Posts Tagged "fitness"

Commit to Get Fit this Autumn

Posted by cafebebemama on Sep 1, 2010 in Mummy Tummy Begone | 4 comments

You’ve heard it before from me. You’ve heard it a fair few times from me. But this time, I mean it! I’m 3 months away from turning 40, I have a funky new hair cut which has given me back some of my chutzpah and a clearer view to the future. It’s time to do something about the PHYSICAL ME!

I’ve been working with Maclaren and Pushy Mothers to promote their Stroll Back to Shape programme and have been reviewing the Maclaren GTLX along the way. I have a LOT of experience with pushchairs. I have reviewed over 20 since I began blogging a year an a bit ago. I have reviewed some for this blog but most have been for MadeForMums website. Amazingly I have never reviewed a Maclaren! Maclarens are everywhere. They are very popular in the lightweight, “umbrella-type” stroller category in particular. The Maclaren GTLX is their “luxury” edition pushchair and it was most definitely an interesting pushchair to trial.

The Maclaren GTLX is an impressive pushchair. Gadgets abound on this model which allow you to know what time it is, what the temperature is and just how fast you’re walking while lighting the way at the same time! There is a Strollometer built in on the Maclaren GTLX as well as a “dashboard” housing a clock and temperature gauge in analog style. There are running board lights to make others aware of you and potentially light the path in front of you on a dim day or late night walk (not sure that you need to be walking late at night WITH your child but teething pain may make it a necessity).

The seat seems very comfortable, according to Little Miss who readily climbed up and had a seat within seconds of spotting the new pushchair! And I dare any toddler to try to get out of the carefully crafted 5 point harness! You have to be Houdini, I think! It’s exceptionally well secured. The seat can be forward or rear facing which is very comforting to parents of newborns and young babies. You can easily and smoothly recline the seat without disturbing a sleeping tot and can carry on calorie burning while they snooze away, safe under the large canopy/hood. You are also protected from rain and bugs with a rain cover and mosquito cover which are stowed in handy pockets on the back of the seat…genius touch!  I was also infinitely impressed with the amount of accessories that came with the Maclaren GTLX. There was a pushchair cover, wheel bag, changing bag with stroller straps, cup holder, carry cot and newborn insert, footmuff and shopping basket. It’s all you could ever need and then some.

One of the drawbacks to the Maclaren GTLX is its size. It’s a rather hefty beast at 14.2 kg and requires a pretty strong TWO hands for steering, especially on uneven ground. I was a bit disappointed when my right front wheel popped off while traversing a bit of rough terrain. It easily snapped back on but I don’t really expect my wheels to fall off! Storing the Maclaren GTLX is a bit of a challenge as well. Ideally you need to take off the seat and potentially, even the wheels to allow it to fit smoothly into your boot. I think you would be hard pressed to fit it into a small boot. The price is a bit steep as well (between £530-590 on various internet sites) but considering the amount of kit that comes with the system, you are getting pretty good value for money.

Maclaren GTLX à la Cafe Bebe

One of the bonuses of the Maclaren GTLX is the Strollometer. The Stroll Back to Shape programme really encourages new mums to get out and get fit with their babies. With the Strollometer you can easily track your progress and see how far you’re going and how fast which is a great incentive and motivator for a lot of mums. I found myself trying to keep my pace at a particular speed which made a great difference to the intensity of my walk. Doing this several times a week will take you far…just remember to come back home at the end of each journey!

This is my challenge to you then, mummies: Get out and Commit to Get Fit this Autumn! Keep yourself moving, burning calories, getting fresh air and getting out of the house. It will do you and your child a world of good. Next week I’ll be attending my first “buggy fitness” class in Stamford. I’m a bit frightened as I imagine most of the other mums will be more post-delivery than I am and will definitely not look 5 months pregnant like I do. I feel like I might need to wear a hi-vis vest that says “Not Pregnant, Just Fat” so I don’t get any “so…when’s the next one due” comments. Or I just need to say, “Yeah, due in February!” and smile. I will report back on my class and whether I’m able to move the next day or not. I’m looking forward to taking a CLASS again which forces me to commit and follow through which is something I’ve been lacking a ridiculous amount bit lately.

