Exercise Index

• Exercise and Weight Loss
• How I Lose Weight
• Managing Exercise as a Parent

Fashionable Fitbit {Friday Finds}

You might now by now how much I love my Fitbit. I find it so helpful to make sure I am getting enough steps in each day and to make sure I am not eating more than my daily activity warrants. The one downside is that the Fitbit just isn't cute. You can add band covers to help, but it still looks like a Fitbit on your arm.

They are changing things up, though!This post contains affiliate links.  For starters, we  have the Fitbit Blaze. This is a watch that is also a Fitbit. The really great thing is that you can also get accessory bands, so you can make it very customizable to your style. I got this Blaze for my birthday as well as a couple of bands. My favorite is this one: 

I am loving it! It is just as usable as the Fitbit Charge I had, plus it has more features. It works just like my old Fitbit did while looking like a normal fashion accessory.

Christmas is coming up, and you might not know what you would like to get as a gift. This could be just what you wanted!

And here is a very cool new Fitbit about to come out. It is the Flex 2. New features make it waterproof, which means if you are a swimmer, you can wear it in the pool. It also has a small removable tracker, so you can use it in bangles or even pendants! Once it has been out, I am sure there will be other companies that offer a variety of fashion accessories to to with this fitbit.

Related Posts:

• How I Lose Weight
• Managing Exercise as a Parent
• Exercise and Weight Loss
• Body Image
• Exercise and Pregnancy
• How I Do It: Exercise
• Exercising With Kids
• Friday Finds

Managing Exercise as a Parent

We pretty much all know that exercise is important to have in our lives. No one seems to contest that. With all of the clear benefits, we are all exercising regularly, right? No? No, we aren't. One big hurdle is figuring out how to really make that happen when you are a parent. How do you find a time of day you can be dedicated and consistent with exercise when you have children to take care of?

Here are some tips from readers on how they manage exercise time.

When?

• During Naps
• While kids watch a show
• During playtime. Nikki said: "If I didnt manage to crawl out of bed, I will do exercises while I play with her like squats, plank holds and push ups."
• Before kids get up. Nikki said: "I make sure that I get my workouts and shower in before my daughter gets up around 7am. It is really hard getting out of bed so early, but I didnt want to sacrifice any additional time away from her in the week since I work full time. "
• After kids are in bed. Katie said: "I workout after the kids are in bed at night. It's the only time I can be totally consistent. Thankfully my kids still go to bed pretty early! "
• While kids are at activities. Dropping your daughter off at gymnastics for an hour? Why not find a gym close by and go workout for an hour? Or as an alternative, go to a place you can take a nice, long walk. 

How?

• YouTube: Sheena said: i use fitness blenders who are on you tube..they r awesome.
• Walks and Bike Rides: Steffi said: "we bike or walk a lot and will join of a sports club soon (when we move to another suburb in the summer) that offers child care while the parents do their different activities. I don't have to the self control to get up early in the morning like you guys..."
  
  Ashley said: "My fitness routine is all over the board. In warmer weather (late spring-early fall) we take almost daily family walks, and no one enjoys that more than the dog wink emoticon But they last 20-30 minutes around our neighborhood, usually before or after dinner. In the winter, I sometimes utilize our treadmill for exercise in the afternoon while my son naps. Being pregnant right now, I know the importance of exercising, but like my body is working triple shifts already without me needing to force it to work more unsure emoticon Hoping for a better system soon!"
  
  Katie said: " I primarily run with a jogging stroller. I also workout occsaionally at home. Sometimes while kids are sleeping, but my 4 year old also likes to participate. smile emoticon"
• Involve the Family: Katie said: "We will see how it goes but we have started running as a family (double running stroller with 2 year old and 7 month old) 3x a week as soon as hubby gets off work. Dinner has to be ready to go obviously or we do a quick toddler dinner then make ours after bedtime. Then we will do 5-10 min of push-ups, sit ups, planks, etc before relaxing in the evening. When we make it a family affair I'm much more likely to stick with it"
  
  Alyssa said: "I've also done interval training with my 2 kids in the stroller at a park, but I don't see how that would work effectively with more than 2 kids/a seat for each kid."
• Body and Soul Class: Katrina said: "I take a Body and Soul class one or two mornings a week. We work out for an hour and child care is provided for $1 per class per child. I love having the accountability AND my 2-year old and 9-month old get out of the house and get to interact with other kids! It's a win-win! https://bodyandsoul.org/"
• Find something fun. Do you love to play a sport? Join a team. Do you love to dance? There are many dance classes aimed at fitness for moms. Do you love to hike? Plan hikes with your family. Exercise and movement can be enjoyable. 

More Ideas

• How I Lose Weight

• Exercise and Weight Loss

• Body Image

• Exercise and Pregnancy

• How I Do It: Exercise

• Exercising With Kids

How I Lose Weight

If there is any conclusion I have come to on the subject of weight loss it is that there are A LOT of tips out there, and they can often conflict with each other. It is hard to know what will work and what won't.

For me, the weight loss is about being healthy. That's a nice cliche line to throw out, but it is true. Actual weight loss is also a big challenge for me. I have not only PCOS but I am hypothyroid, both of which not only make it hard to lose weight, but cause weight gain. It is a battle. I can go months without losing a pound, but I keep going. 6 years ago, I thought I was likely done having children and started to put real effort into getting in shape. I also was diagnosed with PCOS at the same time. I got into great shape (over 2.5 years of effort). Then we decided to have another baby. After this baby, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. The battle has been longer since having Brinley (my fourth). I am almost 3.5 years in and have just gotten to the same spot. I have the thyroid, I have my 30s, and I also had a severely sprained ankle, which was the biggest setback.

