You Do WHAT While You're Pregnant?!!

I tend to get a lot of flack from people about the activities I enjoy while pregnant.  Things like hockey, skating, lifting weights, rolling full 45G drums around at work, pushing helicopters in and out of the hangar, riding a motorcycle, going to Panama at 30+ weeks, etc.

But, in my defence, I DID run many of these things by my doctor... well, sort of.  He basically told me after about the 10th thing I asked him (during my first pregnancy) that I should just listen to my body.  As long as all of these things were a regular part of my life before becoming pregnant, I should be able to continue them as long as my body feels up to it.  With a few obvious exceptions, of course.  I'm not about to go out drinking or something that could obviously cause harm to my baby.

It makes me wonder why people feel it is their right to tell people what they should and shouldn't do as soon as a baby makes their way into the equation, though.  I rode my motorcycle plenty before I was pregnant without anyone so much as batting an eye, so why is it suddenly so dangerous because there's a baby involved?  Is my unborn child's life so much more important than mine?

And it doesn't stop when you give birth, either.  You are judged as a mother every time you turn around.  It is hard to see the positives sometimes, but just remember that everyone is looking out for the welfare of the child.  The maternal urge to protect an innocent is just too strong to stop from speaking up, sometimes.  Or at least that's what I choose to believe.

And the next time you'd like to offer some advice to a mom or mom-to-be... try not to phrase it as a judgement.

When Life Gets In The Way

It doesn't take much to put a damper on even the best of intentions.

In the last week I played hockey twice, went to the gym twice, went for a jog outside once, and ate at least moderately well.  Until yesterday.

Amelia woke me up at 4am.  The trailer park I live in had run out of water (they truck water in), so no shower, washing up, etc.  Rob and I were both in bad moods.  There was fresh snow on the ground.  Amelia was grumpy and crying while I was trying to get ready for work.  I finally got her ready and dropped her off at the sitter's place at 7:30 and headed to work.  I got to work and my job got cancelled because of the snow.  Then my sitter called; "Amelia has a rash all over her body... has she had a measles shot recently?".  So I went and picked her up, took her home for a nap and then to the walk-in-clinic.  Hopefully just a minor skin irritation, but if she gets a fever or flushed cheeks take her to the hospital for some tests.  We went home.  I received an email from my realtor & mortgage broker about a kink in our plans to buy a house.  I ordered pizza.

Life can throw you all kinds of unexpected twists and turns.  And you know what?  It's completely normal to get derailed from whatever progress you've made.  The true test of character is how quickly you pick yourself up and get back on track.  Yesterday is gone.  The choices I made yesterday should have no bearing on the choices of today.  Each day, each moment is a fresh slate.  Use it.

Is Cardio Overrated?

I admit that I haven't always given cardio the credit it deserves.  If given the choice between hitting the weights or running on a treadmill, I'll choose the weights every time.

But cardio has a lot of benefits to everyone.  Here is a partial list:

1.  Increases your level of available energy.

So if you think you don't have the time or energy to do cardio, think again!  A good cardio program will actually give you extra energy.

2.  Reduces risk of many diseases.

Depression, cancer, stress and heart disease are just a partial list.

3.  Improves quality of sleep and mental sharpness.

If you're busy and not sleeping well, how can you afford NOT to do cardio?

Most people don't like running on a treadmill, and for good reason.  It's about the least interesting form of cardio there is (in my opinion).

But, thankfully, there are many forms of cardio.  I enjoy hockey and roller derby, or even taking my little one for a run outside (or inside in bad weather).

You don't need to have an athletic bone in your body to find a style of cardio that works for you.  Walking, running, jumping jacks, step class, swimming or rowing are just a few of your choices.

What's your favourite style of cardio?

Worked For Me #4 - Evening Snack Attack

Evenings are my nemesis.

I can go all day exactly following my diet and exercise program only to sit on the couch an snack all evening.  I've heard a lot about substituting better foods for the typical junk, but that never worked for me.  Simply put, in the evening I'm eating out of habit rather than hunger.

Evening snacking is a really tough habit to break.  But here are a few things I've found to work for me:

1.  Get out of the house.

Easier in the summer than in the winter around here, but even something as simple as heading out for a walk makes it easier for me to severely limit my snacking.

2.  Drink lots of water and/or tea.

Obviously juice, pop, beer and other sugary drinks aren't going to do you any good, but a big glass of water or unsweetened herbal tea to sip can really beat that snack attack.

3.  Spend time with heath-minded friends.

Invite someone over or head to a friend's place.  It's a good distraction as long as you're all on the same page when it comes to your health.



Have any of these ideas worked for you?  What are some of the ways you've beaten the urge to snack?

Thanks for reading!

3 Reasons All Women Should Lift Weights

There are several misconceptions about women lifting weights.  People think that women will "look like men" if they lift anything more than a 2 pound dumbbell.  Or that lifting weights will just make them look bigger, whereas cardio is the only way to lose fat.

