FridayFive and WWI#58

It's Friday ... time for the Friday Five and my weekly recap and weigh-in. This past week was our first week back to school, back to schedules. It went pretty smoothly. I had my alarm set, but never needed it until this morning. This year we're leaving a bit earlier for the older boys (high school and middle school drop-off) but the elementary is 15minutes later. I didn't always get my 20min elliptical in before taking the bigger boys (leaving at 7:15), but I did sneak in a session in-between dropoffs most mornings. Getting up earlier again has been good for getting more done during the day.

I wasn't surprised by the jump in weight Monday morning. We'd had a big barbeque dinner Sunday night, with birthday cake for dessert. It's birthday week here (three of the boys have birthdays coming right up, Aug28, Aug31 and Sept7). Usually I can correct an up like that once I get back on my weekday schedule, but it was SLOW this week. I didn't see a drop until Thursday morning, and then Thursday was a birthday day, and Chick-Fil-A was the dinner choice. 

I wasn't going to order anything, but hubs did get me a 12-piece nuggets. I ate almost all of them. I had a few fries (even through their waffle fries are not my favorite) and the birthday boy shared his shake with me. Not a good eating day the day before weigh-in!

I mentioned last week that I started a new medication (Celexa). Weight gain can be a side-effect ... I've been watching, wondering. I haven't been sleeping well at all this week, again, not sure if it's the medication, or just coincidental timing. It was also TOM, in addition to the shift in schedules. 

I actually had several days where I did quite well controlling my calories. If only I could do that every day! I did manage a 1359 deficit for the week, but that isn't enough for a loss. My average intake was 2264, average daily burn was 2911.

I Zumba-ed Monday-Friday (spotlighting my stats below!) and got in an hour of elliptical everyday, although I had more tiny 10-minute sessions than I usually do (squeezing them in when I could). I hit the bike a couple times, the treadmill a couple times (although I just walked, didn't feel up to jogging) and I did get in a weight workout this week.

So ... weight a bit higher than I want. Average was down a tiny bit, weigh-in today up so slightly. I'm really hoping that the schedule and such will get me on track enough to drop below 150. That's the goal!

Onto the Friday Five ...

If you have been reading my blog, you are probably aware that I discovered Zumba this year (I'm late to the party, I know). I'm not a member of any gym, so I don't have access to those classes, but luckily here in Utah, so many instructors offer free Zumba classes. Whether this is to practice, to drum up followers and other opportunities, or just selfless service giving back to the community, I am SO grateful!  This past week, I went to Zumba daily. Monday-Friday, five different classes. For a while there, I was posting my stats to a Facebook album (taking a picture of my HRM and Fitbit numbers), but it's also fun to compare them side-by-side. I thought I'd do that today, with a quick recap of the classes (it's always interesting for me to examine if I think the numbers are reflective of MY perception of the class)...

• Monday: It's a 15minute drive to Draper. The class is supposed to start at 9:30, but it's usually about ten minutes late ... There are several instructors changing off. I'm quite familiar with most of these routines. I got my highest HRM calorie reading in this class this week.
• Tuesday: This class is close to home ... so close I walk to the church. This is my original instructor. She is pretty mellow and it's a small class, but because I'm so familiar with her routines, I can usually get good numbers. Couldn't quite get the heart rate up today though.
• Wednesday: I usually hit the Draper class again on Wednesdays, but today I needed to stay closer to home, and this class is only five minutes away. This is a large group, with several instructors on stage all the time (which I like, good for seeing variations). I really like how they have the playlist set and ready to go, no waiting between songs. They did have a very slow start this week (almost 20minutes later than the 9:00 advertised time). Got my highest numbers on the Fitbit in this class.
• Thursday: I had my lowest numbers here ... I can be a bit hit and miss with this class, depending on the songs and instructors (several trade off, I have trouble following a couple of them). There seemed to be three or four warm up songs, just not very high intensity. Finally Cha-Cha Swing (a favorite) got my heart rate up ... but then there was "Work" which while I've seen several different steps to this song, I just don't care for any of them.
• Friday: Across town again. This class is a little later, which works out perfect with the middle-school's late start on Friday. I've always really enjoyed this class, it is one of the most energetic, with almost all higher-intensity songs, mostly different than those in the other classes. I had a blast today, I really thought my numbers would be a little higher based on how I was bouncing around.

I've been Zumba-ing since January. I don't know how others do it ... do you all just go to the same instructor/class? Do you visit different classes? Do you like to have the same songs and steps, or do you like variation and something new?  I'm NOT a big on "new" so I'm a little surprised that I do like the variety of different classes, instructors and songs. It really keeps me on my toes. I do love my old favorites too though.

Linking up with the Friday Five blog hops ... the DC Bloggers ((Courtney, Mar and Cynthia),. Friday Favorites at Running4Cupcakes, Friday Favorites at Housewife Glamour, High Five Friday at LaurenElizabeth and Five Things Friday at Fitting It All In and with my weekly check-in link-ups: Fitness Friday with Jill and Aubrey, the FleurtySummerChallenge  and a late Weigh-In Wednesday.   

Badminton Boys

A while back, I was thumbing through a catalog when I saw an "instant up" badminton set advertised. We'd purchased a cheap net set before, but it was such a struggle to set up, that it never got used and we didn't even bother to store it (off to goodwill). In the catalog, this one was $100. A bit pricey. I checked on Amazon and found it there for $70 (also checking on the reviews, fairly positive). Still unsure whether it would be worth the investment, I waited. I then noticed it on sale at the local Big 5 for $50, and I had a 10% off coupon as well. I decided to buy.

