Expect[ing] to Thrive: Park workout and Monkey Mat Giveaway!

Do you have a case of the Mondays? Even though we had a long-ish weekend, it still went too fast. But we have an action packed day around here for you! We have a winner from our first giveaway, another giveaway starting today AND an awesome park/anywhere workout that will bless your socks off. Or sweat them off. The second week of Expect[ing] to Thrive starts today!

And the winner is…

I hate making you all wait around…so the winner of the Mountain Mama Harper Hoodie is Courtney Alberty! Now you can do your happy dance! For everyone one else, thanks for entering and check out our other event giveaways at the end of this post!

So…what is a Monkey Mat?

DEFINITION OF THE MONKEY MAT®. – NOUN ’MAŊ-KĒ MAT
  • 1. A lightweight Travel Mat | lightweight Exercise Mat | lightweight Yoga Mat | lightweight Picnic Mat | lightweight Outdoor Concert Mat | lightweight Baby Mat | lightweight Outdoor Ground Mat | lightweight Baby Changing Pad | lightweight Play Mat | lightweight Beach Mat | lightweight Camping Mat
  • 2. The perfect baby shower gift

Did you get the lightweight part? 🙂 Yes, it is perfect for all those things. It is also:

  • water repellent
  • versatile
  • large enough for the whole family
  • fits easily in a 6×6″ zippered pouch
  • has weighted corners so the lightweighted-ness doesn’t come back to bite you when a beautiful summer breeze picks up.
  • Has loops on all corners as well as in the center, for baby toys, keys, or to use as attachment when tying it up as a kid fort or small sun shade. (Yes, we did this!)
  • machine washable
  • Oh and, lightweight. 🙂

Yays! (aka. what I love)

I love this product! It passed our crag test (clean place for kids to play with toys while rock climbing), it passed the soccer mom test (kept my butt dry during the game), it passed the wash test (super muddy feet=super muddy Monkey Mat), it passed the engineering test (I could actually get it BACK in the little bag it came in, easily)…and it passed the versatility test (could easily be used for nearly anything I dreamt up!)

Nays (aka. not so much…)

While the mat is large enough for my whole family (2 adults, 3 kids) the lightweight fabric loved their rubber little shoes…meaning the type A part of my personality that wants my park blanket to lay perfectly flat and beautiful was constantly at war with the bunching mat.

Monkey Mat as a sun shade

You have a chance to try one for free! Cause Monkay Mats and the Kid Project is giving one orange mat away today! How about that?!

But I don’t only want to give away an outdoor mat, but a workout routine to accompany it and you to the park or anywhere you want to go! Jess from BlondePonytail.com has generously let us post one of her playground workouts! Her site, Blonde Ponytail, has whole sections devoted to home workouts, gym workouts, core workouts, Cross Fit, and online personal training. Jess is a NSCA-CSCS trainer and former Stanford athlete balancing life as coach’s wife and dog mommy. She loves running, CrossFit, and creating unique workouts. You can read more about her by visiting her about me page.

GNC Workout: Playground Challenge  That’s right. We are going to use the monkey rings and a park bench to challenge ourselves.

httpv://youtu.be/Btm1kmUBxX8
5 moves for 10 reps each.  Work up to 4 rounds.
    • Hanging knees to elbows
    • Bench jumps
    • Decline push-ups (modify to normal push-ups or incline push-ups if needed)
    • Step-ups on bench
    • Dips (bring feet in for an easier modification)

If you want to make this even more of a fat-burning workout, add a 400m run each round like Coach and Jess did here.

And now for the giveaway!!!  Follow the instructions below: a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

24 comments on “Expect[ing] to Thrive: Park workout and Monkey Mat Giveaway!
  1. Love the idea of the Monkey Mat and diggin’ the green color. Where wouldn’t we use it? It’s so versatile! I know it wold be one of those items you don’t leave home with out. Thanks for the opportunity!

  2. I was just telling my husband we needed something like this! Sometimes on long hikes we can’t find a good place to sit down without becoming filthy and this would be great to throw inside my backpack for such an occasion. Thanks for sharing this great resource.

  3. So glad I found your blog! The brighter the mat colour the better, although i do like the blue colour too…I would be using this for just outside our Vanagon to play with my child as we travel across Canada next Summer (oh and if it fits into my hiking pack well, i like your change table idea 🙂 )

  4. Pingback: Home Workout Routines | Best Exercise Machine To Lose Weight

  5. Cool blanket, love the orange, would be perfetc to use during the bike stops/lunches, hikes and trips, just to keep it in the small backpack.

  6. Pingback: Expect[ing] to Thrive: Fit Pregnancy and Parenting | Kid Project.org

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