Half way done, and I can very happily say that I have now lost 14.4 lbs since I applied!! Very happy to see the scale go down this week.

Omron Body Composition Monitor

We were supposed to share our measurements with you as well. When I did them on Monday, it didn’t seem like I lost any. So either I measured wrong the first time or I haven’t lost any inches. However, the tight jeans I bought a month ago say differently

Here’s my vlog for this week. I had actually started one last night, but it was SO depressing I deleted it. This one is not much better, and mostly because I have been fighting a cold since Sunday. My body is saying No more, but I’m not going to listen.

Hanan from Lilac City Momma

I mentioned I got my Earthies Shoes. LOVE them! They are the Raphaelle boots. I just love how Earth Foot Wear promotes beautiful and sexy shoes, but most with wedges, which are still super comfortable.

Thank You to our sponsors for this campaign:
New Balance, Omron Fitness, and Earth Footwear.
Each one is playing a huge roll in our goal to get active and healthy.

Also a Huge Thank you to all the Coaches:
Leah @BookieBoo, Alysa @InspiredRD, Pete  @PeteCohen_, and Mark @MrBookieboo.

Not every steps as a Mamavation Mom is small, in fact, it’s pretty intense, but they are changes that everyone can make:  east healthy,  exercise more, lean on friends for support, and find the tools that help you succeed: and that I’ve done!

One of the things I’m LOVING my new Omron Fitness Pedometer and Scale!    First of all my pedometer is my new best friend (or worst enemy if my steps are not high enough at night!) .  I check it around 7 and end up hoofing it around the block to get it all in.!   They also sent us this awesome scale- the Full Body Sensor that not only measures your weight, but  it also measures your body fat percent, your visceral fat level,  skeletal muscle percent, body weight, and  BMI.  Visceral fat is the hidden fat that hides in your abdomen and surrounds your vital organs- and this type of fat often goes undetected.  The more skeletal muscle you have the more calories you will burn, as muscle burns 22% of calories. I love having this tool at my toes to help me  lose weight!

Next week Ally and I are participating in Color Me Rad, a fun 5K that incorporated running and fun!  We’ll be  in Hartford for our first race together, and we are both super excited!   i can’t wait to show those photos!

None of these changes that I’ve been making would have been possible without  help-  and I’d love to say a great big THANK YOU  to our sponsors,: New Balance, Omron Fitness, InsiredRD, Weight Loss Guru, Earth Shoes  and of course, my Mamavation community  Plus my awesome Mentors Lolo, Laura, and Andrea, not to mention my partner in crime,and Mamavation Mom cohort, Hanan who puts up with my panicked tweets.

Hanan (@LilacCityMomma) has been trying to go to the Zumba classes almost every day and started making new friends.

Wendy’s (@WeightsOver) took her family on a long walk for Mother’s Day, and overall loves exploring the hiking trails around her.

Please don’t forget – these ladies need your support! Find a minute to leave a quick comment or tweet how awesome they are – these moms are on the middle of their bootcamp experience.

What I personally find difficult when it comes to workouts is to keep it interesting – I get bored easy and find myself checking the watch way too often looking forward to the end of the workout. This might be a perfect time to switch and do something different. Let’s talk about aerobics, a type of workout that has been around for a long time and still going strong.

Did you know?
More than 11 million people in the United States are enrolled in a fitness class that utilizes aerobic principles.

Why?
Consistent aerobic exercise is extremely beneficial to the human body. The consistent breathing strengthens the lungs. Aerobics keeps the heart at maximum efficiency, and actually enlarges the heart muscle. This allows it to pump more blood with less effort —so it reduces the resting heart rate. A healthy heart benefits the body’s blood circulation and blood pressure.

