This morning, I woke up early, got out of bed and got to working out! I wanted to torture myself so I thought about the Two Hundred Squat program that my friend Donna had shared with me back in the days when we were walking a mile a day. The program is designed to get you to complete 200 squats by the end of week 6. Yeah...right! I think I can do 30 some squats without passing out. So there I went, doing squats and with a couple of breaks, I did 100. Wow! 100 Squats! I don't know if I'll be able to walk tomorrow, but at least I did 100 squats this morning. It feels good, for now. I'll get back to you tomorrow when I get out of bed and say "Why!"
Here is there website: http://www.twohundredsquats.com/
I know what you're thinking...that doesn't equal to 40 minutes of working out and you're right. So, I decided to join my daughter on the running track at school this morning. After 10 seconds, she was off running and talking to one of her friends while I was left walking alone..and a lot slower than everyone else. I was so excited when I saw one of my favorite teachers walking the track. I had a friend to talk to...but she was walking fast. Really fast. I did my best to keep up with her, but boy was I glad when some of the kids she taught from previous years wanted to say hello or give her a hug. It was my opportunity to breathe while they slowed her down. All in all, if it weren't for her, I probably would have left the track and sat on a bench, but she inspired me to walk fast. And for doing that..I got some of my 40 minutes in for the day.
20 minutes on the bike at home and we're done. Yeah!
Hang in there...Day 3 is next. I can do this so can you!
Christina
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 29, 2010
Day 4 - Day 1
Feeling good today! Woooo! So, I woke up early and got on the bike at Level 10 for 40 minutes. I was feeling so good, I even did sit-ups and stretching for 10 minutes (2 min. sit-ups and 8 minutes of stretching). Hey, they say stretching is really good for you!
So...I did figure out one big thing to working out today. If I don't get to workout in the morning before the kids wake up, I'm not going to work out at all. Funny, it only took me three years and an extra 10 pounds to figure this one out. Sometimes...my brain goes on S-L-O-W-M-O when it's sleep deprived. For the next few days, I'm going to put this theory in action by working out in the morning, before the kids wake up.
Everyday except Thursday...because Thursday is must see t.v. day: The Office, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I need my sleep after staying up so late on Thursday night. Yup, I'm a morning person and for me, 11 p.m. is pretty late. Thank goodness I'm not famous or anything because I would have to master the art of sleeping with my eyes open.
Oh and guess what...hubby is going to join me on this 40 day journey. Thank goodness he's a night time exerciser because when he gets off of the bike, he's pretty sweaty.
Have a great day!
Christina
So...I did figure out one big thing to working out today. If I don't get to workout in the morning before the kids wake up, I'm not going to work out at all. Funny, it only took me three years and an extra 10 pounds to figure this one out. Sometimes...my brain goes on S-L-O-W-M-O when it's sleep deprived. For the next few days, I'm going to put this theory in action by working out in the morning, before the kids wake up.
Everyday except Thursday...because Thursday is must see t.v. day: The Office, Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice. I need my sleep after staying up so late on Thursday night. Yup, I'm a morning person and for me, 11 p.m. is pretty late. Thank goodness I'm not famous or anything because I would have to master the art of sleeping with my eyes open.
Oh and guess what...hubby is going to join me on this 40 day journey. Thank goodness he's a night time exerciser because when he gets off of the bike, he's pretty sweaty.
Have a great day!
Christina
Day 3 - Not quite there yet.
Feeling better, but not 100%. I tried getting on the treadmill, but my body was telling me don't you dare do it! Body wins. Uh-oh. Maybe I should just hit the restart button and start all over again..tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow.
P.S. Hope you're not reading this blog for encouragement because so far, the score is 2 and 1.
P.S. Hope you're not reading this blog for encouragement because so far, the score is 2 and 1.
Day 2 - The toilet is my best friend.
I know what you're thinking, so I just want you to get that image out of your head. Friday night, I had the amazing opportunity to eat at a famous fast food restaurant. Since we're still in the Lenten season, I ordered a Fish Sandwich (Catholics between the ages of 14 + abstain from eating meat every Friday during the Lenten Season).