Over the years I have learned a lot/ Here are the things I have learned in the last 6 years of working on this. Now, whenever I meet someone in real life who has "heard" me talk about weight loss frustrations and goals inevitably has a comment of how I don't look like I need to lose weight. You might be wondering about it, too, if you have seen pictures of me on this blog over the years. My body really hides my weight well. Since last June, I have lost 8 pounds and very few people have even noticed (although some have noticed even just through pictures). In the last 2.5 years, I have lost 14 pounds. So I am not a person with amazing before/after shots. I do look very similar, though you can see differences if you study pictures side by side. I also haven't been severely overweight. My current numbers would satisfy everyone for life--even the infamous BMI. 

1-Make it About Health

Jillian Michaels says "Change is not a future event; it is a present day activity." You have to have that mentality. Exercise is your new normal. It is not what you are doing until you lose weight. You will exercise at least several times a week indefinitely now. Just make that your new lifestyle goal.

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It can't be just about the weight. If it is about weight, your exercising won't stick. There are so many ups and downs and plateaus along the path that will deter you and get you down if your only focus is weight. Exercise is good for you no matter what your weight loss goals are. It helps with cholesterol, depression, general mood, and healthy sleep. Exercise reduces the risk or at least the impact of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, and certain cancers. Even if (and when) you are perfectly happy with your weight, you should be exercising. 

Exercising is not fun initially. If you stick with it, you will come to appreciate it (even if you harbor a loathing on some level). I initially started out exercising three days a week. I dreaded it the night before every one of those days. I worked up to five days for sure every week. Some weeks I do six. I never dread it anymore. In fact, when I hurt my ankle and couldn't do a lot (I still exercised five days a week but I was obviously limited) I very much missed intense exercising. I craved it. 

2-Count the Calories

I loathe counting calories. Loathe entirely. BUT it is often a necessary evil for me for a 2ish week period every so often. 

When you exercise, you burn more calories than you would otherwise. This will likely translate to you being more hungry than you would otherwise be. A huge rookie mistake people make with exercising as a means to lose weight is that they only exercise. They think exercise means they can eat more and so they just eat away.

In some ways you can eat more, but let's put this into some perspective. This morning, I did 43 minutes on my elliptical. It was intense and I was literally dripping sweat when I was done. The estimation for that workout is that I burnt 244 calories. That means if I add 244 calories to what I would normally eat in a day, then I have replaced what I expended for that work out. It doesn't take much food to get to 244 calories. When you are pregnant, you add about 300-350 calories a day. Breastfeeding adds about 500 calories a day. You are burning some more calories when exercising, but not enough that you get to eat whatever you want every day. 

Losing weight must include the calorie in vs. calorie out game. If you are eating more than your body is burning, you will not lose weight. If you are equal, you will not lose weight. If  you want to lose weight, there must be a deficit. As a mom, you probably are going to be be lucky to fit 30-60 minutes of daily exercise in each week. The way to help with the weight loss is to watch the calories. By the way, if you are struggling trying to figure out how to fit in exercise, see How I Do It: Exercise.

For me, I find if I count calories for about 2 weeks, it helps reset my cravings. It helps me regulate my hunger patterns. It helps me learn what I can be eating each day. It is a reality check. After that two weeks, I can stop counting and just go off of feel and be fine.

There are times I have to count calories again. For example, I had to count calories for a few days after our Chicago trip. On the trip, we ate a lot of delicious food that was very high in calories. I didn't gain any weight on the trip because we were so active each day, but I did come home with a taste for the high-calorie foods again. I had to retrain my cravings. It only took a few days and I got it under control. This post contains affiliate links.

I like the app "Lose It!" for counting calories. I know a lot of people like "My Fitness Pal." If you use a Fitbit, the app for that is good, too. 

I have come to realize that for me, I can't have as many calories as the apps say I can have and lose the weight they say I can. I am sure it is a combo of the PCOS and thyroid issues. If I put a goal of losing 1.5 pounds per week, the calories it "allows" me will really get me .5 a pound of weight loss each week. So my point is, if you are struggling with losing weight and doing things "right" according to your calorie tracker, you might have to go lower and more aggressive.

Know that counting calories doesn't mean that you can't eat yummy things. I still eat desserts. Sometimes you have to choose between seconds and dessert. Sometimes you have to hop on the elliptical or go for a long walk at night because you ate too much that day. 

3-Change Your Workouts

This is something commonly discussed with weight loss, but when I first started out, I didn't know about it. You need to change up your workouts when exercising. You can't just do cardio every day. You must have some strength training in there, also. I initially started with a cardio only focus 6 years ago. I saw a small result that way, but the big results didn't start coming in until I wised up and realized I needed some strength training in there also.

You will have to figure out what kind of workout system works for you. I do elliptical two days a week. The other three, I do strength training. I typically do Jillian Michaels DVDs because I find they work really well for me. I have 3 different ones that I rotate among. When I finish one round up (her DVDs are aimed at a one month process), I will usually throw something different in for a week. I often do pilates and/or Zumba for a week in between. They are just fun and different. 

In nice weather, I also walk or run.

Just experiment with what works for you. You might need to go to a gym rather than workout at home. I have written in the past on Exercise and Weight Loss. 

