Mom Paradigm

~ beyond the world between naps

Main navigation

Health

Losing the Baby Weight after Six Years

By Leave a Comment

Losing the Baby Weight Again

Yes, you read that right. I am starting over.  Again. ( Is that a redundant statement? Perhaps but it seems life is full of those)

But it’s not really baby weight anymore, is it? What should I call it?

‘Lazy, spending too much time on my butt in front of the computer weight?’

Nah, it’s easier to say baby weight. ‘Cause it IS related to the little late life surprise we call OLM. And I’m still not over it.

Anyway, I need to shed this excess weight as it’s dragging me down. So I am going to reignite the journey to lose 50 pounds, and in the process rediscover why I’m keeping it on. Is it my fault? I’m not sure yet but I promise I’ll tell you all about it. Does that sound good?

I’m also not exactly sure how I’m going to figure this sh*t out as I’ve been unsuccessful at maintaining a healthy weight most of my life but I know that being accountable is the key. Accountable to you, and more importantly, accountable to me. How do I do that? What follows is what will be a growing list of tools for success.

TOOLS for Success

1. Make a Plan

In order for new habits to stick it’s helpful to work within a timeline. The big goal of losing 50 pounds is, after all, HUGE. So with that in mind, smaller, more achievable goals are the ticket. Committing to the plan is also imperative.

2. Use a Fitness Tracker

I’ve been using Fitness Pal to log my meals and Google Fit to track my activity. It works when I work it, meaning that when I stay true to documenting those parts of my life, they work for me. It’s easy to get distracted, right?

3. Change Diet to Improve Digestion

In the past month, my little family has decided that it is time to switch to a mostly plant-based diet. Symptoms like a scratchy throat, stomach pain, chronic cough and sneezing, congestion in both chest and sinuses have been linked to eating eggs and dairy and wheat but eliminating those foods didn’t solve the entire problem. It was, it seems, the other animal products we’ve been eating like beef, pork, and poultry.

I had no idea that eating meat could be so hard on the digestive system. It was only when we adopted a mostly vegetarian diet that we noticed a significant improvement in digestion.

As for wheat, it’s next on the list. Eating too much sometimes leads to bloat and stomach pain which is the problem. It’s not all the time. We have a source for some really nice wheat free bread from a local bakery so we’ll eat more of that.  Or just abstain altogether. Sigh..

4. Improve Metabolism

I’ve tried a few diets in my day, mostly post baby and had amazing results. The problem is maintaining those results for the long term. It’s frustrating as all get out and it leaves me feeling bad about myself.

I’ve been reading a few interesting articles lately though that may take the pressure off. Maybe it isn’t my fault. Check them out here and here.

Maybe it’s about metabolism. Has it been messed up by the diets and therefore not my fault or is the weight gain just a side effect of getting older? Is it that I spend too much time in front of my computer and not enough time moving my body?

If my metabolism is slowing down because of past dieting or getting older there is not much I can do besides get some serious plastic surgery and promise to never diet again. And that’s not going to happen, especially the diet. Kidding! It’s the plastic surgery, of course.

No. It has to be lifestyle stuff. Building metabolism fueling muscle and eating foods my body likes and needs will, therefore, be the modus operandi for this journey.

Breaking Down the Plan

The BIG Goal = Lose 50 pounds

How am I going to achieve this? By breaking it down into manageable pieces.

Tracking food and activity is the best way I know to stay on track because when I do it, it works. So….I WILL commit to tracking both daily food intake and exercise in 2-week increments, reevaluating my progress every two weeks.

I commit to 45 minutes of movement every day in those two weeks, again reevaluating at that time.

I’m also committing to tracking my food BEFORE I eat it and paying attention to hunger signals.

Staying Accountable

How long it takes to lose 50 pounds is not at all important. It’s not a race and I don’t need the pressure. But I do need to stay accountable.

Small goals = big results = smaller Lee-Anne. And that will feel good.

Before I use Fitness Pal to track food and of course before I eat anything I’ll ask myself,

‘Am I hungry or just bored? Then I’ll wait for the answer. And trust it.

