There is one aspect of housework that many people overlook and that’s the cleanliness of your air. Every few seconds you take in a lung full of air, but do you consider the quality of it – probably yes, when you are outside in the city, but probably no when you are sitting on your couch. Having clean air can actually decrease your chances of illness and  reduce allergic reactions to pet dander or pollen.

Indoor Air Quality

While many people have switched out their windows for energy efficient ones, put in appropriate insulation and sealed all entrances, they may have created a different problem for themselves – stale air. If the only time fresh air enters your home is when you open and close the door to exit and enter, you may have stagnant air that keeps germs, pollents, vapors and allergens circulating around your home. You may want to open up your windows or back doors for a few hours each week. If you environment, doesn’t allow this, you should have fully functioning exhaust fans that can work to “exchange” the air in your home for the fresher air outside.

What About Air Purifiers

This is one of those uncertain topics as of late. When they were first on the market they were thought to be the greatest thing around. Then as children grew up from infancy into their teens in homes that were always purifying the air, it was discovered that they had a higher risk for airborne allergies as well as a higher tendency to get sick. The basic idea is that they simply had not been exposed as frequently as people without purifiers and thus hadn’t built the immunities. More simply put – the air is TOO clean.  Conversely, persons that have developed allergies can benefit from air cleaners that reduce the number of allergens in the indoor air.

Other Ways to Clean the Air

One of the easiest ways to clean the air is to use a damp rag to wipe surfaces as well as dust instead of dry rag. When you are wiping down your coffee table – even if it isn’t “dusty” it still probably has pet dander, pollen and other particles that can contribute to “dirty air” inside your home. By using a damp rag, you are collecting this mess instead of sending it into the air. Another tip is to change your vacuum bag frequently. When your vacuum bag or canister is full, many of the particles get pushed out into the air instead of staying in the machine. And lastly, invest in a good door mat and clean it often. You might be shocked to find out how much muck is on your door mat, but what’s worse is that when you rub your wet feet on it you are making it worse. Whatever you rub off, eventually dries and then gets tracked in by the next person and will eventually end up in your air.

{guest post from Gina Lay}

Losing weight and getting into shape are a few popular resolutions made each New Year. But let’s face it, time is valuable, especially when you’re a mom. If you are like me, the last thing you feel like doing after a hard day is leaving the house to go work out.

Thankfully, there are easy at home fitness tips we can practice in order to lose weight and get into shape.

Ab Squeeze

One of the biggest things I worry about on my body is my abs. My favorite easy at home way to exercise my abs is by just sitting on the couch and squeezing my abdominal muscles. Start by breathing in and holding in your stomach muscles. It should feel like your belly button is touching your back. Squeeze at least 30 times and rest. Practice this every day and you should feel results in weeks.

Lunges

An easy fitness tip to work out the thighs at home are lunges. Allow enough room to stand with your feet shoulder length apart. Place your hands on your hip and take a step forward with your right foot all the way down until your other leg makes a right angle. Concentrate and use your leg muscles to pull yourself up. Start doing lunges at a steady pace and make your ultimate goal up to 3 sets of 10 repetitions to help get your legs into shape at home.

Wall Squats

Wall squats are a great way to build up endurance in the body. Find an empty wall in your home free of obstacles. Press your back and butt firmly into the wall. Slowly start to move into a sitting position. It should look as you are sitting in an invisible chair. Your knees and thighs should be lined up creating a 90-degree angle by the hips. Your shoulders and arms should be relaxed, and all your focus should be on maintaining a sitting position. If you are doing the fitness move correctly, your thighs should start to burn.

{photo credit}

What I like best about home fitness is the convenience; I can exercise during naps or after bed time. You can incorporate as little as ten minutes or as much time as you want – it’s your choice! You do not need to purchase expensive equipment to have a successful home workout.

Do you have east home fitness tips that you would like to share?

Gina Lay is a married work at home mother of four children. She enjoys baking, cooking, and sewing. Her family is her everything and she hopes to create and pass memories and traditions. Her website is www.themomwriter.com

It may sound strange but lots of people forget their body is a living, breathing, growing and changing entity that really does function independently from our minds. No matter how hard you try, you cannot convince your body to burn more fat or convert your food into energy more quickly. True certain actions and decisions our minds make will have a “default” effect on our body but for the most part our body works they it was designed give the environment it is in. And because of that, you need to learn how to “listen” when you body is trying to tell you something. And I mean really listen – for the whispers and not just the “screaming at the top of its lungs” screams for your attention.

