Category: Health and Fitness

What Does Mindful Living Have to Do With Emotional Eating?

In past posts, I have talked about how mindful eating can help with weight loss, but today’s post is a little different. Today I wanted to talk about Mindful Living. Mindful living even when you are NOT currently eating, can benefit multiple areas of your life including emotional eating?

In other words, mindful living can help with weight loss even when food is not directly involved. Let me explain…

You are probably not surprised when I say weight struggles are usually more about our emotional struggles that anything else. Life is HARD. Sometimes we have more stress than we can bare. We need a way to cope, and overeating can feel like a quick fix. Bottom line, stress and other emotions are a major player in weight gain. But what does this have to do with mindful living?

What Does Mindful Living Have to Do with Emotional Eating?

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First, What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is about being in the present moment. The past is gone and the future has not happened, but the present is HERE and NOW. Think about it. What do we spend most of our time stressing and worrying about?…The past and the future. Think about how much less stress we would have if we learned to focus on the present moment. Mindful eating is about focusing on eating and enjoying every bite. Mindful living is about focusing and enjoying whatever you are doing in that moment. Mindfulness is also about having a grateful approach to life. When we are mindflully living, we focus on the positive and what we are thankful for in the present moment. For me, mindfulness is about focusing on God’s presence in our lives at every moment and focusing on the beauty in God’s world. Sounds simple right? Yeah, I know. It is a lot easier said than done. Sometimes we will still worry about the past and future, but fortunately mindfuless exercises can help us live in the present a little more often.

Does the Bible Have Anything to Say About Mindfulness?

The characteristics of mindfulness are making space for quiet time and rest, living in the moment, having a gratitude attitude, and (for me) pausing to focusing on God’s presence in our every day lives. Turns out the Bible has a lot to say about these characteristics. I listed a few of my favorite Bible verses about Mindfulness in the infograph below.

The characteristics of mindfulness are focusing on the present (and for me, the presence of God in each moment), being thankful, makng space for quiet time, and pausing during the day. That pause helps with self control and relieves stress.  My favorite verse is “Be still and know that I am God.” When I hear this verse, I hear, “be still, stop frantically running around, relax, and stay calm, because don’t you realize that I AM GOD…I got this!”

So How Does Mindful Living Help with Emotional Eating?

Our emotions usually come from either worrying about the past or future. Mindfulness helps us cope with the stresses of life. By living mindfully, we can focus on the present instead of worrying about the past and future. So if you find that you often emotionally eat ( and many of us do including me), perhaps adapting some, if not all, of these six daily mindfulness techniques will be just what your soul has been longing. Perhaps these techniques can take the place of emotional eating as a way to cope with the stresses of life.

 Daily Mindfulness Exercises: What does a Mindful Day Look Like?

Hopefully we have established the characteristics of mindfulness, but how do we incorporate mindfulness into our daily lives?

For me, a mindful day would look like this:

1. Pause, Breath, and Pray Before Entering a New Place

Pause…take a moment to breath and mindfully pray before entering a new environment. When I pray, I ask God to help me remember to show love and kindness in this current environment. I then thank God for being with me, and I pray that I hear and mindfully listen for God’s guidance while I am in this place. So pausing and praying before entering a new environment means, I pray on the way to my kids school, before entering the grocery store, or my friends house. I pray before a family reunion or a meeting at work. By doing this, I remember God is with me everywhere.  By pausing, breathing, and praying, I better focus on the moment and on God everywhere. This act keeps me calm and comforted and helps me react in a more loving way in different situations. I actually have a cool story about this here.

2. Use Your Senses to Focus on the People and the Place

Once you have entered each new environment, place, or building, focus on the people and the place you are in. In other words, use your senses to be present in the moment instead of thinking about all the things you have to do later. This is particularly important to me when I am with my children. Worrying about all that I have to do, doesn’t help me, and I miss out on beautiful moments with my kids when I worry about things I can’ do anything about in that moment.

You know, I recently caught myself worrying instead of being present. I was late for a meeting, and I was waiting on my daughter’s teacher to arrive so that I could leave for the meeting. While I was impatiently waiting, my 4 year old daughter was twirling and giggling. I suddenly realized that I was missing out on what was right in front of me. I couldn’t do anything about being late so why should I worry? At that moment, I stopped worrying and started twirling and giggling with my daughter. This moment of waiting ended up being a beautiful, special moment, all because I chose to live in the moment.

3. Practice Gratitude (There are Actual Exercises that Help!)

When we approach life with a grateful attitude and look for the good in life, the benefits are endless. According to “Time Special Edition Mindfulness: The New Science of Health and Happiness,” gratitude practices have been associated with improved kidney function, reduction in blood pressure, decreased stress hormones, increased energy levels, and increased reports of happiness. When we  focus on the positive aspects of life, we tend to have more compassion and kindness for others; thus, the the circle of positivity continues. Now the person you showed kindness to may leave feeling more grateful and positive. Now they will be more likly to pass it on.

Gratitude Techniques:

Keep a gratitude journal is a helpful gratitude technique. Every night, write down what you were thankful for that day. If that is too much, simply writing down one thing you are grateful for every day. Again, according to “Time Special Edition Mindfulness: The New Science of Health and Happiness,” even this small exercise is also helpful.

Don’t want to even write?  Try this… You remember that moment you pause and pray before entering a new place? While you are praying, remember to thank God for something as well.

4. Making Time for Quiet Time

We all need to rest. We need time to clear our thoughts and feel the weight of responsibility lifted for a little while. When I take time to just relax in God’s presence, it feels like a chance to completely be myself with the only One who loves me unconditionally. The problems of the world are gone for a moment. I am safe, free, and at peace. My favorite ways to experience quiet time with God is through prayer, reading: either the Bible or uplifting faith books, and through journaling, which brings me to mindfulness technique number five…

5. Mindful Living: Journaling

You can do three of these five techniques in one with journaling. You can practice gratitude, focus on God’s presence, and have quiet time all through mindful journaling. Keeping a journal has been a part of my life for years, but I truly saw the dfference in my outlook on life when I focused on God and gratitude as I wrote.

In my mindful journal I now include:

  • All the positve things about the day (what I am grateful for)
  • Written prayers or letters to God
  • Any lessons I learned through either my experiences, reading, or Bible studies
  • Any questions I have about life
  • God moment stories: These are stories about when I notice God working in my life. One cool thing about taking the time to mindfully notice God’s presence every day is that…you notice God’s presence regularly. Since I started mindfully taking the time to notice God in the present moment, I have  had so many “goose-bump” God moments. These are those moments that I think, ‘oh I will rememner this,’ but as time passes, I find I can’t remember the details. Before including these God moment stories in my journal, I would remember something pretty cool happened, but I couldn’t bring the vague memory to the surface in my mind. By including these God moment stories in my journal, I solidify these events to my memory, and if I do forget, I can look at my journal and experience the awe and wonder all over again.

6. Mindful Eating

Okay, I know I have been talking about non-eating mindfulness techniques that help with emotional eating and weight loss, but mindful eating techniques are a part of living a mindful day, and mindful eating can definitely help with emotional eating and weight loss. Mindful eating does more than help with weight loss though. Mindful eating is also a time to pause from the day and focus on God, feel grateful, and enjoy a peaceful experience. When I mindfully focus on God’s presence while eating, I do much less overeating. In fact, I like to say a little prayer before I eat.  As I pray, I think about 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

My prayer before I eat goes something like this, “God, thank you so much for this food. Thank you for this time that I have to sit and enjoy the food you have given me. I want to eat for the glory of You, God.” After saying this prayer, I enjoy my food, and I enjoy my time eating in God’s presence. You can find more details about how to mindfully eat in my post, “How to Lose Weight Through Mindful Eating: A Step-by-Step Guide.”

