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New Year, New You…Time to Reach those goals in 2022

Back in 2019 as I was approaching my 50th birthday I made and important decision. I was tired of not fitting into my clothes anymore and changing my outfits 15 times until I felt semi comfortable in my clothes. I’ll never forget getting ready for my friend’s birthday and wearing a pair of black slacks, a new blouse and a wrap to cover most of my body so that my high school friends wouldn’t see how much weight I had put on. I’ll also never forget how good my friends looked that night and finally made a commitment to myself that the following year, I would look and feel just as good too.

And so, I embarked on a journey that took me almost a year to lose 30 pounds. I know some people who have followed the program that I’m on — it’s called Optavia — and they took off the weight much quicker than me, but I had to do it my way and thankfully, slow and steady won the race. While I was a lifetime member of Weight Watchers — now known as WW — I felt like I wanted to try something new and after seeing a friend lose 25 pounds with Optavia, I was in – hook, line and sinker. She connected me with her health coach and we were off to the races.

The interesting thing about Optavia is that it kind of gives you a taste of all the different programs that are out there. You do eat food that they provide but you also learn how to cook great meals that are low in carbs and super flavorful. Plus, during your journey you are assigned a coach who will hold you accountable and offer advice when your weight loss efforts have stalled. Plus, there’s the entire mental piece to the plan which helps you develop healthy habits for life and for me, that was a total game changer.

I can’t tell you how much I have learned over the past 2 and a half years but I do know exactly what foods will add extra pounds to my petite body and I also know how to make everything I eat these days fun and flavorful. I even started a Facebook group back in the summer which now has over 22,000 members – all offering amazing recipes, hacks and tips to focus on your personal goals and keep your eyes on the prize.

I’ll be featuring some of my favorite meal recipes on the site and hopefully, if you like what you see, you may even want to try it out for yourself. As the saying goes, nothing tastes as good as thin feels. I hope you enjoy my stories and I hope it motivates you to take care of yourself in 2022!

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Top 10 Diet Resolutions for 2018

With 2018 on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about how we’re going to do things differently in the New Year. For me, I’ve got a long list of resolutions that I really need to adhere to in the year ahead. Truth be told, the last year has been a bit trying to say the least – both on the career front and on the diet front.

This post is going to focus on my diet.

Ever since the 2016 election, I have gained eight pounds. That’s eight pounds on top of the 20 that I had wanted to lose in the first place. While I faithfully exercised on my Peloton and have logged over 300 rides this year, that didn’t stop the pounds from creeping up on me. So how can it be? Simple. Whenever I exercise, I give myself permission to eat more. Add to that the fact I am convinced that I’m going through perimenopause and there you have it. For the first time in my life, I have boobs and a muffin top. While I have always battled big calves, a big butt and big thighs, I have managed to keep my waist trim and my bra size fluctuated between an A and a B cup. These days, it seems like I’m inching towards a C and my jeans just don’t fit the way I’d like. My legs, thankfully look better than they ever have (thanks to my Peloton) so I blame some of the weight on muscle gain which technically weighs more than fat. Okay Beth, keep telling yourself that.

Even though I worked out at least 4-5 times per week, I spent way too much time online and in front of my TV. And that sedentary behavior has lead to the weight gain too. I’m obsessed with MSNBC and can watch it for hours on end which is totally unhealthy. When I wake up in the morning, I check my emails, my Facebook feed, the New York Post app, CNN and Twitter to make sure I’m updated on everything taking place that day. Then there’s all those news alerts. By the time I turn around, I’ve been sucked into a black hole where I’m reading everything from the Washington Post, to The Hill, to Politico, The New Yorker, Elle, Teen Vogue, and on and on and on. On the bright side, I’ve never read so much in my life. But on the down side, I haven’t cracked open a real book in months and every time I watch the news, I just get more and more aggravated.

