Tuesday, December 30, 2008

First Experiences

I have been fighting a virus and have a sore throat right now so I have taken 2 days off and did a very small workout today. My workout- 10 push ups, 10 rotational planks, 10 1 legged burpies, 10 push ups.

So I have a rash all over my torso, something similar to what I had when I was pregnant. I was worried, but was thinking maybe something was changing with my hormones to have caused this, as that is what the "Pups of Pregnancy" rash I suffered is associated with. I consulted with my naturopath and she asked are you under the weather? Yes I am suffering a sore throat. She indicated the rash is another way viruses show themselves. So its just another symptom of having a virus. Who knew. I will have to wait until this clears to perform any intense workouts as I cannot afford to lower my immunity anymore. For posted workouts visit http://babybumpfitness.ning.com in the busy moms fat loss group.

I have been having a great holiday season with my children. We took our 3 year old daughter to see Cinderella, an on stage pantomime. She loved it, she was standing/dancing/signing. During one scene they brought out a horse drawn carriage, I looked at her and my heart melted. She was so excited I thought she was going to cry, her innocence and an evening full of new experiences was well worth it, even though all I could think of was "where do they keep those animals? are they treated well? had I known there were live animals I would have boycotted it." I am such a grouchy, cynical adult. I only wish I could feel what she feels when she looks at the world around her, only in the eyes of a child. I cherish every moment watching and sharing her first experiences.

Sunday, December 28, 2008

MORE CHOCOLATE!!

No more, please. It's everywhere, chocolate. I ate chocolate cake then later that day had about 10 quality streets in a row. A weird thing happened, I felt extremely sick after this. I felt like I was drunk except the bed was not spinning. I had a chocolate hang over. The chocolate are all away in a cupboard and I cannot stand the site of them. I am back to eating clean.

My workouts are posted for busy new moms to help loose fat post partum. Please follow along, ask questions and join http://babybumpfitness.ning.com for busy mom fitness support.

My workout-dynamics, push ups rotational plank, kettle bell swings, ball hamstring curls, dead bug, modified pull ups, kettle bell high pull, kettle bell cleans, full squats, ball adductor bridges

Monday, December 22, 2008

HOLIDAY WORKOUTS posted

I have posted 2 holiday workouts and will be putting up another one at http://babybumpfitness.ning.com under the GROUP Busy Moms Fat Loss and on my comment page. Enjoy have a great holiday season with your little ones.

My workout today- furious 5 for my warmup, pushups, kettlebell swings, full squat dumbell press, modified pullups both grips, lunges 2x through

Thursday, December 18, 2008

O' Christmas Tree


O' Christmas Tree, Oh crap. I picked up Kasia from daycare with Ava in the car and decided to venture out with both of them to find a nice little Christmas tree. Well I only took 35$ cash in my pocket-mistake 1. The first shop we stopped at along busy Danforth Ave was a garden shop- 40$ plus tax no negotiation. Standing there freezing with 2 kids and not getting a tree immediatley is well interesting, I put them back in the car to stop the crying. The shop owner chased me down and offered my a tree that resembled a Cactus for 35$, it was worth about 3$. The next shop same thing 40$, I had managed to scrounge another 4.75$ from my car but was turned away.

I scoured the neighbourhood for a tree and everyone was getting hungry at this point-no dice. We took a trip over to a local build all centre and found the tree. 2 feet too big but only 30$. All the seats were flat in my car and the tree was wedged between the two kids in the back seat and popping out of the passenger side window. It was full of ice and snow and I could hardly lift it. I did not feel like a fit mom at this point, just defeated by a price cap of 39.75$ and recovering from a slightly unlawful drive home. This is what a busy new mom goes through for her kids.

My workout- feeling a bit sore from shovelling snow I did a shoulder rehab day with neck stretches.

Monday, December 15, 2008

I'M BACK

Glad to be back and trying to establish some sort of routine during this busy holiday season. As a mother the holiday season is 10 fold hectic-over tiered kids, kids at parties and on sugar, moms on alcohol to deal with overtired kids, lots of holiday treat temptation and too busy to exercise. WHAT TOO BUSY TO EXERCISE!! If this is your life take control. View exercise as an outlet, something to take you away from the stress and temptation of the holiday season. You get some alone time, you won't be spending money, drinking or eating during your few moments of fitness solitude. For the most part no one will bother a busy new mom as she tries to establish her exercise routine. Ask for it and you will receive--yes family support as you start or maintain your post partum exercise routine. Let someone else take the reins for 15 minutes.

My workout today- warm up-leg and arm swings, shoulder clock, wall shoulder press/rotation, side planks, stationary lunge, 10 crunches with 1 leg extended, warm up set full squat. My fat loss circuit 3 exercises, 3 sets, 10 reps of full squat with dumbbell shoulder press, modified pull ups, kettle bell swings.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

New Social Network For Pregnancy/Motherhood

Please check out the new social network for you at http://babybumpfitness.ning.com . This is set up for you to ask questions, meet people or just rant. We have some great professionals as members. Welcome Dr. Michael K Jones (physiotherapist), owner/instructor of American Association of Fitness and Rehab Professionals and owner of many sports physiotherapy clinics dealing with professional athletes across the United States. Dr. Jen Castles is a member of http://babybumpfitness.ning.com, she is an accomplished naturopathic doctor. Meet these professionals and other women like you. Enjoy!!!

