I’m off for the weekend to hang with my fellow fitness/healthy living blogging buddies at the Fitbloggin conference.
I’m very excited! I’ll be there with the baby so if you are going to be there please say hi!
Have an ACTIVE weekend gang!
Remember Jill Knapp, the fit mommy I featured who lost over 100 pounds and then placed in the Mrs. Idaho competition?
Her story was picked up by the producers of the Dr. Oz show and she appeared on his show! How exciting, congratulations Jill!
Here is a clip of Jill and her story. She really is an inspiration and one fit (and beautiful!) mommy!
PS: if the Dr. Oz producers are reading my blog, I am available for future shows. Thanks! 
Gisele Bundchen (wife of Tom Brady) is featured in this months Vogue magazine. She had her first baby back in December right around the same time that I had my little one.
She has bounced back to her pre-pregnancy body (if not better) and I’m trying to figure out why I continue to depress myself by following the post-baby celebrity pictures? She does not have my life. And I certainly do not have her abs. (sigh)
[Photo credit: Patrick Demarchelier/Vogue]
As for how she is in such great shape?
“I did kung fu up until two weeks before Benjamin was born, and yoga three days a week. I think a lot of people get pregnant and decide they can turn into garbage disposals. I was mindful about what I ate, and I gained only 30 pounds.”
I fully admit that I was a human garbage disposal and unfortunately have not stopped. Maybe seeing Gisele is the kick in the (fat) pants that I need?
Today’s guest post is courtesy of Dr. Christina Grant, a holistic healer and spiritual counselor who works in person and by phone. She has helped hundreds of people attain physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being through personal transformation. She is co-author of The 8 Minute Muse and is completing a book with a fresh perspective on women’s health. To learn more, contact her, read her blog, and sign up for her monthly e-newsletter, see www.christinagrant.com.
When you are in balance and harmony with life you can be most effective in your business. What you want to achieve suffers when you are too much engrossed in the tasks or worries of work and not taking time to maintain harmony within your body, mind, and spirit.
Most of us have been trained to work hard. If we are not working hard, we have been programmed to feel guilty about not working hard. Ever heard someone called lazy because they weren’t working hard enough?
Hard work has held the promise of reward, but there is a downside if we find ourselves not enjoying the living of it all. If balance between work and life outside of work is not maintained, your well-being can suffer, harming your peace of mind, physical health, and your relationships.
Even if you love your work, thrive on it, and can do it all day and into the night, it is important to take some time to rest and create a balance. Stop, reflect, restore, and revitalize. Your relationships need attention, your spirit needs nurturing, your body needs care, and your mind needs some time off. If these are neglected, is there any amount of success that can make up for their loss?
I think it is important to work at something you love, or at least like. Simultaneously, it is important to pay attention to your inner world. This helps you maintain a healthy balance. There are 10 simple things you can do each day to aid you in this worthy endeavor. I practice them myself and hope you will join me.
1. Inhale with awareness.
2. Walk in nature, even for just 10 minutes. Aim for 30.
3. Sit in silence and still your mind for at least 10 minutes each day.
4. Notice if you are thirsty, hungry, tired. What do you do about it?
5. While eating, slow down and give your full attention.
6. Avoid people who consume your energy.
7. Embrace people who accept and support your endeavors.
8. Regard the beauty of your surroundings.
9. Appreciate the freedom and ability to work or establish a business of your own.
10. Exhale completely.
My trip to Disney was jam packed full of fun activities–please click over to Workout Mommy Reviews for the details!
When I showed my son my medal he was so excited because he thought I won the race. So I went ahead and let him believe that.
It is time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”! As I surf around the blogosphere, I come across fit moms (and dads too!) who inspire me to fitness.
Today’s fit mommy is Becky, who blogs over at Skinny Dreaming. Becky is a busy mommy of SEVEN—who has recently lost 137.5 pounds to reach her goal weight.
Yes, she has seven kids and still manages to make time for health and fitness! Becky deserves a huge round of applause for all that she has accomplished, don’t you agree?
Please read on for more about Becky and why she is definitely “One Fit Mommy”:
Q: Have you always been fit? What inspired you to live a fit lifestyle?
I was not fit as a teenager, but I wasn’t more than about ten pounds overweight back then.
After I had my first child, I began putting on weight, a bit more each year. My eating habits were horrible! I spent the age of 20 through the age of 36 going up and up in weight. At my highest weight, I was 272.5 pounds. I now weigh 135 pounds.
