tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54104348576410144592024-03-13T01:16:14.017-05:00Mama SweatFinding Fitness in the Chaos of MotherhoodKarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-13860536270919040882016-01-10T06:29:00.000-06:002016-01-10T06:29:50.880-06:00Mama Sweat is now Life as a Fit Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROBlpnG1oleRW-0m-qvPD5bcv3bqILMPWpDbIi7d-3I59sBZYaAi_7UHauihmDkMOQqGNAR4iFLcyKgJ2ubNbMIYDFO1UwpLNRIR0F64gnSm6-7KQl1OjlciXLRIjRQXqIm7H-Ftmt2u2/s1600/LifeasaFitMom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjROBlpnG1oleRW-0m-qvPD5bcv3bqILMPWpDbIi7d-3I59sBZYaAi_7UHauihmDkMOQqGNAR4iFLcyKgJ2ubNbMIYDFO1UwpLNRIR0F64gnSm6-7KQl1OjlciXLRIjRQXqIm7H-Ftmt2u2/s400/LifeasaFitMom.jpg" width="327" /></a></div>
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Looking for a post from Mama Sweat? Click over to <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a> where you'll find highlights from Mama Sweat and links for the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/ebook-announcement" target="_blank">Life as a Fit Mom eBook series</a>, based on the blog.<br />
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At <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a> you'll find posts on fitness while:<br />
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<ul>
<li>pregnant</li>
<li>postpartum</li>
<li>while children tag along</li>
<li>clinging to sanity</li>
<li>motivationally stuck</li>
<li>ill or injured</li>
</ul>
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In addition the "<a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/get-moving-now" target="_blank">Ways to Get Moving Now</a>," section includes:<br />
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<ul>
<li>9 Life as a Fit Mom videos</li>
<li>28-Day Fitness Challenge</li>
<li>6 steps to train for a 5K</li>
<li>Everything I know about pelvic floor fitness</li>
</ul>
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The new site also includes <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/squeeze-in-a-workout" target="_blank">How to Make Mama Sweat</a>, <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/fit-family" target="_blank">Raising a Fit Family</a>, <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/moms-gym-bag" target="_blank">A Fit Mom's Gym Bag</a> and <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/winning-as-a-fit-mom" target="_blank">Winning as a Fit Mom</a>.<br />
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I've kept a few more recent posts here and all the original posts about pelvic floor strength (hands down the most popular topic I blogged about).<br />
<br />Please stay connected with me on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. You can also check out the work I'm doing over at <a href="http://www.gogosportsgirls.com/" target="_blank">Go! Go! Sports Girls</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there with Life as a Fit Mom progress reports (i.e. will she or won't she convince her son to choose nature over Netflix?).<div>
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Good luck as you continue to find fitness in the chaos of motherhood and remember, it's okay to let them see you sweat!</div>
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Kara Thom<br /><div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-83044843524087042792015-12-28T07:46:00.000-06:002015-12-28T07:46:40.354-06:00Life as a Fit Mom: The Complete eBook SeriesThis is my 480th post on Mama Sweat. I have finished publishing all six books in the <i>Life as a Fit Mom</i> eBook series and now the final book that includes the complete series. Ta-Dah!<br />
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<i>Life as a Fit Mom: The Complete eBook Series</i> is available for $5.99 on:<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Life-Fit-Mom-Complete-Series-ebook/dp/B019QOMWE2" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/life-as-a-fit-mom/id1070567039?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple iBooks</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_Life_as_a_Fit_Mom?id=wihCCwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
Barnes and Noble and Kobo should have it within the next day or so.<br />
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As the days for 2015 dwindle and the expectations for 2016 rise, I have an "I've got this" feeling, which no doubt I've earned, not just through trial and error, but from writing about those experiences on this blog. Thanks for listening and giving me space to flesh out the best way to balance fitness and motherhood (or learn from my mistakes).<br />
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What I've discovered in these last seven-plus years:<br />
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1) Committing to a fitness goal is hard. This I've known for a long time, even back before I had kids. No matter what is going on in your life you have to want that goal, <i>really</i> want it, for that goal to see light. Committing to something can make you feel vulnerable, which can be scary. Then you have to rise above that fear and work toward your goal with focus, passion and intensity. Whether you've set your sights on a 5K, being able to do a pull up, deadlift your body weight, or finish an Ironman triathlon, getting to the finish line will feel easy compared to making the commitment and working toward your accomplishment. And when you do reach your goal the exhilaration is priceless. But there is a price, often a high one, for pushing your body to its limits and so you should spend wisely (and not declare body bankruptcy like I did a few years ago).<br />
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2) Committing to an active life is easy. It is. Boils down to moving everyday. The simplicity is shocking. For me, that revelation is also empowering. Being active everyday is also inclusive for my kids (and dog). Most everyday I go for a walk, hike or run for whatever amount of time available, even if I have only 10 minutes. We have a living area in our house with nothing more than a gym mat. There is always someone moving in some way in that room. I fit in yoga and pilates a few times a week and throw down some push ups or play on the bosu ball here and there. I move every single day without any expectations and that's what opens up my options and opportunities to make an active life easy.<br />
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I've got this. I'm going to keep on living this active life and when the desire for a fitness goal strikes, I'll take it on. (But I will be judicious about when and how often I do this). I've got this. I'll keep taking my kids on hikes, to go swimming, rock climbing, play tennis, or other activities to keep their bodies engaged (and one of these days they'll appreciate it). I've got this. I'll keep writing and weaving fitness into my work, whatever that continues to be. I've got this. I've also got a messy kitchen, piles of unfolded laundry, and a neglected junk drawer. I've also got a loving family, faithful friends and good neighbors. As I enter 2016 I just have this overwhelming feeling that I've got this. And if you haven't already figured it out, you do too.<br />
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<a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5" target="_blank">Let's stay connected</a>. I'll send very occasional emails to subscribers from my new website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.<br />
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Make sure you enjoy these last few days of 2015 with some Mama Sweat of your own!<br />
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<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-40594873836850478742015-12-21T06:00:00.000-06:002015-12-21T06:00:05.277-06:00Winning as a Fit Mom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmqyn1AajfZikBPUUOhCf8he9HVgBZiwQ1PV-dULCqT54T60I-5xGRVPAsI4DpPKurAUTaA8y25aPs0DyQdPl_SaTl88a4P161qhokxG3nowD9tS9FDz9wIC3Ed3FOZrAnOemOt9QUszo/s1600/16x24Thom_WinningAsAFitMom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmqyn1AajfZikBPUUOhCf8he9HVgBZiwQ1PV-dULCqT54T60I-5xGRVPAsI4DpPKurAUTaA8y25aPs0DyQdPl_SaTl88a4P161qhokxG3nowD9tS9FDz9wIC3Ed3FOZrAnOemOt9QUszo/s320/16x24Thom_WinningAsAFitMom.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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It's my birthday! I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with the final launch of the eBook series that I've been working on for two years. This last book, <i>Winning as a Fit Mom</i>, became it's own short publication after I decided that my musings on striving for my personal best as an athlete/mother/human warranted more than a chapter in another book. Winning as a Fit Mom deserved to stand alone. Head held high.<br />
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<i>Winning as a Fit Mom</i> is now available for $1.99 at:<br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Fit-Mom-Life-Book-ebook/dp/B019C39UJW" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/winning-as-a-fit-mom/id1067737502?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple iBooks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/winning-as-a-fit-mom-kara-douglass-thom/1123129280?ean=9781508094500" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_Winning_as_a_Fit_Mom?id=UQowCwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/ebook/winning-as-a-fit-mom" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
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As 2015 comes to a close, so will the blog I've written for more than seven years. Please stay connected with me on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there (that's where e-book deals and freebies will come from).<br />
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However it is you celebrate the holidays I hope they are filled with comfort and joy (plus sweat, always a little sweat for mama).<br />
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-37554850846522502242015-12-14T07:42:00.001-06:002015-12-14T07:42:47.694-06:00Feeding the Fit Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAFl3MBIMpCieWRhgwTHEsAwzgXTKk3MjqV16BnrZl2rYwKU-d6JXLzhnmEVz8Wqmp1pCoao3XT7KtoNS0eQGvD5Nexl_jFmSqXGDlhsXnnW5mko6CIjo46vOKTkg-y2idDH0KYtQ8Lex/s1600/16x24Thom_FeedingTheFitFamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZAFl3MBIMpCieWRhgwTHEsAwzgXTKk3MjqV16BnrZl2rYwKU-d6JXLzhnmEVz8Wqmp1pCoao3XT7KtoNS0eQGvD5Nexl_jFmSqXGDlhsXnnW5mko6CIjo46vOKTkg-y2idDH0KYtQ8Lex/s320/16x24Thom_FeedingTheFitFamily.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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One of the many parenting struggles I made public on this blog was feeding my children healthy food. I've experienced more than a few instances of rebellion at the dinner table. But I believe feeding my children well is part of raising a fit family. So I persevered and shared on my blog small success stories. Turns out, I included more than a few kid-approved recipes and so compiled those and more, plus a few epic fails and dinner-table strategies into the fifth book in the <i>Life as a Fit Mom</i> eBook series.<br />
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<i>Feeding the Fit Family</i> is now available for $1.99 at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Fit-Family-Life-Book-ebook/dp/B0195F2Z8U" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/feeding-the-fit-family/id1066342913?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple iBooks</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_Feeding_the_Fit_Family?id=6NEoCwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
Barnes and Noble (coming soon)<br />
Kobo (coming soon)<br />
<br />
Those who have already signed up for my <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter</a> by December 19 will receive this eBook free!<br />
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I have only two posts left at Mama Sweat. Please stay connected with me on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there (that's where the e-book deals and freebies will come from, including a free copy of Feeding the Fit Family!).Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-52735333196378824712015-12-08T21:45:00.000-06:002015-12-08T21:46:15.263-06:00Raising a Fit Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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The Boy, now 6, is fickle. He loses interest quickly in any activity or sport he participates in. He made it through two sessions of gymnastics this fall but now says he's done. He doesn't want to play basketball. He likes rock climbing but doesn't want to take lessons. Same with swimming. So what, I asked him, does he want to do?<br />
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"Exercise at home," he said.<br />
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Because I'm on a mission to raise a fit family I was tickled by his answer. In my effort to keep him active and introduce new sports, though, I hadn't considered that option, but yes, of course, playing outside or being active at home should be part of his lifestyle (just like it is for his mom and dad, which he observes on a regular basis and so--yeah!--he noticed). Saving money to sign him up for some class is an added bonus.<br />
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When I started Mama Sweat my intention was to motivate moms to find space in their busy demanding lives to take care of themselves with regular workouts. It wasn't long before I realized kids needed to be part of this fit life too. They were watching, after all, and I wanted them to grow up to be active and healthy as much as I wanted to stay active and healthy. Turns out I wrote enough material about this to publish the fourth book in the <i>Life as a Fit Mom</i> eBook series. <i>Raising a Fit Family</i> is now available for $1.99 at:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Raising-Fit-Family-Life-Book-ebook/dp/B0191YGTZ0" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
Barnes & Noble (coming soon)<br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_Raising_a_Fit_Family?id=LvYkCwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
Kobo (coming soon)<br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/raising-a-fit-family/id1065548242?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">Apple iBooks</a><br />
<br />
<div>
Please stay connected with me on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there (that's where the e-book deals and freebies will come from).<br />
<br />
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</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-8598633672354678042015-11-30T17:10:00.001-06:002015-11-30T17:12:27.194-06:00Throwing a Fit: Toddlers to Tweens and Injury in BetweenThe title of the third book in the <i>Life as a Fit Mom</i> eBook series or a rant about my experience at Disney World last week? For fun, let's make it both.<br />
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Rant first (so I can end this post on a positive note).<br />
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We had been talking about this extended family (14 of us in all) trip to Orlando for a year. I had called the Disney planning help-desk (my term) no fewer than five times, read three travel guides and visited several Disney blogs. Still, I felt planning this trip required a secondary degree. I figured this would all be worth it when The Boy, who would be making his inaugural trip, experienced the Magic.<br />
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As you can see in the photo below (taken about one hour after walking through the front gates) The Boy (front center) was not impressed. But I can't say I blame him. We rode three rides using Fastpasses and then weren't able to get any more Fastpasses for the day. This meant hour-plus waits for other rides we wanted to do. The place was wickedly crowded. We left before the fireworks.<br />
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No matter. For The Boy this trip centered on going to the Jedi Training show. On my first call to Disney I learned 1) I needed to go to Hollywood Studios to experience the Star Wars attraction. 2) I couldn't make a reservation so needed to show up at 8 a.m. when the park opened to ensure we could get in. 3) The sign-up for Jedi Training was next to the Star Tours ride.<br />
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I had been through these steps with no fewer than three Disney customer service people in the months and weeks before our trip. I made my entire party of 14 (including two teenagers) get up and leave our hotel at 7:15 a.m. (which was really 6:15 our time) so we could make sure The Boy went through Jedi Training.<br />
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Jedi Training! A memory my little Star Wars fan would never forget!<br />
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After entering the park promptly at 8 a.m. I asked our ticket taker the fastest way to Star Tours to sign up for Jedi Training.<br />
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And this is what he said: "There is no Jedi Training today."<br />
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After all that studying, checking, and rechecking. Wha? It was closed, he said, for refurbishing. I had known the show had been closed months ago, but my first Disney guide told me the show would reopen mid-November, and--weren't we lucky--we would arrive after the reopening.<br />
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Somehow, Disney failed to inform the customer service agents I spoke to about the delay in reopening. And there I was with my 13 family members looking to me for... what? Permission to beat the guy up? A chance to go back to bed?<br />
<br />
I really, truly wanted to throw myself on the ground and sob. I had spent about six months planning this trip. Magic Kingdom had been a bust. I wanted a good day. I wanted some freaking Magic.<br />
