BAD WEATHER IS NO EXCUSE

My Mommy max strength experiment is coming to and end this week. I will trying my exercises tomorrow and will post result at the BabyBump-social network link. Over the past 2 weeks I have been woken every night by a teething baby- she now has 4 teeth. At least something to show for all of the sleeplessness. Last night she slept through the night- I was startled out of my sleep at 5:25am by my alarm. When I went out to my car for work it was covered in ice and snow, I had already taken my ice scraper out of my car so I just waited for everything to warm up. I am telling you this because I notice a funny thing at the gym this morning while training my first client- WE WERE THE ONLY ONES THERE. This is a prime training time and is usually busy. A bit of snow and ice and people take the opportunity to skip a workout. Depressing to see ice and snow YES, well how do you make yourself feel better- WORKOUT.

It just seems people use any little excuse to skip their workouts. There is a time to rest and a time to work. We talked about the rest last week- take a day off if you are extremely sleep deprived, fighting a virus, feel over trained or injured. Do not take a day off because it snowed- this is just an excuse that will lead to non compliance. You still have time today to give this Busy Mom Fitness program a go- you are worth 15 minute today.
You are a busy mom and never get to schedule anything, so try this right now as you are surfing on your computer.

BUSY MOM HOME CIRCUT

1. Warmup- leg swings both directions, arm swings, arm circle.
2. 10x body weight full squats
3. 10x/leg body weight lunges
4. Front plank 30 seconds than last 30 seconds perform alternating front plank toe taps.
5. Side planks 10x/side with leg lift
6. Jumping jacks 20x
7. Pushups 10x
8. Reverse fly with just bodyweight arms/resistance band or dumbells 15x
9. Burpies- 10x
10. Wall shoulder rotation with press
REPEAT 2-10 and stretch

Don't let a little bad weather get in your way, stand up and give this workout a try right now- where ever you are. Let me know how you feel afterwards.

Sleep Deprivation and Max Strength- my experiment day 2

Another tid bit of information regarding sleep. Over the past 3 nights my baby has been sick so I was averaging about 3 hours sleep per night and completing a course through the day (so not napping). WOW, has this ever affected my maximum strength. I did have a good night sleep last night but, I was only able to complete 4 berpie pullups in total today (last week 5 then 4- 2 sets) and dropped 20 pounds on my near max cleans (3 reps)(barbell pulling motion). I know factors like nutrition come into play as well, but I feel my accumulation of sleep deprivation was the kicker. I am putting myself through a little challenge where I am trying to improve on these 2 exercises every Tuesday. I will let you know my conditions (sleep and diet) and my improvements. So the question is, can a new mom dramatically improve her strength results? With constant set backs like the flu, lack of sleep and emotional stress, what is realistic? You can loose fat with the quick Tababta style fat loss workouts and being organized with your diet, I am living proof of that. Now the question is how and when will I regain my pre-pregnancy strength- if ever. My busy mom fitness strength workout today- dynamic warmup, standing lat pulldowns, lunge press, shoulder rotations, elevated prone plank with knee ins, 4 Berpie pullups 1 set, 2 sets of narrow grip pullups each 4 reps, circuit of front squat-pushpress-bulgarian split squat 2 sets. Now it is time to try cleans, warmup goes well so I add 20lb and able to complete, I add 10 more pounds to complete 5x but not maxed out so I add another 20lb to try for my 3 rep max- NO DICE. I could not complete this complex lift today. I altered my lift to a high pull 5x, then backed off on the weight to complete 5 more lifts. I proceeded with post rehab hamstring and glut medius exercises. I will be reporting on this every Tuesday for the next month and let you know how far I have come and under what conditions, I will perform these 2 exercises at the same point in my workout each week. I know strength training may not be your goal, but there are some great benefits to it. It is a great way to shake up your program, decrease boardum and allow you to set mom fitness goals for yourself. In the long run you will be able to lift more while you are circuiting, therefore cutting more fat. All training I talk about is strengthening, but I am specifically referring to trying near max lifts. I do feel I am ready for this as my baby is almost 1 year old.

2 DIFFERENT SLEEP DEPRIVATION WORKOUTS

I have been getting some more response regarding the recipes and realized people without a blogger account cannot comment on the blog. If you want to share your recipes with others mothers please email me at jacqgradish@hotmail.com and I will post your recipes or you can sign in http://babybumpfitness.ning.com and post your recipes in the busy mom group, this way everyone will get to share the information.

