BabyWeight

2010-03-29T07:19:00.001-04:00

Its 6:30A.M. Good morning!!! I put Ellie down at 10:30 last night and..... SHE's STILL SLEEPING!!!!!! WooHooo yeah!!!! 8 straight hours!!!! This is amazing!! I feel like a new person! (Watch out Stroller BootCamp ladies!!) I hope we get a repeat performance of this tomorrow night! I'm so shocked! I wish I could tell you that I got 8 hours of un-interrupted sleep last night but I couldn't believe that she was sleeping so I got up a few times to make sure she was ok. LOL silly silly irrational mommy!
Well now Ellie is waking up so I will leave you with this video to brighten up your Monday

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvP1zJysm-4

Running Through Puddles!

2010-03-26T15:31:00.000-04:00

Woke up this morning and it was pouring rain.... I wanted to roll over and keep sleeping, I love sleeping in the rain! Today is one of those rainy days that you just want to curl up into a ball and watch TV and eat chips or ice cream all day!!!

I can't remember the last time I was able to do that, it seems like a million years ago and another life time. But in reality it was less than three years ago, people were always telling me "when you have kids your life is going to change forever" or "enjoy that now because when you have kids, forget about it!" And yes when I had kids my life did change but not in the drastic or dramatic way that people made it out to be. I feel like having kids in a way gives you an excuse to be a kid again. Like today for example, I wake up and see the rain and am moaning and groaning about the puddles and how gross the humidity is, blah blah blah! I leave my house with the kids and carefully step around each puddle, walking on my toes because God forbid my feet get wet or I get some mud on me. Then went to Baby Joggers (awesome 3 miles today by the way!!!) and zigzag around every puddle I see. But what does CJ do when I pick him up from school???? Runs out with a huge smile on his face and yells to me "Mami esta lloviendo!! (Mom it's raining!!!) Immediately finds the first puddle and jumps in it, cracking up and runs to the next one, and next one and next one. Initially I'm getting all worked up thinking he's going to get sooo dirty and wet and then the car is going to be a mess and I’m going to have to bathe him and wash all that clothes and put the shoes out to dry and he's going to get me all dirty and ...... but he's laughing sooo hard that I can't stay upset! So what do I do? Put Ellie in the car and start running through puddles with him! What a blast!!! Yeah I had a huge mess to clean once we got home, but it was worth it!!! Having kids has taught to loosen up and how to have fun in the simple things and make the best out of what you get! Kids have a way of getting over things so quickly; yeah CJ might be upset because he can’t play in the bounce house today but running through some puddles more than made up for it!

Every once in a while when life's just getting to be too much I definitely recommend a quick sprint through some puddles! LOL I can just imagine how much more fun, and what a great workout we would have gotten, if we would have raced through the puddles stomping down as hard as we could! LOL

Well I’m off to watch my sister kick some butt in her football game!! Until next time… love yourself and your babies!!!

You vs. Skinny Jeans

2010-03-18T07:41:00.000-04:00

6AM ... this seems to be turning into a trend for me! LOL But this day light savings time is really kicking my butt!!! But I'm loving the extra daytime in the evenings so I shouldn't complain...

Anyways.... back to the topic at hand ... A few weeks ago in BabyWeight Basics class I had a mom say she thinks that she'll never have abs again and that they were lost FOREVER!!! Although she was exaggerating I know the feeling, and I'm sure we're not alone.