And there you have it;  six mindfulness exercises you can incorporate into your day. Adding these techniques to your daily life may just be what you were needed to reduce your emotional eating.

If you Liked these Mindfulness techniques then you may also like…

18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life

18 weeks to a healthier, happier, more purposeful life cover

18 Weeks to a Healthier, Happier, More Purposeful Life takes you on an inspiring and uplifting journey with dietitian, Lacy Ngo. Thanks to faith-based mindfulness and nutrition, Ngo went from being weight obsessed to feeling healthy and happy in her own body. Ironically, during the process, Ngo ended up, not only losing weight but also strengthening her walk with God. Now she feels healthier than ever AND she truly enjoys eating! She is able to feed her mind, body, and soul nourishing foods and feel good in her own body without weight obsessing. Get ready to get goose-bumps as you read this amazing true story.

*A Bonus Mindful Wellness Journal is Included!!!

what does mindful eating AND mindful LIVNG have to do with emotional eating, health, weight loss, and wellness
what does mindful eating AND mindful LIVNG have to do with emotional eating, health, weight loss, and wellness

The Nourishing Meal Builder

The Nourishing Meal Builder
Create anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, mood boosting, immune supportive meals that reduce the risk of chronic disease and promote cognitive function, focus, attention, and memory.

The Nourishing Meal Builder and the included Nourishing Meal Builder Cards take the stress out of cooking nourishing, healing meals! Motivated by her son’s illnesses and her own symptoms, Lacy Ngo became passionate about providing an easy strategy that busy families could use to implement research-based nutrition into their daily lives.
After incorporating these strategies into her own life, Ngo was even more convinced that nutrition can change lives:
-Her mood improved
-Her seasonal allergies stopped showing up in the fall and spring
-Her energy improved
-Her acne went away
-Her family got sick less often
-Her son’s behavior and anxiety improved

What’s included in The Nourishing Meal Builder?
-Lists of nutrients and foods that boost mood; promote cognitive function, focus, attention, alertness, and memory; support the immune system; aid in weight loss; and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, autoimmune diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, joint pain, and even seasonal allergy symptoms
-A simple Meal Plan Checklist
-A faith-based mindfulness and mindful eating guide
-Printable Meal Builder cards

Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook

The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” ebook not only includes more mindful eating strategies and techniques, but this ebook also includes a detailed freezer meal plan and weight loss guide!

Meal planning, weight loss, freezer meals ebook
Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals eBook

The “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” eBook has 22 Chapters full of helpful information and tips including:

  • The “What is Preventing You From Living a Healthier Life?” interactive quiz
  • Mindful Eating Guide
  • The Importance of Faith
  • A Complete Healthy Freezer Meal Plan: You will learn how to cook all of your breakfasts, lunches, and dinners for a whole month in ONE day. Don’t worry, I don’t just give you a bunch of recipes and tell you to cook them in one day. The ebook includes strategies and “Pro Tips” on HOW to efficiently cook your meals in one day.

    The goals of cooking all of your meals in ONE Day are:

  • More daily free time,
  • A decreased grocery bill,
  • Healthier meals for the whole family,
  • Less daily stress, and
  • Weight Loss/Weight Maintenance

Learn more about the “Mindfulness in Faith and Freezer Meals” eBook here.

Related Posts

How I Lost 55 Pounds Through Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating For Weight Loss: A Step-by-Step Guide

*If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free DIY Diet self assessment and evaluation developed by a registered dieititian.

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You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

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Healthy Eating Hacks for Vacations and Frequent Travelers

How Do I Still Lose Weight Even on Vacation?

Vacations are meant to be fun, but they also can feel hard.  You want to indulge, but you also want cease the day without feeling too full to move .  Fortunately, I have some tips for you that can help you enjoy your food and your vacation.

Healthy Eating Hacks for Vacations and Frequent Travelers

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      1. Enjoy your food while on vacation! Focus on Mindfully and slowly savoring each bite. You tend to eat less when you slow down.
      2. Walk the beach instead of sunbathing.
      3. When traveling, bring healthy snacks instead of stopping at fast food places.
      4. Do the eating out tricks found in the “Eating Out  post during your vacation.travel photo
      5.  Find a balance. If you are eating at a restaurant you have been looking forward to all year, then go for it; get what you want even if it is a little less nourishing. At other times, choose foods that will help your body thrive while on vacation. Check out The Nourishing Meal Builder for a list of foods that help with mood, bloating, energy, and brain focus.
      6. Eat nourishing foods for breakfast and lunch and splurge a little at dinner.
      7. Take a walk around the terminal while you are waiting for your flight.
      8. Do crunches, push-ups, and stretches everyday in your hotel room.
      9. Plan fun physical activities for your vacation like hiking, swimming, canoeing, skiing, and walking while sightseeing.
      10. Stay at a hotel with a fitness room or purchase a travel gym like the BodyBoss Home Gym 2.0 – Full Portable Gym Home Workout Package + Set Of Resistance Bands – Collapsible Resistance Bar, Handles – Full Body Workouts For Home, Travel or Outside
      11. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Related Posts

How to Trick Your Body into Eating Less

Over 40 Snacking for Weight Loss Tips

How to Eat Out and Still Lose Weight: 30 Clever Hacks

Why I am Loving MealEnders For Help with Weight Loss

How to Mindfully Eat to Lose Weight: A Step by Step Guide

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If you would like to evaluate your own diet and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free Christian Wellness Self Assessment and Evaluation developed by a registered dietitian.

Copyright © 2020 Mindfulness in Faith and Food, LLC.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

Why I am Loving MealEnders For Help with Weight Loss

Why I am Loving MealEnders

As a dietitian, I am always looking for products that will help my clients, family, and friends…and ME! I recommend a product called MealEnders to all of the above and anyone who is wanting to eat less or lose weight. I have raved about this product to everyone from my pastor, to my best friend; from medical staff, to my mom, and I keep them with me as well. MealEnders use sensory and neurological science to improve portion control.

This site contains affiliate links (See full disclosure here.)

MealEnders Helps with Portion Control in Three Ways

 

3 Ways MealEnders Help with Portion Control

  1. MealEnders gives your Brain time to Realize You Have Eaten

Have you ever heard the saying ‘it takes your brain about 20 minutes to realize you have eaten’? Well there is some science behind that saying. After you have eaten, your food travels from your stomach to your colon. Peptide yy is released when your food  moves into your colon. Once your food hits the colon and the peptide yy is released, your brain finally gets the signal you have eaten. This whole process takes about 20 minutes!

But how do MealEnders help with this? When you suck on a MealEnder after you have eaten, you give your brain about 20 mintues to catch up and realize you have eaten.  So when you suck on a MealEnder, take the time to mindfully enjoy the flavors.  MealEnders really are tasty treats.

2. The Brain says, “But You Haven’t Had Dessert!”

Many of us associate dessert with the end of the meal. So when we don’t get that sweet taste, we feel like somthing is missing. MealEnders have a sweet outer layer that will help us feel satisfied. In other words, we will associate that sweet MealEnder with the end of the meal.

