Unplugged: Yes, I survived.

Two weeks ago the family (including my mom) took a blissful 8 day vacation to St. Pete Beach, Florida.  This vacation was a long time coming – life had gotten crazy, we had a very up & down year and I really just hoped and prayed that we’d be able to “get away” this summer as a family.  Needless to say, God was good & we were able to plan this trip.  We were thrilled, too, that my mom was able to join us because let’s face, things are always better when “Mimi” is around!

On our way down to FL we decided to stop and spend the night in Macon, GA & upon getting out of the car I decided to take my beloved (and new) Sony Vaio out of my bag to “check” something online.  (Background – my laptop and I are together constantly – it’s where I do most of my work as a Beachbody coach AND let’s face it, who doesn’t use a laptop or iPad for just about everything anymore?)  I went to turn it on and…..nothing…..no lights, no screen….nothing.  I kept my cool thinking maybe it was just the battery & it needed to be plugged in (still weird because it had been closed up and shut down in my bag for all of those hours).  I didn’t start to really LOSE my cool until plugging the computer IN at our hotel room also resulted in NOTHING.  This is when things started to get REAL and I began to realize the gravity (or so I thought) of the situation.  MY COMPUTER WAS DEAD – I WAS TO HAVE ZERO “REAL” CONNECTION ALL WEEK LONG.  How would I survive?  Could I handle this?  I had to handle it.

And handle it, I certainly did!  While we all know that I could have done a lot of what I thought I needed to do on my phone OR even used my hubby’s laptop, I took this “challenge” to heart and really scaled back my “work-mode” and focused more on being present with my family and truly ENJOYING our vacation together.  Looking back now, I fear that I would have missed the dozens of dolphins that swam by or missed my daughter looking like this:

or this fabulous sunset:

if I had been staring at my computer.  So, stinky as it initially was, my computer breaking was definitely a blessing in disguise.

 While computers and technology are so important in our daily lives….do you “unplug” regularly and “connect” with those in your life who are most important?

Workout Of the Week #2 (WOW)

Most schools are back in session around here and that means a better routine, right?  Unfortunately, sometimes it doesn’t.  New schedules, new activities, and new excuses to not get that time in for yourself.  This week’s WOW (Workout of the Week)  is sure to be a sweaty one that you can do anywhere. You don’t have to do each round at once- split them up if it works for your schedule.

Waiting to pick your son or daughter up for practice?  Hop out of the car and bust out one of these rounds.  You might have some interesting looks, but YOU are getting it done!

Waiting for the bus? Let your child join in with you.  This is a great one to get his/ her blood flowing before school.  Fitness needs to be a family affair.

At almost 36 weeks pregnant, and some major soreness this week I have taken it easy (easier) than normal.  I made no excuses this morning, and busted out a round before I did anything else.  I modified the squat jumps to basic squats and increased my heart rate- you can do it too!

Click here for an example of a low jack.

How will you incorporate “The Sweaty 50” into your day or week?
Comment below and tell us your plan OR share your results.  

About the Bloggers: Q & A #2

(Did you miss our Q&A #1)

What is your professional background?

H: I have my Bachelors degree in elementary and special education from Ball State University and my Masters degree in educational leadership from Butler University.  I spent 7 years in the classroom and as a literacy coach before choosing to be a stay at home mom.  In addition to raising our Claire (and our soon-to-be baby #2) I teach group exercises classes at our local YMCA.  I am also the co-founder of Girls on the Run of Hamilton County which is now Girls on the Run of Central Indiana and still continue to be involved with the organization.

J:  I graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelors degree in Business & went straight to work for an entertainment licensing firm in Indianapolis where I was a marketing manager for 10 years!  My passion for health and fitness lead me to first get my TRX certification (to teach group fitness classes) and then to Beachbody coaching in 2013.  I am part of a fabulous team & blessed to help people reach their health and fitness goals every single day!

What brought you to health & fitness?

