CrazyBusy Mama! (Dot Calm)

I’m still on my freebie and deals kick this weekend, and I want to tell you about something cool you’ll find when you visit ExerciseTV.

If you know me, or have been reading this blog for a while, you know I’m a huge ExerciseTV fan. My daughter and I do our favorite workouts together as often as our schedule allows (at least a few times a week), and separately when we can’t find the time to work out together. We typically use the workouts on the ExerciseTV channel on Comcast OnDemand, but many of the same workouts can also be found on the website.

Truth be told, it’s been a few days since I’ve been able to do my workouts. I’ve had a doozy of a migraine since Friday, but I think it’s realizing it’s no longer welcome and is beginning to leave. I can’t wait until I can work out again tomorrow. I have been stretching, though, and working out a little with light weights. I can’t stand doing nothing. And that’s a good point…no matter what your reason is right now for not working out, you can always do something. A friend of mine with multiple sclerosis uses a hula hoop (which is going to be great for strengthening her core and helping with her balance difficulties).

Back to the cool thing you’ll find at ExerciseTV.tv:  free workout videos (and some very inexpensive ones). Some are just a few minutes long, but some are longer, like 10-15 minutes (those typically are not free, but are very affordable). I love that — string several 10 minute workouts together and you’ve taken care of working your whole body in just 30-40 minutes. (We all have an extra 30-40 minutes a day. Get off of Facebook, etc., and you’ll see how many half hours you find. ).

Here are the links to some of those free (or cheap) videos for you to download:

Start Walking With Leslie Sansone FREE Mini Workouts–Video Download. 15 mini-workouts. I love walking with Leslie. I’ve had weak hips and knees since birth, but now they’re really strong for the first time in my life.

Amy Dixon 10-minute Workouts. Just $1.99 to $2.99 each. I credit Amy with helping me to get my abs in shape. Fun workouts!

Pink Ribbon Workouts Free Mini Workouts with Holly Perkins. “Pink Ribbon,” of course, represents the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Race for the Cure. Working out with Holly’s Pink Ribbon workouts on Comcast is what inspired me to start training for next year’s Race for the Cure in Seattle (no date yet, but I’m assuming there will be one).

Jillian Michaels’ Free Mini Workouts – 14 videos. Yep, that Jillian Michaels, from TV’s The Biggest Loser. Get ready to bust your fanny. Really.

Have fun with these! Feel free to tool around the ExerciseTV site for more free mini-workouts. These are great to download and take with you on vacation. (Yes, fall’s coming, but we still have a month of summer before school starts!)

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In 1980, Nancy Goodman Brinker watched her sister, Susan Goodman Komen, suffer and lose her battle with breast cancer. In those days, there wasn’t much research being done regarding that particular type of cancer, and it was barely talked about above a whisper simply because it began with the word “breast.”

Much has happened since then to give breast cancer the national, and now world-wide, attention necessary to find a cure, and it all began as the Komen Foundation, which Nancy began in her living room in 1982 (it is now known as Komen for the Cure). Nancy had promised her sister, as Susan lay dying, that she would do whatever she could to make sure other women didn’t have to suffer from such a hideous disease. She kept that promise.

This week, Nancy was notified that she was nominated to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the highest award that can be given to a civilian. An untold number of lives have been saved thanks to Nancy’s promise to Susan, and I’m sure we all agree that this medal is long overdue. Congratulations, Nancy!

Read the full story here: White House to Award Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor to Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Founder Nancy G. Brinker

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As I sit here icing my shins and left knee, I’m mulling over the decision I’ve made to run in next year’s Race for the Cure in Seattle. So often, when I think of something like this to do — a noble idea, to be sure — I’ll dismiss it with a figurative wave of my hand. “It’s a wonderful thing…for those who can do it.”

But this…so far…is different. Cancer has touched me personally, and I want to do whatever I can to beat the monster back. You see, my husband has cancer. It’s not breast cancer (though men have been known to get it), which is what the money raised by Race for the Cure goes to finding a cure for. Lonnie has multiple myeloma, a blood cancer that begins in the marrow (it’s a cancer of the plasma cells, to be more exact). You can learn more about it here. To learn a little more about when he was diagnosed, etc., see my about page. Eventually, I would like to run a race through the MMRF, the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, if one ever comes to Seattle.

As far as breast cancer goes, my grandmother had it (she’s passed away now, but was actually a breast cancer survivor), two friends currently have it, and a couple more friends are in remission.

Cancer frustrates me. No…it infuriates me. It could make me feel helpless if I let it. But I can do something about it by taking part in the Race for the Cure, and so can you. Start training now if you aren’t a runner (which is why I started today), and take part in a few other races between now and when the Race will be in your area.

Even now, as my knee, shins, and ankles ache, it’s a good ache. I feel like I just kicked cancer in the face a little, just by starting this.

Look into the Race for the Cure and start making plans today. If you can’t run, walk. If you can’t walk, pledge. Do something!

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Are you new to running, like me? Take a look at these 100 tips for beginning runners.