All was good until I didn't feel so good and then..well, you don't want to know the rest, but between sleeping and many trips to the bathroom, let's just say I didn't get my 40 minutes in for Saturday :-(. I suppose I could have counted all those trips from the bathroom back to bed, but it probably would not have added up to 40 minutes. So..looks like I will have to start tomorrow after all.
P.S. Hope you're reading this after breakfast, lunch or dinner. At least I wasn't graphic, right?
All was good until I didn't feel so good and then..well, you don't want to know the rest, but between sleeping and many trips to the bathroom, let's just say I didn't get my 40 minutes in for Saturday :-(. I suppose I could have counted all those trips from the bathroom back to bed, but it probably would not have added up to 40 minutes. So..looks like I will have to start tomorrow after all.
P.S. Hope you're reading this after breakfast, lunch or dinner. At least I wasn't graphic, right?
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Day 1 - Day 1 is always easy
Day 1 is always easy. That's what I used to tell my aerobic students as they were lifting weights and giving me some pretty mean looks. Every two weeks or so, we would get "a newbie" to our 5 a.m. Step Class and share ways to get past Day 1 of working out.
We talked about getting work out buddies...one's that actually encourage you to work out, not the other kind...that tell you to start tomorrow. I don't know anyone like that ;-). We talked about just getting up, just getting dressed and just driving out of the garage. Since you were already up and the car was already set to go, why not work out and get fit, right? We talked about setting goals, like running a 5k or fitting into those pre-baby jeans and often...it worked, until Day 3.
Day 3 seems to be my "Achilles heel". But for right now, I'm on Day 1, excited and thrilled about working out for 40 minutes today. Even though I didn't go anywhere, I had a blast watching Grey's Anatomy on T.V. while riding the stationary bike at Level 10. Hey...atleast it's better than Level 9.
Until Day 2....have a fit fabulous day! You still have time to get in 40 minutes of exercise.
Christina
We talked about getting work out buddies...one's that actually encourage you to work out, not the other kind...that tell you to start tomorrow. I don't know anyone like that ;-). We talked about just getting up, just getting dressed and just driving out of the garage. Since you were already up and the car was already set to go, why not work out and get fit, right? We talked about setting goals, like running a 5k or fitting into those pre-baby jeans and often...it worked, until Day 3.
Day 3 seems to be my "Achilles heel". But for right now, I'm on Day 1, excited and thrilled about working out for 40 minutes today. Even though I didn't go anywhere, I had a blast watching Grey's Anatomy on T.V. while riding the stationary bike at Level 10. Hey...atleast it's better than Level 9.
Until Day 2....have a fit fabulous day! You still have time to get in 40 minutes of exercise.
Christina
Project #2 - 40 minutes, 40 days!
Ever since I ended my 40 day volunteer project, I've been trying to start a new one: the 40 day, 40 minute workout project. I mean how hard can it be to work out for 40 minutes each day. I could work out for 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes in the afternoon, 10 minutes in the evening and another 10 minutes when I put myself in a time out, away from the kids. Piece of cake, right? Nooooo.
Who would have thought that it's a whole lot easier to volunteer than it is to exercise? Well, atleast for me! It wasn't always this way you know. There was a time when I spent most of my day in the gym...teaching Step Aerobics, Pilates, Kid Aerobics or Low Impact Disco. Yup...low impact Disco. Don't make that funny face, you know you love Earth, Wind and Fire! Well, that was then, this is now. And right now, I am staring tomorrow! Seriously, starting tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow until I heard myself say, “life happens” to my middle schooler. Life happens! I thought about what I said and realized, what if I'm not around long enough to see life happen? I can't keep saying life happens to get out of exercising when newspapers, magazines, t.v. news..even OPRAH, is telling us about the alarming rates of Diabetes 2. I decided to get off of my butt (I know that it's physically impossible to do this) and start blogging today with the hope that I could keep the exercise thing going for 40 days, 40 minutes. I figured if atleast one person was holding me accountable, I could do it!
