Exercise As A Family

     Having kids is EXPENSIVE!!  All parents know this, and even non-parents know it too!  So when suddenly one parent stops working for maternity/paternity leave than there usually isnt alot of extra cash floating around for taking the family out, let alone doing family activities that give everyone adequate exercise every day.  Babies and toddlers spend an awful lot of time strapped into car seats or plopped in front of the TV. Not only does this prevent them from practicing their emerging motor skills and strengthening their heart, lungs, and muscles, but it can also set them up for a sedentary lifestyle, and even obesity, as adults. A good habit of physical activity, on the other hand, will last a lifetime.  A workout doesn't have to be running laps or lifting weights, which requires you to set aside blocks of time. Think of exercise as just leading an active lifestyle, which you can do with your kids, and you'll be able to fit in more than you think.

As a bonus, exercise with family does double duty as quality time -- no small consideration given our jam-packed schedules. Let these creative ideas help you turn every day into an opportunity to get fit -- and have fun -- together.

1. Go for pre- or post-dinner walks

Whether you head into town or just cruise the neighborhood, building a walk into your daily schedule ensures that it won't get put off. 

2. Crank the music and bust a move.

Try a dance off, or create a routine to the kids favorite song.

3. Make a game out of household chores.

Pretend that dust creatures are invading earth and it's up to Captain [insert child's name] to save the day by capturing them with the broom.  Or give each child a cleaning cloth and a wall or window to wash and time who can clean it the fastest!

4. Sneak workouts into other activities.

Have your toddler walk instead of riding in the cart at the supermarket, and take the stairs or walk up the escalator whenever possible. 

5. Turn TV commercials into fitness breaks.

Invent silly names for simple exercises like squats, push-ups, and sit-ups, and then do them together till the show comes back on.  Call them princess sit-ups or Bob the Builder muscle builders. You can also play "coach," in which you take turns "ordering" each other to "drop and give me five," or "follow the leader," in which one person leads the others in fun, simple moves like clapping, wiggling, and marching.

6. Have a weekly sports night.

Every Wednesday, for example, get everyone up and moving. One game to play is the fit-deck shuffle. Create a series of playing cards featuring family-friendly exercises, such as bear-crawling or ape-walking. Each family member picks a card and performs the exercise pictured until all the cards have been dealt. You can also buy a ready-made set of exercise cards from FitDeck (fitdeck.com).

7. Walk or run for charity.

Model the value of exercise -- and of giving back to society -- by teaming up with your children for a fund-raising race.  

8. Put kids to work in the yard.

If autumn brings down leaves in your area, make a game out of catching them on a windy day -- see who can catch the most yellow, orange, or red ones.  Then rake them into piles -- give the kids child-sized rakes so they can help -- and have fun jumping in them, or take turns completely covering one another in leaves. After a snowfall, let kids help clear the porch or walkway, then see who can make the most snow angels. Older kids can help build a snowman -- and even toss a few snowballs.

9. Team up for gardening.

Kids are great at digging up dirt, so let them turn over the soil and help you plant new bulbs. Research shows that gardening is as good as weight training when it comes to preventing osteoporosis, and if you're planting vegetables, it can make them more appetizing to kids. In the summer, set up a sprinkler to water the lawn and challenge kids to duck the spray!

10. Walk the dog.

Or, let the kids walk the dog together if they are big enough to handle it.  Find a local dog park, get the furry friends some off leash time too.  Plus the kids can run around with the dogs outside in more open space for longer periods of time without fear of valuable fragile stuff getting knocked over at home. Haha.

Welcome to Me!

I am new to this whole blogger thing, it was suggested i give it a try and i have always been intrigued by the notion so here it is!!  Fair warning I can tend to ramble a bit.  So, here is a little bit about me!!

My name is Erin McCall, and I have 2 beautiful little girls and a very loving husband.
I am 28 and have a great reach of friends who are close enough to be called family.  Born and raised in Alberta even though my hubby is an East Coast Catch.  We have 2 sister cats - Darwin & Tchaikovsky, a senior Shit-tzu named Kujo, and a rather large Rottweiler-German Shephard Cross who is about the size of a small black bear and has no sense of personal space.

Our oldest daughter just turned 3 years old right before Christmas and our youngest is about 19 months old.  A few short weeks ago we had announced we were expecting our 3rd baby to be due in early August but sadly just before new years and a long night of sadness we were confirmed that we would be staying a family of 4 after all.  Not the best way to ring in the new year but we promised we would end this new year better than it started.

Don't get me wrong, our year wasn't all bad.   We moved from Fort McMurray, Alberta right before the big downturn in Oil happened.  Didn't lose our house we own up there and luckily we eventually found renters who weren't dishonest crooks.  And we managed to move into a house in Beaumont, Alberta that we had been building for the better part of a year that we built specifically to be nearer to my family who is scattered throughout Edmonton.

With my husband Terry working a 14-14 fly in fly out job in the oilfield we really wanted to raise our family somewhere that was close enough to see relatives as well as give them the best opportunities.  I chose to be a stay-at-home mom while my husband is away for half of each month for several reasons;

1. saving money - childcare would of taken up most if not all of any money i would of earned if i had to go out and find a job
2. stubbornness - neither Terry or myself wanted someone else raising our children while we were out working all the time.  We wanted to raise our children and spent as much time teaching them as we could
3. i dont have to split my time - i dont have to worry about keeping house and still spending time with my kids before or after i get home from work.  I dont have to be a mom or a worker bee, i can and am both.
4. the unpredictability factor is awesome - kids really do say and do the darndest things.  My 3 year old told me today she wanted me to start refering to her as Queen Elsa, as she is going through princess phase and is hopelessly addicted to barbie and Frozen at the moment.
5. I have more me time - yeah i know that sounds weird but its true.  I have more time to explore my own options of furthering my education at home, or doing whatever it is i want to do (within reason) even if i have my children around while i am doing it.

I have never had weight gain issues but i have always eaten like a teenager.  Translation: i ate crap food as much as possible.  It wasnt because i didnt like veggies or healthy food i just enjoyed the simplicity of hitting drive-thru's and not having to do anything complicated like i thought meal prep was.

I began drinking Shakeology and coaching with Beachbody for the accountability it gave me with starting to get a healthier "Me".  My nutrition was shit, and my children had started emulating me. So much so that my 2 year old would rummage through our recycling to find dregs from the pop cans!! I was ashamed of what i was teaching my kids, so i decided to spend time on changing Me because i knew it would be better than trying to change them!

Now our oldest is 3 and our youngest is a very rambunctious 19 month old.  They drink shakeology with me and we rarely if ever have junk food binges like we used to.  It hasnt been easy at times but it has been extremely educational.  So much so that i have found a huge passion in helping others figure out how to be healthier and happier in their own lives as well.  Never saw that one coming!! Haha.

Stay tuned here if i havent bored you to tears yet.  I plan on posting as regularly as i can about my journey and sharing what i have learned with you.  If you want help more than just reading my entries than message me!! Don't let you hold you back!