Mommy Exercise Plan (for Cheap)

Mommies need exercise too... and more than we get just chasing toddlers. For many of my friends, the solution is to get a gym membership and leave their kids in the gym's daycare while they work out.

This works fine, but a gym membership is a big investment. It might be wise to first prove that you will use it. Make yourself a deal: exercise regularly for six weeks, and then if you still want to join a gym you can do it. Just make sure you continue what you have started.

For the cheaper and more adventurous mommies out there, here are a couple alternatives to the gym.

Run! Some people love to run and some don't. I love it. Mostly because it takes very little coordination. I get a whole new perspective, exploring my neighborhood on foot, and running just makes you feel good (especially when you go regularly and don't overdo it). Sometimes I go early in the morning before Jeremy leaves for work. He can stay home and watch the kids, and I get a jump start on my day. When that doesn't work out, I take the kids in our jogging stroller. The change of scenery keeps them entertained, and I get my exercise.

Walk! So many of the places we drive are within a mile or two. Walking is a great way to start exercising or supplement whatever else you are doing. If you were going to the post office anyway, you might as well boost your endurance at the same time.

Join your community. Many cities offer reasonably priced fitness classes for residents. Our city also has a pool where you can buy a punch pass for swimming laps. It is a much better deal than the local gyms. What do I do with the kids? Trade babysitting. A few of my friends meet at the pool twice a week, where half the moms watch the kids while the other moms swim, and then they switch. This is fun for the kids and easy on the moms.

Alternatives to the Gym

What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
1 Corinthians 6:19,20

I recall a fun newspaper comic strip from my youth that depicted people fighting for the closest parking spots to the gym.

It's a simple fact that most of us could use more exercise. Here is a relatively typical sequence of events that occurs when people decide to exercise more:

• Run out and buy a gym membership.
• Buy some expensive exercise equipment - apparel, weights, etc.
• Go exercise really hard once or twice.
• Wait for a year.
• Repeat.

I finally realized at one point that it was more effective to find other excuses to exercise. For me, the most effective thing that I do is commute to work and school by bicycle, or by jogging. When finding our current apartment, I was very careful to get one that was close to work, church, grocery stores and parks. When I started taking classes part-time, the university was just close enough to bike to - and it gets me a decent workout.

During the winter I jog more, since it's probably safer than cycling when it's dark - and I certainly am lucky to be in a place where it doesn't snow much. I keep extra clothing at work - many workplaces have shower facilities on site.

• I can get as much exercise as I need just by getting to and from work.
• Instead of arriving at work or school stressed by the traffic, I arrive refreshed by the morning ride.
• The trip home helps me let off some steam after a day of work - rather than increasing my stress levels!
• I find it easier to think and prepare for my day while jogging or cycling than while driving.
  
• It's easier to find time to exercise when it's how I get places, and it's easier to motivate myself.
• The car is available for Julianne to use during the day if she needs it.

There are lots more benefits to exercise of course. Here are a few: Move More, Stress Less

Focus on Family Finances - Education

The June, 2009 issue of the Ensign has some great articles on family finances and preparedness. One article brought up one of my favorite ideas about handling unemployment, right at the beginning.

In Focus on Family Finances, Allie Schulte from Welfare Services writes about a family that had become unemployed. They turned this into an opportunity to go back to college and finish the Bachelor's degrees they'd started. Because of that, their job options became far better than they would have without the extra education, and their now on solid financial footing.

An education is one of the best and least risky investments one can make while working towards self-sufficiency, especially if one has recently become unemployed. Consider:

1. An education pays off. Check out this US Census report on financial benefits of education.
2. When a recruiter sees a six month period (corresponding to six months of unemployment) missing from a resume, he or she is concerned. Replace that time with work towards more education however, and it can only make a resume look better.
3. If you've been laid off, maybe the work you were doing wasn't a great fit - maybe it's time to learn some new skills, or branch out into an entirely different area.
4. By taking more classes now, you'll have a more up-to-date education than others working in the field, and more experience than many of those just graduating.
5. Networking to find employment is more effective while taking classes than while surfing job posting websites.
6. Prophets of the Church have advised us to get as much education as possible: Seek Learning, by President Hinckley

There are many different flexible programs available. I actually take part-time classes at the local university, just to make sure that my skills stay up-to-date and that I keep my career moving in the direction that I want. If I get laid off, I'll just switch to being a full-time student again, and work towards an advanced degree.

(Stanford University and the University of Washington are pictured above)

Bad Goals

For we brought anothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.   1 Timothy 6:9

I found this on Get Rich Slowly - I've found enough good stuff on this blog that I figured I'd better put a link to it on the side.

Achieving Fame, Wealth, and Beauty are Psychological Dead Ends, Study Says

Here's an old article from the Liahona that also discusses the dangers of making wealth our goal:

All That Glitters is not Celestial

Priorities

Do not spend money for that which is of no worth... 2 Nephi 9:51

Artyom was an Armenian man, approaching middle age, who lived in southern Russia with six or seven other men. They had come to Russia to work and send money home to their families, because there were no jobs in Armenia.

