Spring into Shape: All done

Although Spring into Shape was a 2 week activity organised by a fellow blogger, it has given me a certain amount of focus which I needed. I am going to work hard to continue this healthier lifestyle I have tried to create. It's not perfect, but it's much better than before. 

I will continue to post recipes I enjoy because that also keeps it more interesting for me to have to find new meal ideas.

I don't actually own a scale so I don't know how much I've lost. I've been considering buying one, but I'm not convinced that I need one. I've always just used my clothes to gauge a weight loss or gain.

Thanks to all the others who participated! I hope that these past 2 weeks were a healthy journey for all of you.

Must please my husband

Is it bad that my husband is trying to be sweet and brought me one of my favourite chocolates from the store? I mean, he made the effort, thought of me, sought out the chocolate...how can I just NOT eat them...I will spring back into shape tomorrow. I don't want him to feel bad if I don't eat them...

Spring into Shape Day 11: Fresh recipe

With the heat doing it's hot thing, I thought we'd go for a bit of a refreshing recipe this evening. I headed over to the Chatelaine website to see if anything would catch my eye and other than the fact that I spent way too much time on the site and bookmarked about 50 recipes, I did end up picking one for tonight. 

I chose to to with a taco salad. Light, yet filling. At least, I hope it will be. Here is the link to Chatelaine's taco salad.

From the Chatelaine website: Taco salad

Spring into Shape Day 10: How can you not love stroller fit?

1) my son

2) friends

3) heat

4) the thought of shedding some weight

5) knowing that there will be watermelon and frozen grapes to be eaten at the end 

What more could I ask for?

This idea to run our own stroller fit sessions has been an amazing idea. We all suggest things, we interact non-stop with our babies...it's wonderful. I feel really good after we do it. Although during some of the exercises I really feel the burn and I curse a bit, at the end I'm not dreading coming back for the next one. This has to be a good sign.

I definitely suggest that if you are trying to get moving and shaking to shed some of that baby weight, that you should really consider trying to do your own stroller fit class. Ideally with friends, or you can do it alone and be that weird person doing funny moves in the park. Look up some videos or just do things spur of the moment, as long as you're moving, that's what matters at the end of the day. 

TAKE YOUR BABY AND GET MOVING!

Spring into Shape Day 9: Sweating to...

THE HEAT!!!! I love it, but I hate!

I'm sweating off the pounds, sweating out the toxins, getting a tan and it's making me venture outside on a daily basis.

I've stuffed my face with fruit today. Sweet, juicy, cold fruit. So yummy! OK, so I had a bagel for breakfast and some pasta for dinner, but lunch and everything in between was fruit. 

I'm telling you, it's the way to go. 

Spring into Shape Day 5: All hope is not lost...yet

Ok, so we went out for buffet dinner...is it bad that I started with dessert?

Back on track tomorrow. This is hard.

Spring into Shape Day 4: Slowly but surely

Not a very busy day today. Grandma came over so X-man and I took advantage and took Grandma on a nice long walk around the lake. Weather was very sunny and still very windy, but we couldn't miss the opportunity to get outside so that was our exercise for the day.

Dinner was soft tacos with lots of veggies to make up for the lack of rice, which we would normally have had.

One for inspiration

Here is one video off youtube you can use for stroller fit ideas.

Spring into Shape Day 3: A Different Kind of Fit

Today I participated in a stroller fit session run mainly by one of my mummy friends. She watched a lot of youtube videos for her research! It was great! It involved a lot of movement, a lot of interacting with our babies and lots of different exercises. I even had to draw out a hopscotch with chalk! We finished off with stretches in the shade while the babies played on a bunch of blankets in the middle. I felt really good, not tired like I usually do after exercising. Does that mean I didn't get as much out of it? I don't think so. I really felt the workout as I was doing, and I'm sure I will feel it more tomorrow.

For any new mummies out there, if you can't afford or don't have the time to join a stroller fit class, get a few friends together and create your own, it's lots of fun. Or do it on your own even if it's just 20 minutes around the block. Throw in some lunges as you walk, stop and do some squats, count of jumping jacks to entertain your baby, don't hold back. Get fit with stroller fit!

P.S. Don't forget the sunscreen, not just for the baby, but for you too.

Spring into Shape Day 2: It's too hot to write

The laptop is emitting a lot of heat, it's 9L00pm and 27 degrees Celcius and I am sweating. Do I really have to turn the AC on already?

Let's rewind to the beginning of the day. We had a get together in the park with about 20 mummies and we came prepared with lots of yummy healthy treats to eat. For instance, the frozen grapes. I'm addicted! I can't believe that I've never tried those before. And talk about a good treat. Forget needing to go for ice cream everyday. Wait- maybe not that good, but super duper good. We ate a lot of fruit, and had a big salad. Very refreshing.

