My Housework Exercise Routine

For the longest time I didn't consider housework as exercise. If it wasn't the traditional cardio and strength training then it wasn't exercise to me. Sometimes I would be so sad if I didn't get to run or do my favorite DVD. This year I decided to document my housework as exercise. Because in reality housework is low impact exercise especially with my responsibilities as a stay at home mom. I'm constantly bending, turning, squatting. Reaching, pulling and picking up things all day. The good thing is I'm burning calories and my metabolism is going great throughout the day. Here is a list of my daily housework exercises below:
I work my arms and shoulder when I'm lifting mostly my 4 months old, and 2yr old. My legs when I do a general sweep through of the house midday. I go to the living room , kitchen, bathroom and rooms to see what needs to be picked up, I don't just bend over but instead I make a conscious effort to squat down. When I'm giving my kids a bath at night I'm working my abs because I like to kneel next to the tub to bathe them. So my stomach muscles are in an isometric state. I wash dishes throughout the day and when I'm washing dishes I tighten my arm muscle while I'm washing dishes especially with the pots and pans. Overall, I get a good cardio when I play with my kids, so I make time to chase them around and play fun games so we both get exercise as a family. An added bonus would be to run or do my fitness DVD if I have time. Each day presents different challenges and things to do so it depends.

My January Fitness Goals

This month my desire was be consistent with my fitness routine. In all honesty I haven't been consistent although I have exercised on most days. If you are interested in my 2013 Fitness Goals watch this video:

I decided that having a fitness goal for the year is great, but I also need monthly fitness goals, along with weekly and daily fitness goals. Planning my workouts are key if I do not plan my workouts I will not do them. Being a stay at home mom keeps me very busy. As I write this blog my kids are hovered around me trying to snatch my computer. So far what I've done consistently is drink more water, eat more vegetables and fruit with my meals, I'm still working on my sugar intake. I have a sweet tooth. But I did decide to limit my soda drinking to one time per week. That's where all my calories were coming from the sodas. So in short here are my January goals even though the month is almost over I will share what I've reached and what I need to improve
1. I am exercising on staggered days, but would like to exercise 3-5 days per week
2. I am eating more vegetables and fruits but would like to be more creative with my meals
3. I am drinking more water but would like to drink the required amount of water

Motivation for today

First Wishlist Pick-Running Shoes New Balance Women's 1290

I absolutely love to run, but right now I don't have any running shoes. After searching I found these which I really like. I will take a picture when I get these new shoes. My goal is to let these super cute running shoes motivate me to run at least 3x a week on my treadmill.

My Fitness Background

While studying Kinesiology in college from the year 2002 through 2005 I learned quite a bit about the body and fitness. At the time I wasn't a mother yet so I put to practice everything I learned. It was easy to get in the gym and spend an hour on cardio and strength training, I also spent time on clean eating planing my eating schedule for the week. Once I had children all of that changed. I couldn't just spend an hour at the gym. I knew I had to make a choice to still be fit even though it wasn't easy. Its possible to be a fit mom even when going to the gym isn't an option. This blog is my current fitness journey I recently had a baby so I'm on a mission to loose the baby weight. So far I've lost 10 pounds! During the course of the year I will share my fitness challenges, inspirational pictures, videos, exercises, quick tips, my fitness buys/wish lists, progress photos, and much more. So if you are a busy mom or woman and interested follow me. I want to share my story and have fun.