Mommy and Me Exercises

In honor of my friend Natasha at Schue Love who welcomed her first child on Tuesday, I thought that I would post these simple exercises that can be done while not having the relinquish your child to a blanket or bumbo.







1. Leg Lift
Start by laying on your back on a yoga mat or soft carpet. With your knees bent, stabilize your infant on your legs. The mom that wrote this recommends that you do not feed the child right before doing this. With your hands on your baby's shoulders, slowly raise your legs up so that baby is facing down. Then slowly return legs to a 90 degree angle. Do this 10 times.

2. Arm Curls
Cradle your baby in your arms with your handles facing upwards. Make sure that he/she is secure in the crook of your arms. Slowly curl your arms towards your body, bringing your baby to your body as well. He/she will probably giggle as you do this. Slowly return to the starting position. Do this 10 times.

3. Push-ups
You can do this on your knees or toes. Lay your baby underneath you on a soft surface. Start in plank with baby placed underneath your chest. Slowly lower down into a push-up, making sure to give your baby a smile and a kiss. Do as many as you are comfortable doing.

4. Single Leg Squats

For this stretch make sure that you use the correct form. Stand and hold your baby in front of you with your feet together. Starting with the left foot, step out and bend your right knee until your left thigh is parallel to the ground. Both legs should form a 90 degree angle. Return to standing position and alternate to the right foot. Repeat 10 times on each leg.

5.Side Swing

Standing up, hold your baby in front of you with outstretch arms. You can choose if you want him/her facing you or not. Hold your baby directly in front of you and twist your torso 90 degrees to the left. Return to the middle position and twist to the right 90 degrees. 

Motivation Monday

Happy Monday! This was my motivation for this morning. The weekend went by too fast and so today was harder than normal. I spent Saturday and Sunday painting the outside of a house as a part of a community service weekend with my church. I sweat off the equivalent of my weight in water over the course of the day. I was exhausted. When the alarm went off this morning at 4:50 am I was really tempted to roll over and go back to sleep but instead I nudged the dog cage so that they would want to move and would then make me get up. I laced up my shoes and moved. Ran 3 miles and did TurboFire's Fire 55 EZ Class. Once 7 am hit, I was done with my workouts for the day and knew that there would be no guilty feeling later when I found that the day had passed by and that I had no time to workout. Feeling good! How about you?

Half Marathon Training

In recent weeks, several people have asked me about my training schedule for my marathon and how I might modify that for a half-marathon. Considering that I was training for a half-marathon before i decided to run a marathon, it was not that hard.

Below you will find a 10 week program for anyone that has completed a 5K or can run/walk 3 miles without needing to be carted off to the ER. Do not be afraid to walk a 1/4 mile while training, listen to your body! That is the only way to make sure that you remain healthy while doing this program.

Hope that this helps! Happy running! This is one of my favorite things to do since it allows me time to think about me, life, problems, successes. What do you do while running? Listen to music/books on tape? Make your shopping list?

Motivation Monday

Mondays seem to be the worst day of the week for most people. They are a sign that the weekend went by too fast and that now we have to wait a full 5 days until we can relax again. One thing that I find is that many of us are great at starting projects or goals but once some roadblock happens, we easily slip back into the old ways and never pick back up. Today's motivational quote focuses on the simple things... feet, brains, and  our ability to do whatever we chose. So while this quote fits well in a runner's life, you can also apply this to any other life choice i.e. avoiding that donut in the break room or taking a walk at lunch instead of sitting in your office.

Dr. Seuss always provides us with great thoughts of wisdom, how will you use this today?

Fun in the Sun!

As the weather continues to be beautiful and I spend more time outside I thought that I would talk about tips to protect yourself this summer season. I know that as I spend longer runs in the afternoon sun, sunscreen has become my new best friend.

1. Be aware of what's in your medicine cabinet. Many times people don't think that the daily medications that we take can have an effect on our body and how our skin is able to react to the sun's rays. READ the labels!! Certain OTC pain relievers, birth controls, diuretics, and antidepressants can make sun more sensitive. Jordana S. Gilman, MD, a dermatologist in New York City says that naproxen (Aleve) is the biggest culprit but some ibuprofens have been reported to have the same effect too. So the moral of this story is to check your labels and if all else fails, reapply sunscreen every two hours.

2. Double up in hot spots. A shot glass's amount of sunscreen is enough for the whole body but some dermatologists say that you should add a second coat to your nose, lips, hands, ears, and tops of your feet. If you are anything like me, these are the pasty white areas that tend to burn all the time. You wont be doubling up your SPF but you might actually be receiving the SPF that is written on the label.

3. Shade is ok. While spending a day in the sun, take breaks and spend some time in the shade of a shelter or even under the umbrella. Too much time in the sun can lead to a summer cold and no one wants to suffer through that.

4. Fake it! Studies show that people who use a self-tanner are less likely to spend hours sunbathing or go to tanning salons. This will help save your skin.

5. Get your skin checked. If you have insurance, why not use it! IT is important to have your skin checked annually so that you can make sure that you get ahead of any potential cancerous risks.

The moral of the story, wear sunscreen and it will make your skin last longer and look younger.