Today I'm going to expand on Principle number 2 - MOVE IT.

A reader, who is a stay-at-home mom, asked how she can work out when her kids wake up at 6 a.m. and she doesn't feel like she can get up earlier than that and she feels like her kids will be in the way.

One of the secrets of moving is to find times during the day that you can move. So if the weather is nice, load your kids up in a stroller, put tennis shoes on your 4+ year old's and walk, walk, walk. Go for at least 30 minutes. My little 4 year old can do this up and down hills so can any other four year old, plus they'll build a love for exercise too. If it's cold outside see if you can drive to a mall in the morning when it's not that busy.

I even walk around my house, yep, as weird as that may sound, I do. I'll set a timer for 30-40 minutes and walk around my house, doing lunges, going up and down stairs as fast as I can, throwing in some jumping jacks, and push-ups to help build muscle mass.

My kids have ALWAYS seen me exercise so when I work out sometimes they'll join me, sometimes they'll sit there and watch (not my choice, but maybe it will motivate them someday), and sometimes they'll just leave the room and go play because they know I'll be done in a while and can focus on them when I'm done.

Don't let the FEAR of having kids be awake and in your space stop you from working out. Just do it! They will soon catch on that this is something mom and/or dad do on a daily basis and that's just how life is. They know you go to the bathroom and take a shower and get ready for the day, just make exercise part of the routine of your day. Tell your kids, mom needs to be healthy in order to take care of you and in order for me to be healthy I need to work out and eat healthy food. Teach your kids these principles.

If it's possible have your husband watch the kids for you while you work out, whether it's in the morning or the evening. If Dad doesn't leave for work until 7:30 a.m. then workout from 6:30-7:15ish. Give your kids something to do while you work out. My husband use to leave for work at 6:15 a.m. and that left me alone with my kids, I have a little 18 month old who was even younger then and if he woke up before I was finished working out I would give him some snacks to eat or toys to play with in his booster seat at the table. It kept him busy until I was at least to the point of a cool down and then I would get him out and let him be by me. I would encourage him to stretch like mom, and he usually would! So Cute!

A lot of people say they just don't have time to work out. Really? How much time do you spend on the phone, internet, reading a book, etc. The reality is, you just have to make time and tell everyone in your family to help you reach your goals.

A word on how much exercise and how long you should work out. I read recently in a "Prevention" magazine that when you first start out exercising it's actually better to only do 20-30 minutes of moderate exercise a day, because if you do more than that your body will ask you for more to eat and therefore counteracting the whole point of working off the extra calories. I personally don't feel like I eat more the harder I work out but I do eat smarter by trying to make every calorie count. I want to eat good food that is packed full of vitamins and nutrients that will help me be happy and healthy. So for the first week that you work out take it easy walk for 30 minutes every day and try to do some resistance training 2 times a week on top of the walking. When you feel like you can increase your intensity, go for it!

Okay enough talk.... put your favorite music on and Dance! Go until the song ends and smile cause it's fun and you look extremely silly! Well maybe you don't, but I do, and I love it!

Today's Recipe: Black Bean Salad Wrap (4 servings)
4 8-inch flour tortilla's (whole wheat or whole grain would be better)
1 15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup chopped green sweet pepper or 1 fresh jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 T snipped fresh cilantro
1/3 C plain yogurt (or mayo or sour cream)
1 T lemon juice
leaf lettuce
Heat tortillas to soften. Mash beans slightly add rest of ingredients. To serve spread bean mixture evenly over tortillas, top with lettuce leaf and roll up tortilla. Savor every delicious bite!

As always I would love to hear from you!