5 Essential Tips for Getting Rid of Post-Pregnancy Weight

Pregnant at age 38 with Samuel, my fifth child and third son

The average woman gains 30 to 40 pounds while pregnant, and many struggle to shed the extra pounds after. While losing weight after pregnancy can be a challenge, there are few easy and safe ways any new mother can burn excess fat. Here are five essential tips for getting rid of postpartum weight.

Hydration

When you’re dehydrated, you’re more likely to be tired and weak. This is a particular problem for breastfeeding mothers who fail to drink the extra liter or two they need to make up for their baby’s daily intake. The solution is to drink a cup of water or two every time you breastfeed. If you’re not breastfeeding, you still probably need to drink more water and other hydrating drinks. And you’ll need to drink more water and juice to offset dehydrating beverages like coffee many parents use to get going in the morning, especially if you’re up all night. If you’re drinking milk to get enough calcium, choose low-fat dairy over whole milk.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding will actually help you lose weight, but this is only if you’re consuming the right number of calories. If you try to lose weight too quickly, your body will shut off your milk supply. Eat too many calories on the theory that you’re eating for two, and you’ll gain weight. Instead, find out how many calories you should be consuming given your weight and child’s demands and stay in that ballpark. Note that even if you aren’t breastfeeding, you still shouldn’t go on a crash diet or fad diet.

Get Enough Sleep

When you’re sleep deprived, your body tries to make up for it by craving fat, sugar, and carbohydrates. If you went to bed at 10 and got up at six before you had kids, you received around eight hours of sleep. Throw in a couple of late night feedings, and you’ve had close to six or seven hours of highly interrupted sleep. Your body will try to maintain your energy level by making you want high-calorie foods, and you’ll be less able and willing to exercise, too. The solution for parents is to go to bed an hour earlier at a minimum so that you’re getting enough sleep.

Medication

While exercise, proper nutrition, and healthy sleep habits can help, there are cases when you need a little help. If you aren’t breastfeeding, then weight loss medications become a safe solution.

For example, an article that was published on Capital OTC featured a story on Contrave, a drug similar to Osymia, which was approved by the FDA. What separates Contrave is the fact that it doesn’t pose the same risks for heart problems as other diet drugs. Weight loss pills work in a variety of ways, and some may be more appropriate for postpartum women than others, so you should consult a doctor and see what option is the best for you.

Conclusion

While the same advice for losing weight in general typically still applies after you’ve had a baby, there are some limitations, especially if you’re breastfeeding. So, make sure you follow the tips in this article and consult a physician to make sure that your body is ready.

The Advantages of Exercising With Your Entire Family

Adapting to a healthy lifestyle is one of the most desirable things to do today, but it is definitely easier said than done. Fad diets and exercise regimes started on a whim without a serious commitment backing it, are usually followed for a week or two at most. In order to make permanent changes, no amount of extensive short-term diet is going to be of any use. Living healthy can be quite painful in this world where an unhealthy lifestyle is equated to luxury. It is frightfully easy to get demotivated and succumb to lethargy. However, being involved in this endeavor with a supportive team to inspire you and pick you up can be just what you need, and what better team is there than your family?

Active family time

No matter how enticing the look of chiseled and toned abs is, getting them is a painful process. Your motivation is bound to dwindle within the first week of the gym, and when your muscles get soar, suddenly the flab and cellulite will not look all that bad. Interestingly, when you are into this with your family, your threshold of persistence will get higher. Exercising, though physically painful, will become an activity you will look forward to because it will be something you will mentally equate to the comfort of family time. Tricking your body into believing that exercising is an enjoyable family event will keep motivating you back to the gym.

Role models

As children grow into teenagers, they become difficult to communicate with. They begin to look at the previous generation as unapproachable. Teenage is also a time the body goes through a lot of changes. However, working out as a family never lets those barriers of not being able to relate, rise. When children watch their parents leading an active and healthy lifestyle, they cannot look down upon them. The appreciation remains intact as they see their parents push themselves for a better life. This makes both working out and family bond an easy feat. Exercising together with your children is as much fun as watching the latest news with them!

