Mom's Healthy Fitness

The Best Time to Weigh Yourself – Here’s a funny story for you guys: A friend of mine recently took her husband out on a big splurge dinner for his birthday to Cheesecake Factory. Later that night, she noticed one of the first things he did when they got home was go weigh himself.  So it made me think, when is the best time to weigh yourself?

It seemed a bit odd that he’d choose such an odd time to step on the scale, but she didn’t say anything. That is until a week later when they went out with some friends for lunch and he did it again. She asked him and his answer was, “I dunno. When is the best time to weigh myself?”

Quick answer – never after you eat, that’s for sure.

When you are following a weight-loss plan, the scale can be your best friend and your worst enemy. Weighing yourself consistently can give you a sense of accomplishment and hold you accountable with your health and fitness goals. If you weighed five pounds less than what you did the previous time, then heck, that’s a huge confidence builder and proves what you are doing is working.

But the scale can also be a tricky device that, when not used properly, can give you false numbers. According to WebMD, it’s natural for your weight to fluctuate a few pounds day to day or week to week.

Normal weight fluctuations may be due to:

1. Eating starchy or salty foods
2. The weather
3. Water retention due to hormonal changes (PMS )

Needless to say, weighing yourself after a meal, or even daily, is not ideal. The trick is to pick a specific day and time and stick to that. More specifically, I say the best time to weigh yourself is once per week and to do it first thing in the morning. That’s when the scale is giving you the most accurate reading. Every trainer, nutrition specialists, health and fitness coach is different, but I have my clients check in with me on Friday morning.

I do that because we meal prep over the weekend so it’s easier to stay on track throughout the week. Not to mention, it allows you to have your splurge meal over the weekend without worrying about it or feel guilty. I used to hate when my trainer had me weigh in on Mondays because I couldn’t enjoy the weekend with friends and family. And if I did, I’d be at my worst weight coming off the weekend.

It wasn’t that I was falling off track, it was that the weigh in strategy was off the mark. So allow for that free meal and enjoy the weekend, but then get back on track starting Sunday.

Whatever you decide, just be smart about it and don’t behold yourself to what the scale says. The important thing is to do something every day that gets you closer to your goal.

That’s when you will see the true fruits of your labor – and it may just be on the scale.

The post The Best Time to Weigh Yourself appeared first on Karma Nelson Fitness .

Source: Healthy Life

Working out During Pregnancy – Every so often, I get a few first-time expectant mothers asking me if they can workout when they are pregnant. The short answer is YES. Even still, most of them tend to look at me like I’m crazy.  In my opinion, Working out During Pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for not only yourself, but for an overall healthy pregnancy too.  (of course, always consult with your Dr)

Here’s the deal, ladies. Pregnancy is not an ailment! It’s a gift from God and something we have been doing since the dawn of time. Is pregnancy easy? Not always. But unless you are bed ridden or have strict guidelines to follow from your doctor, a pregnancy is not something that will incapacitate you.

Being Consistent

If anything, working out consistently before, during and after a pregnancy makes the entire process easier on you. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that healthy pregnant women should do moderate exercise for 20 to 30 minutes every day. Following this routine will not only keep you and the baby fit, but will eliminate issues like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.

I have two stories to share, and I bet you have seen similar ones.  No joke, when my sister found out she was pregnant, she immediately proppped her feet up, ate Cheetos with ranch and later gained almost 80 pounds with her pregnancy.  After seeing that, I vowed to NOT ever let that happen to me!  Almost five years later when I was blessed with my first pregnancy, I continued my regular healthy ealting and exercising.  As my belly grew bigger I learned to make modification and of course, check my heart rate.  Opposite to my sister, I gained just 25 pounds and bounced back to pre-pregnancy weight in no time.

Working out during a pregnancy can also help with:

1. Boosting your mood
2. Making labor and delivery easier
3. Helping you recover faster
4. Improve posture and lessen back aches
5. Limit stress and heart rate issues
6. Lessening fatigue
7. Making the baby healthier

I’m not a doctor, and will never pretend to be one. But I can say all of this and write this blog because I’ve had three healthy babies of my own. I was always into health and fitness, and when I got pregnant with our first child, Lucy, I continued to workout until I delivered her. I remember doing kickboxing classes until it was physically impossible for me to jump. I continued to do weight training until the bar wouldn’t pass over my big ol’ belly when doing bicep curls.