So what am I going to do differently next year so I can stop this vicious cycle, lose weight and keep it off? I’m going to take the advice of my dear friend, Toby Amidor, the author of the Healthy Meal Prep Cookbook and a leading dietician who always has great advice for me on how to lose weight and keep it off. I just need to stick to it and do it!

So here are my diet resolutions for 2018:

  1. Drink more water. No matter how much I hate water, I’ve got to suck it up (literally) and just do it. At least 64 ounces of water per day. Every time I’m feeling hungry, I’ll reach for water. This is going to be tough but I have given up Diet Coke so it can become a habit eventually.
  2. Just say “NO” to the bread basket. This is totally my weakness. Whenever we go out to a restaurant, I love the bread basket. Corn muffins or warm sourdough bread gets me every time but this year, all bets are off. I may break down once in a while, but 2018 is all about cutting out carbs so I can reduce the size of my perimenopausal muffin top.
  3. Double up on veggies. Instead of including a starch with my meal, I will continue to get creative with vegetables. My instant pot has seriously upped my cooking skills so this year, I’ll continue using that amazing product to make our dinners delicious, filling and satisfying.
  4. Eat out less.  We have started doing this already but I know that the more I cook at home and the less I eat out at restaurants, the better we will be – from a health and savings standpoint. We’ll still go out on weekends but I’m committed to cooking at least 5 days per week in the New Year.
  5. Less wine per week. On the weekends, I totally enjoy having wine with dinner. But I find that if I have more than 2 glasses, I become exhausted and completely bloated. In the New Year, I’m going to limit my wine intake to either 1 glass per weekend meal. I’m also going to cut out drinking during the week.
  6. Start dancing and weight training again. While I do love my Peloton, my friend Toby tells me that as menopause approaches, I need to burn even more calories. That means, I need to find another way to sweat and I’m either going to get a class pass to try out some Zumba in my area or I’ll download the BeachBody on Demand App and take their classes instead. I actually purchased these cool boots called Kangoo Jumps which are great for people like me who have bad knees so I may just combine a dance workout with the Kangoos and see if the pounds start falling off by mixing up my cardio routine. Toby also says that weight training is a great way to speed up your metabolism and lose weight. Even though I do weights on the Peloton, I need to add more strength training into my routine and can easily use their Beyond the Ride option to take more of those classes too.
  7. Write more. Sure writing is a sedentary exercise, but it prevents you from reaching for a cookie while you’re typing. When it comes to my blog, I always vow each year that I’m going to post more and then I just don’t. I can’t make any promises but I will definitely try. Even if it means banking a few posts to run during the week, the more I write, the happier I am. So look for more blog posts on weight loss, inspiring moms, binge-worthy shows and funny stories.
  8. Join a singing group. In year’s past, I was always rehearsing on the weekends for a show but about three years ago, that stopped. Since that time, I’ve been talking about wanting to sing again but haven’t done anything about it. Well that stops this year – it’s time to find a group or a class where I can sing again. I miss it, I love it and that’ll keep my mind off food too.
  9. Cut down on the TV News addiction. This one is tough since I am obsessed with practically every show on MSNBC. I start my day with Morning Joe, I love catching Velshi and Ruhl for my finance tips. I look to Nicole Williams for great commentary on what’s going on at the White House. I’m hooked on Ari Melber and his insightful and lawyerly approach to the news of the day. And don’t even get me started on Joy Reid, Rachel Maddow and Laurence O’Donnell. I think if I ever met any of them, I’d pass out. Honorable mention also goes to Chuck Todd, Chris Matthews, Chris Hayes and Andrea Mitchell but I do have to work and spend time with my family so I don’t have MSNBC on a 24 hour loop as much as I’d like to. So as tough as it is, I’m going to cut back on my MSNBC addiction. Or just do something productive while I’m watching like ride my Peloton or slip on my Kangoos.
  10. Delete Facebook and Twitter from my phone. I don’t know if I have the guts to do this, so I’m going to just put that out there and will keep you posted if I actually do it. I really love reading my Facebook and Twitter feed but it is a total time suck. When I wake up in the morning, I should pop out of bed and hop on my Peloton. Instead, I spend an hour in bed liking posts, reading articles and getting sucked into the Russia investigation. I need to get those hours back and the best way to do it is to delete those apps from my phone. One more thing is to leave my phone downstairs whenever I work out. Otherwise, I’m distracted and I don’t work out as hard.

