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.

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

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.

Tempo Training- heavier is not harder

Today while training a client something strange happened when we were doing a Tabata Circuit of (20 sec/10sec max work to rest ratio) and she had 4 sets of deadlifts to do in this circuit. I cut her 5 rep max weight in half for the circuit as the goal is to try and beat your previous number of lifts from 20 seconds ago. She indicated this was not heavy enough, although she did not understand the point of the exercise. She was not achieving her goal and was lifting slow and labouring through. This is fine and not wrong, but changing the tempo of your lifts is extremely effective and should be practiced regularly. Don't stick to the same 1 up 1 down tempo. Try something new, try a 1 up 3 down tempo or even a small 2 second hold during your lift. More weight is not what is needed, more variety in the "time under muscle tension" is needed to keep your body guessing. You will naturally do what is easiest for your body including the tempo that you usually lift at, so shake it up, try a set lifting faster, then slower and tell me what you think. Simple little tricks like this will keep your body guessing, burning more fat and building muscle. Again if your body defaults to what is easiest for you, it is probably not the most efficient form a fat burning exercise.

This tip works for all mothers regardless of what stage of your recovery or fitness program you are at. Lets take a glut bridge for example, you typically use this in your warm up and probably lift at a 1/1 tempo. Try 3 seconds up and 3 seconds down and I can assure you your gluts will be on fire- now repeat this doing the 1 legged version and you have a great strength building exercise that will bring you more benefit than lifting any amount of weight. Again if ou are a new mother and your goal is to get your gluteus medius working again after the change in your pelvis, take a small resistance band and place it around both legs at knee level and perform your glut bridge at a slow pace to strengthen your glut medius and maximus. I challenge all of you on the Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness program to try and change the tempo of your lifts for one workout-just one and let me know the after effects. I'm listening.

Lose Fat, Get Stronger

So how do you lose excess body fat from pregnancy? Get Stronger. That's right you need resistance to lose fat . Why is this- well because of EPOC or Oxygen debt. Whatever fancy word you use it works. When you perform resistance training you will build muscle tissue which has a higher metabolic rate at rest than any other tissue in the body. When you perform anaerobic resistance training (push yourself to your heart rate limit) you are using so much oxygen that you heart rate and respiration will stay slightly elevated after you workout which again is the same as a higher resting metabolic rate. You will burn more calories in the long run from performing resistance training for these 2 reason. If you perform cardio and the machine says you have burned 200 calories in 30 minutes- great but that's it, nothing else. If you perform 20 minutes of resistance training and burn 150 calories- you will likely burn another 200 calories or more throughout the day due the effects of that resisitance workout. That just makes sense- workout less and burn more calories. Simple workout plans yielding real results- get over your cardio plateau. Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness.

Take It Inside With Body Weight Circuits

As the weather is getting colder in Canada I have noticed a strange trend at the gym where work. Members are not coming for their early morning workouts, probably due to the fact that it is dark until 7:30am now. This baffles me, this is the time of year when you want to think about bringing things indoors, focus on some of your much needed muscle balancing rehab exercises, flexibility and power up with resistance for the Christmas Fat Blast. Many people reading this blog probably run/jog/walk or hike as one of their activities for the week. Enjoying the outdoors is wonderful and allows you to appreciate physical activity and your surroundings while de stressing. What happens when this goes by the wayside because it is too dark in the morning for your jog, to windy, cold, rainy, or icy out. Your stress level may have just tripled because you are thrown out of your routine by something you cannot control- the weather and season. Be prepared for these seasonal mishaps that will soon be here to stay for 4-5 months. Take it inside anywhere, anytime with some body weight circuits. You do not need anything, you can even do them in bare feet. A few key exercises such as glut bridges allow you to strengthen your gluts and hamstrings while working on hip flexor flexibility. Bulgarian split squats again work the same muscles and you get great hip extension in your back leg. Love them or hate them pushups and pullups of any version are challenging enough to get your heart rate flying for some anaerobic fat loss work. Add a few burpies and there your have a great recipe for an indoor, anywhere, anytime no equipment needed full body workout.

As women we need to be weary of our surrounding and doing these simple circuits in your back garden in the early morning and dusk is another great way to safely enjoy the outdoors weather permitting.