Friday, December 5, 2008

BANANAS!!!

That's right bananas, spit up all over me around 12am the other night, I guess she(AVA) doesn't like them. I was frantically wiping myself clean with a little help from the dog so I could be somewhat presentable at the gym the next morning.

My toddler(KASIA) has a hard time understanding that I WORK. I am not her oncall 24/7 personal servant and she is just starting to realize this. When I mention work, she clings on, when I work on the computer she constantly interrupts me with attention seeking behaviour. I know part of this is her age (3years), arrival of the new baby and the fact that I appear to be one of the only working mom's at the school I drop her at and the reality that she needs me. She definitely drives me bananas, but I am her mommy and I love her. I will be taking a week off the computer to spend some quality time with my girls and my husband. Talk to you next week.

My workout-warm up, 3 sets full front barbell squat with pelvic floor squeeze at the bottom, lunge press, single leg lower for abdominals, windmill, plank rotation, front plank with arm reaches, brooks hip stabilization series (wall pushes from front and side) small fat loss circuit jump squats to kettle bell twists to mountain climbers to burpie high pull with kettle bell to slow bulgarian split squats.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Post Rehabilitation Workout

My Workout- Wall shoulder rotations with shoulder press 2 sets, isometric lunge with lat row 2 sets/leg, isometric lunge with chest press 2 sets/leg, side plank leg lift, up/up/down/down front plank, abdominal leg lower 1 leg at a time, crunch with one leg extended, band external shoulder rotation, lower trap palm to ceiling off stability ball, 3 sets of 20 kettle bell swings, push ups off stability ball.

The above workout is an example of a post rehab workout. During pregnancy your posture changes and some muscles become short and tight, others long and weak. The above exercises help stretch pectorals, strengthen rotator cuff and upper back muscles, strengthen abdominals (including transverse abdominus) and fix rectus diastases, strengthen hip flexors (out ot length) and gluteals, multifidi muscles in your back and lower trapezius to counteract hunching your shoulders. I stuck in the kettle bell swings because I can, I get a boost from them.

My husband is away for business again this week, so that means calling on the grandparents for help. I rely on their help in order to get the children to daycare in the morning with an early schedule. So far I haven't found a daycare that opens at 5:30am around my place yet, but I know every new mother is up. What a weird time of day, I may set a new first phone call edicate between new mom's, yes it is ok to call each other at 5:30am.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Old Friends

Workout this morning- 3 Rounds of 20 seconds work/10 second rest. Exercises for first 2 rounds pull ups as my interval with burpie press, ball pull ins, heavy kettle bell swing, jumping jacks, for my last round used push ups as my interval. To explain this I do a set of berpies then pull ups, a set of ball pull ins then pull ups, a set of kettle bell swings then pull ups, a set of jumping jacks then pull ups.

I had a chance to catch up with my roommate for university on Friday. It was great to see her again and meet her kids, she has the same family combo as me a 3 year old and an infant. This seems to be common spacing for families. We were mentioning how all we feel like we do is yell and say no, it's enough to drive you crazy. One kid in the terrible or testing 2's and an infant. As a mom you know how thin you can be spread, even to find time to blog is a chore. Like right now my toddler is screaming for one of us and is about to wake the baby. .......... I'm back she has to go poo. My husband asked how are visit was and I indicated we probably only got 5 minutes to catch up otherwise we were on call for the kids, but that 5 minutes is worth it to keep your sanity. My husband also made reference to the fact that it must be nice to sit around and gossip all day with the kids- he is down in the basement now.

As I have mentioned before I use fitness as a way to steal some time for myself and give me a boost. Regardless of your platform or style of fitness or where you start it can be the most important 15 minutes of your day. The mother sets the tone for the family and how the house is run. In our house we are now reviewing "happy wife, happy life" 101.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Exercise Selection

Today on my lunch hour I raced up to my daughters school to see her 30 second performance of reciting a poem at the schools annual book drive. (really she just held up a sign and mouthed a few words) I cut through traffic and made it in time, only to realize I had left my water bottle open in my bag and it spilled all over my camera. My camera was "buzzing" from my bag and it is "toast". One ruined digital camera, one 40$ parking ticket, heaps of stress in downtown traffic was worth the 30 seconds as she smiled at me in the audience. Oh yah, there will be a short break in video postings until I can manage to get a new camera.

I had a good day training people. My workout - full squat/press, kettle bell cleans, modified pull ups, weighted burpie press -break 1 minute-heavy front chop, modified pull ups, kettle bell clean and press, burpies, bent over rows.

