Congratulations to Katie Bryant for winning the summer leg challenge! She lost one and a quarter inches! WOW Katie, that’s awesome! Great job Momma!

Thanks everyone for joining us in the Summer Leg Challenge!

If you’d like to look back at our complete Leg Challenge, start here at WEEK 1.

We have hit our 4-week mark and it’s time to get out that measuring tape to see how you’ve done! Send in your measurements by clicking Contact Author emailing me at mommyandmefitness.blog@gmail.com.

Measurements will be accepted through Wednesday, May 16th @ 6:00 p.m. Eastern time. The winner will be announced on Friday, May 18th. Make sure to check back in to see if you are the winner!

Along with your measurement, make sure to include a story about your personal leg challenge journey. How did you like it? Did the challenge fit in your daily life? Anything funny happen? Are you going to keep doing the exercises? Let us know something about your experience.

Can’t wait to hear how you all did!

If you’d like to look back at our complete Leg Challenge, start here at WEEK 1.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I think I let the pressures and expectations of what this day should be for me, pressures and expectations created by card companies and jewelry companies and restaurant companies, get in the way of what I truly believe this day is all about.

As moms, we might see 60 or so Mother’s Days, and if we are blessed to live that long, that means we’ll see somewhere around 219,000 “mothering days”. Today is about the legacy of those 219,000 days. The legacy of lives molded and shaped…day after day {and night after night}…and into the next generation!

Today, some of us might struggle with bitterness over the fact that we’ll be {once again} helping our mother-in-law prepare a meal for 20, or sadness that we’re not spending the afternoon sipping tea with our own mom at the corner café, or disappointment that the hubby just couldn’t find the time to take the kids to pick out that perfect gift. Some of us might be glowing after that bowl of soggy cheerios eaten in bed, or showing off a beautiful new necklace, or planning for a sitter so we can use that gift card for an hour long massage.

No matter where we’re at on that spectrum of emotions let’s remind ourselves that this one day each year does not make or break the legacy that God is creating through us. Let’s remember our mission… remember how much work has been done and how much there is yet to do.

Remember all of the sleepless nights {I’ve heard these don’t end with end of the preschool years}, lunches packed, boo-boo’s kissed, wise words spoken, sippy cups filled, family movie nights in instead of ladies nights out, research papers proofread, stains removed, bullies reprimanded, highlights traded in for ball caps, forgotten homework delivered, midnight conversations over cookies and milk, toes counted, Bible stories taught, friends welcomed, sweats worn instead of heels, baths given, first steps videotaped, homeruns cheered, date nights on the couch instead of at the movie theater, apologies made and forgiveness delivered, fingernails painted, t-shirts folded, gym bags deodorized, time-outs given, cupcakes frosted, windows face-printed, bottoms wiped, blanket forts built, class parties planned, and prayers whispered over sleeping bodies.

The everyday tasks and sacrifices, done in humility, are investments made in the lives of our children {who will all too soon be adults} and the lives of the hundreds…if not thousands…of others they will touch.

Take a moment this Mother’s Day to think about how far reaching your legacy might be. The Lord would love for it to reach into eternity and have the chance to give you the ultimate Mother’s Day gift. He would glory at allowing you to look at lives turned toward Him because you were a mom who carried out your mission.

Let us be moms who do not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up…and we will hear from our Master “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

Galatians 6:9, Matthew 25:15

Post written by Valerie Hunter. God has gifted Valerie with a heart for ministry and we are thankful to have her as a part of our team here at Mommy & Me Fitness.

]]> http://mommyandmefitnessfun.com/mothers-day.htm/feed 0 http://mommyandmefitnessfun.com/regans-first-half-marathon.htm http://mommyandmefitnessfun.com/regans-first-half-marathon.htm#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 17:03:01 +0000 Juls http://mommyandmefitnessfun.com/?p=4133
Keep reading...]]> If you are just joining us on Regan’s Half-Marathon journey, check out our first interview, second interview and third interview.

Mommy & Me Fitness has been following Regan as she trained for her first Half Marathon. Our first interview with her was in January. What a commitment Regan has made to complete her goal! What an inspiration she is! Let’s check in with her one last time to see how the race went.

1. You’ve finished!!!! How do you feel? R – I am so happy I finished this milestone! My muscles were tight for a couple of days but I’m feeling great now!

2. In your first interview back in January, your goal was to finish in 2:30 hours, did you make it? R – I can proudly say I completed the race in 2:14.

3. What surprised you most about the race? R – The number of volunteers and people who came out to support the runners. People would see your name on your bib and cheer for you.

4. Did you talk to others around you while you were running? R – I remember seeing my friend during the last mile and we encouraged each other since we were almost to the finish line.