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It was Thanksgiving. By golly we had Fastpasses scheduled so we rode our rides (inducing Star Tours, which The Boy loved immensely) and allowed him to construct his own light saber. We left early (because we couldn't get anymore Fastpasses anyway) and let the kids swim in the pool the rest of the afternoon.<br />
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I had made reservations at the Swan Hotel's Garden Grove restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. A coup with our large party. The restaurant was in a Disney hotel and B-list characters--Chipmunks, Pluto, and the like--would be in attendance. (I had attempted making Thanksgiving Day reservations in June for every restaurant inside every Disney Park but all were booked. I knew then I was out of my Disney vacation planning league.) With two days of Disney in the books I was ready to give thanks with my family over turkey and gravy. What more could go wrong?<br />
<br />
The restaurant did not have our reservation.<br />
<br />
I was quickly whisked away to a nearby bar by two women who care deeply about my mental health, while the husbands stood back with the kids raiding the dessert table during the hour wait.<br />
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Could the night get worse? Yes. The martini was awful. Jet fuel with a sake backwash aftertaste. I just needed a little something to take the edge off, make this day laughable, but I couldn't choke it down. Then, once we finally got seated and made our way to the buffet, the turkey was served with a salacious come-on... to my 17-YEAR-OLD NEPHEW.<br />
<br />
Seriously, Disney. Not cool.<br />
<br />
We spent the next two days at Universal and thanks to our Unlimited Express Passes (if time is indeed money then they were worth the expense) saw and rode to our hearts content. Still, what the kids enjoyed most was hanging out with each other in the pool. For free.<br />
<br />
It really is that easy (and cheap). Being together was priceless and for that I was grateful.<br />
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I'm also grateful for the release of my third eBook. Yeah!<br />
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Throwing a Fit: Toddlers to Tweens and Injury in Between is available here:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/throwing-a-fit-kara-douglass-thom/1123024050?ean=9781508093725" target="_blank">Barnes & Noble</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Throwing-Fit-Toddlers-Tweens-Between-ebook/dp/B018FGZAJG" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/throwing-fit-toddlers-to-tweens/id1061811846?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">iBooks</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/throwing-a-fit-toddlers-to-tweens-and-injury-in-between" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_Throwing_a_Fit_Toddlers_to_Twee?id=8nUACwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
<br />
This book covers the hard stuff (not unlike repeated letdowns at Disney World) and how I worked my way through them, some better than others. The book is in large part about the importance of fitness when clinging to sanity, how to stick with it when motivationally challenged, what fitness even means when you're injured and can't do the things you want to do. Truly, the chaos I speak of when I say "chaos of motherhood."<br />
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There's something magical about picking yourself up from the asphalt (or couch) and going forward despite not getting your way.<br />
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Remember to connect with me before this blog comes to an end -- on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there (that's where the e-book deals and freebies will come from).Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-27330249822295796462015-11-23T06:00:00.000-06:002015-11-23T06:00:07.615-06:00The Fit Mom's Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Speed Bumps<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not long after starting the blog in 2008 I became pregnant with The Boy. Over and over I promised readers I wouldn't chronicle my pregnancy in detail; I would stick to the blog's mission of finding fitness in the chaos of motherhood. Already having two 4-year-olds and one 3-year-old made for plenty of material on that front. Alas, my pregnancy crept into my posts, as did my postpartum experience trying to rebound (but damn the mastitis!).<br />
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I wrote enough about the pregnancy and postpartum experience to create a (short) eBook, which is now for sale (for $1.99) on:<br />
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<a href="https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Kara_Douglass_Thom_A_Fit_Mom_s_Guide_to_Pregnancy?id=ICn-CgAAQBAJ" target="_blank">Google Play</a><br />
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Pregnancy-Postpartum-Speed-Bumps-ebook/dp/B0189N1652" target="_blank">Amazon</a><br />
<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/fit-moms-guide-to-pregnancy/id1061195508?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4" target="_blank">iTunes</a><br />
<a href="https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/a-fit-mom-s-guide-to-pregnancy-and-postpartum-speed-bumps" target="_blank">Kobo</a><br />
And coming soon to Barnes & Noble<br />
<br />
While most of the material I believe is great advice for new moms or moms-to-be (such as "Everything I Know About Coping with Pregnancy I Learned from Being a Triathlete"), some of it serves as a cautionary tale, as in: Read and learn from my mistakes!<br />
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As we gear up for Thanksgiving this week I am grateful for the nearly eight years I spent blogging and interacting with my fit-mom readers. I hope you'll stay connected with me on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/">Instagram</a>. And don't forget the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can touch base here and there (that's where the e-book deals and freebies will come from).<br />
<br />
Have a happy and active Thanksgiving!Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-35260126012455824302015-11-16T10:46:00.000-06:002015-11-30T17:13:02.367-06:00Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For the last two years I've been putting together the <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/ebook-announcement" target="_blank">Life as a Fit Mom eBook Series</a> based on the last 7+ years of Mama Sweat blog posts. And finally, they are getting published, starting with the first in the series this week, "Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood." </div>
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It's official!</div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="//ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=US&source=ss&ref=ss_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=kardouthomams-20&marketplace=amazon&region=US&placement=B017WI4SX2&asins=B017WI4SX2&linkId=VX6DZ44MTISQ5FO2&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
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Why the eBooks? Because soon--as in, the end of the year--I will no longer blog. Mama Sweat has been a cathartic journal of balancing fitness and motherhood, a repository of my fit mom opinions, and even grew into a fit mom community. I would swear no one but my mom was reading and then I'd hear from a reader I didn't know in another state, even another country. These weekly blog posts not only gave me structure in my chaos, they also gave me immense satisfaction knowing they mattered to other people out there, too.<br />
<br />
But.<br />
<br />
I've covered an awful lot and it's time to move on. I want to spend more time focusing on writing the fictional stories of the <a href="http://www.gogosportsgirls.com/" target="_blank">Go! Go! Sports Girls</a>, promoting fitness literacy and health empowerment to kids, and, of course, nurturing my own athletic children.<br />
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I have published the highlights from Mama Sweat (including the ever-popular pelvic floor posts) on my new website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>. Links for my books, including the Life As a Fit Mom eBook series, will be there too. The ebooks are based on the best of the blog posts plus more material (dare I say, a few fit mom poems, too).<br />
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Although the blog will soon come to a close, I will still be out there on social media: on the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hot-Sweaty-Mamas-Five-Secrets-to-Life-as-a-Fit-Mom-142430329110495/?ref=hl" target="_blank">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas Facebook</a> page, <a href="https://twitter.com/Mama_Sweat" target="_blank">Twitter</a>, and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lifeasafitmom/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>. And, there is an <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5" target="_blank">e-newsletter sign-up</a> form on my website so I can reach out to you very occasionally (seriously, no one hates a cluttered inbox more than me so I promise to be respectful). Another reason to sign up for the mailing list is because everyone who is signed up before Friday, November 20, will receive "Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood" for free. So there's that.<br />
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What is the first book, "Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood" all about?<br />
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Whether you're expecting your first child and need a dose of reality or feeling overwhelmed parenting young children, Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood will provide motivation to become more active and the lift you need (for muscles as well as mood) to be strong enough for motherhood.<br />
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In Finding Fitness in the Chaos of Motherhood, Kara Douglass Thom shares the absurdities she faced while keeping fitness a priority in her life after having children. While embracing the chaos she had to change her perspective on what "counted" as a workout and find creative ways to fit fitness in.</blockquote>
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If you'd like to read more, go <a href="http://lifeasafitmom.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a46c9771d2c3ddfa616c87ccb&id=d52635bfb5" target="_blank">sign up</a> and I'll send the eBook to you at the end of the week. The next five books in the series are:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiyJwVi5HQ1IGQ8fkqy0Ny5KihKoj_uQoUkvhZ1SKCaEYySb-rLvQtwZEF904Xoekz8ah7T5HwmKeo35B9LlxYs3PiyIpO29NVHzQBShhfbA5R2CWyTQf_lp-V5fbQv2YkA2QxSfXKNVA/s1600/Thom_AFitMomsGuideToPregnancyAndPostpartumSpeedbumps.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuiyJwVi5HQ1IGQ8fkqy0Ny5KihKoj_uQoUkvhZ1SKCaEYySb-rLvQtwZEF904Xoekz8ah7T5HwmKeo35B9LlxYs3PiyIpO29NVHzQBShhfbA5R2CWyTQf_lp-V5fbQv2YkA2QxSfXKNVA/s200/Thom_AFitMomsGuideToPregnancyAndPostpartumSpeedbumps.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ0ilNkPiDA4ZS5cbyTs88ucs1ha0b7ngiOrWi751zKhDs_Uiv56ghvHEXnQc7PHPJ_7gin89mSXmlkB5inOhvUO-Ebaeuk4rAgaLtFD0Ilx9d2Q3Gd4VigXLP5m_zRuuq6nqsyJFRiTD/s1600/Thom_ThrowingAFitToddlersTweensInjury.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJ0ilNkPiDA4ZS5cbyTs88ucs1ha0b7ngiOrWi751zKhDs_Uiv56ghvHEXnQc7PHPJ_7gin89mSXmlkB5inOhvUO-Ebaeuk4rAgaLtFD0Ilx9d2Q3Gd4VigXLP5m_zRuuq6nqsyJFRiTD/s200/Thom_ThrowingAFitToddlersTweensInjury.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl15AcGOn9j0g8eCdHBNBYD4iSywwhyphenhyphenKWJisE79n7q8vWVZusSSRL1K8RDMSZHBoUcGJ8awx_5jB8aoJHX9LV1wNjmY0u97bLW5nCavI2SlubDIsyQxk7PjhA93U4s8PUL3xu72jgW9Hy/s1600/Thom_RaisingTheFitFamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl15AcGOn9j0g8eCdHBNBYD4iSywwhyphenhyphenKWJisE79n7q8vWVZusSSRL1K8RDMSZHBoUcGJ8awx_5jB8aoJHX9LV1wNjmY0u97bLW5nCavI2SlubDIsyQxk7PjhA93U4s8PUL3xu72jgW9Hy/s200/Thom_RaisingTheFitFamily.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiseoSL3Gv1wlgWKVCOKGZI3EEIeB7rtWvXQ799lsbxfDoCZpDvtTgQg2vaa08BsBTH5r10TOBrVM-50TvnC1N2PWW_dRFtKBv62AgUMu_CJbycLoJNmM1SyBj6aY2eyzMQKI1bdUNkU-/s1600/Thom_FeedingTheFitFamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXiseoSL3Gv1wlgWKVCOKGZI3EEIeB7rtWvXQ799lsbxfDoCZpDvtTgQg2vaa08BsBTH5r10TOBrVM-50TvnC1N2PWW_dRFtKBv62AgUMu_CJbycLoJNmM1SyBj6aY2eyzMQKI1bdUNkU-/s200/Thom_FeedingTheFitFamily.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC9DpxQaQisfrMiSC7pOBrJlQwblvL1mb_ZvJikifqp0z7S22spOQm1rjCJmYUIjOtvH3OGS4eYRwvr5iYb83rZmpvtNifvhHzsEF6QbSO6qjydRnse5j1_jBFtJIR1xC06yjeES2YWhx/s1600/Thom_WinningAsAFitMom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTC9DpxQaQisfrMiSC7pOBrJlQwblvL1mb_ZvJikifqp0z7S22spOQm1rjCJmYUIjOtvH3OGS4eYRwvr5iYb83rZmpvtNifvhHzsEF6QbSO6qjydRnse5j1_jBFtJIR1xC06yjeES2YWhx/s200/Thom_WinningAsAFitMom.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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<span style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Stay tuned for more details on those titles in the next few weeks to come. Meanwhile, thanks for being such great readers and supporters of Mama Sweat! See you over at <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>. </span></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-51975536564213845342015-09-21T11:44:00.003-05:002016-01-07T12:44:55.095-06:00Is "Athlete" the new "Princess"?Recently a mom from Oklahoma, Betsy Gregory, snapped a photo of her daughter's softball team and it went viral. Why? Because this team, "The Freeze," played softball in dresses from the movie Frozen. Today, even the girly girls are playing sports. Athlete isn't synonymous with being a tomboy anymore. You can be fierce <i>and</i> sparkle.<br />
<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-version="4" style="background: #FFF; border-radius: 3px; border: 0; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: -webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width: 99.375%; width: calc(100% - 2px);">
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<a href="https://instagram.com/p/7oIpWRBhr9/" style="color: black; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" target="_top">We can't get enough of @betsygregoryphotography awesome "Freeze" photo! Let's keep this going! We want to see your sports girls in action. Snap & share here - http://wshe.es/cp1ShsUI. Be fierce and sparkle! #AthleteIsTheNewPrincess #toughisbeautiful #GirlPower #DreamBigAndGoForIt</a></div>
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A photo posted by Go! Go! Sports Girls (@gogosportsgirls) on <time datetime="2015-09-14T22:04:27+00:00" style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px;">Sep 14, 2015 at 3:04pm PDT</time></div>
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That's why I love <a href="http://www.gogosportsgirls.com/" target="_blank">Go! Go! Sports Girls</a> new campaign: "Athlete is the New Princess."<br />
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These memes are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Please feel free to share!</div>
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It's all about #girlpower. More great comparisons coming. Follow @gogosportsgirls on social media to see them as they come out.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMM2AbuLyVICwqFCXZxWiyo1Dl9BVBDEErFnXqEDXtomf8ppjFPutYWAFom8UxPRGmH6odAED4Phoc8NiyUOH5s8AnCwQSl4BFelsSBoslzooPEP4P3_e-6Rcet9mN66cjY-I4jLGcGPz/s1600/AITNP_accessorize.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMM2AbuLyVICwqFCXZxWiyo1Dl9BVBDEErFnXqEDXtomf8ppjFPutYWAFom8UxPRGmH6odAED4Phoc8NiyUOH5s8AnCwQSl4BFelsSBoslzooPEP4P3_e-6Rcet9mN66cjY-I4jLGcGPz/s640/AITNP_accessorize.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Go! Go! Sports Girls just <a href="http://wshe.es/cp1ShsUI" target="_blank">launched a new monthly contest</a> to celebrate our girls in sport. If you want to be entered to win free product, all it takes is loading a photo of your favorite girl playing her favorite sport/being active/getting dirt on her skirt. The photos already loaded on the page are A-Dorable!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwL3xjJlAPvO55x_PfLgH6MMySxXaS7r9w3ZZkz8SbYI4C-NP8OgKxXZkMMJfEQ-xWJYskkqyw09mjuVvUxlfB_EY1gseq7BK3asKbQVYrHH3w4vE1vpL7mwhojBVvZhvGyu4AdWqTGSA/s1600/original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibwL3xjJlAPvO55x_PfLgH6MMySxXaS7r9w3ZZkz8SbYI4C-NP8OgKxXZkMMJfEQ-xWJYskkqyw09mjuVvUxlfB_EY1gseq7BK3asKbQVYrHH3w4vE1vpL7mwhojBVvZhvGyu4AdWqTGSA/s320/original.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This month's giveaway includes both soccer dolls and the soccer book.</td></tr>
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As a mom of three daughters who have grown up playing with the Go! Go! Sports Girl dolls I feel like I did something right as a parent to be able to give them dolls that represent who they are, versus something I DON'T aspire for them to become (are you listening Monster High and Bratz dolls?) They have a Go! Go! Sports Girls doll for just about every sport they've tried (and so they have a lot) but I loved buying them because I felt I was validating their life just as it was (helps that the dolls are built in specification to a real girl's body, too). You don't have to be glamorous; you don't have to aspire to wear high heels; you don't need blowfish lips and heavy eye make-up. Even if you do want all that, can't we save it for later? Do we really need to push that on 6-year-olds?<br />
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Athlete is the new princess because 17 million girls play an organized sport every year.<br />
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Athlete is the new princess because Title IX helped create this new line of royalty.<br />
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Athlete is the new princess because we have women like Maya Moore and Serena Williams holding court. Women like Missy Franklin, Gabby Douglas, and Hope Solo showing girls how to shine.<br />
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Athlete is the new princess because dress up now includes team uniforms, cleats, and sweatbands.<br />
