get fit this year and a giveaway!!!

i'm tiffany. i'm the wife of a great guy, a mom to three great, but challenging kids, and a friend. i don't really have any hobbies, talents or passions other than exercise and nutrition. they have been a major part of my life for over 10 years now. but in the past few years, i've truly changed my life. the way i eat, the way i exercise and the way i care for my body. i have learned to be in better tune with it... to know what it likes me to eat, and what it doesn't like me to eat.

because of my interest in health and wellness, i earned a bachelors degree in health science with an emphasis in health promotion and lifetime wellness from brigham young university-idaho in 2004. i learned a lot through my formal education, but more importantly from experience. i started small. 11 years ago, i began exercising. i wanted to be healthier because i was "chubby." it started with 30 minutes of tae-bo a few times per week. i made small changes a little bit at a time. i'm still not perfect. i struggle to eat well, and be motivated to exercise, just like you. but after three kids, i'm in the best shape of my life. it's never too late to start. and it IS possible to get your body back after having a baby. and like lindsay brin says, you can get a better body than before you had kids! here are a few tips to start off our blog of things i've learned about exercise.

exercise tips:

*do something you somewhat enjoy- in my opinion, exercise isn't all that enjoyable. it's hard work. it makes me sweat and wipes me out. but i like the ending result, and how my body feels afterwards. my body loves to be challenged to reach new levels of fitness. so do something that isn't terribly torturous... especially if you are just starting out.

*start small- if you haven't been doing any exercise at all, any exercise period is helpful. but if you really want results and fast results, you need to do more than walk around the block twice. aim for 30 minutes of exercise 3-5 days per week. and if you've already been doing something, try exercising for a bit longer, one more day per week, or at a higher intensity. the better shape you are in, the harder you have to work, unfortunately.

*variety- this is a must! your body quickly adapts to what you are doing. it only takes mine a week or so to figure out what i'm doing, get used to it, and not get a lot of benefit from it anymore. most professionals recommend changing your workout routine every few weeks to keep seeing results.

*work hard- your body is different than mine. what works for me may not work for you. you may have to exercise at a more intense level than me to achieve your goals.

*be consistent- working out twice per week, two weeks per month isn't going to cut it. if you are trying to lose weight, you gotta work HARD. if you are trying to just live healthier, you gotta work HARD. like i said, aim for 3-5 days per week.

*some of my favorite videos, of course include miss lindsay brin. she does a fantastic job of incorporating interval training with weights and cardio. i love the variety in her dvd's. they are what really whipped me into shape after my second and third baby. another one i've recently come to love is p90x. another phenomenal workout/program. i needed "variety" and i got it from p90x.

so to kick off our blog, i'd love to do a giveaway. lindsay was so kind but to send me some extra dvd's when her new ones came out. so leave a comment with your name, and what you're doing to stay/try to get fit for an entry to win:

nice big picture huh? couldn't get a bigger one. sorry. so enter to win lindsay brin's shed 5 fast dvd! especially because lindsay is having a shed 5 fast contest that ends march 15th! what better way to start the new year to lose weight, win $250 if your story wins, and have a chance to be in her next video! read the contest rules here: Shed 5 Fast Contest. good luck! i'm going to draw a random name a week from today. Friday January 8th. if you tweet, blog, facebook about this giveaway, you get an extra entry for each one. just leave me another comment for each one you do. and don't be selfish. spread the word to help motivate your friends and family to get fit too. Good Luck!