Believe it or not, the foods we eat can either increase or decrease our energy.  

Main foods that can decrease our energy are: caffeine, coffee, soft drinks, alcohol, too much meat or not enough, processed chemicalized foods, tobacco, milk, sugar and artificial sweeteners, trans fats.

Stimulants (caffeine, sugar, etc.) may seem to give an energy boost, but they actually deplete our bodies, drawing out minerals and nutrients. These substances are also highly addictive.

Foods that increase our energy: Whole foods: grains, vegetables and beans. They are foods that have not been  processed and thus keep all the components of their original, natural state: fiber, vitamins and  minerals. Processing removes these elements.

 Superfoods, such as leafy greens like kale, collards and chard have very high levels of nutrients.  Sea plants, such as green algae and seaweeds are powerful sources of nutrition and energy.

Top Five Ways to Boost your Energy and Decrease Exhaustion:

1)    Drink water.

• Most Americans are chronically dehydrated. Before you go to sugar or caffeine, have a glass of water and wait a few minutes to see what happens.

2)    Use gentle sweets.

• Avoid sugar and chemicalized artificial sweeteners.
• Use gentle sweeteners like maple syrup, brown rice syrup, agave nectar and stevia.

3)    Get physical activity.

• Start with simple activities, like walking or yoga—start with 10 minutes a day and increase.

 4)    Get more sleep and rest and relaxation.

• When you are tired or stressed, your body will crave energy.
• These cravings are often a result of being sleep-deprived, going to bed late, waking up early, for months and years on end.

5)    Get rid of relationships that drain you.

• People can drain you of your energy. It doesn’t mean that they are bad, but it is good to notice who drains you and why.
• See if you can transform those relationships by communicating and setting boundaries, or end the relationship.

For more healthy living tips and a FREE guide to grocery shopping, please visit Rachel’s website www.personalwebutrition.com 

Rachel Lerner is a holistic health coach accredited with the American Association of Drugless Practitioners (AADP) and founder of Personal Web Nutrition, a company devoted to empowering individuals and corporations to find the right food and lifestyle choices that best support their goals.  Based in Westchester County, New York, Rachel works with clients all over the country by phone or in-person.  Her practice is focused on helping individuals achieve their current and future health goals.

No related posts.

I had thought ahead to this day many times and had felt completely comfortable with the fact that I would meet him one month after his arrival. Yet as it was actually happening, I was devastated not to be part of the excitement. I wanted to be there to be anxiously awaiting my nephew’s debut with the rest of my family, to see him on his first day of life, and to see my sister in her first moments of motherhood. Instead, I was over a friend’s house when I got the call around 8PM that my sister was 10cm and pushing, and it just so happened that this house had horrible cell phone reception. UGH! I kept losing calls with my Mother and when I would call her back from my friend’s landline, she wouldn’t answer because she didn’t recognize the number. I mean, HELLO! Of course it’s me. After 10 minutes of back and forth with my Mom, she got it together and I was on standby for the remainder of the evening.

Finally, at 10PM, I got word that my first nephew, Tucker, had been born at 9:45PM, weighing in at 8lbs 3oz.  Funnily enough, the doctor had told my sister that he was positive the baby would be 7lbs or less….aaaand SURPRISE! Shortly after his birth, I received a cell phone picture of Tucker, and I was instantly mesmerized. I studied every detail of his face: the little dimple in his chin, the shape of his eyes and his nose, the milky color of his skin, and the adorable rolls of chunk on his arms.

I was officially an Aunt, and it was suddenly more than a title. It was a feeling.

I could not take my eyes off him. I was so eager to get home to normal cell phone reception and call my sister, which I did the second I walked in the door. She answered and without even a “hello,” the first thing she said was, “I’m not gonna lie. It hurt so bad that I wanted to throw myself out the window.”

I made a mental note to pass along that bad news to my best friend, who also has not yet had children.

