If this sounds like your life, you’re probably thinking there’s no way you can fit a workout routine with you and your family into your busy schedule – right?

Wrong. Even the busiest of people can manage a daily workout – if they know how.

Here is the perfect solution: a great full body workout plus playtime with your kids. Try this workout the next time your day gets a bit hectic and you can’t make it to the gym.

Find a place in the house, like a hallway. Or if it’s nice outside try the grass or the sidewalk. Run back and forth chasing each other or make a couple of races to get the blood pumping. Then incorporate these moves into the workout:

• High Knees – Stand straight and lift your knees up to hip-level as you run.
• Butt Kicks – Hit your butt with your heels as you run. Land softly on the balls of your feet.
• Jump Skip – Jump and drive your bent knee straight up as you skip forward, exaggerating your natural arm movements.
• Walking Lunges – Step forward with your first leg landing heel first. Lower body by bending both knees until back knee nearly touches the floor. Lift yourself up using both legs and step forward and repeat with the opposite leg.
• Ski jumps – Jump along an imaginary line down the middle of your course. Starting on one side with knees slightly bent and feet angled at about 45 degrees toward the line, jump over the line turning so knees and toes are at a 45 degree angle toward the line on the other side. Jump to one end and then repeat jumping backwards to the other end of your course.
• Jumps – Just jump! Remember to land softly, which means you have to use your muscles to slow the momentum of your lowering body and not lockout your knees. Add an obstacle, or several, that you have to jump over.
• Stairs – If you have stairs, you have a built-in workout machine. Running up and down the stairs two-at-a-time, sideways, and backwards is a phenomenal workout. Carry a weight (or your kid!) to really amp up your calorie burn. You may want to skip this with younger kids until they are sure-footed.
• Drop and Give Me – At either end of your course, have a mat or towel where you perform a different exercise such as push-ups, crunches, or triceps’ dips, each time through.

Here are just a couple of ideas. Feel free to make up your own.

Have fun!

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On this first hike this spring I was reminded of some of the tricks we learned last year to help him through the hike. It’s not coercion, it is persuasion – heck, I will call it manipulation. But, I know that if I get his mind off of the length of the trail or if his legs are “so tired, mom,” then he ends up having a fantastic time.

First, go slow. Remember kids have short legs and walk slower than adults. Don’t make it a sprint!

Second, choose your trail wisely. If you and your child have never hiked over two miles, don’t select a 5 mile loop. Maybe go 2.5 miles and then work up to longer ones if you choose after some shorter hikes. Also, consider hiking for time. A one hour hike, will likely take you and your child about 2 miles. Count on at least 30 minutes per mile.

Third, take breaks. You may even find that stopping to look at a cool rock, a beautiful vista, some scat, or a pretty flower will give you and your children just enough of a break to get to the next point of interest.

Fourth, distract them. Create a scavenger hunt. Look for the rock with the most sparkles. Look for animal tracks. Pick up litter left along the trail. Hand them a camera to take photos of plants. Any of these or similar activities will keep their mind occupied and they won’t focus on discomfort.

Fifth, keep them comfortable. Are they wearing comfortable clothes? Are their clothes appropriate for the weather? Are their shoes good for rocky trails? Are they hydrated? Are they fed? Think of all of the things that keep you comfortable when you are outdoors and emphasize them with your kids. Even if you can take a little sun glare, don’t expect your kids to put up with it. Put a brimmed hat on them and they will be happy and ready to go!

Sixth, go with a friend. Young children will go a lot further, will have more fun, and will not focus on fatigue if they are with a friend their age.

Finally, keep it fun! If you aren’t having fun, don’t do it. But, I think that if you try a few of these tricks, you and your children will have a great time hiking this spring and summer.

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The weather is begging you to go outside. Just go lay in the grass at a park. Bring a ball for kickball. Do your fun spring break reading in the shade of a Barton Springs oak. Anything!! Just go outside!!!

