Fit Mom Monday - Guest Blogger: Shenade F.

Good evening Fit Friends!  Happy Fit Mom Monday!  I am excited to feature a fun, hip, beautiful expecting mama on my blog tonight.  Meet Shenade.

Shenny lives in the Edmonton area of Alberta, Canada.  She has a fur baby named Bingo and is due with her first baby, a boy, due in early May.  Wanting to have a Fit & Healthy pregnancy, Shenny is focusing on clean eating with the support of her husband.  Together they have forged an amazing foundation of health & wellness for their family.

Here's what Shenade shared with us...

·      What are your current fitness & nutritional practices?

Both my husband and I live by the practice of eating whole foods.  No processed foods, limited sugar and fat, lots of vegetables and healthy proteins.  We also were working out together before I got pregnant 4 days/week at the gym doing both cardio and weight training. 

Of course since I’ve been pregnant, my practices have slacked off a bit due to cravings for chocolate and other sugary things.  Also, I have no energy to exercise!  However, I still keep the diet/lifestyle principles in mind and as soon as our baby is born, my husband and I already have a plan to get right back at it!

·      Do you have any tips you’d like to share?

Do a liver cleanse once/year! This helped me tremendously as apparently I had a congested liver which impaired my ability to lose weight.  If your body is not functioning properly, living a healthy lifestyle won’t benefit you much.  Now that all my organs are clean and working properly, I have more energy than I ever have and am able to see the benefits of living a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t drink diet pop!  I was a diet pop addict pretty much since I was a kid. After finding out my liver was congested and one of the main reasons was because of all the diet pop I drank, I realized how much better I feel after cleansing my system (I had to do 2 cleanses which is how bad my liver was).

Water, water and more water!  Drink at least 3+ liters a day as it flushes out your system and keeps everything moving and working properly.  It also is awesome for your skin and great for keeping you hydrated!

     Limit or eliminate processed foods! Anything that comes in a package of some sort is processed.  Processed foods increase your insulin levels which trigger your body to convert these calories into sugar (you don’t want this).  Eating whole foods consisting of lots of vegetables, fruits (low glycemic index fruits and vegetables), limiting dairy (your body does not need dairy and in fact functions much better without it) and eating only complex carbs will help you feel better, lose weight and see accomplishments from all of your hard work!

More of Shenny's story...

I have struggled with weight my whole life.  I have polycystic ovarian syndrome, am hypothyroid and also have a parathyroid issue where my body does not absorb vitamin D or calcium. I was also told I could not have kids because of all my ailments.  In 2010, I was sick of feeling crappy all the time, wanted to get pregnant and thought that if maybe I got down to a healthy weight that I would finally feel better and would be able to conceive.  I finally decided to research diets and programs that would work for me.  I had tried everything from Weight Watchers to the Atkins diet and NOTHING worked. Along with those diets, I exercised 2.5 hours a day 5+ days a week.  My weight would just not budge!

I was finally able to drop the weight by eliminating sugar and fat from my diet, limiting carbs to a bare minimum and increasing my vegetable intake.  I also started taking Vitamins B6 and  B12 and I believe these were the vitamins my body was missing because as soon as I started taking them, my weight loss stall disappeared!  By June of 2010 I had lost 63 lbs!  I continued on with this diet and new lifestyle and by April 2011 I was down 90 lbs.  On July 26, 2012, I finally conceived and am due to have a baby boy May 2, 2013!

And - here's a fantastic recipe from Shenade: 

Almond Crusted Chicken Breast

Ingredients

2 or more boneless-skinless chicken or turkey breasts
Salt & Pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1/4 cup roasted, unsalted almonds (ground in food processor)
1 small garlic clove
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 425˚F. Season chicken or turkey breast with salt, pepper and cayenne. Place on aluminum foil lined sheet pan.

In a food processor, mini-chopper, or blender make a coarse paste of the almonds, garlic and oil. Top each chicken breast with half mixture pressing down slightly to adhere.

Roast for 15 to 18 minutes or until cooked through.

Serve with a side of whole grain brown rice and some asparagus for a complete delicious meal!

Love & Intention When Preparing Food

I have a feeling some of you are thinking "Oh geez, what's she talking about now?"  But I think others will know just what I'm getting at and will agree that while it may sound hokey, there's something powerful behind the words.  There's more to it than prep, cook, serve, eat.

With my personal journey back to health in working on healing my Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue (Adrenal Exhaustion - more from me on that in another post very soon).  I'm working on making a lot of nutritional changes as well as lifestyle changes.  One small thing I've started doing is putting love and intention into my food preparation.  What does that mean?

