I am a Mother

I recently enrolled in a writing and poetry class. Up until this point in my life I have never shared any of my personal writings but I want to share this one because I think that it will resonate with many of the mothers that may visit my site. I encourage you to take the time to explore all of the things that you do, everyday. And acknowledge your self for being you!

I am so many things. I am a laundress, a night watchman, and a sanitary engineer.

I am the family motivator, event planner, window washer, house keeper and nurse.

I am the keeper of memories.

I am a dreamer.

I am a coach and athletic director.

I am an athlete, strong, lean body, muscular arms, hard stomach

I am a runner, climber, yogi

I meditate. I write. I pray.

I am the navigator and chauffeur.

I am a music teacher, even though I can't sing, I try!

I am a chef, the nutrition consultant and technical adviser.

I am the mailman.

I am the playmate at the park. I am the sandcastle maker.

I am the art teacher, English teacher and Librarian.

I am Frankie's Mother. I am Sammy's Wife.

I am the little sister, youngest child and all these things

And I am still fighting with my feelings of inadequacy.

I am a warrior battling my own insecurities and frustrations.

I am a peacemaker, trying to make peace with my past, striving to be in the moment and welcome the future.

I am woman. I am a lover.

I am like the grocer checker, bored with life. I am like Frankie, excited about the day's possibilities.

I am grateful. I mourn. I live. I laugh. I love.

I am all of these things.

The good days, the bad days...They are all my days.

I am independent, stubborn and strong.

I am all of these things and I long for the day when I feel like all of these things are enough. Enough to be a mom. Enough to be a wife. Enough to be ME.

Be Honest With Yourself

This morning, Frankie and I headed out for a little jog. Frankie was in the jogger and I was pushing. I would have much rather have been the one sitting in the cozy Sport Utility Stroller but I couldn't get Frankie to trade positions. Once I got my heart pumping and a little fresh air, I was grateful for the ability to move my body. And then I was able to let go of the temptation to just lie right down on the strand and take a nap.

There's a spot on the beach where a few other mommies congregate and if we get out the door on time, we usually get some social time. One of the mommies needed some fitness tips on how to lose the extra 10 pounds that she hasn't shed since her son was born over 14 months ago. I know that she is not alone and is one of the many moms that are trying to reclaim their pre-pregnancy figure. I wanted to share the tips that I gave her. The concept is very simple however I know that implementing the concepts can be extremely challenging because it requires a shift in your thought process and a re-organization of your life.



Here's a few of my tips that are easy to remember and worth implementing in your life. I recommend keeping a journal and doing a little soul searching. I prefer an artistic looking journal with a fancy cover over a regular notebook because then when you sit down to write you will be reminded that what you have to say to yourself deserves some fancy paper. If your inspired just the same by a regular notebook then by all means use what you like.



The first thing that I recommend is to be honest with yourself and ask, "What is it that I want?"
Your answers may range from extremely specific like, "I want to lose 2 inches in my waist, get back into my size 6 jeans that are stuffed at the bottom of my drawer and run a 10K." Or the answer may be general like "I want to feel better." No matter what your goal is remember that any goal that you set for yourself is worth pursuing. By taking care of yourself, you are being an example for your children to follow. We cannot teach them without doing it ourselves. If you are not quite sure what you want then you are probably not ready to start. And you might just stay in the contemplative stage for awhile. And that's o.k.


If you do have a goal set then read on.


Once you have established your goal, ask yourself, "Why is this important to me?" Everyone has an internal dialogue or personal program that constantly runs. The why should be so strong that every time your old thought process begins to tell you that you don't have time for a workout or it would really be nice to just sit on the couch, the why will remind you that it's worth it to get moving. Great reasons might include: I want to have energy to keep up with my 3 year old, I want to decrease my blood pressure, I want to feel good about my entire self, physical and emotional well-being. Find your why and write it down at least in your journal and preferably write it on sticky notes and post them all over the place.

In order to create change in your body, you must change what you are doing. Sit down and evaluate what you are currently doing on a daily basis. I recommend keeping a log for at least a week. Write down everything that you eat from sun up to sun down or sun down to sun up if you are snacking at night. Calculate the total calories that you eat per day and then calculate the average (total calories/7 days). Log all of your daily activities like walking to the post office, running on the treadmill, walking to the park, etc. By keeping a journal you are giving yourself a reality check. By the end of the 7 days, you will be able to establish a base point for your program. Let's say that you already exercise 3 times a week and your body weight has stabilized, then the weight is not going to just continue to come off. The only way to get off of the plateau, is to take action and to do a little more than what you are currently doing.


Ask yourself, "Am I doing what it takes to reach my goal?" If you have been stuck at the same weight for more than a month, then you are not doing what it takes. If this is you then ask yourself, "what is blocking me from living the life that I want?" "What can I change and what must remain the same?" "Am I living my life according to my priorities?"


