Tag Archives: exercise

Going Dad’s New Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower

Yes, it’s here and I can’t wait to use this beautiful piece of equipment! The Fiskars StaySharp Max Reel Mower is the Ferrari of reel mowers; sleek, quiet, and powerful.

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We like to do our part to make a smaller impact on the environment, and reel mowers are a perfect fit for this! Plus, there’s no spending money on oil and gas, and no engine maintenance! You never have to worry about your mower starting either!

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Since we needed a mower and loved what I read about the Fiskars Reel Mower, I wrote Fiskars and asked if they would be willing to send one for me to review. Oh boy, the excitement that ran through me when they kindly agreed could hardly be contained!

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And now it’s here! Assembly was a breeze and it was together in minutes. Of course, I did have a handy helper…

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We got this in the mail today….

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….but I promptly tossed it in the recycle bin! No gas-powered mowers on our lawn, thank you, and I’ll mow it myself using my own power!

The Fiskars StaySharp Max is loaded with features that actually make mowing your lawn, dare I say, fun! Here’s a list of features as provided on their website:

    • The smart design of our eco-friendly reel mower offers a cleaner cut without the hassles of gasoline, oil, battery charging, electrical cords or loud engine noise

    • Received Popular Mechanics 2010 Green Design Award and recommended by Consumer Reports over other reel mowers among other accolades

    • A combination of advanced technologies make the StaySharp™ Max Reel Mower 60% easier to push than other reel mowers

    • Patent-pending InertiaDrive™ Reel delivers twice the cutting power to blast through twigs, weeds and tough spots that would jam other reel mowers

    • Exclusive StaySharp™ Cutting System uses precision-ground, hardened steel blades to cut grass without touching, greatly reducing friction and blade wear for long-lasting performance without costly annual blade sharpening

    • Patent-pending VersaCut™ Technology offers cut height settings from 1″–4″ to provide best-in-class cutting, even when you’ve missed a week of mowing, plus one-touch height adjustment for comfortable use

    • Inset wheel design allows the blades to extend across the full width of the mower to eliminate uncut strips under the wheels and edge closer to foundations, fences and borders than other reel mowers

    • Unique grass discharge chute throws clippings forward cleanly, away from your feet

    • Cuts all grass types, even tough southern varieties like St. Augustine, Zoysia, Bahia and Bermuda

    • 18″ cut width

    • Limited three-year warranty

 

So, if you live in a typical neighborhood and don’t have acres of grass to mow, the Fiskars reel mower is a great choice to save you money and keep you in shape!

After taking pictures of it, I was ready to get out and use this elegant mower for the first time. Oh yeah, I have a baby to watch though….

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Being one who always looks for ways to challenge myself, I decided I would just wear Avery in our sporty Onya Baby Outback carrier; problem solved!

Ready to kick some grass! Okay, just cut it really....
Ready to kick some grass! Okay, just cut it really….

Notice how the Fiskars Reel Mower and the Onya have matching colors. Coincidence? I think not! Well, actually, yes, but pretty cool, huh? With Avery snug on my chest and the mower ready to go, I raised the garage door eager to get out and go.

I swear it's opening slower just to spite me!
I swear it’s opening slower just to spite me!

Where should I start first? What direction would be best? Did I hang the cloth diapers to dry? All of these questions running through my mind as the door took a seemingly longer time than usual to open. Oh no, wait a second, it looks like I won’t be mowing today!

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Stupid rain. But also not stupid because we don’t want a draught this year! Sorry, Avery, we’ll have to wait for another day. We can go work on you rolling over instead.

Sounds good, dad, I'm on it!!
Sounds good, dad, I’m on it!!

I didn’t really expect to have a review that quickly anyway. I want to go through a few mows to be able to experience it enough first. Aside from a full review, I also have more plans in store for this wonderful piece of equipment.

Look forward to a post on how I’m a baby wearing daddy, how reel mowing is beneficial to the environment and your wallet, and maybe even a lawn mowing sprint workout! Yep, I’m excited for all of these and I can’t thank Fiskars enough for providing me with the opportunity to use their reel mower!

The rain eventually died down and I was able to take Avery and Abby for our hour long walk. It was cold and windy today, and despite covering Avery in a hat and her Zippy, she was still bothered by the wind. Poor girl. But she powered through it and didn’t whine at all! So, total time in the Onya was one hour for the day.

Do you or have you used a reel mower before? If not, what’s keeping you from trying?

Disclosure: Fiskars sent me their StaySharp Max Reel Mower to review free of charge, but I was not compensated otherwise. All thoughts and opinions and strictly my own.

Going Strong: 3 Moves to Work Your Core During Playtime with Baby

Babies are demanding little people! When you’re not feeding, changing, or rocking them to sleep, they require constant attention. Take your eyes off of them and try to do something for yourself? No way; you’ll only get this…

Hold me, dammit!
Hold me, dammit!

If you don’t have a baby that’s demanding of attention, well, maybe you’re just boring; or I’m jealous. Either way, if you’re like me and need to be active every day or you feel like slush, you need to get creative. Creative parenting is a must to keep your baby and yourself healthy.

