Fitness: Prioritizing your Priorities

By:

by Kelsey Fields

I went to the grocery store last week and bought three things in bulk:

  1. Cereal and Poptarts. Because school is back in session.
  2. Pre-sharpened pencils. Because school is back in session.
  3. Coffee and dry shampoo. Because school is back in session.

Now that I’m back in school and the kids are too, I am left trying to juggle my job, husband, kids, and all the extras that come with the territory. Like most of you mamas out there, I tend to put my kids and husband first, leaving my well dry and my spirit tired. In order to avoid being a ‘mombie’ I like to remind myself of what’s important by writing down my priorities in order of importance. My top three look like this:

  1. Bravo TV
  2. Coffee
  3. Sleep

Just kidding.

  1. Jesus
  2. Blake, Max, and Micky
  3. My health

Every Sunday evening as I am planning the upcoming week I make sure to schedule set times to nurture each of these priorities. Here’s how I’m trying to fit it all in.

Wake Up Early

There are only so many hours in the day so you really have to make them count. I wake up early, like really early, three times a week to run and do my devotional. This doesn’t take away any time from my loves because those lucky dogs are still fast asleep. Doing my devotional first thing allows me to have a focus for the day. I also run with my best friend so I am able to grow friendships at the same time. Multitasking. It’s what we mamas do best.

Leave Work at Work

I try my best to not take work home with me. Sometimes it’s inevitable. When that happens I only work on it after the kids are asleep so it doesn’t take away from the few hours we have together.

Eat Together

The science behind eating dinner as a family is legit. It boosts your kids vocabulary, keeps them healthier by providing more nutrients, fruits, and veggies, and is a powerful predictor of high achievement scores. Data is still out on whether or not eating McDonald’s together at the dinner table counts. I personally say it does, but I may be biased.

Schedule Something YOU Want to Do

Spending time as a family does not have to be all Paw Patrol and Super Mario Brothers. Each weekend I try and schedule one fun family memory maker. And guess what? Since I’m the one planning it, I get to choose what we do. Plan something that the whole family can enjoy so it doesn’t feel like a chore to spend time together. Let’s face it, you can only spend so many hours at Kiddie City. During the summer you can find us on Table Rock. My kids love it and being at the lake is good for my soul. Also, can we talk about the sleep you get out of your kids after spending a full day at the lake. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. We also love using our season passes at Silver Dollar City. Blake, and I genuinely love going there with the kids. We may like it better than them…

Prioritizing Your Mental and Physical Health is NOT Selfish

Just remember when you are wandering through the aisles of Target  all by yourself after a miserable week (because Target brings you joy in the darkest of days), you are not being selfish. Let’s be honest, all of the things in your cart are probably for your kids anyway. Or when you’re in the bath and dirty fingers poke through from underneath the door asking for Cheetos, it’s okay to answer, “Mommy’s not here right now. Try back later.” You can not give from an empty cup! I never feel bad for going to the gym or recharging my batteries at Target. If my kids want their mom around when they are older, I have to be healthy and take care of the one body and mind that I’ve got.

Take some time this week to jot down your priorities and schedule a time to nurture them. Don’t forget to plan something that focuses on your needs as well as the needs of your loved ones. Mom on!

SWMO Moms fitness category, which is full of healthy tips for all women,  is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series.  

Their mission is to celebrate health and wellness, outdoor adventures and wildlife conservation in the beauty of the Ozarks. Programs are designed to include activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, fitness levels and areas of interest. CLICK HERE for more information or give them a call at 417.873.5214.

Kelsey is an elementary teacher (just finished her first year!), a Beachbody certified Insanity instructor, avid runner and yoga enthusiast. 

When she is not working out, you will find her cheering on the Denver Broncos, substitute teaching and spending time with her family. She is wife to Blake and mom to busy 2 year-old son Max and 1 year-old, Mick.

 

Fitness: Wanderlust Summer

By:

by Kelsey Fields

If I could think of one word for my summer in a nutshell it would be…wanderlust.

I’ve been everywhere, man. Most recently, some of my best friends and I went on a very special trip. You see, 2018 is the year that we all turn the big 3-0. You don’t just turn 30 and not celebrate. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than cramming into a car for an 8 hour drive to Nashville!

 

 

Road Trips As A Kid Be Like:

  1. Stop at one McDonald’s per hour.
  2. License plate game. Ya’ll know what I’m talking about. “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know what you want. If you are looking for ransom I can tell you I don’t have money, but what I do have are a very particular set of skills. Skills I have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make me a nightmare for people like you. People with a Hawaii license plate.” -Me with help from Liam Neeson
  3. Snacks. All of the gas station snacks.

