I Like To Move It

I love to exercise, period. What I get tripped up on is actually making time for it. I don’t need to be convinced of the benefits of exercise. I don’t need to be told that if you do something you enjoy, you’ll stick to it. And I don’t need to be told that sweating a little bit will literally make ALL of my other daphne house rules easier. I know it. Exercise DOES rock.  Although I do love it, I’m not a total junkie. Some days I wish I were an addict but for now my semi-regular exercise routine will have to do.  A group of girls at work just started a “strength training challenge” which is a goal of strength training 2x per week. Well it’s August 8th and I have yet to do it once. Maybe tomorrow. Again, it’s not that I dread it or can’t do it….sometimes I just plain forget to schedule it in!  Lately I’ve been walking a lot (love the summer months and warmer weather) and my dog (Tucker, aka “solo dog” since we are down to one dog now) benefits a ton too. He actually tells me we are doing on a walk every morning just by staring at me. Funny how dogs can be a great motivator without saying a thing 😉

So here is a summary of my movement rules:

Dog walk – 30/45 mins 3 days a week (90% of these are in the morning before work)

C25K (Couch to 5k by Zen Labs) – 30 mins, 3 days a week.I think this is a GREAT workout and app (check it out here). I have been running (let’s be real this is jogging…slowly…) for about 10 years and have completed a ton of races from 5K to full marathon distances but this is the first time I’m trying out a program like with with the help of an app. So far- it is GREAT. I think beginners and seasoned runners can benefit from the program.  Plus I’m using the walk/run format to work in some sprints which is a really great 30 min workout.

Strength Train – 2x per week. This will be a mix between a 20min circuit training session (think 30 sec high knees then 30 sec squats with an overhead press using 10lb weights) OR just a rotation of major muscle workouts with little/no cardio. I need the biggest help and reminder in this area and do really feel besides walking this is really the #1 workout we should be doing for our bodies.

Misc. activities I really like but don’t schedule on the regular

• biking
• swimming
• CrossFit
• Kundalini yoga or meditation class
• Jillian Michael’s 30 day shred or ripped in 30 (so fun!)
• Hiking
• Kayaking (ok, maybe I’ve only done this once or twice but I would love to take down this beast in our garage and actually use it 😉

I also have a fitbit which is pretty much the coolest tracking device on the planet. I’ve had mine for over a year now and wear it every single day. I’m pretty amazed that I haven’t washed it or lost it yet but I was really fascinated by it from the beginning so wearing it became a really quick habit.

So, that’s a quick overview of my movement rules. Time to schedule my strength training session so I can meet the goal for August. I hope this helps you to take action on setting some exercise goals this month!

Money Rules

So we’re approaching the end of another month so out comes my calculator and spreadsheets and mint.com (seriously if you don’t know this site you need to check it out now).  My money rules are just getting established so I’m still working out all of the kinks. But I love numbers and accounting for things I’ve spent my money on. Good or bad. I’m a believer in having a plan (although sometimes it’s hard to follow one!). It really starts with setting up that monthly budget and reconciling at the end of  each moth otherwise things can easily get out of control! It is the summer however, so spending is a little random. Lots of events, get-togethers with friends, weddings, etc.

My money rules include establishing a zero based budget (look into Dave Ramsey if you are curious about what this means) every month. Every dollar has a mission and should be accounted for. Be strict but know that you must include some money each month that’s “fun money” so you don’t go crazy.

If you don’t have enough money, figure out where you need an adjustment. It may be a lifestyle issue or you need to get creative with making more money. Although I was brought up otherwise – money is not evil. You do need it and it can work for you. Figure out what you want and need and make sure that your shelter, food, clothing, transportation is covered.

This rule is every-evolving but a good one to keep your eye on.

Forgetfulness

So a few weeks ago I started this blog and now weeks have gone by and I’ve been…..silent! Not a good way to start this site off with a bang! But I’ve been busy. We had to put our 8 year old chocolate lab down unexpectedly so life got a little off track.  So many emotions and thoughts that bounced me into not-on-a-mission plan. But that’s ok. I’m back and ready to rock this thing!

