A few years ago, as I realized I needed to be even more purposeful about maintaining my bone density, I began adding “box jumps” into my personal circuit of exercises. Jumping is good for your bones, however, you do NOT have to jump up onto something like a box to reap the benefits. Starting with […]
Category Archives: Blog
If you’re thinking of buying a kettlebell soon, first let me say congratulations! My brain goes two directions whenever someone asks me, “What size kettlebell should I buy?” One direction is excitement because kettlebells open up a whole new world of movement possibilities and dynamics, making certain lifts more accessible to people with limited mobility. […]
My mother in law arrived to stay with us on December 27th, 2023. She had been diagnosed with dementia the prior Summer, and so was my husband’s father. Their situation in rural Montana – where they lived off the land and were vibrant parts of their small community – had severely declined, and she was […]
A fresh Fit2B workout sample, exercise tip, contributor spotlight, and links to any new content we’ve made each week!
Why didn’t anyone tell me? How come I didn’t know? I hear those laments all the time from my fitness clients, but here’s my reality: I used to ask the same questions for valid reasons because I grew up before Google. However, this younger generation has all the answers at their fingertips – my colleagues […]
Physical education (P.E.) classes have been part of the education system of most schools in the United States for many decades. I have distinct memories of doing windmills, laying on my belly on rolling carts, beating the boys at chin-ups and arm-hangs, schoolmates holding my feet down while I did as many sit-ups as I […]
Are you unable or unwilling to join a gym right now? Hey, I get it. I live pretty far from any good gyms myself, plus I’d rather work out at home. Have you been looking for fun ways to stay in shape at home, either by yourself or with your whole family? But then you’ve […]
If you could sign over one task to The Chore Fairy, what would it be? A. Dinner B. Vacuuming C. Dishes Leave your answer below, but consider this too: It’s great to workout with “perfect” technique, but your core is likely working just as hard while you do chores & life and other stuff. Maybe […]
Here on Fit2B we provide specialized workouts for women whose cores need extra attention. Often – not always – there is trauma somewhere in their past. However, as I begin this blog about how trauma can affect our tummy muscles – keep in mind that the pelvic floor forms the bottom of our core canister […]
Alright, alright… I’ll admit this now that I’m no longer in danger of being bullied for it: I’m a nerd. I have a degree in exercise and sport science, more fitness certifications than I have time to list at the moment (see them all here) and I could talk about brains and bodies all day. […]
Being on bedrest when you’re expecting a baby or recovering from an injury or surgery can be tough on your mental health, heart health, bone density, and fitness. Not only are you dealing with the physical and emotional changes of whatever situation you’re in, but you also have to find ways to avoid joint stiffness, […]
We launched a podcast called Fit2B Radio several years ago. Since then, we’ve produced so many women’s health & fitness episodes with experts on the topics of diastasis recti, maternal mental health, perimenopause, labor and birth recovery, female sports and athletics, and more! Making it easy to find all those topics for those who want […]
20 Minutes or Less, Blog, Easy Routines, No Props Required, Postnatal, Relaxing, Stretching & Flexibility, TummySafe, Workout Routines
Reading Routine – E/TS/R
Grab that book you’ve been reading (or meaning to read) and allow me to guide you softly through several gentle position changes as we read quietly to ourselves. We’ll simply swap how we’re sitting or laying every 1.5-2 minutes-ish, and I keep my cues to a minimum so that I’m not interrupting your reading with […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
I started rubbing my mother’s back as we sat together after our thanksgiving meal. She sighed and whispered “thank you” to me, and I pondered all the ways her body has served me and my three siblings + my dad over the years. Her spine has begun to shrink in response to 80 years of […]
This has to be the most depressing blog I’ve ever written here on Fit2B, but this mama’s sad story must be told. Our article on Taping Diatsasis Recti: How to Tape Separated Abs is currently in our top 10 ranked blogs, but it has several major blind spots: Access & Affordability. Many physical therapists have […]
25 Minutes or Less, Blog, Cardio, Chair Routines, Easy Routines, No Props Required, Non-Yoga, Pelvic Floor, Postnatal, Pregnancy, TummySafe, Upper Body, Workout Routines
Chair Cardio Home Workout – E/TS
Stay seated while still getting an amazing aerobic workout using your arms but not your legs. You’re going to love the upbeat music and the fun moves, all from the safety of your chair. We have a lot more chair workouts on Fit2B for you to explore if you’re in a season of needing pure […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
Here on Fit2B we provide a private support forum for our clients. It’s drama-free, full of helpful topics and discussions, and many authentic testimonies & stories about our diastasis aware workouts and courses get posted there. This one posted by Rachelle Nelson was literally a blog-length beauty of a pep talk, and she graciously allowed […]
Even as I help women get stronger, I can feel powerless sometimes. Just like you, I find myself wondering – in the midst of mind-numbing news constantly coming at us from around the globe – what can I do? What difference can I make when life feels so “out of control” and even dangerous? At […]
“So how does your business give back?” Someone asked me that recently. As I began telling that person all the things we have done, I realized that — thanks to being raised to not ‘toot my own horn’ and ‘not let the right hand know what the left hand is doing’ — I have never […]
Two situations from two totally different arenas of my life put the Body Mass Index (BMI) on my radar last week: My son’s homework assignment and a very sad client dealing with discrimination from her insurance program. Weight loss is a very personalized path for everyone, and Fit2B has helped thousands of people with managing […]
If you have diastasis rectus abdominus (DRA) you will hopefully feel reassured to know that more and more is being learned all the time. The science isn’t settled, and those of us who work deeply in the trenches (pun intended) of this topic never get tired of studying and discussing it. Here are some new […]
Have you ever eyeballed your stairs at home and wondered if you could use them for a workout? Maybe you’ve even walked or jogged up and down them a few times – or tried a few jumps – but then you weren’t sure about safety, or you got bored of endless stair laps. Maybe your […]
Raise your hand if you’ve been forced to change your habits and routines drastically since 2020… I’m with you! Now raise your hand if the way you workout has also changed, and you’ve struggled to make fitness a habit again. Maybe you went from heading to the gym right after dropping kids off at school […]
When I got my first job vacuuming the neighbors house as a kid, my dad sat me down several times to discuss budgeting. One concept he taught me was about using envelopes to segment my earnings into saving, giving, and spending. I would put a dollar in giving, a dollar in saving, and the rest […]
Here in America, the founding families of Fit2B celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of each November. Everyone has their own traditions, but ours include gathering with loved ones, enjoying a feast, going for a walk with full bellies, and playing games. Social media tends to fill up with thankful posts and exercise challenges – […]
I had never planned to learn how to workout with battle ropes at home until the day a friend offered some up for sale for $40 and I just knew I had to have them. It was right in the middle of April 2020 – so early lockdowns – and my daughter was with me […]
As the premier provider of workouts for Diastasis Recti since 2010, here at Fit2B we work hard to stay at the forefront of of the fitness industry when it comes to progressively loading your abs. You want to get stronger stomach muscles, and we want to help… but we can’t keep doing it the same […]
After missing my regular Pap smear due to lockdowns in 2020, having a close family member deal with colon issues, and feeling like something had “changed” in my pelvic floor, I went in for a full checkup in February 2021. My midwife who is also a naturopathic doctor and family physician checked every bit of […]
Got a pillowcase, some pins, a big blanket, and need to make your own DIY bolster for supporting yourself during restorative exercises at home? Ever wished for one of those fancy, firm yoga bolsters that look like Jesus himself could have propped himself up on it at the Last Supper? Here's a simple tutorial video [...]
Use these editable graphics year round. Each one is different and fun! Don’t forget to share the blank one with your followers after you share your filled-in version. That way, they can screenshot it and easily make their own! We hope you’ll do one each month or each season.
The simple DIY tips in this free video will teach you how to quickly create a kettlebell weight to use in your home workouts. During our Winter Conference, Beth demonstrated to Chris and our participants how people who don’t have kettle bells at home can make their own by knotting sturdy bags a certain way. […]
No matter where you are in your year (or life) this straightforward challenge will help you achieve 150 workouts. We have several free printables here that will help you reach your fitness goals. However, the #Fit2B150 Challenge was a member fave last year, so we thought we’d put a little more effort into promoting it […]
I’ll never forget this hands-on model of what five pounds of body fat looks like. It was on display at the fitness facility where I worked as an assistant manager before I had kids. Now, we all need healthy amounts of fat in our diets and on our bodies for many reasons, but what is it […]
At this time of year, it can feel like the whole world is shouting for my attention. However, all I want to do is keep my family healthy, stay connected to my loved ones and the real meaning of the season, maintain my fitness through the holidays, enjoy some peaceful downtime, and locate some pretty […]
There are five words that pertain to female health that all start with the letter ‘B’ which all need extra attention and motion, because these things connect to morbidity and mortality rates. That means that how we care for these five b-words may impact our risk of illness and early death. You and all your […]
If you don’t want to waddle around, looking like you just got off a horse after you finish an indoor cycling workout at home, and you want to prevent injury, avoid chafing, protect your knees, then correctly setting up your home exercise bike is important! This short video will help you set up just about any […]
For many fitness-loving moms, getting back to working out regularly is a top post-pregnancy goal. Of course, we quickly realize just how much of our time and energy our sweet new baby demands, which generally means adjusting our movement goals accordingly. Done properly, the fitness benefits of babywearing are undeniable: Carrying loads improves your bone […]
We’re approaching October 1st, the day we opened our doors in 2010 after filming and building our home workout video website for 6 months. I’m doing a lot of reminiscing about our first 10 years as the world’s premiere provider of TummySafe Fitness (which means we offer pressure-reducing cues during every exercise that protect pelvic […]
My word for the year of 2020 was ‘observe,’ and wow did I ever get loads of opportunities to pay attention to changes in the world! Never before has the ability to workout at home been so valued. One day, while I was working out in my living room – practicing for a future Fit2B […]
If you’re exercising at home right now, you definitely want to learn how to safely set up a home circuit workout. The built-in accountability and variety are awesome, and you don’t need any equipment to get started! Here’s the basics: Essentially, you’re going to set up 8-10 stations around your home, and you’ll do one […]
When you don’t have gym access, you need to exercise at home or outdoors, and these all weather workout tips will help you stay consistent through all season. Consistency with exercising in ways that manage your abdominal doming in your closing Diastasis Recti truly matters more than intensity, so you need to be prepared. To help […]
What are Your Pelvic Floor and Deep Core Muscles? Your deep core muscles consist of four muscle groups including your pelvic floor, transversus abdominis, multifidus, and diaphragm. Pelvic floor muscles provide support for reproductive organs and allow voluntary control over our bowel and bladder. The transversus abdominal muscle, or transversus abdominis, is a deep, horizontal […]
We are delighted that Fit2B Scored High in Review of POP-Safe Exercise Websites. We have been selected as one of the leading platforms for women seeking exercise help with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in concert with pelvic floor therapy. Since our main focus is Diastasis Rectus Abdominus (DRA) and pelvic health as it relates to [...]
