Time Stands Still

As I wrapped up my last class before the March break, two of the moms in that class mentioned the dreaded "I'm going back to work" phrase. It'a a bit of a sad phrase to me, because it means I won't get to see their babies every week anymore.

In my job, I have the pleasure of meeting many moms either during their pregnancy or at the beginning of their mat leaves. They remind me of my own time on mat leave - a time I enjoyed immensely and cherish to this day. And now I am in the same position as the trainers I met on my leave, that led Strollercise and encouraged me to do things I would never have done before. I learned about push ups, tricep dips and how to do a proper lunge while walking with a stroller. I learned how to pull my belly button into my spine so that I could engage my core. I learned I could run a half marathon, even though I had never run more than 5 km before. And I learned that with a little hard work, I could get back into my pre-pregnancy clothes and feel good about my post-baby body. The best part though... was that I made many very special friends during that time in my life.

These days, I spend nearly a year with many moms and their babies. I watch their babies grow into little people who can move around, interact with me and most of all, smile or laugh at me. And I watch their mamas shrink back to their pre-preganancy bodies, gaining muscle, strength and stamina along the way.

But after about a year (give or take), most maternity leaves comes to an end. The babies that I've seen growing up before my eyes, go off to daycare and their moms come and workout in the evenings without their wee ones (and I love that I still get to see those moms!).

For me, though, Time Stands Still. Those wonderful babies in my classes are forever etched in my mind as babies. The first babies in my FITMOM and Baby classes (after I took over FITMOM in 2010) are coming close to their fourth birthdays! They will start school this September! And their moms are probably wondering where the time has gone. Time flies, but it also stands still. To me, they will always be the babies that I was lucky enough to hang out with nearly every week for the first year of their life.

Looking at those faces, who wouldn't consider me lucky? Thanks for all of the snuggles over the years:)

Tips for Getting Fit After Baby

Losing weight and getting back into shape after giving birth can often seem like a daunting task. We never really know where to begin and are often overwhelmed with choices that are all touted as being "the best" way to shed those unwanted pounds. The reality is that the gimmicks and tricks to increase weight loss in a short period of time are not sustainable and do not actually get to the root of the problem (inactivity and over-consumption).

So, what's the answer? How are you supposed to get back into those jeans? The hard truth is that a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise are the only way one can achieve healthy weight loss and maintain it over a lifetime.

So, as you begin your journey to becoming a FITMOM, here's the "skinny" to help you ensure success:

3500 calories is equal to 1lb of fat. There are only 2 ways to "kill the fat": reduce the consumption of extra calories OR increase activity levels.

Meeting with a nutritionist or dietician can help you put together a healthy meal plan that will meet your daily dietary needs and assist you with your weight loss goals.

Blast Belly Fat. Sorry, but you just can't target your weight loss to a specific body part or region. Why? Fat cells are found all over the body and unfortunately, you can never know which ones will be broken down to provide you with the energy you need to complete a physical activity.

Leg, Bums and Tums. For most women, these are the top 3 areas we seek to improve. Why does it take so long? There are certain hormones that are produced in our body that actually inhibit the breakdown of fat cells from those specific regions. To help improve these areas, a combination of cardio and strength training will help increase muscle mass, decrease fat, tighten and tone.

Set a goal and make it SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely). For example, To improve my core strength, I will perform The Plank 5 times per day and hold it each time for 45 seconds.

Build exercise into your daily activities. To achieve any weight loss goals you can expect to work out up to 1 hour at least 4 times per week. This may seem like a lot, so start by exercising for 15 minutes every day, then increase your sessions by 5-10 minutes every week until you are up to 1 hour of physical activity. Always increase TIME and then INTENSITY.

You don't have to have had a baby in the last year for these tips to work! I've seen so many FITMOM transformations in the past 4 years. These are women who work hard and see changes slowly, but consistently over time. You can do it, too!

Get Your Baby Involved in your Workout!

It's been soooo cold out for the past few weeks, that it's hard to go anywhere without bundling up! If you have a baby, there's always a worry that she might get too cold in this weather. Or, sometimes you have a toddler at home with you as well and getting out of the house with a baby and toddler feels a bit like running a marathon.

If you're feeling couped up, I've put together a few exercises that you can do at home with your baby. Don't forget to warm up your body first... You should do some full body movements (running on the spot, walking/running up the stairs, arm circles, shoulder rolls) to get your blood flowing and to prepare your body for a workout with your wee one.

Aim to complete each exercise for 30 to 60 seconds and then start at the beginning and repeat a second or third time.


