Efficiency and the Mother Athlete

Strength Training
Core work
Eating right
Sleep
Icing
Self Massage
Stretching


All of these things go into making a strong athlete.  When it comes to being a runner, I speak for myself when I say that it is so darn easy to get to point where all I'm doing is carving out the time for my mileage.  If I don't have an injury and I'm trying to fit in a certain amount of miles per day/week, I tend to forget how important it is to do all of these other things.  They all take time.  But when I cut out one or all of the things from the list, my running eventually takes a hit.  


As a busy mom to three kids (what mom isn't busy?), I have to do a TON of MULTI-TASKING if I want to be good at my job as a mom and still make the other plates in my life stay spinning....my plates of :


athlete
wife
friend


and more.  


Even eating right takes work.  It means slowing down enough to make sure that I'm feeding myself and not just eating off of my kids' plates.  It means taking the time to put together a salad with lots of greens and protein instead of just grabbing whatever is easiest.  


I know that with summer here, some things slow down a bit but at the same time, having three kids HOME and not in school, means less alone time for me and more ON time as a mom.  So that means being creative with how I fit in these important things like strength training, core work, etc.  I can only take so much time during my day that I devote to exercise so I'm determined to find ways to fit this stuff in WHILE doing other things.  


Today has been pretty successful with this mommy/athlete multi-tasking.  Although I don't want to be multi-tasking all the time, it does serve its purpose when I have a 9 mile run and long overdue core work and strength work to fit in on top of normal house stuff and making the kid/summer/fun world go round.  If I want to end up with some down time, then I have to find ways to fit in the other stuff.  Here are just a few ways I fit it all in today so that I now have ME time for icing, rolling my foot, and writing this blog while my kids have their "quiet time":

It isn't often that I have time to myself to just sit down and write in the middle of the day.  This is usually my running time but things worked out perfectly today and I was more efficient than usual.  

• While folding laundry, I played a game with myself.  Fold 4 things; Do push ups; Fold 4 things; Do ab work; Fold 4 more things....you get the gist
• Lunges down the hall while I pretend to get my son.  He thought it was a game.  I got some nice leg work in.  Win win.
• Do more ab work while lifting my son on my legs and doing read aloud to my kids (goal is to get through a chapter book a week for summer read aloud).  
• More read aloud while doing various Jillian Michaels' moves that I have in my memory.  
• Make a lunch for kids to eat as picnic on the front lawn where I can see and talk to them while on my treadmill starting my 9 mile recovery run.  Then they were free to ride bikes, use their spray bottles, and play with friends in the culdesac while I finished my run.  I admit, I was interrupted several times so my 9 miles took way longer than it should have.  But overall, it was fun for all.  And I still had a part in conversations, watching my kids play, etc. 
• Now my son is down for a nap and my girls get their designated t.v time where they get to watch a couple shows on Netflix.  And I'm taking care of the nutrition part by drinking my Nuun All Day and eating an ice cream sandwich.  Oops, I mean I'm making that salad right after this.  

So many people ask me "How do you do it?!" or my favorite (which I also wrote a post addressing):  "Where do you find the time?!!"   Yes, I'm a mother of three kids and yes, life gets busy but when something is really important to us, we usually find a way to make it happen.  For me, it means being creative with how I plan my day.  There are many days that I'm flying around like crazy and don't get it all done but most days I'm 

                    EFFICIENT.  

Now that summer is here, I can fit in my treadmill time when the kids are playing next to me or with their friends outside where I can see them.  This is awesome.  Even doing dishes can be a multi-tasking chore....calf raises, butt squeezes, squats in between unloading dishes, tricep dips on the kitchen chairs, dropping and doing push-ups after tasks....these things don't have to be done in isolation.  

So now, I'm off to make that salad and still have time for a shower before my precious quiet time is over and it is time to get dinner ready for everyone and still have the evening for quality family time.  I'm making it all happen and this makes me feel happy at the end of the day.  Accomplished.  Healthy.  Fit.  Balanced.  Efficient.  

How do you make it all work?

Where do you find the time to do the things that are important to you?  

What do you cut out of your day to make sure you take time for the things that make you a stronger, more fit, healthier, happier YOU?   

Amanda

Morning Writing with Coffee and The Jewel Fairy is Coming Today!

