Going Strong: Burpees, Babies, and Learning to Count

02/24/2014 R.C. Liley 16 Comments

Babies and Barbells; both perfect for fitness!

I’m a guy who feels the need to do some sort of exercise on a daily basis. If I don’t do something active, I feel lazy and stressed. A little obsessive, yes, but it’s the truth. I know rest has a very important role in fitness, and this is my weak link.

I used to just run, a lot, and have finished several marathons as a result. This was very satisfying and very hard to train, and took a lot of time. I don’t run so much anymore, but do so on occasion. Now my training is more geared towards strength.

Although I am reluctant to stop running after training so hard and long to get to where I was, I didn’t like not having strength. Now I can squat, bench, dead lift, overhead press, and run! But, Now that we have Avery, my structured exercise routines have gone by the wayside and I just hope that I’ll be able to do something close to what I would normally do.

Not one to accept just doing nothing, I try my hardest to muster motivation to get in a work out during Avery’s usually longer morning nap. Sometimes, that doesn’t always work out (ha ha, see what I did there?), and I have to go with Plan B; exercise with Avery!

I started by doing calf-raises while standing and feeding Avery a bottle. I’d tell her what I’m doing and count to 100. Perfect, I thought, teaching my baby to count and getting in some sort of activity. This led to me holding her and doing lunges all around the house while counting out loud. I’d even lunge to our closet, gather dirty clothes, and lunge to the washer to start a load. Teaching, washing, and exercise; that’s basically killing three birds with one stone!

Here’s a video a put together of doing lunges and a great full body move I call Baby Thrusters. It’s just doing thrusters (squat down holding a weight and thrust up with the weight overhead) while holding your baby as the “weight”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP-3H62N8cw&w=420&h=315]

As I mentioned in the video, babies are perfect for increasing strength as they have built in progressive overload by constantly growing (i.e. gaining weight).

When she’s in a good mood, I’ll put Avery down and do burpees while counting out loud to her. Check out my video of her watching in bewilderment wondering what the hell daddy is doing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYdYG8PN5Qo?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

Since the day we returned from the hospital with Avery, I have been doing 30 burpees every day. Some days I have zero energy or motivation, but I knock them out, all at once. In the closet, our garage, in the middle of our walk, the kitchen, wherever; just gotta get them done.

Give it a shot, commit to a set number and make yourself do that many burpees (or any other exercise) every day. So, when the day is over, you can say that at least you did something. Sadly, that’s more than many people can say.

A few more months, and this won't be easy! — A few more months, and this won’t be easy!

The main thing I’m trying to stress is, although becoming and being a parent is tough all on its own, you can still find a way to keep fit with a little creativity. Even better, telling your little ones what you are doing and counting sets/reps out loud will help them develop their constantly growing brains. Plus, parents leading by example is a sure way to help your kids grow to appreciate being active just like their parents.

Do you have any special ways of keeping active with your child?

If you have any questions on other exercises or fitness in general, please message me and I’d be happy to help however I can.

This post is part of the #FitFamilyFriday link up. Make sure to go there and check out other fitness inspired posts by other great parents!

Parenting

How Our Daughter Saves Us Water

02/23/2014 R.C. Liley 6 Comments

Avery has been sleeping pretty well in her crib at night lately and it’s throwing us through a loop. Despite not hearing cries at 4 a.m., Kelley has a hard time sleeping around this time since she’s waiting for “that” moment. I sleep pretty hard, but find myself waking with the expectation of having to go bring our swaddled princess to our room to feed. But, these moments have been slowly diminishing.

I fear getting too comfortable with this since the teething stage is just around the corner and who knows what that will bring. Until then, we’ll just try and make the most of it. Keyword, “try.”

Living the life of scared parents, when Avery is sleeping, we basically have adult quiet time, or at least try to. I suck at being quiet in the kitchen, and the animals suck at being quiet…..ever.

Amongst the things we do differently during quiet time is not flush the toilet. Have to pee? Sure, go right ahead, but please don’t flush, I’ll get it later. Yep, no lies, I even told my mom (G-ma) this as she stayed over for two nights. I keep thinking of her heading to the restroom and asking, “Can I flush in your bathroom?” Nope, sorry mom. I even denied her a shower and brushing her teeth at one point while ~~the mini demon was dormant~~ our daughter slept.

