Wednesday, January 30, 2013

What I've been eating - Skating Comp. Edition


Yup It's Wednesday and time to talk food!

It is pretty easy to eat well at home. I mean you make a meal plan filled with nutrient dense foods, create the list and off you go to the grocery store!


Now all you have to do is stick to the great choices you already made, your house is filled with heathy food.


Traveling is tougher, but even worse than a simple road trip or a visit to the relatives is being stuck in an arena for 3 days straight!
I mean arena canteens have to have the worse possible food choices: pop, nachos and their plastic cheese, hot dogs, popcorn and candy over load!

Lucky for me my recent exposures to healthier eating had me prepared!

Before I left I made baggies filled with almonds, and Vega Savi Seeds. Once I arrived at our destination I bought dried fruit to add to my baggies. I also bought a few protein bars to help keep me filled. Paired with my water bottle I was all set. I am happy to say that I didn't once eat any of the garbage from the rink.



But of course I wasn't perfect either. I did enjoy several Starbucks Lattes (with non fat milk) and a dessert or two with dinner. But at least I did my best to keep with truly nasty stuff out of my system.


I'll be faced with a similar situation next week when I fly to visit my Mom for her 60th birthday. I'll be extra prepared for the long flights and be sure to buy fresh,  nutrient dense foods once I'm there!


How do you prepare for travel?
Do you bring snacks from home or just "let yourself go?"


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

I've been busy

I know I haven't posted in nearly a week, but I've been busy taking my beautiful girl to her skating competition!
She brought home 6 medals - one for each of her events! I am so very proud!




While I was there I came down with a nasty cold :(


I plan on posting more this week including a recap of my last two weeks of workouts. I've had a lot of fun trying new workouts and I can't wait to share.

But today I'll leave you with a few motivational photos from Tumblr.



HAVE A GREAT DAY!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

What I'm Eating Wednesday!

When It comes to food I am not your typical fit blogger. I do not follow any specific diet, paleo, clean, vegan. As a busy mamma to three growing girls (all of which are lean (E is actually under weight)) I have to balance good for you food with for that they will actually eat.

While most bloggers will show you their menus filled with bean burgers, protein smoothies, and carbless lunches. My blog will have a different spin. I have nothing against eating clean or being vegan it just doesn't work for us.

Here's a run down of what we eat:

MEAT - beef, chicken, pork, seafood and fish

BREAD - rye, whole wheat, english muffins, tortillas. I particularly like to bake my own whole wheat bread.

FRUIT and Veggies - in that order. We like fruit more than veggies and we eat a lot of it.

DAIRY - 2% milk for the kiddos, skim for Mamma and dad, greek yogurt, cheese (lots of it), ice cream (store bought and homemade)

SWEETS - yes we eat sweets. This Mamma loves to bake so you will often find homemade muffins, loaves, cookies, pie, cake or other yummy things in our home. We don't eat them everyday all day, but I believe part of being a kid is enjoying milk and cookies before bed or having a yummy homemade muffin in your lunch.

We also sometimes eat things like KD (Kraft Mac and cheese) hot dogs, bacon, marshmallows, etc. I feel life is too short to not eat a hot dog once in a while. The same goes for fast food. We live in a tiny remote community that does not offer fast food. So, when we head out of town we often stop at McDonald's for a treat (maybe 4 times a year!).

Here are things I personally try to avoid - fried food, candy, chips, pop (soda) and other nutrient void treats. My kids are allowed to have a treat once in a while but none of these food LIVE in our house.

I truly believe that everything is ok in moderation and it is the SUM of your food choices that define you not individual choices. I feel that my kids deserve to not only eat good, wholesome foods but also have the right to enjoy a treat once in a while - YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!

Here are a few snap shots of some of our favourite foods:

pumpkin pancakes!
Homemade tomato soup


Cinnamon Buns fresh out of the oven

Healthy Snacks
Oatmeal


What do you and your family eat?
Do you follow a specific eating style?
How do you find food balance?


Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tuesday Tips

It's Tuesday and time for a few Fit Mamma Tips.

Please note: I am not a personal trainer, coach, nutritionist or the like. I am simply a Mamma who loves fitness. Therefore, please consult a doctor or personal trainer before starting a new fitness program.

As you know I have chosen to do 20 minutes of yoga per day for my latest  Best Body Bootcamp goal. I feel that stretching is a treat for my body and flexibility is a key component to being fit.




Yoga Tips

1. Dress for it - This doesn't mean you need to run out and spend your pay cheque on the latest Lululemon yoga wear. However, you should wear clothing that is both comfortable and allows you to move with ease. You should avoid items that are too baggie (to avoid getting tangled) or too snug. You should be able to breathe with ease in these items. I also recommend going barefoot so you can feel your mat below you and to prevent slipping.

