5 Ways To Stay Motivated and Focused During Your Workout

Workouts can improve your health, provide entertainment and boost your mood. However, repetition is common in most exercise routines, so it can be difficult to stay focused. Additionally, life's distractions can slow down your pace and eventually discourage you. Follow these tips to maintain or increase your motivation. 

1. Establish a Plan

As with several activities, a solid workout plan ensures you have a structure to follow and complete. For instance, if you plan on doing a full gym routine, note the machines you will use, the target body parts, the weights and the rest periods. Even if you are doing something as simple as running some laps, you might have to plan elements such as the duration, the lap quantity or your own speed. If you are having difficulty crafting a plan, work with a personal trainer.

2. Bring an Inspiring Playlist

Music can be a great source of concentration and motivation. Energetic music can lift your spirits and inspire you to go through exercise with minimal delays. Create a specialized playlist before your start, since changing music during the workout can do the opposite and distract you. Try to select something with a beat and inspiring lyrics, from hardcore rap and heavy metal to something more upbeat such as the music of Dan Avidan. Complement the earbuds with a hat to also keep your sight focused. 

3. Exercise With a Partner

One fun way you can keep yourself accountable is by completing your routine with a partner. Self-discipline can be difficult, so having someone physically there can help you stay on task. Socializing with a friend, relative or significant other can also motivate you by itself. The only way this technique can work is if you bring in someone trustworthy who is just as passionate about fitness or even more so. If your partner does not take the task seriously, you could be influenced into abandoning the project. 

4. Eat Before and After the Routine

Hunger and thirst could be factors that can drain your energy during your routine. Fuel yourself by eating food rich in carbohydrates before you exercise. Try to have a light meal or a snack between one to three hours before, as eating too much or working out too soon can leave you feeling sluggish. Ideal options include low-fat milk, whole-grain cereal and fruits. Try to eat something with carbohydrates and protein after exercise as well to help your muscles recover and reward yourself for your hard work.

5. Change Your Plan

Though a structure can help you focus during the workout, it also runs the risk of growing monotonous and discouraging. Avoid this feeling by switching up your plan after the first few days. Target different body parts so your body does not get used to the gym sessions. Change the location of a run or go in a different direction. Even minor changes encourage your mind to pay attention and acclimate to new situations.

The physical and mental exhaustion that results from exercise can make it difficult to maintain the effort and enjoy the positives. Use different techniques and resources to raise your stamina and motivation.

6 Ways for Busy Moms to Get in Better Shape Than Their Kids

Every busy mom knows how hard it can be to fit exercise into their daily routine. We spend so much time cleaning up spills and settling sibling disputes that finding time to exercise can seem impossible. We all know what a physically demanding job it is to chase after kids all day, but sadly, that’s not all the exercise we need in a day.

We worry about our kids eating the right foods and getting the perfect amount of exercise, but sometimes we forget to take some time out strictly for ourselves and our own health. Read on to find some quick and easy suggestions for exercises that will fit perfectly into any busy mom’s daily routine.

As a busy mom, quick bursts of exercise throughout the day are your best friend. These little sessions might not seem like much at the time, but they add up fast. Take a lesson from your toddler: Your house is a gym waiting to be discovered.

1. While cooking breakfast in the morning, use the time in between preparing food for the little ones and washing dishes to get in some reps. Do some standing push-ups on the countertop. This is a great way to work out your shoulders and arms. Start with 10, then add 5 more push-ups every couple days. Your arms will be toned in no time!

2. Invest in some cheap dumbbells. Most big box stores carry reasonably priced weights, which are great for fitting in a quick workout while your kids are watching TV or playing. It’s easy to keep an eye on them while fitting in a few sets of reps after breakfast.

3. Turn your exercise routine into fun for the whole family. The kids will never complain about getting outside and stretching their legs, so work an afternoon walk to the park into your day whenever it’s nice out.

4. Jumping jacks are a great way to get a full body workout anytime, anywhere. Your kids will love doing them too! It’s a great way for you to get in shape, and for them to let out some of that pent up energy.

5. Wear clothing that can easily transition from your daily look into workout clothes. That way if the opportunity presents itself, you’re workout ready and can easily jump into a routine without having to find the motivation to pick out athletic attire. If you’re looking for some affordable, cute athletic wear that seamlessly blends fashion with functionality, check out the athleisure brand Fabletics. They offer fashionable athleisure that looks just as good when you’re wearing them to the grocery store as they function during your workouts.

6. Become a sports coach for your new favorite team: Your family! Depending on their age, the kids will love playing soccer or basketball in the yard to end a perfect day of exercise. It’s a great way for you to burn off calories after dinner, and most importantly, it’ll keep them busy.

