I cannot believe it’s been over a year since I’ve been to my blog. I think because that year was spent with my now 16 month old son. It was a very tough year on me on me mentally. A new baby, especially one that had colic, can be very rough on a person. I am proud to say I am so happy that we made it through and starting a new chapter in my life. So now on to the good stuff. I know having a child can do things to a woman’s body that we never dreamed of so how did I get back to my pre-prego weight? I did it by consistently exercising with low impact workouts and eating for 1 and a half not 4! It’s important to give into those cravings sometimes, but remember that you are taking care of someone inside of you. Then it’s taking time mentally for yourself and knowing you cannot take care of your child without taking care of you first!
I love to help people and I love to answer questions. I’m always listening!
It feels good to be back!
…married, fit with fido PLUS ONE! October 10, 2012
4 Minute (holiday) work out December 6, 2011
The hoildays are upon us and we are surrounded by tons of fabulous food and drink. This makes it even more important to get a some form of exercise…but where do you find the time. We have our kids holiday programs, cookie exchanges, Christmas shopping and then all that traveling! Developed by a Japanese scientist here is a 4 minute workout that can burn calories 12-36 hours post workout and all you need is 4 minutes and your own body weight. Do 20 seconds of each exercise, followed by 10 seconds of rest until you have completed the entire circuit, repeat once.
Jump Thrusts (start standing with hands in air, jump into plan position, push up and back up)
Mountain Climbers (plank position and switch one foot with the other like you are climbing)
High Knees (alternate legs with knees as high as you can)
Jumping Jacks (if you don’t know what these are then we really need to talk)
Repeat once and congratulations you are done!
Happy Holidays & Be Well!
Post Partum Fitness August 16, 2011
I’m baackk…I took a little hiatus from blogging to enjoy pregnancy and now taking care of a healthy, spirited 11 week old. I can understand how you can have a hard time losing that baby weight. You spend an average of 3 hours a day just breastfeeding, then attending to your child’s every cry, fuss and coo. If you are lucky your child naps during the day but during that time you want to clean, eat and either nap yourself or just relax. However, bringing exercise back when you are ready will keep your sleep deprived self a bit more energized. I was able to start walking on Day 10 post partum. I found that even 10-20 minutes of slow walking made me feel like me again, this was my time. I am now going on week 11 and I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight and although I have a colicky child I have still managed to find “me time”. I wanted to give a few ideas on how to find the time to do so.
1. Once you know the time your child wakes up wake up just 20 minutes earlier and do a 20 minute interval cardio session (1 min high intensity/2 min cool down with a 5 minute warm-up and 2-5 minute cool down)
2. Prepare healthy snacks to grab when your child is napping or in the evening when your husband is there to help. This will eliminate the urge to grab whatever is nearby to snack on
3. Prepare your evening meals (dinner) during his nap time. I’ll grill a few chicken breasts of have my meal ready to throw in the oven, you can even use those crockpot recipes you’ve been meaning to make.
4. Now for the hard part, working out. Once again early morning, nap time or in the evening find time to do a circuit training for just 20-30 minutes. When your child is doing Tummy Time you can too by doing planks while he is on his stomach.
5. If you cannot get away from your child use your own body weight to do push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, etc while he is content
These are just a few ideas that have worked for me, it’s hard to find time for you but it’s important for your well-being to do so. Just make sure if you are breastfeeding that you are getting enough good calories since you burn 350-500 calories a day.
Be Well.
Homemade Banana Ice Cream March 15, 2011
I found this recipe on a cooking blog and had to try it out myself. I anticipate making this with different variations and cannot wait until baby freeman is old enough to taste test it for himself. It’s so simple, so tasty and so healthy. I’ve been craving ice cream while pregnant and although I have made a few trips to McD’s for a cone this does the trick without the guilt. Here is the recipe.
1-2 frozen ripe banana(s) cut into small pieces (the riper the better, peel and cut into pieces BEFORE you freeze)
Food processor (the magic bullet doesn’t work like the food processor)
Directions: Process banana for about a minute, you will have to stop it periodically to scrap sides and move to the center. Add 1 tsp of vanilla and mix again. You can also add a little peanut butter or protein ( I like lean dessert, chocolate candy bar) if that is what you need. Blend for a good 2-3 minutes and it will start to get very thick. Once it’s to an ice cream consistency you are done. You can add chocolate chips, fruit, or any topping you like.