3. Cleanses your Palette, Stopping the Craving to Eat

Finally, the center has a strong and refreshing mint flavor. Just like the tip, “brush your teeth after a meal, to stop the desire to eat” the MealEnder’s strong mint taste cleanses your palette and stops those cravings to continue eating. Have you ever noticed that you don’t usually feel like eating after you brushed your teeth? Yeah, it’s just like that!

Final Thoughts on MealEnders

I have personally used MealEnders to help with portion control at the end of a meal or snack, and I have also found these little yummy treats helpful before I begin snacking.  MealEnders comes in chocolate, citrus, cinnamon, and mocca. Every flavor I have tried has been delicious. I truly think this is an amazing product. In fact, I have yet to meet anyone who didn’t love them the minute they tried them!

Have you tried MealEnders Signaling Lozenges–Conquer Cravings, Curb Snacking, Beat Overeating, and Master Portion Control–Helps You Stick to Any Diet Weight Loss Program, 25-count Pouch (Chocolate Mint)?  Let me know which flavor is your favorite. Has MealEnders helped you lose weight or portion control? What other strategies have helped you lose weight?

Related Post

Trick your Body into Eating Less

Snacking for Weight Loss Tips

How to Eat Out and Still Lose Weight

 

Copyright © 2018 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

This site is hosted by Bluehost.

Do Those Beachbody Programs Really Work?

You have probably seen those Beachbody Exercise Programs on T.V. commercials. You know, this is the company that makes those famous workout programs like P90X, Insanity, 80 Day Obsession, Piyo, Core De Force, 21 Day Fix and so much more. In fact, Beachbody has 600+ workouts! Now you can get all of the Beachbody programs at once with the Beachbody on Demand app, but do these popular programs live up to all the hype…My answer is, ‘Yes, they do, and here are 10 reasons why…’

Do Those Beachbody Programs Actually Work?

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1. Positive Results

I can honeslty say I am in my best shape whenever I am doing one of these programs. I like to change up my workouts so I have tried all kinds of Beachbody and non-Beachbody programs, but I have gotten the best results from Beachbody, hands down.

2. Great For Busy People

Several of the Beachbody programs are only 25 minutes. These fantastic express programs include Shaun T’s Focus T25, 22 Minute Hard Corps, Insanity Max:30, P90X3, and more.

Plus if you don’t even have 25 minutes, you can stop and start these programs throughout the day on your phone. I have a 4 year old who sometimes interrupts my workouts. One minute I’m doing a mountain climber exercise, the next minutes I am  fixing my daughter a heart-shaped cheese sandwich per her loud request. I simply pause the app, fix the snack, and then resume the workout in the kitchen. You know, because she insists that I stay in the kitchen while she eats.

3. Portability

Sooo portable! Since this is an app, I can take the workout anywhere. I have done a workout in the middle of a hotel room! You can play these workouts on your phone, tablet, computer, laptop, and AppleTV.

4. Variety

Variety is the spice of life AND workouts! I sometimes do a whole program or pick and choose workouts from different programs each day depending on my mood. I can do Hip Hop Abs with Shaun T one day, and then lift weights with Tony Horton the next. If I am not near any weights on a particular day then I can find a program that only uses your body weight for resistance. Did I mention there are 600+ workouts to choose from!

5. Your Entire Family Can Use the Program

If you have ever read any of my other posts, you know that I try to encourage the whole family to live an active lifestyle. It’s just so fun! Beachbody on Demand even includes workout programs for kids. How cool is that?!?!

6. You Can Easily Fit These Workouts Into Any Routine

I love a good workout class in the gym, but I often find that the time of the class doesn’t fit into my schedule. Sometimes my favorite class will fall right when my son has soccer practise every night or when I have a monthly meeting. Occasionally, I have gone to class to find that the instructor had to cancel due to illness or a family emergency. Hey, life happens, but with Beachbody, you can still get in your workout even when life gets crazy. You can fit your workout in anytime and anywhere! Like I mentioned earlier, you can even stop and start it in dfferent rooms if you need to.

Does Beachbody Live up to the Hype

7. You Get Interactive Support if you Want

When you purchase Beachbody on Demand, a Beachbody coach is included. These coaches give you online support and encouragement. You can go to them for support or do it on your own if you prefer. Do what works for you. Many of these coaches set up fun challenge groups, and when you join these groups you will find a whole group of people to motivate and cheer for you. I love how we encourage and uplift each other in these groups. By the way, my coach is Healther Wilson, and she is wonderful!

8. You Can Workout in your Own Home

No need to drive to a gym or even get dressed up. I workout in my sweat pants, and I don’t even brush my hair or wear makeup when I do these workouts, and its wonderful!

9. Saves Time

Sooo since you don’t have to drive to a gym or get dressed, you will save so much time for all the other things on your to-do list! And remember, Beachbody offers many workouts that are less than 30 minutes!

10.  Healthy Cooking Shows included on Beachbody on Demand

So not only do you stream over 600 workouts but 100+ Healthy cooking shows are included as well with Beachbody on Demand 12 Month Membership. 

Other Workout Ideas

My goal when I started this blog was to help people customize and find tips that will work specifically for them. We are all so individual, and there are many ways to get healthier. So although Beachbody is a great workout option for many reasons, maybe you want to try something different. I have several post that can help you pick which workout routines will work for you. Check out these workout posts below:

How to Develop a Workout Routine

34 Creative Ways to Workout

How to Lose Weight When you Are Too Busy to Workout

How to Exercise When your Kids are Always Around

And that is it, my top 10 reasons why Beachbody on Demand is worth the Hype. I would love to hear from you in the comments. Do you use Beachbody on Demand? Which programs have you tried? Or have you found another way to workout that you love?

Copyright © 2018 Mindfulness in Faith and Food.

You are free to retain any and all content here for personal use, but need permission to use it anywhere else on the internet.

This site is hosted by Bluehost.

Easy, No Hassle Summer Games For The Whole Family

Our garage use to get filled with so many “complicated to set up” games until I realized that we weren’t going to play games that take a lot of work to set up! I realized that we only needed  a few no hassle items to keep our family healthy and active all summer. These summer games are easy to pull out anytime. So here they are..

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Keep the Family Healthy and Active  with These “No Hassle” Summer Games

Keep the Family Active All Summer Long with These Summer Games

Outdoor Summer Games

Creativity For Kids Hide and Seek Rock Painting Kit

I actually just purchased Creativity For Kids Hide and Seek Rock Painting Kit for my daughter. She says she wants to be an artist so I wanted to find something that she could create and still be active. For this game you first get to paint rocks; then, you get to run around the yard to hide and find them! Sometimes the simplest games are the best aren’t they?!?!

 

Portable Summer Games Sets

My family likes to keep a set like the Triumph Five Outdoor Games Combo Set Includes Badminton, Volleyball, Horseshoes, Disc Golf, and Jai Alai on hand every summer. I love that all these game fit into a bag so that you can take them with you to a park, the beach, or your own backyard.

Beach Ball Questions Game

For this game all you need is a Inflatable Beach Ball – 1 pc Rainbow 6-panel, 12″. Using a permanent marker, simply write in everygreen questions on each color on the ball. When you catch the ball see which question one of your hands is touching. Read the question and answer it! My. Kids. Love. This!

List of Questions for the Beachball Questions Game

You see how you can play this over and over. These answers to these same questions are ever changing so you can play this game for years and years to come.

