Hi Fit Moms!!! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get back into a structured routine with my kids. In between shopping for school clothes, backpacks, and new lunchboxes, I hope you’ve been thinking about what you’re going to do with that extra free time….GET MOVING!! I’m sure like most moms, summer is fun time with the family, but it usually doesn’t leave us much personal time.

Now is the time to sit down and start re-thinking your fitness goals. For me, I’m getting more time this school year because my 5-year old is heading to extended Kindergarten hours (til 2pm) and my 11-year old is starting middle school, and he’s going to be there until 3:30….Whoooo Hooooo!! I now have no excuse to get to the gym, meet my friend for a run outside, or run up those grueling stairs by the beach. I think it’s time to set some goals BEYOND just getting to the gym 3 times a week. Let’s take the next step and sign up for a 5K. My next big challenge is hiking Mt. Whitney next month. Now, I know this is not the first step for many of you, this is actually coming in a long line of small goals that I have set for myself over the years. You can do this too!!!

We all have to start somewhere, and if this is your first time stepping out of your physical comfort zone, that’s GREAT!! Try a Zumba class for the first time, take those tennis lessons you’ve always talked about, or join your first gym. Whatever it is, it’s YOUR goal and no one else’s. You’re going to be sending your kids off on a new adventure, why not start a new adventure yourself??

Be the brave woman that you are, and set some new exercise goals for the year. Call a friend and ask if she’ll join you! The great thing about trying something new and challenging is that your body will appreciate it, and you’ll feel invigorated afterwards!!!

Good luck, Moms!! Can’t wait to hear all about it! Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Hi Fit Moms!! It’s summertime and you know what that means…vacations and road trips! I just embarked on a 1200 mile road trip with my mom and aunt. We drove about 600 miles the first day, leaving at 5:15am, and got into Santa Fe, New Mexico around 7pm. In other words, I SAT ON MY BUTT for about 13 hours!! Sound familiar?? Road trips can be fun, but they can sometimes be hazardous to ones exercise/eating routine! This doesn’t always have to be the case if you PLAN AHEAD!!

Here are some tips for you to stay on course:

1. Pack healthy snacks for the car ride (or plane)! If you don’t, you’ll be forced to eat fast food! I packed a cooler with water, canned protein drinks, carrots, hummus, tangerines, apples, almonds, snap peas, greek yogurt, whole wheat crackers, pre-packaged salads, and sandwiches. This was plenty and I didn’t have to eat out once!!

2. Make sure you have lots of water!

3. Wherever your destination is, surf the internet beforehand and look for gyms that are in close proximity. I am a member of 24 Hour Fitness and I found a great gym just 3 miles from our hotel. PACK YOUR GYM CLOTHES!!

4. Because you’re going to be sitting for long periods of time in the car or on a plane, set aside time to walk/jog when you get to your destination.

Planning summer vacations doesn’t mean you have to blow it! Just think ahead! Remember, you’ve been working so hard to get good sleep, eat right, and exercise regularly, you don’t want to ruin what progress you’ve made thus far. I’m not saying don’t enjoy your vacation, but squeezing in some exercise and watching what you eat will definitely help. Then, when you get home, you won’t feel like you took 3 steps back!! When I got back from my 5-day road trip to Colorado and back, I felt like I didn’t skip a beat!!

Once you’ve established a healthy lifestyle…stick with it!! A healthy lifestyle means you do it the majority of the time….including vacations!

Trust me, you’ll be happy you did!!

Orange County, Ca

There’s always time for a quickie. Workout that is!!!

Hi Fit Moms!! Summer is right around the corner, and I’m sure, just like everyone else, you want to look good in your summer dress, tank top, or bikini!! Let’s not have any excuses, here’s a great home workout you can do when you don’t have time to go to the gym, or you don’t have a babysitter for your kids, and you have to workout at home.

All the equipment you’ll need is: (1) a stability ball, (2) a medium strength workout band with handles, (3) enough space to jump around, and (4) a jump rope (this is optional). You can find a stability ball, a workout band, and a jump rope at Target or shop in the Fit Moms Fit Kids Online Store!

Warm-up: walk in place with high knees for 5 min

Next, you’re going to follow the following circuit in order with little or no rest. Repeat circuit as many as 3 times if you have the time.