Join Lee-Anne in herbquest to lose the baby weight. Again. And have fun doing it. Click To Tweet

As I write this I’mm absorbing the weight of it all. It feels huge to make this commitment to myself and to you. Then again, I’m feeling pretty huge so it’s fitting. Although my clothes don’t fit. See what I did there? I so funny. Anyway…

***

 Join the list today to follow along. Heck, you could even join me. It’ll be fun!

SkinCareDiaries: 6 Essential Vitamins For Healthy Skin

By Leave a Comment

6 essential vitamins for healthy skin

This is a collaborative guest post with Sarah over at FixYoursSkin.com.

Is your skin prone to breakouts, acne or dryness?

Healthy skin comes from the inside out. The foods you put into your body will have a direct effect on your skin despite what doctors might tell you. By eating well and taking in essential vitamins for healthy skin you can reduce or even overcome minor issues like dryness, fine lines and breakouts and more serious ones like chronic inflammation, sores and stubborn age spots.

And the best part of a healthy diet is that you can easily find the essential vitamins you need for your skin in the foods around you.

It’s just common sense, isn’t it?

Diets containing processed foods and lacking in nutritional balance can make your skin look and feel dull, discoloured and oily which reflects the overall health of the internal body systems.

You CAN Get Rid of your Skin Issues

Our bodies are amazing machines and whip smart. A nourished and healthy body fueled by the required amount of vitamins will behave the way it should and lead to a healthy appearance.

So, what are the kind of vitamins you need to make your skin healthy and radiant?

To know more about what kind of foods have specific vitamins and overcome common deficiency problems present nowadays, check out the top six vitamins you need now and how to get them for healthy skin.

The Top Six Essential Vitamins for Healthy Skin

1 Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps in reducing and avoiding various skin problems like psoriasis, acne, and eczema. Without this vitamin, your skin will look flaky and dull. A diet filled with carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, dark leafy greens, tropical fruits, fish, liver, bell peppers, and lettuce can help you to get the required dosage of Vitamin A.

2 Vitamin B1

Deficiency of Vitamin B1 will lead to wrinkles and age spots. Also, some people can suffer from wet and dry beriberi due to the lack of vitamin B1. This vitamin is a strong anti-oxidant that is beneficial for the entire body.

The daily consumption of food items like whole-grain cereals, pork, sunflower seeds, spinach, lettuce, kidney beans, tomatoes and eggplant provides the required quantity of Vitamin B1.

3 Vitamin B2

This vitamin helps in avoiding dermatitis and cracks in the skin. Also, it fights carcinogens and helps in the metabolism of the body, thereby ensuring that the skin is soft and healthy. Eggs, dairy products, meat, liver, buckwheat, and spinach are some of the foodstuffs filled with vitamin B2.

4 Vitamin C    

Vitamin C helps in preventing the aging and damage caused by UV rays. Also, it helps in avoiding hyper-pigmentation and maintaining supple and healthy skin. A diet containing peas, citrus fruits, papayas, tomatoes, bell peppers, kiwis, and dark leafy greens are the best source of vitamin C.

5 Vitamin D

Deficiency of vitamin D will lead to wrinkles, acne, and even itchy skin. Some researches and studies prove that vitamin D can help in regulating and dissemination of cancer cells. You can prevent the deficiency of vitamin D with mushrooms, oily fish, eggs, tofu, cod liver oil, and caviar.

6 Vitamin E

Vitamin E helps in avoiding skin cancer and even reduces the signs of aging and inflammation of the skin. Furthermore, it enhances regeneration and boosts the immunity of the skin. Broccoli, nuts, dark leafy greens and sunflower seeds are the best sources of vitamin E.

Protect your Skin

Vitamins are necessary for your body functions and health and a lack of the essentials can have adverse effects on your skin. All these vitamins are important however Vitamin E and C play major roles in protecting your skin from the harmful UV rays of the sun and even help in preventing skin cancer.

