confessions

2010 was not my healthiest year. It was a year of indulgence, actually. I cooked with a lot more butter, said yes to a lot more donuts, enjoyed a few extra mochas. I am not against any of those things... in moderation. But the problem was that instead of losing those last few pounds of baby weight, I gained eight of them back. Turning it from baby weight into regular old butter weight. And despite the fact that I was nursing my little guy up to five times a day, those pounds still snuck up on me. As the holidays approached, I thought to myself: you have two choices. You can gain another seven pounds (the average for most people from Thanksgiving to New Years), or you can kick these pounds to the curb.


So I did. I counted my calories and exercised, and now six weeks later I am ten pounds lighter. I am totally against calorie obsession, but I needed to reprogram my brain to what is normal and what my daily intake should look like. 


So, I am going to hop back on this blog and hopefully keep myself accountable. I am not saying a final goodbye to butter or donuts or mochas, but I am most definitely going to keep my relationship with those dudes a little more casual. 


Here is to a healthy 2011!

not so healthy

I am feeling sorry for myself today. Two sick kiddos and one sick mama. It could be worse, though, so I will try to think of some things to be thankful for. Right after I finish this cup of tea.

In the meantime, I am going to share some random tips that have come in handy lately. First, my friends and I started doing that "biggest loser" challenge again this year. I am so glad, because I am not always a huge self motivator. I've lost five pounds! One thing that's helped me is Calorie Count, which is a free online tool where you track your food intake and activity and it calculates everything out for you. I've never been one for counting calories, but it was eye opening, to say the least. They have just about every activity on there from dusting to cooking indian bread on an outside stove (seriously, that is specific). And it motivates me to get moving. Yesterday was my first post-pregnancy run. It wasn't pretty.

If you're looking for a fun and delicious kid project, I am going to direct you to The Ordinary Housewife, who made Alton Brown's homemade marshmallows. We decided to try it and they are GOOD. I don't usually like marshmallows, but these are really great. They make me want hot chocolate every day, so that's the downside. But it's a really delicious downside, no? And if you want to get crazy, you can melt chocolate chips and dip those marshmallows right in, and let your kids go crazy with the sprinkles. It's a fun treat without all the additives, and they make cute gifts.

Lastly, let me tell you my latest way to get moving. Time is short these days, taken up most days by my three little darlings, so I have to be creative. Thankfully, my toddler LOVES dancing. And should I even admit that I let him bust a move to Rihanna? It gets us going together, and I feel a little bit better about those marshmallows. 

welcome 2010

What a crazy, wonderful year 2009 was!  And I am always excited, if not a bit wistful, when a new one begins. Last January a few friends and I had a "Biggest Loser" competition to see who could lose the highest percentage of weight in 8 weeks. None of us were going for huge numbers, but wanted to drop some post-holiday pounds.

Here we are in January again, and here I am seven weeks postpartum. I have a beautiful baby boy (actually I have three, but he is the newest) and 15 excess pounds to prove it.  So, what better time to get some goals set for a healthy 2010?

I am nursing, so I am not going to do any crazy dieting (not that I would anyway!). And I have three boys under the age of three so my workouts and the time I schedule them in will have to be creative, but I am ready to get this show on the road.  Since it's been so long since I have been consistent with my blogging, I thought this would be a good way to kick start it and keep me accountable. Log my progress, how I stay active, what healthy (and hopefully tasty) meals I cook up.  

And I want you to share your experiences, too! It doesn't have to be with weight loss... what are your goals for this year? Eat better? Exercise more? Kick a habit that's bogging you down? Read more? Train for an event? Spend more time with your kids? Learn to garden or speak another language or...?  Fill me in!  And if you want some support, let's do this together.

To a happy and healthy new year!

jet lagged

I just returned from ten fantastic days in London and Paris.  It was a last minute trip that we couldn't resist when we saw the price of tickets ($350 roundtrip!).  

So here I am, up at 3am, keeping my fingers crossed that toddler jet lag soon subsides and we can go back to sleeping through the night.  Oh, that will be a sweet day indeed.