H: I like to say health & fitness was engrained in me since I was a little girl.  I used to dress up in leotards, a sweatband, and carry deodorant bottles as weights to my moms 80’s aerobic classes in the church basement.  Growing up, being active and playing sports was a huge part of our lives.  I also always looked up to my Aunt Laura who is a personal trainer and group exercise instructor in Augusta, Georgia- her passion for health and fitness was always an inspiration to me.  Once I got to college and didn’t have 2-hour long practices everyday and gained some weight,  I looked to my Aunt for knowledge and inspiration about ways to stay fit and healthy in an unhealthy environment.

I started running, taking group exercises classes and lifting weights in college.  Once I graduated, I continued and joined the local YMCA where I approached the Group Exercise Coordinator about what it would take to teach some classes.  She asked me if I had any experience and all I could say was, “Well I have been around it all my life.”  Lucky for me, she gave the girl who couldn’t find a 32-count a chance.  Here I am five years later and teach about three to four times a week.  (And yes, I can now find and stay on the 32-count.)

J:  Ever since becoming a middle school cheerleader I’ve been passionate about eating healthy and working out.  YES, I’ve definitely had some times in my life where I’ve fallen off the wagon, but I was always able to quickly get myself back on.  A healthy lifestyle is TRULY that for me……a lifestyle.  I take it seriously!  I was the girl who was up at 5am doing recorded workouts before high school…..and I was also the girl who was on the treadmill as soon as the fitness center would open at college while being elected as my sorority houses’ dietician & I was ALSO that girl who’s first priority after moving across the country to Los Angeles was to join a gym!  I also think it’s so important to set a good example for my kids by teaching them about HOW to be healthy at a young age.  They see mommy go to the gym daily, we talk about what foods are good for your body & they participate in the kitchen with us when we’re making a family meal.

Will you share some of your goals and dreams?

H: My ultimate goal is to raise happy, healthy & confident children.  In raising our children, we would like to give them experiences that create lasting memories.  We love to travel and hope to continue to be able to do so and allow our children to experience the many places this country and world have to offer, while taking in a variety of cultures.

Professionally, I often ask myself, “Why didn’t I just get my degree in exercise science,” but then I realize that my time in education is what really cultivated my true passion: kids fitness.  Our country is in serious trouble with the number of obese children, the decrease in physical activity in a child’s day, and the lack of knowledge there is around what we feed our children.  I have a goal to make a mark advocating for the health and fitness needs of children.

 

(photo courtesy of http://www.stopchildhobesity.com)

J:  Yikes!  Goals & dreams?  Well, considering the most important thing to me in the world is my family and my passion is health & fitness – I just want to continue to live life to the fullest with my cute family – keep focusing on how to inspire others to live healthy and hopefully have a lot of fun on the way!  Our BIG DREAM (being honest) is eventually being able to afford a family vacation home in Florida – my husband is an avid golfer (as I am an avid golf-watcher) and FL-lover & we’ve made so many great memories together as a family in different places in Florida (Sandestin, Longboat Key, St. Pete Beach & Naples), we are working hard to maybe make this a reality for us someday.  Right now – a definite DREAM, but we dream BIG here.

What goals and dreams do you have for yourself and your family?

Grilled Pizza

Going out for pizza or a quick, easy dinner seems to be the weekend ritual for most families.  In both of our houses, grilled pizzas have turned into our weekend ritual.  Just like going out, these are quick and easy.  We know it is not the healthiest meal of the week, but it sure beats the pizza at your favorite joint.  Plus, YOU are in control of the serving sizes of all your toppings and can choose the crust.  It is also a fun way to involve your kids in the kitchen- they will love topping their own pizzas and you may have a better chance of getting them to even sneak some veggies on that pizza.

Directions: 

Simply brush crust of choice with olive oil, place on grill for 3-5 minutes.  Remove from grill & top with your favorite toppings & then place the pizza(s) back on the grill long enough for the cheese to melt.  Enjoy!

