Well for the first time in history the Cardinals are headed to the Super Bowl!  Being in Phoenix is definitely exciting.  Every year the Super Bowl is typically a party day for most people, nothing like sitting in front of the TV for 4 hours and eating snacks that we normally don’t indulge in.  For us active mommies we don’t just worry about our own waistlines, we worry about our kids too.  We have pretty much given up on the husbands, it is a national holiday for them!  So here are a few tips to eating healthy while you are at your Super Bowl party.

photo by cruciald

1. Make sure that you have a healthy meal prior to heading to your party.  Your kids might not even be hungry if you feed them before you go and you will be less likely to overindulge if you are already satisfied.

2. If you have to bring a dish to pass, opt for vegetables and a low-fat or fat-free dip.  Then, load your plate up with these healthy vegetables during the game.

3. If you want to indulge in chips, go for the tortilla chips and salsa, skip the greasy potato chips and fattening french onion dip. 

4. Use the small plates at the party, that way you can still fill up your plate.  Using a small plate (anytime) is a great way to practice portion control, but make sure you aren’t returning for seconds.

5. Finally, don’t totally limit yourself from all your favorite Super Bowl treats.  Along with those veggies on your small plate add a small serving of one or two of your usual favorite party foods.  It is a fun time, don’t try to totally limit yourself!

Have a great time at your party and make sure you still get in some exercise in the morning!

photo by shapestotalfitness.com

This morning I walked into the gym to screaming, no there wasn’t something wrong, it was screams of joy.  Startled, I looked around the room to see a morning regular jumping up and down ecstatic.  She was with four other women and they stood by the only scale in our gym, well actually they were all very excited for this woman.  I have met all of these women over the last couple of weeks at the gym.  I will occasionally end up on a treadmill next to them or in a spinning class.  Each of them has become increasingly more friendly and we usually carry on some sort of dialogue if I end up on a machine near them.  They are an extremely dedicated crew, they are always at the gym when I show up at 5:30am and they are usually still working out when I leave.

So today, I felt the urge to walk over and join their excitement.  I found out that the screaming woman had just lost 5lbs in two weeks and she was thrilled.  They instantly asked me to jump on the scale and join them.  I hadn’t weighed myself recently and after a slight hesitation I removed my shoes and hopped on the scale.  I felt some trepidation about letting four other women see how much I weigh, yet something felt comforting that we were all working towards a common goal.  I stepped off the scale calmly and the excited woman said “well?” with a big smile I informed them I had also lost 5lbs.  At that moment, I realized the importance of having support in our goals of losing weight and staying fit.  The women genuinely shared in my happiness and soon asked me to join their own “biggest loser” group.

I will weigh in again in two weeks with my new found gym friends, while I still don’t all their names we now have a common bond.  Their presence in the gym motivates me to get up on the mornings I just want to stay in my warm bed and their varying exercises will enourage me to try new machines.  Just today, we shared different ways to workout on the treadmill.  I told them about my interval training and they told me about varying their inclines in their workouts.  I also gave them tips on mixing up their routines with circuit training and core body strength moves. 

I have talked about workout buddies in the past, they are indispensable in keeping me on track with my fitness.  Accountability is so important and now I have a whole group of women (along with my usual buddy) to push me, entertain me, and share in common fitness goals.  Waking up at 5am is always tough, but at least I have others sharing in that early morning ritual with me.  And you may wonder, where was my usual workout buddy?  She was on vacation in Las Vegas, I actually made it to the gym without her and now I have four more buddies to keep me coming.

by greek-sunshine

Today, I talked with a father about his daughter and her commitment to her favorite sport.  This father is a former national level collegiate athlete and was questioning whether his daughter should continue running cross country and track.  His daughter is an average athlete and is middle of the pack on the team, yet she is committed to her sport and always trains hard.  He is worried that the major time commitment is a waste since she isn’t one of the top runners and maybe her work is futile.  So, we had an amazing talk about the importance of keeping kids active and finding a sport that they love and enjoy.  Playing a sport teaches our children teamwork, commitment, time management, and dedication.  I told him that most importantly his daughter found joy in her long runs and enjoyed the camaraderie of the team, she was learning life lessons that would shape her character and development as a young woman.  She would take the lessons she learned on the track into her later life whether she was the top athlete or not.   Most likely, she will use running as a stress reliever and fitness activity, just like her Dad, throughout the rest of her life.  