Once the belly goes down and your back at your pre-baby weight you're all pumped to put on those "skinny jeans" so you pull them out of the closet, shake the dust off of them and start to slip them on .... And (if you're anything like me) all of a sudden you're stuck, WHAT??!?! They won't go up!?! They won't get past those hips and booty!! So like all rational women, you think "they must have shrunk a little from the last time I washed them! Ugh why did I put them in the dryer?!?" Soooo ... you start to fight your jeans, a battle that even if you win will leave you exhausted and defeated, you grab on tight and start to pull up as you wiggle back and forth (a dance I know all too well), when that doesn't work on to the next strategy, you jump up and down as you pull those jeans up, slowly but surely they start slipping up, we're almost there.... just a few more inches and victory will be yours!!! Ahhh yes now the jeans are up the thighs and your booty is squeezed in nice and secure, now to concur ... THE ZIPPER! you suck in your stomach until your intestines are flattened, hold your breath and pull up on that zipper, your fingers start to turn white from the pressure, you start to turn blue (from holding your breath) and that zipper doesn't budge, most people would give up by now, but not you!!! You went through child birth!! If you could do that then you can do ANYTHING!! All you need is a new plan of attack, you lie down on your back, gravity will help smush that stomach down, and you squeeze together at the top of the jeans, if you could only get the button buttoned then the zipper will be a breeze. Your sooo close only centimeters away, one ... more ... pull.... AND you did it! Button done! Now you pull on that zipper and up it goes!! YAY!! WOOHOO!! YOU: 1 JEANS: 0 you did it! Your skinny jeans fit again! So excited and on a high you rush to the mirror to check yourself out..... And the score suddenly changes, sure the jeans fit and everything is more or less squeezed in the jeans but you can't be seen in PUBLIC like this!!! So defeated and emotionally scarred you start to take the jeans off (which surprisingly is almost as hard coming off as putting on!!) Like I said before, exhausted and defeated, you fold your jeans back up and put them in the closet to collect dust. YOU: 0 JEANS: 1

Now you're confused and angry and this is when the thought of "I lost my body forever! It will never be the same!!" comes in your mind. But this doesn’t have to be the end of the story, sure you lost battle 1 with the jeans but you could still win the war! So many changes happen in your body to make pregnancy and labor possible that you can't expect your body to change back overnight once the baby is out! These changes in essence change the structure and alignment of our bodies. We have to re-learn how to carry ourselves, where our bodies are in space and slowly (if you keep up the exercise and eating right) everything will fall back into place, or should I say tighten back up into place.

Exercise Fights Postnatal Depression!!!

2010-03-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

I'm a strong believer that when I exercise consistently that I stay sane, and now it’s been proven!!! LOL But seriously exercising can help prevent postnatal depression and improve the overall well being of new mothers!

There was a study done which supports these findings. I'll spare you all the research mumbo-jumbo but basically a hospital in Australia initiated a Mommy and Baby Program (that is very similar to our BabyWeight Program) the program started when babies were between 6 and 8 weeks old and ran for about 8 weeks. During the course of the program moms participated once a week in an exercise program with their babies that involved cardio and strength training; they were also able to participate in educational seminars (Coffee Talk!!) in which they provided information about infant massage, nutritional info for mothers and babies, communicating with baby, etc. And basically what they found at the end of the study was that "there was significant improvement in the well-being scores and depressive symptoms of the group." The moms in this group reported they "felt like better mothers", and were "feeling positive, more energetic, happy and more refreshed." than mothers not participating. Whether the exercise, the educational seminars or the social component of the program is responsible for the results isn't known.

In my opinion all three aspects probably played a big role in women feeling better both physically and emotionally. Exercise gives you endorphins and makes you physically stronger and more fit, the educational seminars put your mind at ease that you know what you're doing and the social component gives you support and lets you know that you're not alone or the only person going through the sleepless nights, new lifestyle, etc.

I wish new mothers everywhere could participate in a group like this and this is why I'm so passionate about BabyWeight!!! If anyone is interested in reading a copy of the study please email me luly@babyweightinc.com and I'll send you a copy!

Until next time..... Love yourself and your babies!

Jackson 5K Run and Fitness Walk Canceled!

2010-03-11T07:30:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately the Jackson 5K Run and Fitness Walk was canceled! I'm sorry and so bummed about it!! I'm looking into other local races that are going on around that date! There is the Celebrity 5K on March 21st on the beach which looks like a lot of fun and a really nice place to run.... BUT... the info on the website says that they DON'T ALLOW BABY JOGGERS!!! Boo! What is that?!?!?!? Either way I'm looking into it, I've already contacted the organizers of the race to see if they would let us participate. In the mean time I'll keep looking up other races in late March/ early April to see if there is one that would be fun for us to participate in!

I'll keep you posted! Now I'm off to get ready for BabyWeight Basics, time to get some stability in my loose, wobbly joints!

Oh, MONDAYS!

