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 Nicole Welch

Every Saturday morning we head over to our local Little Gym for some fun.  My son absolutely loves going to his “super beast” class at the Little Gym and he looks forward to it every Saturday morning.  We started going to the gym when my son was only 1 year old.  He has obtained so many skills from attending these classes and has become so confident in his physical activities.  Some of his favorite activities at they gym include playing on the bars, playing with a parachute, and bouncing on the air track; he has also learned how to walk on a balance beam, do a forward roll, do monkey jumps and donkey kicks, and jump off of things.  The gym is a safe environment that allows him to explore and also have group instruction.  Today at the gym, my son did a surprising and entertaining new skill.  When doing a donkey kick he went up into a hand stand and flipped over.  At first he looked up in shock, but then he got really excited as the class and parents cheered for him.  The instructor was even shocked by this new skill and my son proceeded to do it again with the encouragement of “Mr. Matt.”   His new found skill was a highlight of his day and an introduction to gymnastics, but all in all the confidence in his own abilities is the most important skill he is obtaining.

Getting our kids involved in activities at a young age helps them become confident, physically adept, and coordinated.  While we have been really happy with the Little Gym, there are a lot of programs out there that helps develop your child’s physical prowess.  In Phoenix we have classes like Soccer Tots, parent/child swimming, Gymboree, etc.  Most YMCA’s have child classes that cater to differing age groups as well.  Get your child active and involved and let them develop skills necessary to be confident and coordinated kids.  If you don’t have time for a class or program, get your child outside and playing.  I am not saying your child needs to be the next great athlete, but they should be introduced to some physical activity and skills to help them be active throughout their life.  My son absolutely loves it and I do too!

photo by Mundoo

I recently took a trip back to my ob/gyn on Monday.  As many of you know, we had an unfortunate miscarriage in December and I have been working hard to get back into shape.  It has been quite a struggle to lose the baby weight and I have been working on my diet and exercising regularly.  The exercise part is easier for me, the diet part is a quite a struggle.  Trying to make healthy meals for our entire family is hard when you have a two year old.  My son LOVES pasta; mac and cheese, spaghetti, ravioli, you name it!  We do a good job of eating vegetables and fruit, but our main meals seem to focus on carbohydrates.  My doctor suggested the South Beach Diet to me and I have been researching higher protein, low carbohydrate diets lately.  The problem is, you find positive and negatives for most diets. When researching WebMD on high protein diets I found a lot of extremely helpful information that I believe helps explain these diets.  We are trying to eat a little less carbs, but we are not cutting them out totally.  I have found a small amount at each meal satisfies all members of the family and we are getting a lot of our carbs from fruits and veggies.

I have actually made a new decision on our families eating and shopping habits; we are trying to stay on the periphery of the supermarket when shopping.  We may have to shop a little bit more, but we end up eating fresh fruits and vegetables, unprocessed food, and fresh meats.  Most processed foods contain preservatives, high salt, gluten, and high calories.  Processed foods are usually found in the middle aisles of the supermarket, thus we have been stocking up on fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and dairy products.  Our new diet plan is working well, we  have been having some great meals and I have felt healthier, leaner, and happier with our eating.  My workouts have felt stronger and I have been sleeping better.  These simple changes are easy to make and do not force you to make sweeping lifestyle changes.  All in all, moderation and a commitment to fresh foods makes a huge difference.

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?

This past weekend we went down to Tucson, Arizona for some much needed rest and relaxation.  The weather in Arizona is pretty cool right now and is perfect for hiking and being outdoors (with a light jacket on).  So we decided to get in one of the most convenient forms of exercise out there; we went hiking.  My mother lives near the base of the Catalina Mountains and near the state park, so we loaded up our little boy, our dog, and grandma and set out for the trails. 

