Solutions to mindless munching, stop it now!

I have to share this story with you…

When I used to put the kids to sleep, my full day of will power and healthy choices would slowly erode and eventually morph into a picture of an out of control woman – lying in bed watching “So You Think You Can Dance”, covered in Oreo crumbs, desperately try to clean up (with orange Cheetos-covered fingers). Next I would bust out my bag of pretzels, cream cheese and baby wipes (I did learn my lesson from my Cheetos-in-bed experience!). As much as I meant to avoid bad food choices, I ate it all anyway. Needless to say, there was no cLEANmomma webcam in my bedroom.

Since popping out Jack, I’ve worked hard at eating well during the day – lots of fruit, spinach, and foods high in protein – desperately trying to cover all four food groups.  Then along came 8:30 p.m. and the four food group triangle we all learned in elementary school slowly transformed into a four group rectangle – sugar, fat, starch, and salt, and it coincidentally looked like a graham cracker covered with peanut butter and jelly. Hey, we all have our weaknesses. With my new orientation to fitness, I did the math on my “harmless” snack and discovered that I might as well be eating a Big Mac… (no joke!)

Something Had to Change

I finally switched to a healthier night time snack and I have to say, it’s sooo fab and really satisfying.

Hear me out before you judge.

I take a jar of baby food (sweet peas are the best)… just kidding.

Clean Momma’s Night Time Cucumber Snack

I mix 2 tablespoons lowfat ranch salad dressing (40 calories) – I happen to like the the all-organic Nancy’s Healthy Kitchen brand -  with 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (10 calories) and start dipping a whole (unpeeled) cucumber in it and munch away while I watch my favorite dancers (Gotta love Brandon!).

So here I am these days sitting in bed eating an entire cuke with cream on it and watching male dancers (there is probably something subliminal going on but let’s not go there).

It’s really yummy and combines the crunchiness of the cucumber with the saltiness of the salad dressing.

Yum!

It may not taste like a Big Mac, but unless they start selling self esteem in a Happy Meal, I will stick to my healthy alternative.

C-

Get full body toning while you pick up toys!

Sometimes I Feel More Like a Maid Than a Mom

I’m continuously picking up toy trains, My Little Ponies, and hundreds of Legos off the floor.

I figured why not tighten and tone the tush while I help them put away their toys?

Here’s what you do:

• Get on your hands and knees – really make sure your hands are under your shoulders and your knees under your hips. It will help you with your form and avoid injury.
• Make sure you tighten your tummy, and make your back flat like a table.
• Don’t wiggle! As you begin, lift your bent right knee out to side at hip level.
• Start with the left leg and kick it straight out to the side (really reach out to elongate the muscle).
• Next, bend your  knee at hip level.
• Do 15 kicks, then return to start.
• Switch legs and repeat.
• Do this while putting toys back into your kids’ toy box throughout your day (I get in about three sets)!

Let me know how this works for you!

Break a sweat, even on vacation. Here’s how!

Every summer I look forward to a family vacation

The truth is, even when I’m on vacation, (shoving all-you-can-eat buffet food into my big mouth) I still want to get my heart rate up and sweat. That being said, I’m not paying 20 bucks to use the hotel spa to run on a treadmill for 45 minutes when I have stairwells at the end of every hallway calling my name!

Soooo… I did this on my trip (perfected with my friends Michele and Kelli on countless crazy college nights)!

• Go to the stairwell and head to the bottom floor

• Climb up the first set of stairs and then power walk or jog to the other end of the hallway to the other flight of stairs.

• Walk up one flight and exit, power walk or jog to the end of hall and go up that flight of stairs.

• Repeat till you make your way to the roof.

• When you get to the top, stretch for a minute, then start your way back down to the bottom and repeat.

• Do this for a half hour no matter how many floors there are. You can always take the elevator if you want to pass out!

• When you get to your room, go to the bathroom sink and do two sets of 10 pushups on your sink!

• Throw in some squats as you pick your kids clothes off the floor (Do two sets of 10).

• Remember to pace yourself and start slowly, working your way up to speed!

