Spring is here and that means… our family road trips! Timmy and I decided before Hudson even arrived that we were going to continue to travel and live our active lifestyle and just bring Hudson for the ride! After all, your children have to live with you… not the other way around. Last weekend we packed up the truck and headed north to Burke, Mtn. for our annual 42 mile, grueling, gravel bike race. Of course this year I took the role as a cheerleader with Hudson, but we made a family weekend out of it. I wasn’t sure how traveling with a newborn was going to go, especially with our breastfeeding schedule, but I was pleasantly surprised of how do-able it was with a little preparation. If you too are deciding to travel with your little one, I am so happy for you! Traveling as a family is such a wonderful bonding experience and babies, even when they are the littlest, love to see and be in new places. Plus, how fun will it be to tell your little one about all of the adventures you shared and show them pictures. Now, all that being said… being on the road with a baby while breastfeeding can present a few challenges, but with a little preparation, you will be all set. Here are some tips that I gathered after taking our first road trip to Burke, VT with our little one.
Have you and your family traveled with the newest member of your family? Would love to hear about your adventures! xo
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Spring is here! As the weather starts to warm up, the sun shines brighter and the days are longer… we can’t help but get excited that Summer is on its way. We have plenty of warm sunny days ahead! With warmer days on our mind many of us are looking for ways to lose a few pounds, lead healthier lives and/or feel better about ourselves. Now is the time to spring clean bad behaviors and develop new healthy habits to help you feel your best this spring and summer season. I have compiled five ways you can achieve your goals and included three of my favorite protein packed smoothie recipes for you to try.
1. Bottoms up! I always tell all of my clients, “You can not exercise to burn off a poor diet.” It just doesn’t work that way. If you are putting in the effort and time commitment to workout consistently, DO NOT ruin it in the kitchen. And more importantly, drink more water!!! It is that easy… put down the ice tea and coffee, and drink more H2O. Water is vital to all of the bodies systems and to every single cell in our body. If we don’t drink enough water, our body cannot purify our system of toxins. If our body cannot detox from the toxins, we ultimately slow down the operating systems in our body, like our metabolism. Drink more water and I guarantee you will notice healthier looking skin, higher energy levels and shed some weight. 2. Eat Breakfast There is much debate about whether of not eating breakfast is really that important. I will continue to argue that, yes, breakfast is very important and should not be skipped. Here is why… when you eat breakfast, you activate the thermogenesis process thus you stimulate your metabolism. After 6 + hours of no food while you are sleeping at night, your body goes into rest and digest mode and your metabolism will slow down so that other systems can work at recovery. Eating a meal in the morning turns on your bodies’ metabolism. You want to consume a meal that is high in protein with moderate fat and some complex carbohydrate for sustained energy and ideal fat burn. An example of this might be one of my power protein smoothies below or a bowl of organic oatmeal with ½ a banana, some berries, crushed walnuts and shredded coconut. 3. Get Moving! If you want to live well and live longer, you need to exercise! This doesn’t mean you need to run out to your local gym, buy a membership and spend an hour there everyday to achieve wellbeing. While the gym scene may appeal to some… you can get exercise done right in your living room or even outside. Going for a walk around your office building on your lunch break, cranking up your favorite music and dancing in your living room for 15 minutes, go for a hike, ride your bike, hit the gym, or even jump rope. Just get moving. Here is a plyometric workout you could complete in your home in less than 24 minutes. All you need is a space to workout, a clock and your workout shoes! Beginners: 2 rounds, 30 seconds work, 1-minute rest between exercises. Advanced: 3 rounds, 30 seconds work, and 30-second rest between exercises.
(Don’t recognize an exercise? Send me a message and I can send you a demo!) 4. Fix Nutritious Snacks Often times snack foods are considered a bag of pretzels in our pantry or a granola bar we found in our workbag. I challenge you to fix yourself more nutritious snacks. It is a great way to get more vegetables and fruits into your diet and doesn’t have to be complicated. Some of my favorite snacks are carrot sticks and almond butter, avocado toast, yogurt and raspberries with a little shredded coconut and dried fruit (apricots are my fav!) with a handful of almonds. 5. Think Small. Often the biggest deterrent to improving health is feeling overwhelmed by all the available advice and research. The magazine tabloids and the ads that overwhelm our Internet browser are constantly throwing out new health claims on how to lose 10 pounds in one week or what “super foods” will make you thin. Rather then getting caught up on the overwhelming amount of information out there, try to focus first on one small, seemingly inconsequential, unhealthy habit and turn it into a healthy, positive habit. If you’re in the habit of eating as soon as you get home at night, instead, keep walking shoes in the garage or entryway and take a quick spin around the block before going inside. If you have a can of soda at lunchtime every day, have a glass of water two days a week instead. Starting with small, painless changes helps establish the mentality that healthy change is not necessarily painful change. It’s easy to build from here by adding more healthy substitutions. Three of my Favorite Power Protein Smoothie Recipes! Chocolate Peanut Butter
Blueberry Banana Power
Strawberry Banana
What gets you motivated this time of year? Do you have a "not so healthy" habit that your looking to change? Share below, I would love to help! xoxo So many people are under the belief that clean eating means restriction, and I am here to tell you, that is not the case. The basic idea of clean eating is to consume primarily whole, unprocessed foods. The idea of clean eating has been evolving for decades, and it really means something different based on the individual. Eating clean revolves around maintaining a balanced and personalized diet of fresh, unprocessed foods, including fruits, vegetables, healthy fats and whole grains. For some people, it also includes eggs, meats, fish and dairy. Why are more and more people making the shift toward clean eating? When you eliminate processed foods from your diet, you will notice a mental boost, clearer skin, weight loss, increased energy, stronger hair and nails, improved mental health and better sleep. Rather than going on a 30 day diet or some silly cleanse… making the shift to clean eating becomes a sustainable lifestyle. There are no rules to follow or cans & cant’s, rather, it’s a frame of mind.
