Now that spring is (sort of) here, you might be thinking about getting in shape for summer. I know I am. Usually, my stomach only hangs over my waistband when I slouch, but lately I've noticed it's pooching over even when I'm sitting up straight. Not a good sign.
You don't have to join a gym; you can create one in your own home. One popular option is to buy an elliptical trainer, put it upstairs in a bedroom and then hang your clothes on it. Be warned, though, this usually does not result in weight loss.
I've always worked out at home. I'm sort of an exercise junkie. When my boys were babies and toddlers, I went to the Ridgewood YMCA because they had free childcare while you worked out. It was fantastic, and I was there 4 days a week. But often, the kids would be sick, so I would have to stay home, and then I'd try to get some kind of a workout in at home.�
This is when the whole family joins in. Sit ups on the living room rug? The dog comes over and lies down next to me, thinking it's snuggle time. Or, when one of my kids was a baby, I would lie down, balance him on my legs and give him a "ride" as I bent and straightened my legs, strengthening my core. He would squeal with delight at this fun game.�Then one time he threw up his breakfast in my hair, so that was the end of that.
We got a recumbent exercise bike last year, my husband has a weight bench, and I recently got one of those big workout balls. I tell you what:�we got our money's worth, because all that equipment has multiple uses.�Did you know that you can use your exercise bike as a comfy seat while you play GameCube? Were you aware that those big core-strengthening balls are also perfect to sit on while you text your friends? Those stretchy resistance bands? They make an awesome weapon for snapping and whipping at your brother.�
Sometimes, you don't even need exercise equipment to workout. Our bedrooms are on the second floor, and the laundry is in the basement. I am up and down two sets of stairs dozens of times each day just trying to keep my family in clean clothes. And I get a fitness boost from "I don't know." In fact, "I don't know" might be the single biggest calorie burner in this house. It begins with me saying to one of my kids:
"It's time to go, where's your scout hat?"
"I don't know." And then I run upstairs to look for it.�
"Where's the phone?"
"I don't know". And I go upstairs – and then downstairs – until I find it. I know what you're thinking � why don't you make your children retrieve these items? And you're right, I should do that, and occasionally I do.�Then it goes like this:
"Where's your watch?"
"I don't know".�
"Go look in your room." So he does. And he's up their 10 minutes or so.�Then I shout up "Is your watch up there?"
He shouts back, "I don't know."
So I run upstairs to see what on earth he could possibly be doing. He's fiddling with a Rubik's cube, or he went to the bathroom, or he might be putting on some socks. "Your watch isn't up here? Where did you last have it?"
"I don't know."
To be fair, I have the "I don't know" problem, too. I will charge upstairs to my bedroom purposefully, only to get there and think "Why did I come in here?" And the answer is, "I don't know."
I ride the bike, I do core exercises, I lift weights, I do laundry. So why does my stomach still pooch out?
I don't know.
Great, we’ll send you an email as soon as a follow-up is published!View the original article here
http://is.gd/M3BpnJ
