Moms are a special breed. They do it all, and then some more, and rarely complain and hardly ever ask for anything in return. What happens in all of this psuedo-superwoman-esque-ness is that they give up a lot of themselves in order to care for a household, the children in it, the spouse, and the hundred other people and things that demand their attention each day.
Alison Sweeney is one of those moms. She has two kids, two jobs, an adoring husband, and, let’s be honest, what from the outside appears to be a pretty fabulous life. But brass tacks, she’s still a mom trying to do everything she can to maintain and manage. So, she wrote The Mommy Diet.
The book is supposed to help all these superwomen do it all AND do some for themselves, too. It’s all about getting fit and staying that way before, during and after pregnancy… even if it’s several years after.
I had a chance to speak with Alison about her new book, during a break from Biggest Loser 10 finale rehearsals. She’s excited about the book, and should be, because there’s a lot of information in there women… moms… need to hear.
The ultimate test in fitness isn’t so much a scale number as it is the way you fit in your jeans. So just two weeks after having my first baby this past spring I had a crazy moment and decided to slip into the jeans that had fit perfectly just nine months prior. No go. Disappointed? Of course. But it only fueled my already lit fire to get back in shape. While I’m really proud of the progress I’ve made in the past 5.5 months – the jeans fit and I recently completed my first half-marathon - there’s still work to do.
Fast forward to a recent date night with my husband and I, of course, wanted to look my best. All the new-mom doubt about how I look turned on as soon as I slid the jeans on. They fit, but not how I’d like. So on this night, I decided to try my new Biggest Loser Body shaping capri. They’re Biggest Loser‘s version of Spanx – an elastic capri pant that seamlessly slides under your clothes to present a more smooth figure.
I’ve done the Spanx thing under slim-fitting dresses before, but never under pants. I was thrilled when the top I was wearing seemed to go from frump to fab. That extra “whatever” around my middle seemed to disappear. Best of all, I was comfortable!
I didn’t give the capri a second thought the rest of the night, and even scored a compliment from the hubs! Although, once back home, it totally had the “stuffed bra after a date” affect. Read Full Post >
We watch and marvel as celebrities seem to get pregnant, have babies, and walk a red carpet (what feels like) days or weeks later looking better than ever. But once in a while, in what feels like a “They’re Just Like Us” segment from Us Weekly, a star comes along who seems to face the same battles as the rest of us, one being Alison Sweeney.
She’s a working mom juggling not one but two jobs, as the beloved host of The Biggest Loser and on the long-running soap Days of Our Lives, while caring for her two young children, Ben and Megan. Alison announced her second pregnancy during the show’s sixth season. As if all eyes weren’t on her anyway, being the host of a weight loss show we were curious to see how she’d bounce back. And now, she’s showing us exactly how she maintained healthy pregnancy and healthy postpartum routines. Her first book, The Mommy Diet, releases December 2010 and is sure to become a favorite of mommies everywhere. Read Full Post >
Doing yoga after giving birth is not just a great way to get back in shape, it can also help new moms deal with the pressures and stress of caring for a newborn infant.
In fact, many of Hollywood’s fittest moms credit yoga to helping them reclaim their pre-baby body. For some, they even attest to yoga helping them develop a leaner and stronger physique than before they were pregnant.
Here is what you need to know about yoga for postpartum:
Benefits
From sleepless nights to a sagging baby belly, the last thing that many new moms want to do is perform physical exercise. But yoga, with its amazing ability to tone the body and ease the mind, can provide enormous benefits to a young mom. Even just a few minutes can rev up the heart, tighten soft abdominal muscles and bring a sense of energy and vitality to a woman who has just given birth.
Plus, since all you need for yoga is a few quiet minutes and a yoga mat, it can be done while your new baby sleeps or kicks around in his or her bouncy seat. With its ability to help women lose weight and tone up while keeping stress down, yoga may offer benefits in helping prevent the symptoms of postpartum depression.
Like many women, Gwyneth Paltrow found losing weight more difficult after her second child than after her first. “After my first pregnancy, the weight had come off a little bit better but after the second one it was really stubborn. It was really hanging on,” the 37-year-old told The Press Association. She gave birth to her second child, Moses, in 2006, and found getting back to her ideal figure difficult. “It was not easy and, when I started it, it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done – but I really was seeing results so it motivated me to just work through it.”
Paltrow is planning on releasing a cookbook titled, My Father’s Daughter, in memory of her dad. But she didn’t let her love of good food get in the way of a healthy diet and fit body.
Paltrow enlisted the help of personal trainer Tracy Anderson to lose the baby weight. The actress insisted that her achievement is something everyone can do, “every woman can make time – every woman – and you can do it with your baby in the room.” Paltrow didn’t let her workout get in the way of spending time with her children. “There’ve been countless times where I’ve worked out with my kids crawling around all over the place. You just make it work, and if it’s important to you, it’ll be important to them.”
