Being home with my two boys is a joy and a job. While it has its challenges involving my kids and home, I have found one of the hardest parts for me is taking care of myself.
I know for most of us that taking the time to care for ourselves is one of the LAST things that we think about but really it needs to be the FIRST thing we think about. It is not always an easy choice to make but should be something that w,e as good parents, do to make sure we are first teaching our children to care for our bodies and secondly providing them with healthy parents that will last them a lifetime.
So, on my quest to complete these two tasks I realized that I needed a whole lot of encouragement. I mean really if I am being honest I would say that I like to workout but I hate it too. I enjoy knowing I did it and getting a bit tired out. But I just do NOT seem to make the time to take care of myself in that way and I really need to. So with that motivation in mind I did what makes me always move, I invested money.
I bought myself an elliptical machine that was used, since I know I cannot take my two kids to the gym with me or enter into a financial agreement to a membership, and I also purchased the Fitbit Charge. So $450 dollars later I have both set up in my home and since my money is on the line I feel that I HAVE to workout otherwise I just wasted the money right!
I’m happy to report that last week I was successful in getting on the elliptical machine three times last week! My first session was only fifteen minutes but I still went a mile and a quarter, not bad for not having worked out since Tag Along was born. Yup that’s right I have not worked out since Tag Along was born, really before that even since pregnancy does not seem to be a good time to workout for me. The next two session on the elliptical were twenty minutes each. I was pretty happy with myself so I’m seeing this as money put into a good investment at this point.
I got my Fitbit Charge two days ago and have loved it ever since. I really like that it tells me how close I am to achieving my daily steps goal, which again forces me to get up and get moving! My favorite part about this small little smart machine would be that I can also sync it up with Walgreens! I purchased it through them so I was able to get $35 back in rewards dollars! Since I do all of my couponing there, this is a great moeny back situation for me. Plus logging my steps through them gets me more points resulting in MORE MONEY BACK everyday that I am moving. Yes, it really is like getting paid to walk around your house!
If you cannot afford a Fitbit no need to fear! You can purchase the any step counting device, in my case I needed one my kids could not take off of me, and log your steps manually through Walgreens. You are still able to enjoy all of these wonderful benefits and it will encourage you to walk more knowing that your walking counts for something.
So now it is up to you! What do you use to motivate yourself to a healthier lifestyle? Why do you want to live and be healthy longer?
I would like to strongly urge those of you out there that are struggling with getting back in shape like myself to go that extra mile. Having a machine in your home can but bulky but it also forced me to remove my excuses. I can now take pride with each step knowing I am taking care of myself for my children and teaching them to do the same.