Fit Moms Fit Families!

timely tip from fit it in solutions

Check out this great product: decks of exercise cards at http://fitdeck.com/cmd.php?af=1102600.

New Motivating Toy

I found something great! They are fitdeck cards and I love them. Fitdeck has created decks of exercise cards that come in a large variety of themes. Each card in the deck explains how to do a different exercise.

Some of the many themes include core strength, bodyweight exercises, junior (aimed at kids), pre and postnatal, stroller, yoga, travel, office and many more. They’ve even bundled sets together such as the “New Mama” set.

The deck of cards can be used for playing games to make exercise more fun. This is especially great for family time. As an alternative, you can simply use the cards for ideas for different exercises or set them up for circuit training.

I love them so much I’ve decided to become and affiliate to promote them. To learn more about them or to purchase them you can click on my products/services page or just click here: http://fitdeck.com/cmd.php?af=1102600.

If you decide to order them I’d love to hear what you think in the comment section. Enjoy them. They are a blast.

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timely tip from fit it in solutions

Leave at least a bite of food on your plate every time you eat.

Quit the Club!

I did not gain weight this holiday season. Yes; you read that right. I did not gain weight over the holidays and it may be the first time ever. I attribute this tremendous success to one tiny change: I quit the clean plate club.

As long as I can remember I have been a member of the clean plate club. Just before the holidays I decided to change that. I now leave at least one bite of food (usually more) on my plate.

Logically, one wouldn’t think that leaving a few bites of food 3 times a day would make that big of a difference. I believe the reason it helps is because of the mind set it creates.

Leaving a little food at each meal helps in more than one way.

1. It makes me feel more in control of my eating which spills over into other eating adventures such as parties.
2. I’ve become more mindful of my eating. Knowing at the outset that some food needs to be left behind causes me to pay more attention to what I am eating and the pace at which I eat.
3. I feel less obsessed with food. It is just food and I can get more whenever I want it.
4. It has helped me pay more attention to my body’s full and hunger cues.
5. The few calories it saves at each meal do add up over time.

Regardless of my analysis as to why it worked, the important thing is that it worked. I still indulged more during the holidays than I normally do. I did not feel deprived. I did not gain weight. Hooray!

Try it and let me know what you think.

Happy New Year!

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Look into Nordic Pole Walking with Exerstrider poles to see if it right for you.

Nordic Pole Walking is Fabulous

We had a ball in the Nordic Pole Walking class on Friday. The skies threatened rain all morning but held off beautifully. The temperature was perfect and the rain began just as we were ending our class. We missed out on our stretching but got all the rest of it in.

The women in the class were speedy learners. They quickly discovered how the Exerstrider poles can help boost the exercise they would get from walking alone and still support them through various old injuries or joint limitations.

If you are interested in learning more about this fantastic exercise, email or call me. Also, click on the Nordic Pole Walking tab above to read more about the wonderful benefits of using Exerstrider poles.

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For those of us who are “health freaks” (my daughter’s term for me) this time of year presents a challenge. Do we micromanage our kids or do we let them have free reign with all of the candy?

When I was growing up my mother chose the free reign route. We walked long and far trick-or-treating and came home with a little less candy than my kids manage to get. We kept our loot in our bedrooms and ate it at our leisure or in one big bingeing feast.

I try to take a path that is somewhere in-between; although my kids would call it micromanaging. I let them have more candy than usual for the first couple of days and then we back off to 1 or 2 small pieces as their daily desert. Using this method, we always have some left over by the time the next Halloween rolls around. Yet, I teach that creating a healthy household means not having junk food in the house. The occasional treat can be had by going out or buying in small portion sizes for the weekend.

I’m not sure which method is better. My 11 year-old daughter still asks me before she eats anything unhealthy. I think I should be teaching her to make her own choices: “Honey, do you think you should eat that?”

Healthy habits are probably just like anything else we teach our children. Maybe we should have tighter control when they are younger and loosen up as they grow older. Giving them complete free reign and hoping for healthy bodies and a small dentist bill is probably too much to ask of young children. However, we need to teach them to make their own good choices as they grow older.

Indulge some. Have fun. Find a balance. Happy Halloween!

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Find someone supportive who will encourage you to live healthy.

