Springy Posts

The "spring ahead" time change always signals to me that the season is about to change. It might not be time to put away the coats yet, but it is time to think about putting away the coats. Close enough...

Since it's still a little chilly here, I have been dreaming about all the things I need to do in the Spring time. Here's a nice little list for you:

1. Spring Cleaning. It's a good feeling to really deep clean your house, open the windows and let in fresh air and sunlight. Here's how we do it- clean&lean spring cleaning.
2. Iced Mocha. I'm ready to ice down my mocha in the morning! Here's how I make my warm weather morning pick-me-up.
   
3. Closet Clean Out. This is a two fold Spring "must-do". For starters, it's time to get ready for kiddos' Spring wardrobe needs, here's a handy checklist. It's also the perfect time to re-group your closet too- closet clean out feels so good. 
4. Easter Baskets. It won't be long before it's time to hide eggs and fill baskets. Here's our fun and candy free suggestions to help you have a healthier holiday!
5. Bright and Colorful. Let's decorate! Put up the winter and break out the Spring decor. Jess is going to be doing another Spring wreath tutorial in a few days, but here's the wreath she did last year- so cute!

Crunch-less Ab Workouts

One great thing about Pinterest is that there is an abundance of great ideas. Now that I'm starting to think about summer, I'm also starting to think about my abs. :-) Funny how that association works... Anywho, in an attempt to keep my workouts interesting and efficient, I turn to Pinterest for good ideas.

I've mentioned before that I always try to keep my core tight, belly button pulled in towards my spine, but when it comes to toning those muscles you need to dedicate some exercises towards your tummy. There are a few Clean&Lean Exercises that work but this time of year I like to do a little more.

These two sources are on our Pinterest board for Quick and Easy Workout Ideas and I find myself referencing them when I get off the treadmill and have 5-10 minutes to dedicate to toning my abs. I've linked the sources which also happen to be where the pictures came from. This isn't a sponsored post, the opinions are my own but the pictures are from the sites I link to...

This picture is from women's health magazine. The exercise they suggest are a great quick reference- if you only have a few minutes and you have some free weights {use some soup cans if you don't have weights}. I love the suggestions because they target all your ab muscles- upper, lower, and sides.

Next up is a great resource if you have a little more time and a few simple things- medicine ball, stability ball, flex bands. Even if you don't have the equipment, you can still modify most of these exercises compiled by FitSugar. And with 25 exercises to pick and choose from there's something for everyone!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!

Healthy Spinach Egg White Omelette

I've been in a breakfast rut. I think for the past month I've switched between apple almond oatmeal (I'll post my recipe soon- it's yummy!) and eggs over-easy w/ whole wheat toast and an orange. Both delicious, but after eating these things so often in the last month I'm pretty much over it. Kind of like I'm over the ridiculous cold weather we're having this winter.

Saturday morning I woke up motivated to try something new for breakfast. After all, I had the time- no kids to rush out the door and get to school, no errands to run, and nowhere to be until the later in the  afternoon. For a minute there I thought I was dreaming- it's not like mornings are carefree like this every day!

Ok, back to breakfast.

Basically, what I came up with was an egg white spinach omelette and it was super yummy. It was also packed full of nutrition- which is pretty important for your first meal of the day.

The egg whites are packed with protein, are low calorie (48 calories for 3 whites), and have no cholesterol or fat. Egg whites are missing nutrients like b12, vitamin D, and iron- so go ahead and mix this up once in a while by adding 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites. Still much lower in calories, fat, and cholesterol than using 3 whole eggs!

Spinach is nutrient dense and loaded with nutrients like:

Vitamin A: promotes healthy vision,  boosts the immune system, and promotes healthy cell growth  (i.e. inhibits cancerous cell growth).

Magnesium: helps with body temperature regulation, detoxification, energy production, and transmission of nerve impulses- among many other things!

Spinach is also packed with vitamin K, folate, iron, calcium, vitamin C, vitamin B2 & B6, and potassium. It's a great source of protein, fiber, and zinc, too!

Seriously, if you don't eat this leafy green, start! If you're not a fan of veggies, whip up a green smoothie with extra fruit and you won't even know the spinach is in there. Pinky promise.

