You’ve probably tried it all, and just the thought of trying to exercise while you are keeping up with your children makes you tired. Don’t be so hard on yourself. If you implement just a couple of changes to your routine you will notice improvement.
Likely everyone is filled with great advice on how to get your pre-baby body back. Take the kids on walks, get a gym membership, or exercise with the kids by using an aerobic video of some sort. Maybe these work for some moms, but they just might not be feasible for your situation. You don’t have to have the kids all on the same nap schedule – yeah right – or bother with a sitter for the kids while you go to a pricey gym in order to get some exercise.
The best advice I have ever heard is to play like your child. If your child is like most, s/he does not sit still for long! Even sitting still, they tend to be moving at play or bouncing a bit. You have lots to do, but if you take a few minutes out of every day to really play with your young child, you will get closer and, if you take this advice, skinnier too. When they jump up and run, make it a game to jump up and run too. Roll around on the floor. Tickle. Laugh. It all burns up calories and it all adds up.
The second tip is to take advantage of what moments you have. We all know that moments are all a new mom -- or mom of a toddler -- has. The meals and the laundry and the cleaning don’t take care of themselves. While you are walking to complete these tasks, get in the habit of exercising on the way. Do lunges as you walk to the sink to start the dishes. Complete a simple stretch routine as part of moving the clothes from washer to dryer.
Consistency creates destiny. Any good habit will give you a positive outcome. So while it may seem ludicrous that a few minutes of stretching and active play here and there could really make that much difference, if you keep it up, you’ll see the results. It won’t be overnight, but fitting back into your favorite pre-pregnancy clothes is possible in months. Try it, what have you got to lose?
About the Author
Margo Smith graduated with a B.S. degree from BYU. Her passion is writing, and variety is her watchword. She enjoys authoring posts on subjects as diverse as healthy life decisions, to choosing online schools, to the importance of mom in the home.
For moms who care about staying fit as much as they care about their little ones
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Dueling Hormones: When Puberty and Menopause Collide
Now, more than ever, so many households are experiencing puberty and perimenopause and menopause (I call it PM&M for short) at the same time. Why? In 1980, the average age of a first time mother was 23. In 2010 that number jumped to almost 27 (26.8). This matches up a 14 year old child with a 41 year old mother. So what happens when you mix adolescent hormones and menopausal hormones in the same house? Hormone combustion!
These days, households with both teens and moms entering perimenopause and menopause (PM&M) can reach an atmosphere of playoff intensity and become a place of hate and not love. That’s not a beneficial situation for anyone! I’ve heard so many stories that absolutely break my heart. From children going to stay with friends because neither child nor parent knew how to resolve the issues, to separation and divorce.
Sound familiar? You’re not alone.
The good news is that amidst all this chaos, there is an opportunity to turn this time into one of growth and connection. We can all get through this together, if we really get down to the business of what’s really going on. Often the anger or frustration that we send outward is really just an overflow, or misdirection, of that same anger and frustration that we might have towards ourselves. Working on yourself, your own personal growth, knowing your body and being prepared, will help ease the tension you have in your relationships – particular with those closest to you.
It seems as soon as our children begin puberty they stop talking. They begin pushing adult figures away in an attempt to achieve independence. This process is hard enough on mom, but if she is experiencing perimenopause and menopause (PM&M), it’s a dangerous combination. Often this leads to a lack - or complete loss of - communication between mother and child. When the communication lines are down, everyone suffers.
How do you fix this? Keep talking! Dig it out! A simple hug instead of a look of disgust is a good place to begin. To do this, both the menopausal mother and the teen need to try to stop personalizing everything each other is saying and doing. It is nobody’s fault. Everyone is dealing with their own personal challenges. Keeping this fact in mind can be liberating. Your teen may roll their eyes and look at you like you’re an alien from outer space, but just ignore that. It’s kind of how they look at everything; it’s really not about you. Keep communicating no matter what the response is.
Be the first to give. If you share your challenges openly, you show that you’re willing to be vulnerable. This can be an incredible example to set for a child who’s going through a tough and confusing time. When you reach out and share your struggles, you’re setting an example through your actions that it’s okay to not be fine, it’s okay to be confused and frustrated, and it’s okay to reach out to your loved ones for support.