But we 30 year-olds, well, our metabolisms just can’t hang like that anymore. We also couldn’t find a Hawaii tag, but that’s another story. Here’s how we managed to keep health a priority so we could still rock our cowgirl boots on Broadway:

  • Choose smart snacks. We bought a cooler and packed it full of carrots, hummus, deli meat, Cuties, strawberries, grilled chicken breast, and tons of other healthy options. There were oreos too. But the ratio of healthy food to junk was a solid 80/20.
  • Hydrate with H20. We avoided sodas and sugary drinks and stuck with water. We bought a 24 pack and sipped on that during the whole trip. I know it’s easy to pass on water because of potty breaks, but it is so important to stay hydrated. Just think of those extra stops as a chance to stretch your legs.
  • Take frequent pit stops. See, it’s okay to drink water! We stopped at the Arch, Mizzou campus, once in Illinois and once in Kentucky. Sitting in the car is hard on these thirty year old bones, so I welcomed every excuse to stop.
  • BYOG (bring your own gym). If any of you follow my previous posts, I made a summer bucket list that included running a mile in every state that I visited.  That included passing through on this road trip! We literally stopped at a McDonalds in Illinois (we didn’t eat the food, there was just a good road nearby), and a Wendy’s in Kentucky (we didn’t eat the food there either) so I could run my miles. My friends were SO supportive of my bucket list that Bethany ran with me and the other two downloaded an Insanity workout and did it in the grass while we ran. I mean, we got some looks, guys! Also the car smelled sweaty for a bit. BUT totally worth it. It gave us bursts of energy at just the right time.

Now, I’m not sure what you guys know about me, so this may be a shock to you, but I also prepped workouts for us once we got to Nashville. Shocker, right? We arrived on a Friday night, my girlfriend Tiffany and I did a short 15 minute Insanity workout once we got to our VRBO, and then BBQ. The best BBQ nachos I have ever had in my whole entire life to be exact. First Insanity, then BBQ. Moderation, people.

Saturday morning at 7AM, Tiffany, Bethany, and I rolled out of bed and into an Orange Theory gym. If you live in a city and you have Orange Theory, this workout is amazing. It’s half strength, half cardio for a full hour. You will burn ALL the calories, leaving more room for, you guessed it, BBQ.

Finally, on Sunday, we combined fitness with fun on a Broadway Peddle Tour. I honestly thought this was going to be more of a lazy bike ride through town, but getting that huge thing to move was actually HARD. I totally counted it as a workout on my Apple Watch. You can judge me if you want.

Being a healthy mama is not something you can do part time. I want to be around to run with my grand-kids, I want to be healthy enough when I retire to travel the world with my husband (and my best friends!). It’s not a switch you can turn on or off. You have to incorporate this lifestyle into every aspect of your life. Sometimes it’s as easy as running a mile in the middle of Kentucky in a Wendy’s parking lot with your best friends by your side.

SWMO Moms fitness category, which is full of healthy tips for all women,  is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series.  

Their mission is to celebrate health and wellness, outdoor adventures and wildlife conservation in the beauty of the Ozarks. Programs are designed to include activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, fitness levels and areas of interest. CLICK HERE for more information or give them a call at 417.873.5214.

Kelsey is an elementary teacher (just finished her first year!), a Beachbody certified Insanity instructor, avid runner and yoga enthusiast. 

When she is not working out, you will find her cheering on the Denver Broncos, substitute teaching and spending time with her family. She is wife to Blake and mom to busy 2 year-old son Max and 1 year-old, Mick.

Fitness: Summer Bucket List

By:

by Kelsey Fields

I am a list maker. Even my lists have lists. There’s nothing more satisfying than checking a box or crossing off every item on list. If I put an item on a list to get done, it’s gonna get done. At the beginning of the summer, my son Max and I made a, you guessed it, bucket list of all the things we could do that would help us have the BEST SUMMER EVER! Here were some of his suggestions:

  • Eat Mott’s Fruit Snacks until you puke
  • Play Mario and Luigi in your underwear
  • Watch YouTube videos of other kids playing with toys
  • Eat nothing but bacon all day

While all of these suggestions were fine (and stuff that we had probably already done anyway) I was able to guide him to create quite the list. In the end we came up 55 items. Take a look…

Every day when we wake up, we check the list, and decide what we want to try and cross off. While there is nothing wrong with spending the majority of the day on the couch in your PJ’s watching Moana, I did find that the list gave us a new found purpose to our summer.

