Win or Lose I Love You! {Book Review & Giveaway}

Recently our girls, Ellie & Livvy, have started playing soccer.  Ellie loves to get out and try new things and usually has a good attitude whether she wins or loses.  Livvy, on the other hand, has been hesitant to try sports.  When I asked her why she told me "because I'm so afraid of losing!"

I don't know about you but I can relate to Livvy much more than I can Ellie.  I remember as a young child never wanting to try things for fear of failure.  I remember being terrified of coming in last place(because I often did) or worse yet falling on my face in front of everyone.  The mere thought of it was paralyzing.

But, as evidenced by this blog, I have overcome that mindset.  I have learned that I would much rather fall flat on my face in front of everyone then to continue to hide and never try things.  There comes a point in all of our lives that we must decide if we would rather take a chance and possibly fail or sit back and watch life pass us by always wondering what could have been.  I tell my kids the pain of failure is so much less than the pain of never trying.

While I would like to give say my new found courage is me mustering all my strength to be brave that is simply not the truth.  The truth is the closer I get to God and realize how deep His love is for me, I am less afraid of what people think of me because my hope and my security is in him.  

I was excited when I was asked to review Lysa Terkeurst new book "Win or Lose I Love You!" because it addresses the heart of the issue of our attitude in winning or losing in life and finding our hope and joy in Christ.  The book uses adorable forest animals and kids, Max and Lulu, who are playing different field day games.  The characters are cute, relatable and engaging for kids of all ages. I have to admit even I could relate to the different characters.  Some of them were great sports and others not so much.  Lysa did a great job of making the forest animals come to life and teaching kids the importance of being a good winner and a good loser.

My kids have asked me to read the book to them multiple times and every time we read it something new comes to life.  I asked them each what they liked about the book and here are their responses:

Ellie(age 8): I liked that the book was fun to read and it taught me how to not be a poor winner or a poor loser.  

Livvy(age 6): I learned that if you win or lose people will still love you.  

Zeke(age 4): I liked the animals, they were funny. I learned you will love me no matter what.  

My favorite part of the book was the very last page that had 10 biblical words of wisdom(scriptures) whether you win or lose.  I had each of my kids choose the one that spoke to them most to memorize.  The girls told me these will help them next time they have a soccer game. :)

Whether your kids play sports or not, every family needs this book.  From soccer games, to board games to getting up and speaking in front of their class, my kids will never forget the life lessons learned in this book.  You can purchase your copy by clicking the image below:

Would you like to WIN a FREE copy of this book?!  Simply comment below and tell us who you would love to give this book to OR ask your kids how they know they're loved by you and share their response with us for a chance to win!

Fit Friday: 5 Fitness Must Haves

Anyone who knows me well would say I am a bit of a fitness gear snob.  Not because I'm high maintenance but because I love all things fitness so I tend to try new gadgets and gear on the market.  Some are flops and some I won't go without.  For today's Fit Friday I'm going to share a few with you that I love:

1. 4Head Headbands by Hippie Runner
If you are anything like me it is hard to find a headband that is cute, doesn't fall off and most importantly, doesn't give you a headache from wearing it.  When I discovered these I fell in love and I'm not kidding when I say I own 12 different colors!  If you buy 3 you get 1 free, what can I say?! (click image to see more colors and order)



2. Gliding Discs
I've been using these for about 5 years now and I have to say they are the one piece of equipment that finally pulled in my belly from having 3 babies.  You can do SO much with them!  Core, lower, cardio and more.  I even did a core tabata video with them you can view here.  Yes, you could use paper plates instead BUT you will go through a ton of plates and these will last you forever.  I like this bundle on Amazon because it comes with a dvd so you can get ideas on how to use them.  (click image to view more)




3. Hydration Belt
This is a recent purchase for me because my husband and I are training for a Spartan Beast. I was getting so dehydrated on my longer runs that I knew I needed something.  My husband uses a Camelback backpack, which I tried, but I wasn't a fan of the over the shoulders feeling when running.  Yes, this looks like a glorified fanny pack but it does the trick. :)  I ordered pink since it was $10 cheaper but they do have black as well. 
(click image for color options)




4. TRX Suspension Trainer
I can't say enough good things about the TRX.  I teach small group classes at Me Body Baby and the clients get AMAZING results from these.  I purchased one for home use and use it almost daily.  If you had to choose ONE at home piece of workout equipment this would be the one I recommend.  Click the image below to see more information about the product.  It even comes with access to videos and workouts!






5. Power Systems Versa-loop Resistance Bands
This is another one I've had for years and it is still going strong.  I use them when I teach small group classes as well as when I work out on my own.  They can be used to do basic things like step outs with bicep curls, or better yet, put one on when you are using the gliding discs above.  Talk about a total body workout!  The blue color shown is the heaviest resistance but you can choose other color options with less resistance once on the site.





I will stop here for today.  This list could go on so I would love some feedback on products you would like to know more about!  Happy Fit Friday!  

(Please note: today's post contains affiliate links. I will never recommend a product I don't use and love)

6 Fitness Tips for the Busy Woman

I have been in the fitness industry for almost a decade now.  I have my Bachelors in Health & Exercise Science and am a certified group fitness instructor.  However, even I, have struggled with finding time to exercise and take care of my body.  After having 3 kids(and gaining quite a bit of weight with each pregnancy) I had to figure out how to take care of my body without it taking too much time away from my family and other commitments.  Here are some tips that have worked for me when time is of the essence:

1. Make a plan.  
This one may seem like such common sense but if you don't put it on your calendar to exercise it most likely will not happen.  Taking care of yourself can so easily get pushed to the bottom of the list.  While you can function that way temporarily it is not a long term solution if you want to be the best wife, mom, friend or employee.  You must make a date with yourself to take care of your body so you can have the energy and stamina to do all God has called you to.  Find what time of the day works best for you then stick to it.  Before you know it exercise will come as natural as brushing your teeth...you feel yucky when you don't do it!

