Category Archives: Active Mom

Exercise is an essential part of total wellness. No matter your fitness level or area of interest, we’ve got it covered!

Changing My Body In 30 Days

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I fell in love with Earth Footwear a few months ago just before the Type-A Mom Conference.  I purchased a pair of the Kalso light shoes because my buddy Leah from Bookieboo swore they were comfy and that I’d burn calories just by wearing them.  I’m an exercise freak but if I can tone and burn calories just by wearing a pair of shoes?   I’m all over it!  I was skeptical though.  I’ve spent a gazillion dollars on the ugliest MBT shoes you’ve ever seen, simply because my skinny minnie gal friends wear them.  Honestly, I don’t think they did much for me except that I did feel mighty tall in them.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I felt totally SORE after working out with Tracey Mallet and Leah at Type A Mom Conference Earth Footwear booth.  Keep in mind that I’m a strong girl that hits the gym hard consistently.  A fluke, perhaps … or not?

I was totally excited when Earth Footwear contacted me and asked if I’d like to participate in the “Change your Body in 30 days” program.  Who doesn’t want to change their body?

They sent me a pair of the new Exer-Walk shoe that will be released to the public in January.  (They “sent me” means FREE, just in case you are the FTC) It is a nice enough shoe – designed with the patented negative heel technology.  It’s a little heavier than the Kalso that I like so much but it’s a comfortable enough shoe.  I didn’t truly appreciate this shoe until today…. when I weighed in at Weight Watchers…. the week after Halloween.  Halloween is a chocolate infested holiday that holds my sweet-tooth hostage for a good week every year.  This year was no different and I fully expected to weigh in with a gain today.  BUT…. I neither gained nor lost and let me tell you friends, that is a victory!

I’ve been wearing my Exer-Walks for almost two weeks now and had definitely been noticing my glutes and inner thighs feeling a bit tighter.  I wasn’t giving them any credit for calorie burning though because it all seemed a little “black magic” to me.  I’m sold now though, because this weekend we were in the mountains doing our usual activity (we are active, keep in mind) and I wore my Exer-walks most of the weekend…. while shoving Twix, Snickers, and Milkyway chocolate into my trap for three days straight (not that there was any candy in the house earlier in the week …).  Honestly, I should have gained weight this weekend and I normally would have gained.  When I weighed in today with my jeans and winter gear I still hadn’t gained a single pound.  I was exactly the same weight I was last week.  Phew….  so, do I think it is because I burned 4 times more calories, as Earth Footwear claims?  I have no other explanation.  It has to be the shoes.  So, is my body changing two weeks in to a 30 day program?  I have to say yes, despite the chocolate train that threw me off track, I do think that wearing the Exer-Walk every day has made a difference.  I do feel that my legs are toning and for sure, I feel my glutes are tighter.  I’m a runner so I’ve only actually exer-walked three times in these shoes on the treadmill, but even just wearing them in my daily life has definitely made a difference.

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Mommatudes Karrie Gets Us ALL Motivated!

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We had so much fun on our first show and Leah and I are overwhelmed by how supportive you have all been! Thank you!
If you missed the show you can always listen to our archived shows HERE.
Our special guest on Friday was Karrie, otherwise known as @knitpurlgurl on twitter. Her blog Mommatudes is a must read for me each and every day. You think Bantering Blonde is funny? This girl is off the hook! She also blogs at Knit Purl Gurl and ya’ll should check out what she did with yarn yesterday!
Karrie had seen me and Leah on Chicks Keep Chatting and was motivated to make a change. She vlogged this experience and then instead of waiting until the next day to start her exercise program she just said, “what the heck” and jumped right in! To see this video click HERE! I asked her to come on the show because her story is EXACTLY what Leah and I are striving to do. Uplift women, empower them, and motivate them to take control and make positive changes in their lives.

I asked Karrie to tell us a little more about her blogging and vlogging life and to let us know how things have been going on her journey…

I’ve been blogging for about 1 ½ years. My philosophy is pretty simple – blog what you know and be true to yourself. If you try to mimic another blogger or write your blog in a format that is inconsistent with your personality, your blog will likely fail and you’ll be frustrated in the process. Basically, in real life I’m a pretty funny person (and modest, apparently). I like to see the humor in situations if at all possible. So I try to blog about the things that affect me personally in a manner consistent with my personality.

I just recently got into vlogging after I joined MomTV.com. Watching other moms’ vlog posts and participating in the live streaming web shows really sparked an interest in me. The social cues we normally pick up on in face to face conversations are often lost in written blog posts. So I was really excited about being able to convey my thoughts as though my readers and I were having a conversation.

Vlogging is a great way to make a personal connection with your readers. I’m an extremely expressive person in real life. (That’s code for drama queen.) And reading what I’ve typed doesn’t always convey the eyerolls, sighs, and expressions I meant for it to. When my readers can see me, they know I’m being authentic.

Simply, my basic philosophy is to have a concept in mind – but to go unscripted. Let it take you in the direction it wants to. It will be real, original, and more people will relate to it.



So since your decision to make changes do you see or feel a difference in anything?

