New Lily

How to Be Your Own Cheerleader

Motivation is relative.. .You can ask me about fitness, but please don’t ask me about organization!

I often get asked  how it is that I remain motivated to stay in shape.  Frankly I am always a little confused on how to answer this question because I think it is relative.  I am highly motivated when it comes to exercise…but that is mostly because I actually like to exercise!  It really isn’t a chore for me to workout…I not only  enjoy the results of doing it, I really love doing it!  I realize that this is not true for everyone.  For some people, working out is a chore, it’s a real effort, and it can be very tedious.  I understand these feelings however, because while that is not at all how I feel in regards to fitness, I totally relate to feeling that way about many other things.  For instance, getting organized  is a chore for me. Trying to get my schedule in order or even all the things in my house in order is a monumental effort.  Other people I know thrive on organization.  They are whizzes with a calendar, never forget a birthday, and have all their cabinets categorized.  While staying organized is fun for them (maybe because they are good at it), for me it is forever frustrating! [Read more…]

9 Things You Should Not do if You Want to Lose Weight This Summer

1. Don’t decide to go on an extreme diet because it is summer. Extreme diets don’t work. Cutting out ALL carbs, avoiding fruits, or giving up suddenly ALL meats isn’t going to help you lose weight for the long haul. Instead, try cutting back in small ways…avoiding desserts, trying not to snack between meals, and drinking water before you eat a snack just in case you are actually thirsty -not really hungry at all.

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Instead of Running…Go for a Walk!!!

Walking gets endorphins going too!

I am walking more lately… and  enjoying it! I walk at night with my husband, James.  I walk while my daughter (#5) runs (see My Workouts). I also walk during some of my runs.  All of this walking has got me thinking…is walking just as good an exercise as running?  The answer to that question, I believe, is that it depends. Lots of us believe that because we are more likely to burn more calories running than walking, that running is better.  However, as I find myself smack dab in the middle of my 45th year of life…I believe better is relative. [Read more…]

What Would You do if You had the Chance at an “About-Face” Change?

keep-calm-its-only-induction-dayWe dropped off our son Thomas (#3) at the United States Naval Academy for Induction Day (I-Day) last Thursday.  I have walked on the grounds of the Naval Academy many times and I have had the privilege of seeing West Point as well.  Whenever I am there I always have some vague sense of envy as I see these young people around the “yard” .  [Read more…]

Part 4 of 4; Comparing Some Trends in Fitness…A Final Analysis

Time to weigh in on some of the newer trends in fitness.

I recently wrote about some of the newer trends in fitness – P90X, CrossFit, and Pure Barre, and have come up with my own opinion in a kind of “final analysis” blog post. For the sake of simplicity, I have looked at each kind of exercise in terms of four things: how easy and convenient it is to use and keep using, how thorough a workout it is (all-body), how costly it is, and how effective it is (physical results). While some of these things are harder to measure than others, I believe that my own experiences with them, coupled with my conversations with many others who use them, have given me insight so that I can come up with a fair analysis. For each category, I will look at the various types of exercise, and then rate them 1-3 (1 being the lowest and a 3 being the highest). [Read more…]

Looking Back on 9 Kid Fitness in 2011

Finishing up our first year at 9 Kid Fitness, I want to thank all of you who have visited our site, contributed with comments, and just checked in with us via Facebook and Twitter. Launching last March, my hope was to engage with others who are trying to make fitness a priority in their very busy lives. Thank you for being a part of the 9 Kid Fitness community, and I hope that we will continue to find support and encouragement from each other in 2012! Today I would like to look back over the last year and highlight nine of the most visited posts at 9 Kid Fitness:

1. Me vs. Victoria’s Secret I take on the image of women that Vicoria’s Secret portrays in their holiday commercials (among other things).

2. When I Run I Feel His Pleasure Many of us Feel God’s presence when we run, and in this post I talk about how it felt for me. [Read more…]

I Got a Treadmill for Christmas!

My husband gave me a  treadmill for Christmas!  After talking to my kids about a “light” Christmas this year due to the economy, etc., I came home on the 23rd to a treadmill gracing our bedroom with a large red bow on top! So much for the light Christmas!  I have never owned a treadmill, and frankly, rarely run on one before.  I have had my “tried and true” Lifecycle for twenty years, and never really thought about owning a treadmill.  So it is a bit of a paradigm shift as I consider when I will use this new machine (my husband is still waiting for me to go for a run on it since he and the boys painstakingly got it up the stairs five days ago). Actually, as  a mom of nine, I certainly can think of multiple reasons to have a treadmill, the number one reason being convenience. [Read more…]

A Funny Thing Happened on my Run This Morning!

A funny thing happened this morning on my run.  I had met my friend, Susan at about 5:40 and we ran six and a half miles, mostly in the dark.  When we parted ways, the sun was just coming up and I had about a half mile left before I got home.  I love this time of morning when it isn’t still dark, but it’s not yet light, either…things appear shadow-like.  [Read more…]

Three Things Women Can do for Exercise Induced Incontinence

We are starting to hear more people talk about issues related to the pelvic floor, and this is a really good thing. Pregnancy, childbirth, episiotomy, fibroids, chronic coughing, menopause, weight gain or inactivity all can contribute to decreased tone, strength, and flexibility of the pelvic floor. When this happens we can experience symptoms of urinary or stool incontinence or other problems related to pelvic organs such as sagging or prolapse, low back pain, painful intercourse, etc. Since the most common is urinary incontinence, most women can relate to the experience of leaking urine, whether during pregnancy, postpartum, or as they get older. And for many, exercising is where it rears it’s ugly head.
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Hot Sweaty Mamas!

Having just finished the book, Hot Sweaty Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom by Kara Thom and Laurie Kocanda, I am struck by something. As a twin, I have had the fortune in life to have another person who thinks just like I do. This sounds like a trite statement, but it is a profound thing. My twin sister doesn’t even have to say anything, I just know how she feels and what she means when she says something, and she feels the same way about me. I believe it is a gift; a “twin thing”, and I really didn’t think I would ever experience it outside of this “twin language”. This book has proved me wrong. [Read more…]