How Does Your Body Communicate With You?

Our body has regular routines – from our bowels and menstruations to how our body changes with the seasons. When something is not quite right without our cells, you probably got a notice when those cells noticed, but overlooked it. If you have lived your life with your period being “like clockwork” – or maybe you have a morning BM everyday – and then one day it’s all wrong, your body is talking! This also goes for the twinges of pain that you sporadically experience. If one day you decide it’s a great idea to help your neighbor offload a washing machine from his truck and your back screams in pain, this means you body is telling you that you need to be more careful. Either you are lifting more than your body can manage, or you need to be taking better care of the body you have.

Do All The Little “Comments” Add Up to Something Bigger?

Many people will wait a day or two before taking action – which usually is fine. It might be a little germ that your body is working out or something you ate that isn’t agreeing with you. However, if you have minor issues on a regular basis, it might be the sign of something major. If you realize that every time you eat a certain food, you end in the bathroom the next day, you might have a food sensitivity – not quite an allergy, but still no fun. Or maybe if you are getting cramps in your calves in the middle of the night, your body is trying to tell you that you need more potassium. It’s all a judgment call, but if you take the time to consider what your body might be saying to you, you might be able to fix things before they get too far.

Every year a majority of us vow to have a healthier existence in the coming year. But this is such a vague notion, that many of us falls short.

Here are ten smaller tasks that you can take on that will result in an overall healthier lifestyle.

1. Cut out the processed foods. Many busy moms tend to rely on pre-cooked, pre-portioned food items to make life easier. But what you usually get along with the convenience is a lot of preservatives, salt and other unneeded and unhealthy additives that your family just doesn’t need. This can even be true of items that you think are healthy – like pre-sliced fruits or pre-packaged salad mixes. These items are often “treated” with something to help them from browning.

2. Lower the amount of chemicals in your home. This can be done by using all-natural cleaners (dish soaps, laundry soaps, body soaps, etc.).

3. Start your new calendar with a block of exercise written in at least three days a week. This will force you to schedule around it and thus leaving time to actually exercise. Probably the most common reason moms give for not getting enough exercise is not having the time.

4. Do not say “I am going to lose 50 pounds this year” say “I am going to lose 5 pounds a month this year”. This is a much more attainable goal and also easier to maintain. If you lose large amounts of weight in a short period of time you are much more likely to gain it back. By spreading it out, you are more likely to have a lasting effect.

5. Drink a glass of water before every meal. This not only helps you to “fill up” faster, it helps you to keep your body working like a well lubricated machine. Water also quenches your thirst much better than soda or juice and has zero calories.

6. Start a food diary on January 1^st (or 2^nd if you have a large meal on New Year’s Day . When you write down everything that you eat in a day, you will really start to see where all your calories are coming from. Also the idea of having to write down that handful of gummy bears can be a great deterrent in deciding not to eat them.

7. Make it a goal for the whole family to get into better shape! While it’s important not to stress the number on the scale to children (especially teens) you can focus on just having a healthier lifestyle by staying active and eating better.

8. Get everyone into get a full physical in January. This is the perfect time to get a baseline for your body’s workings while you are “healthy”. We often only visit the doctor when we are sick and so they never have an idea of your norms. This is also a chance to catch any underlying issues that might be what is preventing you from losing those pounds – like a thyroid issue – or other decreased efficiency issues. By full physical I mean blood work, and stress tests as well as dental and vision checks.

9. Sit down and consider your goals for the year. Are you planning to get out of debt? Are you planning to try to have a baby? Will you be sending a child off to college? All of these things can result in added stress, which can have a negative effect on your body. You will want to plan ahead and think of ways to reduce those stress levels.

10. Remember that Life is to be lived not survived. While you are trying to have a healthier lifestyle remember to keep doing the things that makes your family a unit and happy. You don’t just throw away family pizza night, but rather change it to salad and pizza or pizza with whole wheat crust and more veggies. Making drastic changes will send you on the fast track to failure.

