motherhood Archives - Page 5 of 64 - My Life: A Work in Progress

Body after Baby: Kelli and “The Babywearing Workout”

24 October, 2013 13 Comments

Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post!

Check out these other Body after Baby posts:

Before and After: Kelli at 6 weeks and then 11 months postpartum

GUEST WRITER BIO: Kelli Stewart is the creator of The Babywearing Workout™ & a Juice Plus+ Independent Distributor. She is a first time mama living an attachment parent lifestyle and losing weight because of it! Before she got pregnant, she was overweight. Then she gained 50 lbs. during her pregnancy! Through The Babywearing Workout, Kelli shares how babywearing, breastfeeding, and taking Juice Plus+ was all she needed to lose the baby weight and now weigh less than she did before she became pregnant. Kelli is now living in Colorado with her husband and precious baby girl.

The holidays can be a very difficult time for many of us when it comes to keeping on track with our health and wellness goals. With all of the parties and family get togethers that are usually packed with all kinds of yummy food or treats that are nowhere close to what we know we should be eating….what our bodies really need: good whole food nutrition. And forget about exercise! We tend to enjoy just relaxing by the warmth of the fire or on the couch with a good book or movie.

But let me tell you…those fleeting moments of “comfort” food and lack of movement are not worth the havoc it will cause on our health in the long run. Now, I’m not saying lock yourself away and refrain from partaking in all of the holiday cheer…no no no….don’t do that. Just prepare yourself by doing things that will help keep you on track. I personally like to think of the holidays as just another day but I’m spending a little more time with my loved ones than I normally do.

That being said…it is exactly the reason I decided to host my next The Babywearing Workout Weight Loss Challenge during the holidays! In addition to our regular exercise Challenge that includes getting at least 30 mins of exercise 5 days a week, I’ve added in a second part that I’m calling the Nutritionally Fit Health Challenge. This will help you to really take a look at what you are fueling your body with every single day. Sometimes we just need a plan, an outline, and a good support system to make the changes we already know we need to make.

So when would NOW be a good time to take that first step toward better health?

Join us:

TBWW’s Weight Loss & Nutritionally Fit Health Challenge!

Starting on October 28th, 2013
Join other new moms on a private Facebook Group.

Support and hold one another accountable.

Share tips and meal plans or recipes.

Win Great Prizes!

Everyone will be doing The Babywearing Workout™ at least 3 times a week for 8 Weeks. Each Friday you will check in with your weight loss for the previous week.

(If you don’t already have your copy get one today using our 15% Off Discount Code: WLC15OFF at checkout- good until 11/1)

Boba is our team sponsor.

They are giving away their Classic Collection Boba Wrap and 3G Carrier!

On 12/20 the Challenge will end and a winner for the Grand Prize will be chosen.

Each week I will also be hosting a giveaway with prizes being offered from the below sponsors. Winners will be chosen every Saturday throughout the duration of the Challenge and picked using rafflecopter.com.

Nutritionally Fit Health Challenge

For those of you interested in taking this Challenge to another level by focusing on the fuel “food” you are putting in your body please contact me via email for more details and costs: kelli@thebabywearingworkout.com

Exercise is very very important but if you are not giving your body the nutrition it needs to work then you won’t have long term positive results. The world is full of pollution, toxins, stress and food that is devoid of nutrition. We expect so much from our amazing bodies but many times we don’t consume the fuel necessary for the body to do it’s job.

WARNING! If you accept this Nutritionally Fit Health Challenge it WILL lead to optimum health and will dramatically change your body on a CELLULAR LEVEL!

Some of the prizes include:

1 Classic Collection Boba Wrap – Retail Value $38*

1 Classic Collection Boba Carrier 3G – Retail Value $125*

2 Mother & Child Prints from artist Katie M. Berggren – Retail Value $19 each

Terra Naturali Baby Bum Bum Balm 2 1oz Tins- Retail Value $8.50 each

Cooking with Coconut Oil eBook from Hybrid Rasta Mama- Retail Value $19.95 *

Barlean’s Organic Coconut Oil 32oz Jar – Retail Value $28.95

Set of 16oz Glass Mugs with Tops/Steel Straws from EcoJarz – Retail Value $29.50

Greenwich Necklace and Stanton Bracelet set from Chewbeads – Retail Value $50.50

2 Custom Diaper Covers from Zookaboo.com – Retail Value $17/each

Green Toys Shape Sorter from GreenToys.com – Retail Value $19.99

Green Toys First Keys from GreenToys.com – Retail Value $7.99

Momma & Baby Natural Care Sample Pack from Purely Kendra Apothecary – Retail Value $25

Drool Pads + Matching Travel Wipes Case from Silver Birch Studio – Retail Value $25

$20 Gift Certificate from Avery Rayne Designs – Retail Value $20

More being added every day!!

*Please note some of the links for these sponsors may be affiliate links (marked with a *) in which Kelli would be compensated, if you were to purchase a product after clicking through these links. If you are uncomfortable with that, all of these companies can be found if you were to do a direct Google search for them.

Want to win a free download of The Babywearing Workout? Enter through the Giveaway Tools widget below:

Entry -Form

Disclaimer: All information presented during the Body after Baby event is purely personal opinion and shared for educational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise, weight-loss, or nutrition program. Please note, My Life: A Work in Progress does not necessarily endorse any opinions presented by guest writers during this event. Not all exercise or nutrition programs are suitable for everyone.

