Tip #2 THE E-WORD!

Exercise...the most important meal of the day. Alright, so this is a doosey for me to keep consistent. You would be so impressed that I actually got up to running three miles. Yeah, well...then I stoped running consistently and now I'm back to ONE great mile. Oh wait, then I was out on the road yesterday and rolled my ankle. I guess I'm back to ZERO great miles.

Since I feel completely inadequate to post a tip on exercise because of my recent track record, I'll tell ya what worked for my first kid and what I've learned since.

1. Find a passion...or at least enjoyable. I just happen to love running (most days of the week). If you don't like running, bag it. My sister was the queen of speed walking and could out walk my run. My sister in law loves a good home video. I also love dancing and could dance all night if given the chance or at least a good class of step/dance aerobics. I also worked with a gal that swam every single morning for an hour. So you see? Just go for it. Try it all. Yoga, Polo, Soccer, Kayaking. Get out and be creative. On time I set up an obstacle course in my basement because I got sick of the same old. That was really fun to set PR's or see how many times I could run it before the buzzer went off.

2. Make it enjoyable. If I can't squeeze in a work out (let's face it, it's tough) I'll take the kids to the park and run around with them. You'll be suprised how hard it is to keep up to those little legs. I'll also turn on some tunes and hoe down on cleaning my house (make sure you are curteous to those around you). We also have a family bike ride every Saturday morning which I love, love love.

3. I have more ideas on exercise, but the kids need me now. Good luck and remember give your heart 20 minutes of good blood pumping!

WhOoPS! TIp #1 Abs are made in the kitchen

Sorry guys, I went off about why I was posting some weightloss tips and then didn't post anything. THat would be my mommy brain!

TIP #1: it's all in what/how you eat. If you are struggling to do both healthy eating and exercise routine, or feel overwhelmed with both I would recommend that you focus your main efforts on what you are eating and HOW you are eating first and then gradually integrate exercise. If you are okay with both, great on ya!

Everyone thinks that the biggest change will come if you hit the trail running. While it's a huge part of weightloss, many people spin their wheels because they haven't gotten a firm grim on their eating habits.
GREAT ABS ARE MADE IN THE KITCHEN NOT THE GYM

Without going into a lot of detail, here's what I suggest:

1. FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS on your ability to gauge Satisfying over FULL. You need NEVER feel FULL. We are not like cars that need to be filled up to the brim with gas. Moderate yourself. The more and longer you work on feeling satisfied (and not eating past that) the better control you will have over your "problem" foods, more self confidence that equals a longer ability to stick with your new health habits, and freedom in the foods you can eat. Not to mention a smaller waist line as well.

2. GO GREEN...and BROWN one step at a time. Fresh produce and whole grains please! Your body will thank you. I eat whole grains in most of my diet and I've seen at big difference. I've also incorporated foods void of hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup. BUT, you make your own improvements on your own time. There's always progress you can make with how healthy you are or become, but the idea is to improve the quality of your food to a level you can handle. DON'T do more, become fanatic or obess... you won't be able to stick to it and end up feeling hopeless.

3. LIVE YOUR LIFE. I call this tip the 80/20 rule in maintaining and 90/10 in weightloss. 80% of your day, week, whatever is healthy, great, etc. 20% of your day, week, whatever of what you eat is LIVING. Have a sweet, or hot dog, or junkie junk. It's called life folks and we all live in it; just don't let the margin become the page. YOUR BODY CAN HANDLE IT AS LONG AS YOU CAN HANDLE YOUR BODY.

Okay, that's about it of the food/eating basics. oh also, don't go hungry. Don't skip meals or graze all day. that's stupid. give your body reliable times it can count on to get a fully dose of nutrients and a chance to feel satisfied; chemically that's very important.