Run Down

A few very exciting updates for Baby Bump Fitness. This past week I was featured in a fitness article in Mcleans magazine. Although the reporter told me the article was about interval training, and it is more about general fitness it is still great to be involved. Here is the link- All the Right Moves

I have picked up the soccer unifoms for my daughters soccer team, she is very excited and so am I.

It seems over the past week many of my clients are stressed out. They are tired, frustrated, getting run down and generally overwhelmed. I would normally never mention this but about 90% of them have been feeling like this, an uncanny trend. I cannot explain why and everyone has a different situation, but if you find your self going through this it may be time to take a mini break. Simple things fro mom to do- book a hair appointment, date or spa time. Get your husband to make you dinner, go for coffee with a friend. Bascially just try and break the mundain routine. If you do not do this finding motivation to workout will be extremely difficult. Breaking the routine and/or silence may be just the little boost needed to excel at your fitness goals. Take a week off of fitness or certain chores then return the following week with new vigour.

I do not beleive everyone needs a trainer and having a trainer does not fit into everyones lifestyle- especially a busy moms. You may be ties to the house, work shifts, budgeting. This is actually waht I wish was quoted in teh Mcleans article. Home interval training is the most efficient way for a busy mom to exercise and loose pregnancy pounds.

Like I mentioned last post I have started to ride my bike 1-2x / week again and just enjoy the outside. My husband and I are setting aside time each week for me to talk or bitch so I don't feel underappreciated or bored with the daily grind or serving others.

7 lb

There is a great feature over at Muffin Top Mamma where I am featured. What a great source for moms- check it out. http://www.muffintopmama.com/2010/04/hot-mama-meet-jacqueline.html

Mothers Day is fast approaching and if you have not grabbed your free 4 week fat loss workout program please do so now. Just visit the side bar and sign up.

What are your fitness goals for the summer, do you want to stay the same or do you want to MAKE A CHANGE? Myself I want to make a change, a change of 7lb. I am starting my pursuit of 7lb fat loss this week. I will need to add in another 1-2 workout a week, I have currently only been managing 2 workouts/week. No problem, I can use my backyard fat loss workout technique, just look at the featured video.

My next big kicker is to reintroduce only whole grains instead of regular grains, more fruits and veggies. I will also manage one bike commute to work a week for a bit of extra activity. Every other day I drive because I need to car seats to get the girls at there respected locations.

Busy Mom Fitness - 17 minute fat loss routine

Today my simple yet intense home workout routine. Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness for fat loss 17 minute routine.

Warmup- including static glut, hip flexor and pec stretches then wall slides, lunges, bridges, planks

Countdown workout I performed this superset continuously completing 10 of each then 9 of each until 1 of each.

Exercise Superset- Full squat press with 15 lb dumbells and assisted Vertical Pullups

I performed 1 prone jacknife for my abs after the countdown and was done. This took me 2 songs and one commercial break on Much Music.

My lunch was brown rice mixed with green lentils and a chicken drumstick- this was all pre-made in my fridge for when I got home from work. Throughout the morning at work I snacked on 2 oranges and a pile of mixed nuts.

Give this workout a try and let me know how it goes- time yourself and use vertical assisted pullups if you have the equipment, horizontal pullups (you can use under your dining table) or towel pullups if you have a stable pole or tree wrap a towel around it and put your body on a 45 degree angle to complete you pullup. Enjoy.

Sleep Deprived Moms- when to workout

Even though my daughters are getting older I still have the odd sleepless night- like last night. After a full day of training and running on fumes should I work out? Today yes, and this is the reasons why- I do not feel like I'm coming down with anything, I have overeaten and under exercised over the long weekend, I have a lighter day at work tomorrow. So given my circumstance I should workout today. I have looked deep in my archive and pulled out a sleep deprivation workout from last year- when I was chronically sleep deprived. The workouts below are from Feb 2009. Enjoy and if you are in this position of being sleep deprived, listen to your body to decide which workout is best for you.