After that, my sister proceeded to tell me the many little details of her labor, promising more gory goodness when she felt better, and then she described Tucker.  He sounded perfect. The next morning, we Skyped – her from her hospital bed in Florida and me from my couch in New York. It was my official first meeting with my little nephew, and it was completely surreal. He did nothing but lay there with his eyes closed and yet wow, was he fascinating! Seeing my sister cradle him so instinctively boggled my mind. Was this the same girl who, when we were young, would rather climb trees and hit softballs than play with dolls and get dressed up? She seemed like such a natural at this mom thing! I was impressed. As I surveyed the room and saw many of my family members, I was thankful for technology because I couldn’t imagine waiting another month to see everyone after this miraculous event.

As always in life, time passed, and eventually it was time to make my way to Florida to meet Tucker in person!  I had been getting photo updates often over the past weeks, but it would be nothing like holding my nephew in my arms. The second I arrived in Florida and walked into my sister’s house, I knew that I was in baby land. The TV volume was turned down, the lights were dim, and there were freshly washed bottles near the kitchen sink. And then I saw him.

Thank goodness for my sister’s awesome husband….he immediately handed Tucker over to me and everything in me just turned to mush. In a roundabout way, Tucker was kind of a little tiny piece of me, too, and I immediately felt protective of him. I also immediately knew that my bank account would suffer on his behalf for at least the next 15 years.

But oh, I loved Tucker’s baby smell, and the way his tiny fingers gripped my index finger. I formally introduced myself and in his little baby way, I think he knew who I was. I loved his little baby body and the way he curled up in my arms, and I loved the noises he made when he was happy.

He smiled at me. I melted.

He peed all over me. I not so much melted but it was still sort of cute, even though it was in my hair.

Tucker could do no wrong, even at 4:30 in the morning when he woke me up.

Every morning.

I marveled at my sister and her husband, getting up and taking care of him together, viewing it as a privilege rather than a nuisance. I also marveled at my fiancé and how he slept through every early morning crying fit. I’ve gotta say, it’s not looking good for my future. But I digress.

The time I spent hanging out with Tucker was so much fun. I made an effort to get up with Tucker on a couple of mornings so that I could watch and feed him while my sister napped and showered. I was amused by her dogs’ reaction to the baby – one was extremely protective and the other was extremely jealous. I fell in love with Tucker’s nursery. In fact, I excitedly pranced around in it the first time I saw it and exclaimed, “I want a nursery, too!” My sister did such a great job putting it all together…and here I always thought that I was the decorator in the family!

It was great to hang out with my sister, too. I actually convinced her to leave Tucker with grandma for the first time, and we went to see How To Train Your Dragon at the movie theater. You know, cause we’re rebels like that. She had a tough time saying goodbye to him at grandma’s house, but the movie was a worthy distraction and she kept her cool for the rest of the night. I was proud of her!

After five days, it was time to get back to my own reality, and saying goodbye to Tucker was the pits. He had been sleeping and I wasn’t able to hold him at all on that last day. I was sad. I felt an obligation that I hadn’t ever before in my life, and I suddenly understood why people like my best friend, who has become an Aunt five times now, get homesick. I kissed him on each little cheek and held myself back from picking him up and ruining his nap (and therefore, my sister’s entire night).

I gave goodbye hugs to my sister, her husband, my parents, and the rest of my family that was around, and then that was it! I was in the car and headed to the airport.

And then I was crying.

I had never, ever cried before when saying goodbye to my family.

And I am crying now as I sit and type this blog.

I miss my nephew, and I miss my sister, who used to annoy me as younger sisters often do and who I realized had now become one of my best friends.

My sister texted me about three minutes into my drive to tell me that she was crying, also.

Geez, we’re just a bunch of babies, aren’t we?!

As I sat in the car and the tears rolled down my face, I made sure to remember what Tucker felt like and looked like and smelt like (when his diaper wasn’t dirty, that is). I knew I would see him again in a few months, but babies grow so fast, and I wanted to capture my first times with him in my memory. I will probably one day share with him the same details that I have shared with you in this blog, and he will probably roll his eyes and tell me that I am silly.

But that’s okay, because I invented the eye roll.

I am an Aunt, after all.

Related posts:

1. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part IV
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part I
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part III

Me: “If you push too hard during labor can something happen to your heart?” (She has a mitral valve issue).

