Pencil Thin

The weather here has been so cold that I just can’t seem to get warm. Even after a long workout where the sweat just pours down me I still feel cold. I would love to head off anywhere it is warm. Send me to Beverly Hills, Westgate, Atlanta, or the Keys and I will be a happy girl. When it is -8 degrees below zero the cold just seems to seep into every crevice of the house. I am sitting here right now with the thermostat set at 70 degrees, wearing thermals, and drinking coffee and I still feel cold.

Have you ever taken stock of how you feel after a workout? I noticed that while immediately after I usually feel tired that I do not feel stressed about anything. It is so nice to take this hour for myself, crank up my music and drift off into a different place. I have noticed however that I feel wonderful after a work out as long as I eat within 30 minutes and hydrate, otherwise I get extremely tired once the afterglow wears off. If I ‘refuel’ then I have tons more energy than I started with.

The last time I tried any kind of step aerobics was a few years ago. I could not keep up with the moves for the life of me and could seriously have used some type of safety equipment. Aside from the people packed in around me like sardines it impossible for me do. There is just something in my system that does not allow my body to step up and wave my arms about with any sense of coordination. Recently, I tried step aerobics again on our Wii Fit with marginal success. The Wii Fit told me I was “unbalanced”. At least I provide entertainment for those around me.

I know so many people who work out regularly and watch what they eat but also smoke. I just don’t understand it. Why do people take such care of their health on one level and totally abuse it on another? When I did go to the gym it always seems weird to me when people are gym members and smokers! The two things don’t seem to go together! The OWNER of my old gym smokes and was always going outside for a smoke break! When I first met him I didn’t believe he worked there, because he was smoking, come to find out, he’s the owner and a bodybuilder! How does that work?!

One post on the topic of why I don’t go to the gym just isn’t enough. Seriously, there are so many reason why we no longer have membership cards to the gym! I think I could blog on the topic for an entire week. Aside from the constant profanity in the weight room I just can’t stand people who don’t pick up after themselves. I have two kids at home to clean up after and don’t go to the gym to pick up after adults. If you bring a water bottle take it with you. If you sweat like a human sponge wipe stuff down. When you move from one piece of equipment to another take your stuff with you! Don’t come back a few minutes later and push around me to get your bag, bottle, mp3 player or anything else you left behind.

There are countless reasons why I don’t go to the gym and this is just one of them. The last time I went the place was infested with people who come into the gym and have ABSOLUTELY no idea what they are doing on any of the machines and just come for social hour rather than actually working out.

For example there was a guy and girl (Im guessing late teens or early 20’s) that came in to the gym and spent most of the time loitering. they spent less than five minutes walking at snail speed on the treadmill then proceeded to do a few reps (not even a decent “set” or realistic resistance) on EVERY machine, with REALLY bad form! now this wouldn’t have been so bad if they had just been in and out. But… they pretty much camped on the machines talking for close to an hour while other people in the gym were waiting to use them.

For about 6 months we had to put our treadmill in storage. Now that I am using it again I am noticing some quirks that were present before. When I put the treadmill at an incline it creaks and sounds awful. I am so hoping it doesn’t need performance parts or some type of repair to make it work like it used to. My hope it that it just needs oiled or tightened but I am sure sitting in storage didn’t help it at all.

I know several SAHM’s who just can’t get to a gym to work out. If this is the case for you consider the following ideas to stay fit right in your own home~
I have a ball, a set of hand weights and a resistance band. I am going to get a few place containers with thin handles and make different weights out of them by filling them up with sand. I am going to purchase a length of broom stick attach some hooks and put buckets on them to use like weight discs with sand in them. I have seen a womens site on the internet about being creative with little or no money to get a good workout in..

I do hack squats in a door way for my legs and butt
bridges require just a chair against a wall
full pushups for upper body
tricep dips between two chairs
using two weights to increase my weight if feeling up to the challenge (resistance band) bicep curls
resistance band lateral raises
incline flys on my ball
oblique crunches on my ball
reverse crunches on a thick mattress
situps putting my feet under a table end to keep stable
frog and prisoner squats
resistance band rows
mountain climbers
resistance band front raises
one arm rows with my dumbbells and a chair
I will use a mental pipe close line in summer to do pullups..
doorway and at some stage a plastic container for extra weight for calf raises..
A good strength training book can give looks of ideas to get that workout in even at home.

Please somebody send me to a hotel in las vegas! Today, our warmest temperature was a balmy -8 degrees. It was so cold that the dog was walking around outside like she was doing some wild dance. The poor little thing usually wants to run and play in the snow but did no such thing today. I tried to shovel the snow but even this fan of shoveling snow gave up and came inside.

We have gotten to know a new family since moving. For the most part they are very nice people. The one thing I am having a hard time with is the fact that they invite themselves over to our house with little notice. I don’t know what it is but with people you hardly know it just seems odd. I don’t mind people that I have known a while just showing up at my door but I really want a little notice when it comes to people just one step away from being strangers.

