Holy cow!!! Where'd the time go????

This is exactly the reason I started this blog. Because as moms, we get so busy, it's hard to do everything. I have been extremely busy lately - like we all are. So I think I'll post a blog that I wrote for Charlie Mike as a guest blogger. I wrote it to be published in December, but I'm not guest blogging for Charlie Mike until February, so I figured I'd write another blog post for Charlie Mike and post this on my own blog.

What Charlie Mike Means to This Stay-At-Home Mom….

My workout plan was great. I had a schedule. I had a routine. And then….. the holidays happened. To all of us. But I’ll start with what happened to me. And it wasn’t just the holidays. It was EXCUSES. My daughter got sick, then I got a sinus infection, then I was out of town, then the dog got sick, then we had family visiting, then it was Thanksgiving, and then the kids were back in school and my schedule was crazy again. Sound familiar? And before I knew it, it had been A MONTH…..yes, you heard me right……a MONTH before I hit the gym again. I only gained two pounds, but I’m pretty sure if my clothes were fitting right, I’ve gained a pant size.

The hardest part about having a health and fitness plan in your life when you’re a stay-at-home mom is coordinating time for yourself when your whole life is your family. Kids keep us so incredibly busy.

When I hit the gym for the first time after such a long break, I was sweating away on the elliptical when good ole Alden Mills walked across the TV screen, talking about his PerfectPushup. And I thought of his blog, Charlie Mike. And then, as often happens when I’m working out, I wrote the PERFECT blog in my mind. It’s easy to do. And when some brilliant scientist comes up with a mechanism that can record our thoughts, I’m SOOOOO making millions!!!!! (Yeah, this post isn’t it. The one in my head was MUCH BETTER!)

So, what does Charlie Mike mean to this stay-at-home mom? As you know, Charlie Mike means CONTINUE MISSION. And that’s exactly what was going through my head. We do it all the time as moms. Our kids are puking – we “CONTINUE MISSION” and take care of them and their mess. The house is a COMPLETE wreck – we “CONTINUE MISSION” and get it all cleaned up. Everyone is grouchy and the music in our home is just a harmony of whines and complaints – we “CONTINUE MISSION” and try to solve problems and comfort hurt feelings.

CONTINUE MISSION – it’s WHAT WE DO. So why aren’t we doing it when it comes to taking care of ourselves? Why did I listen to a WHOLE MONTH of excuses?

Well, the first part of Charlie Mike is not dwelling on the excuses or our failings, but changing things and moving forward. The VERY FIRST thing we need to do when we start slipping up on our fitness plan is to just get back in the saddle. I was really worried that I would have trouble with my workout since I’d taken such a long break. And that worry held me back a little. But once I was moving, it really wasn’t bad at all. I’ve found that about 20 minutes into a workout is when my body loosens up and I get into my groove. I knew I had to get past the first 20 minutes. And it worked like a charm. It was comfortable once I passed that point. Then I felt foolish for letting all those excuses keep me away from my health and fitness plan. But thanks to Alden Mills walking across my TV screen, I didn’t dwell on that and instead my thoughts led to Charlie Mike: “CONTINUE MISSION”.

So, as you gear up for the New Year, or if you already let the holidays get in YOUR way, remember to CONTINUE MISSION. Set a few new goals or modify your old ones. Get yourself to the gym. Get out and walk. If you really need to get some after-Christmas shopping done, put on your running shoes and take a brisk walk around the mall before you start your shopping. (Don’t run. They might think you’ve just stolen something.)

Re-engage and remember that without “MOM”, your family isn’t going to function as well. So take the time to take care of yourself. It helps with stress, too. And as moms, we’re very familiar with stress. So get in those workouts!!!

Check Out This Blog: CHARLIE MIKE

I love this blog!!! CHARLIE MIKE was started by Alden Mills, the creator of the Perfect Pushup and a former Navy SEAL. I like CHARLIE MIKE because it's all about health and fitness and getting and staying motivated. (Wow! I used WAY more and's in that last sentence than is grammatically acceptable!)

Alden's attitude is infectious and makes me want to try harder at anything I want to do. And with all his experience, he has a wealth of knowledge that seems to flow like a fresh well.

Alden often has guest bloggers, and often they are former Navy SEALs that he worked with in the Teams. Tom Rancich is currently answering questions on CHARLIE MIKE: Rally Call for Questions for LCDR Tom Rancich. I've known Tom for about 4 years now and he is a great guy. Another one with a wealth of knowledge, just like Alden. Tom and Alden worked together in the Teams as Navy SEALs. So if you have any questions, about motivation, about health and fitness, about Navy SEALs, dealing with life changes, or anything else, head on over to CHARLIE MIKE and ask away. Not only is Tom very knowledgeable, he also cares about people. Same with Alden. It's why they did what they did, and why they do what they do.

