Let The Sun Shine!

Already day dreaming about my next day at the beach!

 Hallelujah, my lovelies! It is a sunny day...I watched the forecast this morning and by mid-week we should be looking at a sweet 80 degrees! I don't think that I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, but I do think my mood is very affected by the weather. I guess I am just lucky I live in CA and its usually not so bad. But last week it just rained non-stop, and it was really starting to get to me!

I took the week off from running last week due to the weather. I could have hit my treadmill, but just wasn't in the mood. I was still adjusting from that darn time change - I know, it's ridiculous...I should totally be over that by now! But even though I was tired in the morning and not inspired to head out into the rainy darkness and run, I made sure I did DVD workouts 5 out of the last 7 days. I really hope to get back on track with running this week. My running buddy had a change in schedule so we just need to get adjusted. This WILL happen, dammit!

So I have started off my week feeling happy, and well, just good all the way around. I did tons of laundry yesterday and a good chunk of house-cleaning. I have already planned a play date for Monkey for this week, and also have a girl's night planned for Friday. If I can just get a few runs in, life will be simply smashing. 

Wishing you all a fabulous week!

Thrifty Mama Gym: Netflix

I've been getting the little red packets in the mail for about 6 years now. I love Netflix for many reasons. First, the "No Late Fees" pitch that got me hooked. Then I realized, I loved the convenience of having pre-chosen movies arrive in your mailbox, the variety of movies available, and the cost was very reasonable. It wasn't until I canceled my gym membership at the end of 2010 that I realized another fabulous benefit to using Netflix that I had never even thought of!

I had gone back to work full time and could no longer make it to the gym enough to make paying $80/mo. worthwhile. I could have gone to a 3 other less expensive gyms nearby, but that didn't really solve my problem. All I would end up doing is going 1-2x per week and wasting less money, but still wasting money.

I started to notice some of my running group friends on Facebook mention that they were getting workout DVD's from Netflix. I run pretty consistently but still needed something else for the purpose of cross-training and toning.  I had my Body By Bethenny DVD, which I just love, but sometimes my hamstrings would be so sore that my runs would suffer. So I decided to try Netflix, and I have had a blast trying out different DVD workouts! I only get one DVD at a time though, and I like to do the DVD's several times, so I have decided to select from the "Watch Instantly" section, so that I can stream workouts over the internet and still get films sent to me on Blu-Ray that I can watch on the weekends.

What I love about this - I can keep switching up my work out. I can try different things and if I don't like it, no sweat (no pun intended, really). I can choose different workouts of varying lengths depending on how much time I have. And, my muscles don't get complacent - I can keep them guessing. I have tried Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown, Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, Crunch Bootcamp, Pick Your Level Weight Loss Pilates, Crunch Fat Burning Pilates, and many others. If I find something I can't live without, then naturally I will buy it but for now this is fun and incredibly inexpensive. I can workout in the comfort of my own home, before my family even wakes up and I don't have to leave the house in the dark and the cold. Netflix really has been my sanity-saver this winter!

Do you have any favorite fitness DVD's? I'm always looking for suggestions.