Long story short, our family bucket list inspired me. Why not make a bucket list for myself to keep me motivated through sweet summertime that allows to me try new fitness things?! I sat down and made a list of ten items I really wanted to do. I didn’t want to make my list so long that it took away from the fun and seemed daunting, but I also wanted to give myself a bit of a challenge.

I, like Max, knew I had to do a bit of refining as my first list included items like try every single flavor of Halo Top Ice Cream ever invented, and find and/or invent Beach Jeans (read more about Beach Jeans here). Here’s what made the final cut:

  1. Go kayaking
  2. Organize a tennis match
  3. Hike Fire Tower Trail and Roaring River State Park
  4. Complete a run streak from Memorial Day to the 4th of July
  5. Take a golf lesson
  6. Swim in the ocean
  7. Run one mile in every state we pass through on vacation
  8. Try a new fitness class I’ve never taken before
  9. Go for a run on the beach
  10. Run at least one race

So, what would be on your list? Give it a shot! Let your OCD tendencies come out and make that list. Embrace that list. Cross stuff off that list. Motivate yourself to DO SOMETHING this summer while you’re watching Moana in your underwear.

SWMO Moms fitness category, which is full of healthy tips for all women,  is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series.  

Their mission is to celebrate health and wellness, outdoor adventures and wildlife conservation in the beauty of the Ozarks. Programs are designed to include activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, fitness levels and areas of interest. CLICK HERE for more information or give them a call at 417.873.5214.

Kelsey is an elementary teacher (just finished her first year!), a Beachbody certified Insanity instructor, avid runner and yoga enthusiast. 

When she is not working out, you will find her cheering on the Denver Broncos, substitute teaching and spending time with her family. She is wife to Blake and mom to busy 2 year-old son Max and 1 year-old, Mick.

Fitness: Hellooooo swimsuit season!

By:

by Kelsey Fields

“Hi I have 583 different swimsuit tops and bottoms to try on. That’s not over the limit is it?”

We’ve all been there. Stuck in the Target dressing room, praying for a miracle that crosses off all the items on your checklist. My checklist looks like this:

  • Appropriate enough that I would be comfortable if I saw a student at the pool
  • Practical enough that I can school my kids in a game of chicken without flashing an innocent bystander
  • Fits well enough that I am not constantly pulling an atomic wedgie out of my rear
  • Accentuates the good and hides the bad

Can I just swim in jeans? Can someone please invent beach jeans?

With Memorial Day in the rearview mirror, it’s officially swimsuit season. And since beach jeans don’t seem to be catching on, its time to get over it, and get outside. ‘Cause my kids don’t care how I look, they care how I play. And not to brag, but I play one mean shark monster.

Even though beach body prep should’ve began, oh, last year, It’s never too late to target those troubled areas. When I have one week to go before a particularly important event that requires a swimsuit (think vacation, girls trip,etc.) this is my go to routine:

  • Sleep as much as humanly possible to avoid eating
  • Go to the doctors office and sit in the sick patient area to try and catch some stomach bug germs
  • Try the Beyonce magic drink cleanse with cayenne pepper and lemon juice

Just kidding. I’m obviously a mom so sleeping just isn’t an option. Here is my actual routine.

1) Cut the sodium.

Too much sodium in your diet causes increases water retention which causes bloating and weight gain. In fact, an order of large fries, or an extra 400 milligrams of sodium — the equivalent to 1 gram of table salt — is enough to trigger 2 pounds’ worth of water retention.

2) Water, water, and MORE water

Aim to drink half of you weight in ounces of water each day (If you weigh 140 pounds aim for 70 ounces of water daily). Water keeps your metabolism revved up and combats bloat as it allows your body to release fluids.

3) Hit the gym

Hate to break it to you, but you won’t transform your body with a week work of dates on the elliptical. What you will do, is get your blood flowing and your metabolism churning. It’s no secret but my favorite fat busting workings include short bursts of high intensity moves followed by short periods of rest. It’s called high intensity interval training, and you can find the perfect workout for beginners here.

4) Fake a tan

I always to prefer putting on a swimsuit with a tan. Tanned skin looks tighter and more toned so it makes cellulite less noticeable and covers bruises and stretch marks. BONUS, once you are in the sun you will already have a glow so you won’t have to risk a sunburn by laying out to catch some rays. The week before Memorial Day my girlfriends and I got together and had a spray tan party. We had fellowship, fun, and a professional spray tanner come over and help us mamas out. SO fun!