Meal Rules

My meal rules are pretty simple now. Eat real, whole, unprocessed food.

I was always aiming for low calorie at any cost and working out to create an even bigger calorie deficit. That just led me to feeling tired, cranky and hungry. Oh and by the way has kept me fat! Grrrrrrreat. So I knew there was a better way because in the fight against fat – results do matter!

Over the past year I’ve realized that everything I thought I knew about “nutrition” was (mostly) wrong. I’m in the car for 90+ mins a day during the work week and I’ve found the love of podcasts and the love of people who talk about real / paleo / primal / whole nutrition.  It’s certainly has taken a lot of time for it to all sink in and jotting down notes in the car while I drive does NOT work so I have to be a reeeaalllly good listener. I successfully completed the 21-day sugar detox at the beginning of 2013 but don’t want to look at nutrition that has some sort of beginning and end. But it’s really a good way to get people started because there are rules, a list of food and a time period to help frazzled people like me to stay on task.

Here’s a list of foods that I (generally) eat. I’m giving myself some time to lean into this new way of eating so I’m not perfect but aiming to follow my own rules with meals.

• VEGETABLES (mostly green! but there are so many think lettuce, cucumber, asparagus, brussel sprouts, peppers, celery, carrots, tomatoes, etc.) Some work with your body so you have to experiment a bit.
• Proteins like fish, chicken, pork, eggs (find hormone-free, range-free, grass fed, organic where possible – quality is key! If you have a whole foods or trader joe’s nearby you’ll be good)
• Fat (avocado, coconut oil, olive oil)
• Fruit (mostly berries but other seasonal fruits like apples, mangoes, melons, etc. can come in handy when you need something sweet)
• Nuts (limit these but almonds, pistachio, macadamia, etc.)

and that’s about it! Keep it simple, silly! Well I wish it were that simple for me but it can be once you clean out your kitchen and STOP buying stuff at the grocery store that doesn’t fall into the above list. Stick to a list and buy it. My biggest downfall is waltzing into a grocery store to pick up a meal du jour. Sometimes that can turn out ok but there are plenty of times I’ll throw in a bag of chips or some chocolately treat because the grocery store likes to trick you when you are hungry.And then you spend $18 and you don’t feel satisfied. Does this happen to you too?

My meal rules do sometimes allow for a bit of (high quality!) chocolate, cheese  and wine because those are things I decided I don’t want to live without 🙂 But all of the other items like sugars, trans fats, breads, pasta, dairy, alcohol and other processed foods (the stuff we are all use to) are really bad for me. Well and for you too but everyone is different. I just can’t get away with it and now…don’t really want to anymore.

Meals can look like this:

Breakfast: eggs and sausage

Lunch: protein salad (try my fav salad: arugula, red peppers, avocado, balsamic vinegar, a little olive oil, steak, thinly sliced). Or go the chicken route and have a big cobb salad with crunchy vegetables.

Snack: cut-up veggies

Dinner: Fish and veggies

These meals don’t have to look ginormous either. If you eat the right food/fat combination you won’t be sugar crashing constantly and you’ll feel much better as your body works to digest your food.

So – that’s that. What are your meal rules?

About Daphne House Rules

Welcome to Daphne House Rules. My blog is about getting my life in order by following my own rules. It begins on Daphne Street where I currently live in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Since I’m a girl that needs some structure (insert every distraction under the sun here), I’ve created some life goals I’m working on in all of the following areas:

• Meal Rules
• Movement Rules
• Mental Rules
• Marriage Rules
• Mama Rules
• Money Rules
• Motivation Rules

I’m mostly a rule follower. It’s much easier for me to stick to something if I know where I want to go and harder for me to stay on task if I just leave things up to chance. I’m sharing this on-going process so you may feel inclined to come up with your own “house rules” to live by.