It was a great trip; we basically ate our way through Paris.  The french know how to cook - crepes, croissants, baguettes, 350 kinds of cheese, soup, stews, salads, sandwiches... I didn't want to leave. And the best part?  We walked miles and miles every day, so all guilt was erased.

And I am feeling inspired.  The food was so simple and satisfying, I am going to try to recreate some of our favorites... and if it's good, I'll be sure to share.

some thoughts on fitness

I was never really that into "working out".  Some of my friends in college were runners (and still are), some visited the gym, and I was always sort of "meh" about the whole thing.  I think most of it stemmed from being self-conscious about my lack of coordination, not being as fast as them, worried about wearing out quickly... basically I had a long list of excuses.  Blah, blah, blah.

After college I moved to Washington, DC to intern in a house with inner-city kids, and my roommate was a cute little Norwegian (not little in the sense that she was a kid, but active, stylish and dainty).  She worked out every single day at 5am.  Talk about subconscious guilt.  So I decided to join her.  It took about 2 days to realize that I am not friends with the early morning, but I did get into a routine of going most days of the week in the afternoon.

I have had ups and downs as far as my dedication goes, but all in all, I get a deep satisfaction from a good workout.  These days, I get in at least three per week, but the goal is four or five.  They usually consist of a 3 mile run on the treadmill or some time on the elliptical.  But the latest workout that I love and definitely feel the burn from:  Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred.  I love it!  It's three workouts, each 25 minutes, and it's a combo of strength, cardio and abs.  My husband even does it with me, which is a bonus.  Plus, who doesn't have 25 minutes of spare time?  So there really is no excuse for me to miss out.

Another discovery yesterday: On Demand.  We haven't had cable for 2 years.  It was kind of a spur of the moment decision to get it again, and the guy came yesterday to hook it up.  Now we have On Demand and it comes with an exercise channel with at least 50 workouts.  If you have OD, you should check it out, because The 30-Day is on there for a few more weeks.  It will kick your tush!

It's a new year... never a better time to get motivated.  It is really hard to do on your own.  I certainly wouldn't have started without the help of my favorite European.  Don't get discouraged if you've hit a slump - find a friend, some online buddies, a partner, spouse, sibling, parent - whatever it takes to get you moving.  Something my husband tells me whenever I hem and haw about it: you'll never regret doing it, but you'll definitely regret not doing it.

So what gets you going? What's your routine?  Who keeps you motivated? Do you have an end goal?  I love hearing what keeps people moving!

10,000 steps

That is the recommended amount we're supposed to take each day. On average, that's about 5 miles. And it means that unless you are on your feet all day long, chances are you are going to have to get in at least 30 minutes of concentrated exercise.

Okay, so there is no scientific data behind it - some woman in Japan came up with the idea as a way to get people up on their feet and get moving. And it isn't a bad one, is it? I mean, the average person walks about 5,000 steps per day, which isn't terrible, but it's only half of what is considered ideal.

I bought a pedometer this week to get an idea of how many steps I am taking. Keep in mind I have a toddler who likes to walk and climb and move and climb and explore and climb. You get the idea. So I figured my steps were up there. Plus, I try to get a little extra movement in there - walking, ellipticalling (did I make that word up?), etc. On a good day, I got to 8,000. On a slow day, I got to 4K. I definitely had to put in the extra mile (literally) at the gym to hit the ten thousand mark.

How many steps do you think you take? What is your goal? Hourly, daily, weekly? What can you do to go a little further each day? Want some ideas?

• go for a walk (okay, kinda obvious). did you know you burn 20% more calories pushing a stroller?


• dance with your child. or for your child. mine thinks it's hilarious (as would most witnesses).


• go shopping. grocery store, farmers market, the mall (most have great play areas), main street - whatever


• park (much) further from your destination than you normally would. (do you really need to be right near the entrance?)

Now I want to hear your thoughts. What motivates you? What creative things do you do to get moving?