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Athlete is the new princess because strong is the new pretty.<br />
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Learn more about the Go! Go! Sports Girls dolls and books at <a href="http://www.gogosportsgirls.com/">www.gogosportsgirls.com</a>.<br />
<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-27396756624931077542015-05-18T06:30:00.000-05:002016-01-07T12:49:20.244-06:00We All Have Our MomentsAs proof that I have moments when my motivation is in the ditch, I bring you this screen shot (my comments are in blue). If you think you're the only one who struggles to get your butt up and out the door, rest assured, you are not.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizQcjFh47rTlizKws-i0d-RL9xXiH6roglwT21OwlR71S_c6-k8TfU9qQxXz63voNloqDgDXdk4Zi0Iuke6AJOlETDbT6PuXQsZ_IzH9U6Hr-TGA7L1Jmg7WypJ0pdOhVLTlAZUIUZjde/s1600/Screenshot+2015-05-12+09.57.42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhizQcjFh47rTlizKws-i0d-RL9xXiH6roglwT21OwlR71S_c6-k8TfU9qQxXz63voNloqDgDXdk4Zi0Iuke6AJOlETDbT6PuXQsZ_IzH9U6Hr-TGA7L1Jmg7WypJ0pdOhVLTlAZUIUZjde/s640/Screenshot+2015-05-12+09.57.42.png" width="558" /></a></div>
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More about finding motivation is on my website <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.</div>
<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-43157576902102113442015-04-16T10:50:00.000-05:002016-01-07T12:51:18.893-06:00How My "Oops!" Parenting Moment Became Welcome Adversity For My KidsLast Tuesday I had the opportunity to attend a speaking event with <a href="http://www.cherylstrayed.com/" target="_blank">Cheryl Strayed</a>, best-selling author of Wild, which as the universe would have it was the perfect prep for my lesson in parenting that week.<br />
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The whole of Cheryl's speech was riveting but there was one particular nugget that stuck with me as she spoke of lessons learned from her solo journey across the Pacific Crest Trail. She described how it served as a rite-of-passage for her, something most cultures once provided as children became adults. The common core among all rites-of-passage, she said, include a physically difficult challenge with elements of deprivation that is accomplished in solitude.<br />
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That resonated with me as an endurance athlete and was how I described why I trained and raced for marathons and triathlons some 20 years ago to my then octogenarian grandfather. I told him if I had been born 100 years earlier I would have been one of those people in a covered wagon heading west. This modern era of ours doesn't provide many opportunities to experience the kind of physical struggle that was an integral part of life for our ancestors. My struggle as an endurance athlete was fabricated, yes, but in a way that filled the yearning to dig deep, which has been passed down in my DNA by my pioneering forefathers.<br />
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Can we all agree that adversity can be good for us? Can we agree that in general, kids growing up in middle and upper class families at least, don't experience a whole lot of adversity? In fact, protecting our kids from adversity seems to have become part of our jobs as parents; to keep our kids safe; to always be there when our kids are in need. Can we all agree then that what we might think of as parenting failures might indeed be just the adversity our kids need?<br />
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So it was in HINDSIGHT, after recalling Cheryl's speech, that I realized I did my kids a favor last week when I was downtown at a writing conference and unable to <i>be there for them</i>. They got off the bus in the driving rain (which turned to sleet) and discovered that the garage code, which normally provides entry to the house, was not working. My kids don't have cell phones. Did I mention my husband was traveling?<br />
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Without any help from me, they devised a plan: one 11-year-old stayed under the porch with the 6-year-old, while the other 11-year-old and 9-year-old walked about a half-mile to our neighbor's house (not the closest neighbor, but the one with kids on the same bus where they knew an adult was home). My neighbor called me and we managed to get the kids safely inside without me having to leave my writing conference early.<br />
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Once all was said and done (i.e. collecting myself after sobbing over the fact that this one time I was not home for them was when they needed me), I realized this opportunity in adversity was good for us. While not exactly hiking the PCT trail solo, this microcosm of a rite-of-passage for my kids provided a challenge without a parent to guide them (deprived of a cell phone and umbrella). I learned my kids are quite competent without me. They handled the situation sensibly and bravely; I was proud of them and told them so. No doubt, they gained a new measure of confidence in themselves (and me in them, ahem).<br />
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I can't say I'll set up these sort of "traps" for them as a way to gain their independence, but it certainly helps knowing these mishaps can provide good training ground to allow them to think on their feet and solve problems on their own, while letting me off the hook to be the perfect parent. If they desire a bigger physical challenge, well, they can always sign up for a triathlon.<br />
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More about motherhood and raising a fit family is on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-90791427243367891422014-11-18T09:03:00.001-06:002016-01-07T12:54:59.706-06:00Dinnertime ChallengeThe dinnertime challenge: How to please all six of our palates. I've reverted to: You can't please everyone all of the time, only some people some of the time. The ones you don't please at the dinner table have not learned to keep their distaste to themselves and suffer through the meal politely. So far, that includes all of my children.<br />
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Despite the dinnertime challenge I haven't given up on our family meal. I try mightily to win these young taste buds over, but the fact remains there are few meals that create an air of excitement for all.<br />
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But there are those few that earn a four thumbs-up rating (as in they all eat them willingly and speak positively about what's on their plate). I am grateful to fall back on those few meals as often as I can, and I'm happy to share these recipes knowing full-well they may or may not bring you the same relief at the dinner table.<br />
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<u>Chicken Pasta Salad (Deconstructed)</u><br />
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This recipe is derived from a deli recipe sold at a popular Twin Cities grocery store. I have perverted the recipe so badly, I don't think it's wise to give credit to the original. What's more, I have borrowed from a tactic used by Jenny Rosenstrach, author of the book and blog, <a href="http://www.dinneralovestory.com/" target="_blank">Dinner: A Love Story</a> (anyone suffering through the dinnertime challenge will appreciate her book), which is the "deconstructed" method of serving dinner to kids with picky palates. In this way, grown ups can have their meal all mixed up, and the kids can choose those ingredients they find less offensive and then have the satisfaction of keeping all food items on their plate from touching, or worse mixing together. But here's the real reason why I recently needed to deconstruct this meal: Because what children like one week doesn't mean they will like it the next. A few years ago I could always count on my kids to eat this pasta salad as is, all mixed up, but recently one child has denounced the celery, another the cherries, and yet another the nuts. Instead of dropping the meal entirely I salvaged it but letting them add what they DO want in their pasta salad.<br />
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One box of medium shell noodles (can use gluten-free if you can get away with it), cooked according to directions.<br />
1 1/2-2 cups cooked shredded chicken<br />
Dressing: 1 to 1 1/2 cup mixture of equal parts mayo and poppyseed dressing<br />
Salt and pepper to taste.<br />
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Add ins:<br />
2 stalks celery sliced<br />
1 apple peeled, sliced and diced<br />
1-1 1/2 cups dried cherries, cranberries, raisins or whatever dried fruit your kids like<br />
1-1 1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts or almonds nuts or whatever nuts your kids like<br />
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<u>Breakfast Pizza</u></div>
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The newest addition to my dinner-time dilemma is something I call breakfast pizza. Breakfast for dinner is always a hit. Kids know pizza is a safe meal for them. Why not combine? I got the idea when I saw ideas for dough-free crusts. One included a crust made from thinly sliced potatoes. I tried this with left-over roasted potatoes and think it will work just as well with a bag of frozen hashbrowns. </div>
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One bag of frozen hashbrowns, cooked according to directions (or leftover cooked, sliced potatoes)</div>
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Shredded cheese</div>
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Cooked sausage (I typically buy the pre-cooked frozen sausage that's easy to microwave)</div>
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Eggs</div>
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Spread the cooked potatoes on top of a sheet of greased parchment paper. Make the crust thin like a pizza crust but thick enough that it will stay together. Bake at 400 degrees until crisp. Add cheese over top and continue baking until cheese melts. Meanwhile cook, crumble or slice the sausage and cook the eggs to your children's liking (my kids like them over easy and runny, go figure). Add the sausage and eggs, then cut into slices and serve.</div>
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<u>Jalapeno Cheeseburger Quesadillas</u></div>
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This is the meal I might be remembered for at the end of life. This is thee meal my kids will come home from college asking for; the meal that gets a "Yeah!" when I tell them what's for dinner. Created out of a necessity to use ground beef before it turned green, my very own, West Texas influenced, jalapeno cheeseburger quesadillas (just drop the jalapeno if that scares you or the kiddos).</div>
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Cooked ground beef (I often use left over ground beef that didn't make it in the meat loaf, spaghetti, etc.)</div>
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Shredded cheese</div>
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Sliced red onion (three out of six in my family skip the onions)</div>
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Shredded lettuce</div>
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Pickles</div>
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Jalapenos</div>
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Mustard</div>
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Ketchup</div>
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We use a panini machine to cook the quesadillas. I cook the onions for those who want them.<br />
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The Boy wants only ketchup with pickles on the side.<br />
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This is a traditional cheeseburger option with lettuce, pickles and ketchup.<br />
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Here is the I-Miss-Sonic's-Jalapeno-Cheeseburger version, with lettuce, jalapeno, and mustard.<br />
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Normally I make them all then keep them warm in the oven until we're ready to eat. Normally I don't serve a side with this, but on this particular night I cooked half a bag of frozen corn until charred, then sauteed it with diced zuchini, a little garlic and salt and pepper. Not a fan favorite with the kids, but a easy southwestern side for those who need and/or want a serving of vegetables.<br />
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More recipes and stories about overcoming the dinnertime challenge are available in my eBook, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Feeding-Fit-Family-Life-Book-ebook/dp/B0195F2Z8U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452192824&sr=8-1&keywords=feeding+the+fit+family" target="_blank">Feeding the Fit Family</a>.<br />
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<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-15614486313131232312014-11-10T06:00:00.000-06:002016-01-07T13:00:26.110-06:005K Training Tips<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdq4rnoRSwniKVYj1_d4okgJRobX5X_EJ49wnCn8IjMpxWrW3dixs4c_lmgLKdjsbv1LZj70GGCw4EM1_vV3waJNdxX66zWeoGO6PLgfDb1nrWxsUNgQv8fsmSPosogvk-oWfrtRW45JA/s1600/MTP5K.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSdq4rnoRSwniKVYj1_d4okgJRobX5X_EJ49wnCn8IjMpxWrW3dixs4c_lmgLKdjsbv1LZj70GGCw4EM1_vV3waJNdxX66zWeoGO6PLgfDb1nrWxsUNgQv8fsmSPosogvk-oWfrtRW45JA/s1600/MTP5K.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with my first borns at the 5K start.</td></tr>
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The 5K for our girls fitness program is in the books. Everyone in this 3rd-5th grade program to empower girls to be strong inside and out (with the exception of two who had strep throat) finished a 5K. Some had run a 5K before, but most had not. For a young girl, 3.1 miles is a long way to go, especially so when it's cold and blustery out. But they were ready and finished with big smiles. Here's a page from our 5K training playbook:<br />
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1) Make sure you can walk 3.1 miles first. One of the first workouts we did was a nature hike. We brought along a list of 20 things we needed to find. We had so much fun looking for the items and were thrilled about what we saw: the snowy egret, the frogs, snakes, turtles, that it wasn't until mile two that they started asking, "Hey, how far are we going?" When we made it back to school and I announced they had just finished 3.1 miles they were surprised <i>and</i> convinced they could also finish their race.<br />
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2) Find support and be supportive. I have witnessed some special interactions watching these girls extend themselves to help each other. On our very first training run, the girls--without any prompting from the adult coaches--made a tunnel out of their arms as they finished and cheered for the girls who finished after them. At the end of our class sessions the girls had the opportunity to write something they needed to let go or something they wanted to share with the group. Most of these slips of paper included pats on the back and positive shout-outs for their fellow team members. Some people say that women don't support each other enough, especially in a professional environment. I hope these girls take this camaraderie with them into adulthood.<br />
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3) Work your way up. Most of the girls had already run a mile in gym class so we knew that was our base. We set out to cover one mile, then a mile-and-a-half. We did a mile-and-a-half again, then two miles. We did two miles again, then two-and-a-half miles. We did two-and-a-half miles again, then 3.1 miles. As Dori says: Just keep swimmin' (or running, in this case).<br />
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4) Shake it up (because girls ages 8-11 love that song). In between those running workouts we explored other routes to fitness: a yoga class, hula hoop class and sessions with the high school dance, softball and basketball teams. Even if you love running, your body benefits from moving in new and different ways. I love running, but I don't love only running all the time.<br />
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5) Challenge yourself. One of our favorite workouts was a game called Train. We had groups of 4-5 girls run in a line around the soccer field. When we blew the whistle, the girl in back would run to the front of the line and set the pace. Someone from each group wore a pedometer and the group that took the most steps was the winner (of bragging rights). This was one of our most challenging workouts, but also a lot of fun; a speed workout dressed up as a game (and one that would be fun for the family too, hint hint).<br />
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6) Write down your goal and share it. Before the race everyone wrote down their goal on a piece of poster board. The girls made their goals public, which has the effect of making them come to life. Plus, when your support system knows what you want to accomplish, they can help you get there or remind you of what you want if it becomes less important to you (say when you don't feel like training or when you feel too tired to go for it).<br />
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7) Race. That's all. This part is easy. Just show up at the starting line. Do your thing and then own your finish.<br />
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This particular 5K was far from my fastest, but will be memorable and gratifying for different reasons, namely that I helped usher girls across a finish line that really is so much more than a 5K. It was a doorway into world where they believe in their aspirations, hard work, and capable bodies.<br />