So there you have it – 10 ways I’m going to work hard at losing weight this year. I refuse to drink shakes, put butter in my coffee, become a vegan or eat food I hate. I’m going to downsize by eating less, working out and doing the things I love. The only thing I didn’t mention was cutting down on sugar. Since I do have a sweet tooth, I’m not going to rule out having something sweet in my diet each day, but I will opt for dark chocolate over cool whip and ice cream but that’s about the only thing I won’t give up on my quest to lose weight for the umpteenth time in my life.

If you need to lose weight in the New Year, I hope I inspired you with these resolutions. If you have any suggestions, let me know. I’m all ears as long as it doesn’t require doing shots of apple cider vinegar or fasting. I’m ready to lose weight the old fashioned way. Hope you’re with me too!

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5 Great Instant Pot Recipes for Newbies

Just got an Instant Pot?  Congrats and welcome to the cult…I mean club!  If you have no idea what to cook first, here are some super simple recipes to get you started…

1. Hard Boiled Eggs in 6 Minutes or Less

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 cup of water

Directions:

Put the eggs on the insertable shelf that comes with your Instant Pot.

Pour in one cup of water.

Put on the cover and lock it. Make sure that air is not released.

Set manual pressure on high for 6 minutes

Voila…HARD BOILED EGGS!

2. Steel Cut Oatmeal

Ingredients:

One cup of steel cut oatmeal

2 tablespoons of butter

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of cinnamon

1 apple – chopped minus the skin

1/2 cup of blueberries

2 1/2 cups of water

Directions:

Saute the butter

Add 1 cup of steel cut oats and stir in butter

Add water, apple, blueberries, cinnamon and vanilla

Close the lid

Cook on high pressure, 11 minutes.

After it’s finished cooking, release the air and serve

3. Spaghetti Squash and turkey bolognese sauce

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

2 cups of water

Ground turkey

1 can of chopped tomatoes

1 jar of pasta sauce

1 clove of garlic

Parmesan Cheese

2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil

Basil

Directions:

Place the spaghetti squash on the tray inside the pot.

Add 2 cups of water

Cook for 15 minutes on high pressure

Once it’s done, remove the skin, scoop out the seeds and use a fork to turn it into spaghetti squash strands.

Turkey Bolognese

Wash out the pot

Saute olive oil and garlic

Add ground turkey

Add spices (basil and parmesan cheese)

Add chopped tomatoes

Add tomato sauce

Cook on low pressure, 5 minutes

Open the lid, add the spaghetti squash

Mix together on warm

Makes 4 servings

4. Meatballs & Whole Grain Linguine

Ingredients:

1 package of chopped meat

1 egg

1 cup of Italian breadcrumbs

Parmesan Cheese

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Basil

2 Garlic cloves

1 cup of beef broth

1 package of whole grain linguini

1 jar of your favorite tomato sauce

Directions:

Mix ground beef, egg, breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and garlic cloves

Saute olive oil and garlic in Instant Pot

Roll meatballs and place in Instant Pot

Add beef broth

Close lid and cook on high pressure for 10 minutes.

You can cook the linguini and pasta sauce on your stove top while you are making the meatballs. However, you should know that it’s just as easy to cook pasta in the Instant Pot as well(10 minutes on high pressure with water). I’ll have more recipes for pasta soon but just want you to know it’s easy to do that too.

Once the meatballs have finished cooking, you can add them to your tomato sauce that’s cooking on the stove.

Once the linguine is done, dinner is served!