My workout program is extremely short, it takes me about 10 minutes. If you look at my exercise selection you will notice they are all total body exercises with a huge metabolic benefit. This is an example of a fat loss workout for new mothers. If you want to lose the fat after your baby bump this is where you need to be. A workout like this does come with preparation such as muscle balancing work, post partum core training, rest and nutrition. If you do the prep, the intense workout is short and the PAY OFF is huge to help you get your body back after having a baby. This 10 minute workout requires so much oxygen that your body goes into "oxygen debt" and will work hard all day to repay itself, this is where you get the fat loss benefit. Exercise selection is very important and you should have a good reason for performing each exercise in your program or you are waisting your time.

Sunday, November 23, 2008

First Born




Today is my eldest daughters 3rd birthday. We had a party with cake, pizza, balloons, lots of friends. She was so happy at the end of the night, out of the blue gave me a big hug and kiss as I was putting on her pj's. This struck something in me and I started thinking about what it is to be a mother.


I can recall every moment of that night 3 years ago when I gave birth to my first daughter. I was in labour for 2 days until my contractions were getting painful. My husband and I read the same small paragraph in our birth manual about 1000 times. We were clueless, excited, scared and ready for something to happen. Well it happened, in a big way, and it is still happening. We never imagined the joy we would feel along with feelings of vulnerability having exposed ourselves to being parents. I think back over the past 3 years how my life has changed, I am responsible for another life (and another one since). Feelings of loneliness, isolation, frustration, joy, love, pride, my eyes and heart have been opened wider than I ever thought imaginable. I recall saying to one of my friends when my daughter was born, "this is the single most important thing I have ever done in my life." No amount of money, fame, popularity, failure, frustration could ever take this experience from me. The PROUDEST day of my life.




Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Week by Week Early Post Partum Exercise Progression

Sorry to be away but the girls are both sick. I'm training today because my dad is helping with the kids. My workout today- 2 x thru this circuit-ball pull ins, ball toe taps, 1 legged ball pull in. Explosive band kettle bell front chops/modified pull ups, barbell front squat/kettle bell cleans, Power band barbell front squats, power band barbell full dead lift with band resistance from on front and from behind 5 sets, finish with 10x jump squat/10x jumping jacks/5x burpies 2x thru.

I obviously modified my workouts as I slept about 10hours in 4 nights last week, one day I just did body weight squats/lunges/push ups 2x thru, another day I worked on slower rehab exercises.

I am now 7 months post partum and my pelvis is pretty much back to it normal position. What I did up to this point-

Weeks 1-6 post partum- I worked on kegals and huff breathing like what they send you away from the hospital with. I added the Furious 5 exercises about 6 weeks post partum. My relaxin levels were still high.

Weeks 6-12- I performed rehab exercises with some anaerobics at the end of my workout for a few minutes. This was it and it was slow. I kept doing the Furious 5- progressed stage 2

Weeks 12-24- I started to perform some dumbbell training on 2 feet as my pelvis was not stable enough yet for single leg strengthening. I removed lunges that I had started because my SI joint was feeling irritated, I reintroduced them week 20. I started into serious fat loss training now with intense mini circuits. I am doing full squats and lunges- my pelvis can take it now.

Weeks 24-30- My mini circuits have become more intense and shorter, working in 20 second intervals. I will be transitioning to single leg weighted exercises soon and "test the bones". I still do my rehab exercises before my intense training.

I will explain my exercise progression in future blogs as to selection during certain weeks post partum.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Help, I Think My Husband Used My Nursing Pads to Clean the Bathroom

Help, I think my husband used my nursing pads to clean the bathroom. I was getting ready for work, and this is a long day of not nursing, so naturally I need to manage the leaks. I opened the cupboard and it was bare. All I can think in my head was my husband was on a cleaning rampage this past weekend and now I have no breast pads left from under the bathroom sink...yeah beside the basket of toilet paper and cleaning clothes. It was a long day and I wore a hoodie.

I had a smokin' workout. My workout kettle bell swings as my interval and my 4 exercises were; full squat dumbbell press, push up off stability ball, burpie press, ball pull in, 3x thru. Enjoy this one.

