photo by funsportchallenge

I recently was on the road for a three day span and was out of my usual training element.  They were three busy days and it was also raining at my destination.  Finding time to fit some fitness in and also connect with my little boy at home was a challenge.  I actually found that doing workouts from the book 90 Second Fitness Solution really made a difference for me.  It was cold and rainy and a run or outside fitness was out of the question, so I made sure I committed to my usual wall squat and plank to maintain my strength and get my heart rate up.  While the workout is quick and simple (15 minutes) I felt much better getting some strength work in.  I know that I wrote about the book in a prior post (90 seconds to a healthier, fitter, active mommy), but I have really seen a difference in my muscle tone over the past couple of weeks.  I have been regularly adding his short, but intense, 15 minute workouts into my weekly schedule and I have been impressed with the success I have been seeing.

So this brings me back to my “on the road” workouts.  I actually did wall sits while talking to my husband and son.  I have to stay in touch and with my busy schedule it was a great multi-task exercise.  It made me feel better and it actually made me forget much of the burn involved in the wall-sit.  As busy moms, it is always important to prioritize our busy lives.  Make sure you make time for your own well-being and fitness, even if you have to multi-task!

Recently I was offered the privilege to review a new fitness book by a representative of Simon and Schuster.  I agreed and was sent the workout book, The 90 Second Fitness Solution: The Most Efficient Workout Ever for a Healthier, Stronger, Younger Youby Pete Cerqua and Alisa Bowman.  I was extremely skeptical when I first received the book, how can you get fit in 90 seconds?  Everything I have learned as a coach and pilates instructor screamed “there is no way!”  But, I was intrigued by the title and began reading this well written and illustrated book.  The book is important, it helps you to train smarter and with limited time.

Now as an “Active Mommy,” I am always looking for a way to maintain fitness even with an extremely busy schedule.  I began reading about the author’s ideas and became excited about the possibilities; he easily dispels many of the usual workout routines as inefficient.  There are different levels in the book and after passing level 1 the strength training routine takes 15 minutes just a couple of days a week.  So you are wondering, I thought it was a 90 second fitness solution?  Well the secret to his workout is holding exercises for 90 seconds; the two most important are the wall sit (squat position with back flat on wall) and the plank position (full push-up position with abs held tight).  The illustrations for the exercises are excellent and easy to follow.  In addition, the testimonials throughout the book will motivate you and encourage you to keep following the routine.

I believe the most important part of the book is that you can do this fitness routine AT HOME and only a couple of days a week.  You do not need a gym membership, a babysitter, or tons of time.   As a working mom, I am able to do this strength program for 15 minutes with my son watching me and even being a participant.  Have you ever tried to do a wall sit with your child in your lap?  How about a plank with your legs wide and your son sitting on your back?  Trust me, the strength moves burn and you get an intensive workout that makes a difference.   As someone who struggles to get a strength workout in, this 15 minute workout is making a huge difference in my life.  I do still run in the mornings because I enjoy it and of course I teach pilates three days a week, but my body is becoming firmer and I can actually see a difference in how my clothes fit.

The other part of the book focuses on the diet, the author talks about the importance of eating real food.  I have talked about eating the foods on the outside of the store; including fresh meats, vegetables, and fruits.  The author gives great evidence why this system works and includes some great recipes to help you make tasty meals.  The only part of the book I haven’t tried and I am still not sure about is the author’s fasting techniques to lose weight quickly.  I believe the “real food” diet is an important component of healthy living and weight control and the author gives you the evidence and results to support this assertion.

Overall, combining this 15 minute workout a couple of days a week with a change in eating can really make a difference in your body, health, metabolism, and well being.  If you are someone who needs a fast way to increase your fitness level or add in a strength routine this book is for you.  If you are someone who feels they do not have enough time in the day, can you find 15 minutes to make the strength training gains?  Check this book out, I have seen a definite difference in myself in just 3 short weeks of doing the prescribed workout.  Excellent book and excellent idea for all of you “Active Mommies!”

photo by Shelly

In February, our StrollerFit group of moms focused on our Heart Health in honor of American Heart Month.  Most people do not know that the number one killer of women in America in heart disease. Children will only live what they know – monkey see, monkey do.  We, as parents, may wish we could instill the “do what we say, not what we do” premise, but our children will always aspire to be just like us.  What does this have to do with being “heart healthy”?  Plenty.  Children will not just learn their pleases & thank yous from us parents, they learn how to form lifestyle habits.  What you do every day reinforces to them that this is the right way to live.  Whether your day includes a half mile walk or two stops at McDonalds ~ your child takes it all in.  Moderate physical activity can help the heart get stronger.  Most people also find that exercise reduces stress and boosts energy levels. Regular physical activity also may lead to other important health advantages, including weight control, weight loss, better circulation and blood pressure, and lower cholesterol levels.  The American Heart Association has some great resources to help you learn about heart health and share the information with your family.  Check out the American Heart Association website for some fun games and activities for kids.

