I have no one but myself to blame when I choose not go to the gym. And then there are forces beyond my control that leave me pointing fingers.Sick kids anyone? Apparently The Boy signed up for a virus-of-the-month plan this winter. I play by the rules: green boogers and a fever means no childcare for him, no gym workout for me.
And then I wonder... is it just coincidence that he came down with that nasty cold just two days after being in the gym childcare center? Twice? So I avoid the gym a little longer while I live in fear of bringing home something else for everyone to share.
Then there's the weather. Run outside? As I write this it's -9 degrees and feels like -22 degrees with the wind chill. I believe in outdoor winter running and I have the winter running apparel to prove it. But I draw the line at zero. Just say no to frostbite.
Weekend workouts at the gym work well when one parent can stay home with sniffling kids. But not when a once-in-a-generation blizzard befalls your state. "Snowmygawd," as I saw the blizzard affectionately named in the newspaper was, by this West Texas Girl's standards, awe inspiring. Not only did I wisely choose to stay home on a day when 18+ inches of blowing snow fell around us, but the storm was significant enough for my gym to close. Again, not my fault I can't workout at the gym (not that I would have risked my life to get there anyway).
While Saturday was most definitely a good day to bake cookies and decorate the Christmas tree, I realized I gotta getta on board with home workouts. A fit mama relies on them for her plan B, which due to so many factors out of her control (as if I ever had control since becoming a mother) can become the rule rather than the exception.
I need to embrace my plan B options:
More yoga in the living room
Set up bike for Spinnerval DVDs in the basement
Learn how to use the TRX equipment that's calling my name
What's your favorite plan B when circumstances require you to workout at home (of if working out at home is your plan A)? Help me add to my list so I have more options next time the icicles cage me in.
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16 comments:
I hate to be the messenger of the obvious, but: shoveling snow counts as real exercise. I volunteered to dig out my husband's car yesterday from its street parking slot in South Minneapolis. It took me 45 minutes and I was quite sweaty when I was done!
I do circuits inspired by the MetroDash workouts, ie: 10 squats/10 push ups/10 crunches/10 jumps, etc. You can include whatever you like: running up and down your stairs, jumping rope, jumping jacks, burpees, etc. They are very intense and therefore over quickly and they don't take much space or equipment.
Oh, but also--if we were lucky enough to have snow I'd go snowshoeing.
Of course, of course. I'm a huge fan of the multitasking workouts. So these plan B ideas are definitely above and beyond the housework workouts, which I absolutely believe counts! Lynne, yes, that's what I need to do. Have the perfect space for it in my basement. All I need is someone to come scream at me a la Jillian Michaels. I also need to be okay sharing my workout space with a mouse or two. Still, working on that...
Dance with your kids, my daughter LOVES that. Go tobogganing (wow I know that wasn't spelled right) and build snowforts/snowmen and women. I do yoga occasionally, but that involves the kid staying out of the way (doesn't happen often) Anything that involves moving around with your little guys, do calisthenics show them how to stretch with proper positioning etc. If you little guy is out and in bed, then bust out the yoga, or the weights, or the yoga ball, etc. The sky's the limit!
If you have Comcast cable or similar, On Demand has great workout and yoga videos. I did these on maternity leave with my daughter during nap times and it was a great "free" workout.
I like the Daily Yoga free podcasts on iTunes. And if I'm really desparate, doing burpees, situps and pushups is better than nothing. I have also done a few hippity hop races down the hallway. Sometimes we set up obstacle courses in the living room - moving the furniture for setting it up helps start my cardio.
Military style snow angels; on your back then on your stomach. Shovel the driveway with beach pails: squatt when time to empty each full pail. Roll excersize- ball-sized snowballs and lay face up for sit ups. Then kick box them to smithereeeeeeeeenze for some leg work.
or
Use beer bottle and wine bottle as light weights and lift repeatedly to your mouth and then back down, extending fully from the floor to the lips (empty into lips for extra calarie burn)
Alternatively, you could X-C ski with the boy in tow on a sled.
R A K E the S N O W off that huge roof of yours!
BODYROCK.TV!!! You must check it out! hardcore, very little equipment and short! Ok, I'm pretty sure that just got my comment ejected by your spam filter but holy crap balls that was some storm we got! I've been homebound for 3 straight days with my now-insane children. So not fun. Glad you guys are making it through a little better!
Big fan of Living Room yoga and Bookcase Ballet Barre. Am I dreaming or did you have a phantom post about walking to the store in snowshoes to get tacos? Because I referenced it in my other blog. I'm sure this isn't mommybrain right now.
OMG the ideas are falling as fast as the snow! I forget there are workouts on TV and we have the ability to record so I can't use the excuse that the timing wasn't right.
And anonymous (I know who you are) I DID rake the snow off the roof last week, where I could reach, and YES that was a doozy of an arm workout. As a side note it is fun to whack down the icicles. I am learning that as pretty as they are they are terrible for your roof... I also really like the shoveling squats with a pail...
But as a reminder, dear readers, all the outdoor workout ideas, while FANTASTIC, must wait until the temperature reads positive numbers!!
Janine. You always make me laugh... As a side note I'm dancing again for Christmas Eve service--will soon make it into a blog, I'm sure. I'd say it's easier dancing without The Boy, but I had to hold him for part of rehearsal yesterday. Chaines were quite interesting with a 25lb babe in the arms and quite fun for him. But snowshoeing for Tacos? Not my dream... I'm afraid your mommybrain made that up. I best go catch up with your blog! Wait, unless it's my mommybrain that forgot the dream. I would snowshoe for tacos though... for real.
I FOUND IT! It's on the FB MamaSweat page. Maybe that's not you in the picture, but at least it isn't my mommybrain! (this time)
Indeed! The FB Fan Page for Hot (Sweaty) Mamas has a photo of my co-author, Laurie, headed out in the blizzard--not ME!! We were both right:-) As a fellow West Texas girl, Janine, you oughta know I'm too wimpy for that! I think it was the tacos that threw you:-)
The dreadmill. You know me. I am an outside runner, but I feel the same as you. As I get older, my threshold for cold, unpleasant runs gets a little lower. I suck it up, hop on the treadmill, put on some mindless tv show - housewives usually - and go! I make sure to do some intervals, sometimes super fast during commercials. Damn there are a lot of commercials. Have fun!
I did a cannonball off the diving board before indoor pool lap swim today. Shannon dared me. The high school pool is the only tropical location in our neck of the woods at the moment.
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