Breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day.  It revs up your metabolism and gives you the energy needed to get your day going.  Here’s a quick, easy and tasty recipe to put a smile on your face.

Coconut and Flaxseed Oatmeal:

• ½ C Oatmeal
• 1 T Flaxseed meal
• 1 T Coconut oil
• Dash of sea salt

Cook your oatmeal either in the microwave or stovetop depending on preference.  Add Coconut oil and Flaxseed meal.

For some flavor and texture variation, add one or a few of your favorite: fresh or frozen berries, banana, honey, jam, chopped nuts, raisins, agave syrup or coconut flakes.

To keep flaxseed fresh, store it in the refrigerator.  You may also consider buying whole flaxseeds and then grinding your own in a coffee grinder every several days to help preserve freshness.

Health Benefits for You and Baby:

• Flaxseed is a good source of fiber, lignans, and alpha linolenic acid (ALA).  It improves digestion, and offers a good source of energy.  It also helps fight “the Blues.”  Check out more benefits for flaxseed here: http://www.flaxhealth.com/howflaxhelps.htm

• Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids, or medium chain triglycerides (MCTs).  These are different from longer chain fatty acids which are found in other plant-based oils.  MCTs burn up quickly.  They help stoke the internal fire and raise the body’s metabolism.  Coconut oil also promotes good health.  One of the MCTs in coconut oil is lauric acid.  When lauric acid is consumed, it destroys several bacteria and viruses.

• Oats are a good source of many nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, manganese and magnesium.  They also provide some protein.  Oatmeal is a good source of fiber which helps regulate cholesterol and aids in digestion.

How do you choose a name for your baby?  You share the same body,  food, and sleep schedule, but you still haven’t met face to face!

This can be a very fun exercise for you and your partner.  There are so many options to consider.

• Traditional names.  Certain names are time tested and endure.  Here are a few ideas for Boys and Girls
• Popular names fit a particular time.  Check out some of the listings of most popular baby names here for Boys and Girls.
• Family names from grandma and grandpa, mom or dad, uncles or aunts.
• Unique or new spellings for more common names.

Keep handy a pencil and paper.  As you go about your day, jot down potential names that come to mind.  Have your partner do the same, and compare at the end of a day or week. Keep a journal of potential names.  Someday it could be fun to look back on names you considered and share these with your child.

For some quick name searches, go online.  Or – go to the library and browse name books.  You can even make a date out of the name game and take Dad to a Barnes and Noble, have some tea or hot chocolate, and spend an hour or two looking through names together.

You may choose to get feedback from family and friends.  If you feel that you might get toooooo much feedback, wait until your baby’s birth to share the name.  After baby is born and introduced to the world, everyone will think the name is perfect!

What ever name you decide on, know that the guidance, love, and strength you share with your child will ultimately contribute to their personality and this will be what defines the name you give them.

Over the past few years, many women have asked me about exercise during pregnancy. There are so many fun activities and exercises that you can do during pregnancy. Not only is exercise healthy for you and baby, but it can also be a fun part of your day. It can serve as a social hour if you go to the gym with friends. It can be a meditative escape if you choose to go for a quiet walk by yourself.

You have a special 9 months to offer very direct influence to the health of your baby, and good exercise is just one more way that you can help ensure your baby is born as healthy and strong. A little exercise can provide fantastic benefits for your health during pregnancy. (Remember, always keep your doctor informed of your exercise activities.) Exercise does the following:

• Makes you feel good and helps lessen nauseous feelings during the first few months while your body is naturally cleansing itself. It boosts your energy and raises your serotonin levels (serotonin is the feel good chemical that is released in your brain when you move a lot).

• Improves circulation so that your body and baby receives more oxygen and helps speed up your metabolism so you can eat more healthy whole foods like fresh fruits and vegetables.

• Helps prevent cellulite formation and keeps you toned and strong as you are gaining about 3-5 pounds a month.

• Strengthens your body so you will be in good shape when your delivery day. Delivery can be easier if you are in shape.

Need I say more … Just taking time for yourself 15-30 minutes a day will give you the feel-good energy you need. If you have never exercised very much, just start out slowly and be careful not to overdo it. Listen to your body. Do not exercise to the point of exhaustion and breathlessness. Always wear comfortable shoes that give you strong ankle and arch support. And always bring water with you. Just keep moving by staying active and alert.