SOOOOO GOOD!
Be Well.
I’m back and bigger than before! February 18, 2011
It’s been quite a while since I’ve blogged and I think that is partially due to getting pregnant. However, I feel this is the most important time to be healthy. I may have to change my handle to married mom, fit with fido! I can see why women gain more weight than recommended when they get pregnant. Your emotions and cravings are against you and especially if you have food aversions. I was lucky enough to only hate chicken for a week. I have managed to gain the appropriate amount of weight and walk religiously. I hear you out there….well good for you! I also manage to cross three lanes of traffic while driving past McDonald’s because nothing sounds better than a vanilla ice cream cone from there. This is a time to enjoy but not indulge and take care of something even greater than you.
It’s hard to find the time and the energy everyday to find time for yourself let alone to exercise. However, I found that if I at least 20 minutes a day I find that I continue to walk for at least 30 and I feel a burst of energy afterwards. If your body is telling you NO, then listen to your body, but more than likely you just need to get yourself moving.
As far as food cravings there are some moments where you just need to give in, but make sure those moments are not everyday and make sure you are eating healthy a majority of your day to make up for crossing those three lanes of traffic.
Your baby and your post-baby body will thank you.
Be Well.
How to eat fruit? November 29, 2010
The following information is not a true reflection of my belief in how to eat fruit? I am just supplying some information I found through research. I’m not sure I’m ready to eliminate my banana and blueberries from my oatmeal just yet, but some information to digest…no pun intended.
We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It’s not that easy. It’s important to know how and when to eat fruit.
What’s the correct way to eat fruit?
IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER A MEAL! FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.
Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.
FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it’s prevented from doing so.
In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You’ve heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach.. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat!
There’s no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.
When you need to drink fruit juice drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT the concentrated juice from the cans. Don’t drink juice that has been heated. Don’t eat cooked fruit; you don’t get the nutrients at all. You get only the taste. Cooking destroys all of the vitamins.
Eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body. Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look!
KIWI:Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E and fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange!
AN APPLEa day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants and flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack and stroke.
STRAWBERRY:
Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits and protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.
EATING 2 – 4 ORANGESa day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent and dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer.
WATERMELON:Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C and Potassium.
GUAVA & PAPAYA:Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.
Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer!
Can you believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this applies to you. It’s nice to have a cold drink after a meal, however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you’ve just consumed, which slows digestion. Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal.
Be Well!
What’s Soup? November 8, 2010
I’ve taken a little break from blogging, but hopefully back with some great tips for you all to stay healthy as fall starts to come to a close and winter is just around the corner. The swimsuits are packed away and we are pulling out the bulky sweaters and jeans. This often makes it easier to add a few additional pounds to keep us warm for the weather. Not to mention how great comfort food tastes when it’s cold outside. I love soup when it’s cold outside but diner beware a lot of restaurant soups are high in fat, but also very high in sodium and calories. Here are a few tips to enjoy the warmth, but not the calories.
Portion size, everything in moderation…keep it to a cup not a bowl
Ask the server if it’s broth based or cream based
Order a small cup of soup and a smaller entree to fill you up with less calories
Most important, Enjoy it!
Also, when you can make your own soups at home using pureed beans or steamed veggies pureed with milk as a creamy like base.
Be Well
Your “True North” August 25, 2010
At the company I work for we have something called “True North”. I started to think about my own personal Truth North. This is when we consider ourselves to be at our best whether that is feeling good, looking good, treating someone well, as a whole what makes you feel your best. We strive so hard to be the best often times this makes us actually feel at our worst. I love to read magazines and some of my favorite magazines are fitness magazines. The women on the cover of all these magazines have the most amazing bodies, but for most of them it’s their job. We should all have goals that we want to achieve, but we should also make them attainable and sustainable. I am just as guilty as many women, once striving and stressing myself to attain a bodytype that unless I wanted it to be my full time job it just wasn’t in the cards. I do believe it that is what you truly want than that is what you can truly achieve, but if that is not your goal then don’t obsess over it. Find your True North. What is your health compass telling you to do? You have to lead the journey, but it should also be something that will leave you feeling happy, healhty and alive. Your health and wellness should include finding your fire, what gets you up every morning, what makes you tick. Somtimes it takes us years to find our fire and it will also change as we age. Try something new this week. Whether it’s a new fitness class or just walking with an old friend. Get out and stay active, but do it because it makes you happy, not because you want to look like the model on the cover of a magazine. Which way is your compass telling you to go.