Spinach Egg White Omelette 

Ingredients
3 egg whites, slightly beaten
1 handful of fresh spinach
1/2 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. parmesan cheese (mozzarella or monterey jack work here, too)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Heat skillet on medium-low and spritz with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Lightly beat egg whites in a small bowl, just until foamy. Add onion powder and spinach to egg whites, mix until combined.

3. Pour into skillet and cook 2-3 minutes, or just until it's set. Flip over and cook another 1-2 minutes.

4. Fold omelette in half and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Add some fresh fruit and whole grain toast and you've got one heck of a breafkast! Enjoy!


Linking up with Kelly the Kitchen Kop at Real Food Wednesday! Go check out all the other yummy real food recipes over there!

{Clean & Lean} Bathroom Work Out

Clean & Lean is all about maximizing your movement. You can do this just about anywhere, but a great opportunity to really get a great workout while you clean your house is in the bathroom.

I'm all about doing two things at once- like cleaning the mirror while toning my calves. {check}

Proper Form
To begin with though, let's talk about proper form. You always want to keep your abs tight, like you are sucking your belly button in toward your spine. This will help to strengthen your core and protect your back from injury.

Speaking of your back, don't slouch. This may sound like etiquette, but it actually helps to safeguard your back from pulls and strains.

Basic Muscle Toning
Now that your core is in line, take a minute to think about the muscles you will be using while cleaning.  Typically your arms benefit the most from scrubbing and wiping down surfaces, your legs benefit from reaching and bending.

If you can think about the muscles you are using in the basic cleaning motion, you can focus on isolating them. Really use your arm muscles when you are cleaning the countertops. Make sure you are switching which arm is doing the work. For example, we have a double vanity so for the left sink, I use my left arm to clean; for the right sink, I use my right arm.

When cleaning the sink I try to make sure that my biceps and triceps (upper arm) are engaged. THink of this as putting a little elbow grease into your cleaning. How hard would you scrub if you had peanut butter all over the counter? That's the pressure you want, but don't scrub super fast. Slow and controlled movements are best for toning.

Cleaning counter and doing butt kicks. Lots of muscles working!

Multiple Muscles at Once
Now that you are thinking about what muscles you are working already, let's kick it up a notch and add in other large muscle groups.

When you are doing things like scrubbing the toilet, chances are you have to bend a little, and you are already using your arms. This is a great opportunity to work some leg muscles too!

Add in a squat, see how long you can hold proper form while scrubbing. Once you feel more coordinated you can try to do squat repititions, or try to do a split squat (feet a little more than shoulder width apart, lower your bum like you are going to sit on a chair) and raise your heels while holding the squat. This works your calves, quads, glutes, and abs- in addition to your arms that are working too!

Here are some other ideas:
Calf raises while cleaning the mirror
Lunges while cleaning the tub (use one of those nifty scrubbers with an extendable handle)
Side lunges while cleaning the counter tops
Butt kicks while cleaning sinks
Moping Arms while cleaning the floor

Lunges while tub cleaning!

It might take a minute to get used to the new movement, so make sure you take it slow at first. After a couple of tries I promise you will feel the burn and start to see a difference!

Clean bathroom and toned muscles- win win!!

October in Review!

We hope everyone had a fun time last night! While we are working off our candy coma, here are our favorite posts from November:

Favorite Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Sandwich Cookies

Favorite Tip for Tuesday

Freezer Cooking Staples

Favorite Organizing Post

Picture Toy Storage Labels

Favorite Activity Post

Weekly Clean & Lean Workout

Favorite "Get to Know Us" Post

Our Hilarious Photo Shoot 

Weekly Work Out {Clean & Lean}

It's been a while since I posted about Clean & Lean. But for good reason. :-) I've already shared the basics, you can find them under the tab at the top-o-the-blog, and now that I have my handy dandy treadmill I have been working on some "routines", if you will.

To integrate cleaning my house into my workout schedule I have found that cleaning makes a great warm-up and cool-down. This also reduces the amount of time I'm on the treadmill, But I still get 50 to 60 minutes of workout 4-5 days a week.