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Want more information about 5K training? You'll find a six-step training guide in the <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/get-moving-now" target="_blank">Ways to Get Moving</a> section on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-16308985614123971412014-10-20T06:00:00.000-05:002016-01-07T13:02:02.012-06:00Life Cycle of a Running StrollerSince The Boy turned five, I don't think we've used his stroller once. Is five the official graduation age out of a stroller? Now the stroller sits in our garage where we trip over it often to get to bikes, roller skates, and scooters. We had a good run with our Bob revolution stroller, and I can't help but look back fondly over the good years we had together.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemeP5asudof7RdctGIbjGV_PN850jyFIVXu53rg3JuhQJZZ58-t01jUsg92hzl9kri5Jq3jGQjRabJaYgVtsFzo5n8HtqjTHJNne39J7kR715I1FCpA1ycgFBt9izWHa11kiMyQ_hGjep/s1600/stroller1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjemeP5asudof7RdctGIbjGV_PN850jyFIVXu53rg3JuhQJZZ58-t01jUsg92hzl9kri5Jq3jGQjRabJaYgVtsFzo5n8HtqjTHJNne39J7kR715I1FCpA1ycgFBt9izWHa11kiMyQ_hGjep/s1600/stroller1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sure I used the stroller for exercise, but it was an excellent restraint system, too.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD33GYhbLAZ-Cf8rSGc0gFpXS2EyWGdYCf72NVfxlSJxcd3VGamcNKbls460j5x8u1xai75j1Ka4PQcK7lBV0D9eWjhX6NX2KUuURLJpceaRDFHGtoDn_Y6nADMY6AXqyDXEhDfI7lxe0/s1600/stroller2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD33GYhbLAZ-Cf8rSGc0gFpXS2EyWGdYCf72NVfxlSJxcd3VGamcNKbls460j5x8u1xai75j1Ka4PQcK7lBV0D9eWjhX6NX2KUuURLJpceaRDFHGtoDn_Y6nADMY6AXqyDXEhDfI7lxe0/s1600/stroller2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As kids get older, they need a few distractions like snacks and toys to go the distance.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD33GYhbLAZ-Cf8rSGc0gFpXS2EyWGdYCf72NVfxlSJxcd3VGamcNKbls460j5x8u1xai75j1Ka4PQcK7lBV0D9eWjhX6NX2KUuURLJpceaRDFHGtoDn_Y6nADMY6AXqyDXEhDfI7lxe0/s1600/stroller2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJNXUbfZIOltMBqSFz2kJRsGuvvOqgT3B_cTW90Rr2R1q0fYppV6rGoAK_079dI-FRpmobOZycasPIcEcNSewRLs4GnU7WNLKFBlSwkdAaP4hDVEBm8lu9DPJUPIeqHiEAVh08A_WlW-k/s1600/asleepinstroller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJNXUbfZIOltMBqSFz2kJRsGuvvOqgT3B_cTW90Rr2R1q0fYppV6rGoAK_079dI-FRpmobOZycasPIcEcNSewRLs4GnU7WNLKFBlSwkdAaP4hDVEBm8lu9DPJUPIeqHiEAVh08A_WlW-k/s1600/asleepinstroller.jpg" width="191" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strollers are also rolling cribs. If toddlers fight naptime, like this one did, <br />
the stroller is a great tool to induce sleep. Plan workouts accordingly.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3dy1TajC5u0ZUCYp5Xw-ERZqMpuHeRKDxfjifN1Q1HoGvnZI0JVzkT1f4cYsj7zdjEdxjnAqLQhx2LrfuFirQPMLczDPhvwMOuarA2aG57hAvdQYJYg94SV2fE1eDbKe7vH1pTO_mnHK/s1600/Blakeoutofstroller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji3dy1TajC5u0ZUCYp5Xw-ERZqMpuHeRKDxfjifN1Q1HoGvnZI0JVzkT1f4cYsj7zdjEdxjnAqLQhx2LrfuFirQPMLczDPhvwMOuarA2aG57hAvdQYJYg94SV2fE1eDbKe7vH1pTO_mnHK/s1600/Blakeoutofstroller.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">When does a stroller become obsolete? Slowly the kid will spend more time out of it than in, <br />
and as you push the empty stroller you will wonder why you didn't just leave it (the stroller, not the kid) at home. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0KWyQ62jIv55rGeNpRs_ejpeJEW1zeAy6cTPr5zGYyYsqSFPCWIg0W33TbIdbZFwuYdiyK65553m42wyUnqr6AgJS5T-sV4CGBkdtsfpvmZ4KZ3tgOSHMBr3xc-cC7lnXGjPctnABdQm/s1600/boyandpup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0KWyQ62jIv55rGeNpRs_ejpeJEW1zeAy6cTPr5zGYyYsqSFPCWIg0W33TbIdbZFwuYdiyK65553m42wyUnqr6AgJS5T-sV4CGBkdtsfpvmZ4KZ3tgOSHMBr3xc-cC7lnXGjPctnABdQm/s1600/boyandpup.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strollers are for babies.</td></tr>
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FOR SALE: Gently used orange Bob Revolution stroller. </div>
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Read more about balancing motherhood and fitness on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-22165662888053955872014-07-14T06:30:00.000-05:002016-01-07T13:04:35.235-06:00Golden Girl Fitness MentorA while ago I went to one of my favorite yoga classes and found there would be a substitute teacher. As usually happens when I walk into a class with a sub, I start wondering if this teacher will give me what I need or at least what I have come to expect from the usual teacher.<br />
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We always get what we need, don't we?<br />
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As she made introductions and we sat for the invocation I felt the presence of a great woman. I was charmed by her Texas accent (go figure), her silver pixie haircut, and especially her complete lack of attempt to appear younger. She was a "senior citizen," and she owned it.<br />
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Add to that she was a competent yoga instructor with a capable, athletic body. She was mesmerizing, I tell you. I left that class fulfilled by her teaching and getting something I didn't expect: another fitness mentor.<br />
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With each passing year I find I'm looking out for the those women who are pursuing active lives when their contemporaries are choosing to move less, not more. (One happens to be my own mother.)<br />
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Becoming a certified yoga instructor has been on my bucket list for some time, but I never seem to get around to it. With this yoga teacher's inspiration I know that life goal can remain on my list for as long as it needs to be.<br />
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Have you got a "Golden Girl" fitness mentor? If you need some inspiration, check out this movie trailer about Mary Stroebe, who competed in the Life Time Fitness Triathlon in her 90s. And read more about finding fitness in the chaos of motherhood on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" mozallowfullscreen="" src="//player.vimeo.com/video/3094607" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="500"></iframe> <br />
<a href="http://vimeo.com/3094607">Mary and Bill Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/andrewnapier">Andrew Napier</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-16836280414530077642012-02-13T11:14:00.000-06:002016-01-07T13:11:54.288-06:00Having a Fit Mom: What it's like for kids from Birth to 3-Years-OldA post from The Boy:<br />
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My mom says when you grow up in a fit family you have the advantage of never having to start exercising. Apparently getting started on the path to a fit life is the hardest part. Kids in fit families just don't know any different.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc-Fe76wUu7UYSJwKGVfa-BvabN0M9pW50LJQ6vKLkcR9_8y8aBptQyum_sHbsD7f4NhD0blmH8IcNG9FYyjopYyNTO0PeIfdZWjEHQ-aCdVS0JEdT29LybSNvtyi0CkckXnzJEf6HRj6/s1600/kara.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPc-Fe76wUu7UYSJwKGVfa-BvabN0M9pW50LJQ6vKLkcR9_8y8aBptQyum_sHbsD7f4NhD0blmH8IcNG9FYyjopYyNTO0PeIfdZWjEHQ-aCdVS0JEdT29LybSNvtyi0CkckXnzJEf6HRj6/s320/kara.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Here I am working out with mom. Before I was born she would smuggle me into the fitness center.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWBoUOt1BUu11F0r3p6mMHsxVNB-kOBLKx2CJLzVebGt7KQQ4bc0j_TaFhXKz2PcBl9g2f0vhq_EYztLVLQhPviSCiT5_8Dot56MEN2ORABNuRdNvLzlJJUYHurgfh0gyqu4YHlFap3D9/s1600/blakebirth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaWBoUOt1BUu11F0r3p6mMHsxVNB-kOBLKx2CJLzVebGt7KQQ4bc0j_TaFhXKz2PcBl9g2f0vhq_EYztLVLQhPviSCiT5_8Dot56MEN2ORABNuRdNvLzlJJUYHurgfh0gyqu4YHlFap3D9/s320/blakebirth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This still goes down as our hardest workout together. What started as an easy walk around the maternity floor--throwing in some lunges and squats--became more difficult as the night went on. It left us both exhausted and crying. The exercise-induced endorphins were awesome though.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx6xdczRbP63waiu9j4dRmdlLc3KH4MbOjsB4u84XsWKtrF2cHYVGhKJS3uYu0pqwhKfuNoPYOmlPJqLyPv73dBSybbv4aWIDsSg-82BJEYc9OIXNwuGngJ9MqTdpOR354plG7EYb6OzO/s1600/blakeincarseat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPx6xdczRbP63waiu9j4dRmdlLc3KH4MbOjsB4u84XsWKtrF2cHYVGhKJS3uYu0pqwhKfuNoPYOmlPJqLyPv73dBSybbv4aWIDsSg-82BJEYc9OIXNwuGngJ9MqTdpOR354plG7EYb6OzO/s320/blakeincarseat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
I don't <i>exactly</i> remember any workouts those first few months. Maybe I slept through most of them. Maybe the dog wouldn't let me out of her sight.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia59jvCVBXW73iGwjOKjWFvs3DzMTzad6N9Fr38fHDGGCPc4EBYO78dUuK7mm81DrEc43BJ0qWJQNLRht-BqsvLm7DEEIr3jPqNm1To5VMy7nPT88QMoAn5MgLHZzgq8jdYFbZR90TeC5w/s1600/blakewithmark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia59jvCVBXW73iGwjOKjWFvs3DzMTzad6N9Fr38fHDGGCPc4EBYO78dUuK7mm81DrEc43BJ0qWJQNLRht-BqsvLm7DEEIr3jPqNm1To5VMy7nPT88QMoAn5MgLHZzgq8jdYFbZR90TeC5w/s320/blakewithmark.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Early on I couldn't go to the gym because I was too little. Then mom was too sleep deprived to remember to make an appointment in the infant room. So I hung out with dad.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluhzjB7fYVfK3ihO2B4Vm6wgferXJHmWLvHsxziKmaykjYx5TUDlEs5Pft_JCWfBHI7vS-htMXOQxOOubpul5OrBB1_5Z_u2cYCfsSQafryJZptevC_vOlVrVdkxeaRV22IWXMXvzA2Eg/s1600/blakeinwrap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiluhzjB7fYVfK3ihO2B4Vm6wgferXJHmWLvHsxziKmaykjYx5TUDlEs5Pft_JCWfBHI7vS-htMXOQxOOubpul5OrBB1_5Z_u2cYCfsSQafryJZptevC_vOlVrVdkxeaRV22IWXMXvzA2Eg/s320/blakeinwrap.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcm-Jhxk1LIkEm-T_G2uez8zT2XTNu1v5tBfF28Mu6zNLGgo6x588chgKyzo8HwSXimvCEcWi4W8Ms1ZCq2mCHjpfulkmwJsbgorX86bt-HnE1t4RCTCLcZ_O38fjDEPbXNHCgzBR7mtSc/s1600/IMG_0276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcm-Jhxk1LIkEm-T_G2uez8zT2XTNu1v5tBfF28Mu6zNLGgo6x588chgKyzo8HwSXimvCEcWi4W8Ms1ZCq2mCHjpfulkmwJsbgorX86bt-HnE1t4RCTCLcZ_O38fjDEPbXNHCgzBR7mtSc/s320/IMG_0276.JPG" width="240" /></a>Tethered together like this, we got in lots of walking workouts. We were also the family's cheer team that first summer, watching as they competed and crossed finish lines. We were patient (as mastitis can make necessary). Our turn would come.</div>
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Life changed when we got our Bob Revolution Stroller. Whether running sprints to the post office (hurry, before the bus!) or a leisurely jog through the arboretum, mom's been a reliable training partner.</div>
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As I grew and got stronger, she got stronger. At every opportunity, <i>I </i>was the workout.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-WI9yFhGsO49Vz_UkSbRlfhGCLsToNiTPbApja7joFGydmxWwYSRUZG9KTmuxROd58S_x1Y3Y5jdxpEN7LxuSmVP5f9Rd5fRLS_NW1vEzYQrqs7Iz-zpyMMs7Tmz5mbvhyepvs_mQ6r/s1600/Iron+Girl+Finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpZ-WI9yFhGsO49Vz_UkSbRlfhGCLsToNiTPbApja7joFGydmxWwYSRUZG9KTmuxROd58S_x1Y3Y5jdxpEN7LxuSmVP5f9Rd5fRLS_NW1vEzYQrqs7Iz-zpyMMs7Tmz5mbvhyepvs_mQ6r/s320/Iron+Girl+Finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The following summer, after all that training mom got back to crossing finish lines. I cheered her on.</div>
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Then, like a baby bird I got tossed out of the nest. I wasn't sure I could fly.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPONR2YXavGDjUZkBM06VgxiWpcRW0Gk-5HNNlaFNYlsoXXy9c9iari5ct5d_6JaLn3AWsxwjZyKeBLllAdIB03wPvCu-j8dOCb4kvfEx4FwQrWHzrwppFt5VemYXpa8zMoBLzdxv9Jon6/s1600/IMG_3109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPONR2YXavGDjUZkBM06VgxiWpcRW0Gk-5HNNlaFNYlsoXXy9c9iari5ct5d_6JaLn3AWsxwjZyKeBLllAdIB03wPvCu-j8dOCb4kvfEx4FwQrWHzrwppFt5VemYXpa8zMoBLzdxv9Jon6/s320/IMG_3109.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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We experimented with snowshoes that winter. Awesome. </div>
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Mom says finding opportunities to workout with kids is also an exercise in creativity and persistence.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs2DFbpK28PuatiVR_XhOI01cxa_Q1-gtiyahvLVdG2LkxBhMICUIdJPEHK9hMERW2V9wwPbh4agVTV47sJNBFzNkWR18WTJLRhGkqkXrJV2onPZbIo5vmvf3gyXaudOC9BZFBGRHUlKd/s1600/skirtsports2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZs2DFbpK28PuatiVR_XhOI01cxa_Q1-gtiyahvLVdG2LkxBhMICUIdJPEHK9hMERW2V9wwPbh4agVTV47sJNBFzNkWR18WTJLRhGkqkXrJV2onPZbIo5vmvf3gyXaudOC9BZFBGRHUlKd/s200/skirtsports2.jpg" width="150" /></a>And like we do whenever the weather allows, we "play out" a lot. If you're ever at a park never allow your mom or dad to sit on a bench and watch. Make them move, too. </div>
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That fall they threw me out of the nest again. I'm definitely growing up active, but racing is for the birds.</div>
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We still go to the fitness center together a lot. I have my workouts and mom has hers. Mom doesn't need to smuggle me in or make an appointment any more, she just has to remember to carry more stuff in her gym bag. I'm old enough now to know better not to sabotage her workout with a dirty diaper. I've learned the day will go better for me if I let her workout... She's a nice mom and all, just nicer <i>after</i> the workout.<br />
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Now that I'm three, my fitness world is expanding: swimming lessons, soccer, riding my bike. So much to do. Mom still makes a pretty good training partner. She says she always will.<br />
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[Read more about balancing fitness and motherhood and raising a fit family at my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.]<br />
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<br />Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-87227373159863760602011-10-24T10:05:00.000-05:002011-10-24T10:05:48.434-05:00Update #9 from Mamacat<div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It's been a month since Mamacat's Iron Girl Duathlon finish. I thought I'd check in with her to find out how the fit lifestyle was going, how she planned to keep up the momentum and specifically, What Is Next! As you'll read, Mamacat is motivated to keep moving and confident she can keep crossing finish lines. In fact, the events she's planning make me want to get out and join her. She has set a significantweight-loss goal for herself and she needs your support! Please share your wisdom with her, especially when it comes to shedding those pounds and quitting her diet coke addiction!</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here's what Mamacat had to say:</span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">You'll be happy to know I couldn't stop working out even if I tried. Despite the goal race being over, I have not lost my will or my drive. I can not skip a day of working out without going insane. It's a solid habit. We love that, don't we? </div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I've done the "stairs" in Stillwater (a fat burning 1000 step trail of hills, steps, more steps and steps). I've done as many 25-mile bike rides as I can with the nice weather. We've declared family fitness night for TWO nights a week. I've even started to wean myself back into club time instead of outdoor time. I'm still doing <a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/">Moms on the Run</a> and still LOVE IT. I love the women and that no one judges me even if I am the slowest runner alive. We only have about 2 weeks left and I think I'm going to cry. This season we've been doing more interval training and working on bootcamp drills. My legs have gotten really strong. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">Fitness is such a habit that it naturally has a place on my to do list, daily. This is significant because I was very afraid once the Iron Girl was over I would find it easy to pop an excuse (not a reason) in here or there. No way, Jose! </div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;">One thing is certain, this journey is not over.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px;"> </span>I bought a wet suit in an end-of-season sale. This commits me to open water swimming and triathlons in the spring (lest I prefer divorce court for spending money frivolously) and keeps me 'mentally' in the game. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">My most immediate goal is the Scare In White Bear 5K with my husband and son. My girls will do the 1/2 mile race. I've got my eye on the Fast before the Feast race on Thanksgiving Day, a February cross-country ski event, a paintball gun race, and a May Duathlon. I'm also eagerly awaiting details of an indoor triathlon at Lifetime Fitness and planning some kind of neighborhood family fun race day that will involve skiing, skating, sledding or all of the above. </div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I will revisit the early days of our journey where you challenged me to quit it with the Diet Coke. I went way down in my consumption and then back up to large amounts (no where near the 8-a-day mark but a heck of a lot more than one a day). Reality is I think I just have to cut out Diet Coke COMPLETELY. I'm still saying "yup, I've gotta do that" but have not yet been able to actually do it.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">I have been writing down everything that goes into my mouth and it's not as great as I let myself think it is. I need to get back to the nutrition focus I started with that slowly got away (funny how I did eat my veggies when i was getting free massages). So I am going back to a serious focus on nutrition and not just eating my vegetables and fruits, but enjoying them in new ways. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that eating smart the few days prior to the Iron Girl made a big difference for me compared to the previous triathlon, in which I was worn down, dehydrated and lethargic.</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><br />