Two Blog Links In One - Think Thin Thursday

I just had to post some links - I think this is GREAT!!!! I love the phrase "Think Thin Thursday!" And what a great reminder for drinking WATER!!!!!

mommy's take on things: think thin thursday

The Not-So-Blog Blog: Think Thin Thursdays

Yummy Asparagus!!!

Here's my favorite recipe for asparagus. This is one of my husband's favorites, too. And it only takes about 20 minutes to prepare, and almost all of that time is in the oven!

I eyeball this recipe, so I'm giving approximate amounts. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the ends off your asparagus. I cut off 1 1/2 to 2 inches, depending on the size of the stalks. Then rinse and dry with a paper towel. Put the asparagus in a gallon ziplock bag. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a little bit of kosher salt, and a little bit of Italian seasoning (I use Tastefully Simple). Basically, you will just add seasoning to taste, so if you like a lot of seasoning, add more. Seal the ziplock bag and shake it all up so it's evenly coated. Then spread the asparagus out on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. I think 15 minutes is just about perfect.

Enjoy!!!!

Did You Know.....

that getting enough Calcium will help you with weight loss? It's true! I also heard once that you can store up to six extra pounds if you're not getting enough Calcium, but I couldn't find the documentation to back that up.

The thing about Calcium is that you need to take it throughout the day, and you need to take it with Vitamin D and Vitamin K.

Now, when you're taking vitamins (and I recommend whole food vitamins by JuicePlus - a post for another day), you can feel like you are taking pill after pill. Whole food vitamins are not processed and compressed like regular vitamins from the store, so you have to take more of them. But when you are taking a lot of vitamins, the thought of taking a Calcium, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K pill is almost enough to make you throw in the towel on supplements. But don't despair! Here's what I do....


I take Adora Calcium. It's Calcium in the form of chocolate, and it has Vitamin D and Vitamin K. I take one after breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but that's because (thanks to genetics) I have Osteoporosis. And since all dairy makes me sick to my stomach, I really need the Calcium. Most women would only need to take two a day. Since I've been taking the Adora, I now have Osteopenia, which is great. It means I have increased my bone density.

The great thing about Adora is it's almost like giving yourself a little sweet treat after a meal.

Calcium cannot be taken all at once because your body has to absorb it. So taking one Adora chocolate after your meals works really well. You can take them after lunch and dinner if you're only taking 1000 mg per day.

The cheapest place to get Adora is at The Vitamin Shoppe (www.vitaminshoppe.com). It's $6.49 for 30 pieces. You can get Adora in dark chocolate or milk chocolate. If you have a local store, you can call them and they will order however much you want. I usually call the store and order ten packages at a time.

Regardless of how you get your Calcium, you should be taking at least 200 IU of Vitamin D, 80 mcg of Vitamin K, and 1000 mg of Calcium every day, throughout the day.

Not only will Calcium keep your bones strong, it will help with weight control, so make sure you're getting enough Calcium!!!!

So. The Holidays Happened.

Gosh, where do I start??? We've made it through the holidays and normal, everyday life is rearing it's beautiful head again.

I totally took a break while my whole family was at home. It was nice to spend some quality time together. And now I'm ready to get back to the grind stone. Because - I'll admit it - I gained a few pounds over the holidays.

Yes, I did.

But I don't want those few pounds to turn into a whole lot of pounds, so I'm not going to dwell on my splurging over the holidays. I'm just going to focus on now. And NOW I'm going to really crack down on my healthy eating. And make sure I get in my workouts.

When I was working with a personal trainer, I was eating vegetables with lunch and dinner, EVERY DAY. And I felt really great. I've kind of gotten relaxed about that and I'm getting back into it now. Vegetables and lean meats. If you add them into your diet, and take out the beef and sugars, you've just dramatically changed your diet without a great deal of effort. Yeah, there's more fine tuning to be done, but just those changes make a HUGE difference.

My tip of the day: if you're running around and are short on time to prepare dinner, buying a rotisserie chicken at the grocery and then steaming some vegetables at home make a quick dinner that costs less than fast food for the whole family. You can add some fruit or bread for the rest of the family, but watch the amounts for yourself if you're on a weight loss plan. Carbs are NOT our friends at night.

And for the workouts - at least 30 minutes of cardio at least six times a week. This is just to get started. The thing to remember, if you're just starting a healthy routine, is that when you first start working out, you can be very sore. If you don't workout because you're sore from your workout the day before, then you'll be even MORE sore. Working out every day will help loosen you up. Make sure you get in your stretching, too. If you're still really sore, try soaking in a hot tub. Or splurge and get a massage. (I had to throw that in, but I'm sure only the lucky ones will have the money and time to do it!!!)

More to come on workouts and diets, but for now, I'll wish you all healthy eating, strong muscles, and a Happy New Year!!!!