Diets are bad and fats are good. Seriously, that is what I believe. As a core fitness specialist and the founder of Fit2B, I’ve worked with thousands of people worldwide and observed the damage of diet rollercoasters and fat phobias. However, if you believe you have some “extra love” to lose, and you’re interested in a […]
According to the Mayo Clinic, Post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that’s triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it. Symptoms may include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety, as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event. Psychology Today has reported multiple studies and research endeavors proving that exercise […]
More people are turning to gardening during these crazy times. However, as I learned while getting my degree in exercise and sport science, gardening doesn’t just yield plants. It also yields injuries if you’re not being mindful of how you move while digging, weeding, and harvesting. Here on Fit2B, we specialize in helping people with […]
If you have a work at home office, and sitting at your desk all day has you gaining weight, growing a bloated belly, maybe making your Diastasis Recti worse, and noticing tighter hip and back muscles, you’ll want to give serious thought to setting up a standing desk in your home office. You don’t need to […]
15 Minutes or Less, Blog, Easy Routines, Fit2B Magazine, No Props Required, Non-Yoga
FREE Walking Meditation {Audio Download}
For this walking meditation: Find a place to recline on your bed or couch. Press play and get comfortable while the introduction to the track plays. Then let my voice guide you on a “pretend” walk. You will visualize how your body moves while walking, practice your alignment in your mind, and imagine the terrain […]
In the 2008 Olympics, a volleyball player named Kerri Walsh Jennings won gold while wearing Kinesio Tape, which had been invented in the 1970s by Kenzo Kase, a chiropractor in Japan. Suddenly, the concept of taping trouble spots went mainstream, but using tape on tummies with Diastasis Recti has only recently gained attention. In this […]
If your abs make weird shapes when you sit up, lean back, or do crunches, that can tell you a lot about your core. Doming can be a physical sign of abdominal separation and dysfunction, but does doming equal Diastasis Recti every time it happens? Here’s a video with my thoughts on bellies that dome, […]
Here at Fit2B we provide subscription access to over 300 home workout videos, and our prop list of optional exercise isn’t expensive. We realize most people don’t have a lot of extra money to buy fitness gear they will only use for a little while, so we get creative with what you probably already have […]
Straight up, I’m not a runner, but I have trained a lot of clients who thrive better when they can run. It’s a sad day for many women when they try to return to running after having a baby, only to discover it doesn’t feel right: their bladders may leak, their abs may pooch out […]
10 Minutes or Less, 15 Minutes or Less, 20 Minutes or Less, 25 Minutes or Less, Blog, Cardio, Challenging Routines, color series, Diastasis Recti, Easy Routines, Lower Body, Medium Routines, No Props Required, Non-Yoga, Pelvic Floor, Postnatal, Relaxing, Stretching & Flexibility, TummySafe, Upper Body, Weights & Resistance, Workout Routines, Yoga
Color Series: Black Home Exercise Workouts
The following “black” workouts are the fourth installment in our Color Series of home workout videos which is exploring breath and motion around central themes. Upon completion, The Color Series will reflect 8 colors and contain a total of 40-50 workouts. For extra fun, I’m dressing and dying my hair to match each color! Purple […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
What if “working out” isn’t the only way to exercise, move your tissues, and strengthen your body? Moving tissues beyond exercise is easier than you think! When we go beyond thinking of movement as exercise that repetitively shifts one or several parts of our body from one spot to another and we start to look for […]
Diastasis Rectus Abdominus is finally getting some of the attention it deserves in the wide world, and people are learning that — while Diastasis Recti is very treatable — it can be part of a domino effect in core dysfunction and your abdominal appearance. For some people, their diastasis may be deep and wide enough […]
Two of my immediate family members have recently had major heart issues, so recent scientific news about women’s health has grabbed my attention. Exercise is a regular part of my life, though, so I shouldn’t have to worry about it, right? Well, friends, I’ve never been one to rest on my laurels, so let’s talk […]
When you’re looking for extra energy to improve your workout or just to get through a slumpy afternoon, it’s easy to crack open a can of carbonated caffeine. Let’s take a look at energy drinks and your core. Some people are sensitive to certain ingredients. If you have a history of core weakness, injury, or […]
Cartoon images were popular when Fit2B launched in 2010, so our original logo was a gal we called “Molly.” She is still represented on our Roku Channel, and we had some cartoons drawn (scroll down) of her everyday life to remind all of us that we aren’t alone on our fitness journeys. Molly looks a […]
My friends are always confessing their missed workouts to me. They say things like, “I haven’t exercised all week!” Not only do I not keep track of the exercise habits of my friends, sometimes they baffle me when they say things like that while we are paddleboarding or picking berries together. It’s like there’s this […]
Pain is the first thing many people think of when they hear the words, “Listen to your body.” What if you have a high pain threshold, though, so you tend to get injured a lot because you don’t feel pain until you’re torn apart? Or what if you have a super low pain threshold, so […]
When an incision is made in your belly for any type of surgery — Cesarean, appendectomy, hernia mesh installment, hysterectomy, etc. — the nerves in that area are left somewhat exposed by the remaining scar, and the area can be uncomfortable or numb for years to come. When you have a c-section scar on your […]
What’s the story behind our Color Series? Designing home workouts around central themes of color began with an innocent question over dinner when I was 38. We were on a business retreat with our spouses, and my business partner, Chris, asked me if I thought I would still be doing this when I turned 40 […]
10 Minutes or Less, 15 Minutes or Less, 20 Minutes or Less, 30 Minutes or Less, 31 Minutes +, Blog, Cardio, Challenging Routines, color series, Core, Easy Routines, Lower Body, Medium Routines, No Props Required, Non-Yoga, Pelvic Floor, Postnatal, Relaxing, Stretching & Flexibility, TummySafe, Upper Body, Weights & Resistance, Workout Routines
Color Series: Red Home Exercise Videos
When I surveyed our fans on Instagram to ask what RED means to them, I received a huge variety of answers: Passion, fire, danger, pledging to stay drug-free, safety, caution, anger, HIV awareness, hearts, fire trucks, poppies, robin breasts, love, and blood. It’s a color that evokes strong – sometimes conflicting – feelings, and it […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
Raise your hand if you remember eating homemade popsicles too quickly, getting brain freeze, then conning your little sister out of hers because Mom said you could only have one. Was that middle part just me? Oh, I was such a naughty child, but here I am: trying to be a good mom by making […]
30 Minutes or Less, Blog, Cardio, Medium Routines, No Props Required, Non-Yoga, TummySafe, Workout Routines
28 ToneUp Cardio Workout
… Now 21 ToneUp has a friend! The time will fly during this full body workout that explores 7 exercises done for 1 minute each for 4 rounds. If you loved 21 ToneUp and you’re ready for a more lengthy workout + more challenging exercises, well, get ready to get your sweat on! This home […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
So how might hypopressives help diastasis rectus abdominus? During the training, we got to see two ultrasounds done in real time. One was on Dr. Tamara as she performed various hypopressives in supine, kneeling, and all-fours positions. She did not have diastasis, and her linea alba held strong with every breath-hold (apnea). Then a course […]
Birthing a baby takes strength, power, resilience, and awareness, regardless of the method of delivery. I’ll add flexibility to that list because, no matter how you plan for your birth to go, so many factors are in play — between you, the baby, the birth environment, your support team, and your access to additional resources […]
Members asked for a basic weight training video for children, and this is our answer: Sadie and I partnered to teach kids how to breathe, align, and have fun while lifting some easy weights. This isn’t about helping kids bulk up or trim down. This is about learning form and technique that will improve coordination […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
July is International Diastasis Recti Awareness Month. Since we provide home fitness workouts and education that specifically address abdominal and pelvic health for women here on Fit2B, we are always participating. We’d also like to introduce you to a few other key players who work in the trenches of torn-apart tummies with us. While Fit2B […]
Taking TummySafe Fitness to the Global Stage It was my immense honor {and lots of fun} to speak at Woman On Fire, a global event for womens health professionals put on in Brighton UK by Burrell Education in April, 2019. My presentations covered two topics: Authentic Puberty: Raising Girls Who Get It, based on my […]
Every day I talk to women all over the world who want — not just to tone or flatten their tummies — but to fully heal their cores with the right exercises for diastasis recti. Occasionally, someone will detail their journey in writing to me like T.A. has done here. I am sharing her story […]
What is “tummysafe fitness” for diastasis recti? It means that every exercise reinforces and increases your core strength without involving any crunches or crunch-like motions, unmodified planks, jack-knifing motions, or sit-ups while you’re first returning to fitness. It was originally coined by my colleague and good friend, Kelly Dean of The Tummy Team, whose core […]
Many doctors, physical therapists, personal trainers, and group fitness instructors MISSING and MIS-DIAGNOSING this common abdominal issue.
If the midline of your abs has thinned and separated, you need to mind that gap and change how you workout at the gym while you resolve that diastasis recti.
Does wrapping your belly with a postpartum abdominal splint weaken or strengthen your core?