2. Find your passion.
Now that you have found your time you will exercise figure out your how.  I love to tell people to do something they enjoy.  God created our bodies to move and function in a beautiful way.  Too often we get into the comparison game and think we have to exercise exactly like someone else.  But the problem is if you hate the format of exercise you chose you will have a very hard time sticking to it.  Do you like to run, walk, lift weights, dance, roller blade, play a sport or compete?  Figure out what it is that makes you come alive when you do it.  That thing is a gift God has given you to connect with him while you take care of the body He has given you.  God would not ask us to honor our bodies and take care of the temple without creating a way for us to do that with joy and peace.

3. Do HIIT or Interval training.
High Intensity Interval Training(HIIT) is my favorite and most effective way to lose weight and get in shape without spending hours in the gym.  A TABATA is an interval that consists of performing specifically chosen exercises at a very high intensity for 20 seconds, followed by 10 seconds of rest. The beauty behind these short microbursts is that 20 seconds at high intensity is doable and the 10 second rest allows for brief recovery before moving on to the next exercise interval.  This short duration, but high intensity interval training (HIIT) creates a prolonged afterburn, or EPOC (excess post oxygen consumption). This type of training causes the body to take longer to return to its state of rest, so it continues to burn calories (5x more) at a higher rate long after the workout session has completed. Put simply, a 4-minute Tabata workout can reap the same benefits as a longer but steady workout, like running for a half hour.

 You can focus your Tabata on lower, upper, core or cardiovascular activity. I recommend doing a strength Tabata first so you use your immediate energy stores then follow it by a cardio Tabata since you will already have used all glucose in the strength round and will need to utilize fat for energy for cardio.  Put those two together and you are done in 8 minutes with the same effects as a 30-45min run!

Lower Body example: Sumo squat, lunge, X-jumps, Plyo lunge(repeat).   Upper Body example: Pushups, Overhead press, moving pushups, V-pushups(repeat). Cardio example: High knees, sprint, squat jump, mountain climbers.  The possibilities are endless here, be creative!!

4   4. Use fun and free tools!

      I love using apps and gadgets when I exercise because it mixes things up and helps you execute the workout more effectively and efficiently.  Here are some of my favorites:

•      I recommend the free Tabata Timer app.  You can also get a GymBoss for $20 and set your intervals for different times.  I like to wear it while exercising and then it vibrates or beeps when it's time to rest or change exercises.
•      I love using Gliding Discs  for core and lower body. You can also use paper plates(if you have hardwood or tile floors) but they wear out easily so the investment in these are worth it.  I've had mine for 8 years and they are still in great shape.  You can see some examples of exercises to do with the discs here.
•      Nike Training Club(NTC) is another great, free app you can use to do 15, 30 or 45 minute workouts.  You get to choose from Get lean(cardio), Get toned(light weights and intervals), Get Strong(strength) or Get Focused(15 minutes workouts to target specific areas). When you complete a workout it saves and you get points so you unlock badges(great if you are competitive). 
•      When you are in a crunch for time and can't make it the gym a great option are BeachBody programs.  I have used several of them to lose post baby weight with my favorites being P90x, Insanity, ChaLean Extreme, 21 Day Fix and PIYO.  

5. Get an accountability partner!

Everything is so much better with a friend so find someone to exercise with or just hold each other accountable.  If you enjoy working out in groups find a class that you love and don't be afraid to try new ones!  One of the best ways to train our bodies is by cross training which means we change things up and try new things to keep our body guessing.  

6. Fill up.  

I don't have time in this post to address nutritional advice, however, I will give one healthy eating tip.  Fuel your body with fresh fruit, veggies, healthy fats and proteins....and do NOT starve yourself!  Food is our friend, not our enemy.    We also need to fill ourselves with God's word so we fill the hole in our soul that only He can fill, which keeps us from turning to food for comfort.  

(Please note: this article contains affiliate links.)

The Christmas Angel

Every year as Christmas comes around I pray about how to make sure my kids get the message of the real reason we celebrate Christmas.  As much as I love gifts, cookies, lights and decorating, we would have none of it if Jesus had not been born so many years ago.  I was beyond excited last year when I heard of the Christmas Angel so I wanted to share it with you in case you are also looking for a fun way to celebrate the real reason for this Christmas season.

What is the Christmas Angel?   It is very similar to "Elf on the Shelf" except instead of getting into trouble the angel leaves messages of inspiration that teach the joy of giving.  They even provide you with a calendar full of ideas!  You can learn more about the story of how it got started here. 

I didn't use all of their ideas(couldn't do a garage sale in December) but did use it for inspiration:  

I love how a few days on the calendar have a memory verse to memorize!  Here is a picture of the first day I introduced the angel to our kids last year:

Our kids LOVED the Christmas Angel and I LOVED that it helped us focus on giving in a season that can be so "me" centered.  You can purchase a Christmas Angel at some local christian bookstores OR order online here.  They even have a boy Christmas Angel! :)  (Please note:  I do NOT get paid to promote this product, I just think everyone needs to know about it!)

I LOVE hearing other creative ways families come up with to stay focused during this holiday season.  What traditions do you and your family do to keep Christ at the center?