My gym companion...

My favorite part of the day is arguably the point when I walk through the gym doors each night. As two working parents with three young children, it seems like finding time for just about anything takes a lot of planning! I will be the first to admit, that by the end of a work day, all I want to do is take a nap. But instead, as soon as we walk through the front door when we get home, I head upstairs, change for the gym, kiss the kids (and the husband) and head back out.

This is me time. I don't have any demands on my time, sibling arguments to break up or cleaning to be done. This is just me and my headphones (or earbuds as it were)!

I'm picky with earbuds. Seriously, I don't know if I have small ears or something, but just about every pair I've tried give me a headache and they hurt my ears. I don't like traditional headphones cause let's face it, they are bulky and they are just uncomfortable to wear when running! They are much better suited for other uses. Well, I found my solution with ZAGG's award winning Z.buds. They are my gym companion and I never go without them. (If you are interested in getting some you can find a link over in the "Cool Stuff" section in the bar on the right.) But I digress...

My routine...

I don't spend a lot of time at the gym and my routine is different every day. I either do 30 minutes on the elliptical or the treadmill, making sure that I don't let my heart rate get above a certain point. I follow this with weight lifting, focusing on a different zone each day; arms, shoulders, legs, etc. You get the picture. Abs happen every day! And I always, always finish with stretching. My next goal is to add yoga at least one day per week to help increase my flexibility.

My kids know that if I'm gone for any length of time, mommy is at the gym. The first question they ask me when I walk through the door is "how was the gym?" (Seriously, that's the best cheering section I could ask for.) My kids see every day that working out is important to mommy (and daddy too; he goes about an hour after dinner). With the weather getting colder, I'll have to get creative with how to keep my kids active too, but they absolutely love when they get included in the healthy movement activities. We've been focusing on the playground for them, but like I said, it's getting a big chilly for that so we'll see what grand idea I come up with. If you have ideas you'd like to share, please feel free to comment or email me.