Featuring Kathryn Brunner of Musik At Home Crunches are always the first thing blurted when I ask random people how they believe their abs work — which means my work isn’t done yet — however, the deep abdominal muscles of your core perform hundreds of actions all day long. Your abs help you breathe, stand […]
Fit2B is a family-friendly fitness site that specializes in workouts for a little-known issue called diastasis recti that can make the two sides of your abs feel as if they’re in separate zip codes. Diastasis rectus abdominis is actually a major symptom that often shows up as part of a vicious cycle of core weakness […]
by Gillian Sukachevin, MSPT Sexual dysfunction is painful, disruptive and debilitating in so many ways and can arise from many different issues. But think about it. Even if you don’t have a debilitating condition, who wants just so-so sex? Sex is supposed to be something amazing—-something we look forward to. A simple weakness in one […]
We pride ourselves on being a very modest and family-friendly workout site here at Fit2B Studio. After all, we want to encourage women, not intimidate them. You will never see breasts or bum-crack hanging out of our clothes, but sometimes we do need to devote some time to discussing those body parts. The pectoral muscles run […]
Do you feel like you’re fighting with calves that are “too big” for those you boots you want to wear? Did you gain weight and then lose it, only to have your lower legs remain larger than before? When you lift weights, do your calves bulk up really easily? “I find it hard to find […]
Do you or someone you know have issues with incontinence during daily life activities? Then this post is for you. There is hope, friends. Just because it’s common for women who’ve had children to leak some pee when they cough, laugh hard, make love, or jog to catch up with a runaway toddler, THAT […]
It started in our private member forum one day with a hilarious comment from a longtime Fit2B customer whose enjoyed our home exercise videos for diastasis recti for years. She was checking in with a comment about her workout that day on our weekly challenge thread. She said something about how she knew she was […]
Once again, I’m slightly irked at people who post pictures of stacks of books they plan to read along with lengthy literary lists. Life just isn’t like that. I take my books one at a time, as I’m in the mood, circling back to old favorites, and keeping my “plan to read” list very short. […]
15 Minutes or Less, Blog, Core, Diastasis Recti, Medium Routines, No Props Required, TummySafe, Workout Routines, Yoga
Transverse Flow – M/TS
Filmed in the Autumn of 2018 – thus the happy bat and fall foliage on the fireplace mantel – this full body workout routine will elevate your abdominals’ game. As we go through this Yoga flow, we add some gentle transverse pulses to key positions. You’ll find your core in new ways! Isn’t it amazing […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
What fitness goal would you reach for if you could eliminate all of your current physical, financial, mental, or emotional barriers and do ANYTHING? Forget the fact that this is a Tummy Safe™ fitness site, and that you may have a diastasis. Put EVERY injury, every ache, every pain aside for a moment and write down […]
If you work with people who are dealing with diastasis recti and other symptoms of core dysfunction, you need to understand their fitness choices. Even more importantly, if you are a fitness instructor, personal trainer, physical therapist, body worker, chiropractor, or anyone who prescribes exercises of any sort, you need to know how to teach […]
The children were nestled all snug in their beds on a quiet night in December when I first watched this video from The Tummy Team about the pain of wrapping gifts. Turns out this simple task may require some technique to protect a tummy with diastasis recti, or a core that’s just given birth, or older […]
10 Minutes or Less, Blog, Foam Rolling, Non-Yoga, Workout Routines
Foam Rolling (Water Bottle) Fun Release Routine
Okay, so this was supposed to be a 5-minute foam rolling routine, but I got a little carried away (as usual) because I got a new idea while filming! I’m so excited about all these soothing motions, and I can’t wait for you to try it! Learn how a small roll can serve in this […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
You’ve seen the studies on all the so-called benefits of exercise, but perhaps those things don’t apply to you. I mean, does exercising even actually do all that stuff? It could all just be propaganda from the fitness industry trying to sell you another dumbbell. Maybe you don’t need no stinkin’ exercise! We work with […]
A belly is a sensitive thing. Talking about it, touching it, assessing it for diastasis recti … all of that nudges at a woman’s emotional, spiritual, and physical core. For every gal who wants to flaunt her flat abs n a bikini there are many more who would rather cover up, and not just for reasons […]
While we provide over 300 diastasis aware workouts here on Fit2B, including full body home exercise videos for all ages and abilities, we still think walking is pretty much the best. According to biomechanist Katy Bowman, author of Move Your DNA, walking naturally lengthens and strengthens every muscle in your core. It’s great for your […]
I take hot Epsom salt baths every week for several reasons, only one of which is quiet time to myself. It’s so nice to be able to tell the kids, “I’m in the bath right now, so please go find the parent who has clothes on, and he’ll help you with that.” From both mental […]
Do your children like to meow like cats and bark like dogs? What kid doesn’t like to act like an animal? Yes, this behavior can be annoying in certain venues (church, funerals, Great Aunt Ruth’s hospital room, etc.) but acting like an animal is also EXERCISE! This simple home exercise will help your children get […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
Traveling can disrupt the most avid exerciser’s routine. Being in a car or airplane for any length of time involves lots of sitting, and long journeys can leave you with sore, tight muscles. I enjoy finding creative ways to exercise on the road (or in the air) on my way to various events, so here […]
31 Minutes +, Blog, Medium Routines, No Props Required, Relaxing, Stretching & Flexibility, Workout Routines, Yoga
Heart & Hamstrings Yoga Flow – M/TS
You know all that tension in your chest and thighs? Let’s release those tight places with a full body Yoga workout designed to open your hamstrings and heart-center. You’ll finish this full-length routine feeling relaxed, lengthened, blessed, and released. No props are required, but you may want to have a blanket on hand for the […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
What factors feed into a successful, consistent exercise plan? I’ve had a print copy of John R. Wooden’s Pyramid of Success since my second year in college at OSU where I received my bachelor’s degree in Exercise & Sport Science. It was handed out to me one sleepy morning in the lecture hall of my […]
15 Minutes or Less, Blog, Kids, No Props Required, Stretching & Flexibility, Workout Routines, Yoga
Sail Away Kids Workout
So many exercises and poses have names that come from sailing, water, fish, and boats! Join us for this fun maritime-themed routine that will put a smile on the face of every child, young and old. Sadie made her debut in Fit2B routines when she was just a toddler, and out of all the children […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
As we head into the year’s biggest giving season, I’ve been pondering wellness and fitness gifts again. I want to give in ways that nourish whole beings: heart, soul, mind, and strength. Actually, this article was originally written for Christmas, but there are many reasons to engage in giving year-round, so I figured it was […]
If you’ve never done aerobics before, have no fear. Bethany keeps the queues simple during these two short cardio workouts. The word “basic” in these videos means that the footwork and cueing is relatively simple compared to more advanced aerobics routines we have filmed, however these multi-joint moves are engaging! Please read more notes under […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
Squatting is thought by some to be one of the simplest way to work your abdominal muscles, lower body, whole core, and legs PLUS your pelvic floor BUTT (mispelling intended since squats work your glutes) many people do them wrong and approach them with poor strategies. If you squat poorly, you may not get the […]
Do you notice your workouts suffering every month around your period? Do you feel frustrated when PMS seems to derail your fitness for a week because of sudden low energy, belly bloating, and less motivation to exercise? What if I told you that trusting your cycle is the key to unlocking your personal workout plan […]
Research studies have proven over and over how being part of a group can bolster your fitness success. For example, this 2017 study by Yorks et al involved stressed-out medical students. It showed that participation in regular group fitness classes led to an increase in physical, mental, and emotional quality of life compared with exercising […]
Hey Mama, If you are falling apart then it’s time for a hard reset. You know, like when you hold down all the buttons to power down your phone and leave it off for a few minutes so all the things can reboot? Yeah, because moms need breaks too. We can “run a lot of apps,” […]
When my husband was hospitalized overnight for severe abdominal pain and given all the tests: MRI, CAT, X-ray … but told it was in his head and pronounced healthy because nothing could explain his nausea, lethargy, loss of appetite, and constant, grinding discomfort, we didn’t give up. He wasn’t healthy, and he was also experiencing […]
As I wrap up this 5-blog series on dealing with plateaus in fixing diastasis rectus abdominus (DRA), two things have been a recurring theme: Time and Consistency. Unfortunately, we impatient humans want everything our way, right away with extra pickles, no tomatoes, hold the mayo, right? However, narrowing a diastasis (and getting it to stay that way) requires […]
Is exercising regularly challenging for you due to chronic pain and low energy? Are you trying to workout with sickness like Hashimotos, endometriosis, lupus/SLE, thyroid imbalance, MS, adrenal fatigue, SPD, or another condition that means mainstream workouts could leave you exhausted for days? The gentle, progressive approach to fitness that I teach here on Fit2B […]
This blog about how your feelings and moods can have a huge affect on the speed of your healing from various injuries and issues — not just DRA — is actually the third installment in a 4-part series called The Unclosed Core that was originally published in 2015. I’ve been writing and praying this will offer hope to those […]
If you have diastasis recti, can you keep paddleboarding? Rowing? Climbing? We field a lot of questions about fitness sports people can enjoy with diastasis recti. While some see a diagnosis of diastasis recti as a time to stop moving completely, here at Fit2B we believe that once you have done core rehab with a […]
It’s hard enough to not have your core muscles working well for you, let alone your ears. Closed captioning isn’t just for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, though, it’s also for parents who want to workout quietly while their children take naps. It’s for those midnight feeding sessions where you need our Neck Routine while nursing […]
Continuing our flashback of “The Unclosed Core” series, we thought you would appreciate this updated blog with current information that will encourage you to persevere. In Part One of this 4-part series, I introduced our general topic of “hope for when that diastasis recti will not close.” In Part Three, I will discuss “How Your […]
“Can I do planks if I have diastasis recti?” It’s one of the most common questions we receive here on Fit2B where we provide tummysafe workouts that cater to those dealing with separated abs. With planks being a popular default core exercise, and plank challenges constantly circling social media, people want to know: can I […]
As promised, here is the second installment in our flashback of the popular Unclosed Core series. We hope you will take a few minutes to tell us what you are struggling with and how this is encouraging you in your commitment to persevere. It is an amazing time to be a core fitness specialist ministering […]
Those who exercise at home have many valid reasons for working out in their living rooms. However, being the founder of an online gym has shown me how home exercisers are sometimes scorned, as if activities that are easy for one person to do outdoors — like a casual walk around the block — or at […]
This blog inspired an entire series called The Unclosed Core. The information and encouragement you will find here is timeless and we trust you will find hope as we continue this journey together. Most of Us Are Turtles Remember Aesop’s fable about the tortoise beating the hare? The majority of the fitness world screams at […]
Looking for the perfect gift for a beloved mom-to-be, new mom, mom of three (or ten!), or your own mom or grandmother? It’s hard, because most women with children focus all their energy on their kids and don’t ask for or want much, but you want to get them SOMETHING . . […]
This post may be from August 2013, but the struggle to appreciate and cherish our bellies is a common theme. Are you and your core on good terms, or is there still some relationship work to be done? We’d love to hear from you in the comments! My son turned 5 this past week, and as I […]
The pressure on female business owners like myself to do all the things is huge. We run companies and kids in carpools. We take classes on QuickBooks and core fitness, yet we still struggle with isolation. I’ve found that it’s far too easy to buy the lie that no one understands the daily paradigms we’re […]
This blog was originally published in July 2011 and has continued to connect with those searching for information about diatsasis recti, so we decided to update and republish it in April 2018. Regardless of your background (surgeries, pregnancies, age, etc.), you CAN obtain flatter, stronger abs. It’s NOT about your six-pack, and it IS all […]
Crunches are often thought of as the most simple, easy-peasy, go-to exercise for your belly muscles. Turns out, crunching requires a fair amount of technique, especially when a diastasis recti gap is present. Done poorly and in high reps, they typically bulge the very area you may be trying to flatten. I’d like to offer […]
When this article about how crossing the midline helps kids was posted in the Fit2B member forum, it generated deep discussion. It also created calls for us to produce a midline-crossing video for our Fit2B Kids section of workouts. What our members said about midline crossing “We do some of these with my son! He […]
Welcome to the new {Flashback} Friday series from Fit2B! The following post from 2011 has continued to resonate with so many of you that we thought reposting it with a few updates for clarity would prove beneficial. March, 2011 – Seven weeks ago, I started diastasis rehab with The Tummy Team. I didn’t think […]
Words carry weight. In a rapidly-blending global culture, every word is scrutinized, weighed, and judged. Phrases that were once common to one group are now understood to be inflammatory and hurtful to another group, so they are understandably banned and become “non-politically correct.” However, I’ve also seen quite a few articles written to fitness professionals […]
Here we are, still going strong with filming TummySafe, diastasis-aware workouts for members in 45 countries worldwide, and I get asked all the time: How do I do it? How have we managed to launch a successful online fitness website and keep it running this long? How do I juggle exercise, motherhood, being a female […]
The first “real” book I ever read at age 6 was a Life Cycle Library book about pregnancy and birth. You can all thank my mother for being so open and unflappable as she dealt with my ensuing barrage of questions, because that early passion to understand the female body was indicative of my career path […]
Your body needs fat, and the nutrition lesson in the Fit2B Girls course focuses on all the best sources of it. Why? Because we want our young girls to know the truth from an early age: they don’t need to be afraid of fat! Not only is fat the richest source of energy for longer […]
Hygge is a Danish word that means cozy and comfortable. It’s pronounced a bit like “hug” and indicates a feeling of being special, loved, accepted, and belonging. It also means warmth, but that’s not the only reason that I’m connecting it to working out. Your workout provides a time for you to connect and care […]
Would you be strong and organized enough to evacuate your home in less than 30 minutes if a blazing inferno suddenly surrounded your neighborhood like the California Wildfires? Would you be resilient and self-powered enough to live without electricity for over a month like Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria? Would you have the resources to […]
My daughter was almost 11 when this course started to materialize in my mind. It happened because hundreds of other moms in the Fit2B Forum kept getting angry: “All I got was sex-ed in high school, but by then I’d used tampons wrong and had horrible posture! Why can’t anyone teach about those things? Beth, […]
On August 1st, 2017 something horrible happened. I woke up with severe spasms under and around my left arm. Holding my elbow up in the air was the only way I could talk without crying. I felt like sharks were gnawing on me, and then the numbness set in… AND I KNEW SOMETHING WAS REALLY […]
A picture that spoke a thousand words to me several years ago showed two feet balancing on two small rocks, wearing two different shoes. One was encased in a hiking boot with ankle support, while the other was in a minimal shoe. It was instantly very clear to me how flexible shoes help our fitness. […]
So, you missed a day or two of exercise? Yeah, I do it all the time which actually surprises a lot of people. I’m a bona fide fitness pro who doesn’t workout every day? Nope! Integration matters more than conflagration The little motions mean more than the big, burning workouts. I usually enjoy a “workout” […]
Recently, the diastasis recti awareness movement received some interesting press when this NPR article about 1 exercise that can be done for 10 minutes a day to get rid of your mummy tummy went viral. It’s catchy, isn’t it? The thought that you can do one thing for just a few minutes, and you’ll have […]
I recently had the privilege of interviewing Carrie Koziol from Pilates By Carrie. She’s unique because she is also a licensed Women’sHealthPhysical Therapist who is highly trained and knowledgeable about diastasis recti and pelvic floor dysfunction. Carrie compares cores to houses with your transverse abdominis being the front door, the roof being your diaphragm, and […]
So you want to share Fit2B with the world? Get your hands on one of our NEW vinyl decals. You can plaster them on any smooth, non-porous surface without any damage. Our members love us, and they’ve been asking for a bumper sticker for a long time. These Fit2B vinyl decals are better because they’re […]
Working with a core rehabilitation specialist or physical therapist is crucial if you want to fully regain your core function and strength after having a baby so you can make a safe return to fitness. However, what about that woman living in a small town that lacks such an amazing resource? Jacob Mearse is a midwife […]
The same day I saw a sponsored post for fidget spinners while surfing online, both of my children (ages 8 and 11) came home from school begging for one! Available in a variety of colors and patterns and ranging in price from $2 – $300 and up (because we could all use a gold fidget […]
When I was recently being adjusted by my chiropractor, she announced I was wearing bad bras and that it was past time for me to get a new one. Now, my chiropractor, Dr. Shannon Anhorn, is very unique. She’s the owner of Cloud Chiropractic that operates out of The Tummy Team clinic in Camas, Wa. She […]
Sample a workout, listen to our podcast, download a printable, find our free videos!
