Interesting Fact about Milk

Milk? Interesting? Why yes!

As women calcium is a big deal (in case you didn't know that, it is)! We are continually at risk of losing bone density and for several reasons (of which I won't go into presently). So it is imperative that we actively and continually consume foods that are high in calcium. An obvious source, milk. I love to drink a cold glass of milk, but I really prefer 2% or whole milk. Anything lower than 2% is just too watery for me! I thought I was doing well in the calcium department because it seems that thick hearty milk would be loaded with it! Right? Wrong! The calcium found in milk is actually found in the non-fat portion of milk so the more fat, the less calcium. It turns out that glass of lowfat milk is even healthier than you thought!

Just some food for thought! ;)

Thank you, Thank you for this article!

Having spent several years doing research for metabolic disorders I feel blessed to have had a "behind the scenes" look into diseases such as diabetes and obesity. I get so annoyed by information people give that is not only incorrect and misleading, but sometimes downright dangerous.

I heard a radio show the other day on my favorite Christian radio station where they had an "expert" in "holy health" and this woman started spouting some of the most ridiculous "facts" about sugars and fat. I've out of the research field for two years now, so I'll admit my information is not as sharp as it used to be, but my instant reaction to what this chic was saying was "What!". Luckily my hubby is also a researcher of metabolic disorders and was in the car with me. His response was the same! She had all of her data mixed up and was broadcasting it to live radio. Yikes! Please, please, please with a cherry on top do your homework and do some research! Don't read some fad diet book and then take it as medical truth. Most of the time it is crap!

So, on to the article!

I found this on the FitnessMagazine.com website (lots of good stuff there) and was so happy to find it! The article is called 9 Shocking Sugar Facts and does just that! The sad part is that the facts are shocking. They shouldn't be. They should be common knowledge. Here is an excerpt,

#1: It Doesn't Make You Fat

It only seems like those Girl Scout Cookies go straight to your thighs. Sugar doesn't automatically change into fat in your body, says Tara Gidus, RD, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). In fact, too many calories cause weight gain -- whether they come from cookies or carrots. But when was the last time you OD'd on carrots? Sugary foods tend to be high-calorie and easy to overeat. They cause a spike in blood sugar, followed by a sudden drop that can leave you feeling depleted and hungry.

The Sweet Truth: Limit added sugars to less than 10 percent of your daily calories. If you eat 1,800 calories, that's 180 calories from sugar -- or 11 1/4 teaspoons.

Read the article, and get the facts straight! Bottom line, your body NEEDS sugar, as well as fat (and fat from various sources). That is how our bodies are designed. Taking in too much sugar and fat is what causes problems. You don't have to cut them completely out to lose weight or maintain health. Instead, regulate your intake.

OK, lecture over! On to the rest of Saturday!

The Skinny on Fat

I have this ongoing list of FAQ's in my head that people ask me often in regards to health and fitness. It is my goal this summer to post on all of them so here is #1:

Let's get into the biology (and chemistry) of Saturated Fat vs Unsaturated Fat
Did I mention I was a science nerd too?!

Lets start with saturated fat! Saturated fat is solid ("s" for solid) at room temperature (most of the time) and includes things like lard, butter, and cheese and is found mainly in meats such as beef and pork and animal products. It is for the most part supposed to be consumed in small amounts only. Saturated fats raise low density cholesterol levels (LDL, aka bad cholesterol) and get stored as fat in the body and can cause harmful plaque in the arteries. Saturated fat intake should account for less than 7% of your total daily calories. Nutrition labels will have the total grams of saturated fat per serving on them. Please be sure to read your nutrition labels and pay attention to serving size!

Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid at room temperature such as olive oil, and can also be found in fish, nuts, and seeds. There are two types of unsaturated fats, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Both increase high density lipid (HDL, aka good cholesterol) levels. The difference between LDL and HDL is this. LDL is sticky cholesterol that sticks to the lining of your arteries forming plaques. These plaques can build up and eventually block blood flow leading to heart attacks. HDL is sticky cholesterol that sticks to LDL. It binds with LDL and carries away to the kidneys for filtration into waste product.