Favorite Combinations

• Magherita: olive oil as the sauce, sliced tomatoes, fresh basil & mozzarella
• Pesto as the sauce, sun dried tomato & mozzarella
• Pizza sauce, turkey sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, grilled sweet peppers, fresh basil & fresh mozzarella
• BBQ: BBQ sauce, shredded chicken, red/green peppers & colby jack cheese
• Veggie: pizza sauce & all of your fave veggies (black olives, peppers, tomatoes (seeded), onions, etc.)
• Greek:  pizza sauce, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts & feta

Crusts

• The Fresh Market Panini Bread: This is Jamie’s family’s choice of bread. You can find it in the bakery section with the fresh baguettes & look like individual pizza’s.  For $2.99 they are a STEAL- head to your local TFM.

• NAAN Panini Bread: Hollie’s family have tried two different bread and this one seems to be the winner.  It can be found at any local grocery store and usually near the deli.

• Flatout Flatbread: Another option that has been tried is the Flatout Flatbread.  This option give you more crusts in a package and also a thinner crust.  I would recommend cooking this for less time as it tends to curl up on the sides.  Can be found at most grocery stores most likely in the deli section.

 

Try out these Grilled Pizzas and tell us what you think!

What is your favorite weekend go-to meal?
What is your favorite pizza combination?

 

First Friday Favorite: Fitness Fashion

Considering I spend about 85% of my time in workout clothes, I HAVE found some favorite items that are staples in my closet for the gym (and let’s face it…..everyday, too!)  For my very FIRST “Friday Favorite”,  I’m highlighting one of my favorite pairs of crops – – the Old Navy Compression Capri!  Priced UNDER $30, these are a STEAL considering it’s hard to buy quality workout crops UNDER $50 anymore, right?  Also, who doesn’t have some sort of discount code or coupon for Old Navy?  It seems like they have sales every day!

While I prefer shades of black for workouts (colors tend to show sweat & who likes that look?), I’m LOVING the cute prints they’ve added to this line.  In fact, I swear that I’m half responsible for the stripey black pair becoming almost a uniform at our local YMCA as I featured this pair on my Facebook a while back!  Now, EVERYONE has them!  I love it!

These pants are survivors, too – I’m sure I’ve had my first couple of pairs for a few years now & they still fit great!  I’ve even branched out to the long compression style for the winter months & while I never really wore them for working out (still too hot), I certainly sported them with my Hunters + Uggs for comfy, casual-wear.

Head to Old Navy or over to http://www.oldnavy.com & check these pants out today!

Italian Turkey Burgers with Pesto Mayo

Yesterday was one of those days when I didn’t start out with a set “plan” for dinner.  I knew I had ground turkey (bo-ring!) and could make turkey burgers, but I wanted something a little different.   Regular turkey burgers can be so dull, right?  I dug around my fridge more only to discover we had leftover fresh mozzarella from our Friday night pizzas – score!  I also had some fresh tomatoes from my parent’s garden that I wanted to use, soooo…..this is how ITALIAN turkey burgers came together! First I started with the ground turkey….mixed in salt, pepper, minced garlic, 2-3 tbs s of Trader Joe’s Marinara, 1 – 2 tbs of fresh Parmesan cheese and PLENTY of fresh basil…..

then, I did the obvious, I formed them into patties:

While the hubs had these on the grill, I whipped up a SUPER easy mayo which consisted of two ingredients – – olive oil mayonnaise and store bought pesto (yes, I know I can make my own, but who has time for that?)  I seriously just added pesto until it tasted good – no exact measurements here, friends!

I had the hubs add the sliced fresh mozzarella to the burgers right before he took them off the grill & we topped them with a smear of the pesto mayo & a slice of fresh tomato. Voila!  Here’s the hub’s plate!  Who doesn’t have sweet potato fries with their burgers?  Oh….silly me, I should have also noted that we do our burgers bun-less here.  While it’s not my hubby’s preference, the kids and I never eat buns on our burgers, so he’s just grown used to it!

