3 Tips to Becoming Healthier With Your Kids

Before becoming a mother, I was already on my journey to getting fit. At one point in my life, I was once overweight and, at another, I was once underweight. My goal for life was to find a happy medium balance and to become the best version of myself. 

Now, that I am a mother, my goal is still the same, but I want to become the healthiest version of myself in order to set a good example for my children.

Here are 3 tips to becoming healthier while involving your children:

1. Baby see, baby do. Last week, while I was running on my treadmill, my son walked up to me and handed me a packet of my protein powder. He left for the kitchen and then came back with my protein shaker cup to give to me. This surprised me since he is only 16 months old, but as little as he is, he still knows, learns, and understands things. From time to time, I will see him pretending to walk on my treadmill, as well. These are prime examples that whatever you do as a parent will have a huge impact on your children. Make sure you are making positive, healthy choices and they will catch on before you even realize it!

2. Grocery shop and cook together. Who says grocery shopping has to be boring? Though this tip may be better suited for older babies and toddlers, you can always include your little one on the trip. Show them healthier products that you like or let them hold a product to help out. It will make them feel so important! One of my son's favorite foods recently has been from the Gerber® Organic line; the 3rd  Foods® Pouches! There are 2 servings of fruits/vegetables per pouch and the packaging is BPA-free. My son's favorite is the Apples, Kale, & Figs.

I usually homemake all of my son's food, but as a mommy, I tend to get busy at times and this is when I reach for this line of baby foods. It is nice to know that if I have to give my son something packaged, it is healthy and organic for him-the best choice that I could make. 

When you get home from the grocery store, show your child what to do with the products by making a healthy dinner while explaining how the meal is healthy. Lastly, enjoy eating the meal together.

3. Involve your children in daily exercise. Each night after dinner, my husband and I love taking our son on an evening walk. It is a chance for us to get our last bit of exercise in for the day, while also bonding and enjoying time away from tv and computers. We will push our  son in his jogging stroller or pull him in his red wagon. When he gets a bit older, we will have him walk with us the whole way. When you make exercise a habit, they won't know any different! 

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post through Gerber. All opinions stated within this post are my very own.

6 Exercises For Strengthening Your Core After Pregnancy

Pregnancy can wreak complete havoc on your abdominal muscles. The American College of Sports Medicine used electromyography (EMG) to determine which abdominal exercises most effectively activated the rectus abdominis and obliques. Researchers found the yoga boat, yoga dolphin plank on a ball, and the yoga side plank to be at the top of the list. 

Incorporate two to three sets of each of these exercises, holding each one for at least thirty seconds working your way up to one to two minutes, into your workout routine

Belly Breathing

Belly breathing simply involves allowing your stomach to expand and contract as much as possible while you actively inhale and exhale as deeply as possible.

Abdominal Bracing

Begin by lying face-up on the floor. Brace your abdomen by contracting your entire abdomen as if you were preparing to get hit in the stomach. This is your starting position. From here, perform different movements such as raising one or both arms overhead or extending your legs while keeping your back flat against the floor.

Pelvic Tilt

Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor or propped on a ball. Brace your abdomen and tilt your pelvis back by pressing your lower back into the floor. Hold this position for five seconds then repeat.

Yoga Boat

Sit on the floor with your knees bent. Brace your abdomen, slightly lean your torso back while lifting your feet off the floor. Lift until your shins are parallel with the floor, your back is straight and your hips are flexed to ninety degrees. Extend your arms forward to a comfortable position to help maintain your balance. Hold here for at least thirty seconds.

Dolphin Plank

Place your elbows on the top of a stability ball and extended your legs out behind. Brace your abdomen and hips, straighten your back and hold the position for at least thirty seconds. This exercise is basically just a standard plank but you’re adding in the instability of the ball.

Side Plank

Lie on your side with your elbow under your shoulder. Stack your hips and feet, stabilize your core, and lift your hips off the floor until your body forms a straight line. Hold here for at least thirty seconds. Repeat on the other side. Add ten to twenty leg lifts (shown in the video below) to the side plank to further improve hip strength and stability.

Peanut Butter Protein Balls

I have seen these energy bites pinned across Pinterest for YEARS but I have finally decided to make my very own. 

The result?

Nothing less than AMAZING!

You will need:

• 1 cup quick oats
• 1 cup peanut butter, melted
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 scoops protein powder (I used MRM's Egg White protein. You can get 40% off by using code SIA at checkout!)
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 2 tbsp. cinnamon

1. Pour oats in a bowl.

2. Add in softened peanut butter.

3. Add in egg white protein powder.

4. Add in honey.

5. Add in nuts & cinnamon.

5. Store in the fridge for at least an hour. Remove from fridge and form into 1 inch balls. Store in an air tight container.

Diet Protein Cheesecake

Made this DELISH protein "Diet Cheesecake" today when my sweet tooth struck!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup Greek yogurt

– 3 tbsp of vanilla whey protein powder (I used MRM's Natural Chocolate Whey Protein. Get 40% off all MRM products with code SIA at checkout! www.mrm-USA.com)

– 2 tbsp of casein protein powder (I used Bodybuilding.com's chocolate casein.)

– 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk

Directions: 

1. Pour ingredients into a bowl.

2. Mix all ingredients together until fluffy. 

2. Pour into a small round ramekin dish. 

3. Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees. 

4. Place directly into the fridge and let sit for several hours to firm up. 

New Workout Gear from DICKS + GIVEAWAY!

Last week, my family and I went to DICK's Sporting Goods in our local mall to checkout their workout gear. I had never went to a DICK's in my life, but I ended up having the best time there. 

The women's workout gear section literally blew me away. I almost felt like a kid in a candy store once I saw they carried my favorites: Under Armour, Nike, Reebok, and even Carrie Underwood's new line Calia.

I browsed around and instantly fell in love with a lot of things. I have to admit-these days, my wardrobe probably consists of 70% workout gear! But, there is no better motivation than a cute new outfit (or several)!

I gathered up maybe 12 items or so and headed to the dressing room to find the right fit for my new workout outfits. Isn't trying it on the best part or what?? The dressing room was big and spacious, thank goodness, and the employees were quick to help me get in once I pressed the button for assistance (more places NEED this).

I decided on 3 main outfits and headed to the checkout desk to put my DICK's sporting goods gift card to good use! As you can see, I was pretty excited to get home to wear my new workout clothes.

Here are my 3 new outfits that I chose. I absolutely loved them all and as you can see, I really enjoyed DICK's Women's Nike section.

For my first outfit, I am wearing a shirt my husband really liked, the Nike Women's Signal Toger Graphic tee paired with the Women's Rally Logo Capris. These pants are so SOFT and COMFY!

My second outfit were the Nike Rally Shorts paired with the Nike Obsessed top. The shorts are so comfy-I literally wear them around the house for no reason! The top is adorable with the polka dots on the back of it. I also like the term "obsessed" because I am sure there are some people out there who think that I am!

My last outfit was again Nike since DICK's Women's Nike section is so awesome. I am wearing the Nike Women's Tempo Shorts and the Just Do It long sleeved tee. 


Now, here's a chance for you to win a $25 giftcard to DICK's Sporting Goods for some cute new workout gear! Just follow the directions on the Rafflecopter below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I was compensated by DICK's Sporting Goods through Vocalpoint for this post. All opinions stated in this post are my very own.