PHOTOS





























Perform 8-12 reps of each exercise, work continuous and swiftly.

1. Glut Bridge

2. Front Plank

3. rotational plank

4. Bulgarian Split Squat

5. pushups

6. modified pullups (you can use 2 chairs with a sturdy bar across them or under your dining table- be creative)

7. Burpies

repeat 2-3x with 1-2 minutes rest between circuits, this should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.


To get more great workouts sent to your inbox with the photos and descriptions sign up for my complimentary newsletter, or better yet get the full Baby Bump Fitness Mom Package with 16 weeks of circuit programming for you.

Swine Flu Prevention

7 Simple Techniques to Minimize Your

Swine Flu Risk



It is that time of the year when the weather changes in most parts of the world and the common cold starts rearing its ugly head. Flu season also begins. This season is causing more anxiety amongst the general population because of the H1N1 swine flu.

There is almost a panic because the experts feel that this flu virus is more severe than the others.



Let me give you some statistics.

• Seasonal flu annually sickens 5-20% of the population.
• More than 200,000 people are hospitalized with flu complications
• About 36,000 people die from influenza related complications each year in the United States alone.
• 75 million work days are lost each year
• 1765 deaths are due to influenza annually

Now I didn’t give these statistics to scare you or alarm you. I provided these to show you that these statistics are from what we know as general flu, which means that the swine flu is not necessarily more harmful.

This means all flu may be potentially harmful and life threatening. That is why you need to take the proper steps to avoid all types of flu this season and not just worry about the swine flu.

The National Institute for Health and Center for Disease Control also states that 62 million cases of the common cold are reported each year.

So what are we to do?



We have all heard of the common tips that we should be doing and these are pretty powerful.

1. Consistently wash your hands
2. Avoid contacting your face with your hands unless you have recently washed them of germs.
3. If you are in contact with public areas where germs tend to thrive make sure you wash your hands afterwards and avoid touching your face prior to washing your hands.


Did you know that your nutritional habits play an important role in combating the common cold and flu?

More and more research is showing that Vitamin D can play an important role in fighting off the flu.

The problem with this is we have become so scared of the sun and skin cancer that we tend to cover our bodies in sunscreen, which limits the amount of Vitamin D we can absorb from the sun.

The result is we are actually starting to see a deficiency in Vitamin D, which the experts thought would never happen.



Which type of Vitamin D should I take?

PROGRADE


You can take a good multi-vitamin that has Vitamin D in it, but many multivitamins contain Vitamin D2 instead of D3. Both are usable forms of Vitamin D, but D3 converts 500% faster and binds with protein more effectively than D2.

The other solution is to spend 10-15 minutes a day in the sun without sunscreen on. This is more difficult in climates where the wind is blowing and the temperature is 20 degrees during the winter months. That is why a good multi-vitamin that contains Vitamin D3 is a good alternative.

Many experts believe this is why flu is worst in the fall and winter because most people spend their time indoors because of the nasty weather.

Here are 7 simple inexpensive ways to dramatically boost your immune system and reduce the risk of the cold or flu this year.

1. Vitamin D through sun exposure or a good multi-vitamin that contains Vitamin D3
2. Avoid sugar and processed foods
3. Exercise
4. Daily Omega 3 fats from krill oil to boost your immune system
5. Get enough rest. Some believe getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night dramatically increases you chances of contracting the flu
6. Wash your hands thoroughly throughout the day
7. Consume anti-oxidants to help fight off free radicals that can weaken your immune system

If you're looking for the way to stay healthy this year then that means following all 7 seven steps above.

Can you think of any reason not to take care of your health this year?

Now there is no one miracle solution and relying on the swine flu vaccination which for many won't be available until sometime in December is not the safest route to go. Combining as many solutions as possible is going to give you the best defense against colds and flu this season.

We have put together a package for you that is called our Total Wellness package. The name says it all. It provides total wellness. After researching the cold and flu remedies we realized that it makes a very good cold/flu defense system by helping to boost your immune system.


Don't risk your health on poor nutrition.



Order your Total Wellness Package Right Now!

Toronto's Top Independant Trainer

Today, I have been featured as one of Toronto's Top Independent Personal Trainers. Please read the article at Experience T.O. The link to the front cover is Front Cover , I think you can pick me out, I'm the only female. Anyway it's a fun read take a look.

