Lindsay Brin - a blog from founder of Moms Into Fitness, Inc

The number on the scale doesn't matter

With tears in my eyes, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have helped me find something I haven't had in a very long time : confidence. I have never been stronger or healthier and it's all because of the inner strength God gave me and the things you have taught me through your blog, site, dvds, etc.

I received this message last week and it brought tears to my eyes! That's the truth, the scale doesn't matter, your confidence is what fitness is all about! Just to feel good about yourself - to be confident again.

Not only did I want to share that message, I wanted to share Jessica's story. She also happens to be the first MIF Mom of the Month!

Your workouts have honestly changed my life since I've had my two babies. I struggle with fertility (due to PCOS) and pregnancies were very difficult on my body, causing me to gain 100lbs each pregnancy among other things.

I'm now 16 months post partum from Baby #2 and I feel like a whole new woman as I've lost 100lbs and dropped 12 dress sizes. For the last 9 months I've been doing your workouts almost every day so you have been with me every step of the way so to speak. My 3 1/2 year old son is so used to your videos on my tv that he refers to you as my friend when he sees you. And truthfully I do consider you a friend for all that you have given me.

Guess who's pregnant???

Nah, not me, this bod needs a break from being pregnant for 4 years. Moms Into Fitness is pregnant with the newest in prenatal exercise!

Our newest Pregnancy Workouts are available for Pre-Order, shipping out May 19th, 2013! There are 3 workouts, 1 for each trimester, plus a bonus core Recovery Program! If you want to see all the details CLICK HERE.

You can also try it for FREE right now.

Isn't it funny how photoshop works...my 5'1" self next to Laila, a former fitness model at 5'9". We had to do some trickery:)

And here is a little glimpse into it all. And might I mention there are some new safety guidelines. So we did all the latest research and follow ACE, ACSM, ACOG, SOGC and CSEP!

Update April 2013: Pregnancy Exercise Guidelines

Can you lose weight by working out 1x a week?

Well the short answer to my question is "nope"! After you have a baby you have to use your muscles consistently to get them to bounce back!

Do you ever look at somebody and just assume they have it easy? Like when I looked at a mom with a 7-month old in her cart at Target thinking gosh she has it easy. Or like when you look at moms walking their kids into school and think she can eat what she wants or she has time to work out and I don't.

I went straight to our moms and asked how they do it. Get to know the moms you see on DVD everyday, well almost everyday:)

Michele (Full-Time-Job, mom of twin girls) How I fit it in….I have a wonderfully flexible and supportive husband! We both have full time careers so the week is hectic but even with unexpected events, we stay on task. My husband manages the kids on Monday and Thursday nights while I teach and also Saturday mornings for my 8:15am class. I run home from class on Saturday and we return to Lifetime for 10:45am swim lessons while he gets a workout in. He also takes Tuesday and Wednesday for his gym days and I get the girls to gymnastics. We get up on Sunday, make strawberry banana and blueberry pancakes and head to Lifetime so the girls can play in the Child Center while we get a mid-morning workout in. The girls enjoy doing this once a week and they never let us leave without a strawberry smoothie from the LifeCafe. Wednesday is my day for Pretty Fierce before I pick up the girls from day care at 5:15. This is a good balance for my husband and I but even with splitting the week between us, we still get quality time with the girls, always make sure we have dinner together each night and squeeze in our TV shows!!!

Amy (Stay-At-Home-Mom of 3 boys) To get my workouts in, I focus on two things. First, I plan ahead that days workout, so if it is written down it is harder to ignore. Second, if at first I don't succeed try try again. In other words if the 630am treadmill run was interrupted by a "mommy, I want!" Then I move it to another time of day, and try try again. Because, I will succeed!!

Me - Lindsay (Work-At-Home-Mom of 3) Weight Maintenance = 4x/week, Weight Loss = 5-6x/week. And I do my best to stick to it. Every other Sunday I do 2 things 1) Cook and freeze dinners for those 2 weeks and 2) Schedule my workouts in my iPhone. Because my routine never seems to stay routine. Somebody is always sick, somebody at work always needs something, house chores etc. Usually 2 days a week I wake up at 5am and 2 days a week I workout at night. I always try to get to a class once a week as part of my workout routine! Lately it's between Boot Camp, Bikram Yoga and the Bar Method.

Stephanie (Part-Time-Job, mom of 1) I absolutely have to schedule social workouts a few times a week. I've been doing the 5am classes for years now and it also works with my work schedule. Not only is it more fun to work out in a group but it keeps me accountable. When I don't have scheduled workouts I usually fit in a quick workout either during nap or a run after hubby gets home.