The moral of the story, while you should keep your total fat intake between 20 and 30 percent of your total daily calories, you want most of those fats to be unsaturated. Try to avoid trans-fats at all costs. For one they raise LDL levels AND lower HDL levels AND there is little regulation out there on how much can be used in restaurants. In January 2006, legislation was passed to require trans-fat amounts in nutrition labels, but if it is less than 1 gram per serving, it can be listed at 0. Your max intake of trans-fat should never go past 2 grams per day. That's how bad they are!

For me its nuts and avocados! Love them! A sneaky problem though is serving size. Read the label to find out how much is too much. For me it is almost always too much! Sorry I just can't stop at 12 walnuts or half an avocado! I'm working on that though!

A great place to find a lot of useful information and tools is at the American Heart Association website.

Take your health seriously and take the time (aka make time) to stay active and plan meals. I know it is easier said than done, but I for one do not plan on being a statistic or a sad story for my kids to tell. What I consider worse is not setting the example for my kids and seeing them suffer in their own health later. No thank you. I am a mom and my kids deserve for me step up in our family's health. I hope you will join me in this. I want your family to be healthy too!

Source for some of the information on fats found at the American Heart Association.

I'm a Guest Blogger!

I was recently asked to do my first guest blog spot for a great website, DietsInReview.com! You can read my article "Creating Lasting Healthy Habits for Kids this Summer" in their blog section as part of their Healthy Kids Summer Series.

Head on over there and check it out along with the other great posts in the series!

This morning we put those words into practice! Me and all three kids headed up to the park for class. No one showed up! Come on people, the weather is not that bad! Still, I decided to do our class anyway. My 7 year old did tricep dip/push up combos with me and all three of us did some running! I wish I had brought my camera (I did, it but it was in the car)!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

More Ways to Get Moving...

About a month ago I talked about ways to turn your Spring cleaning into a workout. We went over ideas on ways to add more activity into a busy life at my First Place 4 Health class...and was very proud of my members who came up with some good ones! I also found a great article in the Spring 2009 Heart Healthy Living Magazine (which I highly recommend picking up a copy) also going over this topic. I will take as a divine nudge to share these tips!

When you have a jam packed schedule it is easy to fall back on the "I don't have time" excuse when it comes to daily exercise. What most don't realize is that there are several activities and modifications to things you are already doing that can be classified as physical activity. Start with these simple tips and work your way up from there!

1. Sunrise Stretch - When you wake up in the morning. Take 2 minutes to stretch and breath. You don't even really need to get out of bed to do this! Stretch your body out finger tips to tippy toes and take a deep breath. Proceed to stretch your arms, legs, back, and neck. In your time of stretching, meditate on your goals for the day. It really can help!

2. Take the far away parking spot! - Whether you are at work or at the store, park at the end of the row and walk! This one brings up one of my biggest pet peeves! My mom will circle the parking lot for as long as it takes to get that perfect spot. In that time, I could have parked, walked to, and if its the holiday season started on my shopping at the store in the same amount of time! Just Walk! Imagine how many miles you could rack up if did this every day!

3. Use the upstairs bathroom! - If you live in a house that is 2 story or work in a multi-story building use the bathroom one level up...and take the stairs! If have stairs around at all USE THEM! They offer a great way to exercise and it costs nothing!

4. Keep a small set of weights or resistance bands at your desk or nearby. - Take two minutes to do bicep curls or some other simple exercise. The resistance bands can be used in hundreds of strength training exercises and they are very affordable!

5. Keep a set of workout clothes in your car. - Minimize those workout avoiding excuses such as "I'd have to go home and change..." Keep your change of clothes with you. Invite a friend or spouse to meet you at the gym or park after work or sometime during the day. It helps to have that extra support!

A few other tips to help you out...

- Eat a healthy breakfast (include carbs, lean protein, and fiber).
Breakfast jump starts your metabolism, boosts calorie burning, and stabilizes blood sugar. You will see a major improvement in your health and in your workouts!

- Write down your progress.
Keeping a journal of your daily exercise and food consumption will show you what your habits are and allow for modification. It takes just a few seconds to jot down your entries it helps you with your progress!

- Read the label.
This step alone can make a huge difference in your health. Do you know how much sugar is in your cereal? Do you know how many grains are in your bread? Pick a small goal and focus on the labels. ex. Reduce sugars - find foods with low sugar. Once you've learned the facts, move on to the next goal! Very simple! Very effective!