As your belly muscles regain proper tension and strength, and your diastasis recti begins to narrow, the skin on your tummy may pucker and dimple as the pressure from within your core is more controlled. This isn’t about sucking it in and constantly flexing your abs, rather, as your transverse abdominus “corset” muscle that wraps […]
I love my morning coffee. I love the smell. I love the conversations and community around it. I enjoy 1-2 cups to start my day, and an occasional cup of decaf at night. Being able to sneak collagen into it for bonus nutrition just makes it that much more enjoyable to me!Here’s how I make it: […]
Isn’t it wonderful that a baby takes 9 months to prepare for its first breath of air? While it was hard to wait for my babies, I found myself grateful for all that time spent prepping for birth and recovery even though nothing could have fully prepared me for birth and becoming a mother. I’m […]
I made a special trip to New York to learn about new treatments from top women’s health experts at the WIWH LIVE event, not knowing I’d learn something about my daughter that would shake me to my own core. I learned that the age she is right now puts her at the highest risk for […]
If you sit a lot for work or nursing a baby or just out of pure exhaustion, it’s highly likely that your psoas is tightening up to tell you something. Basically, your psoas connects your spine to your thigh bone. While it is often named alongside the iliacus as “iliopsoas,” the meat of it is […]
It doesn’t snow here very often, and it shuts down our area when it does. We might get a couple dustings each year, but typically we get more freezing rain. So this past week when it dumped 4 inches between dinner and bedtime, my family was out partying in it at 9 p.m. Of course, […]
I was sitting there in a crowd of other mothers, watching our kids through a thick glass window as they practiced their gymnastics, flipping and tumbling around. Then, as is so classic of me – since I can’t have normal conversations with anyone because they ask me what I do, and then we proceed to […]
Remember those baby diaper advertisements on TV? Without fail, baby diaper brands became a household name. We didn’t even say “diapers.” We would go to the grocery store and look for Luvs or Pampers. We asked our little helpers to get the baby’s Huggies. There has been shift to advertisement for adult products? Now Poise and […]
As I look at the long list of goals that I intend to accomplish in 2017 for myself, my family, my business, my home, my faith… I have to admit a small part of me is eyeballing a couple of the bigger ones and whispering a tiny “Um, yeah right. That’ll never happen.” Then again, […]
While I was at a local birth pro meet and greet recently, I started chatting with Gillian Sim Sukachevin, pelvic floor physical therapist at The Tummy Team, about diva cups, pessaries, prolapse, poise plugging products, and more! Gillian has contributed her expertise to several workout video routines I’ve put together which are available here on […]
Confession: I find it super annoying when people post a list of books they plan to read, and they have this pretty picture of a stack of titles organized alphabetically or by size, because seriously, how does anyone know for sure what they’ll be reading a couple months from now? That stack of books on […]
I’m a country girl who mostly enjoys just. being. home. It takes something really precious or super sparkly to lure me away from my cozy farmhouse and regular routine. When my colleague Beth Jones of MamaSport invited me to share a cab and hotel with her in New York City for Women In Women’s Health LIVE put on by the Integrative Women’s […]
I almost joined a gym today, but once again I walked away from their {not so} incredible offer. I know, I’m the home fitness queen over here, but I worked in gyms and athletic clubs for half my life, and sometimes I miss it and want to lift something heavy that doesn’t squirm, such as […]
Bottom line: Surgery isn’t your only option when you have diastasis recti, feel like your vagina is falling out, intimacy is painful, or you’re personally keeping Poise and other panty products in business. Whether you pursue surgery or not, the right women’s health specialist can provide you with the right rehab and the right exercises that […]
When you first find out you have abdominal separation, and you start learning about how that “diastasis recti” will impact your exercise choices and basic activities of daily living, the awareness can be overwhelming especially because the internets will typically try to convince you to have surgery or just accept it as normal. But watch […]
That green chair in the short video clip you’re about to watch? Yeah, that’s where I spent a lot of time holding my babies who are now getting so big and learning about their own alignment and core health as it relates to furniture and fitness. But the thing I want my daughter to know […]
Guest Post by Fit2B Co-Founder, Chris Behnke. Not only has Chris worked tirelessly behind the scenes to keep our website running smoothly, he’s also a runner. And we have a LOT of clients who rave about Fit2B and how it’s helped them make a safe return to running. So when Chris told me he was […]
Restorative poses simply remove some of gravity's pull with the use of props. They enable people to sink into deeper stretches with support and safety, and I'm convinced that anyone can do restorative work wherever they are with whatever they have. It feels so good to add props to stretching positions, and I've seen and felt [...]
Fit2B now has several advanced routines in which I teach strenuous arm balances and moves that put you upside down where your hips are higher than your head: My Wall Workout, the Fusion Mixes, Balanced Inversions, and a couple others. They’re fun routines and not “dangerous” at all. They can also feel good when the pelvis is cramping. So […]
Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a serious condition that affects many women’s quality of life, but there is therapy available to help stabilize the area and even improve it. I’ve worked closely with many physios and physical therapists to create several routines that can help a woman start connecting with her pelvic floor while she […]
The training for which I wrote a huge section on diastasis awareness in Yoga also gave me 5 hours with the instructors over this past weekend!! This group soaked up everything I said, asked so many high-level questions, and we all finished wanting more! It was very encouraging to be invited to contribute my knowledge […]
When a woman with an unclosed core discovers the massive amount of resources that Fit2B offers those experiencing abdominal separation, she typically gets super excited and then a bit overwhelmed. And it’s no wonder! I’ve written multiple ecourses and close to 300 articles on here plus created over 300 fitness workouts that support the stomachs of […]
Bands, Blog, Top Performing Blogs
Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction Routine with Diastasis-Aware Exercises!
If you’re struggling with pain in and around your pubic bone due to symphysis pubis dysfunction, my heart goes out to you. It’s tricky when you can’t separate your legs or step over things without grief and grating in your groin, isn’t it? And if you have diastasis recti, too, some of the common exercises […]
For just recently reaching 73 years old, my mom is in remarkably great shape even though her feet have always bothered her. She walks, eats healthy, is active in her church and community, and takes good care of herself and my dad. This past year, she finally began pursuing things to really deal with and […]
Blog, Stretching & Flexibility
The Belly Pictures She Took in her Pink Bathroom Went Viral, But Where is She Now?