Today in busy mom fitness I want to talk about working out while sleep deprived. As a parent I think you have a new sense of “normal” when it comes to the amount of sleep you get. If you are only moderately sleep deprived like one bad night, but you still have you regular “mom” energy level you can still get a great benefit from performing Tabata fat loss circuts. These are the short 4 minute circuts I post with 20 second work 10 second rest intervals, repeating the circut 2 to 3 times. These are intense while you perform them and have a great after burn affect for fat loss. The workouts are short enough that you can manage them with less sleep and intense enough to help increase you growth hormone for a great health benefit.

If you are extremely sleep deprived or feel like you are fighting a virus I suggest performing a joint mobility workout with foam rolling ending with some static stretching. You should feel energized by getting your blood flowing, release some tension and you will not be lowering your immunity by performing intense muscle breakdown work. (As a bit of back ground this is how muscle grows- first by causing micro tears that stress the muscle tissue during your workout and, then repairing it with proper sleep and nutrition) When extremely sleep deprived you do not want to start this breakdown cycle, you want to focus on maintenance and relaxation.

As a busy mom integrating fitness into your life you have to trouble shoot what you need and what you can manage. We have talked about two totally different types of mom workouts that are both beneficial depending on your unpredictable schedule.

Supersets for Super Mom

Ava, my baby, turned 2 this weekend. Wow, after a weekend of 3 birthday parties, cake and wine I feel over sugared. I am definitely performing day 4 of the Baby Bump busy mom program using superset training today. She is thriving and often wants to be with me when I exercise on Monday at home with her. How do I adapt my workout to accommodate her changing nap schedule so I can still fit in my superset workout with her running around at my feet. Rule 1 for me- I do not lift weights when the girls are in the "gym"(old room at home where I work out). Take a look at my workout.

DAY 4

Exercise Day 4 Reps Sets Rest
Warm up 2
1 a) Bridge on Stability Ball Heel Lift 10/leg 2 0
b) Split Squat 10/leg 2 1 min
2 a) Shoulder Press/Retract/ Side Lower to shoulder level 12 2 0
b) Plank with elbows on stability Ball- add spotter 12 2 1 min
3 Kneeling Knuckle Pushups Body Weight Squats
Tabata- 20 seconds work/ 10 second rest intervals, 8 sets consecutive

2 Exercises alternate between them using the pattern, 4 minutes total for this set


As many as you can in 20 seconds 8


I did not change a thing in this workout to accommodate my children being with me. I was able to use body weight resistance using reciprocal suspersets to get the maximum fat loss benefit. (See the studies listed below for proof on reciprocal supersets.) You can notice superset 1 uses a hip followed by a knee dominant pattern, superset 2 uses a back followed by a front pattern.

2 STUDIES

1. This is a great study showing that using reciprocal superset resistance training increased energy expenditure, EPOC and lactate over traditional weight lifting. You guessed it the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program incorporates 2 days of superset resistance training in the program for your maximum time sensitive energy expenditure. My program is based on scientific research and not just a jumble of thrown together exercises to make you uncomfortable.

"Incorporating this method of resistance exercise may benefit exercisers attempting to increase EE and have a fixed exercise volume with limited exercise time available. "

(C) 2010 National Strength and Conditioning Association

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/publishahead/The_Metabolic_Costs_of_Reciprocal_Supersets_vs_.99274.aspx

2. Here is the abstract of a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning. The study reveals compliance of working out 3-4x/week, for 8 weeks continuous will significantly reduce body fat. Yes you guessed it 3-4x per week is prescribed in the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness Program.

http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2009/11000/Frequency_of_Exercise_for_Body_Fat_Loss__A.26.aspx

Back Warm Ups and Who Am I?

Today I had a great workout and integrated many TRX suspension training exercises. My focus was upper back and core strength. My back has been a little sore as I only got in one workout last week and Ava has gained weight again-yes this means lugging around a few more pounds. Here are a few warm up exercises for you back before you begin your exercise routine.



Many mothers ask about back pain and how they can manage it. This video provides some helpful tips, addressing the main soft tissue issues that contribute to back pain.

