An attempt at #moveoftheday

I am a follower of many fitness professionals on Instagram and Facebook. Many of them post #moveoftheday video clips for their followers to try. I thought that it might do me some good to give their moves a try. I am hoping to try two new moves per day.

The thought crossed my mind that it might be quite comical to video myself attempting these moves. Not only would I get a good laugh, but I would also get to see how my form was. (I found out that my plank form is awful, but at least now I know what I need to do to improve.)

Included in the clip are moves that I found from following Chalene Johnson on Facebook and fitandfunky on Instagram.

The first move was part of a 2 minute plank core challenge From Chalene Johnson...holy cow was that hard! That is followed by two much easier ab moves from fitandfunky, but were still hard on the core. It probably would have been even more difficult if I had actually had good form! The final exercise is shown from two different angles. I will say that when I first put my feet on the wall it felt WAY higher than where I actually was. Holding yourself up against the wall like that while trying to do movement with your legs is a really great whole body workout!

I wouldn't recommend trying to copy what I am doing in this video. If you are looking for a challenge and a way to mix up your workouts, I recommend trying out different moves of the day by watching people who know what they are doing! If you are on Instagram, look for #moveoftheday. If you try out a move, share it with me to try @amarshnh.

Creating gluten free deliciousness using a hand-me-down cook book!

I have always loved to bake, but when I was diagnosed with Celiac baking became a challenge. Now I love to take the challenge head on! When baking gluten free goodies I tend to stress throughout the process. I can't help but wonder if it the finished product will be edible, tasty, and presentable. Having to throw away gluten free baked goods because they didn't bake well is incredibly upsetting when you take into consideration the cost of the products going into the mixing bowl.

In the beginning I searched specifically for gluten free recipes and was upset with the thought that I wouldn't be able to make my family recipes anymore. After some time and experimentation, my mom, aunt, and I were able to find ways to adapt our family recipes into gluten free deliciousness! Now when I bake I NEVER look for gluten free recipes. I look for recipes that I like and give it a try. 

Yesterday seemed like a fall day dropped right in the middle of August, so I took advantage of the cool rainy day and made two batches of muffins, blueberry and cranberry, using my favorite cook book. After my husband's grandmother died we were cleaning out her house and she had a ton of cook books. I love cook books and while flipping through her selection I found this beauty!

This edition was printed in 1949. I LOVE opening it and seeing his grandmother's handwritten recipes on the inside! I have transitioned many of the recipes in this book into gluten free goodies with a lot of success, including the muffins from yesterday.

Continue reading this post for the recipe!

The only thing I changed from the original recipe was the use of gluten free flour. I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour. I also add a teaspoon of xanthan gum and a teaspoon of pectin (we have found that adding the pectin allows the goods to not spoil so quickly). I use almond milk instead of cow's milk and like to let the eggs and milk sit out for a bit so that they are warmer than refrigerator temperature. (I'm not sure of the science behind this, but for whatever reason it seems to make better baked goods!)

You will find when baking with gluten free products that pouring the batter is difficult. Between the thickness of the batter and the frozen berries that I used I had to use a cookie dough scoop to get the batter neatly into the muffin tins. WARNING: Do not eat the raw batter! Not because of the raw egg, but because for whatever reason gluten free batter tastes awful. I do not what kind of magic happens in the oven, but thankfully it comes out as gluten free deliciousness!

The finished product!

Thankfully, there are a lot of people living in my house so I won't be eating the 24 muffins alone. They received rave reviews from the consumers, but I don't think any member of my family would complain too much about receiving fresh out of the oven muffins!

The recipe as written in the book:

Rich Blueberry Muffins

1. 1 cup blueberries
2. 1/4 cup butter or other shortening
3. 1 3/4 cups flour
4. 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
5. 1/4 teaspoon salt
6. 1/2 cup sugar
7. 1 egg
8. 1/2 cup milk

Wash the blueberries and drain on absorbent paper. Place the fat in a mixing bowl; set in a warm place to soften (it may be melted, but should not be hot) while preparing the pans and measuring the other ingredients. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar together into the bowl with the fat. Add the unbeaten egg and the milk; beat until smooth. Stir in the drained blueberries. Pour into greased muffin tins; sprinkle generously with additional granulated sugar. Bake in a moderate oven (375 to 400) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Enjoy!

There are more reasons to get into shape than fitting into that bathing suit or little black dress!