2010-03-09T07:28:00.000-05:00

6:15 AM..... Peace and quiet in my house, a rare moment that I've learned to treasure. I think I have a few moments here to enjoy!!! :0) Carlos, CJ, and Ellie are all sleeping!!! I'm the only one up and it’s not some random hour in the middle of the night?!?! Amazing! I could get used to this!
So yesterday was quite the interesting day!!! I bit like a roller coaster ride!! LOL The morning was great, the weather was perfect; it was a beautiful day. Babyweight Stroller Boot Camp had a great turn out and a really fun workout! We got our blood pumping and heart rates up with strength and cardio intervals, did a few sprints, a few push ups and ended with nice jog around the park. We even got to socialize as the kids played in the park! It was such a nice day that I think no one wanted to leave!!!!

I had endorphins running through my body and I was feeling great, with lots of energy; got home picked up the house (which looked like a hurricane had struck) and was even able to clean CJ's room and get some paperwork done! (unheard of in the mommy world to get so much done in a morning!!)

Sooooo I'm thinking I can concur the world!! I decide to pick up CJ at school and take on Target with the two kids...... BIG BIG MISTAKE!!! See the things that seemed to have slipped my mind were nap time and Ellie's next feeding.... how could I forget nap time and snack time!?!?!?! Long story short my Target trip ended with two screaming babies ( I think they were competing to see who could attract the most attention!) and two big, about pancakes sized, breast milk leak stains on my white shirt, which was now see through. We were quite the site to see at the checkout line, but we made it out alive and I think I was effective birth control for the high school girl in line behind me at the check out!!!!!!!

Needless to say, the rest of my day fell in line with my target experience, ending with finally being able to shower at 10:00pm, with Ellie crying the whole time, I think I got to shave one leg and I'm pretty sure there is still conditioner in my hair!!! What a Monday! I'm exhausted!

I'm hoping Tuesday goes more smoothly, and I"m already off to a great start: had breakfast, made CJ's lunch, did a quick pick up of Hurricane CJ struck house, got a blog in and going to head out to BabyWeight with my babies!!!!!!

It never stops! Gotta Love It!

I'm Back!!!

2010-03-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

So happy I got my computer back after not having it for a week I’ve realized how much I rely on it! It’s crazy!!!
Soooooooo much has happened since my last post! Ellie is five weeks old!! (Still not sleeping though ... :( ... one day ... one day!) She's actually wearing newborn clothes! yay! she's growing! CJ isn't a snot rocket (at the moment!, it seems the poor kid always has a cold!!) and I'm starting to feel like a person again, instead of a zombie!!
March is going to be a big month for BabyWeight! I'm finally getting organized ( I know I know it ONLY took me 5 or 6 months, organization is a constant struggle for me, but you gotta keep on keeping on!!) But like I was saying, March, a BIG month!

1. BabyWeight Joggers is finally starting!!! We will meet once a week at Jaycee Park for runs with our babies; we'll start small doing a combination of jogging and walking and slowly work our way up to completing the Jackson 5K Run & Fitness Walk on March 28th! Each month or so The Baby Joggers will participate is a local road race for charity. That way we will not only be giving back to ourselves but we will also be giving to the community! (everyone wins!!) You can check out our calendar for meeting dates for The Baby Joggers and due dates for race registration.

2. Our first official Coffee Talk is on the 23rd! We will have a guest speaker come once a month to talk to us about different topics of interest like nutrition, quick fix meals, organization and anything else you guys might want to hear about! So while we enjoy our coffee and bagels and our babies play we'll actually get a little smarter! Awesome! Dr. Norman Ruiz-Castaneda, a local pediatrician will be our fist speaker. Again you can check out our calendar for details like time and location

3. Our Website is finally up!!!!!!!!!! check it out! http://www.babyweightinc.com/
and now I got to go, baby is crying, toddler is breaking something and the oven is beeping!! ahhhh back to the insanity! gotta love it!

I guess I'll sleep again in a few years ...

2010-02-10T19:24:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a night we had last night! (and not in the woohoo party time kind of way!)

It seems that CJ gave his cold to Ellie and now there are 2 boogerie noses in my house which means no sleeping for me!!! I'm pretty sure that I was up very hour on the hour last night and to make matters worse I shattered my coffee pot this morning!! Things were not looking good in the Diez-Arguelles house this A.M.

