Moving Like A Mother Blog - Moving Like A Mother

How I Eat Healthy (& My Go-To Green Smoothie)

Posted on June 9, 2020October 18, 2020 by Monica

My food thoughts from kale to cake and everything in between

I am no nutrition expert but I like talking about food. And what we put into our bodies plays such a huge role on how our bodies feel and function that I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about food. Plus I’ll jump at any opportunity to share recipes (like my Go-To Green Smoothie) or think about what I’m going to eat next.

I just want to share some of my general thoughts and principles about cooking and eating.

Food thought #1:

I live loosely by the 80/20 rule. 80% of the time I try to make good choices and eat things that I know are good for me and will nourish my body and the other 20% I shove cake, chips, donuts or mac N cheese down my pie hole. Again this is a loose rule. I have good days and bad days. So much of health (and life for that matter) is about balance. I find that the extremes don’t work. I’m all about doing what makes you happy, helps you feel good, and is sustainable. So if some days you don’t eat a darn thing that isn’t the color beige. So be it.

Enter food thought #2:

I try to eat a lot of colors. And nooooo, I’m not talking about my 2 year old’s fruit snacks. I’m talkin red apples, orange sweet potatoes, yellow peppers, green kale, green spinach, green celery. Honestly, when I’m feeling kinda just blah a green smoothie can really perk me up. Heck, it could just be a placebo effect but I swear when I suck down a handful of kale in liquid form I honestly feel better.

Food thought #3:

I try to make small substitutions or additions to my recipes to pack a good nutritional punch. This looks like lentil noodles instead of wheat noodles, greek yogurt instead of sour cream, blending up spinach into my pasta sauce, or when a soup recipe calls for 2 carrots…I throw in 6. Because I’m crazy like that. Also, I feel that if you put anything on a bed of something green and leafy your meal instantly rises in the nutrition ranks. Hot dog salad anyone?

Food thought #4:

I’m a huge fan of making my own food. Honestly my husband and I almost never pick up food or buy anything premade. When you cook your own stuff you know exactly what’s in it and how it was prepared. Homemade pizza dough, marinara sauce, granola bars, salad dressing, are a few things I make on the reg. I know life is crazy busy and it may feel way too time consuming to always be whipping up your own food but I promise it can be super fast and easy.

Food thought #5:

Ok, I debated sharing this one because I don’t want to seem like a giant hypocrite when I’m chowing down pizza on a friday night but I figured I might as well. I generally cook gluten free and somewhat dairy free. By no means do I have allergies to either but I just find I feel better if I lay off the gluten and don’t overdo it on the dairy. These days it’s sooooo easy to find alternatives to gluten and dairy that again it’s just a matter of performing a little swap-a-roo to help make something a little healthier. Now, dairy free cheese sucks. There is no replacement for Wisconsin cheese. Sorry.

Final thoughts:

While I’d love to say that my toddler also eats what we eat including a variety of vegetables and chickpea pasta, that just aint the case despite my best efforts. Most of my recipes and food principles are aimed at adults unless you are blessed with an amazing child that eats anything. But if you want the recipe for my son’s dinner 3-4 nights out of the week here it is:

Ingredients:

1 tortilla
2 tablespoons peanut butter

Spread peanut butter on tortilla. Roll tortilla up. Serve.

Boom. Peanut Butter Roll-Up.

There are so many other things I want to talk about related to eating and nutrition. Like how to avoid the Eating-Your-Toddlers-Left-Overs diet, nutrition during nursing, and proper nutrition for running but I’ll save those for some later posts. Again, to me it’s all about balance. Drink your smoothie in the morning so you can have your cake in the evening.

Below is my recipe for my Go-To-Green smoothie. My husband and I have a smoothie most mornings and I meal prep by making around 4 smoothie bags at the start of the week. That way I just have to pull one bag out of the freezer and pop it in the blender and presto. Smoothie.

Go-To-Green Smoothie:

(makes 2 smoothies…and sometimes enough for another mini toddler sized smoothie)

1.5 ripe banana
1 apple
2 celery stalks
1 big handful of spinach or kale
1.5 tablespoons of peanut butter
Squeeze of lemon

Optional add-ins depending on what’s in my pantry:

Chia seeds
Flax seeds
Medjol dates
Maca powder

Put all ingredients in a blender (or in a quart size freezer bag if making for later). Add 2 cups of water and a few ice cubes (omit ice cubes if pulling from the freezer). Blend until smooth. Drink. Feel like a million bucks.

– Monica

More of My Favorite Healthy Recipes:

Healthy (ish) Sausage Kale Pizza

Healthy Stuffed Acorn Squash

Zucchini, Corn, and Chicken Chowder

My Postpartum Return to Running

Posted on June 3, 2020May 16, 2023 by Monica

I love to run. My high school self would kick my adult self’s arse right now because “who the frick runs just to run?” Well, these days, I do. Running helps me feel like me. It’s a chance to get out of the house by myself and listen to the music I like to listen to while those wonderful exercise endorphins do their thing. It also lets me feel less guilty about eating a bowl of ice cream or having a glass of wine…or two…or three.

Eager to Start

Shortly after having both my kids I was eager to get back to running. I ran short distances throughout the majority of both my pregnancies but around the last month I gradually stopped because it just became wayyy too uncomfortable to have a 7 lb baby bouncing up and down on my bladder. So after each of my babies were born I was already planning how to get my body back in running shape so I could eventually start to feel like me again.