Note- My Life: A Work in Progress was not compensated for this post.

Body after Baby

Body after Baby: Anna Reed (part 2)

23 October, 2013 3 Comments

Please read the disclaimer at the bottom of this post!

If you haven’t read Anna’s bio and first post yet, I recommend you do that HERE before reading today’s post. Also check out Nicole Elizabeth’s “Body after Baby” guest post HERE.
What in the fridge should I eat?!?!?

Remember in the last post how we talked about EATING? I even gave you an easy formula to estimate your caloric needs. Let’s discuss WHAT you should eat to meet those needs. No, you don’t have to eat broccoli and chicken for every meal. But let me back track just a bit. Your body requires two things to run properly: 1. macronutrients or macros as we will call them (carbohydrates, fat, and protein), and 2. micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Macronutrients will come directly from your diet in large quantities while micronutrients are only needed in small quantities and will come through your sources of macronutrients and other vitamin supplements you may take like multivitamins.

How do you determine what you need to be eating each day for each macro? Oh, I am so glad you asked. 🙂 Everything is done as a percent of your total caloric intake. If you are wanting to lose some pounds, you could do 35-50% of your calories from protein, 30-60% from carbohydrates, and 15-20% from fat.There is never need to have more than 20% of your calories from fat. For example, if you need to eat 1,600 calories a day and you did 40/40/20 (protein/carbs/fat) you would be getting 640 calories from protein, 640 calories from carbs, and 320 calories from fat. But WAIT!!!! Nutrition facts on packages don’t list calories. They list GRAMS!!!! How am I going to count calories when it’s not listed? Well, here is the secret. Each gram of protein and carbs contains 4 calories and each gram of fat contains 9 calories. So let’s convert those calories to grams. Back to our sample 1,600 calorie diet with 40/40/20 percentages. That would give us 160 grams of protein (640 calories), 160 grams of carbs (640 calories), and 36 grams of fat (320 calories). Easy!!!

So back to what to use to fill these requirements. Protein can come from many sources like egg whites, but your main source will be meat: think lean. Fish (tuna, freshwater fish, tilapia, etc. with salmon on occasion), poultry, lean beef (yes, even steak!). Carbs can come from any number of sources, but your best choices are whole grains and other sources of complex carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, quinoa, brown rice, etc. My suggestions for other sources are Ezekiel breads and wraps, because they are one of the healthiest bread sources you can find. Veggies are also a source of carbs, but that is one thing I fudge on in my carb count because they are so beneficial. Think spinach, broccoli, asparagus…anything green and especially leafy, although other sources like cucumbers and zucchini count too. And last but not least, here are fat sources. Don’t think of this “fat” in the same context as cellulite and body fat, because fat in your diet is essential for brain and muscle function as well as physical energy. Healthy fat sources are things like avocados, egg yolks (although it is never recommended to eat more than one whole egg a day), natural peanut butter, almonds, and other nuts. Some of your daily fat will come from your protein sources, so don’t try to trim every last bit of fat from your chicken breast or steak. Yes, cut off the large portions but there will always be a bit inside the meat that just comes with it, and that is ok.

If you struggle with sugar the way so many do, limit what you allow in your house. Ice cream is my downfall, Ben and Jerry’s Phish Food to be exact. My husband will bring it home on occasion, but other than on my cheat day, it’s not allowed in the house! *GASP* Did she just say cheat day?!? (I can read your mind!) I did say cheat day. Sunday is my day where I increase my carbs by about 100 grams. Eating clean all the time is great but it actually does your metabolism good by having a slice of pizza or a burger (staying within reason on your fat intake). It shakes up your metabolism. Literally. So by all means, cheat….but I suggest no more than one cheat meal a week so you don’t undo your hard work to this point.

Disclaimer: All information presented during this event is purely personal opinion and shared for educational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise, weight-loss, or nutrition program. Please note, My Life: A Work in Progress does not necessarily endorse any opinions presented by guest writers during this event. Not all exercise or nutrition programs are suitable for everyone.

Questions or comments for Anna?

Review

Review: Nuby Booster Seat

23 October, 2013 8 Comments

*Nuby sent us another fun product to review!*

About:

With its wide, sturdy base, the Nûby booster seat is durable and safe. The stylish contours will hold your little one comfortably. The included safety straps allow the booster seat to be attached to most chairs. The seat also has straps to keep your child in the seat. Children must be able to sit up unsupported, and the seat holds up to 65 lbs. The booster seat is available in pink, blue, and green.

Our Experiences:

Baby J still uses a high chair at home, so I took this booster seat to my sister in law’s house. The plan was just for Baby J to use it whenever he was visiting, but my two year old nephew has started using it on a daily basis. It’s handy because it’s lightweight and small; my SIL can remove the seat and move it out of the way when they have guests and need more chairs. It also holds my nephew at the right height. The seat is easy to wipe clean too.

The only negative about this chair is that the white straps get stained easily. Baby J is still messy when he self feeds, and if he spills anything dark on the straps, there will be stains. Since it’s been at my SIL’s I haven’t tried sunning the straps yet, but that should help with the staining. I’m optimistic!

The Nûby booster seat is available at BuyBabyDirect, currently for $19.95. For updates on new Nûby products, follow them on their social media accounts (listed below). Check out the fun contests and giveaways they always have going on!

« Previous 1 … 3 4 5 6 7 … 64 Next »