1. Squats with Baby

Using a baby carrier or just holding your baby, you can squat up and down. With your feet shoulder width apart, be sure to sit back, like you're reaching for a chair that's behind you. Keep your weight on your heels, so that your knees don't go over your toes and pull your belly button into your spine to keep your core stabilized. Inhale as you go into your squat, exhale as you come back to standing.


2. Triceps & Shoulders

You can face your baby towards or away from you for this one. Hold her under both arms and beginning at your chest height, lift her up towards your ceiling. Inhale as you lift, exhale as you come back down to chest height. In this same position at chest height, you can also extend your arms forward, staying at chest height, so that they are straight (but with loose elbows) and then bring them back into your chest. Alternate between these two moves to work both your shoulders and your triceps.




3. Baby Lifts (aka Deadlifts)

Holding your baby either facing you and supporting their head or facing out, stand with your feet a little more than shoulder width apart. With a nice flat back and open chest, inhale and hinge forward at your hips until your upper body is parallel to the floor. Keep your back flat, shoulders back (waaayy back!) and belly button pulled in towards your spine. Exhale and use your core to bring you back to standing position. You should feel this in your lower back and hamstrings.

4. Wall Sit with Baby

Find a wall where you can sit with your legs at 90 degrees, making sure that your knees do not go over your toes. Remember to pull your belling button into your spine and push your back flat against the wall. You can hold your baby on your lap to increase the difficulty or you can use him to do chest presses while you're sitting.





5. Kiss your Baby Pushups

With your baby lying on her back and you in pushup position, inhale as you lower your body down to give your baby a kiss and exhale as you push your body back up. Remember to pull your belly button in towards your spine, keep your back flat, lead with your chest and keep your head in line with your spine. Modify to your knees, if you need to.

6. Hamstring Curls with Baby

Lie on your back with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and heel close to your glutes. Place your baby on your pelvis or use him to do chest presses while you lift your hips up towards the ceiling, squeezing your glutes. Lower your hips until they graze the ground and squeeze them back up again. Repeat lifting and lowering for the allocated time.

7. Front Plank

Resting on your forearms and toes, pull your belly button into your spine and keep your back flat. If you have trouble holding your belly button in towards your spine, lower to your knees. Push your elbows into the floor to help engage your core even more. Increase the level of difficulty by lifting one foot off the floor. To pass the time, try to make your baby laugh.



Complete your workout with a full body stretch and remember to drink lots of water during and after it!

If you're new to exercise or haven't been at it for a while, please remember to consult with your physician before you begin a new fitness routine.

Enjoy!

2013 - A Year in Review

Happy New Year!

We rang in 2014 quietly on a plane bound for home. When I was booking flights, I was so focused on the routing and layovers, that I completely missed that our flight would leave at 12:35 am (not pm!). This meant that instead of celebrating the New Year with friends in Cape Town, we were at the airport boarding our flight home! But we had a great three weeks with them and sometimes these things happen. I'll know better for next time!

Since arriving home, our whole family has been struggling to overcome the 7 hour time difference, but the early mornings have given me some time to reflect on what a great year 2013 was, both personally and professionally.

2013 marked my third year running FITMOM Ottawa and the eighth year FITMOM has been offering classes in Ottawa. It seems like so long ago that I was working in the corporate world and attending FITWOMAN classes once a week! After three years, I can't even imagine a life that doesn't include FITMOM.

While I have certainly had the full supported of my family, none of this has been possible without the support of all of my clients. In just three years, I've worked with nearly 500 women! Some women (who I now call my friends!) have been coming to FITMOM since I taught my very first class in 2010. I've seen many women who began in FITMOM 2B, brought their babies to FITMOM and Baby and are now back at work and attending the FITWOMAN evening classes. But one of the best things to happen this year was to have a number of moms repeat the FITMOM 2B class with their second baby! They've come full circle and I'm just as happy to be an integral part of their health and wellness plans during their second pregnancy.

I thank all of you for not only choosing FITMOM Ottawa but for also telling all of your friends about our great programs!

I have also been supported by a number of women who help me teach some of the FITMOM classes. Lindsay is our regular FITWOMAN teacher on Monday nights. Having her teach this class allows me to continue playing volleyball once a week on a team I've played with for over 15 years, which I truly appreciate. FITMOM policies are flexible to allow moms to miss a class once in a while and on occasion, I also need to miss a class! I've been very lucky to rely on Marie, Laurie, Jules, Pamela and Kim over the years to help me out. Thanks to all of you for helping to make FITMOM Ottawa a success!

Also in 2013, FITMOM embarked on a journey to update our web presence across the country, which included a new website for FITMOM Ottawa, a complete overhaul of the FITMOM Canada website and an updated FITMOM logo.