Since my decision to make healthy changes, I’ve noticed that I have a more positive attitude. – the pity parties have ended. I feel like for the first time in a long time, I can control my destiny, or at least my health. When I first lost weight (after my first baby 13 years ago), I was rigid and ultra-disciplined. I never worked through the issues which caused me to hang onto the weight in the first place. I wasn’t willing to accept that the weight stayed on for any reason other than having a baby. This time around, I realize that it’s a life change. I know that if I am to be successful, I must work through the reasons I eat, or rather overeat. I realize that I am human and that occasionally I am going to eat BBQ ribs and potato salad. And I realize that I must incorporate these occasional splurges into my life. What’s important is what I do the other 29 days of the month.
How does that make you feel?
I feel like it’s a major breakthrough for me. Before, if I “fell off the wagon,” I threw in the towel and just gave up completely. I felt like I had failed and couldn’t possibly recover from the failure. But today, I know that the only failure is not striking a good balance between healthy eating, exercise, and occasional splurges.

What is your advice to people who know they should do something but don’t know what or where to start?


Jump in! Waiting for tomorrow or next week or next year will become a bad habit unto itself. Start researching healthy eating and exercise programs and then give them a whirl. You may have to try on a few different programs until you find the programs best suited for you. Don’t do anything you can’t see yourself doing 5 years from now. That means no fad diets! And most importantly – you’re human! Forgive yourself when you have had a bad day and move on!

Don’t forget to reach out for support and accept help when offered.




And my favorite bit of advice from this hot Mommatudes girl?

Love yourself no matter what. But love yourself enough to improve your quality of life. You’ll be glad you did.
Thank you to Karrie for making our first show so much fun and for showing us all that we can do it!
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Keep Moving ~ Your Children Are Watching!

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Running down a dune
As Moms, fitness is not just important for keeping ourselves healthy, but also for the example we set with our children. These examples will stay with them their whole lives.  
Time, time, time.  Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom, it is often hard to find time for fitness.  No matter how hard it is to find the time, there is no doubt how important it is to carve out a place for activity in our lives. 
My mother has been a great example for me.  When I was very young she was “healthy”, but she wasn’t active and didn’t work out or participate in a fitness program of any sort.  Then, I remember one day, being in junior high and watching her start running around our backyard.  At the time, I didn’t think much of it.  As kids we were involved in sports and always outside playing baseball, kickball etc.  As I look back, I now see exactly what she was doing and I’m so very proud of her and grateful for her example.
My mother was a stay at home mom in the 70′s and 80′s and dedicated her entire life to raising me and my brother.  She had gained weight and was trying to get in shape.  She wasn’t comfortable running out on the road yet so she worked her way up by running laps around our backyard, and eventually she hit the road. She then joined an athletic club and ultimately became an aerobics instructor!  I can remember running road races with her when I was in high school, and it is amazing to me now to look back and remember that she started out by running laps around the backyard.  This is a great example of how to get started if you are not already active.
You may be interested to know that my mother is perhaps the most active 60 year old you’ll ever meet.  She wakes up early every morning and road bikes with a bike club, she then heads to tennis where she is a ranked player in the Senior Division.  She often ends her day with a run.  On the weekends she crews on a sailing team and, let me brag on her a bit more, has been the Southwest Florida Ladies Day Helmsman of the Year for four years running.  The only thing missing that would make this the dream life for me is winter snowboarding!!
Our children learn good and bad habits from us.  If you aren’t yet active, take a few moments and think of the ways that you can start.  
Involving your children in activity is a great way to get started and to spend quality time modeling a healthy and fit lifestyle.  Here are a few warm weather ideas that are fun for the whole family.  I challenge you to take time this summer to find some new activities that your family will enjoy.
Hiking – Google hikes in your local area to see what trails or hikes are suitable for families.  Many sources will even grade the difficulty of a hike.  
Geocaching – Geocaching is a high tech treasure hunting game that people all over the world play using GPS devices.  Visit geocaching.com for more information and stay tuned for a more detailed article on this topic soon!
Bike Riding – All kids love to ride bikes.  I live in the city and we have many paths that are designated just for bike riding.  My three year old rides in a seat on the back of my bike while my 9 and 6 year olds speed ahead.  There are all kinds of contraptions for riding with small babies or children.  You can often find great deals at yardsales or a used sporting goods store like Play It Again Sports.  On days that I am not able to get to the gym I will often get a good run in by jogging along with my kids as they ride their bikes or scooters.
Walking/Jogging – Whether you have babies or tweens on up, walking is not only a great activity for fitness but I find that I have had the most amazingly open conversations with my sons while out walking.  We walk to school and the park and often just take a short walk after dinner.  My 9 year-old will often ask to come running with me.  When we first started running together we moved slow but now that he is growing so tall I find that I’m getting a pretty decent workout when I’m with him!
Play Ball –  Grab a ball, any ball, and head outside!  Your kids will get a kick out of watching you and as they get older they’ll even get a little laugh, and every laugh helps to build a bond and memories that will stay with them forever.  I like to play basketball with my boys and since I’m 5′ tall and they are growing fast, I’m getting quite a run around at times  Soccer with my sons is a major workout, those boys move fast!  
Swinging - If you have younger children that still want you to push them on a swing you can turn it into a workout.  There is a fun game I play with my daughter.  She calls it “Freeze Underdog”.  I push her in the swing and run under the swing yelling “underdog”, back and forth.  Every now and then I surprise her by holding her up in the air and yelling “freeze”, I tease her by pushing her up and down (working my arms!) and then let her go… and then resume.  Trust me there have been many calories burned this way!
What are some ways that you are modeling a fit and healthy lifestyle?  Are there areas you could improve?  Share your ideas with our readers!

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