Mom's and Dad's looking for support

I wanted to give you an idea of what my days look like putting it all in a calendar. With all that I have going on, if I don't schedule it out, I am all over the place and nothing gets done. As you can see, Monday thru Saturday I have 1 hour each morning slotted for working out. I make that an appointment and do my very best not to miss it. Sometimes one of my kids may have an appointment in there, so I either do a very short intense workout, or just do it later. There are days where I don't get it in, but I always have Saturday to fall back on. That's why I shoot for 6 days a week. Weekends are left open to spend as much time with my family as possible, since during the week I only see them for maybe an hour a day in the morning.

Having it on a calendar that I can view from any computer, tablet, or phone is a huge help too. This helped me out so much, you have no idea. If you find you have a hard time trying to get your workouts in, or anything for that matter, give this a try. Take about 10 minutes, write down everything you do in a day, and then see how you can break it down into hour chunks. Find a time that will work for you, and make that your workout appointment. Then, try it out for a week and see if it made things better for you. Then, share your experience

Desertcolt07 wrote: »

Dad of three 14 year old (ugh) boy, 10 year old girl and 7 year old boy. what works for me is getting them involved in my training...started taking my oldest to the gym but he's not really interested

Nice. As a family, we all run a couple times a week. However, I can't keep up with any of my kids anymore. They all run sub 7 min miles. Even my boy who is only 8. Sometimes my boy will workout with me. My girls will do a cardio routine with me from time to time. They do love the dance cardio program I have, so I guess that's a plus. Pretty much all runners though. My wife too.

Remember when Girl Scout cookies were only like 1.50 a box. Those were the days. Which reminds me. I think I have to pay a coworker for some at work today

Have you ever been stressed out? That's a silly question. Sure you have. Especially if you have kids. Everyday something in our lives will stress us out. Work, home, or school in particular. But did you know that stress can effect the entire body? Yeah, not just make you irritable, tired or anxious, your entire body! Stress can effect your Central nervous and endocrine systems, respiratory and cardiovascular system, digestive system, muscular system, and even your sexuality and reproductive systems!

You central nervous system is where that "fight or flight" aspect is triggered. This is what get's your hypothalamus in gear, triggering the adrenal glands to release adrenaline or cortisol. If you remain under constant stress, your cortisol levels could stay elevated, which could led to weight gain, higher blood pressure and cholesterol just to name a few. Your immune system is also affected, as heightened cortisol levels can inhibit other compounds in the body that help fight off diseases, viruses, and infections.

Your respiratory and cardiovascular levels increase. One making you breathe harder to pump more oxygen into the blood, and the other pumping your heart faster to help distribute that blood and oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body. Constant stress keeps these levels elevated, which could lead to hypertension and problems with blood vessels.

Within your digestive system, under stress, your liver produces extra blood sugar to give you a boost of energy. Unused blood sugar gets reabsorbed back into the body. If under a lot of stress, your body may not be able to keep up with the blood sugar surge, which could potentially place you at a higher risk of contracting type 2 diabetes.

Under stress, your muscles tighten up as a way to protect themselves. IF you are under chronic stress, your muscles never have a chance to relax. Over time, this could lead to frequent headaches or back pain, sending you in a downward spiral that could only become worse if not treated and identified.

Your sexual desires may be reduced with chronic stress. Stress is very tiring on the body and mind. In some cases, men may have an increase in testosterone during stress, which can increase sexual arousal, but generally only for a short time. In women, stress can effect their menstrual cycle, making it even more uncomfortable.

So what can you do to help reduce stress in your life? First, you can eat right and exercise. Kickboxing, sparring, or any simulated fighting is great. Aerobic exercise like running, swimming, or high intensity cardio routines works well too. Anything to reduce the levels of cortisol in the body.

Meditation. Any type of mediation or relaxation techniques will help calm ones self and reduce cortisol levels. Set aside 10-15 minutes a day to just relax, breathe, and let no distractions in. Some of the newer training devices like FitBit or Polar have breathing techniques you can try.

Music. There is something about music that soothes the soul. You probably don't want to be blasting Pantera or Metallica. But hey, who amd I to judge. maybe that works for you. I prefer Lindsey Stirling or The Piano Guys

And of course, laughter. Having a good laugh with your friends or family can reduce those cortisol levels and help you relax just a little more.

What do you do to relax?

Azercord wrote: »

The price of Girl Scout cookies is out of control but I'm pretty sure they lace them with crack so I can understand. I've managed to not pick up a box this year which is good because for me a "serving size" of Girl Scout cookies is by the sleeve.

Mine is a sleeve as well. I am a sucker for thin mints and samoas. Followed closely by the peanut butter ones. Not the tagalong ones though, the others. I also decided I would try the new smore's ones. More than likely, I'll get one out of each box, and my wife and kids will devour the rest. lol