Clients often ask, “How do you fit in a workout?” My answer- fit it in whenever and wherever you can. I recommend working out in the morning because by the time nighttime rolls around you’re likely to be too tired. Here are four clever ways to get your workout in plus spend quality time with your kids.

1. Jam Outside. Bring your battery operated boom box outside and do intervals of kickboxing, lunges, squats, and light weight reps while your kids ride bikes, draw with chalk, or play w/ sand. (I did this one today and they loved the music and were thoroughly entertained by watching me!) Read the rest »

If you have a child with allergies or asthma, you probably work hard to keep your home and the air inside your home as clean as possible. But there are some things you might do or buy that can actually introduce rather than solve indoor air quality (IAQ) problems.

Let’s start with a hot-air heating and/or central air conditioning system – often a source of many allergens and irritants in a home.

1. Electronic filters are efficient in theory but lose their filtering capacity quite quickly as they get dusty. Since people rarely clean such filters frequently enough (monthly), these expensive filters (often costing upwards to $1,000 each) end up being pretty next to useless – kind of like using gold jewelry as a paperweight. Read the rest »

When clients are trying to lose weight one of the first exercises I have them do is clean out their closets. I ask them to get rid of anything that hasn’t been worn in 6 months. I also have them get rid of clothes that don’t look good on their bodies. Usually they’ll find the clothes they’ve been holding onto are too big, too small, or don’t look good, but are comfortable. When I ask why they hold onto clothes that are too big they say, “Just in case I get up to that size again.” When I ask why they hold onto clothes that are too small they say, “I’m hoping I’ll fit in them some day.” And when I ask them, why they hold onto clothes that don’t look good on their bodies, they say, “I don’t know, I guess I’m just comfortable in them”. Read the rest »

If you have children, than you are fully aware of the spell-bound gaze fixed to the television and permanent couch imprints left by our kids day in and day out. With the 500 channels on television, interactive online video gaming and the cold outdoor air – it’s no wonder our kids aren’t motivated to go outside. Most of the time we find them indoors and it feels as though they aren’t even there. As a parent, this is another one of your many jobs. You can motivate them to get out, ’see the world’ (as our parents used to tell us) and enjoy time outdoors. The summer months are slowly approaching, winter holidays coming to an end and spring breaks just around the corner – you have the perfect opportunity to arrange some quality family time. That is, until you try to un-glue your kid from couch and hit the kill-switch on the tube. Their complaints of boredom are peppered with your futile attempts to entertain them. If you have the feeling ‘all hope is lost’ and are looking for a solution, then this article is for you. Following are some great ideas to encourage your children to get moving…and all them involve a little strategic negotiating. Read the rest »

When the brakes slammed on our economy the past year, many of us felt our lives simply spiral out of control.Â

The floor dropped out of the aspects of our lives that were on shaky ground prior to 2008, and those things that seemed safe no longer seemed infallible. In addition, perhaps the ways we once found comfort in the past (like shopping) were no longer advisable or either possible with the tightening credit market. Read the rest »

Your family is growing, and you need more room.

The real estate market is slow, though, so instead of buying a larger home, you may be considering finishing your basement to gain a playroom, office or exercise room.

Maybe that’s your New Year’s Resolution, and you plan to hit Home Depot for your supplies and get started on the project. Read the rest »

The new year is upon us and for many of us this means thinking about what we want to do to improve the quality of our lives. Below I took the top 5 New Year’s Resolutions and offered you a mindset twist on how to attain each of them.

1. Lose 10+ lbs. Focus on health versus weight. Tell yourself, “When I’m exercising and eating healthy I feel better, look better, and have more energy.”

2. Drink Less. Focus on healthy alternatives and how good you’ll feel from making a healthy choice. For example when you drink more water you’ll lose more weight, have nicer hair, better skin and nails. Read the rest »