</div><div style="font: 12.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;">My next goal: My OLDER sister turns 50 in a year and I want to cross a finish line with her before then. Fifty pounds lighter. I want to be 50 pound lighter before she gets to 50. And I want the finish line to be the <a href="http://www.irongirl.com/">Iron Girl</a>. </div>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-44731453103331905872011-09-26T09:58:00.002-05:002016-01-07T12:23:29.523-06:00Success not Dog Meat: Update from Mamacat<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">OK, must admit I was a little concerned about my friend, when I got this email from her just three days before the <a href="http://www.irongirl.com/">Iron Girl Duathlon</a>:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Sent: Wednesday, September 21, 2011</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Subject: DOG MEAT</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Kara,</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">I just read the rules for Iron Girl and I have to run 2 miles in 24 minutes. For you speedy types, this is a breeze. For a poky old girl who runs a 13 minute mile....umm. I be in big trouble. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">FRET. FRET. FRET. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">My Response to Mamacat: </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Just means you can't walk. Think turnover. You can do it. You just did a triathlon in a cold rain. What <i>can't</i> you do??? </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Here's some homework if you have time before Sunday. Go to a track and do two warm-up laps, then do 8 laps all at 2:55 or less. You need to run each 400 lap in 3 minutes to make it a 12-minute mile. If you can make that easily bump the laps to 2:50 or 2:45. Give yourself a minute to recover between each lap. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Go!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Mamacat's Reply:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Subject: RE: DOG MEAT</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">My first lap was 3 minutes. And trust me when I say they didn't get faster. Interestingly, I had to walk more in the first few laps but was able to keep going without a break in the later laps. But they were s-l-o-w. Husband insists that it was a longer track than 1/4 mile but I wouldn't know the difference. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I am not worried about going the distance but do worry about the speed. I'll try again tomorrow and Saturday too - even if it's rest day. I'll just have to make it happen. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">My Response (and in my head I'm thinking how sweet it was for her husband to say that the track was long):</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Sent: Friday, September 23, 2011</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Subject: RE: DOG MEAT</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">You are not factoring in the race atmosphere, which absolutely increases speed without you even realizing it.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> All that's required of you Sunday is to do your best. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Mamacat's Reply:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small;">Subject: RE: DOG MEAT</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Right. Good point. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I will do my very best. The first two Tri's were about finishing and this race can be about starting to pick up the pace. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">We eventually figured out that the cut-off was 26 minutes, not the 24-minutes she originally thought. She made the cut-off time and finished with a grand Mamacat-signature smile. Here we are after the finish:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Now, 10 months after Mamacat asked me to help her become a Hot (Sweaty) Mama, we both know she has earned that title and owns it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beyond Mamacat's personal goals, she has experienced the benefits of the last secret in <a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas,</a> "Act Like Others Are Watching Because They Are." What started as a solo journey has ended with her whole family being more active, including "date" bike rides with her husband and "family night" at the running track. Her son wants to join the local tri store's triathlon team next spring and together they've set their next goal: to run a 5K at the end of October. Mamacat set out to be mentored, but now she has become the mentor.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I think that new role became crystal clear for her at her second triathlon, </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">which was full of obstacles for her; namely, recovering from a root canal that put a crimp in her training, frigid water and a rainy, cool day. Here's what she said about that race, which includes a great suggestion she got from a fellow Hot (Sweaty) Mama:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When the kids saw me coming through the trail head in the woods, they started calling my name as they waited at the top of the hill.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> "Come on mom, you can make it, we'll finish with you!" </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">When I got to the top of the hill and rounded the corner to the last few hundred feet, my wee ones were there and running with me and we crossed the finish line together. It was awesome. </span></span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">A day or so later I started beating myself up for not going faster or doing a better job in the race. I confessed this to a mom at <a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/">Moms on the Run</a> and she, after admonishing me for such behavior, gave me a nice little piece of advice. "Write a letter to each of your children. Tell them how you ran your first real triathlon when you were sick and it was cold and rainy. Even though there were times you wanted to give up, you didn't. You kept going and kept trying and you finished it. Doesn't matter how fast, it matters that you didn't give up. Write this letter to them now while it's fresh in your mind. Let them open it later in life when they need to remember all the reasons why they should "try" or "do the best they can do" or why they "shouldn't give up." It'll be quite a gift for them and a beautiful lesson. " </span></blockquote>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Love it!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whether because impressionable people are watching or your actions to mentor are intentional, paying it forward is part </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">of living a fit lifestyle. </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When Iron Girl sent me their post-race email, they included this quote, which I think sums up Mamacat's event, as well as her quest to become a Hot (Sweaty) Mama. We should all aspire to do this definition of success:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><i>Success is a peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.</i></span></div>
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--John Wooden, former coach of the UCLA basketball team</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-16237764494195538772011-09-19T11:00:00.001-05:002016-01-07T13:14:56.332-06:00Getting to (Another) Point about the Pelvic FloorAs often happens when I interview someone for an article, sometimes we get off topic. I am notorious for starting a conversation about one thing and leading soon to something entirely different, but eventually circling back (because I'm convinced background is incredibly important) and returning to the topic. My husband has cut me off more than once: "What is your point?"<br />
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What IS my point? My point is, I learned something in this interview that would be superfluous background for the article but fascinating for me nonetheless and so worthy of sharing with my blog readers.<br />
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But first I have to tell you about the woman I interviewed (see, more background!). Her name is <a href="http://elizabethnoble.com/bio.html">Elizabeth Noble</a>, a physical therapist and author of a book I read 8+ years ago after picking it up from the bookstore on the way home from that 20-week sonogram appointment, which revealed not one but two babies. Her book, "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Having-Twins-More-Pregnancy-Childhood/dp/0618138730">Having Twins</a>," is still on my bookshelf. I especially enjoyed the passage where I learned that my love of sweet potatoes might have had as much to do with my twin pregnancy as my family history and age. My twins were conceived between Thanksgiving and Christmas--the height of yam eating season.<br />
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Oh grief, I'm really off the point now.<br />
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Sort of. I was speaking to Elizabeth Noble, who also wrote the book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Exercises-Childbearing-Year-Comfort/dp/0964118319">Essential Exercises for the Childbearing Year</a>," for an article about positions that can help relieve discomforts of pregnancy. And in that conversation she shared this revelation with me:<br />
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"What pregnancy does is reveal to a woman her strengths and weaknesses in her muskuloskeletal system. She would have those problems eventually."<br />
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Wowza, huh?<br />
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So here we are going around blaming our pregnancies for this or for that (ahem pelvic floor disorder, anyone?) when we actually have our pregnancies to thank for getting us to, and addressing, our future body sooner. Of course, ideally we should prevent those problems in the first place, but we have so much working against us... like chairs and cars and computers and televisions...<br />
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Anyhow, "those problems" almost always have everything to do with a weak pelvic floor. I believe increased athletic activity can also illuminate pelvic floor weakness in the same way a pregnancy can. When you're demanding a lot from your body and you have muscle imbalances and pelvic floor weakness--where, begins the genesis of our movement--the low back, knees, hips, even feet, will eventually feel the effects of those weaknesses.<br />
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Noble, who also is an anthropologist and founder of the Section on Womens Health at the American Physical Therapy Association, echoed a strategy heard here before by <a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html">Katy Bowman: Start squatting</a>.<br />
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She said, "The pelvic floor attaches to the external rotators of the hips; when you come out of a squat, you tighten the pelvic floor." The problem, she added, is that few people in the western world squat anymore. Even when she travels to Asian countries even the younger people aren't squatting like their grannies.<br />
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I found this passage in her book interesting:<br />
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<i>The comforts of modern life have more and more removed us from the routine physical work that compensates for these structural weaknesses by muscular development. We sit too much. We use laundry dryers instead of bending and stretching at the line. If you ever drive a car without power steering, or use a manual typewriter after an electronic keyboard, you have felt how labor-saving devices make us weak. Worst of all the "modern improvements" is the water commode--the porcelain throne on which people sit to perform functions that should happen only in squatting. Alas, around the world squat toilets are disappearing and pelvic problems for both men and women are increasing in proportion.</i></blockquote>
She told me she squats on her toilet seat. "I climb on to them," she said. "I put my feet on the rim of the toilet. It can be a dangerous position; one day my foot slid in." She also said there are platforms people can buy or make to modify their toilets so they can squat on them.<br />
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Naturally, I had to try.<br />
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Fail.<br />
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It was high time I cleaned my bathroom floor anyway. Part of the failure was that I was trying to watch (wouldn't you, I mean, to make sure you hit the target?) but in bending my neck down, I also tilted my pelvis forward. That meant missing the bowl. Another obstacle: this can't be done with panties around your ankles.<br />
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While the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation is in the process of <a href="http://www.gatesfoundation.org/watersanitationhygiene/Documents/wsh-reinvent-the-toilet-challenge.pdf">reinventing the toilet</a> for the developing world, we might ask to include a new design for industrial countries so we can take back our pelvic floor.<br />
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Meanwhile, I harken back to <a href="http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=1310&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223">Katy Bowman's advice</a>: just use your shower to squat and pee.<br />
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What else did Elizabeth Noble leave me with? She says if you have to sit, sit on an exercise ball. I sat on one when I worked while pregnant but had since gone back to the chair. Now I'm back on the ball (as I type this on Sunday afternoon my 2-year old is sitting on it behind me and bouncing mightily).<br />
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Which brings me to something else she said (a side story? more background? information to support my point? Hell, I don't know anymore) that's worth repeating: <i>The exercises that are good for you to do in pregnancy are good for you to do for the rest of your life</i>.<br />
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Keep up those post-partum exercises. F-O-R-E-V-E-R.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/get-moving-now/20-pelvic-floor-fitness/59-pelvic-floor-health" target="_blank">Everything I know about pelvic floor health</a> is posted on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.<br />
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-88415170292019799262011-09-13T07:33:00.000-05:002016-01-07T13:25:37.280-06:00Update #8 from MamacatBack when we started following Mamacat's journey to <a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/search/label/Becoming%20a%20Hot%20%28Sweaty%29%20Mama">becoming a Hot (Sweaty) Mama</a>, her goal was to finish the <a href="http://www.irongirl.com/">Bloomington Iron Girl Duathlon</a> on September 25, now less than two weeks away. Girlfriend is ready. How do I know? Because she was able to pre-empt this goal with her <a href="http://trifitnesswbl.com/index.php?contentID=1710">first triathlon</a> on August 27.<br />
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I think someone has the bug and couldn't wait to compete.<br />
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I got to hear all about that first triathlon finish the next week when we trained together on a 20-mile ride and 15-minute run (by the way, it was her idea to go farther than we planned). What she knows, and will reminded every time she finishes a hard workout or steps over another finish line, is something we say in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1449402453/ref=as_li_tf_til?tag=kardouthomams-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=1449402453&adid=1QNED8N36BEYSDC79CN7&">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom</a> about crossing over from "exercise as dreaded task" to fitness as a lifestyle:<br />
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<i>The reason exercise becomes habit-forming is because it provides you with a sense of power over your life: You can control what you do with your day and take time to do something that makes you feel good. It </i>literally<i> makes you feel strong and powerful. Exercise is a bridge between mind and body, and it empowers them both. Once you're been exposed to that power (like the endorphins) it's hard to give up. This positive force is self-perpetuating. Now fitness is more than a habit; it's a lifestyle.</i></blockquote>