Keep the Beach Ball in the Air

Once you have finished answering the questions on the Inflatable Beach Ball – 1 pc Rainbow 6-panel, 12″, you can always play this classic.  The goal of the game is to hit the ball in the air before it touches the ground. You can play this by yourself or with a group.

Ride Bikes (Or an Adult Tricycle)

Find beautiful different bike trail and just go riding together as a family. So here is a fun fact about me. I am not very good at riding a bike, but I don’t let that stop me. I have an adult size tricycle. So when my kids and huband are riding their bicycles, I am tagging along on my tricycle. Okay, I will pause a minute while you laugh at me…So I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Schwinn Meridian 26″ Adult Tricycle green. It has a big basket on the back so I can ride my tricycle to the grocery store and bring my groceries home in my basket (We live walking distance from our local grocery store).

Isn’t it the cutest!!!

Make sure you wear a helmet! I think this Wipeout Youth Dry Erase Helmet, Teal Blue, Medium is super fun!

Bubble Popping

You can never go wrong with a little bubble popping. I love getting a bubble set like theLittle Kids Fubbles No Spill Bubble Tumbler Mini 3 Pack Party Favor Set, Includes 2oz of bubble solution and a wand per bottle (assorted colors)

Giant Bucketball (aka Giant Beer Pong, but without the Beer)

My. Kids. LOVE.this.game! You can make this game yourself by purchasing  12 buckets and 2 bouncy balls or you can purchase the game here: BucketBall – Beach Edition Starter Pack – Ultimate Beach, Poolside, Backyard, Camping, Tailgate, Outdoor Game – Includes 12 BucketBall Buckets, 2 Hybrid Balls, Tote Bag, Instructions

Giant Memory Mayhem – Matching Card Game 

Matching Games never get old, but they don’t provide an opportunity for you to get active…until now. The Giant Memory Mayhem – Matching Card Game is a GIANT matching game so you have to get up and more to flip each card. Brilliant right!?!?

 

Basketball

Okay, you may think this next one is not very creative, but I just can’t leave it off. After the first purchase, this game requires little set up and can be played for years to come…basketball. I like the portable goals with the slanted stands like the Spalding NBA Portable Basketball System – 54″ Acrylic Backboard. When the top of the stand is at an angle the stand doesn’t get in your way when you are playing ball.

 

Scavenger Hunts or Even Better the Treasure Hunt Game

I just purchased the Gotrovo Treasure Hunt Game Indoor Outdoor DIY Educational Activity for Kids Learn through Fun – 100 Clue Cards, Treasure Map, Treasure Bar, Gold Coins and Loot Bag for my son. I am so excited about this purchase. My kids get so excited about scavenger hunts and when you add a treasure map…I mean, come on…this is awesome!

Rainy Day Indoor Games

Your family can still stay active even on rainy days with these fun games…

Mr. Potato Head Hot Dash Game

The Mr. Potato Head Hot Dash Game is NOT your ordinary Hot Potato game. This game gets you moving! In Mr. Potato Head Hot Dash Game, you have to get to the household object onthe cards before the song ends. (FYI, you can play the original Hot Potato Game with this set as well for days when you don’t feel like being as active.) This is one of my kids favorite games!

Peaceable Kingdom / Feed the Woozle Preschool Skills Builder Game

Peaceable Kingdom / Feed the Woozle Preschool Skills Builder Game is another game my family owns and loves. We have had this game for years, and we still regularly play it! Its silly and gets you moving. What’s not to love!

Active Video Games

Play a physical Wii or Xbox One game with your children. I like the Wii sports: Wii with Wii Sports Game – White and the Just Dance 2018 – Wii or Just Dance 2018 Xbox one.

Outdoor And Indoor Summer Games

You can use these games indoors on a rainy day or take them outside and enjoy the sun.

Twister

This is a classic for a reason. In my opinion Twister is one of the most fun games ever invented!

Disney Junior Super Stretchy Game

Disney Junior Super Stretchy Game is similar to Twister except younger children may find this easier to follow and super silly. You not only use your hands and feet, but also your elbows, knees, and head. The positions you find yourselves in are hilarious! Disney Junior Super Stretchy Game is great for all ages! My 8 year old and 4 year old both love this game!

Free or Almost Free Games

Charades

You can play this game anywhere and you need zero equipment! Just pick something to act out and have the other players guess what or who you are. Remember, no talking allowed during the game! ; )

Hula Hoop Games

Seriously all you need is a hula hoop, and you can play so many games. Below are a few hula hoop games you can play.

Freeze Dance

Just turn on some songs and randomly stop them! Kids will have so much fun having to freez when the song stops.

Obstacle course

You can use no equimnent or whatever is around you. Cones and playgrounds sometimes come in handy too. This game gets your kids creative juices flowing. Simply come up with an obstacle cource that everyone has to complete. If you decide to play this at a playground you could say something like, “first you go up the latter, then you go over the wobbly bridge, then you go down the slide, and finally you balance while walking across a log. You can come up with some really creative and fun obstacle courses.

Soccer

You know one thing I love about soccer. All you need is a ball and two rocks to make the goal. There is nothing quite like it.

Play on a Playground

I know this is an obvious one, but I wanted to make this a complete list, meaning you could plan your whole summer using this list. In other words, I wanted to list even the obvious simple activities too.

So grab a few of these games, and you are ready for a fun, healthy, and active summer!

Related Posts

How to Exercise When the Kids are Always Around

34 Creative Ways to Exercise

How to Sneak Exercise into your Day

My Favorite Family with God Products

 

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40 Clever Hacks for Healthy Snacking

Check out these 46 tips and tricks for healthy snacking, and remember, you can see huge changes by incorporating just one or two of these baby steps into your life. Be sure to pick the tips that will specifically work best for YOU, and remember to always focus on mindful eating whenever you snack. 

40 Clever Snacking Hacks for Healthy Living

Portion Control Snacking Tricks

  1. Use your fist to determine your snack size.  Put a fist full of snacks on a plate and mindfully enjoy your snack. Click here for mindful eating techniques.
  2. Drink a glass of water before you reach for a bite. Do this every time to get more water into your day.
  3. Pre-portion all your healthy snacks ahead of time.
  4. Instead of snacking from the box, carton, or bag, put a serving on a plate and eat off of that plate. You will enjoy your food more if you take the time to sit down and eat from a plate, and you will be less likely to overeat if you separate snacks into appropriate fist-sized servings.
  5. Snack when you feel hungry. Before snacking, ask yourself, ‘Am I hungry or am I wanting to eat because of emotions like stress, boredom, tiredness, sadness, etc?’
  6. When you snack, make sure you are mindfully enjoying your food instead of mindlessly snacking. Chew each bite and swallow before picking up your next bite. Pay attention to the flavors, notice and enjoy each bite. Take a sip of your drink before picking up your next bite. It takes your brain 20 minutes to realize that your stomach is full so take your time. (see How to Mindfully Eating for Weight Loss)
  7. Pause before you start eating. Pausing before eating is a major key to mindful eating. I do more than pause though; I take the time to pray a specific prayer. After this one prayer, I rarely feel the need to overeat. Now when I eat, I think about 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, “ So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Inspired by this Bible verse, I have started praying before I eat, saying, “God, thank you so much for this food. Thank you for this time that I have to sit and enjoy the food you have given me. I want to eat for the glory of You, God.” I enjoy my food so much more when I am focused on eating for the glory of God.