Constant motivation

One of the key problems that people trying to lose weight or struggling to adapt to a healthier lifestyle face is how ridiculously unsupportive families can turn out to be. Eating healthy and going through the pain of working out is difficult and excruciating anyway. Watching your family eat junk and laze around, taunting you for your different choices is even worse. Given this, a family committed to exercising as a team is the most motivating thing ever. A healthy family can support each other and eliminate distractions for each other. Setting work out goals and encouraging one another to achieve them is like having a personal trainer around for all times. There is nothing better to feel like you belong, and when your family can relate to you, it is simply heaven.

If you are looking forward to make healthy choices, talk to your family and try and get them involved. It is a guarantee you will never look back.

On a personal note, here's my walking story for National Walking Day a couple of years ago with an update.

Talkspace Provides an Affordable Therapy Option

People can have a host of medical problems, and they don't fear talking about them or sharing their condition with others. Unfortunately, this isn't always the case when it comes to the issue of mental health. Many don't feel comfortable sharing their problem with others, and they don't always feel like making an appointment and going to a therapist. There is still a stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.

 

Others are not able to access mental health help due to cost barriers. The cost of a weekly session can exceed $150 a week, and health insurance may not cover everything. What is the option for those seeking help with a mental health concern?

 

Talkspace was created as a service to help those who needed to access help but who did not want to go to a set weekly appointment for whatever reason. Talkspace allows its users to access its services by means of a smartphone app. The services provided by Talkspace are completely confidential, and users may maintain their anonymity if they so wish. Talkspace utilizes licensed professionals to assist clients with their problems through online therapy.

 

The first step in utilizing the services on Talkspace is to sign up and choose a program on the website or through the mobile phone app. The basic plan that Talkspace has set up allows for unlimited messaging therapy for a set weekly price. This service allows the client to message back and forth with a therapist for 24 hours a day, seven days per week. The messaging is accessed through the user's private room on the website or app.

 

Before a user begins therapy, matching is done to make sure that the user has the right counselor to help meet his or her need. Once several questions are answered, the user is matched with a counselor, and messaging can begin.

 

This type of therapy is very useful for those who have an active lifestyle and don't have the opportunity to take an hour or more out of each week to attend an in-person therapy session. Also, those who prefer written communication will benefit from using Talkspace. The service allows the user to have the time to think about a response to the therapist. It offers a reflective time to understand the therapist's questions as well.

 

Those who use Talkspace might feel as if they will get stuck with a therapist that they are not comfortable with. This is not the case. A change can be made at any time.

Raising Kids on a Hectic Schedule: 5 Tips for Proper Parenting in a Time Crunch

No matter how you slice it, life has its ups and downs.
 

As soon as you feel like you finally get into a rhythm in terms of your schedule and your kids’ needs, something comes up to totally disrupt it.

Maybe you’re in a situation where you need to take care of a sick parent.

Perhaps you or your partner’s work schedules flipped and your time with the kids has become limited.

Regardless of how hectic life can become from day-to-day, you can’t let it have a negative impact on your relationship with your children. Likewise, ensuring their happiness is a top priority. Juggling a crazy schedule and your kids is difficult, but with these five tips you can make it happen.

Get Your Sitter Situated

If you or your partner can’t be around much, you need to take the steps to ensure that your sitter is equipped to take care of your kids’ needs. This might including giving out an Uber gift card to ensure they can get from Point A or Point B or provide money for take-out and meal prep.

On a related note, having a strong relationship with your sitter will make all the difference when it comes to making sure your kids are taken care. Rather than relying on one-offs and flaky sitters, strive to find someone who’s invested in your kids’ lives.