You'll see what I mean as Mamacat shares her race experience. She is definitely in a place where her fitness is self-perpetuating. In her words:<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I'm am overjoyed to report I finished my first triathlon, something I never in my wildest dreams would have guessed I'd ever say. There was as much mental effort as their was physical effort involved in me getting to this point. But I did it. I had all the tools, all the support and all the drive. Had I never read Hot (Sweaty) Mamas, I never would have dreamed that I'm not the only woman to struggle with finding time or more importantly, find the WILL to make it happen. </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The thing I kept with me the whole race was Kara's encouraging words the night before the race: "you have trained for this, you are ready"...without that mantra, I may have given up before getting across the start line. She was right, though, I did train and I was ready. Was I a super-power-house-record-breaking-newsflash...no, but I had worked for this and was able to apply both endurance and free will to cross that finish line. </span> </blockquote>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Mamacat in pink, just steps away from her first triathlon finish.</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">WHAT A FEELING. Better than any job promotion I had ever received, which is noteworthy because so often it was work that stopped me from finding time for fitness. My kids and my husband were so proud, which is noteworthy because it took away the guilt I had put upon myself when I choose to run, bike or swim instead of get an extra time with them. My body did it, which is noteworthy because of all those times I told myself I never could and it never could...and then it did! And I feel so much better these days...why would I ever deny myself this healthful way of life?</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">I was so elated to finish this triathlon that I signed up for a second one just one week before the Iron Girl Duathlon. Who'd a thought? I'm as nervous for the Iron Girl as I am excited. All those women. Athletes. Racing against themselves. Racing against each other. Pushing their bodies to peak levels of fitness and knowing the reward of accomplishment awaits at the end. And no matter what, NO ONE CAN EVER TAKE THAT AWAY from you. How awesome. </span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">My <a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/">Moms on the Run</a> comrades were so supportive and all Hot (Sweaty) Mamas for crossing their own finish line at the <a href="http://www.shawnsilvera.org/run">Silvera Run</a> the same day of my triathlon. I wish I could have run with them but I was there in spirit and now glad to be back with them for the fall program.</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">My husband was so inspired by my inspiration that he's hogging my <a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas book</a>, a book that I pick up often just for a little mental juice to keep me motivated and trying new ways to make time, take time, share time or snare time. He's replacing "mom" with "dad" and starting his own journey of fitness par excellence! (Man, talk about smoking me on the bike trail yesterday!)</span> </blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">Less than two weeks until the Iron Girl and less than one week until the next tri. I'm committed....100% committed! </span></blockquote>
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What about you, is your fitness self-perpetuating? Crossing a finish line is powerful for a lot of people (me and Mamacat included) but if you're not one to register for an event, what is it that empowers you?</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-2155180520248092862011-07-21T08:39:00.001-05:002016-01-07T13:25:55.825-06:00Update #7 from Mamacat<div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">
How is Mamacat doing these days? Remember, the end goal for her is the <a href="http://www.irongirl.com/Events/Bloomington.htm#axzz1Sk9idqcy">Bloomington Iron Girl Duathlon</a> on September 25. </div>
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Some days are good, as I learned in this report:</div>
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<i>On my way out the door this morning for a bike ride before the heat set in, I bumped into my neighbor who was also on her way out for a ride. We ended up venturing off together, hitting a state trail and 17 miles later had a long ride under my belt for the day. It was nice to have company. She's a biker so keeping up with her was a good workout for me. </i></div>
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Some days are more challenging:</div>
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<i>I rode to </i><a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/"><i>Moms On The Run</i></a><i> this morning, ran for 30 minutes and pushed myself harder than I have been. Then I proceeded to ride 17 miles up hilly terraine. If the duathlon was 2 miles running then 22 mile biking and that is all, I know I could do it. But the thought of getting back into running mode after already having run and done the bike ride does not sound like my body will love it. I won't give up but today this is a mental hurdle. Tomorrow is a new day and perhaps I'll forget how I would have rather put screws in my eyes than run again. On the flip side, I had a great ride and I'm comfortably exhausted. </i></div>
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I told her that feeling of, "would rather put screws in my eyes than run again," is the training effect. She's pushing her body to new limits. The next time she'll get to that same place and be able to go farther. That's how you get stronger, but you never know until you push those boundaries. So what did she do? She pushed boundaries: </div>
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<i>I took a trip to the local Tri store to find some skorts that actually STAY in place and ended up not only with a few new cute outfits but also asking myself when my first triathlon would be. WHAT? Did I just say that? Before I picked up your </i><a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/"><i>book</i></a><i>, I would have never in a million years even contemplated any kind of race and I actually had myself wondering if I could do a tri! It's a big question for myself but the first step is just thinking about it, right? You've influenced me in so many ways!!! </i></div>
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She went from thinking about it to:</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i>I am officially signed up for the "</i><a href="http://trifitnesswbl.com/index.php?contentID=1710"><i>MY First Tri</i></a><i>" out of </i><a href="http://trifitnesswbl.com/"><i>Tri Fitness</i></a><i>.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i> I started swimming with the masters swim class on Thursday nights up at Square Lake. It is a deep,</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1311251226_1" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(54, 99, 136); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 2px; cursor: pointer; line-height: 1.2em; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><i>cold lake</i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i> </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, helvetica, clean, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 15px;"><i>and you can see a lot of 'lake things' with your goggles on...that creeps me out. I did go ahead and rent a wetsuit and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal;"><i>swimming</i></span> was pretty easy peesy with that thing on. Getting the wetsuit on was like a bad spanx experience. Putting my swm cap on my fat little head and bulging eye goggles on top of that made me look more like a weeble than a snausage but heck, I tried it and it was fun.</i></span></div>
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I'm so proud of her and her bulging eye goggles I could bust out in a bad rendition of "We are the Champions." Oh, I know, she hasn't finished these races yet, but I believe signing up for the race is the hardest part. Committing. That's hard stuff. And Mamacat knows this as someone who has also battled alcohol addiction. Turns out her commitment to sobriety has a few things in common with her commitment to fitness:</div>
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<i>Early in this journey, we said we'd talk about recovery and how one can committ to staying fit just as one commits to staying sober. It has not escaped me. And these worlds are not so far apart. It's about commitment, making habits, educating yourself and being present in the world you want to be living in. Right now. Not sometime, but right now. Specifically, in an effort to stay sober one must do a few things and it's called "working a program." It's also called having all the tools you need to find success: 1) Make a routine to go to meetings. 2) Read The Big Book or any of AA/AA approved reading material when things start to get tough. READ READ READ to remember what it was like before you were sober and how great it is now that your are sober. 3) Surround yourself with sober people. </i></div>
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<i>In fitness it appears to be the same 1) Make a routine out if it. Go to your run club or your favorite weekly classes at the gym. See the same people in the same positive patterns. 2) Read. For me, I am reading Hot (Sweaty) Mamas when I need to get back on track. I carry it with me and it has become my Big Book. Any fitness related (read: inspiring) article or magazine will work, too. I like the fitness magazines as a second choice because I can pick up some much needed fashion tips. I now know who Lululemon is and she's not the skinny bitch in the Latte line. I've learned that running bras do come in big girl sizes, that there are more places to shop than the picked over fit section at Target, that neon is making a comeback! Lastly, 3) Surround yourself with fit people. I could go on and on here but I think you get my point. And you can tell I've had a good workout today because my endorphins are dancing. </i></div>
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Keep dancing Mamacat! She's motivated and working hard. And like an answer to the <a href="http://www.aahistory.com/prayer.html">Serenity Prayer</a> she earned a massage with <a href="http://www.serenitynowhealingcenter.com/">Serenity Now Healing Center</a>. I know Mamacat knows what a good massage feels like, as this is her treat when traveling for business ("What else am I going to do," she says, "I can't go sit in a bar.") When I asked about her massage from Serenity Now her eyes rolled back in her head. She couldn't even find the words, just some "Aaahing" and "Ooohing." I think I could make out the words, "Sooooo Goooood." When training this hard I'm one to believe that a good massage is a necessity, not a luxury. We all need to include a massage in the "cost of doing fitness."</div>
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Now Mamacat is not only becoming a Hot (Sweaty) Mama, she's also becoming a triathlete. Want to give this first timer some encouragement? Any other similarities between living a fit life and sober life? How long has it been since you've had a massage? Too long?</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-80419025234887230542011-06-29T05:27:00.019-05:002016-01-07T13:16:29.646-06:00Second Annual Pelvic Floor Party: Kegels ARE Invited!Yes, Kegels <i>are</i> invited, you can bring them along like a date for your super strong booty, but only if you do them right! That means if you're following the advice of such notable experts as Dr. Oz and Dr. Laura Berman (love ya both, but ya'll need to brush up on your pelvic floor advice) then you won't get through the door.<br />
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So who decides if you get in? The <a href="http://www.kegelqueen.com/">Kegel Queen</a>. She is the perfect party guest (because she wears a crown, after all). And don't even try to sneak in the back door (ha!) because she will find you and give you a royal talking to.<br />
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I know because it happened to me. Not kidding. There's video to prove it. What would you think if you saw someone wielding a skeletal pelvis at you? (The pelvic floor anatomy lesson is absolutely worth the time it takes to watch the video.)<br />
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There were a lot of people talking after that <a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html">Pelvic Floor Party: Kegels NOT Invited</a> post and the follow up post, <a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-encore.html">Pelvic Floor Encore</a>, and the <a href="http://www.kegelqueen.com/">Kegel Queen</a> was one of them. After she posted the You Tube videos (the one above is part two of two), Katy Bowman <a href="http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=1609&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223">interviewed the Kegel Queen</a> on her blog. It. Is. Hilarious.<br />
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I can't help but like her. So, of course, I checked out The Kegel Queen (a.k.a. Alyce Adams, RN) and liked that her Kegel lessons did not involve the mainstream approach that Katy Bowman shuns in "<a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-encore.html">Pelvic Floor Encore</a>," where she explains her problem with Kegels which, incidentally, is also a problem for the Kegel Queen. It's nice to know that the Squat Queen and Kegel Queen are not at war over the same territory.<br />
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Loaded with all this new information, I realized I had spread that mainstream, useless approach myself in an old post I had written about Kegels in April 2009. At first I didn't concern myself with it, after all, that post was buried in the archive of my blog. Who would see it? Then, to make sure, I Googled "Kegel," and saw that my post appears on the first page of results. Crap! Rather than delete the post, I think it needs a makeover. Who better to lead the makeover than the Kegel Queen herself?<br />
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We started with this sorry paragraph:<br />
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So how do you do Kegel exercises? The easiest explanation is to squeeze those muscles "down there" that would stop the flow of urine and those that would keep you "puckered up" in a tense situation. The pelvic floor muscles are like a hammock between your tail bone and your pubic bone. The idea is to contract or tighten up that hammock. Ideally we should all be doing 200 a day. There are two main ways to Kegel: Flicks are quick contractions and you should aim to do them in sets of 10. The other option is to hold a Kegel, ideally for 10 seconds or more.</blockquote>
The Kegel Queen would like to send me to the dungeon for that. For starters, I include three of the biggest Kegel mistakes in that short paragraph. Here are the Kegel Queen's list of five biggest mistakes:<br />
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<u>Kegel Mistake #1: Moving the Wrong Muscles</u><br />
Kegel Queen says that the pelvic floor and only the pelvic floor--not your butt, your abs, your hip flexors--should contract during a Kegel.<br />
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<u>Kegel Mistake #2: Making the Wrong Movement</u><br />
A Kegel, says the Queen, is a contraction that lifts the pelvic floor up and forward.<br />
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<u>Kegel Mistake #3: Doing Hundreds of Kegels a Day</u><br />
Not so, says Her Majesty. A few will do, so you don't overwork the muscle.<br />
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<u>Kegel Mistake #4: Doing Fast, Light Squeezes</u><br />
Just like any other strength training, Kegels should consist of several strong and sustained reps.<br />
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<u>Kegel Mistake #5: Making Kegels Complicated</u><br />
Devices that require you to take off your pants will eventually collect dust in the back of your underwear drawer, says The Queen.<br />
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In the next paragraph of that doomed post, I launch into another Kegel Queen No-No:<br />
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The nice part about Kegel exercises is that they don't require workout clothes. They don't require a gym. In fact, you don't have to make time to Kegel, you can do it almost anywhere, anytime and no one is the wiser. The guy taking your order at Starbucks might wonder what's up with the strange look on your face, but still, he'll never know.</blockquote>
To do Kegels correctly, the Kegel Queen wants her subjects to please, please not do them anytime, anywhere, especially not while driving. Why?<br />
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<li>To do a strong and sustained contraction requires focus. Could you dead lift your max weight while driving? Impossible, of course, but even if you could do this move in a car, you wouldn't because it requires too much concentration.</li>
<li>Having a routine is what makes any exercise program succeed. Saying you can do Kegels anytime doesn't mean you will. </li>
<li>A proper Kegel includes fully relaxing; letting the muscles go completely soft, and letting your mind go with it. Not something you want to do behind the wheel.</li>
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Now that I am wiser about Kegels, I thought I should get more insight from Her Royal Highness.</div>
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<b>Kara:</b> I was intrigued by the notion that relaxing the pelvic floor is as important a step as contracting it. I understand it from the perspective of lengthening the muscles, but love incorporating the relaxation piece as described by a commenter in one of the earlier Pelvic Floor Party posts. Here's what she said:</div>
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As a counseling student, I've become aware of valuable information about pelvic floor relaxation in trauma work and in bodily health (the idea being that if we live in a constantly stressed state, in the "fight or flight" sympathetic nervous system, our bodies will burn out, hence the need for an effective way to relax). The pelvic floor is the only part of the body completely surrounded by muscle, so by relaxing the PF for 20-30 seconds, the rest of the body is triggered to relax and switch into the parasympathetic nervous system. </blockquote>
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You said that by incorporating this relaxing piece into a routine that it will help you enjoy it more, which of course, will help you want to keep doing it. How should we fully relax after a Kegel?<br />