Trust me, I can’t make this stuff up. It’s true. Basically, I reached a point where I did have some limitations in my workout. But that didn’t mean I had to stop completely. It simply meant I had to change things up. By the end of my pregnancy, I felt like I was healthy and had a smooth delivery because of it.

Working out during pregnancy helped my baby weight came off faster.

Whatever you decide, just know that you and your baby are completely safe. I urge you to consult with your doctor before starting any strenuous or moderate exercise, but once you do that, reach out to me and I’d be happy to steer you down the right path with a workout plan that meets your individual needs.

The bottom line is be smart, and be active. Don’t let that baby bump get in the way of leading a healthy life.

Thanks for reading!

The post Working out During Pregnancy appeared first on Karma Nelson Fitness .

Source: Healthy Life

Childhood Obesity – September may have been Childhood Obesity Month, but for any parent out there, this is a global epidemic that is gaining traction and should constantly be on your radar. I know it’s on mine, and here is why.

According to the Center for Disease and Prevention, obesity has more than doubled in children ages 17 and younger over the past 30 years – meaning that one in every five children in the country is considered obese. Whether it be in adults or children, obesity poses a huge risk for cardiovascular diseases and is also linked to diabetes. It can also lead to health risks such as asthma, sleep apnea, joint problems, and liver disease.

Not to mention social discrimination, self-esteem issues, and problems in school.

To further drive the point home, I pulled a few sobering facts from FoodFacts.com.

• In 2013, the American Medical Association voted to classify obesity as a disease.
• Childhood obesity may reduce life expectancy by at least five years. This means that children that are obese may have a shorter lifespan than their parents.
• Children that have obesity are more likely to have obesity as adults, which may lead to lifelong physical, emotional and mental health problems.
• Up to 70% of obese children already have at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
• Over 50% of overweight and obese children have breathing problems and can develop asthma.
• Childhood obesity may increase the afflicter’s risk for many types of cancer, multiple myeloma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

One of the biggest factors that caught my eye with childhood obesity is how devastating it can be on a child’s performance in school. Not many people think about the social stigmas and self-esteem issues that can come into play, which directly affect a child’s ability to be an active member of various youth groups and have friends. It can also impact their willingness to take on school tasks, leading to poor grades.

So what can we do as parents?

We can start by living our own lives as healthy as we possibly can, which if you have visited my website enough times, you know I am a huge proponent of. Think about it – if we are eating unhealthy, not working out and gaining weight, odds are that our children will do the same. That sets a horrible example, and those bad habits will carry over to their adult life.

Parents must set the example by observing good sleeping habits, proper nutrition and regular eating times. Instead of ordering pizza every night because it’s quick and easy, go to the grocery store and focus on buying fresh foods. Make their breakfast every morning and a wholesome sack lunch for school. Let them help you cook dinner, and stress the importance of what certain foods will do to help them be healthy.

Resources for Parents

Check out my previous blogs for great tips on that if you are having problems. That’s what I’m here for.

And for goodness sake, get your kids moving. Limit the time they spend watching television or playing video games. I’m not suggesting go have them do 50 Squat Thrusts before bed every night, or to keep on them like a drill sergeant. But keeping them active is definitely the key… and it may require YOU to be the leader to get the family healthy!

And don’t overthink it. A child’s daily exercise can be as simple as getting them involved in sports or setting a timer when they are asked to do chores around the house. If you are the type of person who likes to do yard work, get the kids to pull weeds or let them help your husband push the lawnmower.  My personal favorite is to put in a workout DVD and do it together as a family!

See how fun it can be to have a family fitness challenge

Bottom line, I urge you to think about childhood obesity long after this month is over. Living a healthy and fit lifestyle should be the goal of every adult – and every family.

The post Childhood Obesity appeared first on Karma Nelson Fitness .

Source: Healthy Life