Healthy Learning

I'm sure you're aware that I have been on a bit of the health topic lately, if not see my previous posts. However, I wanted to get a discussion started on how you educate your children on healthy living. My family has some seriously picky eaters in it, my brother survived solely on ketchup sandwiches, peanut butter sandwiches and macaroni and cheese. Luckily he's seemed to have grown out of that stage and is willing to try more foods. Citing the example above, I didn't want the love bug to have that type of experience. I want him to enjoy a large variety of foods and cultures. So how does one do this?

 

While I know many of you will groan at this prospect, I take the Love Bug to the store with me. Whenever we pick out a fruit or vegetable, I tell him what it is, let him hold it and smell it. If he's sneaky enough sometimes he even tries to get a bite in! I caught him doing this on Monday with cilantro. I handed him a piece and told him to smell it, the next thing I know it was in his mouth!

 

We are lucky enough to live in an area where agriculture can be seen while driving through town. I explain to him what the farmers are doing, how things grow and when it's time for harvest that we'll get to eat those vegetables. When he's a little older, I'd love to take him to pick his own fruit or vegetables at one of those places. He loves being outside and enjoying nature, so I think he would really enjoy seeing how it comes full circle.

 

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For me, the most difficult part is trying to get more cultural food experiences. We try to provide a variety of food that he can be exposed to; however in our little town it can be hard because we are limited. We make curry about once a month (which is great! I didn't have Indian food for the first time until I was 22!), I try to incorporate my Hispanic heritage (which can be difficult as the Love Bug has a tomato allergy) and then the rest is usually meat with veggies. Lucky for me, he seems to enjoy veggies a lot, always eating them prior to his meat. Any suggestions on how I can incorporate more cultural food experiences with the Love Bug? I would love to hear from you on your approach to sharing healthy living habits with your children.

 

Chicken Curry with Rice
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Eating

Is it just me or does Eating/Dieting seem to be the item to discuss these days? I feel like everywhere I turn the discussion has turned to nutrition, the latest diet trend and eating healthy. Could this be due to soaring obesity rates in the U.S. or is it just because I'm at that age where 1) we are losing our youthful bodies or 2) we have had kids and are now facing the challenges of getting the baby weight off? I'm not sure which it is, but these definitely seem to be the top two among my group of friends. As I have joined the Healthy Living Trend and started a journey, I figured this would be a great discussion point. If you haven't read about my journey, please check it out here.

 

Let's start on why I decided to start my journey; there is definitely more than one reason. First, I was becoming LAZY and I'm not sure if it was due to the weight gain and not just having the energy or if it was just plain laziness. After the Love Bug was born, I was so consumed with taking care of him and our family that I just didn't take care of myself. All I wanted to do when my day ended was sit, eat and watch TV. Then there came a point where I wasn't happy with what my life had turned into, what I looked like and how I felt. I needed a change. This flows into my second reason, the Love Bug. I was a really active kid; I played sports and was outside a majority of the time. I wanted him to have that sense of adventure in climbing trees and exploring nature. I want to be a better example for him, so I can have a relationship with him while he's engaged in activities. I want to be able to keep up! The final reason, which I kind of discussed in my previous post, is genetics. Obesity, diabetes and high cholesterol run in my family. I know at least 4 family members who have had gastric bypass surgery. I DO NOT want to get to the point where I have to have surgery to be healthy again and I definitely do not want it for my children (not pregnant! But hoping for more in the future).

 

That being said, what I have done to lose weight? I've tried multiple things and I'll tell you what has worked best for me. Everyone is different, so what might work for me might not work for you. A few years ago I joined Weight Watchers and it really worked for me. I lost 25 pounds in 4 months and felt great. I was still able to eat out, go to fast food places and enjoy life being a young twenty something! I kept the weight off for a while and quit the program, slowly the weight started to pack on again and then I got pregnant. With my pregnancy I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes, not fun. After the Love Bug was born, I tried to keep up the diabetic diet, but yet again slowly started to get away from the diet and started to gain. After a few months, I decided to try Nutrisystem, I figured, hey they send me the food, all I have to do is eat it. Wrong! I spent the money on the food and barely ate it; it was to difficult for me when my husband was eating way yummier looking food. Quit that one pretty quickly. I was going in a downward spiral until I was given a challenge this past November. With that incentive I joined a gym, got a trainer and started an eating routine.

