Workout Solutions for Busy Moms! Motivators and Mood boosters

My friends and I have the same conversation often…how to fit a workout into a full time family schedule. A full time schedule which consists of work, spouse, children, school drops and activities, homework for one or multiple kids, your own studies and other family duties including taking care of aging parents, did I mention cooking and cleaning? It is a challenging act to juggle that is certain and requires some measure of discipline. Personally, if I could plan exercise into my weekly schedule with some consistency it would be the ultimate achievement. I recently switched from morning or day workouts with my daughter to late afternoon walks after school. It is not easy but as women need to ensure that we exercise for many reasons including more energy (to keep up with the children), longevity and to ensure and maintain overall mental health.

Here are some great motivators to help you get out there and stay the course.

1. It’s All In Your Mind - Surround yourself with visual reminders of your goals, which counteract inertia by keeping your game plan top of the mind, dumbbells, running shoes, and a yoga mat.
2. Your Long Term Health – I think that I want to improve on the examples set by my parents times five. Your parents are active, but we must continue to build on their experiences as information and research become available.
3. What a Feeling! - Think about how great you will feel post exercise. If I have not had the opportunity to exercise for a few days my mental health starts a downward slide to zero and I remember that I may not have had my exercise fix. Exercise is the best mood lifter. It also helps to give added mental clarity, many of your problems may be resolved post exercise and it does help to clear up those pesky winter blues!
4. Get Them Involved- Incorporate your children and spouse if their schedules allow into your exercise routine. My daughter is still utilizing her jogging stroller which allows us to take the 50 minute round trip walk to the park at least 3 afternoons a week especially in the summer months. As she ages, we may add the bike for her, we jog or bikes for everyone at the park. I have a friend who would drop her son at music lessons; while we waited for our children she would lace up her sneakers and take a brisk walk in the area surrounding the school. Great idea!
5. It’s Not Too Late, Be Role Model – Be a role model for your children, they will follow. Always make it fun, involve them in outdoor activities, like swimming, gymnastics, tennis early and no pressure to be a super athlete please! This is for health nothing else!
6. Let Others Motivate You – Find a mommy exercise group for mothers and tots or gather a group of friends and pay for a personal trainer for workouts at a local park, or join a running club. Exercising with other people especially friends is a great motivator to help you stick with your routine and you will really push, you will not want to the slacker in the group. You will be surprised at how fast your fitness level will tick upward.
7. Weekends Are Not Just for Laundry- Use that weekend time wisely and try to ensure that at least one day of the weekend involves outdoor activities for the entire family.
8. Train for a 5 K- With or without a group, training for a 5 K is one of the best motivators for getting into shape within a specific time. Marathons can come later, take it slowly and get lots of advice, you will have at least one friend who has either run a 5 K or more, their advice and counsel will be invaluable. It may take a couple of months; choose something at least six months ahead. It will be worth it at the finish line where your biggest fans your family will be cheering and waiting for you. Choose something that also benefits a worthy cause.
9. Online Aids – Utilize online exercise plans and apps to help you plan a fitness regimen suited to your needs and track your efforts with daily updates and motivational tips.
10. Winter Tips- Switch your routine at the gym; try a different class to help keep you motivated during the long winter months. Be warned…. The gym should always be very close to your home, anything more than 20 minutes, you will be a no show all winter.

Last but not least, a 15 minute run or brisk walk will help to keep those blood vessels flowing, and boost your vitality. It does not have to be long, just 15 minutes.

Why we must continue to exercise……

Immunity – People who worked out five or more times a week recovered more quickly from colds than people who were not active. I can testify to that one!

Sleep Quality- Compared with women who avoid workouts, those who exercise tend to fall asleep faster and snooze more deeply once they do.

Energy- On average, sedentary people reported 20 percent less daytime fatigue when they started exercising regularly.

Risks of Depression- Physically active people were half as likely as their sedentary counterparts to develop symptoms of depression.

Risk of Breast Cancer- Women who were active are 40 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than women who seldom exercised independent of their family history.