Here's what a weeks worth of Clean & Lean looks like for me now (there are a few new moves that will be coming to the blog soon :-)):

Monday
Start a load of laundry
15-minute pick Up
25 minutes on the treadmill
Squats while I transfer clothes from washer to dryer
Standing crunches
Push-ups

Tuesday
{rest day}

Wednesday
Start a load of laundry
Vacuum Lunges
25 minutes on the treadmill
Mopping arms
Laundry Plies
Standing crunches
Push-ups

Thursday
{Some weeks this is a rest day}
Start a load of laundry
Window Abs or Dusting Standing Crunches
25 minutes on the treadmill
Squats while I transfer clothes from washer to dryer
Push-ups

Friday
Start a load of Laundry
Guest bathroom (toilet cleaning squats, bath tub arms, mirror abs)
20 minutes on the treadmill
Master bathroom

Saturday
Dishwasher calves/Dishes
25 minutes on the treadmill
Standing crunches
Push-ups
Clean the kitchen- counters, sink, floors, wipe down cabinet fronts

Sunday
{rest day}

Here are a few mommy machine secrets to make this as efficient as it can be:

• I usually get my hour of workout in while my kids watch an hour of TV. After we get home from school/the babysitter's house it is good for them to have some quiet time and a snack. It also happen that they love Max & Ruby and that show is on from 3-4. Good timing for me.
• I don't beat myself up if I don't get everything done. There are some days that things come up and I have to rearrange my schedule. That's ok!
• I will substitute activities as necessary. This routine isn't the end all, be all of my schedule. Somedays I have way more dishes/kitchen clean up to do so I will swap that in for dusting or laundry. If it's really nice outside we will go for a walk or play soccer in the backyard and that's my "treadmill time" for the day. Flexibility makes it much easier to get things done and stay active!
• I do more housework than this, but these "routines" help me to maximize my cardio work and muscle toning in a one hour time frame. All the other "chores" I do still count, but they just happen before or after my hour workout.
• I remind myself that every thing I do around the house can be active- even if I have to piece my 60 minutes together over a few hours, at the end of the day I will have a cleaner house and a healthier body!

What's your favorite household chore to step up and make a work out? I'd love to know!!

Happy cleaning everyone!

Clean & Lean: Sock-Folding Wall Sits

Summer is a time for bare feet, right? Not for my Little Man! He has a grass allergy that means he has to wear sock year round.

He doesn't seem to mind, and neither do I. To make the most of my time matching up pairs of socks, I incorporate some wall sits!

Wall sits bring out my competitive side. I love to set goals for myself so I always try to fold one more pair of socks before I have to stand up. My hamstrings hate me, but it's a good burn! These are also a great compliment to Laundry Plies, working different muscles but all in your legs.

Proper Form
Tummy Tight. Suck your belly button into your spine.
Place your back to the wall and bend your knees forming a 90 degree angle. Imagine you are sitting in a chair.
Hold this position for as long as you can stand it.

Clean & Lean
Place all of your mis-matched socks on your lap and match them up while you are "sitting". {See this tip to keep all your socks together.}
Having an activity to do helps distract you from all the muscle you are building.

Step It Up
Time is the biggest factor here.
Work your way up to 1, then 2 minutes.

Run out of socks to fold? Try to fold all of your laundry like this!

Want to be efficient and "lean" while you clean? Check out all of our Clean & Lean ideas!

Clean & Lean: Laundry Pliés

Raise your hand if you'd like your boo-tay to be a little perkier.

**Raises hand**

Recently, I was trying on swim suits. Not my favorite thing to do. Thanks to the tight elastic, awful lighting, and wicked mirror, it was pretty obvious that gravity is starting to affect my rear.  Since then, I make sure to incorporate some of these butt-lifting pliés into my laundry routine! An extra perk (get it?) is that I also feel like I'm in ballet class again. Memories...

Anyway, here's how I lift my gluteus maximus AND get the awful chore of folding laundry finished.

Proper Form

• Stand in front of your {full} dryer. Half a foot to 12-inches away from the opening.
• Put your heels together and point your toes in opposite directions:

• As always, keep that tummy tight!
• To do a plié, you keep your heels together while pushing your knees out and bottom down. Lower slowly and raise back up slowly. Imagine you are a graceful ballerina. :-)

Clean & Lean

• As you plié, grab an item out of the dryer.

