Meeting Your Health Goals When Time Is Limited

 This post is about Walgreen’s #BalanceRewards for healthy choices™ #shop hosted by #CollectiveBias and its advertiser. All opinions are my own.

As Moms, we know how hard it is to make healthy choices for ourselves because we’re always trying to make them for our families first. But after years of not paying attention to my own health needs (and wants), I was starting to feel really junky. I was tired. I was cranky. I was not happy.

So I decided that I needed to find something to do. Something that would give me some alone time. Something that would let me be outside in the fresh air. Something that would let me cleanse my mind. Against all logical explanation, I decided that I needed to run. Now if you know me, I hate(d) running. I don’t like being sweaty. I don’t like being stinky. I don’t like tight clothing. So I was very surprised when my mind latched onto this idea.

I downloaded a popular app that taught me how to run – one step at a time – and weeks later, I can honestly say that I no longer hate running. I’m actually really happy that I started running. I don’t always like getting up and going, but I always like how I feel once I’ve gone. I also know that I feel so much better – and way more centered – after I’ve gone, and this matters greatly to me.

Living on Long Island, I am really lucky to have a variety of places to run. We live on the South Shore, which means that I can run down by the water’s edge whenever the mood suits me. And if it gets a bit too hot out, I can easily change my course and run down by the many shady lakes nearby, or head off to the local park and dodge between loads of beautiful evergreen trees. Needless to say, I don’t have many excuses not to run!

Along with running, I’ve also been paying closer attention to my health and wellness needs. I’ve started taking probiotics, fish oil and a daily multi-vitamin again. I also started tracking my water intake and I make sure I fuel up before I exercise. I’ve also made a commitment to eat 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables each day to help lower my blood pressure.

With all of the healthy changes I’ve been making, I was pretty excited to find out that Walgreens is rewarding their customers for living a healthier lifestyle. Their Balance Rewards for healthy choices program encourages you to make improvements to your overall health by signing up, logging in and tracking all of your health-related activities. Each time you do something healthy (like walking, running, biking, or even monitoring your blood pressure), you earn Balance® Rewards points that helps makes living a healthy life easy. To sign up, just go online, or log into the mobile app, and set your health goals, track your progress, and synch up your other fitness apps. I really like using it – and I encourage you to check it out too! Did I mention that it’s free?

Anyways, as a busy mom, I also know that sometimes, when you’re trying to maintain (or just start) an active, healthier lifestyle, it can be hard to fit in your exercise needs and wants. Perhaps you’re a bit short on cash and can’t join a gym. Or maybe you have tiny tots at home and never, ever get a moment’s peace. Or maybe, you live in a super rural community and just don’t know where to start. Whatever your challenges may be, it’s good to know that there are always ways to fit in exercise in your city.

Even though I like the low-cost, easy accessibility of running (just put on your shoes and go!), sometimes I just can’t go because the kids are home and my husband is at work. So to make the most out of my non-running days, I’ve learned to be creative.

5 WAYS FOR MOMS TO SNEAK IN EXERCISE

1.) Use your kids’ outdoor playset. Our kids have a jungle gym out back and I love using it in a pinch. I get to play with the kids and keep them active – and sneak in a quick workout. You’d be amazed at how hard it is for your older bones to do the monkey bars, or a chin up, or climb up the kids’ rock wall. I’m always amazed at how limber their little bodies are. (Have you seen our homemade Spartan Race? That’s one of our favorite things to do outside!)

2.) Use your back yard. No play set? No problem. I bought a really great weighted jump rope a few year ago and I leave it right by the back door. If I’m feeling really sluggish, I pull it out and jump rope for a few minutes. It’s not as easy as it sounds, especially when you have your kids running circles around you, or the dogs trying to get too close! In my mind, a quick workout is better than no workout at all, so I’ll take what I can get.

3.) Go to the beach. Or a lake. Or the bay. Or a pool. Or whatever body of water you can get your hands on. When it’s really hot out, my sister and I pack up the kids and head down to one of the local beaches, pools or spray parks. But instead of just sitting around and reading a magazine, we make sure we get in the water with our kids and play with them. Just last week, my sister and I made royal fools of ourselves boogey boarding with the kids, but we had fun, and we were active, so who cares!

4.) Pick up a new activity. Do you hate running? Then try something new. We were on vacation last week and the kids were bored, so we went kayaking all around the lake that we were staying on. I had never even stepped foot inside a kayak before, so I was a bit nervous, but I had a blast. So much so, that we went back out on the kayak later on that afternoon. Now, I’m trying to find out how we can pick up some used kayaks of our own to use down here.

5.) Hate going outside? Find something to do inside! Before I started running, I used to go to private boxing lessons. I really enjoying the physicality of boxing; it made me feel strong. So, I asked my husband to buy me my own heavy weight and speed bags for our basement. Now, whenever I’m stressed out, I can just run down to the basement and box away. It’s also great for the colder, winter months. But you don’t have to box – there are so many DVDs out there — from yoga, to ab workouts, to zumba — you can surely find something to fit your personality!

#BalanceRewards #shop #CollectiveBias

Be Healthy & Be Well,

Denine

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