Let me just start by saying that I am not getting paid to write about my exercise regimen. This post is written to highlight a journey to health I daily walk through and highlights the programs and things I do within this journey. I am not the skinniest, healthiest, or fittest person out there. I absolutely love Krispie Kreme doughnuts, chocolate, and I am a self-proclaimed coffee snob (aka I like a little coffee with my creamer).
I do; however, try to take care of my body in the time I have as a mom, wife, writer, and mini-farmer. I must keep in mind that my older kids are busy, my four year old does not like to ride in a stroller anymore, and my hubby is gone often so it makes life a bit tricky when I set out to exercise. When my kids were small, it was easy for me to set them up in a stroller with a snack, toy, or with a blanket (to sleep) and take off down my neighborhood road to get a run into my day. As the kids aged, it was more difficult and a bicycle was required to help them keep up. I am currently in a difficult stage where my kid does not sit in a stroller happily content and she doesn't ride her bike well enough to go with me. When these stages hit with each child, I had to find an alternative. Sure, I still found small spaces of time to run (these days it is with my big girls), but I needed something I could count on daily. Insert yoga! I fell in love with yoga since it greatly improved my mobility with back issues which steadily arose after 25 years in childcare. Before I found yoga, I tried many different high cardio workouts which were all the rage. These were not bad; however, they were not for me. I mean, who wants to vomit after completing an hour long video? Better yet, who has a full hour?! I certainly did not, and I found myself not exercising because I dreaded it. It was a sunny morning I was sitting in my rocking chair next to the window in my bedroom when I happened upon a yoga app called Asana Rebel. The app gave me 5 minutes of free yoga each day and it was here I felt my back and core muscles improve, my mind relax, and I felt energized (not like throwing up) after completing the routine. I began to search out other yoga providers which would allow me to stay within the walls of my home (I didn't want to pay for a gym membership or be at the mercy of a sitter). I found and tried several youtube videos when one particular couple grabbed my attention. Their names are Juliana and Mark.
Unlike other yoga videos, this couple set up their videos to be visually attractive, personally engaging, and they invited others into their lives while they traveled, hiked, blogged, and journaled their journey. I cannot say that I agree with everything Mark and Juliana believe/do. In fact, I am not quite sure of all they believe; but, I do agree with their motto "Your decisions today define your tomorrow."
I had this quote on my whiteboard at the church I worked as the Preschool Director. It was a quote I read every day as I stared at my to-do list and prioritized what should be completed. My decisions for my body today affect my health tomorrow. I know Juliana and Mark are advocates of whole-body health and promote a healthy diet and exercise as a combined effort to fuel your body. I can definitely get on board with these ideas because I believe them as well (cough, pardon me while I grab a doughnut after I eat my organic salad and homemade vinaigrette). The company/website I landed on when meeting Juliana and Mark is called Boho Beautiful. My daughter and I enjoy doing yoga, pilates, and workout videos together most mornings and I like to think I am instilling a healthy attitude and whole body wellness within my daughter when we do these videos together.
After we finish the Boho Beautiful yoga video, my daughter almost always asks if we can watch one of Juliana and Mark's "What we eat in a day" video. After picking one and watching it, she typically picks one meal they made and asks if we can try it that day. Considering Mark and Juliana are vegan, the meals they make are always full of healthy ingredients that the girlie and I are more than happy to attempt with their easy to follow steps.
Beyond my love of running, as I wrote earlier, I also enjoy running and walking; however, this is a trickier task with all the kids and is less scheduled. I can grab a run when we pile in the car as a family and trek to the nearby football field for all of us to run the track. The little girls (referred to as "the littles") typically romp through the football field, race, or ride their bikes while the big girls (referred to as "the bigs") run around the track, climb stadiums, and race each other. It is quite a fun time as a family. Other times I grab a run is when I can get out of the house while one of my bigs (aka the big girls) or my hubby is home to watch the littles. Sometimes I even take a big girl with me!
Lastly, for fun and exercise, we hike as a family. This is not a weekly event; however, we try to get out at least once a month for a hike. In fact, we may even take bikes! It depends on the area we choose and the mood we are in. The entire family has a bike to use (including our foreign exchange student) and we have a wagon for those who are not quite as coordinated to keep up just yet.
These hiking and biking trips are ALWAYS full of great memories. You can believe me when I say, your kids are not going to remember every movie or t.v. show they watch growing up; but, they will remember taking cool hiking trips. I can remember every hiking trip I ever took with my parents and grandparents growing up. The scenery was stunning and something fun or exciting always happened to solidify the memory into my brain. Getting out to enjoy the weather, take in God's goodness, and relishing one another's company laughing and talking is the absolute best.
So, you've heard from me. Now it's your turn! How do you exercise? Does it include your family? How do you manage to squeeze it into your schedule? And while you are mulling these questions over, scooch on over to the subscription box here so that you can become more a part of Cobblestone Life. I want to read your comments, learn things from you, and answer questions. I can't wait to read how your exercise regimen is!