This discussion really made me think throughout the day.  As a coach, I see all levels of athletes on my swim team.  As a pilates instructor, I constantly have new students who have varied experiences in athletics who are working to lose weight, gain core body strength, and become fit.  Most importantly, these individuals have typically found an activity that they enjoy and have committed to working hard at their chosen sport.  We don’t always need to be the best at what we do, but we need to strive to work hard and smart when we workout in order to achieve our individual goals.

I encourage you to introduce your child to different activities and let them discover which sport or game is their passion.  They don’t need to be the best at their sport, but they need to learn to strive to achieve their individual goals and dedicate themselves to being the best they can be.  The importance of teamwork, fair play, time management, and dedication will stay with them for a lifetime.   In turn, I hope that you commit to your own individual fitness and find an activity that you love and enjoy.  Have a great workout today!

by Linnette Alissa

When my family is in the YMCA pool, my little boy will tell anyone “I swim like Michael Phelps!”  People are always highly entertained by this comment, but they are also amazed at how confident my son is in the water.  He has an absolute blast splashing and swimming!  This past summer, we spent some part of each day in the pool and when the Olympics came on he was fascinated by swimming and track.  He would actually listen to the start of the race, get ready to go on “take your mark,” and dive on the floor to swim or run around the house when he heard the gun.  It was very entertaining and it was exciting to see him understanding the joy of athletics.   Now that it is winter time, we don’t get to the pool nearly as much (Arizona only has outdoor pools and it gets cold here too), but my son still practices his swimming in the bathtub.  My bathroom floor is constantly soaked, he dives into the water and swims his version of freestyle and butterfly.  He typically stands up and tells me “Mommy, I beat Michael Phelps.”  Needless to say, bath-time is extremely entertaining.

As many of you know I have been involved with swimming since I was a child.  I have been a swimming coach most of my adult life and swam in college.  Today my time in the pool is usually spent with my son.  We had him in the pool early on, his first dip was at 3 months old.  He is very comfortable around the pool and can swim between my husband and I and to the wall.  His favorite activities in the pool are diving (really it is jump/belly flop), being underwater, and funny enough swimming in the lap lanes. 

While I know that I am a water person, I believe his early introduction to the water is essential to his safety around the pool.  He doesn’t have to be a swimmer, although some of you wonder how soon he will be swimming in swim meets, but he must be able to swim and be comfortable in the pool.  I highly encourage you to get your child in the water early on, if you are not ready for lessons just get them comfortable in the pool.  Start with learning to blow bubbles, going underwater, and floating on their backs.  If you aren’t comfortable yourself, stay in shallow water, swim with your spouse or a friend, and try to relax so your child doesn’t feel your fear.  Have fun in the water; play motorboat, bring water toys for the steps, and have bubble blowing contests.  Your child will soon become more confident and excited to swim.  If you or your spouse/friend are swimmers, swim a length or two of each of the strokes stopping in between to talk to your child while the other talks to him/her about swimming.  They will eventually want to copy you (the reason my son likes to swim in the lap lanes). 

Michael Phelps here I come!

Finally, as you get more confident with your child in the water find a place for them to take swim lessons. 

Tips for finding the right place for lessons:

1.  Find a warm pool, kids get cold easy and lose interest in learning when they are cold.

2. Make sure you talk with the director about staff training and experience, watch a sample class. 

3. Ask for recommendations from other parents and friends, ask for reviews of the facilities programs.

 Get ready to have a great time in the pool with your child and you never know, you may have the next Michael Phelps on your hands!

by biggestloserchic

I love the show The Biggest Loser, it is the reality show that I follow religiously.  Of course, part of it is the whole reality sensationalism of it, but honestly I enjoy watching people change their lives for the better.  It is fun to watch them work hard and see the results of their dedication in the gym.  They have amazing trainers on the show who help the contestants reach new heights in their weight loss goals.   The final show and the transformations of the contestants is simply amazing!

Most “Active Mommies” do not need to lose massive amounts of weight.  Most of us have 10-20 pounds that we want to shed in the hopes of regaining that pre-baby body of old.   It is very hard to manage all parts of our lives including a commitment to healthy eating and possibly dieting.  One of the positive aspects of The Biggest Loseris that they teach the participants to eat healthy.  It is extremely hard to diet while raising a child and so a commitment to eating right should be a goal of each Mommy.  Dieting is usually a severe lifestyle change, instead knowing what to eat is important.