A simple shift that if you can accomplish, you can change your life, forever. Clean Grocery List Vegetables
Sample Clean Eating 2- Day Menu Day 1 Breakfast Oatmeal with blueberries, coconut flakes, crushed walnuts and cinnamon Tea or Coffee Lunch ½ cup of brown rice or quinoa, sautéed spinach, extra virgin olive oil, diced tomatoes, hard boiled egg, avocado 1 oz of dark chocolate water and lemon Snack Brown rice cake with nut butter and a sliced banana Fresh green smoothie Dinner Grilled wild salmon Baked sweet potato with coconut oil and sea salt Sautéed kale with onions and garlic Day 2 Breakfast Poached eggs over whole grain toast with sliced avocado, tomato, sea salt and olive oil Tea or Coffee Lunch Lettuce turkey wrap with hummus, cucumbers, lettuce Sliced Apple Water with lemon Snack Celery sticks and carrot sticks with guacamole Dinner Grilled grass-fed steak Sautéed peppers and onions over arugula 1 oz of dark chocolate and fresh raspberries Not so bad right? Clean eating again, doesn't mean restriction, it means eating wholesome, nutrient dense foods, and feeling satisfied. I hope many of you find my sample grocery list and 2-day sample meal plan helpful. If you give it a try... let me know what you think! Currently, I work with many individuals on optimizing their nutrition, personalized exercise programing, and taking a hold of their health and their happiness. I offer a free 30 minute, online consultation for anyone who may be looking for some coaching. Please send me a note to [email protected] with your contact information if you are interested in a consult! I would love to hear from you :) More than half way as we get close to the end of the second trimester and this mama is feeling awesome! I had a doctors appointment today to check in and listen to our little ones heart beat. Today we experienced the elation of hearing our child’s heartbeat for the first time. Brings tears to our eyes. As I listen to our babys heartbeat as I look into Timmys eyes, an overwhelming feeling of gratitude comes over me. After an awesome appointment with our doctor the big take away was that I am right on track, the baby is measuring out great and all looks good with mama and baby.
Size: The Baby is the size of a banana measuring at about 8-9 inches long! Weight Gain: Today I weighed in and I have gained 9 lbs. since conception. Needless to say the doctor was thrilled… as was I! If I can eat as often as I am and virtually be gaining no weight… I love this program! Symptoms: Nasal Congestion and sneezes … seems to be the worst every morning and every night. There isn’t much I can do for relief because I can’t take a nasal decongestant so I have been wearing a breathe right strip every night, which helps a bit. I also have noticed a little bit of a shift in my energy over the last 5 days or so. I fall asleep almost every night on the couch and I am still tired 9 hours later when I wake up. Getting outdoors and exercising has helped with that, but it’s definitely at a different pace. My lumbar spine pain is catching up to me! As my belly grows and my back and hips adjust to make room for baby the lumbar spine shifts and that’s causing some overall discomfort. I have a body pillow and that honestly isn’t helping much at night, so if any mamas out there have any advice on easing back pain and finding more comfort when sleeping I would love to hear from you! Favorite wardrobe piece to wear right now: CARDIGANS. I have decided that my go to outfit this winter will be jeans or leggings with boots, a tank top (because the hot flashes are legit) and a cardigan. I will mix it up with different blanket scarves because I am obsessed and call it a day! Its cute, its comfortable and I will be able to wear the cardigans post baby, which makes it easier for me to spend money on some new clothes. I have a hard time justifying expensive maternity clothes that I will only be wearing for a short time. Boy or Girl: Next week I promise to report! Nursery Update: This week we added under the bed storage baskets that fit nicely under Hawkins bed. This is going to be one of the ways that we keep the nursery neat and all the toys organized. We found some awesome bins at the container store for a great price! They also match the overall décor and are super cute. Pregnancy related item I have loved this week: Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Lotion. I have been using this as well for keeping my skin hydrated and it smells awesome. 1 thing I am currently having trouble with: Breathing at night. Thank goodness for breathe right strips. 1 moment I loved about this past week: Having my hubby home!!! As many of you know he has been traveling for work sense Labor Day, which is very different than our past routine together. It has made for some challenging moments during my pregnancy, but he returned home this week and will be staying here for a bit. It has been so awesome to cook dinners together, watch our favorite shows and continue doing some renovation and planning around our home together. 