Losing 30 lbs--Part 4 (Exercising With 4 Little Kids)

You know the "easy button"?  Well, I wish I had an "easy button" for exercising, because this is where I am least motivated.  Finding time to exercise is so hard for me...especially with 4 kids and a house to keep up with!  But as we all know, there is no easy way-out of exercising (at least not if you want real results).  Exercising takes work and it takes discipline...

For me, my kids have always been my excuse for not exercising.  But they aren't what held me back...I was what held me back.  I willingly handicapped myself with "I can'ts"....

"I can't find time, my kids are with me all day..." 
"I can't because I don't have a car to transport all of us..." 
"I can't afford a membership anywhere..."
"I can't because I don't have enough hands to get out with all of them..."
"I can't do it in the evenings because it's family time..."

But thankfully, I snapped out of my 6 year "I can't" stupor and found myself motivated to give it a try regardless of all my excuses (and I had A LOT of excuses!).

Then, once I was willing to start looking outside of the box,  I discovered I had options!  I realized if I really wanted to exercise, I could find a way.  It may not be easy, it may not be the same thing every day, but I could and I would exercise!

Consistency
I made a commitment to exercise 5 times a week.  I usually took one day of the week "off" and made sure I exercised with my husband (and/or family) once on the weekend and then took Sunday to rest.

I did not do the same thing every day.  Some days I walked, some days I did a DVD workout, some days it was a bike ride, some days I swam laps (that's when my in-laws had a pool!).  It was unrealistic for me to think that "everyday at this time I will do this exercise routine", because as any mom knows, we never know what our day will hold!  Not to mention, I'd get bored with doing the same ol' thing everday (and my kids would too!)

So even though I couldn't be consistent with the time of day or a specific routine, I was consistent with a simple schedule.  Monday-Thursday and Saturday I exercised...and I kept myself on track!

Walking
I walked alot.  Sometimes I'd walk with the kids up to Ryan's work, just to pick up the van and then drive to the nature trail to really walk.  Or, we'd just walk to his work, stay for recess and walk home.

|I'll be honest though...walking is tricky with 4 kids!  BUT I was determined to not let it be my excuse anymore!

At first, my oldest son would ride his bike, I'd push my two younger boys in the double stroller and I'd "wear" Liberty.  It was quite a workout just getting ourselves set up for our walk!

Then my middle son started learning how to ride his "real" bike...so I was able to push my youngest two in the double stroller while my older two rode their bikes.  Still, I felt like I was burning hundreds of calories just getting the stroller and two bikes loaded and unloaded every day!

So...we walked and walked and walked...and the other plus to this was that the boys would *ask* to take naps almost every day--so I got one too--and I needed that since I still had a newborn!

Walking is how I lost most of my weight...but not just walking...walking using my T-Tapp Tecniques!

T-Tapp
On rainy days, and occassionally at naptime, I would T-Tapp and sometimes my hubby would join me.  I heard about T-Tapp from the MOMYS and was curious enough to buy a clearanced DVD.

Upon my first trial of it, My hubby and I couldn't really "feel" it working, so we wondered if it was really worth it.  Then we woke up the next morning SORE and decided it was working more than we knew!

T-Tapp is a wellness workout.  Its special sequence of comprehensive, compound muscle movement helps establish better alignment as well as increased strength and flexibility of the spine, better neuro-kinetic flow, lymphatic function, and increased metabolic rate.

But don't be fooled...it's CHALLANGING and you will sweat!  Read more about what T-Tapp is and will do for you, on her site, HERE.

To me, the BEST thing about T-Tapp is that it only takes 10-15 minutes for the Basic Workout.  You *can* do more, but just that 10 minutes will be a full workout to engage and wake-up your muscles AND increase your metabolism, which helps with weight loss!

Within a few weeks, my hubby and I were standing straighter, feeling healthier and engaging more muscles in our everyday activities--thus burning more calories in our day and normal activities than ever!  And also within a few weeks, several friends of our were "hooked" on T-Tapp too because of the changes they saw in Ryan and I!

The T-Tapp tecniques also DOUBLED the affectiveness of my walking efforts.  If you're curious, we purchased and use The Basic Workout Plus and Walk Away the Inches.

Doing the T-Tapp DVD before tackling normal housework will even maximize your calorie burn!

To see some examples, scroll down THIS PAGE to the videos at the bottom, or search for T-Tapp on You Tube!

***(by the way, there is no actual "tapping" involved...the creator of this exercise tecnique just happens to have the last name Tapp!)

*MOMYS, feel free to leave a testimony in the comments on your experience with T-Tapp!

Lose Your Mummy Tummy
Again, I heard about this DVD from the MOMYS.  I was able to borrow a copy from one of them, which was even more wonderful!

I think I only watched it a total of two or three times, and then just applied the exercises to my everyday life (which is what she encourages you to do).  This didn't burn many calories, but it did help me tone and manage my extra belly fluff!  :)

Now, I've always prided myself in my flat belly despite my multiple pregnacies...even after the baby was born, my belly always went back to flat.  BUT as I started losing weight, I noticed a little tummy "buldge" I wanted to change.

So MOST importantly, for me, I learned certain movements that women who have beared children (and struggle with a "Mummy Tummy") should "never" do.  I realized that even the way I was getting in and out of bed was causing more damage to my "diastasis", (a separation of the outermost abdominal muscles caused during pregnancy) than I knew!

Family Time
We always loved family bike rides and we think this is the funnest way to exercise!  

In 2008, just after I had Samuel, I'd "wear" him (not too safe, I know) and Ryan would pull the boys in a trailor that some friends gave us...

The summer of 2009, we invested in some things that would make us more active as a family.  Ryan and I both got new bikes, we bought a "cocoon" seat so Trusten could ride on the back of Ryan's bike, and a friend gave us a "trailer" to pull the other kids in.

Then, this Spring, because of the added blessing to our family, we bought another trailer for Ryan's bike, so we all the kids could sit and enjoy the bike ride...and trust me, Ryan and I get a GOOD workout, pulling 2 kids each!!!
When the kids are older, and they bike farther distances and be a little more independent on the streets, I'm sure we'll enjoy having all of us out with our own bikes, but for now, this is what works best for us!






Wii Fit Plus or Gym Membership?
Most people who know us, know that we are a semi-anti-video game family!  So a lot of people were surprised when we bought a Wii with our Christmas bonus.

Originally, I really wanted to buy a membership to our local gym here, but it's pretty expensive.  So, when we realized the savings we'd find if we would just buy a Wii and the Wii Fit Plus, we deiced that was the way to go!  Plus, unlike a gym membership, we'd have it for more than just a year...it was ours to own and use whenever in the future too.

So, my last 10 stubborn pounds came off by using the Wii Fit.  I really don't think the Wii was necessarily the answer...it was more about the fact that I was exercising more often because it was fun and I could target certain areas to work on.  Plus, a change in exercise intensity and variability is usually just what the doctor orders when you're stuck in your weight loss.

I Suggest...
-borrowing before you buy any DVD's (a lot of techniques can be learned and memorized).
-finding more than one exercise routine and switch it up often
-get your kids moving with you (Trusten used to T-Tapp with me and we had SO much fun!)
-"suck in your tummy" at all times, (no matter if you're exercising or not) and encourage those muscles to move from a TIGHT position, not a relaxed one (this works for men too!)
-maintain good posture throughout the day and that will help engage and tone your muscles!
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 Also in this series:
Losing 30 lbs--Part 1 (My Story)
Losing 30 lbs--Part 2 (How I Did It)
Losing 30 lbs--Part 3 (How I Ate)
Losing 30 lbs--Part 5 (What God Did)