I found a great book that is not a diet book!  This book simply helps you to reduce calories by picking the right food choices and still enjoying many of your favorite restaurants and meals.  Ironically, some of the foods that we think are most healthy, or we choose over others, actually have more calories.  For example, did you know that a bran muffin typically has more calories than an egg-mcmuffin?  It also tells you how to reduce calories simply while still enjoying your favorite foods.  Did you know that getting a bowl at Chipotle instead of the burrito saves you 100’s of calories? 

So of course I am very excited about this book.  I am not a big fan of dieting and I think it really allows people to have a lot more knowledge about the foods they ingest.  Like I said, it is not a diet book!  It is written by the editor of Men’s Health Magazine, David Zinczenko, and has a great title; Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds–or More!. It also discusses how to shop at the grocery store, how to eat at the holidays, and foods you absolutely need and absolutely don’t.  It is an educational tool to help each “active mommy” cut calories by eating the right foods and still enjoying their favorites.  It is an easy way to reduce calories and help us cut those last little “baby fat” pounds.

by jsramsey

This morning I missed my workout, well I didn’t really miss it, I actually decided not to get up.  I have a good excuse, my son woke up at 3am and stayed awake until 4am.  I had to sleep with him to get him back to sleep and by the time I returned to my bed it was 4:30am.  Needless to say, I was not ready to get up at 5:15 to head to my workout.  I also stood my workout partner up!  Now, I am at the point where missing a workout makes my day feel strange and I actually feel more tired.  So the entire day I thought about a solution to those missed early morning workouts and an inability to work out in the evening.

A great goal is to do some burst of exercise every morning when you wake up.  I am going to alternate a set of push-ups one day with some crunches the next day.  This is a great way to get the blood flowing early in the morning and to get a quick blast of energy for the day.  Of course, you still need to find time to add a prolonged period of cardio a few days a week, but starting with 15 push-ups and 50 crunches each day can begin a transformation in  yourself and a desire to commit to more exercise down the road.  You will begin to see strength gains in your shoulders, chest, and core and as you get stronger you can add a few more reps of each.  In addition, recruit your husband to join you and you get him working out too.  This is a quick way to jump-start your day and an easy way to begin your day with exercise.

by Surtrayvey

So yes, Dara Torres is a hero of mine.  To watch a 40 year old woman, who has had a child, achieve Olympic dreams this summer was amazing.  Dara defied time this summer when she competed in the 2008 Olympics.  Not only was she the oldest swimming Olympian ever, but she was a Mom and wife who competed with swimmers less than half her age and she did it with superior and efficient training!  Don ‘t get me wrong, I am extremely jealous of her talent and physique and I would love to workout as my job.  Her amazing talent has allowed her to build a career in modeling, speaking, and swimming.  Most of us moms do not have that luxury, instead we are looking for that 1/2 hour a couple of days a week to fit in a workout.

This past weekend I attended a 16 hour workshop on Meridan Stretching led by Dara Torres’ “secret weapon” her stretching coaches, Steve Sierra and Anne Tierney.  I originally attended one of their clinics just prior to the USA Olympic swimming trials in June/July in order to learn their methods for my current swimmers and assist them in better stretching.  I learned more than I ever thought about the importance of stretching and their innovative system, they use resistance while stretching the muscles in order to increase both strength and flexibility.  I actually found that learning to stretch more efficiently was one of the best things that I could do for myself.  While I use stretching for my swimmers, I also learned how to stretch myself and help with many of the aches and pains of getting older! 

So why is this important to active mommies?  Well many times in our hectic lives we forget to take care of ourselves.  At the clinic this weekend, I realized that taking 20 minutes to stretch out properly 3-4 times a week can make me a healthier, happier, and less stressed Mommy, wife, and employee.  While I am not looking to be an Olympic athlete like Dara, I can still follow some of her great techniques to have a healthier lifestyle.  I highly encourage you to find time to stretch each week after exercising or simply when you are ready to wake up or go to bed.  If you want to learn more about Dara Torres’ stretching routine, you can check out the DVD that her and her stretching coaches created after the Olympics.  But, no matter what you do, just make sure that in your hectic daily life you still take time to stretch and take care of your body.

by Hajin0127

Winter time is always a struggle to stay in shape.  While here in Phoenix we have mild winters, it is still cold early in the morning and late in the evenings.  The real problem for me is how late the sun comes up and how early it goes down.  In the winter, I am forced inside because of lack of sunlight and sometimes because of rain or cold.  Keeping motivated while working out indoors is always a challenge.  Your choices for cardio in the gym usually center around the bike, the treadmill, or the elliptical trainer, not leaving much room for variety in your workouts.  Once in awhile I can get a cardio class in at the gym, but due to my hectic schedule as a working mom, it is hard to make their schedule.  I enjoy spinning, but the class is too late in the morning for me to be able to make it to work.  The evening classes cut into dinner time, family time, and bedtime for my son.  So how can we keep variety in our workouts so we don’t become stagnate or bored?