Enjoy!!!

First WOW: Workout of the Week

As parents and people, we are all busy.  We try our hardest to make our health and fitness a top priority, but let’s face it together: although we all have good intentions our workout sometimes gets moved down the priority list and sometimes taken off in general.  Don’t feel guilty, it has happened to us all.

When I became a mom for the first time, I was trying so hard to get in shape after having Claire.  Each week, I would write out my fitness plans and they would never go as planned.  Claire’s nursing time would change, she’d sleep longer than expected, she would cluster feed, etc.  There always seemed to be something that would throw a wrench in my best laid workout plans.

Finally, I decided that in order to reach my fitness goals, I needed to have a backup plan.  No matter what they day held, I needed to sweat- for my physical and mental health.  Some days getting to my local YMCA or going for a run was not in the cards, but sweating HAD to be.  I began to write at-home circuit workouts that could be done while  Claire napped, was in her swing or in that short 20 minutes of time where she was content playing on her blanket.

I would like to encourage you each week and each day to MOVE, SWEAT, and INCREASE YOUR HEART RATE.  Often times we think that if we can’t get in a full hour long workout session at the gym than why waste the time…. something is better than nothing, fit friends!

On Wednesdays, we will post a “WOW” (Workout Of the WEEK).  This workout can be used in many different ways; for all fitness levels and most importantly, can be done ANYWHERE.  Now you have NO EXCUSES!

Here are some ways to use the WOWs:
1. On those busy, hectic, “I can’t get in a full hour” days, get up 20-30 minutes early and knock this out.
2. Before you tackle your “to-do list” during nap time, take this time to focus on yourself and complete the WOW.
3. If you are new to fitness, and the number of rounds stated is too much, try one round or split the rounds up at different times of the day.  Or even lessen the number of reps… JUST MOVE!
4. Throw on some gym shoes and do it at your lunch break.  No one really cares if you go to your post-lunch meeting with a little sweat.
5. Complete this more than once in a week and try to improve your time, number or reps or increase your intensity.

Inchworm Combo #1: walk out plank, two push-ups, walk plank in, 4 squats at top
Inchworm Combo #2: walk out plank, two plank jacks, walk in plank, 4 power lunges on top.
Cross-Jack Punches: Legs scissor alternating which foot is in front, instead of hands going up like a jack, punch with the same arm as the foot on top.

Still need clarification?  Check out the youtube video here.

 

Tonight, I completed three rounds of the WOW in 23:11.  It is surely tough doing those inchworm combos at 35 weeks & 4 days pregnant, but I got it done.  I had a little helper as well.  As soon as she saw that I was working out in the living room she wanted her “fast” shoes on to do the workout with me.  Following the WOW, I went for a 40 minute walk/ run.  There is more walking than running.

What do you do you do when  you know you aren’t going to get your planned workout in for the day?
Will you complete the WOW with us at some point this week?  Post your results below.  

About the Bloggers: Q & A #1

Where were you born, raised, and currently reside?

H: Born and raised in a small town on the east side of Fort Wayne, Indiana where my most of my family still lives I ventured off to college Ball State University and never returned to Fort Wayne.  Upon graduation, I took my first teaching job in Indianapolis, met my husband and he swept me away to the north-side suburbs… here I am and I love every minute of it!

J:  Born in Cleveland, OH & moved to the north-side suburbs of Indianapolis when I was in kindergarten.  I lived there until I attended college at Hanover College.  Upon graduation I did some fun moving around while I worked as an account manager for an entertainment licensing firm (Beverly Hills, CA was my furthest place of residence!) & then finally settled down back in the north-side suburbs upon meeting my hubby.  I couldn’t be happier here!

Tell us about your family.