Her:  “No.” (Sigh)

Me: “Could you have an aneurism?” (I was pretty sure I had seen this on an episode of Private Practice).

Her: “Highly unlikely.”

Me: “Do you have your bags packed already? I think you’re supposed to have one for you, one for your husband, and one for the baby.”

Her: “I know and yes, I’m packed.”

Me: “Do you have plans for the dogs for when you go into labor? They’ll need to eat…I don’t want you to forget….”

Her: “I’m going to call Mom when I go into labor and she’ll come get the dogs.”

Me: “Does she know that?”

Her: “No, I’m just gonna wing it.”

Me: “What?! Hang on, I’ll call her right now…”

Her: “Of course she knows!”

And this went on and on until my sister would silence me by sharing too much information, like details about the hemorrhoids she was experiencing. Surprisingly, the worst conversation for me was about the IV. Her and I both despise needles and her plan was to have the IV inserted into her forearm instead of her hand. I was driving at the time this was discussed and told my sister that we had to end the conversation because my grip was loosening on the steering wheel just thinking about a needle in my hand veins! Her and I both are very wary of sticking needles in our veins and our bendy parts, as we like to call the crook of our elbow.

About three weeks prior to her due date, we were chatting on the phone when she said, “Sooooo…not to alarm you but a lot of gross stuff just came out of me and I need to call my doctor.”

I hung up with her and immediately called my mother, who immediately jumped in the shower “just in case.”

Turned out her mucus plug had broken.

For the next 19 days, my sister was 3cm dilated and miserable. I called daily to ask her if she felt any different, which luckily, she didn’t hate me for. On her 20th day of misery and at a check up, she was told that she would be unable to progress further naturally due to scar tissue from a previous biopsy, but that she was ready to give birth. They were going to break her water later that day, and I was soon going to be an Aunt!

Related posts:

1. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part I
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part V
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part II

The second my sister said boy, I blurted out, “Oh nooooooo!”  Thankfully, my sister was able to see the humor in my response, which was really geared toward myself than toward her. You see, I’m girly to the max. I love girly things, like sequins and ruffles and nail polish and the color pink. Shopping for a girl is easy – I can practically sniff out a pair of glittery mary jane baby shoes with my eyes closed. Shopping for a boy would be a whole new experience, and I felt like it would be boring. No flouncy dresses, no pretty bows, no flower- patterned blankets. Instead, I assumed I was in for lots of blue, brown, and animal-themed apparel.

 Putting my own thoughts aside in the wake of her big announcement, I focused on my sister and her growing belly. Having been working at Fit2Bmom for quite some time, I had become more knowledgeable about pregnancy and the amazing benefits of a healthy and active one. As the older sister, I felt it was my responsibility to encourage my sis to continue working out during the remaining months of her pregnancy, and what’s one key motivator in exercise? Great workout clothes, of course! I rounded up a bunch of Fit2Bmom styles and shipped them out to her. It was the start of her maternity clothing collection.

When my sister received the Fit2Bmom clothes, she took them straight to my Mom’s, Skyped me, and put on an impromptu fashion show. It was the first time I saw her little baby belly – which, not gonna lie, was weird. I see pregnant women every day, but seeing my sister’s bump made me feel….older, for one thing. It was a wham-bam-thank-you-m’am moment of realizing that life is short and life is a miracle and we’re all growing up. And yet, on a side note, there are many times that even at my age, nothing beats hearing my mom’s comforting voice when I’m upset about something. Being an adult is strange, because with all of the highs and lows and realizations and responsibilities you experience as you mature, there remains a feeling of our younger selves somewhere deep inside.

Seeing my sister pregnant for the first time, I also felt protective of her, closer to her, and excited to meet my nephew.

The online maternity fashion show was fun and my sis fell in love with every single Fit2Bmom style. She raved about the perfect fit of the clothes and said that in them, she felt the most comfortable and most beautiful she ever had at what was an uncomfortable stage in her life. It was practically a miracle! She wore Fit2Bmom every. single. day. of her pregnancy after that. She worked out in it, she went to the store in it, she lounged in it, she lived in it. I was glad that I was able to provide her with something that made her feel good, and proud, about her changing body.