If you’re thinking about  taking vitamin supplements check with your health care professional.  Also, whenever you visit a skin care shop, make sure to check the ingredients of your products to see if they have the required vitamins.

Find out more about your skin

To know more about skin treatments and the best tips for your skin search this site using the keyword SkinCareDiaries or head over to the net and Fix Your Skin.com  and check out the other EIGHT essential vitamins for healthy skin.

Would you like write a guest post for this site? Have a look HERE for the guidelines to get started!

I was not compensated for this post. I just wanted to share it with you! 

Follow Mom Paradigm on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #SkinCareDiaries.

We’re a Dairy Family: Yogurt’s Surprising Health Benefits

By Leave a Comment

yogurt benefits

We are a dairy family and always will be. And while it’s true that our stomachs are not the best equipped to deal with dairy, there are more and more options for lactose-free choices that keep us coming back for more. My favourite dairy product is yogurt these days so that is why I am sharing this article with you. Enjoy!

Dairy Farmers of Canada created a unique way to show how yogurt is part of a balanced diet

When Dairy Farmers of Canada attended The Health, Sports & Lifestyle Expo in Vancouver, they created a powerful and captivating performance to highlight the surprising benefits of yogurt, which aids in the prevention of high blood pressure.

The performance, and the film of it, were made to promote the free Get Enough Helper App, which helps people track what they eat based on recommendations from Canada’s Food Guide.

In the video, we see a gymnast stacking and balancing a series of chairs in front of conference attendees. The gymnast then climbs, twists and contorts his body at seemingly impossible angles on top of the chairs, to show how far we each stretch to find balance in our day.

The performance is intensely physical and dangerous – much like high blood pressure – and encourages the audience to use the Get Enough Helper App to help the fight against high blood pressure. Each day someone uses the App, Dairy Farmers of Canada donates $1 on their behalf to the Heart & Stroke Foundation to support the fight against high blood pressure.   

The performance is spellbinding, engaging and stunning, and the video shows conference attendees watching in rapt attention while enjoying complimentary yogurt parfaits and savouring the surprising health benefits of yogurt.

Have a look!

For more information go to GetEnough.ca.

I was compensated for this post but the opinions are entirely my own, as usual.

Top 5 Things to Prepare for Kindergarten

By Leave a Comment

Top 5 prepare kindergarten

“How did it get so late so soon?” ― Dr. Seuss

Our Little Monkey is going to be FIVE in August. FIVE! Can you believe it?

Our life has already been turned upside down having started a family so late in life and just as I was getting into the groove as in comfortable and less sleep deprived, change will come again this September.

Kindergarten looms ahead and I’m not ready. I’m not nervous exactly, just not prepared for the daily grind and the inevitable weariness that comes along with. Long gone will be the days of lingering and lollygagging about without a real schedule. No more attempts at sleeping in and making breakfast when we feel like eating. Will we succumb to boxed cereal in the mornings to get our daily dose of carbohydrates and nutrient-free soul-less nourishment? I hope not. Cereal in this house is best enjoyed at night, after OLM is in bed.

I suppose having a set routine will be good for us but at this moment I am not convinced. So I’ve made an attempt at a list to get ourselves ready. I’m sure that more will be added along the way, but for now please have a look at the 5 most important ways we will prepare for kindergarten. 

Counting Down the Top 5 Ways to Prepare for Kindergarten

5. Summer Camps~ We’ve enrolled OLM in a few summer camps that will prepare him and us for the shift in routine and get used to having something to go to at a specific time every day. He’s going to learn how to ride a bike without training wheels at Pedalheads, do Gymnastics and take a Performing Arts workshop.

4. Sleep Routine ~ I need to wear the boy out so he goes to sleep earlier and having a daily routine just might be the trick. No more naps during the week, unless he manages one in kindergarten. I am hoping that will be enough but we’ve got to stick to a more strict bedtime. Forget this 8.30pm nonsense!

3. Clothes ~ I’ll make sure he has clothes and shoes that fit and are to his Majesty’s liking. He rarely likes what I get for him so we’ll be hitting the consignments stores and malls together. Fun!