So here goes...40 days, 40 minutes. Wish me luck!
Who would have thought that it's a whole lot easier to volunteer than it is to exercise? Well, atleast for me! It wasn't always this way you know. There was a time when I spent most of my day in the gym...teaching Step Aerobics, Pilates, Kid Aerobics or Low Impact Disco. Yup...low impact Disco. Don't make that funny face, you know you love Earth, Wind and Fire! Well, that was then, this is now. And right now, I am staring tomorrow! Seriously, starting tomorrow.
Starting tomorrow until I heard myself say, “life happens” to my middle schooler. Life happens! I thought about what I said and realized, what if I'm not around long enough to see life happen? I can't keep saying life happens to get out of exercising when newspapers, magazines, t.v. news..even OPRAH, is telling us about the alarming rates of Diabetes 2. I decided to get off of my butt (I know that it's physically impossible to do this) and start blogging today with the hope that I could keep the exercise thing going for 40 days, 40 minutes. I figured if atleast one person was holding me accountable, I could do it!
So here goes...40 days, 40 minutes. Wish me luck!
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 40 - The End of the Journey
Day 40! Wow...can you believe it? Let me say it again...Day 40! Wooooo! Day 40! Day 40! Okay, just needed to get that out of my system. Day 40! Wooooo! Okay, really, that was it! Wooo! I'm really going to stop now. Really. Yes, really.
Yesterday, I had lots of ideas going around in my head about how I wanted to spend Day 40. I thought about making 40 gifts and giving them to each volunteer I saw for the day. But, my daughter was home, sick from school, and that would limit the amount of gifts I could give out during the day.
I thought about 40 Random Acts of Kindness, but they would have been limited to just my family, since we're staying indoors and making sure not to pass cooties/germs around until we get better.
I spoke to hubby and he gave me a great idea. He suggested I donate one month's salary (my salary, since it's my 40 day b-day project ;-) to organizations that mean a lot to me. Wow, what a great idea! I spent most of my day googling organizations and homeschooling my daughter.
I donated to the March of Dimes, The American Diabetes Association, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, MOPS International, San Diego Rescue Mission and the San Diego Zoo, for their Animal Adoption program. My daughter chose to adopt a Polar Bear because she learned about them at school.
Well, I did it and I am sooo proud of myself. I have to admit, there were several volunteer activities I had planned that I had to cancel due to house repairs/construction and illness, but in the end, my goal was to show that no matter how busy your life is, you always have time to volunteer one way or another...even if that volunteer opportunity is a small one. You can make a difference in the life of someone, all it takes is 1 minute...okay, maybe you need more than 1 minute, but I think you get the idea.
To the 2 people who are reading my blog, thank you for keeping me accountable. There have been times that I briefly thought about quitting, especially when my volunteer plans weren't working out (Meals On Wheels, Blood Drive, Crossing Guard at the Middle School, Beach Clean-Up, Pet Walk, Birth Choice Volunteer), but I'm glad I hung in there and stayed on this Journey. I learned a lot from volunteering in different ministries and realized why I can never stay on top of cleaning my house.
So, what's next? Recess. Yup...recess. My kids tell me it's always important to go to recess so you can get a break from school. So, I'm going to recess right now until Sunday. After volunteering for so many days in a row, my sweatpants are starting to feel just a little snug. I think I might start a 40 days Exercise Project. Anyone want to be a part of it with me?
Thank you for reading this blog and being a part of my 40day b-day project. Have a wonderful day, stay happy, stay healthy and when you get a little bit of free time, choose to volunteer, it really does make a difference.
Christina Williams
Yesterday, I had lots of ideas going around in my head about how I wanted to spend Day 40. I thought about making 40 gifts and giving them to each volunteer I saw for the day. But, my daughter was home, sick from school, and that would limit the amount of gifts I could give out during the day.
I thought about 40 Random Acts of Kindness, but they would have been limited to just my family, since we're staying indoors and making sure not to pass cooties/germs around until we get better.