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Pay It Forward

I am on my own this week, my husband is on a business trip. I woke up this morning, got my eldest ready for her school picture day, and searched the house for something beginning with the letter "I" for show and tell- no dice. As I was packing up the girls the green bin recycle truck arrived early and had emptied our bin- I left the girls in the front hall and went chasing the truck down the street with a stinky bag of diapers in hand. It is crucial to get your stuff in the green bin in Toronto because the city is crawling with raccoons that will scavenge everything-yes even diapers full of poop. I strapped the girls into their car seats and it was off to the daycare, when I arrived I realized I didn't have my wallet-I felt naked. Where was it?, I wasn't quite sure and did not have time to return to the house and look for it. This is where I call on FAVOUR #1- I phoned my sister and asked her if I could borrow some money for the day, I knew I would see her because she is the owner of the school my daughter attends. So I traded in the toddler and took the money at the school. ($ and kid drop -good deeds #1 and #2 cashed in) I proceed downtown to train clients, it went well. I check my email and the twittermoms have left me some very encouraging support meassages about my blog. (encouragment-good deed #3)
One of my clients performed a new exercise today. She was shocked and explained, "this one is pulling in my Kegel." Wow I'm better than I thought- I told this professional writer client-I have to write about it, Gail this one's for you.
On my way to pick up my daughter a friend and colleague phoned to let me know I had left my diaper bag with my wallet in it at another gym that I am affiliated with. (phone call-good deed #4) I knew I didn't have time to go get my bag across town, so I called on The Fit and Busy Dad, Chris Lopez, because he doesn't have enough to do. He checked his schedule and said he's training in the area tomorrow so he will use his only 1/2 hour break to go pick up my diaper bag and wallet, and bring it back to our hood, we are neighbours.(wallet retrieval-good deed #5). Chris, the Fit and Busy Dad is a stand up guy, I am friends with him and his wife Rozanne. Reviewing my week I can appreciate how much I ask of them. Saturday morning I call his place asking to borrow some DVDs for work, I turn up with 1 kid in hand and he offers me his entire DVD educational library which is worth it's weight, if he doesn't have it, it ain't worth having. I sit at his kitchen table while he cooks breakfast for his 4 daughters and wife, and he still has time to offer me an espresso. (DVDs and espresso- good deeds #6 & #7). Amazing to watch this family in action, they have got it together. You can check out Chris and his family at http://fitandbusydad.blogspot.com/.
The day is coming to an end and I turn up at the daycare to see the baby is in a different outfit- this means only 1 thing- a poo explosion. The daycare provider offers to wash the poo filled clothes and she will keep them on hand for the next time. (good deed #8-washing my babies poo clothes)
Sometimes you just need a couple of good gestures as a mom and I definitely needed and appreciated every single one of them today.
Todays workout-I am tired and will be taking the day off.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Screaming Kids and Wining Dog- Still Got My Workout In

OUR FAMILY WORKOUT

On the weekend my husband mentioned he is only get 1/2 of his workout done in the morning the dog clicks her paws and whines and wakes up the kids. I asked, how long do you workout for-20minutes. I asked him to work out with me, we can cut that in half. So that evening I made our 3 year old daughter her dinner and set the baby in the exersaucer (aka- ring of neglect) where they could see us. In typical fashion for our house, the toddler had a meltdown because I do not let her in our mini gym, my rule when I am lifting weights, she has to stay at the door and watch or exercise herself. The baby picked up on the vibe and freaked out and our hyperactive springer spaniel was wining up a storm in and out of the gym. I told him "this is as good as it gets, let's start". We burned through a circuit-our workout- 4 exercises and 4 burpie dumbbell press intervals- 8 things to complete 1 minute rest and repeat. The 4 exercises- heavy kettle bell swing, squat high pull, kettle bell push press right side, kettle bell push press left side. My husband was drenched in sweat, I said "see only 10 minutes warm-up to finish". He replied, "it felt longer". Not because of the exercise, but because of all the commotion during our workout. It didn't phase me, I workout in those conditions all the time, this is one of the reasons I only workout for 10 minutes I couldn't listen to screaming any longer than that. I have made my workout to fit my life, I get good results and there is science to backup my regime. I am not unique all mothers have a schedule like me, this is why I have made it my mission to create fitness programs for busy moms.

30% OFF NIKE

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Sunday, November 9, 2008

Read My Threads at Popular Fitness Sites

good way to lose weight after pregnancy?
... this is working great and even if I am sleep deprived (usually) I can complete this program. Hope this helps. JFitMom http://jfitmom.blogspot.com ...babyfit.sparkpeople.com/archive_posts.asp?imBoard=18&imParent=7584838 - 52k - Cached - Similar pages

Exercise Central
MGARCHI08, 14, JFITMOM 11/3/08 1:23 P. Running question · MAOFMANDY, 4, CRCASTLE 11/1/08 5:58 P. Ab Slider? NOELLELOY, 4, CATHY_CRAM_MS 11/1/08 12:00 P ...

How to Drop Those Pregnancy Pounds Fit Pregnancy
Every minute counts, even if you perform one exercise for 1 minute a day you will get stronger and feel better. http://jfitmom.blogspot.com. -- Anonymous ...www.fitpregnancy.com/advice/1066?comments=1

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Jogging Strollers

Do I own a jogging stroller, you bet. Do I jog with it, NO WAY.

I own one because it was a gift and it is great for long hauls and walking the kids through the snow in winter.