It sat unopened in the house for well over a month, maybe two. The boys just didn't show much interest. Then a couple Saturdays ago, the conditions were perfect. A cool evening. Sun behind the clouds. Most important ... the internet was out *Ü*.  We set up the net and it was an instant hit.

I'd forgotten how simple and fun badminton is. It took a little bit for the younger boys to master, but they now love it, especially #4. He's my badminton boy. He and I have been playing almost every day!  While the net IS easy up, it takes a little bit to take down (I think ours is sticking), some of the sections are sticking a bit. #4 and I generally play without the net. We just stretch the hose across the lawn (to divide the sides) and just bop the birdie back and forth.  When we're up for a serious game (like this past Sunday when the grandparents came over) we went ahead and got the net back out.

In addition to badminton, it's a good setup for volleyball. Instead of a standard volleyball, I had picked up an inflatable beach ball. It's a little easier for the younger kidlets. 

I can't tell you how much fun it is to see all my boys playing together like this!

Makes a mommy happy!

This was absolutely worth the $50 investment for me! Spending time playing and being active with the kids, seeing them interact with each other. I am always on the lookout for good "active family fun" alternatives and this definitely fit the bill. Ironically, I think it's also helped with #4's weather phobia somewhat! On a cloudy day, we can play ... otherwise we have to wait until the early evening when the sun has set enough that it isn't in our eyes. He's even stayed out playing in a light drizzle ... until the lightening in the distance drove him back inside.

When is the last time YOU played badminton?

Linking up with Workout Wednesday and the Hump Day Blog Hop. 

Back to School, Back to Schedules

I had to set my alarm for this morning. 

After a summer of sleeping in, it's time for school to start back up. #2 has his first day of high school today. It starts at 7:40, and he wanted to be a bit early today, so we left the house at 7:00 (normally, I think we'll try for 7:15 or so). I did manage to get up early enough to get in 20 minutes on the elliptical in before making his lunch and driving him to school.

The middle school and elementary start tomorrow. The carpool will be a bit crazier this year. #1 was in high school last year, but he was driving himself. Now I have to get my new high schooler and the middle schooler to their respective drop offs (rather than just dropping them off together) and arrange for multiple pickups after school. The elementary is starting  a bit later this year. Last year, although I drove both ways every day (due to #4's anxieties) I did have another family for backup when needed. Not this year though. That is the struggle with having my kids at out-of-boundary schools ... no carpools. Just me.

I didn't have my alarm set for 5:30 (like in the picture), mine was set for 6:30. But ... I was up earlier. Well, not UP, but awake. Do you do that? Just lay in bed for a bit, awake? My oldest, now a working man, it up at 5:00 (if not earlier) each morning, and although he isn't noisy, as I'm a light sleeper, I often am awakened by his morning prep. Hubs is up sometime between 5:00-6:00 and I can't sleep through his morning routine. I SHOULD always just get up and get started on the day. During the summer, I'd sometimes slip back to sleep, but with school in session, I need the extra time in the morning.

I really NEED to start my day with a small session on the elliptical. It's my thing. I don't quite feel complete without it. I need to see that green spike on my Fitbit activity graph (the ratio is thrown off without it!) This past weekend, I wasn't great at getting my elliptical in first thing, but I did get in at least ONE 20min session each day ...

Friday ... #2 has his sophomore orientation, so I needed to drop him at the school in the morning. I squeaked in 10 minutes on the elliptical (not enough to earn me a green spike) and then went straight to Zumba. After Zumba ... I went to Zumba. Then I wasn't terribly productive the rest of the day, but I HAD to get in my "elliptical green spike" ... and I did, a bit later in the day.

Saturday ... I was dragging a bit. I'd been up in the night. Thunderstorms, my poor little boy with his weather phobia (Anxiety Issues).  I didn't get in my elliptical session until mid-day (mowing the lawn and some cleaning got me some orange "moderately active minutes").

Sunday ... I slept in, but then got up and hit the elliptical first thing. That's how I like it! You can see the walk to/from church, then some more cleaning ... and a little badminton there around 8:00 (gotta wait until the sun isn't shining in the eyes!)

We had my folks over last night for "Grandparents and Games" night. 

 Hubs handled dinner, a wonderful barbeque; bacon wrapped filet mignon, marinated chicken, mashed potatoes, steamed green beans. So yummy. It's #4's birthday this Thursday (with #3's next Sunday and #1's a week after that. It's birthday week at our house!) so there was cake too. Yes, weight is up this Monday morning.

Grandpa challenged the boys to ping pong, offering them $1 if they could beat him. #2 and #3 earned $1.  #4 couldn't quite beat Grandpa, but he's getting better (he and I have been playing almost every day). We played a little badminton too ... funny how much we are enjoying that!  Grandpa also told the kids that he would pay them $100 if they could beat him in tennis! I don't know how skilled my kids are at tennis (I did enroll them in lessons once several summers ago, but they never seemed very interested). I played my dad a few weeks ago ... I ALMOST beat him but he did prevail there at the end (I wouldn't get the $100 though, just the kidlets *Ü*). 

So ... weekend recap (MIMM) and a little excitement to get back on a school schedule, even with the challenges it brings. I must admit, I don't mind a little "alone" time during the day too! Well, time to wrap up this blog post and add to my one elliptical session I have done already ... up next ... Zumba!