1 thing I plan to do for myself this week: Buy a pair of comfortable gym sneakers. I stand on my feet most of the day and I need some more comfort under foot. Food cravings: Watermelon! My body is craving all kinds of fruit during this pregnancy. Currently working on: Breathing. This week I have found myself at times getting really overwhelmed by unrealistic expectations I set for my “to-do” list. Luckily I have been able to return to the tools of mindfulness and just taking a deep breathe or two has helped a lot! Stay tuned for Bump Update next week! xoxo Yesterday we were welcomed back into our local cyclocross family at the Coonamessett Eco Cross Race hosted by International Cycling and Event Services and Corner Cycle Cape Cod Inc. It was so awesome to see our fellow teammates from Cape Cod Sea Sports and friends of C4. This year was a little bit of a different experience for me. Rather than lining up to race with the Category 4 Women, I took the side line to watch, and enjoyed taking on the cyclocross experience from a different angle. As the men raced I ran all over the course in an effort to snap some great shots of Timmy and our friends. It was fun to see Timmy jump on his bike off the couch and have a great race! Cyclocross is such a tough sport that you cant really understand unless you have tried it, but essentially its 40-50 mins of riding (or carrying) your bike through mud, sand, woods and over barriers all while working at a max heart rate. I think many of us would agree that we have such a love-hate relationship with the sport. You line up for your race with the thought "Why the hell do I do this to myself every weekend?!" and finish with the sweet satisfaction of..."I am such a badass, that was fun!" For obvious reasons I have had to take a very different approach to my usual rigorous race and training schedule. I have had to learn to adapt with the my ever changing bump and really listen to my bodies needs. Around week 16 or so, my cyclocross bike was getting uncomfortable because of the position it put me in. The small bump was creating this feeling of ALWAYS needing to pee while I rode and the bent over stance caused pain in my lumbar spine. While some may have suggested I just take the season off from riding, that wasn't an option in my eyes. Getting outside and riding my bike is more than just a workout- It's a form of meditation for me. There is something about just getting outside and riding whatever direction I decide and for however long, that just does my body & my mind so much good! So, when Timmy and I decided that my cyclocross and road bikes were going to have to take a long winter nap, we looked into a few different entry level mountain bikes that I could cruise around on and would allow for me to have more room for my growing bump! After liquidating one of our older CX bikes, we went with the Specialized Rockhopper and I couldn't be happier with it. We have so much fun just heading out and riding around the bike path and trails that are offered around the Cape. Its definitely a ride at a different pace, but it is still so much fun and allows for me to stay active during my pregnancy, which for me is a priority. Staying active during this pregnancy has always been a priority of mine since the beginning. What exercise looks like for me has been a constant shift as my belly grows and my energy levels shift from week to week. But what is most important to me is that I continue to listen to my body and adjust my workouts accordingly so that I can remain active. At 22 weeks pregnant, my body has been craving lots of restorative yoga, bike rides and walks with our dog. My energy has shifted slightly, and I think some of that could be that I am still taking on my usual client schedule and on my feet for most of the day. One of the most important things I could suggest to any mama to be is to listen to your doctor, but your body is ultimately boss. My doctor had told me that I could continue my pre-pregnancy exercise as usual, but before I got pregnant I was training like an athlete, and that just became uncomfortable once I was pregnant. My advice to all mama's-to-be-You’ve got to trust your body. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. I honestly spent my entire first trimester lying on the couch, watching TV, napping in my car between clients and I ended up losing some of my hard earned muscle... and thats okay. I wasn't going to do anything that didn't make my body feel good. I try not to dwell on my limitations at this point in my life... I am building a human being, a beautiful life force, and that ultimately is more important than any race won or personal record made in the gym. Rather than dwell on my limitations I focus on the movements that I can do and that make me feel good. I seriously can’t walk up a flight of stairs without puffing. It feels as if I’ve just run sprints while holding weights. When I get to the top of a staircase practically out of breath, I can not help but laugh at myself. When I am in the gym now, I do the exercises that feel comfortable for me: dead lifts, squats, kettle bell swings, and resistance bands. Nothing intense, and I use very light weights, with higher reps and more rest in between. And if there are days when I don’t exercise, I know it’s not the end of the world. This has been an absolute beautiful ride and I have enjoyed the constant lessons of slowing down and listening to what my body needs. I will continue to enjoy and share with you guys what exercise looks like for me, and I also look forward to bringing Baby Dow along to Coonamessett Eco Cross next year! xoxo What types of exercise did you do when you were pregnant? What does movement look like for you mama's to be out there? I would love to hear from my readers! |
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