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healthy snacks photo

Snack Less Often Tricks

    1. Limit nibbling or tasting while cooking or cleaning up the meal. Nibbling while cooking is mindless eating. When we mindlessly eat, are we really enjoying our food?
    2. Go to bed at a decent time. . If you start feeling like you want to eat late at night, but you are not actually hungry, you might actually just be tired. Go to bed. You will wake up refreshed and ready breakfast.
    3. Take up a hobby so that you can enjoy another activity in your leisure time besides eating. Whenever I felt like eating when I’m not hungry, I often think ‘would I rather exercise, read, or dance instead of eating?’ and the answer usually ‘yes’.
    4. Pre-plan something fun to you will do instead of snacking. Every time you want to snack when you are not hungry, do one of your pre-planned activities first. Examples of preplanned activities are call a friend, walk, read, or take a bath.
    5. Get into a snacking routine and plan your snack times. Your body will get use to snacking at this time, and you will be less likely to randomly graze and snack at other times of the day.
    6. Make sure your meals are satisfying. Mindfully eat and enjoy your meals.
    7. Store snack foods out of site.
    8. Keep more nourishing foods and snacks in the house instead of the less nourishing empty-calorie foods.
    9. Limit snacking to only one place in the house so that you won’t associate lots of areas in your house with food. If you eat all over the house, you will crave food everywhere.
    10. Make TV a snack free activity. If you eat while watching T.V., your body will associate TV with eating. With practice, eventually you will not crave food while watching TV.
    11. Sometimes we snack because we are tired.  If you are feeling tired, and not actually feeling hungry, take a nap or do a mindful breathing exercise instead of snacking. So listen to your body and give your body what it is actually asking for.
    12. If you like eating while watching TV, do something else with your hands instead like a hobby, fold clothes, or relaxing stretches.
    13. Close down the kitchen after you have finished a meal. Clean up immediately after a meal and then turn off the kitchen lights, leave the kitchen, and do something in another part of the house.
    14. Don’t skip breakfast. For some, eating breakfast reduces overeating throughout the day, increases energy, and fuels your mind so that you can feel ready to conquer the day. Make sure your breakfast is nourishing and filling. Eating something like a cup of oatmeal in the morning may prevent you from binging in the afternoon.
    15. Avoid snacking while doing other things like reading, surfing the internet, eating in front of a television or in a movie theater
    16. Drink lots of water! Our body’s need plenty or water!
    17. Make sure your meals are satisfying. Eat high fiber, nutrient-dense meals to promote fullness.
    18. Eating sugar causes us to want to eat more; therefore, limit sugary foods to decrease your desire to overeat. In other words, the sweeter the food, the more we want sweeter food. The less sweet the food, the less we desire sweets. For example, if you go a long time without sweets, then a piece of fruit will taste nice and sweet to you and a piece of chocolate cake may taste too sweet to you. But if you continue to eat sweet foods, a piece of fruit will not taste sweet enough and a piece of chocolate cake will be needed to feed your sweet tooth.
    19. If you love to eat, but are feeling full, think of the end of your meal as just a break from eating instead of the end. Tell yourself you will continue eating at your next meal.
    20. Here is one that may work for some. This is an exercise in changing the way your mind thinks about different foods. Through visualization, learn to think of nutritious foods in a more positive light. When you see vegetables, visualize them fighting your hunger, cancer, and heart disease or picture relaxing by a cozy fire while eating warm vegetable soup. Or picture yourself sitting by the beach, eating juicy cold fruit. Visualize the gift of the nourishing food as you are eating. Below is an example of my thought process as I mindfully ate a meal. This will work for snacks as well.
      “I could see the steam coming from my freshly cooked brown rice bowl as I set down at the table. I was hungry, and the aroma from the spices made me feel excited about what I was about to eat. But I didn’t start yet. First, I paused and took a moment to notice this gift from God. As I paused, I looked down at my food. The green of the broccoli, brown of the brown rice and beans, and orange of the sweet potatoes reminded me of the colors of God’s earth on a beautiful bright spring day. I am overwhelmed by the miracle of food, and I thank God. Our bodies and minds need certain “things” to thrive and miraculously, thanks to God, these “things” grow straight out of the ground!
      Now I am ready to take that first glorious bite. As I bite down, my mouth explodes with the flavors of fresh garlic and spices. I can feel the gritty earthiness of the brown rice, which is yet another reminder that I am eating food from God’s beautiful earth. It tastes like sweet nourishment as if my body is flourishing with each bite. I can feel the creaminess of the black beans as my mouth breaks up the outer skin. I continue to pray with each bite, thanking God for the “things” God gave us to help us thrive- the fiber, the vitamins and minerals, the antioxidants, and protein.
      As I eat, I enjoy God’s company. I tell God that I want to glorify Him in all that I do, including eating, and thank God for providing the energy and nutrients I need to go into the world and spread God’s love.
      I continue to mindfully eat, making a conscious decision to be present with God and my food. With each bite, the stress of the day just melts away. This is a chance to rest my body and decompress. I can feel myself relaxing in God’s presence.”

healthy snacks photo

How to Eat Healthier Snacks

  1. Snack on healthy snacks while your children eat snacks so that you will not mindlessly pick food from their plate.
  2.  Pre-portion healthy snacks. I love pre-portioning vegetables in stackable containers like the SELEWARE Portable and Stackable 4-Piece Twist Lock Panda Storage Jars Snack Container to Contain Formula, Snacks, Nuts, Drinks and More, BPA and Phthalate Free, 31oz Green.
  3. Or if you would rather eat cooked vegetables for a snack then sauté a big bag of frozen mixed vegetables in cooking spray or olive oil and garlic. Add some red pepper for additional flavor and separate into portion-sized containers for the fridge. The key is always have healthy snacks on hand and limit the availability of unhealthy snacks.
  4. Snack on nourishing foods like vegetables, nuts, dark chocolate, or fruit. These food are super filling, and will benefit your body.
  5. Have nonfat yogurt, pudding, and/or fruit  instead of other sweets like cake, cookies, donuts, etc.
  6. If you like picking at food while watching TV, nibble on something nourishing like raw vegetables..
  7. Nibble on raw fruits and vegetables while you are cooking.
  8. If you are living with others who are eating less nutrient dense foods, make one cabinet and one part of the refrigerator their foods and make one section in the refrigerator and pantry your foods.
  9. When you snack on the go you may want to purchase some traveling snack bowls like these collapsible  M Square Collapsible Food Grade Silicone Bowls with Lids, BPA-free, Camping, Traveling, Pets, Hiking, Backpacking Bowl (3 pcs set Rose)

Similar Post

How to Eat Healthy While Eat Out

Mindful Eating for Weight Loss: A Step by Step Guide

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26 Clever Hacks for Eating Healthy While Eating Out

You do great at home, but when you go out to eat you seem to always overeat. Or maybe you eat out more than you eat at home so you need a plan that will work for your eating out lifestyle. If either of these scenarios sounds like you, then you may want to incorporate some of these tips. Pick and choose the tips that you think will work best for you.