5) Last Second Touch-Up

Right before the, uh, big reveal, I always drop and do twenty push-ups, and a few minutes of various planks. It makes your muscles pop and you feel strong. I’m sure my kids and husband really appreciate it right before we get on the boat. Hehe.

At the end of the day, don’t let your lack of readiness ruin a fun filled time with friends and family. If you need to make some changes, commit to it, but realize that changes take time.

And if you happen to find some swim jeans, hook a sista up.

SWMO Moms fitness category, which is full of healthy tips for all women,  is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series.  

Their mission is to celebrate health and wellness, outdoor adventures and wildlife conservation in the beauty of the Ozarks. Programs are designed to include activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, fitness levels and areas of interest. CLICK HERE for more information or give them a call at 417.873.5214.

Kelsey is an elementary teacher (just finished her first year!), a Beachbody certified Insanity instructor, avid runner and yoga enthusiast. 

When she is not working out, you will find her cheering on the Denver Broncos, substitute teaching and spending time with her family. She is wife to Blake and mom to busy 2 year-old son Max and 1 year-old, Mick.

Fitness: This is 30

By:

by Kelsey Fields

Soooooo. I woke up 30 this morning.

I went and got my hair done last night. I absolutely love my stylist. She’s 23 and takes great care of me. As she was blow drying my hair she innocuously said, “I love how you embrace your gray hair and never have me try and cover it.”

.

.

.

Not gonna lie, my first thought was wait, do I have enough gray hairs to justify that comment? And then I was like oh yeah, I’m totally embracing the gray hair, while in my head I was totally NOT embracing it and trying to figure out a way to cover it at my next appointment without her thinking I was doing it because I was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact that my hair shafts are OLD.

So besides my hair prematurely aging, it’s been a wonderful day. I woke up with my favorite boys snuggled up next to me, did my usual Saturday morning chores, got my workout in, watched Max play soccer while I juggled Micky trying to run onto the field every five seconds, and ate Sonic outside with my family. That’s not even the best part. Tonight, I get to go to Target. By. Myself. Happy Birthday to me!

Anyway, I have been reflecting about how I feel about being 30, and I have come to the realization that knowledge and wisdom are power. I know so many more things about myself now than I did when I was in my 20s.

  • Example 1) 20 year-old Kelsey  would spend HOURS on the elliptical or treadmill (steady state cardio) trying to lose weight. Now, I know that high intensity interval training (HIIT) is done in 30 minutes and it will blast way more calories than long distance running ever could. Science has shown HIIT is the best way to lose fat because you burn more calories during your workout, your body continues to burn calories for hours after. (Click here for a HITT exercise you can do from home).
  • Example 2) 20 year-old Kelsey stayed away from any and all weight training. Weights equaled bulky muscles and not enough calorie burn. Now, I try to get in two strength workouts each week. Weight training has many benefits, including increased metabolism, increased fat and calorie burn, and it helps keep your bones strong. Also–it seriously makes you feel unstoppable.
  • Example 3) 20 year-old Kelsey only cared about exercise because it made her skinny so she could look good at the lake. Today, I care about exercise because I want to be STRONG. I care about being able to get my rear up 10 rungs on a playground ladder so I can chase my kids around and make memories. I care about keeping my heart healthy because heart disease runs in my family and I will NOT be another statistic. (Click here to read more about heart health.) And real talk, I still care about looking good at the lake, but only because I want to spend my time at the lake enjoying my kids and family, not worrying about how I look in my suit.

So I guess what I’m trying to get at, is while I may not be embracing my gray hair, I am embracing all of the crazy life experiences that come with being older, errrrr, more mature. Because if we’re honest, I like this 30 year-old Kelsey a lot better.

SWMO Moms fitness category, which is full of healthy tips for all women,  is sponsored by Bass Pro Shops Fitness Series.  

Their mission is to celebrate health and wellness, outdoor adventures and wildlife conservation in the beauty of the Ozarks. Programs are designed to include activities for people of all ages, backgrounds, fitness levels and areas of interest. CLICK HERE for more information or give them a call at 417.873.5214.

Kelsey is an elementary teacher (in her first year of teaching!), a Beachbody certified Insanity instructor, avid runner and yoga enthusiast. 

When she is not working out, you will find her cheering on the Denver Broncos, substitute teaching and spending time with her family. She is wife to Blake and mom to busy 2 year-old son Max and soon to be one-year-old, Mick.