4-Track Your Activity

Last summer I got a Fitbit and it was really eye-opening to me. I have really loved it. The thing I love about a Fitbit is that it tracks your activity, so the amount of calories it tells you that you can have will vary from day to day based on your activity level. If you eat too much for your activity for the day, then you know you need to add a walk into your day or maybe even hop on the treadmill that night. It just really helps you be more self aware of what you are putting in vs. putting out. I have a Fitbit Charge and I really like it, but if I did it over again, I would get one that tracks your heartrate--I feel like that would provide better intel into your calorie burning. Read more about my newest Fitbit here. 

5-Be Patient

Expect no quick fixes. When you are exercising and watching what you eat, progress will be slow. But the progress you make will be progress  you can maintain. It is more about lifestyle change and adjustment. I want my change to be something I can maintain. I want my adjustments to be things I can live with long-term. Like I said, I go through periods where I don't lose weight. I keep going with the exercise. The payout does come. Be like the tortoise--slow and steady. 

6-Drink Water

Do not underestimate the power in drinking enough water. If I am not drinking enough, my body will not lose weight. It just won't. Not only does it help your body function as usual, but it helps control cravings. Sometimes you eat food when what your body really wants is a drink. Being hydrated also significantly impacts energy levels, which means you will be more active AND you won't turn to things that contain sugars to get an energy boost. 

Make sure you drink enough water. I use an app called "WaterMinder" to track my water intake. 

7-Figure Out How to Track Progress

Recognize there are many different victories in the journey. Be aware of and accept the different signs of progress.

As you get into shape, you will be building muscle. Sometimes you aren't seeing weight loss but you are seeing your body getting healthier. You might be losing inches or you might find your clothes fit in a more flattering way.

You will also notice changes in energy levels. You will notice changes in what you can do before becoming fatigued or out of breath. 

Celebrate those victories! 

Now, the scale is something I stay in touch with. Some people say to never weigh yourself or to do it once a month or once a week. I weigh myself every day. Doing it every day helps me learn my natural fluctuation--there are consistent times of the month my weight goes up and times it goes down. If it is going up when it isn't normal, I step back and look at what I am eating. Too much Halloween candy going on? Better watch it for a couple of days. It helps me not get too comfortable in my efforts. Some people find it very discouraging, but it works well for me.

What things have you found helpful and essential in your own weight loss journey?

Babywise is healthy for mom too!

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My name is Tiffany, and I have four boys, ages 5, 3, 2, and 1. I’ve appreciated many things about Babywise over the last several years. In the 5 years since our first was born, we’ve added three babies and moved - no kidding - FIVE times. Thanks, Navy. I’ll be honest and say that, Babywise or not, there are times of chaos and things-spinning-out-of-control-ness, but Babywise has given me a plan to tether our days to and path toward sanity and order after upheaval.

In the past year, I’ve become especially thankful for the idea of naptime/rest time. I mean, I’ve always loved it of course. What mom doesn’t love alone time? Seriously.  And an opportunity for a nap of your own when you’re pregnant and have been chasing three littles all morning? Divine. This year I learned to love it for a different reason, though.  Two months after my fourth baby was born in May of 2014, I saw a picture of myself that I REALLY didn’t like. My weight was spinning out of control, I had no energy, and something had to change. I knew that using My Fitness Pal and exercising had worked in the past, but the problem was WHEN to exercise. I couldn’t get up and exercise early because, honestly, I was already up early nursing the baby before the older ones got up, and going to bed earlier so I could wake up even earlier was just unrealistic. Enter: NAPTIME! I started exercising for 45 minutes with Leslie Sansone’s Walk at Home program every afternoon during the kids’ naptime/rest time and logging everything I ate during the day. Thanks to that and nursing, the weight started to just fall off. I have lost 40 pounds since last July, and I’m now only 20 pounds from my final goal. I am literally in the best shape of my life, I'm 100% off of my blood pressure meds, and I have more energy than I’ve ever had, all after having four babies in four years! Without Babywise, I may never have thought to have a scheduled naptime. It’s been instrumental in the regaining of my health.

As fall approaches, naptime is going to be redesignated a bit. I’m going to be homeschooling my oldest, and most of his instructional time will happen while the others are taking their naps. He’ll have some rest time right at the end of their naps, after schoolwork. Since I'm no longer up early to nurse the baby (he's 14 months old now), I get up and exercise before the kids wake up. Well, before they get out of their beds anyway. Any other mamas totally over this whole 5:30 a.m. sunrise thing? Ha!

I am truly thankful for Babywise and 5 years in, I keep finding new things to love about it all the time!

Exercise and Weight Loss

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New Years is approaching! And with New Years often comes resolutions. One of the most common, if not the most common, resolutions is to lose weight and/or get in shape. Gym memberships go up. Time Magazine reported, “60% of gym memberships go unused and attendance is usually back to normal by mid-February.” 

So how can you take this goal of losing weight and/or getting in shape (no matter what time of year it is) and make it a goal you meet? I have some ideas for you. But before you go on, I end referring to this article. I think it is so good,  I don't want you to miss it. If you get bored and stop reading, make sure you still go on to this article here: 5 Reasons Running May Not Help You Lose Weight.

