Mommy Musings

It's been a long time since I popped in here for a Fitness Friday!  I have still been working out consistently, though this month was a little challenging.  I have to take a few days off here and there because of a sprained ankle, pinched nerve in my neck, and the bruised ribs.  BUT even with those obstacles I still managed to run 80 miles and FINALLY beat my friend in a challenge....wahoo!! Here's a look at the breakdown for the month. I'm still lagging behind if I want to get to 1000 miles in 2015, so now that's it's warmer, I've got to start stepping up my game a little more.  Hopefully my injuries clear up soon and I'm able to really push it.  I'd like to add in more strength training as well, especially with summer just around the corner! What have your workouts been looking like these days?

I had no intentions of making this my highest mileage month ever, but after my friend had challenged me, I continued pushing myself with longer runs.  The closer I got to the end of August, the more I realized I wanted to hit that 100 mile mark for the month.  I have never done that in all the months I've been counting mileage.  I was also really happy with the fact that it was all running...normally I also do the elliptical, bike, etc at some point.  But this was a full month of all running outside, and I loved it! I really didn't think I was going to finish yesterdays run.  It was 90*, close to 100% humidity, and really dark storm clouds as I headed out.  But I took it slow and hoped for the best.  I end up running the last two miles in the rain, but I finished with my best 10k time, so it was all worth it.  Sometimes you just have to push through. This month taught me that my body is capable of more than I thought it was.  It also taught m...

If there's one thing I've learned about working out, especially running, it's that it is 90% percent mental. Our bodies are way more capable than we think they are.  I can't tell you how many times I didn't want to work out, or didn't feel well enough to, but manage to get it done anyway.  It really is amazing what you can accomplish once you set your mind to something. As I mentioned before, a friend of mine challenge me on Nike+ to run 50 miles in two weeks.  I thought he was crazy at first...there was no way I could get that done.  But I'm not one to back down from a fight, so not only was I going to do it, I was determined to win.  I kept a pretty strong lead for most of the race, but had fallen behind on Wednesday.  I was going to have to do a pretty epic run to catch up.  I didn't sleep well Tuesday night.  We were down the shore at my parent's house and the girls woke up a few times.  We spent the morning at the beach, then home for a ...

I don't think Manda posted the link-up this week with the holiday, but I wanted to make sure to log in my miles anyway.  It really is such a motivator to try and push myself a little further! Here's the breakdown: Thursday June 27 - 3.5 mile elliptical Friday - 3.5 mile elliptical Saturday - 2 mile walk Sunday - 2.5 mile running intervals Monday July 1 - 2.5 mile elliptical Tuesday - none Wednesday - 2.5 mile elliptical Thursday - 2 mile run Friday - 2 mile run Weekly {well 9 day} total: 20.5 miles June total: 48.1 miles July total - 9 miles I'm annoyed that I was so close to 50 miles in June and didn't quite get there.  Oh well, let's see what I can do in July! Go link up with Manda and join in the fun!

I know, I know, I posted about workouts yesterday.  But I've had a few people ask me a little bit about my workouts recently, so I thought I'd discuss in a little more detail today. The question I get asked most frequently is how do I fit in my workouts.  Back when Skip and I were first married, I had tons of time to do long workouts.  I'd take a 4+ mile walk or hit the gym whenever Skip was working and I was off {and as a teacher I only worked till 3:30}.  Back then then I got in at least 5 workouts a week. Enter children.  My time to workout was cut drastically .  But it was still something super important to me, and so I vowed to make it a priority.  That's really the first step in finding time to workout.  You have to make the time.  Especially when you have children, no one is going to just magically adjust your schedule to fit it in.  That's what you have to do.  And it really takes a commitment. Another thing tha...

It's the end of April, and I'm linking up one last time with Nikki for the 30 Miles in 30 Days Challenge!  This post covers all of the end of April, starting back on April 18th.  Nikki gave us a few extra days to get in more miles! I didn't really push myself as much as I would have liked.  A lot of that had to do with my endoscopy and not feeling so great for a few days after.  Also, there were a lot of days that Skip was working so I had to fit in a workout at home, and couldn't run.  So here's my breakdown for the rest of April: Thursday 4/18 - 3 miles on the elliptical Friday - 2 mile run Saturday - Ab workout {no miles} Sunday - Shred level 2 {no miles} Monday - Kickboxing workout {no miles} Tuesday - 2.5 mile run Wednesday - 2 mile run Thursday 4/25 - Endoscopy {no working out} Friday - 2 mile run Saturday - Ab workout {no miles} Sunday - 2.5 mile walk Monday  - Strength training {no miles} Today - Now, I haven'...