26 Clever Hacks for Eating Healthy While Eating Out

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  1.  When you order your food, ask for the waiter to bring a box WITH your meal. Before you begin to eat, put food into your box until your plate looks like a sensible amount of food.

restaurant photo

  1. When at a restaurant, ask the server to hold the bread, snack mix, or chips and salsa that might come before the meal.
  2. After you eat out, have you ever said to yourself, “Whew, I’m stuffed. I’m not going to eat another bite,” but then you keep nibbling on your food because the waiter hasn’t taken the plate away? If this is sometimes you (it is totally sometimes me), then try popping in a MealEnders ender as soon as you feel full. MealEnders Signaling Lozenges–Conquer Cravings, Curb Snacking, Beat Overeating, and Master Portion Control–Helps You Stick to Any Diet Weight Loss Program, 25-count Pouch (Chocolate Mint) works in three ways. When you eat a Mealender, you first taste something sweet. Sweetness signals the end of a meal for many, so your mind will think that the meal is…well…ending. Second, sucking on a MealEnder takes longer than chewing so you will give your brain time to get the signal that you have eaten. Finally, the center of the MealEnder has a strong and refreshing mint flavor. The MealEnder’s strong refreshing mint taste cleanses your palette and stops those desires eat. Have you ever noticed that you don’t usually feel like eating after you brushed your teeth? Yeah, it’s just like that except tastier!
  3. If you have a few favorite restaurants, research the menu BEFORE you go out to eat.  Pick the best choices before you enter the restaurant.
  4. Choose grilled or baked foods on the menu instead of fried.
  5. Ask for the plate to be removed as soon as possible.
  6. Choose turkey, chicken, or a plant-based protein as your source of protein.
  7. Do you go out to eat because you don’t have time to cook? You could try another non-cooking approach. Perhaps try this. Stop spending money going out to eat or eating fast food and take out. Instead put the money towards nourishing pre-packaged healthy meals or frozen foods. You still don’t have to cook! Find the healthiest frozen dinners here.
  8. Or perhaps you would like to cook at home, if you could learn how to create quick meals on the spot with the food you have in your house (no meal planning or prepping required). The Nourishing Meal Builder is perfect for you, if this is something you would love to learn how to do.
  9. Share an entrée with a friend or family member.
  10. Stop eating when you are full and focus on other pleasures like the setting, your family, and your friends.
  11. Okay this is actually my #1 favorite tip (my #2 favorite is the “ask for the box with your meal” tip). Favorite tip: Mindful eating! Mindful eating techniques work well in almost any situation and with almost any weight loss barriers. You can use mindful eating techniques while snacking, eating out, at parties, and to help with portion control and emotional eating. To learn more about mindful eating check out the Mindful Eating Step-by-Step guide.
  12. Ask for water. Refills on drinks can be a HUGE amount of sugar.
  13. Choose the vegetable option as your side. I mean, antioxidants and fiber!!! Talk about foods that help your body thrive!

take out photo

  1. When eating fast food, choose options like smaller burgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, salads, cups or bags of fresh fruit,  and bottled water.
  2. Try a main dish salad for lunch. Go light on the salad dressing or use light dressing. Do this when you eat out often.
  3. Try a green salad or vegetable sides instead of fries.
  4. Limit eating out to only once or twice a week.
  5. At fast food restaurants, ask for the nutrition facts and look for the healthiest choice.
  6. Ask the server to recommend the tastiest nourishing meals. You could do this without even looking at the menu.
  7. Ask the waiter for appetizer or lunch portions (even at night) with extra side of veggies.
  8. Ask the waiter to wrap half the meal before bringing it to the table or ask the waiter to bring a box when he brings the meal, and you wrap up half the meal before you start eating. (Okay, I kind of said this twice, but it’s so helpful!)
  9. When eating out, ask your server to point out the low calorie options. Only look at those foods on the menu.
  10. Ask for the kids menu or a child’s size portion. An example would be a child’s drink or child’s popcorn at the movie theater, or a child’s chicken plate.
  11. Don’t feel like you have to clean your plate;  Take the time to enjoy your meal. Slowly eat and notice when you are full. If you don’t finish your food, you get to eat yummy leftovers for the next day!
  12. Make sure you have vegetables on your plate even when you eat out.
  13. Lastly, when you eat out, get tomato-based foods instead of cream based foods.

leftovers photo

Photo by freddie boy

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34 Creative Ways to Exercise

Sometimes we get bored with our regular exercise routine and are ready for a change. Or perhaps you have always found conventional exercise boring. If you are looking for creative ways to get in your exercise, you have come to the right post. Check out these fun and creative exercise ideas. What might be boring and conventional to one person might be a perfect fit for another. You find what works for you.

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    1. Use fitness dice like the 10-Sided Fitness Dice (pair)to make exercise a game.

2. Ride a bike. Bike riding is such an exhilarating way to workout!

3. Dance! Turn on some music or try a dance video game or dance exercise video.

4. Jump rope! 3-In-1 AB Wheel Roller Kit – Odoland AB Roller Pro with Push-Up Bar, Jump Rope and Knee Pad – Perfect Abdominal Core Carver Fitness Workout for Abs – with Workout Guide is a fun exercise set that includes an exercise jump rope.

5. Find different places to walk: Visit museums, zoos, farmer’s markets, parks, malls, or a pool. Walking is so much fun when you are surrounded by interesting scenerary.

6. Swim or try water aerobics. Many gyms and community pools offer classes or you can purchase a water aerobics kit (Ivation Water Exercise Set – 6 Piece Set – Water Workout and Aerobics – Floatation Belt, Resistance Gloves, Dumbbells) and do your own pool workout.

7. Take an aerobics class. Many gyms have a large variety of classes so you may find the perfect type of class for you.

8. Play a sport. So many to try. You can often find beginner level classes for sports like Tennis.

Ideas for When You are Bored with Your Exercise Routine

9. Go for a hike.

10. Jump on a trampoline. You can use one in your backyard or get one meant for exercise like the Urban Repounder: MaXimus Pro Gym Rebounder Mini Trampoline with handle bar. Package Includes Great Compilation Rebound DVD, & 3 MONTHS FREE VIDEO MEMBERSHIP! 150kg user weight.

11. Mow the lawn (don’t use a riding lawn mower).

12. Take up Golf. Walk instead of using a golf cart.

13. Take a karate class.

14. Take a dance class: ballroom, jazz, ballet, tap, clogging, contemporary, line dancing. So many fun choices!

15. Watch Youtube or music videos and try to learn the dances.

16. Take kickboxing.

17. Do an exercise video through an app.  The choices are endless.  I love Beachbody on Demand. You can try it for free by clicking this link: Stream over 600 workouts and 100+ healthy cooking shows 14 Days FREE on Beachbody on Demand!. You have probably seen their DVDs on a commercial. This is the company that makes those amazing workout programs like P90X, Insanity, Piyo, 80 Day Obsession, and so much more. In fact, they have 600+ workouts. Now instead of purchasing one of their workout programs, you can do ALL of them by purchasing Beachbody on Demand 12 Month Membership for $8.25/month. Once you purchase Beachbody on Demand, you can use any of their workouts for a whole year, and you can workout anywhere by playing them on your phone or iPad. They have everything from yoga to weight lifting to hip hop abs.


18. Try Yoga. You can do yoga at yoga studios and gyms or in your own home with the help of videos or yoga apps.

19. Palate. Like yoga, you can do palates at home or in a gym. Palates focuses on your core muscles and is a particularly great way to exercise your abs.