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March 13, 2010
FREE! Rodeo Rumble at Rodeo Austin Fairgrounds. Kids 1K is open to kids 12 and under. Enter your kids on race morning or at packet pick-up@ RunTex at the Triangle (4615 N. Lamar). If you miss the Rumble, it’s still rodeo time! Wear your comfy, closed-toe shoes and walk through the petting zoo. The rodeo has rides for kids and Adults. Special events and hours can be found at www.rodeoaustin.com

March 13 or 18th,
Drive to Cedar Park and watch the Texas Stars play hockey! Face-off at 7 and 7:30. 512-GO-STARS. www.texasstarshockey.com

March 15-17,
Harvey Penick Golf Campus. Golf camp for kids ages 7-17. Camp is from 9-3pm and is $180. www.firstteeaustin.org

Visit Camp Mabry
www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org
2200 West 35th St. A photo I.D. is required for entry and they’ll make you open your minivan hatch! Closed Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday-Sunday from 10-4p.m. Check out the indoor museum and it’s weapons and miniature displays. Play outside on the tanks before eating a picnic lunch on the tables by the security check point. Bring some friends and play capture the flag after lunch! Kids love camo and facepaint! 512-782-5659

Wildflower Center. Pack your lunch and your camera. Bluebonnets will be out soon! 4801 laCrosse Avenue. Open 9-5:30. Check the website to make sure they are open. Admission is charged. Bring your bikes and rollerblades and make the 3.1 mile loop around the veloway before driving home. www.wildflower.org

Colbert Ranch. www.ridecolbertranch.com (Bertram, Texas) Go ride horses at Colbert Ranch! Riders must be 7 but childcare for younger kids is available. Invite your friends or plan a family day for just yourselves as you spend the day at a real horse ranch. Patti and Joe Colbert love kids and nature!

Gus Fruh entrance to the Barton Creek Greenbelt. 2642 Barton Hills Drive (respect private property). This is one of the best spots for kids and creeks! It’s an easy hike/stroll but the kids will love it. You could even get a baby jogger down this path. Follow the footpath down to Barton Creek. With all the rain it will be flowing! Bring water shoes or old sneakers for you and the kids. Let the kids move rocks around and make their own dam. Pack some water color paints and brushes for the kids and let them spend hours painting the rocks and themselves. Bring a towel (or two) for the kid who always gets wet. Pack snacks and drinks and the camera. Don’t be in a hurry and don’t fall asleep–always take care around kids and water. As with all entrances to the greenbelt, hide your valuables and lock your doors before you head down the trail.

UT Baseball. You can’t beat the price of a Kid’s ticket on the grassy berm–$5! The Longhorns play a bunch over spring break. Three games against Iowa and three games against Nebraska. March 12th-March 21st. Check the website for current game times and be aware they may reschedule the game for inclement weather. Over the break you should have no problem buying your tickets at the gate. Try the burgers from the trailer by the berm–they’re pretty good! Kids will want the frozen lemonade. Both will cost more than your ticket! www.texassports.com

UT Rowing. Hike your kids over to the Mo-Pac pedestrian bridge to watch the Longhorn Invitational. March 19th-21st. www.texassports.com

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Fitness journals should keep track of each workout with details of how you felt, DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), meals/snacks, sleep, and more. Listed below are the benefits you will get from keeping a workout journal:

• Studies have shown that keeping an exercise log is a great way to maintain a consistent workout plan. Keeping a log that your friends can see is an excellent motivator to stick to your routine. Knowing that you are going to be accountable will get you off the couch on those days when motivation wanes. You will look forward to finishing your workout and showing off your progress on your results page. Especially at the end of the month when your calendar is covered with all of the activities you did…instead of a lot of blank squares telling you what you could have done.
• You’ll learn if you are on the right track with your overall approach to a healthy life. If you note that you are feeling frustrated after your workouts on Tuesdays, and exhilarated after your workouts on Thursdays, you can take a look at your journal and determine why. Maybe you don’t like the Tuesday Body Pump class’ teacher as much as the one on Thursdays, or maybe you are staying up too late on Monday nights. Either way, you can change your behavior so that Tuesdays are as good as Thursdays.
• Exercise logs are beneficial in determining if you are gaining muscular strength and flexibility. If you are trying to get stronger but are not able to do more repetitions or sets, you can see this by reviewing your logs. If you do not record the information, you will just have to guess if you are making specific gains. You owe yourself more than a guess after all of that hard work you have put in!
• Give yourself credit for the progress you have made even when the number on the scale stays the same. You can do this by recording your body fat percentage or your circumference measurements. Most people get discouraged when the scale reads the same every week, but know this: if your body fat percentage is going down while your muscle mass is going up, then the numbers could stay the same. That is okay, even great! It means you are gaining lean muscle and getting rid of fat. Your clothes will be looser since muscle takes up LESS space in your body than fat, and it burns up to 50 calories more per pound. Keep your journal up-to-date by logging your body fat or circumference once every two weeks.
• By reviewing your exercise diary, you will see patterns of how your lifestyle is affected from each workout and be able to make necessary changes. If you are so sore after lifting weights on “leg day” that you can’t stand without pain for five days, then you will know to back off and reduce the weight by 5-10 pounds. It is better to make slow and steady increases in resistance than try to “catch up” by lifting too much one day. That only keeps you out of the gym for an unnecessarily extended period of time.

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As you strive towards living a healthy and fit lifestyle, remember that it doesn’t happen over night. It’s those little choices you make every day that will make you successful.

I have been involved in fitness and health for over 18 years, and I am still working every day on establishing and improving my discipline, in all areas of my personal wellness. When it comes to fitness I have to regularly push aside excuses and realize that I DO have the time and I DO have the energy to do some activity every day. I have found that I am most consistent reaching my fitness goals when I plan to workout first thing in the morning. At 5am there is usually only one excuse – the snooze button!! Whereas, leaving the workout until after work creates so many more challenges and possible excuses to push aside. I strive to make exercise a first-thing-in-the-morning habit, as this is my best chance at excellence! Another healthy habit I am working to instill is remembering that doing some sort of fitness always energizes me. So, when I am feeling tired and zapped of all energy at the end of the day, the best thing for me to do is step outside and go for a quick jog (even if it is just 10 minutes!) – taking-in the fresh air, clearing my mind, and helping me feel fit and re-energized!

5 habits that I strive for daily:

1. Taking my vitamins
2. Exercising
3. Writing “task-lists” for the day
4. Drinking lots of water
5. Doing what I say I will do

What are your favorite habits? What habits are you striving to create?

So what is the right thing? And, more specifically for 1379, what is the right sport for your kid? When your kids are younger, focus on sports that encourage hand-eye coordination like soccer, baseball, golf. Sportball has some great programs for kids that introduce them to several different sports. Other great things to expose them to are activities that encourage discipline, balance, and flexibility like dance, gymnastics, and martial arts. The great thing about programs in these areas for the really young is that it’s easy to make it fun — dance like the Disney princesses, gymnastics is putting definition to everyday yard play, and martial arts are a disciplined form of their living room wrestling.

Avoid high-impact sports because your kids’ little muscles and bones still need to grow. If your kids learn how to balance, the discipline of being an athlete, that trying new sports is expected, and that exercise is fun, they will be better off as they enter junior high and high school and are exposed to more team and a full spectrum of high-impact sports.

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You can do stretching, muscle-strengthening, and even short stints of aerobic exercises right at your desk (or maybe in a vacant conference room or stairwell). After all, doctors say any amount of exercise helps — the benefits are cumulative. We are made to move not to sit at our desk 12 hours a day.

The U.S. surgeon general recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week. Yet most Americans don’t approach this level of activity.