Risk of Type 2 Diabetes – People with elevated blood sugar (pre diabetes) can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 59 percent with daily physical activity and modest weight loss (American Diabetes Association)

We would love to get your feedback, how do you keep yourself motivated?

Better Homes and Gardens

Runner’s World

FashionMom

istockphotos

Life Changes, how to handle it, how to love it. Some Solutions

No pills please!



Recently,  family and friends have been experiencing major personal and professional changes in their lives.  For us, the bad news about a dear friend or family member passing away has been a bit too much of late. In the midst of all of that we have  jobs changes, job interviews, career changes, children to raise and just general  uncertainty and  many other lows and highs along the road( as you get older they seem to happen simultaneously).
 I remembered an article I saved from Real Simple so time ago about embracing change.  I searched through the moving boxes and found it. The author is Katherine Russell Rich who is the author of Dreaming in Hindi. Her life change was losing her job in a shrinking job industry. The change helped her to try things she never had before, such as live in India and learn a new language Hindi in the process.
I hope that this helps you; it helped to make things a bit clearer for me. Save it for that rainy day.

10 ways to embrace change in your life.

1. Don't Just Do Something: Sit There. If you are facing a massive rescaling of your life, your first impulse will be to go into a whirring spring of activity. There is a lot of value in sitting quietly instead. In the realm of language learning, there is a stage called a silent period. Adults may try to avoid it, but if you take a child and put her in Paris for a spell she will naturally clam up for a few months and when she opens her mouth, her French will  have flowered. Making sense of a major change is a lot like that. You need to allow yourself a fallow period before you can blossom.
2. Mother Yourself A Little. When familiar routines dissolve it can seem as if all your supports are gone. For a while after I lost my job I had the sense I was in free fall. It is crucial that while absorbing the shock of the new, to make yourself feel well taken care of. Prepare nutritious meals for a week ahead. If you can spare the cash have someone come in and clean the house. Yes you need to take some time for yourself.
3. Ignore your Inner Reptile. There is a part of the human mind that is often referred to as the "lizard brain" because it existed in even the earliest land animals. The lizard brain is concerned with survival. it likes the tried and true, so it is likely to pipe up now, flooding you with warning signs of Danger as you veer off course. This was handy function to have with deviating from the familiar path in the watering hole may have led to an encounter with a saber toothed tiger. But in the modern world it's like a misfiring car alarm: pointless and alarming.
4. Silence Your Inner Know It All- Too- The Eminent linguist Alton Becker said that it helps not to be too smart referring to how some people master languages. "Smart people don't like having their minds changed, so to learn a new language, you have to change your mind." If you're so smart that you can't rethink your positions, all your IQ points won't do you much good when your life is turned upside down. This goes across the board.
5. Seek Out New Perspectives- Zen practitioners cultivate the "don't know” mind; they work to assume they don't know anything and in that way see the world fresh. This is a great way to approach change- as an opportunity to start anew, to consider all possibilities. Ask naive, wide eyed questions of anyone who is doing anything you might be interested in trying. Listen seriously to arguments you may have once dismissed.
6. Try Something New and Slightly Scary- I have to say that I have many friends who fall into this category and they provide lots of inspiration everyday. Why? Because now is the timed to explore what it is that you really like. Catch yourself off guard and see what happens. At a time when I was feeling most stuck, I spontaneously volunteered to get up onstage an open mic storytelling evening in New York City. The experience was elating and terrifying and showed me that I wanted to lead a more creative life.
7. Be Skeptical of Common Wisdom- It's dangerous to live in the aggregate, especially when you are trying to figure out your next move. One year everyone knows you need an MBA to succeed at anything. The next, they're saying that there are no jobs out there anywhere, so don't even try. In my case everyone knows that you can't learn a language at age 43. But since no one alerted me to that fact, that's what I set my sights on.
8. Learn To Live with Uncertainty- When I began to learn Hindi, my teacher encouraged me to get our and practice with native speakers in New York. I would up asking a waiter for live (pyar) when I'd meant to request a cup (pyala). But in that way I inched into a new language. That anxious feeling does not signal that you’re doing something wrong, only that you’re trying something new.
9. Say "really" A Lot. When you start to turn this sudden shift in your life to your advantage, you might shake up a lot of people, especially the ones you aren't happy with how they're living. To them your efforts to move forward may feel like a glaring searchlight that needs to be switched off and fast. To their descriptions of the terrible fates that will befall you if you dive headlong into a new life say/.......
10. Shed Your Old Skin- Discard physical clutter, tired ideas, and old routines. Seeing things through another's eyes can help. I had that chance when the Hindi school I enrolled in asked me to list my daily requirements. I could have honestly said “for the past 62 days, I have eaten pineapple sandwiches for breakfast, instead I wrote, "None". It's only when you have cast off what has been weighing you down that you can finally move on.