As always. Be Well.
Drink ON the pounds August 4, 2010
I think my trip to Vegas may have stimulated this blog, we all have to splurge ever once in awhile and when in Vegas…..
You may be getting plenty of exercise, watching what you eat and counting your calories. However, did you know that a lot of our calories are coming from our drinks. We seem to ignore those liquid calories. You know, those that are in regular sodas, and fruit drinks you drink every day with your meals, but also with the alcoholic drinks you are consuming with tonic water and ginger ale. Look on the label and see what the calories are in each serving, and then look to see how many servings are in that bottle or glass you are pouring.
An average glass of juice served at a breakfast restaurant is 2-3 servings and then there is the free refill. Are you trying to drink “light” by ordering a Gin & Tonic which serves up a whoppoing 100 calories for 8 ounces….but you only have one, right?
Pure fruit juices contain a high number of calories per serving but are often overlooked beacause they contain vitamins and minerals. However a calorie is still a calorie.
The most high-calorie drinks Let’s see how some of our favorite drinks add up:
Coffee Drinks
Do you love your latte, well did you know that the Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha with 2% milk and whip cream is worse than a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder with Cheese. The syrup flavor alone has 80 calories and you may want to think twice about the whipped cream. If you absolutely must have your morning jitters be sure to get it with skim milk and hold the syrup and whip cream.
Coffee drinks are really a milk shake with caffeine.
Individual juices
A bottle of OJ is 225 calories and the larger bottle of apple juice is just less than 300 calories. Enjoy a glass with breakfast, but make sure it is a small glass and stop with one. Have a piece of whole fruit for less sugar and more vitamins/minerals.
Cocktails
Ole! Margarita, Pina Coladas, Mai Tai’s, Chocolate Martini’s…a caloric nightmare,The alcohol, sweet mixes aka sugar as well as the cream which is fat provide extra calories. If you must enjoy your libation, enjoy your cocktails with diet soda, club soda or on the rocks….if you must just enjoy one.
Here are a few tips to decrease the amount of liquid calories you consume:
- Have diet soda/mixers with you liquor
- Have light beer
- Avoid drinks with sweet mixes and cream
- Make a wine spritzer by mixing your wine with club soda or diet lemon lime soda.
- Use fresh juices for better flavor and less calories
The problem is usually not one Chocolate Martini, Colorado Bulldog or Top Shelf Margarita, but rather the number of high calorie drinks consumed each week. Are you stopping at one? Think about you how you might enjoy an extra 500-750 calories per week.
Cheers! To your health.
Banana Berry Cake Smoothie July 14, 2010
Summer is here in full force. Have you noticed the massive amount of inexpensive fruit in the grocery store and the farmers market right now? I hope you are loving it as much as I am. Cherries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries….it’s the small things in life. I felt compelled to post this recipe I created. I cannot believe it’s even good for you, it tastes like blueberry ice cream and tasty after a workout or on a hot summer day. However, I like it so much I think I could find reason.
Banana Berry Cake Smoothie
1/2 ripe frozen banana (I keep a batch peeled and frozen in the freezer)
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1 scoop *cake batter protein powder
1/3 cup almond milk or water
Put all ingredients with a small amount of crushed ice in your magic bullet and blend, if it’s too thick add water or more almond milk to desired consistency. I prefer it to be almost ice cream like where I can eat it with a spoon. Top with fresh blueberries. Enjoy!
*Vanilla or plain protein powder would work well with this as well or if you don’t have or don’t need the extra protein increase to 1 whole banana and add more crushed ice and almond milk. The frozen banana is key for the thick texture.
married, fit with fido 