Lifetime Moms

The S word is about to slip out. Swimsuit. And there’s more…Sleeveless, Shorts…Instead of getting seriously stressed, focus on a good S-word: Spring. Spring is the official preseason. Our chance to shape up before the regular season gets underway. I’ve got some stress free tips to get you out of your winter sweater and into something sleeveless just in time for summer.

The reappearance of the sun can get you stoked to step up your work out. The spring preseason lasts about two months. Use all of this time and ease into these tips. It’s important to remember that being sedentary for a while can leave your muscles vulnerable to injury. So it’s important to stretch before and after you work out. Gradually increase the intensity of your work out over time.

Simple Spring Training Tips To Help You Go From Sweaters To Sleeveless

Weight Train

Strength training has some serious benefits. From sculpting our arms for those sleeveless outfits to stablizing our weight, building stronger bones and protecting against diseases like diabetes strength training is a must. 3 Days, 3 Sets, 3 Muscle Groups. Begin with three weight-training sessions aim to target 3 muscle groups per workout like your arms, legs and back. For each exercise you do, try to perform three sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Daily Dose

You should allot 30 minutes at least 3-5 days a week for a dedicated workout. However, every day think about adding some level of exercise into your routine. From cleaning up more intensely to taking as little as 10 minutes to walk around your neighborhood or the the office will help. Participating with your kids during play time is a great way to kick start your heart rate and to get your muscles working. Break out the bikes and go for a ride in the neighborhood. Tag along with your husband on golf days. It is a low impact way to get your legs, arms and back in shape.

Have a Cold One

When you drink your 8 glasses of water a day it will speed up the body’s metabolism. Cold water also increases our metabolic rate as the body exerts effort to warm the water. And when drinking water, no calories are ingested but calories are used.

Years ago my two older boys had breathing problems all the time, and were eventually diagnosed with allergy induced asthma.  We had the inhalers, the benedryl on hand, all of it was very upsetting and inconvenient, not to mention scary. 

After some research into dust and dander and all the things in the home that contribute to asthma and allergies, I decided to make some big changes and see if the boys' health improved.  I couldn't believe the response, after a few short months their asthma was greatly reduced (almost gone), as were those constant sniffles and sneezing and other annoying allergy symptoms. 

Here are my tips on helping reduce the dust in the home to create a more healthy air environment, these worked for us!

-Change the bedding:  We purchased hypo-allergenic mattress coveres and pillow covers after reading about dust mites (and getting the heebie jeebies) and how the only way to get rid of them for certain is to suffocate them in these zip on covers. 

-Say goodbye to Teddy:  Our boys had acquired an army of stuffed animals in their short little lives, and we knew it was an easy place for dust to collect.  We de-cluttered the animal chest and only kept a couple out for them to snuggle with at night.  It was hard to say goodbye, but we made a clean break with the furry friends in honor of our health.

-Clean the air:  We researched the best (which was not the most expensive) home and bedroom airpurifiers and noticed a huge difference in the air quality of the home.  Everything smelled better and I noticed taking deep breaths was just more pleasant.  It was a relatively inexpensive way to reduce allergies.

-Take the floor: A definite investment, this step was huge in the road to reducing allergies and asthma in our home.  Pulling up the carpet, putting down wood or laminate or tile or ANYTHING that wasn't fabric and therefore turned into a safe haven for all kinds of breathable junk, was simply another step we took to help our family.  We managed to shop around enough to find a great deal, a coupon for a great discount, and take this step without too much damage to our wallets.

These steps may seem insignificant on their own, but once we had done all of them I can't say enough how much different our quality of life was at home.  Breathing easier is so important, and so worth the effort.  Look into ways that can work for you to create a heathier breathing environment at home -- you won't be sorry!