Share your weekend and/or motivational post and link up with the Motivation Monday team!

An InLinkz Link-up

Summer Fun Friday Five and WWI#57

As summer started up, my oldest son asked if we could get a new chaise lounge. He went to the store to check out the available options. I enjoyed his attempt at picture persuasion to ok the purchase of the more expensive ones ($24 vs $150 ... um, still no). We didn't do much laying around this summer though, we stayed pretty active. Here are five of our summer fun outings ...

 The main activities this summer were BOUNCING and BOWLING. We bought a month pass (actually, two of them) to Jump N Bounce, a local place filled with bounce houses. The kids would always get in a ton of steps, and I'd walk around and get some too. We participated in the Kids Bowl Free program and hit the bowling alley multiple times over the summer months.  #2 discovered golf, and I took the younger ones miniature golfing. We went to the local splash pad ... and then of course the Seattle vacation (sans me) ... famous for "the tree" which the boys love to jump off and into the lake.

School starts Monday for #2, and Tuesday for #3, #4, #5 ... I think we had a fun summer though. Ready to get back to schedules. I'm hoping the return to earlier rising and routine will help me push through this plateau. I feel like I've been stuck for a while. Looking at the weigh-ins this past week, I had four days in a row of the exact same weight ...

... up from last week (average up too). Weight was up over the weekend, and although I was able to correct that pretty quick, I wasn't able to get the weight a little lower after the initial drop. It was a decent exercise week, got in my Zumba Mon-Fri, elliptical everyday. I did get on the bike one time, and did a mile jog. I didn't get to weights this week.  It was busy, trying to fit in the last of the summer fun (we hit Jump and bowling). I had a doctor's appointment (my annual physical), took #2 in to the DMV to get his learner's permit, #3 to back to school night. There was quite a bit going on. I've signed up the little one for soccer, and basketball starts up soon, so it will continue to be crazy, but I still think I prefer the school schedule and routine.

NUMBERS: Even with some really bad eating and exercise days, I managed a deficit for the week of 1167. Average intake was 2314. Average burn was 2846.

Linking up with the Friday Five blog hops ... the DC Bloggers ((Courtney, Mar and Cynthia) Friday Five.  Other Friday linkups ... Friday Favorites at Running4Cupcakes, Friday Favorites at Housewife Glamour, High Five Friday at LaurenElizabeth and Five Things Friday at Fitting It All In and with my weekly check-in link-ups: Fitness Friday with Jill and Aubrey, the FleurtySummerChallenge  and a late Weigh-In Wednesday.   

Fitstudio Finds

I've mentioned the Fitstudio program before. I just haven't heard that many other people talk about it! I think it's one of the greatest, little known fitness reward programs out there. At least $5 in credit at Sears or Kmart every week ... a reward for working out.

School is just around the corner. With five boys, I don't really do a big back to school clothes shopping trip. My boys are basic "basketball shorts and t-shirts" kind of kids. That's why I was super surprised when my 15-year old told me he needed some back to school clothes. Some cargo shorts. I don't think I've seen him in any shorts other than basketball ones in YEARS. I went ahead and told him we could swing by Kmart, as I had some Fitstudio points to spend.

Now on the ShopYourWayRewards information page, it encourages people to have their own accounts. So I have one, I set one up for hubs, and for my oldest son (the Fitstudio did seem to indicate an age limit of 18 or over). As they all have Fitbits, I set up Fitstudio accounts. So I had three different sets of Fitstudio rewards. The kid found two pairs of shorts (on clearance at this point in the year, lucky to find them at all!) and a belt. I did have to have the cashier ring up each item separately, putting the different Fitstudio points toward each purchase. I ended up paying about six dollars. For two cargo shorts and a reversible belt. Not bad!

In the collage above, you can see on my account, I had earned 8325 points for the week. That's $8.32 credit ... that is a pretty normal week. Simply logging in, accepting a friend request, posting a status (and sharing that status of Facebook) all augment the 5000 points I earn for clocking a distance of 14 miles, which isn't very hard for me to do.

Prior to this summer, I can't remember when I hit Kmart last. I mean I did, once or twice a year. Now I go every week. I'm sure the program producers would rather me spend more on every visit ... I've gotten good at picking up a purchase that my points cover completely. Sometimes I do find such good deals that I will pay out of pocket, but it's pretty rare at this point.

It was a "slip on shoe" summer ... I picked up these inexpensive slip-on shoes for the boys (and ended up getting them for the oldest too). The Protoge basketball shorts are now the boys favorite, and they all have a few pair (shhh, I have three pair set aside for #3, his birthday is coming up). I've grabbed me some cute camis and t-shirts.  As #1 son is "earning" credit, I'll pick up things for him that I wouldn't normally pay for (muscle milk and Gatorade).

If you haven't checked out the Fitstudio program, you should! It's super easy with a Fitbit, or one of the other partners listed below ... or I believe you can even log things manually (stay honest!)

Get moving ... then get shopping! 

Linking up with Workout Wednesday and the Hump Day Blog Hop. 

Weight Up After The Weekend

Actually ... I say that every week! It's the truth! Weekends are difficult for me. Less exercise, more eating. I crave the return to the routine, although summer routine is different than school routine. This is our last week of "summer" as school starts up again next week. This past weekend ... NOT so good weight wise. Scale is UP this Monday morning. I've never understood why anyone would choose Monday as an "official" weigh-in day, as it's almost always my worst weight day of the week. I can usually get back into my routine and ready for weigh-in Friday morning ... right before I screw it all up again!