2.  Choose the right location - I believe that your space should be warm and inviting. It should also be a quiet peaceful place. Its hard to concentrate and enjoy your practice if your kids are fighting and you are spending every down dog fretting over the toys on the floor. I also believe you need a warm space, as muscles move better when they are warm. Its no fun to shiver during your warrior pose.

3. Warm up - Don't just jump into backbends or head stands. Warm up slowly moving towards more difficult poses. Repeat each series several times getting deeper into the pose as you go. Your muscles need to be coaxed into deeper more difficult poses to prevent injuries.

4. Hold - Remember to hold your pose for a couple of breathes to reap the true benefits. Breathe deeply and try to keep a flat back (unless the pose requires a rounded back). While you may not get as deep or low into your pose you benefit more from a pose with a flat back. With practice you will be able to hold the pose longer and move a little deeper. Don't cheat yourself by rushing through it.

5. Breathe  - Breathing in yoga is just as important as the movement itself. Deep belly breathing will allow you to relax and move deeper into the pose. Anyone can hold a difficult pose if they are holding their breathe. Its a learned skill to be able to relax and breath deeply.

6. Stop if it hurts - You are meant to feel the stretch during yoga but it should not HURT. If it hurts, ease back. Talk to an instructor if you have particular injuries or tender areas, you may need to modify your pose.

7. Relax and enjoy  - Be sure to see your practice to the end. Don't skip out on the quiet meditation / relaxation at the end of the class / video. This portion will recharge you and help put you in a positive state of mind so you are ready to take on your day.

8. Choose the right class for you -  Make sure you do a little research before starting a yoga class. If you are a beginner you will want more guidance through the moves. Also consider the time of day. Some series are designed to recharge and energize, not exactly ideal before bed!  Also take care if you are a pregnant or a new mom. Seek out a class that is designed for this special time of your life.



I hope you have found these tips to be useful.

Do you take a yoga class? If so what class you you enjoy most?

Don't have access to a yoga studio? I don't :( Give this online website a try. The have a two week free trial going on now!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Motivational Monday

Welcome to my first Motivational Monday!
I am a total creature of habit so it is very likely that I will be creating my posts in a routine. Mondays will be Motivational Mondays where I keep it simple and post some of my favourite Motivating photos that I have found.
It also just happens to be motto day on the Start Clean calendar!
I hope these motivate you as much as they motivate me :)



This is one of my favourites! Quite often we think that we can simply eat what we want because we worked out. Not true! You are what you eat, so fuel properly and give your body the nourishment it deserves.


A great one to help get out out of a funk.


I bought my husband a tee for Christmas with this motto! 


I you want to look good and feel good then do the work. As my Grandfather would say "there is no such thing as a free lunch".

I hope these images helped motivate you a little or a lot!

What keeps you going??

*all images came from Tumblr they are not my own!


Saturday, January 19, 2013

Goals

Welcome to the first post at Fit Mamma :)





I am currently heading into my third week at Best Body Boot Camp, BBB, and its time to start thinking about my goals for the next two weeks. One of the components to being successful in BBB is to choose 2 goals to focus on for a week or two and successfully meet those goals for 5 days out of 7. My last goals were very simple and obtainable - drink 64 oz of water a day and eat 7 freggies a day. I got these ideas from my last challenge HBBC. However, I thinks its time to try something new.

I got thinking about goals last night as I was brushing my teeth, I'm pretty sure one of my goals will be to floss every day. This is something I do pretty regularly, but often let slip when I get tired or lazy. I was trying to choose a second goal. To be honest I am finding it kind of tough.
While I love a good challenge I am usually better when someone tells me what to do, picking it myself is tough. It needs to be hard enough to make it a goal, but not so hard that I can't do it. For example I would never give up coffee! I also don't want it to be so freaking specific that I spend my days calculating the grams of protein and stressing about every morsel of food. I am also not ready to give up all sugar for 2 weeks.

There are a ton of acronyms out their for goal selection even my 12 year old knows SMART! The idea behind it is to choose a goal that you can be successful at, no one wants to choose something and fail. That's not the idea, but it also needs to be hard enough to push you. The idea behind the goals portion of BBB is to help us challenge ourselves and create new and lasting positive changes.

I am pretty sure that I will stick with flossing and I should  will add 20 minutes of stretching and meditation to my goals as well.  Stretching is truly a treat for my body and I don't spend enough time doing it. To make it tougher it will have to be 20 minutes of only stretching and focusing on my breathing not a quick quad stretch as I cook supper.


So there you have it my first post!

Are you in BBB or another challenge?
What are your goals??