• Do one more plié as you fold the item.

• Repeat as necessary until your muscles burn or your dryer is empty!

Step It Up

Hold the plié position (where your bottom is down) while you fold (or about 15 seconds) and then raise up.


Can you feel the perkiness? I can! Happy ballet-ing!

Don't forget to enter our super easy 31 organization giveaway here!!

Clean & Lean: Mopping Arm Workout

With all the rain we have been having lately, combined with the yard that is starting to be mowed again, my tile floors have a lot more dirt to show off lately!

You know I can't have that.

I have figured out a way to isolate my arm muscles while I mop. I find myself using a little extra "elbow grease" on our floors anyway, but if I really focus on my form, my arms make this a workout!

Mopping Arm Workout

Proper Form

• Start with your feet shoulder width apart and your tummy tight (pull your abs toward your spine like you are sucking in your muffin top- or at least that's what I'm doing).
• Keep your back straight the whole time- no bending! This is the secret! You can twist, as long as you keep your tummy tight.

My feet won't move until I have to step on to the next spot on the dirty floor.

Clean & Lean

My left arm is doing all the work here. My right arm is just guiding the mop.  And my back is straight!

• While pushing the mop on the floor, really get your arms into it- even if you can't see the dirt you are scrubbing, get after it like it's your enemy! :)
• Use your arms- and just your arms- to push and scrub.
• Make sure you switch your arms so that you have one scrubbing and one guiding (see picture above)  for a couple of minutes at a time. A good rule is that every time you have to re-wet your mop, switch your arm positions.
• By keeping your abs tight you are strengthening your core, too. It takes a lot of muscles to keep your back straight while doing this so it's a great toning exercise for your arms and core!
• When you have throughly scrubbed one section of floor, take a few steps and move to the next area. You will have to move a lot since you aren't bending, your reach will be shortened.

Step It Up

If your tile surfaces aren't enough, try this same technique while vacuuming too! Can you clean all your floors using only your arms? I dare you!!

Clean & Lean: Dusting Squats

Have you ever looked closely at your baseboards?

I usually vacuum the baseboards a few times a year, just using the brush attachment. I figured that would get all the dust off.

Well, let me tell you...

One night, I was stressing out about a nail-biting-close-score OSU Football game I was watching on TV.  So, I did what any sensible fan would do and grabbed a damp microfiber cloth and started cleaning my baseboards. That's normal, right?

The amount of dirt that was coming off on the microfiber cloth was so disgusting I forgot about the football game for a minute and started scrubbing!

Ever since, I have made it a point to dust my baseboards with a cloth at least once a month. Of course I try to maximize my cleaning efforts so here's how I do dusting squats:

{Note: you don't have to clean baseboards, this works for any dusting as well as some lower hanging windows :-)}

Dusting Squats

Proper Form

Squats are kind of tricky so make sure you are focusing on your form.

• Start off with feet shoulder width apart & your tummy tight.
• Bend your knees as close to a 90 degree angle as you can get and push your bum out.
• Your bum will be sticking out as if you were sitting on a chair- but there's not a chair there, use your imagination :-)
• Make sure your knees DO NOT extend past your toes!

Clean & Lean

From a squat position...

• Use a damp microfiber cloth (just run it under some water- that's all you need, no chemicals!)
• Twist your shoulders (NOT your waist!)
• Bend at the waist so that you can reach your baseboard, DO NOT arch your back. Please.
• Start with your hand past one foot and slide the cloth all the way past the other foot. Like so:

Even though my shins aren't completely vertical, I make sure my knees are never past my toes.

After one "pass" like this, stand up, move a couple of steps down the wall, and repeat.

See how many rooms you can get through before your legs get shaky :-)

You can always do one room per week to get in some exercise and systematically keep your baseboards clean.

Once you've done as much as you can stand, sit back and relax knowing your baseboards are clean AND your bum will be looking better and better!

Clean & Lean: Dishwasher Calves

I feel like I spend 70% of my time standing in front of the sink and dishwasher.