Let me start by saying I am not the portrait of perfection when it comes to being in shape. I will tell you what I am, though. I am a mom. I am a mom who exercises every day but Sunday. I am a mom who has been exercising regularly like this for about four years. Before that, I was a hit and miss type. But four years ago I got serious and I got consistent. Before I got pregnant with Brinley, I was in pretty good shape. I am still working to get back to that post-Brinley. Over the past four years, I have learned some important things about exercising that I think should be common knowledge but for some reason aren't. So here are my tips to get you going.

1-Make it about being healthy.

Don't make your daily exercising about losing weight. Don't! It is about so much more than that. Exercise is good for you, whether you are losing weight or not. I have had months go by where I lost not a pound. Not a single pound. I kept going. And after some time, weight started to come off again. If I exercised in order to lose weight, I would have stopped long long ago. And I would have missed out on a lot. Make exercise about making your body healthier, not fewer pounds.

2-If you are just starting, expect it to suck.

Quite frankly, when you first make exercise a regular part of your life, it sucks for a long time! It hurts. It is hard. But  you will get stronger as you persevere. It will come. After I had Brinley, I had to build up a lot of my endurance again because I couldn't be as intense while pregnant (some people can, I couldn't). It didn't suck as much, so that is the good news (for more on exercising while pregnant, see this post). 

You might have friends who are exercising people who will say, "After a few times, you will be addicted and love it!" I have those friends. That is not what my reality was. I hated it for a long time. I dreaded getting up the next morning and exercising. 

Even this last summer, I started running with a friend. We ran MWF mornings. I dreaded it each Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday night for a couple of months. Then a switch hit and I loved it. That love and addiction will come. You will at the very least move out of dread and into "this is normal life." But it might take time. And that is okay. 

3-Make time for it.

You have to find a time that you will be consistent about exercising. I don't know what that looks like for you. I have written about this extensively in my post How I Do it: Exercise. Make it part of your daily routine--as much as getting dressed. Consistency is so important to meeting any goal you have in association with exercising, and so important to getting yourself to the point of tolerating it.

4-Be aware of fat vs. muscle.

We have all heard "fat weighs more than muscle." I remember hearing that when I was a teenager and thinking, "well I don't want muscle then!" But here is a visual. 

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That is five pounds of fat versus five pounds of muscle. This is why you can not lose weight but can still look better and better over time. As you are building muscle, you might be adding weight to your body but you are removing volume. Be aware of this so as you are exercising and not noticing any difference, you can keep going! 

5-Take "befores."

You will be able to keep going if you are aware of what "before" was. Weigh yourself. Take measurements. Take photos. Whatever works for you, get that before documented so in six months when you feel like nothing has changed, you will have a quantifiable way to see it actually has.

6-Figure out what works for you.

I have one friend who says the only way he can lose weight is to limit his calories. No amount of exercise matters--the calories matter. I have another friend who says the only way she can ever lose weight is by running. Get to know your body and what works for your body. How much cardio do you need? How much strength training? How many calories can you eat? 

I have personally noticed that I lose weight best when I am doing at least 45 minutes of cardio a few times a week along with some strength training the other days of the week. I can't just do cardio. My cardio has to be a certain length of time. 

If I count calories, I can lose weight, but I hate it. When I am doing the exercise I listed above, I more naturally eat the right amount of calories. 

7-Drink lots of water.

Seriously such a simple and common piece of advice. Just do it.

8-Switch up exercises.

I hear this often enough I assume everyone knows this, but I am sure some haven't heard yet. You can't do the same thing day after day and continue to lose weight. You need to change things so it requires different things of your body. You can find lots of ideas on the internet. I have some on my Exercise board on Pinterest.

9-Burn some fissures.

A few months ago, I read this article that I think explained basic exercise in such a simple, perfect way. Everyone should know this. Read it. It will enlighten you. This is why trainers say that when it hurts is when it matters most. That is when you need to push through a little further. When you push, your muscles tear a bit creating fissures. Then your body burns more calories to repair those fissures and build new muscle. More muscle equals more calories burned day after day. Seriously read that article. 

Check out the Babywise Friendly Blog Network Pinterst account. Today we are blogging on goals and resolutions.

Body Image

Oh body image! Isn't this just such a hard thing? I really feel very strongly about trying to help children have a fighting chance at positive body image. I grew up with a mother who constantly (or so it seemed to me) talked about how "fat" she was. And I am talking about a woman who is 5'6" and at her "worst" weighed maybe 150. Sound fat to you? Not me! Didn't look fat to me at the time, either. And even me being as confident of a person as I naturally am, in my head I knew if she was fat, then I was, too. Yes, me at about 110 pounds was positive I was fat, also. Which leads me to:

Oh that is so true!

My mother-in-law was no different. I remember she and my mother talking to each other about how fat each of them was sure she was while the other assured no, she was the fat one. And my mother-in-law is no where near fat! Never has been.

LOVE YOURSELF

Please oh please oh please do not say self-deprecating things to or in front of your children. I don't even want you saying them in your head, but I will settle for your children. Example, example, example. If you put down your own self, then why would you ever think your child won't do the same to her/him self? This post sums it up well: When Your Mother Says She's Fat.

When I got pregnant, I informed both my mother and mother-in-law that they were in no uncertain terms to talk about how "fat" they were in front of my children. Oh no. If they did, they would find they were not around my children anymore. I am not okay with it. It is actually the ONLY thing I have ever drawn a line in the sand about. And so far as I know, they have complied with my threat  request.

BUT HOW?

So you love yourself. Sure. Easier said than done, right? Anyone not relate to the cute little cartoon I posted above? Anyone relate and then some? Meaning, you wish you were as fat as you was the second, third, or fourth time you thought you were fat. Ha! 