Not everyone can afford a gym membership. And not everyone can use a gym membership to its fullest, even if they can afford it. Moms, usually, fall into one of these groups because most of us are on a budget and strapped for time. The home workout program is usually our best bet for being effective. You can do it at any hour of the day without having to follow some schedule they offer, or limited hours of operation. You can also work out in the privacy of your own home and not have to feel self conscious about people looking at you. But the one way to make sure that you are sticking to your commitment of working out at home is to create an area in your home that is devoted to working out, as best you can. This will encourage you to workout, and not allow you to use the excuse of having to “set up” each time. Here are four  things every home gym needs:

1. A DVD player – DVD workouts are a great way to get cardio in without having super expensive workout equipment in your home. You want one that has the ability to rewind and fast forward easily while still keeping a clear image. Check out this one by Panasonic.
2. Wrist and Ankle weights. Weight that strap around your ankles and wrists are a great way to increase the intensity of a workout with taking up a ton of space in your home with a weight set. What you want to look for a set that is padded for comfort and has easily adjustable straps. Try these from Valeo.
3. A Quality Yoga Mat. Even if you are not going to be doing yoga, having a nice mat to workout on will really come in handy. You will want to look for one that absorbs sweat, and is both wide and long enough for you to comfortably workout on it. The mats are great for ab routines, pilates, and a number of other common home exercises. Take a look at this one by Da Vinci Yoga Mats.
4. A Water Dispensing System. When you are working out at home, you want to have plenty of water close at hand – and unless you are working out in your kitchen or bathroom the tap doesn’t count. As a busy mom, you can risk being easily distracted by stepping away from your workout area to go get a drink by something like doing the dishes. One like this from New Wave would be just perfect.

Treadmills, stationary bikes and Elliptical machines are nice piece to have, but very costly not to mention that they take up tons of space. If you have the cash and the space, I would suggest going for the elliptical machine, as it provides the lowest impact and most complete cardio workout.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links, however I was in no way compensated by the companies listed to include them in this post. All items were chosen by me directly.

You have probably heard that you should try to cut back on your fat and carb intake when trying to lose weight. While this is true, it is more important to have balance. You actually need some fat and carbs in your diet to get all of the nutrients that you need stay healthy and strong. The trick is to get all the RIGHT forms of those things and then have it all in moderation.

The Right Carbs

The diets that tell you to say no to carbs are just plain ludicrous. Your body needs carbohydrates to produce the fuel your body uses for physical activity. The carbs are also needed to support proper body functions. So by removing them from your diet entirely, you are setting yourself up to be unhealthy in other ways by getting sick more easily as well as being tired more often. There are lots of unhealthy carbs out there – processed and sugary treats for the most part. Your best bet when it comes to carbohydrates is to choose whole grain. The shear process of turning grains into white bread or pasta removes all the good stuff in the grain. You can also get your healthy carbs from fruits, vegetables and especially beans. You just have to remember to keep track of what you are adding. Don’t fall into the unhealthy salad habit, always choose whole fruits instead of juices and don’t add tons of cheese to your beans.

The Right Fats

Just like with carbs, fats are also absolutely necessary for proper mental and physical functions. And just like with carbs, it’s all about choosing the right ones. In fact, good fats improve your heart and brain health, while bad fats put both in danger of disease. The good fats are the omega-3s, the polyunsaturated and the monounsaturated fats. You can find these in fatty fishes, nuts, soy, avocados, and olives. The bad fats are the trans and saturated fats. You can find these in whole-fat dairy products, chicken skin, butter, pre-baked goods, cheese, and fried foods. You simply need to select the right types of fats, not completely avoid them.

A truly balanced diet has proper amounts of all the vitamins and nutrients your body needs to properly function. This includes your physical, mental and even emotional well-being. You need plenty of goof fats and healthy carbs to make sure your body can even utilitze all those vitamins and minerals you get from your diet. The true key to gaining and maintaining a healthy weight is MODERATION!

The holidays are often the time that many people forget about their fitness regimens but come January 1st many of us resolve to get back on track. Why not give a gift that gives them a step in the right directs?

Below you will find a variety of gifts for all the active people on your shopping list.

For the Runner

The Travel Stick Muscle Massager is great for every duffle bag. If you get a tight muscle or cramp, use this great tool for quick relief.

For the Lifter

Kettleballs are all the rage in weight lifting right now. They provide a unique workout and would make any weightlifter happy this holiday!

For the Yoga Master

An excellent stocking stuffer for a Yoga Lover – these great No slip Yoga Socks from Gaiam provide a little extra grip for maintaining those extra hard poses on slick surfaces.
This yoga mat tote – also from Gaiam is a great gift for your yoga enthusiast. It provides a stylish and convenient way for them to carry their mat and other accessories to and from class.

For the Teen Athlete

Teen gotta have their tunes, even while working out. The Sony Walkman MP3 player is a great gift for a great price.