- Drink water.
The appeal for soft drinks and other sugary drinks is definitely strong, but help your body by reducing the number of these drinks and substituting with water. If you have have a flavor, add in a few sprinkles of splenda and drop in some fruit for your own low cal fruit water!

Lastly, take a few deep breaths and few stretches before bed and be proud at all of your proactive work towards better health!

..."And the last stretch of the day, SMILE!"

A great article on Yahoo

One person who routinely sends me great article links related to fitness is my hubby! This is one he sent me earlier in the week.

The title of the article is "3 reasons your workouts aren't working". It lists 3 common reasons and solutions to the problem. I thought the article was very true and worth the read! Take a look and see if any of these apply to you!

Stroller Exercises

Here are a few easy and basic stroller exercises to help you get started in your exercise routine!

The Secret to Getting Things Done

At the end of December I started a series if you will of getting those New Year's resolutions past a mere thought and into a rewarding reality.

*See A Fresh Page and Goal Setting 101

I follow along with several of the other Stroller Strides blogs and read one (from Stroller Strides Flagstaff) about "fitting in" your workouts to make them a part of your life.

As I read it, I thought this was a great topic to continue the series!

So, what is the secret to getting things done? We all have days that are jam packed with things to do and it seems that the only real solution out there is to add more hours to the day if we want to add any more tasks! Obviously that is not going to happen! So instead we say "I will do (name your task) when I have more time."

Before I reveal the secret (and in all truth, its not a secret) to getting that long list of things done...and stay sane, I want to first go over the myth that seems to take precedence in a person's mind and ultimately is the source of their ineffectiveness in getting things done.

The Myth: There will be more time when...

- things settle down
- I have more time
- this project is done
- the weekend is here
- the weather is better
- the holidays are over

I could on forever...and I'm sure you could too...with the list of excuses that seem valid. And don't be mistaken, I still use these too!

The truth is: There will ALWAYS be something to distract and/or replace whatever it is that is currently keeping you from crossing things off that list. If you think you will have more time at any point in the future, you are mistaken!

I had a long list of to do's that I had put off when I was working full time and I clung to the "when I have more time" mentality. Then I was laid off! Suddenly I had more time, right? Wrong!

True to form a whole manner of things started to move into the precious hours of my day, some things I took on myself, some things just showed up! I found myself stressed out because I had less time!

Then I started reading tons of books on the subject and every single one them pretty much say the same thing:

1. Write down your goals (and make sure they are reasonable and attainable)
2. Make a plan
3. Start the plan
4. Follow through

The secret to getting things done (like a daily workout) is to first make your list of your goals and/or the tasks that need to be done, second plan your day according to your goals, and lastly do them!

So many people think that it takes too much time to sit down and write out their daily, weekly, and monthly goals and schedules. The truth is by not doing this you end up wasting time ten times more than the few minutes it would take to plan their schedule in the first place. You end up ineffective in accomplishing your goals and getting things done.

Of course, things come up! It happens all of the time. But by having your goals and schedules in a tangible and accessible format, your detour of time is only temporary. You will still have a plan to follow through!

Quite simply wanting to get your goals done is not enough. You have to schedule them into your day every day in order to accomplish them. Do that and instead of stress and a loss of time, your will find a feeling of accomplishment and dare I say a few moments that elusive extra time!

I AM MOM - BOB strollers

That you Sylwia for this link! Awesome! Makes me want to go run!

Finding the Right Stroller

If you are like me you have probably gone through what can only be described a stroller fleet! I had the travel system stroller (a big heavy one at that), the lightweight Combi stroller, the umbrella stroller, the single jogger, and then finally the double jogger! Sound familiar! After having three kids and seemingly endless strollers I have come to the conclusion that I wasted hundreds of dollars on most of these strollers!

What I should have done was spent the money on a good jogger (I love my BOB) and purchased the car seat adapter (which you can snap and snack tray on when they get older). My BOB stroller is an all purpose, all terrain stroller that is surprisingly easy to fold and carry. It has a great suspension and all of those little features that moms love...such as great storage, big canopy, etc.

