Workout With Me: My Favorites

 

She girds herself with strength,

And strengthens her arms.

~Proverbs 31:17

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

~1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Happy Saturday, everyone! Today, I thought I would share with you and review my favorite workout videos to get into shape. The first two I currently use, alternating days. The third I've done a couple of times before, and hope to incorporate again soon.

Walk At Home

First, is Leslie Sansone's Walk At Home. I have been doing Leslie's videos for quite a few years now. I really like that I get a good aerobic and muscle workout, and that I've always been able to do at least a mile without a break. Once I start getting into shape, I can do more. 

All of the moves are fairly simple, but very effective. She uses music to set the speed. In this Walk At Home video, each mile averages out to a 12-minute mile. The first half of a mile is the slowest speed, most of the second half is a more brisk pace. Then, the last 2 minutes of each mile is what she calls a "boosted walk," where you "walk like a runner." This includes the option to kick it up to high-impact for those last 2 minutes, or you can keep it low-impact while keeping the pace. 

The workout I have is a five-mile walk (you can choose how many miles you do in a setting). You can purchase this on Amazon, but I don't believe she is currently actively selling this one anymore. However, you can go to her website to see her current DVD's for purchase.

Workins

Next up are the Trim Healthy Mama Workins. I purchased these shortly after they came out a year or two ago. You can buy the kit, which comes with 9 DVD's, a short information booklet, a poster, and the equipment you need to do the Workins. Or you can just purchase the DVD's separately (as well as each individual piece of equipment) if you already have the necessary equipment. In addition, you do need an exercise ball and a toy ball. 

Trim Healthy Mama calls these Workins instead of workouts, because it focuses on strengthening from the inside out. They really focus on the core, and these are also really good if you are healing from diastasis recti as well. There is also a focus on feminine fit, working out our feminine bodies which are different from men's bodies. This is all explained in the booklet and on the introduction DVD.

These Workins are short, fun, and very effective!

30 Day Core

Third, is Lindsay Brin's 30 Day Core. Again, this focuses on your core. Once I am feeling more in shape, I will bring this back into my routine. These videos are a little longer at about 30 minutes each, and they are definitely the most intense of my videos.

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Those are my favorite workouts, especially in the winter. In the warmer months, I will get outside more for my exercise, but will still use these occasionally. I have heard of T-Tapp and would like to look into that, as well. If anyone has used T-Tapp, I would love your input! Also, let me know in the comments if you have used the above three that I mentioned and what you think. Or, if you have a different favorite workout that you do, I would love some new ideas!

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MamaWit's Weekend Links: THM Edition

 

Happy Saturday, everyone! As you may (or not!) have noticed, I decided to slow down my posting a bit. I wanted the launch of this blog to be aggressive, but being a stay-at-home homeschooling mama, it wasn't very realistic to keep up with a post or more per day. I plan on coming up with a weekly posting schedule for myself.

In the meantime, I wanted to share some links that I have found helpful from fellow bloggers. Today, I'm sharing some links that I hope will be helpful to you in your Trim Healthy Mama journey!

First, if you're just getting started on THM, check out my post with resources that will help you get started.

THM Tips, Helps, and Menu Plans

Breakfast Menu for 15 Days of Trim Healthy Mama by Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen
Healthy THM Freezer Meals by The Well Planned Kitchen
THM Crockpot Cooking Menu Session by Mixing with Michelle
Trim Healthy Mama Testimony by Northern Nester
54 Trim Healthy Mama Snacks (Kid Approved) by Northern Nester
The Ultimate List of Kid-Approved THM Snacks by Grace-Filled Homemaking
Trim Healthy Mama Aldi Menu Plan and Shopping List by Grace-Filled Homemaking
Eating Out with a Trim Healthy Mama by A Home with Purpose
Trim Happy Hubbie from the Coers Family
Tips for THMing His Lunch by Mrs. Criddle's Kitchen
7 Ways to Get Your Family On Board with Trim Healthy Mama by Grace-Filled Homemaking

That's it for today! I have lots more share, but I plan on making Saturday a day to share links to what I'm finding helpful. Enjoy, and have a great weekend!

