It was one of those weekends, you know the kind, where you have a whole lot of cool stuff planned with the kids and friends and it all just lines up beautifully.

Except it didn’t turn out that way.

Small Darling had a sore foot, so we missed my gorgeous artist friend’s stall at a night market. Instead we had our traditional Friday Dinner & Movie Night that we’d missed for a few weeks.

Lovely Partner planned on playing cards with friends on Saturday night and that fell through so we all headed into town to see the Infinity Swing and Noodle Night Markets at Fed Square. Also a lot of fun but I could tell LP was upset that his original plans didn’t work out.

There was some grumpy energy in the mix as people came to terms with not getting what they wanted and frustrations were close to the surface. 10 year old boys also seem to have little concept of people around them or consequences and I found myself in Grumpy Mummy Mode, saying to SD “That’s it, no dessert for you. You know better than that! What were you thinking?” (He was tipping water over the edge of a balcony where people could have walked through & been soaked).

Kids can be great at expressing how they feel and don’t always have the ability to regulate their emotions but then again, the same applies to us grown-ups too.

At one point in the evening I caught myself thinking “why did I bother? SD is behaving badly, LP doesn’t really want to be here” and I paused. I took a deep breath and realised I also had some unmet expectations about how this weekend was panning out.

I expected my child to be grateful for the excursion and my partner to be delighted that he got to spend the evening with me. Usually both of these things are true; my son often thanks me for the fun stuff we do together and my partner does enjoy spending time with me.

So none of us got exactly what we wanted or what we had planned for.

What we did get instead was an unexpected adventure together & we each learned more about ourselves & how we react when people or situations are not as we would have them be. That’s a weekend of winning in my book.

Chicken & Spuds a’la Hobbs

My beautiful friend Shellee Hobbs gave me this recipe, it’s easy and delicious.
It doesn’t take too much effort & is such a hearty winter warmer or dinner party hit that feels like you went to So Much Trouble!

Ingredients:

6-8 chicken thighs, skin on
3 red capsicums
5 red onions
2 heads of garlic, separated & skin on
Dried & fresh thyme

Method:

Marinate chicken in a few teaspoons of dried thyme, olive oil, salt flakes & pepper
(I use a large ziplock bag to smoosh all the ingredients together to coat the chicken)

Part boil the spuds till they start to split.
Chop up capsicums & onions into wedges.

Drain spuds & once cool enough to squish with your hands, throw in a bit of butter & salt.

Place spuds in a roasting pan, chuck in capsicum, onion & garlic.
Drizzle with oil and place chicken & fresh thyme on top.

Bake at 200 degrees for an hour, drizzling pan juices over the top halfway through.
Serve with steamed greens & enjoy!

Health & Fitness Strategies for New Mums

When you’re a new mum with a baby to take care of, feeling sleep deprived, with no energy and no time to recharge, making time for you can seem overwhelming.

Whether you were fit and active before your baby, or just feeling like you need to move more and do something for yourself, there are safe, gentle ways you can take care of your health and fitness.

Regular exercise has many benefits for your mind as well as your body.

The two main factors affecting what kind and how much exercise you can fit in are time and energy, neither of which are necessarily under your control as a new mum.

Paying attention to your energy levels is important in determining what exercise you can do on a given day.

Depending on your child’s age, there are many different ways to include them in your health and fitness routine.

*  Incorporate exercise into your daily routine and take a regular walk with baby in the pram.

*     Most babies & toddlers love being lifted up and down and squats are a terrific strengthening exercise - do them while holding your baby for a play and exercise combination.

*     Toddlers are naturally active so a game of chasey or hide and seek at the park is an activity you’ll both enjoy, and especially good before nap time.

*     Look for a local fitness class specifically for new mums, where you can exercise in a safe, supportive environment. Meeting other mums in your area is a great way to meet other women who understand where you’re at.

*     Fitness classes that offer strength and conditioning rather than just a straight cardio workout give you the most value for your precious exercise time – look for local groups that welcome babies & toddlers.

*     Obviously, if you’ve been up all night with an unsettled baby, a heavy weight-lifting session is not recommended but a 30 minute walk around your neighbourhood WILL give you an energy boost.

*     Make sure you’re eating good, healthy food, especially if you’re breastfeeding; you deserve every opportunity to feel as good as you can when so much of your energy is devoted to caring for the needs of another human being.

*     Remind yourself regularly that you’re doing your best, listen to your body and know that sometimes rest is the best health gift you can give yourself.

*   Start slow, do what you CAN do and start to notice how good you feel.

Kim Watson is strength & conditioning coach, health consultant, busy mum and the owner of MET Fitness.

MET Fitness provides Exercise for New Mums and Group Fitness for Busy Mums, helping you feel good, look good and have MORE energy.

Contact kim@metfitness.com to find out how you can get moving safely.

Body Composition and Fat Loss

 

Most people who start personal training list one of their goals as "weight loss"; this can be achieved in several ways, not all of them healthy.

You can lose lean muscle, fluid or even lop off a limb to "lose weight", but what you really want to do is lose body fat; this is where body composotion is important.

Body composition refers to the amount of body fat you carry versus everything else that isn't fat, like lean muscle, organs & body fluids.

A healthy body fat percentage for women is between 18% and 28%, for men it is 10% - 18% and knowing your body composition allows you eat well to maintain your lean body weight and improve your body's fat burning potential.

The data below explains the difference between two people who 'weigh' the same, but with different body composition and activity levels:

Person A 
Body weight 60kg
Body fat 10%
Fat weight 6kg
Lean weight 54kg
BMR* 1500cal
Activity 1000cal
Total 2500cal

Person B
Body weight 60kg
Body fat% 30%
Fat weight 18kg 
Lean weight 42kg
BMR* 1000cal
Activity 200cal
Total 1200cal

*Basal Metabolic Rate (how many calories you burn just keeping your body going) + Activity = Total calories needed to maintain your current weight.

So you can see that despite weighing the same number, the body composition (lean weight vs fat) of Person A allows them to consume more than twice the number of calories as Person B, and given their body fat %, it's a safe bet that more of their intake is nutrient rich food.

I advise all of my clients with fat-loss goals to get their body burning body fat reserves as fuel while building and maintaining lean muscle; the same amount of muscle weighs more than fat, so they may not initially see a drastic reduction on the scales, but you will see and feel your clothes getting larger without feeling deprived of tasty & nutritious foods.

Eating lean protein and as many vegetables as you can with every meal, avoiding processed foods and getting in 30 minutes of cardiovascular work each day, as well as 3 - 4weekly weight sessions will see you gradually and safely reaching your goal.