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The Weight Loss Chronicles: Why You Need to Weigh Yourself Every Day

I have been avoiding my scale like the plague the last few months. Even though I’ve been exercising about five times a week, I decided that I didn’t have to hop on the scale and get depressed. I would know whether I was putting on weight if my jeans were tight rather than staring at a number that put me in a foul mood.

Well, I hate to admit it, but I was dead wrong. It seems like every year I decide to do some wacky diet where I lose some weight and then inevitably fall off the wagon, gain it back and then add a few more pounds to make things that much more painful. Add in the fact that I’m approaching menopause and you’ve got a weight tsunami on your hands.

This week, I knew I was going to have to hop on a scale because I had an annual exam scheduled at my OB/GYN’s office so I decided to rip the Band Aid off and weigh myself at home. I’m so sad to admit this, but I am heavier than I have ever been in my life. I won’t count the day they weighed me when I was in labor with my son because that number is seared in my brain but I think I will lock myself in my walk in closet and never come out if I hit that weight again. The fact is, while I’m not at the highest number I have ever weighed, I don’t have an eight pound newborn growing inside of me along with a few gallons of amniotic fluid so I guess I have no excuses whatsoever about how I got here.

While I can always blame the entire year on the presidential election, at this point, that’s the same excuse as blaming it on trying to lose the baby weight. After a certain point, the only person you have to blame is yourself.

I CONFESS!

I am guilty of eating bread from the bread basket at restaurants.

I am guilty of drinking 2-3 glasses of wine every weekend.

I am guilty of grabbing a few post Halloween treats from my pantry (mini Snickers and Twizzlers to be exact).

I am guilty of inhaling a KIND bar on my evening commute.

I am guilty of eating a much larger portion size at dinner.

I am guilty of eating way too much pasta.

I am guilty of eating french fries and sweet potato fries.

I am guilty of eating potato chips.

I am guilty of eating Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream.

I could probably go on for days with all my food confessions but I don’t have time for that anymore. Instead, I have decided to cook myself thin and I’m taking my husband with me.

After reading about a woman who lost over 100 pounds by cooking food in her Instant Pot, I have become a woman on a mission. This past week, I have cooked four meals in a row in my electric pressure cooker and I’m even going to whip something up tonight — Friday night — before my husband and I go out to a movie and sneak in some low calorie popcorn. So far, my hubby has lost 4.5 pounds on our Instant Pot plan. I’m down a pound so if I keep this going for 52 weeks, I could be down at least 50 pounds by then. Okay – I don’t have that much to lose but I definitely want to drop at least 25 for now and then we’ll see where it goes after I hit my first goal.

I know that on Role Mommy I make a lot of promises and share a lot of my hopes and dreams with you. I’ve also shared a ton of my weight loss struggles. You’ve seen me lose and gain over the last decade a lot and this time around, I’m tired of the shakes, the bars, the plan, the Keto, the Whole 30, the prepared meals, even Weight Watchers. I’m all in on the cook myself thin with my Instant Pot plan and will keep you posted on how I do. I don’t really want to post a before pic just yet since I’m letting that horrifying number on the scale still sink in but I promise to share an after every time I drop 10 pounds.

For now, my OB/GYN told me to download an app called Fat Secret (in the app store it’s called Calorie Counter by Fat Secret). In a nutshell, it’s a food diary where you record everything you eat in one day.  Once you share how much weight you’d like to lose, it calculates how many calories, macros and nutrients you should have in one day. You can even eat out and select options from the app, they offer recipes and you can even take a snapshot of your food and it will record it into the system.

So there you have it. No more gimmicks. No more get thin quick schemes. No more paying people to weigh me. I’m losing weight on my own terms and this time, I really mean it. I’ll check in next week and let you know how I’m doing.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

 

 

 

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The Diet Chronicles: Week 1 of Nutrisystem

Well, here you go again.  It’s the summer and that can only mean one thing.  I have to lose weight…and since I’ll be putting on a bathing suit next month, I need to do it fast.  So what am I going to try this time?  Thanks to Marie Osmond, I’ve decided to try Nutrisystem.  I may not have to lose 40 pounds, but hopefully 20 can come off easily.