5.  What was the course like? R -  It was a great course which mapped through various areas of Columbus. I remember seeing the finish line though and thinking, “why are they making us finish strong on the steepest hill of the course!”

6. What was going through your mind as you were running this race you worked so hard to train for?   R – The Bible verse about determination that I’ve been teaching my Upward Soccer team. “Let us keep on running the race marked out for us,” Hebrews 12:1.

7. So, everyone wants to know, would you do it again?  R – I don’t plan to run another half marathon but I am thinking about doing a triathlon.

8. Anything else you would like to share about this experience? R – I couldn’t have done it without the continued support of my loving husband and son. I also couldn’t have done it without Brooke Trumpower. She created my training plan and encouraged me throughout this adventure. Also, I’d like to thank my friends and Mommy and Me Fitness.

What an honor it was to follow you through your training! GREAT JOB REGAN!

It’s the last week of the Summer Leg Challenge my Friends! Let’s pump this up and give it our all! Are you seeing results? Inching down smaller and smaller on that measuring tape? I hope that you can hang in there through our last week of this challenge. You have been doing great…keep it up!

Tips for the Week:

• While you are doing your exercises, focus on holding your tummy in. Extra benefit for tummy muscles.
• Do the exercises out of order.
• Try to get in these exercises 2 times a day for at least 4 days this week.
• Hang up a pair of shorts or your swimsuit where you can see it all week for incentive to press on!

Week 4 Challenge:

• Challenge Yourself. If you haven’t tried one of the previous advanced challenges, try to add one in.
  
• Pillow balance. As you are doing the exercises on your hands and knees, place a pillow under your stationary knee. This will add more challenge to your glutes.
• Pulse. For the inner leg lift, add in 10 pulse lifts in the middle of your reps. Lift the inner leg up 3 levels to count as 1 lift. You will feel the BURN in the inner thigh!
• Eating Challenge. Reduce your sugar intake. Limit yourself to 1 or 2 small, sweet treats this week.
• Advanced. Add in running up and down a set of stairs 5-15 times as fast as you can!

A note from our trainer:

“I hope that after this week you will not stop doing the leg challenge. Try on those shorts that you have saved in your closet from the past- you know, those skinny jean shorts from the year 2000! If they fit, celebrate by purchasing some in-style shorts from this decade! If not, keep pressing on! When you are out and about and see a Momma that has gorgeous legs, tell her. We should encourage one another because we know it is not easy to come by those summer legs.” ~ Brooke

Let’s encourage each other this last week! Leave a comment here on the blog to let us know you are sticking with this and going to push out one last week of the Summer Leg Challenge!

Here’s what you do:

Rinse off the asparagus spears. Cut off the woody ends.

Place on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Shake a bit of salt and pepper on.

Top with some fresh parmesan cheese!

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Voila! Perfectly baked asparagus. I liked them, my kids liked them, and guess what? my husband even had seconds! Asparagus has now been officially redeemed in my household!

Asparagus Facts:

• Asparagus is one of the oldest known vegetables – just in case you are playing trivial pursuit in the near future.

• Low-calorie veggie – only about 27-30 calories in 1 cup of asparagus.

Health Benefits:

• Contains antioxidants which boosts your immune system
• Contains folates – great for pre-conception and early pregnancy to prevent neural tube defects in newborn babies
• Prevents many different forms of cancer
• Anti-inflamatory
• Promotes digestive health
• Promotes heart health
• Regulates blood sugar

And much more! Who would have thought this green spear veggie is packed full of great nutrients and minerals? I’m so glad asparagus is welcome in my house again and we can benefit from this powerhouse veggie.

How about your house? Is asparagus welcome in your home?

Here we are at week 3 in our Summer Leg Challenge. Are you starting to see some results? Are your legs feeling stronger? Mine sure are! I have to give credit to staying faithful with this challenge because of the huge commitment from all you ladies out there…thanks for the motivation! Keep it up…we are HALF WAY THROUGH!

Take a look at some personal stories that were shared with me:

“I’ve been reading on the MMF blog. Great Stuff!!! I am doing the Summer Leg Challenge and my girls are doing it with me. It’s really hard to concentrate when you are busting up laughing! I am feeling great!!! That is a huge plus! Thanks for sharing the blog… I really appreciate it!” ~ Katie

“I am doing the leg challenge and it’s surprising how much I feel the burn in the leg you aren’t working…wow!  It’s getting easier!” ~ Sarah

Thanks for your stories, keep sharing them with me!

Tips for the week:

• Here’s another great stretch to add after your leg workout. Lying Glute Stretch: Lie on your back, cross one leg over the other and pull gently on your other leg to stretch out that glute. One of my faves!

• During your side lying leg lifts, make sure to keep your hips stacked one on top of the other, don’t roll back and forth. These exercises will focus more on your leg and glute muscles when you keep those hips stabilized.

