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Tid Bits of Information I Wish I Would Have Learned Sooner---

1. Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster. 2. Store your opened chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. It will stay fresh much longer and not mold! 3. Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking. 4. Add a teaspoon of water when frying ground beef. It will help pull the grease away from the meat while cooking. 5. To really make scrambled eggs or omelets rich add a couple of spoonfuls of sour cream, cream cheese, or heavy cream in and then beat them up. 6. For a cool brownie treat, make brownies as directed. Melt Andes mints in double broiler and pour over warm brownies. Let set for a wonderful minty frosting. 7. Add garlic immediately to a recipe if you want a light taste of garlic and at the end of the recipe if your want a stronger taste of garlic. 8. Leftover snickers bars from Halloween make a delicious dessert. Simply chop them up with the food chopper. Peel, core and slice a few apples. Place them in a baking dish and sprinkle the chopped candy bars over the apples. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes!!! Serve alone or with vanilla ice cream. Yummm! 9. Reheat Pizza Heat up leftover pizza in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove, set heat to med-low and heat till warm. This keeps the crust crispy. No soggy micro pizza. I saw this on the cooking channel and it really works. 10. Easy Deviled Eggs Put cooked egg yolks in a zip lock bag. Seal, mash till they are all broken up. Add remainder of ingredients, reseal, keep mashing it up mixing thoroughly, cut the tip of the baggy, squeeze mixture into egg. Just throw bag away when done easy clean up. 11. Expanding Frosting When you buy a container of cake frosting from the store, whip it with your mixer for a few minutes. You can double it in size. You get to frost more cake/cupcakes with the same amount. You also eat less sugar and calories per serving. 12. Reheating refrigerated bread To warm biscuits, pancakes, or muffins that were refrigerated, place them in a microwave with a cup of water. The increased moisture will keep the food moist and help it reheat faster. 13. Newspaper weeds away Start putting in your plants, work the nutrients in your soil. Wet newspapers, put layers around the plants overlapping as you go. Cover with mulch and forget about weeds. Weeds will get through some gardening plastic they will not get through wet newspapers. 14. Broken Glass Use a wet cotton ball or Q-tip to pick up the small shards of glass you can't see easily. 15. No More Mosquitoes Place a dryer sheet in your pocket. It will keep the mosquitoes away. 16. Squirrel Away! To keep squirrels from eating your plants, sprinkle your plants with cayenne pepper. The cayenne pepper doesn't hurt the plant and the squirrels won't come near it. 17. Flexible vacuum To get something out of a heat register or under the fridge add an empty paper towel roll or empty gift wrap roll to your vacuum. It can be bent or flattened to get in narrow openings. 18. Reducing Static Cling Pin a small safety pin to the seam of your slip and you will not have a clingy skirt or dress. Same thing works with slacks that cling when wearing panty hose. Place pin in seam of slacks and ... guess what! ... static is gone. 19. Measuring Cups Before you pour sticky substances into a measuring cup, fill with hot water. Dump out the hot water, but don't dry cup. Next, add your ingredient, such as peanut butter, and watch how easily it comes right out. (Or spray the measuring cup or spoon with Pam before using) 20. Foggy Windshield? Hate foggy windshields? Buy a chalkboard eraser and keep it in the glove box of your car When the windows fog, rub with the eraser! Works better than a cloth! 21. Re-opening envelopes If you seal an envelope and then realize you forgot to include something inside, just place your sealed envelope in the freezer for an hour or two. Viola! It unseals easily. 22. Conditioner Use your hair conditioner to shave your legs. It's cheaper than shaving cream and leaves your legs really smooth. It's also a great way to use up the conditioner you bought but didn't like when you tried it in your hair. 23. Goodbye Fruit Flies To get rid of pesky fruit flies, take a small glass, fill it 1/2' with Apple Cider Vinegar and 2 drops of dish washing liquid; mix well. You will find those flies drawn to the cup and gone forever! 24. Get Rid of Ants Put small piles of cornmeal where you see ants. They eat it, take it 'home,' can't digest it so it kills them. It may take a week or so, especially if it rains, but it works and you don't have the worry about pets or small children being harmed! 25. Dryer Filter Even if you are very diligent about cleaning the lint filter in your dryer it still may be causing you a problem. If you use dryer sheets a waxy build up could be accumulating on the filter causing your dryer to over heat. The solution to this is to clean your filter with with a toothbrush and hot soapy water every 6 months.

