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30 Days – 30 Minutes of Movement

July 3, 2014 at 12:00 pm By coupongeek

get-moving!

It didn’t take me too long as a parent to realize that you have to be careful what you tell kids you are going to do as they never seem to forget. “Tomorrow we are going to the park”….tomorrow comes and you get busy and they are all, “Um, I thought we were going to the park?!”

So I decided that the best way for me to get in daily fitness is to get them to encourage me by doing it together.

We came up with a plan. For 1 month, we’ll get in 30 minutes of “movement” a day and by movement, I mean some sort of fitness/exercise. And my promise to them? That along with all the benefits they’ll gain by staying healthy, I’ll also take them someplace to reward them for their efforts – one of those jumpy house places. What kid doesn’t love those, right?!

calendar

I printed off a blank July calendar and for each day that they get in their 30 minutes of movement, they get a gold star sticker. (Does that take you all back to elementary school or what?!) I picked up a pack with hundreds of those gold stars at the dollar store. Talk about a simple and inexpensive rewards chart! We also jot down what movement we got in that day.

The other day we walked along some trails for an hour so they each put 2 gold star stickers on their charts for that day. Great way to start us off!

I just wanted to share this with all of you in case you wanted to have a month of movement challenge yourself. You don’t need to wait until the first of any specific month. Just start and go 30 days from that point. The important thing is, that you start!

Here are a few Apps and products that I like that might help:

map-my-walk

Map My Walk – I love this one! You can sign-up for Free. I downloaded the App to my phone. Whenever my kids and I start walking, I just click a button and it keeps track of our route, how far we went and how long it took us. The kids love checking out our stats when we are done.

myfitnesspal

My Fitness Pal – This is a good one for keeping a food journal and exercise log. I just started getting into the habit of logging my meals as I usually have my phone nearby and it only takes a few minutes. It’s so educational to see how calories can add up even when you think you are eating healthy. What I like about this one is your friends can join and you can cheer each other on to help reach your goals.

fit-bit-flex

Fitbit Flex Wireless Activity + Sleep Wristband – I have heard really good things about this. It does have a higher price tag but if in the end it helps you stay healthier, it might just be worth it!

thermos-funtainer

Thermos FUNtainer Bottle – These are so great for helping keep the kids (or even yourself!) hydrated. They sell these at places like Target, too. What I like about the newer generation ones is that they have a handle on them.

hopscotch

This is a great way to spend time with the kids and stay healthy. Here are a few ideas for “movement:”

~Game of Tag (Freeze Tag, Flashlight Tag)
~Jump Roping
~Soccer, Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Hockey, Tennis, Football, etc.
~Running – Train for a Kid’s Miler Race
~Dancing
~Gymnastics/Tumbling
~Kid’s Yoga
~Backyard Obstacle Course
~Hopscotch
~Animal Fun (Crab Walk, Bunny Hob, Frog Leaps)
~Riding Bikes/Scooters
~Red Light, Green Light
~Hula Hoops
~Frisbee
~Game of Catch
~Tug of War
~Rope, Rock or Tree Climbing
~Walking
~Video Games like Wii Fit, Zumba, Just Dance etc. (For rainy days!)
~Hiking – Turn it into a Nature Scavenger Hunt!
~Playing at the Park
~Canoeing, Paddleboats, etc.
~Rollerblading, Rollerskating, Skateboarding
~Cheerleading
~Karate/Martial Arts Moves
~Jumping Jacks, Toe Touches, Stair Climbs, etc.
~Yardwork – pulling weeds, mowing the lawn (if older)
~House-cleaning: Scrubbing floors, walls, vacuuming

There are so many ways to get movement without it costing you a lot of money. Summer is an especially great time to start this as the weather is nicer and you can get outside a lot more.

I’m hoping you and your family (and friends!) will challenge yourself to get in some extra movement even if it’s just a few days a week!

Filed Under: Blog Series, Marching Into Fitness, Time Out with Kids

Info on Marching Into Fitness 2013

February 27, 2013 at 11:07 am By coupongeek

marching-into-fitness-2013

I can’t believe that I am typing this but….it’s almost March! Wow, where is the time going?