Look, teens can be total monsters (weren’t you?), but remember, so can a menopausal woman! Of course, every situation is different, and it may take some tinkering to customize this loving approach to fit your family structure, but the more we educate our loved ones and ourselves, the happier and more understanding the whole household will be.
Check out "E" (Ellen Sarver Dolgen), author of Shmirshky: the pursuit of hormone happiness, a light-hearted, informative, easy-to-read book on menopause, and creator of www.Shmirshky.com, a resource treasure trove for women going through perimenopause and menopause (PM&M for short). E stands for everyone because everyone goes through menopause or knows someone who does. Ellen is passionate about promoting health and wellness in America.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Using Mind Control for Portion Control
Today's post is from Tracy Adler, who developed Yum Yum Dishes to help portion control:2011 is here and like a lot of people you’ve made that one New Year’s resolution where come March, you’ll find yourself picking up a plate at the beginning of an all-you-can-eat buffet and wondering… what the heck happened?
You’ve promised yourself to get in shape and you want to keep that promise, but there are two obstacles you probably have to overcome if you’re making this resolution in the first place — your love of eating and your love of eating too much.
It’s common sense that diet and exercise are important when it comes to shrinking your waistline, but more and more studies are showing that what and how much you eat is most important. Now, that doesn’t mean you can unplug the treadmill or cancel your gym membership; you still need to exercise, but if you focus more on healthy eating habits at the outset, you’ll lose those extra pounds you packed on over the holidays.
You have to transition to healthier foods and control your portions; the latter not quite as easy as it sounds. Portion control gets a lot of press these days, but when it comes to eating less, well, it’s definitely easier said and done. The main problem when it comes to limiting how much you eat is where you’re sticking your fork to get it. If you’re eating 4 ounces of pasta from a bowl the size of your head, you’ll never be able to convince your stomach it’s getting its fill. Plates and bowls these days are pretty standard sizes and take quite a bit of food to make a full load, but here’s a novel idea: What if you load your forks and spoons from smaller plates and bowls?
You’ll be surprised how much control your mind has over stomach. If you see a normal-sized bowl that’s only half full, you’ll definitely feel cheated. But you if see that same amount of food in a healthy-sized bowl, you’ll have an easier time tricking your stomach. You can tell yourself time and time again that 4 ounces of food is enough, but our stomachs are accustomed to enough — they’re used to being full. And what we see before we eat plays a huge part.
A couple years ago — after my second child was born — I realized I was snacking too much. I'd drag a bag of chips off the shelf and head for the couch. Before I knew it, half the bag was gone.
The fact is, I didn't realize how much I was eating. I decided to do something about it.
The fact is, I didn't realize how much I was eating. I decided to do something about it.
I started using a small dish for snacking. As long as I didn't re-fill the bowl, I could never over-snack! In a short time, I was back to my original weight. I thought others might like to try out this simple method of portion control. The Yum Yum Dish was born, a 4 ounce dish that's fun and easy to understand.
The Yum Yum Dish is perfect for anyone trying to make his or her New Year’s wish of a smaller waistline come true. Moderation is crucial. And all it takes is a little less food, and a lot of mind control.
Tracy Adler is a former restaurant owner and mother of two. She created Yum Yum Dishes™ to help parents teach their children about correct portion size and is a strong advocate in the fight against childhood obesity. For more information or to place an order visit www.YumYumDish.com.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Launch the New You: Tips to Losing Weight and Keeping It Off
To mix things up, I'm pleased to share a guest post with you from health and fitness expert Danny Russo:
February is here, which means one thing: most of us have already abandoned our new year’s resolutions. It’s the same old story. We start off strong, but around Martin Luther King Day we fizzle out. During my Launch the New You Tour across America, I’ve had the opportunity to meet women of all ages, shapes and sizes. They all had one common goal: the desire to be thinner, firmer, stronger, and healthier—but most important, the desire to feel better about themselves!