I spoke to hubby and he gave me a great idea. He suggested I donate one month's salary (my salary, since it's my 40 day b-day project ;-) to organizations that mean a lot to me. Wow, what a great idea! I spent most of my day googling organizations and homeschooling my daughter.
I donated to the March of Dimes, The American Diabetes Association, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, MOPS International, San Diego Rescue Mission and the San Diego Zoo, for their Animal Adoption program. My daughter chose to adopt a Polar Bear because she learned about them at school.
Well, I did it and I am sooo proud of myself. I have to admit, there were several volunteer activities I had planned that I had to cancel due to house repairs/construction and illness, but in the end, my goal was to show that no matter how busy your life is, you always have time to volunteer one way or another...even if that volunteer opportunity is a small one. You can make a difference in the life of someone, all it takes is 1 minute...okay, maybe you need more than 1 minute, but I think you get the idea.
To the 2 people who are reading my blog, thank you for keeping me accountable. There have been times that I briefly thought about quitting, especially when my volunteer plans weren't working out (Meals On Wheels, Blood Drive, Crossing Guard at the Middle School, Beach Clean-Up, Pet Walk, Birth Choice Volunteer), but I'm glad I hung in there and stayed on this Journey. I learned a lot from volunteering in different ministries and realized why I can never stay on top of cleaning my house.
So, what's next? Recess. Yup...recess. My kids tell me it's always important to go to recess so you can get a break from school. So, I'm going to recess right now until Sunday. After volunteering for so many days in a row, my sweatpants are starting to feel just a little snug. I think I might start a 40 days Exercise Project. Anyone want to be a part of it with me?
Thank you for reading this blog and being a part of my 40day b-day project. Have a wonderful day, stay happy, stay healthy and when you get a little bit of free time, choose to volunteer, it really does make a difference.
Christina Williams
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Day 39 - The push, shove, shove dance.
After many years of asking, pleading and bribing, hubby finally went through his closet and found lots of clothes to donate to the Amvets Service Foundation, "one of the largest member organizations in the USA devoted to resolving the ongoing problems resulting from World War II, Korea and Vietnam".
Hubby came down with a box full of clothes and a big smile before telling me that this was all I was going to get. So, I couldn't convince him to donate his Batman pants or a couple of shirts he calls his "Hawaiian shirts", or the big tan wool sweater that no matter what I do, keeps falling off of the hanger...but that's okay, I'll get them when he's not looking.
I'm just happy that I won't have to do the push, shove, shove dance when putting his clothes away and that the donated clothes will help support American Veterans too. For more information on the Amvets Service Foundation, check out their website http://www.amvetsnsf.org/.
Until tomorrow..have a fantastic day,
Christina
P.S. One more day to go! Woo Who!
Hubby came down with a box full of clothes and a big smile before telling me that this was all I was going to get. So, I couldn't convince him to donate his Batman pants or a couple of shirts he calls his "Hawaiian shirts", or the big tan wool sweater that no matter what I do, keeps falling off of the hanger...but that's okay, I'll get them when he's not looking.
I'm just happy that I won't have to do the push, shove, shove dance when putting his clothes away and that the donated clothes will help support American Veterans too. For more information on the Amvets Service Foundation, check out their website http://www.amvetsnsf.org/.
Until tomorrow..have a fantastic day,
Christina
P.S. One more day to go! Woo Who!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Day 38 - Two more days to go
Day 38...we're back at the doctor's office and my son has an ear infection and my daughter still has fluid in her lungs. A few more days at home...a few more days of this homeschooling thing. I can do it, just one day at a time. Never mind that my house is looking like a tornado is permanently stationed here...I have to take care of my kids, at the same time, they have to continue with their studies. Mean mom syndrome, what can I say. If I park them right in front of the t.v. or let them play with their DS or our home computer, they're just going to want to stay home from school, right?