H: My husband, Josh is the rock of our family and works hard as the Vice President of Sales & Marketing to allow us to be home with our children. He is my #1 fan and supporter, and has been encouraging me for years to, “write”.  We have an almost-2-year-old daughter, Claire, who has changed our lives.  She has made us slow down, appreciate the small things, and really enjoy life.  We also have baby #2 (the gender a surprise) coming in September.

My parents, brother, sister & sister-in-law are also very dear to me.  I come from a very close-knit family and we like to spend time together as much as possible often taking turns making the 2-hour trek to visit one another on the weekends.  My brother is in the Navy and he and my and sister-in-law live in Virginia, but we make the most of the time we have together and have regular “FaceTime Dates”.

J:  Family is the most important thing in the world to me!  The hubs works super hard as Vice-President in a family business which allows me to be the “stay-at-home WORKING mommy” I am!  We’ve been blessed with two children – Maguire (“Mac”) who is 6 and Parker who is 4.  They are the light of our lives and I’m grateful EVERY day that I have a job which allows me to stay at home with them.  Mac is a Leg0-loving, rule-following, super sweet and gentle future golf star and Parker is an adventurous, pink-loving, extremely social little lady – there’s never a quiet moment with her!

Like Hollie, I am also extremely close to my family & am so thankful they live so close to us (although not close enough as I’d love for my parents to live next door!)  We get together as often as we can for big family dinners – we appreciate good food and even better wine!

What is your favorite activity to do with your family?

H: Josh and I have always enjoyed going on runs together whether it be during his lunch, in the evenings, or a long training run on the weekends.  Claire also joins us by riding in the BOB and becoming part of our resistance training.  This summer we also purchased bikes and a bike trailer and have enjoy Sunday bike rides as a family.  We usually stop at a park for her to play halfway through our ride.  We really enjoy anything that allows us to be active together whether it be at the park, in the pool, or just running around the backyard.  Josh and I also LOVE Indiana basketball and Colts football.

My mom is also an avid runner and group exercise instructor and growing up we always lived a very active lifestyle.  Getting together with my family usually means running a race, playing volleyball in the backyard or participating in some type of activity that keeps us moving (and usually ultra competitive).

J:  Opposite of Hollie & as I mentioned above, my family loves to COOK together!  While I do involve my kids in my at-home workouts as much as possible, you are more likely to find ALL of us in the kitchen together!  Whether it’s just the 4 of us here, or the ENTIRE family (including my parents, my brother & sis-in-law, my niece, the hubs and my 2) crammed into my parent’s small kitchen, this is just how we love being together as a family.  Every summer both my dad and I enjoy tending to vegetable gardens, so you can imagine the fresh things we enjoy straight from the garden (and grill) during these warm months!

That said, my mom IS one of my favorite workout partners & I can only HOPE that I look as fit and awesome as she does when I am a “Mimi” some day!  During our vacation last month she and I worked out EVERY MORNING – yep, true story.  We all know how hard it is to stick to a routine while on vacation, but we did it!  We take a Les Mills Body Pump class together every Saturday here at home.

Check out our other Q&A posts:

Q&A #2

Q&A #3

First Post… Here we go!

Welcome to Muscles & Munchkins… our very own healthy living and mommy blog!

We have both had a dream to start a blog for awhile and decided what better way to do it than with another person who shares a similar passion: all things health, fitness and mommy-hood.  After originally meeting at the gym and catching up between group exercise classes, we begin messaging each other.  After weeks of brainstorming, Muscles & Munchkins was born!

We created this blog to inspire, motivate and share ways to raise healthy, strong families… both inside and out.  We both love cooking and modifying meals to making them cleaner for our families; a good, sweaty workout; and spending time being active with our children and husbands.  We are not chefs, dietitians or personal trainers… just two moms, both fitness instructors who want to share our passion for all things healthy living, fitness and raising strong children.

We hope you will come back often, ask questions and share your comments.

Hollie & daughter, Claire

Jamie & daughter, Parker