But salvation came in the form of my sister Carmen and McDonald's coffee!! Yay!! Crisis averted and the day went on! I was able to function (kinda) and came up with some really good stuff for BabyWeight class tomorrow (maybe this sleep deprivation works for me! =) )

Ellie is 2 weeks old today!! Yay!! So that means only 2 more weeks of lock-down before I can go back to full on bootcamp mode. (as directed by my OB. Some women need to wait more or less time before returning to their regular workout routine depending on a number of factors including past medical history and the circumstances of their labor) But after teaching my BabyWeight Basics class yesterday, I was only reminded of how if I want to be ready to go in 2 weeks I better keep up with my post-pardem strength, stability training. In order to prevent injury when returning to a regular workout program us moms need to make sure that we have properly strengthen and retrained those muscles most damaged through pregnancy (i.e. pelvic floor muscles, core/trunk stabilizing muscles, and proximal muscles of our shoulders and hips)

The routine is easy and can be done from the comfort of your bed or couch with your baby in your arms!! Lying on your back just run through these exercises: kegels, abdominal bracing, pelvic tilts, chin tucks, heel slides and bridging. Start with as many reps of each as you can do working your way up to 10-15 reps of each. These above exercises will start waking up your pelvic floor, and abdominal muscles reminding them that they have a job to do! These exercises will also start putting your body back into proper alignment, stretching out muscles tighten and strengthening those weakened.

Well that’s it for now ... more to come soon, hopefully after I get a few consecutive hours of sleep!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lock Down is OVER - Kind of ...

2010-02-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

I'll be back at BabyWeight Basics tomorrow at Spirit in Motion at 9:00 A.M .... I still can't participate 100% but that doesn't mean that I can't give you guys at kick butt work out!!!

Unfortunantly Ellie still can't be there (being so little and so vulnerable to germs!) so we'll have to wait a few more weeks to workout together with all of you guys!

So our BabyWeight Schedule is a follows for the rest of the month of February ...

Mondays: 10:15AM - 11:30AM Stroller BootCamp @ Jaycee Park
Tuesdays: 9:00AM - 10:00AM BabyWeight Basics @ Spirit in Motion
Wednesdays 9:15AM - 10:30AM Stroller BootCamp @ Jaycee Park
Thursdays 9:00AM - 10:00AM BabyWeight Basics @ Spirit in Motion
(I will be teaching on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Mimi will be teaching Monday's and Wednesdays)

Hope to see you all there!!!

Luly is still in BootCamp Lock Down Work-Out 2

2010-02-03T19:06:00.000-05:00

WARM UP (baby in sling or stroller)
- 10 Side to Side Lunges(each side) hold on right for 30 seconds then hold on left for 30 seconds ( you should feel a stretch on your inner thigh
- 5 Forward Lunges (each side) hold down lunge right leg forward for 15 seconds then on left 15 seconds (keep shoulders back and hips pushed forward, you should feel the stretch across the front of your hip joint
- Standing Quad Stretch - 30 second holds each leg
- Standing Back Stretch
- Standing Overhead Shoulder Stretch
- Standing Chest Stretch

THE WORK-OUT
SET ONE - SQUAT PYRAMID
- 10 Standard Squats
- 10 Plie Squats
- repeat above 2 exercises decreasing number of reps by 2 each set until you get to 2 reps of each exercise exp: 10 standard squats--> 10 plie squats, 8 standard squats-->8 plie squats, 6 standard squats ...

SET TWO
- 10 BabyBag Bicep Curls on Right arm
- 10 Raised BabyBag Bicep Curls on Right arm
- 10 Single Armed Standing BabyBag Fly on Right arm
- Repeat above exercises with Left arm

REPEAT SETS ONE & TWO 3X ALTERNATING

SET THREE
-Side Step Squats - 10 to the right
- 10 Standing Leg Lifts - with Right leg
- Side Step Squats - 10 to the left
- 10 Standing Leg Lifts - with Left leg
- repeat above exercises decreasing number of reps of each exercises by 2 each set until you get to 2 reps