Katy (Full-Time-Job, mom of 2) Being a full-time working mother with a husband out of town most days of the week makes it important for me to have my workouts scheduled. I utilize any free time that is available to me (which is not much)…that may mean an early morning workout when my husband is in town or possibly hitting the gym at the end of my workday before going home to the kiddos. I find I am a better mom and employee as long as I can carve out an hour for me…no matter what time of day it is! Making exercise a priority and scheduling it is key to making it happen!

Tiffany (Stay-at-home-mom of 4)
I workout around 5:45 AM every morning. If I don't get it in early, the chances of it getting done are much less likely. If I happen to miss an early morning workout (which DOES happen sometimes), my workout clothes come on first thing in the morning and it becomes my main personal goal for the day!

Jana (Creator of Baby Steals, mom of 3) I fit in my workouts by making sure I don't let myself go to bed without a workout! It's really difficult getting the energy to workout at midnight (or later) so it motivates me to shoot for earlier the next day. I have to be realistic being a full-time mom & running a company- but you have to make that time to keep yourself active and healthy!

Jennifer (Work-at-home-mom of 2)
Being a working mom, I treat my workouts like an appointment. I schedule it and don't miss it...just like a work appointment!

Deidra (Stay-at-home-mom of 6) With all the busyness that comes with having a large family, I have found the only time to consistently get in my workout is in the early morning. I have gotten up at 5am to workout for years. It's a non-negotiable part of my day.

I have come to enjoy getting up before the sun to workout even though I am NOT a morning person. The house is quiet and I am able to do something that's just for me. I want my kids to see me practically and consistently walking out a healthy lifestyle. What they see me doing will have more impact than just my words. If I wait to workout until later in the day, it NEVER happens.

34 took my youth!

The age of 34 has taken my youth. I only want convenience - and not to tear my rotator cuff putting 28 lb. Harper into her car seat. And to take 5 minutes to do my hair - and not always put it in a ponytail.

So comes the year of the minivan, and saying bye my SUV I have had for 9 years!

And to the hair that I chopped off earlier this year. I said good-bye to 9" of youthful hair.

But 34 is awesome, once I got over the fact that I am in my mid-thirties. I am starting to realize I need to do what makes me happy and sometimes skip the To Dos. I enjoy my job, my kids (except yesterday at 4:30 - their 7:00 bed time could not come soon enough), the hubby, and my new minivan:)

My Journey Post-Baby

So we are 3 kids into it, although I want 5 kids, we at least want a little space before #4. The baby (Harper) is already 20 months old, Taylor is 4 and Rylan is 3. It's hard to think that we might prevent getting pregnant after going through 4 IVFs to get #1 and #2. But that's another story for another day!

I am currently pretty much where I was before getting prego with baby #2. And now even better than where I was before having kids.

It wasn't without fluctuations, as you can see here. And currently the 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies are staring at me. I mean who doesn't love a Thin Mint! But I will have to stick to a few cookies - not a sleeve - for 2 reasons
a) I am not breastfeeding:)
b) I just did our Fierce Lean Out Program after the Christmas Goodies got me, and am back into my clothes.

If you want to see my measurements from pre-prego to 3 weeks to 10 weeks to 20 months post-baby #3, I have them here.

My Holiday Weight GAIN, gone!

Yup, happened to me too. For the last 4 New Years I have basically been pregnant or losing baby weight so my goal was always to get my body back. This year was different!

I started December 1st as my normal self. I started January 1st as my normal self + 4-5 lbs and a lot of empty Puppy Chow & Chex Mix tins!

Got myself back on the Pretty Fierce: Lean out Calendar. I do my own workouts, on mute and with some modifications to the calendar so I don't workout with myself everyday:(

Week 4 of the calendar - the recovery week - yielded my December 1st body! I mean my workout clothes were even uncomfortable, as you can see. My legs slimmed back down and my tummy fit back into the spandex.

The good news is at age 34 (yikes I just hit my mid-thirties!) it is easier to lose weight than when I was 20. So all the hard work over the last 5 years comes into play!

I cook 2x/month - here is My Food Journal!

After I posted a Facebook post about my 4 Hour Cooking Marathon, you all wanted to know what I cooked! On Sundays or Mondays while the 2 lil' ones nap I get in some 1-1 time with Taylor and my Crock Pot.

Some weeks I double up the recipes so I really only cook every 2 weeks. I freeze the Crock pot meals in those Crock Pot Liners. And I prepare oven meals in a foil tin and freeze or put in the refrigerator if we are going to eat them that week.

7 Day Meal Plan: Most weeks we do a "frozen" meal every week night. Leftovers for lunch. And eating out on the weekend and/or easy sandwiches. It sure does make my life easy!

I always make sure we have a veggie with every meal. And I usually will prepare veggies in a steam bag and throw them in the fridge. Heat them up and serve as a side.

Our Meals are not always the Best choice, but the better! Oh, and not necessarily low-sodium:)