When I found out I was pregnant, I was excited about becoming a mom and introducing a beautiful new life into the world, but I was fearful about having a “mom’s body.” After all, let’s face it, for most women pregnancy signals the “beginning of the end.” But why? The answer is simple: because we put our health and fitness needs on the backburner. The truth is, many women admit their life-long struggle with weight began after they became pregnant, where they gained up to 60+ pounds. Although they lose half of it after giving birth, it becomes difficult to lose the other half. With each pregnancy, a woman keeps adding more and more weight until one day the reflection staring back in the mirror is a stranger. But I’m here to tell you loud and clear that you don’t have to trade in an attractive body for motherhood. But first…who am I and why should you trust me? My name is Cathy Toruño and I’m a health and fitness expert whose passion is teaching women what’s true and false when it comes to having a healthy pregnancy. The first thing I want you to know is it won’t take months (or years) to get back into your pre-pregnancy shape after having a baby. Everything starts by having the right tools and knowing a few simple tricks about foods, beauty products, supplements and exercises.
Here are some of the tips I give to many of my clients to start them on their road to post-pregnancy stardom:
1. As soon as you feel ready, start light exercise. Weather permitting, take a 10-minute walk with the baby every day and slowly increase your time to 20 minutes per day. Babies can be worn in a sling or you can use a baby jogger or stroller when they get too heavy.
2. Don’t be fooled by foods that are labeled fat-free. Some are loaded with calories and have hydrogenated vegetable oils and/or high fructose corn syrup, neither of which is healthy. Read your labels!
3. Breastfeeding uses up your fat stores, burning about 500 calories per day, so the longer you breastfeed, the more calories you burn.
4. Drink at least 10-12 glasses of water every day. Replace your sugary beverages such as sodas and juices with water and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Also try flavored seltzer water, which has no calories and will fill you up.
The above are just a couple of tips I’ve recommended over the years. For a more personalized regimen and to get in shape even if you’ve never been pregnant, contact me through BeFitWithCathy.com. Your new body is just a click away.
Quality Time
As we try to savor the last moments of summer, it’s almost impossible not to allow the concerns of the upcoming months to interrupt the frozen drinks and sweet smell of sunscreen. So often, we see the days of summer as our opportunity to slow down while the beginning of the school year symbolizes the return of time that is not our own. It almost seems impossible to find a few moments to recharge our batteries amongst the chaos of homework, soccer schedules and play dates. It’s exhausting just thinking about it. In my private practice, I speak to families constantly about spending quality time with each other. Oftentimes, I’m met with the response that quality time comes in the form of week-long vacations and expensive shopping trips. The quality time that I’m referring to can be accomplished anytime, anywhere for as much time as possible…the only necessary component is presence of mind. The kind of uninterrupted time that enables a family to reconnect by focusing on each other at that given moment is the key here. Usually, kids are pretty good at this; it’s we parents that need to work on it. This focus on the present is the main theme in Eckart Tolle’s book The New Earth. Tolle suggests that by focusing on your breathing, you’re enabling your mind to be present, not worrying about the future or fretting about the past. By doing this, you can give yourself the freedom to enjoy your family and not be focused on all the things you need to get done. Although it may sound like a waste of time, it is through this kind of connection that the real joy in life can be found: The joy that gives us the energy and hope to get through our to-do list and know that at the end of the day the connections we share with others are where we find our true happiness.
› Elicia Lowitz is a licensed mental health counselor who maintains a private practice at Stonybrook Counseling Center in South Florida. Her practice focuses on family-themed issues. She also runs an online practice at OnlineTherapyNow.com. For a private consultation or convenient online therapy sessions, contact Elicia Lowitz at [email protected].
“Sunday Rose has an elegant sound to it; Sunday Urban sounds like a new section
in the weekend newspaper.”
— Gael F. Cooper for MSNBC.com on Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban’s new baby.
23.12 lbs.
The weight of the heaviest baby ever born. It was born in 1879 in Canada and died 11 hours after birth due to respiratory collapse.
Flabber Gassy
Term inspired by the word “flabbergasted” in which baby gas leaves most people shocked such a cute little thing could expel such rancid odors.
Jacob & Emily
The most popular baby names for boys and girls, respectively, as ranked by the Social Security Administration in 2007.