Hiking with a two year old is always extremely entertaining.  We used to take our son in a backpack and go hiking quite a bit.  It was a lot of fun until he got old enough that he would get bored in the backpack.  Our son is a mover and now he wants to be out on the trail with us.  So, we headed out for the flat trails to let him explore.  Three things were prominent entertainment on this hike.  First, my son was fascinated by poop, “scat,” on the trail.  Grandma had recently bought him a nature book called Who Pooped in the Desert, so finding javelina poop on the trail was an extremely big deal.  In addition, there was horse poop, dog poop, and some unidentified scat on the trail, he loved it.  Second, my son is going to be a tree climber.  We found an old tree and he actually asked to go in it.  He sat in that tree and even got Daddy to climb up in it.  He played in that tree for at least a good 15 minutes, a long time for a 2 and a half year old!  Lastly, my son is obsessed with water and does not care about temperature.  The Canada del Oro wash had snow run-off in it.  My son watched that small stream flow, bent down and put his hands in it, and generally was fascinated by the water.  He then proceeded to walk right in and soak his calves and feet in this freezing water.  He splashed around for a good 10 minutes and the temperature did not phase him at all, he had a great time and even got the dog to play with him in the stream.  Needless to say, that was the end of our hike as we headed back to the car to change his clothes and get him warm.

Amazon.com

It was a wonderful morning.  I highly suggest getting out for a nature walk with your child, or even on your own.  Being out in the desert, on the lake, in the woods, or even in the snow can be refreshing and relaxing.  In turn, you also get a great workout for free and you can see all the beautiful scenery.  Taking a young child and letting him explore his surroundings is great fun, even if he just wants to look at Who Pooped in the Desert!

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!

Photo by Babybee

Today I spent another day at home with my little boy.  We ended up in the urgent care on Sunday because of a high fever and a reoccurring strep infection.  He is feeling a lot better, but he still isn’t eating a lot so I have tried to give him some healthy foods to get some nutrients.  I have been thinking a lot about healthy eating and foods that are important for our every day health.  I found a great article on WedMd about the “Six Super Foods Every Women Needs” and I thought I would share them with you all.  I am excited about the nutritional benefits and disease prevention of each of these foods and I have given you a little overview of each.   These are great foods for heart health, cancer prevention, and other diseases:

1.Low Fat Yogurt – Probiotics (healthy bacteria), More calcium then an 8oz class of low-fat milk.

2. Fatty Fish – Omega 3 fatty acids with DHA and EPA

3. Beans – Low fat source of protein and fiber, folic acid

4. Tomatoes – lycopene a powerful antioxidant (fights breast cancer and heart disease)

5. Vitamin D fortified low fat milk or orange juice – Vitamin D helps bones absorb calcium

6. Berries – anthocyans (anti-cancer nutrients), Vitamin C, Folic Acid, antioxidants

photo by sionfulla

For most mothers getting rid of that belly pooch is one of our biggest exercise goals.  As we all know, a combination of cardio and ab work is essential in working off this problem area.   I have seen the most success when I combine pilates with running.  I wanted to pass on some of my favorite pilates abdominal moves, these are moves I always do when I am teaching pilates classes.  Now, you can decide to do these moves with or without a stability ball, I have described the exercises with the ball.  I suggest doing them at least three days a week and mixing in other abdominal moves. 

• Double Leg Stretch – Lie on your back with your knees in a table top position and hold the ball over top of your shins.  Lift head and curl up towards your knees, keep back imprinted into the ground (this is your starting position).  On an exhale extend arms and legs while keeping head and shoulders in crunched position, inhale and return to starting position. Repeat 8-12 times
• Spine Twist – Lie on your back with legs straight up, head on the floor, and arms out to the side, if using ball put ball between ankles and squeeze.  Keeping your shoulders on the mat, slowly lower legs to the right, hold, then use abdominals to lift legs to the center, and slowly lower legs to the left.  Repeat for 12 repetitions.
• Reverse Crunch – Lie on  your back, bend your knees with ball squeezed between thighs and heels, leave hands down beside your body.  Inhale to prepare, on the exhale bring your knees in towards your chest and raise your hips off the floor.  Do 8-12 repetitions.