Workout Mommy » about me

Picking a personal trainer that is right for you

workoutmommy — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:07:53 +0000

Back in my days before kids I owned a personal training business and ran a morning boot camp program. I trained about 35 ladies at 5:30 in the morning 3x per week.

To say I was a little unsympathetic to what at the time I considered a lack of commitment is putting it nicely. I made them do extra lunges if they were late to class and if they yawned during class, EVERYONE had to drop and do 10 push ups. If they didn’t show up, I called or emailed to remind them of their goals and how they need to get up and come to class, no excuses!

Most of these women were moms and many times they told me their babies or kids were up all night and they were just too tired. I listened but inside I was screaming “NO EXCUSES! How hard can it be to get up and exercise just 3 times per week?! “ I actually told one mom that she could just nap during the day!

Yeah.
Funny how karma comes back to get you.
I am now “blessed” with FOUR children who do not sleep through the night.
On any given night I am woken up at least 4 times and rarely do I get more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep. The idea of getting up at 5am to exercise is laughable at this point in my life.

If I could go back in time, I would punch my personal training self in the face.

So now that I’m that busy mom, I want a personal trainer who GETS me. Who understands that I am stressed out, sleep deprived, and usually unshowered. I want another mom who can tell me they understand why I dive into a bag of chocolate late at night. (hey, it’s either that or a bottle of vodka!)
I’ve had some great male trainers who offer great workouts but let’s be honest…..they don’t get IT.
Until you live in the trenches, you cannot possibly understand.

Right now I don’t have a personal trainer but if I go looking for one in the future, it’s going to have to be a fellow mom.

What do you think? Have you had a trainer who didn’t get IT?
Do you prefer a man or a woman trainer/instructor?

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Picking a personal trainer that is right for you

What does exercise mean to you?

workoutmommy — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:47:55 +0000

My boys are in constant motion. Seriously, they never.stop.moving.

This is why we still have a trampoline in our family room. Friends come over and laugh at it but it honestly gets more use more than our couch! (with the exception of the husband who really enjoys said couch)

Anyway, I decided to ask the boys what exercise means to them. (click through your reader to see the video)
And then had them add a shameless plug at the end.

Kids think exercise is FUN. They love to bounce on this trampoline or run around or jump rope or dance or run around….you get the point. It’s never boring to them and it’s just PART OF THEIR DAY.

So my question to you is –-how do you get the FUN back into your fitness and make it just part of YOUR day?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCEA0p0wiLk

Never underestimate the power of a workout gang!

Welcome to YOUR awesome!

workoutmommy — Sun, 01 Jan 2012 10:15:14 +0000

Hello 2012!

A new year.

a fresh start.

a clean slate, yes?

I normally don’t do resolutions (because I usually break them before noon) but this year I have just one and it is to LIVE.

LIVE life.
I’m going to take it by the balls horns this year and squeeze every last drop of LIFE out of it that I can.

So I am logging off right now and going to find/create/enjoy my awesome!

How about you?

How are you going to make your year AWESOME?

Bathing is optional

workoutmommy — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:00:40 +0000

Back in my life before kids, I would workout at the crack of dawn and then take a nice long HOT shower. It was awesome.

These days, I’m lucky if I am getting the chance to take a shower before midnight. I’m always dressed in workout clothes hoping (praying!) for the chance to sneak away for a workout.

I jump on the treadmill when the babies are napping or I swing some kettlebells while my 2 year old is somewhat distracted.

Since I’ve become a mom it seems like my personal hygiene has been put on the back burner. There just is not enough time in the day to take a shower!? How did that happen?

and please…. please tell me it happens to others too?
Never underestimate the power of a workout—even if you stink!

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Is it harder to lose weight as you get older?

workoutmommy — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 20:52:15 +0000

In my opinion and personal experience, absolutely!

I was overweight in my 20s and while it was tough to do, I managed to take the weight off with a lot (too much?) exercise and watching my diet.

Now, four kids and many years later, I find myself in the same oversized boat again. This time however I am unable to exercise those pounds away. I’ve been running, working out, and watching my diet but those extra pounds sitting on my rear end right now don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon.

Long story short….I haven’t lost a SINGLE pound since coming home from the hospital with baby #4.
I am beyond frustrated.
Losing weight after age 30 (almost 40) just plain sucks.

So what can I do?
I’ve started reading The Primal Blueprint and have decided to give that a whirl. It makes a lot of scientific sense and I love reading all the success stories on Mark’s website.

The downside for me is that not only do I LOVE bread but I don’t really like meat at all.
Oh this should be so much fun!

Now your turn gang, have you found that it’s harder (or maybe easier?) to lose weight as you have gotten older? Tell me your secrets, ideas, thoughts or just overall “I hear ya!” in the comments below.

I’m off to stare longingly at a loaf of bread…….

copyright owned by www.workoutmommy.com Please do NOT reprint without permission.

Is it harder to lose weight as you get older?

Walking a 5K?

workoutmommy — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 01:15:17 +0000

This past weekend I ran my first (non pregnant) road race in almost 2 years. While in the past I never did 5ks, I figured this was a safe start for me.

I was very nervous at the starting line but as soon as I fell into my groove I felt great again. I love running races! There is just something about the energy of the crowd and spectators that makes me feel like a superstar!

