motivation

Motivation

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wpid-20140605_122222_edit0.jpgI feel like every single blogger is wearing a Fitbit these days.  Elise is, Ali is, Katie is.  Seriously, all the bloggers.

It is no great revelation that losing pregnancy weight is difficult.  Especially after a second child.  Especially when that second child was born only 19 months after the first child.  I know that I didn’t really give my body time to rebound from having Alma.

All that being said, I decided it’s time to get into better shape.  I knew that getting to a gym would be difficult and demoralizing.  I knew that I couldn’t bring myself to spend the kind of money it takes for barre 3 or pilates to be worth it.  I knew that I don’t have the intrinsic motivation to get out and run everyday.

I also knew that I like competition.  And I like extrinsic motivation.  And I like being able to stay at my house, or not venture far.

My friends Stu and Jacque had Fitbits, and they had great things to say about them.

Then I read some of the bloggers’ reviews.

And I convinced Jesse to get one for himself as well.  Now, they are $100 each, which is a lot for us to just go out and spend.  But I argued that it was way cheaper than a gym membership, or classes, and that it was a one time fee.  That did it.

We each got one.

I instantly was motivated.  It has all the aspects of a motivating tool that I need – flashing lights, email reminders, friendly competition, friendly support, easy to use.

I have really changed the way that I look at ‘down time.’  While the kids are eating or otherwise engaged, I will often march or jog around the house.  They both love watching me do laps around the dining room table.  It cracks them up.  Yesterday I had about 15 minutes between when I was done at Trader Joe’s and when Old Navy opened (my parents were watching the kids, so I had a luxurious morning of shopping alone, and working on Alma’s quilt).  In the past, I would have gone to Starbucks (and spent more money, and just sat there), or sat on a bench and looked at my phone.  Instead, I used the 15 minutes to walk to a nearby park and do a lap around their trail.  It felt good to move, and it was lovely to have some time in nearby nature alone.  I had time to look around at the wildflowers, and actually think.  I never would have done that if I didn’t having something counting my steps.

I’ve also been more motivated to get outside with the kids (and Jesse).  We’ve been doing short hikes at least once a week.  It’s so important to instill a love of nature in our kids, and we are so lucky to be surrounded by amazing nature.  It’s great to get out in it.

I talked my mom and step-dad into getting Fitbits, too.  I figure the more people who can inspire me, the better.  Today, mom and I went on a hike with the girls.  After the hike, we let Alma play at a playground while Harriet slept.  Instead of sitting on a bench, watching, mom and I walked around and around the park.

It’s pretty crazy to realize how sedentary my life was.  Sometimes it’s a struggle to get to 10,000 steps in a day.  I have to make an effort.  I always figured I was running around a lot, chasing the kids all day.  And when I’m teaching, I feel like I’m on my feet quite a bit.  I learned that is not the case.

So, motivation.  I am not up and moving so much more than I used to.  I’m not sure it will make all my post-pregnancy weight melt right off, but it sure can’t hurt!

What do you do to stay motivated?  If you have a Fitbit, let’s be friends!  If you get one, let me know!

Cleaning Schedule That I Can Stick To

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And Then They - Command CenterSince I am a stay-at-home mom these days, I’ve been trying to take on as much of the house work as I can (vacuuming will always be a Jesse job).  Pinterest is full of ideas for how to organize house cleaning, and I have tried a few.  Here’s one I tried.  My problem is it is so boring.  This schedule worked for the first couple weeks because it was new.  I was almost excited every day to wake up and see what I was going to do that day.  But  that wore off.  I need more variety in my life!

I came up with another idea.  Here’s how it worked.  I took some time to think about what needed to get done in our house and wrote a list of those things.  Then I estimated how often each chore should be completed.  Then I gave each chore a letter, and filled those letters into a 30 item list.  It sounds confusing, but you can see how I did it below.  On the left are the tasks (dust living room, mop, etc), then the key of how often they should be done (w = weekly, 1.5 w = every week and a half, 2 w = every other week).  Then I just filled them in.  I hope this is clear…

And Then They - Planning SheetI took my ‘key’ and filled in the tasks on my final copy.  I also added that every morning I will empty the dishwasher, wipe the bathroom counters, and make our bed, and every evening we will load the dishwasher, wash dishes, wipe counters, sweep dining room, and straighten the living room.  Jesse and I do the evening chores together after the girls are in bed.

And Then They - Chore ListThis seems to work for me.  It keeps me on my toes, and doesn’t feel like I’m doing boring housework all day long.  Most of these tasks can be completed in about 1/2 hour.  I can do it while the girls are awake, and even have Alma help with some of them.  And if I miss a day, it’s easy to catch up on following days, or just let it got until the next time.  I used to do some of these so seldom that if I only dust once a month, it still feels (and looks) much better than before I started using a schedule!

Another thing I like to do to keep myself motivated and productive is to have a few things that I plan on doing each day.  These can be fun, like coffee with a friend.  They can also be work or house related.  I write the task on a post-it, and recycle it when I’m done.  It makes me feel like I’m not just wasting my days away, even if I never even leave the house.

And Then They - Goal SheetThese little things help me so much when it comes to avoiding feeling shut-in or bored.  It feels so great to get things done, and these little ideas help me stay busy and on track!