How do you love yourself? Oh so complicated! First, stop trying to blame everything around you for how you feel about your body image. We seem to like to blame the media for how we feel about ourselves. The women we see in put make-up on heavily, use expensive cameras and great lighting, and with anything that winds up a photograph, they spend a fair amount of effort editing that photo. 

While I think the images we see in the media are not helpful, I do think we would struggle with our body image even without the "help" of the media. Our bodies are a wonderful gift and one I believe gets assaulted on because it is so amazing and beneficial to us. Our body is a gift from God, and as such, Satan wants us to hate our bodies. Yes, if looking at magazines or watching certain things on TV leads you further into hateful thoughts toward yourself, stay away from those things. But recognize full blame is not on the media. Women are naturally hard on themselves even without the help of external forces.

Second, look at your body through different lenses. Are you looking at your body as half full or half empty? I love this story about a woman coming to love her body as it is for what it is. What about your body that you don't like is actually a result of bearing children? Three of my children "gave" me stretch marks in different places. One "gave" me a new mole. These are things I can look at and lament or despise or I can look at and say, "That is Brinley."

Third, realize and accept that every body is different. We have different body types. That means that in our ideal, each of us will look different from each other. Know what your body type is and accept it! Embrace it! Work with it! I have really come to see this as true even more so as I have had two girls who have worn the same clothes. Clothes fit them differently even as little girls with basically 0% body fat. Just their bone structure is extremely different.

A little search on Pinterest will easily present you with ideas for what looks best on your body type and what doesn't. Also, do a bit of learning on what looks good in general. Even very thin people can wear things that make them look not-so-hot. I like this article for simple information on what goes well together.

I also like How to Dress for Your Body Type. If you want more articles that are similar, search "body type" on Pinterest. 

Fourth, figure out what works for you to lose weight and/or get in shape. Remember that body type I just talked about? Well, it not only impacts what you look like, but it also means we will need to work differently than others to get into shape. A friend recently commented that running is the only thing that works for her to get in shape. What works for you to get into shape? There is no one-size-fits-all workout plan. If there were, there would probably only be one plan around by now. This article discusses how to get "skinny" according to your body type. Again, work with your body. Try things out. How much cardio do you need? How much toning? Treadmill? Elliptical? Walking? Running? Do you need a gym? Do better with a friend? Figure out what works for you.

Fifth, aim for healthy! Remember the body type thing? You will look like the best version of you. And that is okay! "Be yourself. Everyone else is taken" (Oscar Wilde). Eat well and exercise daily. Healthy matters. Size doesn't. Sometimes we have a negative self-image because we are frankly being lazy or gluttonous. You will have a harder time feeling good about the body you see if you know you are not taking care of it the way you should. Exercising and eating right are healthy. And they are required for healthy. Thin people can be thin and not healthy. When you aim for healthy, you aim for lifestyle. When you aim for "size" or "pounds," you can easily tip back to old habits once you reach those goals. 

No gender is exempt from negative thoughts toward body due to size. There are males who are naturally very thin and no matter how much they eat or how much they lift weights, they stay thin. This is frustrating for a male! So whether you have daughters or sons, focus on healthy.

Sixth, assess any obstacles you might be facing. If you have some medical condition between current you and your optimal you, you will find it bitterly difficult to be content with where you are. There is nothing quite as frustrating as putting in effort and getting no results because of something like your thyroid is off (I know from experience). 

Sixth, come what may and love it. You may find that your natural body type is not what you were hoping for. Work to love it! Once you have done all you can, love yourself! It is what it is, and hating yourself isn't going to change what it is. It will only negatively impact your happiness and contentment. It is much easier to be happy with yourself once you realize what works for your body type and what doesn't, so take those tips seriously. Once you are in a healthy pattern, be happy with who you are.

Seventh, get professional help if you need it. Some of you will need help to see yourself for who you are. Maybe all it will take is prayer. Maybe it will require some counseling. Please do what it takes to love your body and self mentally. 

HONESTY IS OKAY

I am not asking you to lie to your children about how you feel about yourself. But there is a difference between answering questions and observations honestly and frequently commenting on how fat you are, how old you look, and how your physique is overall undesirable. 

I think the desirable place to be mentally is if your child comments on your flabby belly, you can say something like, "Yes, it is flabby. I don't like it that way, but that is what happens when you have a baby! And I would rather have you and a flabby belly than no you and a tight belly. But part of the reason I try to eat healthy foods and exercise is to help get rid of this flabby belly--or at least get it less flabby."

If you can't honestly speak kindly about yourself, then you need to change your view of yourself, as I discussed in the section above. Honesty is often about perspective more than it is about your perceived version of reality.

WHAT ABOUT DAD?
Dad should talk nicely of himself, too. But more importantly, he should talk nicely about you and about your children. I know not all do. Try to get Dad to talk nicely about it. If he can't, tell him to listen to Thumper's mom and just say nothing at all. And a lot of times they are just trying to be helpful--they think they are helping. Let them know it is not helpful. I can't really speak of more experience beyond that--fortunately for me, my Dad was not one to make comments about weight or looks in a negative way. That is probably a huge contributing factor to me not having an eating disorder or major body image issues. See

Fathers Impact on Daughters

CONCLUSION

Remember we are talking about body image. What image do you see? We all see things differently, and you can see yourself as fabulous if you allow yourself to do so. And the way you view yourself will impact your children--males and females. 

