Smoothie Goodness

I am a self-admitted smoothie-aholic. Especially this time of year when there is nothing local in season, I always keep frozen fruit on hand for a quick, healthy snack or something sweet at the end of a meal to fend off any bad cravings! I use almond milk instead of juice to avoid the extra sugar and calories. It's a very tasty alternative.

Here is my favorite Smoothie Recipe:

1 Banana

Handful of frozen mango

3-4 large frozen strawberries

3 tbsp. low-fat vanilla yogurt

Splash of Pomegranate Juice

Almond Milk

ENJOY!



Body after Baby

There is nothing more wonderful then the moment when you first hold your new baby in your arms. You quickly forget all the aches and pains that came with pregnancy.  Once the excitement of your new arrival starts to fade you have to face the inevitable meeting with your mirror. You feel like an extension of your new baby who is so dependant upon you and there are still so many physical and hormonal changes happening. Many women feel helpless and like getting back their physique is the most impossible and daunting task. Well I am here to tell you there is hope and life for your body after baby. It is possible and extremely important for every woman to get back in shape and feel confident about their bodies again after childbirth. I hope this information can help those who are about to or have recently had a baby and those who are still struggling years after giving birth.

Before Baby - remain as active as possible during your pregnancy, not only will it make it easier to get back at it after baby but it will also make you stronger for your labor. I recommend light, high repetition resistance training, brisk walks and as much yoga and pilates as you can fit in.

Make a plan - before you have the baby,  create a plan for your post-pregnancy shape-up. Decide what you are going to do, how you are going to eat and how you will make it happen.

Set the tone early- most people find six weeks is an appropriate time to allow themselves to heal before becoming active after labor. It will vary depending on your labor, consult with your Doctor but most of all listen to your body -BUT do not make excuses. The sooner you get back at it, the sooner you can start reclaiming your body. I was lucky to have a very good labor the second time around and started running less then two weeks after having her.

Make it a priority- it's extremely demanding to have a newborn, you have little to no time to yourself and when baby naps most feel the need to run around frantically trying to get the house work done. YOU need to become the priority- make this the one thing you do for yourself every day.

Adjust with Baby - schedule your workouts around baby, when my daughter was first born she would wake up around 6am and go down again until 8am after she was fed. This was my time. She went through different cycles and I adjusted my workout times around her naps.

Get a jogging stroller -whether you are a runner or not, a good lightweight jogging stroller is the best investment you will make. If you can, get attachments to allow use in the snow or on a bike. If nothing else you can always get out with your baby every single day for an hour. Most babies fall asleep in the stroller and that can be incredible peace of mind! If you start early your baby will learn to love the daily strolls.

Get a Gym Membership - while there are several options for working out at home, f you can make it happen, go to a gym that has childcare. It will force you to get organized in the morning, get you out of the house, be an excellent social outlet where you can meet other mothers and it will give you time away from baby. Most gyms have excellent child minding facilities and when baby is this young the car ride to the gym usually knocks them out for the duration of your workout. You'll be close to your baby and the staff can call you if needed.

Budget friendly Options - there are plenty of options that will allow you to workout at home. Invest in some videos, some free weights, resistance bands and skipping rope and you'll be well on your way to fitting back into your jeans. Fit Pregnancy is a great resource and has a wealth of post pregnancy workouts. I also really like some of the Jillian Michaels workout videos which are excellent for fat burning.

Burning the Fat- there are some surefire ways of getting rid of post-baby fat effectively. I would say there are three important factors. Intervals, resistance training and nutrition. Intervals are the most effective way to get the rid of body fat. Start with a five minute warm-up, then one minute going hard and one minute easy, working your way up to five minute intervals. Do the intervals for at least fifteen minutes and follow with a five minute cool down. Resistance training will fire up your metabolism for a longer period of time, assuming you reach fatigue on your last repetitions. Additionally, every time your workout, you cause micro-tears to your muscles causing them to rebuild and increase in size. The more muscle mass you have, the higher your metabolism.

Nutrition - nutrition accounts for about 80% of your weight loss so it's the most important factor. Eat small frequent meals, never more then three hours apart. Eliminate all forms of sugar from your diet. I know it sounds impossible but you can do it. You'll be surprised how quickly you adjust. If you want to sweeten something, use natural substitutes like honey, agave nectar and fruit. Yes this means no desserts too! Also avoid alcohol, limit your intact to one drink a week. Eating healthy is actually very simple, think of lean protein, vegetables and fruit/whole grains and healthy fats. A great resource is the Clean Eating Diet by Tosca Reno.