Fridays are a mix between the regular routine and the weekend. This past Friday, I was able to get in my hour of Zumba and 60 minutes on the elliptical.  I took the kids out for some fun (mini-golf was the choice that day and I was able to get some steps) and the evening was spent at a wedding reception.

Saturday, I got up and was about to head out to a Zumba class when my 10-year old begged me to play badminton with him. Sometimes you just gotta stop and play badminton. I then went and got in 20minutes on the elliptical ... and that was my only elliptical for the day. I did a little Zumba (just a couple songs, showing my 10-year old the steps. I've wondered if he might like to join me. Other moms bring young daughters ... but I could tell he was getting very flustered and would stress out too much). I mowed the lawn and got in a little ping-pong (#4 was purposely trying to be active and get some steps in). In the evening, the hubs and I went to a show at a local theater.

I love how the Fitbit activity graph displays my day! You can SEE the car ride to the theater (no steps) then the walk into the building, then no steps for a couple hours during the show, the walk back to the car, then the car ride home. You can see if something doesn't force me to stop and sit, I seldom do!. 

This graph doesn't show the eating, just the activity.  I record my food in MFP and it does transfer to Fitbit and is shown in other graphs there. The show we went to on Saturday is a dinner theater, and hubs and I ordered some of their cheesy bread. Mmmmm... cheesy bread.

Not low calorie  stuff. 

It was also a cookie weekend. I made cookie press cookies on Saturday (pictured here, although I didn't use my snowflake disk ... I should have! Snow in summer. Maybe I'll have to make some more, as they are all gone, much to the chagrin of the kids and even hubs. I "helped" them get gone more than I should have").  Yesterday, #1 son made gingersnaps ... well, he made the dough, packed up half of it and went to his friend's house. I turned the remaining dough into cookies for the family. They are another family classic (recipe here). They always get rave reviews.

Sunday I only got in 20minutes on the elliptical. I walked to/from church and played a little badminton with #4. I managed to squeak in my 10k (although I'd already fulfilled my Pact for the week, so I would have been ok even if I didn't).  I actually didn't get around to logging my dinner until Monday morning, so I got a notice that my food log for Sunday didn't count (as I didn't log three meals). Just another reason I do give myself the one day of leeway.

 My Pact money is slowly adding up!

I haven't had to pay out anything, I've only earned.

That was MY weekend (linking up with MIMM).

I guess it's no wonder weight is up this Monday morning. Time to get back at it. Squeeze in what fun we can this last week of summer. I also have my annual physical, and an appointment at the DMV to get #2's learner's permit. Then next week, schools and schedules start back up ... and I like that! I'll look forward to Mondays more than ever! Yea Monday! Hopefully I can shake things up and lose these last few pounds!

How does the summer schedule affect your exercise/eating?

An InLinkz Link-up

FitBit Kid and WWI#56

Here's my munchkin (#4) playing at the park this past week. See there clipped to his pocket? A Fitbit Zip. In attempting to get one on my oldest son, I'd ended up with a couple extra Zips. I set up accounts with my alternate email address, then strapped them on my two youngest, thinking it would just be interesting feedback for me to see how much they moved. 

It has been motivating for them too. After #5 hit a 30,000 day, he's lost a little bit of interest, but #4 just keeps plugging along. He definitely wants to make sure he gets in the 10,000 recommended steps (I'm not sure if that same number applies to kids ... seems to me they should be MORE active, as they don't have a desk job or anything, right?)

His numbers this past week ... Saturday 17,256. Sunday 17,583 (he beat ME that day, he was pretty proud of himself!), Monday 17,889. Tuesday 10,518 (as he noticed the day was coming to a close and he hadn't gotten to 10k yet, I'm pretty sure he ran around the house until he did.). Wednesday 15,839. Thursday 12,544.  He'll hit 10K today too.

My WiiFit hasn't got a lot of use lately. I'll use it there and there, 10 minutes a time. #4 asked me if he could use it and I said sure. Since my Wii memory decided to go out (WiiFit Fail) we had to set him up a new Mii, but we got him up and running. Literally. He did the "jogging around the island" ... that's basically just running in place. He did that for a while! He's been on the Wii quite a bit this past week (in fact once I did have to kick him off, because I needed to get in my elliptical warm-up before I headed out to Zumba, and then he'd have plenty of time to wii when I was gone). 

He's pulled out the jump rope and will often start the day that way. As we pulled out the badminton set this past weekend, he's really been drawn to that game. He and have had gotten little sessions every day this week. I encouraged him to see if the racket skills transferred to ping pong. Not a ton of steps, but I do usually get a little yellow "moderately active" spike when playing pin pong. As we go to Jump or to the park (like in the picture above) he does note how many steps he gets just playing. He got 3000 today as we went miniature golfing.

I can tell he gets a little frustrated by the amount of steps I get (although as mentioned above, he DID beat me on Sunday!)  As I come home from Zumba, having added 7000 steps in that hour so early in the day, he usually hasn't done enough to compete. Not that he needs to. I've told the kids I certainly do not expect them to go jump on the treadmill or elliptical.

