All posts tagged: #Pregnancy

How Yoga Can Help New Moms & Their Postnatal Recovery

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I am not a Yoga Expert but I have participated in a few yoga classes and have really enjoyed them. I know a lot of new moms who have practiced yoga throughout their pregnancy as well as postpartum to help with recovery, strength and stress levels. And from what I’ve noticed anyone who starts yoga, continues yoga… So I decided to interview my dear friend, Julie Hinton, Elite Yoga Expert and Mom of 2 beautiful children. Julie helps me to uncover the many amazing health benefits of yoga for New Moms. Here is what Julie has to say; Yoga is a great way to help new moms get physically and mentally back on track after 40 weeks of pregnancy. With all the joy your new bundle brings, you will also undoubtedly feel heightened responsibility and worry. In addition to its many physical benefits, yoga helps quiet the mind. Yoga helps with postpartum, anxiety, fatigue, and mild depression and will help you through the many aches and pains after delivery. 1. How can a new mom start …

Prenatal Hair and Postpartum Hair

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What the heck??? I remember vividly my thick, shiny, long beautiful #hair when I was pregnant. In fact I don’t remember my hair ever looking or feeling so great! It was amazing! Fast forward to today and, again, I utter “What the heck?” Let’s get something straight – most women will lose about 100 hairs a day on average when showering or brushing because that hair is no longer actively growing. Of course that really doesn’t account for much so it’s of minimal consequence. Looking back to when I was #pregnant, our hormones are changing along with the changes in a soon-to-be mommy’s body so hair can keep growing and growing and growing. Hair that would normally get brushed out lessens leaving us with much thicker and even shiner hair. Yay! Of course postpartum, hormones change in the opposite direction with estrogen plummeting and a few months later all of the hair that didn’t fall out when we were pregnant suddenly start to come out in clumps! Argh! Now I have these Wolfman bangs from …

Postnatal Food Intake For Breastfeeding Mothers

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Over the last few weeks, I’ve been inundated with numerous questions from many new mommies mostly around the topic of returning to their Pre-Pregnancy weight as quickly as possible AND what to eat and also how much. By the way, I LOVE MEETING AND INTERACTING WITH NEW MOMMIES! As a new Mommy myself, this might seem like an overwhelming task to think of especially when mothering a new baby is at the forefront of our minds so breaking it down to 2 simple steps will help ease the transition. 1) When it comes to getting your Pre-Pregnancy body back, I always suggest TAKE YOUR TIME especially if you’re breast feeding because this can take several months to even a year to achieve this. A good portion of the weight that a pregnant woman gains is basically an “energy deposit” to meet the extra caloric demands of breastfeeding . The great news is, this energy deposit is consumed gradually while we nurture our child so we will lean out. I suggest waiting until the baby is at …

Attention all Fitness Professionals!

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Register for the @canfitpro world fitness expo for some awesome fitness education, expo hall, and join me on Friday August 14 from 2:45-3:15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre in Expo Hall Lecture Room. I will be presenting successful dieting and exercise strategies for both Prenatal and Postnatal women including common pregnancy symptoms and solutions, sample meal/supplement plans, sample exercise programs for pregnancy, and how to avoid/remedy “mommy tummy” (Diastasis Recti). Come out as I would love to see you at my #StrongLikeMommy session! Catch all the action at http://www.worldfitnessexpo.com #worldfitnessexpo #gofurther #InteractiveNutrition #TreadmillFactory #UnderArmourWomen.

Is Protein Powder Safe During Pregnancy or While Breastfeeding? 

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This is a very common question I get asked on a regular basis and my answer was “no” until I started doing more research and actually going through pregnancy and breastfeeding myself. A good quality protein supplement is absolutely necessary during pregnancy and breastfeeding especially because our protein needs are much higher (we’re eating for two). It can also be challenging to eat the amount of protein we require regularly because of nausea or food aversion while pregnant or even lack of time once our bundle of joy arrives. I personally didn’t suffer from much nausea during my first trimester but my cravings for carbohydrates were incredibly high so my macronutrient intake was off, protein powder was so quick and easy for me to consume and it saved me from cooking up chicken, fish or steak…which was the last thing I wanted to do during my first trimester. Now that I’m a busy new mom who is breastfeeding a very hungry boy, time is of the essence. I hardly have time to shower so cooking food has …

6 weeks Postpartum Accountability Check!