The truth is, weights are fantastic for women of all ages, shapes and sizes.  Here's why:

1.  Muscle burns fat.

The more muscle you have on your body, the quicker and easier it is to burn fat.  Muscles require extra food energy so a person with more muscle will require and burn more calories.

2.  Strength without bulk.

Strength is important for many everyday activities.  Think grocery shopping, hauling your kid around, household chores.  It will also help with any sports or athletic activities you may be involved in.  Women who are not taking steroids can lift as heavy as they like without every looking like men.  Truth be told, there is a real problem with steroid use in bodybuilding competitions and this tends to skewer our perceptions of weight training.  Rest assured, if you are female and lifting weights, you will NOT wind up looking like a man.

3.  Reduced risk of many injuries and diseases.

Heart disease, arthritis, back pain, osteoporosis, diabetes, and even depression to name a few.

Weight training has done wonders for my life.  If you've never picked up a weight before, I'd recommend finding someone who can help get you started.  And always talk to your doctor if you have any concerns.  A personal trainer is great, but failing that start with a few basic exercises such as pushups, assisted chin-ups and squats for the first couple weeks, or until your body starts adjusting to the new routine.

Good luck!

Worked For Me #3 - Finding Time

A friend recently asked me how I find the time to fit everything in.  I'll let you in on a little secret; I don't.

This brings up something that has bothered me for quite some time.  Why do we as humans always feel the need to hide our humanity?  I'd love to be able to post on this blog that I'm always perfect.  My home is always clean, the baby always goes to the sitter properly dressed and without food in her hair, my job never suffers, I shower and style my hair every morning, I always manage to get that workout in, and I do it all with a smile on my face.  But it would be a big, fat lie.

Give yourselves a pat on the back.  You ARE good enough. It's human nature to want to show the world our best selves, that's why we manage to clean our houses more in the 20 minutes before someone arrives for a visit than in the last 2 weeks.  But don't expect to look at someone else's "perfect life" and see an accurate representation.

This is what my kitchen looked like this morning when I went to work:

Not exactly a "perfect homemaker", hey?

That being said, there are ways to get things done.  First, don't think about ALL the things you need to get done, think about what you need to get done right now.  Prioritize.  I didn't do the dishes today until I had finished work for the day and gone to the gym.  Actually, since I'm being honest, I still haven't finished all of them.  Because, for me, the gym is a bigger priority than dishes (unless someone is coming over).

Another thing that has made a huge difference in what I can get done in a day is my level of physical activity and nutrition.  Honestly, if I hadn't been to the gym today and eaten properly, I probably wouldn't have finished any of the dishes, made dinner, or packed my husband's lunch.  I actually find that when I get some exercise and fuel my body with what it needs, I wind up getting a lot more done in a lot less time.  I just have more energy.

What I'm trying to say is that if you make proper eating and exercise a priority, the rest will come.  Just don't beat yourself up if you're not quite living up to this myth of the "perfect woman".  Because none of us are.

Worked For Me #2 - Breakfast

Most people have heard the saying "breakfast is the most important meal of the day", but is it really true?

I'm not sure I believe it's the MOST important meal of the day; each and every meal you eat has a huge bearing on how you feel and whether your body is nourished and burning fat or just storing it.  But breakfast has definitely played a huge role in my weight loss journey.

Typically I will eat breakfast within 30 minutes of getting up.  My usual breakfast consists of oatmeal with ground flax and cinnamon in it, and a scoop of protein powder mixed with water.  And coffee, of course.

I've experimented with a number of different oatmeals that I like, from pumpkin pie oatmeal (add a spoon of pureed pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves), to cinnamon apple oatmeal (add chopped apple and cinnamon).  Some things always stay the same for me, though.  I prefer the large rolled oats rather than the instant kind (and I can get a HUGE bag that lasts me about 6 months worth of breakfasts for $15 on sale!), and I cook it on the stovetop with 2 parts water to 1 part oats.  I usually throw some raisins in with the oats to cook, but occasionally I'll use blueberries or other fruit.

The protein powder I'm using at the moment is a whey protein isolate/concentrate blend that I get from the health food store.  I'm relatively paranoid about artificial sweeteners so I always look for a kind that is sweetened with stevia rather than sucralose.    The difference between isolate and concentrate is mostly the rate of absorption from what I've heard.  When you've just got up in the morning and haven't eaten all night, or you've just had a strenuous workout, isolate is generally preferred because it is absorbed quicker to aid in muscle building/recovery.  I'm being a bit less picky about that at the moment being as I'm not going to be competing any time soon.

As much as oatmeal is my breakfast of choice, there are certainly other options that would have the same effect!  Any kind of whole grain, such as quinoa, whole wheat, rice cakes, etc. would do the trick.  Just be sure to include some kind of fruit, whole grains and healthy fats.

A good, nourishing breakfast can set the pace for the entire day.  Definitely not something to be skipped or taken lightly!