Kasia has issues with her hair, already. I mean it's thick and long, but to brush it is painful and she is wimpy. Since my husband has to do her hair in the morning before school I make it easy on everyone and thin out her hair often with thinning shears. Last time I did this she did not let me cut her bangs, I guess 35 seconds to focus is too long for a 3 year old. Tonight was my chance. I trimmed her bangs in the bath. Just as I snipped, she hiccuped and well, you get it. She now resembles Joan Jett from the Blackhearts.



Todays Busy Mom Fitness program- I felt back on track today and did some speed work max 5 reps on cleans then went into conditioning followed by a great busy mom fat loss interval. I started with 65 lb and did 20 deadlifts followed by 2 core exercises. Rest and then did 50 barbell deadlifts. I finished with a brutal Tabata 20 sec work/ 10 sec rest interval program of for 8 sets straight. Burpee pullups with speed squats.

I had a great workout the fact I had to burn off the stress of cutting my daughter hair like Joan Jett and I know eventually someday she will read this blog. I will be accused of living out my 80's ROCK and ROLL fantasy through her.

3 of the Biggest Misconceptions in the Fitness World Explained Head On

Lets clear up a few huge misconceptions in the fitness world. I have posted 3 common mistakes and elaborated with reason why.

1. Cardio is NOT the most efficient way to lose fat.
2. You will NOT BULK UP from heavy resistance training.
3. Longer workouts are NOT Better.

Cardio Vs. Resistance Training


Cardio training in exactly that, to help make your heart and cardiovascular system fitter. It burns calories at the time of the workout, but there is no oxygen debt created to get an elevated heart rate and metabolism post workout. High Intensity resistance training uses all of the stored nutrients in the muscles and therefore this needs to be repaid after your workout, this catabolic reaction creates the elevated metabolic effect of resistance training. Cardio training has a sparring affect and can metabolise and burn muscles tissue because of the length of time this is being performed at a low grade intensity. Resistance training stresses your muscle to help it grow. Muscle tissue burns more calories at rest than any other tissue in the body.

Cardio training can create or exacerbate muscle imbalances and overuse injuries. You are performing thousands of the same movement over and over again in a cardio workout such as jogging. Moms have numerous muscle imbalances from pregnancy posture and to avoid getting an overuse injury from this you workout should be multi directional with a variety or total body moves such as squats, lunges, push-ups and pulls.

Just a little side note that high intensity training has the same effects on your cardiovascular system as a traditional cardio workout in shorter time. Is has been studied and proven, check out this article.

Weight Training and Bulk

Come on, no one believes this anymore, do they? Women you CANNOT bulk up form lifting heavy weights. Your natural body chemistry will not allow it. You are a woman with a feminine balance of estrogen and testosterone. Even at that you actually want to elevate your testosterone for short periods of time to burn more fat. Men with a larger balance of testosterone even have a hard time bulking up. When you see the body builder image this is created partly by natural body type, but mostly chemically enhanced whether you are male or female.

Muscle is useful, healthy and considered sexy-just look at all the Hollywood stars. It also weighs more than fat- so don't get hung up on the scale.

Longer Workouts- blah

When I see people at the gym slaving away for hours on the cardio machine or lifting weights all I think is WOW they must be really bored or unemployed. Who has time for that. This issue is 2 fold.

1.Long workouts can actually push your body into stress and eat away at your muscle tissue, and like we mentioned earlier if its a long cardio workout - watch out for over use injury.

2. If you can workout for 1-3 hours, you are not trying hard enough. Your workouts are not intense enough to burn fat efficiently, gain muscle and even speed. Workout quicker and lift heavier to maximize your workout results whether they be for fat burning or performance.

So where does this leave you. Are you wondering what to do for your workout? Try this fail safe, most economical approach to MOMS WORKOUT.

3 Super Busy Mom Snacks

Today I'll report on some easy nutrition tips, with some modifications so you can give them to your children or send them to a "nut free" child zone such as school, daycare or birthday parties. These are also great snacks when you are pregnant. Eating is essential for all, but to get in healthy snacks when pregnant can be the difference between feeling nauseous and not. Keep your blood sugar stabilized if you are pregnant-eat.