With my fifth and sixth pregnancies, I had developed high blood pressure and been admitted to the hospital before they were born. During the fifth pregnancy’s labor, it became truly life-threatening. When I found out I was pregnant for the seventh time (and still unfit and morbidly obese), I knew I had to do something about my health. I waited until I was past the first trimester (and past the risk of an early miscarriage) and then I joined Slimming World. I knew someone who went to Slimming World and had lost over 60 pounds, s I decided to give it a try. I had thought about joining Weight Watcher’s, but Weight Watcher’s did not have a plan for pregnant women and Slimming World did.
I also started walking a lot. It was painful while I was pregnant because I had really painful pain in my hips and pelvic area caused by the pregnancy, and I also had a condition known as plantar fasciitis (inflamed heels) which made walking excruciatingly painful, but I knew it was good for me, so I walked anyway. After a few weeks, my husband bought us an elliptical crosstrainer and I started using it more and more. (The plantar fasciitis went away completely after my weight started dropping.)
Q: What advice do you have for moms who claim they don’t have time for exercise?
Everyone has time for exercise, even if it doesn’t always feel like it. It’s just a matter of making exercise a priority in your life. Sometimes I get up before the kids do (which isn’t easy as they are early risers) to fit in some exercise if I know I am going to have a busy day. Other times, I exercise when the baby is napping. If I’ve procrastinated, I end up having to do my exercise late at night after the kids have gone to bed, but I try not to wait that long to do it.
It’s not always easy, and the kids can sometimes cause lots of interruptions in my workout, but I still get it done.
Q: What is your favorite exercise and why?
I don’t really have a favorite. I am not an exercise lover. I use the Wii Fit (and Wii Fit Plus) and I like that I can add hand weights in when using the step exercises on
it. I like that using the elliptical crosstrainer really makes me break out into a sweat and feel like I am really burning calories. I also enjoy the time I spend with my husband when we take the dog for long walks together.
Q: Are you more of a cardio mommy or strength training mommy?
I do both, but I have to admit I do more cardio at the moment. I am pretty much ata healthy weight now after losing more than half my starting body weight, so I am thinking about selling my crosstrainer and buying a rowing machine. I’m looking to tone up now that I’ve lost 137 pounds.
Q: Do you have any mental tricks that you use when you just don’t feel like working out?
I just make myself do it. I tell myself I’ll feel good about it when it’s done. I tell myself that it’s better to just get it over with so I stop worrying about it for the rest of the day. If I don’t do it early in the day, I really do spend the rest of the day worrying that I won’t manage to do it. I’ve just made it a part of my daily routine.
Q: Random question: What is your favorite snack food?
I love making up a big bowl of chopped fruit such as strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and melon and then pouring a fat-free vanilla yogurt over it. It’s filling, full of fiber and nutrients and really helps when I
need something sweet.
Thank you Becky for being an inspiration to all of us!
We did it! I survived! (barely)
It was tons of fun though and worth every single step. Would I recommend this race to someone? Definitely. Disney goes all out on everything and really creates some “magic” for you. The only two things I did not like were the crazy wake up time (hello 3am!) and the course was slightly boring at times. You only run through the Magic Kingdom for a few minutes and the rest of the race is on Florida’s highways. For anyone who has run a race before, you understand that crowd support is important. There were not many spectators during this race so by mile 9 and 10 I was definitely dragging. But my fellow princesses kept me going and I finished with a big smile on my face.
It was fantastic and FUN and I hope to be back at Disney again very, very soon.
I will be posting more details of this fabulous weekend soon, I just wanted to quickly thank everyone for your support and virtual cheering!
I also must thank Disney for giving me this opportunity. The baby and I will miss Mickey, but we plan to be back very soon!
Even my boys know how to squeeze fitness into their day!
Here they are finishing up their push ups right before bed.
Never underestimate the power of a workout gang!
Have a FANTASTIC weekend! I’m off to Disney to run like a princess!
It is time for another installment of “One Fit Mommy”!
As I surf around the blogosphere, I come across fit moms (and dads too!) who inspire me to fitness.
Today’s fit mommy is Anne Marie, who blogs over at Goals for the Week. She is a busy mommy of two who finds the time to make fitness a priority. Please read on for more about Anne Marie and how she is definitely “One Fit Mommy”!