Funny how what we expect from kids is different than adults. We wouldn't dream of sticking a kid on a treadmill ... they just run and play because they are kids! My 8-year old hit 30,000 steps in a day, and never once "exercised". I have actually considered bringing #4 to Zumba. I wonder if he'd like it. A couple of the other mom's bring their young daughters ...

Anyway ... as it's Friday Five time, I thought I'd wrap this up with my 10-year old's top recommendations for getting more steps in. 

1. Jump Rope
2. Badminton
3. WiiFit
4. Just Dance (he likes Just Dance 3)
5. Go places where you run around (Jump N Bounce, the park, waterpark,miniature golf)

No "exercise" really ... just fun!

As it's Friday, time for the weekly weigh-in and week recap. 

Just an ok week. Still struggling with my motivation. On a good note, I DID actually get in a weight workout this week! Haven't got back to my mile jog or stationary bike though. Still on my elliptical every day, and I hit Zumba Mon-Friday.  Going out with the kids, I've managed to stay active, getting in steps at the park or Jump N Bounce instead of just sitting and waiting. I didn't golf when we went mini-golfing, but still walked the course. Not as much walking as REAL golf ... which #2 did today! He's never been before, but a couple of his buddies are fans. He did get in quite a few steps (about 9,000).  Last night he was a little shy of 10k (as he didn't go to the gym, and only hung out with friends for a few hours). I teased him that he needed to run around the house until he hit it ... and he proceeded to do just that! It was actually quite annoying!

My weekly numbers: Up .6, although the average was down -.92. Only managed to have a total weekly deficit of 1080. Intake was a little high at 2364, burn averaged at 2842 (Fri/Sat/Sun were a little slow).

As I'm generally putting in a couple hours of "exercise" with Zumba and elliptical, I'm more active than I was all those years after I got married and had kids. And if I'm barely keeping my food intake in check now, while recording everything ... I guess I'm a little surprised my weight didn't get more out of control all those years. I never topped 200 except during pregnancy. Sometimes that surprises me as I look back. I never binged, but I've always enjoyed eating ... and eating the wrong things. There were many years (working desk jobs, sewing/crafting for a boutique, scrapbooking) where I was pretty stationary. I guess I was lucky it never got worse than it was (50+ pounds).

Linking up with the Friday Five blog hops ... the DC Bloggers ((Courtney, Mar and Cynthia) Friday Five.  Other Friday linkups ... Friday Favorites at Running4Cupcakes, Friday Favorites at Housewife Glamour, High Five Friday at LaurenElizabeth and Five Things Friday at Fitting It All In and with my weekly check-in link-ups: Fitness Friday with Jill and Aubrey  and a late Weigh-In Wednesday.   

Bugged!

I've got some bananas going bad ... because that's what bananas do. It seems like they are only good for a day or so! I do like to keep bananas around, as they are one of the few fruits I actually like (and the family likes them too). I wish they lasted longer. I know, you can freeze them. I don't do smoothies, but the boys do. I will sometimes turn the over-ripe ones into banana bread ... but then I eat banana bread, and mine is NOT a low fat/low calorie recipe (but it is good!) While I'm debating whether or not to make bread ... the bananas sit on the counter.

With this last batch of bad bananas, we've had fruit flies. Arrrrggg! I hate them. I know there are little cups of stuff you can set out to trap them, but my boys have had more fun zapping them. I'd purchased a couple of these electric rackets for the boys to take on their camping trip last month. I think they've gotten more use here at home.

I HATE flies! Fruit flies are bad enough, but the bigger house flies ... they drive me crazy! The bug zapper above works on them too, but as I was purchasing it, I happened to look at the other recommendations, similar products ...

Which led me to the Bug-A-Salt.

This looks a lot like a Nerf gun (we have a LOT of those at our house) ... although this is a bit more expensive at $40. Because I dislike flies in the house SO much, I did go ahead and order this, knowing my boys would happily hunt any offending flies down (and any fly IN my house is offensive!). They have LOVED this gun, and even go outdoors to track down additional prey.

The Bug-a-Salt wasn't in immediate stock at Amazon (I ended up buying off e-bay), 

but I saw another, less expensive option to try ...

#3 actually prefers this one, although you have to be close, and it can't get in corners like the Bug-a-Salt can. Poor #3, he had a horrible fly experience some years ago, where a fly flew into his ear. He can be a bit of a hypochondriac, so as he was freaking out a bit, the rest of us didn't really believe him. Then I took a closer look, with a flashlight pulling on his earlobe and ... there was a fly in his ear canal. The hub poured water into the ear and the fly backed out. It was like a scene from "Alien" ... I still shiver when I think about the little legs appearing, followed by the rest of the body. Is it any wonder we hate flies at our house?!

Just thought I'd share some of our gadgets with you, just in case you hate flies as much as we do! Thinking Out Loud this Thursday. The fly must die! 

Men's Metabolism

I've mentioned I've been struggling with my motivation lately. My mile jog, biking and strength training have taken a hit of late. Because my elliptical (I almost always get in three 20min sessions a day) and Zumba (an hour) are part of my routine, I've still been getting in decent numbers most days though. My personal goals are 22,000 steps, 100 "active minutes" and a 3000 total calorie burn from Fitbit. Now I'm not saying I count any of these numbers as gospel (I "burned 3000 calories, therefore I can eat 2500 calories and still lose!"), they are just some numbers I use to compare my day to day. You can see I barely got to the 3000 burn yesterday.

