Staying fit during patio season

You know what I find really funny? Typically, summertime is the slowest for personal trainers. I even had one client email me and just simply say... " I don't workout in the summer". Now I totally understand that the kids are off school and the summer months are usually spent doing family things, going to the cottage and let's admit... just be a little more lazy. But if you think about it, isn't he summer one of the reasons why we work so hard at getting into shape? Just so we can sit out on patios, drink beer (I looooove Carona) and have barbeques? I don't know about you... about half way during the summer, I look down and see bloating beginning to happen. How many of you (like myself) are guilty of being hot and grabbing a beer when we should be grabbing water?!!

Yes... I'm human. I may be a personal trainer and lead a pretty healthy lifestyle, but I also indulge and fall into the summer "trap".

So how do you fight the patio monster? Try limiting yourself to once every week or two. And plop your baby in the stroller and walk to the patio at a good clip. It never hurst to try and throw in some calorie burning before and after, so the guilt doesn't pile up as much. And... how about trying your best to keep up with your exercise routine throughout the summer months? As hard as it is to walk or drive by those lovely patios on your way to the gym or exercise class, you'll feel so much better afterwards. Also, try the 1 beer, then 1 glass of water routine. It's another way to get your summer fix and keep hydrated as well.

Well that was my little trainer "nag" for the day. For those of you who tend to fall into this vicious cirlce, don't be too hard on yourself, just try and keep your goals in check. If you worked hard at meeting your goals, don't let it all go out the window in just a couple of months. Remember... It's waaaaay easier to fall back on old habits than to create new ones.

Good luck!

Stress in motherhood

Well I thought I would be the last person on earth to write about this topic. I'm a personal trainer and I am supposed to be the poster child for health and fitness! What a reality check - I'm human too.

Lately I've been experiencing light headedness and a bit of nausea. I'm your typical Type A personality and hate it when I feel like I don't have control, so I went straight to the doctor to get checked out. After blood tests, strength and balance tests and even a CT Scan (told you I was type A), the conclusion was I was under alot of stress and needed to relax.

It's interesting because I don't feel stressed. I get up, get the kids ready for school, work out, do some work (with clients and at home), pick up the kids, make dinner etc... Tell me what other mother isn't doing the same thing? It seems that even though alot of the time, I don't necessarily feel "stressed", I, like sooo many others out there, lead a stressful lifestyle and my body is reacting.

Now I have been told to relax more and although I exercise regularly, my body has adapted to it, so I have to find another outlet. So now I make an effort to get to bed a little bit earlier and read and I have even taken up meditation. I felt funny at first (taking time out for just "me"), but it seems to be working. The symptoms are less and less..... who knew?

So let this be a lesson learned. Even though we don't actually feel agitated, stress can manifest in many many ways and we should not ignore it. I was reading an article today on how women are diagnosed more with anxiety disorders and are on medication, then men. It's that inate super mom complex that so many of us suffer from. Just because we can do anything, doesn't mean we have to. Let's just take some time and revel in the satisfaction knowing that we can if we want to.

That's good enough for me.

mom cliques

I had someone recently say to me that it seems like it's "in" to have a baby. I thought for a minute and unfortunately had to come to the same conclusion - to a certain extent.



You know how before you had kids, you never noticed the moms and babies in strollers? Now that you have a little one(s), you're bumping into them everywhere you go? I thought that it was just a case of not being in "the moment", so I never paid attention before. But it seems like that's not all there is to it.



This person who made this comment to me wasn't even a mother - scary... She continued to comment on how everywhere she looked she saw the lastest and hippest strollers, lululemon and Starbucks in hand. Now I had to get a little defensive because I have my own lulu collection and although Starbucks is not my taste, Second Cup and Timothy's are regulars.



I guess for her it looks like being a mom is a hip thing to do and whether or not she does decide to be a mom in the future, she's already feeling the pressure to fit "in".



I get this vibe often with my clientelle as well. My goals are not just to get you back in shape but sloooooww down. Forget about everyone else and their cute outfits and $1000 strollers. Motherhood is NOT a competition. Every single woman out there is different and has their own challenges and needs to face them in their own way.



So it's unfortunate that this woman is getting this message, but I can see her point. Some women walk out of the hospital looking barely bloated, while others need time. Let's support eachother in all the right things we are doing to try and be the best mom we can be - lulu's and not.