Summer Fitness Challenge 2013- Nutrition Tip: How to Hydrate

For many, myself included, staying hydrated is a daily challenge!  Thankfully, Andrea Miller RD is here with some great ideas to help us all increase our H2O.

Getting enough to drink can be tough under usual circumstances- this can become even more difficult while breastfeeding. Factor in warm weather, and regular outdoor activity and it becomes more challenging and even more important.

Here are my tips to hydrate while breast feeding and staying active:

• Aim for 3 liters (12 cups) of fluid each day
• Divide the 3 liters in thirds- 1 liter in the morning, 1 liter in the afternoon, 1 liter in the evening
• Drink every time you breastfeed- a glass of milk, juice, a tea or coffee (we’ll talk caffeine next time!), lemonade, iced-tea, soup, even fruit counts!
• Carry water or other fluid with you when you go out
• Keep a water bottle or two in the car, stroller, baby bag etc.
• Drink 250-500ml (1-2 cups) fluid, preferably water, 1 to 2 hours before you exercise (increase this amount by 50% if you are exercising outdoors in warm weather).
• Carry water with you during exercise;  sip during your workout
• Choose milk (including chocolate milk) as your after exercise beverage; you will replace lost fluids, carbohydrates, and protein.
• Remember high fluid foods help to meet your fluid requirements: soups, smoothies, yogurt, puddings, fruit, frozen yogurt and frozen juice bars!
• Choose a sports drink when:
• You are doing intense exercise over a longer (more than 60min.) period of time
• The weather is hot and humid

Try not to rely on soft drinks, energy drinks or alcohol as a means of meeting your fluid needs.

Do not rely on your thirst to tell you when you need to drink; fluid needs can vary from person-to-person. Listen to your body, adjust your intake based on your activity level, the weather, how frequently you are breastfeeding and your personal sweat rate. 

Bottoms up!

Summer Fitness Challenge, Video Workout

Hey Mavens,

It's a little gloomy and dreary today, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to share another Video Workout to help support & encourage you to keep moving.

This video demonstrates a few exercises and the modifications for Advanced, Intermediate & Beginner (shown in that order).  Have a peek and choose the option that best suits your needs & abilities. 

Always remember to start with a warm up for 5-7 minutes.  When I am at home I like to crank up the tunes and have a dance party as my preferred warm up :)

There are 5 different exercises demonstrated. Try to do each one for 1 minute and then immediately move into the next exercise.  Rest for 1 minute after each set (work 5 minutes, rest 1 minute).  Repeat for a total of 3 sets.  Follow with a warm down and stretch.


Bonus Video Workout

Summer Fitness Challenge Week #4- Nutritional Tip

Special thanks to Kim Corrigan-Oliver of Your Green Baby for this weeks nutritional tip and recipe!

Tip:
Include healthy snacks in your day to keep blood sugar levels stable and energy levels up.

Recipe:
Granola Bars
½ cup brown rice syrup
1tsp vanilla
2 tbsp coconut oil
¼ cup nut or seed butter 
1 cup cereal flakes (any whole grain flake)
½ cup rolled oats
½ cup brown rice crisp cereal
½ cup dried fruit (raisins, dates, apricots, cranberries, blueberries, cherries, etc)
¾ cup coarsely chopped nuts and seeds, any combination (almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds)

Gently heat syrup, vanilla, coconut oil, and nut or seed butter in a large sized sauce pan until melted; stir in remaining ingredients and then pat into an 8 inch x 8 inch pan.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour and then cut into squares or bars.

Nutrition Tip: Eat a rainbow a day!

Again, thank you to Andrea Miller, Registered Dietitian for this weeks nutritional tip!

Eating well after having a baby is a challenge for many reasons: fatigue, time (or lack of!), a shortage of hands to prepare meals, did we say time!

Here’s a tip to help you get more of the fruit and vegetables that you need every day.

Eat a rainbow a day. Try to get something red, orange, yellow and green every day.

Red: slice tomatoes in your scrambled eggs; slice a red pepper, put it in a container in the fridge and grab a slice or two each time you open the fridge; buy a mini watermelon- cut it up before you put it away- share a few chunks with your older children at meal and snack time.