First things first, I do not jog. I don't have time to jog and it does not get me anywhere near my personal fitness goal of fat loss. Jogging is cardio training your heart muscle, that's it. Holding onto a fixed handle with your hands while running places all of the cross rotational stress into your low back, your low back absorbs the upper body rotation and your low back will over rotate. As a new mother you are much more susceptible to the stress of lumbar rotation as you still have relaxin hormone floating around in your body allowing your joints to be hyper mobile and over rotate. As a new mother your core muscles have been compromised while pregnant which makes you that much more susceptible to lumbar rotation as well. You may be wondering, so what? What's the big deal with excessive lumbar rotation, Back Pain, that's the problem. I will cover this in more detail in an issue of my newsletter. Sign up if you wish to investigate this issue further.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Working Mother

The term "working mother" rolls off the tongue and is easily said without thought. The reality is "it's f**king hard".

RESUME of a working mother

Job description- clean entire house, laundry, feed family -sub jobs include- grocery shop, cook, make lunches, nurse baby, taxi driver, bath kids, oh yah and go to a 9-5 and pull in an income, be a wife

Skills- multi task to the 100th degree, referee, put hair in ponytail, wipe baby barf off a black suit, hide the bags that have progressed into luggage under your eyes, function and smile on under 3 hours sleep a night

Occasionals- host Christmas (pregnant or not), paint house, bath dog, buy all family xmas/bday cards and presents, pull out grey hairs

Interests- looking "good", feeling "normal", taking a bath

This is how I feel, I rely on my friends and husband for support and use them as my sounding boards. I have realized the only thing in the Resume above that I can control are my interests, and I have found some peace through exercise. It allows me to look "good" and feel "normal" in the most subjective sense and it also forces me to take a bath- no one wants a stinky mommy
Take a look at the Furious 5 exercise program, it may be your start to integrate interests into your busy life.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Kids in The Kitchen

When my toddler asks me if she can help in the kitchen, instead of pushing her away I embrace the opportunity. I have kid proofed my kitchen, we have a metal guard around our gas cook top (from http://www.ikea.com/ about 15$), the knife block is pushed back into the corner and we have a wall oven. Tasks I get my toddler to do are retrieving the fresh herbs from "her" herb garden, picking cherry tomatoes and raspberries and peeling the individual herb leaves off the stock. I allow her to throw all of the ingredients into the pot. I give her the chore of preparing the vegetables, she is capable of ripping the lettuce leaves off the the stock, putting vegetables into a pot and she sets the table. These are simple tasks that allow her to learn proper habits about food and cooking. I am proud to say she knows all of her fruits and vegetables (and all of the treats as well). I'm not saying she is perfect, there is a lot of struggle and sometimes bribary at the dinner table, but for the most part she is pretty good. My eldest understands that after we make a roast meal we use the bones and carcase to make soup stock as to not waste any of the ingredients. I buy the best quality ingredients I can afford and make sure I use them all. If I can instill good habits regarding food now I hope to prevent later food issues such as childhood obesity and eating disorders. There is a great website http://ourgeneralstore.typepad.com/our_general_store/2005/08/mission_real_fo.html if interested in more information regarding childrens eating habits.
I don't have much 1 on 1 time with my eldest daughter and we are able to bond while cooking together and it allows me to get more of my daily busy mom chores ticked off the list.

My workouts- Yesterday- started with some rehabilitative work, front planks, side planks, ball hamstring curls, ball adductor bridges (great for v-birth recovery), wall shoulder rotations with presses (stage 3 furious 5) and lunges. Onto my fat loss work- full squat/press, kettle bell high pull berpie, heavy kettle bell clean and press.
Today- light kb swings, plyo push ups, dive bomber push ups, jumping jacks, shoulder windmill, jump squats, kb lumber jack chops, dynamic split squat jumps (mixed my cns and metabolics together)after this for strength I performed 2 sets of full front barbell squats- 1 warm up and 1 to my 8 rep max.
Any questions regarding the exercises please ask over the comment, chances are someone else has the same question.

Sunday, November 2, 2008

5 Things New Mothers Can Do to Increase the Results of Their Fat Loss Program

Please read my published article thru the link below

http://www.goarticles.com/cgi-bin/showa.cgi?C=1195295

Halloween Blowout

Halloween weekend means costumes, jack-o-lanterns, trick or treat, rangy kids and another birthday weekend in our house. It was time for a blowout, we had pizza, curry, beers and chocolates. All of this junk food flew right through me and I was up very early with a growling stomach. Time to feed the machine and get back to the workouts. My workout today, full squat and press, heavy kettle bell swings, lunge with biceps curl, squat high pull, bent over row.

The girls were so cute, a few houses went all out with decorations and cotton candy machines on the front lawn. The eldest dressed as a dragon and the baby was a tiger.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Mom- An Isolated Word

I picked my baby up from daycare today and she looked at me and said MOM clear as day, she has been mumbling it for a while, but I am now officially "MOMMA", this is all she can say. I am bursting I need to share this, she is 7 months and time is flying by.

My arm cramp feels better so I did a chop workout yesterday, 7 sets- 4 with small kettle bell and 3 with large kettle bell.

Today I trained clients and then did my workout- 4 sets of front barbell squats, super-set with resistance band kettle bell front chop (very explosive) and finished off with planks. My legs were wobbly.