After a weekend of visiting some mom friends it's back to work. Much needed venting, a walk and a few drinks and laughs can clear the air and make you feel appreciated again. The reality is one of my friends that I played University Volleyball with came to visit. She has 3 of her own children now, the date for a visit was set 2 months previous. We caught up and I cannot beleive she actually bought Bud Light Lime- it resembles dish soap flavour- she used to be a Sleeman rep-what happened? She and I admitted it is easy to lose yourself,who you are, once you become a mother (and this was reflected in her beer choice). I assured her and myself we are the same people we were before children, before careers, you are your passion and your values. This for me has held strong and true from the time I was a teen to now, I love sports and volleyball and I am honest. This I know, I will continue my identity based on this. Have you ever asked yourself lately WHO AM I? You are not alone. I am sure every mom has asked herself this.

A few other key points were brought up that night. She indicated she does not workout at all now, even though she does have 20-30 minutes a day, she just feels lazy. I think she was looking for something inspirational or insightful, but not from me. I said I think you do not feel pushed yet, for the most part you look good and although you may feel 10 lb overweight I cannot tell. You have to look at this from a different perspective, such as health, muscular discomfort relief , quality and longevity of life- not just looks. This may be you, you may be 10 lb overweight and you may feel content with this, no one else can tell. Well in all honesty no one else cares if your 10 lb overweight, but you should, if you don't care who will. Set your own boundaries, goals and limits, this may help take you to new places.

I had a great gym workout today in true Busy Mom20 minute fashion. Dynamic warmup, I used the barbell for a combination of cleans, push presses, bent over rows and dead lifts in succession to get my heart rate up. I then did dumbbell hand cleans and finished with a burpie pull-up countdown from 5 to 1- 5, rest 4 rest 3 ect. All of these moves can be performed with dumbbells or kettle bells from home.

10 Tips to Help New Moms Get Their Bodies Back

Well, you have had a baby and need to get your body back. It's natural you are going to feel a bit out of sorts, look at what you have just been through. Gaining 30-50lb, a complete body overhaul, exhaustion all to get your beautiful bundle of joy that you spend most of your time appeasing. When you feel ready to get your body back, regain your composure follow these simple tips to save you time and frustration.

Losing that Muffin-top

1. Make sure you are ready for regular exercise- this means at least 3 times per week 15-20 minutes per session. If you are not physically and mentally ready for this commitment you may be better to hold off. I see many women try to jump into exercise before being able to make a commitment- they end up frustrated from not getting the result they deserve and this leads to a negative exercise experience. Exercise integration is the key, you can regain your posture with some small exercises and learn how to permanently make exercise a part of your weekly routine, even as a mother. This is exactly what phase 1, the first 6 weeks of the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program teaches. Not Addressing muscular imbalances/instability from pregnancy posture before starting an intense program- new or old muscular imbalance and instability can lead to injury. Frustration and drop out is just around the corner. The truth is many of these nagging little aches and pains can be avoided with the correct exercise, progression and stretches. Set yourself up for success and start at the right place for your body, work methodically-this will still be very intense.

2. When ready for regular exercise and losing those last 10 lbs Avoid Performing Single Joint Exercises. They are a waist of a busy moms time. The time it takes to do 10 single joint biceps curls, you could have performed at least 5 full body burpies to get you heart rate flying and get the metabolic boost you need.

3. Too Much Traditional Cardio and Not enough Strength Training. I say traditional cardio meaning running, elliptical, biking- this type of repetitive movement at a moderately elevated heart rate takes much longer to burn calories and can set you up for overuse injury. Take the faster road less travelled- high intensity interval training. This means you can use sets of sprints instead of jogging for a greater calorie burn, but the best form of calorie burn involves resistance (strength) interval training. You can use a group of full body resistance training exercises in succession to gain strength and get a high heart rate for cardiovascular training- all at once. This is what phase 2 of the baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program focuses on- fat loss.

A few other Simple Rules to follow when time to Loses that Muffin-top

4. Lifting heavy enough, you want to reach failure between 8-12 reps, meaning you cannot physically perform another lift

5. Eating- it is easy to skip or even forget about eating as a busy mom

6. Work out of your comfort zone- losing fat efficiently is uncomfortable, if something becomes easy it is time to progress the exercise or move to the next phase of your program. a good program will have progression built in.

