What's your Body Type?

Why do we compare ourselves to other people? I'm preparing for my WBFF competition in Toronto, and I find myself looking at photos and thinking, "I wish I had her waist, or wow look at her legs!" when I know better.
I think it's important to know your body type and pick appropriate people as your inspiration. I spent the better part of my childhood wanting to look like a ballerina, and that was never going to happen. There are three body types, and within these body types there are combinations of two. Knowing your body type goes a long way in helping you understand what type of training and nutrition your body will respond to. Here are the three body types:

• ectomorph



• mesomorph



• endomorph

Had I known as a teenager that my medium frame mesomorph body would never be able to look like a small frame ectomorph ballerina, I would've saved time feeling defeated in my attempts. As mothers I think it's important to be comfortable in our bodies, because our children are directly affected. Looking at my daughter, I see my shoulders and traps and she's four! It makes my smile, because I would never change a single thing about her and this has helped me make peace with my build and body type. When you look at your children, what do you see of yourself in them?

Have you ever figured out your body type? Don't you think it would help you choose what nutrition and training best suits you? Click here to figure out your body type, and let me know what you think? http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/becker3.htm

How I got my ABS back!

We've all been there, after the birth of our beautiful children, we look at our bellies and wonder if we'll ever look like we used to. Getting my ABS back after having Giavella felt impossible. My belly looked like a deflated balloon, and trying to adapt to life as a new mom kept me so busy I didn't know how to find the time to make fitness a priority. I wanted to share what helped me, and I hope you'll share what helped you. We can all benefit from telling our experience and supporting each other.

• Commit to a workout every day for your mental and physical health. This doesn't have to be at the gym. Change your thinking to-something is always better than nothing. I remember days of only being able to do jump rope with push ups, lunges, and squats. Knowing I was doing everything I could empowered me to not give up on myself.


• Talk to a trainer about the AB exercises to correct Diastasis Recti also known as Abdominal Separation. It involves specific exercises to retrain and strengthen your ab wall that was pulled apart through pregnancy. I still have it a little, but it's much better than what it was.


• What you're eating is crucial. Get with a Nutritionist or find a Nutrition plan. Your body has been through a lot and clean whole foods will go a long way in getting your weight back down, improving the tightness of your skin, and sustaining your energy.


• Start or Join a mommy bootcamp. These workouts are not for wimps. They combine different exercises with and without your stroller and are not only good for your body, but it's also important for you to meet with other moms and support each other


• When you're ready, take on a big goal. Run a marathon, do a fitness competition, whatever it is, it will force you to take a little time every day to make your fitness your focus. Look at Jennifer Lopez, she had twins and did a Triathlon and looks better than ever.


• Stop making excuses. This one is hard, but the truth is, we all have 24 hours in a day.

I promise you this, if you are consistent day after day with exercise and clean nutrition, you will have your pre-baby belly back. It's a process and can't be rushed, so put up a fight and don't quit until you're where you wanted to be! What do you think?

Post baby belly, will it ever be tight and toned again?

Have you ever said this, "Will the skin on my stomach ever be tight and toned, especially around my belly button? How do you get a tight toned belly after having a baby?"

I'm going to be honest, my stomach has always been my source of frustration, so after having my daughter I was beside myself! It's very hard to be a new mom, but miss your old body.

I'm going to do a two-part series on this blog. On Thursday, I'm going to share what helped me transform my tummy, but for now I want to hear what helped you? How did you get your abs back, or have you? If you haven't what are you struggling with, is it your weight, skin or both?

Is a Mom's day destined to be Groundhog Day?

Dishes, laundry, work, cooking... it all has a way of feeling like Groundhog Day. I love being a mom, but yesterday I was doing dishes and I thought, didn't I just do this? In case you're wondering, Groundhog Day was a movie where a man woke up and relived the same day over and over again. Do you ever feel like this?

I think the trick is to learn to be at peace and happy with the plain old Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday of life. Doing little things like adding bubbles to play time or downloading all your old favorite songs and playing them while doing mundane tasks sure helps. Lately my daughter has been a big fan of Walking on Sunshine and Girls just Wanna Have Fun, which totally remind me of being a teenager. Watching her sing and dance sure takes the boring out of all the time I spend in the kitchen.