1. Blueberries, walnuts, cottage cheese. This is a great busy super mom snack as blueberries contain antioxidants, walnuts contain essential fatty acids or omegas and cottage cheese contains whey protein to stabilize blood sugar. For the super kids snack version you can leave out the walnuts and a touch of applesauce for added fruity sweetness for the kids.

2. Apple slices and cheese. This super mom snack contain fiber, protein and fat to reduce blood sugar fluctuations. Mom may prefer apple-wood smoked cheddar and kids mozzarella, it all works. Eat the skin on the apple as this contain a few grams of fibre on its own.

3. Dried apricots and almonds. This busy mom snack again contain fibre and omega fatty acids. For the super kids version you can add some dried apricot slices to yogurt or cottage cheese. OK so you or your child is lactose sensitive or intolerant- so add some dried apricots (sliced) into nut free granola with a few dark chocolate chips(or carob)- I guarantee they'll gobble this down.

These snacks are easy to make, relatively not messy for children and mom, and have a balance of nutrients to stabilize blood sugar. I use the almond /apricot combo as my go to snack. I always have a bag of this in my backpack because it doesn't go bad. You can always have your food on hand. None of the snacks are low fat as you will notice, actually quite the opposite. Fats are essential in your eating plan to be successful at health and weight loss.

For the mom that is ready to take her nutrition to the next level I am going to refer you to this complete comprehensive eating program with great tasting recipes I am going to refer you to an ebook call The Diet Solution. I think you will find this easy to follow and is full of great ingredients such as coconut oils and medium chain fats to boost your metabolism. A great compliment to your busy mom workouts.

Also for a complete Busy Mom Fitness program or Pregnancy Fitness program check my Baby Bump ebooks. Everything you will need from pregnancy, post delivery, and fat loss/fitness. A comprehensive system.

My Busy Mom Fitness workout today- dynamic warmup and circuts

circut #1 2x- modified pullups, squat press, prone jack knife with pushup, kettlebell snatch

Busy Mom Fat Loss circut #2- lunge kettlebell row, burpee with jumpsquat, lunge xover row, jump squat 10 of each 2x through the circut

To get more workouts like the one listed aboven in a 16 week program get a copy of your Baby Bump Busy Mom Fitness ebook.

Think Like An Athlete- changing views on fat

So my girls are counting the dogs boobies and reviewing what colour they are. Great, they are both very curious and have realized SAMMY the dog is a girl and daddy is a boy. I have just been informed the dog is licking herself as well. I indicated this is OK, this is how she cleans herself, just don't you do it. I have been through this before when Kasia peed out in the yard because Sammy did.

BUSY MOM FITNESS- Body Image and Changing Views on Fat

So we reviewed important reasons to exercise over the past two posts. Reason 1- fix pregnancy posture, 2 gain strength and speed recovery to care for your children, others relieve stress, deal with/prevent depression. When you start an exercise session set a mini goal for yourself that session, like today I am going to try and add 5 seconds to my plank. This is important in two ways a) it automatically makes your fitness program progressive and we need constant progression to yield results and b) It shifts the focus of your workout from negative to positive. You are not focused on losing weight that session (that we all know is impossible to achieve in one day although we all hope it's possible) and a positive challenge to add something to your routine.

Fitness is an achievement earned over time, not in one or two sessions. Look at the long term effects and benefits. If you have just had a baby you will not be ready to jump on the horse and run a 10km race, right?. Your body needs to heal and become progressively stronger to get a lasting result. In actual fact you probably could or may be capable of running a 10km in early post partum, but is this wise. NO WAY, you will never get a lasting result to get to your true strength potential. You will run a 10km and most likely your fitness will plateau and then deteriorate due to overtraining and imbalances. You will never get the lasting fitness result you desire. I see the result of improper programming in my industry on a daily basis.

So what is proper programming for a new mom that will take you to your ultimate fitness and fat loss quest. Start with the furious 5 and work through the 3 progressive stages. Start the free beginner fitness/fat loss program and progress to the 4 week program. All of this is at your finger tips by signing up for my newsletter at the side of the blog. This program is incremental, progressive, and focuses on functional strength which is needed for lasting fitness results and fat loss.