7. Know what muscle you are flexing- you will enjoy exercise more when you understand it

8. Working through full range of motion

9. When is Exercise Good and When is exercise bad? If you have a virus, injured or are severely sleep deprived exercise is bad. If you are healthy, tired, have some general muscle soreness - not an injury, then exercise is good.

10. Making your program progressive- this is needed for intensity and to avoid plateaus

Busy Mom Fitness and Recipes

Busy Mom Fitness

As we had been having such lovely weather last week I was able to fit a 15 minute "back deck" fat loss workout in outside, before racing off to pick up the girls from school and daycare. I felt energized and really worked up a good sweat. My busy mom fat loss circuit was prone jacknife, kettle bell squat, kettle bell snatch, pullups, kettle bell chops, x body mountain climber. 3 of the 6 exercises are found in the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program as well as the prequel exercises such as waiters bow and dumbell squats to all of the kettlebell exercises listed above.

A great little tip to get the most out of your prone jacknife move is squeezing your knees together as tight as you can at the top of your range- or when your knees are closest to your chest, also pulling your knees to your chest as much as you can. This intensifies your move by engaging your adductors, hip internal rotators and your hip flexors. Try this, concentrate on what you are flexing and work through your full range of motion. This is particularly important for a mom as your hips naturally externally rotated during pregnancy.

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I have been keeping up with my healthy eating plan and trying to add lentils and spinach to most dishes that I cook. On my cooking day I made 2 main dishes- 1 chicken curry and one bean soup that I lived off of for the week. I had one of these 2 dishes for at least one main meal a day with brown rice.

Busy Mom Recipes

Chicken Curry and Lentils
-2 chicken breast - 1-2 cups dried lentils
-1 chopped onion - 1 chopped bell pepper
- 1 cup chopped mushrooms -1-2 cups spinach
- 1 can coconut milk - 1 tsp olive oil
- 3 tsp. curry powder -1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp cumin, corriander, paprika, tumeric - pinch salt and pepper

Cook chicken in large pot/saucepan in olive oil, add rest of ingredients and simmer 30-60 minutes, stir occasionally.

Bean Soup

- 1 tin black beans, 1 tin pinto beans - 4 cups vegetable broth - 1 big onion chopped
- 1 bell pepper chopped - 1 bunch of carrots chopped - 5 stalks of celery chopped
-1.5 cups cooked quinoa OR brown rice - 1 tsp. each garlic, cumin, oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, ginger
- dash cayenne - salt and pepper - 2 tsp lemon juice

Throw everything into your slow cooker and leave it.

Spinach side dish- this is another veggie side dish that is painfully easy. Using some organic real butter or oil in a frying pan throw in a few hand fulls of spinach and 1 fist full of almonds. Saute for about 1 minute. This goes with just about anything.

Family

The girls are developing quickly. Ava will be 2 this month and she loves to talk, shut doors and wear barefeet. Kasia is turning into a little woman- she is extremely conscious of what she wears and changes her clothing 3-4 times a day- she often looks like a gypsy. The best thing that has happened recently is purchasing a small bouncy castle that we have set up in the basement right now. The girls go down for a jump after dinner and literally wear themselves out. They laugh and get out all of their pent up energy. I admit I love to go in for a little bounce each night as well.

1 Fat Blasting Circuit, 1 Recipe, Abdominal Re-training for mom

One great mom fat blasting circuit. 2 rounds of this are sufficient and will leave you gasping for your next breath.

1. Burpie Shoulder Press, 2. Front Chop, 3 and 4. 1 arm Dumbbell Snatch each side, 5. jump squats. Repeat these continuously and then rest 3 minutes before completing these 10 exercises again.

If you need to make modifications you can perform fast dead-lifts for your front chops, 1 sided squat and press instead of the combination move the dumbbell snatch.

I tired this new recipes the other night from Nathan Jackson Fitness. Squash Bisque- although it is supposed to be raw- I cooked it as I didn't think I could slip that by the kids. My modification for this tasty vegan recipe.

