Welcome back to my 31 Days Unplugged challenge.  As you are spending less time online and more time living abundantly, I am sure you are finding more time in your day, time that was previously being wasted.  For today’s challenge, I am going to give you something to fill up a little of that time!

1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 says, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”

Do you take care of the body that God has blessed you with? For some of you, the answer may be yes.  If so, that is great!  If the answer is no, this challenge is for you!

Challenge #7-Spend at least 20 minutes doing some sort of physical activity.  Take time that you used to waste online and use it to be a healthier person.  Take a walk outside, stretch, do some jumping jacks and sit-ups.  Whatever you want to do!

If you don’t know exactly what to do, here are some short YouTube workouts that I like:

This is an easy and short (seriously 5 minutes) yoga video that I enjoy.  It will get you stretched out and you can do it anytime.  My kids love doing it with me:

This video will get you some killer abs:

Here’s a good video if you’re trying to get ready for bikini season.  The instructor has a little dog sitting in the background, and now every time I do a workout Charlie asks, “Where’s the cat?” He thinks there should be a pet in the background of every workout video!  I really like this workout:

And, lastly, this is a short cardio workout.  Fitness Blender is a great resource on YouTube for workout videos:

You can mix and match these to make a pretty effective workout, or you can just go to YouTube and search for short workouts.

If you want to REALLY unplug, just go outside and play with the kids-a game of tag or hide and seek is a wonderful workout (or some sledding for my northern friends)!  Or, take this a step further and sign up for a 5K-there are tons around all spring and summer, and you’ll be helping out a worthy cause in addition to getting in shape!

I am usually a pretty avid exerciser.  I try to do something most days of the week.  After Charlie was born I became addicted to spin class, but I have found that it is difficult to find people to watch 2 children, especially considering that all of my extra caretakers have to take off of work if I need anyone to keep the kids for an hour or two.  I just hate to ask, and I can’t bring myself to take Charlie and Maddie to the childcare offered by the gym. 

This spring, summer, and fall we had a really great routine going with our friends at the park.  At least three mornings a week we would go walk a couple of miles and then play on the playground.  It was great to be outside and have adults to talk to for a little time in the mornings, and Charlie really enjoyed it.  This winter, however, I have found myself in an exercise conondrum. 

It is too cold to walk at the park, I can’t get to spin class, and my treadmill is broken!  So this morning, I decided to create my own exercise plan.  I put 10 minutes on the kitchen timer and went to it.  I jogged around the kitchen island for 1 minute, did lunges for 1 minute, did 50 jumping jacks, did 50 situps (with Maddie sitting on my stomach because she loves to crawl all over me when I am on the floor), did 120 leg lifts, then 50 butt crunches, then jogged around the house for the remaining 1 minute and 45 seconds.  The kids thought I was crazy, but towards the end Charlie was jogging around the house behind me! 

I am planning on doing another 10 minute spurt later today, maybe this time including the stairs.  I know it’s not much, but it’s definitely better than nothing, which is what I am doing currently.

Something fun I did with Charlie a couple of weeks ago: I tied a long piece of streamer to a rod that Charlie took off of my clothes drying rack.  He had a lot of fun swirling it through the air. And when he eventually tore it to shreds I didn’t freak out because it cost me nothing!