Orange: buy the easy-to-peel clementines; peel two or three at a time, leave them in a bowl on the counter for easy access; crunch on a baby carrot or two while preparing lunch and dinner.

Yellow: buy frozen mango- make a quick smoothie with mango and low fat yogurt or skim milk; keep bananas handy for trips in the car, a perfect snack after a work-out and to slice on top of cereal or toast and peanut butter.

Green: think leaves- keep pre-washed, pre-mixed salads on hand- add a few leaves to sandwiches and wraps; buy cut up raw broccoli (fresh or frozen)- add it to the pot when cooking rice or pasta- fewer dishes to wash and your veggies and grain can be enjoyed together!

Aim for two to three fruit and two to three veggies each day- store them pre-cut  in see through containers within easy reach in your fridge (not in the crisper drawers); choose fresh or frozen fruit or veggies; add fruit and veggies to salads, cereals, soups and stews. 

Have a colourful day!

Summer Fitness Challenge Week #3

Happy Victoria Day Monday!

We have been blessed with a gorgeous weekend.  I hope you are making the most of it.  Head outside and enjoy the outdoors, get your gardens ready and play at the park!

For those of you who are up for it, please find our first Video Bonus Workout.  This is a stroller circuit.  All you need is your stroller, water and a park bench!

If you do this workout anytime over the remaining 6 weeks of the challenge you will earn Bonus Points!

Warm up 5-7 minutes
If you are lucky enough to have a park with a path, follow the path for 3 loops at a brisk pace or run/jog
After you complete 3 laps find a bench.  Perform 10-20 squats, step up lunges and rotating plank push-ups.  Beginners keep your reps low (10) advanced (20).  Run 3 laps and Repeat bench moves for a total of 3 Sets.
Follow with a warm down and stretch.

Good luck and have fun!

Jenn

PS I hope that next time I make a video, we won't lose the top inch of my head in editing.  Sometimes iMovie makes me sad.

Summer Fitness Challenge Week #2

A big thank you to Kim Corrigan-Oliver of Your Green Baby for sharing this weeks nutrition tip and a delicious recipe to boot! 

Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, however many people skip breakfast for a myriad of reasons.  If you are not a 'breakfast person', then I am sure you will find this smoothie recipe very helpful!

 

Tip #2:

Eat Breakfast. It kick starts your metabolism and sets the stage for a day full of energy and stable blood sugar levels.

Recipe

Smoothie

1 cup milk of your choice, chilled herbal tea, coconut water, water or juice

¼ cup frozen blueberries

8 frozen strawberries

1 banana

1 large handful of spinach

Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Add more liquid, if necessary, to thin to desired consistency.

FITMOM Durham's 2013 Summer Fitness Challenge. Rules & Points!

Congratulations! I look forward to accompanying you on your journey to being a healthier mom.  Remember, this is not a weight loss challenge, but an opportunity for all of us to improve & maintain healthy habits!!

Below you will find the daily goals that we will be striving towards along with their point valuation: 

Drink 10 cups of water/ day   1 point

Eat 3 meals & 2 snacks per day (Ensure all food groups are represented. Aim for 2-3 servings of fruits & vegetables/day) 2 points

Ensure adequate rest.  Aim for 6 hours of sleep, (Naps absolutely count) 1 point

30 minutes of consistent physical activity (max is 60 min/day) 3 points

Attending your FITMOM class or Personal Training session 6 points

Maximum Points/Day =10. Total Points over 8 weeks= 560 (not including Bonus Points)

Activities that count towards physical activity:

Bike ride, brisk walk (no strolls, let’s break a sweat!), running, interval training, strength training, yoga, workout DVD at home, group fitness classes outside of FITMOM, tennis, swimming (for mom not baby), team sports etc.

Bonus Points:

Babywearing in class- 1 point

Bring/Refer a Friend to any FITMOM Class-1 point

Completing any of the exclusive videos to support your workouts at home-2 points.  These will be posted up to my VIMEO account for you to access through the FITMOM Durham Blog.  These will be posted soon!

 

Here you will find the Link to your tracking sheets:

This is a link to your weekly tracking for those who think "Big Picture"

I encourage you to print off daily tracking sheets, which can be found here, to help keep you organized.  Remember, we are working on the honour system :)