1 squash, 2-3 cups water, 1 red pepper, 2 celery stalks, 2 tsp sea salt, 2 tsp pepper, pinch of cayenne and cilantro to garnish. I pureed this after the squash was cooked and it was tasty.

I was skeptical (as I mentioned to him) because there was no chicken stock, but it was great, no worries. Thanks Nathan.

Are your abdominals really firing? This week I had the pleasure of working with some new people and many of them thought there abs were fine- meaning they were firing properly doing what they should be doing. After trying plank variations that were very difficult, we went through the lying leg lift series in phase 1, weeks 1 and 2 of the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program, while drawing in abdominals. Drawing in if you are early post partum or have some sort of back injury will give you a neural connection that has been lost or modified from your stretched abdominals. These were the exercises that proved exhausting- mentally and physically. She had no idea her abdominals were not functioning properly. Are you aware? Do you have back discomfort? Have you performed drawing in abdominal exercises such as phase 1 week 1-6, pilates or rehabilitation? These are questions to ask yourself and if you feel your abdominals could be functioning better, this is where you want to start. This is the start of a great fitness program

Post Partum Abdominal Exercise-what to do and what not to do

Post Partum Abdominal Exercises

This week I was talking to my massage therapist and she said she had a post natal client with diastasis recti. She said she was doing crunches and her abdominal split was getting worse- she was 6 months post partum if I recall correctly.



First What is Rectus Diastasis? Wikipedia Definition It is the separation between the right and left half of the rectus abdominus muscles. Mothers are prone to this from their growing uterus.

How to Test If you Have Diastasis Recti- here is a link with an easy description and photos.



There are exercises that make Diastasis Recti worse.

If you do have more than a 2 finger separation than abdominal crunches are a definite no, no. Flexing your rectus abdominus with this separation will pull from the origin of the muscle and can make your separation worse. Oblique crunches are a definite gut buster, literally- again flexing lateral abdominal muscles can again pull your separation wider from your mid-line (linea alba). Last but not least and on a more minor scale- abdominal bracing- this is used when lifting weights and you are just flexing everything in your midsection to stabilize your body. Your obliques will flex with this method. If you do not suffer Diastasis Recti, this is the preferred method of stabilizing when lifting weights. If you do have a greater than 2 finger separation then focus on drawing in your abdominals and flexing your transverse abdominus muscle- it will feel like a band around your belly. The draw in method helps with neuromuscular retraining after your belly has been stretched, can help bind the rectus abdominus together as it works transverse to them and does not flex your oblique muscles as much or at all.

So what exercises can you do.

Planks and plank variations for stabilization, leg lowering moves for hip flexors. Exercises to avoid- lumbar flexion- or crunches- any variation- if your spine is moving you are not stabilizing it. Hence the term CORE STABILITY. Get more safe abdominal exercises in the Busy Mom Fitness program.

What if You Don't Suffer Diastasis Recti?

Avoid crunches, avoid any lumbar rotation moves. Yes, the lumbar spine was not designed to flex or rotate- that is why the segments are so big- it is designed to stabilize. Dr. Stu McGill is a world renowned low back specialist from the University of Waterloo- yes right in our backyard. Please look at his bio and home page as well as his published books. Dr. McGill has his BIG 3 Exercises- they are side planks and plank variation, bird dog bilateral back extension exercises and a curl up lifting your head and shoulders off the ground but keeping your lumbar spine stabilized. The true function of your abdominal muscles are to work as ANTI ROTATORS- that is right to avoid rotation thru your spine. Rotation is reducing core stability and excessive flexion is putting undue stress on the segments of your lumbar spine.

But I have to Bend? You are right bending is a functional movement, so try an alternative and try bending from your hips like the waiters bow move featured in the video and one of the staple exercises in the baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness Program




Last but not least I just completed a body weight workout. My daughter would not nap today and I did not want her getting into the weights and bands. Todays workout- 2 rounds of this superset- rear foot elevated split squat (10 each side, second set with a jump) with pushups 10x, Second Superset 2 rounds of these 3 exercises 1 legged squat (10x/leg) Elevated foot knee drive (10x per side), Foam roller hamstring curls 10x- rest and repeat. Rest and then a burpie blaster- 10 burpies, rest, 8 burpies, rest, 6 burpies, rest, 4 burpies, rest, 2 burpies- stretch gluts and hips flexors, chest. This was done with NO EQUIPMENT, in my slippers in my basement.