So when choosing your stroller(s) what should you look at when trying to decide which one to purchase?

Here is a checklist that will help you narrow your options:

1. A swivel wheel

This is really an option for joggers only. Travel systems and smaller strollers obviously all have 4 wheels that swivel. Joggers however have the front wheel that is either a swivel or stationary wheel. I have had both and I thought it was kind of a pain to steer the stationary wheel jogger. In smaller spaces I had to the "wheel barrel approach" and recline back the stroller to make turns. I now have a stroller that has a swivel wheel and it has the option to lock for those long distance runs. I love it!

2. A good suspension

The last thing a small child or infant wants to do is be shaken and thrown around while in the stroller! It is uncomfortable for them and arguably dangerous for small infants. A stroller that has a build in suspension allows a smooth ride for both the kids and the parents. The first time I took my BOB out I was amazed at how easy it was to maneuver and push the stroller. It glides over bumps and my kids don't at all mind the gravel trail that we run on!

3. Lots of storage

Let's face it, we're moms and we need storage...actually we demand it! Umbrella strollers and the smaller lightweight strollers are great but they have no storage and they make you feel like a camel laden with stuff! Look for strollers that have ample storage space (yes you will use it) and preferably one with a handlebar compartment for keys, cups, etc.

4. Easy to fold/lift/carry

This option gets tricky with the bigger strollers! You get the storage, suspension, and usually all of the other bells and whistles, but when it comes to folding and putting them away it takes some work! Most strollers now are pretty easy to break down and can even fit into small cars. Joggers have the option of taking off the front wheel to fold them flatter. It takes a second to do and if you are limited in space, it is something you definitely want to do! When selecting your stroller, take the time to fold and lift them while at the store. You will be doing this A LOT so you want to make sure it is easy!

5. A full canopy

This might seem like a superfluous option, but on those super sunny days you want it! Here in Houston our summers are long and they are hot! I know it similar in several parts of the country so you want to be able to provide as much shade for your kiddos as possible! Sunshine is great and helps with vitamin D production, but you can have too much of it so make sure your kids are protected with shade and sunscreen!

My personal recommendation is the BOB stroller with the fitness kit handle bar. It can be a little pricey, but it is worth every penny and will accommodate absolutely every stage for your child from infant to early grade school. It also handles any terrain and any reason for an outing! If you are shopping at the mall or on the running trail, it works!

Strollers are a necessary part of motherhood so take your time and pick the right one the first time! It will save you money and lot of frustration in the end!

I recommend looking at joggermom.com when shopping for strollers. Joggermom.com is run by a fellow mom and offers competitive pricing and customer service!

Happy strolling!

Top 10 Fitness Trends for 2009...

...according to ACE Fitness.

I was referred to a link in a newsletter for an article from ACE Fitness outlining the top 10 fitness trends for 2009.

They are as follows:

1. Boot Camp-Style Workouts
2. Budget-Friendly Workouts
3. Specialty Classes
4. Getting Back to Basics
5. Circuit Training
6. Kettlebells
7. Boomer Fitness
8. Technology-Based Fitness
9. Event or Sport-Specific Exercises
10. Mixing It Up

It made me happy to see these as the top 10 as Stroller Strides fits into a number of them and there are some locations that do offer classes that fit into all of the trends!

How cool is that?!

Running for Moms

Today in class we talked about a subject that I've noticed can evoke some strong feelings, both good and bad...running! Running is hands down one of the simplest and best exercises you can do. It is also one of the most painful, tedious, and at times unpleasant, right? I myself have the dirty little secret of not always being a big fan of the run!

You don't have feel this way though! Seriously! The key to enjoying a good run is to (what's the first step) start and start simply! If the last mile you ran was a cumulative few speedy steps over the past few years, then going out and tackling a mile today is not the best approach! Start small! Run for 2 minutes a few times a week to start. Sounds like nothing, but if your lungs and heart are not seasoned it will be the longest two minutes you'll have had in a while! Then bump it up to five minutes, then 7, then 10, etc. Build up your cardiovascular fitness gradually and you'll find that after a few weeks you actually will love running! You'll feel energized like you could never imagine! Think you don't have the time? Remember, 2 minutes!!! You can tackle 2 minutes of running in a day's time, I promise you!

