MOVE

MOVE

Climbing the toboggan sled stairs is one of my all-time favorite workouts, mostly because I get to be outside. It’s an intense 45 – 60 minute workout that includes double stepping and running the stairs. Unfortunately a few nights ago I planned on going the next morning. I’ll admit to being in denial about the weather report, which was rain ALL DAY! I didn’t have a backup plan and wasn’t feelin’ the gym. I spent the first few hours of my morning completing a few projects while I came up with a workout plan. The gloomy weather was working on me, telling me to skip my workout. I wrapped up my last project, went into my office and diligently wrote out a 40 minute at-home workout routine. I refused to give in! My workout included a warm up, squats, wall-sits, lunges, kick boxing, arms and abs. When I finished my routine, I was pooped and felt great! Not to mention sore the next day. Don’t let the gloomy winter prevent you from exercising. As soon as it clears up, I will also go for a long walk with my hubby.

WALK IT OUT

I love walking with my hubby! Did you know that if you walk an extra 15 minutes a day, you’ll lose 15 pounds every year? Baby steps. Ryan and I have great conversations walking – no distractions, just us. He actually proposed to me during a moonlit walk. It was so romantic. And since you can walk in most weather it’s a habit you can maintain. Our parents must think we’re weird when we excuse ourselves for a walk after a meal, but oh well. As long as we don’t smell like weed when we get back, we’re ok (just kidding). Last Thanksgiving we got Ry’s mom onboard. She took us to a really cool forest preserve. We definitely walked off a good portion of our turkey dinner.

WINTER ACTIVITY

I just signed up for the Toastmasters Club, which will help improve my public speaking abilities. Even though this activity isn’t physical it will push me to get out of the house instead of being a coach potato. Plus, it’s an activity I can look forward to and another avenue to build relationships. I’ll also start volunteering in the nursery at my church 1 – 2 times a month. Ryan and I will be building our family in the near future (yay!) and I thought some hands-on experience was in order. Do you think they would be offended if I wore a mask when changing diapers?

DIY

In my opinion winter is the best time to upgrade your home. Who wants to paint in the middle of summer? Not me, I’ll be at the beach! We have a few upgrades planned this winter. We’re going to replace the kitchen faucet, the bathroom sink and cabinet and paint our bedroom. We picked a lighter color for our bedroom, which will help us fight the winter blues. In addition to enjoying a nicer home, we’ll stay in shape. Painting is a wonderful workout!

ZUMBA ANYONE?

If you are not a member of a fitness center, most centers offer classes to non-members for a $10-$15 fee. I Highly recommend taking a Zumba, boot camp, yoga, pilates, spin and/or weight lifting class a few times this year – just to get outside of your comfort zone. You aren’t living, until you get out of your comfort zone. You never know, you may turn out like me – I ended up becoming a member just to take 1 – 3 classes a week. The instructors push you to the next level and the dance music keeps you going.

Ok, you have no excuse. Keep moving! Whether that means taking the stairs, parking further away from the store or going to the mall to walk – you can do it! You can keep the weight off this winter season. And more importantly, you can feel good, meet new people and learn a new skill. Cheers to winter! (Did I say that?) Well, we should just make the best of it.

Taken from: http://healthnutblogg.wordpress.com/2011/12/23/move/