Fit Mom's Blog

Books I’d like to read….

Everyday Paleo



Body by Design


The 4 -Hour Body


You are your own gym

What’s on YOUR reading list?!

[Read more →]

I have been an educator for more than 10 years, yikes! In all my years of teaching physical education, there have been few books that I’ve wanted to run out and read to all my classes! Jump Rope Magic, Wilma, Jesse Owens, The Sneetches, and Anna Banana are all books I’ve turned to year after year. Books help liven things up- particularly when teaching skills that are challenging (jump rope, sprinting and social skills).

And, today, as luck would have it, Wallie Exercises arrived at my door! From the word go, my kids were hooked. They loved every picture, they could relate to the lazy dog, the loved the Big Elephant and just generally loved the book.

Immediately finishing the book, they each jumped up to show their stuff to Mommy and Daddy. “Look at my triangle pose”, “No, Daddy, do it this way”, even better is that they took the yoga poses that they knew and turned them into their own yoga by design. (theme of the book)

Wallie Exercises comes with a little section at the end that you can do with your kids (or students if you happen to be a physical education teacher like me)! Teaching the squat tomorrow- with the help of the lazy dog!

I highly recommend that any of you with children go check it out! One hitch: it’s not released yet, however, you can pre-order it on Amazon now.

What do you do with your family for exercise?

P.S. This book was provided to me for purposes of review and the opinions expresses here are my own.

[Read more →]

Written by Mark Lauren and Joshua Clark, You Are Your Own Gym, offers fantastic ways to get in shape for FREE using only your body weight to do it. As I read this book, I was nodding my head the whole time, agreeing with everything he says -from cardio is a waste of time to the body weight exercises. I got a few giggles at some of the names of exercises like “pillow humpers”, “little piggies” or “sissy squats”.   Some of the exercises you’ll recognize from yoga like Half Moon Pose (Arhda Chandrasana) is now called One-Legged Romanian Dead Lifts or Downward Facing Dog pose is now called Military Press (from down dog put your head on the floor).   Movements I know from Cross Fit are here as well such as Burpees, Mountain Climbers, Pistols, One Legged Squats, Squats, and Overhead Squats. All of those aside from the Overhead Squats can be done with no weight and can completely get your heart rate up!

The nutrition information is basic. The more muscle you have on your body, the more you can eat. Keep your food in the paleo zone (although he doesn’t use that word) { nuts, seeds, lean proteins, fruits, veggies, eggs and fish}.   Eat 3-5 meals per day and keep the meals small- you aren’t going to starve.

What do I think?

I think this program closely resembles Cross Fit. Each workout can be done in Ladders, Supersets, Stappers (Rounds), Tabatas, and Intervel Sets. He’s got set standards for each program and it’s reasonable to work your way up to Chief Class. There is some ridiculousness in some of the exercises that I just wouldn’t do like “Bam Bams” lying over a table opening and closing your legs or working on fingertip pull-ups on a door frame, but on the whole this is a good program. Those people who say there is no cardio component have never done 50 Buprees in 4 minutes!  It’s worth a read and if you are one of those highly motivated people who don’t require a trainer of any sort watching you, this is the book for you.  For the rest of us,  you might just add a few exercises to your fitness library of what you can do at home!

P.S. I received this book for purposes of review and nobody is paying me to to right my opinion!

[Read more →]

Today, on Read Breathe, I’ve posted a new article on Why I’ll Never Look Like a Fitness Model!

[Read more →]

Book Review: Beat Sugar Addiction Now.

The good news is that you can still have sugar- just in very small amounts. And, dark chocolate in 1-3 ounce servings is okay, according to Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. The bad news is that there are WAY WAY TOO many diseases caused by excess sugar consumption. This book breaks down sugar addicts into 4 types: Type 1, “Sugar, The Energy Loan Shark”, Type 2 “Feed Me Now or I’ll Kill You”, Type 3, The Happy Ho Hunter, or Type 4, “Depressed and Craving Carbs.”

I admittedly am the “Sugar the Loan Shark” mommy. When I feel stressed, tired, sleep deprived or frustrated, I will turn to sugar or coffee. The author offers reasonable solutions for all types of sugar additions. Included with the solutions are a prescription for wellness- that includes supplements such as magnesium, powdered vitamins and herbs.  For those of us who are Type 1, the solution includes adequate sleep, hormonal support, Infections, Nutritional Support and Exercise.