For the Active Kid

Jump Rope is becoming more and more popular – and it really is one of the best exercises for kids because it’s fun and a great cardio workout. This rope from JFit comes with a digital display that counts for the kid – giving them a gadget to engage them!
Yoga is a great workout and one that even kids can do. It promotes strength and flexibilty which are both importanbt for a well-rounded physique. This great Kids Yoga Bundle from Namaste Kids will be a perfect present for any active kid.

For Him

This cool watch by Garmin come with a wireless cadance monitor, and heart monitor. It also has a GPS and a touch screen – perfect for any runner, or cyclist.
P90X is a great program for any man who is ready to once and for all get in shape.

For Her

Cross-Trainers are perfect for an active woman. They let her go from aerobics class to running errands, and these stylish shoes by Puma let her look good while doing it!

The new Striiv is like having a personal trainer in your pocket. It works like a pedometer but with a lot more bells and whistles. Striiv has partnered with organizations to make it easy for you to give to some great charities. The more you walk, the more the sponsors will donate to the charity of your choice. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Keeping track of your progress is a great way to obtain your goals. Help the women on your list start the year off right with this great Diet & Fitness Journal from Claudine Gandolfi

Disclaimer: I was in no way influenced to select these items. I came up with the list on my own and was not compensated to specifically include any items. A Striiv unit was provided as a promotional review unit, however all opinions are my own.

Cold and Flu season is upon us. That means it’s time to get a little boost in vitamin C for your whole family. While oranges are often our first thought as a natural source of Vitamin C, there are several other veggies that have much higher levels. The recommended daily amount (RDA) of vitamin C is 60mg – but don’t be confused because that doesn’t mean you can just eat 60mg of something high in vitamin C to get all that you need for the day.

If your house is like mine you might run into the issue of kids not wanting to eat lots of veggies. I have learned that making them more fun then food can help you get around that problem. Here are a few tried and true recipes:

Sausage and Peppers

Essentially a fancy hot dog and what kid doesn’t love hot dogs? Bell peppers are an amazing source for vitamin C. The key is to not cook them to mush. Get a red, green and orange/yellow bell pepper and cut them into strips. Get a chicken sausage – any flavor will do – and brown it in your skillet. In the same skillet simply warm up the pepper – you want them to still have a crunch or “bite” to them. Put the sausage on a whole wheat bun and top with the pepper mixture. Serve with a side salad of leafy greens like spinach (another great source of vitamin C) and you are good to go!

Fruits Kabobs

Guavas, Papayas and Kiwis all have large amounts of Vitamin C. Cube up these yummy treats and turn them into Kabobs with bamboo skewers. You can also include a calcium rich yogurt for a dipping sauce – because kids will eat just about anything if they can dip it too! For a frozen treat, use frozen versions of these fruits – this is great for when they are not available fresh because it’s out of season.

Spice Things Up!

Did you know that red and green chilies have the most Vitamin C per volume than any other natural food? A single green chili of average size has more than two times the RDA of Vit. C making it the best bang for your buck. However the heat factor may automatically turn your family off. Since these little peppers are so densely packed with vitamin C you only need to consume a little bit to get all you need. A really great recipe is to make green enchiladas – take whole wheat tortillas and roll them up with shredded chicken, a thin strip of green chili (with the seeds removed), and a sprinkle of Monterey jack cheese. Line them up in a baking dish with a small amount of green enchilada sauce in the bottom and then pour the remained of the green enchilada sauce on top. Put them in a preheated 350deg oven for 30 minutes and serve it up with some black beans and brown rice.

Hide it in a Smoothie

When all else fails, sometimes you have to resort to trickery and hide the good for your stuff in the good stuff. Some great sources of vitamin C are some of the least favorite veggies known to kids. Spinach, Kale, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts are almost always on the “icky list”. However, in their raw form they have a rather mild flavor, which means that they can easily be added to fruit smoothies without your child noticing. Simply add strawberries, bananas, spinach, and vanilla yogurt to a blender with ice. Mix it up and serve it for breakfast or even dessert!

You hear it all the time “I am so stressed” or “This is stressing me out” but did you know that high levels of stress can have lasting effects on your body. Even though we live in a “civilized” environment on a daily basis, we are still animals in our basic form. And as such, our response to stress can be physical even if the stressor is mental or emotional.

Simply put your physical response to stress is the same whether you are faced with a lioness protecting her cubs or your boss threatening your job if you can’t complete a task in time. Your body kicks into fight or flight, pumping you full of adrenaline so that you can either stand your ground or run for the hills.

The problem is that when your stress is mental or emotional, the adrenaline just courses through your veins with nothing to do but increase your heart rate. When this happens frequently you can actually start to cause lasting damage to your blood vessels.

