A little about me:
I am a mother of 4 boys ages 11, 5, 3, and 1. My husband is in the Army and currently serving on a year long deployment in Afghanistan. I have found over the years that I can some how manage the challenges that come with being a busy mom, and the challenges that come with being alone while my husband serves our country much easier if I have goals for myself. If I can take care of myself and feel like I am not just wishing the days away, I am happier; my family is happier. This year my “deployment goal” has been to train myself to eat and cook healthier and to get, what I like to call, “super fit”. I have learned a lot about diet, exercise, and earned my personal training certification. To top it all off, I am competing in my first Figure Competition on October 15 as a grand finale to my year dedicated to fitness.
I hope these tips that I have put into practice this year can help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle despite your own busy schedule and challenges. I started out trying to make one change every few weeks. Once that change had become habit, I added another.
You can find me on Facebook at Busy Mom Gets Fit, or follow my blog.
1. Drink more water.
Shoot for 1 gallon a day. I like to use a big half gallon sports bottle and I fill it up twice during the day. Other liquids you drink that day count towards your gallon. Cut out the soft drinks.
2. Lift heavy.
Push yourself in the weight room. No more baby weights. Work each muscle group hard at least once a week.
3. Write down your workouts.
You will be able to refer back to them and see where you can change and make progress.
4. Eat all day long, starting with breakfast.
Eat every 2-3 hours, or 6 small meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus 3 snacks. Heavy on the protein, add in complex carbs, limit simple carbs.
5. Write down what you eat…
…so that you can be real with your self. Not seeing progress? Be honest with yourself about what you are eating.
6. Memorize the Abs diet power 12 foods. It is a simplified plan of what foods to build your diet (a way to eat, not an actual diet) around for the long term.
7. Change the meals you already cook to fit these standards.
Don’t try to change everything at once! Your family may protest. But, you can start using ground turkey instead of ground beef, whole wheat bread, brown rice etc.
8. Get over calorie counting and 100 calorie snacks.
Eat more, but make it protein and complex carbs. Have you seen how small those one hundred calorie packets are? No wonder calorie cutters are hungry! Eat a nice steak, a plate of veggies, yogurt, cheese sticks, etc. instead. Cutting calories will make you skinny (but still skinny fat), but you can eat more, lean out, AND put on muscle if you eat the right foods. You are what you eat. If you eat a tiny packet of cheese-its you may eventually be tiny. If you eat a lean cut of meat…you get the idea.
9. Quit spending hours on the treadmill at a slow steady pace.
You can involve cardio in your strength training program by moving quickly through your workout and doing full body movements. You can run on the treadmill, but up your game: faster for less time (maybe just 20 min.). Try intervals to really burn fat and build muscle in your legs.
10. Get back on track.
When you have a set back, and we all will, pick a day to get back on track. I usually think to myself, I am going to enjoy this weekend and get back on track Monday. It gives me a few days to get my thoughts together, rethink my game plan, and buy the right groceries.
I hope these tips that I have put into practice this year can help you on your journey to a healthier lifestyle despite your own busy schedule and challenges. I started out trying to make one change every few weeks. Once that change had become habit, I added another.
You can find me on Facebook at Busy Mom Gets Fit, or follow my blog.
1. Drink more water.
Shoot for 1 gallon a day. I like to use a big half gallon sports bottle and I fill it up twice during the day. Other liquids you drink that day count towards your gallon. Cut out the soft drinks.
2. Lift heavy.
Push yourself in the weight room. No more baby weights. Work each muscle group hard at least once a week.
3. Write down your workouts.
You will be able to refer back to them and see where you can change and make progress.
4. Eat all day long, starting with breakfast.
Eat every 2-3 hours, or 6 small meals a day. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, plus 3 snacks. Heavy on the protein, add in complex carbs, limit simple carbs.
5. Write down what you eat…
…so that you can be real with your self. Not seeing progress? Be honest with yourself about what you are eating.
6. Memorize the Abs diet power 12 foods. It is a simplified plan of what foods to build your diet (a way to eat, not an actual diet) around for the long term.
7. Change the meals you already cook to fit these standards.
Don’t try to change everything at once! Your family may protest. But, you can start using ground turkey instead of ground beef, whole wheat bread, brown rice etc.
8. Get over calorie counting and 100 calorie snacks.
Eat more, but make it protein and complex carbs. Have you seen how small those one hundred calorie packets are? No wonder calorie cutters are hungry! Eat a nice steak, a plate of veggies, yogurt, cheese sticks, etc. instead. Cutting calories will make you skinny (but still skinny fat), but you can eat more, lean out, AND put on muscle if you eat the right foods. You are what you eat. If you eat a tiny packet of cheese-its you may eventually be tiny. If you eat a lean cut of meat…you get the idea.
9. Quit spending hours on the treadmill at a slow steady pace.
You can involve cardio in your strength training program by moving quickly through your workout and doing full body movements. You can run on the treadmill, but up your game: faster for less time (maybe just 20 min.). Try intervals to really burn fat and build muscle in your legs.
10. Get back on track.
When you have a set back, and we all will, pick a day to get back on track. I usually think to myself, I am going to enjoy this weekend and get back on track Monday. It gives me a few days to get my thoughts together, rethink my game plan, and buy the right groceries.
Guest Blogger- Busy Mom Gets Fit
