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• 12 Pregnancy Myths

  Odds are anyone reading this has been pregnant, is pregnant or has pregnancy in mind (Okay, some of you are dudes, whatever). The point is, have you ever wondered how much you know about pregnancy? Like almost anything, pregnancy is surrounded by urban legends and myths that have us believing some seriously goofy stuff. Heard the one about how pregnant ladies are not to touch cats? Yeah, that’s the stuff we’re talking about. Read on to see what other stuff you may be wrong about.   If you are pregnant, you should avoid sleeping on your back.   Only under certain circumstances, a prolonged pregnancy for example, is this necessary. But if you want to sleep on side to prevent your husband from creeping on your newly voluptuous body in the middle of the night, that’s your business... Read More... Posted Sep 30 2008, 09:00 AM by Cole Gamble with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, birth, Sex, gender, cats, exercise, gestation, myths, pregnancy sex, spicy food, health scare

• Pregnant Women Compete in Marathon

  Meet the Speed Bumps: a relay team of five women who are planning to beat the pants of off their competition in Ohio’s Road Runner Akron Marathon. The only difference between this team and their 10,000 or so competitors is that the Speed Bumps will all be running for two. All five women are in or nearing their third trimester, with Kimberly Bucey (pictured) the farthest along at eight months. Read More... Posted Sep 22 2008, 01:50 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: baby, pregnant, exercise, ohio, competition, jogging, running, fetus, doctors, exhaustion, marathon, oxygen, exercise during pregnancy, staying in shape while pregnant, stay fit, kimberly bucey, gentle, speed bumps, listen to your body, akron marathon, breathlessness, monica nowac, cardiovascular, road runner

• They Say: One Kid, One Sport ... No Good

  Think you're solving all your kids potential health problems by getting her interested in a sport early on? Well, maybe not. Sure, experts say the enthusiasm for exercise and just getting out there and moving around is great. But the injuries ... oooooh, the injuries!   Read More... Posted Sep 07 2008, 09:29 AM by Madeline Holler with | with no comments Filed under: childhood obesity, exercise, NY Times, kids and sports, they say, kid sports injuries

• 5 Exercises To Tackle the "Mom-Flap" Challenge

  You know of this mom-flap? A.k.a. the spare tire, the c-section remnant roll, the muffin top. Crabmommy, who coined the term, is tired of hers and she has issued a challenge. Five minutes of abdominal exercises daily to banish the flap for good. She put out a call to her readers, and is now on week two, but not especially happy with how it's all going. And this is where a sister wants to help a sister out. Yeah, I'm a fitness dork and a personal trainer, so I figured it'd be good to share some evil moves and a little strategy towards her goal. But first... Read More... Posted Jul 30 2008, 10:02 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: nutrition, Cookie, fat, fitness, exercise, weight, mommy blogger, abs, crabmommy, sit ups, trainer, mom flap, pilates, spare tire, plank, stomach, mom blog

• Marathon Mom runs big race after birthing sextuplets

  OK, she didn't do it RIGHT after giving birth. But that's about the only thing about this story that doesn't make me feel like a big giant marshmallow. Jenny Masche, the mother who last year gave birth to sextuplets, recently ran a 26.2 mile race. Yes, in her spare time. She trained after the kids, who are now 1 year olds, turned in for the night. "They’re good sleepers," she told Meredith Vieira on the Today show last week. And did she enjoy herself? You bet! "The marathon was so fun for me... Read More... Posted Jun 26 2008, 09:00 AM by Brett Singer with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: fitness, exercise, sextuplets, Today Show, good news, Bryan Masche, Jenny Masche, running, marathon, Brett Singer, Molli, things that make me feel wimpy, Grant, Blake, Bailey, Cole, Savannah

• They Say: Chill the Heck Out

  Summer is here. Woo. In addition to scorching temps and hourly sunscreen applications, most of us suddenly have more kids underfoot once school lets out. It's enough to bring a mother (or father) down. Read More... Posted Jun 09 2008, 04:00 PM by Adrienne Martini with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: parenting, yoga, stress, CNN, exercise, they say, laugh, destress

• Wii Sports No Substitute For The Real Thing

  How many times have your heard Wii owners brag about how sweaty and exerted their kids get wielding their virtual racquets, bats and clubs?  Well, if you're one of the skeptical ones, congratulations.  Active Healthy Kids Canada recently released their 2008 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth, and one of their recommendations was that kids stay away from "exercise" that's focused on video games, such as the Wii.    I can hear the indignant howls of all those Wii owners now.  Well, don't worry - you have an advocate in writer Marni Soupcoff, who argues, "What's wrong with working out with your Wii? . . . Let kids get active in the ways that suit them best and that feel most natural."   Read More... Posted Jun 02 2008, 04:35 PM by Amy S.F. Lutz with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: exercise, Wii, Active Healthy Kids Canada, Marni Soupcoff

