Obsession, Enemy, and Friend

Pinterest.... Oh, good ol' pinterest. Kara introduced me to this last year in our sewing class. It soon and understandably became my obsession. Oh, what a wonderful distraction to busy school life. I probably spent a hefty chunk of time on pinterest, sorting through, deciding which posts I might actually be able to use. I occasionally would actually use what I found. I think I used it for preschool.

Then, that is exactly what I came to see it as. A distraction. A waste of time. I wasn't actually saving time, bettering relationships, improving myself, or using the recipes enough to justify the time being spent on pintersest. At some point in time this year, I stopped using it. If I went on, I barely would pin anything. I thought I was better off this way....

Until recently. Where pinterest became my friend. No longer an obsession or enemy. Some ideas I have for you, my friends, to actually use some possible pins you pinned.

Lazy Fitness.
http://violetsage.wordpress.com/tag/lazy-girl-fitness/

Brilliant idea on her part. No excuse now... except I can't remember what exactly she recommended for what activities? So, here copy and paste this and change the fonts as you please. Then you can print, cut, and post them near where you do those activities.

Microwave Abs

Exercise one: Abs Twists – Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, stand up as tall as you can and squeeze your abs. Twist back and forth as many times as you can, the more you do the better your abs will get!

Exercise 2 – Leg Lift Twists – After you burn out your abs twisting, try it with a leg twist. Same stance as the first exercise but then I lift my opposite leg with the twist and “crunch” down a little.

Cooking

1. Milk Curls – Milk is heavy when full so I like to do bicep curls. All you do is keep your elbow in and curl up and down. I do 10 on each arm, measure the milk out then do 10 more.

2. Butt Abductors – This one is the easiest of the two, while you are standing at the oven making sure something doesn’t burn you can work your butt out. Stand with one foot slightly in front while the other leg lifts directly backwards. I do about 20 on each leg, 2x.

Counter Tops and Hallways

I don’t walk… I lunge through my hallways. Try this all day long and see how that butt feels in the morning.

Everyone has a counter top!! Why not do some standing push ups? Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and start performing standing push ups. Do 30!

Play Like a Kid

First – Climb the Mountain. Start in a push up position with your feet together and your booty low. Then start “running” by switching your feet. Try to do a minute without stopping, or you can race your little one up a “mountain”.

Second – Superman!!! Start laying on your stomach then lift up and hold. You can also move your feet back and forth like scissors for even more of a challenge.

Leggy

Exercise one – Step Jumps! Jump up and down on the stairs with two feet. Try to do 10 without stopping and then slowly add more as it gets easy. Also try to jump through your whole foot almost like your on a trampoline.

Exercise Two – One Leg Balanced Calf Raises. Balance yourself using the railing and the wall and try to do 15 calf raises on each leg while balancing on the other.

3 Minute Arms

The 1st Exercise I do during commercial break are bicep curls. I use 5lbs and 10lbs weights. Keep your elbows in and don’t rush the curl, concentrate on good form.

2nd Exercise that I do immediately after the Bicep curls is a shoulder press. Stand up straight and make a touchdown motion then press up until the weights almost touch and then pull it back down.

Reading a Book

1. Leg Raises – Sit with your back up against a wall, bend one knee into your chest. With the other leg lift it up and down 20 times on each leg.

2- Side Lifts – Lay on your side, and start to lift your leg, start with 10 low lifts, 10 middle lifts and then 10 high lifts. Don’t forget to switch sides!

3- Butt Lifts! Lay your magazine or book flat and lift your leg up. Do 15 with a bent leg and 15 with a straight leg, then switch. Make sure your lifting only to horizontal and your squeezing your tush as well!

Laundry Time

Enter Lazy Girl Fitness, Laundry style. Here are two things I like to do while I’m doing laundry. The first is a dead lift with the laundry basket. Squat down, lift your laundry with you and then above your shoulders for a little extra. Do this 15 times each time you have a new load (dirty or clean).

Once you’ve dead lifted your laundry, time to fold it. What better way to fold but with a wall sit! Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and then proceed to sit against the wall (keeping your back flat) and fold. If it gets too easy, try going on your toes in a releve, shoot for folding 5 pieces of laundry at a time.

Brushing Teeth

1.  Toe Raises – Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, raise up to a high releve and then back down. I do this 20 times.

2. Side Lunges – Start in a standing position, lunge to the Left or Right then push-off your lunge leg. One leg stays stationary at all times, do 12 on each leg then switch to the other side.

3.  Stationary Lunges – I put my leg on the bath tub then proceed to do 15 stationary lunges on each leg. (tip – If you can’t see your toes then your foot is to close, push it out).

  Another fitness one for you (can you tell very excited about my green light to start exercising today?). It's one that was a picture with a routine, so I typed it up. Copy and paste. Of course, select your favorite font.

30 jumping jacks

5 pushups

25 high knees

7 burpees

10 crunches

7 squats

5 pushups

10 crunches

5 pushups

7 squats

30 jumping jacks

1 minute wall sit

5 pushups

25 knee highs

Repeat 3-5 times for max results

 

http://iowagirleats.com/2011/11/11/friday-favorites-11/


Here are some encouraging words

Set goals.

Exercise.

Love yourself.

Focus on fitness.

Rest and Relax.

Eat right.

Smile.

Portray Positive.

Enjoy Life.

Care for others.

Tell yourself you can do this.

It was originally a picture, but I typed it out so I could print without wasting a ton of black ink.
http://my-wishful-shrinking.tumblr.com/post/11324923466




Another tip that I have enjoyed doing to make sure you actually use your pinterest is to make your boards specific enough that you can easily find what you remember and visit your own boards frequently.

One board that is easy to use some sort of funny board. On bad days, I go and visit mine and it brightens my day enough where I can get back to working.

I feel like actually using pinterest to do things in REAL life helps me to be a better homemaker. I am starting to learn which pins I actually use, so it helps while scanning friends pins

.
What pinterest tips have you found to work for you? What stage are you in? Maybe you all are better and never had the first two. If so, kudos to you!



P.S. If you are wondering about that piece of paper you can kind of see on the door in the reflection in the mirror in the bathroom pic, this is what it is! A good motivational "Only You Can Choose to be Happy" poem.