As you can see, there are countless ways for busy moms to get in shape throughout the day. We just need to be creative and see the world as our playground, just like our kids do

Holiday Gift Guide- SOL REPUBLIC RELAYS Headphones are a must-have! #ad #giveaway

**CLOSED**  Winner is Loremil J-- Congratulations! 

Can you believe that 2014 is slowly coming to an end? This means that the holiday gift-giving season is right around the corner. It's never too early to start planning and making purchases to save time. It also helps to stagger spending as well. If you are looking for a gift for the active person in your life, I have the perfect item: SOL REPUBLIC RELAYS In-ear 3-Button Headphones.

These are the absolute best headphones especially for runners or gym-addicts. Not only are they comfortable to wear during physical activity, they also stay put. I have had episodes of running on the treadmill and having one side of my ear buds fall out mid-tunes. They are very light-weight and have a low profile design. These RELAYS don't disappoint. Let's talk about the sound quality-- I am amazed at how crisp and clear my music is. You would be surprised how good the sound is from these tiny little headphones. The bass is superb! They come with 4 different sizes of ear tips to ensure a perfect fit. I also love the sleek little storage case as well for days I want to throw my headphones in my bag. They are really good when you are in the car and need to take a call since they are equipped with an in-line microphone. The person you are talking to over the phone will have no idea you have headphones on. It's just that clear! These are even great for homemakers like me since I move ALL day long. I love listening to music while I'm cooking or cleaning. The only bad thing is that my other family members try to snag them when I leave them out. Additionally, I would like to apologize when you become a headphones snob like I am :)

I think anyone would be excited to receive these as a gift. They come in a variety of colors including: Black, Black White, Horizon Blue, Fluoro Red and Lemon Lime and retail for $79.99. I have a pair in Lemon Lime that I got over a year ago and they are still going strong as if I just took them out of the box. It makes me think of all the years I have purchased headphones repeatedly, only to have them give out on my after a short while. These RELAYS are well worth the money! The work with most Apple and Android devices.

You can purchase these fine headphones on the SOL REPUBLIC site as well as Radio Shack stores. Be sure to follow SOL REPUBLIC on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

One very lucky Mom Files reader will win a pair of SOL REPUBLIC RELAYS. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to *Canada and US Residents only and will end on November 11, 2014. Please follow giveaway rules in Rafflecopter widget. One winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. Momfiles is not responsible for any lost or stolen prizes. Good luck!*If you have won a SOL REPUBLIC giveaway in the last 6 months from Mom Files, you will not be eligible to enter.

I received a pair of RELAYS for review purposes. All opinions are my own as always.

Benjamin Dash Miami | November 2013

Are you a runner looking for a fun and unique challenge? Benjamin Dash in Miami might be one worth checking out. 

Benjamin Dash is an innovative 5K course running event that gives Dashers the opportunity to grab flags worth monetary value.  They will have the choice to either donate to their favorite charity or keep it for themselves. Runners will have to maneuver through a numerous, uniquely designed obstacles that will test every specific attribute that can be thought of, especially to keep the large wave of runners moving. They will then finish the race where runners will be paid for the amount of flags they have captured.

Here’s the twist, all the flags on the obstacles will have different values so participants will ever know the amount they are running with on hand. If you think that was it, you’re wrong! Runners will need eyes like an eagle for there will be charity warriors whose sole purpose is to take your flags to promote their own charity. After completion of the race, runners will be accommodated with drinks and food, as well as entertainment from a live band. If you're up for a different kind of competition, check out Benjamin Dash online to find out more. There are early registration discounts as well. Use the promotional code: BUGS747 (in all caps) for a 10% off discount.

You can find Benjamin Dash on Facebook and Twitter.

This is not a sponsored post. I just thought I would share this event with my readers that reside in Florida.

Smooth Fitness Update: Get your kids into fitness early #SmoothBlogger #spon

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

I enjoy getting my walk/jog/run on in the morning during the week. When you have a 5 year old around, it can be a challenge to get your workout complete, without interruption. My son has been so curious about our Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill. He often stands by and watches the belt move and you can tell he wants to try it out for himself. Of course a treadmill is not made for small children, so I occasionally let him walk on it with the power turned off.

He has become very creative and gets on the mini trampoline that we have set up not far from the treadmill and makes up his version of exercising. He walks and jogs in place and tells me that he has his very own treadmill. He enjoys when I have my music hooked up to the adapter so he can have a fun workout as well. It's amazing how much his coordination is improving with his pretend treadmill workouts. We both get our exercise in without any interruption and he is being conditioned to having fitness become important at an early age.

