Wednesday, May 7, 2008

How to be a Mom and Still...Be Healthy!

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taking care of our bodies is big stuff, and quite honestly sometimes very irritating. everyone knows it is important, and some of us are rockin' that perfectly healthy bod on the inside as well as out, i will have to place myself in the middle somewhere. in the past i have lost weight successfully after 2 babies, gave up after 1, and am recently remotivated to kick my personal butt into gear post baby 4 (she is actually 2 so i am stretching the "baby" word there). however, we all know that being physically fit can be done--have you seen the biggest loser?--and it is most definitely about more than the scale. eating healthy and appropriate portions are half of the battle. a few things that i have tried or am trying:

*EXERCISE!
1. join a gym with childcare
2.workout with a buddy, before kids wake up
3.buy/borrow some great fitness dvd's, workout after kids go to sleep
4.move it! make more trips up or down your stairs than usual

*get support, and it could help to join weight watchers. the last time i checked they had a pretty good system and encouraged lots of fuits/veg's and whole grains.
*read some good books. i love the super foods rx diet book. it focuses on healthy portions, good foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, yogurt, chocolate and fish (just to name a few) encourages proper sleep habits, anti-soda and "fake" foods, and definitely promotes exercise.
*make being healthy a priority in your family. we try to only have dessert once a week, and it's a "real" one, no sugar-free jell-o, or weird textured candies. teaching your kids how to be healthy now while they are little is really important.
*don't give up! sometimes it takes a while to figure it out and stop all the sugar cravings from screaming at you, but you know it's worth it.

i want to emphasize HEALTHY here. i am not encouraging crazy diets, wacky exercise or ridiculously tiny portions. you need to eat every few hours, and you need to eat REAL food that is full of nutrients (not high fructose corn syrup) and after a couple of weeks you will totally see a difference. you tell me, how can i make a bigger difference?

4 comments:

abbyjane said...

any tips on how to lose a bit of weight while nursing?

also, I enjoy taking my kids for a brisk walk in the mornings for exercise, especially now that the weather is warming up. It is good for them and for me!

Stephanie said...

The YMCA offers free child care with your membership. I started teaching fitness classes as a way to keep me on track. It forces me to go whether I want to or not!

amy said...

my favorite is yoga, although i do try to run and play tennis regularly. yoga puts me in a good place that affects what i take into my body. my day is more peaceful when i start off with even a few minutes of meditation. i have more info if anyone is interested. it's life changing (not to be dramatic).

Tara said...

One thing that really helps me is signing up for a race. There are tons of 5 and 10k's this time of year and knowing I have to race in a couple of weeks keeps me motivated.

Also, sweets/treats are my downfall. I love them. I've learned if I bake something I control my intake of the item much more if I freeze part of the batch. For example, I will make cookies and bake some of them, the others I make little balls out of and freeze them for another day. Then, when I want a treat I take a couple out and bake them and the cookies are nice and fresh out of the oven every time. If most of the dough is frozen, I have to go to great lengths to eat just one more.