Its shouldn't be hard to get a healthy start, so here are some small changes that can go a long way. Here are 6-tips to help you get your healthy journey started. Pick one a week, try one at a time, or all at once. No matter what...you have already started cause you are readin this!
1- Stay hydrated...carry a water bottle with you and keep one in your car. Keeping yourself hydrated is key! If water isn't your thing, grab one of your kids juice box for yourself! 2- Food shopping quickly- stay at the perimeter of the store and try to eliminate the isles. Most of what you'll need are on the outside of the isles. Most of the processed and foods with preservatives are in the isles. Take the test and try to avoid the isles next time and see what you end up with and how much time you saved too. I do however recommend always having some frozen vegetables for those times when you need to make a quick meal and run out or just don't have time to prepare the fresh veggies. My staple frozen veggies of choice are broccoli, peas, snow peas, spinach, butter nut squash, string beans. 3- You get a snack pack too - if you are making lunches for your children make an extra for yourself. This will prevent you from making unhealthy meal choices throughout your day. Apples, carrots, celery sticks, peanut butter and jelly, turkey, yogurts, dried fruit, healthy cereals, trail mixes, bananas, mushrooms, strawberries, blueberries, cucumbers...all easy quick throw in the bag options. I also like mini luna bars and chobani yogurt tubes. Shop with these ideas in mind. They may just be the trick to give you some time to prepare a healthier choice then grab a quick fix cause you are just to hungry to wait. 4- Sneakers - if your sneakers are 6 months or older and have been put to good use (twice a week or more) then it is time for a new pair. Each foot is different and your natural shape and step pattern can be fitted for the right sneaker. Find a local sneaker store and ask them to fit you for a running or cross training sneaker. Also remember that comfortable workout gear can change your experience and so investing in a good pair of sneakers is a factor to eliminating injury and enhancing your experience. Same with a good bra. Those tatas need support too! 5- Proper stroller form - get your posture in alignment. You want to keep your elbows bent and at your side with your shoulders back and down, your chest out and you looking at the horizon. Many push with their arms and their back hunched over which is a sign of a weaker core. You need to engage your core muscles when pushing a stroller. Try pushing with two fingers and youll be using your core with minimal effort. This takes practice so start working at it. 6- Lighten the load - try using a smaller bag and leave the extras in the car. We all started with the heavy diaper bag & so when shopping for a new bag, go small and compartment oriented. Make it functional and as light as you can. Always leave the emergency bag in the car. Peace of mind always helps! Motherhood is tough, but mothers are tougher!
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After the hardships we all faced during and after Hurricane Sandy, many are still affected and struggling to find thier new way of living. We all face challenges in our lives that make us wonder which way to go and if we are moving in the right direction. Some changes are forced and others are choices we make. It is almost always a painful place to be since the effort necessary to make that change must come from true determination and dedication to the goal. It is also often a time when the dearest people in your life either play a strong role or dont. Often those relationships are given more weight and meaning or are reevaluated. Take note to the obstacles that we face both long term and short term. The attachments we have created consciously or unconsciously are usually the most difficult for us to resolve. Ask yourself, What are the attachments I've created in my life? What purpose does it serve and has it leveraged me during my time of need? If you find that the answer isn't positive, then it is time to find a healthier more purposeful replacement to that attachment. Find something that can be empowering like doing something you've never done before, take on a new challenge at work, give back to your community, say hello to more people as you get to work, buy someone a cup of coffee, try that idea you've been thinking too long about. "Is now a good time?" you might ask. Perhaps I can suggest another question instead...What if the life you dreamed of is waiting for you to show up?