So..day 38 presents some challenges. One, I have to get ready for next week's Girl Scout Meeting, two, I have to plan out curriculum for 2 CCD classes and three, it's laundry day because without it, no one would have clean underwear. So, I spent most of my day prepping for my volunteer activities, washing laundry..I didn't say folding it and putting it away..thank goodness for all those laundry baskets on sale at Target, and looking into a CPR class. Unfortunately, I'm starting to get sick, so I had to choose a day outside of my 40 days. Who wants to sit next to someone who has cooties and coughing for 3 hours?
I talked to my friend and she said it still counts :-).
Until tomorrow, make each day count!
Christina
So..day 38 presents some challenges. One, I have to get ready for next week's Girl Scout Meeting, two, I have to plan out curriculum for 2 CCD classes and three, it's laundry day because without it, no one would have clean underwear. So, I spent most of my day prepping for my volunteer activities, washing laundry..I didn't say folding it and putting it away..thank goodness for all those laundry baskets on sale at Target, and looking into a CPR class. Unfortunately, I'm starting to get sick, so I had to choose a day outside of my 40 days. Who wants to sit next to someone who has cooties and coughing for 3 hours?
I talked to my friend and she said it still counts :-).
Until tomorrow, make each day count!
Christina
Day 37 - Homeschooling and You Tube
Can you believe it? Me, homeschooling, never! I never thought I could do it with such a busy schedule, but that's exactly what I felt I did on Monday. My son was complaining of ear pain, vomiting, a runny nose and just looked exhausted. Poor little dude, he looked just like my daughter did last week. I saw a surge of energy from him when I told him I was going to keep him home, but that didn't last too long when he saw all the homework I had for him to do.
His response..."but, mom, I'm sick, cough, cough." My response..."I don't want you to think that staying home from school is fun. Your sister works with me for 5 hours a day on school work when she is home sick, so can you."
So...we started with the Math, learning prime numbers, reinforcing long division and multiple digit multiplication, we studied for his STAR test coming up and realized he's going to need LOTS OF HELP on the Language Arts section. Anyone know where I can find a good tutor? We learned about appositives, contractions, underlining vs quotes for books, magazine articles, poems, etc. I had no idea YOU TUBE had a wealth of information out there!!!! I bet you can even learn how to change a flat tire on YOU TUBE. Guess what, I just checked and you totally can.....how awesome is that?
My kids reminded me that they got recess, lunch and free reading time during school, so during the breaks, I stamped several cards for Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. Check out their website http://www.chla.org/site/c.ipINKTOAJsG/b.4952897/.
I found them on Google! I love Google, sorry Bing.
Have a great day!
Christina
His response..."but, mom, I'm sick, cough, cough." My response..."I don't want you to think that staying home from school is fun. Your sister works with me for 5 hours a day on school work when she is home sick, so can you."
So...we started with the Math, learning prime numbers, reinforcing long division and multiple digit multiplication, we studied for his STAR test coming up and realized he's going to need LOTS OF HELP on the Language Arts section. Anyone know where I can find a good tutor? We learned about appositives, contractions, underlining vs quotes for books, magazine articles, poems, etc. I had no idea YOU TUBE had a wealth of information out there!!!! I bet you can even learn how to change a flat tire on YOU TUBE. Guess what, I just checked and you totally can.....how awesome is that?
My kids reminded me that they got recess, lunch and free reading time during school, so during the breaks, I stamped several cards for Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. Check out their website http://www.chla.org/site/c.ipINKTOAJsG/b.4952897/.
I found them on Google! I love Google, sorry Bing.
Have a great day!
Christina
Monday, March 1, 2010
Day 36 - Operation Rice Bowl
Operation Rice Bowl. It comes once a year, during Lent, at our church. After having a bad night of sleep, yup, Caitlyn was back in our bed after being diagnosed with walking pneumonia, I was looking for something easy as my act of service for the day.
Operation Rice Bowl is a great opportunity "to pray and fast, to learn about the poverty overseas and give to those in need. Through Operation Rice Bowl, Catholic Relief Services, provides assistance to more than 100 countries in need. Our contributions go to farmers for training and to help them improve their crops, to children in Afghanistan so that they may have more opportunities for a quality education, to communities in Ethiopia, so that they may access reliable water sources even during times of drought. 25% goes to to support local hunger and poverty too. Operation Rice Bowl is a great opportunity to teach your own kids about world hunger"...especially when they aren't eating their broccoli or brussels sprouts.