Sometimes I feel like a rebel if I just ignore the pile of dishes at the end of the day, like that's what Ferris Bueller would do. Sometimes I just say, "I'll do that tomorrow. If I feel like it."

Well, it always gets to me the next day. KC worries that I am getting sick if I leave dishes in the sink for too long. :) He helps out too. I will give him credit for that.

So, like all of my household chores, I like to make them count. I find motivation in knowing that I am taking care of multiple things at once.

You know how I work my arms when I am un-loading the silverware.

"And now, the rest of the story." {name that broadcasting icon}

Proper Form

• Start with your feet together & tummy tight. 
• When you do calf raises, raise both heels up at the same time so you are standing on your toes. See pic above.
• As you slowly lower your heels, make sure you don't actually touch your heels to the ground until you are finished with your set. This keeps your calf muscle engaged through the entire set. See pic below.

Like so. I need a tan, obviously. Sorry you have to see my white legs.

Also, since I am sure you all are observant, my dishwasher is not open- I know. The pics weren't working with it down. A combo of focus and lighting issues. Trust me, in real life my dishwasher is open.

Clean & Lean

• As you are loading the dishwasher, preferably the top rack items, do 3 sets of 10 calf raises.
• Easy!

Step It Up

• Work your way up to 3 sets of 15.
• You know you can add ankle weights, like a boss.
• If ankle weights still aren't enough, do one foot at a time {place your right foot behind your left ankle and lift your left heel. Do 10 reps and switch! 3 sets! Go! Can you feel the burn, now??}

You will feel the burn and imagine how awesome your calves will look in a cute skirt this Spring & Summer!  Not to mention how empty your sink will be!

Don't forget to check out the giveaway we are a part of through May 4, 2013!

My Journey to be Healthier: 10 to 8

This week, I reached a milestone in my journey towards living a healthier life.

I have been on this journey for a long time. I realize being healthy is a journey you take on for your whole lifetime. Much like Journey I "don't stop believin'". Even in difficult times (like when I gained too much weight during my pregnancies) I just kept telling myself that I needed to find a way to make "healthy" work for me. "It goes on and on and on and on..." {I digress}

This journey is why I began to "clean & lean". It all started with vacuum lunges. I called Jess and said "omg. I can't believe I just did lunges while I was vacuuming. And I can't believe it was 20 minutes of cardio!" She said "omg. Don't stop believin'". Ok, maybe those weren't her exact words...

That was two months ago.

Since then, I have been much more conscious of every move I make. I try to figure out how I can exert extra energy (read: burn extra calories) in every thing that I do and how I can focus on working out the different muscle groups ("tummy tight makes your abs alright").

It's almost like a game show: "Let's play: How will I ex-er-ciiiiiiiise today?!".

All of these wacky ideas, like window crunches, dishwasher arms, and a few more that I will continue to share, are just me trying to work in a little extra work out. This is my motivation. I realize it isn't everyone's motivation. I wish I was motivated to run, but I'm not. I wish I was motivated to go to the gym, but I'm not. My journey and my motivation has been paying off.

This week I fit into a pair of jeans that I haven't worn in over 2 years (since I was 3 months pregnant with Little Miss). I have gone from a size 10 to a size 8.

Sweet success!

That's a big deal to me, size 10 is the biggest size I have ever worn- that's how I knew I had work to do. I don't know how much weight I have lost because I don't own a scale. I don't weigh myself. I don't think about "numbers".

I think about "healthy". To me, healthy means fitting into my "pre-second child" jeans. Healthier will mean continuing to take this journey where it leads me and always believin' in my motivation to make every movement count. I will never be a size 2, and I'm ok with that.

Jess and I understand that balancing a healthy lifestyle is hard, but so worth it! We are so excited to be able to share our insights and secrets about how we stay on our journey to be as healthy as we can possibly be.

Plus, we "don't stop believin'" we can do it- and we won't let you doubt yourself either!

Clean & Lean: Pick Up & Warm Up

Before working out, you always need to warm up. Before vacuuming or doing any kind of substantial house cleaning you need to pick up the clutter.

Clean & lean, pick up & warm up!

We bought Little Miss a shopping cart for Christmas. She loves it and I do too! Before I start doing any kind of "clean and lean" around the house, I first do a 15 minute pick up.