This is a comment that Denise had emailed to me to post-

Hey Jac

I just wanted to let you know that the pulled pork was yummy, yummy, yummy! Leah helped me sprinkle the spices over the meat and then kept asking me all day "WHAT is that smell?" (I thought it smelled great!). She gobbled it up and so did Jeff. We're going to try your second recipe next week. I liked that I could have the spicy stuff I want, but still have Leah eating the same meal as the entire family (by taking some non-spicy meat out to the middle). I hate having to make her something different because I feel like something spicy.


Thanks,

Denise
Great feedback Denise, thanks. We can really support one another through our journey as parents, please share anything that you may think another mom may find helpful.

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.

I will post examples of each style of workout at http://babybumpfitness.ning.com. So visit and give them a try.

I CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT MY SLOW COOKER- Busy Mom Recipes

Ok, how do you take care of your children, run your house hold, make money, and eat a healthy- hot family meal every night. Two words--CROCK POT. That's right, I rely on my Slow Cooker to provide a healthy- hot meal for my family. I use the slow cooker about 4 nights a week and we always have left overs for great lunches the next day.

Benefits of a slow cooker

1. Quality on a Budget. You can use a cheaper cut of meat because it will be stewing all day. This means you can take those extra pennies and spend it on a better quality of meat. Eg.- instead of buying a generic prime rib, you can buy a hormone free or organic beef pot roast. That's right- quality on a budget.

2. One Pot Meal- all of the veggies are cooked right into the meal. This is great if you have toddlers, you are basically disguising the vegetables and can avoid a the great vegetable debate at the dinner table.

3. Low Prep Time- I have not spent more than 15 minutes ever preparing a slow cooker meal and typically I spend 5 minutes on the prep. Sad but true, I wake at 5am, feed the baby, make lunches, eat breakfast, prepare a dinner meal in the crock pot for that night and go to work by 6am.

4. Homemade Baby Food- Although my baby is 11 months old, she has NO TEETH. She is active and ready for a hearty meal. Using some little bits of meat, mashed veggies and juices allows her all the nutrients she requires and we are setting her up for great eating habits.

5. No Burning- that's right you cannot burn something in a crock pot, and small inevitable interruptions do not ruin your efforts, just serve out the meal when ever you are ready, or have food at hand for your forever hungry toddler.

There is no TV allowed at meal time and we all sit at the table, this is the only 15 minutes we all spend together each day. We connect as a family over a hot, healthy meal.

I would love to hear your favourite busy mom meals, write in and let me know. Here are 2 of my favourite meals.

J Fit Mom Meal #1
Spicy Pulled Pork

Place a frozen or fresh pork shoulder into your crock pot and spill about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over it.
Add 1/8 cup of water to the pot and sprinkle these dry spices over the pork
1tbsp paprika
2tbsp of ground cummin
1tsp chopped thyme
1 clove garlic or 2tsp dry garlic powder
1 tbsp fresh oregano or 1tsp dried
1tsp cayenne pepper

Cover the crock pot and cook all day. The pork will pull apart when ready. I just pull no spiced pieces from the middle for the kids.
I like to serve this over rice and snow peas. I use my rice cooker and in the last 5minutes of the rice cooking I throw the snow peas on top to steam them.
Other ideas- you can put the pulled pork into a tortilla shell with avocado and veg.

J Fit Mom Meal # 2
Crock Pot Osso Bucco

This is dinner party grade. Add the Veal shank osso bucco and a 2tbsp olive oil to the crock pot. 4 servings

4 veal shanks
2 tbsp butter
1.5 cup red wine
1 beef bullion cube
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 onion
2-4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1tbsp fresh parsley
3 sprigs fresh thyme
sprig of oregano if you like it- not mandatory
course salt and pepper to taste a few sprinkles
carrots-chopped and celery chopped

Please write in and share your best Busy Mom meals, we want to hear from you.

