New Lily

The Wonderful “Realness” of Motherhood

Rabbit“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit. “Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are real you don’t mind being hurt.”-The Velveteen Rabbit

I think one of the hardest parts about being a mother is that we are real… and so are our children. Parenting is a continual act of living in reality…even if we would much rather just live in a world where our children didn’t get hurt, didn’t make mistakes, didn’t have to suffer. I remember when my first four or five children were little. My oldest was no more than 10. Sometimes it felt like I was the mother duck and they were my little ducklings; if I looked behind me, they were all following…my little brood. I’m sure I thought this was real, and it was. But it was also only temporary. As my first few children embarked on the teen years, the “real” was not so easy. When I looked behind me I didn’t always have the same view. What I saw was the older ones venturing off in different directions and I couldn’t as easily herd them back. I started to lose that control that I must have believed I would always have. It hurt a little, and my fur got a little tattered. [Read more…]

Sorry To Say, Spot Reduction Doesn’t Work!

strengthIt would be nice if spot reduction worked, but it doesn’t. While most of us know this, sometimes we can’t resist the temptation to believe it does. Stronger abs is your goal? Abdominal work is the way to go. A smaller waist? Work on the diet and overall fitness. Is it your bottom half you’re frustrated with? Doing 50 lunges everyday won’t “spot reduce” your thighs. A combination of regular cardio, strength training and nutritional changes is the only tried and true answer. Not spot reduction.

An article I recently read pointed out that if spot reduction worked, professional tennis players would have one arm that was smaller than the other. It would make sense that the circumference of the dominant arm would be less if this logic were correct. We know the facts do not support this (the dominant arm may be a little stronger, though). Why then do we often fall for the myth that says that if we do more elliptical, we will have a smaller bottom half? [Read more…]

9 Foolish Reasons I Never Did Yoga… And 9 Reasons I am Going to Start

yoga1.“Yoga isn’t really a form of exercise.”
This is really funny when I think about it now. My friend recently took me to Yoga Flex and we did the hour and a half Power Yoga class. I wasn’t 20 minutes into the class before I realized how far out of my league I was. Out of the 15 or so of us taking the class, I was one of the least “fit”. These women were in amaziyng shape, and when I asked them what other form of exercise they did, most of them said yoga was their main source of fitness. Yoga is serious exercise!
2. “Yoga is boring”.
I have to admit to being a little bored at first. But as the class went on, and I had to focus on the various positions I was doing (attempting to do is more like it), the hour and a half was over before I could think about boring. [Read more…]

Pelvic Floor Exercises (Kegels): A How-To Guide

kegelThe following is a guest post from physical therapist, Barbara G. Green, P.T., M.S. I have mentioned the Kegel exercise a few times on 9 Kid Fitness, and one of the things that I have discovered after working with Barbara is how much of a difference these exercises can make in strengthening the pelvic floor muscles. A sad fact is that stress incontinence (leaking urine) is one of the main reasons for admittance into nursing homes. [Read more…]

You Say You Don’t Have Time for Workout? Sure You Do!

working outI hear from people all the time who say they don’t have time to workout. I am not one to doubt someone’s word, but I think there are plenty of opportunities to squeeze in a workout if we are creative…and committed.
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For Weight Loss, Diet Trumps Exercise

womanMaybe I’m a little strange, but I love to exercise. Although occasionally I struggle with motivation, exercise is rarely a chore for me. Infact it is a treat. It’s also a release, an escape, a mood enhancer, and a joy, really. I consider myself lucky. I know a lot of people who don’t feel the same way that I do about exercise. It is not something they look forward to and they really have to force themselves to get it done. [Read more…]

Like Love, Exercise is a Decision

decisionJames and I first heard the words, “Love is a decision” from a Catholic priest about five years after we were married.  It was a bit of a paradigm shift.  Even in the pre-marriage class we attended, we could not remember hearing that concept.  However, after only five years of marriage, we both knew the truth of those words.

In the early years of our married life, we still relied on good “old-fashioned love”.  We figured that is what would sustain us through inevitable hard times.   And good times, too.  Our immature hearts would trump our rational brains into believing that love is a feeling, always there, always reliable.  But by the time we heard those words, like most married couples, the honeymoon was over, and the reality of three children, a mortgage, and the everyday stresses of life had taken its place. At this point the decision to love seemed like an idea worth exploring. [Read more…]

Five Reasons Exercise Makes Me a Better Mom

momHere are five quick and dirty reasons why I think exercise makes me a better mom. I will elaborate on each of these in the weeks to come, but for now…

1.Exercise enhances my mood.  Whether it’s the endorphins, the fresh air, or a good sweat, I almost always feel better after I exercise.  And when I feel better…I can be a better mom.  Exercise is also a stress reliever.  If I am tired, sluggish, or a little blue, running or working out usually gives me a new outlook. When I’m positive, my kids are more likely to be positive!  And if they are not…at least someone is!

2. Exercise keeps me sharp.  Brain functioning has been shown to improve with exercise.  Dr. John Ratey, a Harvard psychiatrist, has studied the relationship between the brain and exercise and the results are exciting. He explains how even a brisk walk can enhance brain function. “Exercise stimulates our gray matter to produce ‘Miracle-Gro’ for the brain,” he said. “I can’t understate how important regular exercise is in improving the function and performance of the brain,” he says. “It’s such wonderful medicine.”   [Read more…]

Those Darn Kegels!…and a Quote of the Week.

engine oilQuote of the Week: He that is good for making excuses, is rarely good for anything else. Benjamin Franklin

Those darn Kegels! Am I the only one who hates doing them? As a runner and a mother of nine, I realize that the Kegel exercise is crucial if I want to continue to exercise as I get older. Then why do I have such a hard time getting them done?

I have decided it is a little like changing the oil in your car. The results are not visible, and so it is hard to stay motivated to do them. If you have not changed the oil in your car, it still might run just fine for a while. However, if you neglect it for too long, it can cause problems for your engine. The same can be said for the muscles of the pelvic floor. [Read more…]

You Can Laugh without Leaking

woman laughingYou Can Laugh Without Leaking was the name of a talk that I recently attended. Lead by a gynecologist and a physical therapist, the subject of the talk was stress incontinence, something lots of people would rather avoid talking about. I was one of only a few women there under the age of 60. However, according to both speakers, stress incontinence is not an issue reserved for older people. Plenty of women in their 30’s and 40’s have some symptoms of stress incontinence. And frankly, I think it is a shame that more women my age are not hearing this valuable information. Maybe it’s the dirty little secret of the mommy world. However, I believe knowledge is powerful, and in this case, the sooner we gain this essential knowledge about the pelvic floor muscles, the sooner we can do something about it!
There was such an abundance of important tips given at the talk, that one blog post can not do it justice. But I will be writing a lot more about this subject in posts to come.