I set the timer on the microwave for 15 minutes, borrow the shopping cart {or use a basket or tote bag, whatever you've got handy}, and work my way from one end of the house to the other. As I go I pick up toys, shoes, dishes, trash- anything that is out of place.

As I enter a new room, I put up items that belong in that room and pick up items that do not belong. That's what the cart is for- the things that need to get to their home in a different room.

I keep going quickly back and forth, from one end of the house to the other, until the timer goes off. If I am lucky enough to only have 10 minutes worth of things to pick up and put away, I walk quickly for the extra time. It's like walking a few laps around a track but instead it's around your house and you are multi-tasking!

While you are picking up, your body is warming up muscles, getting your heart rate up and prepping your mind and body to clean like you mean it!  You will be able to maximize whatever workout you choose to do next whether it is cleaning or jumping on the treadmill.

Bonus: When the 15 minutes is up you have a de-cluttered house! {I will say that I make my Little Man put his toys where they belong. I will leave them in a pile in his room and he is responsible for sorting and putting them away.}

After picking up, sometimes all I do is vacuum. Other times, I will step it up and dust, clean windows, disinfect kitchen surfaces, etc.

It is nice not to have to stop and pick up each room before you clean it- you can just keep going knowing everything is out of the way!

Clean & Lean: Dishwasher Arms

Does doing the dishes make you want to punch something? No? Yes? Maybe?

There are times that the last thing I want to do is the dishes. I'm not a big fan of unloading and reloading the dishwasher. However, I despise having to hand wash dishes, so I maintain a love-hate relationship with my dishwasher.

To make me feel better about doing the dishes, and about life in general, I take this opportunity to do a little arm workout. Bonus: this helps build core stabilizing muscles, too!

Proper form

• Feet should be shoulder width apart.
• Knees slightly bent.
• Tummy tight. Try not to laugh. But if you do, because it is kind of silly to be punching in your kitchen, keep your tummy tight and count it as a more intense ab workout. 
• Starting position: arms up, elbows bent, make a fist! 

Clean & Lean

Channel your inner Bruce Lee and "punch out" the silverware drawer {just an expression, mind you}. As you unload each piece of silverware do the below moves:

• Spoons: for every spoon you put up in the silverware drawer, do a Left-then-Right uppercut

• Forks: for every fork you put up, do a Left-then-Right jab

• Knives: for every knife you put up, do Left-then-Right cross

• Utensils: for the other utensils you have to put up, do all 3 punches!

{Mix it up- you don't have to do all the spoons at once, do a little spoon, knife, fork; or fork, fork, spoon, knife.}

Remember to keep your abs tight- like you are trying to pull your belly button toward your spine.

Step It Up {Once the above moves feel too easy}

• If you still need a little more stress relief, repeat the same exercises while loading the dishwasher too (but remember- you will need to do at least 10 reps, so make sure the sink is full of dirty dishes if you are doing it this way).
• I dare you to strap ankle weights to your wrists. Go!

Now you have an organized, clean silverware drawer and you are well on your way to leaner arms and stronger abs!

Clean & Lean: Window Crunches

How often do you clean your windows? Before I started incorporating crunches into my routine, I only did windows once every 3 months. Not intentionally, I always meant to clean them more often but it is easy to ignore this tedious chore.

I like to do crunches standing up- since having kiddos it is better for my abs that way, and I don't have to worry about someone interrupting my set by sitting on my tummy!

So here's the math: stand up crunches + dirty windows = window crunches!

Proper Form

• Start with feet shoulder width apart.
• Tummy tight!
• One hand on your hip, the other (with the paper towel) above your head.
• Make sure you aren't bending forward or backward. Stand up straight.
• When doing the movement, try to get your elbow and knee as close as you can.

Clean & Lean

• Spray your glass cleaner.
• Assume your starting position.

• As you move your paper towel from above your head, move your arm and leg at the same time until your elbow and knee touch (or as close as you can get them).

• Make sure the paper towel maintains contact with the window as you return to starting position. (Wax on, wax off. Anyone?)
• Do 10 reps on one side and then switch. You may have to move on to another window to get all 10 in.
• Start out doing 2 sets on each side and work your way up to doing these for every window in your house. With proper form, you can't do enough of these!