Now, whenever you see our logo, you can be assured that you are experiencing the highest quality pre and post natal fitness programs and are designed to support you during your pregnancy and post partum experience. Under the guidance of our founder, Andrea Page, FITMOM continues to be the leader in prenatal and post natal fitness.

Personally, 2013 began with a bit of a rocky start - my son broke his arm just before Christmas! While he wasn't happy about laying low for a few months, it was a bit of a blessing for the rest of us, as our schedule wasn't quite as hectic!

Early in the year, as some of you know, I had a few issues with my hips and it made running painful and difficult. Since it wasn't debilitating or preventing me from doing anything else, I put off seeing someone about it. Finally, I took the plunge and had active release therapy (on both hips!) and am slowly getting back to running. In the fall, our family decided to participate in the 5K Colour Me Rad run in Gatineau. My sister and niece joined us and we had a blast (no pun intended!). We will definitely do the race again in 2014!

Finally, over the past 18 months, we've been planning a huge trip to Africa to visit our friends that were posted there in mid-2012. After months of emails, spreadsheets, visa applications, plane tickets, hotel bookings, car rentals, packing and planning, we finally left on December 7th. We visited Amsterdam, Hazyview (South Africa), Maputo (Mozambique) and Cape Town (South Africa) over nearly four weeks. We saw elephants, giraffes, zebras, wildabeasts, water buffalo, hippos, crocodiles, hyenas, penguins and, of course, impala. We were also very fortunate to see three cheetahs and one leopard! We embarked on this trip with a bit of trepidation, but our friends were terrific in taking good care of us and showing us the sights. A very important aspect of their job was introducing us to some great South African wines:) It truly was a trip of a lifetime!

We're looking forward to a great 2014 as we get ready to welcome a new niece or nephew to our family! And I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at FITMOM classes again so that we can work together to achieve our health and fitness goals in 2014!

A Holiday Workout Just for You!

Just because there are no FITMOM classes over the holidays, doesn't mean that you shouldn't workout! Here's a little holiday workout for you to try. You'll need running shoes, workout clothes (including a supportive bra), a mat, water and a little bit of attitude!

Be sure to begin your workout with a simple Warm up to get your muscles moving and your blood pumping. If you have stairs in your house, start walking up and down and move to running up and down. About 10 sets will get you warm. Once your body feels warmer, you can follow with some dynamic stretching (leg swings, arm circles, shoulder rolls). No stairs? No problem! Turn on the tunes and dance like nobody's watching until you're feeling warm and ready!

We're going to do a 40-30-20. You'll do each exercise for 40 seconds, take a 10 second rest, repeat for 30 seconds, take a 10 second rest and finish with 20 seconds. Take a 30 second to 1 minute break between exercises.

Exercise 1 - Mountain Climbers

In front plank position, bring your right leg up towards your chest and switch legs mid-air. This works your cardio as well as your core, so be sure to move fast enough to get your heart pumping! Pull your belly button toward your spine and keep your hips in proper plank position as much as possible.

Exercise 2 - Tricep Dips

Complete these using your stairs/bench/kitchen chair (or other piece of furniture - just make sure whatever you're using is pushed up against a wall). Make them easier by keeping your legs bent to 90 degrees or make them harder by stretching your legs straight out in front of you. Remember to pull your belly button into your spine and keep your back close to the step or chair. Inhale as you lower your body, exhale as you push your body back up.

Exercise 3 - Rotating Plank

Begin in front plank and after 2 seconds, move to right side plank. Hold for 2 seconds and move back to front plank. Hold for 2 seconds and move to left side plank. Hold for 2 seconds and return to front plank. Continue rotating for the allotted time. Modify on your knees, if you need to. Remember to pull your belly button into your spine and keep your back flat.

Exercise 4 - Jump Squats

Be sure that your knees don't go over your toes in your squat. Make it harder by keeping your hands on your waist or over your head. You can reduce the impact by doing regular squats without the jump, but remember to move at a good pace to keep your heart rate up. Inhale as you squat down, exhale as you push back to standing.

Exercise 5 - Wide Pushups

Your arms and legs should be wider than shoulder width apart with your elbows at 90 degrees (like you're in a star position). You can modify on your knees or against the wall. Just remember to pull your belly button towards your spine, keep your back flat and lead with your chest (not your head!). Inhale as you move your body towards the floor, exhale as you push back up.

Exercise 6 - Burpies

Everyone's favourite! Jump up, squat down, extend your legs into plank position, bring your knees back to a squat and then jump up.

Remember to drink lots of water between exercises!