Over the course of the next few months, I collected tons of baby boy gear, and I fell in love with faux converse sneaker socks, teeny tiny polo shirts, and fuzzy blue pajamas. I was also reunited with a personal childhood favorite, the gloworm! It turned out that shopping for a boy was just as much fun as shopping for a girl. I gave all of the items to my sister at her baby shower, and was more mesmerized by her personality transformation than her physical one. She was still the same, but different somehow. She knew what to say and how to act without me telling her. It was time to face it: my little sis was already an adult…and she was becoming a beautiful mother inside and out.

Related posts:

1. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part II
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part I
3. The Little Things

My sister had not yet found out the sex of the baby and the anticipation was eating away at me. I’d been stalking the baby departments at every major store in my area, and was dying to get my hands on some pink ruffles or blue overalls. I had the same routine every time: I’d walk up and down the baby aisles, laughing at little baby t-shirts, fawning over little baby socks, dreaming about little baby blankets, and falling victim to little baby syndrome.

I needed to buy something for a baby. Any baby! I was desperate to purchase baby items. Then I had a breakthrough.

Books!

I practically ran to my local Borders, and headed straight for the kids section. It was glorious…lots and lots of things that I COULD buy for my sister’s baby. There were no ruffles, but hey, sometimes you’ve gotta take what you can get. I started sorting through the selections and came to a realization very quickly: books are not cheap. I could get two super cute onesies at Target for the price of one teeny tiny book. On the up side, I happen to be a faithful reader of books and know how valuable a good book can be. So I sucked it up and decided to limit myself to three baby books on this particular shopping trip.

I bought five.

It took me one hour, $62.00, and my sanity to choose them.

I purchased two Peter Rabbit books to go along with the theme of the baby’s nursery, a classic book with even more cute bunnies in it called Guess How Much I Love You, a touching book called I Love You Because You’re You, and what turned out to be my favorite, On The Night You Were Born. I stood in the middle of the children’s department, reading these books and crying, looking like an insane and emotionally unstable customer. I loved them so much that I bought Guess How Much I Love You and On The Night You Were Born for myself, too. Hence, the $62.00.

And no, I don’t have a baby. I don’t sweat the minor details.

After the draining experience of baby book shopping, I went home and put the books for my sister in a safe place. I knew I would be adding to that pile very soon, and that my bank account was about to take a hard blow. This kid was already doing damage and he or she wasn’t even here yet! Thinking about my upcoming niece or nephew, I couldn’t help but wonder about my own future children. If I was this emotional over the birth of my sister’s baby without even knowing the baby yet, I couldn’t imagine what my own pregnancy experience would be like. It made me consider the vast array of feelings my sister was likely going through, and I became excited to grow closer to my sister as she matured into a mother.

And before I knew it, I was able to gift my sis with some amazing Fit2Bmom maternity clothing. It was right after we found out that she was having a……………

Related posts:

1. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part III
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part I
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part V

Let’s start at the beginning…..

I’ll never forget the moment my younger sister told me she was pregnant. I was in the middle of a massive Slurpee craving at a local 7-11, balancing three Big Gulp cups filled with artificially flavored slush and trying to justify purchasing a bag of Swedish Fish since they are, after all, fat free – and yes, I know better.  I realize this may not portray me as the most healthy person, but I do take care of myself and only fall off the wagon every once in a while….cross my heart!

So there I am, standing there looking like I’m buying enough Slurpee slush for a little league team and debating on the Swedish Fish when my cell phone starts buzzing in my purse. Now although this may not be a problem for some people, I happen to possess a “Mary Poppins” purse, meaning the million things that I don’t need to carry in my purse but do anyway tend to disappear into a deep, dark pit, only to be found if I throw said purse on the ground and rummage around in it up to my elbows for approximately ten minutes. You can see how the three Big Gulp cups in my arms created a challenge.

I rushed over to the checkout counter minus the Swedish Fish and miraculously managed to dig out not only my Visa, but also my phone – and in enough time to answer it!

“Hello?”