Two years ago, Fit2B member Katie Goddard sent me her before and after pictures, giving me permission to share her story in this blog {click} “Mother of Son with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) shares how Fit2B is changing their lives.” Little did we know how many it would reach! Katie’s candid images continue to encourage discussion because they […]
Get 5 Home Fitness Routines for 5 Days Free! If you want to try 5 of our most basic home fitness routines through our web app, just click here to learn more about this awesome offer! Our members have been using the full version of Fit2B Mobile since it’s launch in early January 2016, and […]
A couple years ago, we started putting blooper outtakes at the end of each of our workout videos. However, I’ve made so many bloopers while filming for our routines and online learning ecourses that we still had extras! So here is the best bloopers of 2015 from behind the scenes of Fit2B… Go ahead. Laugh. […]
While many people were setting goals around the first of this year, something different happened organically in the private Fit2B member forum when Holly J. posted her victory picture and long term success story about coming out of a very hard place thanks to Fit2B. Here’s what she wrote and posted: “I want to post here because […]
Question about heeled shoes posted in our forum: “Beth is it possible for someone to have “short tendons”? My mom was told she needed to wear shoes with a heel because she has short Achilles’ tendons. Are their specific stretches to lengthen them?” -Lauren F. That question was posted in our private member forum, and […]
Naked is not a bad word. It’s not the “N” word, and it’s not vulgar. It’s how we were born, totally bare, but I’ve talked with far too many women who can’t stand the sight of themselves. They hide from mirrors and mock their own worth by reducing themselves to self-imposed labels like “Fat” and […]
In addition to being a fitness professional, writing is a huge outlet for me. I’m fairly certain I have never gone to sleep at night without writing something somewhere about something, either in my journal, or online, or whatever. Even so, when I dove into a 30-day blogging challenge – which I am finishing today WITH […]
As long as you’re moving and exercising that’s all you need for a healthy body right? Nope. You are more than your muscles, and since your posture affects not just the shape of your belly, but also your digestion, pelvic floor function, emotions, chemistry, and also how you present yourself to others, we need to […]
“Thinking that because you are good person, hard times won’t come is like thinking that because you are a vegetarian, the bull won’t charge at you.” After reading this pivotal article on GNOWFGLINS many moons ago about how eating real food didn’t stop severe illness in two families, I began pondering the same truth about fitness […]
Many women live with debilitating cramps, diminished energy and moodiness that affects their relationships in the days before and during their periods. You can blame Eve or pollution or modern stress levels, but PLEASE don’t just lay there when you can minimize most of the major discomforts of menstruation. Here at Fit2B Studio, we have a specialized […]
It was a huge honor to be the special guest for The Birthful Podcast: Diastsis & Tummy Fitness with Adriana Lozada earlier this week. She said she chose me out of all the other experts she researched as possible guests because my program is the most comprehensive, evidence-based, straightforward, mama-friendly one she could find. The show […]
I am beyond grateful to our military and all those who serve in the armed forces here abroad, and in our communities. Therefore, it angers me to hear about outdated fitness testing methods hurting many recruits and soldiers. We need to stop thanking our veterans by giving them traumatic core issues like diastasis recti and urinary incontinence. Please […]
Confession: My kitchen timer is seldom used for anything cooking related. As a fitness professional and healthier mom in the making, I tend to use timers for better health and wellness applications. Not that setting one to avoid burning dinner wouldn’t be healthier for my family, but this is the scoop on how my stove timer […]
As you work to improve your alignment and overall strength from your core outward {like we do in Fit2B routines} it’s important to NOT sweat the small stuff. Working on the little fitness things, just one at a time, has really payed dividends to my overall wellness in the past several years. Most of us […]
Referring people to Fit2B for family-friendly home fitness videos that are TummySafe for diastasis recti and knee friendly, is so easy! As a thank you we give back to you! All you need to do is sign up as an affiliate with Fit2B here and then just use your special link whenever you’re talking about us […]
Go to our facebook fan page Fit2B – TummySafe Fitness right now to bid on our silent auction of all the shirts worn in the following routines. All proceeds benefit Mercy In Action which has a charity birth center in The Philippines, a midwifery school, and other training for maternal and child health. Their […]
You don’t have to turn your home into an athletic club to encourage fitness and wellness in your environment. As your strengthening your Diastasis Recti, your goal is to facilitate as much alignment, movement, core recruitment, and even positive pressure points as possible. It’s about making small changes in small areas. It’s also about making some big changes if […]
Many people with weak cores and back pain turn to yoga for help, but if you have diastasis recti, many yoga poses should be approached with caution. This shocking photo will hopefully help all of you better understand how DEEPLY a diastasis recti affects your abdominal’s appearance, function and integrity. That is one my members […]
Every now and then, we get an odd message from visitors to Fit2B who watch our diastasis recti self-check videos and then get all judgey about Kelly’s body type. “Great video, but why would I do your program when you’re not in shape?” Um, first of all, Kelly Dean is in great shape! She’s an elite masters swimmer who has […]
It’s Autumn here in the Pacific Northwest where the founding Fit2B families are located. The leaves are changing color as the rain returns, and most mornings I wake up to mist creeping across the fields here on our little homestead farm… Along with carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds for snacks, I find myself instinctively reaching […]
“You’re walking faster than I’m running!” That’s what I heard over and over as I progressed through my first half marathon last weekend in Bend, Ore. I’ve done Portland to Coast which is part of the “Mother Of All Relays” Hood to Coast seven times, and when my most recent set of 3 legs added […]
Ah, running… The activity that everyone thinks they should be doing to get super fit, but should you run with diastasis recti? Is running detrimental for a dysfunctional core? Some people truly love running; it’s a release for them just like race-walking is a vent for me. I understand that if you’re an avid runner, it’s […]
I’m not getting any “Mother of The Year” awards under the category of healthy lunches here, folks. In fact, in the spirit of full disclosure, you should know that my kids are finally old enough that I made “Pack Your Lunch” into one of their chore magnets because they’re quite capable of doing most of it […]
In the first article of this mini series on how to protect your core and pelvic floor from diastasis recti, prolapse, incontinence and other unpleasantries when you’re fighting a cold or bouncing around like a maniac on a friend’s trampoline, I wrote about what you can do before, during and after a fit of sneezing, coughing […]
A few weeks ago I jumped on a trampoline for the first time in a long while, and right after I came down with a colossal 3-day head cold. HooWee! Let me tell you! Even though I’m certain that I’ve laid a good foundation in my core and pelvic floor (PF) with great exercises like walking, proper […]
"I don't use weights. I just shake and burp daily" ... Yes, this is what I caught myself saying to friends as I posted brag pics of my recent fermented adventures. My growing fascination with ferments as food started with water kefir, but I'm telling you: That stuff is a gateway drug to another [...]
American’s have been characterized as having an “on the go” lifestyle. We’re constantly moving from point A to point B, and this causes significant amounts of stress on us. In addition to the added stressors of life in general, people also face nagging issues that can make their day even more difficult to handle. We […]
As you start putting your body back together with the safe, effective home fitness videos here on Fit2B, beginning with your core, you might find several areas calling for your attention. Most of my clients realize they need better neck posture which will in turn help their core. You see, when your core isn’t […]
Are you ready for some DVDs and not just online workouts from Fit2B Studio? Our first release “Fit2B Firm” has 4 of our best, most popular and FUN total body workout routines! Our second release “Fit2B Beginning” has 6 of our most basic routines including 4 of our foundational videos, plus the Transitions routine and Restorative Poses! […]
Please welcome style coach, Lisa Landis, who has THE SOLUTION to uncomfortable, sticky belly wraps that are worn ’round the clock during abdominal rehab for recovering from diastasis recti. Lisa has two boys and lives in Colorado Sprints, CO. One of the best things we can do to extend the life of our abdominal splint is […]
It was 5 years ago at a family Christmas party that my soon-to-be business partner, Christopher Behnke, asked me the same question that is showing up on my calendar today: What would you try if you knew you would be successful? What would you attempt if you could be guaranteed NOT to fail? I told […]
Blog
Guest Blog: Healthy Insights From One Fit2B Mama to Another… Or How I Lost Weight by Slowing Down!
“After not being able to lose weight forever, I lost all the baby weight and way more getting back to my early high school pant size by doing one fit2b video, sometimes just a “foundational five” also known as “F5” each day for 3-4 days a week, and a paleo-ish nourishing traditions diet. Small steps!!!!! Just […]
We are about strength, not soreness here at Fit2B Studio, but sometimes our more challenging workouts will leave you feeling sore, and then what? Proper nutrition to fuel your muscle’s work AND excellent alignment are the biggest keys to preventing unnecessary pain, but we’re talking about how to treat those tight muscles DURING the discomfort. […]
With so much WRONG information about the core out there and bad advice about how to safely tone your tummy and strengthen your whole midsection, it has become vitally important to me that fit2b.com provide the RIGHT education from MANY viewpoints. So a couple years ago, I began dreaming and talking with my co-founder Chris […]
At least once a week, Bethany guest writes for other sites about birth, diastasis recti, pregnancy exercise, fitness, why you shouldn’t do crunches, and many other topics. Really, it’s more often that she gets to blog here! So we have put together a run-down of some of her recent blogs, with the first one being […]
Holding your tummy in all the time is NOT the solution for your big belly. In fact “holding stuff in” benefits FEW facets of our life. Yes, I know, sometimes we just don’t know how to let go of stuff, and by “stuff” I mean dreams, children, tummies, that one exercise we just can’t seem […]
Now, I’m not sure if you know this, but my husband, myself and our two wildlings live on 7 acres of God’s green earth in rural southwest Washington State. It’s been just a little over a year now since we traded one-tenth of an acre surrounded by busy streets and nosy neighbors who tut-tutted […]
“I actually am 2 years out post baby. But I didn’t know that I had diastasis recti. I just thought I had belly bloat or that my trunk was too short for all my insides. So I posted the first picture {see photo below} on the trim healthy mama site asking what people recommended to […]
Faith, fitness and birth: those are the 3 passions of Fit2B Studio founder, Beth Learn, and that’s one reason why Fit2B Studio is so involved in diastasis awareness and core health. We truly want to help people where it matters: their center! So when Kristen Benoit, a member of Fit2B, certified midwife, and servant with […]
When a member of Fit2B’s diastasis-aware fitness video site posted this gorgeous photo and cute story in our private member forum on facebook, I decided to ask for more submissions of what home fitness really looks like for our core-focused members. The photos sent in are fun and raw, some neat, some messy… because that’s […]
15 Minutes or Less, Blog, Core, Foam Rolling, Non-Yoga, Relaxing, Stretching & Flexibility, TummySafe, Workout Routines
E/TS – Foam Rolling Routine
Foam rolling is an excellent way to stretch muscles from the middle, but this form of myofascial release is often demonstrated with crunch-like motions that can damage the connective tissue of the core… talk about irony! In this introductory routine, Bethany demonstrates a year of careful research and collaboration with other experts as she brings […]
To access this post, you must purchase Basic 1-Year Membership, Basic Monthly Membership, Premium Membership, Core Fitness Assessment or Walking As A Workout. If you have purchased this product you may simply need to log in
Things that caught my eye and made my body-nerd-brain glow this past week… The feeling of being surrounded by supportive colleagues; images of movement in 3D on an awesome yoga site; a happy member who is back into her unpregnant jeans at 4 wks postpartum after her 4th baby; a great phone call […]
The Fit2B team took diastasis recti awareness to some race walking relay races this summer, and I have such fun pictures to share with you. We wrote core abdominal info all over the vans, played loud music, wore funny wigs and gnarly teeth, so – needless to say – I’m not looking as polished after […]
If you’ve never heard of Roku, it’s a little tiny box that acts like a wireless router, attaching to your old TV with audio/visual cables or to your new TV with an HDMI cable. However, you don’t surf the web with it; you watch channels like Netflix, Hulu, etc. You plug it in, and voila! […]
While searching for a picture of a tear in the side of a bag (since it reminded me of my core and how it used to be) among other images I send myself via email, I came across this old email with the word “tears” in it, too… Sweet Fit2B member Lola wrote – “Thank […]
It’s all about “the more” … the diastasis which is caused by more pressure than normal, the stress that’s caused by pressure to do more, the anxiety that’s cause by pressure to be more, the adrenal fatigue that’s caused by all of those and the need to sleep more and have more caffeine to do […]
When I respond to questions in the private member forum, sometimes the members “like” it a whole bunch of times, and that’s when I think to myself, “Hm, you should make this into a blog!” But grand ideas get away from me, so I’ve created this post to just copy and paste these random threads […]
Do you ever just sit back and watch your kids do “dangerous” stuff? Of course, I’m not talking about playing with fire, but I’m just about the furthest thing from a helicopter parent because I believe kids are capable. One of the many reasons we moved to a 7 acre farm in the countryside with […]
My brain works in circles, and while I focus a lot on core fitness, I’m also a wife and mother who lives in a fixer upper farm house. This blog is a mish-mash of intersecting things I experienced one week as a farm girl and fitness professional. Our private members-only forum is always hopping and […]
There is 3-finger gap in maternal care, yet with all the awareness being raised about birth empowerment, this one is not being discussed much. Diastasis Recti is another form of pregnancy and birth-related trauma that is preventable and treatable without surgery, yet women are willingly and silently suffering with it because general practice doctors often […]
I never tire of talking about abs and bellies and diatasis, but how about I take a mini break and give you a peek into my current life? Six months ago, my family ditched city life in Portlandia, sold our .16-acre lot and 1,700 sq. ft. bungalow, and moved to a 1,400 sq.ft. “fixer upper” […]
Finding a qualified nutritionist and personal trainer in ONE person is rare, but my pal Dave Barnas of True Health Unlimited is. that. guy. When he offered to send me copies of his two latest releases – Real Food Therapy Guide and Y.E.S. Your Eating Solution – so I could do a review for the […]
When you think of cleansing, is this the image that comes to mind? LOL! I think that is the number one question I receive from people when they ask me about doing a cleanse: “Am I going to be, you know, on the toilet all day?” The truth is, there are many different types of cleanses […]
Dear fellow sisters who are trying to get rid of that post-baby line of fat in simple, no-nonsense ways you can share with your family... I'd like you to meet Kristen Glover who is joining Fit2B today to offer 8 super simple tips for healthier eating. Kristen is mom to five kids - including twin boys - [...]
