New Year, New You in 2009?

It’s that time of year again when many of us try to figure out what  we can change about ourselves to make our lives happier and more fulfilling in 2009 just as many of us did for 2008, 2007, 2006, and on and on and on.  And I confess that I just love the feeling of the fresh slate that comes when the calendar shows January 1st with an entire year of possibility in front of me.  I’ve always wished for way to harness that excitement and enthusiasm that swirls about the turning of another year as usually by about March I’m completely over whatever resolutions I decided upon three months prior. 

This year I’m going to do something different. Now I’m sure I’ll write a little bit in my journal about some personal and professional goals as I think that’s a great way to document growth.  However, before I spend time coming up with the New Year Resolutions list, I’m going to decide upon the following three things as my “All Year” realizations of 2008 and carry those over into 2009.  I hope you’ll take some time yourself to honor your own experiences this past year and decide which things don’t need to be new for 2009, but carried over from 2008.

First of all, I’ve learned even more to celebrate the joy that is present in my everyday existence.  Sometimes I’m really tired by the time I have to tuck Gracie in and read bedtime stories.  But instead of focusing on how tired I feel, I’ll focus on the fact that I’m privilgedto have the opportunity to spend that precious time with her and soak in the blessing of having her in my life.   Anyone else out there have the “privilege ” of changing diapers?   Cleaning house?  Packing lunches and cooking meals?  It can sometimes be so tough to find joy in what appears to be the mundane, but I’m learning that if I open my heart to finding joy any and everywhere, joy will show up in ways I could never imagine.

The second thing I’m going to continue to do is open myself up to new ways of getting in exercise which I certainly did over this past year.  I used to be somewhat obsessive about things and attempted to lock myself into one routine.  I’ve learned that by trying some new approaches I not only have more fun, but my body seems to appreciate the changes by shaping up a little better.    This is something I will carry over into 2009 as well.  I can’t wait to share some of the new techniques and things I’ve learned with you during this next year.  I never thought I’d be able to do what I’m doing now as far as pushing myself when it was this time last year when Will was just weeks old….

The last one is something that I guess I’ve done for years, but it just became even more evident to me throughout 2008, and that’s to openly and honestly question God about things I don’t understand or about decisions that I have to make.  I know that to some  people out there, questioning God may sound blasphemous, but He’s much bigger than any question we may have and even if we don’t admit it, He knows when we wonder what He’s thinking or question the way things turn out.  I keep a prayer journal as that’s one of  the ways I like to communicate with God and it’s a great way to record many, many, many answered prayers.  In fact, occasionallyI’ll flip back through old journals and place check marks next to the things He’s answered.  Over this past year I really learned that if I struggle with part of my own beliefs or if there’s something I’m feeling doubt about, I can turn it over to Him and He will answer in ways that I couldn’t have even imagined.    I’ll continue to ask Him about anything and everything as He always has a better answer than what I would come up with.

Please take some time to reflect on 2008 and treasure the important things you have learned.  Write them down somewhere before you rush off to 2009 and shut the door on this past year and tuck them away so you can remind yourself of how you’ve grown through the years on your personal journey.  I can’t wait to hear what you decide you should list as your “All Year” realizations !!

Happy New Year….and now off to figure out my resolutions!!!!

Steph

Bowl Break Workout!!!

Okay college football fans… this is it… we’re down to the final days of opportunity to watch the 2008 teams in action.  I don’t know about you, but I have no doubts that over the next few days I’ll be watching more TV than normal to catch some of the games (that’s pending I can get my kids to nap at the same time and go to bed on time…).  So, I thought that it might be a good idea to have a mini-workout plan ready to implement just in case I have the urge to burn some calories in between watching plays and eating nachos… 

This is how it works… the average commercial break is around 3 minutes.  If you can get moving over the course of 6 commercial breaks, that’s at least 18 minutes of exercise.  (I wouldn’t even think to ask you to workout during halftime as that’s usually the best time to grab a bite of tailgate/game food!)  So I’ve written out some mini circuits to help you burn some calories and honor the athlete in all of us…  One word of caution – don’t do the circuit and then jump right back to the couch.  If you’ve gotten a spike in your heart rate, take some time to cruise around the house before you sit down.  And of course, if you’d like a real challenge – just do the exercises in the order I’ve written them and add in heavy resistance where you can…..Ready???

