no time? no excuse!

A common complaint I hear again and again is "I have no time to exercise" and it saddens me that many women think you need to spend hours at the gym to get the body you want. The quickest way to get results is with an in home workout!! First off I want to say YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL just the way you are. A healthy body begins with SELF LOVE! Secondly, you DON'T need to spend hours every week at the gym to change your body. Yes it takes effort and yes it takes motivation and yet is takes time, but if you learn tricks to include exercise in your day to day life you are half way there. Now it doesn't JUST take these methods to trim up and lose the baby weight.....but it sure helps.


So listen closely to some of my simple rules to follow so you can begin too see the results you crave with your very own in home workout.


1. Brushing your teeth....That's two minutes where you can't do anything else (unless you're really good at one handed tasks) For these two minutes (and my electric tooth brush times me) try to do as many squats as you can. You can change it up each time, one day you can do regular squats, the next day you might do a sumo squat. If you get really good, use the bath tub and do split squats with one foot on the tub!

2. Unloading the dishwasher...Next time why not try doing a wall sit against the kitchen cabinets. Load up the dishes on your knees to add weight as you go along. You can also lunge, squat, lateral leg raises or even butt kicks as you unload. 

3. Walking up stairs....I seem to go up and down stairs all day. I forget things ALL the time so I end up doing the stairs way more than before I had kiddies. Why not try running up and down twice (takes just as long as walking up once), squat on each step, skip a step and add a knee up, side step up or if you don't have pelvic floor issues or Diastasis Recti...try jump squats up the steps.

4. Bath time....Another moment in time when you have nothing else you can do. Its easier to do this with toddlers and older children as they can sit up, wash themselves and spends MOST of the time playing! Add a few exercises into you routine. I like push ups on the bath tub, plank on the bath tub, mountain climb and plank rotations! All while trying not the get wet.

5. Sweeping the floor/vacuum cleaning...Put your back into this one. You can pick any traveling movement for this. Lunge, side step squat, jump, butt kicks and lateral leg abductions. 

Now most of you are probably thinking...."this woman is crazy!" as if I have the energy to add these to my already exhausting day! Dont worry, I like to introduce exercise little by little. Don't try to do these ALL in one day, you are more likely to fail if you do. Pick one to try out first, then another week add a second and so on. A healthy body is all about your lifestyle, not a fad diet or a quick 30 day challenge. 

Happy workouts mamas, don't give up!!

Please remember to consult with a medical professional before entering into a new workout regime.

hale to the kale.....breastfeeding mamas salad

To all you breastfeeding mamas out there it can be very daunting knowing what you can and can’t eat for your baby! Knowing what to put in your body to benefit your new baby is definitely top of the list (for me at least).

We have carried these little humans and protected them for nine long months, now they are here, their needs are changing and you will notice they react differently according to what you eat. Did what I ate last night make them gassy? Is that rash on their face because of me? Do they have an ear infection because of MY eating habits?? MAYBE it is and maybe it isn’t. When I was breastfeeding I found myself scrolling through countless articles and books to make sure I was doing everything right. I would watch what I was eating and make sure Eden didn’t have a reaction over the next few days.

Good news is this salad is perfect for breastfeeding mamas as it cover all the nutritional bases. If however you have hypothyroidism you need to be a little weary of kale as it is does contain goitrogens when eaten RAW. So depending on your nutritional needs (please check with your healthcare provider) you may be able to steam it first and have it as a warm salad, or substitute for spinach or romaine lettuce.

Foods a breastfeeding mama should be including in their diet are;

  1. Dark Leafy Greens
  2. Good Quality Protein
  3. Healthy Fats
  4. Complex Carbohydrates

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

  • 8 cups kale
  • 2 cups cubed and roasted butternut squash
  • 1 cup cooked green lentils
  • 1 green apple sliced into sticks
  • 1/4 cup red onion
  • 1/4 cup crushed almonds
  • 4 tbsp. goat feta

Dressing

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar (with the mother)
  • 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp. maple syrup

Method

Roast the squash ahead of time, sprinkle the cubes with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 20-30 mins @375 until tender. Let them cool. Boil the green lentils using the instructions on the package (usually simmer on low for 30 mins).

Layer all the ingredients on top of a bed of kale, add the dressing and serve. It is great as a meal or you can use it as a side salad with grilled chicken or a white fleshed fish.

p.s. I like to prepare the whole butternut squash and extra green lentils ahead of time so there are leftovers for other meals throughout the week.

