Total Fit Mom

How To Lose Weight Quickly After Having A Baby

Total Fit Mom — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 01:57:19 +0000

The wait is finally over. You now have your bundle of joy safely in your arms. All is well…except for those extra rolls and jiggles you feel as you tend to your baby.

Maybe you were one of the lucky ones and you only gained 25-35 pounds, but I was not so fortunate. I gained 50 pounds with both of my kids and when things settled down you better believe I was looking for a way to lose weight fast!

So how do you lose weight quickly after having a baby? By keeping things simple and easy.

Healthy Foods

Keep healthy whole grains, fruits, veggies, and low-fat cheese nearby. Have your Mom, husband, sister, Dad, Mother-in-law make themselves useful and cut these healthy foods into small serving sizes so that all you have to do is grab and go.

Light Exercise

As soon as your Doctor says you can exercise start off by walking. Finish you walk with some lunges, squats, and crunches. Walking was a great way for me to start getting back in shape. If it happens to be winter time go mall walking. If you don’t want to go out walk in place, turn on a DVD, or try these at home workout routines.

No Sugary Drinks

It’s a liquid. You wouldn’t think that something you drink could actually be the reason why many of us gain weight or do not lose weight quickly. Watch out for juices and other seemingly innocent beverages (that have Splenda and other sweeteners). Stick with water and home made smoothies.

Be disciplined enough to do these things on a daily basis and you will see results. If you are not losing weight quickly enough then increase your activity. Remember, you have to burn more calories than you intake in order to lose weight quickly.

What have you done to lose weight quickly after having a baby?

What Motivates You To Lose Weight And Get Fit?

Total Fit Mom — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:38:19 +0000

Every busy Mom needs a little motivation to lose weight and get fit every now and then. The key is knowing what motivates you and what doesn’t. You have to have a reason…a purpose for losing weight and getting fit.

I am motivated to lose weight and get fit because I don’t want to be unhealthy. I want to look good and feel good. When you are healthy, you greatly decrease your chances of getting a serious disease. And for some silly reason, I just don’t want to be that one who runs into an old high school friend and they *gasp* because I look totally different than what they remembered!

I have noticed that motivation takes on a snowball effect. When I’m not feeling very motivated I’ll start off doing something small - like go for a walk. Once I’m out walking, I start to feel more motivated and then I end up jogging. Start small and you will get more motivation as you go.

We are all motivated by different things. If you are lacking motivation then you must look within and find the reason why. Purpose drives motivation to lose weight and get fit. So what’s your purpose? Once we know what motivates us to lose weight and get fit then we must have willpower to keep going!

5 Ways To Get A Workout AND Play With Your Kids

Total Fit Mom — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:10:14 +0000

I know many-a-busy Moms (myself included) who feel they don’t have time to workout especially after a long day of work and being away from the kids all day. But, no more excuses! Why not get a workout AND spend time with the kids?

Here are five ways to include the kids in your workout routine:

Jogarama/Walkarama

I received a jogging stroller at my baby shower and I LOVE it. Since summer is here there is no better time than now to get one of these if you don’t already have one.

Also, thanks to a comment by StrollerFittin’ I learned about Stroller Fit! This is great idea. Unfortunately, there are no classes near me. :(

Squats, Lifts, and Dips

Using your baby/toddler as a weight. Hold her while you do squats, leg lifts, and dips. The weight of your child will really make those muscles burn!

Playarama

This is my sons favorite! Just play with your preschooler. Get on the floor and wrestle. It’s fun and you can work up a sweat!

Jump, Jump

Jumping up and down is a great workout. If you have a trampoline - even better. If you don’t - that’s okay. Just jump around in place. Make it a game to see who can jump the highest!

Hop Scotch, Jump Rope, and Tag

These games are great fun and you can work up a sweat if too - if you work at it.

These are some of the things I do when I can’t get a ‘real’ workout in. If you have some ideas to mix working out with your kids please put them in the comments below. I’d love to have more ideas!

