Fitness Friday - Need a reason?

Any guesses as to what can contribute to all of the following ailments?

aneurysm, angina, atherosclerosis, back pain, cardiovascular disease, colorectal cancer, coronary heart disease, depression, diabetes, heat attack, heart blockage, heart disease, hemorrhoids, hypertension (high blood pressure), kidney stones, obesity, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis

If you guessed eating a high fat diet, you’re wrong!
If you guessed having high cholesterol, you’re wrong!
If you guessed physical inactivity, you’re RIGHT! Not moving enough can put you at risk for all of those problems. Not to mention by being physically inactive you increase your risk for cancers of the colon, prostate, uterine lining (endometrium) and breast. Did you know that 1 of every 5 deaths of people 35 and older are attributed to a lack of physical activity? By not moving you are putting your own body at risk for a painful future.

The human body is designed to move around. And by moving the muscles, ligaments and limbs, you actually massage the tissues and organs of the body, bringing them oxygen and enhancing their flexibility. You also move lymph fluid around the body, and lymph must be moved through physical activity alone since there is no "lymph heart" to circulate lymph fluid. (In other words, your heart pumps your blood even if you're sitting in a chair. But there's nothing to pump your lymph fluid other than sloshing your body around through regular movement.)

The good news is that studies show that it doesn't take an enormous amount of physical exercise to achieve health-enhancing results. A mere 30 minutes a day of walking, swimming, jogging, biking, dancing with your kids, rocking out while cleaning your house or other cardiovascular exercise can have astounding positive health effects.
There is no surgical procedure or pill that can create the health that your body would create on its own when you engage in regular physical exercise. So get out there and MOVE!

New Mural

This is the mural I just finished in Alexandria's room. We finally decided to do a castle and a mermaid. The castle is huge. It couldn't even all fit in the picture. I was putting the finishing touches on last night and Alexandria was so excited . . . it was like Christmas all over. She kept coming in and wanting to play. That's why I love doing it. The kids love it. You can't tell from the picture but the roof tops sparkle and the little stars glow in the dark.

I love doing interactive things with my murals like on this one I added boxes to give her little balconies for her to play with her Barbie dolls. Some of her bigger dolls fit too.

Then there was the whole mermaid issue. Alexandria had to have a mermaid by the castle. Actually, if it were completely up to her she probably would have preferred all mermaids. I'm not too sure of my mermaid ability though so I agreed to do one mermaid next to the castle but behind the door just in case it didn't turn out great. So that's what we did. Here's the mermaid a little closer. She turned out okay but I'm still thinking it was smart to put her behind the door.

Now I've run out of kid spaces to paint in our house so I guess it's time to do our room. What theme would we like? hmmm . . .You can see some of my other mural work from our home here.

Fitness Friday - Flat Abs Part II

Okay so last week was the exercises for flat abs, this week it's a few extra tricks to help trim those inches.



1. Eat more! Yep, it's true. But it has to be the good high fiber, good fat foods. Women to consume 400 more calories per day and eat healthier foods are two and a half times less likely to develop abdominal obesity than women who take in fewer calories but consume more saturated fat and less fiber. So eat! Good stuff.



2. Lots of Vitamin C! Foods rich in vitamin C not only help your immune system but also help fight ab flab. Vitamin C is found in a lot of fruits and vegetables like, citrus fruits, broccoli, tomatoes and peppers to name a few. Or add a twist of lemon to your water.



3. Sleep! Not much is known about sleep yet but research is uncovering more and more about the benefits of sleep. One of those benefits is controlling hormone levels that add to increased waist size. So sleep in!

Working on New Year's Res

My word for the year is organization. We have a huge storage room / pantry area so I took it on. I tackled my first project towards organization and here is the before and after.

That was the pantry. It's so embarrassing.

That's the back pantry. Even worse. Now, it's not as pretty as it could be but it works and I feel 100 times better. I trashed so much junk! I filled the recycle garbage can once and I'm waiting to empty it so I can fill it again. And look Papi you have places for your stuff too, so NO messes when you get home. Thanks. Love ya!

Oh where, oh where has my DJ gone?

So the other day I was looking for DJ. I walked through the house and couldn't find him. I asked AJ but he didn't know. Then I started to yell for DJ and no answer. I walked back into his room and noticed this on the floor . . .

Orange peels! I know it's hard to tell in the picture. I asked AJ if he had an orange and he told me no. I looked on the beds, remember they're bunk beds so I have to climb to see the top one, but I still didn't see DJ. Then I thought to look under the bed and this is what I found. . .