Special Guest: Sheila Cluff

Sheila Cluff, internationally-known fitness expert, owner, and founder of The Oaks at Ojai health and fitness destination spa is an inspiration because the 75-year-old mother of four and grandmother of seven lives and looks the lifestyle she teaches. The former star and host of her own fitness shows on NBC in New York and KABC in Southern California, Cluff has touched the lives of millions.  Cluff was named “Woman of the Year” by the City of Hope Foundation.  The former professional figure skater and high school physical education teacher is considered a fitness pioneer in the health and fitness industry among her peers. Cluff introduced “cardiovascular dance” to the world in the 1950s. Today, we know this groundbreaking exercise simply as “aerobics.”

If you have questions for our guest, here is a thread in the forum – I will forward all the questions to the guest prior to the show.

MAMAVATION TV: Join us Monday night at 7pm PST/10pm EST on Mingle Media TV.

BLOGGING CARNIVAL: This week’s blogging carnival is sponsored by Mamavation.

One blogging carnivals participant will receive $25 gift certificate via Paypal.

It’s time to get sweet!!!

Now you can have sugar without the guilt from all those extra calories or artificial chemicals with some new products on the Mamavation approved list: Domino® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend AND C & H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend . They have created a hybrid sugar concoction that uses all-natural Stevia along with pure cane sugar to cut the calories in half and still give you that sweet taste with only 5 calories per serving.
What is Stevia?: The tropical stevia plant, originally discovered in the warm highlands of South America, has been used for centuries as a sweetener. C&H® Light AND Domino® Light is made from the extract of this stevia plant and then blended with another one of nature’s pure sweet plants, the sugar cane. The balance of sugar cane and stevia extract creates the ideal sweetener– a perfect sweet taste and half the calories of sugar. And when baking, it tastes fabulous with chocolate or cinnamon.

Baking with Domino® Light & C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blends–Baking is as easy as cutting it in half. So if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, all you need to do is use 1/2 cup of Domino® Light OR C&H® Light.

COUPONS:

Domino® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend on Facebook ($1.00 off)

C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blend on Facebook ($1.00 off)

 

Join us on Wednesday, August 8th from 8-10pm EST to celebrate how sweet life really is with sugar that tastes amazing, doesn’t lead to weight gain, and doesn’t have artificial chemicals in it (my own words.) The party will be about all the ways you can use these new products in baking and other recipes to help you with your healthy living lifestyle. And because there are NO artificial sweeteners, you can feel great about sharing them with your family.

Party Details

Who: Domino® Light AND C&H® Light: Sugar & Stevia Blends

When: August 8th, 2012 from 8-10pm EST

Hashtag: #DominoCHLight

Brand Twitter: @Dominosugar (Domino® Light) AND @Candh_sugar (C&H® Light)

What the heck is a Twitter Party? Click here for that information.

Party Hosts:

1. @Bookieboo, Hostess with the Mostess

2. @Resourcefulmom, Twitter Oprah in charge of SWAG

Giveaways:

$500 in Visa Gift Cards

How to Enter (make sure to comment for EACH entry. You MUST be present to win):

1. Tweet this message (limit 1 tweet per hour, max 30 entries, 1 entry per tweet)

Time 2 Get Sweet! Party abt baking light w/ @Dominosugar & @Candh_Sugar  8/8 frm 8-10pm EST, http://bit.ly/Kzd8GA  #DominoCHLight

3. Share this post on your Facebook wall (1 entry)
4. Comment on C&H® Sugar’s Facebook Wall (1 entry)
5. Comment on Domino® Sugar’s Facebook Wall (1 entry)
6. Share images about event on Pinterest (1 entry per image)
7. Comment on the Mamavation Facebook wall (1 entry)
8. Join Bookieboo Blogging Network (5 entries, new members only)
9. Join the Mamavation Forums (2 entries, new members only)

Hope to see you all there!!!

RSVP to the linky below to say you will be there. Remember you must be present to win! (Only five minutes if your name is called to respond.)

This is my favorite overnight marinade for chicken. It is spicy, flavorful and the yogurt and lemon do a great job tenderizing the chicken for me. Just serve this over your favorite starch or salad greens. I like to serve ours over quinoa or whole wheat couscous.