So, I taught my 2 CCD classes in the morning, picked up more Coooookies for our Girl Scout Troop and looked for loose change for our Operation Rice Bowl box. We were going to go on a Scavenger Hunt to look for the loose change, but we were all tired so we spent the rest of the day just sleeping.
Have a great day..stay healthy, get happy and get some sleep!
Christina
P.S. For more information on Operation Rice Bowl, check out their website: http://orb.crs.org/.
Operation Rice Bowl is a great opportunity "to pray and fast, to learn about the poverty overseas and give to those in need. Through Operation Rice Bowl, Catholic Relief Services, provides assistance to more than 100 countries in need. Our contributions go to farmers for training and to help them improve their crops, to children in Afghanistan so that they may have more opportunities for a quality education, to communities in Ethiopia, so that they may access reliable water sources even during times of drought. 25% goes to to support local hunger and poverty too. Operation Rice Bowl is a great opportunity to teach your own kids about world hunger"...especially when they aren't eating their broccoli or brussels sprouts.
So, I taught my 2 CCD classes in the morning, picked up more Coooookies for our Girl Scout Troop and looked for loose change for our Operation Rice Bowl box. We were going to go on a Scavenger Hunt to look for the loose change, but we were all tired so we spent the rest of the day just sleeping.
Have a great day..stay healthy, get happy and get some sleep!
Christina
P.S. For more information on Operation Rice Bowl, check out their website: http://orb.crs.org/.
Day 35 - Camp Winacka
Oh yeah...talk about your basic driving up a mountain with silver railings, don't look down, try really hard not to get car sick, on a rainy day sort of adventure. On Saturday, our Girl Scout Troop went to Camp Winacka to celebrate World Thinking Day and get a little, a very little, but big enough for me taste of the camping life.
We started the day with a nice drive up to Julian. It was pleasant until we got to those really tiny roads to get to the campsite. I had to act really cool since I was the passenger, but inside I was thinking, jeez, what happens when 2 cars try to use this road built large enough for one of those mini cars. Thank goodness our driver was confident and cool about driving the very, very tiny roads with a long way down. Hmm...maybe she couldn't see out of my window and that was a good thing :-). Note to self: don't look out the window when driving up or down a mountain.
While we were there, we learned a lot about other countries. We got to see other Girl Scout Troops perform dances and skits from around the world. Each table was decorated with special items from the represented country and there were even some crafts at the tables too. I was amazed to see how well the older girls worked together to put on this event and thankful for the Girl Scout moms in our troop who worked together to make this a memorable experience for our Girl Scout Troop. Our daisies had so much fun performing their Indian dance and the girls did a totally awesome job of dancing too!
On the way I home, I decided not to look out the window and had a great time talking with the Girl Scout mommies in the car.
Until tomorrow, have a cookie delicious day!
Christina
We started the day with a nice drive up to Julian. It was pleasant until we got to those really tiny roads to get to the campsite. I had to act really cool since I was the passenger, but inside I was thinking, jeez, what happens when 2 cars try to use this road built large enough for one of those mini cars. Thank goodness our driver was confident and cool about driving the very, very tiny roads with a long way down. Hmm...maybe she couldn't see out of my window and that was a good thing :-). Note to self: don't look out the window when driving up or down a mountain.
While we were there, we learned a lot about other countries. We got to see other Girl Scout Troops perform dances and skits from around the world. Each table was decorated with special items from the represented country and there were even some crafts at the tables too. I was amazed to see how well the older girls worked together to put on this event and thankful for the Girl Scout moms in our troop who worked together to make this a memorable experience for our Girl Scout Troop. Our daisies had so much fun performing their Indian dance and the girls did a totally awesome job of dancing too!
On the way I home, I decided not to look out the window and had a great time talking with the Girl Scout mommies in the car.
Until tomorrow, have a cookie delicious day!
Christina
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