Health & Fitness

Having a baby has its challenges: coping with less sleep, learning how to nurse and feed baby correctly as well as managing weight gained during your pregnancy. As you adapt to baby’s new routine, exercising may seem like a daunting task. However postpartum exercising has excellent benefits. Besides the obvious goal of gaining back a pre-pregnancy weight, new moms often feel better both mentally and physically which in turn aids them in meeting all the demands of motherhood.

Happy New Year!

With that said, I wonder if your social network is a buzz with New Year’s resolutions as mine is? Did you make a resolution this year?

When I see my friends making choices to “lead a more balanced life” or “exercise more”, I wonder how they plan on being successful in these goals. How could you break these common resolutions down into day-to-day activities that are attainable?

Last blog we discussed how stress can cause long term problems which can cause weight gain. I left you in the lurch by asking, “how is one supposed to recover from these stressors?” For the answer, I turned to Jillian Michaels (Master Your Metabolism, 2009).

Taking steps to “rebalance your energy” will give your stress response system a well-needed break and return your hormones back to optimal level.

STEP 1 - SLEEP

It is just over a week into November and I would guess that you are already stressing about the holidays. There are cards to be organized, decorations that need to be pulled out of storage, house repairs that need to be finished, cookies to be made, and lists of wishes to be fulfilled. The holiday season is upon us. We feel joy and that familiar stress that haunts us all year. Take that stress add holiday cookies and a handful of candy canes and you have a recipe for gaining weight.

Halloween is so much fun!! It’s great for the kids and it’s great for adults. There is just something about dressing up, putting on a spectacle for passers by, and having a great time that just starts a morning off on the right foot. Today was full of fantastic costumes, cute little ones, and happy moms getting their fill of a workout.

What a great class today. I had some very enthusiastic moms that workout really hard. Good work mommies!! Seeing these moms workout so hard made me think about what elements of pregnancy may affect you post-pregnancy during exercise.

There may be times when the moms in my class wonder why I teach the Shop n’ Stroll program and why I blog about it. Patrons of the Sevenoaks Shopping Centre may walk passed me in the mall and wonder where this little 4’ 11’’ ball of fire gets her enthusiasm for what she does. The answers are not just because of my years of interest in fitness and health, but simply because I have first hand experience on how this program can benefit you and your baby.

When I decide to put a routine together for the moms in my Shop n’ Stroll class I look for exercises that mom can do at home. I know it’s not easy coming out with baby when naps are in conflict or baby is teething and not up to spending 45 minutes in the stroller. So, when mom can’t come or she wants to exercise more at home, I know that she can feel confident doing the exercises that she learned in my class.

Today marked my one year anniversary with the Shop n’ Stroll program here in Sevenoaks Shopping Centre. I’ve had a great time, and I’ve met some wonderful moms and their children. On behalf of myself, Runners and Booties Fitness, the moms that have been to the program, and the moms that will soon come; I can’t thank Sevenoaks Shopping Centre enough. You continue to demonstrate that you care about the health and well being of your community, and I am very proud to be part of your Project Happy team.