This month our Amazing Active Mommy of the month is Christie Bruner, she is one of my former swimmers who is dedicated to fitness and being a great mom.  Christie was an All-American swimmer at Truman State and now owns her own Strollerfit franchise in Florida.  Christie has some great ideas for active mommies and will also write an article for our blog this week about heart health. 

My name is Christie Bruner and I live in St Petersburg, FL.  I have lived here for six years with my husband, Dusty.  We were both college athletes and have always lived pretty active lives.  I received a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science.  When we were blessed with our first baby three and a half years ago our lives just got turned upside down!!  Luckily I found a wonderful program called StrollerFit while I was still pregnant and started training to be an instructor as soon as my daughter was born.  StrollerFit is a great workout for new moms incorporating cardio & strength training all while providing a fun, developmental experience for the kids.  I bought the StrollerFit franchise when I found out I was pregnant with my second daughter, and I decided that this would be my stay-at-home career while my children were young.

1. How do you handle working and raising your children?

Since I own my business and work from home, it is so hard to separate “family time” from “work time”.  I have a three year old daughter and a 15 month old daughter – and I want to spend as much quality time with both of them as possible.  However, I do realize that it is because I have the opportunity to work from home and earn some extra income that I can spend my days with my kids.  I’ve been trying to really schedule my day out so that we have play time, meal time, and quiet time (mommy work time).  It’s a work in progress.

2. How do you live a fit life?

It is definitely a lot harder to live an active life after kids come along.  Before I had children, I would take advantage of the wonderful weather and environment that I live in daily.  St Petersburg, FL is full of parks, gardens, beaches and more that beckon you to roller-blade, swim, and run.  While I can’t participate in these activities at the drop of a hat anymore, I try to incorporate my family into these activities that I love so much.  Eating well is also a lot harder when you have to figure in children’s appetites.  I always have lots of fresh fruits and veggies on hand to offer as snacks (another perk of living in Florida!).  It’s almost easier for me to eat better now that I know that I have two precious girls watching my every move – I want to model a healthy lifestyle for them.

3.What is your favorite form of exercise and why?

I am so glad that my “sport of choice” was swimming when I was growing up.  I was fortunate enough to swim through college (shout out to Coach Colleen!) and on to a Masters team.  Swimming is truly a lifelong sport, and is so healthy for all people in all stages of life.  I don’t have the opportunity to swim all that much right now (our pool needs to have a daycare!), but I love it every opportunity I get.  Whether it’s been six days or six months since I last swam, I get such a total body workout each time.  Since I’ve been swimming for so long, I know how to tailor a workout to get the greatest benefits – whether I want to just get a great cardio workout (4 x 500s) or to focus on my core (25s dolphin kick on your side).

4. How do you motivate yourself?

Hard question – sometimes I don’t feel very motivated at all!  I teach five StrollerFit classes a week, and I think that really helps me get out of the house and get going.  I know that other moms are there counting on me, and I want to bring something new and exciting to them every day.  It makes me be accountable.  Again, I know that my girls are watching my every move and I don’t want them to remember mommy watching Oprah every day when they were growing up.  I want them to remember being outside, having fun and being active.  Making active play-dates also helps – instead of just meeting at a friend’s house (and inevitably watch TV), I’ll make plans to meet friends at the zoo, go for a walk or attend a dance class.

5. How do you encourage your children to be active? What activities do you do as a family to stay fit?

I’ve been involved with my business, StrollerFit, since before my first daughter was even born.  I began attending classes when she was five weeks, and started teaching when she was six months.  Since StrollerFit has always been a part of her life, and a part of my life as a mom, it has been easy to live an active lifestyle.  Both of my daughters have grown up accompanying me to class, watching moms workout and have fun.  They think of being active as an enjoyable part of life.  I am so thankful that I was able to raise them in an environment such as StrollerFit.  My girls are both busy-bodies and can’t sit still to watch a movie or do indoor activities for very long, so we are always outside playing.  We take family bike rides on the weekend, pack picnics to bring to the park, and spend afternoons playing Frisbee at the beach.  Being active has become a natural, easy part of our lives.

