Less Weight and Less Popular?

Funny man and actor Seth Rogen feels as though he is selling out and letting down his fans by losing weight for an upcoming role.



Are you a mom that has lost weight and has faced criticism for it from other moms and people that you know? How do you deal with it?

Or do you feel pangs of jealousy when you see that your friends are losing weight while you are struggling to do so? And if so, how do you deal with that?

Let us know!

The First Hot Mama

...I mean, First Lady, works out every day with her husband, President Obama, first thing in the morning. That is what the Commander in Chief told 60 minutes in an interview that aired on March 22, 2009. They typically work out at 7 am, after the girls have gone to school and then have breakfast afterwards.

Having a workout partner is a good idea. Whether you choose your husband, coworker, friend, neighbor, sister or dog, a workout buddy will hold you accountable and help to motivate you to stick to your program. You are not likely to skip your morning jog if you know that your best friend is waiting for you at the corner.

Are you new in town or don't know how to find a workout partner? Try going to sites like Meetup or Craigslist (I personally believe that you can find anything your heart desires on Craigslist) to find a workout partner or group.

I recommend that everyone have a group or buddy that will help keep up your motivation.

The Expectant Yogi

Yoga has a lot of benefits for expectant mothers. But what if you have never done yoga before? Read my article "The Expectant Yogi" to find out the benefits that yoga has for both veteran and newbie yogis.

What's on TV?

Are you still having trouble finding time to workout? Here is a suggestion: do your exercise during the commercials of your favorite shows! While you are watching America's Next Top Model, Top Chef or Bridget's Sexiest Beaches (oh, don't act like you don't watch one of these shows...), you can do plank during one break, opposite arm/opposite leg during the next, jumping jacks during the following break, etc. This amount of exercise will add up and is good if you didn't get a chance to hit the gym that day.

Speaking of TV, many gyms now have tvs attached to their cardio machines now. So if you find doing 30 minutes on the elliptical mind-numbing,trying going to the gym during American Idol and see how fast 30 minutes goes by!

Go Low!

A few weeks ago, I talked about doing plank and how it is the single most important exercise to do. Plank is good for strengthening the transverse abdominal muscles. It is also very important to strengthen the muscles of the lower back, which oppose the abdominal muscles.

Expectant mothers often complain of lower back pain as a result of carrying a little extra weight and a shift in their center of gravity. New mothers will also often deal with lower back pain from having to lift heavy children, car seats, strollers, etc.

*Warning to new parents: make sure that the handles of your stroller are set to the right height for you. If the handles are too low, you will have to walk bent over to reach them, which causes lower back pain.

Most people don't realize this, but strengthening the lower back is often the best thing to do to prevent or get rid of lower back pain. When your lower back muscles are strong, they can handle weight gain, a shift in the center of gravity, and heavy lifting better.

Here is a simple exercise that you can do at home that will make the lower back stronger. It is called opposite arm/opposite leg:

1. Start on all fours with the wrists underneath the shoulders and the knees underneath the hips. The knees should not touch.

2. Engage the abdominal muscles.

3. Lift the right arm and the left leg and concentrate on squeezing the lower back muscles. Make sure your hips stay square to the ground.

4. Lower down (make sure the wrist is under the shoulder and the knee is under the hip).

5. Lift the left arm and the right leg and concentrate on squeezing the lower back muscles.

6. Repeat to do 12 on each side. Take a break and do 1 or 2 more sets.

You can do this exercise 3-4 times per week.

When you are done, stretch the lower back by doing cat and cow

Your children can even do this exercise with you!

Mom-Preneurs

This is a good article on Mom Entrepreneurs.

Marcia Cross Has No Time For Workouts

I wonder what moms think about Marcia Cross's comments.

I, of course, do not like this message....