Photo courtesy Istockphotos.

Get your Running Mojo!

I have many friends who run as a part of their exercise routines, they help to keep me motivated. I have been running, for fitness for the last 15 years. I have experienced highs and lows with running, but I have never given it up.
I have kept the same routine, winter, spring and summer, except for a family crisis or illness. 3 days a week, same routine, 3 miles at least.
I was not as consistent last year and I hope to resume my regular routine by Spring. Golf and  Running outdoors changed my life. It helped to keep my mind and body fit and healthy and I have had some of my best ideas while running or walking. It is the best way to clear your head and recharge your batteries.

Here are some tips from Runners magazine to help get your Running Mojo back!
FashionMom would like to give thumbs up to all of my friends and women everywhere who continue to inspire all of us to keep going! You know who you are!


How Do You Start?
Start Slowly. If you have not run in the last six months, first build up to walking continuously for 30 minutes. Then add running for 10 to 20 seconds every minute, walking the balance, for a total of 30 minutes. Run every other day, gradually adding five to 10 seconds to your run time.

Won't I Be Sore?
Not excessively. It's common to "earn" a bit of muscle soreness in the beginning. But there is not need to feel pain, especially if you start with short slow periods of running, take plenty of walk breaks, and gradually increase your run time.

What If I Don't Have Much Time?
Even a 10 to 15 minute run will improve your vitality, boost your mood and maintain your physiological adaptions.

How Much I Know I'm Getting Better?
You'll notice that you' re huffing and puffing less. You' ll experience more days each month when you want to go farther and faster- and your can! You may even want to enter a race.

Must I Purchase Specials Gear?
A Good pair of Running shoes that will protect your feet against the terrain and reduce the risk of blisters is essential. Otherwise wear comfortable clothes.


From FashionMom Team

We suggest that you get fitted for a proper pair of  running shoes at a  Running store(not your local Dicks).
They are located in states all over the country. It may take some time, but it is well worth the investment and your experience will be 100% better, trust us!

 http://www.marathonrookie.com/running-shoe-store-directory.html
Plus, most fitness magazines have reviews but you will still need to have your feet checked and sized. The biggest issue often is that you are running in a size too small for your feet!

Try to find a running group in your town, FashionMom is going to be joining one this Spring. It always helps to have other people with you during your training.
http://www.coolrunning.com/
Road Runners Club of America
Run The Planet

Pilates or Yoga are perfect compliments to running. Pilates helps to strengthen your core which is so essential during running. You are stronger and more flexible for your runs.


Happy Running! 

Happy Valentine's Day from the FashionMom Team!

Image courtesy of Istockphotos.

Sore Throat Remedies

 All across the country, snow, ice and rough weather continue to wreck havoc on daily routines. My daughter and I were sick with the common cold last week.

Seeing a doctor within 24 hours is next to impossible, and when you finally see someone, it is the same story, just take some Robitussin DM, drink liquids and call me next week!

Fending off a cold and managing children is something all mothers are familiar with. We have to get up and keep going, that is a fact of life, no excuses.

Here are some remedies for sore throats and holding off that cold.  