Enjoy!

Now it’s you turn! Please link up your healthy recipes below:

Submitted by Andrea (@notimeMom) from Adventures in All Things Food. Farmer’s wife, SAHM and foodie at heart.

With everything else going on around me, it’s been a little hard trying to get everything done daily. I’m trying though, and that is a lot more then I could have said, before Mamavation.

This past week, the scale did not cooperate as well as I would have liked. But dammit, overall I have lost over 9lbs since applying to be a Mamavation Mom, woohoo!

Even more exciting then that, is FEELING better. More energy, which means more spending time together as a family.

Here’s a little more of what I had to say about this week…

Hanan from Lilac City Momma

Thank You to our sponsors for this campaign:
New Balance, Omron Fitness, and Earth Footwear.
Each one is playing a huge roll in our goal to get active and healthy.

Also a Huge Thank you to all the Coaches:
Leah @BookieBoo, Alysa @InspiredRD, Pete  @PeteCohen_, and Mark @MrBookieboo.

I’m a little scared. Somebody hold me!

All I have heard about it  “Weeks 2 & 3 stink, and  don’t worry, you’ll get through it”.

The reason why that scared me is that  the past week has been pretty terrific,so what happens next week?

In fact,  I HAVE LOST 12.2 POUNDS SINCE APPLYING TO BE A MAMAVATION MOM!I haven’t seen this side of 240′s for over a year. Maybe two. SO HOORAY FOR ME!

The video was shot on Mother’s Day which was an example of how our lives have changed. Instead of  lazing around and eating– we were out walking and hiking!

I DID have one total freak out day in which my personal life was just holding me back. I was overwhelmed and  frustrated and instead of turning to  food  or something unhealthy, I sent a shout out to all my mentors- Lolo, Laura,and Andrea- and Bless them, they walked me off the ledge.  This kind of support is KEY to the Mamavation campaign. And  I get so much support from all the Sistas.  That is why I LOVE Mamavation- there is always someone here to  lend an ear, give a kind word or  a kick in the butt when needed.

I had a chance to got to Fitness Magazine’s FitBlogNYC- an awesome event where I got to meet a few sista’s! I got to spend some time with Ghada, Sherry, and Shelly.

I am totally cross-eyed  with lack of sleep, but thrilled to meet them all!

LOVE the baby, too!

Shelley took another shot of her trying to wake me up at the “butt crack of dawn” but it’s not really appropriate for this post. Let’s just say I’m not a super early morning person, and Shelley is WAY chipper in the mornings. WAY chipper. ugh.

AND- guess what I got this week from New Balance?

Aren’t they PURTY?   Even better, they are SO comfortable and  I immediately went for a nice 6 mile walk. Let me tell you that are so comfortable and they fit perfectly. I’ve been experimenting with shoes lately, and I do have to say, honestly, that these are the most comfortable ones I’ve worn.  I am so happy and thankful that New Balance sent them to me!

I also received some awesome stuff from Omron Fitness,but  it’s so cool I an gonna tell you ALL about it next week when I have more time to play with it!

I’m so thankful to all our wonderful sponsors: New Balance, Omron Fitness, InsiredRD, Weight Loss Guru, Earth Shoes  and of course, my Mamavation community  Plus my awesome Mentors Lolo, Laura, and Andrea, not to mention my partner in crime,and Mamavation Mom cohort, Hanan.

]]> http://www.mamavation.com/2012/05/keeping-motivated-and-excited.html/feed 12 http://www.mamavation.com/2012/05/camping.html http://www.mamavation.com/2012/05/camping.html#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 05:19:22 +0000 Elenka29 http://www.mamavation.com/?p=7710 It doesn’t take much to start geting results when it comes to wait loss – small changes will take you a long way. However, when it comes to Mamavation Mom bootcamp, things move very fast – ladies make drastic changes to their every day lives. Moreover the lives of their entire families get an extreme 7 week makeover. Just check out what our Mamavation Moms’ recent posts:

Hanan (@LilacCityMomma)has noticed that her oldest is asking questions like “Are we going to the gym today?” and the girls just love to exercise with her. “It’s just a great feeling knowing I’m having an impact on them already”.