Okay, I get a bit giggly at my own cheesiness whenever I can work my last name – which is “Learn” – into a blog post. And now that I’ve got that tidbit out of my exhausted brain, I can tell you some of the AWESOME things I learned while on a roadtrip with Kelly […]
Twice in the past week, I’ve been contacted by women who want to join Fit2B Studio’s online Tummy Safe™ video library, but they’re concerned about “the yoga part.” One wrote: “Hi- I found your site this morning through Wise Woman Builds Her Home. I am a homeschool mom of 6 also in the Pacific Northwest (greater […]
Our abdominal tummy muscles have to work harder in certain positions than others, and if you don’t know how to “turn on” your transverse abs, those moments may be contributing to your belly getting bigger, not smaller. The job of your abs isn’t crunches and situps, although they work together to do those things if […]
Giving gifts of fitness is awkward sometimes, and you have to be careful how you present your present, if you know what I mean. Just last week, I “tipped” the guy who dropped off and installed my new-to-me washer and dryer with 3 free months on Fit2B Studio to give his wife. He looked a […]
A new member recently posted in our private member forum: “I’m a mother of 2 with my second pregnancy ending in a c-section as a result of my diastisis that went unnoticed (the midwife at the delivery was appalled that no one had addressed the problem, yet had little advice to offer me afterwards). Having […]
We’d like to welcome Susanne Reinhold from Kangaroo Fitness who is a fitness instructor and personal trainer working with the pre/postnatal population. Susanne has a special interest in the abdominal muscles given that the belly is the number one concern for most new moms. Learning more about the core has taken on a new level […]
If your middle is muddled like mine was after having two kids – but you’ve never had kids, or maybe you have eight – and it makes weird shapes when you try to sit up, or you could swear you can fit your whole hand in your tummy trench, and no matter how much you […]
Dear Doctor who doesn’t understand diastasis or how it has impacted me and my friends, my cllients, our bodies, our lives, our ability to mother, our comfort in the bedroom, even the way we laughed for a while… I hope you read this! I’m angry at you. You should have known about this common abdominal […]
Red or Blue, I don’t care one bit. I’ll help you if your abs are split. Diastasis doesn’t take a side, but it sure does cause a big divide… in your six pack. It tears the left away from right and puts your posture in a plight. It’ll leave you slouched upon a bench contemplating […]
It all started with one member’s post in our private facebook forum when she wrote, “My husband and I are going to start F2B90 starting Nov 1st. A Fit2B 90-day challenge. 🙂 Complete with before and after photos, weights, and measurements.” Thirty-seven comments later, almost 10 other gals had jumped on board, and now they’ve […]
Like many of us, Teresa is a mom whose goal is to keep her body strong and her abs flat the healthy, diastasis-aware way. However, not only is Teresa one of my founding members, but she also has such a unique and vibrant approach to her everyday fitness. Almost every day, she shares a picture […]
My parents are in their 70’s now, and nothing is more precious to me than seeing my daddy – who has neuropathy – work his way down onto the floor to play blocks with my boy. They were my biggest fans when I started this business, handing out cards to total strangers on the street […]
This is a guest post written by Allison Morris, co-creator of an enlightening graphic that shows how children who exercise are smarter. Allison found this article on Fit2B Studio’s blog, and she wrote directly to me to see if I’d like to carry this educational piece on our site. Of course I said YES! Here’s […]
What is Fit2B Studio? Well, sometimes I think it’s easier for me to say what Fit2B Studio is NOT because there are so many cliches and turn-offs in the fitness industry that I am purposefully trying to not imitate. First of all, I am not out to deliberately make you sore, shred your gut, kill […]
My daughter spent a healthy amount of time this weekend with her cousins while I did the Portland to Coast Walking Relay. We ended up having a spontaneous aerobic dance party in the car after I retrieved her and my sister’s kids from my parents. Later we looked those silly songs up on youtube and […]
When my sister, Aleta, asked if I’d like to be a part of a “laid back” walking team for the Cascade Lakes Relay, I was pretty excited. I’m in my third year of doing Portland to Coast – this year as a competitive 8-person walker with Team Toe Jammin’ since we took 6th last year – […]
What do you tell women who are trying to lose that post-baby line of fat around the belly button? Does it sometimes not go away? (And if that’s the case, what do you say?) This question came to me in an email from Jenn Sinkler of Experience Life magazine, and here’s how I answered it […]
I’m a real woman, so I do lots of multitasking. I have this fitness site, but I also edit for indie authors, crochet rugs out of t-shirt yarn, give lectures in my community about diastasis, spend lots of time in birth conversations (yes, I want another one), and I’m also a mom, taxi-driver, cook, maid, […]
I follow a page on facebook called Made to Birth, and she asked a question: How do you go with your body? What do you do to be tuned in to birth? For me it always goes back to fitness, because that’s how I’m wired and trained to think. Babies and workouts are my two biggest […]
This is an interview with Mommy Baby Spot, Darlene Watson. A birth educator and mother of two, she is also a member of Fit2B Studio! Bethany: Welcome Darlene! You are very passionate about helping moms have healthy, fit births. Can you tell us little about your own births? Darlene: My own births are what made me […]
By: Jaime Arnold. We connected with Jaime via twitter in a conversation about crunches injuring spines. Jaime is a staff writer for backpainrelief.net and yoga enthusiast. Jamie is also an animal lover and avid traveler, and she was excited to write for us about beneficial back pain relief therapies. Jaime says… Incorporating aerobics, strengthening and stretching is instrumental in […]
I have revered and respected Julie as the founder of The Tupler Technique® ever since her program helped close the split in my abs that my surrounding fitness communities was ignoring and accepting as “normal.” When I wrote to Julie and asked for a guest post, I never dreamed she’d give me an open ticket. […]
When I first watched this video about why exercise does NOT need to be hard or hurtful to work, I felt like standing up and cheering! As a mom who understands the quest to get your abs back, I nearly destroyed my post-birth body doing too many crunches and crazy workouts. My diastasis was still […]
Kara in Texas writes… “So I did my 3rd workout of yours this morning, and I haven’t felt sore or anything. Am I doing it wrong? I’m really excited to try this, thank you for getting back to me!” Much has been written on soreness. Some believe very strongly that if you aren’t sore, then […]
Anne Marie Gurney is a a homeschooling mom friend of mine, and she’s running – and I do mean running – for the Oregon House of Representatives. When I asked if I could interview her for Fit2B Studio, she said yes! Here is her video, and our interview follows. Bethany: How does fitness play a […]
Our April, 2012 trip to Montana Montana is a place of rugged beauty and stark contrasts: Immaculate Escalades with cattle-grill-guards parked next to beat-up Subarus still displaying blood stains from last year’s hunting season; the sharp cut of the Mission Mountains against the rolling plains; the dirt on the faces of beautiful children out playing […]
This high-energy and high-impact workout is sure to help you burn major calories and tone your muscles along the way, yet as I analyze turbofire clips on youtube, a few things make me cringe. As a fit mama with a bachelor degree in exercise and sport science, multiple certifications, and 16 years of experience […]
Yes, that’s me. I’m wishing myself a happy birthday. I’m 33 today and I’m so excited for the coming year of my life. Here are some of my favorite pics from the past year 🙂 That’s me: The minivan mama with my two kids smiling behind me! A cute shot of my kiddos playing at […]
Moms often turn to oils and lotions to reduce stretch marks during pregnancy, but I am starting to wonder if preventing these scars is not only related to skin hydration and genetics but also to the tone of the muscles underneath the skin. The stronger your core is, the more pressure will be taken off […]
I used to be one of them: a trainer and group fitness instructor who bragged about how sore I could make my clients. Then I had an epiphany: What if I could make people stronger without hurting them? It was all about delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) back then – back before I had kids, before […]
When my college bestie Tricia of Seriously Smitten wrote on facebook about a running experience she had a couple days ago, it moved me to tears and I begged her to let me share it with my readers: “As my feet hit the pavement, I see a woman up ahead who I can see is clearly […]
We had just finished the step aerobics portion of class, but she left – walked out – after just a few Yoga warrior poses. I had been wondering if she was another instructor because she had such great form, fancy moves beyond the ones I was teaching, strong arms, and she wouldn’t make eye contact. […]
Please welcome Wendy Powell, MuTu System Founder and member of Fit2B Studio. Wendy is a fellow crunch-free advocate, and – while Fit2B Studio offers ongoing TummySafe™ Fitness – Wendy’s 12-week program will help you put your core back together even YEARS after babies. I am so delighted to be asked by Bethany to write a […]
Jenn Bonner is endorsed by Fit2B Studio as a health coach. She shares more of her story about being obese during pregnancy with us today… Shame – what a shameful word. Unfortunately too many of us women live with shame every day. There is a range of shame women and moms go through on a […]
Valentines Day = Love … Love = dancing … Dancing + Pink = Pink Glove Dance to raise breast cancer awareness. I know, the brain of this fitness chick works in mysterious ways. But this became a blog post when I went on youtube to watch the “Pink Glove Dance” that was originally filmed at […]
Subscribe to our newsletter if you want more 🙂 Every personal trainer and fitness instructor worth their weight knows about “The Principle of Progression.” It means that you start with small motions and work up to bigger motions. It means you start with light weights and work up to heavier weights. It means that – […]
We always take some pictures while the Fit2B Studio camera is rolling, and so we’d like to share a few with all the moms, dads, and families who follow us, along with exercise tips of the movement that was captured. This one was posted on our facebook yesterday, and it’s such a good one! Gate […]
Just like having an injured shoulder changes how you lift weights with your arms, the same is true for your abs, and a very common injury known as diastasis merits major changes in your core routine. However, I can’t begin to number how many personal trainers, group fitness personnel, and dance instructors whom I have […]
We launched our facebook fitness page just shortly before we launched Fit2B Studio. The name “Fit to Be Us” is based on our domain name. We wanted a dot-com name, but we couldn’t afford one at the time. When fit2b.us popped up as a possibility, and we said it out loud to each other, we […]
We have some amazing things coming up, and I just want to take a moment to inform our blog followers about all of it. 1. We are partnering with Nisha Riggs of Healthy Moms Kitchen to create an amazing new product that will bring fitness and meal planning right to your email inbox every week. […]
Pinterest allows users to download a button for their browser. When they see an image or graphic or quote that they like on a blog, they “pin” it by clicking the button and selecting the image. It’s a fun way to build traffic as you inspire others. Here’s another one I made for a new […]
Kim Vopni has two boys, and she is the founder of EPI-NO Canada. We met through a twitter conversation about the damage that crunches can do, and I learned that she has been trained in diastasis recti rehab. Kim holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Western Ontario and a Post Graduate Diploma in […]
Before I became a mother, I thought fitness would be just as easy as it had been for me all my life. “I’ll just put the baby in the stroller and go for a jog!” I wasn’t accounting for a screaming baby half-way down the block, leading to a let-down that would soak through two […]
“I cooked dinner last night. I need a padded room now.” Even though dinner turned out great, and my kids (3 & 6) both asked for seconds, that was this mom’s facebook status last night. Having a glass of wine while I cook seems to help counteract the rise in blood pressure that happens when […]
I want to thank Selena Moffitt from 1momsmission.com for being our guest blogger today … Do you use the same advice you were given as a child: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day”? Do you model what you preach? Do you treat this meal as THE MOST IMPORTANT meal? Between the kids’ needs […]
When people ask me if I like to cook healthy meals, I usually look at them sideways and mutter something about being a fitness mama not a “Betty Crocker.” I find joy in making people burn calories, not consume them, so most of my aprons are wadded up in the back of my kitchen towel […]
The signs are all around us, and they tell lies. Lies about nutrition. Lies about health. Lies about fitness during pregnancy. Lies about what kids really need. Just this morning, I saw a billboard by Burger King that had a picture of an ice-cream cone, a goody-covered sundae and a milk shake. It proclaimed that […]