• Weekly Check-Up: Five Ways to Exercise With Kids

  With all the news reports about childhood obesity and the sedentary lifestyles of kids, there's usually some plug for getting your kids off the couch and into some form of physical activity. This has not been a problem (so far) at my house, because I have a highly active child. My theory as to why? Exercise is a huge part of our family life. I report this without righteousness because for most of my life, I avoided physical activity, and thought I was a total shlump. It wasn't until after my child was born that I fell in love with fitness. Now here's five ways we work physical activity into our lives.  Read More... Posted May 29 2008, 06:29 PM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: sports, obesity, fitness, exercise, walking, jogging, running, weekly check-up, activity, athlete, training, workout

• Exercise During Adolescence Decreases Breast Cancer Risk

  Researchers have long advised middle-aged women that regular exercise decreases the risk of breast cancer. But now they’ve discovered that being active beginning at age 12 substantially affects breast cancer risk as well. In a survey of 65,000 women aged 24 to 42, those who had regularly exercised as teens and young adults decreases had a 23 percent lower chance of getting pre-menopausal breast cancer than those who'd been inactive. This is sad news if, like me, your idea of exercise in high school was to walk to 7/11 and buy a loaf of Wonder Bread and a jar of marshmallow Fluff. Read More... Posted May 16 2008, 01:00 PM by Hannah Tennant-Moore with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: exercise, women, breast cancer, NPR, physical activity, risk factors, teenage girls, premenopausal breast cancer, menapause, breast cancer risk

• Strollerderby Playdate: Shape It Up, Maggot

  When I grow up, I want to be tough. Not like a motorcycle riding mama or anything, but a strong, athletic chick who can scoop up my kids and save them from a fire or scary pervo if need be – and hell, avoiding diabetes and heart disease would kind of rock.  Back when I was a young, single slip of a girl, I was a pretty avid exerciser. I ran five days a week and did races and was really pretty buff, at least for someone who is a big fan of carbs and beer and chocolate and whose genes give her the build of her Polish washerwoman ancestors. Then I got married... Read More... Posted Apr 18 2008, 07:31 AM by Amy Kuras with | with no comments Filed under: health, fitness, exercise, fitness fixation, strollederby playdate, Doctor Mama, badass, workouts, getting in shape

• Weekly Check-Up: Wii Fit Gets Pumped

  In case you haven't heard, Wii Fit is going to be released next month, and it's already a huge hit in Japan, according to CNN. Is it going to replace the exercise video and save our children from obesity? Well, it's being touted as the next big thing in part because it has a sensor-riddled balance board that tracks and analyzes your movements. It will assess your fitness using your Body Mass Index (BMI--a measure I despise, BTW) and then it will run you through some drills to see how you do. After that, you can choose from a bunch of games focusing on strength training, aerobics, balance games and yoga. Wii Fit will also track your progress over time. Now maybe it's just me, but that article sounds more like a press release than reporting. I have... Read More... Posted Apr 17 2008, 08:31 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: health, video games, technology, BMI, fitness, CNN, exercise, boxing, weekly check up, physical activity, wii fit

• J. Lo doesn't care about losing weight, until she does

  At first, new mom Jennifer Lopez said that she was in "no hurry" to lose her baby weight. That didn't last long: the Daily Mail reports that she has lost 40 pounds in four weeks, which would be a lot even if she hadn't just had twins. Read More... Posted Apr 11 2008, 06:00 PM by Brett Singer with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: twins, exercise, baby weight, weight loss, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, j.lo

• How to Get a Flat Tummy Post-Pregnancy

  Obviously I did something very wrong after delivering my son a year ago. If only I had followed the advice of Brooke Burke  -- you know her as the actress and former hostess of E!'s "Wild On" -- maybe I'd be rocking tight abs and an itty-bitty waist. Burke, who delivered her fourth child (yes, I said fourth) a month ago, recently wrote a blog post that shared her secrets to slimming down after having a child. Indeed, as FameCrawler recently pointed out, she does look fab. So what's her secret? Well, for starters, follow a solid meal plan, something she helpfully outlines in her post. Nothing earth-shattering here, just lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, a healthy amount of protein and a series of reasonably portioned meals and snacks throughout the day. In other words, this is dieting from the department of No Duh. Read More... Posted Apr 07 2008, 09:33 AM by Jen Chaney with | with 17 comment(s) Filed under: health, nutrition, exercise, post-partum, body image, brooke burke, belly binding, post-pregnancy body, appearance

• Should an "Overweight" Beauty Pageant Contestant Be a Role Model for Young Girls?