Too extreme? Maybe, but I don’t want to take any chances. Plus, as the title states, all of this not flushing is sure to save us some water. Avery’s helping us be eco-friendly and doesn’t even know it!

At night, not flushing isn’t too bad, but in the morning, I’m going (I am “Going” Dad, by the way) almost every 30 minutes. Not exaggerating, the several cups of coffee on top of multiple cups of green and black tea that I go through definitely keep the water works flowing. I’m a coffee lover and will drink the black stuff from our French Press like water. By the time her morning nap is over, our toilet is beaming with a vibrant yellow; unless I forgot my vitamins.

Maybe if you couldn’t hear everything through our house, I wouldn’t be so worried, but I even hold my breath as the pee splashes in the water. Too much info? Well, just speaking truth.

As a side note, G-ma confessed that she flushed several times while we were on our date night without Avery waking. So, maybe I am being a little paranoid, but I’ll stick to saving water, thank you.

Moving on, our little family of three had a nice day today. Not much happened, but I was able to get all of Going Mom’s lunches cooked for work while she cleaned a lot around the house. I’m just happy Kelley doesn’t ask for anything too fancy for her lunches. This week she’ll have brown rice with broccoli three times; two with wild salmon, and the other with chicken sausage. Then the other two meals will be something I make a lot of, quinoa with black beans and tomatoes. Such a quick, one-pot meal that’s healthy and doesn’t cost a lot. Wins all around!

We tried to enjoy a family run together in the outstanding weather we had, but Avery was not having the stroller today. When it’s just her and me, I’ll run with her at a good speed and she seems content, but we had to keep it easy as Kelley is working back up to it, and we were just too slow. So, that wasn’t the most fun 3 miles of screaming…..

I took Avery out and wore her in the Baby Bjorn for our walk with the dog and she stayed quiet, so I figure she was better. As always, we’ll miss mommy as she heads to work tomorrow, but at least Avery and I have each other to keep company until her return home in the evening.

Do you do anything different while your child sleeps to avoid a potential waking?

Will your kid only ride in a stroller if you’re walking or running?

Parenting

Our First Night Without Avery – Part 2

02/22/2014 R.C. Liley 1 Comment

Everyone survived another “first” in our household! We enjoyed our time together away from home and G-ma handled the night like a pro. I guess she does have some experience with two grown children. If you didn’t read Part 1 of the story, here’s the link.

Kelley and I started our night by picking up Chipotle (I had the salad bowl with black beans and Kelley had the burrito bowl with barbacoa) and buying some beer and gas station nearby. Four dollars for one sub-optimal beer at Chipotle? No Thanks! We had a refreshing Amber brew from a local brewery for less than half the price per bottle. Score!

We then trekked over to the parking lot at the concert to enjoy a romantic, bean-filled, dinner under ~~candle~~ lamp light in the car. The beer was tempting us and we were ready to enjoy a celebratory cheers, but we forgot a bottle opener. Being the smart, college-educated people we are, I utilized my belt buckle and had the beer opened after a few tries.

No funny thoughts..... — No funny thoughts…..

Food and booze finished, we headed inside to see the Imagine Dragons. We arrive over an hour after everything started, so we saw the last of the cover band and waited for the Imagine Dragons’ stage to be setup. To kill time, we obviously took random pictures.

The concert itself was great. We heard all of the songs that turned us into fans and had me thinking back to our puzzle days while trying to get pregnant. Good times. We’re not crazy people and our seats were pretty high, so it was nice just to enjoy the show and listen to the music.

Meanwhile, G-ma, was having a good time playing with Avery who was being better than expected. Go Avery! My mom said after bath time she did her usual loud crying since she apparently hates when it’s over, but it wasn’t too bad.

G-ma tried to keep her up a little longer thinking her bed time was later and said she was just so tired by the time she put her down. Guess we forgot to mention her bed time was actually earlier….oops!

By the time we arrived home at the late hour of 11:30, both G-ma and Avery were asleep. G-ma was on the couch and we woke her and visited while the Olympics were on. I also gather more food to eat, but that’s a given.

Overall, we had a great time, and I think our romantic dinner in the car was really the highlight of the date. I could go for just another “date” night by going to another parking lot for dinner and beer. I’m sure this makes all the ladies jealous!

G-ma said she’s happy to do it again, so I guess I just need to find a good parking lot. Oh, and Avery has to agree too. You think she agrees?