When you run you work your heart, lungs, legs, abs...pretty much every part head to toe! It is a great exercise and will love it over time!

A few tips to making those first runs less unpleasant:

1. Wear good shoes!
A lot of the pain and injury associated to running can be associated to not wearing the proper shoes! You don't have to pay a fortune for them either! If you go to Overstock.com or online outlets you can find last year's model with huge discounts!

2. If you have one, bring your mp3 player.
Play your favorite music or music that gets you moving and let that occupy your mind while you run! For me I need something a bit "stronger"! I like to listen to audiobooks or podcasts, it requires a little more attention on my part! *I also use my ipod for housework time! It makes laundry folding and floor scrubbing a little more bearable!

3. Run with a friend.
Sometimes you just need that extra push (sometimes just to get out the door) and having someone to encourage you and vice versa can be a big help!

4. If you run with your kids (either in a stroller or beside you) use this a time for fun and reward! Go for a smoothie afterwards and marvel over how fast you can go (even at a snails pace they love it)!

A great resource for running for both beginners and advanced runners is runnersworld.com. This site offers everything from shoe reviews to fuel-filling diet plans! There are also several great mommy runner blogs and sites such as SeeMommyRun.com.

I'm routing for ya mamas! Get your run on!

Spring Cleaning Workout!

Let's face it, Spring cleaning is a workout as it is, so what's a few more squats, calf raises, and push ups! There's always lots of lifting, pushing, and if you are someone like me with small children, lots of crawling! They get stuff in the most unlikely and hard to reach places! Add in some simple exercises and relish is not only a clean house, but a good workout!

When you start on this mountain sized endeavor, remember a few things...

1. Lift with you legs, not your back.
I know that is a cliche statement, but true all the same! Add in a few squats and you've got yourself a great leg workout!

2. Pace yourself!
I know with all of our busy schedules time is limited and you want to get as much done is as little time as possible. I say though to focus on quality, not quantity! Start in one area or room and focus your attention there until the job is done! Then you can move on to other rooms. Don't aim for vacuuming under all of the beds and sofas to check vacuum off the list. Just worry about one room! The other benefit (or silver lining depending on your views of housework) is you get more of total body workout, spread out evenly through the week!

3. Drink lots of water!
I am guilty of not following this one as much as I should! When we are giving the house the old scrub down we tend to breath in (pretty heavily) all of the dust we kick up as well as work up a good sweat. Clear your throat with a swig of water and keep hydrated through the sweats!

4. Last, but not least, give yourself a pat on the back...
and brag to your friends of a job well done! Go get yourself a small treat, you've earned it!

Tip: If you have an abundance of unused cell phones or small gadgets, sell them to gazelle.com I found this website in an article about recycling last year. I sent in three old cell phones and earned about $90...seriously! They even pay for shipping!

Check out gazelle.com here!

Making 2009 a Mom-Fit Year

I've mentioned Bookie Boo before but in case you are new to the blog, it is a website that is known as a fitness hangout for moms. It started out as a small forum, but has since then become a very popular site!

Our own Lisa Druxman (founding Mama of Stroller Strides) will be doing a webinar where she will answer questions about workouts, nutrition, and more!

This is a great opportunity that will help you get those fitness goals on track!

The webinar will be on January 14th at 7pm. You must be a Bookie Boo member to log in. You can sign up at http://bookieboo.com

Goal Setting 101

OK, it's a few days into the new year so everyone has had time to get into the swing of 2009! Time to get those New Year's resolutions off to a proper start!

Hopefully you have an idea of what you would like to accomplish, if not start there (see previous post)! Next break these big goals down to small realistic and attainable goals. Working these little bits into your daily life consistently is the key to success!

A few things to think about...

-If you are aiming to lose weight this year, a goal of losing two pounds a week is a good target. Losing more than that per week is one difficult and two potentially hazardous.

-Pick a target weight or caloric intake that is optimal for you and your body type. If you are 5'10", 110 lbs is not where you want to be! Once again, be reasonable

-Living a balanced healthy life requires a healthy diet, daily exercise, and "me time" for personal growth and development (includes reading, meditating, prayer, etc). These three elements need to be worked into your plan. Not one or two of them, all three of them.