Women deal with a lot of physiological variables that men don’t. Pregnancy, menstrual cycles, water retention, and hormone problems all the way up to, and including, menopause are just a few of the issues that women must address within their fitness program. Each individual woman is unique within herself.
In my 30 years in the weight loss business I have seen almost every type of diet and workout regime known to man (and woman). Most of them are fad diets. So how do you know what works? Listen up, ladies!
Food, Exercise and Water (FEW) are the key to your success. No funny workout tapes. No gimmicks. Just a stripped down plan that actually works. Think of FEW as a system. One can’t work without the other. But when combined, the possibilities are endless. For those of you women out there who have made a resolution to lose weight and keep it off, here are three steps to launch a new you:
1. Food: Start by eliminating three complex carbs from your diet. Pasta, rice and potatoes are good place to start. These foods are difficult for your body to breakdown. Not all women are the same so after 1-month, attempt to reintroduce these foods in your diet and measure the results as opposed to when you were not eating them. This is an excellent way for you to start learning how your body reacts to certain foods.
2. Exercise: Focus on squats, leg press, and leg extensions, all of which can do wonders for the sculpting of a woman’s body. Let’s face it, as a woman you’re concerned with different areas than men. A fitness routine for a male does not help you to achieve your goals. Squats, leg press, and leg extensions aim to flatten your abs, tighten your tush, and firm your thighs without the “bulking up” seen in most workout regimes designed for men.
3. Water: Drink 20 ounces of water at the same time each day. Drinking by the clock is structure and timing. Your body reacts to that. Drink water before you exercise and a sports drink or chocolate milk after your workout. Keeping hydrated is one of the most important aspects to a fit and happy life.
What you take into your body has to go somewhere. It’s important to watch what you eat and be conscious of calories, acids, and sugars. Your intake is where you must start if you have the desire to be thinner, firmer, stronger, and healthier and to feel better about yourself!
Remember, you are unique and there’s no cookie-cutter plan out there that works for everyone. Find out what works for JUST YOU. Then get out there and launch the new you!
Health and Fitness Expert Danny Russo has been a fighter, Army Ranger, systems analyst, NFL strength trainer, bodybuilding coach and health club owner and manager. After decades training men, he turned his keen mind, bodybuilding expertise and motivational muscle to helping women achieve lifetime health and fitness. Over more than 30 years he developed and perfected FEW (Food, Exercise and Water) Fitness, a strength training, wellness and nutrition regime individualized to the health and fitness needs of each woman. Since 1995 this self-proclaimed "fitness evangelist" has taken his fitness seminars on the road to 1,000 cities across America. Danny teaches enthusiastic crowds of women how to become thinner, firmer, leaner, stronger and healthier while feeling great. Learn more at www.LaunchTheNewYou.com.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Winter Means a Free Workout
Tired of winter yet? Enough with this snow! The Northeast has been slammed with a snowstorm on nearly a weekly basis since the holidays.
Although when you take a look on the bright side, all of this snow makes for a pretty good, free workout. Have you ever stopped to consider the calories burned when you go outside to either remove snow or play in it? Check out these calorie burners (based on a 5'6", 135 woman):
What's your favorite way to burn calories outside when there's 2+ feet of snow on the ground?
P.S. We're extending our CSN Stores giveaway to February 15th!!! You've gotta be in it to win it!
Although when you take a look on the bright side, all of this snow makes for a pretty good, free workout. Have you ever stopped to consider the calories burned when you go outside to either remove snow or play in it? Check out these calorie burners (based on a 5'6", 135 woman):
- Sledding burns 350 calories per hour
- Shoveling snow torches 250 calories per hour
- Building a snowman takes care of 285 calories per hour
- Snowball fight burns 320 calories
- Making snow angels torches 215 calories
- Downhill skiing (light effort) burns 230 calories
- Cross country skiing (moderate speed, 4.0-4.9 mph) burns 400 calories per hour
- Snow shoeing takes care of 400 calories per hour
What's your favorite way to burn calories outside when there's 2+ feet of snow on the ground?
P.S. We're extending our CSN Stores giveaway to February 15th!!! You've gotta be in it to win it!
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