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,” answered a wavering voice that sounded somewhat like my sister. “What are you doing? Are you alone?”

She asked me these last two questions so suspiciously that guilt immediately kicked in and I looked around to see if I had been caught in the midst of my Slurpee attack. Then I remembered that my sister is 1,000 miles away and can’t possibly know what I’m doing. Credit card swipe!

“Yeah, I’m alone,” I said as I left the store, trying to maneuver the Slurpee’s, my cell phone, and the opening of my car door without sounding out of breath. “Just getting ready to hit the gym. What’s up?”

PAUSE.

WHIMPER.

“I’m pregnannnnnnnt!” she wailed happily, followed by joyful sobs.

“What?!?! What?!?!”  Did I hear her right? I almost dropped a Slurpee, for goodness sake!

“I’m pregnant (sob, sob again), and we’re soooo happy.” This is when I hear her husband in the background awe-ing her, and for one quick moment I contemplate throwing all of the Slurpees away because now I feel like a gross teenager. But then I realize how much I need them, especially in this instant that has thrown me off completely.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my sister very much, and I love her husband. We’re all close and I would never wish anything but the best for both of them. But I felt she rushed the pregnancy – not that it’s my business – and it bothered me for some reason. Maybe because I’m 30 and ready for a baby and still engaged to the guy I’ve been with for almost 7 years  but hey, who’s paying attention to the facts, right?!

“Aren’t you soooo happy for us (big sniff)?”

I snap back to reality and decide that nothing I say will change this and I do really love her and her husband, not just as individual people, but together, as well. And I love babies!

I answer, “I’m super excited! I can’t believe I’m going to be an Aunt!”

“Yes, you’ll be Aunt B!” My sister calls me B. It just so happens that Beyonce sometimes goes by B, so that validates the coolness factor of my nickname.

Blah, blah, blah, a few more minutes of crying (her) and disbelief (me) and we hang up. I immediately called my best friend to share the news and after relaying it out loud to her, I realized that actually, I was excited, after all. My sister and I would become even closer, I would finally have a reason to buy enormous amounts of cute baby clothes, she would be an awesome mom and her husband an awesome dad, and my whole family would have another birthday to celebrate. On a side note, my sister and I share a very low tolerance for pain and needles so I was secretly looking forward to seeing how she would handle everything. Selfish, but practical!

I took a sip of my Slurpee and smiled, thinking about my future niece or nephew. Then I called my sister back with genuine enthusiasm and told her once more how excited I was. And I meant it.

Next Week’s Blog: Confessions of a First Time Aunt – Part II

Related posts:

1. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part II
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part III
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part V

In her exciting new book Bump It Up, the fabulous and super glam Amy Tara Koch discusses the importance of “volume control” in your maternity wardrobe. We’re thrilled to say that Fit2Bmom style fits right in with Amy’s recommendations! Want to know more? Style expert Amy has generously shared with us (thanks, Amy!) an excerpt from Bump It Up to illustrate the key to this wardrobe balancing act:

“With the center of gravity changing, it is key to have “volume control” Nothing frumpifies more than oversized clothing and lack of proportion. With the arrival of your bodacious bump, volume control is the key to a balanced, chic look. Some guidelines? If it’s big on top, it should be narrow on bottom. If it is narrow on top, you can add some volume with a skirt or wide legged pant. Skirts and dresses should be above the knee or sweeping the ground to elongate the body. Legs are slimmed and lengthened with black tights and a boot or heels. Big blouses are countered with fitted skirts or tapered trousers. Tailoring is critical.”

Now we ask you:  is she genius, or is she genius?!  We wholeheartedly recommend Amy’s book (buy it here!) to help you in styling your maternity wardrobe, and urge you to remember the most important part of dressing yourself: your body! A healthy and fit foundation will make your perfectly paired clothes (thanks to Amy’s tips!) look ten times better on you. Need some fashionable activewear for keeping yourself motivated while following Amy’s style rules? You know we’ve got you covered!

Related posts:

1. Ch-Ch-Changes…
2. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part II
3. Thanks, Gisele.

Yup, you read that correctly. Kung Fu. As in, kicking and chopping and basically defying gravity while a human being was growing inside of her. Hmmm, one has to wonder if their kicking was ever synchronized.