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I credit a lot of my success to a combination of my trainer and my hard work. I must admit, I’m not perfect and definitely have slip ups. My trainer has me on a variation of carb cycling, my plan is to really try to kick this into high gear in the next few days. For a few examples of what this looks like, check out Chris Powell on the Dr. Oz show here. Doesn’t that look amazing! The other thing I try to stick with is no/very little processed foods. My goal is to eat as close as farm to table as possible. The few exceptions I make are with frozen fruits/veggies. With fruits, I get frozen mostly to blend with protein drinks. I do this because usually the fruit will go bad before I have a chance of using it. With veggies, I tend to get frozen for the vegetables that are not in season (frozen veggies usually picked and frozen at peak of their season). I also do this so I can play with new vegetables I haven’t ever used before that are in season at the time. Now to the hard work portion (which has been slipping a little lately), I go to the gym 4-5 times a week for around 1.5 hours a day. When I train (3 days a week), I do a 30 minute strength training session followed by a 30 min to hour cardio session. On my non-training days, I do 45 minutes to hour strength training and 1 hour cardio.

 

Trust me, I KNOW it’s difficult to find the time to get to the gym with a busy life. Depending on the day I may cut more than usual and do the exercises I can at home. It’s about finding a balance with your life and what works for you. Again, I started out over 230 lbs. so what it takes for me to lose it may not take you as much.

 

Before starting ANY diet or exercise routine consult your doctor. Prior to starting my own journey I had a routine checkup with my doctor. There were some anomalies in my blood work, after a few tests I was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism, for more information on parathyroidism, check here. Which has a major effect on your energy levels, I had surgery and before I knew it, I had energy like nothing else! If I had not found this out prior to starting my training, I’m not sure how successful I would have been.

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So what are your healthy living secrets? Do you do the Paleo diet? Are you a vegetarian? Do you eat clean? I’d love to hear your input, eating habits and any thoughts you have.

Exercise!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that I've been on a weight loss journey (New Readers, please refer to these posts: The Journey and Results). Well, I'd like to revise that statement and call it a Healthy Lifestyle Revolution! I do not only want to incorporate these changes in my life, but my family's as well. Prior to the move, I discussed these changes with my husband, he wasn't too thrilled but he understood why. Unhealthy habits tend to run in families and are passed through the generations and that needs to stop with me. I want to make sure the Love Bug has every opportunity to live healthy and understand what a healthy lifestyle looks like.

 

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As I have made that decision, I wanted to incorporate the Love Bug. Not only so he could see the changes within me, but so that when he has the opportunity to make a choice he makes the best choice possible.

 

That being said, I try to incorporate the Love Bug into my exercise routine and show excitement when preparing to head to the gym. That’s right, I take the Love Bug to the gym with me! You know what the best part of this is? The child area at my gym is all glass walls, so he can see me work out and I can see him play! So when I’m in my cardio zone and have hit a wall, I just have to look over and see what I’m working for, that smiling loving boy looking back at me with awe and pride in his eyes. So worth it!

 

I’ve noticed this has started to spill over into how he is communicating and learning. When I do routines at home, he joins in and often mimics the movement I’m doing. He’s so proud that he’s able to “exercise” with Mommy! While it often makes it more difficult for me, I know that the impact it will have on him is worth it.

 

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Here’s a classic example, I went to pick the Love Bug up at my mom’s after work one day when she told him earlier in the day that he was going to the gym with me later in the afternoon. He then proceeded to do a few unusual movements, my mom asked him what he was doing. “Exercise!” with proud enthusiaum was his response. That holds so much promise for me, I hope he is always eager when pursuing fitness and can appreciate the physical benefits it brings him.

 

What physical activities do you share with your kids? How do you get them involved with an active lifestyle? Would love to hear your inputs! Stay posted for the next edition from Insights of a Modern Mom where we will discuss Healthy Eating Habits.

I Love You So Much

It's official, we have moved! What a whirlwind! So last week I wrote a post promising some great upcoming posts, but that was prior to the move and realizing that we wouldn't have internet for a week! So let's just say I'm doing this covertly at a undisclosed location!

 

The Love Bug has been at it again, being his lovey dovey self! Thus the title of this post. The last few weeks he has been constantly telling me, "Mommy/Mom, I love you SO much!" I absolutely love this! However, I noticed the trend has moved over into other aspects of his life. For example, "Mommy/Mom, I love it/this SO Much". Let's be honest, I was slightly jealous that it wasn't just me he loved so much. But I guess I can share the love, after all he is a little love bug!

 

What makes you feel loved/special? Share your comments would love to hear!

Inspiration

So it’s been a while since I’ve written a post and for that I apologize. There’s been a lot to do with the upcoming move (tomorrow!) and I’ve been preoccupied. I must admit there has also been a lack of “inspiration” in my mind as what to continue writing. It’s hard when you throw yourself out there and do not know if what you are writing means something to the reader.

Where do you draw inspiration?

I decided to take a step back and reflect upon what “insights” I want to share and how I really want this blog to evolve and be about. Maybe I should have taken a little more time before jumping in head first to the blog, but I have no regrets. Needless to say, I have some sweet moments to share in the upcoming days and a post coming up about Eating/Exercise that I would love feedback on!