What did YOU dress for today?

Have you noticed that when you lounge around in your pajamas all day, you feel really, really comfortable? You don't want to go anywhere and you want to just lay around the house.

Or, have you ever dressed for work or for an interview and when you were about to walk out of the door, you gave yourself one final inspection and you said to yourself, "I'm ready to handle business!"

What about when you are about to workout? Have you experienced that feeling of invincibility when you've purchased some new workout clothes and tennis shoes and put them on? "I'm ready to knock this 2 mile run out of the park!"

It may sound silly but I've learned that how I dress does indeed affect how I feel, how much I accomplish, and how I dress will determine what I accomplish!

So, what did you dress for today?

If I want to ensure that I will workout, I dress myself in my workout gear first thing in the morning...all the way down to my tennis shoes. My body has already prepared my mind for what is going to happen today. I may not feel like working out; I may not want to workout but something happens when I prepare myself for physical activity: MY FEELINGS FOLLOW MY ACTIONS.

Don't wait until you FEEL like working out to begin. I'll tell you now, that feeling will never come. If it does come, it may come too late in life to do you any good.

Don't wait until you WANT to workout before you begin. You may never want to. Besides, don't we tell our children that there will be times in life where your feelings do not matter? You have to make smart, wise choices regardless of how you feel.

Well, it is time we adults take our own advice.

Prepare yourself for physical activity today and your feelings will follow.

Stay active!

SOMETHING TO LOOK FORWARD TO!

I am planning a trip to the beach later in the spring. In preparation for that trip, I find myself daydreaming about what I'm going to wear, the activities my husband and I will do, and I think about the fun times we're planning to have with our friends.

I've found that plans do something weird to our minds and bodies: plans actually propel us forward, toward action. When we make plans, our minds and bodies move in the direction of what we have planned. Plans give us something to look forward to and they make us anticipate the future instead of dreading it. Magic, huh??

Plans also minimize chaos. I can remember when my children were very young and my husband would say, "You need a schedule for your day." I must admit, I didn't take this critique well because I felt like he was criticizing how I managed my time...maybe he was! :-/ But I also felt I had no reason to schedule my day because I did the same thing all day, everyday- wake up, feed kids, bathe kids, dress kids, change kids, cook dinner, put kids to bed. Who needs a schedule for THAT?!?

Well, I've have learned to appreciate a schedule as I've gotten older. I've taken these concepts of planning and applied it to my meal planning. 

Do you want to have something to look forward to during the week? Do you want to move yourself toward action? Do you want to minimize chaos? If you do, this weekly menu plan is for you!

First, begin by using a stock menu planner from your word processing software. I performed a search in Microsoft Word on "Menu" and I found one I liked. Next, write down some normal menus that you and your family typicallly eat each week. If you choose to try a new recipe, go for it! But for your first stab at planning, just cook what you would normally cook. We want to keep this simple and we don't want to add any undue pressure. Also, if you need some menu ideas, ask your husband and kids what they would like to eat for dinner. I've found that when I include them, even THEY look forward to eating at home! Additionally, take note of what your family eats when you all go out to eat and attempt to make a similar dish at home.

Now, make sure you have breakfast, lunch and dinner planned for the next week. If you plan on eating out for breakfast, lunch, or dinner during the week, be sure to put that on your menu planner as well.

Finally, it's time to make your shopping list. Check your refrigerator, freezer, pantry and cabinets FIRST, as we don't want to buy any unnecessary ingredients. Now, print your menu plan and record your grocery list on this. While you are shopping, you can continually refer to your shopping list. This will minimize any impluse buys, thus saving you time and money.

My menu for this week is shown above. I know...photo is a bit unclear. I'll try to upload a clearer copy later today.

I even recorded that my family has a track meet and a basketball tournament this Saturday so we will probably eat out for lunch on Saturday. So, we will be eating out for lunch that day.

It should take you no longer than 30 minutes to plan your meals for the week and prepare your shopping list.

I hope you give planning your weekly menu a valiant effort today!

Happy planning!

TJ Robinson

Fit Mom? Fit Family!

IF MOMMA AIN'T HAPPY,....