Where There Is A WillPOWER There Is A Way

Total Fit Mom — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 13:00:12 +0000

Hey busy fit Moms! If you haven’t been serious about losing weight, getting fit, and living healthy NOW is the time to turn it around! You have what it takes within you to lose weight, eat healthy, exercise, AND maintain it.

It’s called WILLPOWER.

Dictionary. com defines willpower as the control of one’s impulses and actions; self-control. This let’s us know that we can have control over our impulses and actions!

It is a powerful thing when we know that we control how much we eat, what we eat, and how much we exercise. Willpower is very much tied into being disciplined. Discipline is defined as an activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill. It is something that is practiced and with time if you continue doing what you are practicing you will become skilled.

Here is a really great 5 part series on self discipline. Read it when you have some time!

We need to GET TOUGH with ourselves! Don’t be a wimp!

Once we decide that we want to get fit all we have to do is lay out a plan and STICK to it. If we use our willpower to practice a discipline we will soon master it.

Action Item:
Identify one area on your weight-loss journey that you need more discipline in and use your willpower to master that area!

What area do you need more discipline in? Share your struggle area in the comment section below. Let us know what you will do this week to master that area!

photo credit: Novecentino

BookieBoo: The Fitness Hangout For Moms

Total Fit Mom — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:43:46 +0000

I just came across a great social site thanks to Fitness For Mommies called BookieBoo.

“Bookieboo is a place where moms who are into fitness, weight loss, and healthy living get together to share. Our members consist of all kinds of moms: stay-at-home moms, working moms, Managing-Moms , moms with babies or toddlers, and pregnant moms.”

Sounds like a great place and I’m heading over there now…see ya there!

10 Fat Burning Foods To Help You Lose Weight Fast

Total Fit Mom — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 19:10:24 +0000

If I am going to lose weight and keep it off one thing I know I must do is change my eating habits. This was proven to me when I started the South Beach Diet last fall. I lost 10 pounds in two weeks just by changing what I ate - sweeet!

After doing a little bit of research I found some natural fat burning foods. These foods are said to contain special properties that give you energy and help your body melt away unhealthy pounds - AND they give your body the extra metabolic kick that it needs to shave off weight quickly. Now who doesn’t like the sound of that?

If you eat the right foods you can consume 1,500-1,800 calories per day and still lose weight without endangering your health.

Here are 10 fat burning foods that have been known to promote weight loss and at the same time are rich in nutrients.

Apples - They elevate your blood glucose (sugar) levels leaving you feeling satisfied longer, say researchers. They are also one of the richest sources of soluble fiber in the grocery store.

Beans - If you want to lose weight fast be sure to add this fat burning food to your diet. Beans are one of the best sources of plant protein. Most common beans have 215 calories per cooked cup (lima beans go up to 260). They have the most protein with the least fat of any food, and they’re high in potassium but low in sodium.

Grapefruit - Helps to dissolve fat and cholesterol. An average sized grapefruit has 74 calories, delivers a whopping 15 grams of pectin (the special fiber linked to lowering cholesterol and fat), is high in vitamin C and potassium and is free of fat and sodium.

Berries - This is the perfect weight-loss food. Berries have natural fructose sugar that satisfies your longing for sweets and enough fiber so you absorb fewer calories that you eat.

Broccoli - Delivers a staggering nutritional payload and is considered the number one cancer-fighting vegetable. It has no fat, loads of fiber, cancer fighting chemicals called indoles, carotene, 21 times the RDA of vitamin C and calcium.

Cabbage - There are only 33 calories in a cup of cooked shredded cabbage, and it retains all its nutritional goodness no matter how long you cook it. Eating cabbage raw (18 calories per shredded cup), cooked, as sauerkraut (27 calories per drained cup) or coleslaw (calories depend on dressing) only once a week is enough to protect against colon cancer.

Carrots - A medium-sized carrot carries about 55 calories and is a nutritional powerhouse. The orange color comes from beta carotene, a powerful cancer-preventing nutrient (provitamin A).

