Tag Archives: time

Life

Hurry, there’s Still Time to Buy Crap for People before Christmas!

12/22/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

Is your e-mail inbox still being constantly bombarded by ads claiming “there’s still time but you have to hurry and order NOW!”?

I enjoy giving and getting “crap” every year, but not to the point where I’m having digestive issues from the severe stress of not having bought a super popular Elsa from “Frozen” doll like everyone else is getting this year. Okay, so Avery has no clue about cartoons or movies yet, but hopefully you get my drift.

If you’ve so much as thought about shopping at an online site, it probably seems like your brainwaves fed into your computer’s internet cookies and businesses are using your e-mail address to solicit potential business before it’s too late and you’re totally screwed and all of Christmas is ruined! Or something to that effect. 🙂

The above ad is one of the numerous e-mails littering my inbox with desperate attempts to catch those who procrastinated and are desperate to purchase gifts for others. I think this, along with all of the countless pleas by companies to win your last minute shopping business is PATHETIC!

True, I buy things for friends and family every Christmas, but I simply cannot stand the constant marketing claiming they have what you need to make this Christmas special as they twist your arm into feeling guilty for maybe not having bought enough or nothing at all for that 2nd cousin.

What if, now hear me out here, we quit worrying so much about getting things (read, crap) for others and maybe just give them some of your time? Yeah, like sit and talk, have a meal or just a drink with them and enjoy the moment. In the grand scheme of things, that time you spend together will last a lifetime. The item you rushed to buy? Probably not as long.

Make no mistake, I’m not claiming to be perfect or saying I’ve always done this myself, but I plan on doing it now. Like I said, I’ll buy things that have meaning, make it if/when I can, but also focus more on time as a wonderful gift. Unless you have very materialistic friends and relatives, they might appreciate it more than anything you can buy.

If you must buy something, buy a gift card to a nice coffee shop or restaurant and specify that it’s to use for you and that person or a group of people together.

You get it; focus less on the stressful rush to buy crap, and more on time with those you care about. As a super-major-gigantic plus, spending time instead of money is affordable for anyone. That is, unless, you have little ones that just started walking. Then you might have less time… 🙂

Umm, did you want in the fridge or something?

Yeah, every day is something new that requires Going Mom and I to figure out a solution. But it’s so worth it and I love seeing Avery walking around everywhere and discovering new abilities. Well, maybe not the outlet plug covers and never mind the fact that she’s constantly running into my legs and appearing out of no where behind me. They’re a lot quieter when on their feet as opposed to their hands and knees making a constant pitter-patter to announce they are coming!

So, this Christmas (and all other holidays/birthdays/special occasions), spend a little quality time with those you care about and don’t worry so much if you didn’t buy some material item.

Please, don’t let these stupid commercials claiming they have the deals to make this a “special Christmas” get to you. A REAL special Christmas is being together and enjoying time.

Have I mentioned to focus on quality time with loved ones? 🙂

Do you fall victim to the last-minute ads/shopping?

Have you tried just offering your time instead of purchased gifts?

Life, Parenting

The Bear is Back, But Where is Our Baby?

11/13/2014 R.C. Liley 2 Comments

It’s been 9 ~~long~~ super fast months since experienced really cold weather here in Texas, and it’s rearing its ugly head once again. I like the heat, if you can’t tell, so I’m less than thrilled to say goodbye to by garage sweat sessions. Now I’ll be huddled next to our space heater trying to keep warm with Avery before a garage workout!

When the cold came in a couple days ago, Avery’s bear suit came out. I shared a post about our experience with the bear suit last February and March, and Going Mom and I couldn’t get over how freakin’ cute she was in the thing!

The floppy, over-sized arms and legs were just un-bearable and all you wanted to do was hug and squeeze (gently) her all day!

But now, it was a bit more difficult trying to get Avery in the same bear suit. Aside from being sized 3 – 6 months (oops!), her activity level has increased approximately 500% over the course of 9 months. Guess it’s similar to development in the womb!

So, it “fit”, but I’m pretty sure her mobility was compromised a bit. Just so you know, I only kept it on her for the duration of our cold walk, and then it came right off once back inside. That said, she didn’t complain one bit while we walked, and she actually seemed quite content chewing on her paws.

Although she still didn’t seem all that thrilled to be in the tight-fitting bear skin….

Sorry, dear, but it’s much better than your lips turning blue. Like the did later that day. Double oops!

We just placed an order on Amazon for a new bear suit from the same brand, just bigger size and can’t wait for it to get here. Judging from the pic above, I’m thinking Avery is anxious for its arrival too.

Since it’s her birthday in 2 days, I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting on the past months and thought it would be neat to do a side-by-side collage of Avery in the bear suit back in February to 9 months later in Novembear (just getting my corny dad jokes warmed up!).

Kelley is off today and tomorrow to get things ready for Avery’s birthday party and hopefully Avery will take her first steps while Mommy’s home too. We’ve been saying she’s going to walk soon for the past 3 months, but hey, you never know!

Have you ever tried cramming your kid in clothes that just won’t fit anymore?

What do you think about the cold? Love or hate?

Going Healthy, Going Strong, Life, Parenting

Last Week’s Workouts + What Counts as Exercise?

10/27/2014 R.C. Liley 4 Comments

Something I’ve been wanting to do for a while is share my previous week’s workouts as a way to give to keep myself in check and possibly help others get or stay motivated. Many parents, at-home and working alike, succumb to the “I don’t have time” mantra when it comes to exercise, but it’s an important part of life and is worth making time to do.