Athletes rehab starts very slow and is progressive, they have professionals advising them of long term results. "Yes today your can run 50 metres in 15 seconds and will be able to get to 8 seconds by continuing what you are doing, this is an ok result. If you take a step back and perform 2-4 weeks of post rehab or muscle balancing exercise your potential will be to run a 50 metre in 6 seconds. " This is the same as fat loss, you can drop 10 pounds by jogging with your stroller, but if you fix your pregnancy posture, balance your muscles and embark on a high intensity resistance training program you have potential to drop a lasting 20 lb.

I will tell you from experience as an athlete, this is how an athlete tackles learning and mastering a new skill and how they approach their fitness routine. Start slow, methodical and when the basics are mastered results are exponential. Lets do a comparison-

Athletes have bad posture from playing sports
Athletes have traumatic stress injuries from falls, hits ect.
Athletes have overuse injuries from repetitive moves

Moms have traumatic stress injuries from delivery
Moms have overuse injuries from repetitive moves
Moms have bad posture from pregnancy

Wow mom, you are an athlete and motherhood is your sport. Understanding that being able to plank for 20 seconds longer will allow you to hold your baby for 1 hour longer before your low back gets tired is incentive enough. Think of the result of each exercise in your program- will this allow me to do something better in my daily mom life. Exercise should enhance your life, not burden it.

If you tell an athlete that by performing 20 seconds more on their front plank will allow them to return to their sport quicker or jump higher without back pain they will do it- because that is their incentive, their mindset and their reason for performing exercises.

You have more incentive to perform better in your daily life than just jumping higher or running faster. Your job is important, life shaping and multi dimensional. You need endless endurance, strength and positive energy. Don't focus on negative like feeling fat, it will impact your life and your children's lives. Focus on the positives like being strong, trying a new exercise, and managing stress. There is no harder and more important job or sport in the world than being a mother. You yield life.

The end

sincerely ,

Jacqueline (mother and athlete)

Get Fat Out of Your Head-Reasons For Exercise

I just had to write as a proud mom, Kasia's first day of Junior Kindergarten went awesome. Here is her photo. So this is what I did to prepare myself for her first week of school and my husband travelling as well. I made the girls a breakfast schedule so first thing in the morning I am not scrambling for the rush. As a working parent this I find , is the most stressful part of the day. So I will head stress off at the pass and here plan for it. I am focused on success and want them to leave the house with a full belly.

GIRLS BREAKFAST SCHEDULE

Monday-breakfast sausage, cereal, mixed berries

Tuesday- blueberry waffle, sausage, apple

Wednesday-raisin toast, applesauce, sausage

Thursday- mini muffin, banana, drinking yogurt

Friday- scrambled eggs, yogurt, fruit



Busy Mom Fitness- Get Fat Out of Your Head

So at the end of last days post FAT IS ONLY A FEELING, I indicated we need to address your reasons for working out. Be honest- is it to look, good, lose fat, tone your arms, see your abs? Or is it to be healthy, fix your pregnancy posture, be strong, prevent overuse injuries, feel great? Let me know your answers in the comments.

A bit of insight can go a long way. So all of you have just been through a life and body changing experience-PREGNANCY. Do you know what pregnancy does to your posture? Well it pushes your head forward, rounds your upper back (like a hunch back), sways your low back, rotates your hips outwards so you walk like a penguin, forces you to walk with your weight in the balls of your feet. So all of these changes in your posture can exacerbate and create pain in your neck, shoulders and back. Relaxin and prolactin when nursing can further create joint instability and your can be left with nagging little injuries in your joints. (Refer to wrist video for tips if this is you).
So that being said are you caring for your baby/children with optimal posture and pain free? Probably not, so make this your 1st first priority of why you are working out, to care for your new baby and prevent any further change in your posture that can lead to pain. Start with the Furious 5 exercises for brand new moms.

Reason number 2 STRESS RELEIF- yes do something for yourself, exercise can be it. This is a positive in so many ways. Exercise relieves stress, releases endorphins to help with depression, manage anxiety, promote healing and health, gain strength to care for your baby. It does not have to be strenuous until you feel ready, but there is power in doing something for yourself and it can be as simple as starting the Furious 5.

Lets hear your reasons for exercising mom. We will tackle the athlete mentality later this week.