Commercial Break #1:

Drop down to the floor and do push ups for 1 minute.  That’s your warm-up and don’t complain…think about how hard your favorite football team worked out to make it to a bowl game…

Alternate dips Right and Left for one minute.  start small and then make your steps as long as you can.

Find a wall and do a wall squat for one minute – arms out – knees at 90 degrees and no bouncing…hold it still and strong!

Go back and watch some football but walk around for a minute or two before you plunk back down on the couch!

 Commercial break number #2

Standing Oblique reaches Right for one minute

Plie jumps or grounded plies for one minute

Standing Oblique reaches Left for one minute

Back to the games….that was an easy one…

Commercial Break #3

March in place for 30 seconds and then wide football run for 30 seconds

March in place for 30 seconds and then pretend to run through tires for 30 seconds

March in place for 30 seconds and then do a close football run for 30 seconds (feet close together)

Walk it off as you get ready to watch more football…drink some water

Commercial Break #4

Step squat alternating to the left and right for one minute. 

Do jumping jacks for one minute – make the kids do them with you!!

March in place and do arm circles forward for 30 seconds and backwards for 30 seconds.  (No joke – I did these the other day and though they give me bad flashbacks to 9th grade gym class  – they’ll really get your shoulders!!)

Commercial Break #5

Step touch for 30 seconds then make it a step skate – shifting your weight side to side with a little hop

One minute straight of the football run in honor of the game – wide, close..whatever - JUST MOVE!!

One minute of marching in place to settle back into TV watching mode…

Commercial Break #6

Drop down to the floor and do triceps push ups for one minute.  I have to do these on my knees…you move into pushup position – hands directly under the shoulders and as you lower down, take the elbows to the waist and not out to the side. (You can also do these on a wall as well if they’re too challenging on the floor – of if you just have too many people around you who won’t move out of the way while you’re attempting to workout during a bowl game..)

Roll over and do upper body crunches for 30 seconds.  Add in the lower body for a full form crunch for 30 seconds.

Bicycle the legs R/L for one minute with the upper body lifted and contracted.

At the end of this circuit take some time to stretch out, have some water and officially crash on the couch for the rest of the day!!

Go GAMECOCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope all of you….

have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the holidays!

And a couple of other things….

Katri: I wish I could hand-deliver my new workouts to you in Finland as I’ve never been there, but I’ll certainly look into the shipping options.  I’m pretty sure that that’s taken care of and not an issue at all…though if I could hand-deliver them I would!!  (of course, you’d have to take me and the rest of the Huckabee crew and we’re pretty noisy – probably not your idea of great house guests!!)

Carla:  Same for you… I would love to hand deliver to the UK…  And to clarify on your comment about the workouts themselves, these are workouts that I did on my own based on what I did at my house every morning to lose my baby weight (which I confess was over 60 pounds…)

Judi:  Thanks for posting and I hope that you also have  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

 

And to all of you -

 I hope that you have a memorable, merry Christmas and  holidays which are truly a happy time for you.  With so much turmoil in the world we live in, please take some time to treaure the people who are important to you in your life.  I think more than ever I’m realizing that it’s the time we spend with our kids that matters much more than any present we could give them. 

I know that I’m still whirling in exhaustion from my last trip to pick up a few items in the stores yesterday, but now I’m moving into what I hope will be a few days of restoration and most importantly, time to focus on the grace that is freely given to me through the birth of Christ and allows me to feel restored and new each and every day.

 

Merry Christmas!

Stephanie

Production Update

I decided I’ll try to post on here at least once a month on where things are with the production I just wrapped until the workouts are released.   Last weekend after I survived hosting a tea party for a bunch of 3-yr-olds, I sat down with my mother and mother-in-law and got to watch the master copies of my workouts.  It was the first time I got to see how the workouts are introduced along with the actual workouts themselves and I have to say that I’m even more excited now to get them out.  (And it was awesome to have Darla and Lucy there with me since I couldn’t do all that I do without their love and support!! )

Honestly, it was extremely nerve-wracking to head out to L.A. to attempt to shoot workouts having not done it since I’d become a mom.  And it made me nervous to share things right out of my own private workout journal which is what these are based on… So, as I put the first DVD in and hit “play” I had a huge rush of emotions just wondering if I was out of my mind for getting back into the fitness production world.   God heard many, many, many prayers over this project and I believe He answered me and as usual, beyond my own limited expectations.  I’ve managed to watch all five of them and now I’m looking forward even more to sharing them with you!!