Let's use today's lunch as an example.  I was getting ready to make my usual - a salad with whatever I could find to throw in there.  I laid my ingredients out on the counter and looked at them.  I felt peace.  I knew that the food I was about to prepare is healthy, fresh, and free of ingredients that will cause me inflammation, digestive distress or added fatigue.  I washed the organic radishes and mini sweet peppers and placed them on the counter.  I opened the new container of organic greens and rinsed those as well.  As I chopped each item and added it to my bowl, I silently thanked the farmers who work so hard to grow their crops.  I thanked them for fighting to do what they feel is right, and for following the USDA protocol to certify their crops as organic.  I also thanked them for not dumping (too many or harmful) pesticides on their crops.  Then I thanked the farmers who have raised their chickens in more humane conditions, without using antibiotics or steroids.  I'm sure they've faced many obstacles in their careers, but they fight to be able to offer us these healthier chickens. 

Once I had everything in my bowl, I felt grateful for the colors I saw.  I thanked the sun for growing these foods and the soil for providing nutrients.  I knew that I was going to sit down and enjoy a bowl of food that would not only taste really good, but also give me fuel, energy, and would sustain me throughout the mid-afternoon.  I ate slowly and kept thinking about my intentions:  Eat to heal.  Eat to live.  Slow down and enjoy the food.  Feel the love that was put into making this food.  Remember the healing and healthful benefits of each of the ingredients in this food.

I don't think I would have felt grateful if I was rushing around, eating on the go or while multi-tasking, grabbing food from a fast food establishment.  Putting love and intention into my meal not only helped me to enjoy it more, but it helped me to slow down and remember why I need to make the nutritional changes necessary to heal.  I was mindful.   I was clear.

Try it next time you make a meal and see if you notice a difference in how you feel during and after eating.  Ask your family members to help you prepare the food.  Talk about the ingredients and what their health benefits are.  Ask your children questions and get them involved so they can also feel the power within creating the food.

Let me know if you feel a difference!

Fit Mom Monday - Guest Blogger: Christa

Happy Fit Mom Monday, friends!!  Today my blog features an inspirational Fit Mom, Christa.  She lives in the Baltimore, MD area and she has a 10 month old baby girl.  Christa has led a very active life including participating in triathalons and she has some great information to share with us!

·      What got you started on your healthy journey, was it before or after having children? My healthy journey started before having my baby.

What are your current fitness & nutritional practices?
I actually don’t work out as much as I did before I had my daughter. My family comes first but working out is still important to me. My husband is supportive of me and knows that quick work-out break makes me a better mom. I run 2-3 times a week. I take spin class 1-2 times a week. I do stroller strides with my daughter 3-4 times a week. I’m also a fan of the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.
I eat pretty clean. For breakfast I eat protein which is usually eggs. For lunch I like to eat oatmeal with yogurt. I love fruit smoothies for a snack. I also love pita chips! For dinner, I like baked chicken with vegetables. I do treat myself. When I feel like eating a cookie, I eat a cookie or two. ;) I enjoy food. I don’t deprive myself of food. You got to eat to stay active and have energy.  My favorite food is Mexican food. I love to eat chips & salsa at a Mexican restaurant and get the chicken fajita salad. Yum!
I have done Weight Watchers in the past. This really helped me understand calories, fat, fiber etc. I like how Weight Watchers teaches you how to eat.

·      Do you have any tips you’d like to share?

·      Be kind to yourself.  Moderation is key! I think it’s easy to be in opposite extremes. For example, live an unhealthy lifestyle and eat lots of junk food and not exercise. I also know people that are too caught up into what they eat or too caught up into working out. It’s good to have moderation. Too much of something is not usually good.

I also worked out throughout my pregnancy. I definitely think that working out helped my pregnancy. I ran three miles until I was 30 weeks pregnant. I also took spin classes a few days a week until I was 38 weeks pregnant. I also took pre-natal yoga. I was much more active before my pregnancy which allowed me to continue to be active in my pregnancy. I would definitely check with your doctor about what activities you can and cannot do during your pregnancy.

Please tell us a little more about yourself!
I grew up playing sports year round. Every season I played a different sport. I didn’t realize how much I enjoyed playing sports until I was in college and was no longer playing any sports. Looking back on my college years I wish I had swam for college. When I graduated college I found myself 20 lbs. heavier than I am now. I started working out at my gym. I soon started working with a trainer. Then in the summer time I started swimming laps again. I started taking more spin classes, kickboxing classes, and starting running more. Then in 2007, I trained for my first sprint triathlon in Atlanta, Georgia. It was an Iron Girl triathlon. The race was in June. A few months prior I started biking outside for the first time since I was young. Biking was a new sport to me. Since 2007, I have competed in 8 triathlons. I love triathlons. I found myself less sore after a triathlon than after a half marathon because you use different muscles in a triathlon. I hope to compete in another triathlon this year. I am thrilled that in my next race my husband will be cheering me on like he has in the past but this time my daughter gets to come too!

What I want other moms to know:
If you’re a mom you can compete in a race. In the delivery room my husband reminded me of the triathlons I competed in and nothing compares to childbirth. I realized then that I had to share that with other moms. I want to encourage other moms that if they want to race or get in shape-it can be done! My best advice: Start out with small goals. Do a 5k race where you can run/walk and then progressively push yourself harder. Each goal you accomplish will encourage you to push yourself one step farther.

You can follow Christa on her blog:  Angel FIT