With all the things required of us moms daily, how do you keep the monotony from turning your life into Groundhog Day?

Are fit moms dedicated or obsessed?

Are there people in your life that think your passion for fitness is more like obsession? I struggle with this as a mom, because people try to make me feel like the time I put into fitness is time I'm neglecting my daughter. At a kids birthday party this weekend, I found myself feeling like I didn't fit in. Is it really that weird that my daughter doesn't want soda or a blue cupcake? Moms at parties or children's functions say things like, " I have better things to do with my day than workout, and that my passion for fitness is extreme." I end up feeling like they don't get me at all.

Sometimes I wonder if I am obsessed and if I'm being the best mom I can be, and then I remind myself of this quote- have you heard it, "Obsession is what lazy people call dedication!" Are there people in your life that don't get how you can wake up to workout at the crack of dawn, or how you can pack your food and bring it with you everywhere you go, and they try to make you feel bad about it? But when swimsuit season rolls around they want to know how to get in shape in a few weeks?

Isn't this backwards? How did it get to be the norm to not want to be healthy and why is paying attention to your health considered extreme?

...And She's a Mom!

Does becoming a mom make you formerly hot? It seems like the minute you become a mom, you're put into a different category and now you come with a disclaimer..."And she's a Mom," seems to be added to the end of all my accomplishments. Being a mom is the biggest and best part of me, but I feel like I'm looked at differently now-do you?

In Miami last week I heard this going through airport security-Lady, is that your kid, and on the beach, " You had a baby?"

Are we conditioned to equate becoming a mother with the end of our hot days? I don't mean hot in a cheesy way, but just looking and feeling our best.

What do you think?

Happy Yummy Mother's Day!

Don't you think becoming a mom is like joining a sisterhood, where you know what each person has endured and had the privilege to enjoy? Not only do we share this but we also have a love for fitness, these are two big bonds to share. Happy Mother's Day Yummy Mummys! How I appreciate you.

What will you be doing today? Do you have any Mother's Day traditions? We always go to brunch and the zoo. One of these years, I may trade the zoo in for the spa:)

The poem below is one I found while trying to get pregnant. I remember the first time I read it. I wasn't even a mom yet, and it brought tears to my eyes. Don't you think it's beautiful? I love how the writer captures everything we go through so realistically.

In celebration of all we do, go through, and have been blessed to enjoy, I thought I'd share it.


Before I was a Mom

Author-Unknown

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never know the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Getting through your failures brings success!

Sometimes the hardest part of a goal is getting started. Then once you're going in the right direction it becomes how do I stay on this path? And when you've reached your goal, you begin wondering how do I maintain this? From getting started, to staying the course, to maintaining your goals; this quote always reminds me that failing is part of success.

I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan

Remember just like anything we do for the first time, there's some learning and commitment involved. Getting fit and staying fit is an ongoing process. People have often said to me, "Well, isn't it easy now to eat clean? And now that you got your weight down, I bet it's easy to keep it there!" Nothing could be further from the truth. There's an ebb and flow to it, and I fight daily to maintain it. It never gets easier. I'm just quicker to get back on track than when I first started, and I know through journaling what I can and can't get away with it. Failure has brought me the greatest success. It has taught me to keep getting back up, keep believing in myself, and how to overcome setbacks.

Don't you think failing is part of success? And the quicker we are to forgive ourselves and jump back on track, the more likely fitness will become our lifestyle?

Is it selfish to be a fit mom? Should we feel guilty?

I get this question daily. Receiving both sides of the argument, I wanted your opinion. Some argue that when you're a mom it's selfish to put time into fitness. Where others say, you're setting a terrific example for your children.

I think moms have enough to worry about, and it's unfair to make us feel guilty for pursuing health and wellness for ourselves and our families. Yes it takes time to workout, but don't we deserve that and aren't we helping our children in the long run? Watching my three year old daughter do mountain climbers or frog jumps makes me know I'm on the right track. It's absolutely precious to see.

Why do you think people think it's selfish? Or, that we should feel guilty? What could be wrong with teaching your children to love exercise and choose the right foods?
What side of this are you on?