When life doesn't go according to plan...

It has been raining here all week and has made going anywhere with the girls very difficult.  Elizabeth walks slowly (because she is 3) and Caroline has to be carried, so trying to get the three of us somewhere is difficult enough without adding the rain to it.

But... being the headstrong woman that I am, I decided that TODAY we were going to make our way through the rain and head to the gym.  I got everyone dressed, ready to go, we headed downstairs, and I put Caroline in the car seat.  Then Elizabeth says, "MOM!!! Are those ants!?!???"

I turn around to say "no, of course not" and I discovered hundreds of ants crawling all over our entryway.  EWWWWW!!!!  I quickly usher the girls back upstairs and start putting together a game plan to rid our entry way of ants (vacuuming, swiffering, and placing traps).

In the middle of all this, Caroline let's me know she is ready for her nap (screaming, crying, and rubbing her eyes).  After I put Caroline down I finished cleaning the entry way while Elizabeth played on the driveway in her rain coat and with her umbrella.

Oh yeah, did I mention that both girls were wide awake before 6:30?  

Yeah.  Early!  They are normally up around 7 or later.

So...that has been our morning.

So today I wanted to talk about the tools I use to help me stay on track and hold myself accountable.

The #1 tool I use/recommend is My Fitness Pal from the app store.  No matter which smart phone you have; I-phone, android, Microsoft- they all offer versions of this app.  And... it's FREE!

This is a sample screen shot.

If you add this app and use it correctly, it will change your life.  I will tell you the first week is the hardest, but after those first 7 days, it becomes a habit to track your food.  In order for it to work correctly, you have to be honest.  Totally honest.  Brutally honest.  If you eat something, it goes in the app.  Cocktail after the kids are sleep?  In the app.  Two mini snickers while standing by the pantry?  In the app.  You have to track everything.

The second app I use is Endomondo.  Also FREE!  Also in the app store.

Whenever I workout outside, I use the endomondo app to track myself.

It tracks my distance, speed, and calories (among other things).

I use it mostly for walking or running, but I have used it for tennis as well.

I also turn it on if I am walking with the girls around the neighborhood.

*Fun fact: You can connect the Endomondo app to My Fitness Pal and it will transfer the calories you burned working out to My Fitness Pal.

So, these are the tools I use to help me stay in shape and track my progress.  Does anyone have any apps they use that are different?  I am always looking at trying new things.

Yesterday I walked for 20 minutes around the neighborhood then did squats and crunches while we watched TV.

What is one healthy choice you are making for yourself today?

I am not going to make it to the gym today, so I might try to do a DVD tonight.

Happy Thursday!