I didn’t win, nor did I even have a finishing time anywhere CLOSE to where I used to finish, but I did it! I crossed that finish line with a smile on my face and a renewed sense of ME. I’m ready to get back to longer distances and possibly (hopefully?) a marathon next fall.

After the race I stuck around to cheer for the other finishers and was really annoyed when the announcer began to tell the walkers they should be running. He announced over the speaker “You know this is a running race, right?” It was said in a joking way but it didn’t go over well with me.

Yes, there are people that choose to walk a 5k race and that is perfectly fine. They are out there getting some exercise, having fun, and usually supporting a great cause. (this race benefited a local cancer foundation)

I felt the announcer should have apologized to the walkers, although I’m not quite sure he was even aware of the fact that he was offending people.

What do you think gang? Should walkers be allowed in running races?

Letting go

workoutmommy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:49:55 +0000

My son carries around a backpack full of toys that definitely weighs more than he does. I always wonder how he can walk around with so much baggage on his back?

And then I start thinking about all the things that keep me awake at night and realize I am carrying around my own baggage that I just need to LET GO.

I really have no idea how to do that, so maybe if I spell it out here on my blog, it will help a little bit?

1. Scale: I need to just accept the fact that I am never going to be the same size I was before kids. (I was really skinny) Back then I had no other “job” other than working out for several hours a day and watched (very closely) what I ate. These days, I’m lucky if I have time to brush my teeth and sometimes my lunch consists of leftover Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. (yuck, I know). I need to just let it go.

2. Them vs. me: I spend too much time comparing myself to other moms and families around me.   Their houses are perfect, they host fun events, they go out with just their husbands, etc. That is not my life.    Mine is messy, loud, and a hosting event consists of pretzels and maybe a soda.   That is who I am and if they don’t like it, they can find another friend.

3. My mom: she’s isn’t coming back. This one eats at me every single day. I miss her so much and wish she could be here to be a grandma to my kids.   I drive by her old house and I think that for just one second maybe she will be standing at the door with cookies for my kids.   But she isn’t. And she never will be again.   They say time heals all wounds but this one just seems to get worse with the passage of time.

4. Boston: I need to give up my hope of ever qualifying for the Boston marathon.

5. Sleep: I have no idea why I was “blessed” with kids that don’t like sleeping, but I have FOUR of them!   The older ones still don’t sleep through the night and it’s just insane. My body is so sleep deprived yet when given the opportunity to actually sleep (like now!), I find myself unable to do so.   So maybe if I just let it go and say I don’t need sleep, my body will start to get some?

There….blogging therapy done.
Now, how about you gang….what baggage do you need to let go?

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Push present

workoutmommy — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:36:55 +0000

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Jennifer from Hip as I Wanna Be has a great blog post about push presents and her list of ideal ones. (go read it, she has some great suggestions!)

Some people love bling.
Some people want a new car.
Others….like me….just want a little running therapy.

So I present to you (ha! no pun intended) my new push present:

Now I just need a daily push (ha!) to get on it and get moving!

How about you gang?
What would you get as your ‘push present’?

When social media brings you down

workoutmommy — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:17:13 +0000

When I started blogging 4 years ago (this week actually! Happy Birthday to my blog!) —it was a different world. There weren’t that many of us health/fitness bloggers and we all banded together to tell our stories.

There was no Twitter, Facebook, Klout, or any of the timesucks zillion forms of keeping up with everyone and everything.

Now, it’s a whole new ball game and truthfully, one that is NOT motivating me at all. It’s working in the reverse actually,it’s making me feel very bad about myself.

Everywhere I turn someone is losing a ton of weight, running a marathon, eating super healthy fresh food everyday and taking pictures of it, or getting together with blogging friends at an event right in my own town (one that I was not invited to).

Some people live in a world of rainbows and unicorns and I get jealous that I do not. I am jealous of those who seem to go on fun outings with their kids because right now I’m so overwhelmed I can barely get mine out in the backyard.

I told my husband yesterday that I think I need a break from ALL forms of social media because it’s depressing the hell out of me. He thinks I’m crazy.

Surely I can’t be alone in this feeling, right?

Does social media (including Facebook & Twitter) bring you down?

(and please, no comments like “you can do it” or “It takes time”, etc. I just can’t handle those right now even though I appreciate them. )

New month, new goals

workoutmommy — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 18:19:18 +0000

Hello, remember me?
It’s been awhile!

Now that we have started a new month, it’s time to get some new goals on the books. For me, that means:

Better, cleaner eating. Goodbye JUNK, hello fresh and unprocessed foods! Have you seen the website 100 days of real food? I need to make it my best friend.
Exercise! Although I haven’t gotten the all clear from the doctor yet, I’m trying to do some power walking and light jogging. I’ll be honest though, it isn’t pretty. I’ve got a long road ahead of me but hopefully I’ll be running another half marathon this spring. I also need to get back to my favorites–KETTLEBELLS!
Positive thinking. I need to do this. I need to MAKE myself do this. Being a stay at home mom of 4 little boys is just emotionally exhausting. At the end of the day I usually want to dive head first into a tray of brownies just to keep my anxiety in check. So instead of doing that, I need to just think positive happy thoughts and breathe. (very deeply)

My PRIMARY goal is to get back to my pre-kids weight, which right now means I need to lose just under 40 pounds.
ACK.

I’m giving myself 11 months to do it though. It’s going to suck but in the long run I know it will be worth it.

So that is what is going on in my end of the world, how about YOU?
Do you have any new fall goals?
Share below!

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