A good chunk of the afflictions we all suffer from come from a series of long standing bad habits. The hardest part about bad habits is that they are difficult to change. That is why all three elements of a balanced life must be incorporated into our daily lives even if we force them in.

I was told a long time ago that if you do something 21 times in a row it becomes habit. I don't know if that is true, but I did test this theory when I was younger. I was horrible about flossing and my dentist never tired of reminding me that I needed to pick up the habit. I decided I was going to make myself floss for 21 days straight. For me it was a time issue. By the time I was ready for bed, that's all I wanted to do...go to bed. Most nights I patted myself of the back for brushing my teeth before turning in! For 21 days I dipped into my snooze time to make sure I flossed. The result? Well, it worked. I am not saying that in 21 days you can transform you life, but I do believe that you can make a substantial dent in those bad habits and instill some strength is those good habits.

As mentioned above, when you are setting your goals be realistic and attainable. Also, make your goals measurable Ex: I want to lose 10 pounds and be able to run 1 mile in 8 minutes by May 1st. NOT, I want to lose weight and exercise more. This makes it much easier to break the goals down into smaller weekly and daily goals. A little bit every day adds up quickly and can bring about great changes!

Good luck in your goal setting! Check back for easy and affordable tips to get you eating healthier and get a start on exercising!

A Fresh Page

I was reading in a book recently about the wonders of a clean sheet of paper. It made me think back to when I was a kid opening up my new notebooks and packs of paper for the start of school. I loved the cracking noise each page made in the notebooks as I turned them. You know the sound! The notebooks and paper packs were so new that the pages were still stuck together from the cutting and binding!

For me these new pages meant a fresh start, a new opportunity to exceed and do well. I always thought to myself, "I won't miss one day of school" or "I will do EVERY last bit of my homework, AND check it twice over for errors." For the most part I was a pretty good student. I never had perfect attendance but I did do my homework even though it was sometimes five minutes before class!

If only things were so simple now! Now, it is the season of "do or die." I don't mean to sound so dramatic! I'm not saying that you will die if you don't do what you say you are going to do, but if you get in the habit of putting off or not following through with your plans, the chances accomplishing your goals before you leave this side of Heaven are slim.

I had a very big Aha! moment recently when I realized what the root of the many struggles are when it comes to weight loss, exercise, and overall healthy living. I kept wondering why so many people ultimately fail when it comes to their weight loss goals or keeping up with their health. The answer is actually a very obvious one, but still a snake that bites! The answer is, most of the diets and weight loss programs out there stop at dieting and exercise. They don't address what is behind the scenes. What brought about this lifestyle of unhealthy living? What are your true motives behind losing weight or wanting to live healthier?

If you think to yourself, "this year, I want to loose 20 pounds" and then stop there, chances are your goal will be forgotten or pushed aside by mid year. It's not that you didn't care or didn't try, it's simply, life (the unhealthy one you were trying to escape) got in the way! You HAVE TO set your goals according to your true motives and needs! If you don't know what those are, figure that out first! If you don't get to the heart of the matter first, you will not be able to set an accurate goal or be able to plan for one. This might not make a lot of sense and if it that is the case, GOOD! You're on the right track! Start scratching your head and thinking about what it means!

Do you feel like you just can't keep up with your kids and so you are irritable at play time? Are you worried about your health issues and what it could mean for your family? Are you tired of the stress and feelings of defeat when your diet fails?

What you need is a new page, a fresh start! Take a few minutes to sit quietly and think about what it is you would like to accomplish and why. A common response I get anytime I mention "taking a few minutes" is "there are none extra." We all live in a busy society, and I believe you when you say "I am just too busy", but I promise those minutes exist! Really it comes down to what you feel like doing vs what you need to do. Even I am guilty of that!

I don't ever want to get up extra early and on many occasions choose to sleep for a few more minutes. What I have realized though is that on the days that I do win that battle and get up early, my day goes SO much better! On those days when down time in nonexistant (fyi, my kids don't nap) when I do get a few minutes, I just want to sit and stare blankly into space. I want that so much more over retreating to my room and reading for a few minutes. Like getting up early, the times that I do choose for those precious minutes to go to a good read, I feel much more energized afterwards!

