Monday Mini Goals ...

It's been a bit hectic here in the last week or so trying to keep up with the kids and public holidays. You know, the usual ... and I don't seem to have been keeping on top of everything. Oh well! To top it off apparently we have an issue with the telephone cable that comes into our house which means for the last two weeks I have been without a telephone line and Internet ( I know, the horror of no Internet! ) ... I have limited access via my phone carrier but I just can't do what I would really like to be doing. And of course, the only resolution I have been offered involved me spending more money on wifi dongles ( !! ) and extra gigs of download ... which of course I need on top of the unlimited download I am already paying for but have no access too ... OK, so I may have vented long enough. I shall move on to more exciting topics ...

What's motivating you this week? Have you set yourself some mini goals?

My mini goals this week ... Eat healthy and nutritious foods that will help fuel my training. Of course I might allow myself a treat once but I'm going out for dinner on Friday night so that might be my treat this week! I will exercise 5 days this week as I really need to stay consistent with my training so that I can run a half marathon again this year. I'm making this week a lighter training week as my hamstring is a bit niggly.




Stick with it Fit people .. Baby steps will get you there!

What I ate Wednesday ... Homemade Muesli bars

Hands up who has said they need to clean up their diet after Easter and the school holidays? I know I haven't been quite as good as I could have been and it's time to clean up my diet a little bit more! 

What I ate today ...

Breakfast ... pretty standard for me!

Lunch ... thrown together in approx 2 minutes
 

Dinner .. please excuse the pic and plating it's a bit dodgy!
 

Snacks ... I grabbed one after lunch for a treat
as I ran out the door .. again! Recipe coming soon ..

I also had an apple with cottage cheese for a morning snack .. no pic, I forgot ...
And afternoon snack was one of the muesli bars that I have the recipe for below.  I was going to have a piece of fruit but I got distracted ... and I can't remember where ... oops, carry on ...

Here's a recipe for muesli bars that I sort of found.  By that I mean I found a similar one but can't remember where and I mix it up to what I have on hand or that I feel like adding in.  We can snack on this relatively guilt free and it packages up nicely if you are on the go!  It's great for the kids lunch boxes too now they are back at school and sport they need heaps of food to keep them going .. well mine seem to anyway! 

Homemade Muesli Bars

What you need ...

2 cups oats
1/4 cup agave nectar / maple syrup or honey .. your choice
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup nuts .. your choice, I use smashed up almonds
1/4 cup dried fruit .. again your choice, I used cranberries

What you do ...

Combine oats, nuts and dried fruit in a bowl.
Melt together the agave syrup and peanut butter.
Pour peanut butter and syrup into oats mixture to combine.
Press into a small baking dish, I used a smallish 18x18cm square baking dish.
Bake in 160C oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Cut into whatever size bars or squares you prefer.

What I like about this recipe is that you can use whatever fruit or nuts you prefer. You could even add some chocolate chips or coconut to change the taste.

A really quick healthy snack that you can package up and take it on the go too. Perfect for mums and kids on the go!

What did you eat today? 

Was it healthy, nutritious, balanced? 

Did you love it?!

Monday Motivation ... Half way through the April Challenge!

Hello Monday! 

Welcome to another week and we are halfway through the Active April Challenge. 

Are you still on track? 

Do you feel you are getting stronger doing your push ups and planks?

Last week I missed a few days when I was sick with a virus and there was no chance I was going to be bouncing around with a skipping rope! I did do push ups and planks when I could.

Today, it's time to increase the intensity again!

Push ups .. We are up to 30 a day! You can do them as 3 sets of 10 if you prefer.
Skipping .. 150 skips! Again, you can do them in 3 sets of 50 if you prefer.
Plank ... 1 minute ... Do 2 sets of 30 seconds if you feel your form is lacking! Better to aim for great form than time when starting out.
I alternate my push ups and skipping and finish up with my plank and yep, my heart rate is right up there! Getting active!!

In other news, Mr Fit Mum and I went for a run together .. Amazing I know! Looks like we are both starting training for some long runs again!
As you already know we like to head out to the nearby reserve for many of our runs. 
 
Yesterday Mr Fit Mum thought he would show me the new "track" that he found .. I agreed hesitantly ... After the first 2km I was finally starting to settle into my zones when I was told to stop and take the track to the left ... there was no track that I could see! I think it would have been a track if you were a wallaby! Anyway, I thought I would humor him and followed him through the trees.

 

There was a creek to jump ... And logs to hurdle ...

There was a hill to climb up ... you can see hubby didn't wait for me ...

and then come back down ...

Back on the usual running track we headed the rest of the 3km home ... My calves are feeling those hills! Great run though!

How is your challenge going?

Do you exercise with your husband / partner often ... or is is grounds for divorce?

Monday Motivation ... Keep being consistent!

How did you week go last week with the April challenge?  How are the push ups and plank?  It's not too late to start you know! 

This week it's time to up it a little bit.  Not a lot, just a little bit so that you are gradually building up your strength.

Here is this week's plan ...

Push ups     20
Skipping    100
Plank          45 seconds

Just so that you don't think you are going to get away with it being easy either ... If you find that doing 20 push ups on your knees is easy but just can't quite master them on your toes ... change the intensity when doing them on your knees. 