I was looking at the Fitbit family comparisons, and noticed that my dad had dropped a little. He's nice and active, and usually  quite competitive for my kids. I went onto his Fitbit page to look at his numbers. I noticed even though he had 10,000 steps LESS than I did, his calorie burn was higher! He only had eight "active minutes" and I had 145!  Our weight is almost exactly the same. He's a bit taller, he's older (obviously, as he's my dad) ... so his only real advantage is, he's a MAN.

 My Dad

Again, not saying these Fitbit numbers are gospel truth ... 

but Fitbit is certainly going by industry standards as they attempt their estimates.

 My 18-year old

I looked at my oldest son's numbers. He had over 13500 steps less than I did and still managed to top me in the calorie burn (just barely). He does weigh just a bit more than me. He has YOUTH and the manly metabolism on his side.

 My 15-year old

My second son ... this was a slow day for him. He had 35,000 steps on Monday! Not as many steps as I did yesterday, yet a higher burn. And he weighs less than I do too.

 My 13-year old

Son #3 beat me in active minutes, but not steps ... but look at the calorie burn! He only weighs a little over 100 pounds too. All his green spikes were running and jumping at the local inflatable place. I try to stay active, walking while they play. I often can get in some steps (although I didn't do well yesterday in that regard ... my little yellow spikes, it was too crowded for me to walk around much) the kids always get a bigger burn from Fitbit (not sure if it's somehow factoring in their impact or what).

It just seems like the guys can get a higher calorie burn with a lot less effort. I can and do reach my 3000 goal quite often, but I  feel like I have to work REALLY hard to get there.

Not fair! Not that anything about this life IS fair :)
I enjoy being a girl, but I wouldn't mind a man's metabolism!

Linking up with the Hump Day Blog Hop and Workout Wednesday. 

PSA - Squatty Potty

The focus of my blog is predominantly fitness related ...as I guess that's where I personally do best. I rarely talk about food (as I have NOT mastered that) or other health related things. But I thought today perhaps I'd share with you a product my brother-in-law raves about. Seriously, I've wondered if he'd invested in the company as he has been so happy to talk about such a crappy issue ... pooping!

He purchased the "Squatty Potty" ... a specialty bathroom stool which puts you in a better position for pooping (according to their medical research, which does seem fairly convincing). My BIL  has been very pleased with his purchase. So much so, that he talked my hubby into buying one for our family. So ... I've tried it. I didn't sense any magical difference as of yet. We're pretty lucky that we don't really have any regular pooping problems to start with. I find it a little bulky in the bathroom, even though the shape is more conducive to being tucked in than a standard stool would be.

Had you heard of this product before? 

It seems to have very good reviews on Amazon.

What do you think?

Mojo A Gogo

 NOPE.

My motivation has fallen and it can't get up. For the past couple weeks, I've felt a bit like I've just been going through the motions. Luckily, my elliptical sessions are such a habit with me, that they get done pretty much regardless of how I'm feeling. I get up, and hit the elliptical for 20 minutes. I'll get back to it at least twice ... 60 minutes of elliptical per day.

Ok ... I only did 30 minutes on Saturday, but I mowed the lawn and did some grocery shopping too. I still got almost 15,000 steps that day, but that is low for me. I've been dropping down, down on my Fitbit friends list. I have a commitment with Pact for 10,000 steps per day (six out of seven days, I do give myself leeway for one day off, although I rarely need it). 

My Zumba is almost second nature at this point too, but it had some glitches this past weekend. My Thursday group had taken July off, but was now back. While they were on hiatus, I had tried soccer a few times and really enjoyed that. Thursday I was faced with the decision of which to attend. Soccer does take more "oomph" and I'd missed this group of instructors, so I went to Zumba. The key didn't work to get into the building, so we Zumba-ed outside (we'd had to do this once before!)

It was lacking a little oomph. It was cut short (as it started late trying to get up and running). On a more motivated day, I might have bailed on the Zumba and gone out to soccer. But Thursday, I just didn't care enough or have the energy for that. I didn't get in my full hour, didn't get my big burn and steps, but again, just didn't really care. It was still fun.

Friday there was another Zumba glitch! My usual class was cancelled, so I was going to attend a different one. I went there, only to find an empty parking lot. I should have got on my phone and checked the Facebooks (where I would have found out they had moved to a different church the gym here had been redone) but I just gave up instead. No Zumba for me on Friday. No Zumba all weekend. I could have Zumba-ed on Saturday, but the 7:00 class was just too early for my tired morning self. I didn't even have energy for an 8:30 one. I certainly didn't gave the motivation to do it myself in the basement to a YouTube playlist like I would have just a few weeks ago.

Not sure if I'm burned out, or if it's some of this emotional stuff going on, or just that it's summer, sleeping in and other activities impacting the days. My 10-year old beat me in steps yesterday and he was pretty proud of that fact (and I did manage to get 17100 with an hour of elliptical and walk to/from church).

We did introduce a few family activity over the weekend.  I'd bought this "instant up" net set for badminton. Saturday night the conditions were perfect. The sun wasn't in the eyes, it was pleasant and cool ... and the internet was out (so no streaming!). It was fun to see the kids play badminton and volleyball. I even joined in. There was more family fun Sunday night too (with Daddy and #2 joining in as well).

I didn't get my blog post ready on Sunday (so it's late this morning!) ... my motivation has been a little lacking in the blog arena too. Maybe if you all link up YOUR motivational posts, I'll get my mojo back!  Linking up with MIMM and the Motivation Monday Team. 

