Tabata- Busy Mom Fat Loss

The Quickest Way to Busy Mom Fat Loss.

Moms have it hard enough without having to worry about losing that pregnancy body. Research indicates short burst high intensity resistance training is ideal for fat loss and proven to improve cardio vascular fitness. That’s right no need for cardio. I know ,I know you have heard it all before, there is a magical home fitness program for mom, but what exactly is it? Let me show you. The scientific name is metabolic acceleration training and it comes in many forms such as strength supersets, total body circuits and Tabata’s. What??

Metabolic Training- this type of training is short and nasty. You are most likely aware and/or using some form of metabolic training for fitness as it is conducive for our busy mom life style. The Tabata protocol is by far the superior form of metabolic training for maximum fat burning. Dr. Izumi Tabata is a Japanese researcher who published a study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports& Exercise in 1996. The conclusion of his study indicated 4 minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Metabolic training pushes the limits of your anaerobic system to get maximum fat burning results using the oxygen debt factor. The Tabata 4 minute interval is the superior form of metabolic training for fat burning, so this type of interval is the best of the best. The Tabata Interval requires 4 minutes maximal effort exercise done in a 20 seconds work/ 10 second rest interval. Nothing fancy is needed you can do an all squat Tabata meaning 20 seconds of squats rest 10 seconds and repeat 8x. Each 20 second work interval can yield approximately 15-18 squats if working to your maximum intensity.

How does this affect you as a busy mom? It just so happens that ideal fat burning exercise is short, 4-12 minutes short. Great news for you, because that is probably all the time you have to commit to a workout. You can manage short workouts while sleep deprived and under stress and still get results. Body weight exercises are more than sufficient, so workout anywhere, anytime. Intensity is the key factor for fitness, work to the best of your ability whether you are a beginner or advanced.
I hope this article has educated busy moms about Metabolic Acceleration Training and has inspired mom’s to exercise, even for 4 minutes.

I have designed a special Mothers Day Gift for all Busy Mom's which includes 4 different forms of metabolic training including the Tabata interval. This program has variety including strength supersets, total body circuits, Tabata’s and stability circuits to better your success.

To get a free 4 week BUSY MOM FITNESS program delivered to your inbox visit sign up below.


I would love to hear any comments about the program.

Jacqueline Gradish, BSc, CPT, Medical Exercise Specialist, Pre/Post Natal Specialist

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.

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.

House Full of Sick- DON"T SABOTAGE YOU EFFORTS

As a mom you are constantly surrounded by germs and sickness. The kids bring everything home for daycare and school, you pick things up at work and the public transit. During the dead of winter it is inevitable, you will probably catch a little virus. This is no excuse to fall off of your mom fitness and nutrition program though. Don't sabotage your results, this is a time to embrace your nutrition to help fight the virus. Make sure you are eating lots of veggies and food rich in vitamin C. Now as for your workout, I am not saying go and pump out 50 push ups. This is time for modification and gentle circulation, not the time for fat loss or muscle building. If you remain slightly active your exercise will be much easier after your virus has cleared. You have stayed on your schedule.

Let's reflect on what happens to your body when you feel sick- You cough or sneeze pulling your head and chest forward and collapsing at your abdomen. Therefore you can perform chin retraction, pec stretching and overhead reaching to counteract the tightness resulting from a cough or sneeze. You will automatically curl into a ball (fetal position) when sick, so it is important to keep you hip flexors stretched out as well and try to be aware of hunching your shoulders. Just be aware of your body and I guarantee when the time comes to perform intense exercise again you will be a step ahead.

My Workout-Today I have a virus so after work I did some foam rolling and stretching, and performed a front plank so I don't get too lazy in the belly and glut bridges. This was gentle and I feel a little less run down.

FREE BEGINNER FAT LOSS WORKOUT

I tried to take my eldest daughter downhill skiing on the weekend, well it was minus 25 degrees with the windchill. We tried our best to get out, but after 2 runs she was shivering and I was not going to fight it. I had to get out, the weather is killing us and we all have cabin fever. At least we tried and got to spend time together with one of her friends that joined us.

I had a great fat loss workout today and incorporated some much needed psoas (hip flexor) strengthening. My warm up; shoulder wall press, arm and leg swings, modified inchworm, psoas stretching, glut bridges, front plank up to 2 minutes, side plank leg lift, rotational plank. My fat loss workout 20 second work intervals 10 second rest intervals- my 8 exercises- front chop with kettle bell, squat high pull each side, kettle bell cleans each side, squat alternating press, cross body swing from lunge position both sides. I performed a few more post rehab exercises and an abdominal workout- stability ball toe taps, stability ball pull ins, 1 leg extended sit ups, single leg raise and lower.