Q: Have you always been fit? What inspired you to live a fit lifestyle?
I was never known to be overweight, but I was never really fit until after I decided to hire a trainer/nutritionist when my twins turned 1. At my heaviest ~5 yrs ago, I was 175 (this is NOT including pregnancy weight which is a TOTALLY different number), and now I’m ~138. What inspired me to live an active lifestyle was wanting to take my fitness to a more serious level as an athlete for both triathlons and running. So I hired a trainer/nutritionist and it was by far the best investment ever! It changed my life.
Q: What advice do you have for moms who claim they don’t have time for exercise?
I think it initially takes a risk for moms to put exercise on their daily agenda for many reasons. There’s the ‘Mommy guilt’ for leaving their baby so they can go hop on a treadmill. It can feel weird at first. Also, potential post baby body issues, etc, etc. I can say for me though, I KNOW I was and am a better mom because I plan exercise in my life. It’s my ‘Me’ time, and the results transcend across all the roles I am in life.
Q: What is your favorite exercise and why?
Ooooh, that’s a tough one. I feel like it depends on my mood. But overall I’d say strength training and fartlek runs are my favorite. I’ve seen the biggest results from learning how to properly strength train. Inverse crunches and Smith rack squats are my favorite. And I love interval style runs. Talk about a post run high
Q: Are you more of a cardio mommy or strength training mommy?
Ohh, again hard to choose! I really heart them both. They just really compliment each other well. I don’t think I can choose one over the other, it’s like choosing a favorite child or something;-)
Q: Do you have any mental tricks that you use when you just don’t feel like working out?
Oh, yeah! I have a mental rolodex I rely on when I just don’t feel like working out. I’m always adding new inspirations to it, but currently my Top Motivators are:
1. I know it’ll make me feel better physically and mentally. I might lessen the intensity or duration, but I just need to get that workout in. The post workout high is worth it2. I’m usually ‘training’ for, or tapering from, a race. These events are what fuel me. At the beginning of the year, I choose my races, then create a general training plan. This plan helps me stay focused and committed.
3. My workouts let me eat ice cream and drink my sugar coffee. If I don’t do my workouts, my treats just don’t taste the same. I like having my cake and eating it too- and that’s how I feel when I follow my workouts
4. Sometimes it comes down to passing someone using a cane and I just think ‘Okay Anne Marie, use your body today… because you CAN’
5. If I don’t feel like doing my swim, bike, or run, I’ll just say ‘okay get out there and at least do it for ~10 minutes, then if I feel like quitting I can. And most times I end up doing the whole workout.
Q: Random question: What is your favorite breakfast food?
Every morning my DH makes me and the kids a fruit/protein smoothie…and it’s like dessert. Then I have it with toast and a lil’ peanut butter and I’m good to go. I am a TOTAL believer in breakfast!
Thank you Anne Marie for being an inspiration!
Ok gang, let’s all take Anne Marie’s advice and use our bodies today because we CAN! Never underestimate the power of a workout!
This past summer I was having a VERY difficult time with my almost four year old. So much so that I considered sending him to a therapist. My sweet little boy had transformed into a very angry child who was never happy.
I was at the end of my rope. This was compounded by the fact that he still did not sleep through the night. Yes, he was almost four and still was getting up several times per night. I had tried EVERYTHING and felt like I was a parenting failure. With baby #3 due in short time, I did not know what to do.
Enter Positive Parenting Solutions. I learned about the course through a webinar exactly like I am offering here and purchased the program instantly. It was an absolute EYE OPENER for me. Some of the concepts are so simple, yet they had never even crossed my mind. (example: spending more time encouraging instead of correcting)
The course was founded by Amy McCready. She presents the material via high quality videos, readings and interactives. Within the sessions are Note-Taking Guides, a Toolbox, a FAQ, and an index of terms. You take the course at your own pace, which I really appreciated. I also sought Amy’s advice via a telephone call and she was so responsive and helpful. I only wish she was local to me so I could hire her to come directly to my house!
I love Amy’s Positive Parenting Breakthrough Solutions course so much that I am thrilled to be offering a free Webinar on the Art of Consequences.
Please join me on Tuesday, March 16 from 9-10 PM EST. You can sign up HERE and again it is absolutely FREE!
I’ve come a long way with my four year old and still have a bumpy road ahead. (he sleeps through the night though!)
Now that I have some great tools in my toolbox, I feel much more prepared to handle that road!
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