Now, I am realistic, and know that it’s impossible to have zero stress as a mother. If you aren’t simply worrying about their welfare, you are stressing about getting from football practice to music lessons to that parent teacher conference – which are all over town and at some point you have to feed them.  And actually one of the first steps to de-stressing is to understand that some stress is normal.

Here are some more tips to de-stress:

1. Don’t take on more than you can effectively handle. It is best to take on three things that you can give your full effort than ten things that you can just do the bare minimum on. Studies have shown that waking up to a packed schedule is often more stressful to a person than any one of the items on the list.
2. Make “Me Time” a priority. You need to take at least one evening a week that is just for you – when you are just being Pam and not mom or chef or nurse or coach. If you don’t have time or funds to get a massage consider taking a nice long soak in the tub, maybe use some lavender soap to calm your nerves and help you relax.
3. It might sound overly simple but smelling pretty can actually de-stress you. Your sense of smell is directly connected to your hormonal response to stress because it can actually put you in a better mood. So pick out your favorite eau de toilette and spritz yourself daily.
4. Exercising can be a great de-stressing technique. Exerting physical energy is an effective way to release your stress. Find some sort of contact activity – whether it be kickboxing or maybe joining a softball or volleyball team – that you can actually “hit” something. It might sound aggressive but being able to take out your frustrations on inanimate objects can do wonders for a weary mind.
5. Stop counting every calorie and switch to moderation as your rule of thumb. If your weight is constantly on your mind, you might be defeating yourself right from the start. Creating stress will actually cause your body to go into survival mode – which means it will not burn the fat it has stored for fear of not getting enough in the hours to come.

Stress is a normal part of motherhood. Some people would even say that the ones that never stress are not trying hard enough. The real key is to learn to manage that stress by minimizing, adapting and releasing it as you move through your day.

What do you do to de-stress?

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post however all opinions are my own

Thousands of schools around the country have been forced to make major budget cuts this school year. And two of the items that have been hit hard are physical education and team sports. For some schools the programs have been cut completely. For others, PE has been whittled down to one 30 minute session a week and sports require large fees paid by the parents to continue. While there are things that you can do as a parent from an economic standpoint – join the PTA/PTO and/or the school board – there are other things that you should be doing for your child in the mean time.

Increase the Activity

Pointblank – your child needs to be getting at least 30 minutes of true physical activity at least five days a week. If the school is unable to provide this, you need to do something on your own. There are plenty of activities you can do, just make sure that your child is really moving. You can rent workout dvds and do them together. Renting them allows you to have a variety, so that kids don’t get bored. And this is a great way to start their day. Getting up 30 minutes earlier on school days to exercise is a great way to ensure that by the time your child gets to school they are alert and awake for the classes ahead. While walking to school is a great form of exercise, it doesn’t really count unless it’s a brisk walk that gets the heart pumping. If you are going to opt for the walk to and from school for the physical activity of the day, make sure your child is not just meandering along.

Extracurricular Sports

Signing your kids up for extracurricular sports and activities is a great way to add the physical activity back into their lives. It doesn’t have to be a competitive or team sport, you can pick something like dance, gymnastics, martial arts or swimming. Often times these activities come with a hefty price, which can really put the strain on your checkbook, and your schedule. But there are ways around this. First off, if you have more than one child ask about sibling discounts – often programs will only charge one administrative fee per family. You can also look into scholarships and hardship programs. Many programs also give a discount if the parent is willing to help with coaching or administrative tasks – like being team mom. As for the scheduling issue, work with other parents of children on the same teams. See if you can work out carpool sessions – maybe you pick up the kids at school and drop them off at practice and another mom can bring them home from practice. Or maybe you both have kids the same age, and so one can take the older kids and one can take the younger kids.

Two more things to keep an eye out for

1. If your child’s school did keep physical education but increased the class sizes to 50+, your child is not likely being active enough to benefit. Standing in line for 20 minutes to hit two tennis balls once, is not physical education. Make sure that you ask your child what PE is really like, and maybe even drop by the school to check it out. If your child has fallen into the scenario above, you will want to supplement. This might mean volunteering with the PE teacher so that there can be more activities going on at once.
2. Remember to emphasis that physical activity is for a healthy life, not for weight loss or trying to look a certain way. If your own physical activity is for weight loss, try not to verbalize that too much to your children. You want them to learn to be healthy for the sake of being healthy not so much because they think they need to look a certain way.