Hope you’re all having a wonderful week!!

Steph

Peanut butter and Water – Your Secret Weapons!

If you’re headed out to celebrate the season this weekend you could be walking into a dangerous situation in terms of maintaining healthy nutrition.  Now, I’m certainly not opposed to enjoying special treats as I believe we do have tastebuds for a reason, but I think if you make a choice to do all that you can to proactively protect the investment you’ve made in taking care of yourself, you can do some significant damage control.

The first suggestion is to eat a scoop of   peanut butter before you head out the door.  It’s amazing how such a small amount can fill you up a little bit and help satisfy the craving for fatty foods before you even get to a party.  You’ll be getting in some of the healthy fats that your body needs to help prevent indulging in the bad stuff.  I buy the organic grocery store brand  and it tastes just fine.  

 The second suggestion is that before you have your first holiday beverage, down a glass of ice water.  And then continue alternating througout the party.  Even if you’re sticking to non-alcoholic drinks, the calories which you can potentially consume are  frightening!  You’ll be well-hydrated and prevent yourself from taking in wasted calories on beverages.  I prefer to save my calories for chocolate desserts….

I hope you all have a safe and happy weekend and most importantly, spend some time reaching out to the ones you love in the spririt of the season!! 

Merry Christmas!

Steph

23 Days Left to Push Yourself in 2008!!!!!

This is just a friendly reminder that you’ve got 23 days left this year to push yourself to do something challenging in your fitness life before 2008 is a thing of the past…  I’m going to try to work on running a little bit longer and also try to incorporate more stretching.  I confess that I hate to stretch…I’d rather be doing a football run or a bunch of push ups as stretching can seem so passive…  However, I have learned through a series of active stretches that I came up with that stretching can be comfortable, challenging and effective at changing my body all at the same time.  (sounds like a bunch of contradictions doesn’t it??)  With the 23 days that I have left, the running and stretching will be my focus to carry me through until the New Year. 

Good luck deciding on what you’re going to do to add another “victory” for yourself in the fitness part of your life.   And stick with it to carry yourself strong to the finish of 2008 so you can head into the New Year with deserved confidence in what you’ll accomplish in 2009.

Have a great week!

Steph

Huckabee Family Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving – despite the stomach bug which decided to make the rounds on about half of us over the holiday. My youngest neice came down with it Thanksgiving Eve and then it worked its way through most of the family.  However, we’re counting our blessings as we still managed to have a good time during Thanksgiving day and it was so nice to catch up with so many family members at one time. 

So here are a few pictures so you can see how the day unfolded….

 

 My husband was nice enough to take this picture when I had a mini-turkey-panic attack.  You see, my mother-in-law gave me her pan and her cooking instructions so though I had excellent directions, I still had to pause every now and then to be sure that I was doing whatever I was supposed to be doing.  At this point I believe I was at the point where you flip the turkey over which I managed to do – but it took me a moment to remember that part!

 

 

 

And here’s a picture of me with my little sister Heather.  It was very reassuring to have her there since she’s an experienced turkey cooker.  We were both a little tired as the night before, the stomach bug made its first appearance in one of the kids (And actually it was one of hers, so she should have been VERY tired…don’t know how you do it Heather!!)

 

 

 

 

And here it is…. it’s not the prettiest turkey I’ve ever seen but I thought it tasted pretty good and I’ve been inspired to try a little more cooking.  In fact, I’m looking forward to cooking a turkey again just to see if I can improve upon my efforts…

 

 

 

And here’s my proudest moment of all… My grandmother who is in her 90’s (and she’d shoot me if she knew that I even shared which decade she’s in when it comes to her birthdays!) made boiled custard and tea cookies every Thanksgiving and Christmas that I can remember growing up.  I used to love when she’d open her tupperware container and sneak a cookie or two to me before the main holiday meal.  I don’t know if you’re familiar with this type of cookie, but it’s supposed to be very thin – almost paper thin – so that they cook light and crisp.  In the past, my tea cookies came out looking more like “tea biscuits” so this time I managed to almost get them as thin as she used to.  