Week 2 challenge:

• More Reps. Time to up your reps…you can do it! Extend your lifts by 5. Even if you can do half of the exercises with 5 more reps, you are pushing your body beyond what it’s used to which fights against a plateau in your results.
• Toe Tap. As you are doing your side lying leg lifts, try to bring your leg in front of your still leg and tap your toe on the floor, lift up quickly and tap your toe to the back. Try adding these “taps” in to get more of that backside muscle burning.
• Eating Challenge. To help control weight and encourage more loss, don’t eat past 8:00 p.m. If you are an early to bed person, up that time to 6:00 p.m.
• Advanced – For all those hard core exercisers out there, add some more cardio. Remember that plyo squat from last week? Add 10 plyo lunges. While standing, lunge right leg forward and jump up to switch legs. This is for the ultimate burn, can you do it???

And now, a note from our trainer:

“You may have burned holes in your paper plates by now… or even gone through several sets!  My frisbees have holes in them from doing this outside!  You might need to move on to something thicker- like container lids or containers themselves!  If you do have holes in your plates, let us know so we can congratulate you!  You are not only burning plates, but also those thighs!” ~ Brooke

Move on to week 4!

We have been following Regan as she has been training for her first half-marathon. She is running in the Capital City Half Marathon held in Columbus Ohio.  Let’s check in to see how she is doing:

How much longer till your half-marathon?

R- It’s only one week around the corner (May 5).

How many miles are you up to in your training?

R- Eleven was the most in a day.

How much running will you do from now till the race?

R- My goal over the course of last week was 20 miles and this week is 10 miles before the race.

What do you plan on taking with you on the race?

R- Energy chews, sunscreen, sunglasses, and iPhone.

Have you seen the course of the race? Are there any hills? If so, have you trained for hills?

R- I ran 11 miles of the course last week with a friend. There are some slight inclines but my training plan has prepared me for it.

Have you experienced any injuries throughout your training?

R- Nothing major. Just the usual aches and pains.

Your finish goal time was running the race in under 2 hours, is that still your goal?

R- Yes, still my goal to complete in two hours.

Do you have anyone going to cheer you on?

R- My husband and son.

You can plan on Mommy and Me Fitness cheering for you too Regan! Best of luck to you in the race next week!

We will check in on Regan one last time after her race to celebrate a job well done!

We have made it through our first week of the summer leg challenge! Thinning up our thighs and shaping up our booty has never felt so good. What great motivation I have to continue on knowing that so many other women are out there joining me in the dirty dogs! First things first, make sure to measure and record it. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see a lot of results, these things take time.

Tips for the week:

• If you are finding your wrists getting sore, go down to your elbows for the straight leg lift and bent knee lifts to take some pressure off your wrists. Also, for the paper plate walk forward, make an effort to carry your weight with your arms instead of your wrists.
• Try this comforting stretch at the end of your workout. The Child’s Pose Stretch. Shift your hips to one side, hold for a few seconds, then switch to the other side and hold.

• Here is a video of the table top leg circles. Try these circles both ways to switch things up a bit.

• Did you try the paper plate exercises with your heels in the plate? Its a great way to work the back of your legs. Give it a try this week!

Week 2 challenge:

• More Reps. Challenge yourself and up your reps to 5 more than what you were doing. If you were lifting your leg 25 times, try going to 30 this week in the same amount of time. In other words, start to speed up your reps a bit.
• Drink more water. This week, try to drink 8 oz of water before you eat a meal or a snack.
• Advanced-  add in 10-15 plyo squats

A note from our trainer:

“If you have not seen results yet, don’t stop!  This is when it is important to not give up. If you find you are having trouble getting the exercises in 2 times a day, try picking a few of the exercises and doing 2 sets of them all at once. You can do it, you will be stronger no matter what!” ~ Brooke

Will you share your story with me? Successes, set backs, encouragements, tips, how you fit these in your busy schedule, anything you’d like to share, I want to hear it. I will feature your personal journey through this challenge right here on our blog. Its a great encouragement to all of us to hear how we each are doing. Click on the contact author link at the bottom of this blog and send me your summer leg challenge story!

Here’s what one of our Leg-lifting Momma’s said,

“If you haven’t signed up already… do it!!! Even if you don’t win the drawing, you’ll “win” great legs and that’s what we’re here for anyway!”

Move on to week 3 and week 4!

• Peanut butter on whole wheat toast with banana slices on top
• Yogurt with granola or whole wheat crackers
• Tuna on whole wheat toast
• Peanut butter Cliff bars
• Belvita Wafers
• Mixed nuts and fruit
• Protein shake from Whole Foods
• Trail Mix

What are some of your favorite after workout snacks?