Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Home Work Out for 11/24

Class may be on holiday break, but are you missing the burn?  Follow this simple routine to keep your mommymuscles challenged during the holiday. 
 
 
Home Workout 11/24 

15 squat and reach (Arms over head then down to ground) Sink bottom down!

14 alternating lunges (on both legs) add a knee lift for more challenge

15 push ups (do as many as you can on toes!)

15 dips off a chair or ground

20 sec plank on knees or toes

Grab your resistance tube and do 15 reps of bicep curls

Repeat entire work out for a total of 3 sets
 
 
We all know we feel a little better about dessert if we've had a workout! Hope everyone is enjoying their baking, cleaning, and organizing day in preparation for the big T-Day.  We're so swamped here I always wonder why I don't start the preparations a day earlier each year. 
 

Monday, November 22, 2010

Healthy Holiday Recipes

Have you braved the supermarkets with your mile-long Thanksgiving dinner shopping list in hand already? If you haven't been so daring yet, and are still looking for healthy recipes to make for the holidays, check out Fitness Magazine's Healthy Holiday Recipes.


Brown-Butter Brussels Sprouts is just one of the twelve delicious recipes that could grace your Thanksgiving table this year.


Brussels Sprouts never tasted to good

Thursday, November 4, 2010

The Perfect Shoe

Mom's, did you know you could be jeopardizing your workout before even stepping one foot out your front door? If you don't have a properly fitted shoe for your foot shape and size, your entire workout could be ruined, even before you leave the house.

Shin-splints, and rolled ankles are just a couple of the issues that you can run into with poorly fitted shoes, and they are no laughing matter.  I know first hand the debilitating pain they cause. Shortly before becoming pregnant I invested in new running shoes, and while pregnant I was put on modified bed rest. No more running or jumping, or even more walking than was necessary! It was hard not getting out and being active, but as soon as I could after delivering my precious baby, I put those practically brand new shoes back on and hit the road. Ouch! Ooh, the pain! No, not in places I would have expected shortly after having a baby,  but in my feet and shins. I wanted to work out, but it was too painful to take even a few of steps in my practically brand new running shoes.  I was mystified, why would these shoes that had fit so perfectly only a few months year before now be so wrong?  I consulted my fitness instructor and learned a very important lesson that I'm going to share with you here:  Mom's, you're feet change size and even shape during and after pregnancy! I know, because your body hasn't gone through enough changes as it is.  But your feet change too? All that money, the emotional investment, in all your pre-pregnancy shoes might as well be thrown out the window. So, if you are wearing the same running shoe as you did before becoming pregnant, it is time for new shoes! Inserts may also be your saving grace, like they were for me. My feet had changed so much those shin-splints weren't going anywhere without the help of those specially fitted inserts, even with the right shoe. I spent more than I ever had before on shoes, but it was worth every penny.  If you haven't done so already, invest in yourself by investing in your shoes! Your workout will thank you.

Fleet Feet is a great place to get fitted if you have yet to see what damage was done to your feet from your pregnancy. It is great place to get fitted, not just for shoes, but for sports bra's as well (another crucial area to have the proper fitting support for your workout!).  As they say on their website:

"Whether you walk, run, or simply need a good fitting pair of shoes, the experts at Fleet Feet Sports will work with you to evaluate your foot’s gait and natural biomechanics to help you select a shoe that offers the best fit and function for you."


Check out this article over at Fitness Magazine to help you in the search for the right shoe for you, "Lace Up: The Best Walking, Toning, and Hiking Shoes."


Hannah's Healthy Frozen Treats







Hannah’s Healthy Frozen Treats

My daughter Hannah is 13months old and does not like to be spoon fed, she has to do it all herself. This makes it challenging to get her to eat her green veggies. I used to be able to mixed steamed kale or spinach in with her homemade pear and applesauces. So I decided to juice them and make her a frozen treat.
I just juiced one honey tangerine, a green apple and a few handfuls of fresh kale, and spooned it into Popsicle trays. I let it freeze overnight and the next day she had wonderful healthy treats that’s she loved!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Baby"Boo"Camp: Lunge with a Twist

Don't stop the momentum you've got going, and hey! Step away from that Kit-Kat, slowly, easy, set it down, walk away . . . that's it, easy now . . . now go pick up that hefty pumpkin for some:

Lunges with a Twist


To begin your lunge, bring pumpkin up over your head, making sure you have a firm but comfortable grasp  on the pumpkin (or any other weight you choose)
As you lower into a lunge keep your weight in the heel of your front foot, as you bring the pumpkin down and across to the outside of your ankle as demonstrated here. 

Firmly plant the heel of the front foot and drive the weight down through your heel and bring the pumpkin back up and lift over your head as come to standing again.
Lower and repeat, alternating legs, as you sing "The Ants Go Marching" to your little one. 

Baby "Boo" Camp: Wall Squats & Whole Body Alphabet


I know, you just had to have another Kit-Kat (those things are like crack, I swear. I mean . . . I've heard . . .), so if you're feeling a little guilty about over-indulging, pick up that spare pumpkin you have from your front porch, and take a seat against the wall for some good old fashioned Wall Squats. And if you're baby is fussy, use him/her instead of the pumpkin (and use your discretion on raising baby up and down like you would the pumpkin). 
 
 
Lower body down at wall with knees at 90 degree angle and back against wall. Push through heels and extend arms straight out holding pumpkin.

Slowly lift arms straight up and return to start position. Make sure to not swing arms!


While you do this sing the itsy bitsy spider to your child as you slowly raise the pumpkin up and down, take a break at the end of the song, and do it two more times.
 

I don't have pictures for this one, but its too fun not to include. 
 
Whole body Alphabet

Stand with feet shoulder width apart, slight bend to knees. Hold pumpkin with both hands straight out in front. Draw navel to spine and use pumpkin to "draw" letters. Use your entire body. For A, start down at your foot by squatting low and then reach up with pumpkin with hands over head to engage shoulders, then back down squatting to your other foot and twisting to reach your feet, back up and cross over your body across your middle to complete the A. Continue with each letter, making sure to use your entire body when making the letters. Don't forget to sing along to your child the Leapfrog Learning Alphabet song, that goes something like this: "Every letter makes a sound, the A says "Ah!" and so on and so forth through the alphabet.   

Baby "Boo" Camp: Squats with Pumpkin Raises

Keeping with the Halloween themed exercises here we have squats with forward pumpkin raises to help burn off all that Halloween candy that you just had to "confiscate" because they weren't safe for kid consumption ;) . 
Raise pumpkins above overhead, making sure you have a comfortable but firm grim on the gourds.
Sink your bottom as low as you can, pushing back on your heals, and bringing the pumpkin down as you see the mom's demonstrating here, then back up again lifting with your toes for an added challenge.


For those of you doing these at home: do 3 sets of 15 repetitions each, and just tell me that you don't feel the burn!