Journey to Healthified: Week 5 | Confessions of a Stay-At-Home Mom

August 10, 2011

Journey to Healthified: Week 5





5 weeks!  I can't believe it!  Some weeks have been better than others, but overall I am really enjoying this experience.  I feel like I am slowly changing my mindset.  Not that I won't splurge on a DQ Blizzard sometimes or totally skip a workout.  But I am working on having a healthified lifestyle, where the choices I make are naturally healthy and good for me.

This week was so-so.  I didn't make it to the gym for the 3 times I am aiming for (already on a good start to complete that this week though!). I've had a lot of unexpected stress in my life recently. I'm not sure how you handle stress, but stress makes me want to eat poorly and sometimes feel lethargic, which can keeps me unmotivated to get to the gym.  We also had 2 birthdays to celebrate last week (my oldest daughter and my husband share a birthday!  They turned 3 years and 27 years, respectively).  So, I may have also had my fair share of candy and cake.

This week, I am committed to doing better!


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The Y:
Childcare


As a parent, there is nothing more destructive to working out than having no childcare.  I do have a jogging stroller, but I now have 2 kiddos, one of which is a very tall 3 year old who instantly deflates the wheels as soon as she jumps in.

So, running outdoors is nice, but not always optimal when I have both kids.  

When my oldest was an infant, I used to try to take her to the childcare at my local gym.  She was the kind of kid who did not like being watched by strangers.  Even at a few months old, she would freak out the entire time I was away, which made it hard to focus on a good work out.  I would be worried the entire time, or I'd cut my work out short to get back down to her.

(Yes, this is more my issue than hers, but I digress).

I think it's healthy for kids to get used to being watched by competent and safe individuals.  I decided that I would not let this round of gym membership be put to waste because I was too afraid to leave my kids in the babysitting area. And it's difficult to only go to the gym when my husband is available to stay home with them.

So, yesterday Hubby and I packed up the girls and headed down the  street to the Kennett YMCA.  The kind people at the front desk directed us down the hall to the Babysitting Area.  We opened the double doors, and walked in.  

Little Chica saw the other little kids and toys and fun new big people to play with, and immediately forgot who we were.  With reckless abandon, she swung open the small entrance door and went to playing.  Hubby and I were surprised, but did not want to ruin a good thing. So we quickly got the girls signed in, and handed over Bitty Bug.  Bitty Bug is a more mellow kid, and with her big sister there, we knew she would be fine.  The attendants were very helpful and reassuring.

I had no idea that we were entitled to 2 hours a day of childcare. WHOA!  I can't even imagine having 2 hours to workout and possibly even shower without having to worry about my kids. Hubby and I decided to use the indoor track, so we headed up the stairs for our workout.

After our jog, we came back to get the girls.  Bitty Bug was contentedly rocking in a swing, and Little Chica was making her laugh.  No tears.  No tantrums.  And honestly, the staff there was so confident, I had no worries that they would have been unable to handle whatever was thrown at them.

Once again, I was pleasantly surprised by the awesome staff and resources at the Kennett YMCA.  I'm not sure what things hinder your Journey to Healthified. But at a good gym, childcare should not be one of them.  I am excited at the door that has been opened now that I know about the childcare at the Y.  Little Chica is actually begging us to go back.

Now I have no excuses for not working out!


I shared with you last week my goal of running my first 5k on September 11, 2011 at the Mushroom Festival in Kennett Square.  To help get ready for the run, I downloaded an App to my Droid. I am using this Couch to 5k (C25K) app.  It gives me a 9 week training schedule, which builds stamina and endurance through alternating runs and walks over a 20-30 minute time period, 3 times a week. It's a great app, which works together with my phone's music player.  I can listen to my music while the app is running, and it "bings" to let me know to start running or walking (without interrupting my music).  Love this!  Hubby and I completed Day 1 Week 1 yesterday.   Looking forward to more runs!




The Soundtrack
(I make no apologies for my random and awesome taste in music)




1.  The Art of Losing - American Hi-Fi
2.  Complicated - Avril Lavigne
3.  In This Diary - Atari's
4.  Pinch Me - Barenaked Ladies
5.  Not the Same - Ben Folds
6.  Hook - Blues Traveler
7.  Viva la Vida - Coldplay
8.  1, 2, 3, 4 - Coolio
9.  Hangingaround - Counting Crows
10. Sugar, We're Going Down - Fall Out Boy



Healthy/Healthifed Recipe


This was in the slow cooker all day yesterday, and was ready when we arrived home from our trip to the YMCA.  This is a simple, tasty recipe. It is filling but you can feel good about all the ingredients involved.  We like cooking up some brown rice or quinoa, and serving the chicken mixture over it in a bowl. Yum!





  • bottle barbeque sauce (plain or choose a flavored one for a different taste)
  • 1/2 of a 15 ounce can pineapple chunks (WITH juice)
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1/2 onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

In a large bowl, mix together the barbecue sauce, pineapple with the juice, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Arrange chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour sauce over the chicken.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours (varies depending on your slowcooker)
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Enjoy your week! More to come! Happy Monday!

Do you have Simple Supper recipes? Send them my way! moderndaydonnareed@gmail.com


Progress

I stated earlier that this wasn't my best week.  I had been weighing in at 145 lbs for 2 weeks in a row.  I was a bit nervous about stepping on the scale after the stress-eating and birthday festivities.  I was happy to see that I'd only gained one pound, for a total of 146 lbs.  I thought it would be worse. We got rid of all the leftover cake, and are back to making healthy eating choices.  So we'll see how this week goes!

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More to come next week!  

How are you doing in your Journey to Healthified?  What did your week look like?  I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment to share your story!


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Hey! Share a thought or two - I'd love to hear from you! ~ Steph

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