March 2016 Goal: Fit in More Exercise

This year our monthly goals have been focusing on specific tasks rather than multiple goals each month. In January we tackled more decluttering throughout the house and in February we worked on using our slow cooker more to help offset busy nights. We found several recipes to enjoy this past month, and even started tweaking several to create our own recipes. (You can look forward to seeing those sometime in the near future.)

This month we're moving on to something that is definitely more personal to me individually: Get more exercise.

Since college exercising has been one way I de-stress during the week and clear my head. Not to mention all the other pivotal health benefits that come from exercising by staying fit and active. And although the intensity decreased, for many years after having kiddos I still found ways to exercise regularly.


But last year a knee injury in the early winter followed up by an auto-immune condition diagnosis in the spring meant that my exercise routines took a big hit, and even became non-existent for large chunks of 2015. I worked back to being able to do some moderate exercise last summer, but never really found a new routine.

All of this combined means that my exercise routine has become pretty sporadic and not nearly as focused I would like. With the coming of warmer months and longer daylight hours this is the perfect time to find new motivation.

My five exercise goals for the month of March: 
1) Exercise at least three times a week for at least 25 minutes a session.

2) One exercise session a week needs to include both cardio and toning work. (There are several great videos on Amazon which are great for this goal.)

3) Get more fresh air while exercising (walk the dog, hike with the kids, do toning exercises outside on warmer days, etc.)

4) Involve the kids when I can or do something that is possible with them around. It's great for kids to see parents exercise as it sets a role model for the future. This past fall, my only chance at exercise was in the evening after they went to bed. This has been a much harder time for me to do it as I'm tired. Doing it earlier means I have more energy and they can join in too if they want.

5) Start running outside again, especially as everything warms up.

5 Posts that I'm finding inspiring for my new goal: 

1. A Helicopter Mom has 35 awesome ideas to get you back on track.

2. The Realistic Mama shares 1-minute exercises you can do throughout your day.

3. In case you're someone who dreads exercise, What's Up Fagans? has 6 tools to help you exercise without completely hating it.

4. As a mom, we know it can be really hard to exercise around the kids so why not exercise with them? Snotty Noses has 10 great activities you can do with kids and get exercise at the same time.

5. How Does She shares a few exercises you can do at the park while your kiddo plays. These are things I could even try in our backyard.

I can't wait to see how I tackle this goal. I'm hoping that by posting it now, I'll be in full exercise mode by late spring.

Don't forget to check out the other posts in this month's monthly goals series.

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