Exercise with Little Ones

I find it easier to include our girls in my exercise plans than to try to find ways to exercise alone. I personally need exercise more to stay fit and sleep well, than to lose weight.

Some things I did for exercise at home included following exercise videos, playing hide and chase games, and doing stretching. I recommend the video "Buns & ABS of Steel with Madeleine Lewis" for cardio, abdomen stretching and post-pregnancy stretching. The video has 10-minute segments and each segment contains its own cooldown. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0004Z32L0/ref%3Dasc_df_B0004Z32L01149688/%3Ftag%3Daskcomel-20%26creative%3D380333%26creativeASIN%3DB0004Z32L0%26linkCode%3Dasn I like at least 10-15 minutes of cardio to get my heart rate up. My favourite cardio is step-programs so I set up my own ramps. The funnest games are hide-and-seek, chase me if you can, and peek-a-boo. With hide-and-seek, I would often have just 2-3 seconds to jump to a hiding place. Our girls love to chase me round and round as we enter and leave the kitchen through different entrances. Our girls love to imitate us as we do stretches. When children are young, they love to be with us on the floor and they seem to think that we're playing. One fun ab stretch with young children is to lay our child on our stomach and roll from side-to-side. Our girls like to lay in a sheet as I swing it back and forth, holding the four corners. This really works my stomach and tricep muscles. Sometimes creativity pays off and we create a great workout routine while able to entertain our children.

I really enjoy getting out of the house for fresh air, Vitamin D, companionship and some exercise. Outside of the house, I often go for walks along forested bike trails or to the playground, transporting baby either by baby carrier or by stroller. Many mothers like the Ergo Baby Carrier and many styles can be seen at: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_4?url=search-alias%3Dbaby-products&field-keywords=ergo+baby+carrier&sprefix=ergo Our carseat attaches to the seat of our stroller, making it easier to move her indoors later without waking her up. Here are some stroller travel systems: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_8?url=search-alias%3Dbaby-products&field-keywords=stroller+travel+system&sprefix=stroller At playgrounds and indoor play areas, I stay quite active as I shadow my children fairly closely. I find that if our children have sufficient time climbing at the playground, then they don't climb as much at home. If we go to the playground often enough, then they don't whine when we leave there. One time I saw a father at the playground doing chin-ups from the swingset and later doing arm stretches. I find that I work my arms constantly on outings as I transport or carry our toddler, push her on the swings, support her as she climbs ladders, or catch her as she slides down. My stomach muscles also seem to get a great workout doing all of the above too.

When I go to the three-story indoor play areas, I get quite a workout following our youngest around. Our mall has a children's indoor play area with slides, stairs and ladders. The mall also has colourful single and double strollers called Kiddies Kruizers that we can borrow in exchange for leaving our driver's license as a deposit. These strollers are heavier than ours which gives me a better workout. Once our girls are ready, I start putting them into the child carrier on my bike. I practice beforehand by buckling in a heavy object into the car seat. For our trips to the playground nowadays, our youngest daughter rides on the back of my bike and our older daughter rides her two-wheeler. It's challenging for me to ride up inclines with 25 extra pounds on the back of my bike.

I just learned of center-mounted carriers so babies can ride up front between Mama's arms. Here's the website: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FIH0EG/ref%3Dasc_df_B000FIH0EG1140675/%3Ftag%3Daskcomel-20%26creative%3D380333%26creativeASIN%3DB000FIH0EG%26linkCode%3Dasn One Dad told me that he liked the security for Baby and he found it easier to point things out to his son this way. I saw a woman push a stroller and walk a dog while she was wearing roller blades, but this is way more than I can do. Every mother has to determine her exercise need and how to meet that need. We have to find out what works best for us.

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Michelle is an author and entrepreneur for a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. Find out more by calling 1-800-719-8268 ext. 45455 or visiting http://www.timewithmama.com Feel free to contact Michelle at timewithmama@shaw.ca She's available to answer questions or give suggestions.

Mother-Baby Bonding at Birth

On page 39 of his book, "The Caesarean", Michel Odent asks the question:

"Why do all societies ritually disturb the first contact between mother and baby?"

http://www.amazon.com/Caesarean-Michel-Odent/dp/1853437182 This is an important question for mothers. As mothers, we need to arrange our labour and birth in such a way that our first meeting with our baby is sacred and safe. We carry our babies for months and we long for the moment of birth. We want to hold our babies in our arms and introduce them to our world. We want the moment to be precious and guarded.