Trim Healthy Mama Roundup: Getting Started on THM

 

Are you thinking about starting up Trim Healthy Mama this year? Or perhaps you started, fell off the wagon, and are struggling to get back on plan? Either way, there is a good possibility that you're wondering exactly how to get started. Or re-started. Especially this time of the year. Who doesn't like a fresh start?

First, I encourage you to read the Plan book! That is the first thing you need to do if you want to learn the Trim Healthy Mama lifestyle. Now, while the plan is very well laid out in the book, there is a bit of a learning curve when you're getting started. For some of us, just knowing how to start can be overwhelming. That's why I've put together this list for you. When I first started, some of these articles were so helpful!

So, yes, you definitely need to get the plan book. Buy it, borrow it from a friend, or even check it out of the library. Set aside some time and start reading. And while you're doing that, visit some of these THM bloggers. They have worked hard to put together these guides to get you started.

Trim Healthy Mama Quick Start Guide by Gwen's Nest
RunAmok Mama's THM Made Easy by RunAmok Mama
Starting THM and Dos and Don'ts From a THM Veteran by Briana Thomas Burkholder
Getting Started with Trim Healthy Mama and Starting Trim Healthy Mama for Only $8 by The Well Planned Kitchen (The Well Planned Kitchen also has many wonderful resources for menu planning, so check out her site!)
Dear Trim Healthy Mama Newbie: Tips for the New and Overwhelmed by Grace-Filled Homemaking

There you have it! So, read the THM Plan book and follow the guides and tips of these wonderful ladies. If you stick to it, you will find your groove and be a Trim Healthy Mama, too!

My Goals for the New Year: 2019 Edition

 

I always like to say, I never make New Year's resolutions. Resolution. That word makes me want to go at whatever I "resolved" with gusto, then of course, crash and burn before the end of January is even in sight. I still do, however, relish the thought of a clean slate that each new year seems to bring. I like to make goals. Which are probably the same as resolutions, but whatever! The word "goals" makes me think of something that needs to be worked on or worked toward over a period of time. I may not see the end product by the end of the year, but usually I tend to consistently keep working on whatever it is when I call it a goal. Instead of a resolution.

I have 3 main goals I want to work on in 2019. Actually, I've already been working on them, but I'm bringing them front and center. Being more intentional about them.

1. Declutter my home.
2. Declutter my health.
3. Declutter our finances.

My Home

A couple of years ago, I went through much of my home and did a pretty good surface declutter. This past year, I intended to go through again but deeper. Our family had a pretty emotionally stressful year, and my heart wasn't in it. I was in survival mode a lot of the time. With the fresh start of a new year, I think I'm ready to dig in and get a lot of clutter out of our home!

My Health

On top of the Multiple Sclerosis I've already had for 13 years, I found out about two-thirds of the way through this year that I have a few other things on my plate concerning my health. Nothing that can't be fixed or at least controlled with a bit of hard work and diligence. I'm thankful to have good doctors! I'm also thankful that around 6-ish years ago, I found an eating plan called Trim Healthy Mama. Now, if I would have been more consistent with that than I was, these other issues wouldn't have come up. But, I digress. I've been consistent since this past September and things are speeding in the right direction! I'm praising God for that! With His strength, I will persevere and say good-bye to these issues.

Finances

This year, I really want to refocus on being intentional about our finances. Hubby and I have been following Dave Ramsey's plan and doing really well. With some of the stresses of the past year, we've slacked a little on being as diligent. We're not even near talking disaster here, we're still moving in the right direction. It's just time to buckle down and speed up again. I'm going to be diligent in sticking to my grocery budget, as that's one area where I haven't been great. We'll go back to tracking everything we spend for awhile. We also sometimes do what we call a "spending fast," where we pick a certain amount of time and only buy what is absolutely necessary. Between the fast and tracking, we will be able to nix all the little frivolities that have crept in.

Those are my general goals for the New Year. Do you make any goals at the beginning of each year? Or resolutions? Do you have any other special ways to acknowledge the fresh start of another year beginning? Let me know your thoughts!

Have a great New Year everyone!

It's been awhile...