2. Lunch Box ~ OLM always complains that he never has enough things in his lunchbox. For kindergarten then, I’ll get him a Bento box style lunch box that I can put little treats in in separate sections to brighten his day. (His daycare doesn’t allow things like raisins, granola bars or God forbid a cookie, even if they are homemade, nut-free and healthy.)

And the number 1 way I will prepare OLM for kindergarten is…

1. Booster Shots ~ I will make sure he gets his booster shots this summer at the local clinic. Getting your children’s booster shots BEFORE they go to kindergarten prepares them for what may be an onslaught of germs and illnesses they’ve not been exposed to before.

About Immunizations and Kids at School

Andrew-350x151

There are some kids that can’t be immunized due to compromised immune systems, like Andrew in North Vancouver. I can do my part to protect him and other children by immunizing my own child. It doesn’t matter that my child and Andrew will probably never meet as germs and disease spread quickly and know no barriers or borders.

So please take a minute to read Andrew’s story and make sure that your child’s immunizations are up-to-date.

[Tweet “A #NorthVan teen shouldn’t have to be afraid of going to school. You can help. #HelpAndrew”]

To join the conversation please connect to Vancouver Coastal Health using the hashtag #HelpAndrew on Facebook and Twitter.

Why Immunize?

Starting at age four all children should get two shots, in total, to protect against:

• measles

• mumps

• rubella

• chicken pox

• polio

• tetanus

• diphtheria

• whooping cough.

While serious childhood diseases such as polio and diphtheria are becoming rarer due to routine childhood vaccination programs, according to VCH Medical Health Officer Dr. Meena Dawar, there’s still cause for concern.

“As we saw with the recent measles cases in the Lower Mainland and across the U.S., these diseases are highly infectious and can spread quickly among those who aren’t – 2 – vaccinated. It’s critical that parents have their kids immunized before they start kindergarten in the fall,” Dr Dawar says.

Vaccines can be obtained for free from family doctors or from public health nurses at VCH community health centres. A map of clinic dates and times is available at www.vch.ca/kindergarten-vaccines.

[Tweet “Kids heading to kindergarten this fall? Keep them healthy by doing this. #HelpAndrew #bchc”]

I was not compensated for this post in any way. I just feel it is very important for my family and a good reminder to get our immunizations up to date.

10 Tips to Make Room for Play

By Leave a Comment

make room for play

We all do it don’t we?

I admit, I do. In fact in a recent post I told you what I did to get more sleep even though it was a gorgeous Spring day. And while I admit plugging our son in isn’t ideal, it’s certainly not the worst thing I could do. Still, there’s a certain amount of mom guilt that comes with putting my needs first.

The thing is, when this mom is tired I’m no good to anyone. So, catching a few more zzz’s meant we could enjoy the rest of the day. As it turns out however, OLM was fighting a cold and he was quite content to stay inside while mama slept.

Having said all that, when we have days like this I make sure to make up for it with lots of outside play. And if you’ve been reading this blog you know that making room for play is high priority for me especially because it is so easy to get distracted working from home like I do. And being as tired as I am. Almost ALL. THE. TIME.

So we go out on plenty of adventures. We’ve recently walked 11,000 steps together to go find a book I’ve been wanting to read. We are also blessed with a pretty awesome playground right in our courtyard that all the kids in the building gather at and play together for hours. I’d love to play basketball together one day but right now he wants me to pick him up to put the ball in the basket. I need to work on my biceps more for that as he’s getting so big!

I’ve caught a few of these ads on TV from Participaction.com and I have to say they really made an impact. This is surprising considering I usually ignore most ads on TV. Have a look for yourself and tell me what you think. (video is unavailable at this time.)