I made a resolution to start eating better this year, because let's face my...my eating habits resemble that of a 10 year old boys dream.  Having cereal for dinner every once in a while is not going to give me all the nutrients I need. And while I fell off the healthy eating wagon the past month or so, I decided to jump right back into it.  And as I've been seeing recipe after recipe for spaghetti squash recently, I figured I'd start with that! Delicious Spaghetti Squash with Sausage {from the girl who hates vegetables} What you will need: - one spaghetti squash {this was enough for my husband and I.  Would get at least two if serving the whole family - one jar of marinara sauce {could make your own obviously, I was just feeling lazy} - one package of sausage {I prefer hot to sweet, but that's your own preference!} You could also buy seafood online and use that instead Directions: - Heat over to 375* - Pierce spaghetti squash a few times with either a fork or knife, - ...

So I'm the worst and completely forgot it was a Fitness Friday week until about 9:00 this morning.  Whoops.  Better late than never right? Since I sprained my rotator cuff, my workouts are going to be looking a lot different in the next few weeks/months as I heal.  Recently I've been fitting in the gym when I can where I try and do both the elliptical and the bike.  But most of the time I've been doing workout DVD's at home.  I've been focusing on Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30. Photo from Amazon.com If you liked The Shred, you will love this one.  There are four workouts instead of three and oh man are they way harder.  I really feel like I was going to see some amazing results. But now I can barely get my jacket on, let alone be doing push-ups till I'm blue in the face.  Bye bye Jillian. I refuse to stop working out all together though.  I can still take walks, go on the elliptical, bike, etc.  But that won't help with any toning....

Happy Friday Readers!  Welcome to another week of Fitness Friday! Do you remember back in December when I set out to complete the 30 day ab challenge and totally embarrassed myself by posting picture of my bare stomach for all the Internet to see? Well I'm happy to say that I did complete the 30 days, and that included time over the holidays!  So how did I do?  Let's look back at the before pictures one more time. And now, after! {remember, this is not me sucking in or flexing my muscles at all, this is just how I'm standing....also I have no idea why the after pictures are so much darker...I'm actually way less pale now!} Overall I'm really happy with the results so far.  I want to focus a lot more on toning this year, and I think this gets me off to a good start!   Melissa   found some information for me about diastasis recti that I'm going to look into as well! I"m probably not going to continue with the 30 day ab workout every day, but I do want to ...

I am so excited for another week of Fitness Friday!!! I know a lot of you have been working on healthy eating/working out since the new year, so why not come link up!  It's super easy. 1. Write a blog post about what you've been doing, how much weight you've lost, tips you have, etc. 2. Add my fancy-pancy button to your post. 3. Head back over here and link-up at the bottom 4. Then hop around and see what everyone else has been doing! Easy . I'm sure I've mentioned it a few times on here before, but I've been having a lot of problems with my stomach recently.  I was diagnosed with an ulcer and anxiety and given some Nexium.  While that helped the reflux, it has not really alleviated the constant nausea I've been having {if I wanted constant nausea I would have had more babies!} Anyways my doctors and I are on a quest to figure it all out.  I had an abdominal ultrasound the other day, and thankfully everything came back normal.  So now I wait till my next ap...

Welcome to the first Fitness Friday of 2013!!  Who else is hoping that this year is the best we look yet! Sorry for the delay in posting this morning, but I seem to have come down with some version of the plague and have been trying to sleep as much as possible.  It also means I haven't put my 2013 fitness goals into effect yet, but that is my first priority next week.  I've already talked about my general 'hopeful accomplishments' for 2013.  But the following are my fitness resolutions {and these are resolutions because I will complete them no matter what!} 2013 Fitness Resolutions - Eat much more cleanly {less take-out and processed food} - Cut back on sugar and Diet Coke - Up water intake to 80 oz a day - Go to the gym 3x per week - Do a toning DVD at home another 3x per week - Do some ab exercises every day - Do more stretching Phew .  That's a lot of goals, but I definitely think I'll be able to achieve them!  What are your fitness goals of 2013?...

I'm excited for another week of Fitness Friday!! I have been running a bit more recently and hitting the gym.  I'm still powering through my 30 day ab routine as well!  What have you been working on? As this is the last Fitness Friday before we embark on a week of sweet treats and good eats for Christmas, here's a little motivation ala Pinterest to keep goals in check!  Source: fitsugar.com via Mommy on Pinterest Source: onlinefitnesstrainingprogram.com via Mommy on Pinterest Source: greatist.com via Lindsey on Pinterest Source: fitfabcities.com via Jorjia on Pinterest Source: backonpointe.tumblr.com via Hannah on Pinterest Check out my Health and Fitness Pinterest board for my tips! Now grab the button and come link up!