SET FOUR
- 10 BabyBag Lateral Shoulder Raises - on Right
- 10 BabyBag Overhead Presses - on Right
-10 BabyBag Tricep Extensions - on Right
- Repeat 10 of each exercise on Left

SET FIVE
- 10 Donkey Kicks - on Right
- 10 All Fours Leg Lift - on Right
- 10 All Fours Leg Curl - on Right
- 5 -10 Push Ups
- repeat first 3 exercises of this set with the Left
- 5 - 10 Push ups
- repeat set five 3x

SET SIX - ABS ABS ABS
- Side Plank - on Right for 30 second hold
- Standard Plank - 30 second hold
- Side Plank - on Left for 30 second hold

STRETCHES - Hold each stretch for 30 to 45 seconds and repeat on Right and Left
- Standing Hamstring
- Standing Quad
- Standing Glute
- Standing Back
- Standing Shoulder
- Standing Chest

Pictures and Descriptions of above exercises can be found on my Exercise Database Post

Ellie is 1 Week Old Today!!!!

2010-02-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

So one week post labor, and I'm still tired!!! LOL!

But after my horrible experience with my first this felt like a piece of cake! To make a long story short Wednesday morning (1/27/09) I went into the hospital with a horrible migraine and by 5:34pm Ellie Victoria Diez-Arguelles was born! The doctor broke my water at 12:30pm, put me on pitocin ( what a horrible horrible but wonderful drug that is!!) at 1:00 and I was pushing by 5:15pm; 15minutes and 5 contractions later she popped out! I couldn't believe how well it had gone, no episiotomy necessary!!!

5lbs 10oz and 18in long

My recovery has been AMAZING I didn't know that it could be this easy! Honestly after CJ was born I think i was a little traumatized to say the least. Last time due to complications I couldn't walk for 3 weeks, this time around they have to tie me to a chair to keep me from over doing it! LOL I have to thank God for the wonderful genetics that help make this possible but I also think that my exercising until the very very end (i mean to the last day) help out A LOT to make this whole experience much more pleasant!

From day one post-pardem I started reconditioning my core, searching for those abs that I used to have! Just 15-20 min a day of simple exercises that I do in bed (while I'm still half asleep) have help me feel much better, and taken away some that post delivery soreness, body and especially back aches. Abdominal bracing, pelvic tilts, bridging, kegels, and clamshells (i'll be posting pictures/descriptions of these exercises to my exercise database soon!) are my best friends! Also walking.... walk, walk, walk, walk as much as I can, the more I move the better I feel

Enough about me, Ellie is the best most beautiful baby ever! (i think i'm a little bias!!) CJ has been so great and gentle with her, to my surprise! and Carlos, he's in love! Our first few nights together were rough to say the least but now she seems to understand my exhaustion and has decided to sleep at least 3 to 4 straight hours through the night! YAY!!!

Well enough for now, I've got a hungry baby calling and a 2yr old needing attention - i love being a mom!!! =0)

Exercise Database

2010-02-03T10:24:00.000-05:00

Ok ... here are the pictures and descriptions of the exercises found in my workouts. I'll keep updating this datebase of exercises as we have new exercises in the posted work outs. I'll also probably post new exercises here as I come up with them too. That way you can have a kind of cheat sheet of exercises if you ever miss a class or want to work out on your own.

Enjoy!!!!! - Luly

mini squat: with feet shoulder width apart, keeping back straight slightly bend knees (about 30 degrees) keeping your weight on your heels and come back up

Forward Lunge: take a large step forward with right leg, and bend both legs at the same time, your left calf and right thigh should be parallel to the floor. push off of right toe coming back to your start position and repeat leading with the left leg

Body Twists: feet shoulder width apart, keeping hips stationary rotated shoulders over hips twisting your body right and left

Standing Hamstring Stretch: standing with feet hips width apart bend forward at your hips reaching down for your right foot, hold for 30 - 45 seconds and repeat on left

Standing Quad Stretch: standing feet and knees together lift up right foot towards your butt (keeping your knees together) holding the front of your foot in your right hand pull it closer to your bottom. Hold for 30 -45 seconds and repeat on left

Standing Glute Stretch: Holding on to your stroller for stability cross your right foot over your left knee and bend down slightly until you feel a stretch in your bottom. Hold for 30 - 45 seconds and repeat on other side