Cool down: Return to your stairs and walk up and down 5 times or do a light jog on the spot for a few minutes. Finish with a full body stretch, a pat on the back and a big smile. You did it!

**If you are a beginner, or just making your way back into fitness again, shorten the time to 30-20-10 and work your way up to the times recommended here. Try to complete this workout two to three times a week over the holidays. Remember to always consult your doctor before beginning a new exercise regime.

Happy Holidays!

Welcome to the New FITMOM!

A few months ago, FITMOM Canada embarked on a journey to update FITMOM's web presence across the country. I am very excited to share the new home of FITMOM with you today!

Not only has the FITMOM Canada website had a complete overhaul, but we have updated our logo as well! Now, whenever you see this logo, you can be assured that you are experiencing the highest quality pre and post natal fitness programs. These programs are designed to support you during your pregnancy and post partum experience. Under the guidance of our founder, Andrea Page, FITMOM continues to be the leader in prenatal and post natal fitness.

In the next few months, we'll be working to transition from our old logo to our new logo! Keep an eye out...

Fall classes are off to a great start! FITMOM Ottawa will continue to offer our signature FITMOM & Baby classes at three locations in Ottawa, FITMOM 2B at one of our locations and FITWOMAN Bootcamp at two of our locations into the winter. Classes will take a small break over the December holiday period, but will return in full force at the beginning of January.

If you haven't experienced a FITMOM class, please come and join us during our Open House week from October 21-25th. All classes are free, but since space is limited, please register by emailing Susan at: info@fitmomottawa.com

I hope you are as excited about the new changes we have made! Please take a moment to check out the new FITMOM Canada website!

Beyond the Belly - Fitness for New Moms

I'm not sure why, but this year was been a banner year for pregnancy! Our FITMOM 2B class was full every week with pregnant women since September and they just keep coming. When debating about this seeming surge in pregnant women, my colleague at FITMOM Durham suggested that it might have something to do with the hockey lockout. I have two HUGE hockey fans in my house, who were not all that excited to hear of the hockey strike. But if that's the reason I've met so many awesome pregnant women, then bring it on!

A number of FITMOMs 2B have either recently had their babies or are just about to give birth. While the outcome is a bundle of joy and love like you've never quite experienced, the process to get there can be exhausting. The first few weeks can feel overwhelming - between feeding and changing diapers, there's very little time left over for you. But here are a few exercises you can do during the first few weeks after baby arrives to help you feel a little more like yourself:

1.  Pelvic Floor:

Your pelvic floor muscles will lose elasticity during pregnancy due to pressure from your growing fetus and you will likely need to recondition these muscles regardless of the type of delivery you've had. A quick way to find your pelvic floor muscles is to try and stop the flow of urine when you're sitting on the toilet. You can use this test as a gauge to see if you're using the correct muscles, but don't do this on a regular basis!

Begin by contracting your pelvic floor for a series of 10 x 1 second contractions. Follow with contractions where you hold your pelvic floor contraction for a longer period - begin with holding for about 3 seconds and work your way up to 10 seconds.

To be sure you're doing them correctly, remember:

• Don't hold your breath
• Don't tighten your tummy, thighs or buttock muscles
• Don't squeeze your legs together

Try to complete 10 short and 10 long contractions a few times a day, remembering that pelvic floor muscles fatigue easily. If you need to, complete fewer contractions more often in the day to prevent fatigue.

2.  Shoulder Rotations:

During pregnancy, our shoulders tend to roll forward as our upper back muscles weaken, due to larger breasts and postural changes as a result of a growing belly. Poor posture during breast feeding can aggravate this.

Begin by inhaling and lifting your shoulders towards your ears. Exhale and roll your shoulders back and down, allowing your shoulders to fall as far from the ears as possible and squeezing your shoulder blades together. Release to normal position and repeat.

This exercise will remind you to correct your posture, open your chest and strengthen your upper and middle back at the same time. Try to complete 10 repetitions a few times a day. Once a good latch and breast feeding is established, you can practice this exercise during feeding time, as it's easy to do with your baby snuggled in your arms.

3.  Abdominals:

Pelvic tilts will help release tension in your lower back and rehabilitate your core muscles.

Begin by lying on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Inhale to fill your belly with air. Exhale, pulling your belling button towards your spine and slightly rolling your hips towards your ribs, but not lifting your hips or glutes off the ground. Release and repeat.

Try to complete 10 repetitions a few times a day. Work up to 20 or 25 repetitions as you begin to feel stronger. You can practice pelvic tilts after you finish nursing as you are cuddling with your baby.

For these and other exercises that you can work on in your first six weeks after your baby is born, you can watch this FITMOM video.