Well the stresses of motherhood, coaching, counseling, and life got to me and it has been a long time since I have posted, but now I am back.  Things have been busy to say the least, over the past three months I have worked two jobs and “burnt” myself out.  I saw the results of not having time for myself and feeling the guilt of not having time for my family.  I moved away from practicing pilates and yoga and missed them for the workout, the relaxation, and of course the “me” time.  In the end, it is so evident how important it is for “active mommies” to find a way to balance all the stresses of life and budget time for yourself into each day.  Taking care of yourself by exercising and eating right is easily overlooked.  My plan is to return to some hot yoga three times a week and to get into the weight room.  In addition, now that the weather is nice our family can take bike rides, go hiking, and be active outdoors.  I encourage you to get outside and get active.  Try to find that time each day to have some “me” time and rejuvenate yourself!

photo by funsportchallenge

I recently was on the road for a three day span and was out of my usual training element.  They were three busy days and it was also raining at my destination.  Finding time to fit some fitness in and also connect with my little boy at home was a challenge.  I actually found that doing workouts from the book 90 Second Fitness Solution really made a difference for me.  It was cold and rainy and a run or outside fitness was out of the question, so I made sure I committed to my usual wall squat and plank to maintain my strength and get my heart rate up.  While the workout is quick and simple (15 minutes) I felt much better getting some strength work in.  I know that I wrote about the book in a prior post (90 seconds to a healthier, fitter, active mommy), but I have really seen a difference in my muscle tone over the past couple of weeks.  I have been regularly adding his short, but intense, 15 minute workouts into my weekly schedule and I have been impressed with the success I have been seeing.

So this brings me back to my “on the road” workouts.  I actually did wall sits while talking to my husband and son.  I have to stay in touch and with my busy schedule it was a great multi-task exercise.  It made me feel better and it actually made me forget much of the burn involved in the wall-sit.  As busy moms, it is always important to prioritize our busy lives.  Make sure you make time for your own well-being and fitness, even if you have to multi-task!

This week we are featuring an active mommy from Swartz Creek, Michigan.   I found about this amazing mommy through an old high school friend of mine that I recently got back in touch with and Brandi is his wife!  She is a very busy mom of four children who just recently had a baby and is keeping in great shape. 

Introducing Brandi Dickie:

I am a stay-at-home mom who has been blessed with the world’s best husband (Bobby), four beautiful and healthy children (a son Lachlan, and daughters Tristin, London, and Amaris), and two dogs (Simba and Chloe – who also participate in family fitness).  I currently have a child in every stage…teenager, kid, toddler, and baby and they all bring such joy to my life.  My husband who is an incredible athlete being the 3rd American finisher at the Boston Marathon has been a remarkable example to me.  Just watching his discipline and motivation over the years as he has trained for countless races has been a huge motivating factor for me and our kids.  He along with my children inspire me to live a fit and healthy life!

1. How do you handle working out and raising your children?

I try to incorporate working out while raising my children.  For example, taking the babies in the jog stroller when I run.  Also, I ride my bike alongside my son while he is running.  He trains very hard for track and cross country and I feel that by my riding a bike with him, I’m helping him achieve his goals while staying in shape myself.  My 9 year old daughter also rides with me which helps her fitness as well and the babies ride along in the Burley, adding weight to help me get a better work-out and providing enjoyment for them too – and sometimes a good nap:). 

2. How do you live a fit life?

I try to do something fitness related daily and usually it involves my kids in some way.  I also strive to be a good example by having healthy eating habits, although my weakness is chocolate:)

3.What is your favorite form of exercise and why?

My favorite form of exercise is riding my bike because I am able to do that with the whole family.  We usually take our bike rides out in the country which is my favorite place to be.  I also love to kayak but currently don’t live near a place to do that so it’s not something that I get to do often. 

4. How do you motivate yourself?

I remind myself of the importance of looking my best for my husband and having lots of energy to be the best mama I can be.  I also want to be around and active for my future grandchildren.  

5. How do you encourage your children to be active?

Actually, I don’t have to encourage my children to be active… they encourage me.  They take after their ultra-fit father and are already very active and motivated and that inspires me to be also.  My oldest son and daughter enjoy helping mom get fit and are always showing me ways to do so.  We do push-ups, sit-ups, curls, and drills together and it is much more fun than doing them alone.  And they seem to have a blast ordering their mama around for a change:)  

6.What activities do you do as a family to stay fit?  