Standing Back Stretch: Clasp your hands together and lift up to shoulder height pulling hands away from your body and rounding out your shoulders. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds

Standing overhead shoulder stretch: Holding your hands to gether lift both arm over head pulling hands up and back and squeezing shoulder blades together. Hold for 30 - 45 seconds

Standing Chest Stretch: Hold hands together behind you and lift arms up and away from your body, pulling your shoulders down and back. Hold for 30 - 45 seconds

Standard Squat: standing with feet shoulder width apart, keeping your weight on your heels and back straight, bend at your knees bringing your bottom down and back as if you were going to sit in a chair (keep your knees behind your toes at all times to avoid injury!!!!) then squeeze glutes as you stand back up to your start position

BabyBag Bicep Curl: holding your baby bag in one hand out infront of you and slightly to the side; bend at your elbow lifting up the bag, bringing your hand towards your shoulder

Push up: feet on stroller foot rail. remember to keep your abs tight and your body should make a straight line from your shoulders to your toes

Push Up: on knees baby on mat in front of you, kiss your baby as you bend your elbows down into the push up. remember to keep your abs tight and a straight line from your shoulders to your knees as seen above

Push Up: on toes baby on mat in front of you, kiss your baby as you bend your elbows down into the push up. remember to keep your abs tight and a straight line from your shoulders to your toes as seen above

Stroller Knee Tucks: Start in push up position with both feet up on the foot rail of your stroller. Contracting your abs pull your knees into your chest, hold for a cout of 2 and extend your legs back out into start position. Remember to try to keep your back as straight as possible throughout the exercise.

Alternating Knee Tucks: start in push up position, keeping your abs tight bring your right knee towards your left shoulder and back to start position, then repeat with your left knee to right shoulder

Plank Ups: (this exercise can also be done in push up position with knees bent on the floor or with legs extended and toes on the floor) start in desired push up position arm extended, depending on desired difficulty, come down onto flet elbow then right, then push back up onto left hand with arm out stretched then right; repeat leading with the right

Alternanting Side Tap Squats: stand with feet together, step out with right foot and squat down, as you stand back up bring your left foot in to tap nect to the right, then step back out to your left and squat back down, this time when you stand back up tap your right foot next to your left; repeat alternating sides

Standing Leg Lifts: stand on right leg, holding stroller for stability, lift up left leg about 6-10 inches from the floor keeping your toes pointed forward and keeping your hip stationary, bring your feet back together and repeat to complete reps

Baby Bag Upright Row: stand feet shoulder width apart holding your baby bag in both hands with arms extended infront of you with; bring your hands up towards your chin, leading with your elbows towards the roof ( remember to not raise your shoulders up as you bend your elbows up)

Baby Bag Shoulder Raises: start with feet shoulder with apart, holding your baby bag in both hands with your arms extended infront of you, lift your baby bag up to shoulder height keeping your arms out stretched, then back down to start position. (remember to keep your shoulders down and back throughout the exercise)

Side to Side Lunges: Start Standing with feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart. Lunge down to your right bending your right knee and sitting back and to the right with your left leg remaining straight (as seen above) come back up to start position by straightening both legs, then lunge down to the left

Plie Squat: Stand feet a little wider than shoulder width apart, toes turned out pointing to opposite walls, bend both knees at the same time lowering your bottom down between your legs ( your back should stay stright and chest up throughout the move) squeeze your glutes as you stand back up to start position

Raised BabyBag Bicep Curl: Hold baby bag in Right hand with arm extend out infront of you and slightly to the side. Bend at your elbow in a slow and control motion brining your hand towards your shoulder then straighten your elbow back out to the start position

Single Armed Standing BabyBag Fly: Hold your baby bag in you right hand arm out-streched to your side at shoulder hieght. Keeping your arm extended at shoulder level, bring the bag across your baby to stop directly infront of you, then bring back out. (remember to keep you abs tight to stabilize your baby throught the move)

Side Step Squats: Start with feet together, step out to the right and squat down, as you stand up bring your left foot into meet your right. Step back out with your right foot and squat back down, as you stand up bring your left foot in to meet your right (you should be moving across the floor to your right) complete reps to the right then repeat leading with the left and following with the right to complete set

