How to Keep Mommy Healthy – 12 Tips from TV Host Nina Sutton

It seems there is never enough time to work out when you have kids, and eating healthy is always a challenge when you’re on the run. But there are easy ways to do both and today TV host, beauty expert, mom and author of The Chic Mom’ Guide to Feeling Fabulous Nina Sutton (www.NinaSutton.com) gives tips on how to stay healthy inside and out.

Staying Fit

1. Power Walks – Sutton swears by her Skechers Shape- Ups shoes because they provide an uneven surface which causes you to suck in your core and stand up straight. She said if you put your kids in the stroller, the older ones on their scooters or bikes, you can get a great work out, in shorter time and you’ll feel it the next day for sure.
2. Exercise Machine – Even if you have to get up extra early, a few minutes on a fold-up treadmill can make a difference. You can look for used equipment online like Craigslist or Ebay but if that’s too expensive…
3. Exercise Videos – either DVD or online. Sutton recommends the 10 Minute Solutions DVDs. You can do them in 10-minute increments up to 50-60 minutes on each DVD, if you get that much time. She also likes the website exercisetv.tv which offers all kinds of free online classes for yoga, Pilates, stretching, cardio, weight training and more.  You can find some that are only 1-3 minutes long. If you do that 3-5 times a day, you’ve sneaked in 15 minutes of exercise.
4. Hit the Gym – when deciding where to join, look for a gym that has a Kid’s Club. She says most gyms have a two-hour limit for your kids to stay in their care, which is plenty of time to work out AND take the ever-important shower – or even a steam.
5. Get out with the Kids – as the kids get older, let them take their bikes or scooters and you walk or run with them. Then you all get to burn off some calories.
6. The Bar Method™ – Started by Burr Leonard, this is a combination of Pilates, weights, yoga and ballet. Suttons says there is almost nothing better for “core reduction” – or getting rid of that pooch. It’s not high-impact either. It strengthens and lengthens muscles. Plus, she says, it’s very popular with celebrities such as Drew Barrymore and Kelly Osbourne.  Studios are located in 11 states and Canada or you can buy the DVDs online.
7. Get Creative – Put the baby in a Baby Bjorn and take a walk, do some lunges, do a video with the extra weight of the baby helping with the burn. Even vacuuming – it is a great workout and the back-and-forth and the noise may put the baby to sleep. Make sure your baby is old enough to put in the baby carrier – check with your pediatrician.

Sutton says we were not meant to be sedentary; we used to hunt and gather to survive. So a little simple discipline about exercising will help you shape up. The same principle applies to what you put in your body.

Eating Healthy

1. Grab and Go bags – take 15 minutes at the beginning of the week and create zip-lock bags of apple slices, baby carrots, or cheese cubes and keep them in the refrigerator. When you are running out the door grab one or two of these bags so you won’t grab the cheese crackers or bag of chips once you’re out and hungry.
2. Take your Vitamins – Besides a daily multi-vitamin, Sutton recommends taking Omega 3 (fish oil) in pill form for the fatty acids. It not only improves your skin but also your memory. Also, because of the sunscreen we wear now, we don’t always get the Vitamin D we need so she says take extra supplements for that too. Of course, she recommends speaking to your doctor about what you, specifically, should be taking.
3. Drink 8 Glasses of Water – this is a cardinal rule but she also recommends part of that be green tea for the health benefits associated with drinking this.
4. Super Nutrition Simply One Woman – this multi-vitamin, available at Whole Foods and online, is filled with all kinds of beneficial elements such as green foods like Spirulina and herbs like Milk Thistle.
5. Detox Drinks – Sutton recommends drinking warm lemon water for detoxing your body. Also, a teaspoon of organic Apple Cider Vinegar, cold-pressed and unprocessed, in 8 ounces of water each day helps fight cellulite.

Put all this together – the exercise and the nutrition tips – and you will start feeling better and getting healthier. Not only does this give you more energy, sleep better at night and need less “pick-me-ups” like caffeine and sugar, but it sets a great example for the rest of your family too. You’re encouraging everyone in the house to be healthier, and ultimately happier.