A jug of milk and a few jars of spaghetti

Alright, I admit it, I have jumped on the band wagon of "getting in shape" for the new year. Truth be told, I wasn't the one who came up with the idea, it was my husband. Never-the-less, exercise I shall. Problem is, I literally don't have the time to go the gym anymore. Excuse? Possibly. Truth? Yes. Solution....workout at home.

We don't have a treadmill, or weights or any sort of equipment you'd find at a gym. We like to improvize. Lately we've been doing high intensity repitious things like lots of crunches, leg lunges, push-ups etc; I still don't feel like I am getting as much of a cardio workout as I could at the gym, but at least I'm not doing nothing. I feel better, that's for sure.

One thing I miss about working out at home though is lifting. I LOVE to lift. It's what drives my workouts usually. I like knowing I'm getting stronger by being able to curl more weight. But, that isn't an option here at the house. So what did I use to lift tonight? A gallon of milk :) Granted, it's far lighter than what I would usually curl, but lighter weight + higher reps = a good way to burn calories! We also used the big jugs of spaghetti sauce too because they have the handle to grip onto, which makes it a tad easier.

So, for all you peeps out there that think you don't have the time or the equipment to work out, it doesn't take much. We use our ottoman to do tricep dips, our bodyweight for other areas of exericse, exercise bands for strength training at times...in the summer we run up the hill behind our house with sandbags. It's actually quite a workout if the right things are brought into the mix.

I encourage all of my followers, brides or otherwise to get in shape. You don't have to have a gym membership or fancy equipment to be active, and you will feel soooo much better once you get up and moving. I sure do, and oddly enough the time I think I don't have to go to the gym....suddenly I am more productive during the day that I COULD go to the gym, but working out at home is so much nicer because I get to workout with Justin. (Sidenote: make sure children are cleared out of the area before doing things that involve your legs kicking...Jaxson was a casualty this evening)....nothing a popsicle couldn't fix though.

If anyone else wants to hop onboard this healthy living, I'd love to help you stay accountable (and love for YOU to keep ME accountable).

Here's to a healthy 2010!

J