Be patient - I remember the countless cry-sessions in my closet trying to fit into my jeans again. Remember is took nine months to gain this weight and it will take time to come off. Stay committed and persistent and it will pay off.

Most of all - remember your child will spend their lives looking up to you, learning from you. It's up to you to be a positive role model by gaining a positive, healthy body image.

Please pass on your success secrets to share with other readers!!

Scheduling Chaos

Most people will say they their lives are a state of constant chaos. Trying to figure out how to fit everything in and wishing there were more hours in the day. I recently felt this way and decided to take control, I was tired of feeling like I was a hamster spinning on a wheel and never getting anywhere. I created a schedule that I call my Scheduled Chaos and it has been an absolute GODSEND! I hope it can help you schedule your own chaotic life and maybe even leave a little extra time to enjoy some of  life's simple pleasures - whatever that may be...

Start by creating a list with two columns, one for tasks and chores and the other for activities. In the tasks and chores list add all chores, whether they be walking the dog, cleaning bathrooms or taking out the trash. In the activities column add all activities you would like to accomplish, these should be things you want to do for your health or for fun. This could include a date night, skiing or a simple workout. Once you complete your columns label each  task with a (D) for daily, (E) for every other day, (W) for weekly and (A/R) for as required. Label your activities by adding the persons name to which the activity relates.

Step two is to create your calendar. Print off or bring up a calendar on your computer. Start by filling out your work schedules, if possible use different colors to highlight each entry on your calendar to make it more legible.  The next step is to add things such as appointments, childcare and preschool/school hours. Enter re-occurring dates such as garbage/recycling days as a reminder.

Step three is the fun part! Sheduling the chaos. Go back to your list of tasks and activities. Depending on work schedules, you will have to make a decision on how to divide the tasks. For us it's easy, we both work the same type of schedule and the same amount of hours so we split them equally. Have a discussion with your partner and decide how you want to divide the tasks. Once you determine this you can start entering them on the schedule - along with the person responsible. For daily tasks and as required, simply enter them somewhere around the calendar as a reminder.

Step four. Once you have added all your tasks you can find places to fit in your activities. For example we decided we would like to ski twice a week. We coordinated times with our sitter and found spots when we could fit it in on our time off. Add all your desired activities the same way.

Once your schedule is complete make sure there are no conflicts and give it a roll! It's important that everyone is committed to make it work. Revisit the schedule every month and make the necessary changes here and there in order to make it work. It has been very successful for my family. We now have time to do the things we love and we are clear on each others expectations. I hope it works for you!

Fitness Secrets

What is the secret to your ideal fitness? How do you fit it in, what should you do, focus on? How much time do you need to devote?

The first and most important thing you need to know is - your fitness needs to become - A WAY OF LIFE. Meaning, you need to build it into your routine the same way you do brushing your teeth. Stop thinking you have too much to get done, there will always be something else that needs doing.

I have put together some tips which have worked well for me:

Make a plan - schedule your workouts and make them a weekly routine, if it means getting up at 5am to get your run in before the kids wake up, do it.

Find a Balance - do a combination of strength training, cardio and flexibility. Strength training will build muscle mass and in turn increase your metabolism. Cardiovascular activity will get your heart working and will give you those natural endorphins that make you feel great. Flexibility and Core Training will leave you supple and condition you for sports and all your daily activities.


Switch it up - keep it interesting and fun by changing your routine on a regular basis, for example, go for a ski one day and run the next, try some circuit training or lift heavier weights one week with fewer reps.

Have fun - do the things you love,  why torture yourself on a treadmill when you can get out for a hike on your favourite mountain?

Envision the End Result - when you have a hard time feeling motivated, think of that feeling you get after a great run, see yourself climbing that last hill before you reach your destination, strong and full of energy.

Challenge yourself - you will only get better if you push yourself beyond your limits.

Eat Clean - eat small meals every 3-4 hours consisting of fresh fruit/vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and healthy fats. The Eat Clean Diet book by Tosca Reno is a great resource.

Remember, if you don't look after yourself, you can't look after anyone else.

Moroccan Pouffe

I just received this gorgeous Moroccan Pouffe in the mail from an on-line store in the UK called Bohemia. I got it for about half the price I would have paid at local retailers and the delivery was surprisingly fast! I was so excited to get it for my baby girl's room. Check it out...