On the food, the solution for all sugar addicts is to obviously REDUCE your sugar intake and eat a variety of fruits, vegetables and meats that are low on the glycemic index scale.    Sounds very similiar to the ZONE diet or the Paleo Diet or the Primal Blueprint diet…Eat fruits, vegetables, nuts, and high-quality meat sources, organic, if possible, and this will cure most of our health problems.

If you have the opportunity to read, Beat Sugar Addiction Now, I can definitely recommend.  I found the supplement suggestions interesting and worth reading more about.

Anybody read this book yet? Thoughts?

[Read more →]

So, what is making you fat?!
Yikes…such a blunt, negative start to a book, but, on the whole offers solid principles to go by. Mainly in the areas of sugar consumption for all of us. How many of you crave that after dinner sweet treat? Add sugar to your coffee? Love frozen alcoholic drinks like frozen margaritas??? According to Jackie, we are sugar addicts! Me included. In her book, This is Why You’re Fat- she blames the majority of obesity on sugar consumption, deprivation (not eating for hours and then eating too much) and in the consumption of non-organic foods!

How should we fix it?

Add in oatmeal, eggs, low-glycemic fruits and vegetables, herbal teas and limit alcohol and caffeine.

Her exercise program?

Intensity!! The “long slow distance” programs of the past are things of the past. You know longer need this to get results. Go hard for a shorter period of time and you will burn more calories for the rest of the day!

Can you cheat?

Yes! You get to pick two meals per week that are your indulgence meals where you can eat whatever you like.

Would I be able to follow it?

No, not now- being the Cross Fit and Zone dieter that I am, however, it’s a great place to start for someone new to fitness and exercise and nutrition. My thoughts on the food- is that it is still not very much food (only 2 eggs for breakfast), I eat 6 egg whites plus veggies, fat and a fruit and the exercises are fairly common. One good thing about the exercise program is that she strongly recommends going HEAVY with the weights. This is something that I still struggle with- “can I lift that much?!” and the answer is yes, YOU CAN. Results won’t come lifting sissy barbells ladies!

It’s definitely worth a read particularly on all the evils of sugar consumption!

P.S. This book was given to me for purposes of review. I was not paid for this post and the opinions here are my own.

[Read more →]

When two major things happen in one week for your kid, I tend to want to jump for joy!

Age 6, After hanging on to to it for nearly a month, he finally lost his big tooth!

We celebrated with a trip to the frozen yogurt shop! {yes, I know it’s not on the Zone diet}

And, then he read an entire book by himself to us with no help or prodding! Whoo Hoo….Let the reading begin!

This Fit Mom is celebrating with an early night to bed!

Happy Mother’s Day!

[Read more →]

This book has been on my desk for over a year!  I think I was finally inspired to pick it after seeing so many older ladies take up Cross Fit, that I was just curious what this book was all about.   I know for a fact that we as women can be stronger, fitter and train smarter in our late 3o’s than we probably did in our early twenties.  There is just more knowledge out there- more successful methods have been shared with the world and what may have worked in the 80′s for training- is not as appropriate now.  We learn, we grow, we change- that’s life, right?

How many of you watched Dara win the gold in ’08?   Anybody a big swim fan who’s followed her career since 1984?  I have not.  In fact, I barely knew of her before reading this book.

Dara Torres’ story is one of being a swimmer from age 6 on.   She competed in 2 Olympics by the time she was 24 (?), retired, made a comeback at age 32, retired, and then began training again when she was 38 or 39- with plans to compete at her fifth Olympics at age 41.  Age is just a Number follows her from the first Olympics to the last.

Honestly, this book didn’t do much for me.  The writing was horrible.  Her story didn’t inspire me.  It really felt like she could just up and do whatever she wanted when she wanted it.    Dara decides she’d like to make a comeback at age 32, and drops her entire life in New York, moves across the country and trains full time for a year- in order to qualify for the Olympics.  Sorry, but, who can just quit their life for another one at the drop of a hat?  How do you pay for such a huge life change?  And she does it twice.   “Achieve Your Dreams at Any Stage in Your Life” annoys me, actually, because yes she achieved high ranking swimming status but it does not talk about any hardships or difficulties or roadblocks at all.  She decides- therefore it gets done.   It’s not about how I can achieve my dreams at any stage nor does it offer any wisdom or guidelines on how I could just change my life in order to pursue XYZ, you know?!

