Secret 1: Smart Foods
Choosing the right foods has a huge impact.
Here are the top five from Ann Louise Gittleman,, Ph.D., C.N.S., best-selling author of 30 books including “Super Nutrition for Women” and “The Fat Flush Plan.”
1. Flaxseeds. They keep body and brain youthful. “You don’t need a lot -- they’re pretty potent little gems,” Gittleman says. “Two tablespoons keep breast cancer at bay.”
2. Organic apple cider vinegar. If flaxseeds are nutritional gems, this is weight loss gold. It slows carbohydrate absorption, boosts calcium absorption and helps digestion. Use 2 teaspoons in salad dressing.
3. Unprocessed whey protein. Its amino acids protect the liver, needed after age 35 because we have extra hormones to metabolize.
4. Hey old egg – welcome back! Actually you want new and improved omega-3 eggs. They’re good for eye health and boosting brain power.
5. Cranberries. These treasures help prevent pesky urinary tract infections and have a digestive enzyme that helps us lose cellulite.
Secret 2: Intelligent exercise
To avoid Spanx, we definitely need to work out. But if you’re like me, you don’t have tons of time.
Here’s what Jennifer Nicole Lee, Fabulously Fit Moms DVD series star, recommends:
1. Choose weight training over cardio if you only have 20 minutes.
2. Invest in a jump rope. “It’s portable, lightweight and you can do it anywhere,” she says. “Plus you will burn more calories in 10 minutes than if you ran for an entire hour.”
3. Do moves that multitask by working your upper and lower body at the same time. For example, do bicep curls and squats together.
4. Fit workouts into your day whenever you can.
Don’t despair if your workouts are like some of mine: playing tag with the kids, keeping track of steps on a pedometer (try for 10,000 steps a day) or dancing when doing laundry, says David K. Spierer, Ed.D, assistant professor in the Division of Sports Sciences at Long Island University’s Brooklyn Campus.
Any exercise brings benefits, Spierer says, as long as you do it in at least 10 minute chunks and exercise consistently.
“If it’s not consistent then you can throw it out of the window,” Spierer says. “All of the benefits …don’t come into play unless it’s consistent.”
Secret 3: De-stress with yoga
Another multitasking exercise is Yoga, Spierer says.
It helps the body’s immune system and lengthens and strengthens muscles. It also improves posture, instantly making you look slimmer and younger, says new mom Michelle Trantina, 37, co-founder of www.myyogaonline.com.
I appreciate yoga because it helps me deal with stress that comes from creative sons (why DO they need to tape each other to the wall?) and my packed schedule.
Trantina says moms who don’t counter stress suffer lower immunity and depleted energy. In fact, studies show chronic stress actually ages us by damaging our DNA.
“It refreshes not only your body but also your mind,” Trantina said. “It will tighten your bum … but it also has huge mental, emotional benefits.”
Secret 4: Get your ZZZZs
The need for beauty sleep is real – it repairs and restores our body’s systems -- but when my brain is racking up tomorrow’s to-do list it’s hard to nod off.
It’s bad to lay there with a spinning brain, says Dr. Lisa Shives, MD, medical director of Northshore Sleep Medicine in Evanston, Illinois.
Women with poor sleep are more likely to be overweight and have diabetes – not to mention be sluggish and crabby, she says.
“The immune system does not function properly after one night of sleep deprivation,” Shives says.
Fortunately, our grandmothers’ wisdom is true.
1. Take a hot bath to relax.
2. Sleep in a cool room.
3. Have some turkey (it works due to its tryptophan) or cheese or milk (it doesn’t have to be hot).
Sound machines and relaxation techniques can work, too, Shives says.
Here’s another good one – train your kids to sleep through the night. After about a year, I got smart and convinced my youngest that 4 a.m. is not when we get up.
Secret 5: Skin care
I really, really hate to say this, but our sun-shy grandmothers were right again.
Some 80 percent of the damage, including wrinkles, associated with aging is caused by that orb.
That means we need daily sunscreen with both UVA and UVB protection – even in winter when it’s cold, wet and rainy, says dermatologist Arielle N.B. Kauvar, MD, FAAD, clinical associate professor of dermatology at New York University School of Medicine in New York.
“I think a lot of people are probably skipping sunscreen and antioxidants,” she says.
Guilty again. Daily use of products with antioxidants such as Vitamin C, E or green tea can reverse sun damage before it harms skin cells, she says.
Fortunately, none of these changes requires a major lifestyle overhaul.
I just need listen to the advice I give my kids each day: Make smart choices! |
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