Make Room for Play

Tips to balance screen time with active play time

  1. Avoid making television watching part of your regular daily routine. We only watch TV at night, after our son goes to bed. And sports! Go Canucks! Go Jays!
  2. Make family rules that limit how much screen time your kids are allowed each day. CHECK!
  3. Eliminate background TV as it’s likely to draw your child’s attention. Instead, turn on music. CHECK!
  4. Kids naturally play more actively when they’re outdoors, so head outside with them every day. CHECK!
  5. Set a good example and limit your own screen time.
  6. Unplug for a day. Designate one day a week or month as a screen-free day for the whole family.
  7. For younger children, avoid using screens as an “electronic babysitter”. MOSTLY CHECK!
  8. For older children, after-school is a key timeslot for activities, so register them in active after-school programs in the community. We will be doing this in September when OLM goes to kindergarten.
  9. For older children, don’t allow a TV, computer, or cell phone in your child’s bedroom. CHECK!
  10. For older children, explain to them that decreased screen time is not a punishment, but a healthy choice. CHECK!

Looking at this list it is clear that there are improvements to be made. So we’ll work on it. Because we do need to make room for play and if this weather holds up it will be so much easier!

[Tweet “Yes! Today I will turn off the TV and #MakeRoomForPlay”]

Did you know?

In a recent survey commissioned by ParticipACTION, almost three quarters (74%) of parents with children aged 12 and under agree that they have used a screen to occupy their children when they are busy, trying to get things done or want some quiet time.

In a recent survey commissioned by ParticipACTION, 87% of parents of children aged 12 and under plan to make physical activity a priority for their children in the new year.

Visit www.participACTION.com for downloadable tools and resources to enable others to reduce screen time and make room for active play at home, at school, or in the community.

Make Room for Play

Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #MakeRoomForPlay

UPDATED! Food Allergies are a Frightening Thing

By Leave a Comment

Alex Tagliani and friend

The other day I got a call from my son’s daycare that Freaked. Me. Out!

I was asked to bring all my son’s clothes home to be washed as there had been a severe allergy scare that had the whole community up in arms. One of OLM’s classmates has a severe nut allergy as unbeknownst to the rest of us, one of the other kids had brought a peanut butter sandwich in his lunch. When it was discovered it practically shut the whole place down.

The entire cubby area was immediately scrubbed and all the kid’s clothes were individually bagged to avoid the spread of any allergens. Thankfully his classmate was saved from a trip to the emergency as the sandwich was spotted right away and immediate action was taken to protect the child.

It’s got me thinking how important it is that our son understand how severe food allergies can affect his friends and it should never be taken lightly. Our son is pretty healthy, thankfully. He has mild to moderate digestive issues (another lovely trait he can thank me for later) and reacts sometimes to citrus fruits and strawberries, but it’s nothing compared to the frightening reality of living with life threatening allergies.
And even though he is only four years old, I think he understands to some degree that some people can’t have certain foods because their bodies just don’t like them.

In light of what has happened we are going to attend an event at VanDusen Botanical Gardens for a fun, and informative session on how to safely manage food allergies.

And we get to meet Alex Tagliani NASCAR driver *swoon* who deals with food allergies in his own life and as a new father. There will also be a local Pediatric Allergist, Dr. Chan discussing the latest in allergy research and will be uncovering the myths and truths about anaphylaxis to promote allergy awareness.

Please join us!

UPDATE!

Starting today, kids under the age of 18 can enter the Allergy Hero Contest by telling us who their Allergy Hero is and what he/she has done to help manage your allergies! It’s easy to enter-just go to www.summeroftag.com starting today May 1st until August 31st. An IPad is up for grabs AND Alex Tagliani will visit their daycare or school! AND your Allergy Hero will win a $500 gift card!

Summer of TAG Vancouver Education Tour

When: May 7th 10am-11.15am

Where: VanDusen Botanical Garden, 5251 Oak Street in Vancouver (If you are in Edmonton, check out the graphic below)

**Free Parking and children are welcome!

Please RSVP by May 4th to reserve your spot

Contact: cailin.collett@porternovelli.com

For more information visit their website, follow them on Facebook or Twitter @AnaphylaxisCAN.

11174883_820495558000122_492361072483590396_n