Search Results for: blog stimulate your routines

Fitness Essentials: Your Mindset

Of all the fitness equipment, doodads, gadgets, videos and more that are available out there to us to use, the greatest of our fitness essentials is our mindset. Our mindset helps to determine our success, our perseverance and our ability to adapt ourselves to our fitness programs. You can meet your fitness goals without all the expensive toys in the fitness industries as long as you have the right mindset. What are the important components of a good mindset? Honesty – You need the ability to be honest with yourself about your fitness program and about yourself. You need to … Continue reading →

10 Reasons to Do Your Cardio Every Day

I enjoy my cardio workouts on a level that I have never enjoyed strength training. There’s something about the rhythm of once you get going with regular cardio – because when I don’t do it due to illness (currently I have bronchitis) that I miss it and it makes it easier for me to get back into it after a few down days recovering from an infection. So with this in mind, I wanted to share with you my 10 reasons you should do cardio every day, well six days a week with the seventh one off. You can do … Continue reading →

Stimulate Your Routines

Posted on by

With July 4th behind us, are you finding yourself in the midst of a mid-summer slump? Are you so busy with getting the kids back and forth to their activities, taking care of the house, work and waiting eagerly for the school year that you find yourself wondering how the heck you managed to fit in a workout previously? I feel your pain. I am so used to doing my daily workouts that when I have to skip a day or find circumstances robbing me of my valuable work out time that I am looking my mid-summer slump in the … Continue reading →

Are You Sleeping?

I’ve struggled with getting a good night’s sleep from the time I was a young teenager. When I became a single mother the problem only intensified. As a single parent it felt as if the weight of the world was on my shoulders. I had so much to worry about and was finding myself up at all hours of the night unable to get the sleep that I needed. I had tried all kinds of sleep aids, but to no avail. As the problem continued I found myself more exhausted than ever. I was unable to do the things that … Continue reading →

The Importance of Lists

People who make lists are often the butt of a few jokes. They can be seen as uptight and over organized. When it comes to taking care of a home, though, list making can be an important tool in keeping track of everything and even giving you the motivation to get more done in a day. Different Types of Lists There are a number of different types of lists that can help you keep your home and your life organized. There are inventory lists, grocery lists, to do lists, accomplishment lists, dream lists, activity lists, information lists and more. Different … Continue reading →

A Real Break

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. By this time next week I will have completed the final portion of my qualifying exams (for better or for worse). While there are still many things I could be doing to study for these examinations I have made a pact with myself to not engage in study on the day of the hoilday itself. While I will be giving up twenty four hours of study time I will be gaining twenty four much needed hours of relaxation and time spent with family. While we sometimes think that giving up time to study will be harmful to … Continue reading →

Parenting the Sensitive Preschooler

My daughter is a lovely and sensitive soul. If you also have a preschooler who is easily over-stimulated and sensitive to her physical and emotional environment, here are some ways that we’ve worked to make life good for all members of our household. Have a designated talking time, a quiet time when you are not distracted by anything else and can focus completely on your child. For us, this is right before bedtime. Sometimes it’s in the car, too. Having that focused, quiet snuggle time is essential for her and for me, if I want to stay in tune with … Continue reading →

Children Who Can’t Trust

When an infant has a need (such as the need for nourishment) which is not met, there is a big emotional response. That’s because the stakes are so great. If the child isn’t nourished, he will die. So he makes his needs known rather dramatically, crying and thrashing about. If this emotional response eventually brings him the sustenance he needs, he begins learning to trust. He discovers that when he is vulnerable, someone in his life will respond lovingly. As the child grows and develops, trust continues to build as the cycle repeats over and over again. For example, the … Continue reading →

The Magic of Music

Do you sing to your baby? What actually got me started thinking about this topic was our potty time ritual. My husband says it’s truly laughable–but I don’t care; it works. To help encourage the girls to stay on the potty a decent amount of time when they’re trying to go we run through various renditions of their favorite songs: Old MacDonald, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Most of you know that I have twins, and so generally I spend 30 minutes at a time singing the nursery favorites. It occurred to me yesterday (as … Continue reading →

Christmas Music & Motivation

Yes, it’s more than a little early, but I love Christmas music. When it comes to working out, sometimes the choices in music that you make can help you really rev up your performance and your enjoyment. While Christmas itself is still 8 weeks away, you might consider incorporating a few Christmas songs in your iPod mix or compilation CD. Most forms of art, including music, can stimulate endorphins in the brain. It’s why music can be very uplifting, it can bring tears to our eyes or put a smile on our faces. Christmas music is often very uplifting and … Continue reading →