When a woman becomes a mother, tremendous changes happen within her and she's forever changed. On page 39 of "The Caesarean", Michel Odent also writes that the love hormones (oxytocin and prolactin)

"can be extremely high if the place is warm enough, if the eye-to-eye and skin-to-skin contacts between mother and baby are not disturbed, and if the sense of smell of both of them are not distracted by aggressive odours."

For the sake of our society, we must do whatever we can to help first-time moms and all moms have good birth experiences. It is so important that the mother-baby bonding time happen naturally. http://www.askdrsears.com/html/10/T101100.asp

Frederick Leboyer gives some excellent ideas in his book "Birth Without Violence". http://www.amazon.com/dp/0892819839/ref%3Dasc_df_08928198391139734/%3Ftag%3Daskcomel-20%26creative%3D380333%26creativeASIN%3D0892819839%26linkCode%3Dasn He is the founder of the Leboyer Baths for new babies. As our baby was being born, I made sure that the lights were dimmed, the staff were hushed, the door was closed, soft music was playing and the odours were subdued. I held our precious baby in the birthing tank with umbilical cord still attached. It was a tremendous experience compared to my previous cesarean. http://www.waterbirth.org There is so much that mothers can do to bring about a satisfying birth experience. I truly believe that birthing babies is as important to women as an occupation is to men. We need to protect our labour and delivery so that we remember it well and we can avoid post-partum difficulties and childbirth trauma. http://www.solaceformothers.org Our children are so worth it.

Michelle is an author and entrepreneur for a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. Find out more by calling 1-800-719-8268 ext. 45455 or visiting http://www.timewithmama.com Feel free to contact Michelle at timewithmama@shaw.ca She looks forward to hearing from you.

Time is our most precious commodity

I've learned that we can never get time back. We can always make more money or buy more stuff, but we can't get moments back. At the end of the day, all opportunities for adventure, fun or reaching out to others have to wait until the next day.

We always have time for the things we want to do. My days took a dramatic shift after reading Stephen Covey's book, "First Things First" http://www.shared-visions.com/explore/literature/firstthings.htm We want to take care of ourselves and be satisfied as mothers so that we can identify and meet the needs of our children.

I need to take hold of the timeless moments where I can hold our children close and tell them how much joy they bring to us and how much they mean to us. I get the best response from our girls when I plop myseIf down on the floor and just sit there for a bit. They run towards me and know that I'm making myself available to them. I told my girls today that problems will always come in life, but that I promise to help them through it. How well are our children getting to know us each day? Do they know that we have their best interests at heart? What will our children remember and say about us after we're gone?

Sometimes it's a struggle to get those precious moments into our day because I get driven to accomplish certain tasks. How do I decide which tasks can wait, and for how long? In actuality, a mother has a manager position in the household. When I can't do it all myself, I either have to bring others in to help me or I have to downscale my expectations. Outside help can either be paid or unpaid. For homemade meals, some mothers use meal prep services where they put together 8 or 12 meals for their families. http://www.dashingdishes.com/Some families have nannies or childcare. I opt for the downscaling option because family bonding time is important to me. Children bond with the people in their household, whoever they happen to be.

I like to simplify my life so that I can fit important things into my day. I find a tremendous relief in being able to write down tasks on To-Do Lists, daytimers or calendars. My time management systems act as my second brain. When I'm reminded of tasks that need doing, I make sure to jot them down. As a first-time Mom, I remember waking up from naps and spending precious time wondering, "Baby's asleep, what should I do first?" I later decided that it was a good time to take a shower, make phone calls, check e-mails, start supper or do laundry. I was able to focus myself more by adding columns to my To-do list such as "When Baby's awake/asleep", "Morning/Afternoon/ Evening", "When Daddy's home", etc. I got quick direction from my list and it helped me to feel ahead of the game.

As a working Mom, I had to shift my thinking in several areas. I have learned that it's better to do a task a little at a time than to not start them at all. I start on a task, knowing that I may not be able to finish it in one sitting. I can empty the dishwasher one level at a time if need be. I find that my husband doesn't mind checking on a meal that's already set cooking. I've learned to notice the capabilities of others and tasks that others take on independently. It's important for me to effectively communicate what I need from those around me. I've also learned that I need to take care of myself and allow myself some fun every week. When my work load is heavy and I need inspiration, I turn to videos such as "The Invisible Woman" found at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YU0aNAHXP0&feature=player_embedded I don't want to forget the reasons behind my choices.

Michelle is an author and entrepreneur for a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. Find out more by calling 1-800-719-8268 ext. 45455. Feel free to contact Michelle at timewithmama@shaw.ca She looks forward to hearing from you.