Packing For Your Health

I'm doing a bit of traveling these days. (Check out my travel adventures on my blog about Farm Living.)  As I'm taking off for Memphis for a few days, I thought I'd share these tips with you!  Here's a start on my tips on maintaining a healthy lifestyle while traveling:

Try Packing things like these:

• Dental Floss - keep it handy, nobody wants to eat a sticky carmel roll in the airport after they just flossed!
• Water! - Keep it on you at all times.  Dehydration hits at the worst times at 30,000 ft!
• Gum, sugar free - 1. It's good for your ears while flying 2. It'll curb hunger waiting at your gate and in the air.
• Shakeology - buy the individual packets and stick them in a shaker cup for a quick, healthy meal before a flight!  Just add milk, almond milk, soy milk or juice....surely you can find one in the airport!  AND, don't get duped by the free hotel breakfast, drink your shake...you planned it, right?  Or at least opt for oatmeal instead of pancakes.
• Pack the laptop & stick a workout DVD in the CD slot! - It'll be a constant reminder of the workout you shouldn't ignore just because you're not at home!

 Try these tricks on the road:

•  Grab an apple or banana in the airport or hotel.
• Skip the alcohol and have water, you need it!
• Speed walk in the airport and don't check your luggage, it'll help you pack lighter AND you'll get a better workout on the way to the gate!
• Wear comfy shoes.  Simple.
• Wear comfy pants.  Why wouldn't you?

Fitness For Busy Moms

Look less like this

And more like this

Isn't that every mom's goal?  Juggle everything and still have your sanity, healthy happy children and all your work done!  I'm right there with you.  It takes a lot of time and effort to raise children, work, keep the house clean, have a nutritious meal on the table and not only find time for a workout, but have the energy too!

First, you have to decide it's a priority to eat healthy and make time for your workouts.  If you can't get there, don't give up.  It gets easier the more you do it.  Just set aside 1 hour.  I know, you're thinking, 1 hour?!  I don't have 1 minute, let alone a whole hour?!  Been there.  Made the time.  I guarantee you can do it too.  Just stick with it.  Yes, you'll be tired.  Yes, it's hard.  Yes, you can do it.

Second, you have to not only decide it's a priority for you to do things for you.  You have to treat it like a commitment.  You don't sign your kids up for swimming lessons, pay the money and not commit to it, do you?  If you do, you're wasting your money!  Once you decide to make something a priority and commit to it.  Commit to it fully and do it.  Don't procrastinate.  Schedule a time for you, for your health, for your sanity, for you, you and you only.  Yep, you need a full hour.  Even if you do a 30 minute workout, you still need a shower!  So, don't press yourself for time.  Schedule it.

Third, keep doing it.  Workout, shower, have a glass of water and a deep breath.  Then congratulate yourself on a job well done and look forward to your one hour of your time for you and you only.

I refuse to pay a babysitter to work out.  You with me?  I fit it in.  Get up an hour early to go for a run, naptime,  my kid's favorite tv show, lunch when Daddy's home, while doing dishes and folding laundry, an evening workout class.  I get there.  I have faith you can find the time too if you just get creative with it.  Here's some other times I fit in a little mini-workout all day long:

• 25 crunches after changing a squirmy toddler's diaper (I'm already on the floor!)
• 50 calf raises while washing pans
• lunges while putting away dishes and laundry
• Jumping Jacks while waiting for something in the microwave
• Squats while folding laundry
• Stretch while blogging
• kid lifts - they love it!
• race the kids around the house
• take a walk with the stroller
• push-ups after bathtime - I let the kids crawl on me for added weight BONUS!
• Yoga Anywhere!

Focus on your nutrition.  You'll lose more weight and generally be healthier if you focus on correct nutrition.  Eat clean and clean the crap out of your house.  No chips, cookies, baked goods, processed foods.  What's left?  Clean eating. You'll never out exercise a diet of CRAP, so get with it and eat right.  I know it's easy to grab some cookies or chips in a hurry, but grapes and apples are just as quick and easy!  Take the Fridge Challenge and get a good start on healthy nutrition.

What's It All About?

Being fit isn't about being skinny or looking good.  It's not about meeting expectations or fitting an image.  It is about loving yourself and being healthy.  Work on finding new ways to love yourself every day.  And, find new ways to be healthy every day. 

Being healthy is a 2-part system formed from fitness and nutrition.  If you have one part and the other sucks, you'll just end up falling short on your overall fitness goals.  So, if you're in a rut or hit your plateau, take a look at both independently and you'll more likely find a solution to your problem.  If you don't, have someone else take a look.  Keep a fitness and nutrition journal with everything you eat (even the ding dong) and everything you do (even yard work).  It'll paint a better picture of the person you are and you're overall health and being.

Fitness friends can be key to keeping motivated.  Meeting new people is always fun, so branch out!  Let people know you're into being fit and you have goals and good nutrition is important to you.  Things will fall into place and it's always fun to have someone new to work out with, even if it's taking a long evening walk.  You wouldn't hesitate to make a date for a few drinks, would you?  Why not a couple of miles instead?  You'll save empty calories and spend a few extra!  And, you can pass fitness tips back and forth while you do.