Imagine if we could start a health/fitness revolution using the same concept as the current #ShareaCoke campaign or the ALS ice bucket challenge. I can imagine taking a picture of yourself while working out or eating a healthy meal and holding a sign with someones name on it that says, "You're up! Let's see a picture/video of you doing something healthy and tag someone else to join you!"

I had an aha moment in my fitness journey recently. I was reading an article (I wish that I remember which one) about what we are teaching our children, mainly our daughters, about why we should be eating healthier and exercising. Far too often we are focusing our attention on getting into shape to fit into a special outfit or to look good in a bathing suit. Instead we should be focusing on becoming a positive role model who will be around to share many incredible experiences for years to come.

This spring I signed on to be a coach for Team Beachbody. I had participated in a 21 Day Fix challenge group and saw so much success with the program that I knew I just had to share this and many other amazing products with others. I wanted to be involved in helping other people experience the change they have been trying so hard to find. I use Facebook as a driving force in recruiting people who are interested in changing their lifestyles. I am GUILTY of trying to attract people to my challenge groups by posting messages about looking great for a special occasion or for their beach vacation.

I began thinking about how many times I've worn my bathing suit in the last two year...a grand total of 4 times! I'm not a fan of swimming. 1. I'm not very good at it. 2. I wear contacts and I can't stand getting water in my eyes. 3. I don't feel comfortable in a bathing suit because I don't like having that much of my body exposed and truthfully, they are really uncomfortable!

I also thought about how many special occasions I went to that required buying a new outfit and getting a little fancy...I think that was 4 times in two years as well. So here I am asking people to embark on a journey with me so that they can feel good about themselves for 8 different days out of a possible 730! That is crazy!

I want to commit to a healthy lifestyle so that I can enjoy the benefits everyday. I love walking into the house after a run and having my 3-year-old ask me, "How was your run, Mama?" He also enjoys riding his bike and running around the yard to do his exercise. (I'd love to say that our clean eating is rubbing off on him too, but that has been more of a struggle!)

There are four generations of my family (my maternal grandparents, my parents, my husband and me and our two kids) living under our roof. Everyday my 88-year-old grandfather and 87-year-old grandmother, who are completely independent, get to watch their great grandchildren running around. I want to be able to experience my children's children growing up too, so I'm committing myself and my family to a healthy lifestyle.

I'm a second grade teacher  from late August to mid June. I want to be a positive and healthy role model for my students. They should know that playing outside and eating good foods is as important as practicing their reading and math everyday. I don't want to just tell them that it is important, I want to show them that it is important.

Getting in shape and eating healthy is not just for days that we are at the beach or for special occasions that we have to get fancied up for. If we are going to be putting the time in to live healthy lives, we should be doing it for our everyday life!

From now on I will be asking people to join my challenge groups because I want them to change their lifestyle so that they can make the most out of every day for the rest of their days!

Let's start a health and fitness revolution together! What catchy hash tag can we come up with and start sharing today?

Dear Sindy Six Pack, You do not motivate me...

Dear Sindy Six Pack,

You do not motivate me to reach my fitness goals. I appreciate and sometimes spend too much time admiring your completely toned body and flat tummy. I know that you must work hard to achieve your fitness goals and probably eat meticulously throughout the week because you want to maintain your sleek physique. However, when I see your daily selfies from the gym or at home, I find myself growing more discouraged, not more motivated.

Every second of every day? Good grief!

I was not given the gift of a genetic dream body. I have to work hard to see results from working out. I'm the mom of two boys, an elementary school teacher, and a police officer's wife, which means I can't spend hours every day on my fitness goals. I do commit at least 30 minutes per day 5 to 6 days per week to reaching my fitness goals. The other thing is that I REALLY like food. I try to follow a clean eating diet, but sometimes my cravings get the best of me. Honestly, I'm not going to give up a chance to eat ice cream with my boys in order to get six pack abs. 

I find my motivation in people who have the same daily struggles as me. The people who bust their butts most days to see progress, but who also admit to having rough days or set backs. People who are working to find the balance between health, fitness, family and work.

I know that there are people out there who are two abs short of their six pack and are motivated by your daily posts. I know that you will continue to post for them and yourself. I, however, will be scrolling by looking for posts that offer something different. Something that will encourage me to keep working to become the best me that I can be.

Sincerely,

A Motivated Mommy