Permission to use this photo from Cher Odum @ ChertheArt

Day #3 of making more of an effort to connect with myself.  This is working out nicely.  Today I actually woke up way earlier than usual since my husband was making too much noise getting his bike gear ready so he could cycle to work.  Then the birds outside my window were just way too loud with their singing for me to go back to sleep.  So, here I am....up early enough to soak in the morning.  
Slowly.  Quietly.  Coffee next to me.  
Sunshine coming in my window (yep, that's right...we have sunshine in Portland today).  A promise of a great day.  


Gratitude and Goals


Thankful for:

• Being up early enough to write
• Having an e-mail from a dear friend waiting for this morning
• Friendships that challenge, encourage, and inspire me to be better in all areas of my life...athlete, wife, mother, friend, professional.  Finding friends like this is such a gift.  
• Last day of 1st grade for my oldest.  I'm putting together an informal after school party.  The Jewel Fairy is even going to visit.  My oldest daughter is starting to think that I am the Jewel Fairy.  ME!  What?!  Hmmph!  I have to put an end to that.  Maybe I'll do the jewel fairy dance with them and have a neighbor put the little gems under the tree this time.  I'm not ready for this tradition to end.  
• Friends coming over for dinner.
• A small house that is easier to clean and makes me get rid of clutter/junk/"things" that we don't need.  It helps me live simply.
• Flowers.  I love flowers.  I love buying flowers for my home, having potted flowers during the summer, and seeing all the color that they bring to my world.  
• Running.  Running.  Running.  Running really does help keep life balanced, centered....SIMPLE.  
• Coffee.  Mornings are just better with coffee.  I didn't start drinking coffee until after my third kid but now I enjoy a cup or two every morning.  Such a treat.  
• My husband being my best friend and someone that has similar goals and wants the same things out of life.  I'm also thankful that he sees my job as a SAHM equally as important as his job if not more so.  He has always made it clear to the kids that together, we make this life and earn money for our family. 
• My treadmill. Again, not ideal training but necessary for me for part of the week.  And it works so well lately.  My kids sat on garage floor/driveway and painted birdhouses for Father's Day yesterday while I ran my 9 miles.  They painted and together, we chatted and enjoyed the afternoon.  
• Race photos to show me how completely awful my form can be.  Not always but definitely enough to make me KNOW that I'm not going to be very efficient if I don't make some improvements.  
• My kid journal time and nature time with my kids the other day.  Not every day will be like that but it was a nice reminder.  And thanks for those of you who shared the airplane mode tip for my phone so that I can use the camera but not get notifications!  This will help me truly unplug. 
• Being on the Nuun Hood To Coast team this summer.  I'm really looking forward to this opportunity.   
• 20 miler on Saturday and I get to run part of it with a friend!  
• My July 4th marathon is coming up so quickly...excited!  

Goals for Today:

• To make this short so I can get my daughter up and make this last morning of school an AWESOME one!  
• Be Smart with my body and really listen to it.  I DON'T want to end up injured again so I might be switching my 1k repeats with a slower easy run and then do the repeats tomorrow. This depends on how my left leg/groin feel.  They feel okay but I can tell that they are a bit tired and I've been slacking on the strength training, rolling, etc.
• STRENGTH training, CORE WORK and things like icing, rolling, massage...these things are so so so easy for me to put to the back burner when things are going good.  But they are the most important for me to keep up if I want to keep feeling good.  I need to take time for them daily.  
• Enjoy the sunshine and jump on the trampoline with my kids this morning.  
• Spend 15 minutes or so where I just read, chat, cuddle with my younger kids WITHOUT getting distracted with other things.  Yes, 15 min is short but if I know the day is going to be busy with getting stuff done, 15 minutes of solid focused time goes a long long way.  
• Get my daughter up Right NOW!

Happy Wednesday!  Happy Last Week of School for those of you on our schedule around here.  

Do you do anything to celebrate the last day of school?

What is a goal you have for today or this week?  Any goal...big, small..?  Flossing?  Trimming your toe nails?  Running?  Cuddling with your kid?  Getting all dolled up for a date night?  

Amanda

Operation Reconnect

It's always neat for me to see how my daily life changes when I set my mind to MAKING the CHANGE.  There is so much power in putting our goals and intentions out there.  So much to say about taking control of our life and making it what we want it to be rather than wishing it was different.  Ever since I wrote my post the other day about turning my autopilot off and waking myself up so that I can be more intentional and present with myself and my kids, things have just felt fresh.  It's like I cleaned my self-windows.  A film of sorts has been cleared and I feel just a bit more alert and awake to the life around me.  