I want to preface my tale by saying that I am fairly well in tune with my body. I know its capabilities and I know it’s limits. It’s very important to tune into your body and not to jump into anything new or any exercise you aren’t yet ready for. Also, I had fairly typical, uneventful pregnancies and deliveries.

How I Started Gradually

So my return to (eventual) running started around 2 weeks postpartum. I began to feel well enough to start walking for exercise. I started with 25-30 min walks that gradually increased to 60 min walks. After about a week or so of walking with no adverse response (pelvic pain, pressure, abdominal pain, etc) I started to add in short jogging intervals. This went something like walk 5 minutes, jog for 1 min, repeat. Again gradually (this is the key word here), I began to lengthen the time of jogging intervals so it was something like jog 5 min and then walk for 1 min. Around week 5 or 6 postpartum I was feeling stronger and began to increase my speed and my length of time.

Also I was “cleared” for exercise by my OB which was a green light to start gradually increasing my running distance. Gradually (note the frequency in which i use this word) I worked up to running 1 mile, then 2 miles, then 3 miles and so forth.

Pelvic Pain Hiccups and How I Solved Them

However, as I increased my running distance beyond 3 miles I did begin to have some pain in my low back and pelvis area. Consequently, I began to incorporate several core and pelvic stability exercises to improve my running endurance and decrease my pain. You can check out some great core and pelvic stability exercises great for postpartum moms who want to get back into running.

The 6 pelvic stability exercises you should be doing

The Mommy Pooch (& how to get rid of it)

4 for 4 (Four Resistance Band Exercises for 4 Muscle Groups)

This is my postpartum return to running journey. Again there are so many factors that can come into play and need to be considered before resuming running. A few important details that need to be remembered in my tale is I was an avid runner prior to and during my pregnancies; I had an uncomplicated pregnancy and delivery; and I am very in tune with my body.

You should always consult with your doctor before beginning any vigorous exercise postpartum. The general recommendation is to wait until your 6 week postpartum follow up to be cleared by your OB.

But again, my goal is to help any mama or mama- to- be feel encouraged and motivated to return to running if that’s what makes them feel happy and strong. I hope that by sharing my story other moms can feel inspired to lace up those kicks and get back out there.

Read my post about the 5 Things No One Tells You About Postpartum Running for more information about running after having a baby.

We run this mother.

Find out more about what changes happen to our bodies during pregnancy in my posts:

The “Pop Can” Core (understanding core function)

What Causes Pelvic Pain

Some of my favorite postpartum running products:

-Monica

Hi and welcome

Posted on May 29, 2020May 16, 2023 by Monica

I know what you’re thinking.

“Greeeeeat, another fitness blog”. Nope. I’ll never have the six pack abs or bootylicious hindquarters to compete with those ladies. Mad props to them. And while I do my fair share of dabbling in Instagram workout routines I unfortunately like cake and beer too much.

“Another Mommy blog?” Not exactly. I’m often the one seeking advice and by no means have the experience or confidence to dish any out. Like a lot of moms I simply do my best to get by. Are my kids alive, mostly clean, and happy? If yes, it’s a good day.

My blog is about sharing what I know as a physical therapist or what worked for me as a mom to stay active and address any body pains during pregnancy, postpartum and beyond. Being a mom is hard A.F. and we are really hard on our bodies. I would bet 99.9% of you could think of an ache or pain you have experienced at some point in motherhood (or prior) that really just kinda ruined your day, or week, or year. Furthermore, sometimes these musculoskeletal issues prevent us from doing the things we enjoy or make us feel good.

I know from personal experience how much it sucks when you hurt your back or your neck and that is literally all you can think about because every little movement hurts so you lay on your family room floor and cry because all you want is for the pain to go away. Been there. Done that.

So why the blog? Because over the past few years I have had countless mom friends ask me questions about pelvic pain, back pain, neck pain, wrist pain, pain with running, incontinence, running during pregnancy, running after pregnancy, how to exercise safely and honestly I LOVE talking about it. LOVE. IT.

The number one question I get asked by patients is “Why did you become a physical therapist?”

My answer. “Because I love the body.”

It’s fricken amazing. The things it can do are crazy. And if you strengthen or stretch the right muscles you can basically make it do whatever you want. So cool, right? But it’s also important to be aware of the everyday activities and positions we are putting our bodies in because if you are doing it wrong your body is gonna let you know. Cue persistent back pain.

Annnd, I like helping people. I like building relationships and helping others feel the best they can so they can do the things they want in life. Maybe you’re a mom-to-be, a new mama, an old mama, a grandma, a dad (stay tuned for future blog post about my husband’s wrist pain), or heck, maybe you just have pain (cuz who doesn’t) then I want to help you with some tips to help you take care your body and to just generally feel good. I mean it’s your body and you only get the one.

So here goes nothing. Me, doing my best to navigate the blogosphere, use appropriate punctuation (not gonna happen) and give you content you all find helpful or informative. I have a lot of post ideas but would love to hear what you would like to see. Feel free to send me an email with any questions or comments.

Sincerely, Best wishes, Regards, Cheers,

(Working on coming up with something catchy)

–Monica