I have lots of friends who are new mothers, people who have come together from all walks of life with the common thread of being a mother. There is a bond, it is like this unwritten code. When I had my first baby one of my clients/friends called me and said "welcome to the other side", I knew exactly what she meant. The reality is motherhood is great, it is overall extremely rewarding, but the general day to day service for others is extremely hard. Even though you may be surrounded by others you can still feel isolated, lonely, a lack of accomplishment and overwhelmed. I truly believe fitness can help. It allows you to do something for "yourself" and can elevate your mood tremendously. Whatever your level of fitness their is something out there for everyone, it may be tennis, jogging, thai chi and something as short as the one minute fitness solutions I have been posting. If you start small it will lead to greater things. Starting with the front plank may lead to chin ups or it may just allow you to hold your baby a few moments longer.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Arm Cramp- trouble shooting using early post partum exercises

So the baby was up every 2 hours last night to feed and I could not get enough water into me. I constantly felt dry with the change of weather coming so quickly. All of the sleep deprivation, baby holding and dehydration the inevitable happened today. When I was working I suffered a muscle cramp in my coracobrachialis (biceps area). I can feel my scapula is unstable, my forearm is tight and my upper arm has a knot in it. My workout for dealing with this today-
2 sets of shoulder external rotations with cables, 3 sets of hand behind the back shoulder isometric wall pushes, push presses, pull up position shoulder protraction/retraction, squat high pull with my left arm only, front plank, side plank, wall shoulder rotations with stick ups, laying on the foam roller small arm circles, pec stretches, and rolled my armpit area along the boarder of my scapula, 1 legged leg lowers for abdominals. This is part of being a nursing mother. This happened more often to me when the baby was first born and I was just starting post partum exercises. This workout is a typical example of a more involved early post partum exercise routine.
After work I picked up the girls, I unloaded our 10 bags and all of the soiled clothes (both) into the house I was ready for some quality time with them. I poured the bath and put the baby in with the toddler, we made a nice dinner of chicken pasta and pears with rice cereal and talked about the day. My previous sleepless night, arm cramp and bed wetting are all a distant memory.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Out To Lunch

Today I completed a 10 minute blaster workout just before the baby interrupted me with a hunger scream. She has a six sense of know when my 10 minutes to myself is done. This has happened many times before, but I was on to the babies tactics. I made my post workout drink in advance, did my workout and as she screamed in her crib I was able to gulp my drink before I got to her. It is a simple thing, but big, having my recovery meal ready is the value of 2 workouts in half the time. I was able to feed the baby and not feel light headed as well. Every Minute Counts, that is my mantra.

I was able to catch up with my best friend for a birthday lunch today. I was unaware, but she has been reading my blog, as she has a newborn and a toddler as well. When my lunch arrived half the plate was covered in french fries. She commented "your blog said you didn't eat fries", I ate a few, but left most. That's right when trying to lose the extra pregnancy pounds cut the fries out.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Time's Ticking On

It was off to the gym to train clients early this morning. It was a good day and I had my typical 30 minute break when I did my workout.

My workout- 8 sets of pull ups and 8 sets of burpies done as super sets. I then had my post workout drink and was ready to train clients again. I feel good about my strength and am getting close to my pre pregnancy body. My baby is over 6 months now and although I started my fat loss training about 2 months ago I feel like I am really getting some great results now. I am strong enough to consistently preform my workouts as intense as they need to be for post partum fat loss. It was an up hill battle to get to this point. I was using every spare minute throughout the day to integrate fitness into my baby routine. I kept motivated by telling myself "if I can push a 9 lb baby out over 3.5 hours I can do anything." I believe this is true for any busy new mom, if you can put up with pregnancy and delivery what's another 10 minutes of fat loss hell a few times a week.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Healthy Meal Tips for Busy New Mom's

Today I was up early and off to work armed with my gym bag of clothes and food, my laptop, kettlebell and breast pump in hand. It was a full day of training and at the end my sessions it was my turn to workout. I asked my newest client to stick around and watch my 8 minute whirlwind of a workout. I think she got the just of it fat loss training is intense and short.



I was off to pick up the girls and home to make dinner. I had put a chicken carcus into my crock pot at 5:20am and by the time I got home I had wonferful stock. I found 2 red peppers and pured them in my blender, added salt, parmesan, garlic, rosemary and some noodles with a touch of milk and there you have it, chicken pasta red pepper soup. The reason why I'm writing this is to help busy new mothers organize healthy meals. We ate a great homecooked meal that took me about 5 minutes to prepare. My pattern for cooking is night 1- roast meat (chicken, beef, veal), night 2-use the left over roast meat and bone to make soup/stew stock, I just repeat this cycle with different meats that make for quick, healthy meals for J fit mom's. I can cram all the veggies (pureed or cooked) into the stews and soups so your toddlers don't even know that they have eaten them, and after diet introduction these are perfect meals for your infants. Diet is very important for post partum recovery, nursing and fat loss