Fat is Only a Feeling

Have you ever thought, "I feel fat"? I am sure as a woman you have at least 100x/week. But fat is only a feeling. Are you really fat? Probably not, you may just be having guilt feeling about eating some chips or doggin' it through your last workout. It comes down to your mindset, how do you see yourself. People are harder on themselves because we are naturally self-absorbed. Believe me others are not criticizing you for skipping yesterdays workout- they don't even know and they are too busy worrying about themselves. Ok, so we have that cleared up, no one else is critiquing you. But what about you, why are you hard on yourself? Ask yourself these questions and answer them truthfully, everyone's answer is going to be different and I would love to hear them. If you are overweight, you have come to the right site for help and support too.
Myself, I will answer this question for you right now. I feel fat when I eat a poor breakfast like junky cereal, this sets me up for the day. I also feel fat according to my monthly cycle, that I feel I cannot control how my hormones affect my mind. I can honestly (and my clients will attest to this) say I don't think I feel the same degree of social pressures as other women I know regarding my body image. I am female and I do have them, but I know that part of my attraction of being a successful personal trainer is because of my positive self image. So where did this come from, we all read the same magazines and watch the same tv.

I don't have a six pack, but I am strong and happy with my body. I will post videos when I am feeling fat and bloated, like the kettle bell video, because I know all people have these days, that's life. I could diet for photo shoots if I wanted to, but I won't that's not real life. I was going to, but decided personally against it. I train for overall health.

I can attribute my positive self image to being an athlete. Yes that is right, I always trained for performance not for looking good but for actually being good at something. I played soccer, basketball and volleyball all at a highly competitive level. My sport of choice that I continued playing on the varsity team was volleyball, and I can attest it was my worst sport as well. I was good enough to play varsity, but it was my biggest athletic challenge and I took it on. If I can play at this level in my worst sport I can do anything. I had to get better and that is when I started training, just to be competitive with the other athletes. This is how I got involved in working out, I loved it. I never started to lose fat, I just wanted to jump higher and be faster. The thing is it worked for both, I became a better athlete, I had a leaner body and my self image sky rocketed.

What Every Mom Can Learn From A Man-you may not thought this possible

I had an interesting conversation with one of my male clients who is an ex professional athlete. Dealing with men, they do not hold back, he out right said I am fat, I need to lose 25 lb. He has a young family and is extremely busy. He is honest with himself about his health and how he feels. He told me point blank " I am fat, I am embarrassed of my fitness level and I want to feel like and athlete again". That was it, a light bulb went on for me "FEEL LIKE AN ATHLETE" and your body will follow. I am expecting tremendous results from this man because he is honest with himself and does not hide his feelings about his body image from me.

Be honest with yourself. Remember fat is only a feeling, self body image is what is important. Training like an athlete will get you there. But I'm a mom, not an athlete and never have been. That does not matter, you are training for performance, yes how you pick up, hold and carry you children, this is your sport. This is my sport now, and I need my training to perform as a mom at a top level and be energized and pain free managing my kids. Train for you health, without your health you have a lot to lose- increase your quality of life with your family.

Make this a priority, THINK LIKE AN ATHLETE and MOTHERHOOD is your SPORT. Positive body image will follow and you soon the body you desire and deserve will follow. I know all of this is easier said than done and keep visiting this week as we talk about reasons for exercising and changing your mindset.

Kettle Bell Challenge for Mom

Yes today was a day for kettle bell circuits in my training schedule. I love them, portable, quick, efficient. I get a great total body, fat burning workout with one piece of equipment. They originated in Russia and have been adopted by the mixed martial arts community. They are fast becoming mainstream because of the results they yield. I was first introduced to kettle bells a few months after the birth of my first daughter, and started taking lessons a few months after that. I have been using them ever since, not solely but as part of my busy mom fitness schedule. Check out this video for a demonstration. You can try these moves with a dumbbell.



I find learning a new tool takes your mindset off exercising solely to lose fat, but learning leads to performance. This is a new skill that is fun, efficient and make you feel energized. The second benefit is you will shed pounds while you are at it.

Weekend Challenge- perform this kettle bell circuit shown in the video with a kettle bell or a dumbbell. Just get used to these new moves. Post in your comments after you are done for a GREAT BABY BUMP PRIZE. Remeber the last prize was from Prograde Nutrition.