Right now I am experiencing a clothing crisis. Before moving I got rid of tons of clothes that were either to big or not being used to lessen the amount of stuff we had to move. It seems that I just didn’t think this through very well. Now that I am working out again I am finding myself with one lousy pair of workout pants. I am not saying I need anything special like an Oscar de la Renta workout outfit. Really all I am in need of is a good fitting and comfortable pair of yoga pants or whatnot. All I see in the stores are sweat pants with stuff written across the backside. I just don’t have much inclination to walk around my neighborhood with the words “Princess” across my bum.

We are giving our diet a serious makeover. This has been an adjustment for our entire family. One thing we are trying to do is incorporate new foods into our diet. This week our new foods have been asparagus and quinoa. I recently read about quinoa in a fitness magazine where is was referred to as a super food. We haven’t cooked it yet but it is something you can use in place of rice or another grain in cooking. It is supposed to be chocked full of protein, fiber, and other healthy things. Apparently the Inca’s were the first to eat this. I will post again once we actually try it in a recipe. If you have eaten it and have any tips let me know!

There was a time in my life when I actively pursued a number of hobbies such as scrapbooking and gardening. Today, between raising a toddler and homeschooling our older son there never seems to be enough time in the day. Did I mention that I work part-time as well. My day seems to end at 11:00 PM and start right back up at 7:00 AM with no end in sight. I have a box of supplies for “some day” when I get time once again to pursue my interests. Hopefully, they won’t be dry rotted by the time I get to them.

Looking to save money on beauty products? Well, some people have successfully made their own. This a recipe for body sugar that looks pretty straightforward. I am not much for this particular type of product but someone out there might be~
Body Sugar
2 C Sugar
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 C Water
corn starch
Mix all together, boil until it reaches 250 degrees F. or at softball stage (as in when making jelly or candy.) Pour into a jar or glad toss-able container. Nuke (lol… my term for using the microwave)for about 10 to 20 seconds to soften. (test and make sure not too hot before using this also) Powder area to be waxed (corn starch orks well for this!)… spread w/direction of hair growth, I recommend using small scraps of cotton fabric (rip up an old t-shirt or flannel shirt) to cover the area you are to wax… then when cooled slightly pull fabric off against growth. May even reuse the wax on fabric once or twice before no more hair will come.

Santa brought our family a Wii and a Wii Fit. I am not someone who typically would get behind the idea of a video game system. Prior to experiencing the Wii I would have probably said I would sooner go to truck driving school than play a video game. Well, I am here to say that I love the Wii and the Wii Fit. It has really brought our family together in a healthy and fun way. Every night we spend a couple of hours bowling or hoola hooping. It is so much more fun that I ever could have imagined. I am actually surprised to find out my body feels like I have been working out. Who would have guessed a video game could be healthy?

I hate cooking dinner. It is the one meal of the day that drives me crazy to prepare. I have recently started cooking main courses in mass and freezing meal size portions. This has made a huge improvement in my ability to get a sensible meal on the table in the midst of everything we have going on. I recently heard about “once a month cooking” which is something similar to what I am doing on my own. Do any of you out there do this? If so how has it been working out?

I really wish there were some easy way to get off junk mailing lists. It kills me every day when the mailman comes and our box is chocked full of advertisements for free term life insurance rates and lawn care services. I like the way our government set up the “Do Not Call” list. Why can’t we have something that straight forward when it comes to mailing lists?

People today seems to be looking for any way possible to save money. I have always been a frugal person but have my limits when it comes to certain things. I would not waste my time making hair gel or hair spray. This might work for some people but I just don’t use enough of the stuff to make it worth my time to make it.

These are some ideas for doing it if you have a mind to try your hand at making hair products:
Hairspray:

1/ Chop 2 lemons, add 2 cups water, and simmer in a pan over low heat until lemons are
quite soft. Cool, then strain through cheesecloth. Pour into a spray bottle, add 1 Tbsp.
vodka, and shake. Dilute with water if too sticky.
The vodka ensures it lasts a long time.

2/ Chop one lemon (or an orange for dry hair). Place in a pot with 2 cups water. Boil until half of the initial amount remains. Cool, strain, and place in a spray bottle. Store in the refrigerator. If it is too sticky, add more water. Add one ounce rubbing alcohol as a preservative and then the spray can be stored for up to two weeks unrefrigerated.

Hair Gel (#1 is not vegan, #2 is):

1/ 1/2 to 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1 cup warm water
Dissolve gelatin in 1 cup warm water. Keep refrigerated and use as you would a purchased gel.
2/ One cup water
2 tablespoons flax seed
1-2 drops of essential oil of your choice.
Combine the water and seeds in a small saucepan, bring them to a boil and then remove from heat. Set aside for a half hour. Strain through a colander. When completely cooled, add the oil and mix through. Transfer to a wide-mouthed jar with a tight lid (mason jars work well!), and use as you would any other gel product.

Hair Mousse (Not vegan):

1/4 cup of plain gelatin
1 cup warm water
Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon plain gelatin in 1 cup boiling water. Let sit at room temperature until slightly set. Rub into dry or wet hair, and blow dry.