Throughout my life, I never thought of myself as someone who was "accomplished." Don't get me wrong- I had my daily routine but nothing within it really consisted of anything that would make someone sit up and say "wow, that girl is really doing something." I was always smart, did well in school and in my professional life. However, there have always been things that I wanted to do, but nothing really got me off my derierre and got me to put wheels in motion. That all changed after I had my son. Why the change? Why then? Quite simply, I was tired! Tired of what? Everything!! It wasn't just the "new mom-sleep deprived" type of exhaustion. I was uncomfortable and FAT! I was tired of not being able to cross my legs and have my leg slip off only a moment later. I was tired of wearing skirts and feeling like i needed to call the fire department because the friction of my thigh skins rubbing together would cause a fire. I was tired of not having energy. Can you imagine- I was actually tired of being tired!! As if that weren't enough - most of all I was tired of my own attitude. I wanted energy, not only to get through my day with my son and my hubby, but enough energy to say i got thru it and actually enjoyed myself. I wanted to do things! During my pregnancy, I gained 60lbs. Yeah that's right and yeah I said it! Whoever said you can eat whatever you want during pregnancy must have had a plastic surgeon on speed dial in the delivery room. NO CAN DO! You can't eat a whole pint of ice cream even if its low-fat. Whatever fat is in there always has to hit your body somewhere! Of course, I allowed myself the obligatory 3 month " 1st time Mom Adjustment Period" (isn't that what its officially called?) by the end of which I was ready to pull my hair out and was feeling very lonely. That's another thing they don't mention in the "What to Expect" books- how alone you feel, spending a whole day alone with your kid, talking to them and actually getting mad when no one responds. And in my case, my husband works crazy long hours which means days of this on end. So you can imagine my need for adult interaction often resulted in long, often uncomfortable conversations with cashiers at the supermarket, the poor shlub who waited on me at the bagel store, the UPS guy delivering gifts- you get the jist. Finally and not a moment too soon, my best friend (and savior) told me about this program she was doing in VA. I decided it was time to make things happen for myself. I went to my first Stroller Strides class alone (with Jonah of course but without friend accompaniment). I went into it thinking what most of us probably did- a walk in the park. Well, LA DE DA it wasn't!!! Let's just say that muscles I had never used woke up and said "Finally! Some attention." I was sore for DAYS! Despite my soreness and the weird way I was walking because of it- I went back. Not only did I go back to that class, but I sought out other locations. I went more than once a week. I started forcing myself & Jonah out of the house each morning to Stroller Strides because I knew that if I didn't, my apartment would devour me and I would devour everything in it. Once I got the ball rolling, getting myself to Stroller Strides became my priority. I can honestly say it has changed my outlook on my life. With Stroller Strides in my life, I accomplish 3 things everytime I go - I get myself off the couch, I get fit, and I meet new people. What keeps me motivated 2 years after starting it? Why do I keep at it? The reasons are endless, but here is a short list;
Thanks for being one of my cheerleaders, Adele! Love, Lisa (Lisa has been a Stroller Strides member since August 2010 and continues to inspire us all) You ask for it, we grant your wish! REGISTER NOW
NEW Specialty Classes: Registration Required - 5K & 10K Virtual training - $65 start when you want! - Saturdays Starts Sept 29th 9:30am at Eisenhower park (Indoors:The source mall) - Body Back - stay tuned! *Please note that no credit cards will be charged unless we have enough particpants to hold group classes. REGISTER NOW Today we celebrated our 5th year anniversary and announced what has been brewing for a few weeks now....the BIG NEWS! First things first... I am not pregnant, but thanks for all the belly stares! ;0) We are however about to grow and welcome a new member to our LifitMoms family. HERE it is....Starting in September we will be adding another franchise to our family. Our NEW territory will include the existing Stroller Strides Suffolk County currently located at Tanger Outlets (Deer Park) and Sunken Meadow Park (Kings Park). We are excited to enter our 6th year with growth and new opportunities and look forward to sharing new memories with you all. Stay tuned for more on these new locations and the LIfitMoms Grand Opening launch in Suffolk County! Thank you to all our sponsors (Jemcakes, Stonyfield, Plum Organics, Brain Rules, Luna, Organic Valley, Clean Well, Method, Stride Rite, LATCP, Dove, & Lovenlearn at home) for helping make our bash so wonderful. A very special thank you to the amazing instructors who rocked a great class today (Brandy C., Sharan D., Rebecca C., Jen B.) and who continue to drink the coolaid with me...your passion keep me and all our moms inspired! Lastly, and most importantly, these last 5 years would not be possible without the support of our members, families and our children! With all my heart, I am humbly blessed to have you all in my life and am grateful to each of you for sharing each day with us. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!! With all the amazing roller coaster rides to come, buckle up and lets GO! Are you ready to rock YEAR # 6 with me? Lets do it! I am not the girly girl type to talk about fashionista trends, but I must introduce you to a woman who has really helped me in more ways that I thought. Her name is Jennifer Tannenbaum and she is a Personal Stylist who also happens to have a social work background! She came to my house, interviewed me and asked about my lifestyle and my daily wear needs. During the two hours, she went thru my entire closet hanger by hanger while I sat on my bed. Kinda reminded me of my college days hanging out with my girlfriend deciding what to wear...she is really a cool chick! As we got more comfortable, she helped me decide what clothes I should donate and get rid of. We actually filled up her car with 3 full bags of clothes (i.e. All my suits from corporate america went to Dress for Success). She helped me work thru my issues with saving clothes that no longer served me well. Like all those college tees I kept for memories! I was so thrilled to have more space in my closet and lighten the clutter I was carrying all these years.