BabyBag Lateral Shoulder Raise: Stand holding baby bag in right and arm extended resting by your side, in and slow and controlled motion bring the bag up to shoulder hieght hold for a count of 2 then slowly bring back down to your side (remember to keep your abs tight throughout the move and to not allow your body to swing or sway as you lift your arm)

BabyBag Overhead Presses: Stand with feet shoulder width apart, abs contracted. start holding babybag in right hand by your head with arm at shoulder hieght and elbow bent to a 90 degree angle. Straighten your arm and elbow lifting the bag overhead, hold for a count of 2 and bring back down to start position.

Tricep Extension: Start holding baby bag behind you in your right hand with arm extended and elbow bent. Extend your elbow bringing the bag up overhead, hold for a count of 2, and bring back down to the start position in a slow and controlled movement.

Donkey Kicks: Start on all fours, hands should be directly under your shoulders and knees directly under your hips, back as straight as possible, abs contracted and belly button pulled into your spine. Holding this neurtral spine position kick back your right leg leading with your heel towards the roof, keeping your knee bent to approximatly 90 degrees, hold this top position for a count of 2 and slowly lower back down to the start position. (remember to focus on maintaining a neurtral spine throughout the exercise)

All Fours Leg Lift: On all fours, hands directly under your shoulders, knees directly under your hips. To start extend your right leg back, toe pointed down just grazing the floor, while maintaining and neutral spine, contract your right glute and lift your leg up off the floor until your leg is parallel to the floor, hold for a count of 2 and slowly lower back down to floor

All Fours Leg Curl: On all fours, hands directly under your shoulders, knees directly under your hips, back as straight as possible, abs contracted, belly button pulled into your spine. To start, hold this neutral spine postition, and lift your extended right left up off the floor until your leg is parallel to the floor. Bend your knee bringing your heel towards your bottom, squeezing your hamstrings and glutes and maintaining your thigh parallel to the floor. Straighten your knee back out to start position

Side Plank: Lay on you side (your baby resting on a mat in front of you) resting on your forearm with elbow bent and with legs extended or bent, depending on desired difficulty level, (legs extended increases difficulty) contract your abs lifting your boby off of the floor, as shown above, keeping your body in a straight line from shoulders to toes (or knees)

Plank: Lay on your stomach proped on your elbows with your baby laying beween your arms; legs extended resting on your toes or knees bent depending on desired difficulty level (legs extended increases difficulty), contract your abs and lift your body up off the floor, as seen above, keeping your body in a straight line from shoulers to toes (or knees)

Luly is on BootCamp LockDown Work Out 1

2010-02-02T11:03:00.000-05:00

WARM-UP (While holding your baby or with your baby in the baby sling or carrier or in the stroller)
- 10 mini squats
- 10 alternating foward lunges (5 each leg)
- 10 alternating side step lunges (5 each leg)
- 30 body twists (feet shoulder width apart twist shoulders right/left keeping hips stationary)
- repeat 4 above exercises 3X

STRETCH (with baby in stroller or on mat on floor next to you) Hold each stretch position for 30 to 45 seconds before moving on to the left side and repeat.
- Standing hamstring stretch
- Standing quad stretch
- Standimg glute stretch
- Standing back stretch
- Standing overhead shoulder stretch
- Standing chest stretch

THE WORK OUT!!
Set One (With baby in your arms or your baby sling)
- 15 standard squats - hold the last squat in the down position and pulse a small up and down movement for a count of 20 - repeat x 2
- 10 stationary lunges Right leg forward - hold the last lunge down and pulse for a count of 20 - repeat on left then repeat on right then left once more
- 30 baby bag bicep curls (or if holding your baby: 30 baby bicep curls) - 15 each arm
- Repeat this set (squats, lunges, and curls) 3 times