Dodging Competition...

When I consider school stress, I immediately imagine the chaotic rush in the last 10 minutes getting out the door. Shoes, book bags, gloves, coats, sweaters, realization(s) that there is an urgent need to use the bathroom...all of this flying in every direction, coming from both of my children. And then, after seeing my little-one off to school, I stand there in shock, possibly wearing mis-matching shoes and maybe a bra, asking myself "what just happened?" --Every day.

Planning helps and is the only relief I have. I take comfort in setting-up school outfits, out door apparel, packing book bags, setting my alarm clock early, and anticipating lunches. -Every night.

But yet, it is a daily effort getting out the door early in the morning.

Once after being questioned on early morning routines, I mustered up the courage to confide this information to a fellow playground mom, who frequently boasted how perfect things were. Maybe she had advice, right? She had asked the question and I had provided her with an honest answer. Big mistake. My line of questioning was not followed with helpful advice, but rather judgment that was quite snide. Lesson learned? Never point out your short comings to boastful, slightly competitive mothers...never.

I had experienced my fair share of mother's competitively questioning me on issues like: birthing, breastfeeding, sleeping through the night, potty training, transitioning to solid foods, teething, budgeting, laundry, first words...the list goes on. These situations felt like landmines exploding. And with practice, I would dodge these encounters, but this one got me. And it hurt.

After I arrived home, I'll admit I cried. I cried a lot -like a toddler informed (s)he could not take their cash register into the bathtub. I thought to myself, "I am trying so hard, so very hard. Balancing a small business and a family is not easy, sometimes I just need a little help **when solicited. After pulling myself together, I vowed to avoid this woman and any possible negative encounters. It did not work...

Sometime later I saw this same woman un-packing her car, late for preschool school drop-off. Ah-ha! I recognized this look, it was the mis-matched shoes, no bra, "what is happening?' look. Victory alas!

I stepped up and held her 16 week old, while she grabbed her sons and rushed them to the school door -all while, me running behind her, reminding her I still had her baby. We had a good laugh and it reassured me none of us are perfect, and to be honest, we are all in it together. Just trying our best.

Why Do We Store Fat Over Our Bellies? And How Do We Ensure Our Exercise Routine is Targeting Excess Fat?