Cottage Cheese - As long as we’re talking about losing weight and fat burning foods, I had to mention cottage cheese. Low-fat (2%) cottage cheese has 205 calories per cup and is admirably low in fat, while providing respectable amounts of calcium and the B vitamin riboflavin.

Figs - Fiber-rich figs are low in calories at 37 per medium (2.25” diameter) raw fig and 48 per dried fig. A recent study by the USDA demonstrated that they contribute to a feeling of fullness and prevent overeating. Subjects actually complained of being asked to eat too much food when fed a diet containing more figs than a similar diet with an identical number of calories.

Fish - The health benefits of fish are greater than experts imagined – and they’ve always considered it a health food. The calorie count in the average four-ounce serving of a deep-sea fish runs from a low of 90 calories in abalone to a high of 236 in herring. Water-packed tuna, for example, has 154 calories. It’s hard to gain weight eating seafood.

Bonus: Only use Extra-Virgin Olive Oil - it’s mostly made of monosaturated fats, which are the ‘good’ fats that your body needs.

If you have fat burning food ideas please share in the comments below!

Healthy Snack Ideas: 100 Calorie Right Bites

Total Fit Mom — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:02:21 +0000

One of my Get Fit Goals is to start counting my calories. So my husband, being the sweety that he is :), brought home 100 Calorie Packs. I thought they were a super convenient, semi-healthy snack that I could take to work.

Well, that was until I realized how expensive they are! They can go for $2-5, depending on where you live and if they are on sale. The worst part is that they only contain SIX TINY packs in each box. Totally not worth it!

I can go to the bulk food store and buy a HUGE box of healthy whole wheat crackers and 100 baggies and get triple the amount for same or less. Can you say rip off? Yeah, I’m not falling for this marketing gimmick any more!

~Fitmama
Eating healthy snacks on the cheap!

Get Fit Goals

Total Fit Mom — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:27:14 +0000

photo credit: Michael448

Since I’m feeling really out of shape and unhealthy (and I NEED to do something about it) the first thing I have to do is develop a game plan - something that is realistic and that I can stick to.

Last fall, I started the South Beach Diet and I lost 10 pounds in two weeks just by changing what I ate and walking three times a week. Then in came the cold and snowy Michigan winter and out went my eating habits and exercise routine. Ugh!

I know, poor excuse!

Now that spring is around the corner I guess I feel more motivated to put into action a plan to get fit and this time stick to it!

In order to stick to my plan I have to understand what my goals are and how I will achieve them. Seems simple enough but it really helps to think things through and even write them down.

Here is what I want will accomplish:

I want will lose 20 pounds.
I want will develop and incorporate better eating and exercising habits into my daily life.
I want will feel good and have more energy.
I want will have a healthy heart and body.
I want will have a lean and toned body.
I also want will set an example for my family and lead them into a more healthy lifestyle as well.

Here is how I will accomplish my goals:

Plan out my meals for the whole week and stick to the meal plan.
Eat 4-5 smaller meals a day.
Eat more fruits, veggies, and fiber.
Say no to myself (and to junk food).
Keep track of what I eat and count calories.
Fit in 30 minutes of exercise three times a week.

Action Plan:

Make a list of your get fit goals and define exactly how you will achieve them!

Feel free to leave your get fit goals below! I’d love to know what others are doing!

Launching Total Fit Mom!

Total Fit Mom — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:29:28 +0000

photo credit: jurvetson

Welcome To Total Fit Mom! Sixteen months ago, I had my second baby and guess what? The baby fat (ha) is still stuck to my thighs, hips, butt, and tummy. YUCK! I must confess…I’m out of shape. I’m a busy Mom and I have neglected my health! For me, it’s not enough to just lose weight - I want to get fit. I want a healthy, lean, and toned body with more energy.

I can’t wish myself fit so NOW is the time to do something about it!

Total Fit Mom is about learning the right way to lose weight and keep it off. This includes eating healthy, making time for exercise, using the right products, and saying goodbye to the mental and emotional bad habits that hinder progress.

It is my hope that like minded busy Moms will join in and get fit with me! Be sure to stop by and tell me about your get fit plan!

To our success!!

~Fitmama