Today I have prepared a free starter fat loss workout for new mothers. It will be included as a bonus when you sign up for my newsletter above. If you already receive the newsletter and wish to receive this FREE FAT LOSS Workout please contact me through the comments section and I will get it too you.

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.

MOM FAT LOSS TRAINING-quiz

So if you read last days post you are probably wondering what can I use at home for a busy mom fat loss workout if I am not going to use a big bulky machine. It's simple- I'll give you 3 guesses- write in and let me know. I'll give you a hint, if your a mom you all have one.

Come on busy moms, post your answers. Be creative for the season- oh the season of fat loss.

WAIST OF TIME-workout machines

Like anyone due diligence in necessary. In my research today I have come across an article written by an extremely popular free diet/fitness website directory. The article lists and rates the top 6 workout machines, which includes a list of over priced, bulky, electronic equipment. These machines are a waist of time, I cannot stand seeing an article like this. First of all they are marketed for fat loss which is a huge scam everybody knows fat loss results come from high intensity interval training best done with resistance, right--everybody knows this? Cardio is cardiovascular system training not fat loss training. Now anaerobic training is great for fat loss and improves your VO2 max as well. I read what members had written in regarding the articles and one person commented "it's too bad the only piece of equipment I can afford is a pedometer". In my mind this is their blessing in disguise, they can avoid suffering overuse injuries and waisting time and money on this type of equipment. (treadmills, elipticals, recumbent bikes). Mix up your workouts. Go over to http://babybumpfitness.ning.com and check out one of the holiday workouts posted, or check out the barbell workout posted last week for variety, time efficient, economical fat burning. So Moms don't fall prey to cardio equipment, all you need is a place to stand, some comfortable clothing and 12 minutes 3x/week for fitness results.

PLAN TO SUCCEED -Kick Ass Workout

Enjoying Santa


Hello to all busy moms. I am sure fitness and nutrition is on everyone's mind since the holidays. Here are some easy tips for program compliance.

1. PLAN AHEAD- meals- make a meal schedule and a grocery list to support it, then have the food in your house. Obvious solutions for busy mothers - easy 10 minute meals, use a slow cooker, make roast dinners because they are low maintenance.

2. PLAN AHEAD-workouts-decide how many workouts you are going to perform for the week. Try to schedule them onto certain days and then if you can pin point a time of day to get them done as well. I know life with a baby and/or toddler is not this cut and dry, but even if you complete 75% of what you set out to do for the week you will have some success. Obvious solutions for busy fit mothers are schedule 4 workouts for 20 minutes during baby/toddler nap time.

3. PLAN AHEAD-make a schedule for the rest of the household duties. As the busy Mother of the house it is your duty to organize the entire family. Delegate chores to toddlers and husbands when you can and work within your means to avoid becoming overwhelmed. This is more important than it sounds, if you are overwhelmed you will never be successful at a fitness program.

My Workout yesterday- This was a kick ass fat burning momma- All barbell 10 reps of everything except abs 20 reps and continuous.
Barbell good mornings, pushpress, deadlifts, full squat and press, modified pullups using barbell, (lye on floor)20 reverse ad curls with barbell in press up position, 10x reverse ab curl with alternating barbell chest press, 10x each leg 1 leg reverse ab curl with alternating barbell chest press, 5x each direction side reverse ab curls with barbell extended, good mornings, barbell cleans, barbell pushups, barbell abdominal roll outs 10x, barbell push press, barbell lunge 10x/leg, hang from barbell and pull knees to chest, barbell snatch lunge 5x/leg. EXHAUSTED. I challenge you then to try this and post it http://babybumpfitness.ning.com or write in to the blog.
2 sets of side grip full pullups with superband help 10x
I am going to do a stretch routine today as I have been up. since 2am with a sick baby.

NEW YEARS WORKOUT

My Workout- warm up, 10x 1 legged burpies, 20x kettle bell swings, 2x modified pullups, bent over rows, kettle bell clean and press, plank reach, side planks, ball plank floor toe tap, full squats, burpie shoulder press 15lb dumb bells, rotational plank. Go For It!!

Start your year off with this great little workout. Too advanced, start with this Furious 5, sign up for your free download. Too easy, Do It again! Burn that baby fat and get your body back.

Like I posted in my newsletter today, research has shown back and pelvic pain during and after pregnancy is independent of how you felt pre pregnancy. My thoughts on this NO SH*T caring for a baby is hard work and your body is still changing dramatically. You need recovery exercise and physical strength to endure what you are going through.

Like I mentioned in my last post I have been having a great time with my toddler. Today we are going ice skating for the second time and plan on going skiing on Saturday for the first time. I want to introduce her to all of her options to make sure she has the skills to live a fit and healthy life.

Do anyone have any new years resolutions? Please write in and post them.

First Experiences

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

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

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