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Great Family Lifestyle

Yesterday I did a photo shot for an upcoming program that mothers can do with their toddlers. My almost 3 year old daughter was a star, she looked at the camera while exercising first try, every shot! I hope she doesn't want to be a model. I was so proud of her and she loved it. I believe children should learn about activity and exercise at an early age, don't hide your activity from them, let them watch and join in when safe. I do understand that exercise is "your time", but explain to your toddler this is a very important part of your day and you will be setting your child up with great mindset for life. This is just one way you can prevent childhood obesity. (more to come on that latter)

I took my toddler to the ski swap today, we were looking to get her a small kit so we can, again do another activity together. Then it was down to the park to run the dog. I realized today our weekend revolved around exercise, not directly working out, but it hit home that we have an active lifestyle.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Furious Five Progression-stage 2

Front plank- aim for 2 minutes continuos
Chin Retraction- hold 10 seconds 6x
Side Plank- from the fully extended leg position, lift the top leg at the peak of your lift
Reverse Fly- use a light resistance band and retract you chin 20x
Shoulder Rotations- perform against a wall, elevate elbows to 90 degrees, retract chin, shoulders down and back and rotate

Enjoy

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Confessions of a Trainer

I could not believe my ears today. I ran into another trainer at the gym when I was in my workout shorts. The trainer asked what I was doing, by this time I only had 20 minutes before my next client. I said I was starting my workout, it should only take me about 12 minutes and this is all the time I can afford with a busy schedule and 2 little ones at home. The trainer confessed "I don't even workout, by the time I get home I don't want to go back out to the gym to train myself." My response, "you can do a lot in a minute, that's my mantra" The trainer agreed with me, I'll be watching to see how they use their spare time.

What the hell does this trainer think they are doing. I cannot believe people pay you for exercise programs and you don't even exercise, what a fake. Another point if your a good trainer why do you have to go back out to the gym to workout, there are infinite possibilities to do in your home, this makes me wonder they must be one of those people on the cardio machines in the gym(waste of time). I get it, your burnt out from being in a gym all day, you don't want to think of a program for yourself because you have been organizing others all day. Well, you only need about 10 minutes for a solid workout and myself I have a coaching system to organize my workouts. In our industry you can trade programs easily with colleagues to take the stress off yourself. Pump up, or get out.

A Solid Day

Trained 2 clients and then I had a 30 minute break, that I was able to complete my workout, shower and have my post workout drink. I completed a fat loss workout with 4 exercises- decline pushup, pullups, standing dumbbell press and reverse abdominal curls- each exercise was performed for 15 seconds and followed by 15 seconds of kettlebell chops. I did three rounds of this circuit and stretched. My gluts were tired immediately after my workout.
In between training clients I can usually complete some rehab exercises for 1 minute, this is when I complete my planks, side planks, glut rolling, glut medius exercises. So yes I do follow the Furious Five whenever I have a spare minute.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Birthday Weekend-tips for eating out

It was my birthday this weekend and for a family treat we went to Marineland. My girls LOVED it, this was very rewarding as a mother to see both of them excited. Being away on our mini vacation we were able to reconnect as a family and give the girls our undevided attention. Niagra Falls is full of the worst fast food chain restaurants I have ever seen. It was a struggle to find a healthy snack and even worse trying to order something off of a menu.

Tips for ordering at a restaurant-make the best of a bad situation.

1st-realize that by leaving something off the plate that is stated in the menu is ALLOWED, your not missing out because even the best of the food is most likely tasteless and submaximal quality. Leave the fries off, or the bread or sauces.

2nd- order salad instead of bread or fries
3rd- ask for extra veggies instead of a potatoe
4th-don't order a soft drink, get water instead (but still enjoy 1 alcoholic beverage)
5th-leave the desert out, get a coffee or tea to finish your meal because they have no calories

Customize your meal and you will realize that all of the plate fillers like fries, bread and pop are not enjoyable anyway

Thursday, October 9, 2008

A Day In The Life...

The day starts at 1am to feed the baby, she wakes again at 2:30am with gas pains, cries until about 4am. I sleep until 5am and she cries again, wakes me 20 minutes before my alarm is to go off, at least this time she is hungry and falls back to sleep. I get ready for work and leave the house at 6am. Train clients until 11am, then it's my turn. I complete a warmup, then 8 minute circut and cooldown. I leave work and travel uptown to my next destination, stop for gas and continue. I make it to the other gym I train at for 12:20, pick up my much needed vitamins and figure out some business nutrition with the naturopath and get an updated diet for the gassy baby. It's off to home for 1:30pm where I work on registering a business and getting domain names, jump in the shower for 2 minutes and off to pick up my eldest from preschool. We go get the baby from the daycare and get home at4pm. Baby gets a bath, then barfs on herself, baby gets a bath again. Toddler gets a bath, then I make dinner. Feed the baby, feed the toddler, eat. Put baby to bed, make a business call just as my husband walks thru the door. He is my relief and I'm straight out of the house 40 minutes late for parents night at my daughters school. I have just sat down for the day 10:22pm