Believe it or not...most of my ah-ha moments happened in College Biology and Chemistry! Yet, studying the basic bio-chemistry of the body makes one aware of how complicated the body can be! Belly heart Especially when discussing a diverse group of hydrophobic molecules called lipids or...Fat! Why are these molecules so darn difficult to get rid of?  According to the basic principles of biology: they are insoluble in water and therefore not excreted easily. Why have we evolved to retain them?!  I know the negative connotation...what use are they?! Fat molecules are excellent storehouses for energy. It is truly amazing how much energy a tiny gram of fat can store. When metabolized they release 9 cal/g -more than twice the energy from the same mass of carbohydrate or protein. Above and beyond energy storage, we need fats for many reasons...such as insulation and protection of our VITAL ORGANS. Where does our genius body store this energy, insulation and protection?  Typically, over our precious organs...hence our sometimes distended bellies. How does one work to metabolize -or get rid of- excessive fat? Good old fashioned basics...balancing a HEALTHY diet (energy in) and exercise/activity/movement (energy out). How to target belly fat during your workout: 1) Ensure you have enough water in your blood to help break-down this excess fat 2) Ensure your heart rate is sufficient to circulate this excessive fat out of your belly and into your excretory area (poop and urine). Determining your target heart rate can help! Below is the "How-To!" Calculating your Target Heart Rate Step-by-Step: 1) Determine your Resting Heart Rate (RHR): After 4 or more consecutive hours of rest, take your pulse for 10 seconds. Multiply your beats-per-10-second by 6. 10 beats per second X 6 = 60 RHR 2) Calculate your Maximum Heart Rate by subtracting your age from 220 (220-29 yrs = 191 MHR ). 3) Determine your Low Heart Rate Range by subtracting your RHR from your MHR, multiplying the result to .50. Then, adding your last result to your RHR. (191-60 = 131 HRR/Heart Rate Reserve; 131 *.50 = 66; 66+60 = 126 Beats Per Minute). 4) Determine your High Heart Rate Range by subtracting your RHR from your MHR, multiplying the result to .85. Then adding your last result to your RHR. (191-60 = 131 Heart Rate Reserve/HRR; 131 * .85 = 111; 111 + 60 = 171 Beats Per Minute). 5) Put it all together! Warm up until your heart rate is the result of your HRR. Next, begin your workout and exercise while your heart beats between the result of step 3 and no higher than the result of step In review: I (Annie) Am 29 years old and have a resting heart rate of 60 beats per minute after take my pulse first "thing" in the morning. 220-29 = 191 Maximum Heart Rate; 191 MHR -60 BPM = 131 HRR; 131 * .50 = 66; 66 + 60 = 126 beats per minute. 131 * .85 = 111; 111 + 60 = 171 beats per minute. Therefore, I should warm-up until my heart rate is 131 beats per minute (by walking and dynamic stretching) and then continue to exercise for 30 minutes (running/biking/elliptical-ing) while my heart rate is between 126-171 beats per minute. Then cool down (walking) until my heart rate is 126 beats per minute. If you are still wondering, bring your resting heart rate number into a Stroller Moves Class (email: info@bellabelleis.com) and we will determine the values together. Or check out these websites: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/target-heart-rate/SM00083 http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/PhysicalActivity/Target-Heart-RatesUCM434341_Article.jsp As a personal trainer, I recommend monitoring your heart rate with OMRON or Polar Product (such as the Polar FS1 Heart Rate Monitor Watch) which measures your pulse over your midsection.... Personally, I have had the most positive results using these monitors with clients.

Get Your Belly Back with this Momilates Exercise!

 

Name of Exercise: Pelvic Tilts with Knee Bends and Heel Taps

Targeted Muscles:

Core! -Especially your Transverse Abdominus (which acts like a corset to tighten your belly)
Pelvic Floor Muscles
Inner Thigh Muscles

Set-Up:

Sit upright on the floor and extend legs in front of you
Flex feet so toes are pointed up and only the heel of the foot is against the floor
Slightly bend both knees
Legs and feet touching; inner thighs pressed together
Depending on baby's strength either place baby on-top of your knees, over your pubic bone or (for better head support) lying against your chest.
Continue to hold onto baby

Action:

Engage your pelvic floor by tightening the same muscles you use to stop the flow of urination.
Maintain the pelvic floor connection and...
Shift into a "Pelvic Tilt" by pulling the pubic bone toward the navel (imagine turning a wheel under)
 Maintain the pelvic tilt and the pelvic floor connection and...
Shift the weight of your upper body back, until your feel your core beginning to struggle to stabilize you.
Pause here and alternate heel taps (beginner) and/ or knee bends (intermediate/advance)

Include Baby:

Refer to set-up above
Holding onto baby to ensure his/her safety move to the beat of the following verse:
"Bend and Straighten" (alternate bending the knees)
"Bend and Straighten" (alternate bending the knees)
"Tap, Tap, Tap" (alternate tapping the heel of your foot against the floor)
"Tap, Tap, Tap" (alternate tapping the heel of your foot against the floor)

Good 10 minute video on conscious parenting

Parental Evolution...a must watch video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMPQ2WUD2k&feature=playerdetailpage