Lately I've been finding myself chuckling about how I thought I knew it all when I had a 6 month old baby. Spewing out workout tips and how-to's like crazy. And then I had a toddler. And then I had 2. And what they say is true - "The older I get, the less I know".

​So here's the deal: today I'm gonna give you a real peak inside my workout life.

Spoiler Alert: it's not all that productive some days. 
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I've learned so much in my 3.5 years of parenting (I know...basically nothing compared to be a parent for 18 years (or 32, like my mama!) but if I've learned anything, it's that every. single. kid. is different. And what worked with my oldest doesn't necessarily work with my youngest. And what works for us might not work for you. And what works for 1 probably doesn't work for 2. And really probably won't work for 4.

So take these tips in stride.

Maybe you already figured this stuff out.

Maybe you're just coming into this stage and need some ideas.

Maybe you are so much more experienced than me that you're saying "oh just wait mama".

But regardless, I thought I'd share. Maybe it will give you the motivation or some ideas just to try it. Or maybe it will just give you that warm fuzzy feeling that you're not alone in the chaos. Cuz I'm right there with you fit sista. 

1. Take it outside - I know one thing for sure: that sunshine and fresh air make everyone happier. When toddler days are tough - take it outside. Go play in the backyard or load up the stroller and get running. Hands down the best way to break a sweat and tame a tantrum. 

2. Schedule it. If you make exercise a priority, it's far more likely to happen. Put it on your calendar just like doctor's appointments and play dates. Make a naptime plan or schedule a time to run with a friend. 

3. Join a Mommy & Me class. These classes are just a win-win-win for everyone. Mom gets to workout, kids get to come, and you get to make friends (for mamas and littles!). Plus you don't have to think about what to do, just show up and work! ​Do a search in your area for a local group (I teach one here in Kingsville!)

4. Do quick circuits lots of times. When doing strength workouts with littles around, I like to do moves that involve multiple muscle groups to save time, and create little circuits that I can do multiple times. That way, if I get interrupted after 10 minutes, I didn't just do 3 sets of 15 bicep curls. Instead, I maybe made it through a round of Squat and Press, Lunge and Curl and Walking Planks. That 10 minute workout hit it all! If you get lucky and can keep going, then you can go as many rounds as possible! 

5. Alternate sides often. I learned this one when I was doing some yoga at home. There was a flow that did a ton of stuff on the right side first, and then all of those things again on the left. Baby woke up from a nap 20 minutes in and I only got right side yoga that day. For a 1 hour class at your yoga studio, this is great. But when you might not make it through the whole flow, I'd rather get a few warriors on each leg before having a mini-warrior climbing on my head. 

6. Wake up early. This seems to be the most fool-proof way to workout with kids. Do it while they sleep. I prefer mornings because it just makes me a happier mama all day. Set that alarm and just do it. 
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7. Get a running stroller. Running is personally my go-to workout with  my kiddos, mostly because they are CONTAINED!! It's the one workout that doesn't involve a child hanging off of a part of my body. Bonus - after doing most of your runs with 50+ lbs of kids and strollers, your solo runs will feel AMAZING. We LOVE our Bob Revolution (single & duallie!) 

@audreyrunsalot getting it done with her whole gang!
Photo Credit goes to the 4 yr old. naturally. 

Her Tip? Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. I don't always have a lot of time. But I have a will to get it done, a way to make it work, and two wild boys to make it fun" 

Esther is a busy mama of 3 under 6 but always finds a way to stay moving!

Her Tip? Just get outside, breathe fresh air and just go, no matter how crummy you feel, getting to the trail or you "start line" is more than half the battle. Yea it sucks having to pack snacks and worry about potty breaks but just get out there and make the most of it, my little people are constantly following my lead if not physically with their eyes.

@FitasaMamaBear with her adorable little weight vest! 
 Her Tip? "roll with it"! Workouts rarely go as planned/smoothly. You'll stop a zillion times to read a book, bounce, and play but it's all worth it and it'll get done. Just go with the flow". My girl is always climbing on me in workouts! 

Gnarly Nay getting her daily dose of Vitamin D + Exercise with her little on their bike! 