So, if you’ve already been through Peek-a-Boo Push Ups and Burpees with Baby, why not try working your core? I have 3 moves you can do to strengthen your abs and keep (most) babies entertained. You can even make it educational too!

The first move is the plank. If you want to make it more challenging, add press ups, but be careful with your baby under you!

 [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47_ylIHEodA?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

The second and third moves are crunches and ab twists, respectively, and I combined their demos on one video. Of course, baby safety always comes first, so make sure you are in a safe area and physically capable of holding your baby securely.

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

I apologize for having to look at my face more than Avery’s, but I only had a stack of children’s books acting as camera man. At least she makes some cute coos for all to hear!

And now I want to show you all three together as a routine.

 [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4bxm_i9Mq8?rel=0&w=420&h=315]

Try doing 3 to 5 rounds of:

  • 60 second planks or 10 plank press ups over baby (count time or reps)
  • 20 crunches holding baby
  • 10 baby ab twists per side

Most babies, depending on age, won’t understand what the hell you’re doing, but they will still be entertained. As I mentioned in the videos, count your reps out loud to add an educational component to your playtime workout. Anything you can do to stimulate your baby’s brain is a plus!

Hope you and your baby can enjoy this together. Let me know how you liked it if you do!

Does your baby cry the second you set them down or are the just fine not being held?

Update: I added this post to the #FitFamilyFriday link-up. Check it out by clicking the button below and share your own story on living a healthy life or read how others are doing so. You might find something you’d like to try!

#FitFamilyFriday

Hanging With My Daughter in the Dad Cave

 

For a Monday, Avery and I had a pretty good day. She wasn’t perfect (show me a baby that is!), but her afternoon fussiness was nothing new. I expect Mondays to be difficult for all of us because Going Mom has to go back to work and misses her after spending 2 days at home. It’s never a fun transition. Plus, Avery and I miss Going Mom and I know Avery doesn’t like going back to taking the bottle after 2 days of boob! 

 

Enjoying Our Weekend Outside
Enjoying Our Weekend Outside

But, alas, we forge through it and look forward to the weekend ahead. Avery graced us with another long night in her crib and easily fell back asleep in our bed after feeding. I always fear she’ll just be restless and I’ll have to go to the recliner.  And by fear, I mean kinda enjoy it since I know I can’t always hold her like that. Bittersweet.

Another positive for Monday was the improved weather! Sun shining, light wind, and warmth equals a great day to get out and move! So, after her lengthy morning nap, we took off for a stroller run around the neighborhood with Abby (our Golden) in tow.

Ready to go with my air guitar!
Ready to go with my air guitar!

I’m not sure how so many new parents gain weight when a sleeping baby is so cherished. Just take your baby out for a walk in a baby carrier like the Onya or Ergo or in a jogging stroller and start moving. If they fall asleep, you won’t want to stop for fear of them waking. It’s good for you (moving = exercise and being healthy), and good for them (more sleep = less fuss)!

Although babies are young and may not understand everything, it’s never too early to lead by example and show your child how to live a healthy, active life. I WILL NOT be a dad that just sits in front of the T.V. chewing on his shirt and waiting for someone to fix him a meal. Not that I know anyone like that…..

On the run, Avery never made a peep until around 6 miles, and phew, I was happy to call it quits at that point! Abby was exhausted and ready for water too! She just turned 7 and still acts like a tiny, energetic puppy. Good for her health, tiring for us!

Run is done and we're happy.
Run is done and we’re happy.

After the run, Avery was in a good mood so I decided we’d hang out in my Dad Cave (i.e. the garage) to enjoy the nice weather. Most people think media rooms and sound systems when a Dad/Man Cave is mentioned,but I prefer being active, so none of that for me.

I use my power rack for strength training while Avery is taking her morning nap and enjoy the challenge of lifting heavy. I’ve had pictures of a Ferrari and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles framed just sitting in the garage, so with the nice weather, Avery hung out with me while I hung them both.

So proud.
So proud.

Like most guys, I have my fancy exotic car obsession, and Ferrari is my top choice, but I’ll always be devoted to Subaru. Plus, the STi isn’t too shabby. I had one years ago, was stupid, and now I don’t….*sigh*

Anyway, I’m more excited about the Ninja Turtle picture. Can’t you tell?

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Since Avery was still happy and wanted to “hang” out some more, we did just that. Yep, I made a corny use of words and I’m not ashamed. Just wait, one day I’ll share some good puns with you, they’re great!

Could be a good workout!
Could be a good workout!

After messing around long enough, Avery grew tired, hungry, fussy, and annoyed with me hanging on pull up bars. So, we headed inside for a food and nap time.

Going Mom made it home right as Avery woke up and was excited to see her little girl well rested and happy. It makes me happy when I can get Avery to be rested like this so she’s ready for Kelley and not worked up from being too tired.

We enjoyed the rest of our night and Avery went to sleep easily. Another Monday survived!

Dads out there, do you have a Man/Dad Cave?

Moms, do you have something for yourselves?