As I predicted with all the sweat that came off of me today, I must have lost at least 1 pound! Or could it be 2? Nonetheless, getting all the toxins out through sweat is good for the body, right? Enough talk about sweat though!

X-man and I took a walk after the park which only enhanced the burning feeling in my legs from yesterday's stroller fit. We also spent time in the backyard playing around. Not a super active day, but realistically, I am not about to exercise everyday.

Dinner was barbecue 'mititei'. This is a Romanian combo meat of pork and beef. Doesn't sound good? But it is, especially done on the barbecue and with sides of coleslaw and potato salad. And for dessert, plain yogurt with frozen berries. Ok, I admit, I threw in some chocolate chips...hey, a girl can't deprive herself of everything!

On to stroller fit tomorrow. Can't say I'm looking forward to it with the heat, but I will give it a go. 

How do you keep cool when exercising on super hot days?

1st day of Spring into Shape: Stroller Fit

Today I attended a Stroller Fit class run by a fellow mummy who is actually a fitness trainer. 

Prior to signing up to this class, a friend and I had already decided to set-up our own. It came about one day when she was asking a bunch of us if we'd like to sign-up for some stroller fit classes. I said that I'd rather not pay for something like that and why don't we set-up our own. She agreed whole heartedly and I haven't done a thing for it since then, however, she has dedicated time to looking up some youtube videos for ideas and even typed up a list of exercises we can work our way through. How awesome is she for doing this?!

Back to today though. Mummies and babies met by the lake, ready to become fit. Let's talk about how hot it was for a second. It was pretty darn hot! I was already sweating from the walk to our exercise spot! How pathetic is that? X-man was pretty co-operative for the most part. I did take him out and put him on the mat and he entertained himself with Cheerios and my water bottle. As for the exercise, there were a lot of squats involved! We also did lunges, pushing and pulling the stroller or holding the babies. A few push ups were attempted, I mean real ones, not girly on your knee ones. I actually managed to complete a few, and by a few, I think I mean 4. These bicep muscles must be from carrying around the baby all the time! Then we were instructed to do the plank. Well my friends, I am not friends with the plank. Lets leave it at that. All in all, it was a good experience. Tiring because of the heat, and it makes it harder having to attend to a baby the entire time, but I'm glad I went out and did it, and it will all help in the long run. Next Spring into Shape activity is a picnic in the park tomorrow. You may be asking yourself, how is a picnic equivalent to exercise? My answer to you is that I have a 9.5 month old who is very active. Although not walking yet, he goes anywhere and everywhere and wants to see and touch everything. Not that at any age he sat still anywhere, but now he is mobile. So tomorrow, in the predicted 41 degree Celcius heat, I will be sweating off the pounds while chasing my baby in the park. Wednesday will be another stroller fit class, but this one will be lead by my friend and I who have no experience whatsoever!
As for my food regimen today...it was touch and go. Had a good breakfast, no lunch, went to the Romanian store and bought Cremsnit. I know, I know, I shouldn't have. For those who don't know what Cremsnit is, it's a pastry made of flour, powder sugar, milk, yolks, vanilla and butter. It's basically a custard filling inside of phyllo dough. Here's a picture of it before I ate it. I'm drooling just looking at it.

And dinner was a yummy steak made on the barbecue, so no oil involved, but I added 2 spoonfuls of teriyaki sauce and a simple salad of greens, tomato, red onion, celery and cucumber, with lime juice dressing. And it looked something like this.

And this is what I popped in the freezer this evening in preparation for tomorrow's heat. This will be my first time trying frozen grapes and I have no doubt that I will enjoy them very much. And the little man will have to settle for regular non-frozen ones.

Check out the rest of the ladies involved in Spring into Shape:

My Little Review Corner

Kidsumers

Jenn's RAQ

Elegantly Said

Two Children and a Migraine

The Knit Wit by Shair

Tales of a Ranting Ginger

Happily Blended

Grandma's Guide to Life

WAHM BAHM

MoscatoMom

In light of...

my Spring into Shape Challenge, I encourage you to visit some of my previous posts where I have included a variety of recipes with healthy meals.

Spring into Shape

1,2,3,..., let's try that again.

1,2,3, GO!!!!

This marks the beginning of my 2 week Spring into Shape Challenge. Along with some other fellow bloggers, I am embarking on yet another weight loss/healthy lifestyle, however you want to call it, journey.

In the past 9 months since having X-man, I have done a few things to help myself out, but nothing lasts long. Not that 2 weeks is a long time, but at this point, I have few reasons for wanting to do this and this is the last kick in the butt motivator that I need to get going.

Check back daily to see what I am doing to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Just to remind you: I am a new mum with a 9.5 month old baby. I dislike exercising very much and love chocolate, ice cream and can sit down and eat a jar of Nutella within an hour. As you can see, I am no health nut, so everything I do and will be doing are things that I believe, the "average mum" can do.

Nothing I do is extreme and my personal expectations are very realistic. 

With that, all I can say is, off we go!