We had a fun filled weekend with the girls. They enjoyed a friends birthday party with animals. They had the chance to hold a bunny, chinchilla, snake, turtle, gecko, chicken, and red eye tree frog. The next day we took them to Funnelz indoor play ground and Sunday morning 8am, we were the only family at the park playing soccer with a princess ball.

Globe and Mail Article

I am getting some great response regarding an article I was featured in today at the Globe and Mail newspaper in Toronto. Here is the link GLOBE AND MAIL that features the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program and one of the mothers who uses this program. Thanks to mom of 2, Michelle Marder for being interviewed and photographed for the article.
We are hoping to get some new readers and make this blog truly interactive to support one another on the Baby Bump Fitness Busy Mom Fitness program.

The article specifically talks about Tabata training, one of the popular, but not exclusive metabolic training methods in the Baby Bump Busy Mom program. For new readers who want further answers regarding Tabata training I have written a published article on this method. Please click the link.

I appreciate being featured and am available for questions and comments, just leave me a comment and I will get back to you. Full Programs can be accessed through the Program section at the top, free program can be downloaded for free at the side of the blog. For further instruction please email me directly jacqgradish@hotmail.com. A newsletter regarding goal setting and appreciation will be out tomorrow.

Fat Loss- Holiday Recovery Plan

I have had a great Christmas holiday. I have taken 1.5 weeks off work and 2 weeks off from working out, mainly due to the fact that my holiday started with a bout of the flue that put me under. After recovering it was Christmas morning and into some well deserved family time.

I am definitely feeling a bit fat right now, I will lose it, I am not going to stress about this, I know what to do- Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness.

Do you know what to do to lose your holiday flab and get back on track? Some Suggestions.

Holiday Fat Loss Made Easy

1. Throw out all junk food in your house- now.

2. Get social support from family, friends, colleagues- let people know what you are trying to achieve so you stay accountable.

3. Make up a workout schedule- I know things change as a mom, but even a loose schedule or one that you stick to 50% is better than nothing.

Training Specific Fat Loss Rules

1. Use more resistance- if you don't have weight chose the hardest optionyou are capable of such as a 1 legged squat, off set push-ups or feet elevated planks.

2. Continuous work- yes move swiftly from exercise to exercise. Use super-sets of 2 or 3 strength exercises before taking a short rest. Use different types of metabolics workouts such as Tabata's (20 sec/10 sec work to rest ratio), 6-8 exercise circuits, strength super-sets.

3. Progressive work- always try to improve on your previous results. Try to perform one more squat or berpie within the time limit, try to lift 1-2 more pounds with upper body and 5-10 pounds with lower body within a 2-4 week period.

4. Work to Your Maximum potential- ever lift, every workout go to your maximum exhaustion. I see way to many women not pushing to their threshold and claiming that they are doing resistance training. It does not have to be for long, but you have to get to exhaustion to lose fat.

Keep Your Workouts Fun and Challenging

This will prevent plateaus, boredom and will accelerate your results. Try something you have never tried before like a pull-up. Figure out where you are and set a goal to achieve at least one, then progress from here- this is a huge accomplishment. Use kettle bells, they are portable, all moves are total body and they take up little space- great bang for your buck. Make up little games with yourself, easy stuff like chasing a ball, one legged hopscotch for more dynamic work.

I am looking forward to being featured in an article in the Globe and Mail (life section) regarding Tabata training and Fat Loss. I will post the link when it arrives and send it out. One of my brave clients agreed to do the interview as well and was photographed performing some of the exercises.

Kasia has graduated to one blade skates this year and I have been taking her out. Of course her foot grew last week, I swear in one night and we had to exchange the skates I got for her. She now has adjustable skates with Lightening McQueen, great invention. We have not gotten out downhill skiing yet due to unpredictable weather and the fact that she needs new ski boots as well. Ava has tried sledding and of course loves it, I am hoping to get her out ice skating this winter on a set of Bob skates.