  Monica Grenfell is horrified. Why? Well, see, this year's Miss England contest has a fairly unique finalist: Chloe Marshall, a size 16 (about a size 14 in U.S. sizes.) Seventeen-year-old Marshall has been quite outspoken about wanting to be "an ambassador for curves" and demonstrate to young girls that it isn't necessary to be a size zero. She says she eats healthy food and exercises regularly. Grenfell, however, is a dietician and she hopes Chloe doesn't win. "It would send an appalling--and very dangerous--message to other young women that it's OK to be fat." She adds that Chloe is a terrible role model and says charmingly, "Who on earth does she think she's kidding? What she's demonstrating isn't bravery but a shocking lack of self-control. Instead of flaunting her figure, Chloe ought to own up to the truth. She is fat and she got that way by over-eating." Nice. Grenfell makes the point that we don't have an anorexia epidemic, we have an obesity epidemic, and that the last thing girls need to hear is that it's okay to be overweight because it puts you at risk for health problems like Type 2 diabetes and heart attacks. Mmm hmm. Well... Read More... Posted Apr 04 2008, 05:02 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 31 comment(s) Filed under: health, teens, girls, media, diversity, beauty pageant, exercise, research, daughters, eating disorders, weight, body image, messages, self esteem, obesity epidemic, chloe marshall

• 'Retired' Tennis Star Returns to Court 6 Weeks Post-Partum

  Tennis anyone? Oh, not me. I think the sport is as boring to watch and discuss as it is to play.  But what I do love is sports talk that centers on motherhood. Obviously. I can't get enough of stories about women who not only continue to compete during and after pregnancy, but especially when the thrive because of it. Sometimes, kids do just the opposite of draining your aspirations. They turn it around an inspire them. This is what happened to the 31-year-old tennis star ... Read More... Posted Jan 13 2008, 05:04 PM by Madeline Holler with | with no comments Filed under: pregnancy, baby, babies, sports, exercise, basketball, Madeline Holler, Alpha Mom, athletics, a mommy story, running, sport parents, babies' mothers, alpha moms, lindsay davenport, Paula Radcliffe, marathon, tournament, tennis, grand slam

• Weekly Check-Up: Blogger Loses Weight On Advice of Elmo's Daddy

  I have personal trainer certification through one of the more reputable certifying entities, which shall remain nameless for now. I have never heard of anyone having their certification stripped from them for anything other than some litigation-worthy bad behavior or neglecting to pay dues or get those dang continuing education credits. But I am now about to test the standards of that entity. Should a bunch of very tanned, fit people rush me in the middle of my next workout class and make a big show of ripping my certificate into shreds, this is probably why. See, Linda Keenan, mom to a toddler and creator of the blog Thoroughly Modern Mommy, wrote on the Huffington Post that she lost weight by abandoning exercise and salads, and by always having dessert and even bags of potato chips every once in a while as a meal. Heresy! Read More... Posted Jan 10 2008, 08:32 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: nutrition, huffington post, exercise, diet, weightloss, weekly check-up, linda keenan

• Schoolkids How Learn To Pump Iron, Kiss Biceps, Say "Welcome to the Gun Show"

  When I first saw this thing on middle school kids learning weight training, I was all set to be righteous as hell and bag all over it. Because I hate the kids in the gym thing, when kids can still have fun playing outside and doing sports, and don't have to join adults in that zombie-like treadmill trance that leads to hatred of exercise. Oh, and weight training is not good for children or pre-teens, because of those growing little bodies and squishy parts that are still turning into bone. In short, I was going to blow my P.E. teacher whistle and yell, "This is a terrible idea!" But, um, then I actually read the story, and now... Read More... Posted Jan 09 2008, 05:11 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: health, sports, obesity, childhood obesity, schools, exercise, PE, gym, personal training, flexibility, strength, weight training

• Weekly Check-Up: Healthy Gifts Are Okay...For People You Wanna Alienate

  I've seen a couple of these stories lately: Instead of boring old candy or wine or pajamas this holiday, why not give some fitness-related gift? Like some piece of exercise equipment (iGallop anyone?) or a certificate for a massage or a consultation with a nutritionist. I say, BAD IDEA. Okay, yes, wine is bad for non-drinkers and candy is harsh for diabetics and pajamas are lousy for people who sleep in the nude (boo-ya) so I'm not saying other gifts are without peril. But even as someone who might stand to personally gain from, say, you giving away a certificate for three sessions with a personal trainer like me, let's just stop and think this one through a little more. Because I think there's one strong possibility to consider, and I believe I've said it before. Fitness gifts could easily be interpreted as saying... Read More... Posted Dec 13 2007, 09:03 AM by Kelly Mills with | with no comments Filed under: gifts, holidays, fitness, exercise, health and kids, weekly check up, massage, exercise equipment