Those of you that have been readers of Coupon Geek for awhile know what March brings to the site—the Marching into Fitness theme! For the past 3 years, I have done a “Marching into Fitness” segment during the entire month of March with special health and fitness posts and lots of fitness/health giveaways.

Well, this year, my fourth year, there won’t be a “Marching into Fitness” month on Coupon Geek BUT it is still going to happen. I’m just doing it on Glowing Gazelles this year.

For those of you that may have missed my announcement several months ago, I started a second site where I am putting my longer articles so I can keep the Coupon Geek site to mostly shorter deal/coupon/freebie posts. It’s a lot easier for those that just have a limited time to scan for deals. (You can easily access Glowing Gazelles from here at any time as there’s a button for it in the right sidebar.)

The writing started off slow this year as I was asked to fill-in as a teacher’s aide at our local school as the regular one was taking care of her son that was in a car accident. While I missed writing, I never say No to helping out others in need and/or the school. I’m back online there now, though, and you will start seeing more posts.

A few of the latest posts there:

~Love Your Food Challenge and Preparing for the Love Your Food Challenge – How I’m working towards healthier food with the family
~How to Stockpile Sensibly and How to Start! – A post a lot of you have been waiting for now for awhile!
~Finances: Week in Review – A few of them posted. Just little ways I’m finding to save money. A new one will be posted next week.

So if you’ve enjoyed the “Marching into Fitness” segments in the past or want to check out what it’s all about, be sure to stop by Glowing Gazelles. You can sign-up for the newsletter for it so you won’t miss out or Follow on Facebook, too.

Here are just a few of the giveaways that you’ll see there in March:

~Bed Bath & Beyond Gift Cards
~$50 Amazon Gift Card
~Fitness DVDs/Games/Equipment
~$50 Grocery Store Gift Card (Winner’s Choice)
~Starbucks Gift Cards

So keep watching for them on Glowing Gazelles as they won’t last long! The giveaways are exclusively for Coupon Geek and Glowing Gazelles readers and their friends/family.

I hope that you enjoy this year’s “Marching into Fitness” fun again!

Filed Under: Blog Series, Marching Into Fitness

Ways to Spruce up a Salad

May 21, 2012 at 10:30 am By coupongeek

One of the things they stress for a healthier dish is to eat salad. When you think salad, you might think iceberg lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers with a bunch of dressing on top. But salads can be so much more than a simple side salad. Here are a few ways that I’ve found to spruce up a salad so you can have it several times a week without it becoming too dull:

1) Vary your Lettuce Types – I used to just eat iceberg lettuce but I started trying the Earthbound Farm kits with varying types and they’ve started to grow on me. Consider making your salad with a few types of lettuce such as spinach, romaine, oak leaf, arugula, etc.

2) Vary your Dressings – I like to try new salad dressings all the time. I’ve even mixed a few things at home when my budget gets low. I’ve had luck with mustard and cranberry juice and I also sometimes like to just stir in some homemade salsa. The juices mixed with the contents of the salad can make a decent dressing.

3) Add Sun-Dried Tomatoes – These tend to add a little chewy sweetness to your salad. You can also Make Your Own Sun-Dried Tomatoes from your garden to save on money.

4) Add Berries (or other fruit)- I never thought of adding fruit to my salad until I ordered one like that in a restaurant a few years ago. The juices from them can help create their own dressing, too. My favorites are strawberries and blueberries but I’ve seen salads with apples, oranges, bananas, pears, watermelon, etc.

5) Add Nuts – Give your salad a little crunch with some walnuts, almonds, etc.

6) Add Beans or Hard Boiled Egg – Helps get a little extra protein, too. Garbonzo,  cannellini and black beans are ones you’ll often find in larger salad bars.

7) Add Seafood, such as Tuna, Salmon, Cooked Shrimp, etc – Find healthier varieties and add a little Omega-3s to your salad.

