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So it’s January….

So it’s January and if you haven’t already, you may be toying with the idea of joining a gym, trying a new diet or in some other way, making a big change to “get healthy” this year and “lose some of this damn weight already!!”

Well before you go full throttle and slap down that credit card to make a substantial financial deal with the devil, take a pause and take a good look at what you’re trying to buy.

Weight loss doesn’t come in a shake, syringe or even a membership. Weight loss (which should be re-named lifestyle change) is found just where I said; in changing your life. It starts with your brain trying to figure out how the hell you’re going to do it this time and keep it off for good. Because really, if you are making the same “resolution” (the word should be banned in my opnion), clearly it’s not working and you need to find something else that makes you click and makes the change stick.  Read the rest of this entry »

Guest Blogger: Introducing Solids – Tips from a mom

The introduction of solids to your baby’s diet is exciting and yet a bit scary, especially with your first child.  Not knowing what to expect and sorting through the volumes of conflicting information, you may be hesitant to disrupt the current breastfeeding or bottle feeding routines.  As a mom of two, I have been there!  Twice. 

Based on my experiences here are some of tips to help prepare for this stage in your child’s development  and to make new tastes and textures enjoyable for your baby.

1.       Keep track of what you introduce

I still remember the day my doctor gave me the talk about introducing solids.  He provided guidelines (which incidentally, were different from the two books I had read on the subject) and indicated I should introduce grains, and insure three successful days with the first grain before introducing another.  After two weeks on grain I was to move to the next food group and continue this pattern until all major food groups had been introduced.    At the time this felt like a daunting task and I was certainly nervous.  Keeping track of what and when foods had been introduced would be hard to manage, but also very important.  As a result of this experience, when I launched Glow Baby, I created “Baby’s First Foods”, a tool which allows parents to write down each new food as its introduced and record details about texture, temperature, whether their child likes the food and most importantly, if there is a negative reaction to the food.  Baby’s First Foods enables parents to share this information with anyone who might be looking after your child in an organized manner.  It helps take the pressure off trying to remember when you gave what, and if there is a reaction, it will help you and your doctor pin point what is causing it.  This journal also allows for you to plan your child’s meals which helps ensure he/she is getting variety in their diet which is important for their health as well as their future willingness to try new things.  Unfortunately with my first child , I did not have such a tool, but still realized the importance of noting the information and it certainly helped relieve some of the stress. Read the rest of this entry »

Get Into The Weight Room Ladies!!

Or so I wish!! As I blast my iPod in my ears (which is probably not a good idea) and pump my iron, I look around disappointedly at all the men in the weight room and wonder where in the world the women are?? It’s times like this when I have to remember that not everyone (more like 20% of women, especially moms) thinks like me and revels in the power of feeling strong and in control. Well, at least in the weight room.

I was recently at a seminar listening to a world renowned strength training coach who said, fat doesn’t make you fat; treadmills, counting calories and bagels do. Now as ridiculous as this sounds, he has a point – somewhat. Ever look at a lot of the people on the treadmill and notice that they look the same every day and don’t change? I’m not discounting that cardiovascular exercise burns calories; however, these are not the people I see in the weight room. The people who are lifting weights are strong, lean and probably eat a hell of a lot more because they need to and they can. Read the rest of this entry »