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I’m 6 weeks postpartum and I finally have the ‘green light’ to lift heavier and increase metabolic and core stability training, the gloves are off and I’m picking up the intensity. Since I am breastfeeding I’ll be eating healthy (as per usual) but eating what I want and when I want without counting calories. As part of my lifestyle ritual, I have a good idea of how much I need to eat with measurements of protein and carb sources along with keeping up dietary fat intake. One of the amazing things about breastfeeding is that you can burn up to 500 calories a day so my extra ice cream and cookie splurges balance out the energy deficit it creates (umm…bonus!). I’m going to increase the volume of exercise along with intensity levels but will keep my sessions at no longer than 45 minutes (free time is of the utmost importance when you’re a new Mommy). I’ll forego the typical cardio based work and save it for walks in the fresh air with my boy…and most importantly enjoy being a Mommy …

6 Weeks into Motherhood

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I am now 6 weeks postpartum and WOW! Motherhood has been quite the experience thus far. I heard a lot of different things from so many different people prior to my delivery (i.e. what to expect, what was horrible, what was delightful, etc.) but I took everything with a grain of salt because as much as I love hearing other Mommy Stories I hated hearing how hard it was going to be and how there will be no time for anything, etc, etc, etc. To be honest those comments just fuelled my fire to actually try to do more! I’m not saying that motherhood is easy because it’s not (far from it) but with a few adjustments, sacrifices (one being the state of my house lol) and lots and lots of planning I find that I am able to do even more than I expected. I’ve adjusted to the shortage of sleep, erratic eating times, and when I’m breastfeeding I’m actually planning, planning, planning.  When baby sleeps, I take that opportunity to exercise (I’m blessed …

STRONG LIKE MOMMY – Your guide to a healthy and fit pregnancy

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It’s here! It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here!!! Along with the birth of my Baby Boy last week, I’m extremely excited to launch my Strong Like MOMMY Prenatal ebook which is a guide to a Healthy and Fit Pregnancy. The protocols in my ebook chronicle my own personal Prenatal journey along with a handful of my clients in their journey towards motherhood. Find out how these STRONG MOMMIES stayed health, happy, and fit along with their some of their secrets in getting their bodies back soon after delivery! – Eat clean and healthy meals which pack in the energy you need. – Postural and Flexibility Movements – 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Trimester Training Programs – For more daily energy, a better sense of well being, much faster postpartum recovery. – Exercise Videos – How to stop “MommyTummy” – I’ll show you specific exercises you can perform to help control your MommyTummy. – Supplement Recommendations – Over 30 Recipes – And so much more! To purchase your STRONG LIKE MOMMY Prenatal ebook, head on over …

STRONG LIKE MOMMY – Exercise during the 1st and 2nd Trimester

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As I settle into the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy, my body is becoming accustomed to all of the changes that is happening inside of me. Even better, my Little Bean is starting to make an appearance pushing out my midsection and as I start to share all of these changes with my family, friends, and loved ones I am frequently asked – “Are you still working out?”. The answer is YES. Do I advocate exercise during pregnancy? The answer is also YES. Do I advise everyone to do the same exercises? That answer is NO. Please consult your doctor before engaging in anything strenuous especially during pregnancy but as a rule of thumb, if you were active before the baby then there isn’t any reason you should continue staying active during pregnancy. (In contrast, if you were inactive before your pregnancy it isn’t a good idea to all of a sudden get heavily involved in a disciplined training regimen of consistent and strenuous activity if your body wasn’t conditioned prior) Of course my training …

STRONG LIKE MOMMY

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Hi Everyone, With the final touches being put on my upcoming e-book, baby onesies (and additional clothing) about to be launched, followed by photo and video shoots, I am extremely proud to launch the “STRONG LIKE MOMMY” brand which will cover Prenatal and Postnatal information on Fitness, Nutrition, and Lifestyle. Most of the content on STRONG LIKE MOMMY will be featured in my new Facebook page – http://www.facebook.com/stronglikemommy. Please join me and all the STRONG MOMMIES over on our new page by hitting “LIKE”. Because the page is brand new (I’ll be updating with a new profile picture more reflective of my current physique), I’ve attached a peek into the first few paragraphs of my STRONG LIKE MOMMY e-book: “Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your Fitness and Nutrition Prenatal journey. As a Fitness Trainer and Registered Holistic Nutritionist, I have coached thousands of women to their Fitness and Weight Loss goals with many of them being mothers themselves. In addition to Weight Loss and Performance Training, I’ve also had the …