That’s it.  It’s just my opinion, I’m sure all of you have one on this topic.  Women who inspire me include K. Switzer, Joan Benoit, Connie Carpenter and other women pioneers who carved their way into sports and made a name for themselves.  Who inspires you?

[Read more →]

One month ago, I posted that I would be starting the ZONE diet.  Even though I wasn’t overweight, I still felt like I could lose some body fat and in watching my Cross Fit trainers (you can read about them here), it looked like the right way to go about losing the fat.   Also, I had been having some dizzy spells at school while teaching and found that as soon as I went on the ZONE diet, that dizziness went away.

A little background on the ZONE:

The ZONE diet is not a high-protein diet.  At any one meal, you eat 3-4 ounces of protein and you are eating more carbohydrates than protein at any one meal.

Basically, the focus is on protein, fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds and no sugar.

“You will be protected from arthritis and osteoporosis.  Lowering insulin can alleviate tissue inflammation, because reduced insulin levels also mean reduced levels of the building blocks of pain- producing eicosanoids.  By decreasing these eicosanoids,  you relieve the pain and inflammation associated with arthritis.  Essentially, the ZONE diet works in much the same way as aspirin: both control pain by controlling eicosanoids. (page 20 of Week in the ZONE)

PRODUCTS OF THE ZONE DIET, PART 1:

The ZONE Nutrition Bars:  These bars are an almost perfect combination of proteins, carbohydrates and fats and would be considered a 2 block meal.   I found these to be an incredibly convenient snack in times when there was NO TIME for preparing real food.  I’ve tried several flavors and found the Sweet and Salty or the Cocoa Crisp to be the best tasting of all the bars.

The ZONE Nutrition Shakes: The shakes when mixed with milk provide a 3 block meal.  I’ve tried the chocolate and have loved them.  For me, I rely on these shakes when I’m in a rush in the morning or as a late afternoon meal.  Incredibly convenient, easy to make shakes for time starved people.

Here’s my opinion:

The hardest part of being on the ZONE diet (or any kind of diet) is the planning it requires.  To be successful, you need to plan all your meals and snacks ahead of time.  And, knowing the quantities to eat at any given meal.  The book says all you need is your eye and the palm of your hand- but I’d still prefer to use a measuring cup and a scale- but both take time.  The bars and shakes offered me time shortcuts for when I hadn’t planned my next meal.   One drawback of them is the price; they are expensive- both will run approximately $2.50 a piece.    However, I won’t hesitate to have them on hand- because I’d rather eat/drink these than have a non-zone meal.

My results thus far…ok, so, I forgot to take any measurements one month ago, but, if you saw this post, you know that I AM SHRINKING!!!!

Who has positive experiences of being on the ZONE diet?! Share, please.

P.S. I would like to thank the representatives of the ZONE diet for sending me these bars and shakes.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity to try them.

[Read more →]

This is a good one!  Every single recipe is fresh, simple and looks delicious!  I have read the entire cookbook and with a few exceptions, I’d cook every recipe- even grilled swordfish.  For the vegetarian chili recipe, it calls for eggplant, zucchini, peppers, onions, corn, kidney beans, beer…My husband would not complain if I served this to him!  There is even some multicultural recipes with names I’ve never heard of like bahmi special or Nasi Goreng (Indonesian dishes) that look creative and interesting.  I also like that for 90% of the cookbook, you can find the ingredients in a regular grocery store.  Check out this interesting smoothie recipe!

Nutrition in a Glass:

1/2 dried dates

1/4 dried cranberries

1/2 boiling water + 2 tablespoons orange juice

1/4 slivered almonds

1 Tablespoon Flaxseed

1/4 minute oats

1 cup of Coconut Water

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt.

Soak dates and cranberries in hot water with OJ for 5 minutes.  Blend the rest and add the fruit last.  Serve.

Although, I’ve spent the last few weeks reading this cookbook and not trying the recipes, this is definitely one you should have in your kitchen.  It’s creative, recipes would be a “crowd pleaser” and you’ll know just how healthy they are.

You can purchase this cookbook on Amazon for $19.77 and I highly recommend!

P.S. This cookbook was given to me for the purposes of review.

[Read more →]