• Kids Play More When They Have Stuff to Play With

  I would love to be in charge of a study. What would I study, given the opportunity? Well, it would certainly be something obvious. A Study to Study Something With an Obvious Conclusion. Like this one, where they determined that kids played longer and harder if they had something to actually play with. I guess rocks and sticks and bare hands weren't cutting it, eh? Read More... Posted Dec 12 2007, 08:41 AM by Karen Murphy with | with no comments Filed under: kids, exercise, activity

• Weekly Check-Up: Shockingly, Being Fit is Better for You in the Long Run

  Stop the presses! A new study has found that being fit actually makes you healthier and more likely to live longer than people who are out of shape and sedentary. My god, do they mean that having, say, better cardiovascular health could in turn lead to better overall health and less risk of certain diseases and a longer lifespan? My world has been rocked. Why, next they'll be telling us that smoking is bad for you and you shouldn't let kids suck on lead-encrusted toys.  Oh, fine, now that I've had my fun I'll tell you this is actually an really interesting finding: When it comes to longevity, being fit is more important than being "normal" weight... Read More... Posted Dec 06 2007, 08:02 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: health, obesity, lifestyle, exercise, weekly check up, mortality, sedentary

• Today's WTF: Treadmills for Dogs!

  You know the feeling you get when you see something absolutely ridiculous and you just have to share it with as many people as possible? Because that WTF factor is just too good to keep to yourself? That's exactly how I felt when I ran across the awesome concept of treadmills. For dogs. Or, as it prefers to be known, the Pawwws premium pet exercise system. I do so love the interweb.   Read More... Posted Nov 07 2007, 02:23 PM by Karen Murphy with | with 10 comment(s) Filed under: families, exercise, wtf, pets, pawwws, dog treadmills, pet treadmills

• Marathoner Who Trained Through Pregnancy to Run in NY Race

  A lot (most?) women work through their pregnancies, right up until the day before they give birth. Paula Radcliffe was no exception. Even full term with her first baby, she did the work she was accustomed to doing everyday: lacing up her shoes and heading out for a run. The elite marathoner continued training throughout all nine months of her pregnancy. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl. And 12 days later, Radcliffe hit the road again to resume her running schedule. **UPDATE after the jump **   Read More... Posted Nov 04 2007, 07:12 AM by Madeline Holler with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: pregnancy, exercise, Madeline Holler, running, sport parents, Paula Radcliffe, marathon

• Wimpy Obesity Campaign, But the Whole Idea Is Junk, Really

  There's a story on how critics say the U.S. government's public health campaign on obesity is too tame to do any good. The campaign, called "Small Steps," advocates healthier snacks and using the stairs, but some health groups say the ads won't effect meaningful change because they aren't hard-hitting enough. Interestingly, in the middle of the article on MSNBC was a Hoodia weightloss spot showing an obese woman rapidly shrinking. Ha! But here's my favorite part:  Young viewers pay more attention to ads that evoke feelings of personal loss, sadness, anger, disgust or fear, according to an analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kids also tend to remember such ads longer. That drama is lacking in the obesity spots ... Read More... Posted Oct 23 2007, 01:36 PM by Kelly Mills with | with 6 comment(s) Filed under: junk food, obesity, exercise, advertisements, mass confusion, public health, campaign

• Your Kid Needs a Personal Trainer?

  I was reading this article on personal trainers for kids and was getting all into it, thinking about kids and exercise balls and buff trainers and fitness and all that good stuff, thinking wow, how cool is that? Personal trainers for kids. Who knew? And then it hit me. Um...hello? Whatever happened to PLAY? Didn't kids used to play? And, like, run around, like ALL DAY?   Read More... Posted Oct 16 2007, 10:27 AM by Karen Murphy with | with 5 comment(s) Filed under: kids, health, exercise, personal trainers

• Weekly Check-Up: Exercise Won't Make You Lose Weight

  There's an article in New York magazine about how exercise, rather than promoting weight loss, actually makes you hungrier. While there are, of course, numerous other benefits to exercise, the author claims weight loss and maintenance ain't one of them. He argues that studies of exercise and weight loss have been inconclusive, at best, and that those of us who store fat easily are just likely to keep doing that, making up for calories burned by eating more. And a thousand personal trainers simultaneously clutch their hearts and shriek in horror. Okay, I myself am a personal trainer and fitness instructor... Read More... Posted Sep 27 2007, 08:31 AM by Kelly Mills with | with 8 comment(s) Filed under: obesity, exercise, weight loss, diet and exercise, weekly check-up