6. What advice do you havefor other moms on staying fit and active?

My biggest piece of advice is to find other moms in your area.  Before kids, moms usually don’t have any “mom friends”.  It is amazing how much your life changes after baby, and how your friends without kids just can’t relate.  If you can find a group of moms to bounce questions off of, get together for play-dates, and bond with – you will be a happier, healthier mom.  When you get together with other moms, you’ll be more likely to participate in fun activities that will keep everyone moving.  You’ll be able to motivate each other to stay busy and try new things.  Consistency is key for new moms as well.  If you can get on a schedule of working out – whether it’s going to the gym every day or just going for a walk after dinner with the family – once it’s part of your daily routine it’ll be easier to stick with.

Thank you Christie for all your wonderful advice and ideas, check back this week to read Christie’s article on heart health.  In addition, Strollerfit is a national chain and has franchises throughout the country.  If you are looking for other active mommies to workout with check them out: www.strollerfit.com

photo by tomflickrphotos

It is pretty depressing watching the evening news right now; all the stories are about budget cuts, recession, and lost jobs.  I constantly hear about how schools are cutting back and getting rid of gym class, recess, art, and music.  In Phoenix, most first year teachers are being cut for larger class sizes.  While all this depressing news brings us down, I think it just reminds us of the importance of keeping ourselves and our children active.  We need to lead by example and let children explore their environment through play, being outside, and social interaction.  In addition, playing outside with our children, enjoying our environment, and demonstrating our own commitment to fitness is extremely important.  Lisa Dewey Wells has written a great article on her Wonder of Children Blogabout getting out and playing.  The blog discusses the important aspect of play for our children both for learning and social interaction.  She also discusses the importance of having play time and social time during the school day for our children.  I highly suggest checking out her site and reading this great article!

photo by chattycha

Many of us moms are on the quest to lose that last couple of pounds of baby weight.  I know that I struggle with snacking during the day and at home with my son.  Recently, I received my yearly order of Girl Scout cookies.  Now I am glad that I supported the Girl Scouts, but it is a struggle for me to not eat that whole box of thin mints!  In addition, we seem to be having a lot of free food at work lately, including those donuts for Mardi Gras today and those left over Valentine Day sweets.

There are great little ways to cut back on calories throughout your day and to burn extra calories by doing short bursts of exercises.  Today on msn.com there was a great article about 11 Small Tricks for Weight Loss, there are some tips I have mentioned before; using a smaller plate, chewing gum, and buying pre-cut veggies to snack on, but there are other great tips like drinking water, watering down fruit juice, blotting pizza, and literally tightening your belt.  I actually find that chewing gum during the day really helps me to curb cravings and snacking.  I find that the taste of the gum limits my craving for chocolate (my biggest downfall) and other sweet foods.  I also find that keeping water in my office helps me stay hydrated, curbs my hunger, and keeps me from cramping during my workout.

I think most importantly, we need to keep moving throughout the day.  If you have an office job, like me, it is important to get up and move throughout the day.  I occasionally take walks around our campus to run errands, instead of calling people and just sitting at my desk.  I check my office mail-room at least two to three times a day just to get up and move.  Other great ideas include doing a set of lunges, squats, push-ups, and tricep dips at three different intervals throughout the day.  If you do 12 lunges on each leg, 12 squats, 12 push-ups and 12 dips you will find a strength gain and get your body revved up at different intervals and speed up your metabolism.  If you have a lunch break, talk a walk or jog for the first part of the time and then eat your lunch at the end.  If you can find a partner at work or at home to join you on these lunch time jaunts it will help you keep motivated.    If you are at home with your child it is important to find time to also do different activities as well.  Have you child join you while you do the above routines or add in some baby lifts, dancing, or abs.  Just get out there and get moving, every little bit counts!

photo by lalaland

I often here the complaint from other women that they do not have time to workout or they feel guilty working out.  As mothers, we feel pulled in so many different directions and fitting a workout into our day is a struggle.  I have talked in the past about workout guilt and trying to spend as much quality time as possible with your child.  I have committed to early morning workouts prior to my son getting up during the work week.  But weekends always pose a challenge because of activities and family time.  This weekend, I found an easy solution for the weekend workout, take advantage of the nap!  Now on the weekends, my husband looks forward to nap time for his own nap or a little down time with the computer, I on the other hand took that time to get in a workout.  Saturday, I got a good 40 minute run in and made it home just before my son woke up from his afternoon nap.  Today, I actually got to be “mommy” to the dog and took her on a short hike up the mountain trail behind our house.  It is a steep quick trail, but it got my heart rate up and I got both the up and down benefits of hiking.   The cross-training benefit of switching up my workout is important.  I have talked about getting stuck in a rut and hiking in the mountains gives me the occasional opportunity to enjoy nature while exercising.