Since Gisele’s interview hit the magazine stands, many mom’s have been wondering if her pregnancy workout regime is a safe way to exercise while carrying. The answer is yes but what must be kept in mind is #1 Gisele is superhuman, and #2 Gisele was already indulging in martial arts prior to her pregnancy. The point is, you shouldn’t feel pressured to run over to your local Kung Fu studio and sign up if it’s not an activity you’ve been partaking in. In fact, the best and safest way to exercise during your pregnancy is to continue your fitness routine as normal, so long as it doesn’t involve contact sports in which you might fall down, and to simply remember not to overdo it.

 Dr. Melina Jampolis, a Diet and Fitness Expert for CNN Health, is currently 7 months pregnant and recommends at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days of the week during pregnancy. Not only can this routine help prevent pregnancy weight gain, but it can also help to prevent gestational diabetes. In addition, staying active while pregnant will also ease some of the aches and pains of labor. Can we get a hallelujah for that one?! Another important fact to remember is that activewear is now considered equipment, and it’s imperative that you choose maternity activewear that performs with you and for you while supporting your every move. Fit2Bmom is a great example of the kind of activewear you should be exercising in, and we invite you to learn why by reading our Product Education page.

While Gisele is an extreme example to follow, she did do one thing that anyone can – and should – do while pregnant, and that’s participate in prenatal yoga. Yoga is beneficial to pregnancy for a number of reasons. Sure, it conditions your muscles and that time spent stretching will really come in handy when you’re in labor, but let’s face it – you’re going to need a break from the stress of baby preparation and the overall feeling of being pregnant every once in a while! Yoga will encourage you to relax your entire being, and you’ll fall in love (if you haven’t already) with the changes that your body is going through.

Staying active during your pregnancy, no matter how you do it, keeps you and your baby healthy and makes you feel good about yourself. I guess you could say it’s like a mental Kung Fu kick – one that doesn’t require a Supermodel Seal of Approval but that will leave you feeling like a Super Hot Mama.

Take that, Gisele!

Related posts:

1. Ch-Ch-Changes…
2. The Little Things
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part III

It seems silly that we allow forces which we cannot control to actually loosen our grip on the control that we do have.  A little rain doesn’t stop the mailman from delivering your mail – why should it stop you from attending your fitness class? A bad day doesn’t discourage children from playing outside – why should it keep you from blowing off steam with an evening jog? Keeping your self-promise to indulge in healthy habits, even during the most challenging of times, also helps to maintain a sense of normalcy as your body, mind, and spirit will have connected through your routine.

Commitment trumps condition in most cases, and those who follow through on their commitments reap the rewards in the long run.

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Here at Fit2Bmom, Spring has officially arrived! Our Spring/Summer 2010 Collection is now online and we couldn’t be more excited about this season’s great new colors and styles. We’ve also done a bit of our own Spring-cleaning: we’ve launched a brand new website that better portrays the purity of Fit2Bmom and have included bonus features to help you get to know us – and each other – a little bit better. Wondering what makes Fit2Bmom different from other maternity activewear brands? Check out our Product Education page! Interested in finding out the latest celeb to fall in love with Fit2Bmom? Visit our revamped Press page! Looking to meet other Mom’s? Join our interactive online community The Circle, where you can talk to other Mom’s and share your stories, advice, needs, encouragement, recipes, photos, and MORE!

Maybe you’re a soon-to-be Mom, or maybe you’re a new Mom who is getting ready to go back to work for the first time since the birth of your child. No matter your Mommy status, Motherhood is a beautiful journey full of surprises and new beginnings where opportunity for growth abounds. Let go of small parenting mistakes you may have made – we all make them. Donate the material things you no longer need to families less fortunate than your own. Say goodbye to the excuses and get active in your lifestyle.

No matter what type of clutter you’ve built up, don’t be afraid to kick it to the curb this Spring. After all, we are born to blossom!

Related posts:

1. Ch-Ch-Changes…
2. Thanks, Gisele.
3. Confessions of a First Time Aunt: Part III