DJ with a knife trying to eat the orange. Why didn't he just ask me for one? I guess then I wouldn't have gotten this cute picture if he would have asked.

I should have planned for this

We just had a FHE on rules and obedience. I showed the kids a picture of a clean house and a dirty house. Then I made up a story about the people that lived in the clean house and the people that lived in the dirty house.

The people who lived in the dirty house didn't have any rules. They had a broken window because someone threw a ball through the window. Their house was stinky because no one ever had to take a bath. Their dog was dying because no one ever gave him food or water. Their toys were broken because they never got picked up and they got stepped on. They couldn't eat because all their dishes were dirty. Everyone screamed and yelled at eachother. . . You get the picture.

Then I explained that the people in the clean house had rules and followed them. They always smelled good because they brushed their teeth and took baths. They had rules about throwing balls outside so their windows weren't broken. Their toys were clean and put away so they always knew where to find them. Their pets were happy and would play with them. No one ever screamed or yelled at eachother. They always ate dinner together and helped clean up . . . Again, you get the picture.

Then I asked which house would you rather live in the dirty, stinky house or the clean, nice house. Of course, Alexandria and AJ chose the right house but DJ - holding true to his DJness - picked the dirty house! The whole lesson backfired right there. Luckily, I was able to pull the, "this is my house" card and I want my house to be nice so we need to follow rules in our home. It was a fun FHE though. I even had the kids help think of some rules that we should have in our house and we have a chart so when I notice them following the rules they'll get rewarded. I just hope DJ gets it.

Reverently, Quietly . . .

Just when I thought it's hopeless trying to get him to be reverent. . .





Now why can't he do that at church?

Fitness Friday - Flat Abs!!

Who doesn't want great abs? When I was at ASU I had an Exercise Science professor that told us that the most effective ab moves were upper and lower crunches and combined crunches. Apparently studies proved that crunches work more muscle fibers than any other ab exercise. But that was before the whole "core workout" movement. It seems that new studies are coming out that find that key Pilates and some Yoga moves challenge abdominal muscles to a substantially greater degree than crunches do. So, for a flatter stomach try the Dolphin Plank Pose. Here's how to do it!

1. Start on your knees, place your forearms on the ground in an upside down V. Push into the floor with your wrists.

2. Walk your feet back until your toes curl under. Make sure your shoulders are directly over your elbows. Bring your torso parallel to the floor.

3. Slide your shoulder blades down your back keeping your neck long. Press front of the thighs to the sky while drawing your tailbone down. Keeping one nice, elongated, lengthened posture. Relax your eyes and throat.

4. Hold for 30 seconds then release your knees to the floor on your exhale. Try three sets and work up to 2-3 minutes.

Do I Dare Put This On Here?

It was just too funny to not post! I started laughing when I saw him but he immediately let me know that it was his sword. . . .hmmm . . .

Fitness Friday - Whole Grain?

Wondering why grocery store shelves are jammed with products labeled as "whole" this or that? Because food manufacturers know that whole grains equal a whole lot of health and they will do anything to see their food. Whole grain foods not only contain more fiber and micronutrients that help protect against disease, but also they're good-for-your-waist foods. Whole grains are absorbed more slowly than foods made from enriched or bleached flour, so they raise glucose and insulin levels less that will keep you fuller longer and slow your digestion. A diet rich in whole grains may also help you avoid cardiovascular disease and a variety of metabolic disorders.

But not all foods that say whole grain or whole wheat provide it in the healthiest form. To provide the most health benefits, the whole grain should be left intact. That means the grain still has all three of its original elements: the bran (outer shell), which contains fiber and B vitamins; the germ, which contains phytochemicals and B vitamins; and the endosperm, which contains carbohydrates and protein. The key is that the grain is "whole" rather than "refined," which involves stripping away the bran and germ.

Be aware that words on a label don't always present an accurate picture of what's inside the food. Make sure the label reads "100 percent whole grain" or "100 percent whole wheat." Here are a few fake-out words and phrases to watch for:

Made with whole grains: It may have a pinch of whole grains, but unless it's made entirely with them, you won't reap all the potential benefits.

Multigrain: This tells you nothing about whether the grains are whole or refined. Even if you're getting 38 different grains, that isn't much good if they are all refined.

Whole grain: If the label doesn't say "100 percent whole grain," it may have many grain blends.