After you have done some soul searching and have come up with an honest answer about where you currently are and where you would like to be then you are ready to begin your program.

If the idea of starting a "program" seems way to overwhelming then you can focus on little steps. Follow some of these strategies to burn more calories and to eliminate calories from your diet.

• Always opt to take the stairs over the elevator.
• Play wild peek-a-boo with your little one (run back and forth in the living room or at the park, each time saying boo). Frankie thinks this is hilarious. And the great thing is that when you laugh, your abdominal muscles contract and tighten.
• Don't have the second glass of wine. Alcohol contains 7 Calories per 1 gram of alcohol. Have sparkling water instead.
• Walk to the park. Loading the kids in the car is stressful enough.
• Decrease your total calories per day by 200. This could be done simply by eliminating butter and salad dressing. Look at your current intake and see what you can take out of your diet. Sometimes it is 1 little thing that will make a big difference.
• Do not finish your children's meal. I am completely guilty of this. I hate to waist food and sometimes find myself scraping Frankie's plate. And worse than that I pick Cheerios or whatever off of the floor and eat it! It's better to waist it in the garbage than in your gut.
• Play with your kids. Get off of the park bench and chase your kids around the park. I see dads doing this all the time. Pretend that your the Hairy Monster and just go wild.

If you would like more tips or a personalized program don't hesitate to contact me. I'd love to help!

Finding Ways to Move

I have been personal training now for over 10 years. I have trained all kinds of clients and along the way I have had many stay at home moms. When I first began as a trainer, I was very ripe and only 19. There had never been a time in my life that I didn't make time to exercise so, when I would hear the excuse from parents that "I just don't have time to exercise." I didn't get it. I thought to myself, "how could someone that doesn't work not have time to exercise?" You can see where my mind was at that time. Well, now that I am a stay at home mom, I realize just how much energy is required to be a parent regardless if you work outside of the home or are a stay at home mom. And I completely understand the feeling that there is no time to exercise since everyday seems to fly by so fast. I think that I get it, but I still don't agree that there is no time to exercise. I know that my workout routines have certainly changed. Gone are the days of daily runs on the beach followed by a 90 minute yoga class. Instead, every morning after working on my website and then training some in-person clients, I load up the BOB Sports Utility Stroller with rice cakes, apples, and books to keep Frankie occupied so, that I can get a whine free run or roller-blade. The entire length of the workout, I remind him that we are going to the park next and this way I can avoid any melt-downs. On the occasions that I try to do a home yoga practice it usually ends up turning into a wrestling match. My husband, Sammy practices JiuJitsu and then teaches Frankie all of the moves like the guard and arm-bar. Anytime that I lie down on the floor to stretch, Frankie, in return, likes to practice them on me. The workouts aren't quite like they used to be pre-mommy world. What I get in return is this adorable little boy kicking his legs, pointing out airplanes and practicing all of his new vocabulary.
So, next time that you catch yourself saying that there is no time to exercise, re-evaluate that statement. Because if you are not exercising then you are decreasing your life expectancy and therefore in the long run, decreasing your time!

Inspiration by Augie

This weekend I went to the IDEA World Fitness Convention in San Diego, CA. It was my first weekend or night for that matter away from Frankie. I had a constant internal dialogue going with myself that it was important for me to go away and have some independent time. The weekend was definitely worth the separation anxiety that I felt. I went to a lot of great classes and the highlight of the event was one of the Keynote Speakers, Augie Nieto. Augie is one of the most successful innovators in the Fitness Industry. He is the founder of Lifecycle, Inc. If you have ever stepped foot into a gym then you know his product well. He has always lived and breathed his passion of fitness. In 2005, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Lou Gehrig's disease. He was honored with a Life Time achievement award from Idea and I was honored to hear his acceptance speech. His wife was by his side as he wheeled himself on to the stage on a high powered hydraulic wheelchair. As he made his way to the podium, he boosted himself up with his hydraulic chair so that he towered above the audience. The entire audience gave him a standing ovation and roared with applause. As he looked out into the audience, his eyes began to fill with tears and so did mine. You could feel and see his passion for life and the gratitude that filled his heart. He talked with great effort about his diagnosis and Lou Gehrig's disease and the message that hit home with me was what he said about living and dying. Simply stated, he said, "I had two choices, I could either wake up in the morning and choose to live or I could wake up in the morning and choose to die." He has without a doubt chosen to continue living life to the fullest. He has waged an aggressive campaign to find a cure for ALS and as of January he has raised more than $7.1 million dollars.
His presence and heart felt words will serve as a constant reminder to me to live each day to the fullest and to truly appreciate my health.