Humidifier

Try it when your throat feels dry.

It keeps the air around you moist which is important since indoor heat and arid air may dry out the mucous membranes.

Keep the humidifier’s water tank and filter clean to prevent the growth of mold which can worsen symptoms.

Garlic

Try it when you notice a tickle.

Garlic is known the have virus fighting and antibacterial qualities.

They could help the body heal the infections that cause a sore throat, while fighting the germs that cause pain and irritation. Microwave one or two garlic clove for 10 to 15 seconds to decrease the intensity of the taste, then crushing them in a press and eating the garlic on a cracker. Do this once daily. The compound Allicin which is released when garlic is cut, crushed or chewed helps to reduce pain and irritation.

Garlic supplements are also effective at lowering cholesterol and blood pressure; do not seem to help the immune system.

Zinc Lozenges

Try them when you have a mild soreness along with a stuffy nose.

Zinc lozenges coat the throat to soothe the red, raw tissue. As the zinc ions dissolve, they migrate up the nose there they bind to and may halt the virus causing a cold. Look for drops that contain zinc gluconate, which is easier to stomach than other forms. Take them with food to reduce the risk of queasiness.

Be sure to check with your doctor as some supplements can interfere with other medications.

Try Cold-Eeze Sugar Free

Warm Salt Water

Try it when your throat is feeling sore and scratchy.

The solution is soothing and can kill bacteria in the throat. It can help to increase blood flow to carry infection fighting bacteria cells to the throat to speed recovery. Mix one teaspoon of salt per pint of water to create a gargle and use that mixture once a day as needed.

The water should be warm not hot.

Herbal Teas

Try it when the pain persists all day.

Herbal varieties may contain an immune booster, such as goldenseal root or Echinacea: licorice which is antiviral and antibacterial: or marshmallow herb, which helps to produce the protective mucous in your throat.

These herbs can also be taken as tinctures, which are distilled liquids you place under the tongue. You should be able to find them at a pharmacy or health food store.

Add honey to make it extra soothing.

 Try YogiTea Throat Comfort

Slippery Elm Lozenges

Try them when your throat is red and feels raw.

The powdered bark of the tree keeps your throat moist, which eases the discomfort brought on my inflammation.

Some Slipper Elm lozenges are good when combined with Vitamin C, which some studies suggest have shown to reduce a cold’s duration.

Try Thayer’s Sugar Free Slippery Elm Lozenges (lactose free, which may stimulate pain inducing inflammation)

Over the counter numbing spray

Try it when every swallow aches a little. When this spray hits your throat, the ingredient phenol (a local anesthetic gives instant but temporary relief. The sprays deaden the area for a couple of hours. The simply mask the pain but do not treat the underlying problem. Some relief for a bit.

Prescription gargle.

Try it when it’s downright painful to swallow. At this point you should be visiting your doctor to see if something worse is happening like Strep Throat. This solution will numb the area for a longer time than over the counter medications.

Don’t eat of drink for 30 minutes after a prescription gargle, because in addition to numbing your throat, it can also deaden the sensation in your tongue.

Of course once you have the cold, the best you can do is to drink lots of liquids, and wash your hands all day, and do not rub your eyes with your hands (conjunctivitis).

 Seven Seas Cod Liver Oil - I  have been adding this Seven Seas- This is the best brand to a bit of orange juice every morning for the last 3 years and I have not had a serious cold within that time. CLO is a potent mix of A and D and helps build up a resistance to colds and other ailments. It does not fix my allergies but I am cold free. And I have more energy than I have ever had before.  I used to take this as a child, mom does know best. 

Feel Better Moms!





Source- Real Simple Magazine 2009

Images Istockphotos

For the Love of Golf! Women, take a lesson and change your life.

I know that it is very hard to find time for yourself in this busy hectic world. We do not have five minutes for ourselves sometimes. But I wanted you to think about this at least for the future, or if you can do it now, just do it.

This is notjust a game men play. There are many women out there playing golf but not enough. We have great role models, Nancy Lopez, Annika Sorenstam, Lorena Ochoa and the legendary Babe Zharias.