Bad words to see paired with "flour": enriched, bleached, unbleached, semolina, durum, and rice.

Look closely at the labels and you'll find the foods that are best for you. Some easy ways to get refined grains out of your diet are to use whole wheat pasta instead of white. I don't recommend the speghetti but the angel hair can be used in its place and it's good. I also use whole wheat pasta in soups. It's easy to find they even sell it in Walmart. You can also use corn tortillas instead of white flour. They're much better for you and it's actually more authentic. I'd love to know if you have any good ideas.

New Years Resolution

Happy New Year! Hope you all had a great New Year. I've seen a lot of people blogging about one word to describe the year for their New Year's Rez. I kind of like this idea and I think I've found my word. ORGANIZE. There is so much I need to organize this year and it can work for so many things. Organize our spending, organize our storage, organize our daily routines, organize my workouts, organize . . . I think I could go on and on. I must really need this in my life right now since I can think of a ton of areas where I can use some ORGANIZATION. Since there are some things I just can't plan I'll try anything to make my life run smoother. What about you? What are some of your NYR's?

Christmas Lights

One of my favorite things to do with my kids around Christmas time is to drive around and look at everyone's Christmas lights. We missed doing it this year because we were in Mexico for most of December. But one night after Christmas we were driving around and about to come home but they wanted to see more lights. We live close to the temple so we drove there and saw more lights. I was kind of nervous about keeping them all by me but there weren't very many people, I guess because Christmas was over, and my kids are awesome! Yes, I know I'm going to regret saying it because next time they'll be all over the place, but I'm by myself with them 9 months of the year and we can travel together, we go places, we do things and for the most part they stay by me and we do okay. I never really feel like we can't do something because Papi's not around. (And for those rare occasions when I do need someone else it's good to know we've got family here.) I don't think I could do the things we do or go the places that we go with any other kids. I know He knows what he's doing when He sends you those precious, new spirits. I'm so blessed to have my children. I love them!

Christmas and Then Some

This year we did things a little bit different. Everyone got to give a present to everyone in the family. On Christmas Eve I had the kids come in one at a time and help me wrap the presents they were going to give their brothers and sisters. They all enjoyed wrapping the presents for other people until I pulled out the toy that DJ was going to give AJ. DJ picked it up and said, "I like this". It was a pretend hook like Captain Hook from Disneyland. They love Peter Pan and Captain Hook. So, that was good then I knew AJ would like it too. But then he wouldn't give it to me so we could wrap it. (AJ was going to give him the same thing but I couldn't tell him that.) Finally, I had to pull it out of his hands. He got mad, threw open my door, screamed, "I'm not playing with you anymore", slammed the door and went running down the hall crying. I learned my lesson well, and when AJ came in to wrap the presents I didn't pull out the hook. But it gets better. First thing Christmas morning DJ runs out of bed to the Christmas tree, finds AJ's present and opens it. Good thing we had two hooks.

Then there was the big gift from Santa, a trampoline! The box was wrapped but there was nothing in it. Santa had set it up already in the back yard. Thanks Santa's elves for getting it up so the kids could use it Christmas morning. They were very excited.

The Nativity

Don't they look cute? Grandma found these costumes at Deseret Book. Every year we usually break out the towels and bathrobes but this year they got to wear beautiful costumes and they did an excellent job performing the nativity while Grandpa read from Luke.

Mr. Clean even when it's not

It's amazing how siblings, TWINS, raised in the same environment can be so different. AJ is so clean. Everything has to be wiped off. DJ loves a mess however, he does put toys away. So I was shocked when I walked out and saw AJ with half a bottle of lotion all over his hands and he was smearing it on all of the furniture. This picture just shows a little of what was actually there. It was all over the entertainment center all over the shelves, oh and the floor. I asked him what he was doing and he told me he was cleaning. So before I let him know he wasn't really cleaning I asked if we could take a picture. And here you go. It did wipe up quick though and left a nice polish on our furniture.

I want fingers like that!

AJ has sucked on his two fingers since he was a baby. Usually he has his blanket with him and he's content with his fingers. Today when I saw him doing it I asked him,"Do they taste good?"

He told me, "Yea they taste like strawberries."

I said, "Yum, do they always taste like that?"

He replied,"No sometimes they taste like oranges."

I laughed and let him know,"You're pretty lucky to have such yummy fingers."

He said very cool like, (if you know AJ you can hear it), "Yea."