Living Fit Mommy: It Was At Least 70-Years Before Women Broke A Sweat!

I saw this little video this morning:

Honestly, when I watched that montage, the first thing I thought to myself was it was at least 70-years before women broke an honest sweat! I mean, can you imagine walking up to a woman in 1910 and asking her to CrossFit? Zumba? Hell, asking her to lift a weight of any type?

The other thing I noticed was the lack of appropriate footwear. Keep in mind that sneakers weren’t exactly big in the early part of the 20th Century—Keds were around, but the first pair of workable trainers didn’t land until Adidas came along—so even if a woman wanted to tax herself in the fitness department, she likely would have been slowed by her soles.

Don’t get me wrong, clearly there were women out there doing something more significant than jazzercise or those “stretches”, but clearly those women were the exception, not the rule.

It’s amazing how far we’ve come since then, isn’t it?

Living Fit Mommy: Ease on Out of The Holidaze

I don’t know about you but, from the time Halloween exited stage left until this very day, I have been on fast forward. Thanksgiving was a blur, Christmas is already a distant memory, and the coming New Year is has become my subtle reminder that it’s time to get down to the business of getting back into the fit groove.

Lucky for me, I managed to maintain a somewhat regular workout routine throughout the holidays—even with a seasonal job cutting into my precious minutes—but a lot of my workout sessions were abbreviated or tailored around an increase in plyometric activity because I needed to get as much bang for my buck as possible; again, time was short and any opportunity I had for getting in the gym was precious. I made the most of every workout because I didn’t want to be sitting here on December 31 talking about the holiday pounds I gained from all the eating and not working out I did.

That said, with the tree already packed away and my focus turning towards new goals (I don’t do resolutions), I am ready to further challenge my mental and physical self to see if I can reach a new level.I still have a long way to go to get to where I want to be and I know I can still build more strength in a few areas.

It’s important to keep yourself motivated this time of year. No matter where you are in your journey, you have to be mindful of what you want for yourself so that you don’t fall victim to complacency or laziness.

So, if you’ve fallen off the proverbial wagon, dust yourself off and get back in the game, and if you’ve stayed on track, pat yourself on the back and then set a new goal to get that much better.

Bottom line: a new year is just a new opportunity to do big things.

Living Fit Mommy: Killer Legs Take Time and Attention

While genetics can certainly play a role in how our gams look in a pair of Daisy Dukes, don’t forget that we actually play a pretty significant part in the process ourselves—muscular thighs and legs take focus and attention. You have to be willing to work every major leg group (from the quads to the hamstrings to the adductor and abductor muscles) if you hope to mold a masterpiece, and you also have to control your plate (a good diet is a definite must if you want to keep the fat at bay and the muscles at play).

Use heavier weights to add a challenge to basic squat and lunge moves, as well as to increase strength; lunges are definitely a girls best friend—even when they’re leaving a soreness like no other a day or two later—so be sure to incorporate plenty of them on leg day.

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