

Having an exercise program that is portable is great for me and other busy people. I would never have been able to do my stretches in my garden if this was not so.

After I have done my walks (on both days I have done well over 10,000 steps thanks to my FitBit for this info) I did some of the meditation videos that are on the Body Beyond Birth’s program. This allowed me to relax, refocus and just be. It helped me feel better.

Do you find that meditation is helpful? I do! It really helps me and makes a massive difference. I feel lighter and just calmer. Very helpful as a parent to two energetic kids or anyone that is feeling stressed or tense.

I will do my stretches tomorrow before I leave the house and have the option to pick a yoga work out or maybe another meditation video.

Feeling relaxed with meditation.
Feeling relaxed with meditation.

Due to hubby and the kids wanting to go to the pancake place for breakfast I might need more than stretches tomorrow. I might have one, yes just one…. I promise!

After they have had their fill with pancakes, I’m off to the shops to get ingredients for some of the yummy recipes that Becky and Jackie have on the site. Once sampled I will showcase them on the blog.

How are you going trying to fit in your exercise into your day? Do you get up early to make sure you don’t miss out? Or do you love doing it in the afternoon? Let us know what is working for you? Send in your comments.

Read Becky’s post about how she fits in exercise into a busy day

Even Jerry Seinfeld loves doing meditation – He does it twice for 20mins a day.

Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

Categories
Exercise

20mins/Day with Body Beyond Birth

2015 is my year to focus on me and changes for the better.

I had grand plans:

  • Get fit.
  • Get toned.
  • Eat well, or at least healthier and cut down on my portion sizes.

Have you still kept up your goal from Jan 1st 2015 to be a fitter and healthier version of you? I’m sending you a big virtual hug for all those that manage to keep going with a busy and hectic schedule.

Yes I have tried but as mother to two active and on the go kids, plus doing everything else a mum orta do I don’t end up fitting in exercise. Does this sound like what happens with you?

I don’t know how you end up feeling if you neglect the exercise, but if I end up missing out I get annoyed, frustrated and a little crabby that I did not manage to fit it all in. Silly really but that little bit of time for me that allows my body to unwind, stretch and relax does make a massive difference in my day and mood. It also allows me to feel better and therefore be happier.

 

 

So how can this be fixed?

Just doing 20 minutes of exercise a day. It can be in the morning before kids get up. While they are at school, or sleeping.

 

I was approached by the lovely ladies at Body Beyond Birth , Becky and Jackie. To trial their 12 week program. I of course would love to be fitter and healthier so I was happy and delighted to trial their amazing program.

The program is aimed at busy mums. Becky and Jackie have wonderful instruction videos that are Pilates based and help tone your core and pelvic floor (Yes we need to remember to exercise this area!) Yoga videos are available to watch also as well as meditation

The recipe pages are divine, look yummy and are good for you! They have recipe’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The site also has great print outs of what are actual portion sizes and other great nutritional info that is a good read.

Breakfast Smoothie from Body Beyond Birth
Breakfast Smoothie from Body Beyond Birth

What are my thoughts so far?

  • I only joined last Tuesday. I have done my first week. I love the exercises as they make me feel taller. The stretching and toning the core is exactly what I need. I need to focus on my back and stomach to ensure I don’t get more back aches and of course take care of my pelvic floor.
  • The week one exercise video was good and all about form and control of the exercise.
  • Week two’s exercise video was great as it is progressing with some holding techniques and allowing me to stretch and work other areas of my core, stomach and back.
  • When I first signed up, I did not know where to place myself. You can put yourself as a beginner (stage 1), Someone who exercises a bit (stage 2), or someone who is full on and wants to push the limits (stage 3). I chose stage 2 and this seems right for me. However during my phone conversation with Jackie she said that if you are at the wrong stage and the plan is too easy or too hard they can move you to the most appropriate level for you. Jackie said, “I want for people to be happy with the exercises they are doing. We don’t want to have it too hard for some people or too easy. We are happy to fix this for a client if needed”
  • I love the fact that you can take this exercise program anywhere. All you need is an iPad or Tablet device and you can do your 20mins of exercise.
  • The exercise videos from all weeks are available to access during the program. If you would like to redo week 1’s exercise video you can and then progress to the week 2’s or other weeks depending on what you would like to do.
Yoga with Zoe, from Body Beyond Birth
Yoga with Zoe, from Body Beyond Birth

Outcomes

I will be sharing my outcomes on the blog each week. So please stop by and see how I’m going. I should have done the my measurements but have not so will do that soon (I will not be sharing but would like to know if the program has helped and made a difference)

Please feel free to drop by Body Beyond Birth to check out their fab site and see if you would like to do their 12 week program as well. Or you can just do their 7 day trial to see if you like it.  Give it a go or drop them a line.

 

Do you find since kids it is a struggle to fit in exercise? Let us know what you do to make sure you fit it in.