This mental freshening-up or "snap out of it" exercise feels good.  I've missed the quiet time with myself.  I've missed reflecting and starting my day with my journal and coffee instead of waking right up to chores, e-mail, to-do list, texts...all those things that can end up sweeping us up and taking us swiftly through our day only to be at the end of it and ready to start all over again. I'm thankful for the reminders and awareness to put on the breaks a bit and just soak the important stuff up. At the same time, I'm thankful that we do have the option of life autopilot where we don't always have to be actively seeking out some magical moment in life.  Ha!  Sometimes it is just nice to zone out and tell your kids to disappear to the backyard for awhile so you can check you e-mail and write a blog.  Right?!  


Balance.  Change up.  Seasons.  Not always being content with SAMENESS.  These are key for me.  


So, in my intent to reconnect just a bit with myself and my kids, I forced myself to leave the house yesterday.  Staying inside can just be too distracting sometimes if my computer is on and my phone is beeping and ringing.  Oh, and then the constant mess from living with kids....too easy to want to just start picking up and "getting things done" instead of spending time playing with my kids.  Before I know it, hours have gone by and I've gotten nowhere...just cleaning.  But there is always more mess.  


So we took off on a "nature walk" to the park.  And I left with one big intention:  UNPLUG.  


UNPLUG.


I tried to only use my phone for my camera and to ignore the chimes telling me about an e-mail or text.  This is harder than it sounds.  Talk about an exercise in self control and being present.  


It ended up being an hour and a half that definitely made an impression on my kids. 


They will remember it.  They will remember that Mom was present and excited about being WITH them and doing what they were doing instead of just being there while they play.  I was playing too.  


TOGETHER, We....


Stopped to see bees on flowers,

Watching the bees

Picked up all the interesting leaves, pine cones, flowers on weeds, small rocks 
Added to our Nature Collection for a collage.
Gave attention to the the things we usually rush past.


My daughter
taught us all about spit bugs and the different kinds of trees.  She shared with me the many facts she has learned from being so in love with nature.  

Spit Bugs...Thanks to my daughter for pointing this out.  

My son
rode his bike and carried our nature bag on the back as he picked up on our energy and got so excited about everything he saw. "Look at that! Woah, look Mommy!  Look at the tree and the bug and the...."  

Everything was a treasure on this Nature Walk

Then the park. 
Again, I played instead of my usual watching.  
I got on the swings and felt like a 9 year old again. Swinging so high that my stomach felt like it wasn't in the right place.
My daughter learned to finally swing on her own to where she was really gaining some speed.  
She even conquered the little rock wall and climbed in 3 times!  
My son found a broken toy helicopter that was discarded in the grass.  Left as junk. But it became treasure.  We fixed it the best we could and one happy little boy carried it home in his bike as if he had just bought a new toy at the store. 


When we got back, I was exhausted but just hearing my daughter's words made me so so glad that I gave that time to them.  And myself.  Without other distractions.  We walked up the driveway and she said:


"This was a good good day!  A good day!"  


Later on after lunch, having a day off of running gave me a little extra time to spend in the journals that I keep for my kids.  It was nice to WANT to and have the energy to write them each a little note...a snapshot in time.  I don't write in these journals as often as I used to but they are some of my greatest treasures to look back on as they grow up.  These are the second journals for each kid.  I started one for each of them when I was pregnant with them and it lasted several years (still have many pages to fill of the first one of my sons).  They even write in them on occasion and it is cool to see their writing skills develop over the years...from just a hand tracing, to scribbles, to their first wobbly letter, and eventually their names and thoughts.  These journals are a perfect place to write down those little things that kids say that you never want to forget but you somehow always do.  I have lots of quick short scribbles in these journals where I just write the date and the funny sentence one of them said.  For example, my son is big into saying the phrase "by the way" lately.  So last night at bedtime he shouted from his room to say good night.  After I said goodnight back he called out in his little voice: "Oh, by the way Mom....I love you."  Now, that went in his book.  

Taking time to write in their journals.  This isn't a daily thing but they fill up eventually and become a great treasure...for me and them.

Happy to be feeling more alert lately.  I'm so glad that we hold the power to make changes in our life when we see it going a direction we don't like.  I'm excited to keep climbing and see where life continues to take me...I think I'll enjoy it a heck of a lot more if I make a conscious effort to keep setting goals and trying to be a better me.  This has so much to do with keeping myself present, my self-windows clean, and staying connected with ME so I can stay connected with others.  

Amanda