Everybody Dance Now

Get your kids moving with a dance party. My husband and I hosted a dance party for his daughter's birthday and the kids didn't stop moving for 3 hours! They loved the following dance games...

- Hokey Pokey

- Musical Chairs
- Freeze Dance

- YMCA

We held the party at the Laurelhurst Community Center in Seattle, WA and hired a DJ from Great Rate DJs. Great Rate DJs did an excellent job and I highly recommend them for kids' parties. If you want to tire out your kids and throw a great party, this is the way to go.

Fun Exercise for You and the Kids in Seattle

We recently took my stepkids to Greenlake to ride the paddle boats. You can ride the paddle boats for one hour around the lake. I wasn't expecting to get a work out, but my legs were burning about 10 minutes into the ride. The kids had a blast and it was a fun family activity. Here are some more reviews on Yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/greenlake-boat-rentals-seattle

I have currently stopped running due to my pregnancy. I am 6.5 months and cannot wait to get back out there and start running again. I miss running and found some great runs coming up in the area. I also highlighted some of my favorite runs that I participated in during previous years. My goal is to get back in the swing of things in December and hope to see you at the New Balance Girls on the Run Pudget Sound 5K!

Upcoming runs in the Seattle area:

Lake Union 10K- Sunday, August 23, 2009
Aflac Iron Girl Seattle Women’s 10K & 5K Run/Walk- Saturday, September 12, 2009
2009 Seattle Half Marathon- Sunday, November 29, 2009
New Balance Girls on the Run Pudget Sound 5K!- Saturday, December 12, 2009
Jingle Bell Run and Walk- Sunday, December 13, 2009

For details about these events or other athletic events in the area check out www.active.com

Get Fit Moms to Be!

I haven't been able to find a lot of exercise groups in the area for pregnant women so I decided to start my own. I am going to start the group out slow and then see where it takes us. Right now the group is very informal and is for pregnant moms that want to get some extra activity. It is also a nice way to meet other pregnant moms in the area. We will meet at Greenlake at 5:30pm on Monday nights. I will get more creative with the meetings as we move forward.
Check it out and join the group at http://www.meetup.com/Fit-Pregnancy-Northwest-Influence.

If all goes well, I will organize the opportunity for us to meet post baby and I will run exercise classes and/or 1:1 trainings with new moms!

Exercise Mom Groups

I have been getting prepared for life with a baby and found a great group in the area called Stroller Strides. It looks like an excellent way to stay or get back in shape with your baby. It also looks like a great way to meet moms in the area. Group exercise classes are held at Greenlake every weekday at 9:30am. Stroller Strides is associated with Luna Moms Club which is a group that meets regularly for play dates and other mom focused activities.

I am looking forward to getting involved and letting you all know more about it when I have my little one.

Pregnancy Running Belt

I am 5 months pregnant and haven't been running as much as I did before I found out I was pregnant. For those of you who are not aware, pregnancy is NOT comfortable making running more difficult and unenjoyable. I started to miss running and decided to do something about it.

First, I purchased a maternity support belt http://www.maternitysupport.com/maternty.htm. I found this one at Village Maternity at University Village. I also decided to wear an additional support tank top over my sports bra and under my workout shirt. I loaded my ipod up with my favorite songs and hit the Burke Gilman trail. I couldn't believe it. I felt great and comfortable! My tummy felt secure, my chest didn't hurt and I felt like I had been running regularly for the last few months. I ran for about 20 minutes which is not as long as I used to run, but it felt great and safe! I feel it is best to go for a walk/jog during pregnancy. My favorite is to do 10 minutes of running, 10 minutes of walking and then repeat.

Get Ready for the Rock 'N' Roll Seattle Inaugural Marathon and 1/2 Marathon

The famous Rock 'N' Roll running event is coming to Seattle on June 27, 2009. I will be doing the 1/2 marathon with my husband. The course is very scenic and runs along the shores of Lake Washington (my favorite place to run). There is live music every mile, cheer squads, finish line festival and a post-race concert!

A 1/2 marathon is a wonderful accomplishment and a great way to get motivated to get in shape! You should start training about 12 weeks out from race day. Here is an excellent training program for beginners:

http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/novice.htm

Hope to see you out there!

Registration info: http://www.rnrseattle.com/registration.html