I challenge you to do something new this month. Take a class, take a walk, do some Wii Fit, do SOMETHING! And blog about it. Or maybe you have been blogging about it? Share your success here! I’m adding a MckLinky to the bottom of this post for you to add links to your fitness/mummy tummy/empowerment/pushchair posts. It’s always helpful to know that others out there are struggling and, hopefully, succeeding. Let’s do what we can to push each other forward this month! I’ll expect some results and you can expect them from me in return. Have a great September…commit to get fit!

Just Vlog It- Family Fitness Fun!

Posted by cafebebemama on May 3, 2010 in Just Vlog It | 20 comments

Greetings and Welcome to the May Just Vlog It theme announcement!  As the Spring is well and truly here (it is May after all even if the temp keeps going up and down) and Summer, in fact, is just around the corner.  We’re all getting out and about more and enjoying the warmth which means that many of us are dusting off our trainers and thinking about getting back into “fighting shape”.  We’ve got to keep up with the kids, run the house, enjoy our lives and feel good about ourselves as well as attempt to look decent.  So, what I want to challenge you with for the Just Vlog It May theme is- FAMILY FITNESS FUN!  What do you do, either on your own or with your family, to stay fit or better yet, get fit?  I’m going to give you some prompts to get you thinking…

• Show us how your children keep you running around all day.
• Share your favourite game with your children which is physical and active.
• Give us some tips on eating healthily & incorporating fitness into your routine.
• As a mum, what’s your dream solution for getting fit and staying lean & trim?
• As a dad, do you have dreams of grandeur as a sporting champion? Are you the next Lance Armstrong?
• Make your own comedy fitness video…Mummy or Daddy Fitness in the Real World!
• Make your own commercial for a “new & improved” fitness accessory.
• Go through your old fitness DVDs/VHS’s/Books and share with us a “Blast from the Past”

There, I think I have given you enough inspiration for this month.  So, do you want to know who this month’s sponsor is?  Well, first, let me tell you that I will be selecting FIVE vlog entries to put up for the public vote AND there will be a prize for the WINNER and RUNNER-UP as well as a new category for BEST NEWCOMER.  Best Newcomer will also be a publicly voted category but will only include entrants who have not yet entered a Just Vlog It challenge.  Now, a hint about our sponsor…they are synonymous with fitness and have been promoted by me more than a little bit lately…that’s right…it’s…

Reebok Easytone Trainers!!!  Wowie Zowie!!!  Here’s what the generous people at Reebok are offering our lucky entrants for this month’s Just Vlog It Family Fitness Fun Challenge:

• WINNER: will receive 1 pair of Reebok Easytone Trainers of their choosing (walking, gym or running; mens & womens sizes) + a selection of Reebok Easytone gear including a jacket, top & trousers.
• RUNNER-UP: will receive 1 pair of Reebok Easytone Trainers of their choosing (walking, gym or running; mens & womens sizes)
• BEST NEWCOMER: will receive a Reebok t-shirt & trousers

Pretty great, huh?  Thank you to Reebok and Wildfire CompanyPR for sponsoring the Just Vlog It Family Fitness Fun Challenge.  And just so you know, the Easytone Gym & Running shoes are not even out in the UK yet…you’ll be in on the ground floor with those if you so choose and you’re a lucky winner or runner-up.  So, get your brain in gear and start thinking.  YOU DO NOT HAVE TO GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO PRODUCE A STELLAR, OSCAR AWARD WINNING VLOG ENTRY.  Sometimes simple is better.  Please remember to try to keep your vlog entries to around 4-5 minutes…my laptop crashes and burns if they’re too long.  You don’t want to do that to me, do you?  Here are the important dates to remember for this month’s Just Vlog It:

• Monday 3 May- theme announcement; commence the planning
• Tuesday 11 May- deadline for all entries- please send to: justvlogit@hotmail.com
• Wednesday 12 May- viewing day for me- please send chocolate or brownies
• Thursday 13 May- public voting commences…and ends at midnight GMT
• Friday 14 May- Winner, Runner-Up and Best Newcomer announcement
• Monday 17 May- Just Vlog It Family Fitness Fun Carnival