Set Two (with baby in stroller or on mat in front of you)
- 5 - 10 Push ups
     - option 1: hands on floor and on your knees
     - option 2: hands on floor and up on toes
     - option 3: hands on floor and up on toes on foot rail of stroller
- 20 knee tucks holding above chosen position (10 each knee)
     - option 1: alternating right knee to left shoulder and left knee to right shoulder
     - option 2: with feet on stroller foot rail tuck both knees into chest and back out straight (10 reps)
- 10 plank ups
     - holding above push up position: come down onto left elbow then right then back up onto left hand
       with arm out stretched and right hand with arm out stretched - repeat 4 times then 5 more times with
       right arm leading
- repeat Set 2 twice

Set 3 (holding baby or with baby in sling)
- 20 alternating side tap squats ( stand feet together: step out with right foot squat down as you stand up bring left foot in to tap next to right and back out to left. Squat back down and this time as you stand back up tap your right foot in next to your left and back out to right. repeat switching sides to complete reps
- 20 standing leg lifts (10 each leg) with 10 pulses between legs (stand on right leg, holding stroller for stability, lift up left leg about 6-10 inches keeping toes pointed forward and without moving hips, then bring back down and repeat to complete reps. On the last rep hold up and pulse just a little bit higher for a count of 10
- 10 Baby Bag upright row or Baby Upright Row
- 10 Baby Bag shoulder raises or Baby Raises
- Repeat Set 3, 3 times

Pictures and detailed descriptions of the exercises to follow soon!!!! (I promise!)

I just wanted to get the workout out! If you've been coming to babyweight you should know what most of these exercises are but if you have any questions as you're going over the work out feel free to call or email me at luly@babyweightinc.com

achy legs!!

2009-10-15T21:29:00.000-04:00

another great class this morning but i'm definitly feeling those hamstring curls as I try to straighten my legs and to walk, and feeling those gazzilion squats everytime I go to the bathroom!!! And lets not even talk about my abs (or whats left of them, as the baby, who still has no name, pushes them out of the way!) All signs of a great workout!! Thanks for coming out ladies and babies! It was great to see everybody and meet some new moms! Until next week .... time to recover!

oh the changes that make the miracle of life possible ...

2009-10-14T23:09:00.000-04:00

So as my belly gets bigger and bigger, and I get more out of breath for no reason at all ... getting dressed, talking too much, brushing my teeth ... no just kidding its not thaaat bad but sometimes it feels that way. Anyways I'm reminded of the stress and changes that your body undergoes. While my body is making room for the the growing little girl, all my organs are getting pushed out of the way, hence the shortness of breath for seemingly no reason at all. And the hormonal changes that make it possible to make us living incubators for 9 months are stretching out, relaxing my ligaments and tendons, making the impending labor possible, but at the same time taking away the stability and strength of my joints particularly shoulders, hips, and knees. Sometimes it feels like I'm fighting a losing battle to keep the strength and stability that I do have by working out and strength training but then I think what would I turn into if I didn't do this???? the encredible blob?? eekk, scary scary thought!!! So I decide: keep up the workout, maintain my sanity and stability (in my joints and in my life) and use the baby weight to lose the babyweight!

Welcome to BabyWeight

2009-10-13T19:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome to BabyWeight!!!!

So, welcome ladies (and gentlemen, but I'm assuming mostly ladies)!!! I'm new to blogging so I'm guessing this blog will only get better and better as you stay tuned!

My name is Luly Diez-Arguelles, I'm a wife, a mom, doctor of physical therapy, aspiring entrepreneur, and ohhh yeah a preggers too!!

Let me tell you a little about what babyweight is and how it got started. When I was studying for my doctorate of physical therapy at UF I found out I was pregnant!! As if grad school wasn't complicated enough!! To make a long story short after a great pregnancy but looooong and complicated labor I realized that I getting back to normal was going to be more of a challenge than I had expected. Not only were there the challenges of being a new mom but new found back and body aches, and my struggles to get my body back!!!! With juggling baby, school, internships, work and exercise something was going to give!!! But being the stubborn girl that I am, I wanted it all! Soooo ... using my background in physical therapy and my growing experience as a mom I began developing BABYWEIGHT: A fitness and rehabilitation program for pregnant women and new moms, using their baby's weight to lose their baby weight. Now exercise and baby-bonding time can be combined in one!!!

See Events for current classes offered and stay tuned for more information on my budding business and belly (currently 24 weeks), fitness/health/nutrition, mom advice and challenges and so so much more .....