I'm excited for another week of Fitness Friday!!!      Have you all been working on your fitness goals?  The one benefit to my ulcer is that I've been eating super healthy recently....hopefully that will help heal it, and prevent any more in the future.   For a few weeks now, I've been saying that I'm going to do the 30 Day Ab Challenge again.  I almost completed it this summer and had seen some really great results.    Recently, I've started it for a few days here and there, and then lose interest.  Which really is no excuse because I can do it anywhere and it really takes no time at all.    So I need all of you to help me out.  Hold me accountable!  And the best way I thought to do this is by posting before and after pictures.  Now, I'm tiny.  I always have been.  But gaining and losing 75 lbs in 3 years has taken a toll on my stomach.  Unless I suck it in, I look 4 months pregnant all the time....

I love that my Fitness Friday post coincided with the day after Thanksgiving.  What better time to refocus your fitness goal than the day after stuffing yourself silly! Today is the perfect day to jump on the fitness train or push yourself a little more at the gym.  In fact, my gym is offering the best Black Friday deal.  Add a family member for a one time fee, and they enjoy no monthly payments for life!  Skip took advantage and now we can't wait to workout together. Staying fit during the holidays can be a real challenge with all the delicious food, parties, and way less time to workout.  But over the years I have found it is totally do-able.  Here are some of the tips I've picked up over the years. - Strive to maintain during the holidays.  Losing weight is hard under the best circumstances...throw in cookie parties and candy at every turn, and it's almost impossible.  Don't beat yourself up if the scale doesn't move down.  But defin...

Welcome back to Fitness Friday!! After a longer than I'd like to admit hiatus, I'm finally getting back into the workout groove!  Now I don't know about you, but I'm the kind of person that can't follow a strict workout regiment.  I need variety in my life.  So I don't stress what kind of workout I'm doing, as long as I'm doing something.  I would like to get a little more regimented with it now though, since I think it will help tone better.  Here's a list of the exercises I do on a regular basis. Walking If I'm feeling totally lazy, or just want a mental break more than physical, I'll take a walk.  I either walk around my neighborhood or at a local park.  Sometimes I'm by myself, sometimes I'm walking Charlie.  I make it at least 45 min long to make sure I'm getting some cardio benefits. Running I hate running, truly.  I'm not good at it and I don't enjoy anything but the feeling when I'm done.  But if I'm feelin...

I'm very excited for another week of Fitness Friday!!!     Don't forget to grab the button on the side and link-up below!!   It's pretty sad that I fell off the workout wagon right when I started this link-up.  I've only worked out once in almost three weeks. {{hangs head in shame}}  I'm not going to give you some lame excuse about how I was too busy, we had people coming, it was my birthday, I can't workout with my new tattoo.  Are all those things true?  Absolutely.  But I'm always busy...we all are!  And I normally find plenty of time to get in at least 4 workouts a week.  I'm just being lazy.   Source: Uploaded by user via Mommy on Pinterest Starting today I'm going to find my motivation again.  I love working out, truly {except running, I hate that}  I love the time to myself, listening to music.  I love how great I feel about myself after.  I love how strong my body gets.    Source: google.com ...

I am so very excited for the first Fitness Friday link-up today!!  I hope lots of you join in so we can share recipes, tips, and encourage each other to stay fit and healthy!   My post today is just going to be a short little tip.  It is something I have done for years, and really helps motivate me to work out more.   Every time I work out, I make sure to record it in my planner.  First I put a star on the monthly calendar for that day.  I then am able to add up all the stars at the end of the month and see how many times I had worked out.  I can also see how many workouts I'm averaging a week.     It really helps me to see how much I've been doing.   I also have a spot in my weekly calendar just for workouts.  Here I write down exactly what I did.  This helps me keep track of things such as the 30 day ab challenge or the 30 day shred.  It also helps to show me if some weeks I did the bare minimum, or was really pushi...

Last month I decided that I wanted to get a little more serious with my fitness goals.  I'll be 30 next week {shudder} and am hoping to counter act the effect of my slowing down metabolism.  I put it out on Twitter that I wanted to make myself more accountable and a few other ladies joined in.  #septembermonthoffitness was born.  We were all pretty good for a while, but then I got the virus that just won't die, fell off the workout wagon a bit, and forgot to check in with everyone. But I'm finally feeling better and back at it again.  I'm determined to be in amazing shape BEFORE the holidays...and with two months to go, that's plenty of time to get started.  I was thinking, I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants to get in shape, eat healthy, etc.  So why not join together and support each other!! Starting this Friday, I will be hosting a Fitness Friday link-up on the ol' blog! {I'm not sure if it will be every week or every other week}  I tried h...