This year I want you all to choose to accomplish your goals! I want to you to realize what you can accomplish and celebrate in reward at the end of 2009!

There are three main steps to achieving these goals:

1. You have to begin. - Sounds like common sense, but really most people don't even get that far!

2. You have to show up EVERY DAY! - By show up I mean you have put forth the effort from the moment you open your eyes every day.

3. You have to finish. - Once again, sounds like common sense, but it is not uncommon for people to start projects and leave them unfinished (I may have wrote the book on this one)!

One of my goals this year is to lead anyone and everyone willing to building a PERMANENT healthy lifestyle. I don't want you to go on some fad diet or some crazy boot camp. I want you eat wonderful foods AND still loose weight. I want you exercise daily AND not feel exhausted afterwards (actually you will feel even more energized)!

For my local mamas, I am excited to bring you some fun and challenging workouts at Stroller Strides! For those you not local, I will be posting easy exercises for you whole body (abs, bottoms, shoulders, you name it), healthy recipes, and guiding steps and encouragement to achieve your goals!

I wish you all a blessed and Happy New Year!

See you in 2009!

Mom and Baby Exercises from Stroller Strides

Another YouTube Video demonstrating some of the exercises we might do in class!

Finding Time for Fitness

Getting started with a fitness routine is no doubt one of the hardest things to do! Where do you squeeze in time for a workout when you have a full time job, kid's schedules, dinner, and laundry! Or maybe you are a first time mom and you are in the perpetual feeding stage and feel like you are half asleep and half awake most of the day! I know, I've been there! I remember thinking, "how can I find time to workout when I am lucky to get a shower in everyday"...which several days I was unsuccessful at getting to the shower!

Tough as it may be, getting started with a fitness routine after baby is one of the best therapies for motherhood out there! Women who exercise regularly after having children are less prone to postpartum depression, have more energy, and lose the baby weight faster.

You'll feel better, you'll look better, and if you exercise with baby in tow, you set the stage for a lifetime of healthy living for your little one!

It is super cute and heartwarming to watch you toddler(s) practice bicep curls with our exercise bands and put a baby doll in their toy stroller and get a workout in around the house!

On the note of helping with postpartum depression, here are a few pictures of what I call Granny Strides! These ladies are some of leaders and biggest proponents for fitness as a cure for postpartum depression. I was honored with the opportunity to teach a class at the postpartum convention for PSI (Postpartum Support International) this past Spring here in Houston!

This is Jane Honikman, founder of PSI

If Granny can do it, so can you!


As difficult as it is, Just try it! Find the time (even if it is only an hour a week) and get started! You won't be disappointed!

Stroller Exercise Video on ACE Facebook

This is a video featuring a few of exercises that we do in class posted in the ACE Facebook page.

How do you eat an elephant?

The answer: one bite at a time.

Let me be clear, I'm not telling anyone to eat an elephant! I use this analogy to illustrate the steps to fully living a healthy lifestyle. These steps are small but purposeful steps. It is not always easy to commit to a change of diet and regular exercise. A lot of moms think of where they would like to be, slimmer, healthier, stronger, but are immediately discouraged by the thought of losing those yummy foods or the thought of the guaranteed soreness that comes after those first workouts. Ultimately though it comes down to just starting and then consistently repeating.

One thing I can guarantee is that with consistent diet and exercising you will begin to feel better a lot sooner than you might think! And by dieting I don't mean eating carrot sticks all day. By dieting I mean, reducing those foods that pack on the fat and calories and increasing the foods that promote your health such as fruits and vegetables. In reality, the more you diet and exercise, the more you get to eat! I personally LOVE food and routinely work out a menu that is well balanced AND full of flavor. Don't look for the quick fad diets. Most of them only work short term and several of them are down right dangerous! Take some time to learn the science behind dieting. Learn the difference between good fats and bad fats, good cholesterol and bad cholesterol (yes there is a good kind), why carbs are necessary, what your body requires on a daily basis and how to get it from your foods. I'm not saying to go get your BS in nutrition! Just take a little time to do your homework...and then get out there and exercise!

I'm calling all moms to take action! As a mom not only will you positively impact your life, you will positively impact the lives of your friends and family. I promise when you are lookin good, smiling ear to ear, and not starving they will take notice and want the same!