And if the idea of body image is one that you really want to look into further, I highly recommend the blog The Great Fitness Experiment written by my friend. I have linked to all of her posts she has labeled with "body image." She is funny, she is real, and she has had real struggles in accepting herself as she is. 

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:

• How I Do It: Exercise

  Exercising With Kids

  Building Self-Concept

  Building Positive Self- Esteem

Newborn Summary: Week 7

isn't this funny! I took this of her this week

This is for the week Brinley was 6 weeks old--so her 7th week but while she is 6 weeks old.

NURSING

Nursing is still going great!

POOPING

This week, Brinley suddenly stopped pooping 4-5 times per day. My other girls were always the type to poop several times a day. Brayden, however, was always a "once every few days" sort. So I knew this could be normal for a baby. They can poop multiple times a day or once every week (or longer). I have to wonder if the timing is with wonder week 5. The book  The Wonder Weeks  says baby's digestive system will be more mature after that week.

WITCHING HOUR

So far, Brinley rarely has witching hour times, but McKenna didn't start until she was older so I wouldn't say we are free and clear. We decided to set up her swing this week. We hadn't used it at all yet, but I thought it might come in handy sometimes and I wanted to know if she would like it since McKenna hated it.

She had one night of witching hour this week, and for that we put her in the swing and she took a nap in it! Always remember, if your baby has witching hour, don't be afraid to do what it takes to keep baby happy and get a nap in. 

Also, if your baby has reflux and needs to sleep in the swing often, don't worry about it. Kaitlyn took a lot of naps in her swing as a baby, and she is a great sleeper today. It didn't negatively impact her at all. Sleep comes first.

OUTINGS

The big outing for us this week was my doctor visit. I wasn't worried at all about how Brinley would do. My other girls did great (Brayden, however, did not. He was crying so much my OB had one of his nurses take him out so he could talk to me. That was before we started with Babywise, though). 

Brinley started to cry as soon as my OB entered the room. Before that, she was fine. But I was thinking how funny it is to have a woman with a 6 week old stripped down and ready for a pelvic exam. It doesn't really put you in a position to help your baby. My OB did my exam and then I picked Brinley up and soothed her. Neither of us were stressed; she has four kids, now I have four kids...I guess we are used to it all. My OB commented, "At least her cry isn't annoying." It's true! Her cry isn't annoying at all. I assumed I just thought that because she is mine. Oh, and you might have noticed the pronoun genders changing with my OB; my first OB moved across the country after Kaitlyn was born so I have a different one now. Anyway, we survived just fine.

DREAMFEED

For her dreamfeed, she pretty much went back to eating from only one side. She sleeps the same with one or two sides, so I don't stress it out. I try to get two sides, but if she will only take one, I put her in bed and don't worry about it.

WAKETME ACTIVITIES

These are the things we do during waketime. If there is a certain time of day we try to do something, I have noted it.

• Bath (I always do this after her first feeding of the day)
• Get held by siblings/parents (this happens a whole lot)
• Tummy time (this varies based on mood--I like to do tummy time when she is happy and alert)
• Gym play (I do this after her 10:30 AM feeding. I treat it like an independent play, though I am in the room with her while she does it)
• Read stories (we do this before bed--after her 7:00 PM feeding)
• "Play" on blanket
• Lay there and have me take a million pictures of her
• Walks 

AS FOR ME

I had no insomnia this week! Hurray!

I had my six week visit this week with my OBGYN. Everything is great with me and I was cleared for exercise, so I decided to start out with simple pilates. With pilates, I don't get sweaty, so I am cool with doing them at any point in the day and not having to get up early to do them before I get ready. I figure I will do pilates for a couple of weeks and then try something more vigorous. Pilates will also be good because my abs really need some strength! They are definitely the weak spot in my body right now. 

If your back is really sore, work your abs. Often times back pain is caused by a weak "core"--including your abs. I am sure the extra weight from your breastfeeding breasts doesn't help, either. I have seen a big improvement just after three times of doing pilates. I did Winsor Pilates

SCHEDULE

This is our daily schedule that we shoot for. Our first feeding varies the most. It typically ranges between 6:30 and 7:30 AM. She is now old enough to do 2.5 to 3.5 hour intervals between feedings, so if she is sleeping when the time comes up, I let her go up to 30 minutes longer. She will eat better if she wakes on her own, and if not, those extra thirty minutes can often be enough to get her interested in eating.

7:30--feed

8:20--nap

10:30--feed

11:20--nap

1:30--feed

2:20--nap

4:30--feed

5:20--nap

7-7:30 (time varies here)--feed, then bedtime

10:00--dreamfeed

then night feed(s). Typically, this happens between 2:30-3:30 AM.

HELPFUL BOOKS

• Secrets of the Baby Whisperer: How to Calm, Connect, and Communicate with Your Baby
• On Becoming Baby Wise
• Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child
• What to Expect the First Year
• The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems: Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy ThroughToddlerhood
• The Wonder Weeks 

RELATED POSTS/BLOG LABELS:

• dreamfeed (blog label)
• newborn summary (blog label)
• witching hour (blog label)

• My Sleep Hierarchy For Newborns: http://www.babywisemom.com/2010/06/my-sleep-hierarchy-for-newborns.html

Exercise and Pregnancy

One of my biggest questions when I got pregnant this time was "What can I do for exercise?"