Her Tip? "Working out with kids can be awesome, like when they try to do burpees next to you, and horrible, like when they turn into a crying tantrum throwing mess on your yoga mat. But overall I love it, she runs around, plays with other kids, and see mommy working out and being tough! She learns that girls can sweat and grunt and be tough! She learns that push ups aren't just for boys, and she learns the value of a group of women doing something to better themselves! All things I'm proud to show her! "

Join the real life movement by hashtagging #reallifeiworkoutwithkids and comment here with your practical tips! 

Ahhh! It's THAT time of year again and I FREAKING LOVE IT!! 

Christmas threw up on our neighborhood this weekend and me and the girls are just soaking it all in. We get to go on "night-night walks" almost every evening these days, and now that there are houses covered in lights and lawns covered in inflatables (is this just a TX thing? I think yes?!) our walks are even more exciting! Even Miss H has joined in the "wow"s and the "oooohhh"s. It's adorable. Seeing Christmas through the eyes of little kids makes every single struggle of parenthood worth it. The other night, while I was laying with Miss M in bed, she turned to me and hugged me and said "Merry Christmas Mama..." (cue heart melting). I just love the spirit that it brings!! 

This year I decided to combine my love of Christmas with my love of health and lead a "Holiday Fit Club"! It's been so fun working with some amazing women who have decided to make their health a priority over this busy season. While a large focus of our group is fitness and eating, I've also integrated some other healthy living tips. Many of the requests in my group were for tips on stress relief and staying healthy during these busy times. This time of year is TOUGH on our bodies! We are busier and usually have more stress, we typically consume more sugar, we're combating cold and flu season and we just generally put ourselves on the back burner. 

So to help us all survive (and BE AWESOME) during this month of holiday fun, I put together a list of my favorite essential oils for the holidays. 

{Learn more about essential oil basics and why I love doTERRA here!}

 Along with eating well and getting moving, I love the ways that essential oils can be integrated into the holidays for happier, healthier season.

DigestZen: This digestive blend is perfect for those days you eat too many Christmas cookies or go for too many rounds at Grandma's dinner table. A drop massaged around the belly button helps soothe all kinds of tummy discomfort. I like to keep this one diluted in a roller bottle (20 drops + fractionated coconut oil) for on the go tummy help!

Lavender: Perfect for calming the crazies while shopping, helping your overstimulated kids chill out, and helping your brain shut off for a good night's sleep. Lavender is perfect in the diffuser or applied topically! It's so gentle on the skin and so effective at calming! 

Peppermint: I could tell you that peppermint is perfect for easing head tension or soothing an upset tummy, or opening airways when you've caught the crud or before a run...and that's all true! But we all know the best way to use peppermint at Christmas time is in your hot chocolate and mochas!! PRO TIP: I like to dip a toothpick in the peppermint bottle and then stir my drink with the toothpick. 1 drop is really powerful so this way you can get less than a drop. 

OnGuard: It smells just like Christmas so you can ditch those toxin candles WHILE boosting your immunity! Put 3 drops in the diffuser to help clean the air and support healthy immune systems for everyone you're celebrating with! OnGuard is perfect for daily protection too - I like to apply a roller bottle of OnGuard onto our feet or spines each day during the holiday season. I also love taking OnGuard softgels for increased support! It's also delicious in a  glass of hot water and honey. 

Balance: This one is all about the stress relief! Balance is a powerful grounding blend that smells woodsy and delicious. It's one of our favorites to diffuse during stressful times (all day long with toddlers...) and I also like to use a diluted roller bottle on my neck, or a drop on my diffuser bracelet. 

Holiday Joy & Holiday Peace: These 2 special holiday blends are AMAZING to diffuse to give your entire home a holiday scent without nasty chemicals! Holiday Joy smells like cinnamon and baking and Holiday Peace smells just like a Christmas tree! 

Well, apparently I didn't get any more training updates up on the blog (or anything else of that matter. Life, as usual, just keeps flying on by! The girls keep me chasing all day long and I've been really enjoying doing more personal training and wellness consulting with doTERRA! My most recent project - Holiday Fit Club - is going to be a blast! 

Meanwhile...my running buddy Sara and I wrapped up our 12 weeks of half marathon training. Approximately 200 miles run, many with strollers and most together (what a blessing to have her has a next door neighbor!!!) and we were SO READY. Then, unfortunately, Sara came down with a terrible bug the week of the race and it wasn't a safe idea to run. I was so heartbroken for her - she had worked so hard been SO committed! I was also bummed that what was going to be an awesome running celebration day turned into a solo 13.1 for me. 