I remember when I took my first golf lesson.

I took my first golf lesson in 1997 the year Tiger Woods won his first Masters.

My husband had been playing golf for many years before I started playing. I would listen to his stories with amusement but never felt the urge or need to play the game.  

We had just moved into a home which was located near the 6^th hole of one of 5 public golf courses in Somerset County NJ. Every day, I picked up errant balls and every Saturday watched as players hunted for balls in the bushes behind our backyard. I was getting curious, something was always happening over at the par 4 #6.

The urge to learn to play really ramped up with Tiger Woods and his appearance on the national scene. The Masters was the first time I watched golf coverage in its entirety on TV. My friends and family talked about his win incessantly, I watched him on Oprah and was truly inspired for the first time to try this game. His enthusiasm and his gutsy play, his drive and suddenly, I wanted to play too. My husband played so it was something for us to do together as a couple. 

And I was not alone, a lot of my female friends also started playing golf for the same reason.

I took my first lesson and was hooked.

I love golf for the chance to be with nature, I love the trees, the sounds of nature, birds and water. I appreciate what golf courses have done to preserve nature and to provide a sanctuary for animals.

I love golf because it pushed me to be more independent. I would go to the course and play 9 holes myself, something I may not have done before. It pushed me to go further in the game and in life than I had ever gone before. It provided the ultimate life lessons.

I love golf because it provides me with time for me, just me.  I have a chance to think, I evaluate professional and personal issues. I am alone with my thoughts and it is incredibly freeing.

I love golf because it allowed me to meet people from all over the world, from different paths. I may never see them again, but in some small way, they impacted my life and I impacted their lives.

I love golf because it expanded my horizons. It motivated me to travel to places I may not have gone, just to play golf.

Golf also provides a great opportunity for women to network with fellow colleagues. All of those corporate golf outings you missed in the past, should be on your schedule.

Golf taught me how to be more patient. It forced me to stop, take a step back and then move forward. It helped me to relax.

The biggest change? It taught me how to fight, in both my personal and professional life, to keep pushing, to never give up.
You cannot give up on the course, you have to make that swing, and if it is bad, so be it, you move to the next one and that one has to be better than the last.

Golf teaches you how to breathe, to settle and calm your mind. You have to before each swing or else.....it could be a doozy.

I know everyone talks about the lack of exercise in golf, that it is not a real sport. Well try walking 18 holes with a bag and no cart. It kept me slim and trim.

I can tell you that you will exercise the most important part of your body, your mind.

Thank you Golf for changing my life. 

 Please contact any local golf course or Golf Smith
 in your area and ask about lessons. And get a starter set( no major brand names) of clubs just in case you don't like it, at least you would not have wasted your money.

Your life is about to change.

http://www.golfsmith,com/

Punta Cana

C9 from Target- Run in Style, Half the Price

What do you wear to exercise? where do you buy your clothing?

Women have always encountered problems locating exercise gear which are practical and flattering. We went from polyester warm up suits to everything in pastels and pink.
Women today are serious about exercise and would like to be perceived as such. The popularity of pilates and yoga helped to alleviate the problem with the narrowing of the silhouette which was more flattering to the body.
 But women who ran or  power walked and engaged in outdoor physical activities still faced the challenge of finding clothing which was both technologically advanced ( wicking and anti stinky) and flattering.
plus
Budgets barely allowed us to buy many high end pieces from lines like Lulemon, Nike or Adidas.

Enter Champion at Target.

The C9 line really picked up steam for women in the last 5 years.

The product offers the following advantages.

• Duo Dru- wicks water away and keeps you dry
• Seamless
• Stretch
• Ventilation
• Water Resistant
• Antimicrobial
• Wind resistant
• Reflective for night
• UV protection.

You have all of that at a fraction of the price of high end brands and it lasts forever. I love all of the pieces and they have worked very well.
They skim the body, not too tight and runs to size.


C9 by Target