I know several women personally who I have watched do pretty regular exercises throughout pregnancy who all had great deliveries and healthy babies--so I knew it was a possibility. I had never consistently exercised during a pregnancy before. I honestly couldn't even fathom that someone could do that. Between morning sickness and extreme fatigue, I didn't know how you could possibly exercise.

However, I had been exercising almost daily for almost two years. This is not something you can easily just give up, and I didn't want to. I didn't want to go back to square one in the pain I went through to build up my endurance. I had also read many times that exercise was good for you. Great! But what exercises? 

I decided to turn to my friend Charlotte and her blog "The Great Fitness Experiment." She recently (recently in my mind...not terribly recently in reality, but my mind is in charge right now) had a baby and had several posts on exercise during pregnancy. One that really helped was this one: Myth Busting: Fitness in Pregnancy.

And then because I am her friend, I went ahead and emailed her for more assurance. 

My worry with exercise and pregnancy is hurting my baby. I have lost a baby. I know the pain and I never want to go there again. Char has also lost babies, so she understands my worries. 

The thing that stuck with me through our emails was to "listen to my body." Makes perfect sense! But isn't perfectly easy, I found out. You see, I had been working for the last two years to push my body further than my body thought it could go. Exercise is about discomfort. It is supposed to hurt. You are supposed to get tired. I had to figure out how to listen to my body and distinguish what was "slow down for baby" and what was "I want an excuse to slow down."

I spent the first 8 weeks working out the same as I had been--with Jillian Michaels. I love her work outs. The problem I ran into, however, was that she pushes you hard. It wasn't working out for me--I felt like I was pushing harder than I should and I spent all day every day in more worry about losing the baby than I would normally. Yes, I know women do more intense things throughout the pregnancy. My mom was one of those women. But I felt worried, and I think part of listening to your body is listening to your "intuition" or whatever you want to call it and I knew I needed to tone it down.

So I ordered Lindsay Brin's pregnancy DVDs. She has one for each trimester that is designed to help you strengthen your body in the right places for your growing belly. She throws out lots of helpful information (like, did you know your hamstring tightens throughout pregnancy and if you are having lower back pain, stretching your hamstring can help with that?). She also encourages you to go only as far as you can go, and she gives you limits to get to. She reminds you to get water breaks and to take it easier that day if you need to. It is great for me. It is not an extremely intense workout. It also is quite long. It has been good for me, though. I also work out on my elliptical a couple of times a week.

Okay, so after that long, anecdotal story, let's get down to the bare information about exercise in pregnancy.

When?

Yes, this is a hard one. I still find it most effective to exercise before my children wake up, but once morning sickness really hit me, I found this very difficult (if not impossible) to do. I have to eat before I exercise, and then I have to sit for at least 30 minutes or that food is coming back up. Then the kids are up and in need of things. 

I have had to let go of what I used to be able to get done. I can't expect to do what I used to do. If I want exercise to be a part of my day, I have to do it later in the morning. A hard thing with that, though, comes when I have to be ready by 9 AM to take children to various places, so it isn't always happening every day, but I am still trying to work it all out. I shoot for 5 days a week, but I don't always make it in the last 4 weeks with morning sickness. It is okay; when morning sickness backs off, I should be able to do it more.

Where?

I still do it at home.

What?

Like I said, I am currently doing:

• Elliptical
• Lindsay Brin's Complete Pregnancy 4-DVD Workout Set: Cardio, Toning PLUS Yoga

There are lots of great exercises you can do. Generally speaking, you can stick with whatever you were doing before. You can maintain your weights--but not increase. Walking is great, as is yoga and swimming. The things to avoid are things that can cause falling, and during second trimester and beyond, laying on your back isn't great. Yes, some people do things that have a high risk for falling. In Hawaii, my husband and friends were taking surfing lessons. I declined due to pregnancy, and the surf instructor and his girlfriend (both older) said, "Oh, that's fine! Pregnant women surf all the time!" Sure, but they probably already know what they are doing. They are also obviously more comfortable with the risk. I am not--not willing to risk it.

Bottom line, listen to your body. Do what feels comfortable. Do some reading on it so you know what is safe and what is not. Listen to yourself--your body, head, and heart. 

I would love to hear from you! What pregnancy workouts do you love? What activities? Any DVDs that you loved? Share share!

How I Do It: Exercise

I am very excited about this new series. I get a lot of questions that ask how I do what I do in a day. I have written a couple of posts on the topic, but it seems to be either too much at once or not enough details for some people. So I thought I would break down several things I do in the day that often allude people. The first topic is Exercise. First, the basic info:

What: Exercise

When: Early morning
Where: At my house

Why: To be healthy

How: Elliptical, mini tramp, and videos

Now more details.

What: Exercise

I do not love to exercise. I love to do things like play basketball that give you exercise, but I fully despise exercising just for the sake of exercise. However, I do believe in taking care of my body. I believe it is my responsibility to make sure I get the exercise I need to maintain a healthy body. So I do it even though I hate it.

And you hear people who love to exercise tell you things like "Oh, after you do it for two weeks you will be addicted." Um, no. I have been consistently exercising at 5 days a week for 1.5 years and still do not love it. Although I will say I don't dread it now. So maybe I am on the slow path to loving :)

I will note that I do several things that are exercise beyond my daily exercise. This includes going for walks or bike rides, hiking, playing sports, and gardening (you try squatting 500 times to pick your green beans and see how you feel). I do not count these as my "exercise" for the day, though it certainly is exercise and could easily be justified to switch. For me, maintaining my exercise in the morning program is dependent upon me consistently doing it every.single.day. 