Remember to Have fun! When your baby is born just bring him or her along. Your baby likes to keep moving too and there are many places that offer exercise classes for moms and newborns. You’ll find womens gym leggings to be the ideal attire when attending exercise classes.

Here are some fun exercise suggestions:

• Walking 15 minutes in the morning and afternoon
• Yoga for pregnant women (Look for classes in your area)
• Dance classes
• Biking on moderate trails
• Hiking
• Weight training with light weights to improve muscle strength and tone

Things to avoid:

• Extremely hot weather
• Rocky uneven terrainwhen you are hiking or walking
• Contact sports (soccer, basketball, football …)
• Sky diving, parasailing, frisbee, scuba diving and racecar driving

Get out and make exercise a fun part of your day. Get into a routine and you’ll find yourself looking forward to your exercise time!

Increasingly, mothers want to learn about diastasis recti exercises which can help the body return to normal once the pregnancy is complete which you can learn more about over at Our Fit Family Life.

Forget that busy schedule – healthy, tasty meals are still an option for everyone.  Here are a few tips and tricks to make eating healthy easy for you.

• Plan a week’s worth of meals in advance.  Think of how to creatively use left-over’s.
• Keep a grocery list.  Store the list somewhere easily accessible so that you’ll update it whenever you notice that an item needs restocked.
• Save Sunday’s paper and find a moment to clip coupons.
• Buy fresh foods from the grocery store every 3-4 days.  These include vegetables, fruits and fresh breads.
• Get into a routine for certain meals.  Eating similar things at each meal makes shopping easier.  Introduce some variety to keep it interesting.  (e.x., oatmeal for breakfast, salad for lunch, etc.)
• Purchase meats and fish in larger quantities and freeze extra.  Upon return from the grocery store, separate meats and fish into portions for immediate consumption and for freezing. Package portions for freezing separately for convenient defrosting and use later.
• Prepare several portions of salad all at once.  Slice vegetables and lettuce.  Package a portion of vegetables all together in one zip lock back.  Put lettuce in another.  When ready to use, simply mix together with a little salad dressing.  Portions of salad can be prepared 2-3 days in advance.
• If you anticipate a busy week, prepare something over the weekend that can serve for several dinners or lunches.  Consider a chicken or lasagna recipe.  If not planning to eat left-over’s immediately, freeze in individual portions.  These make great “fast food” meals to pull out on a busy day.

Have fun with your meal planning!  Remember that sharing a meal with your significant other or a friend can make the meal that much more enjoyable.  It’s a simple pleasure that adds joy to the day.

What?  You say this sweet tooth and craving for salty snacks can be kept at bay?  Even while pregnant?

The answer is Yes!  Even though you may be eating for you and baby, keep it healthy.  You’ll feel better, think more clearly and continue to stay fit.  Baby will have the benefit of growing and developing with rich nutrients.  You’ll have more energy to continue doing all those things you love to do on any normal week.  Your friends, husband and baby will all thank you!  Here’s how:

Eat more often.  That’s right – if you find that your energy levels are spiking and dropping, have smaller meals interspersed with a few snacks.  Try a moderate breakfast about 20 minutes after you wake up, followed by a mid morning snack.  Eat a healthy, lighter lunch, continue with a small mid-afternoon snack and finish off with dinner.

Eat foods that offer sustained energy.  Loose the fast burning foods that are rich in simple sugars. Here are a couple ideas:

• Breakfast – oatmeal, or a few eggs and a slice of whole grain toast, granola with yogurt and some fresh berries
• Morning snack – a handful of almonds or mixed nuts, a banana
• Lunch – fresh salad with greens a few veggies of your choice and grilled salmon or chicken (if pressed for time, tunafish with salad is quick, easy and tasty
• Afternoon snack – a granola bar and apple, cut vegetables
• Dinner – lentil soup, chicken with brown rice and mixed veggies

You may miss those unhealthy snacks at first – but – rather quickly you will notice just how good you feel and those cravings will subside.

Expand your palate with some of these resources that offer great tips for healthy mouth watering recipes:

• Chef MD
• Whole Foods Recipes
• Fit Pregnancy Recipes

Buen Provecho!