My husband recently purchased me a Fitbit Flex. I resisted for a very long time because I thought that by joining the “community” I would have to participate in these challenges to see who got the most steps in each day and such. I’ve watched quite a bit of nonsense unfold over the past few weeks in regards to these ‘friendly challenges’ and I was not ready to participate.
Allow me to paint you a picture.
It’s 10pm, I’m in pajamas getting ready for bed. My hubby is still in his work clothes, frantically pedaling away on our mini-elliptical stepper machine (a pretty awesome gift my dad dug up at a garage sale) and making a video announcing to his fellow challengers how he is about to defeat them (insert evil maniacal laugh here). Minutes later, his phone alerts him to an incoming video. Open it up and low and behold, we see a fellow challenger, excitedly executing the whip nae nae while flailing her FitBit-clad wrist around telling my husband that no, in fact, he’s going down. With a roll of my eyes, I cuddle into bed and leave them to their business.
To date, I have yet to “friend” anyone. I am my own competition.
Despite my anti-social Fitbit behavior, I can say that this little band has enlightened me quite a bit, and it has also caused me to be a better parent.
How you may ask? Well, because I am determined to get in my step goals, I am more active. This week alone we’ve visited the Chicago Children’s Museum, I took my daughter on a mommy-n-me run at the park (killed it too I might add: 2.5 miles, sub 10 min mile pace, pushing a 60+ lb kid and stroller combo, finished off with twenty-minutes of playground plyo while she played), I took the kiddos to the park to play despite wanting to stay inside in my pj’s (hello, homebody), and I even participated in our family walk that I normally would have sat out on (relishing the rare opportunity to be. home. alone.). So, as a result of wanting to get these steps in, I am also being more active as a parent!
I’ve also been able to track my sleep patterns and surprise, I do not sleep well. This explains why I’m typically a little tired (read: Exhausted) during parts of the day. Since I am also highly attuned to the health benefits of reaching my sleep goals, I no longer feel guilty about taking the occasional mid-day nap while my kiddos rest. I have to hit ALL the goals, right?! Yet another parent plus that makes for a better, happier, perkier mommy! Fitbit for the win!
Another great thing?
Bo on the Go! This little show really has you putting in the work. She makes you run and jump and clap and spin in order to give her energy. On rainy days (or super-duper hot days like today), this is a great go-to for getting active. The kiddos follow her instructions, get in some great gross motor coordination and burn off some energy too. Oh yea, and I also participate because #FitbitGoals.
Other great mom-friendly things on my radar:
- Priscilla Shirer’s The Armor of God – I’m currently participating in an online
bible study with hundreds of other women (and a few men) from around the world. Her words and teachings are inspired and on just day two, I’m already feeling quite empowered! There’s still time to join the study with me and you can grab your copy of the book here. I will definitely be sharing more about this on the blog in future weeks! - Cool Gear Travel Potty – For any parent of a potty-training child, this bad-boy is an essential. If you know me and you have a kid and I’ve seen you in the past year or so, I’ve probably already recommended it to you. We’ve had ours for a while and it makes me so happy! Moms of todds, get yourself one here, Trust Me, better safe than sorry! It’s about the size of an old-school laptop, weighs practically nothing and uses basic gallon zipper bags (no fancy, customized, hard-to-find, expensive stuff needed)! I keep it in the back of my car and keep the side storage stocked with fresh zipper bags, wipes undies and shorts.
- Herbalife Breakfast Shake and Herbal Tea with Aloe – I have an Herbalife Shake every morning for breakfast. By every morning, I mean EVERY MORNING. There are
nine flavors, it’s chuck full of vitamins, minerals, healthy carbohydrates and protein and I can mix and match to my heart’s content so I’m never bored! Super easy on-the-run or around the house while getting the kiddos’ needs met. The Herbal Tea and Aloe Concentrate go right alongside my shake for much needed energy and metabolism boost as well as enhanced digestive health. Definitely helps me meet my #fitmom goals! - Audible – I love audible for many reasons. Mostly, because it is hard to actually sit down and read during the day. My littles are busy so with Audible I get the content from the books I want to read streaming directly through my phone into my earphones. I imagine one day I will be the parent sitting peacefully under the tree reading a book while her perfectly responsible kids play unattended but until that day…Audible to the rescue!
Anyhoo, hope all you fellow moms, mommy-figures and moms-to-be enjoyed this little round up of some of my favorite things. Each one of these things has been really useful or inspiring in one way or another and I’m super hopeful you’ll find them beneficial too!
Any great go-to mommy items you absolutely love? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!