Motivation for fitness comes in many ways. It can come via disgust with ones body, pressure to be trim, necessity to be stronger, or eagerness to win. These motives although, not all good, are real and often the inspiration for folks to start sweating. Why not choose a motivation that is truly motivating though? You know … fun! Fun is the way most folks describe things they like to do , right? Right! So I’d like to you do some soul searching, then some creative searching for local opportunities and then pick some sort of physical activity you think will be fun!
I did. About a month ago, I decided to thumb through the local Continuing Education Guide, which is published by the nearest community college. I stumbled across a variety of fun choices like Irish Step Dancing, African Dance and Fencing, but what really caught my eye was a course called “Aerial Dance”. The course description said I’d get to fly through the air on a trapeze and do twisty turny things on fabric. This four week course sounded fun so I signed up on a whim, and I can honestly say that I am having genuine laugh-out-loud fun. It’s physically challenging, but it makes me happy. Really happy. (more…)
As expected, Christina Aguilera gets a little freaky (not for children) in this video for her new single “Not Myself Tonight”. However! It’s got a fun beat and will definitely make a fab addition to any one’s mp3 player. If music makes you move, I suggest you give this song a go!
**Note: I wouldn’t let my little ones watch this video, so I warn that you should be subjective with yours! (more…)
I’m proud to say that my gorgeous and sweet son, Parker, turned five yesterday. He’s a perfect angel and because of this I could not refuse when he insisted on having an ice cream cake that looked like a dog for his birthday. He also insisted that I make it! Now, it’s true that I am the author of a cookbook, but my forte really lies in making healthier versions of the higher fat foods most folks love to eat. Making things look pretty is not one of my better skills. Nonetheless … I adopted this mission on behalf of my baby boy.
The first thing I’d like you to know is that I did survive. The second thing is that the cake kind of didlook like a dog. Third and most importantly, I want you to know that I maintained the high standards for that cake that I am accustomed to year-round. I did this by using low-fat frozen yogurt for the ice cream layer and cooking the cake without oil, butter or whole eggs. As I detail in The Everything Flat belly Cookbook, I use Egg Beaters instead of eggs and sugar free syrup in place of oil and butter. I wanted Parker to be happy, but also knew that I could never be happy with myself if I pumped grease and fat into children. So! I’m proud today to say “Mission Accomplished” as his party was a success and hope that if you’re ever given a similar task you’ll step up to the plate in every way you can. (more…)
iblink earbuds are both a fun and functional gift to give to any and all fitness fanatics on your shopping list. Almost everyone owns an mp3 player, and these smart sets will add an element of fun and fashion to the funky fitness beat. Most importantly, the sound quality is fantastic but what will bring the “wow” to your gift giving efforts is the colorful little lights built in to the external sides of each bud which blink to the beat of the music being played.
This gift will be put to good use and show you put a little extra thought into your purchase to bring a much bigger smile to the recipient’s face. Best of all, you can give iblink’s to a bunch of people as the price point is pretty decent: $29.99. In fact, right now iblink is running a special: buy five iblinks and get one free. Shipping is free no matter how many you buy. iblink earbuds: a fun fitness gift just right for active friends of all ages, sizes and fitness levels! (more…)
Woohoo Leah! Since you have FOUR beautiful kids, you’re probably going to get a lot of great use out of the Pedz Pedometer for kids you won. When you receive your pedometer, put it on one of your wormy little ones and challenge them to take 1,000 steps or more! Your children will not only become more fit, but they’ll sleep more soundly each night and that’s the best gift for you! Congrats and enjoy!
Paper plate hop scotch: Take five to ten paper plates and print large numbers on them. Place them on carpeted floor or grass in a straight line, or scatter them out in random order. Have kids jump from plate to plate in numeric order. If your child can not count yet, forget the numbers and simply have them jump from plate to plate
Plastic cup relay races: Place five cups at the edge of your largest room several inches apart from each other. Start your child at the opposite side of the room. Have her race to get each cup individually and place them on her starting side of the room. For a greater workout, use more cups!
Freeze dancing: Turn on some fun music for your children. When the music plays everybody should dance. When the music stops everyone needs to freeze. To make this game tons of fun, encourage everyone to dance really wild and freeze in their silliest pose possible. This will keep them entertained and interested in dance for longer periods of time.