Yikes, it's been awhile since I've had time to sit down and blog.  I'm finally feeling better after a couple of months of different ailments.  The medication I'm taking for the MS weakens my immune system so that it will slow down it's attack on itself.  In the meantime, I have been catching anything that comes my way.  Since Christmas, I have had either a cold or upper-respiratory or some other infection.  Each time that happens, I get mock MS symptoms, most of all, FATIGUE.  And the neuro can't give me anything for that while I have an infection, because they don't want to weaken my immune system even more, or I can't fight the infection.  So it's kind of a catch-22.  Finally, I was healthy enough a couple of weeks ago to get a 3 day steroid pack for the MS stuff.  It worked wonderfully, except for the FATIGUE.  I wasn't even getting the basics done.  Finally I talked to my neuro about it, and she gave me Amantadine.  I've been on half-dose for 2 days, and so far, it's working beautifully. Although, I have 5 more days to make sure no side effects pop up, then I can go to full dose.

So, yeah, my routine has definitely not been kept up the way I would like to have done it.  But, I decided to simplify a little.  Now, everyday, I want to at least keep up on dishes and laundry, keep things picked up in general, spot-sweep floors, and spot-clean bathrooms.  I'm assigning a different section of the house for each day of the week:

Monday-front entrance, hallway, and dining room
Tuesday-kitchen (my favorite!)
Wednesday-bathrooms and one other room (which could be laundry room, one of the kids' rooms, the guest room, or part of the basement)
Thursday-master bedroom
Friday-living room

Whatever needs getting done in a room, it will be done on its assigned day, whether it be de-cluttering, deep cleaning, dusting, vacuuming, or even a decorating fix.  I have to be very diligent with this, because even today, I got the living room all done, and wanted to move on to other rooms.  When I do this, I burn out, so I made sure the basics were done everywhere else, and just enjoyed being in my nice, shiny living room!

Wow, I even made my first real dinner in a long time (one that wasn't thrown together with a lot of convenience foods and last-minute decisions because I hadn't thought about it all day) of oven-fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, veggies, and pickled beets.  I even made a simple dessert of black cherry jell-o and whipped cream to boot!

It feels so good to finally feel like things are getting back under control on the home-front.  We have been keeping up on school the whole time, as that is high on my priority list.  We are almost 20 days in to first grade with V, and he is doing so well!  And we are both having so much fun with the curriculum!  For now we are doing Mon-Sat as that pace will get us done in time for fall, so we can start second grade then.

Before you fall asleep reading my novel, I will close for now.  LOL!

A tough diagnosis, and a simpler life

Well, I am in the process of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.  While this is tough to swallow, I will NOT let it get the best of me!  It has been a rough week of testing, including an MRI, bloodwork, and a lumbar puncture, but it is over and hopefully we will have a definitive answer at my neurologist appointment next week.

The good news is, this has really made both Hubby and myself take a good look at how we're living.  We have both agreed that we need to MAJORLY de-clutter our home and simplify our lives.  This is great!  I have always wanted to do an overhaul, and have done some de-cluttering here and there, but Hubby  has always been wary of getting rid of stuff, so I never did anything major.  He is in the process of clearing out a nice big area in our basement to put things for our garage sale next spring, so we are already off to a good start.

I did try and start on the kitchen today, but that was brought to a screeching halt when the shelf broke in the cabinet I was de-cluttering.

The support on the left side broke and it fell down.  Hey, I was trying to take stuff OUT!  LOL.  Ugh, looks like I need to scrub it down, anyways...I guess all things happen for a reason!  I had V take all the food out and I tried to group it so that I can just stick it all in right when Hubby comes home and fixes the shelf.


Oh, and my kitchen table's a mess too...


These are some of the things I found that either I'm going to use today, or move to the fridge.  Why haven't they been moved there, you ask?  WELL, the fridge needs to be cleaned as well...




Okay, and the dishes need to be done...


V (5) loves to balance things precariously when putting them into the sink.  Anyways, what am I doing on the computer???  Now that I've thoroughly embarrassed myself, I better go make it so that I can post nice pictures too!

More updates soon...