There you have it Vloggers!  A fun and entertaining challenge (Family Fitness Fun) which should bring out the vlogger in even the most reluctant of you and a BRILLIANT sponsor with Reebok Easytone Trainers to bring out the rest of you!  Have fun, good luck and Happy Vlogging!  Please leave any questions you may have in the comment box below…

I leave you with a little inspiration courtesy of Reebok Easytone Trainers:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMc2hBxzLvg[/youtube]

Mummy Fitness Questions

Posted by cafebebemama on Apr 13, 2010 in Mummy Tummy Begone | 1 comment

It’s been about 6 weeks since I began my Mummy Tummy Begone challenge and I’ve made some progress.  How about you?  I’ve managed to lose at least 4 pounds and have noticed somewhat of a difference in the diameter of my mummy tummy.  I’ve been far more active and even managed to run for 11 straight minutes one day last week.  I finally decided that the only thing making me stop and walk was my lack of chutzpah.

However, I have fallen down the last week or so.  Well, not literally fallen down…don’t worry!  I was stuck with a cold two weeks ago which for me means the inability to breathe and lots of green gunk coming out of my lungs so running was definitely out.  Last week a bit of laziness set in and while I did get out with Little Miss & the Xplory to walk a fair bit and was wearing my Reebok Easy Tone Trainers loads, I only managed to run once.  So, it’s back on the horse for me this week but I need some motivation.  Wendy Powell, our resident guru, has offered to answer some Mummy Fitness Questions and I’m hoping you’ll add your questions and concerns to the comments below.  Wendy will address them in a follow up post this week.

I’d like to point you to Wendy’s site, No More Excuses, and also direct you to the Reebok Easy Tone Trainers forum, Reetalk Training where you can learn more about the Reebok Easy Tone Trainers that I have been banging on about as well as find some inspiration for your spring fitness programme.  Now, it’s really over to you…in order for Wendy to share her immense knowledge and genius, we need your questions!  What’s causing you trouble in your fitness programme?  What’s holding you back?  How can Wendy guide you to “No More Mummy Tummy”?  Are you unsure of what exercises to do?  What is this diastasis recti and how can I get rid of it?

It’s your turn now…make use of this great opportunity to have your Mummy Fitness questions answered!  We’ll follow up this week with a post where Wendy answers your very important mummy fitness questions.  Thanks everyone…keep on keepin’ on to make that Mummy Tummy Begone!

Mummy Tummy Begone

Posted by cafebebemama on Mar 8, 2010 in Featured Posts, Mummy Tummy Begone | 33 comments

Mummy Tummy Queen

Too many pancakes?

Finding unflattering pictures of yourself isn’t the most exhilerating thing in the entire world.  However, in my quest to make my Mummy Tummy Begone, I had to find something to start with.  The first picture is from Little Miss’ first birthday week (taken on June 5, 2009) and the second picture is from 14 January, 2010 at the Lyle’s Syrup Pancake Day event in London.  It was at said event that something happened that I had been waiting for.  Someone asked me “And when’s your next one due?”  I replied, “Uh…oh, no, I’m not pregnant, I’m just fat!” and laughed a bit to make the person feel better.  I’m good at that…making people feel better.  I didn’t feel very happy, however.

I shall back-track a bit for those of you who don’t know me or my tummy very well.  When I was pregnant with Little Miss, I put on a good 3-4 stone on a frame that was already overweight.  Fish and chips had taken their toll long before Little Miss was implanted and I took full advantage of every craving, every extra muffin and every indulgence possible while she was growing.  Rude people Co-Workers asked if I was sure there weren’t twins in there and “WHEN are you due?”  So helpful and kind.

Little Miss was born by emergency c-section on 3 June, 2008 and thus began my struggle with my maladjusted mid-section.  I was amazed at how, every day after delivery, my middle shrank bit by bit…sort of like a balloon gradually deflating.  However, not long after coming home, the deflating stopped.  And that’s just about where I have stayed ever since.  Approaching 2 years is a long time to be carrying about far too much weight and having no shape.  I’ve had a bit working against me though.  My expanding middle couldn’t quite expand enough and I ended up with an umbilical hernia as well as, in my humble opinion, VERY distended abdominal muscles (diastis recti anyone?).  In my concern over my now-permanent “outie” belly button, I was referred to a consultant to see about a possible hernia operation.  I was told by said consultant, that I could have the hernia operation but it wouldn’t do anything for my abdominal muscles, if I was considering having another child there was no point in having the op and that I should lose weight.  Helpful, that consultant!  Of course, he was right I guess.  I also was referred to a physiotherapist to learn exercises to “knit” back together my abdominal muscles.  (That sounds icky doesn’t it??)