When: Early Morning

The easiest time for me to fit in exercise is in the early morning hours before my children get up. I wake up at 6:00 AM to exercise. I do this five days a week. I never do exercise on Sunday. Some times I will do something on Saturday beyond normal exercise of the day.

A note on time. This is what works for me. You might find waiting until independent playtime is what works for you. When McKenna was a newborn, I went running in the evenings between bedtime and the dreamfeed.  I didn't want to get up early with a new baby in the house. The trick is to find a time that you can be consistent with day in and day out.

Where: At My House

I do pretty much everything I do at my house. I sometimes venture out to go running, but I positively hate to run, so it is not something I mark as my norm for exercise. I have to do something I can tolerate if I want it to be a normal part of my lifestyle. Some people need  a gym to exercise in, and many offer childcare while you exercise, so that is definitely an option.

There are lots of things you can do at home. Jump roping, videos, machines, videos, lunges and squats...lots of things that can be done in the convenience of your home. 

Why: To Be Healthy

My goal with exercise is to be healthy. Exercise improves physical, mental, and emotional health. When you exercise you have more energy. And honestly, when I exercise, I can pretty much eat what I want to without gaining weight and I really like to eat food. So I do it to be healthy and to eat food. It is my observation that the older people I know who are still active have always been active. They move around quite well and maintain an active lifestyle. I would like to be able to be active as long as I am alive, so I want to take care of myself to help make that a reality.

Another bonus of exercising is the good example it sets for your children. They see that taking care of yourself is important to you, so it will be important to them to take care of themselves.

Now, of course, there is the reason to lose weight, and I have that as a goal, also. Carrying four children can add some pounds to you. My primary goal is to be healthy, and I think to be healthy I need to lose some weight. I don't have much left. One tool I have fond most helpful is an app for counting calories called "Lose It!" It is free. There is another free calorie counter app that is rated really well, also. I believe there are some free websites you can do that on, so if anyone knows, please share!

The way to lose weight is to expend more calories than you put in. With Lose It!, you input your gender, age, height, and weight and weight goals (how many pounds by what date). It then tells you how many calories you can eat in a day to lose as much as you desire per week. You input your activity (which adds the number of calories you can eat) and your food. It adds up the calories for you. 

It is interesting to use something like this. My husband and I can do the same exercise, but he gets credited more calories burned than I do. I have a friend who is using this, and while I can eat 1505 calories a day to lose a pound a week, she can only eat 1000. So it helps you have a more personalized goal. I actually lose 1.5 pounds a week when I follow this.

How: Elliptical, Mini-Tramp, and Videos

Like I said above, I do my walks, bike rides, sporting events, gardening, etc. that provide some good exercise. Even with that, I add in my daily exercise. 

I do my elliptical 2-3 times per week for about 45 minutes usually. Sometimes 60. 

Some days, I mix it up with mini-tramp exercises. 

Last Spring, my friend Char did a guest post about her book on exercising. On that thread, several people commented on Lindsay Brin's DVDs. I decided so many of my readers could not be wrong, so I bought one of her bootcamp DVDs. And I love it! Lindsay Brin's Boot Camp 2 DVD with Moms Into Fitness. It is seriously a great video. She has pregnancy workout DVDs and others. I highly recommend it. I also really enjoy pilates and have a few Winsor Pilates DVDs. I have also heard good things about Slim in Six, but I haven't ever tried it. 

Now, I am not an exercise expert by any stretch of the imagination. There are a few things I have learned through my short journey. I know many of you will read this and think "duh," but these are things I had to learn the hard way over the last 1.5 years so hopefully I can help someone learn it in 1.5 minutes instead.

1. Mix it up. You can't do the same thing every single time you exercise and continue to see results. When I first started, all I did was elliptical. At first, it was great and I lost a pound a week without considering diet at all. But doing the same thing each day--even with my different elliptical workouts programmed into my machine--caused a plateau after three months. Do cardio, do toning, and do different exercises in those categories every so often.
2. Strength Training. You must have strength training to help burn more calories. Doing something with weights helps build muscle, which burns calories. Pilates builds muscle, yoga, weights, lunges...Lindsay Brin's workouts do toning as well as cardio. I have heard many people say you absolutely cannot get continued weight loss results without some strength training. I thought it was all about the cardio, so that was my only focus. Once I added in strength training each week, I started seeing more results. 
3. Cardio. Cardio burns calories and burns fat so the muscle you build can show through. Lindsay Brin says to do cardio every other day (toning can be done every day).
4. Calories. Remember the key to weight loss is calorie input vs. output. You need to burn more than you take in a day. Remember the recent Twinkie diet? A man lost 27 pounds in 10 weeks simply eating twinkies all day. He just made sure he ate no more than 1800 calories worth a day. A hard thing with exercising is when you exercise, you want more food. You could run 10 miles a day, but if you ate more calories than you burned, it wouldn't bring weight-loss benefits. 

Conclusion

I would encourage you to focus on your health when exercising. If you focus on weight, you won't make exercise a lifetime habit. I have had months go by where I don't lose a pound. But I know I feel better and that I am in better shape than I was before I started to regularly exercise. 

If you have ideas to add to this, please share! Do you have favorite videos? Exercises? Effective times of day? Motivation? 

For more great ideas, see this post and the comments to the post: Exercising with Kids.