Take a look at my story and I’ll fill you in each week on how I’m doing with the plan!

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Diet Watch: 5 Ways to Drink More Water

I don’t know about you, but I hate water.  How on earth can I hate something that has no taste, but that’s just the point. I have to admit, I’m a sweetener addict and frankly, that’s not good.  All my years of diet soda, diet Snapple, splenda, nutrasweet and sweet n low has caught up with me. My body is in a constant state of bloat and frankly, it feels gross.

So a few days ago, when I hopped on the scale and completely freaked out that I had gained more weight, I decided to finally stop the bleeding. And that starts with water.  The problem is, since I can’t stand tasteless H2O, what can I do to jazz up nature’s healthiest beverage?  Well here are 5 ways to do it and I’ll be adapting these methods for the next month and beyond…

  1. Start your morning with lemon water: That’s a tip I’ve read from a ton of magazines and websites. I don’t know why, but lemon water that’s warm is good for your digestive system and starting your day with it is the best thing you can do for your body.  So before you pour your morning coffee, down a glass of lemon water and treat your body right the moment you start your day.
  2. Flavor your water with real fruit: I have an office at WeWork and what I love but don’t take advantage of enough is the fact that they have this great container of water that’s flavored with citrus fruits.  While the taste isn’t that sweet, it still adds just a little kick to the water that makes it more palatable.  If you’re doing this at home, then add some summer fruits like watermelon and berries – that actually does taste a bit sweeter and is great for you too.
  3. If you’re lazy, buy Hint water:  Hint has become my latest obsession – I love the fact the water does taste like fruit and I’ve found that it’s been easier for me to drink a few bottles in one day – getting me closer to meeting my water goals!
  4. Try a glass of iced green tea: Green tea is great for your metabolism and these days, you can easily buy it at Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts! If you need to sweeten your tea, Starbucks now sells Stevia or you can always add a little bit of honey. Dunkin Donuts does not sell Stevia but you can always stick a few packets in your bag and sweeten it yourself. Or try to drink it without sweetener which is tough but if it’s cold enough, you can do it!
  5. Buy a Swell bottle, fill it with water and drink:  The great thing about those really cool Swell bottles is that they keep beverages cold for 24 hours and sometimes that’s all you need to drink water faster. Make sure you fill up a Swell bottle and make a promise to yourself to finish the whole thing.  That’ll get you at least 2-3 glasses of water per day. Sure you have to drink more, but sometimes if you set a goal each day, it’ll become an integral part of your daily diet routine.
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20 Pounds

Okay.  I did it. I got on the scale after several months and now I am thoroughly depressed. The reason? I don’t have to lose 10 pounds anymore.  Nope. The reason why my clothes aren’t fitting the way I’d like is because I’m 10 pounds heavier than I was the last time I tried to lose weight.  I thought since I was faithfully exercising on my Peloton that I’d be able to get in shape and while I am getting more toned, the actual number on the scale just freaked me out.

While desperate times call for desperate measures, I refuse to go on another fad diet.  I am sick and tired of reaching my goal, keeping the weight off and then gaining twice as much weight after I fall off the wagon. Frankly, it’s debilitating.  I tried all year to cook healthier but I still had too much to drink and way too many sweets. I’m still hooked on sweeteners even though I do tend to use stevia as much as possible.  I’ve got three weeks to go before I head to Paris and another month and a half before Jamaica.  So that means it’s time to get serious.

Starting today, here’s my official commitment to losing the weight once and for all.

  1. I’m committing to drinking more water, eating less bread and avoiding dessert.  Oy. That one was tough.
  2. I will still have my wine but will only have it on the weekend and limit the number of glasses.
  3. No bread from any bread basket.
  4. No pizza at all until I am down 10 pounds
  5. Walk at least 30 minutes per day and get it up to at least an hour if possible.
  6.  No processed foods.
  7. No chips.
  8. Oil and Vinegar only – no salad dressings.
  9. No mindless eating.
  10. Determine if it’s hunger or appetite and if it’s appetite, do something else.
  11. Write a blog post.