I kept my head up and my heart strong (don't mind me, channeling some inner Shalane!) and decided to give it everything I had. Unfortunately, some race days your body just doesn't care. I'm thankful that I wasn't feeling sick, and honestly nothing even hurt, I was just SLOW.

Like 1 gear, can't kick it up, no adrenaline. Oh and it was 95% humidity. 

I'd be lying if I wasn't tempted to jog through the 5K finish line after the first 3 miles. Or turn around and wrap it up at 6.2. Or even pretend I had a relay partner and stop halfway. But I trucked along. One of the things that kept me going (if not faster, at least moving) - was the BEAUTIFUL views! I had forgotten how much of the run followed the Harbor (ummm...all of it, haha) and we greeted the day about 4 miles in with a beautiful sunrise over the water. 

Since I had no one to talk to and the traffic was pretty loud, I just did lots of talking to myself. About 4 or 5 miles in I told myself as I was looking out over the water "if you see a dolphin, it's your sign that you're gonna make it". I was worried to even put that thought into the universe because I had no idea if there were even dolphins in that area!! But I love dolphins and am a firm believer that what you think becomes your reality. Sure enough, after swerving and weaving around the path because my head was craned towards the water the whole time, I spotted them! 2 dolphins cruising around together. Just like Sara and I on most of our runs! A few minutes later I saw a few more! I knew I was going to make it! Call me crazy, but if you've ever been on a long run, you know that your head gets a little loopy, and you'll take whatever motivation you can get! 

I also LOVED the encouraging texts that rolled in while I was running. I'm not one to run and text, or even look at my phone. But there were a few times when I glanced down and saw new messages roll across my screen. They always came at the perfect time! While I was running alone, I had a lot of people there in spirit! 

All that to say, eventually I made it to the finish line. My time was not as fast as I would have liked but it definitely wasn't as slow as a felt. I was proud of how strong I felt going over the 2 bridges (twice), and that I never walked. That last mile was rough. The sun was hot, we were off the water and you'd think just 1 more mile would be easy but it felt about 5 miles long. Thankfully, my amazing family fan club (my mom and girlies!) were there cheering me on with signs on the last corner! Those guys are my biggest motivation and definitely helped me put a smile on my face and finish STRONG! 

I finished in 2:12something. Not my fastest, not my slowest. But it was my first half post baby #2, and considering the circumstances, I'm pretty happy with my results. I'm also pretty happy that it's over. I have to say that was the first half I've done where even at the finish line I didn't get that "I'm amazing, lets do all the races" adrenaline. Of course, my loyal (albeit sick) running buddy met me later that afternoon to tell me about the next half we'll be doing...haha! Of course I agreed. 

For those of you who want the down low on the Corpus Christi Harbor Half - here are my 2 cents. You can also read my recap from the last time I ran it. {Spoiler Alert: I had a much better experience the first time} 

What I love about it: 

• The size. I really do like smaller races. Not so stressful, no huge lines for packets or port-a-potties
• The view on the course. Running up and over the Harbor Bridge is an awesome experience and running along the harbor is beautiful! 
• The water stops. There were just enough water spots, always with a choice of water or sports drink. I usually rarely drink on the course and definitely not sports drinks, but the heat dictated more and I drank at almost every stop! 

What I don't love about it:

• The communication. You don't even receive a confirmation email when you register and there are not communication prior to the race with reminders, packet pick up, or anything. You can search out most of what you need on their website, but I also never received responses to questions in an email. Several other people I know who ran had the same complaint. 
• The support and energy. I think the course along the bridge is mostly to blame for this, but there are hardly any supporters along the entire course. No one to cheer you on! It also seemed very low energy at the start and energy, so not ideal when you're needing an extra boost! 
• The traffic. I realize that it's a huge deal to close a lane on the Harbor Bridge, and it really is a cool experience (see above), but the majority of the race is spent with loud fast traffic flying by you, quite close. It's not the most enjoyable thing. 
• The post race food. They had pizza and bananas! Sorry, but even if I could eat gluten/dairy filled pizza, I don't think that's what I would want at 9am after running for 2 hours. Maybe I'm wrong. But I would have liked a few granola bars or more fruit...or COFFEE! 

Did you race last weekend? How did it go? 
​Have you ever lost your running buddy at the last minute?