You might think exercise is something that requires special equipment or is only done at a gym, but you might already be “exercising” without even knowing it. Exercise falls under several definitions, and one way it is defined is that it’s a regular or repeated use of a faculty or bodily organ. Knowing this, I’m positive we all have a long list of things we do every day that count as “exercise” and we never thought of it as such.

Carrying your kid around the house or grabbing them before they grab the cat’s tail several times a day would definitely count.

Chores and daily tasks like going for a walk, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry, and engaging in playtime with your kids are all great ways to fit in exercise and accomplish your laundry list (pun intended) of things you need to get done.

In a nutshell, movement of any form is, in and of itself, exercise. An important thing to remember is to be consistent with your movement and make sure it’s something you enjoy. If your stomach churns just thinking of going for a run, don’t do it, you’ll never stick with it. Ride a bike, walk, swim, row, hike, or……clean house. The point I’m trying to make is, keeping active, however you so choose, helps to make a better you.

As parents, we need to be excellent role models and should let our children see us being active and living a healthy lifestyle so they will hopefully follow suit and WANT to be like mommy and daddy. Note I said “healthy lifestyle”; this means exercise and good nutrition! If you are trying to lose weight, you can workout all you want, but without good nutrition, your results will be minimal at best.

Finishing a great workout session is NOT a pass to go pig out on packaged, processed junk or order takeout without thinking of what you’re actually putting in your mouth. Do you even read the ingredients label on some of these things? Actually, real food won’t have a label at all since it’s just the one ingredient in its whole form. Crazy, right?

I plan on going into more detail with my thoughts on fitness and nutrition in future posts, but just keep these general things in mind for now. No matter your fitness goal, lose weight, gain strength, maintain current level, etc., we will all benefit from moving more and practicing good nutrition for the quality of life it provides. If you are already a conscious eater and get a good dose of daily movement, good for you, keep it up and hopefully you are inspiring others!

I’m on my feet most of the day and rarely sit down until night (I stand at the counter to use my computer) and move around a lot with Avery. I bring her with me to workout in our garage which holds a power squat rack I am quite proud of. In addition to my below strength training, I walk and/or run multiple times a day. Most days out of the week, my walk/run schedule looks like this:

Walk/run 1.5 to 2 miles with Avery in stroller and our dog, Abby; this is immediately after my strength session if there was one that day. I’m still letting my fractured foot heal all the way, but once I’m good to run again, I’ll probably increase this up to 4 miles if able.
Walk 2.5 to 3 miles with Avery in the Onya Outback after nap time while listening to a podcast
Walk 1.5 miles with Going Mom and Avery in stroller in the evening

My main goal is gaining strength (you’ll see my weights used below), but I contradict myself with so much walking/running coupled with not eating a caloric surplus in order to facilitate muscle growth. Yep, I’m aware of the issue and still can’t get it right. It’s a mental thing as a former fat boy, but I’m getting better.

I typically prefer an upper/lower body split routine, but am currently in a transition and not following anything in particular. This is bad since I am on the opposite end of the spectrum from most in that I do more work than necessary and it most likely hampers my recovery. However, working out is a great mental relief for me and I feel I must do it every day or else I’m edge. Yep, I wake up pissed off and only feel better after a great sweat session…..and coffee.

Here’s what last week’s workouts looked like

Monday: Crossfit-type “WODs”

5 Rounds:

Dumbbell Thrusters x 10 —> Pull-ups x 10

Count Down/Up:

30, 25, 20…10, 5 – KB Swings (50lb)

5, 10, 15….25, 30 – Push-ups

Tuesday:

Barbell Back Squat – 5 x 8 x 210lbs —> Superset with Dumbbell Bench Press – 5 x 8 x 57.5 lb/arm

DB Straight leg deadlift – 5 x 12 x 57.5lb/arm —> Superset with wide-grip pull-ups – 5 x 5

Lunges with 45lb plate overhead – 31/leg

Tabata Bike (20s on; 10s off x 8)

Wednesday:

Deadlift – 5 x 185, 205, 235, 255, 275, 280

Power Clean – 130lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10

OH Press – 4 x 8 x 100lbs

31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

Thursday:

Supreme 90 Day Cardio Challenge video + 31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

Friday:

Front Squat – 180lbs x 5, 5, 5, 5, 10 —-> superset with 5 pull-ups and 10 incline push-ups

Bench Press – 5 x 6 x 175lbs —-> superset with DB Bent Row – 5 x 12 x 45lb/arm

Turkish Getup w/ 25lb Kettlebell – 3 x 5/side

31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Saturday:

6 rounds of Tabata:

1. Bike, 2. 15lb Ball Slams + Push-ups, 3. Bike, 4. Side-to-side Ball Slams + Incline Push-ups, 5. Bike, 6. Ball Slams + Push-ups

31 1-leg squats and Push-ups

Sunday:

Mow lawn with Fiskars Reel Mower while wearing Elevation Training Mask

31 Burpees, Push-ups, and Squats

So yeah, I could tone it down and probably see a lot better results in strength gain. If I could stick to a simple 5×5 routine, I’d be good to go, but I always feel the need to do more. Anyway, I’ve carried on far too long, check back for more thoughts on fitness and nutrition in the future.

Do you struggle with motivation or find yourself doing too much when it comes to working out?

Are you health food lover who cooks their own meals or could you use some work help in the nutrition department?

What would you like to read more about first; nutrition or working out for specific goals? Let me know and I’ll be happy to share!