Today is my husband's first day back to school! He teaches choir at a high school and we've been busy the last few days getting his classroom set up. His first day back to school means that it's my first day back to having the house to myself during the days. After he left this morning, I realized that a few of the things I was looking forward to doing today aren't the same as they were a year ago!
1. De-cluttering the apartment. We always have stuff lying around that doesn't need to be out. I'm not sure why I don't de-clutter as much when my husband is home, but I get to put everything back where it needs to be!
2. Cleaning the kitchen. Our kitchen is small. This means one of two things: we should eat out all the time or we should have a really great organizational setup so that we never allow anything to accumulate in the kitchen. We do neither of these things. Today I get to do a deep clean of the kitchen and put some organizational tools in place to help us keep it clean!
3. Exercising. Now, to be honest, I've always loved exercising. It has not, however, always been a habit for me. Today I woke up just itching to get going in the beautiful sunshine we have today! I had a wonderful time and I can't wait to go again tomorrow!
4. Making a budget. I love numbers and I like making sure I have enough money to eat, but it's only been in the last few years that I've gotten good at budgets. Today I'm making our expense/income sheets for our new monthly budget!
5. Planning for the future. Well, we got married this summer, so I suppose that means kids are in the works sometime in the next few years! The only problem with that is that I am still self-employed and not exactly raking in the dough. I'm excited to look at what I need to be doing to generate a substantial supplemental income, while still doing something I love!
I think sometime over the last year, I accidentally grew up! These are all things I used to dread or not see as top-priority, but now they all seem rather important and fun. And, as an added bonus, it's always fun to feel like an adult every now and again!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Monday, March 25, 2013
5 Ways to Exercise--At Home!
I have always loved a good workout! I've been active my entire life. Growing up in country, I hiked, biked, and ran all the time. I started organized track and field in fourth grade and ran all the way through high school. I did ballet and ballroom dance through college for exercise, too. I much prefer to be outside than working out in a gym. But lately, it's been super cold and gross outside. Here are 5 ways to get a good workout in your living room!
1. Yoga. I've been doing yoga for over a year, now--and I've never taken a class! Do I have the "perfect" form? Probably not, but I've learned what works for my body and how to listen to what my body needs, so it's worked really well for me. Here are a couple sites I used to get started:
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| My cat, Dorian, loves yoga! |
1. Yoga. I've been doing yoga for over a year, now--and I've never taken a class! Do I have the "perfect" form? Probably not, but I've learned what works for my body and how to listen to what my body needs, so it's worked really well for me. Here are a couple sites I used to get started:
2. Barre Technique. If you have ever been to a ballet class, you have probably started at the barre. So take it to your workout! It sounds easy, but it is a workout. Make sure you have a mirror and you use correct posture and technique, or you could really hurt yourself. Here's a good site to get you going, but if you don't have an experienced ballet instructor who can check your posture and positions, it might not be a good idea to try it on your own.
3. Exercise Ball. This thing is not only great for a workout, but sit on it while you watch TV--your abs and obliques might feel a little sore the next morning! An exercise ball is really good for a variety of exercises. You can target certain areas and also do a full body workout. Here's the most complete list of exercises to try:
4. Dance with the Stars. I competed in ballroom a few years ago and loved it! Dancing with the Stars is huge right now and these DVDs are pretty fun. They aren't completely accurate when it comes to "correct" ballroom steps, so don't get good at them and think you know how to dance, but they are really fun to do!
5. Do Housework. Sounds silly, but a few weeks ago, this study came out. In 1965 women did 25.7 hours of housework and in 2010 women only did 13.3 hours of housework. Women in 2010 were, on average, 22 pounds heavier than women were in 1965. So get up off the couch and run a vacuum around your house!