Motivation to Stick to Your Plan

What does it take to stick to a diet or an exercise plan? For me lately, it is my running partner. Most of the time I am pretty self motivated to get up at 5:10 and run. Lately, 5:10 is coming entirely too early. The one thing that gets me out of bed is knowing that my buddy Susan is standing in the cold, dark morning waiting for me. I can’t let her down.

Research is starting to support the fact that accountability works as a motivator. That is why coaching is so effective. If we know someone is depending on us, we are more likely to stick to our commitment.

Why not try it? If you can’t afford to hire a wellness coach, recruit a friend to stand in as an accountability partner. Make sure the person you choose is positive, supportive, dependable and empathic. Also, your partner should be willing to deliver a little “tough love” when necessary.

Set up a weekly meeting in person or by phone with your accountability partner. Decide on one to three goals each week and discuss them during your meeting. At the next meeting, report back on how well you did and choose your goals for the next week.

For the most part, we know what to do to be fit and healthy. The hard part is making the time and the commitment. Being accountable to someone can be very motivating.

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Think of something nice to say about your body and let it be your mantra for the week.

Confident, Lean and Happy

What a great combination: confident, lean and happy. For many that is hard to find because most women feel they must be lean and fit before they can achieve the other two. Suzanne Girard Eberle begs to differ. In the September/October 2009 issue of Women’s Running magazine she writes, “Most female runners reach and maintain a leaner weight only after they develop a more positive body image.”

It is a catch 22. How does one develop a positive body image when she feels her body isn’t what she wants it to be?

I teach at a local college and body image is a discussion I initiate with my students every term. Some of the ideas that come up for developing a positive body image include:

• Surround yourself with positive, uplifting people who see the best in you.
• Love yourself from the inside out.
• Smile at people and the positive response will make you get feel more confident.
• Develop the habit of good posture. The way you carry yourself can strongly affect how you feel.
• Focus on what your body is capable of instead of only what it looks like.
• Use positive self talk and state your strengths to yourself repeatedly.
• Eat right and exercise most days of the week.
• Find something you are physically good at and develop that skill.

I am a firm believer that a high level of confidence in one’s ability to succeed (and oneself in general) is one of the keys to success. I also believe it is imperative we teach these skills to our children; especially our pre-pubescent daughters.

What ideas do you have for developing a higher level of confidence and a more positive body image?

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My daughter is about to hit puberty. While it is normal for many girls to put on some extra fat when making the transition to puberty there may be another reason girls gain weight at this time. This is about the age when girls stop playing. I recognize this is normal but I find it sad.

Most boys have a solution for the I-am-too-old-to-play issue. They play sports and that keeps them active. The good news is: many of our girls are becoming involved in organized sports and that is helping. However, organized practices aren’t often enough or active enough to make up for all of the sedentary time. Boys have also solved this one. They start pick-up games with other neighborhood boys. Girls don’t.

Active play that was fun for girls begins to make the transition to necessary exercise is work. I don’t want it to be that way for my daughter. I want her to be active and for it to be a joy.

My solution is to spend 20 or 30 minutes most evenings doing something active with my daughter. Yesterday the weather was perfect in our hometown of Norcross, Georgia. Claudia and I pulled out our yoga mats and did yoga in the driveway. We had a wonderful, bonding time together.

Although our girls will hit puberty and most will begin to be sedentary, it doesn’t have to be that way. We can find joyful ways to be active with our daughters. The bonuses are: it strengthens our relationships and it is physically good for us, too.

I would love for you to share an activity you might enjoy with your daughter in the comments section.

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Take a mini-stress break every hour of the day. Read the article below for inspirational how-tos.

Ditch Stress Lose Weight

Current research suggests that too much stress may be contributing to weight gain for many people. Even if it isn’t, don’t we all want an optimal amount of stress instead of too much?

The problem is, who has time to do all that stress management stuff? If we had enough time to meditate, do yoga, exercise regularly and talk to a therapist, we wouldn’t need stress management to begin with! Needless to say, this has become a personal issue of late.

Well, I found a helpful technique I’d like to share. I have a timer on my watch (but you can use any timer such as a kitchen timer) that I’ve set to go off every hour. When my timer sounds that is time for my mini-stress break. However, I prefer to call it my “Happy Minute.” Somehow that name motivates me to actually do it.