Share YOUR motivational post!

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Five Favorite Family Treats & WWI#55

This is NOT a good topic for a "health/fitness" blog, and yet ... I thought it was interesting to look at our family treat trends. Something new is introduced and it's an instant hit, and for a while there, it's a pretty constant addition. Then we go through phases and certain snacks only make an appearance every once in a while. For the Friday Five, I'm going to highlight five of our family favorites!

• Skookie: This "skillet cookie" is delicious. We were first introduced to it at a local pizza joint, but then found the pan and made it ourselves at home. We actually have about five pans now. We just use a tube of cookie dough, bake it up, add ice cream and everyone digs in! 
• Otis Spunkmeyer Chocolate Chip Cookies: These have been a big part of our family for many years. We rarely make chocolate chip cookies from scratch, as these are so yummy, quick and convenient.  There is actually an Otis warehouse here in Utah, and the hubs has gone straight to the source, buying the big, distributor boxes. Yes ... we'd go through them. Now, he usually just picks up a box or two at Costco. They do seem to have changed a bit in recent years, they don't turn out quite as well.
• All Edges Brownies: When I first picked up this brownie pan, we made brownies in it almost every night. They would always turn out perfect. Back when school was in session, I'd make brownies and bag them, setting them aside for lunches (and #1 would find them and eat them!) Ironically ... the kids have let me know they actually prefer the gooey middle brownies regular pans create (sometimes I'd make a double batch and had to use a regular pan, well, still a specialty one with the little dividers). Who knew? I still prefer the edges!
• Chocolate Malt: The Hubs picked up a Blend-Tec, and a new favorite was born. Chocolate Malts. Just ice cream, milk and malt, but blended together until smooth. This is strictly a "daddy" do though ... I must admit I've never used the Blend-Tec myself.
• Homemade Oreos: For a while there, I was making these every single Sunday. They were the expected traditional treat. Just a Devil's Food cake mix, 3/4 cup shortening and 2 eggs. Roll into balls and bake at 375° for 7-8 minutes. Add cream cheese frosting in between. As Sundays aren't MY best exercise day (and I do like to partake) I've tried to move making them to Mondays, where I'm more active and can combat the calories a bit better.

Mmmmm ... tempting treats! There are a ton of others too, but these five make it in the rotation the most often, and have the most family memories surrounding them. Chocolate does seem to be a theme.  We just had Skookie last night ... not a good idea right before the official weekly weigh-in!

You can see, it didn't turn out too bad, even with the Skookie indulgence. I've really been trending at 152ish for a long time now. It bumped up last Friday, and went up even more before starting back down, but my weight is back down this week to the norm Just wish the norm was under 150. Numbers for the week weren't great though. Only a -550 deficit for the week. Average intake was up at 2464 and average burn was down at 2761 ... it hasn't been that low in a while.

I've been a little low. My mojo is just not present. Some emotional turmoil, talks, letter writing, thoughts, worry ... it drains the energy. Sleep hasn't been great. Some days I've still been able to get some pretty good exercise numbers, but I feel a little like I'm just going through the motions. I guess that's better than just assuming the fetal position. I know things will be all right, it's just hard to shake it off. I'm feeling a bit in limbo here with just a couple more weeks of summer. I think I'm looking forward to the return to the routine, a set schedule, the structure of it all. I've really enjoyed the summer. Sleeping in, taking the kids bowling and jumping. Still have managed to get my workouts and such in. School and sports starting back up bring their own challenges, but I think I do slightly better, even if the schedule is absolutely crazy. Summer can be just a little too laid back at times. 

Linking up with the Friday Five blog hops ... the DC Bloggers ((Courtney, Mar and Cynthia) Friday Five.  Other Friday linkups ... Friday Favorites at Running4Cupcakes, Friday Favorites at Housewife Glamour, High Five Friday at LaurenElizabeth and Five Things Friday at Fitting It All In and with my weekly check-in link-ups: Fitness Friday with Jill and Aubrey  and a late Weigh-In Wednesday.   

Food, Fitness and Faith

In the daily struggle for health and happiness, there are so many different beliefs. One person might trust something with all their heart, while another has an opposing view that they are absolutely sure is right. Many discover  "the truth" and want to shout it from the rooftops and share what they have found. People may believe ... but still struggle to commit, because the path is difficult.

Am I talking about religion,  or a food or fitness plan? 

Actually ... all three.

  

It's been interesting for me to note the various schools of thought when it comes to eating and exercise. Something new is introduced, and it gains followers and critics. Praised as "the way" by some, condemned by others. The low-fat revolution.  Zumba. Essential Oils.  There are converts to "Paleo" or "Cross-Fit" with such strong conviction it's almost religious. This is it. The way. The truth.

I've watched with interest as a friend raves about the primal lifestyle. Eating more meat and giving up grains and what a profound difference it has made. Then another friend swears that becoming vegetarian has completely changed his life for the better. As my eating habits leave much to be desired, I look at my friends and I know that they both have healthier habits than I do. Which is better? Is one of them "the true way of eating" that everyone in the world should adopt? What if I choose neither? Can I still survive without my quality of life being too compromised?

So many people rave about yoga ... again, in almost a religious way. More than just an exercise, it's good for the soul. I keep hearing about all the cross-fit converts and its opposition. There is a bit of a fanatic fever from both camps. I haven't really even looked into it, as I'm pretty happy with my current exercise routine. It's good enough for me and where I want to be.