There’s way more that I can do, but at least this is a start.  It’s time to get serious so I’m taking a stand to shed the pounds.  I’ll let you know how it goes each week.  For now, it’s day one.  Here’s hoping I’ll be swimsuit ready for Jamaica!

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Listen in to Our Latest Episode of 52 Weeks!

We’re back again this week tackling our favorite topic — diet and weight loss! This time, we’re interviewing Ryan Frankel and his wife Erika. Together, the pair, who have already been featured on Shark Tank have launched their latest venture — Eduplated, an online resource for those of us searching for a sensible way to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Listen in and then sign up for Eduplated to give it a try!

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I’m Feeling Gymtimidated and I just Hate It

planet-fitness-188-2_2.jpgI recently joined a fancy new gym that’s the size of two city blocks and I was really psyched when I first tried it out. The place was enormous and there’s never a wait for any of the cardio equipment and at first, I really liked it.
The next time I visited, I decided to try out the classes and that’s where the gym-timidation reared it’s ugly head. I was taking a Zumba class and was falling all over myself trying to figure out the steps and was out of breath within minutes. Plus, the place was packed and I had a hard time finding my own personal space. And let’s not even get started about all the LuLu Lemon wear in the room. I was wearing a pair of tight yoga pants and a CMA Awards t-shirt from 2002 – not my most attractive moment.

Another time I tried out a class, I was really looking for the cycling room and never found it so I took cardio barre class instead. At one point, when everyone had to walk over to the ballet bar, I was squeezed out of a space by a 60 something woman with the body of a 30 year old and then had to go to the front of the room and use a smaller bar with two other people. I never went back.
Don’t even get me started on yoga. I would love to try the class but I know the instructor from a past life and am so gym-timidated to set foot in her class that I don’t think I’ll ever try it out.
On day six, I met with a personal trainer who gave me the grim news about my BMI and shocked me with my current weight on the scale. The following week, he scheduled a private session with me at 7am even though I explained that I had to go to the city that day and it would be a bit difficult for me to swing it but he made me confirm the appointment since he didn’t work the days I actually work from home. He then took me through the paces, showed me how to use the equipment that would be best to get my butt, thighs and arms back in shape, taught me a little TRX and ended our session by trying to up-sell me with more personal training sessions. Since I am already paying $159 per month for the membership, I told him I needed to hold off on additional personal training sessions and he gave me the stat that most people who start training without a trainer fall off the wagon after two weeks.
Two weeks later, I am still going to the gym. And truth be told…I hate it. I do see some results since I’ve been using the cardio machines and took a little bit of the advice that personal trainer shared with me but frankly, I am tired of all the show offs at the gym. If you don’t take a class and are in the weight area with muscle heads, they give you dirty looks if you attempt to bust into their circuit. And I absolutely hate when they drop those weights on the floor – they are not supposed to do it, but they do and nobody polices them ever. Plus, the women in the strength training area are literally climbing the walls because they are all doing that insane cross fit stuff that makes it seem like everyone is on steroids. I was even gym-timidated by a heavily perfumed woman on the rowing machine next to me. While I attempted to do a respectful 1000 meters on my machine, she kept giving me dirty looks as she was determined to stay on her rower until I finally dropped the rowing handle and vacated the premises. By the time I hopped off my machine, she had already logged 3000 meters and wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
The only redeeming quality about this new gym is that I have been able to catch up with one addiction – HGTV binge watching. Since my family hates that channel, I can watch The Property Brothers uninterrupted while I’m on the elliptical and frankly, that makes me happy.
There are a lot more amenities at this gym – an Olympic sized swimming pool which I will not swim in because I do not wear bathing suits in the winter (or the summer for that matter). A rock climbing wall that I will never try because I have already failed miserably with my own kids when they were little.
Meanwhile, the worst part of my gym-timidation experience is the fact that everyone who used to go to New York Sports Club who I didn’t like because they were gym-timidating whenever I walked into the space, have all now joined the new gym. When I was in the locker room today, I was wedged between one chatty woman who I remember from my old gym but doesn’t acknowledge that she’s ever seen me before. A few rows down is someone else I remembered who used to ignore me at NYSC too. And how could I forget the “Guido the killer pimp” guy from my old gym who also can’t stop talking and struts around the gym like a peacock. He’s busy chatting up the other muscle heads and prancing around like a peacock at this gym too.
The final straw are the kids. These days, parents have no problem shelling out hundreds of dollars each month for everyone in their family to head to the gym with them. That means that the cafe is overrun with preschoolers and I have lost my patience with them already. I don’t need to have a three year old push me out of the way for a bag of Pop Chips. And far be it from their parents for disciplining them ever. They are too busy climbing the ceiling, bench pressing their spouse and doing 3000 meters on the rowing machine.
So what’s the verdict on my gym experience? I think I need to quit the fancy gym, go back to my no frills gym where everyone has left, hit the elliptical and turn on HGTV. Or maybe I should just order a Peloton bike or join Planet Fitness since they have a no gym-timidation policy and they only charge $10 a month so how could you go wrong with that! I just know that I can’t keep going to this gym. I think it’s time to go back to basics and spare myself from gym-timidation for good!