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<b>Kegel Queen:</b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b> </b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>In our culture--literally starting with diapers--we’re taught to cut ourselves off from being aware of what’s going on “down there.” We’re taught that sex, pee and poo, our periods, and birth are shameful or dirty, that they should be hidden. The word “pudendum,” the medical term for women’s external genitals, comes from a Latin root that means “shame.” Seriously! Couldn’t they have named it something just the teensiest bit more positive? </i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Since we’ve all grown up surrounded by attitudes like this, it’s no wonder that for most women, just consciously connecting with the pelvic floor and starting to contract and release it can be a big learning experience.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>So simply becoming more aware of your pelvic floor, and giving the contraction and relaxation your full attention, is a great first step. </i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Once you have a grip (oops, no pun intended) on contracting and releasing the pelvic floor, you can start intensifying the contractions and relaxing more completely. There’s a lot you can do to relax fully, and we talk about it in detail in the Kegel Queen Program. Keeping the rest of your body, and your mind, relaxed is part of it. Another piece is deep breathing in a particular way so that your breathing helps the pelvic floor relax and expand.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>One thing you should never, ever, ever, ever do is push out or bear down on the pelvic floor to help it relax and expand out. Some people (yes, even professionals) will tell you to push out as part of your kegel workout, but pushing out like that can actually cause prolapse, or make prolapse worse. So you want to allow the pelvic floor to relax, but never push.</i></span></div>
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<b>Kara:</b> While a routine is important should you change up your position? Since the pelvic floor will be called to duty while standing, sitting, and lying down (wink, wink) should you rotate?<br />
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<b>Kegel Queen:</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Yes and no. First, let me say that I’m absolutely in favor of experimenting with different positions for kegels and whatever else you might like to do (nudge, nudge). Yes, practicing kegels in different positions is a great way to prepare for those times when you’ll need to consciously engage your pelvic floor in real life. Using different positions is also a great way to understand your pelvic floor better. You’ll increase your awareness and control with those muscles.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Also, different positions affect your other muscles in different ways. Remember Kegel Mistake #1, Moving the Wrong Muscles.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>What you want is to contract only your pelvic floor and no other muscles. Often there’s a certain muscle group that really wants to contract along with your pelvic floor, or instead of it.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Let’s say that for you, it’s your glutes. You can make kegels easier by choosing kegel positions that help the glutes relax. Or you can challenge yourself by choosing a position that invites your glutes to tense up, then focus on relaxing your glutes while you do kegels in that position.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>All that said, the bottom line (whoops, another pun) is that kegels have to be DO-ABLE. All the different kegel positions in the world won’t help you if it makes doing kegels too complicated and you don’t end up actually doing them.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Anything that makes kegels complicated, whether it’s some device or worrying about your position too much, is not your friend. DOING kegels in one easy position is approximately one million times more effective than NOT doing kegels in a variety of positions. Know what I mean?</i></span></div>
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<b>Kara:</b> When should you "let go" of the contraction? And should you time them, to try to build on the time (like you might for holding a plank?) Or, is there a certain time to work up to?<br />
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<b>Kegel Queen:</b> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>All this is a huge part of my kegel course, and I could never do it justice in this short post.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>One of the main reasons most kegel instructions don’t work is that there’s not enough detail there to show women exactly what to do. A lot of women think that if they know how many kegels to do and how long to hold them, they’re all set. But actually, if that’s all you know, odds are you’re not going to see the kegel results you want, like dry undies, relief from prolapse symptoms, and mind-blowing sex.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Women need a lot more detail about working up to the full kegel workout as well as breathing, positions, how to stick with kegels over time, and more--all covered in depth in the Kegel Queen Program. Once you learn how to do kegels right, it takes just a few minutes a day. But it’s critical to get the right information, ALL the right information, so you have the best foundation for success with kegels.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Women can look up the <a href="http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/kegel-exercises/WO00119">kegel instructions on the Mayo Clinic web site</a> to start getting an answer to the question you ask. The information there is basically accurate. But it’s only two short web pages. In my experience with hundreds of women, you need a lot more detail to make kegels really work, like what you’ll find in my two-hour kegel course. When you do have complete information and you consistently do kegels right, the results can be spectacular.</i></span></div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kara: </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I recently caught a few minutes of the Dr. Laura Berman show and dang if she wasn't spewing the old 200 Kegels a day advice. I remember it took (and still is a problem) a long time for OB/Gyns to come around on exercising while pregnant and letting go of that 140 heart rate--is this sort of the same thing, where the research hasn't caught up with the professionals? Where's the disconnect? Why does this bad information prevail?</span></span><br />
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<i><b><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-style: normal;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Kegel Queen:</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></i></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>That 200 kegels a day thing just keeps on coming back, doesn’t it? It’s everywhere! </i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Here’s why we don’t do 200 kegels a day. Kegels work by increasing your control of the pelvic floor muscles, and by building mass and tone in the pelvic floor. How would you build mass and tone in any other muscle in your body? As anyone who does weight training knows, you’d do a small number of strong, sustained reps. Not 200 “quick flicks,” or 200 anything! Your pelvic floor is no different. We have decades of research to tell us what types of kegel programs work. Why aren’t more people using it?</i></span></b></i></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Why does bad kegel information continue to prevail? I have spent years asking this question and in all honesty, I am still looking for a decent answer. Kegels aren’t the only situation in health care where the research and clinical practice don’t match up. For example, I have a book on my shelf called Obstetric Myths versus Research Realities, and it’s almost four hundred pages describing the ways conventional maternity care is not supported by research. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>One problem is that kegels don’t make money for the health care industry, so there’s no incentive for them to get good kegel information out there. Surgery is an expensive, dangerous treatment for incontinence and prolapse that often fails. But this type of surgery is a multi-billion-dollar industry. </i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Here’s another problem with the way the health care business is set up. Imagine that Doctor Jane Doe wants desperately to teach women how to do kegels right to help them with incontinence and prolapse (and better sex!). Since all her HMO employer allows her is a seven-minute office visit with each patient, she just can’t teach kegels effectively no matter how much she wants to.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Unfortunately, the market drives a lot of what happens in health care, and there’s no big market force making sure women know how to do kegels right so we can care for ourselves at home.</i></span></span></div>
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I know I did my readers a disservice by oversimplifying the Kegel. Knowing how to properly contract our pelvic floor is essential for a host of reasons, beyond that, a <i>real</i> Kegel can be a risk-free solution to incontinence or prolapse. She might be the Kegel Queen but she also makes a great Kegel Coach. More about her program can be found on her site, www.kegelqueen.com. And she offers a special deal on her program for those who watch the webinar available on her website. Party favor! Thanks for coming to the party Alyce!<br />
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<a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/get-moving-now/20-pelvic-floor-fitness/59-pelvic-floor-health" target="_blank">Everything I know about pelvic floor health</a> is posted on my website, <a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a>.</div>
Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-74751202517146311752011-06-26T23:40:00.003-05:002016-01-07T13:16:52.257-06:00How's Your Pelvic Floor?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aRgrRilLYmlrHZ-J8CRCDeA_L89CjsfHiteh5lYNX-mJTOWmav85j-Q2iPFUuuqiUO6JWFTSWctFzOpDOoOnd-mS4qdU5BOxZCrvxaRBgl2b_qVGijIU1yR8J5tSXPqbFdmyLHYTw1bi/s1600/katybowman-head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7aRgrRilLYmlrHZ-J8CRCDeA_L89CjsfHiteh5lYNX-mJTOWmav85j-Q2iPFUuuqiUO6JWFTSWctFzOpDOoOnd-mS4qdU5BOxZCrvxaRBgl2b_qVGijIU1yR8J5tSXPqbFdmyLHYTw1bi/s320/katybowman-head.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Not everyone looks this good with a pelvis on her head: <br />
Katy Bowman rocks the look and the pelvic floor advice.</i></td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It's been more than a year since I interviewed </span><a href="http://restorativeexercise.com/2011/about-katy/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Katy Bowman</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, biomechanical scientist extraordinaire and founder of the </span><a href="http://www.restorativeexercise.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Restorative Exercise Institute</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. In that post, "</span><a href="http://mamasweat.blogspot.com/2010/05/pelvic-floor-party-kegels-are-not.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pelvic Floor Party: Kegels are NOT Invited</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">," you might remember, I asked her about Kegels, expecting to hear something insightful about alignment. Instead she informed me that too many Kegels can actually </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">cause</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> pelvic floor dysfunction, and she said that deep, regular squats were the answer to pelvic floor strength. From that day forward this blog (hello to any of the 70,000 visitors who discovered Mama Sweat by reading that post) and my pelvic floor hasn't been the same. To be clear, both are better for that discussion.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Katy and I wanted to check in with each other via our blogs (<a href="http://www.katysays.com/pelvic-floor-party-anniversary-special/">you can read her interview with me here</a>). A lot has happened in a year. Katy's biggest news is that she became a mom herself. Her site should be required reading for anyone thinking about thinking about becoming pregnant. She is also gestating a few books. But I'll let her explain...</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: OK, smarty pants big-brain biomechanical scientist... Now that you've been pregnant and birthed a super-adorable human does the real-life experience change the text-book experience? That is to say, were there any surprises about pregnancy and postpartum? You have fantastic info for pregnancy and postpartum moms on your site, does it change at all now? (And how many different ways can I phrase that question?)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: I'm glad you called me smarty pants big-brain as opposed to big-pants smarty brain. </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I DID have a wonderful birth, at home. (In fact, he's looking at me now, all nestled in his very own bean bag chair, wondering why I am typing on the computer instead of cooing at him all the time which is what I am usually doing.) I am also super-happy to say that I gave birth au naturel. Well, I wasn't super-happy at the time because MAN that was some intense sensations (WTF!) </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: I know, huh? A little like hanging over the crater of a volcano and just when you think you might fall in you heave yourself back over the top. And while as unbearable as it could possibly be the exhilaration prevails. It's some kind of awesome. A reward in itself, along with the baby, of course. And from what I can tell, you got yourself a cute one. I hope he got your brains, too. But what I really want to know is what did that big-brain cutie pie baby do to your pelvic floor?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: In regards to my pelvic floor (hey, thanks for asking about my perineum) I didn't have a tear or a rip or nada. So, no, I wouldn't change anything about my pregnancy prep, which, of course, includes alignment throughout my pregnancy and lots of correct pelvic floor use via my glutes.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: And all that pregnancy pre-birth prep will soon be found in a great </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">prenatal package through the Restorative Exercise Institute</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, and I might add is much more useful than knowing how the size of your embryo at different weeks compares to various types of fruit. Like a good scientist you tested all that great information out on yourself. Thanks for that scientific contribution. Any observations to share?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: Well, I'll have to admit that, I WAS NOT PREPARED for how birthing felt afterward. I truly believed I would feel up to going to go hiking the next day. Turns out that a cough or a sneeze was causing panic--my body was that out of whack. It is amazing to think that, in a few hours, you can totally lose touch with a part of your body. I guess that's what happens to the pelvic floor and the core muscles after delivery. And I was glad that my pelvic floor wasn’t super-tight, fighting against me during deliver. That would have caused actual damage to the muscle, instead of just weakness due to stretching.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And, fun fact: It took me about four weeks to be able to Kegel and find these muscles. Even then, it felt like my pelvic floor was in the other room. That’s a cool feeling...not.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, professionally--while my pelvic floor info remains the same--everything else has changed. Like sleep. And my hair (chop). And other important things that I can't remember right now. Oh yah, memory. That's different, now isn't it.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: What was the question again? I can't remember much anymore, either. I lose things all the time, too. But sometimes that's the kids' fault. Just wait till your adorable son starts taking off with your keys, cell phone and favorite lip gloss. But I'm getting ahead of myself. You're not chasing him around the house yet, but you ARE a </span><a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Hot (Sweaty) Mama</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> now and I'm quite certain you're finding ways to get your body moving. </span></span><span style="font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Times;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How have you been able to sneak in fitness so far?</span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So now in my quest to use my human body in the way it was designed to be used, I carry this kid all of the time. That is a huge workout. That, and I haven't driven my car in two months, which means you can find me walking 3-5 miles a day running my errands while working out my arms. Which are buff now. (Hunter-gatherin' Bonus!)</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Because I am walking tons, my glutes and legs are super-strong. My arms and abs are super strong carrying the little man. The one piece of fitness that was totally lacking was the stretching part though. And I am a stretching freak (strength is all about those muscles being the right length, after all.) So, after reading your book I realized that I was not going to be given a magical Why-Don't-You-Go-Take-A-Yoga-Class while I sit here quietly sleeping, not pooping or crying or needing you (and that's just my husband) moment. And I started stretching in one or two minute increments. And doing my exercises when and where I could--a squat here and there, a pull up when I pass by the bars. I even stretch my chest and shoulders (great for that breastfeeding neck tension) when I'm done changing the little man, he coos on the table and I stretch like this: </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Or, I lay him on my mat and do downward dogs over him, taking breaks from one-minute holds to give him kisses. And, P.S. I mean the kid, not the hubby.