 

Let us know your thoughts. Why not continue the discussion on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

 

Categories
Exercise

Flexing with Fitbit

On my weekend in the city I purchased a new Fitbit Flex. I did have a Fitbit Zip but that died a long time ago. At first I thought it was simply a battery issue, however it seemed like it was an issue with the zip device itself. So I have been without a Fitbit or other device to help me in getting fit and slinky.

My new Fitbit Flex. I got pink as a change from black. I had a black Fitbit Zip. Plus the girls love pink!
My new Fitbit Flex. I got pink as a change from black. I had a black Fitbit Zip. Plus the girls love pink! Got it last Saturday while away in the city with hubby.

I was using my phone but due to having iPhone 4s the battery is not lasting and you can do one thing and it powers down, regardless if I have 70% battery power! I will get a new phone one day but have to wait currently. So imagine my excitement when I replaced my much loved Fitbit Zip with my new bright coloured (Yes it is pink!) Fitbit Flex.

The Flex is great. It is just like a bracelet or more like a watch band. You forget you are wearing it. It is much better than the Zip. The Zip I had to clip onto my bra, top of my t-shirt or put in my pocket. I was lucky that I never washed it and of course had to check that it was not in any clothes before I did the wash.

What does the Flex do?

  • Syncs to the Fitbit app by WiFi, either on your desktop computer or via your phone or tablet
  • Count your steps
  • Calories burned
  • Distance traveled
  • Hours slept
  • Quality of your sleep
  • You can add in your food and water consumed and much more
What the flex looks like when not on showing the dots for the steps.
What the flex looks like when not on showing the dots for the steps.

You can change the colour of the band for the Fitbit and make it more you. The Flex came with two bands, one bigger and one smaller. Surprisingly I fit into the smaller one and according to hubby I am the same as the twins. Have very skinny wrists. At least my wrists are skinny…. now for the rest of me!

I am still figuring all the Fitbit Flex out and it is still new. I am still learning about the alarms and the sleep modes…. I have yet to set up the alarm but need to figure out if I am doing something wrong. I might be as Sunday my Flex was in sleep mode for half the day and I had no idea what the dots were telling me. If your Flex has 2 dots on the left and 2 dots on the right that flash either side and keep doing so. You are in sleep mode. Double tap to get out of sleep mode. It should vibrate and show the dots to let you know you are no longer in sleep mode.

Close up of my Fitbit Flex. You tap it to show you the dots. The dots represent how many steps you have done. A full row of dots indicates you have completed your 10,00 steps or more! Half way shows that you have done at least 5,000.
Close up of my Fitbit Flex. You tap it to show you the dots. The dots represent how many steps you have done. A full row of dots indicates you have completed your 10,00 steps or more! Half way shows that you have done at least 5,000.

 

Yesterday I made it to just over 10,000 steps so that was a great achievement and today I have reached, 13, 676 steps so far. No wonder I am sitting here wanting to go to bed. I am so tired and all I have been doing is housework today.

I have done a record amount of laundry and it was helped with the fact it is hot and extremely windy. The washing has dried in no time and then I was off to do another load. Non stop all day! (It did help that the kids went to vacation care today! I was able to get a few things done)

 

As I write this I have done 13,676 steps.
As I write this I have done 13,676 steps.

Why 10,000 steps?

“The Japanese first started using the 10,000 steps a day number, as part of a marketing campaign! (to help sell pedometers).  Since that initial campaign however, medical authorities around the world have agreed that 10,000 is a healthy number to aim for. The American Heart Association uses the 10,000 steps metric as a guideline to follow for improving health and decreasing risk of heart disease, the number one killer of men and women in America.” (http://blog.fitbit.com/the-magic-of-10000-steps/)

I like the idea of showing how much exercise you have done doing tasks around the house. As you can see by my 13,676 steps today with just doing housework I have moved a fair bit today!  I was going to go for a walk but it is very windy and of course I then blessed with hay fever so thought staying home would make more sense. I did more around the house, and still managed to do some exercise. So a win all round.

How Do You Add More Exercise to Your Day?

After kids it is hard to exercise or do things you used to. Interruptions and not having childcare sometimes makes you time next to impossible.

These are some things that I did when the twins were babies:

  • I managed to walk most places while they were in the pram. (Can’t now due to no pram and kids too big – I could take them with me, however to do this I would have to walk slow and I hate that so would rather wait to go for a walk on my own)
  • I would book them into care while I went for a swim/aqua aerobics or went to the gym
  • I did stretching with them, and a bit of yoga.
  • I played with them in the garden and in parks. Running around helps us all.
  • Dancing to music with the twins in the living room. We all still do this and of course this burns calories and is fun
  • Move more when you do simple chores, like walking around the house.
  • Stand up when you fold the clothes

I know it is hard to get going, but even a small amount of exercise can change your mood and make your day better. Little steps help to get started. It doesn’t matter how much you do, just as long as you can keep it up and don’t hurt yourself in one session. There is nothing worse than over doing it and then hurting yourself. As a mother and the primary care taker of the kids I cannot afford to hurt myself so I need to go a little step at a time.