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Finding Time to Exercise with a Busy Mom Agenda

No matter if you work outside the home or inside, it can be difficult to carve out time for yourself. If you do find a few free minutes, you may rather spend it catching up on some much needed sleep or a good book. However, eating right and exercising are integral to your health and wellness. The following advice can make it easier for busy moms to fit in a few pushups without feeling guilty.
Map Out a Plan
Before you had children, you may have had time for workouts at the gym and taking the time to cook nutritious meals. While you wouldn’t trade moments of snuggling your child for anything in the world, it would be nice to be able to go for a run without feeling like your missing precious moments with your family. However, balancing work, family life and a bit of “me” time can help make you more centered and happy. At the start of your week, map out a plan for the days ahead. This includes school, work, meetings, extra-curricular activities and social obligations. This allows you the chance to see where you can fit in a quick class at the gym, jog or walk with a neighbor.
Work Through Life’s Complications
A broken water heater, flooded basement, sick child or overdrawn checkbook can add to your daily stresses as a mom. While you may want to give up and go back to bed after a bad day, you still have to take care of your own health and wellness. Incorporating a workout in between the bad moments will help you feel better. The movement can also be helpful in alleviating stress and clearing your mind. In addition to doing something fun such as a Zumba class, getting outside in the fresh air can improve your state of mind.
Daily Activities
If your job is a stay-at-home mom or you’re able to work from home, you may be able to incorporate small workouts throughout the day. This includes taking the children for a walk in their stroller in the morning hours. If you visit the park, chasing after your children can burn calories. Games of ball, tag and follow-the-leader can also be unique ways to fit in a workout. If you have an office job away from home, place weights and a step nearby. In between paper shuffling try to fit in a set of curls and step ups. If you work an eight or nine hour day, you could have put in more workout time than you would have at the gym.
Find Something That You Love
A great way to exercise and stay committed is by finding an exercise that you really enjoy. No matter if you’re traveling, taking care of the children or working, you’ll be able to find a way to make it a priority. If you like running, pack your running shoes and fit in a short run before you come home from work. For those with a gym membership, you may be able to sneak in a class each day, especially if they have on-site daycare. Your children get the opportunity to socialize with other kids, and you get the chance to do something healthy for yourself.
You Don’t Have to Go Big
While working out for an hour or more each day may have significant health benefits, you don’t have to go big every day. Set your goals for a minimum of 15 minutes per day. Whether you take a walk with the kids after dinner as a family, go for a bike ride or do rapids sets of walking up and down stairs, remember that some exercise is better than none.
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