1. Alternating front lunges. Start standing with both feet together, chest up, hands on waist. Step in front with your left leg and allow your back knee (right leg) to tap the floor and then push back to start. Repeat this by alternating each leg 10 times for a total of 20 times.

2. Complete 10 pushups. Do this either on your knees or full pushups if you have the strength to do them correctly.

3. Do 15 bicep curls slowly. Using the band, place the band under feet and hold the handles with both hands.  Palms face up toward ceiling, bend your elbows so your hands curl up as far as they can. If your band seems easy to curl, add 5 more reps.

4. Do 20-25 crunches on the ball. Start by sitting on the ball, roll out until your legs are at 90 degrees and the small of your back is lying on the top of the ball. Place your hands behind you head and lift slowly into a crunch. Try not to move the ball.

5. Do 20 squats. Make sure your feet are a little wider than shoulder-width apart. Squat down until your legs are at 90 degrees, make sure your entire foot is planted, DO NOT lift your heels off the ground when you squat.

6. Do 10-15 lateral raises with the workout band. Again, place the band under one foot, grab the handles with both hands. Raise your arms out to the side at the same time with your palms facing the floor. Raise the band until your hands get to shoulder level.

7. Do a 30 sec – 1 minute plank. Hold your body in a straight line while being on your elbows and toes. Be sure to have your arms the width of your shoulders and your elbows directly under your shoulders. Hold isometrically (still) for as long as you can.

8. Jump rope for 1 minute. If you can’t jump rope or find the space to do so, do jumping jacks for 1- to 1.5 minutes.

Repeat the circuit up to 3 times.

With this workout, you don’t need a lot of space or equipment. Also, if you are more advanced, you can add weight or number of reps.

The whole idea here is keep your heart rate up and work your upper and lower body while including abs and core!!

Good luck, ladies!! Have fun with it! Remember, no excuses allowed. You can do this workout when the kids go to bed or when they are taking their naps. Your kids might even want to join in!!!!

Photo Credits:

exercise photos- exercise.about.com

plank photo- cookinglight.com

My first fitness competition photo.

Here’s my typical Monday:

6:00am - wake up, take my Juice Plus, make coffee, make my breakfast (2 SCOOPS OF PROTEIN POWDER, 1/2 CUP OF OATMEAL, 1/4 CUP ALMONDS, 1/2 CUP BLUEBERRIES, CINNAMON), prepare client folders for the day

7:20am - get my oldest son out the door and wake up my youngest son

7:30am – 10:30am – 3 clients in a row

10:30am - eat my lunch (2 BOCA BURGERS, 2 SLICES OF EZEKIEL BREAD, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO, 2 CUPS BROCCOLI)

11:00am - my fourth client

12:30pm - workout: 40 minutes of steady-state cardio/25 minutes of HIIT* (high-intensity interval training) and 45 min-1 hr of resistance training

2:00pm - drink my after workout drink (1 SCOOP OF PROTEIN POWDER & BANANA)

2:30pm - help my oldest with his homework

3:00pm - eat my afternoon snack (1 EZEKIEL TORTILLA, 1/2 CUP OF EGG WHITES, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO OR 1 CUP OF GREEK YOGURT, 1 CUP BLUEBERRIES)

4:15pm - run a boot camp at a local park for 8 middle-school volleyball players

5:30pm - my fifth client

6:30pm - make dinner for the family and clean up (5 OZ FISH, 1/2 CUP AVOCADO OR OLIVE OIL, SPINACH SALAD, 3 OZ BROWN RICE, 2-3 CUPS CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES**)

8:30pm - put my kids to bed, and prepare for the next day, answer emails, read.

9:30pm - evening snack (2 TSP ALMOND BUTTER, PROTEIN DRINK)

10:30pm - good night!!

*HIIT: I blogged two months ago about what exactly High-Intensity Interval Training is. Check it out on the website.

**Cruciferous vegetables are mostly green leafy ones that are high in nutrients and low in calories. Some include: spinach, broccoli, kale, bok choy, cauliflower, celery, asparagus, cabbage, etc.

Next month I will tell you all about my actual workout with exercises, reps, and weights I used to train for my first fitness show!  So you won’t miss it, subscribe.