I knew it was going to be hard as I drove to CrossFit Central (CFC) a couple of days after returning from a trip. I have yet to do a workout that is solely CrossFit and, to be completely honest, wasn’t too thrilled about doing this workout. Don’t get me wrong, I think you can tell I am a glutton for punishment; however, I have never enjoyed hundreds of pushups and pullups, not to mention I have a chronic shoulder issue that flairs up with too many reps of these exercises. But this is all part of the fun, to be pushed beyond what is normal or what’s outside of my box. So I kept my grumblings to myself …well, some of them anyway.

The holidays have come and gone, but time with the family doesn’t have to end there! February has plenty of kid-friendly activities going on that would be ideal for the entire family, check them out here:

1. Feb. 2 Austin Nature and Science Center – Happy Herpetology: Austin Nature and Science Center (on select Thursday mornings 9-10am) hosts a hands-on herpetology lesson geared towards preschool-aged children (3-4) in which they go explore outside, are introduced to a new animal friend and do a simple craft. Pre-registration is required and it’s $10 per child. Click the link to find out more!

2. Feb. 4 FUMP Family Music Festival: Live music, arts/crafts and food all abound at this family-friendly music festival. FUMC Family Life Center will host the event from 10am-1pm and will feature musical talents Joe McDermott and Staci Gray. Tickets are $10/person but kids 2 and under are free!

3. Feb. 4 Nature Interpretation and Navigation: Austin Nature and Science Center hosts this hidden treasure hunt, 12pm-3pm, where you and  your family will learn how to use maps, compasses and GPS to navigate and discover things along the way! Pre-registration is required. Ages 8 and up and $5 per person.

4. Feb. 4 Mock Surgery and More: What do the masked doctors, nurses and technicians do inside those rooms? Find out when the Seton Healthcare Family presents the 21st Annual Mock Surgery & More event (9am-2pm). Mock Surgery & More gives visitors the opportunity to learn what happens during surgical procedures and about many health care professionals and organizations that support surgical care. The self-paced program includes several operating rooms with mock set-ups of a variety of surgical procedures, hands-on demonstrations and learning experiences with surgical equipment and other medical procedures and Seton associates, physicians and surgeons assuming their roles and explaining procedures.

5. Feb. 4 Walk on the Wild Side: Enjoy an interpretive hike as a park naturalist brings together a unique blend of human and natural history to tell the story of the Colorado River. Discover how the river influences animal, plant and human life along its banks. 10am-12pm, FREE, adults and children ages 8 and up.

6. Feb. 16 Ranger in the Roughs: Discover how wildlife depend on their habitat and resources of the Colorado River. 7pm-8pm and FREE

Source: www.kidevents.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the third in a three-part series on healthy food choices. Our goal is to help decipher some of the marketing language and tricks used to promote a food as “healthy” as well as demystify both new and established tenets of healthy eating. Paired with each article in the series is a healthy revision of a well-known (and not-so-healthy) dish—a Recipe Redux.

January always brings thoughts of intention, goal setting, resolutions, and the possibility for a fresh start. Healthy eating often tops the list for many people in the New Year. Here is a comparison of four of the most popular programs for weight loss and overall health.

The much anticipated workout e-book has arrived!

The FREE #fitHH Workout e-book created by Howdy Honda & Austin Fit Magazine has been in the making since the beginning of this month, and we’re happy to announce it it finally complete! Howdy Honda and AFM joined forces and began a campaign to collect Austinites favorite workouts and compiled them all into a single, go-to source e-book. Fitness fiends from all over the Austin community submitted workouts through Facebook and Twitter, and one lucky submitter even won a sweet giveaway prize by doing so!

A big thank  you and shout out to those of you who submitted workouts, we’re all looking forward to trying them out!

Download the e-book here!

Introducing a new clothing line at GAP called “GapFit”. You could be the first to test them out at their PRIVATE EVENT (with 25% OFF your entire purchase!) BUT, in order to do so, please RSVP to Anthony_johnson@gap.com by THIS FRIDAY!