Step It Up

Once these are so easy you can do them with your eyes closed, try wrist and/or ankle weights to kick it up a notch.

Clean & Lean: Vacuum Lunges

In my house, the floors are mostly carpet, aaaaaand I have 2 kids and 2 dogs. I could vacuum 3 times a day if I wanted to keep up with the mess. Our poor carpet...

I settle on 2-3 times a week, for my own sanity. Honestly though, I really don't mind vacuuming. It is instant gratification. And it means I don't have to lint roll my clothes as often- a chore I really don't like as much.

I love dumping out the canister on our Dyson vacuum. It makes me realize all that I was able to accomplish. Sometimes I will empty the canister after each room just to see which one was the dirtiest that day. That may be TMI, huh?

I could write an ode to vacuuming out the couch and the satisfaction I feel after cleaning under the cushions, but not today. Maybe later.

The other plus to vacuuming is that it forces me to pick up the clutter. Even the kids pick up their toys for fear of the vacuum getting them. When you are finished with the vacuum, you have clean, picked up floors. For at least 2 minutes. Bliss.

Taking this gratifying chore to the next level and knocking out a great leg workout is even better! Lunges are a natural motion when vacuuming, it just takes a little concentration.  Vacuuming elevates your heart rate too so that's an added bonus. 

When incorporating lunges into your vacuum routine, proper form is key! Don't rush these or you could hurt yourself.  This is not the kind of vacuuming you do 2 minutes before company comes over. Make sure you have the time to do these right and you will be surprised by how great your legs will start to look and feel... Do you really think I would have taken pictures in leggings if I hadn't been doing my lunges for a couple of weeks prior to writing this post? Um, no. So, just trust me. 

If you need to distract the kiddos, one episode of Bubble Guppies usually gives me enough time to get the job done and my leg workout in for the day.

Proper Form

• Always start a lunge standing straight, feet side by side. Put one hand on your hip and the other on the vacuum handle.

• A lunge is when you step out with one foot, leaving the other foot planted.
• The idea is not to step out so far that you are stretching, but far enough so that you can bend your knee (same side as the foot you are stepping out with) at a 90 degree angle. Your stationary-foot-side-leg will be extended so that your knee almost touches the ground- but not quite!

{make sure your knee bends at an angle that does not go over your toe!}

• To finish the lunge, slowly bring your feet back together- leave your stationary foot where it is, and bring the opposite foot back to its starting place. Don't "push off" with your extended foot. Control the motion and make it fluid, think "graceful" {vacuum ballet- ha!}.
• Tummy tight at all times. Like you are pulling your belly button to your back.

Clean & Lean

• Push the vacuum out as you step into the lunge.
• Pull it back towards you as you step back.
• Do 10 lunges with one foot stepping out, and then switch feet and put the vacuum handle in the opposite hand, too.
• You will have to move slightly in between lunges so you aren't vacuuming the same strip of carpet each time- this adds an extra element to the workout and engages more muscle!
• Take a short break in between rooms {i.e, moving from the living room to the dining room} to give your muscles a rest- don't stop moving though! Just walk in place for 10 seconds {or move the plug-in from room to room} and then get back to lunging!
• See if you can do at least 3 sets of 10 as a starting point {2 sets of 10 is great for beginners though}
• Work your way up to 4 sets of 12 and then step it up!

Step It Up

• Ankle weights make this exercise much more difficult. Once you've got the basics down, give it a try!
• You can also incorporate arm movements for the arm that isn't pushing the vacuum- extend the arm out in front of you with one lunge and on the next extend it to your side {instead of keeping it on your hip}. This will also help with coordination as you are asking your brain to do lots of things at once.
• If you are feeling like a pro and if you have a kiddo young enough, really challenge yourself and hold them! Make sure you keep that tummy tight to avoid a back injury though- and don't do the"mom hip" {holding the kiddo on your hip and pushing that hip out to help you support their weight}, it will ruin your form and could lead to injury.  This is a great way to work your arms at the same time as your legs.

Now go clean, your legs will thank you!