If you are thinking about purchasing a high-quality treadmill for your home, I greatly recommend Smooth Fitness. We researched treadmills for 6 weeks prior to receiving ours and nothing can compare. It is truly gym quality and Smooth Fitness has different models to choose from as well as financing and payment options. For what you will pay in a year for a gym membership, you could have paid for a treadmill in full and have your own private at-home gym. Here are a few features of the Smooth Fitness 5.65 treadmill:

SmoothDrop™ Folding Frame: Soft Drop, Easy to Fold Design

Industry Leading Warranty: Lifetime on frame & motor, 5 years all parts & electronics and 2 year in home labor.

SmoothDrive™ 2.75HP Motor: Powerful, Quiet, Durable Operation

Im-pression™ Shock Absorption: Helps Reduce Impact on Joints

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their line of treadmills and elliptical machines.

#SmoothBlogger updates, Big Daddy style

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.
I wanted to update you all on my hubby's progress ever since he started his "Smooth Fitness" way of life. He has worked so hard to make sure he fits in some time in his crazy, busy schedule to get a jog or run in on the treadmill, even if it means getting up at 5:00 AM! So far he lost 6 pounds in the first 6 weeks but gained back 3 pounds. I think it was a combination of holiday festivities and stress eating that did it. He knew that it was time to get serious again.

He had to regroup and go back to eating leaner and cleaner. Thankfully, he was able to lose the 3 pounds he gained and even lost 2 more. I have to say that Dwayne really surprises me with his food choices. He is not one to eat anything he knows nothing about or sounds too trendy. One of his latest favorites (mine as well) is fat-free Greek yogurt with organic granola.

He even requests vegetarian meals and NO rice. Now that one is shocking! He can tell if he has gone a couple days without exercising on the treadmill because it shows clearly through his mood and sleep habits. Dwayne has a goal of being under 200 pounds so there is a lot of work to be done. He has 30 pounds to go right now and the whole family is cheering him on. We will celebrate his 40th birthday at the end of June on the beach so he has his work cut out for him! I will let you all know how far he gets in the next few weeks. 

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter to learn more about their line of treadmills and elliptical machines. 

Smooth Fitness treadmill panel demo #SmoothBlogger #spon

It has been a couple of months since we have had our Smooth Fitness treadmill and we are all still enjoying the benefits of it. Every time we drive by our old gym, we talk about how glad we are not having to fork over all that money each month. Lately, the entire family has been busier than usual, with end of the school year things going on as well as work, college and family functions. Thankfully we all can squeeze even 10 minutes in as often as we can to get a quick workout in. When you have an at-home gym, there should be no excuses! Honestly, if I don't get at least 5 workouts in a week, I don't feel like myself. My body has gotten conditioned to exercise and when I finish a workout, my mood improves and my energy level elevates.

I wanted to share a short video to show you how easy the treadmill is to use. As a matter of fact, I think I said at least 6 times in the video how easy and user-friendly it is  :-) 

I will be posting my husband's progress next week. Stay tuned!

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

Chili Lemon Pistachios from Sincerely Nuts, YES please!

Since me and my husband have been eating healthier foods and getting our exercise in regularly, we have had to be very creative with our snack choices. One of our favorite go-to snacks is fruit or nuts. I received a bag of Sincerely Nuts pistachios in chili lemon flavor to try out. My first impression was, "Wow, those are some HUGE nuts!" I don't think I have ever seen such big pistachios before. They were packaged in a heavy-duty, sealed plastic bag with a zipper closure for freshness.

I popped open the first nut and tasted it. I liked the subtle chili lemon flavor with a not too salty bite. The nut itself had that natural sweetness that pistachios normally have. I then end up tasting almost 1/4 of the bag! They are hands-down the best tasting and highest quality pistachios I have ever eaten! Even my husband loved them and he is not into flavors besides lightly salted or unsalted.

Some facts about Sincerely Nuts Pistachios:

They are cholesterol free, a good source of dietary fiber and protein, they are gluten-free and do not contain trans-fats. Sincerely Nuts provide the best grown pistachios that have no additives or preservatives as well.
Sincerely Nuts offers many varieties of Premium nuts, seeds, dried fruits, snacks and more. Right now through Aril 26th, Momfiles' readers can receive a special discount of 10% off any purchase of $40 or more using the code: MOMF10. 

We really enjoyed these pistachios and we think you will too! Sincerely Nuts products are great to have delivered to your home or as a gift for friends, family or business-related connections. Join Sincerely Nuts on Facebook and Twitter for product information and discounts.