8 ) Load it up with Chopped Veggies – Add things such as cherry tomatoes, mushrooms, corn, asparagus, peas, radishes, broccoli, carrots, cooked and chilled squash/sweet potatoes, cucumbers, etc.

9) Add a little “salad reward” – It’s kind of fun to find “hidden treasure” in your salad by adding a little bit of something worth digging for that may not be 100% healthy like bacon pieces or those things that you need to limit such as avocados, olives, or cheese/dairy products. I also like to sometimes add things that are a little more expensive when I can, such as artichoke hearts, baby corns, hearts of palm, etc.

In the end, the best way to avoid salad burnout is to keep making them different so they seem like a new meal. Keep some fruits and veggies on hand to spruce up your salad and also for a healthier snack later in the day. Just be sure to watch your dressings that you add to your salads, as they are the way to take it from healthy to not healthy very fast! A great way to encourage more salad eating is to grow your own vegetable garden. I had fairly good luck growing several varieties of lettuce last year. And if you need more ideas to add to your salad, take a peek at the salad bars at your stores/restaurants near you. You might find a new item to add to your salad to spruce it up even more!

I’m hoping some of these ideas might help you get a little more salad into your weekly diet, if you need to!

Filed Under: Blog Series, Marching Into Fitness

Are You Ready to Zumbaaaaaaaa?!

April 11, 2011 at 9:36 am By coupongeek

If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from juggling a life of being a blogger and a Mommy, it’s that you really must be flexible and adapt when things don’t quite go as planned. I had wanted so much to get in my annual “Marching Into Fitness” month focusing on health and fitness items and life dealt me a different path. I spent most of March battling a terrible case of bronchitis and a sinus infection. I had just enough in me to get up my daily postings and not much more. I try to blog from my heart and my heart was not saying, “Fitness” but “Sleep…get some sleep!”  All my extra energies, which were limited, were spent on my family–just as it should be.

Thankfully we are healthy here now and ready to get back to our regularly scheduled programming, so to speak.  And in a sense, I’m glad it was delayed because I think it’s going to be a much better month and here’s why….

I didn’t realize how many of you would be interested in Zumba Fitness For Wii. At the time, I only had one to giveaway but I’ve picked up a few more so that I can do this—Every Monday for the rest of April I will be giving away a copy of Zumba Fitness For Wii. I really do love this game and I want to offer you all a few chances to win one. So many of you are like me and lead a busy life, unable to make it to a gym. So I’m hoping this will give a few of my readers a chance to have this fun “class” at home. I’ll be adding a little update on how my progress on the game is going with each new giveaway–motivating me to use mine all the more.

While fitness may not seem like a “hot deal” I have to tell you that it IS! Taking care of yourself and your family is such a great investment–one that not only could save you so much money in the future on medical bills but also may give you a longer, healthier life with your family–and that is priceless and the best deal that I can ever share with you on this site!

So stay tuned and keep your eyes peeled for those giveaways each week and all the others that are coming at you–including one that will make one of my lucky readers go Wii Wii Wii all the way home! 🙂

Note: This posting is not for a giveaway. Just an update as to what’s coming soon.

Filed Under: Blog Series, Marching Into Fitness

Coming in February: Fitness Month

January 31, 2011 at 9:29 am By coupongeek

My hubby and I decided we’d try our luck at another 5K this year so we signed up for one this spring. That means I need to start training again as I’d love to improve the time of the first one I ran last year. It shouldn’t be too hard considering I had no training for it! 🙂

I’ve been very fortunate to have been given some giveaways from some of my sponsors that focus on either fitness or just healthier items. So each week, I’ll be giving away an item that I’ve received from them or one that I’ve personally bought just for this series and just sharing with you briefly what I’ve been working on myself to get some much needed fitness into  my life.

I had such fun sharing my journey in September when I was doing the Jillian Michaels – 30 Day Shred. So many of you joined in and even shared your own personal experiences.

So, I’m hoping you’ll enjoy these little segments and possibly find a little encouragement to get a little more fitness into your weekly routines, too.

Filed Under: Blog Series, Marching Into Fitness

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