PiYo = Love

I am a self professed PiYo nerd.  After the baby was born, I hit a plateau. I had terrible Postpartum Depression, and Baby B had terrible reflux so I was getting absolutely no sleep. And as we all know, no sleep leads to no energy, which leads to no working out.  I was miserable.  After crying for a few days (weeks) over my body I started going for walks and jogs with the baby in the stroller.  I knew I needed more though, and so contacted my friend Gabriella Harrison who is also a Beachbody Coach, letting her know I wanted to check out PiYo, which I had heard her talk about on her coach Facebook page.  She hooked me up with the challenge pack, which included the PiYo workout series and Shakeology.

 I had done Shakeology before, but had gotten off the wagon for various reasons during the previous year.

Within a week of drinking Shakeology every morning on my way to classes, and fitting in PiYo after the baby went to bed, I started feeling better.  Within two weeks I started seeing some definition in my waist and thighs.  Within a month, my pre-pregnancy clothes were starting to be less tight, and I didn't want to cry or kill myself every time I put on a pair of pants.  Combined with walking 2-4 miles to and from classes each day, and not having time to eat because of studying and a demanding baby, I dropped about 12 lbs.  Then life got in the way, and my workouts dwindled.  I could tell a difference in how I felt emotionally, and how my clothes felt.  But, the great thing about PiYo is that is comes with a workout schedule so if you fall off track you can always pick back up in the program where you left off, or start the program back over.

The program is so easy to follow; a mix of yoga and pilates (hence, PiYo) and is challenging enough that you can always work on your form and moving up to a new level instead of just going through the motions over and over and over.  Rarely do I get bored with this program, even with starting it over.

If you are interested, you can either head on over to www.beachbody.com, or contact me to help set you up with a program!

Beachboy Challenge Pack

Why I Let My Baby Get Dirty

There's a lot that can make you sick these days: environmental pollutants, germs mutating into stronger genes that take even stronger doses of medicine to get rid of, allergens that seem to be becoming more serious with each generation....it's enough to make your head swim.  Many people these days overcompensate for the germs and pollutants by assuming that if you are absolutely germ-free and full of medicine then nothing will be able to hurt you. Makes sense right?  Well, not entirely. While western medicine definitely has its place, the human body was designed to fight off illness and have an immune system in place that would adapt as needed.  No, we are not superhuman and are impervious to any and all disease or infection, but to assume that our bodies are so frail that we must live in a bubble is just a waste of time and energy.

I'm assuming you are all educated people, but for those who live under a rock or in their beautiful plastic bubble, here's the Barney style of it:  For the immune system to properly function and protect a body, it must be introduced to a variety of germs, allergens and pollutants.  No, do not take your kid to the nuclear plant.  No, do not keep them around someone with the bubonic plague.  However, the mild germs that are in dirt, plants, and on household animals are a great way to build up the immune system and allow it to start maturing, so that it can handle stronger germs and allergens, viruses and such.

     

  Allowing your baby to play with the animals and get their hands and feet dirty is a great way to do this.  Our dog loves to lick baby B's face, although it annoys him so we try to limit it. The cat loves to lick his head for some reason.  And we allow it.  We've let B play in the grass and feel the leaves on plants and trees, literally since his 5th day earthside.  Not only is it sensory and engaging his brain, but it's helping to make him healthy since his immune system can start working.

Now, before anyone gets their panties in a twist, we do not leave our kid dirty and grimy.  He gets a bath every single night.  We wipe his face and hands after he plays or eats.  And although we do not blindly follow the CDC when it comes to vaccinations, we have chosen what we feel to be the most important ones.  And he has only had one cold thus far, and one ear infection which was brought about by his reflux.  Obviously he's going to get sick every now and then, and it's always possible that he will end up with a disease, God forbid.  But by allowing him to play and get dirty, this incredibly important exposure to his environment will help build up his natural defenses, and hopefully help minimize future illnesses.  The germs are good.



Embrace the good germs, people.  Embrace!

Brooke is not currently amused by baby B sitting on her to catch her tail!