I enjoy doing interval training on a treadmill or bike.  I find a constant speed is good on some days, but on other days I will do cycles of fast and slow running or biking.  One of my favorite cycles is a 3 minute blast at about an 8-9 exertion followed by 2 minutes recovery at 3-4 exertion for a 1/2 an hour.  I like changing up my speeds and getting after it for the 3 minute time frame.  The 2 minutes allows me to recover in between the fast blasts.  I also like to play with the intensity on the elliptical trainer and the incline on the treadmill to mix up my workouts.  You can also mix your cardio blasts with weight lifting.  My husband started a new program called Crossfit, they mix their cardio and weightlifting while focusing on certain muscle groups.

by Bryan Zmijewski

My son thinks he is a UPS man.  Almost daily he rides his tricycle door to door delivering packages, well pretend packages, but deliveries all the same.  We have a great tricycle that he can pedal and I can steer from behind, it has enabled him to learn how to pedal and ride around our street at a young age.  I highly recommend it, the Radio Flyer Deluxe Steer & Stroll Trike.   We are lucky to live in a small subdivision without much traffic, so we are able to be in the street together riding around and having fun. 

Riding bikes is one of my fondest memories from my childhood.  When I was young we would load up our bikes and head to a great park near our house.  The park had great paved trails with limited traffic, it allowed us to ride together as a family and race ahead as children like to do.  For Christmas, I bought my husband a bike seat for his bike and I look forward to many rides together as a family.  Riding a bike is one of the easiest ways to get some exercise while enjoying time together.   As your child gets older, you can move on to a trail-a-bike allowing your child to be connected to your bike as you ride.  The bike looks like a tandem and allows you to control the direction and speed as your child pedals behind.  Of course, the ultimate goal is to allow your child to ride a bike by him or herself.  Riding a bike with your child and teaching them the joy of exercise during a fun activity will be a lifetime lesson and great family time.   So, I will continue to be out in our street allowing my son to ride house to house delivering his imaginary packages and telling neighbors that he is the UPS man.  While my time is currently spent walking behind him, I look forward to the day I can ride beside him.

by adwilso

I am a working Mom.  Each weekday I have to be out of the house by 7am, with my son, to head to work and drop him off at preschool.  The early mornings are hard and trying to get everyone prepared and fed each morning is a harrowing task.  Couple that with two boys in my house (husband and son) who don’t always get up on time, mornings can be extremely hectic.  Chaos reigns in my house each morning, but somehow we seem to get out the door in a timely manner.  The car rides to school/work are some of the most entertaining and relaxing of the day.  My son is typically excited for the day and chats with me the entire way to school.  Now, he is only two and a half so the conversations are not deep philosophical discussions, but they do give us a chance to interact on a personal basis prior to leaving him for the day.  Some of his observations are amazing, he regularly points out each truck that we pass, the colors of cars, the sun coming up, and interesting objects around the roadway.  I am constantly amazed by what he remembers; the bubbles painted on the side of one building, the route we take and if we detour from it, the car parked on top of one of the dealerships we pass, and the flags that disappeared one day outside of an apartment complex.

So why am I bringing all of this up?  In the chaos of each day, working Mom or non-working Mom, adults seem to forget to “stop and smell the flowers.”  While this old cliche is said in passing, we need to relish the little things in life.  Our children notice things that pass us by without a thought; the airplane flying over, the bug crawling on the ground, or the dog running down the street.  When you see life through the eyes of a child it lets you relish the moment.  With our children growing up so fast and the constant whirl of our fast paced lives, we occasionally need to sit back and enjoy the moment.  The sunrise I saw with my son this morning was something I thought about when I felt overwhelmed at work and made me eager to pick him up from school and hear his next observation.  So make sure you take time today to live life through your child’s eyes.   In this hectic world, sharing in the wonder of a cool rock or a bird flying over head can truly brighten your day and relax your mind.