20. Try canoeing or kayaking. Canoeing is a great upper body workout you get to do in the beauty of nature.

21. Standing/cast fishing

22. Try fitness pole dancing

24. Take water aerobics

25. Try Zumba or Mixxed Fit. You can find classes at many gyms or you can use a dvd like the Zumba Fitness Incredible Slimdown DVD System.

zumba photo
Photo by JBLM MWR Marketing

26. In the pool, walk in deep water. You can even carry water weights if you want to take it up a notch.

27. Join and go to a gym.

28. Wash your car.

29. Play racquetball.

30. Play basketball with friends.

31. Skate.

32. Run with a Friend.

33. Instead of exercising for 30 minutes to an hour, try sneaking in exercise throughout the day.  You can find ways to sneak in exercise in the post “How to Lose Weight When You Are Too Busy to Exercise .” (This post could also be entitled “How to Exercise When You Get Bored Exercising for An Hour.”)

34. Find Ways to exercise while you are playing with your kids. For more exercising with your kids ideas check out the post, “How to Exercise Whe Your Kids Are Always Around.”

Want Some More Ideas?

 

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How To Reach Your Wellness Goals When you Are Too Busy to Exercise

When You are Too Busy to Exercise…

Our goal should be a minimum of 30-60 minutes of activity a day; but many of us just don’t have 30 minutes to an hour to spare everyday. The good news is that you don’t have to do all 30 to 60 minutes consecutively to reap the benefits. These 30-60 minutes can be split up into smaller segments each day.   In other words, if you are too busy to exercise, try sneaking your exercise into your day. In fact, I was able to lose my baby weight by eating healthy and sneaking in exercise.

How I Lost my Baby Weight by Sneaking Exercise Into My Day

After my baby was born, I was just too busy to exercise for an hour a day so I decided to sneak in exercise by walking up our stairs 10 times a day. I did 2 flights of stairs right before I ate my meals, when I was waiting for food to warm in the microwave, as I was leaving my house, and as soon as I came home.  I also did 10 push-ups, a 20 second plank hold, and 20 jumping jacks every morning before I jumped in the shower. That was it! I didn’t have time to exercise for an hour with a baby always wanting to nurse so I squeezed in the exercise, and it worked!    I also did other things like always taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking far away in parking lots. Do you want more clever sneaky exercise ideas? Well here it is, a list of 53 ways to sneak in exercise when you are too busy to exercise.

How to Lose Weight When You Are Too Busy to Exercise

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53 Ways to Sneak Exercise Into Your Day: Follow These Tricks at Work, at Home, and Out and About

  1. Whether you work from home or at a business, try setting an alarm to go off 3 times day, and walk or do a 5-10 minutes mini workout each time the alarm goes off. Here is a mini exercise routine you can try: 10 sit ups, 10 push ups, 10 crunches, 10 jumping jacks, hold a plank for 20 seconds, and hold a pike leg stretch for 20 seconds.
  2. Take several 2-3 minute walking breaks throughout the day.
  3. Make a goal to climb 5 extra flights of stairs a day.
  4. While in a rocking chair, push off the floor with your feet.
  5. Do some kind of exercise several times for 5 to 10 minutes throughout the day.
  6. Walk during lunch, and eat a bag lunch at your desk.
  7. Walk your dog.
  8. When walking, go up the hills instead of around them.
  9. Get an active dog that forces you outside.
  10. When you don’t have time to workout for a full hour at a time, try downloading a fitness app like Beachbody on Demand. The Beachbody on Demand app provides over 600+ workouts. These aren’t just any workouts, these are those famous ones you have probably seen on TV. This is the company that makes those amazing workout programs like P90X, Insanity, Piyo, 80 Day Obsession, and so much more.  Now instead of purchasing one of their workout programs, you can do ALL of them by purchasing Beachbody on Demand 12 Month Membership for $8.25/month. How can you use this app to “sneak” in workouts? With Beachbody on Demand, you have ALL the workouts with you all the time on your phone so you can take your workouts with you.  When you don’t have much time, you can do little bits at a time by starting and stopping the workouts throughout the day. You can click on the image below for more information on Beachbody.


Sneak in Exercise When You are At Home

  1. Every time you come home and as soon as you enter the house, do some exercises of your choice. You could decide to do a couple of those mini workouts I mentioned above: 10 jacks, 10 crunches, 10 push-ups, and 10 jumping jacks.  The key is to make sure you do something before you sit down when you get home from work. If you are tired, you probably won’t get back up if you sit down first.
  2. Or do 2, 5, or 10 minutes of exercises every morning when you get up.  You can add more or less depending on your time. Find some exercise ideas in tip #1.
  3. Set an alarm for 30 minutes, and clean your house as fast as you can. Don’t stop to think, just clean whatever you see as you go.   I work up a great sweat doing this. I don’t think. If the next thing I see is a dusty desk, then I run get a duster and start dusting; then, if I notice floors next then I RUN to get a broom and sweep. If I see something that needs to be put up I grab it and go.
  4. Walk to the restroom furthest away. Go to a restroom on another floor if that is an option.
  5. Do sit-ups in front of the TV or march/jog in place during commercials
  6. Actively clean to music.
  7. Stand while doing things instead of sitting. Standing an extra 2 hours can burn around 300 calories a day (Examples: stand while checking emails, playing with your children, reading, talking on the phone, etc)
  8. Put the remote away from the TV so that you will have to get up to change the channel and turn up the volume.
  9. March in place while cooking. Or do a few jumping jacks or bicep curls with canned food while you are waiting for your water to boil or while you are waiting for your food to finish cooking in the pan or microwave etc.
  10. Sit on an exercise ball in front of a TV. This burns more calories and tones more than sitting in a chair.
  11. Walk while talking on the phone. Twenty-five minutes of brisk walking can burn 100 calories.
  12. Instead of carrying everything to a room or up the stairs at one time, take several trips. By turning one trip up the stairs into four, you could go from burning 10 calories to burning 40.
  13. Take a walk after dinner instead of watching TV.
  14. Stretch before bed to give you more energy when you wake.
  15. Break up your physical activity into 10-15 minute sections throughout the day.
  16. Aim for at least 30 minutes total a day.
  17. Take up a physical hobby like gardening.
  18. Rake leaves.
  19. Wash windows.
  20. Replace a Sunday drive with Sunday walk. Or replace some of your other leisure activities with physical leisure activities.
  21. Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV or walk in place while watching TV.
  22. Walk instead of sitting around. Examples: Walk while you are on the phone, or walk while you are reading a magazine.
  23. Take your dog on longer walks.
  24. Take a quick 10-minute brisk walk before lunch or dinner. Not only will you get in some exercise, you’re less likely to choose something unhealthy after being physical active. Plus sometimes exercise actually decreases your appetite.
  25. Using a FitBit like the Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch, Blue-Gray/Silver, One Size (S & L Bands Included)or a pedometer can help keep track of your steps. Set a stepping goal for yourself. Remember, 2,500 steps equals 1 mile.
  26. Whenever you have to climb stairs in your home, climb your stairs an extra time. You could climb your stairs every time you walk in your door before you sit down. You can use indoor or outdoor stairs. If you have only a few entry steps, then climb them several times.
  27. Watch no more than two hours of TV a day. Exercise or do something fun instead.
  28. If you have stairs, climb your stairs one time every time you are about to eat a meal or a snack. You can use indoor or outdoor stairs. If you have only a few entry steps, then climb the several times.
  29. Use hand tools instead of power tools.
How to Sneak Exercise Into Your Day

