Everyday #30 - Keeper!

My husband has just come out the other side of an incredibly busy season of work.  Today was he first day off in quite a while and he slept in AND had an afternoon nap.  He was wiped.  At the end of our evening of supper, chores, homework, & bedtime wrangling for the kids we were both feeling weary and more in the mood to flop on the couch and watch a DVD.  But I knew I really should enjoy the nice, non-rainy evening and get some exercise, so my wonderful husband said he'd go for a walk with me.  He's such a keeper!  Admittedly, my "power walk" is faster on my own, but the time together is a fair trade.

 

Happy Trails!

P.S.  I haven't weighed or taken my measurements, but honestly, today was the first day that I could "feel" the benefits of my increased exercise.  I guess my clothes are just starting to fit a little differently....slow and steady will give results eventually!

Everyday Active #28 & 29 - RAIN DAY...again

My mom is in town visiting so we've been spending a lot of time thrift store shopping, drinking tea, watching "Little House on the Prairie" episodes and "puttering around the house".  So I haven't been as faithful at posting everyday, but I have still been trying to get in my Everyday Actives.  Thank goodness for the Wii!  With all the heavy rain we've had lately I have been making a lot of use out of my EA Active workout.  Yesterday I did a 40 minute hard level workout ....and my hip flexor on one side is killing me today.  I guess I lunged a bit too hard in my lunges!

Today I went for a half hour walk in the pouring rain after dropping my little one at preschool....I wish I had known that it would finally clear up later on in the evening.  I guess I could go out again now....but then again, watching another episode of Little House with my mom sounds pretty nice too.  She grew up on a farm in rural Alberta, and remembers many things about her grandma's cabin that is just like the pioneer days!

P.S.  No pics this time, as my husband has taken my camera to work these past couple days.

Everyday Active #26 - Drop Off & Everyday Active #27 - Trestle Hike

It's been a pretty busy few days for our family.  Every Victoria Day long weekend our church denomination hosts a conference for thousands of teens from across BC.  Therefore it's a working weekend for us as we work in the exhibitor area promoting our discipleship school.    However, on Sunday evening on the way home I simply asked my husband to drop me off partway home and then simply walked the rest of the way.  It was a good 30 minute power walk - a simple solution on a busy weekend.

On Monday we took a group of young adults on a day long spiritual retreat.  I was able to go for a walk with my husband along some old train tracks through some incredibly lush forest.  Loved it!
 

 

It's a looooong way down!

Everyday Active #25- Orthodontic Express

It was such a sunny, summery day that I was kinda bummed that I would have to drive to Vancouver to take my daughter to the orthodontist.  To help save money (we're talking $800 as opposed to $5,000!) she has her braces done at the Dentistry School at the University of BC.  It's about a 3 hour round trip and anywhere from a one to two hour appointment.  My husband had to work, so I would have to bring my four year old along as well.  Sigh.  It was going to be a long day for Taxi Mom.  But then right before I left, I had a flash of inspiration and tossed the jogging stroller into the back of the van.  UBC is such a beautiful campus that I knew I could take go for a power walk with Ellie and enjoy the sights and fit in my Everyday Active.

I really think UBC has to be one of the most beautiful campuses in Canada.  It's situated right on a peninsula on the Pacific Ocean surrounded by forest and ocean.  Plus the architecture is amazing.  I would have taken more pictures if I had more time, but I had to hoof it to get back to the Dentist office.  But here's a few from this gorgeous spring day!

 Little wood sprite...

 View from the end of the Main Mall

 Don't you love ivy covered buildings?

P.S.  I actually managed to get out again this evening, biking up to the library with the girls to pick up a book one of them had on hold.  And you know, that hill doesn't seem quite as steep anymore!

Everyday Active #20 - Thank Goodness

In hindsight, it's a really good thing I decided to do this Everday Active Challenge.  This time of year I normally count on being able to go for lots of bike rides and power walks.  Exercising indoors isn't my favourite, so I really need the challenge to keep me motivated during this long, rainy season.

Yep....pouring rain again today.

Thank goodness for free Zumba videos on the internet.  I did the same beginner workout that I did yesterday, and I found I was starting to get the hang of some of the steps.  If I didn't need the steps broken down in half tempo I just did them full tempo during the tutorial.  But most of them I still needed to start out slow.

I made it even more humbling by propping a full length mirror against the fireplace so I could make my form was correct.  How zumba instructors keep a straight face in front of their students is beyond me!

Anyway, this is a fun, hip shaking cardio.  Just don't take yourself too seriously!  ;-)

Everyday Active #24 - Biking for a Cause

Sunny, summery weather two days in a row!  It was a perfect night for BBQing now that my grilling husband has come home.  We also were having a guest over for dinner so I needed to head to the grocery store to pick up a few items.  On busy days it's so tempting just to resort to dashing here and there in the mini-van, but I was determined to bike everywhere.  So, after biking to pick up my youngest from preschool we headed over to the elementary school to serve at "hot lunch" day.  From there we headed up the hill to the local grocery store.  I've been pushing myself to set my bike at a higher gear just to feel the burn a little bit more.  Having my little taskmaster sitting in the child seat behind me helps as well....she reminds me when I need to pick up the pace!

I felt very Parisian biking home from the store with a baguette sticking out of the grocery bag.  Too bad I don't have a wicker basket....

Anyway, finding ways to fit exercise into the regular errands of the day is really the best way for me to make it happen.  And it's so much prettier going to the grocery store on a bike when you get scenes like this!

 My neighborhood has the most amazing network of greenspaces and trails.  And look what was overhead!

Everyday Active #23 - Working for Supper

Single parenthood is tough.  My husband has been away for 10 days, and as all you single moms out there know, it's pretty difficult to keep all your balls juggling in the air at once.  You might feel for a while that you can keep it all going (taking care of the family, making sure the house doesn't implode, keeping everyone fed on something other than frozen pizza and perogies, appointments, taxi-mom, mowing the lawn, refereeing, volunteering at the school, yardwork, having fun with the kids, and then trying to squeeze in daily exercise on top of it all?)  Eventually, something's gotta go and guess what got tossed first?  Exercise.

But after an early bedtime for me last night and a day free of appointments and getting mostly caught up on laundry I felt more energized.  Since kids eat free on Tuesdays at Denny's I decided to celebrate surviving our time without Daddy and took them out for dinner.  But instead of hopping in the car and driving, we took advantage of the sunny day and rode our bikes there instead.  It's about a half hour bike ride mostly uphill on the way there, and then a much faster return home downhill!

So, no 15 km bike ride today, but it was better than the last 3 days!

We also stopped by a new playground on the way home.  Don't you just love the longer days of spring and summer?

P.S.  Dinner for the four of us was only $15 - sweeeet!