Wendy’s (@WeightsOver) son asks her to wait until he gets home, so they can do workouts together. He does warmup along with first circuit and cheers Wendy for the rest of workout. Ally (Wendy’s daughter) goes on walks with her and participates in family nutritional discussions.

The camping season is about to begin here on Midwest, and I can’t wait to spend some time outdoors with the kids. However, that’s where it gets complicated – how do I go about camping with a toddler? How do I keep my kids safe and make sure we all have good time?

Our Mamavation TV guest this week is a nature enthusiast and wants to share that love with her audience and how they have their young families interact with the world.  I am thrilled to hear what words of wisdom Cragmama will be sharing with our audience on Monday.  Small tips can really help your family get ready to play outside and enjoy yourselves.

Special Guest: Erica Lineberry (@Cragmama)

Erica is a believer that we only get one shot on this journey called life, and need to make the most of it. One of her favorite passions is getting out and exploring this playground called Earth, that she believes God created for us to enjoy. During her pregnancy and her son’s first weeks she and her husband realized that they were at a life stage where many folks give up on adventure and play, and get locked into a rut of everyday living. But they wanted to do more than just “get by.”

Enjoy!

Now it’s you turn! Please link up your healthy recipes below:

Alysa Bajenaru, RD is the official dietitian of Mamavation. You can find her blogging, tweeting, or chasing after one of her kids.

When I saw this picture today, it was through the eyes of a group of bloggers in Los Angeles that personally knew the 26 year old mom in this photo, Jamie Lynne. I’ve personally never met or interacted with Jamie. I do think she is drop dead gorgeous and the picture definitely plays up all her “assets.”

These were my first honest impressions.

–Wait, that’s a 3 year old? He looks closer to six to me.

–Is he breastfeeding? Oh, he is. Why aren’t they more comfortable in a chair or something? That’s kinda weird.

–I have a feeling this is going to piss off moms at the grocery store when they have to explain this to their kids. Our culture isn’t like Europe. I hope she has her comment moderation on her blog.

–WTF was Time Magazine thinking? This is kinda disrespectful to extended breastfeeders. I’m wondering if she had the ability to approve this one?

–Holy Moly, I hope that kid has a good sense of humor when he gets older. I see loads of teasing in his future.

–Oh, boy. This is going to cause a shit storm. That’s FO SHO.

As you can see, I wasn’t offended by how old he was and still breastfeeding. I’m supportive of extended breastfeeders. I am however very concerned with how this picture is portraying that crowd. When I picture a woman breastfeeding a child that is older than two years old, I’m not picturing Jamie. Seeing Jamie standing there looking very sexy threw me off a bit. And that is just being honest.

From what I’ve heard, Time Magazine has been losing subscriptions and newsstand sales for years now. The most recent report I could find was with the New York Times stating that newsstand sales were down 34.9% in 2010, which is a better indicator than subscriptions because it’s more timely and relevant. That’s pretty understandable because people go online for their news now. At least everyone I know does. So to me we have a really good example of Time Magazine fighting for relevance in a crowded space. The internet is now king.

I think this issue is surrounded with LOADS of additional important issues such as our economy, how the magazine industry is changing because of the rise of the internet, how breastfeeding is becoming the norm and the backlash against formula companies, how “moms” online are getting a reputation for fighting and now magazines are trying to capitalize on that, how images like this can incite an emotional response that everyone must recognize as relevant, etc. I mean things like this are like a car wreck…you HAVE to look. Even if you don’t want to share your opinion, you will have one.

Time Magazine is going for newsstand sales. We all know it. It’s obvious, but we all have to talk about it and write about it. Everyone has a take about this. One thing I’d like to say is….

Can we all just get along?

It’s Mother’s Day weekend YO!

#thatisall