I received a product sample for review purposes. All thoughts/opinions are my own as always. 

Getting fit with Smooth Fitness | Update #SmoothBlogger

I have been getting Tweets, email and Facebook messages asking me how I am doing with my Smooth Fitness treadmill. I will say this first...  I hate missing my workout days. I have gotten so used to my Monday-Friday routine that I don't feel well if I miss a day. We recently got some new furniture for both daughters' bedrooms and we had to temporarily fold the treadmill for two whole days. It was killing me! The good thing is it was out of the way for the delivery men to get in with the bulky furniture without any harm to my gorgeous machine ;-)

I might have mentioned before that I suffer from leg cramps several times a week. It is like a deep nipping pain in my left calf muscle that really aggravates me. I often have to stop and massage it for relief and unfortunately take Ibuprofen if it gets that bad. Since I started consistently jogging and running on my treadmill, the cramps have stopped! Even my husband mentioned that he hasn't heard me complain about the leg pain. Doing incline jogging is tough but well worth being pain-free! Another big thing for me is that I can't get enough of having my own gym in the privacy of my own home. I can ugly sweat all I want and nobody will see me. Yes, I'm shy.

I  gained some weight during the month of February (darn you Valentine's goodies!). I had been doing a lot of stress-related eating. I have so much going on with my homemaker duties, family, blogging, kids' activities and school, as well as my husband's busy schedule. My mind has been in overdrive and when the anxiety kicks in, I hop on the treadmill. Even if I do just a 1/2 mile, it helps immediately. I have pushed myself so hard the last 2 weeks and I actually lost all the sweet goodies weight! I feel so much better and my clothes fit like normal again. It was getting scary that I thought I would have to go buy all new stuff! The one thing I will need is new workout attire. My exercise pants fall off while I run. This is because my waist is slimming down *happy dance*.

I am really getting a little freaked out about turning 40 this year and I have vowed to take better care of myself. Besides exercise, I have been drinking a lot more water, cut out soda and fruit drinks (except wine) and cut back on sweets. I also take more time for myself whether it is lunch out with a friend or just some browsing in the shops alone. My energy level in the daytime is insanely high and I sleep so well at night. I also started to do some weights in between and look forward to toning up for the summer swimsuit season. Overall, I am so happy and feeling great! I will update you all in a couple weeks on some details of how the treadmill works, as well as my husband's progress. I will say this much, I am SO proud of him! 

Be sure to check out Smooth Fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.

See how Smooth Fitness is saving my family money! #SmoothBlogger

My family is on a very strict budget. If we don't have the extra cash for things, we just don't buy them. We have been members at our local health club for a few years on were on a special that was offered for a limited time. Of course, that limited time ended and the new price would have skyrocketed to $90 a month! With super high gas and food prices, we need an extra $90 each month. Also, with the kids' and husband's busy schedules, the gym membership was not being used like it should. We were throwing our money away because nobody had the time to go. 

Our Smooth Fitness treadmill came in right on time! We received it last week and  we were all eager to test it out.  My first impression when I saw it being hauled in by the delivery guys was, "WOW!" It was a lot bigger than what I was expecting.

My husband and I have been looking at treadmills for a while and most of what we have seen in the local stores were on the cheap side. They looked like even I could break it because of how lightweight they were. Our Smooth 5.65 Treadmill looks and feels like what you would see in a gym. We love that it can handle up to 300 pounds. It was important for us to have a high-quality machine since there will be 4 of us using it on a daily basis. Each family member has their own set of goals they want to achieve. Right now we are all in the process of starting off slowly to get our bodies conditioned for the goals we have planned for ourselves.

I love the very simple, user-friendly display. My husband experimented with one of the pre-programmed routines on the treadmill and he had to surrender after 15 minutes! He realized he needs to work up to that stage. His biggest goal is both weight loss and cardio strengthening. I plan to purchase a new bathroom scale so we can track his weight each week. Having this treadmill in our home is going to help him so much since work, college classes, being a dad and a husband often gets in the way of getting proper exercise. I want to see my husband around for a very long time! I will say this, so far one of the great side-effects of working out for my husband has been better sleep. He struggles with falling asleep at night and after only 3 days, he has been crashing hard! Of course we all know that the sleep is so important to be able to function properly each day.

Please come back in a couple weeks when I discuss through video, more about how the Smooth Fitness treadmill works. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email.

Stay connected with Smooth fitness on the web, Facebook and Twitter.

I am participating in a campaign as a Smooth Fitness Ambassador and will be reviewing a treadmill from Smooth Fitness in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts/opinions expressed are always my own.