As creators of our own yoga and pilates workout videos for kids, it could be a conflict of interest for us to review other kid yoga DVD’s. But unlike other exercise business owners, we don’t believe we are THE ONLY ONES with ALL the answers. So we don’t see the Storyland Yoga DVD as […]
One of my friends who has lost nearly 200 lbs was facebooking about how she is now going to rehab her abs, shrink her midsection and tighten her core by going through diastasis rehab with The Tummy Team like I did. Then an interesting comment popped up on her facebook comment thread about the notion […]
Last week was a hot one here in Camas. Specifically last Wednesday, the 7th at 4:00 in the afternoon on the Captain William Clark trail in Washougal. On that trail it was about 95 degrees with little to no shade. Somewhere during the day I thought this would be the best time to go for a […]
Your muscles‘ ability to move in various ways is a lot like a government employee’s vacation time: Either you use it, or you lose it! As you move past your prime, it is crucial for you exercise in ways that maintain the motions that will contribute to your quality of life when you are 50, […]
I see my triceps meeting my posterior deltoids. I see the blur of the background as I leave it all behind me. I hear the rhythmic worship music blasting from my shoulder speakers. I feel my sweat-plastered shirt sticking to my sports bra … and I am proud. Because I am four months post-op from knee […]
Me and my sister Aleta, who just recovered from a bout with thyroid cancer, both did the Portland to Coast walking relay race as part of Hood to Coast for the second time this year. I was on “Toe Jammin” an 8-person womens team, and Aleta was on “Rockin’ Walkers,” a 12-person co-ed team that included […]
When hundreds of relay running teams leave Mt. Hood, and hundreds of relay walking teams leave Portland, and they are all trying to reach Seaside, Oregon in the shortest time possible … well, things can get a little sticky and stinky and FUN!!! Hood to Coast and its sister event, Portland to Coast, have been […]
How does one survive Hood to Coast, the world’s largest relay running race that also includes Portland to Coast, a walking relay race? Having just placed sixth with my Team Toe Jammin’ #2100 means we have a guaranteed place in next year’s race without submitting to the lottery … but are all the funny team […]
Hi, my name is Kate, and I have recently started writing a blog called Spirtually Obese. It’s been on my mind for a while to start a blog writing about my own struggles with weight and faith. As an overweight Christian woman, I have often been told that if I just relied on God enough, […]
Guest Blogger Luci Smith: For a few years now, it’s been a dream of mine to do a marathon. But for a mother of two very energetic girls and a wife of 17 years, I was seriously lacking the motivation needed to train for such a thing. But that all changed last Spring when I […]
Why did it take me so long to figure out that my children are ALWAYS hungry? When they start whining for food, I start digging through the diaper bag, giving them whatever is in there. It used to be that if I came up empty, well, then it was McDonalds! The reality is that having […]
Having chiropractic work done on my spine has literally kept me on my feet through all my years of bouncing around as I teach group fitness and play hard. So when I met “Dr. Doug” at a networking event here in Portland, and he offered to guest blog for me, I jumped at the chance […]
For my 2011 New Year’s resolution, I swore off drinking soda pop for a year. This has been hard for me, but not as hard as I expected. Please know that I’ve never been a pack-a-day pop drinker, but I did enjoy a can of Mt. Dew with lunch on a regular basis … or […]
Are you refusing to do a yoga-based thigh stretch just because it’s called trikonasana (Triangle Pose)? Are you refusing a whole mode of wellness just because it comes from another part of the world, is spoken in another language, or has ancient roots in a different belief system? Some might label that mentality with strong […]
We are blessed with a life estate in Montana where my husband grew up as a boy, running wild and free. Twenty acres of land currently used by his father for hay and cows and chickens now also holds a tiny, blue cabin. It’s a shabby little 12×20 shed with two levels, making it roughly […]
Lunges are an effective way to tone and tighten your entire lower half, and they can also contribute to pelvic stability during pregnancy and as we age. All of your lunging should leave you saying, “Ooooh, I look and feel good!” Not, “Ow, I pulled something!” However, when you don’t have a mirror – or even […]
Whether you worship the “Universe” or the One who breathed it into existence – or even if you don’t worship anything at all – it seems we all have stages of life where a certain soul-message is continuously weaved through every single situation we experience. Things that happen to us, things we observe and hear – […]
Some people like to cook. I don’t. I derive no joy from making a mess in my kitchen and cleaning it up. So when I find a simple recipe that makes my family happy and healthy, it gets written down on a receipt or envelope. If it comes back for a second round with good […]
Summertime means road trips with the family, friends or by yourself with one hand surfing on the airstream and the radio cranked all the way up. As fun and exciting as road trips are, though, the road map often directs adults toward weight-gain and children toward boredom. We know, because we – the two families […]
Last week my daughter, who will be six soon, had a huge epiphany. We were driving in the car, going through our usual routine on the usual days when she said, “Life is just circles, Mom.” In the moment, she really wasn’t too happy about these “circles” because she was craving a change. But we […]
It’s a rap about organic food stores. It will leave you laughing and wordless, and it tells you where I’m at. If you have no idea why I have deviated from my usual fitness rantings, you need to know about something special that happens on twitter on Wednesdays. Well, two things really. One is “Wordless […]
If you have ever labored to bring a baby into the world, you know what a workout it can be, and you know how in-tune with your body you must be, especially if you want to be in good shape for a natural, drug-free childbirth. Well, over coffee with Lisa Johnson, a dear woman whom […]
Here’s to all the daddies who are fit to be fathers who are more than just sperm-donors who really invest. Here’s to all the fathers who are fit to be the coach Fit … 2 … B the strong man the one the children cling to Here’s to the men who are fit to […]
Guest Post: Health Coach Jenn Bonner My reality used to bite. Being an athlete at heart, morbidly obese and hopeless was my reality and I hated it. I wanted to be ‘normal’ – whatever the definition of that is anymore. I wanted to be able to do the activities I used to enjoy so much. […]
Youtube is full of free workouts for all fitness levels. The problem is that they aren’t categorized or monitored, and any “Tina Trainer” can post what they think is the best workout of all time. You need to look for three things when downloading or purchasing an exercise video: Is the professed workout instructor or […]
How can your pilates and yoga workout help victims of the Joplin Tornado? Fit2B Studio has partnered with Victor Knowles, president of Peace on Earth Ministries in Joplin, Missouri to help fund tornado relief efforts. Join for a year and mention “Joplin” at checkout, and we will give HALF of that amount to POEM and send […]
Trees have always known how to get their message to millions of social network users. Since the dawn of creation, trees have set a standard that every blog writer and product seller and business owner should emulate. Take the ancient tree in my neighbor’s backyard for example: As one of the oldest trees in our […]
Hey guys! The Love Drop team is at it again! Last month they gave over $9,200 worth of cash, goods and services to their recipient, the Stalnaker family, who had been going through a financially hard time due to the effects of the BP oil spill on the Louisiana economy. The family was in need […]
We have a LOT of workouts, and more are coming. We want to make it very EASY for our members to know where the EASY workouts are, no matter what section they are in. We want Fit2B Studio to be a place where anyone of any age at any fitness level can EASILY find what […]
I recently entered Circle of Moms’ contest for Top 25 Fitness Bloggers, and it’s been an exercise in humility! Even though the top 25 bloggers will get quite a bit of PR on Circle of Moms, my reasons for entering were mostly out of sheer curiosity. Who are these other women who label themselves fitness […]
Kids books are a dime a dozen these days, full of cuddly bears and kids eating treats at picnics with rainbows and unicorns … but it’s not everyday that a fun, quality fitness book for kids is released by someone who actually knows what they’re talking about. So when I was contacted by Steve Ettinger, […]
For Mothers Day, we invited an amazing “Fit2B Mama” who recently lost about 200 lbs and kept it off to write a guest post. Meet Jenn Bonner! “I ran a 10K. That was huge for me! I RAN a 10K! I never stopped. I never walked. I never gave up. And my reward was to […]
I’ve been wanting to write a blog about how to turn your kids’ playground adventures into your own personal workout without looking like an idiot, but I couldn’t figure out how to get pictures of myself demonstrating stuff without sounding like a weirdo: “Um, hi! Can you use my camera phone to take some pictures […]
The Love Drop team is at it again! Last month they gave over $6,000 worth of cash and goods to their recipient, the Kahlen family, who had been going through a financially hard time due to the economy (and whose daughter is currently battling Tuberous Sclerosis). They focused on their love of spending time together, and brought […]
Except for a few very slow attempts at chasing down my belligerent toddler-age son, I’ve been flat on my back with my right leg elevated all week since having arthroscopic surgery to repair a partially torn medial meniscus. After showering this morning for the first time in – I’m going to keep that secret to […]
Right before and right after a new Fit2B Mama gives birth, it seems like everyone tells her to rest and to eat whatever she wants, but is that a healthy fitness standard? I’ve had two kids myself, and I remember the exhaustion and feeling like a perpetual food vacuum. However, I also remember wondering why […]
It’s the cluttery days when there’s no space on my windowsill for one more rock or fist-picked flower, let alone time to deep breathe and stretch for a workout, that I feel like grasping or running. I’m not sure which because if I run away, the children will only cry harder, but if I dare […]
As much group fitness as I have taught in studios and gyms over the past 14 years, my favorite way to workout is not indoors. Give me a hiking trail, a mountain bike, an outrigger canoe, or a pair of waterskis and you get a very happy Bethy! Planning my recent 32nd birthday party was […]
Of course I love hearing what my members are saying about my online workout site, Fit2B Studio. I’ve told them that if they ever want a one-month credit (just $7.95) they can write a blog about how their membership has helped them get in shape. This review arrived in my facebook messages today. It has […]
Working out is important, but our fitness usually comes in last when it comes to organizing our schedules. Then again, what mom or dad of little ones really has a schedule? When our children are tiny, it seems like a whole day of diapers, feedings, play-dates, doctor appointments and messes can just fly by without […]
Neatness and fitness don’t usually go together, or do they? Housework is not my favorite thing. Even though the result is a clean house, it still somehow feels like a waste of my time when I’d rather be planning a new workout or editing. Long ago, I took Flylady‘s advice and lumped a bunch of […]
I love my children, but I confess a certain snappiness when I haven’t been able to work on my fitness or fit a workout in for a couple days. It’s a vicious circle: My kids take priority, my workout gets shoved to the back-burner, I miss that negative energy expenditure, I get snappy, I have […]
You think you’re strong? Maybe you are. You might have well-defined six-pack abs and be able to complete 100 push-ups without a single break. You also might be able to do endless Yoga poses and run marathons three times a year. But if you don’t know what your transverse abdominus is and how to strengthen […]
One of my relatives, Frank W. Buckles, was the last surviving veteran of WW1. He died last week at age 110. Then this week, my husband’s beloved work kitty passed onto the land of endless sand and catnip. No less young in cat years compared to people years, this picture of Marbles sitting on a […]
It’s been a productive morning, but at a great price to my sanity. Getting it all done is not usually too important to me, but now that we’re half-way through our first year of homeschooling, and I’m not nearly half-done with the curriculum … well, it’s time to get it done. However, as I continued […]
“This is true joy in life, the being used up for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one, the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.” -George Bernard Shaw I read that […]
Have you ever been really overweight and then lost that weight only to still have a mysterious belly pooch? Have personal trainers promised you a flat six-pack, but your stomach got bigger!? Ever been pregnant? Have abdominal surgery to correct a hernia, take out your appendix, or perhaps a c-section? Then you may have a […]