I also made two batches of custard and I made it full throttle – no lowfat anything – and it was delicious!!!  I had grandma sample the custard and tea cookies first and she approved.  (Okay – actually the night before Heather,her husband and I also sampled just to be sure it would be good enough for the rest of the family…..that’s why there were two batches of custard…we ate one Thanksgiving Eve…)  Having my grandmother in my home and having her approve of cookies and custard that I grew up enjoying from her kitchen truly made this a special Thanksgiving!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you enjoyed seeing a few pictures from our crew…

Have a great day!

Steph

2008 Fitness Low and Fitness High

You have 30 days left after today before we finish out 2008 so take a moment and reflect over the past eleven months on the state of affairs in your fitness life.  Which moment took you to your lowest point this year, and on the flip side, which moment was your greatest when it comes to fitness?  I think if you’ll take just a little bit of time to reflect on your answers, you’ll discover perhaps a fresh perspective for deciding on some goals with true purpose for 2009.

 

The lowest point for me came about when I went to a wedding here in Columbia.  Richie was one of the groomsmen and he escorted me to my seat.  It was a long trip as we walked all the way down the center aisle of the church, across the front and then back up the side to find my seat.  I had on a dress that I thought hid the post-pregnancy weight pretty well, but I still didn’t feel comfortable at all.   In fact, I just knew that if there was anybody there who knew that I had been active with fitness in the past, they surely must have thought that I had given up.  I remember wanting so badly to be home in my very comfortable (and large!) sweats where no one would see me.

 

It wasn’t a fun night, but it was exactly what I needed in order to face the fact that what I had always done in the past just wasn’t cutting it anymore.  I didn’t have the energy to even do a video that I led or the time available to do my old routine with a 2 ½ year old and an infant. So, I got out a notebook and put myself in “trainer mode” and wrote out a plan of attack – one that respected the demands of my real life situation – not the life of my past when I had a lot more time and energy.   Many of you have already seen what I wrote in my notebook with the split routines I’ve shared on this blog.  In fact, the production that I just did was based on these same splits.  When I was writing out the choreography in script form, I pretty much just opened up my spiral bound notebook and typed it in the computer so that others could understand it.  So – that was my original low which actually turned out to be positive because it’s what I needed to do in order to get motivated to find something that I could do at home that was real.

 

My fitness high is a two-way tie..  First of all, I ran the Cooper River Bridge Run back in April.  I managed to do this having never been a “real” runner and I still had a good 25-30 pounds to lose at that point.  I’m proud of my legs for carrying all of me over the bridge.  I had great support from all of my real runner friends – Kathryn, Keri and Leigh.  The second high point would be heading to LA to do a production having not done it for four years or since I had become a mom. I was so nervous and afraid that I would get out there, walk onto the set, and completely forget how to do it.  Thankfully, I remembered how to do it and had more fun than I’ve ever had in a production as the focus wasn’t on a product, it was just me sharing exercises that had worked for my own weight loss.

 

My plans for 2009 are first of all, not to go back to that very low point of this year.  I’m grateful for all of my past fitness experience, but as I’ve shared with a few people it’s literally like I stepped off the box at Target as a girl who had all the time in the world to workout, right smack dab into real life as a woman with two little kids, working full time, with no energy and no time to spare.  It’s been a great learning experience for me and as studio workouts aren’t my primary fitness outlet, I’ve developed an entirely new appreciation for women who always work out at home.  My goals for 2009 are pretty simple – I hope to run the bridge again and do it in under an hour and if the opportunity for production is there, maybe I’ll have a stab at that again.  Regardless of where I end up in 2009, I’m thankful for the highs and lows that brought me to this point over 2008. 

 

I hope you’ll take some time to think about your fitness life over the course of 2008 and don’t forget that you still have 30 days if you’d like to get in a new fitness high point and 30 days to make sure that you don’t hit a low J