Instructions for the “Happy Minute.”

1. Set a timer to go off every hour.
2. When the timer goes off take a deep breath.
3. Decide what sort of stress relief tactic you can fit in for wherever you might be. The tactic should take anywhere from 15 seconds to 5 minutes to complete.
4. Do your mini-stress break, take a second to reflect on how good it feels and go back to real life.
5. At the end of the day (when you turn off your timer for the day) notice how much better you feel!

Ideas for the “Happy Minute”

• SIEES the moment – this one can be done anywhere (grocery store, while on the phone, whenever). It is an acronym that stands for Stop, Inhale Expand, Exhale Soften. I think of softening all of the muscles in my face when I get to the last of it.
• The Breathing Prayer (adapted from “Momfulness” by Denise Roy). You breathe in when saying the first line, out when saying the second, in when saying the third and out when saying the fourth. It goes like this: Breathing in I calm my body/Breathing out I smile/Dwelling in the present moment/I am grateful and happy.
• Do yoga sun salutations.
• Read something inspirational.
• Go for a short walk, stretch or do jumping jacks.

I am amazed since I started this at how my stress has not built up nearly as much by the end of the day. I can always find 15 seconds to simply breathe deeply. If you have any short stress reducing tactics, I would love for you to share them in a comment!

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This weekend was the first time I took my Exerstrider Walking Poles for a long walk on hiking trails. I had a ball! I was able to walk at a pace that allowed me to truly enjoy my surroundings and at the same time get my heart rate up to the level of a great workout.

My dog (a rescued greyhound) went with me and she was fantastic. I simply looped her leash through my back belt loop and she trotted right along.

If you are interested in learning more about Nordic Pole Walking, click on the Nordic Pole Walking tab the top of my website (fitmomsfitfamilies.com … in case you are getting this as a subscription). I can almost promise you that you’ll love it once the poles are in your hands!

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Spice it up by trying a new type of exercise. Nordic Pole Walking is a great choice.

Fun, Effective, New Exercise

I am so excited! I have discovered a new exercise that I believe is the answer for a huge population of people. It is called Nordic Pole Walking. I became a certified instructor and can’t wait to share this wonderful exercise with a lot of people. You may have seen it. People walk with poles that are similar to ski poles.

There are some amazing benefits to Nordic Pole Walking and here are a few:

• Studies have shown it uses 26 to 43% more energy (and therefore calories) than walking alone, when done properly.
• It engages 90% of your muscles for a total body workout. It is especially good for your core, legs and muscles of the back region, such as the latissimus dorsi and triceps.
• It can be done on any terrain with enough space to walk: street, sidewalk, walking trail, beach or even in a mall.
• Anyone who can walk and has working use of his or her arms can do it. It is easy.
• It is supportive of the joints. So if a person has sore knees or hips this might be the answer.
• Many people who experience aches and pains walking will find this form of walking more comfortable.
• The exerciser feels less exertion (because the work is spread over more muscles) while burning more calories.
• The whole family can do it together.
• It is fun because you can be outside and the use of the poles is more engaging than plain walking.

I do advise some cautions.

First, buy good poles and wear good shoes. Cheap poles can be bought; however, they won’t be ergonomically well designed. They might not reduce vibration or impact as they hit the ground. They probably won’t be well made. My poles are the Exerstrider poles designed by the father of Nordic Pole Walking, Tom Rutlin. They cost a little more but they are fantastic and worth every penny. If you would like to purchase a set, please email me at kellifit@bellsouth.net for more information.

Second, learn to use them properly. The best method is to learn from a certified instructor. If you are in the Atlanta area, I will be offering introductory classes on September 18 and 19 at 9:00 a.m. for $5.00. I can also help you find someone in your area, if you need my help. If you can’t find an instructor, the Exerstrider poles come with a helpful manual and a DVD.

Third, as always I recommend taking the same health precautions you would take with any exercise. Talk to your doctor first: if you have any health, joint, vision or cardiovascular issues or if you are older and if you’ve been sedentary for a while.

Although wellness is my field, I have always been reluctant to jump on board with the trends. However, I think this exercise is far more than just a trend. I am very excited about the benefits it has to offer for so many people. Please, contact me, if you’d like more information or sign up for a class. I only take 6 participants in each class so don’t procrastinate. I love it!

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