We run, take walks, play football and basketball, and take long bike rides together.  When living in Hawaii, we hiked mountains, surfed, and kayaked often. 

7. What advice do you have for other moms on staying fit and active?

I guess since I always want to spend so much time with my family, my advice would be to find ways that you can incorporate fitness with family.  To me, it is so much more fun that way and I don’t feel like I’m missing time with them either as I would if I were working out alone, although sometimes it is important for moms to have that alone time too.

photo by shapestotalfitness.com

This morning I walked into the gym to screaming, no there wasn’t something wrong, it was screams of joy.  Startled, I looked around the room to see a morning regular jumping up and down ecstatic.  She was with four other women and they stood by the only scale in our gym, well actually they were all very excited for this woman.  I have met all of these women over the last couple of weeks at the gym.  I will occasionally end up on a treadmill next to them or in a spinning class.  Each of them has become increasingly more friendly and we usually carry on some sort of dialogue if I end up on a machine near them.  They are an extremely dedicated crew, they are always at the gym when I show up at 5:30am and they are usually still working out when I leave.

So today, I felt the urge to walk over and join their excitement.  I found out that the screaming woman had just lost 5lbs in two weeks and she was thrilled.  They instantly asked me to jump on the scale and join them.  I hadn’t weighed myself recently and after a slight hesitation I removed my shoes and hopped on the scale.  I felt some trepidation about letting four other women see how much I weigh, yet something felt comforting that we were all working towards a common goal.  I stepped off the scale calmly and the excited woman said “well?” with a big smile I informed them I had also lost 5lbs.  At that moment, I realized the importance of having support in our goals of losing weight and staying fit.  The women genuinely shared in my happiness and soon asked me to join their own “biggest loser” group.

I will weigh in again in two weeks with my new found gym friends, while I still don’t all their names we now have a common bond.  Their presence in the gym motivates me to get up on the mornings I just want to stay in my warm bed and their varying exercises will enourage me to try new machines.  Just today, we shared different ways to workout on the treadmill.  I told them about my interval training and they told me about varying their inclines in their workouts.  I also gave them tips on mixing up their routines with circuit training and core body strength moves. 

I have talked about workout buddies in the past, they are indispensable in keeping me on track with my fitness.  Accountability is so important and now I have a whole group of women (along with my usual buddy) to push me, entertain me, and share in common fitness goals.  Waking up at 5am is always tough, but at least I have others sharing in that early morning ritual with me.  And you may wonder, where was my usual workout buddy?  She was on vacation in Las Vegas, I actually made it to the gym without her and now I have four more buddies to keep me coming.

I was surfing the internet today and found two interesting articles on msn.com.  While I have talked a lot about working out, I found this article about dressing thinner and I thought I would share it with you.  It never hurts to try all the tricks in the book and I think there are some good little tips on dressing in here!  How to Dress 10 Pounds  Thinner   On the other hand, I found an article on how certain diet tricks can actually hurt your weight loss goals.  I definitely fall into all of these traps when I am working on losing weight! Is Your Diet Making You Gain?

Welcome to my website dedicated to all the active mommies out there.  I wanted to start blogging on having an active lifestyle while also being a great mom.  I am a working mom of a two year old boy and sometimes trying to get everything in: maintaining a house, being a great mom, working, and working out is a real challenge.  But of course, the challenges all come with great rewards even with a few extra pounds here or there.  I love what I do and my little humorous experiences, tips, advice, and support will help every mommy stay active and fit.

Who am I?  Well first and foremost I am a wife and mother to a two year old boy.  I am currently a high school college counselor and swimming coach.  In my most recent jobs, I have been a athletic director, history teacher, and college swimming coach and administrator.  In my life as a college student, I was a collegiate swimmer, history major, exercise science major, and eventually a graduate student who gained 30lbs.  Today I am an avid runner, a certified Stott mat pilates instructor, and a fan of Bikram Yoga.  My life has taken many turns and most of all I want to take care of myself and my family.  After a recent second trimester miscarriage, I realized there needed to be more support out there for all of us active mommies and in turn I decided to start blogging.