Happy Halloween!!!!!……now, the aftermath

Well, as many of you know, I am a bit of a junk food lover (which is one of the reasons why am also an exercise fanatic!!)  I love Halloween and all the junk food that comes along with it.  But, this is one of those occasions where, after you allow the indulgence, you have to offset this with burning those calories.  On Halloween night I eat all the candy I want, then I step up my cardio for the next few days to a week to feel better! Who’s kidding who, I eat candy every day, but just not quite as much as the first night!! It’s all about allowing yourself the yummy things without depriving, but understanding that with one (indulging) comes the other (exercise!)

The next point about Halloween is that if you have kids, strongly encourage them to pool their candy.  I understand that this may be tough, but at least try to.  Either way, still insist that they keep their candy in a common area and definitely not their bedroom!  You can control their intake this way.  Also, if you’re anything like me, this is also a good way to make sure they are “sharing” with you 🙂  I also like to (this is a BIG secret, so don’t let your kids know) take a few (only) candies out each day and add them to a bag in the freezer!  They don’t even know they are missing them when you do it gradually. The way I look at it is this…you are actually helping them, and it  is really exciting to find out you have Halloween candy in February!!! Or you could just throw a few out each day, but that’s no fun!!!

Lastly, decorations, take them down as soon after the day as possible.  No one wants to look at Halloween decorations in November.  Get a large plastic bin and store them all together and label it.  This includes costumes, make-up,wigs etc.  Don’t just throw out everything and start again next year, that is a waste of money and bad for the environment.  Even that cobweb stuff can be used again each year.  I have had mine now for 5 years and I just re-stretch it out every year and add the plastic spiders!

Hope all these Halloween tips help to make the day go smoothly and that all of you have fun!!!

Hope it was a fun night….now I’m going to pig out!!!!!

Your Simply Susan tip of the season!

Strengthening while you’re brushing!!!!!

One of my favourite tips to give people is to do simple exercises while brushing your teeth.

Seriously!! You may think you look stupid, but who cares, nobody is watching!! Everyone does it twice a day for about 2 min., so why not use this time to build butt and leg muscles rather than just standing there looking at yourself in the mirror!!! I started doing walking lunges in my hallway about 10 years ago, and have never stopped doing “something” while I brush my teeth.  Here are a list of 3 simple things you can do during your 2 minutes of brushing time, that can start with little effort, but you can build on and get stronger over time!

1. Walking lunges

Keep your back straight and step forward always making sure your knee is bent at a 90 degree angle over your ankle and never goes forward over your toes stand up and take a large step forward with the other leg….and so on. Do them slowly and controlled at first so you are using proper form. (form is everything here, seriously!)  Do as many as you can in the 2 minutes.

 

 

2. Squats – There are so many types of squats, but we’ll stick to the basic squat here to start. Stand with your feet hip width apart (or wider if you are more comfortable) and bend down while sticking your butt out, keeping your back straight and pushing down on your heels.  Again, form is important here so make sure those knees are at a 90 degree angle over your ankle, and not going over the toes!  Go down as far as you can, and repeat as many times as you can in the 2 minutes. As you get more comfortable with this one, do slower squats holding them at the bottom.

 

3. One-legged stability exercise – Standing on one leg, slowly raise the other leg off the ground and balance for as long as you can. Repeat with the other leg.  As you are more comfortable, and your balance is improving, lift your leg higher, then to the side (knee bent), then you could even progress to bending forward with your leg out straight behind you.  Start slowly though and build up to this. I focus on one leg while I do my top teeth and then do the other with my bottom teeth.

 

 Keep steady, and brush on!!!!! 

Once you get bored of  the above 3 exercises, I have others for you to try as well, just ask! 🙂

 

Seasonal Clothing Swap-out

 

With the change of season upon us, this is the best time to go through your clothing you are taking out of your drawers (summer items), and putting into your drawers (fall/winter items).  Now is the time to get rid of unwanted, unworn, worn-out, or dated clothing items.