Make the Most of Your “Free” Time

Perhaps this is a no-brainer, but you can’t just allow yourself to veg out on the couch on your days off.

While it may be tempting to put your feet up, you need to use your free time wisely to both spend time with your children and ensure they’re taken care of for the coming week. For example, weekends are perfect for day-trips and catching up; meanwhile, Sundays are a prime time to take care of meal prep, homework questions and just plain being there.

Of course, you should also make some time for yourself, just don’t expect too much.

Be Clear That You’re Still Available

When you’re busy, it’s easy to accidentally send the signal to your kids that you’re unavailable and shouldn’t be bothered. Explicitly remind your children that they can come to you at any time and that your hectic schedule isn’t going to last forever.

If your children are old enough for smartphones, such devices are perfect for keeping in touch when you’re away. Whether through texts or FaceTime, you can essentially make yourself available around the clock if they need you.

Encourage Your Kids to be Self-Sufficient

Although your children can’t do everything themselves, it’s certainly a plus when they understand the principles of self-sufficiency. That is, they understand when it’s time to go to bed, do their homework and otherwise adhere to their own schedule.

 

To ensure that your kids don’t fall into bad habits, you likewise can’t let discipline totally fall by the wayside. As a side note, setting high expectations while you’re away can make a big difference when it comes to good behavior.

Learn to Say “No”

You obviously need to make sacrifices for the sake of your kids, but you shouldn’t let others in your personal or professional life to add extra stress on your plate. Learning to say “no” might be difficult in your pursuit of being supermom, but it’s worth it for your mental health in the long-run.

No mom wants to see their kids’ well-being suffer just because of a hectic schedule. By sticking with these tips, you can make the most of your time and maintain your sanity as you do what’s best for them.

Beautiful Gifts for Gardeners

Gift giving is a joy, especially if you can give something that you know will be genuinely welcome and enjoyed. People who love their gardens or nature, in general, are fairly easy to buy for. But, if you are stuck for ideas here are a few to inspire you.

A nice tree

It is really easy to give a tree as a gift. All you need to do is to go online and find a stockist that is willing to deliver to your friend or family member´s home address. Some of them offer a service that allows you to send notification of the gift via an email. This gives the person you are giving the tree to the chance to double-check that it is suitable for their garden. If it is not they can change the order to another one.

Tickets to a garden show

If there is a garden show taking place close to where your friend or family member lives you could buy them a couple of tickets. Or, perhaps pay for them to visit a botanical garden. Alternatively, if you know where and when they are going on holiday you could book them entrance tickets for a special so they can view a special garden or park in that area.

Gardening classes

All gardeners relish the chance to get their hands dirty and learn some new skills. Some botanical gardens, stately homes, and parks offer people the chance to work with their team for a day. Occasionally, it is possible to find actual gardening related classes. Two great examples are topiary or hedgerow tuition. For someone who loves to be outside, these are ideal gifts.

Good quality tools

Good quality gardening tools make especially good presents. Potentially, you can club together with others and buy something you know they really want, but would never buy themselves. However, if you are not 100% sure what they want it is usually best to play things safe and buy a voucher instead. That way they are guaranteed to get exactly what they need.

Labor saving gifts

Something simple like a timer can make an excellent gift for a gardener. Being able to have the sprinklers come on automatically is a lot easier than having to get up every evening to put them on and turn them off again.

Some help in the garden

For an older gardener keeping up with all of the tasks can be difficult. Helping them in the garden is a great way to lift their spirits, spend some time with them and keep yourself fit. If you cannot do that, consider paying a local gardener to do a few hours of work. When you hire them, make it clear that they are basically there to be a pair of hands. This leaves the person you are buying for firmly in control of their beloved garden.

Other practical gifts

If you are looking for smaller gifts, a pair of gardening gloves or plant pots and little items like that are ideal. Something simple like a tray of bedding plants can also make a good gift. For those of you who are looking for something a little different, this page contains some especially good ideas.