Red White & Blue Fitness

I have had the pleasure of personally working with hundreds of busy moms over the course of my
fitness career.

WORKOUT? I don’t even have time to use the bathroom!
Mother’s are without a doubt the most selfless clients I have ever worked with, almost to a fault.
Honestly, I wish they would just be a little more selfish sometimes and give their personal
physical and mental health a bit more of a priority.

Many good mothers miss the boat when it comes to their fitness. In general, they tend to think
that it’s okay to put all of their personal ambitions aside for the good of their friends and family.
But in reality, moms are not as effective as they could be when deviating from a healthy lifestyle.
After all, a mom who doesn’t workout and doesn’t eat the right foods at the right times will not be
running on all cylinders.

Multi-Task Much?
In retrospect, I have identified the 5 anchors that tend to hold most moms back from getting the
better body they so desperately are seeking. Here they are, in no particular order:
Obstacle#1- Too Many Missed Meals- Especially Breakfast!

Many moms are simply on a roller coaster ride from dawn until dusk, dealing with the stresses of
parenting and/or challenging careers. Mornings can be especially difficult since there is often the
need to feverishly multi-task to get the kids and the husband fed and off to school. Not to mention
the fact that many busy moms today have to deal with their own demanding, high-stress jobs.

Set that alarm 5 minutes earlier and make it a point NEVER to miss breakfast!

So missing breakfast becomes a reality, often leading to a host of other missed meals and snacks
throughout the day. This leads to cataclysmal series of events that deprive your physique of lean,
toned body mass while simultaneously priming your body to overeat junk food later in the day and
store ugly, unwanted fat. Furthermore, this starvation protocol creates low levels of blood sugar
which zaps your energy and leaves your feeling foggy, irritated, and lethargic all day long.
Look- there’s always room for break fast, you just need to make the time! Better yet, plan and
prepare a breakfast high in lean protein and fiber in advance the night before to best ensure you
stay the course.
One solution that’s worked really well for our clients is called Prograde Lean. It’s a tasty meal replacement shake that contains a whopping 35 grams of protein and 8
grams of fiber. What’s the best part about it? It leaves NO room for excuses! All you need to do is
put 2 scoops in water, mix, and enjoy.
For more info, please click the link below:
Prograde Lean

Obstacle#2- Failing To Make The Daily Workout Appointment

This one is simple, yet oh so powerful. Think about it- moms never miss an appointment for their
kids. Why? Well yes, it’s because they love them, but more importantly, it’s because they love
their kids enough to religiously schedule their appointments!

Schedule your workouts and stick to them like they are a family obligation!
If you are a busy Mom who is serious about your fitness, then you absolutely need to take the
same approach with your workouts.
In addition, you need to be sure that you schedule in your daily workouts when you are most
likely to do them rather than when you prefer to do them. For example, I prefer to workout in the
afternoon, but with my very busy work schedule it’s best for me to get my workout done first thing
in the morning. This way the stresses of work never get in the way of my fitness.
In my experience, most Moms work best when doing their workouts either first thing in the
morning while the kids are still sleeping, or right after they drop their kids off from school. It seems
that too many unexpected obstacles come in the way of an afternoon or evening workout for the
typical mother. But, regardless of when the best time may be, just schedule it in and stick to it like
it’s a family commitment!

Obstacle#3- Too Much Mindless Munching In The Kitchen During The Day

I can’t tell you how many times I have had a Mom who as “been following the nutrition plan” with
limited success to later find out there were some extra eats and treats in the mix. It wasn’t that
they were being dishonest about it- rather most people don’t really comprehend how much they
actually put in their mouth every day.
Think about it- how many times do you see most people just mindlessly eat something during the
day. All of us do it and trust me, it can add up and fast!

Many moms spend LOTS of time in the kitchen around tasty food all day- and they eat a lot
more of it than they realize!

I know, I know- you have to sample the goods to know if it’s good. But, you need to understand
that the occasional taste test can sabotage your fat loss goals.

Furthermore, moms get into trouble with the frequent snacking practices of their children and it’s
tough to pass on food when it’s always in your face. A couple goldfish here, a couple goldfish
there, and before you know it you just killed the whole dam bag!

My advice is to guard your mouth with lock and key. Ask yourself every time you bring something
close to your lips the following question: “Will this help me burn fat and build muscle?”
If NO- put it down and go read a book

Obstacle#4- Too Much Cardio While Pushing a Stroller

Interval training burns nine times more body fat than long, slow, boring cardio. Aerobic training
burns calories but it simply doesn’t increase your metabolism like interval training does. And the
true power of interval training comes from the intensity of each work period.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love to see moms being active. It’s great to get outside and move with
your kids! However, we need to be honest about the fact that it’s not really feasible to train with
intensity while pushing a stroller. Fast arm movement is the key to getting your wheels moving
during sprints, so if you are pushing a stroller you’re losing out on some much needed speed to
maximize your results.

Honestly, how much intensity can your cardio workouts have when you are pushing a
stroller?

Furthermore, I don’t think it’s safe to perform sprints while pushing a stroller. I know that I
certainly wouldn’t trust my clumsy-self doing intervals with a baby’s safety literally in my hands.
So, get out and push a stroller, maybe even jog a little, but don’t think that you are getting
anywhere close to the same kind of benefit that you can get hands-free and in open space with
high-intensity intervals.

Obstacle#5- Too Many Glasses Of Wine In The Evening

Nobody wants to hear that a glass or two of wine at night is going to stop your fitness goals in its
tracks. But the reality of the matter is that alcohol has the double-edged sword of both paralyzing
the fat-burning process while simultaneously creating fat within the body. Plus alcohol tends to
lower inhibitions leading to the consumption of other junk food. Not good!

A couple glasses of wine per day is a your one-way ticket to cellulite city… sorry!

So I say “zip it” to all of those morons who say: “consuming several glasses of wine a day is
healthy because it has anti-oxidants and that keeps you from getting sick.” This is just a bunch of
babble from drunk doctors who are trying to convince themselves that it’s okay to drink regularly
and be healthy- but it’s not!

Fruit and veggies have more anti-oxidants and tons of other health benefits, so we just need to
cut the BS that wine is an integral part of a healthy diet.

Now, I want to be sensitive to those busy, hard-working moms who have a glass of wine at the
end of the day to unwind and take some of the load off of their shoulders because I get that. But I
also know there are other healthier ways to de-stress that don’t have such a negative effect on
your body composition. Such activities are stretching, foam rolling, taking a bath, reading a book,
etc.

So please remember- if you booze, you WON’T lose!

“Burn Twice the Fat in Half the Time!”
Nathan