Now, here’s where the problem lies.  I was told to lose weight and do specific exercises.  Did I do it?  No.  Well, I did do the exercises for a while but then I stopped.  Did I lose weight?  Well, maybe a pound or two but then there was Christmas and then New Year’s and then Valentine’s Day and then St. David’s Day (any excuse…) and here I am.  Hopelessly out of shape, wrecked abdominals, pain, a stomach (the internal organ) that sloshes about (will it actually fall out?  I wonder!) and thoroughly deflated opinion of myself.  I must do SOMETHING.  We don’t have money for a gym or a piece of exercise equipment and time is a factor as I’m home alone with Little Miss from 8am-7pm most nights of the week so I will share with you my plan.  It’s not ideal but it will have to do.  If I share it with my blogging community, I am therefore forced to follow through on it.  Unless I delete this all! (HA)

I have approximately 12 weeks until Little Miss’ second birthday.  I have to make a dent in the me I that I am today.

• Stop eating RUBBISH!  I have a pretty carbohydate-centered diet.  Toast, Rice Krispies for breakfast, Rich Tea bisquit for snack, pasta/chips/sandwich for lunch (not all of them, either/or), Rich Tea bisquit for snack, finishing Little Miss’ dinner for her (waste not…), Dinner with hubby at 9pm or later consisting of: jacket potatoes, beans, pasta, quiche…very little veg/protein.
• Stop clearing Little Miss’ plate!
• Eat MY dinner with Little Miss and aim for a lean protein, low-GI carb & veg
• Alternate the following for exercise:  get up in the morning (6am) and go for a walk/run BEFORE the day begins and while hubby is at home for Little Miss or when hubby comes home at night go for a walk/run at the END of the day while hubby is at home for Little Miss
• Walk/RUN!  I have been inspired by Rachael at Marathon Mummy to start a bit of running.  Rachael is not a runner but she very well may be now after just completing her personal Half-Marathon training over the weekend.  I am going to start with a very simple walk 1 min/run 1 min and see what I can work myself up to in the next 12 weeks.  I have to state for the record that I HATE RUNNING and really wouldn’t consider it unless CHASED but, my tummy is about to start chasing me and I don’t want to see that!  Also, according to many who’ve done it, it’s a great fat burner and perhaps the kick in the pants that I need.  I guarantee you will not find me running any marathons or even a half-marathon any time in the near or distant future but we all need to start somewhere, don’t we?
• Find time during Little Miss’ naps to peel my ass away from the computer and do the EA Sports Active Personal Trainer programme and/or abdominal exercises.  My ass is taking on a decidedly flat appearance so I must do this.
• Get thee to a FEMALE doctor who may be able to help with my midsection and tell me, point blank, if it’s just my laziness and excess weight that is causing my abdominal pain and discomfort or something that can possibly be fixed with medical intervention in addition to proper eating, exercise and weight loss.

If I could manage to lose a pound a week over the next twelve weeks, I could make a good dent in my mummy tummy and feel a bit better about the way I look.  Then maybe, just maybe, Claire at The Good, The Bad & The Ugly could give me some fashion tips to help disguise what’s left.  I will be blogging about my progress in this category (Mummy Tummy Begone) and will keep you posted.  I’d love to feel confident enough to share my weight with you BUT I don’t know that I’m ready to share those numbers with the world.  They’re embarassing!  However, suffice it to say that if I lose 1 pound a week for the next 12 weeks, I will lose nearly a stone which will be a massive accomplishment.  A very sensible time line, for sure.

I would appreciate any tips and/or encouragement that you might want to offer as this will be an uphill battle for me.  I used to be fit and healthy and worked out all the time…of course, I worked in a fitness centre so that makes a bit of a difference!  If you’d like to join me, I’ll be making a badge to use…you can do it too!  I’d love to have a little bit of support if you’re willing.