My workout- dynamic warmup 20second on 10 second off circuts, I use pullups and burpie presses for every interval and my 4 exercises are dive bomber pushups, front chops, heavy push press, v steps

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Workout Oct 7

Trained clients all morning on about 2 hours of sleep. Then it was my turn to workout, I warmed up and within my first sprint interval pulled my calf muscle (cannot roll the dice twice). I changed my intervals on the fly to burpie shoulder press combo for 20 seconds between iron cross, pullups, walking lunge, dbell swings. Yes, that is 8 sets of burpies. I'm glad it's done and will take tommorrow off working out.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Furious 5 -Exercises Introduced

Frantically trying to figure out why the baby is crying so much. I'm eliminating everything out of her diet now and starting again. Don't know if it's a cold, food or teeth?

Have sent out the Furious 5 exercises to some mothers and waiting for feedback.
Furious 5- 5 early recovery exercises that can be started right away. Front Plank, Reverse Fly, Neck Protraction/Retraction(chin tuck), Side Planks, Shoulder Rotations.

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Sleep Deprived and Working Out

The baby was up all night with a cold and teething, I am still plugging away at a cold as well. I missed my workout last night so did 2 sessions this morning. It took me 17 minutes to complete 2 fat loss workouts before being interrupted by my toddler who has a knack for knowing the end of my training and comes in to "stretch" with mommy. I feel GREAT for accomplishing this today. Not looking forward to another sleepless night, but there is still no tooth in that babies mouth.

Fat loss Workout- arm swings, arm circles, leg swings, inchworm- followed by 8 exercises done for 20 seconds 2x, then preformed a different 8 exercises for 20 second intervals 2x. Exercises used today- lunges, squats, mountain climbers, push press, squat pull, push ups, back extensions, burpies, double leg raise, sprints.

Baby crying gotta run.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Fitness Solutions for Early Pregnancy

I was teaching a cycling class one day and we were taking our heart rates when I realized my heart was racing, nothing clicked, I thought maybe I was coming down with a cold. The next month we decided to try to get pregnant. My heart rate was still racing while I was working for that month. I took a home test when the time was right and it was positive to my surprise, it worked. After I went for my first ultrasound I realized I was already pregnant when we started trying. My high heart rate was explained, my blood volume was increaing putting demand on my cardiovascular system. Now What Do I Do. I followed the current heartrate guidelines for pregnancy and still do when training pregnant clients.
Some experts suggest using the rate of perceived exertion scale, but being in the fitness industry I guide people to push past their comfort limits daily. I thought maybe my perception of what is hard or easy was squed, so I personally decided to keep my HR below 150bpm. I still had many options for exercise in my first tiresome trimester as I was laying on my back still. I slowed down my current workout and dropped my anaerobic fat loss workout. I stuck to methodical strength training with some prehab exercises.

Second pregnancy wasn't much different. I was climbing the stairs to one of the gyms I worked at when I felt out of breath. I decided to jump on the bike that day at work (much to every one's surprise) and remember expressing to a colleague my cardio capacity had diminished. I thought "maybe my express workouts aren't as efficient as I thought", although I had never had this feeling before. Long story short number 2 was already in the oven, and I was breathless again. I decided to stick to my heart rate limit again and I did not have any energy to even think of going beyond that with the exhaustion of caring for a 20 month old as well. While performing weight lifting exercises my hr would spike over my limit sometimes and I was advised by one of the physicians I worked with that during short lifting exercises this is OK because the response was physiological and not cardiovascular (that causes your core body temperature to rise) putting stress on the baby. I stuck to short 20 minute express exercise sessions and added in much more foam rolling as my ligament and muscle pain was almost immediate during the second pregnancy.

Keep checking this post for 1st trimester and foam roller download, for samples.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Fitness Is Cumulative-not continuos

Small sessions of activity will yeild results. Mini "one minute solutions" are less daunting than setting aside 1 hour or even 30 minutes to exercise for a new mother. If one minute is all you can spare then use it, you will get results. Try performing 1 minute of exercise 3-5x a day. This is very beneficial for mothers who suffer sleep deprivation and are breast feeding as you will not "overheat" within one minute and you will have made the first step to your recovery and fitness goals.
A continuous exercise session is next to impossible with young children in the house and may push new mothers to burnout. Accumulation of exercise is crucial for recovery and eventual fat loss training. Oh and when I say fat loss training this is no longer than 20 minutes including warmup and cool down.

Who Am I ?

Introduction- Hello my name is Jacqueline. I am a busy fitness trainer of 10 years, and a busier mother of a 2.5 year old and 6 month old. My training focus is pre/post rehabilitative as a road to high intensity fat loss training.

A quick return to work after having my last baby has prompted me to come up with 1 minute fitness solutions for busy new mothers as a means to return to previous fitness levels and beyond. These one minute solutions have allowed me a speedy recovery and I am well into my high intensity fat loss training.

I will be back blogging my fitness program that I used thru my pregnancy, early recovery to my current fitness program.
 
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