Note: While jogging or power walking, engage your tummy muscles and you will actually work your core!

Let me know how it works for you!

Happy Vacationing!

Tip of the Week: A Quick Path to Great Arms!

Ok….

Many of us complain about never having time to workout, so here are a few quick tips to implement into your daily life!

This is an easy trick and a quick path to toning your arms using just a countertop!

First, make a rule for yourself.

My rule is,”Every time I use the bathroom, I will do ten pushups on my sink.”

I drink a lot of coffee, so can you imagine how many pushups I get in???

If I told you to do 200 pushups at the sink, you would laugh in my face, but if I said do 10 every time you bring a snack tray to the sink, imagine how many you would do in a day!

So, remember, first make the rule.

“Every time I… I will do 10 presses for my arms!”

And here’s how to do countertop pushups:

• Stand with hands placed on the counter top shoulder width apart.

• Bend arms and lower chest to within a few inches of the counter top. Remember to keep your back flat like a table.

• Press yourself back up to the starting position.

• Do not lock elbows. Remember to squeeze in your abs and breathe throughout this exercise.

• Repeat this action for at least 2 sets of 12 reps.

• It’s not too tough and the results are FAB!

Try that for 2 weeks.

Let me know how this works for ya!

C-

Eat smart tricks – Tips From My Nutritional Expert, Stephanie Lecovin

Stephanie Lecovin, my bff since the tender age of three, has joined me as my expert nutritionist to help create the cLean Diet. Steph has been a major influence on my new cLEAN Lifestyle™, and it’s an honor to share her brain with you!

Stephanie Lecovin MS, RD, is a Certified Nutritionist and Registered Dietitian. She combines her knowledge of clinical nutrition with her experience and passion for food and cooking. Stephanie educates her clients on developing healthy eating habits and empowers them with tools and resources for achieving optimal wellness. http://www.nutritionhousecalls.com/aboutme.html

The secret to great arms! Check out an easy way to get them!

Do you you ever wish your arms were a bit more scuplted and toned?Do you ever wish you were wearing a tank top cause its SOOO hot, but instead you opt for a t shirt to hide your arms?

I get it! I used to hate the back flabby part of my arms! My daughter would wiggle them and sing wiggle waggle, jiggle jaggle… ( no joke!)

I started doing these little exercises that I want to share with you and I swear my arms have never been so toned! No weights, no gym… ( I DON”T HAVE TIME…lol)

Try this exercise everytime you get clean your counter tops, or every other time…

I swear it totally works! Just by taking an extra 30-60 seconds each time. It really adds up at the end of the day! Who needs the gym, when you can do little tricks to tone up…you’re doing your task any way… It’s a win win!

Try this exercises below! It totally works.

Check out my DVD, http://www.cleanmomma.com/store/. I teach you step by step, 10 simple exercises that you can sneak into your everyday life! I go over the proper form and tecnique that if done correctly, can truely transform your body!

I was talking to my Pediatrition, and she was asking me how my arms are so toned… So I told her a few things and she laughed. But then, when we shut the door… I showed her, made her do them, and she was like.. omg… this is really hard, but good!

This is what she shared-

Dr. Cathy Marshal- ( pediatrician and mother of three).” Carolyn’s program has taught me a unique way of getting a work out in. I’m with patients all day and rarely have time to go to the gym. By doing her routine, I was able to incorporate little tricks through out my day and really I really see a difference. I would hghly recommend this to any of my Patient’s mothers. - Dr. Cathy Marshal “

http://www.cleanmomma.com/store/

Wax On Wax Off

• Get into a plie position (great for the tush FYI).

• Engage your tummy while standing up tall, with your shoulders down.  The more you engage your abs the more of an ab work out you’ll get.

• Pick an arm to start with and as you clean your countertops press down hard to create a resistance. Think about isolating the muscles.

• Do ten circles on each side really getting the crap off your countertops!

• Do this through out your day on each counter top and it really adds up!

Make sure you don’t wiggle your hips and really pay attention to your posture (don’t forget to plie)!