Sorry if I'm rambling. It's been a bit of a tough time this past week or so. There have been some "faith" issues. Struggling with my beliefs and even if I do believe. It's actually not that new. While I was raised in a very religious family, I've just never felt very religious myself,  although I've gone through the motions. While I'm personally ok with my path, I've been ... outed so to speak (not out/out that I should be posting this  but I don't think many people who actually KNOW me even read my blog).  All this... it's sure affected my food  (comfort/stress eating anyone?) and fitness (fetal position feels fine). 

I've seen this quote applied to food, to fitness ... and to faith.

But, "what you want most" isn't the same for everyone, is it?

We don't all have the same goals.

I see parallels between faith(religion) and some of the food and fitness ways of life.  While people do feel very strongly at times about their eating and exercise habits, and these items do absolutely affect your life, there does tend to be a bit of leeway. Even though there is some proselyting and  judgement here and there if you do or don't believe a certain way,  it's pretty obvious that there are many different paths to take. My family hasn't grabbed onto any particular food or fitness fad with religious fever (well, one brother has, gone the raw route). But church? There is ONE way, one truth. The prospect of perhaps following a different path ... the impact, the angst, the expectations, the emotion. It hurts.

There can be more than one "right" way.

As I look at the different food and fitness options out there, I see that one thing may work wonderfully for one person, but not for another. That there is no "one way" for everyone.  I've got eating issues that would make following some of the food plans out there practically impossible. As much as I can see the success others have had, as much as I think it is good, it doesn't work for me. Yoga brings peace and a beautiful body, and I absolutely admire that. It makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable and a bit depressed that I can't seem to feel what others so obviously enjoy.  So I don't do it, and that's ok. I don't feel condemned over these choices.

 Explaining. Pondering. Struggling.

Thinking Out Loud.

If Time Was Not An Issue ...

What if your schedule was completely open for a week?  I know many of you might skip out and go on vacation, but I'm not a vacation gal. In fact, a vacation is what made my "absolutely open" week possible. The hubs took the kids on a road trip & camping.  I stayed home. I just wasn't up for the travel and everything (Anxiety Issues, Can I Take a Vacation From the Vacation) and the prospect of some alone time is  appealing. It's not something I'd want all the time, but for one week in the middle of summer chaos, I'll take it.

This was my second time home alone. Last year the hubs and the kids took off, I did have a really productive week on my own. This year, I started off strong. I got in weekend workouts. I improved me eating ... I broiled me a salmon dinner with green beans (something I don't make with the family home as hubs is allergic to fish and the kids just don't like it). I tackled some jobs in the kitchen that I just can't do when the kids are around (cleaning out the pantry and drawers. I sure made a bigger mess before I got everything cleaned back up). I cleaned up ... and without five boys and their friends around it actually STAYED clean. I did tend to stay up a bit later, and then sleep in. Because I could.

I got in a few things that I wouldn't with the kids around. My boys are older, and very responsible, so I'm fine leaving them for an hour here and there while I hit my morning Zumba class or grocery shopping. But I don't like to leave them for too long, and they do need me around (chauffeur, chef & police officer "mommy" duties). Without any carpool or kid commitments, I went to the salon and got my hair done. I went out to my parents to visit and spend the afternoon. Played some tennis with my dad, went out to lunch with my mom. I was even going to try a hike with my brother, but then it rained.

It rained a LOT ...

 

One of our rain gutters is clogged, and I watched as the water dripped directly into one of the window wells. I kept an eye on it, and the water got higher and higher and I knew I needed to bail if I didn't want water damage downstairs.

 So ... impromptu arm workout that day! 

I got tired, and drenched!

I do feel a little bad missing out on the family memories being made on vacation, but it's often good to have someone home to keep an eye on things too. Man the mail, pick up the paper, mow the lawn, screen the phone calls, water the plants ... bail the window wells.

About mid-way into my stay-cation ... my motivation took it's own vacation! I was actually spending less time working out than normal. I had a bit of a binge ... with no one to see or judge, I ate ice cream straight out of the container. I made cookies, not a good idea with no one around to help me each them ( I rationed them for a day or two, limiting myself to one or two a day, then ... well, they are gone). I'd find myself thinking "I'll just rest and read, because I can always workout later" rather than my usual  thoughts of "I need to get this in now because who knows when I'll get it in otherwise".

It was an interesting experience, this "alone week" of mine. I've always known I like schedules and routine, but I can see that I can be much more productive, even when I have less free time on my hands. I manage to squeeze in my exercise sessions between the boy's basketball, walking while they play, getting up earlier and making the most of the day. I can make the time if I have the motivation.

So, as I'm writing this ... prepping my post on Sunday, my boys will be back any minute. I have a pot of chicken veggie soup and homemade bread sticks waiting for them. The house is clean (for the moment).  I know it will be chaotic as we unpack, there will be loads of laundry to do. We have a few more weeks to squeeze in any summer fun, as school is right around the corner.

I'd hoped to have SUCH a good food/fitness week while I had no excuses. I secretly thought maybe I could sneak my weight under 150 ... Unfortunately, that didn't happen. My weight is up ... I wonder how this gain would compare to what would have happened had I gone with the family. Oh well. I've had my vacation.  Time to get back at it. Back to kids and cleaning and carpools and fitting in workouts where I can ... which actually works pretty good for me.

Linking up with MIMM and Motivation Monday.

YOU can link up below!

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