When we met him to speak about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he was at home from his job in construction, and relaxing. To relax, he smoked cigarettes and drank. Now I knew something about cigarettes - with all of the second-hand cigarette smoke in Russia, I figure I became an expert on brands available in Russia. I always feared the cheap Russian brands, especially the unfiltered ones - and I always felt a little bit relieved when someone pulled out a pack of Marlboros or Parliament. His alcohol was also relatively expensive.

His apartment, on the other hand, was certainly not an oasis - eight construction workers in about 700 square feet.

Artyom explained to us that he was very rarely able to go back to Armenia to see his family, since he had to save as much money as he could to send back to them.

"More important to me than anything else are my family, and my health." Said Artyom.

I'm not sure Artyom realized at the time how much better off both his family and his health would be without the expensive liquor and cigarettes. But as I've thought about it, we all have similar habits that are very damaging to our goals and priorities.

For any budget, these are the best expenses to drop first. Go through your expenses, and try to find any items similar to these:

• Excessive amounts of food that is unhealthy and expensive - fast food, soda and other unhealthy snacks
• Expensive television packages that just add more excuses not to interact together as a family
• Purchases of inappropriate movies, books, music or other media
• Anything contrary to the Word of Wisdom, of course
• Overly expensive clothing

These are the types of items where spending less will actually lead to a better standard of living - and should thus probably be the first things to go when building a budget.

The way money is spent is a good indicator of where one's real priorities are.

The Kid's Home Haircut Adventure

When Jeremy and I were first married, we invested in a trimmer set so I could give him haircuts at home. I had never cut hair before, and so I was fortunate to have an adventurous and forgiving husband.

Our investment has paid off. In the last few years, our $15 deluxe trimmer set has saved us hundreds of dollars, and I have learned a new skill. The trick is to take that skill and apply it to a more challenging situation...

After learning to cut Jeremy's hair, I figured I would be just fine cutting my kids' hair. I had no idea how hard it would be. My son hates anything touching his head. He gets so upset when I cut his hair that I have considered taking him to a specialty kids' salon. Two things have held me back, the price ($20 and up), and the fact that my son has a hard time with strangers. Luckily, things are getting better.

Today I cut my son's hair and there was plenty of whining, but no crying or screaming. I consider this a success. Kids' haircuts are not for the faint of heart, but here are a few things that helped us survive:

1. Giving warning. Before my son had his bath in the morning, I talked about cutting his hair. I also let him know that he could watch his favorite movie while we did it. By the time the bath was over, he was talking about getting his hair cut. He actually agreed to it.

2. Good setup. I put a chair with a booster seat strapped on sideways (so the back of the chair wouldn't block access to his head). I used a vinyl tablecloth as a drop cloth, and we were ready.

3. Ditch the trimmer. My son hates it. He does better sitting a little longer for a scissors-only cut. Some kids might do better with just trimmer, since it would be fast.

4. Distraction. Some kids are okay if they have something really neat to play with. Kids salons usually have cartoons. I put on a DVD.

5. Talk. My son needs lots of persuasion, reassurance, praise for sitting still a few moments, etc. Some kids might just want to know what's going on. I also let him know that if he moved around too much, I would pause the movie (I followed through on that a few times).

6. Bribes. I hate using candy as a bribe. Usually there is something you want to do for your kids anyway that works, like reading a book or going outside, but haircutting needs a very powerful bribe at my house. Today I pulled out the chocolate chips. They worked. Two big chocolate chips was enough for my son to let me trim above each ear. Ten or twelve chips total, and my son had short hair again.

So that's how we made it through a kid's home haircut. It takes some problem solving, but it really is doable.

Volunteer Work

Behold, I say unto you that it is my will that you should go forth and not tarry, neither be idle but labor with your might— Doctrine and Covenants 75:3

There are few things I hate worse than job hunting. Looking back at times when I was searching for a job, I've tried to think of different ways to make job hunting more effective and less painful.

I do know for sure of a few things that don't work for me.

I've tried doing a job search 100% of my time before. It gets very depressing, and increasingly ineffective to send out so many resumes every day. The amount of time I spent actually looking for work decreased, and my idle time increased. There is also only so much yard work to do, and it is difficult to be self-motivated when studying without a class.

So, find some volunteer work! The job interview process for volunteer work usually isn't very stressful, and there are many different organizations always looking for volunteers, be it local Church-run canneries or farms, or other non-profit organizations, or the local government.

And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. Mosiah 2:17

For me, more important than any other consideration is the impact that this can have on the lives of others. There are always people with greater needs than we have. As is usually the case with service though, there are plenty of other benefits for yourself.

1. Service looks great on a resume - service I have done has been specifically mentioned when I have been hired at multiple jobs.
2. It's often possible to find service that utilizes our skills effectively.
3. It's easier to stay motivated and upbeat during a job search if you are meanwhile doing something valuable.
4. In many cases, the people with whom we serve may have great leads on jobs - and will likely be willing to recommend us.

A job search can either be a depressing, difficult time - or a chance to grow and analyze our direction. I definitely prefer the latter.