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: Quick though--can I make an appeal here for the best way to carry your baby? I didn't figure out till the fourth kid that I needed a baby-carrying device that distributed the weight on my hips as well as back. There are certain carriers (like Ergo and Moby) that are so much more comfortable and functional. The carriers that just drape over your shoulder seem to cause more problems, at least they did for me. I'm sure you're right about the stroller, but there is a time, there is a place (says the woman who once had three children under 2). So, how can a stroller-pushing-mum save her spine/strength?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: Well for starters, use the stroller to push the kids and not as a crutch. Remember when people used to hang themselves over the stairmaster? That’s what I see a lot of. Running with the torso leaning forward of the legs...really bad for the back and, funny enough, is minimizing caloric expenditure cuz you’re using gravity to help you fall instead of your muscles to push you forward. And there’s no BUTT muscles working in a woman fallin’ forward. You catch my drift?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: My kegel policy is unchanged from last year as referenced in your post because it wasn’t my "opinion" as in "Hey! I like orange cats because they're pretty..." as it is a theory based on, you, know, the physics and physiology of muscle. </span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: Readers can learn all about that policy, by the way, in Katy's online course, "<a href="http://restorativeexercise.com/2011/no-more-kegels/">No. More. Kegels.</a>" </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: In order for the pelvic floor muscles to function properly, long term, you have to (HAVE TO) have strong and supple gluteals and deep hip rotators (like your piriformis). When you are having a pelvic floor issue, yes, the pelvic floor muscles are weak, but most likely due to the fact that the opposing muscle group is affecting their ability to contract correctly, i.e. shorten and release.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So, I don't have a Kegel policy as much as I have a butt policy. It's called, Get One for optimal pelvic floor function. Now contracting your pelvic floor is something you need to be able to do. If you can't "find it", then you need to increase this motor skill, but any good physical therapist will be able to tell you that the research shows that people who can't contract their pelvic floor (a Kegel) is more often associated with OVER TENSE muscles, not under used ones. Unfortunately we've got people getting their health information from fitness magazines or reading the abstracts of research articles they don't thoroughly understand.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: I think a lot of people (and I used to be one of them) believe the Kegel is something as easy as swallowing. We oversimplified it, and in doing so took some short cuts (the relaxing/stretching part) that rendered the exercise useless or even in some cases problematic. It's our sound bite culture. I also think a lot of women kinda resented being told to do them all the time. When the Pelvic Party Post happened last year, we (all females, everywhere) were in the process of a collective eye roll over being told to keep Kegeling when we intuitively knew that something wasn't right. Now we (all females, everywhere) are thumping our heads with the heel of our hand and saying, "of course!"</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: I agree--pelvic floor function has been oversimplified to “do your kegels” and really, you are talking about an area of the human body that you can study at the university level for YEARS. I was actually surprised by the number of people saying stuff like they didn’t believe that kegels could cause Pelvic Floor Disorder or that needing to squat was not research-proven. I don’t think people really understand what gets researched, what that research means, and how things not yet researched are not false. But, if your kegels work for you, then keep doing them. For those who are doing their kegels and still having problems, being open to new science-based theories are a good idea. And from the volumes of positive feedback, I am so glad you ran the post Kara.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: Those Kegel posts got the attention of a lot of people for sure and I hear a book deal for you. How did that come about?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: Well, the phone rang and a publishing fairy said "can I pay you to write down a bunch of stuff you love to write about?" It was amazing. And then the fairy gave me one million dollars, which was exciting, because I got into pelvic floor science to make money and not because women's health was my passion.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">I actually just finished writing "</span></i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Every-Womans-Guide-Foot-Relief/dp/1936661071"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Every Woman's Guide to Foot Pain Relief: The NEW Science of Healthy Feet</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">," in which I allude to the fact that your Pelvis is attached to your thighs and your thighs to your knees and feet, so you should start down at the bottom. The next book on Pelvic Health via da Butt and correct gait patterns (not via Kegels) will actually be a self-publish on Amazon. </span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The publishers I talked to said that they thought people weren’t really interested in the pelvis. And then I said, “you mean the 80 percent of the population who will eventually have a pelvic floor disorder aren’t interested?” and then they hung up the phone. No, really, I just decided that women need this info NOW and not in a couple of years by the time a book gets published. Soon you can just download it. Bam. Isn't technology amazing?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And, by the way, if any of you readers would like to submit "your story" of how your switch from Kegels to squats, or doing the "Down There" exercises from my DVD helped you with PF or hip issues, I would love to include it in the book. And, if I use your story, you get a free copy! Does that motivate you? How about if I sign it. How about if Kara signs it too?</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: You're getting my squat story. Where should we submit them and what's our deadline?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KATY: You can share your story on the "<a href="http://www.katysays.com/pelvic-floor-party-anniversary-special/">Pelvic Floor Party Anniversary Special</a>" post on my blog and I will be taking your stories through the end of August.</span></i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">KARA: While there has been a lot of pelvic floor talk on my blog this last year, Katy has been super busy answering questions and addressing issues. Here are links to a few of the follow up posts she did:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And the conversation continues between Kara and Katy over at <a href="http://www.alignedandwell.com/?p=3108&option=com_wordpress&Itemid=223">Katy Says</a>! How have those squats worked for you?</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/index.php/get-moving-now/20-pelvic-floor-fitness/59-pelvic-floor-health" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;" target="_blank">Everything I know about pelvic floor health</a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: x-small;"> is posted on my website, </span><a href="http://www.lifeasafitmom.com/" style="font-family: -webkit-standard;">www.lifeasafitmom.com</a><span style="font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: x-small;">.</span></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-91673173713796035362011-06-23T21:02:00.001-05:002011-06-23T21:03:02.500-05:00Update #6 from Mamacat<div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;">The last report from Mamacat had us all a little worried as she struggled to keep up with fitness with her hectic business travel schedule. That was six weeks ago. Here’s what she had to say:</div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>I've been too busy working out to write you an update. For more than a week, my Polar Activity Monitor has been doing the boogey woogey dance with no less than 2-hour workouts each day. I've been getting back to spin class, hiking, going to <a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/">Moms on the Run</a> and general all around time for ME. When my project in Boston wrapped up and I got the <a href="http://www.irongirl.com/Assets/Training+Plans/Duathlon+Training+Program.pdf">Iron Girl training schedule</a>, I had no choice but to catch up on lost time after those late Boston evenings in the office instead of the gym. </i></span></blockquote><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>The training scared me...not that I couldn't do it but just that I should be farther along by now. I got scared straight to the gym! AND I’M ALL THE BETTER FOR IT. I've been enjoying the work break (but miss the Boston gals) and putting fitness first every single day, sometimes with workouts in the morning and again in the evening. It's been awesome. </i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>You'd think the weight would be melting off but it's doing the opposite and I don't even care (that says a lot for my mood) because I feel better regardless of the stupid f-ing scale. </i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>I'm still a pokey little runner that can only handle a few minutes at a time but the minutes are growing longer with the walking time becoming less. When I'm tired, I looked to my <a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/">MOTR</a> peers and they help push me—it's really quite awesome. </i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>Oh—and check this out—I ORDERED vegetables on my chicken at lunch today. A first. (You don't have to post this part, it's actually quite embarrassing that I’m such a veggie hater. But oh, am I trying.) </i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 16.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Of course I have to post that part! Can you hear the enthusiasm come through? I can. However, my hunch is that she’s going to want to see that “stupid f-ing scale” reflect her increased activity level. Still, I know she can feel other benefits at work. Here’s a little more from Mamacat:</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>I am having a good week. It's full of variety and activity. It is almost like one workout isn't enough. I have so much more energy and therefore so much more motivation. (My knees hurt, though.) </i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><blockquote><i>Focusing in on your chapter 13, we (hubby and I) both have fitness goals and we are appreciating each others efforts with support. He helps me make time (and helped me to pick out my swank new bike) and I have put his fitness way ahead of his massively growing honey-do list. And likewise, I am out the door to the gym long before I tackle laundry or dust bunnies. The children are also getting in on it...helping more with their own chores and—get this—keeping track of how many Diet Cokes mom has. If I have too many, I get assigned extra sit ups before bed. There is a new chart in the kitchen to track it! </i><i>Hub and I have even had a few riding dates and it is awesome.</i></blockquote></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Since Mamacat brings up Chapter 13 from <a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas: Five Secrets to Life as a Fit Mom</a>, which is “The Sweat on Significant Others,” I’ll elaborate on the content, which is about “Couples who do it together and those who don’t (workout that is).” The chapter offers “sweaty vows” for those couples where only mama sweats and for those that have sweat equity. Make no mistake, one situation is not easier than the other! One vow for the couples who sweat together is to go on sweaty dates. And if they end in such a way that you’re swapping sweat, well, all the better!</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">So I love that Mamacat is recruiting the support of her family. Having cheerleaders at home makes becoming a Hot (Sweaty) Mama all the more enjoyable.</span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 15.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"></span></div><div style="font: 13.0px Trebuchet MS; line-height: 15.0px; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">Let’s keep cheering for her too!</span></div>Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5410434857641014459.post-22653746102186266122011-05-02T06:48:00.001-05:002016-01-07T13:28:42.560-06:00Update #5 from Mamacat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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When the subject line showed up in my in box, "Weak Week," I expected the worst from Mamacat. After reading the email, though, I am certain she is farther down the road to becoming a <i><a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/">Hot (Sweaty) Mama</a></i> than she realizes. In the book we talk about qualities that every <i>Hot (Sweaty) Mama</i> needs to sharpen. Those are 1) Initiative, because no one is going to workout for you, 2) Confidence, feeling strong about your priority to be fit, 3) Persistence, try and try again and if it doesn't work today try again tomorrow, and 4) Creativity, because sometimes we have to exercise "outside the lines."<br />
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Mamacat used all of those qualities last week, don't you think? Here's her report:<br />
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<i>It feels like this past week was a weak one for me, but in hindsight I ran twice so it wasn't a complete wash. I left for Boston at the crack of dawn on Monday and returned home in time to make it to the launch of </i><a href="http://www.momsontherun.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><i>Moms on the Run</i></span></a><i>. That is going to be really cool. I think it helped, both mentally and physically that it was freezing cold by the lake... we couldn't get started running fast enough. Before I knew it, we had completed our first run/walk class with 60 second runs and 3 minute walks. There were a few "bursts" that went by quickly and others in which I felt like I was sucking sand. The camaraderie was cool, though: Sisterhood rocks. I actually had to say outloud that I was 1) running to try and like running and 2) running so I could do a duathalon. The latter made me sound like I was fit.</i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Kara interrupting here to say, YES! YES, to all of it, especially that part about sounding like you are fit. You are walking the talk (quite literally).</span></div>
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<i>I ate my veggies that night, too. Rutebega slices and cucumbers; both raw, both fresh and both good. I also started buying fresh fruit from the deli counter when I stop to get my morning D</i><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1304334483_0" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><i>iet Coke</i></span><i>. With fruit at my desk, I nibble on that instead of naughty things. </i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">Rutebega? That's pretty darn bold for a woman who doesn't like veggies! Sounds like someone who wants to earn her massage!</span></div>
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<i>No work out for the next few days after a multi-day migraine. Saturday morning I slept through the 8 am spin class and by the time I left for the gym realized they didn't have daycare hours in the afternoon. I stayed in my workout clothes and when my weekend-working husband arrived home, I took the kids to the track at the park and did the same workout as I did on Wednesday with Moms on the Run, while they rode bikes. Having had "direction" on what to do, I couldn't cheat myself. </i></blockquote>
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<i>Today, Sunday, I had to catch a flight and I felt too much pressure to hit the gym and pack and make it to the airport on time. The flight was delayed so it will be too late by the time I get in. Monday is a new week and a new day. I know I will find time to do my Moms on the Run homework and am jonesing for a spin class! </i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: normal;">Initiative, Confidence, Persistence, Creativity. It's all there!</span></div>
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<i>Oh, did I mention breaking in my new </i><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1304334483_1" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><i>running shoes</i></span><i>, a serious-support-the-girls </i><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1304334483_2" style="outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial;"><i>sports bra</i></span><i> and really good socks? Mental and physical difference. Tonight I'm gong to sleep with my </i>Hot Sweaty Mamas<i> book under my pillow so all the good karma and tips will seep out into my brain. I'm serious. Why do you think I bought the shoes? There is a chapter for that. </i></blockquote>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">Just for the record nowhere in the book do we recommend sleeping with a copy of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://hotsweatymamas.com/">Hot (Sweaty) Mamas</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"> under your pillow, but hey, if it works for you we won't discourage it either! A New Jersey publication called </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/health/121044569_Hot_Mamas.html">Parent Paper just published a Q&A with Laurie and I</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">, where you can read more about our thoughts on being <i>Hot (Sweaty) Mamas</i>!</span></div>
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Karahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04570806308263561281noreply@blogger.com1