Fitness & Weight Loss for Moms

If you really think about it, how many servings of fruits and vegetables do you actually eat every day? Most recent recommendations say we should aim for about eight to nine servings each day. However, a recent study from Harvard University found that just five daily servings will help men and women reduce their risk of stroke by 31%. A nutrition professor at the University of New Haven, Rosa Mo, RD, says that five servings a day gives you "significant antioxidants and fiber to reduce heart disease and cancer risk and keep your weight in check." That's great news! However, I'd rather us think we need those eight to nine servings so we shoot for the stars. Most people probably have one piece of fruit and one (maybe two) servings of vegetables a day. There are even those who swear off fruits and vegetables all together. Sigh. So, what's in a single serving? Here are a few examples: 1/2 cup raw, frozen, cooked, or canned fruit or vegetables, 3/4 cup 100% fruit juice, 1 cup raw leafy greens, 1/4 cup dried fruit, one medium sized fruit. For me, I think I do a pretty good job getting my fruits and veggies in, but like any normal person, I have my good days and bad days. So today I decided to begin a fruit and veggie diary. Instead of a diary listing ALL the foods I eat (which I find really hard to keep up with in the long term), I am going to keep track of every fruit and vegetable I eat (100% fruit juices count). To help me out, I made a small spreadsheet and I'm keeping it in my Google docs. I split it up into different color groups so I make sure to get a variety of nutrients. You can view it here (I filled in Monday as a sample):

Daily Fruits and Veggies Spreadsheet

You can also check out this page from the Sanitarium Health Food Company to get an idea of the different color groups, examples, and what nutrition they provide.

Fun Physical Indoor Games for Kids From The Go-To Mom www.TheGoToMom.TV When it's so dang hot outdoors I have to come up with innovative ways to get my kids moving and grooving so that they get the appropriate exercise their little bodies need. First off, we go outside in the heat for only a little while and play with ice cubes in a big bucket. Then we come in and set up safe obstacle course made of pillows, soft balls and toys. Luckily we have long hallways for which they can run up and down without knocking things down. Fun Games to Play Indoors 1. Sharks and Allegators: Place mats or pillows all over the house and have kids jump from pillow to pillow to keep from getting snapped up by the sharks or allegators! 2. Hall-Way Toss: Have kids sit at each end of the hallway with a stash of soft balls. They can toss one at a time to eachother or throw all of the balls at once. Fun, crazy and wild! 3. Duck, duck, goose: Do I really need to explain this? 4. Pillow Relay Race: Have children stack pillows up to chest (so they can see) and have them race to see how many pillows drop on the way to the finish line. Or see how many times they can run back and forth without dropping the pillows. 5. Balloon Volley Ball: Bat a balloon around and try to keep it off the floor, this is a great cardio exercise for kids and parents! To Watch the Go-To Mom show, click here!

Did you know that our bodies contain two kinds of fat? Yellow and brown fat. The yellow fat is the kind that clings to your bones, while the brown fat will actually help burn up the yellow fat, according to Ellen Kamni, author of An Alternative Medicine Definitive Guide to Weightloss: 10 Ways to Shed Unwanted Pounds. That means if your body contains more brown fat than yellow fat, your body is a fat burning machine. But if you're one of those people that can't seem to lose weight even while restricting calories, your body probably has more yellow fat than brown. Compared to men, women in general have more of the inactive yellow fat insulating the body in order to reproduce. To turn up the body's fat burning ability, Kamhi recommends supplementing with gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acids. She suggests taking 500 mg of GLA daily in the form of evening primrose oil, black currant oil, hemp oil or borage oil. The other kind of fat Kamhi suggests consuming to turn on the body's thermogenic furnace is medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) such as grapeseed oil or virgin coconut oil. She recommends one to two tablespoons a day. Cayenne pepper, ginger and cinnamon are not only delicious spices to add flavor to food, but they also can break down fat. And adding a cup or two of green tea or yerba mate to your meals can also turn up the body's metabolic rate and ability to break down fat cells. Two supplements to consider taking are ginseng and hydroxycitric acid (HCA), which studies have found to help encourage weight loss by suppressing the appetite. Additionally, HCA lowers the production of cholesterol and fatty acids, blocks the conversion of carbohydrates to fat, and activates the body's fat burning capability. Of course, if you really want to burn the yellow fat, remember that exercise is paramount to any weight loss regimen. For the latest news about natural health and beauty as well as great tips and product reviews, check out VibrantGlow.com.

Every mother knows the feeling of guilt. In fact, I think we learn this feeling far before having children. I'm in Chicago for the weekend visiting my sister for a much needed break from mommy summer camp. I rarely have time away from my responsibilities as a working mother, yet I'm just half-way through my "me time" trip and feel a bit guilty. I feel guilty about leaving all three of my kids with my husband for 3-1/2 days. (poor him!) I feel guilty that the kids won't experience my "mother's touch" for 3-1/2 days. (poor them!) I feel guilty that I went out to two restaurants today, shopped at the outlet mall and had a good time without my family. (poor, poor them!) I feel guilty that I might have overeaten (okay, I overate big time) today and will overeat again tomorrow at the Taste of Chicago. (poor me!) I feel guilty that despite my best intentions, I don't really feel like waking up at 6 am tomorrow to go running. (my poor body!) There's more, but you get the point. Isn't it crazy how we long for time away...a break, a moment, anything to regain our sanity...yet, we spend that away time overcome with sorrow and worry about the ones we left behind, or chastising ourselves over "shouldas?" I'm over it now though. I deserve this break; my family deserves it too. And my body could use a good 'ol Chi-town hot dog with everything on it. Okay...I'm having a hard time convincing myself of that one! :)

As much as I love my son and my husband I know I need some time for me every once and a while. Cooking dinner, doing laundry, or taking a shower while my husband takes over "baby duty" doesn't really count. "Me Time" is time that is just for me....painting my nails (or even better...going to get a mani-pedi), reading a book, going for a run on my own, writing a blog, or maybe even taking a nap (gasp!). I don't even have to leave the house. Just thirty minutes or an hour is all I need to recharge. It makes sense really....if you do anything 24 hours a day 7 days a week you will get burned out eventually. It's hard at first....no matter where I am in the house I can hear if my son is fussing or crying. Sure his Daddy can handle it...but it's REALLY hard to relax and do something for me when I know I can calm him down right away. So I tell myself that these little breaks here and there make me a better mommy. I tell myself that letting my husband calm our son when he fusses and cries will make him a better Daddy. When I am more clam and rested I have more patience. When my husband is giving me a break now and then I don't resent him when I am flying solo, and he feels like he is more involved. So get your hubby, significant other, mother, sister, aunt, or friend to watch you little one(s) and take a little time out to do something just for you :) Even if you don't get to do it all that often...any time to yourself is better than no time at all ;)