Finding time for yourself in our busy lives is always a challenge.  It is so important to take “mommy time” when you get a chance.  I was actually suppossed to make a mom’s day out today at the movies, unfortunately I ended up at the railroad park for a picnic and didn’t make the movie.  So schedule in some “me” time this week and refresh yourself, get a good workout in, or make that movie you have been waiting to see.  We are better moms and wives when we take care of ourselves in addition to our families.

photo by Theo1996

Today at the park, my son wanted to swing, swing, swing.  For a two year old, my son is pretty brave on the swings, he constantly asks to go higher and higher and to twist around.  He giggles and laughs, kicks his feet around, and generally has a grand old time swinging.  On the other hand, my son is still a little timid on the big slides.  He will go down the slide one or two times by himself, but he doesn’t like to do much more than that.  Today was different, my son was a “risk taker” he actually went right up to the slide and asked my to push him down.  He got stuck the first time at the end of the slide and I had to rush down to get him off, the next time he took the “risk” and jumped off the end.  My son also wanted to swing from the monkey bars today and even tried climbing the little climbing wall.  He was into trying new things and changing his usual playground routine!

photo by n-n

So I truly started thinking about taking “risks” today.  We all seem to get stuck in a rut with our exercise and our daily life.  We get into a regular routine and don’t want to challenge ourselves to change it up.  Now having a routine is important, but we need to have variety in our exercise habits as well.  I am not always the most motivated person to change things up in my daily workout and take new “risks.”  I have tried new classes here and there, 8 years ago I went to a running store in Iowa City because my hips hurt when I was running.  The owner suggested new shoes, but she also suggested checking out the pilates studio next door.  That was the beginning of a passion for pilates that led me to become certified as an instructor and totally eliminate my hip pain.  I never would have ended up in that studio or tried pilates without taking that risk back in 2001.  I challenge you to find a new activity to try or a new way to workout.  I have tried yoga and kick-boxing (didn’t really like those!) and spinning and circuit training (loved those!), but in the end I am glad that I have tried many different forms of working out.  I am getting stuck in a rut with my workout routine again and I am looking for another new exercise to experiment with, any suggestions?

photo by novamade

Finding motivation is extremely important.  What motivates you to get out there and get your workout in?  I think one of the most important things we should consider about our daily fitness routines is the example we set for our children.  My son loves to run, do pilates, and play outside.  I think he finds “exercising like Mommy” to be fun and enjoyable.  He loves to race me outside and even wants me to say “take your mark, get set, GO!”   In turn, he will get down on the floor and do downward dog, cobra, and plank.  It is rather cute to watch him get into each of the positions, he actually finds it to be a lot of fun and actually asks me to do pilates with him.  Funny enough, all those moves are actually yoga moves, but that it is ok he knows mommy as a pilates person!  I am excited that my son finds exercise fun, I believe establishing a love for fitness early in childhood is extremely imporant.  In addition, kids need to get at least an hour of exercise each day and getting them outside or doing an activity will establish this goal early on.

So what other motivations do we have?  For most of us we want to be in shape, be healthy, and lose weight.  I recently received a couple of emails from former swimmers of mine.  Some are mothers, others are not, but they each were motivated to run their first marathon.  Two of them will be running races in April and I am so proud of them and their commitment to the training.  It is always hard to get motivated, but having that marathon goal makes you get out there on the road.  You can’t run a marathon without training!  I am considering doing the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon in May as my next goal.  The last and only marathon I ran was a year and a half after my son was born, it was a great goal to get back into shape and an amazing accomplishment.  Now after my miscarriage, I am again trying to lose weight and get back into great shape.  Of course I have already talked about the motivation of workout partners and having a group weight loss goals, but finding that internal motivation is so important.  While my internal motivation is multi-layered, I believe setting a good example and being healthy are the most important.   Of course, there is always that motivation of fitting into the pre-pregnancy jeans, looking good in your favorite outfit, or being in a swimsuit.  So find your motivation and get going!  What is your motivation?

photo by Bob Reck

So I have struggled this week with a sick little boy in my house.  My reward as he got better…I got sick!  During his whole sickness, my little boy simply wanted mommy and to snuggle with me as much as possible.  He proceeded to cough and sneeze pretty much all over me!  So now that he is getting better, mommy is sick.  On the other hand, I am so glad that he is feeling better because it has been a long week of illness including three trips to the doctors office (not including my own).

So it has been very difficult to workout in the past week.  My early morning routine was a struggle and I haven’t been to the gym in the morning since last Friday.  My last real workout was on Sunday when I got in a short run.  So it is now time for me to return to my routine.  I am still getting over a cold and ear infection so my plan is Friday morning.  So my challenge to each and everyone of you:  if your routine has fallen off jump back on and get going again.  Let go of those excuses and get back on the road or in the gym!  If you have been consistent in your routine, make a change in your normal everyday workout and switch it up.  Get your self moving!