Also, big shout out to my mother in law for the home grown kale!!

the mighty push-up

The mighty push-up or press-up as known in some countries. A great FULL body exercise used by many personal trainers and fitness professionals across the world. Most people know it as a chest exercise, which it is...but it can do so much more when done correctly. When done in a high plank position, the body needs the core, glutes, anterior delts, triceps and hamstrings to stabilize the position. So why are so many people doing the ‘lady’ version...when your knees are on the floor?

To me, the ‘lady’ push-up seems counterproductive and sexist to say the least. Why should this version be named after us? AND why are we still doing them? Not only does it take out the lower body element, makes it really tough to activate your core effectively, but it also renders it seemingly impossible to progress into a full push-up.

Follow these simple progressions to help you through any phase in your life;

The wall push-up – A GREAT exercise to use when you are pregnant as you can activate your core without adding to much pressure to your abdominal wall. It uses your full body whilst strengthening and toning your upper body. For an added challenge, use a stability ball between you and the wall. Not only can you do this when pregnant but if you suffer from Diastasis Recti (DR) too. Include these into your program once you have completed a few foundation moves and can effectively activate your core muscle group.

The incline push-up – Once you find the wall push up easy and you are not pregnant, you can progress into the incline push-up. The great thing about the incline push up is you can pick a level that suits you and adapt it as needed. Most people have a staircase in their house and this is where I tell most of my clients to do their push-ups. Pick a step that is challenging but where you are able to maintain form and reduce the level when needed until you no longer need a step. This is by FAR the best way to learn how to do a full push-up.

IMG_3792.JPG

The full push-up – Not an easy move and not to be done if you suffer from DR or are pregnant as it can increase the gap between your abs (stretching the linea alba). The key here is to keep your bum down, but not dipped (maintain a flat back by pulling your abs in towards your spine). Don’t T your arms out to the side, keep a 20-40 degree angle from your torso to your upper arm (this applies to ALL push-ups explained above). Lower as close to the ground as possible, PAUSE and return to the top.

The decline push-up – Not for the faint hearted! Definitely an advanced move for us mamas who are well beyond our postpartum phase and have zero separation of the abs. I’m not great at them myself but it is something I’m working on. Adding a step to your feet will increase the use of shoulders and upper chest.

Have fun with exercise and don’t be afraid to try new things…If you HATE push-ups because they are so hard, try one of these versions to keep you on track!

BONUS

Eden trying to do a push-up and telling daddy he had to do one too…she is a great ring leader and hopefully one day will be a great leader! Lead by example mamas!

Please remember to consult with a medical professional before entering into an exercise regime.

postpartum exercise, how much should I do?

So you have been given the green light by your health care provider, yey I can exercise again. But the question is how long should I workout for?? This answer is going to be different for everyone. There are so many factors to include like, how often did you exercise pre pregnancy/throughout your pregnancy, did you have a ‘normal delivery’ or are you managing to get some (if any) sleep. All these things will effect what and how much you can do, don’t get me wrong they are not excuses NOT to workout though.

My main advice I give new/existing clients is start small and build up to a longer session. Sometimes even a 10min workout is all you can manage, and that is FINE! You still did something right?? Your body has been through so much it’s going to take time to return to what you could do before. It took 9 months to get your body to where it is now, don’t expect miracles overnight.

My biggest challenge with postpartum exercise was when the hell am I gonna fit it in?? Eden is eating EVERY 2 hrs (sometimes only 1.5hrs). So quick and easy was the key for me!! Although looking back, my life with her was one huge workout! She never let me stand still….I’m still getting flash backs of the drop squats I had to do to put her to sleep at 2am, and swinging the car seat so high I thought she would fly out! The store bought swings didn’t cut it with this one!

The ideal situation is that you build up to doing 30 minutes of moderate/high intensity five times per week. If you prefer to combine the 30 mins into an hour (if you have a whole hour spare) then that’s fine too.

“After having a baby, it is recommended that you get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week.”
— american congress of obstetricians and gynecologists

Try this little 15 min workout to get you started, suitable for women with Diastasis Recti/Pelvic floor dysfunction;

Do each exercise for 60 seconds rest and repeat x3 (rest when needed, even in the middle of an exercise). This is just the beginning of your journey…..don’t push too hard you are still healing.

Standing Side Leg Raises (30 secs per side)

Alternating Bird/Dogs

Wall/Stair Push Up

Glute Bridge      

Stability Ball Squats/Chair Squats

Please remember to get clearance and consult with a medical professional before commencing a workout regime