Let me know how it works for ya!

http://www.cleanmomma.com/store/

Don’t hate your thighs anymore. Read why!

So…

I was swimming with my kids in the pool and as I was drying my daughter she says to me…

” Mommy, are my thighs going to be bumpy like yours when I get old?”

I just about passed out, considering I do a bazillion leg lifts a day and that comment was sooo friggin uncool.

However… after I revived myself and peeled my ass off the floor, I said to her, “yes… you too will have a fat ass and bumpy thighs.” No I didn’t… kidding.

I did say,

” Sophie… here is the deal. we are all born with certain body types. Some people have long legs some have small boobs, some are really really skinny, some people are rounder.  That’s a fact of life.”

I then said  ”What’s important is that you look at your body in the mirror and know that it is yours for the rest of your life. You can do good things for it, like eat healthy stuff.

You can get your body moving, like running around a lot.

And… if  you are not nice to your body, then your thighs will have more bumps.

End of story.”

She then said…

“Do we have any ice cream?”

I just walked out, didn’t answer and did 50 leg lifts while I organized a drawer.

Gotta love my 6 year old!

Learn great tricks to tone up while emptying the dishwasher!

I Totally HATE Emptying the Dishwasher!

I hate it so much that I’ve been known to let my dirty dishes in the sink pile up and there’s nothing worse than a sink full of dirty pots and pans AND a full dishwasher!

Sooo….

I turned emptying the dishwasher into a chore I can tolerate now that I’m getting something out of it – I’ve turned a negative into a positive!

In order to not be like Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout – who wouldn’t take the garbage out – I started doing this:

My 10 Minute Tush Routine that Really Works!

Emptying the Top Rack

• Create a staging area: Clean up your countertop a bit above the dishwasher to give your self a place to work. The idea is to break down your routine into controlled movements and empty the dishwasher in steps.
• Engage your core: Make sure that your back is straight, your head is pulled up, and your tummy is tight.
• Your hand work: Put one hand on the countertop for support and use the other hand to remove you dishes. As you take the cups and mugs out, instead of putting them away and coming back to the dishwasher to grab another one, take them all out and put them on the countertop staging area. In the process you can turn them right side up, allowing any remaining water to drip off. By staying in place near your dishwasher, you can work your legs while your hands are doing the unloading.
• Your leg work:  Kick your leg out, start with the left, or the right – who cares, just pick a leg -  and kick it out to the back gently 2-3 inches off the floor. Do 8-10 leg-lifts on each side and then repeat until you finish the task (or until you are ready to pass out). Keep in mind that if you are out of shape and you get wobbly, pause to breath and regroup. You don’t want to break your dishes doing this routine.  If you start to really feel a burn doing this move alternate with some additional moves below.

Additional moves to try:

• Side kicks: Try bringing your leg up and down 2-3  inches off the floor to your sides. You don’t need to kick the cabinets – these are small, controlled leg-lifts.  Remember to engage your tummy and pull up!
• Butt kicks: While you stand in front of the dishwasher just lift up the bottom part of your leg and try to kick yourself in the butt (literally) – not fast and not too hard.

Before you get to the bottom rack take the cups and quickly put them away. While I do this I try to keep in exercise mode, focusing on stretching my arms and legs while moving going back and forth. Thinking how would a ballerina do this really helps.

Emptying the Bottom Rack

Pretty much the same set up as the top rack. Use a staging area and engage your core letting your hands do the unloading while you work out your butt and thighs.

I do grand plies as I take all my dishes and put them on the countertop. When I put the dishes in the cupboard, I add in some calf raises for an added bonus.

If you have a removable silverware holder, remove it. If you don’t, take all your silverware and put it in a tumbler. As you do this get into a deep plie and pulse at the bottom, or squat. It really burns and is fab for making your tush tighter!

Now once you have collected all of the silverware in the tumbler, do the back and side leg kicks (the same as you did unloading the top rack) as you organize the silverware into the drawer.

Its not very complicated once you get the hang of it.

As crazy as this sounds, this routine really works! My butt got much tighter and my pants are much looser!

Let me know how it works for you!

-C-