Here are some options ...
* Slow them down.  Count to 3 as you lower to the ground, count to 3 as you push up again.  Slower uses your muscles for longer ... it burns, oh yeah!
* Go low.  Provided that you are maintaining your form, go as low down to the ground as you can.  OK, so if you've got big boobies then you have an advantage, but get down low!

And, those of you who are pushing out 20 on your toes with no problems, up the intensity of yours too.  Same as above! 

Now all of this effort we are making in April is not going to be for nothing ... we are making changes, to both our mind and body!

Get out there and make the change!  And don't forget to let me know on FaceBook or instagram with an #activeapril hashtag!  I want to see pics!

What I'm eating Wednesday ... 1 Cal Drink

How is your back to healthy eating week after Easter going? I'm being very mindful of what and how much I'm eating. Back to the fresh, healthy foods! I know I am and feeling much better for it too!
One thing I don't have much of at any time on my diet is soft drinks. Apart from being too fizzy, they are so sweet from so much added sugar I am not particularly fussed. Soda in my vodka can be an exception ...
Last week I was sent some Low Cal drinks to try and let you know what I think. They are new soft drinks recently released that only have 1 calorie per 100ml and no added sugar.

They are being advertised as a healthier alternative to soft drinks. And maybe they are. Here's the deal ... They are sweetened with stevia so no added sugar. They are made with natural flavours and colors with added vitamins and electrolytes which can help with rehydration after a workout without being high in calories.
I was sent 3 flavours ... Bubblegum (!! ), lemon and orange. I don't normally have anything bubblegum flavoured but I did taste it. The kids loved it, but I'm afraid it's just not for me. The orange and the lemon flavour were much better, however I did find them quite sweet and had that leftover sweet taste in my mouth. As I said I don't normally drink soft drinks and the same thing happens when I drink a normal soft drink.
If soft drinks or sports drinks are your thing then this could be an option for you especially if you are wanting to keep an eye on calorie intake.
Check them out here if you would like some more information ... www.betterbeverages.com.au
Do you drink soft drinks or sports drinks?

Monday Motivation .. and April Challenge!

How was your Easter?  I hope that you managed some quality time relaxing with family and friends ... and didn't over indulge too much!

We had quite a lovely relaxing weekend and this morning we are heading off for a week away which should be even more relaxing!  I kept to my current running plan with a run on Good Friday and on Sunday morning before brunch with my family.

Whilst I kept my eating to healthy choices as much as possible, there were 2 hot cross buns and some chocolate in the mix!  That's OK ... it was the Easter weekend and that was really the only time I indulged. 
But that's all going to change this week!  Mini clean up starts today!  I'll be on holidays away from home and my kitchen but I'm not going to let that stop me.  I can still make healthy choices!  The plan ...

* no more hot cross buns .. they sit in your belly anyway and make you feel ick!
* no chocolate for the week ... I'll live ...
* no alcohol ... I'm good with that, I don't usually drink during the week anyway ...
* eat fresh fruit, veg and lean protein .. healthy choices for snacks too
* lots of water!

It's not going to be that hard really, I just need to get myself back in my usual routine.  I hope that you are going to join me too.  Come and visit me on face book and let me know how you are going.

Secondly, I've decided that I'm going to run a challenge for everyone ( including me! ) during April ...

the Active April challenge #activeapril ...

I  know I'm generally active on most days but a little goal of mine is to do something every day.  This challenge isn't designed to whip your arse everyday ... it's designed to build up slowly.  Something that is achievable for everyone. 

I've chosen 3 exercises that most people really want to be able to improve upon.  Yes, they are challenging but not so much that you won't be able to do them.  And we are going to build on these exercises each week.  Are you ready?  You don't even need any equipment!  Here we go ..

Week One ...

Push ups ... 10 push ups each day.  Do them on your knees, on your toes, against the wall, against the foot of the bed ... just 10 that's it

Skipping ... 50 skips each day ... should take you about 30 seconds ... you don't even have to use a skipping rope, just pretend if you don't have one

Plank ... 30 seconds each day ... on your knees, on your toes ... just use good form, relax your shoulders and lock your abs on!

That's not that hard is it .. the whole thing should take you 2 minutes MAX!!

Each subsequent week we are going to add to the exercise.  You'll get the hang of it pretty quickly!

Push ups ... add 10 more push ups each week.  By week 4 you will be doing 40 push ups each day ... NICE!  Think of how fabulous our arms and shoulders will be!

Skipping ... add 50 skips each week.  Week 2, 100 skips ... Week 3, 150 skips etc ... skipping is fabulous for a cardio workout and hot looking calves!  Oh and burning calories!

Plank ... add 15 seconds each week.  By week 4 you will be able to hold for over a minute.  Abs of steel and a super strong core!

See, it's not that much more to include in your usual workout and you will be staying active everyday in April!

I know you want to do this with me!  You can join in on Face book, Twitter or on Instagram ... come and find me on Instagram @fitmum ... show me your pics and use the hash tag #activeapril ... I love to see every one's workout pics!

Have a great week!