When another brainstorm hit, I was nearly floored by myself in full admiration and will accept any and all nominations for Mother of Year or Saint. When girls were watching one of their educational videos (it was either about dolphins or Scooby-Doo, I can’t quite recall), I brought in a bowl of cooled broccoli, which I had earlier steamed, decorated with sweet mandarin slices. I may have been in throes of my cuisine artistry course or perhaps it was simply some kind of fit, but food looked pretty and girls loved their snack in front of TV. And statute in my house has been amended accordingly: you may eat as much as you want while watching tube, as long as it’s vegetable or fruit, steamed or in its natural state.

As a final bid for sainthood, let me bare my soul and confess to one last prevarication: Shepherd’s Pie I made last week? The one with green potatoes on top? They weren’t green potatoes, hon. They were regular old mashed potatoes with chopped spinach!

Gotcha!

Stephanie Olsen, published writer, homeschooling mother of two and ESL teacher currently residing in Europe, is also owner of the expatriate site, Family Life Abroad ~ http://www.familylifeabroad.com ~ where you'll find humorous and informative articles by experienced expatriates on all aspects of living abroad, with lots of links and travel tips.

If you want a home gym specifically for building muscles (or just can’t afford cardio equipment), and can afford at least $100, consider following recommendations: ·Dumbbell set. ·Fitness Ball ·Resistance Band ·Jump Rope – Offers very challenging cardiovascular fitness workouts at a very low price.

If you want a total body home gym but can only afford less than $100, consider following recommendations: ·Three dumbbells sizes (e.g. 5, 10 and 15 pounds) ·Resistance Band ·Jump Rope

If you are limited to purchasing just one very affordable piece of equipment, consider buying a Fitness Ball. As mentioned above, it provides many different exercise options. With ball you can get an upper body workout, a lower body workout, very challenging abdominal workout and a stretching/flexibility workout. And, you can get all of this for around $35.

Also, don’t underestimate what you can do with things that are already in your house, like stairs, a chair, milk jugs and others. There are a lot of exercises that require no equipment at all. For example, push-ups, tricep dips, squats, calf raises, etc. You can even create your own “weights” through milk jugs filled with water or sand.

As you can see, there are a lot of options available for creating a home gym that will meet your individual needs and will provide a lot of workout variety. Even on a shoestring budget, you can still make a wise purchase that will be invaluable in helping you get more fit and healthy. And, you’ll enjoy all benefits of working out at home.

What are benefits of working out at home? Well, here are some highlights: ·No wasted time driving to and from a fitness club ·No waiting in line to use equipment ·Workout on your schedule, rather than just when health club is open ·No expensive monthly membership fees or long-term contracts ·Motivation to workout as you pass by equipment every day

Of course, you will need previous knowledge of how to use your home equipment or you will have to be willing to learn. But, it’s not difficult. Most equipment will come with basic instructions and a few sample exercises. You may want to enlist help of a professional to provide additional exercise options and guidance that will ensure that you get most out of your fitness equipment through every fitness level stage.

For an affordable workout plan personalized to your individual needs and available equipment, enroll in a WorkoutsForYou.com online fitness program.