As you take clothes out, critically go through them asking yourself:

A) Did I wear this more than once this season? and will I honestly ever wear it again?

B) Is it still in fashion, or is it now out-dated?

C) Is it worn out, “pilly”, or thread-bare?

D)  Do I have at least one more like it already?

E) Is it comfortable, and do I feel good about myself when I wear it?

Any items that you are done with just donate them now! Donating clothing is so easy these days as there are at least 3 companies that will regularly call you and come to your door to pick up your stuff!!  But, if you want to do it before you lose your nerve, drive to  your local charity or second hand shop and make your donation there!

If you love something, but it doesn’t fit, put it in a designated box (labelled) for now and every year go through this box to check if the items fit.  If you do this for a few years and the items still don’t fit, donate!

After you have critically gone through your clothes, you need to store the clothing coming out.  If you have room for them, under bed storage bins or large, sealed bags are your best option.  If not, at least use large, well-labelled plastic bins and store them where you have room.

Another idea is to have a clothing swap with a friend of similar size (what you are tired of or doesn’t fit you, she may LOVE). Better yet, start up an annual clothing-swap party where everyone gets to go through each others things!  This will save money and be better for the environment!!

Thanks for reading your Simply Susan tip of the day!😛

After the big Thanksgiving dinner?

I don’t know about you, but I love to eat, and especially a turkey dinner on Thanksgiving!  It really is hard to say “no” to seconds of all that yummy food, and then there’s dessert!  That is the “icing on the cake” so to say!  I definitely indulge on my Thanksgiving meal, as I think most people do, but have to admit that after it’s all done I need to get that food moving and digesting by a walk.  Why not indulge in the beauty of Thanksgiving weekend and get out on those trails for a hike or trail run before the big dinner, or the next day!  Or, go for a walk and enjoy all that autumn beauty.  If you walk for even 10 minutes after your meal it helps you digest the meal faster and gets it moving!

So, there you go, get your body moving this Thanksgiving weekend and your body will thank you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!!!

Exercising can be fun…….seriously!!!!

The biggest thing I tell people is that exercising is fun, and if you disagree, then you are either choosing the wrong activity, or you are not doing it right.

As I said before, you do not need to join a gym, or go out for a  long run to consider yourself exercising!   Walking instead of driving or choosing stairs instead of the elevator are just a couple of examples of simple forms of exercising to get you started. Don’t get me wrong, I think joining a gym is great if you are going to go.  But, too many people either join and don’t go because they are too busy, or they overdo it while they’re there, end up hating it because it’s too hard, then never go back.

If you are thinking of investing in a piece of exercise equipment for your home, make sure you have tried it and it is something you actually enjoy, otherwise it will just be a dust collector!

Exercising is about getting your body moving, the blood flowing, and helping your body function better than it does when you sit all day.

People complain that they are “too tired to exercise” and therefore become sedentary.  I think exercising gives you energy.  Moving around and getting that blood flowing has so many physical benefits, but to me, the psychological benefits are what make it all worth it!  If you can just start doing some form of exercise today and actually put it in your day planner on a regular basis, then you are creating a new habit.  If you have it in your planner with all the other stuff you need to do, you are more likely to do it. Another thought to make it become a habit you can’t break is to get a friend to join you.  You may be more likely to keep it up if you have someone else motivating you and you don’t want to  let down.

A few simple ideas you could start today:

1. Go for a walk with a friend,

2. Go for a 15 minute walk around the area during your lunch hour at work,

3. When you go to get your mail from the mailbox, turn it into a 15 minute walk around the neighbouring streets,

My point is, it really is easy to think of something you can turn into exercise.  Walking is one of the easiest ways to start exercising, then just make sure you continue to challenge yourself, by adding time, intensity and variety.

Allow yourself rest days, but make sure you do your best to try to exercise 3-5 times a week and keep it up!!!!!!!!  Don’t lose that momentum because that is when people start to give up.

There you go, you’re ‍Simply Susan tip of the day😁

Name(required)

Email(required)

Website

Message

Submit

Δ

 

tip of the day!!😘