The Snow Plow Widow's Workout...

When winter hits, like it just did in Montana, my hubby drives a plow truck. If winter happens to hit in full force over a holiday weekend, my girls are not in school and my workout schedule changes.

Here are a few thoughts on getting plenty of exercise around your home, with your kids and everyone having a great time.

Find a big sled and haul your kids around. I just returned from pulling my girls down the road to get the mail. They laughed the whole time and I was shedding layers after the first uphill stretch. Drag em through the deep snow and give your hamstrings and glutes a workout!

Chop & stack some wood. Use your core muscles, your arms and shoulders will feel just as much as they would from a trip to the gym.

Shovel, shovel, shovel! Think about your core and posture and clear off your sidewalks, decks and pathways. Great exercise for your whole body!

Put on your boots and trudge through the snow. Walking around in the snow is an amazing workout for your legs, heart and lungs!

It feels great to sit down after spending a day outside! Remember to drink lots of water! It is really easy to get dehydrated in the colder months when we are not so focused on staying hydrated in the heat. No matter the temperature our bodies always need plenty of water!

Enjoy these beautiful winter days and play hard! It is really fun!

This Week...Full Body Blast

This week I am providing a series of exercises that will come together for a quick and easy cardio/strength series. You can go through the entire routine once or three-four times, depending on your time availability, energy level and enthusiasm.

Start off good and warmed up! A 10 minute walk would suffice!

This was one of last week's posts and is a great way to get your heart rate up, jumping jacks, running in place or moving your furniture and dancing are also great options!

Begin standing with you feet 1-2 inches wider than hip distance apart and parallel. Drop your shoulders and engage your core.

Drop into a deep squat with your chest up and plant your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Hop your legs back so you land in a plank position, pause and hop your feet back to your hands and return to standing. Repeat for 1 minute!

If you just can't wait for the next exercise in the series, feel free to head to the wall for wall sits, as long as you wish!

Don't forget stretching and water! Have a great day!

Get Your Heart Beating!

For this exercise, please make sure you have warmed your muscles up!

Begin standing with you feet 1-2 inches wider than hip distance apart and parallel. Drop your shoulders and engage your core.

Drop into a deep squat with your chest up and plant your hands on the floor in front of your feet. Hop your legs back so you land in a plank position, pause and hop your feet back to your hands and return to standing. Do it again…and again…and so on for 8-12 repetitions.

This will hopefully get your heart rate up and your blood circulating, as well as target the muscles in your arms, shoulders, core and legs! Have fun!

Find Your Inner 7 Year Old!

My 7 year old daughter Lillian is the inspiration for this week's exercises so embrace your inner child and...

Find a sturdy piece of rope and start jumping. Jump rope for 5-10 minutes. Jumping rope is great exercise, can be done anywhere and is fun.

Aim to get your heart rate up for a minimum of 20 minutes, 3 days per week. Be sure to warm up for at least 5 minutes before you start jumping and have fun!!