As a young girl, I recall seeing a framed quote that read "If Momma Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy!" That quote seared an indelible truth in my psche: Mom's have such a powerful influence on the climate or spirit of a home that other people are affected, either negatively or positively.

Now that's what you call POWER! We are all real Wonder Women! But with great privilege, or power, comes great responsibility.

Specifically when it comes to you and your family's physical health, how are you using YOUR power in the home? Answer these questions:

• Who buys the groceries in your home?
• Who plans or decides what's for dinner?
• Whenever you are eating something in the presence of your husband or kids, do they ever ask, "Mom, what are you eating? Can I have some?"

When I ask myself these questions, the answers are Me, Me, and Yes!

Like it or not, here is where our responsiblity of having all that power kicks in. Our families will eat only what WE buy; our families will eat only what WE prepare; kids love to eat whatever Mommy is eating. My own mother says "I could be eating boo-boo on a stick and my kids would STILL want some!" LOL! Power!

So, what are we buying at the grocery store? What are we preparing for our families? What are WE eating? 

If you don't like the answers to these questions, never fear! "Fit Mom? Fit Family!" is here!

In my next post we will discuss meal planning and grocery shopping. I've found that when I sit down, plan what my family will eat during the week and then shop based on that list, I feel more organized, more in control...dare I say "powerful"?!? :-)

I will leave you with a picture of another Wonder Woman....which super hero do YOU want to be?

What's for dinner, Mom?

Have you decided what to cook for dinner tonight? What about lunch tomorrow? You don't have to reach for any processed foods or drive through any McFat restaurant IF you have this quick, easy, and delicious soup on hand.

This is TJ's homemade chicken noodle soup. I made this one day because I believe I had a sick husband or child and I didn't have any canned soup in the house. So, I just used what I had in my freezer and pantry and...voila'!

My soup contains celery, carrots and onions. Celery has a high calcium content, thus it has a slight calming effect. It may help contol high blood pressure and arthritis as well. Carrots have an anti-aging and anti-cancer effect. Carrots also have been shown to improve vision and promote healthy teeth and gums. Onions are high in folic acid, B1, and K. They are also high in fiber.

My eight year old son is a fincky eater and I feel at times that I did a poor job of ensuring that he was eating healthy foods. But THIS soup is something he ASKS for now! Yeah!

I'd like to to share the recipe with you below. Now, I must warn you...I'm getting like my grandmother in that I don't do too much exact measuring when I cook!  So the amount of each ingredient is a pretty close estimate. Don't be afraid to play with this recipe and make it your own. Enjoy!

TJ's Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients:





3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, washed
5 whole carrots, washed and cut up
10 stalks of celery, washed and cut up
6 bay leaves
1 onion, chopped
Handful of spaghetti noodles, broken in thirds
4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste (optional)
Sea salt, to taste
Water

Get a large stock pot. Place on stove over medium heat. Pour in vegetable oil, put in whole chicken breasts, bay leaves, onion, carrots, and celery.

Fill stock pot about 3/4 of the way full with water. Season with sea salt (start with 2 tablespoons) and crushed red pepper. Cover. Cook for about 20 minutes or until the chicken breast float.

Take the chicken breasts out of the pot and place on a cutting board. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces. Return chicken to pot. Add broken noodles to soup. Cook for about 10 minutes more. Turn the heat off.

As the noodles cook, they will swell so you may have to add more water to get the consistency you like. Make it your own.

Welcome!

Hello world! It's me...TJ Robinson!

I am so excited to have this opportunity to share a part of my life with you. I am equally humbled by the fact that you took the time to stop by and check out this blog.

Being a mother is not just a full-time job (whether you work inside or outside the home); it is also a life-long job. The main tool we moms have is the power of influence. I'm sure you've realized by now that you can not MAKE a person do anything....that even includes your children. So, how do we, then, influence our families in this crucial area of life...our physical well-being?

The answer to that question lies here, in this blog. I plan to share with you some ideas I've implemented in my own home to "influence" my family toward physical fitness. I hope that you would share some ideas as well. Together, we moms can influence a generation to be well-rounded, healthy citizens.

Thanks again for stopping by and I'm looking forward to our time together.

Stay active,
TJ Robinson