BUSY MOM FITNESS- Probiotics and Watch that Toddler

I am finally over my flu after a relapse on Friday. The entire house was healthy for about 3 hours and then my husband and Kasia got a cold, now the baby has a cold and I have been up the past two nights with her. The cycle continues. At times like this when exercise is not an option, nutrition is extra important. We are making sure our daughters are getting all or their fruits and vegetables, eating protein and taking their "drinking yogurt", or probiotic culture. The flu can change the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract, so part or recovery is taking your probiotics. I have been following this rule with my girls and forgot to follow this for myself, until my naturopath reminded to take my probiotics. Worked like a charm.

So I have been wondering why we are passing all of our germs around, we are diligent with hand washing, using tissues, washing toys and keeping the girls separated. Well now I know why, I caught my 3 year old licking the couch, wiping her nose on the dining table and spitting on her toothbrush and "washing" the bathroom counter and sink. Yah, we talk about germs all the time, and she seems to know this is wrong and germ spreading behaviour, but she is 3 and she is going to push the envelope. We have all been run down and she has not been getting much attention, so she thinks, so I guess in her mind she would rather be yelled at than ignored.

My workout- knee to chest, dead bug, glut bridges, cook hip lifts, front plank, ball hamstring curls, heel lifts off stability ball, adductor bridges ball squeeze, full body weight squat, modified pullups, pushups, reverse flies. This is a great workout to help re balance your body after feeling under the weather. It is difficult but not too strenuous to cause a relapse. Lifting weights causes micro tears in your muscle and lowers your immunity.

What I Learned From My Children

After a busy weekend concerning my Nana's funeral I am back on track today. I had a great little mom fat loss workout using 20 seconds work and 10 seconds rest Tabata intervals.

My Workout: push ups, modified pull ups, front chops, jump squats, dumb bell lunge cross over, lateral lunge, squat alternating dumb bell press, explosive push ups. 3 rounds with 1 minute rest in between circuits.

I had some friends drop by on Monday, some were mothers with babies, some newly weds and some single and looking. It made me reflect on how different my life has become from some of my friends in a very short amount of time. I say Friends are Friends and I will always support them, but what I have realized as I have changed. It sounds like an obvious comment, but I have changed in more ways than I thought by becoming a parent. This was brought to my attention as we did a personality quiz together. My answers today (with children) were way different than what I would have answered say 3 years ago. I have become more vulnerable, less patient of non family members, more self aware as I am accountable to my husband and raising my children. I am less confident overall as I look at life as a bigger picture (not a bad thing). I also realized I can feel momentarily ugly (like all women do) and my daughter still thinks I look like a princess. I can recover from little low much more quickly a) because I am grateful for what I have and b) my mood affects my children. My feelings are less guarded and I am more socially aware. This is how motherhood has changed me and how I have learned this from my children. I do attribute regular fitness to my positive thoughts and coping with motherhood. I am accountable to my health to allow me to care for my children.

Matriarc

OK so no one picked up on it. Sled drags. Mamma's if you want to lose fat, plop your baby into a snow sled and perform 50 metre runs with baby behind you, work up to 10 of these and I guarantee you will notice something great happening to you.

My workout- dynamics, 4 sets of pull ups- 2 with super band assistance and 2 without, 2sets of Y squats using a 20lb bar and 2 sets of explosive cable squat/high pull each arm.

My Nana passed away last night and it has been a long day of work and kids. She was 97 and a true inspiration for me. She was a great athlete playing golf well into her 90's and even got a hole in 1. She kept her competitive edge beating the pants off her friends in cards, and made a full recovery from breaking her pelvis at the age of 95. She weighed about 100 pounds in her prime, but man was she a strong woman. I will miss you Nana, love Jacqueline.

SKIING With a Toddler

Today I took Kasia downhill skiing for the first time in her life. My legs were burning, just another reminder to change your program often and the best fitness program out there is the one your not on-due to adaptation. I was drenched with sweat just from pole pulling her to the rope tow. She has to go up and down the hill between my legs the whole time so I was basically in a low squat for about 4 hours- cannot wait for tomorrow. She was the smallest kid at the hill and got many comments. She has NO FEAR and was always wanting to go faster-glad I got her a helmet. I want to her to have a healthy and active life- this is all you can do for a child. Putting your child on a fitness regime/exercise bike or treadmill is insane, just get them moving. Now youth fitness experts are gearing away from specialized sport training at an early age and are using a much more multi disciplinary approach, getting young bodies moving in all directions. I have some knowledge in this area as I have read the International Youth Conditioning Association textbook and have yet to take the exam.

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

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

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.