I have been guilty of doing too much too soon so I know what that is like also. It is not fun and at the time I felt very silly that I did it. Now I just take my time and do things slowly.

Do you have a Fitbit? What type do you have? Do you love yours as much as I love my new flex?

What is your greatest tip that you would love to share? Let us know.

Note: This is not a sponsored post for Fitbit Flex. I just love it and had to share. It is making me want to do more and I thought it might be something my lovely readers are interested in as well. Keeping fit and healthy is something that I am interested in.

Categories
Exercise

Mums is Your Neck & Shoulders Aching?

New mummy cuddles. Both mummy and baby are tired. Image courtesy of papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
New mummy cuddles. Both mummy and baby are tired. Image courtesy of papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When I had the twins I was so exhausted. Yes I am sure you can imagine. I had over 30 hours of labour that the doctors and nurses thought was not happening and of course it went on forever and ever! I just wanted to go to sleep. This could not happen. I had the first baby and blanked and forgot for a while that I had to do another. Silly really, but this is what happens when you are sleep deprived and physically exhausted and have mentally left the building as well. I am sure I am not the only one that has done this. (Let me know if you did this too, well if you had multiples)

After I had the babies, they of course went straight to intensive care so I tried to catch up on much needed rest in-between doctors/nurses visits and the NICU ringing for breast milk that I had not made yet! OH GOSH THE PRESSURE!

Once our stay in hospital was over and I was finally home with my two precious bundles of joy and I was of course super tired and zapped of energy. Thank god I cooked and froze dinners for three months to help. More on the blog later about that. I will share some of my favourite meals I froze and what made it easy in the first three months home with new born twins.

One thing that was clearly apparent soon after having the twins was that I was constantly bending over and this in turn was making my neck, shoulders and back ache. This was very annoying. I loved being with the babies but since I had to feed them and at times ended up in awkward positions it of course was not good for me.  Has this happened to you?

Not only did I ache, I had to keep on doing the same activity that made me sore! OH how annoying. What can be done you ask?

I went to the gym and found that they did not focus enough on exercises that stretch your body the other way. For example if you are constantly bending and leaning over, why can’t we stretch backwards? Have more movement with stretches that allow you to move the other way rather than constantly putting pressure on the part that hurts or is causing an issue.

Here are some great exercises to help the back, neck and shoulders (Note, this is just what works for me and I am not a fitness expert):

    • This is one of my favourite exercises. It makes my shoulders feel so much better. Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
      This is one of my favourite exercises. It makes my shoulders feel so much better. Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

      Backstroke. Swimming backstroke stretches and flexes the muscles that you are not using that much and it feels great as your body is having the other side exercised. This I find helps me feel more balanced and helps my neck and shoulders.

    • Yoga. Stretching and relaxing with yoga no matter your skill level I find very beneficial. You can either go to a class or have a DVD at home so that you can do it at a time that is easy for you to add to your routine. If your kids are older maybe get them to join in. If your child is still a baby sneak in a relaxation session while they are sleeping if you can.
      The cat pose, the tree and the spinal twist ones are my favourite. Not sure if I have listed them correctly but hopefully you know what I mean. I also like the mediation relaxation on the floor at the end. It helps centre you and makes me more relaxed.
    • Stretch your arms. I like to put my arm on a door or wall. Then I lean the other way so this gives you the stretch on the other side of your body. I do this to both sides and then it makes all joints and arms feel much more relaxed.
    • Meditation. I find a small window to meditate with nothing going on. I know this is hard if you have a house full of kids and activity. I do find that the times the kids are at school I take a part of my day to just sit still and do nothing. I like listening to the stillness, the quiet and just love it. No one yelling, “Mummy!, can you come here!” Sometimes it just takes those moments to make my shoulders and neck relax and it makes the difference to a calmer and more peaceful day.
    • Walking. I know it is not exactly exercising the back, neck and shoulders, but it is low impact and it gives the body movement and takes you to a different environment where you can breathe in the fresh air and relax. Don’t under estimate a good walk around the block or say around the park.
    • Aqua Aerobics. I love this form of exercise. Not only is it good for your joints being low impact, you are doing more as you have to use the water as an added weight that helps you tone up and get fit. You can push yourself as hard as you like or take it easy depending on your fitness level.

I like most mums don’t take enough time for themselves and I should. It is hard to fit it all in and I hope that some of these tips might help you. It will soon be daylight savings and I cannot wait. More daylight, in warmer weather to be outdoors.

NOTE: I am not an expert in exercise. Check with your doctor if these are right for you.

Here are some links that might help you:

Do you find that exercise programs don’t have stretches to help with the fact that we are bending and leaning over more? I do! I feel that we need to focus more on posture, relaxation and stretching. If we did more of this we might not be having such ailments like headaches due to neck pain and so on. I suffer most from headaches due to tension in my neck.

Let us know what you do to relax and make the aches go away. I must say a massage and a weekend away does wonders also, however does not happen often.