Hope you're staying warm and staying active!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
Friday, September 28, 2012
5 Ways to Feel Good in 5 Seconds
In accordance with what has turned into "Feel-Good Friday" I thought it would be nice to have a short and sweet post about ways you can make yourself feel good in only 5 seconds! 5 seconds doesn't sound like a lot of time, but if you think about it, 5 seconds is a decent amount of time to get all of these things done if you commit to it wholly for the full time. I mean, we're all busy; even those "Get Abs in 20 Minutes a Day" things seem like they take too much time. So take 5 seconds! These are not methods that I have researched or have necessarily been scientifically proven; they're just things I do when I want to turn my day around and feel happy!
1. Smile at yourself. This one can have a huge effect on you. If you live alone or you don't see the person you live with in the morning, starting off with a smile from yourself is actually a great way to greet the day! Think about a silly joke, make a funny face, or remember a time when you laughed really hard. Make sure those eyes crinkle at the corners! Smiling with just your mouth doesn't do it.
Caveat: While looking in the mirror, do not focus on what you don't like about what you see. That will just make you stay sad or grumpy.
2. Get moving! Now, if you take 5 seconds to get off the couch, you can't count that as the 5 seconds of moving! Once standing, run to the other end of the room you're in and back. Or do 9 jumping jacks in 5 seconds. Or drop to the ground, do a push-up (a real one; no knee push-ups!), and then jump up as high as you can (don't do this one if you have low-blood pressure, because you might pass out). Do something that wakes you up quickly--then go do your regular gym routine that takes longer than 5 seconds. :)
3. Tell yourself you're great. We don't have cheerleaders to get our confidence up, 5 seconds are definitely enough time to give yourself a decent pep talk. Tell yourself why you like yourself and mean it! Feel that confidence boost and take it with you for the rest of the day!
4. Take your vitamins! Half the time research says vitamins are good for you, half the time they're supposedly bad for you. All I'm saying is that when I take mine, I feel better than when I don't take them. And it takes literally 5 seconds. Well, unless you get the giant horse pill kind...those take longer to swallow. ;)
5. Feel love. There are three options for this one. Choose whichever one is right for you.
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| Don't know who did the original, but I absolutely love this! |
1. Smile at yourself. This one can have a huge effect on you. If you live alone or you don't see the person you live with in the morning, starting off with a smile from yourself is actually a great way to greet the day! Think about a silly joke, make a funny face, or remember a time when you laughed really hard. Make sure those eyes crinkle at the corners! Smiling with just your mouth doesn't do it.
Caveat: While looking in the mirror, do not focus on what you don't like about what you see. That will just make you stay sad or grumpy.
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| http://www.letsmove.gov |
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| So cute! |
3. Tell yourself you're great. We don't have cheerleaders to get our confidence up, 5 seconds are definitely enough time to give yourself a decent pep talk. Tell yourself why you like yourself and mean it! Feel that confidence boost and take it with you for the rest of the day!
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| funnyjunk.com |
4. Take your vitamins! Half the time research says vitamins are good for you, half the time they're supposedly bad for you. All I'm saying is that when I take mine, I feel better than when I don't take them. And it takes literally 5 seconds. Well, unless you get the giant horse pill kind...those take longer to swallow. ;)
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| My kittens! |
5. Feel love. There are three options for this one. Choose whichever one is right for you.
- For the people in love with someone else: Feel it and embrace it!!! You know exactly what I mean about love making you feel good.
- For the people who don't believe in love with other people and now think this post is ridiculous since I brought up love: Remember the feeling you got when you fell in love with something, whether it be your job, your hobby, your cat, your favorite TV show, anything! Feel that excitement and joy and contentment.
- For the people who feel like they should be in love because they used to be, but aren't anymore (this can pertain to a person or a thing or a situation): Why did you fall in love the first time? Let that feeling completely envelop you. Maybe you'll get that little spark back! :) Take it with you!
I hope all of you have a great weekend! Thank you for making this week such a great one for me! This blog and all of the feedback I get makes me feel great because I know you guys are reading it and it helps some people. :) I really appreciate it! Writing it takes a little longer than 5 seconds, but it still makes me feel good!
"Be the change you wish to see in the world." --Gandhi
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