When You Can't Make it to the Gym

I decided to head to the gym last Wednesday morning for a cardio workout.  So, I packed up my 2 yr old son and off to the Y we went.  Now, Aiden goes to school two mornings a week and I can leave him without a single tear.  I walked into the gym's childcare and all of a sudden Aiden has a complete meltdown.  He is squeezing my neck so hard that when I released my hands he was literally climbing up me.  So after 10 minutes of attempting every Mommy trick in the book we were leaving the Y without my workout.

Frustrating---Absolutely!!!!!  I hate going one day without some kind of workout.  Instead of losing all hope of no workout, I decided to use the things around my house and create my own.  I waited until Aiden napped, turned on my ipod and started working out.  I could even get some things done around the house as I was exercising (added bonus).

Here are some of the things I did, and what I used for equipment.

• Running in Place; I did this in between exercises to keep my Heart Rate up. 
• Running in Place with Overhead press; With backpack filled with books, I would press it up over my head (can be done stationary too)
• Walking Lunges; great for getting from one room to the next (maybe carrying a laundry basket?)
• Crunches; middle and obliques (your sides)
• Push-ups; sometimes on floor or angle out from a wall
• Bicep Curls; With backpack (held onto top loop, worked great)
• Squats; With "hugging" the backpack
• Step-ups; Using a single stair up and down or climb all the stairs several times

I did each of the exercises several times.  My heart was pumping and I sweated.  What a great way to get my workout in!  A lot more can be added to what I did; it just requires a little imagination.  Remember that almost anything you do at the gym you can do at home.  This means...........NO EXCUSES!!!!!

Give a try.  

A Lesson to Learn

Week #3 is near completion and I lost another 1 lbs.  I'm definitely not disappointed as I was the first 2 weeks.  How can I be?  I have lost 3 lbs in 3 weeks and I feel so much better.  I don't feel as hungry and my workouts have been great.  As long as I keep up what I am doing my body will respond.  It may take longer than I want it to but, "Rome wasn't built in a day."  Yes, it is easy to gain but hard to lose but at least I am going in the right direction.  What more could I ask for?

I also learned something important this week that I want to share with others.  My eating this week was maybe 80% good and the rest was moments of bad.  But I didn't let those moments take me over.  I realized what I was doing and I would stop.  The rest of the day I would get back on track and eat healthy.  The results, one pound loss.  Before this I use to get all down on myself for eating one unhealthy item.  The rest of the day I would just stuff my face with junk, figuring my day was a complete loss.  This is not a positive way to go about things and it will only create an unhealthy environment for both your mind and your body.   

Remember that a big part of losing weight is being in tune with your body and what you are doing with it.  Just stay focused on your goals and the rest will follow.  

Good luck!