Just when I thought it was over, Jennifer then created a whole new look using my own clothes that I was bored with. For example, a button down red dress is now a spring jacket. yippie! She also helped me put together outfits that I would never have done myself. I bought a pair of sequence pants 6 months ago that I could not for the life of me put an outfit together for and she did it within 3 minutes! She also followed up with an email addressing the types of outfits that would most fit my body type, personality and lifestyle. In the email, she sent photos and even items that I didn't realize were absolute staples I was missing in my closet. In just two hours, I had cleaned out the unnecessary clutter, reinvented and reorganized my wardrobe, style, and even contributed to society. Wow! She is a rare find and a true fashionista with all the credentials to tear out all my hangups about my wardrobe and help me reinvent my attitude towards my style too! If you'd like to check her out her website is http://closetandretailtherapy.com/ and she is offering our members a discount.... only $175 for a 2.5 hour closet makeover, personal shopping or styling! SO worth it ladies and did I mention, SHE COMES TO YOUR HOME? Whether its time to make room in your closet or just get some new styles out from what you have, this is the gal you need! Thanks Jen! Coming back from our Disney vacation I am once again reminded of how little we allow ourselves to dream. I dont mean sleep. Even though when I say the word "dream" around moms... they say, "I wish I could sleep." Do you remember what you wanted to be when you were a little kid? That pretend play you always wondered about...did that dream come true? Was there a little girl in you that once said I wish I could be/do...? What was it and are you living that dream today?
I often hear Maya saying she wants to be things that I never knew existed when I was a child. For example, she came back from disney and now wants to become a Roller Coaster Architect! I have to admit, I thought how cool and then gave her a piece of paper and asked her to draw her very own roller coaster...she made three and they were actually impressively fun looking. :) Sometimes I think the jobs/careers we know today will be different then the one's our children have. Just think...I personally only came into contact with the internet at the age of 21 and had my first cell phone my senior year in college! It seems each generation is profoundly impacted by technology and with our little ones handling our ipads, smartphones, etc., who knows what they'll be doing in 20 years! As I left the Magic Kingdom, I thought about my dreams again and the ones I want to create for myself. It is not only great to dream but even more important to let yourself. When was the last time you just let yourself dream? We encourage our children to do it, so why shouldn't we? Time to take a moment and dream, and if I may suggest....DREAM BIG! STROLLER STRIDES at CITIFIELD Wednesday, July 25th! • Spend the morning burning calories and spend the afternoon at the New York Mets game! • Enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at 10 a.m. to participate in a Stroller Strides class on the concourse at Citi Field before the game! • Enjoy discounted tickets in Promenade Reserved seats. • Purchase the Ulti-Met ticket option to receive all of the above and $12 of food and beverage credit for an additional $10. • Share the offer with family and friends who may not want to participate in class, but still enjoy the game. PRICES Seating Level Number of Tickets $ Amount (Subject to Availability) Promenade Reserved Ticket _______________ @ $12.00 = _________ Ticket with $12 Ulti-Met credit _______________ @ $22.00 = _________ Total =_________ PAYMENT INFORMATION Payment must be included by check (payable to New York Mets), money order or credit card number. Method of Payment: □MasterCard □AmEx □VISA □Discover □Check/Money Order Payment Amount: $___________________ Credit Card Number: ______________________________________ Exp. Date: _____________________ Name of Cardholder (if different than account): ________________________________________________ Signature: _____________________________________________________________________________ Fax: 718-507-7735 *Credit Cards Only Mail: New York Mets • Christina Andrews • Citi Field • Flushing, N.Y. 11368-1699 I often think of my 5 year old daughter as an old soul. She was born with two conditions that most people think of the elderly having. She was born with a cataract and has been battling Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis since she started walking. My own Benjamin Button I use to say. As I have grown to see her personality bloom, I am more convinced that she is an adult in a little body. I woke up this weekend as she slowly creeped in to snuggle in our bed, looked at her and asked "so Maya how is life so far"? She quickly answered "I dont know". Here is how the rest of the dialogue went:
Me "Is life good?" Maya "Yes". Me "Is life giving you everything you need"? Maya "Yes" Me "Is life keeping you happy" Maya "Yes" Me "Is life giving you Love?" Maya "No" Me "No?" Maya "Silly Mommy, Life doesn't give love." Me "It doesn't? What gives love"? Maya "You give love. Life doesn't do that...we do"! Simply spoken and yet so powerful. We dont give love to our children to receive it. Why should we expect life to give love? WE MUST GIVE IT! Yes, I said it and have been saying it for years. We all find ourselves struggling when we are teaching our child(ren) to share. That is because they may think the action behind sharing means that something is being taken away from them. So I will be the first to tell you to forget the word sharing for a while and replace it with the words "take turns".
Do you remember the game, the ball goes round and round? Well kids wanted to play because they wanted to get the ball back and forth, but didn't want to be the last one to have it. Hmmmm! Lets work with that...Do you think that kids will want to continue to play with a toy if they know they are getting the toy back after they have given it away? The answer is YES...therefore taking turns is the way to go. When children are young, you can first explain the rules for taking turns. For example, help by encouraging them to sing a song or just count to ten and then switch hands. This helps them understand that after they are done signing, counting (aka being patient), they will be rewarded and get the toy back so that they can have a turn. It is a great lesson for all and a complete shift from I dont want to share, to I will gladly take turns. Same behavior just different language and approach. So stop sharing and start taking turns and you will struggle less with this very common social development skill and enjoy watching them have fun together with one toy...that is until they get sick of it (within one minute usually) :0) |
Adele AharonoffNothing is Impossible! Archives
April 2018
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