Sneak In Exercise When You are Out and About

  1. Sit on an exercise ball at work. This burns more calories and tones more than sitting in a chair. You can actually purchase exercise ball desk chairs like the LuxFit Exercise Ball Chair, Black.
  2. For every purchase you make at the mall, take another lap around the mall.
  3. Walk the mall.
  4. Bicycle or walk to the store instead of driving.
  5. Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette, coffee, or snack break.
  6. Take small trips on foot. For example: Instead of calling or emailing a co-worker, walk to their desk or take the stairs instead of the elevator at work.
  7. Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office. You never know when you will have a chance to exercise.
  8. Walk around the building or field while you are waiting on your kids to finish soccer, band, football, or dance practice.
  9. An oldy, but a goody- Park far away in the parking lots. This tip has stuck around for a good reason. It works!
  10. Always take the stairs instead of the elevator when stairs are an option.
  11. Walk to work.
  12. If it is safe, get off the bus one stop early.
  13. Walk instead of driving whenever you can.
  14. Walk your children to school.
  15. Do some kind of volunteer labor like walking dogs at an animal shelter, participating in litter clean up, or building and repairing projects.
  16. Walk to your place of worship instead of driving.
  17. When you are waiting in a waiting room, slightly lift your legs off of the floor to subtly work your leg muscles. If you lean back as if you are leaning against the chair, but keep your weight off of the back of the chair, you will get an ab workout without anyone in the waiting room noticing.
  18. For more ways to exercise when your Kids are ALWAYS around, check out this list.

A Few More Thoughts…

  • Last tip, make sure you do take the time to rest at some point. One idea is to workout hard all day, and then give yourself an hour of down time before bed. If you are doing these exercise all day you will BURN a lot of calories, but you also don’t want to burn yourself out. Rest is a part of health too.
  • If you would like to evaluate your own lifestyle and determine which tips work best for you, please take the free DIY Diet self assessment and evaluation developed by a registered dietitian.
  • Did you find these tips helpful for times and seasons in your life when you are too busy to exercise? Which tips did you find the most helpful?

Related Posts

How to Exercise When Your Kids Are ALWAYS Around

How to Develop Your Own Exercise Plan

34 Creative Ways to Exercise

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What you Need to Know to Develop Your Own Exercise Plan

What you Need to Know to Develop Your Own Exercise Plan

So you have decided to start an exercise plan or routine, but where do you begin? Use these tips below to develop an exercise plan that works for your lifestyle.  You can always develop one plan, and then pick another plan if your original plan doesn’t workout (pun intended).

    Develop your Exercise Plan

Consider these Basics When Developing an Exercise Routine

  1. Remember to drink water before, during, and after workouts so that you won’t “hit the wall” or become dehydrated. Make sure you stay hydrated so that you can work out harder and burn more calories, and more importantly drinking water prevents dehydration which can be dangerous.
  2. If you want to prevent plateauing, vary your activities. Changing up your exercises will cause muscle confusion so that your muscle are always having to work. Plus when you vary your activities you won’t get bored. Click here for 34 Creative Ways to Exercise.
  3. Include strength training. Muscle burn more calories than fat, so try twenty minutes of strength straining two to three times a week. Strength training also reduces injury, improves balance, and helps maintain your bones.
  4. When you do hit a plateau, increase either your exercise intensity or duration.

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Pick an Activity that Fits into Your Schedule

  1.  Are you a morning person? If you need to set your alarm an hour early so that you can workout before work, then do it! Many people find morning workouts ideal. Why? People often do better with their eating throughout the day when they have started the day off well. After you have had a hard exhilarating workout, you are motivated to keep going the rest of the day. The same goes for getting an early start during the week. If you do well on Monday with your exercise and eating habits, chances are you will stay motivated for the rest of the week; however, slipping up on Monday can slow down your motivation IF you let it.
  2. What if working out in the morning just doesn’t fit in your schedule? Try working out after work. Some of my clients made a committment to workout right after work, before doing anything else. They even pack their shoes and workout clothes so that they don’t even have to go home first. Once you go home and begin relaxing, you might get too relaxed to jump up and exercise. Even if you exercise at home, you can still decide to exercise first- before you sit down.
  3. Maybe you have to wait until the evening to get that workout in. Your kids need you until bedtime, but after bedtime you have free time to workout. This might be a little harder for some, but I know many who have made the committment to workout in the evening.
  4. Okay, so you have read the three above tips, and your saying, “I hear you, Lacy, but I really don’t have 30 spare minutes in my day and I KNOW I’m not going to workout late at night OR get up earlier than I already have to! What do I do?” I have an idea you might enjoy. May I share it with you?…You can sneak in your exercise! To find out how, check out my post entitled, “How to Sneak in Exercise when you Don’t have Time to Exercise“
  5. Perhaps your children are ALWAYS with you so you need to find a way to workout with them around. For exercise ideas you can do with your children check out “How to Exercise When Your Kids are ALWAYS Around” post.
  6. Whether you workout in the morning or the evening, choose an activity that fits into your daily life and make sure you schedule your exercise into your week.

Pick an Activity that Fits your Personalityzumba photo

  1. Choose activities you enjoy and you will be more likely to stick with them. Explore new physical activities or find a physical hobby.   For more creative fun ideas, check out my post “Exercise Doesn’t Have to Be Boring” for ideas.
  2. Ask yourself, several questions to determined what type of workout will work for you. Would you prefer working out in a group or alone. Do you want to go to a gym or workout at home? If you like working out in a group, perhaps you could join a walking group. Don’t know of a walking group? Create your own walking group! Do you want to workout with a friend? Ask a friend to workout with you. You can encourage and motivate each other! Do you prefer working out by yourself at home? You could try an exercise app like the Fitbit Coach app or the Beachbody on Demand 6 Month Membership for $9.84/month . These apps have a huge variety of workouts you can follow daily. These apps often even include calendars so you can either follow their schedule or pick which ever workout you feel like doing that day.  You can find exercises in these apps that fit into any schedule, and you can watch these videos on your phone, ipad or stream it through compatable TVs. If you have the Fitbit Ionic Watch, you can even watch the Fitbit Coach app through your watch. You don’t even have to pull out your phone! Click on the link to check out the Fitbit Ionic watch: Fitbit Ionic Smartwatch, Blue-Gray/Silver, One Size (S & L Bands Included). On a personal note, I am currently doing Beachbody on Demand, and I love it! You can try it for free by clicking the link: Stream over 600 workouts and 100+ healthy cooking shows 14 Days FREE on Beachbody on Demand! I have used them for a long time so I know these workouts work! I also love having a set workout plan for an extended period of time, and I am currently doing an 80 day program. Beachbody on Demand even provides you an online coach. I love my Beacbody coach and friend. Her name is Heather Wilson and you can find her Beachbody link by clicking here.
  3. Do you like variety? Pick a different activity to do each day. One day you could aerobics and another day you could wash your car. Or Pick exercise from the lists here, here, and here.

Plan for the Unplanned

So you have made your schedule. You have your routine down to a science and then…life happens. You can actually plan for the unexpected.

  1. When you can’t get to your normal workout, you can try to sneak exercise into your day. Say you normally get up in the morning to exercise, but for some reason you couldn’t fall asleep last night and now you NEED to sleep in. Instead of doing an hour workout, try sneaking exercise in throughtout the day using the ideas in the “How to Sneak in Exercise” post.
  2. If you normally walk or workout outside, but the weather is bag. Have a backup plan in place like “I will exercise with a video if the weather is bad.” Remember to find a way to stay active in the winter.

 

 

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