While you shouldn’t give up on your home or gym exercise routine, you can certainly supplement it with exercises done at your desk (and, on those extra-long workdays, it’s much better than doing nothing).

So here are a few aerobic tricks to try during your next break between tasks:

• Glance at the wall clock and rip off a minute’s worth of jumping jacks. If you’re a beginner, try the low-impact version (raise your right arm and tap your left toe to the side while keeping your right foot on the floor; alternate sides)
• Do a football-like drill of running in place for 60 seconds. Get those knees up! (Beginners, march in place.)
• Simulate jumping rope for a minute: Hop on alternate feet or on both feet at once.
• While seated, pump both arms over your head for 30 seconds, then rapidly tap your feet on the floor, football-drill style, for 30 seconds. Repeat 3-5 times.
• If you can step into a vacant office or conference room, shadow box for a minute or two. Or just walk around the room as fast as you can.
• Or do walk-lunges in your office or a vacant room
• No conference room? Take to the stairs — two at a time if you need a harder workout! Do this 5-7 times a day.

Want Something Less Breathless?
Afraid the phone will ring and you’ll sound like a lion is chasing you? Price’s book has more than 300 less dramatic — but equally beneficial — exercises. “I call these fitness minutes,” she says.

Some strength-building suggestions:

• Do one-legged squats (hold onto a wall or table for support) while waiting for a web page to load, the copier to spit out your reports, or faxes to slither out.
• Stand with one leg straight and try to kick your buttocks with the other.
• Sitting in your chair, lift one leg off the seat, extend it out straight, hold for 2 seconds; then lower your foot (stop short of the floor) and hold for several seconds. Switch; do each leg 15 times.
• To work your chest and shoulders, place both hands on your chair arms and slowly lift your bottom off the chair. Lower yourself back down but stop short of the seat, hold for a few seconds. Do 15 times.
• To stretch your back and strengthen your biceps, place your hands on the desk and hang on. Slowly push your chair back until your head is between your arms and you’re looking at the floor. Then slowly pull yourself back in. Again, 15 of these.
• Desk pushups can be a good strengthener. (First, make sure your desk is solid enough to support your weight.) Standing put your hands on the desk. Walk backward, then do push-ups against desk. Repeat 15 times.

Reach for the Sky
Stretching exercises are a natural for the desk-bound, to ease stress and keep your muscles from clenching up.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Sitting tall in your chair, stretch both arms over your head and reach for the sky. After 10 seconds, extend the right hand higher, then the left.
• Let your head loll over so that your right ear nearly touches your right shoulder. Using your hand, press your head a little lower (gently, now). Hold for 10 seconds. Relax, and then repeat on the other side.
• Try this yoga posture to relieve tension: Sit facing forward, then turn your head to the left and your torso to the right, and hold a few seconds. Repeat 15 times, alternating sides.
• Sitting up straight, try to touch your shoulder blades together. Hold, and then relax.
• You get to put your feet up for this one! To ease the hamstrings and lower back, push your chair away from your desk and put your right heel up on the desk. Sit up straight, and bend forward just until you feel a gentle stretch in the back of your leg. Flex your foot for a few seconds, and then point it. Bend forward a little farther, flex your foot again, and hold for 10 seconds. Repeat on the other side.

Don’t let fear of embarrassment keep you from exercising at work. Chances are, your co-workers will admire your efforts. You might even get them to join you on a lunchtime walk or to help you lobby for lunch-hour yoga classes at your workplace.

Now we’re supplying clothes and shoes for the whole family to stay active. Whether it’s yoga, CrossFit, bikini boot camp, running, pick-up soccer with your kids, or just trying to stay comfortable and stylish during your busy schedules we have the best basic apparel and footwear for sports and activity in Austin. We mostly carry Nike but also have Mizuno, Asics, Brooks, and Under Armour. Come see what we have!!!