Crunches & sit-ups are human-invented exercises. Someone decided that the abdominals work like every other muscle (spoiler alert: they don’t) and that shortening a muscle flexes it, and that flexing your spine over and over makes your abs flatter. Wrong again. While we might do a few crunch-like, sit-up type motions, one at a time […]
We strive for perfect bodies. We spend billions a year on makeup, toning products, books and even videos like mine. It’s all in an effort to look better. But what if you couldn’t look better? What if you were destined to have the body you have now for the rest of your life? Take away […]
“I have been a member of Fit2B Studio for a few months. I loved the idea of getting in shape at home, plus the variety of workouts available. Yes, I loved the “idea” but after a month I had only tried a few workouts. Some were great and made me laugh, but nothing caught on […]
The words “Love Drop” caught my eye last week as I stared at my Facebook stream. It was the third time I’d seen it. Three reputable bloggers, all VERY excited about this new kind of candy? But it’s not candy. It’s about community and creativity and compassion. This is what Love Drop did last month […]
If you are married to a fitness addict – like myself – you will enjoy reading this article that I just came across in the Wall Street Journal entitled, “A Workout Ate My Marriage.” It takes an inside look at the lives of two families with dedicated athletes, and it examines how the time that […]
As a homeschooling mom – a very NEW homeschooling mom – I need lots of ideas and inspiration. Being a fitness junkie, I’m all about getting my kids outdoors, but that can be a toughie seeing as how we live in a big city in the Pacific NorthWest (a.k.a. where Twilight was filmed because it’s […]
Exercise gives you energy, and you need energy to get things done. Most people know that, but I never believed it. I usually figured that I didn’t have enough energy to fold the clothes so I certainly didn’t have enough to work out. My idea of the best thing to do in under these circumstances […]
Exercise gives you energy, and you need energy to get things done. Most people know that, but I never believed it. I usually figured that I didn’t have enough energy to fold the clothes so I certainly didn’t have enough to work out. My idea of the best thing to do in under these circumstances […]
Photo shoots, filming, networking, planning meetings … Those activities made up most of my day yesterday, but if I posted them as my Facebook status then it comes across like I’m this poser of a superstar when I’m not. The reality is that I did do all those things yesterday, but my day actually started […]
Photo shoots, filming, networking, planning meetings … Those activities made up most of my day yesterday, but if I posted them as my Facebook status then it comes across like I’m this poser of a superstar when I’m not. The reality is that I did do all those things yesterday, but my day actually started […]
We were able to put my daughter in a lovely private christian preschool last year. But our finances for this year were tapped out by medical expenses. My husband ended up in the hospital overnight for fainting while driving. My daughter had to have surgery to correct her bilateral ureter reflux, and right after that […]
Kids love to have fun, and if fitness can be figured into the equation then that makes parents happy, too! It can be as simple as a quick trip to a neighborhood park or turning on some dancing music with a good “pop” that gets little feet – and maybe even your bigger ones – […]
Ta-Da! Here it is: My new blog design. It has been quite a journey due to the fact that I had no idea what I wanted at first. My sweet blog designer, Dana Sears, was quite patient with me as I drug her through hills, flowers, babies and finally settled on a (hold the phone) […]
When you first start working out it can be hard to have people watch you. This is the very reason why many people, especially women, avoid gyms. Most people don’t enjoy being stared at when they are trying to master a new skill. So you would think that exercising at home would save you from […]
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but my daughter doesn’t have the day off. We home-school our kindergartner, so we were just going about our day until it was time to put the next number on the calendar. Thankfully, I had put the MLK Day square from the calendar kit up at the start […]
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but my daughter doesn’t have the day off. We home-school our kindergartner, so we were just going about our day until it was time to put the next number on the calendar. Thankfully, I had put the MLK Day square from the calendar kit up at the start […]
We all know that a home life rich with playful movement benefits the mental, emotional and physical health of kids. But what about adults? I have been working my mind and muscles a lot lately, trying to get Fit2B Studio off the ground. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. […]
I never have to remind my kids to move or to be active at home. That might be because we don’t have a t.v. or simply because they are young. Children are naturally fidgety and fit. It’s so tempting to holler at rambunctious rugrats to “Sit Still!” But here in America, where we are known […]
I decided to snub soda for one of my resolutions this year. This is no small thing for me. Confession: pop has been a habitual part of my routine for years. I sucked on soda all afternoon while working full time prior to having kids. After having kids, I’d have a can during naptime. I’ve […]
One of my New Years Resolutions is to give up drinking soda pop, cold Turkey. I’m on Day #3, people, and I might need be admitted. Just kidding. It’s not that bad. Okay, maybe. It’s just really hard to travel and keep resolutions. Today, we’re traveling 550 miles back home after being with family in […]
“Give more. Spend Less. Cook more. Eat less. Love more. Hate less. Read more. Watch less. Recycle more. Waste less. Family more. Computer less. Bike more. Drive less. Learn more. Reject less. Listen more. Talk less. Exercise more. Sit less. Laugh more. Yell less. Jesus more. Self less.” … It’s about contrasts … *snow on […]
I found myself working out on my couch the other day. I had a cold, and I was tired of just laying there, but every time I stood up my head would throb to the rhythm of a polka song I’ve never heard. So right there on my cozy red couch, I started moving … […]
I often find my days settling into a strange system of crazy countdowns. For instance, I went grocery shopping tonight while the hubby put the two rugrats to bed … It is FIVE days until Christmas … I saw a family of FOUR helping themselves to the bulk candy chocolates … THREE people looked at […]
I often find my days settling into a strange system of crazy countdowns. For instance, I went grocery shopping tonight while the hubby put the two rugrats to bed … It is FIVE days until Christmas … I saw a family of FOUR helping themselves to the bulk candy chocolates … THREE people looked at […]
I am gearing up for a HUGE fitness blog hop with a linky that will open to bloggers offering a fitness/wellness/health oriented giveaway on December 27th. The hop will open to “hoppers” on January 1st. Some of my participants have never done a blog hop before. If that’s you, here’s your chance to practice! This […]
Maybe it’s the hush of falling snow or the quiet cubicles missing employees spending their “use or lose” vacation time. Maybe it’s the fact that everyone is going to Christmas parties and not the fitness gym. Maybe it’s that spending is directed outward and not inward at this time of year … But things are […]
Enter to win a free download of this book by commenting below! Cyclists! Have you ever wondered if riding requires the same nutrition as other sports? Do bicyclists need more fat or less in their diets? Do bike riders need to lift weights? How should cyclists cross train? What about that cup of coffee that […]
Enter to win a free download of this book by commenting below! Cyclists! Have you ever wondered if riding requires the same nutrition as other sports? Do bicyclists need more fat or less in their diets? Do bike riders need to lift weights? How should cyclists cross train? What about that cup of coffee that […]
You need to move to be able to move … Let’s see, how else can I put that … You need to stay moving to stay moving. Move now or don’t move later. Move your booty or your booty will start moving on it’s own, and I mean jiggly kind of movement, not the firm […]
It’s a little after 5 a.m. My two year-old boy is having hernia surgery at 8:30 a.m. So why am I spending time networking for my online fitness studio and connecting on social platforms in these last few precious minutes before I have to wake him up and take him to the hospital? Because it’s […]
It’s a little after 5 a.m. My two year-old boy is having hernia surgery at 8:30 a.m. So why am I spending time networking for my online fitness studio and connecting on social platforms in these last few precious minutes before I have to wake him up and take him to the hospital? Because it’s […]
Exercise used to be like breathing for me, meaning I worked out every day without having to really plan or think about it. That was before I had kids. I was the assistant manager of a fitness facility, and that job included personal training members at least once a day, teaching group fitness classes a […]
If you workout at an athletic club, as opposed to working out at home, sometimes the rewards are built into the gym’s system. Group fitness has the benefit of socializing and hiring a personal trainer offers more accountability and verbal affirmation than home workouts by yourself. So how can you reward yourself for reaching your […]
Jumping is a healthy activity for all ages that’s good for bone density and fighting osteoporosis. But sometimes the risks of jumping to increase fitness or get in shape outweigh the benefits … Like when you’re a new mom, and you have no bladder control. Or when you’re an old mom, and the “girls” just […]
We personal train ourselves every day! I’m not talking about fitness; I’m talking about habits in general. We make decisions in nano-seconds that either re-affirm or re-train our personal wellness and fitness routines. Am I going to put a little less sugar in my coffee this morning? Am I going to spend five extra minutes […]
My heart fell into my feet as I read a 3-week old post on our facebook fan page from a member having real technical trouble with our site … If you own a business, then you know the feeling. What’s worse about it for us, though, is that she reported a problem that WE didn’t […]
It was 10:42 p.m. “We look like the tail-end of a hollywood love-making scene,” I told my hubby, eying the sheets pulled up around us. “zzZZSssNRK! Hm?” He wasn’t really awake, but I was. Tons of energy and mind abuzz. I flung back the covers. “I’m gonna workout for a bit,” I announced. “Wha- huh?” […]
It was 10:42 p.m. “We look like the tail-end of a hollywood love-making scene,” I told my hubby, eying the sheets pulled up around us. “zzZZSssNRK! Hm?” He wasn’t really awake, but I was. Tons of energy and mind abuzz. I flung back the covers. “I’m gonna workout for a bit,” I announced. “Wha- huh?” […]
Gym memberships get benched when budgets get tight, and that’s when people find themselves trying to get fit at home. Getting in shape on the home-front is harder than it seems, though. Stay at home parents have a LOT of small moving hurdles to overcome. Sometimes we fall exhausted into bed, wondering where the day […]
Fit2B Studio and its revolutionary tummy-safe workouts for diastasis was featured on a major news site last night. This morning, I’m doing laundry and haven’t made it out of my pajamas – let alone done any pilates – at least not yet. Such is the life of this fitness sahmwahm (stay at home, work at […]
I have never done a “Wordless Wednesday” post until today. But when my business partner, Chris, returned from volunteering in Haiti with this video, I just had to share. This 90-second clip contains no speaking just music. It captured the skepticism and anger and pain of a hurting child, but then you see a gradual […]
If you like Netflix or working out via online fitness studios like ours – Fit2B Studio – then you might find yourself wishing for a larger screen. Well, these days if you’re wishing for it, someone has probably already invented it. Here is a list of docking items that allow you to grab your laptop, […]
If you have ever ridden on an airplane, you’ve heard the flight attendants discuss what to do in case of an emergency. They tell you to fix an oxygen mask to your own face before trying to get a mask onto a child. That speech flies against our instincts as mothers, as parents, as spouses. […]
I was taught compassion by my own broken body last week. Waking up with a spine that refuses to move or let anything else move will do that to a person. I spent the first few hours testing myself with some gentle pilates and yoga moves, the next few hours finding a good chiropractor, and […]
Sometimes I get tired of my so-called “second-hand” life. My mother taught me the joy of a bargain very early in life. In fact, I was born wearing hand-me-downs that barely fit. I didn’t get my own store-bought dress until I turned 10! I often wince at Target prices – thinking to myself that I […]
If you have a list of kids to buy for during the upcoming holidays, consider giving them things that will get them moving. As a nation, America is facing a growing obesity epidemic because too many parents park their kids in front of the t.v. with fatty foods and snacks. Children – just like adults […]
If you have a list of kids to buy for during the upcoming holidays, consider giving them things that will get them moving. As a nation, America is facing a growing obesity epidemic because too many parents park their kids in front of the t.v. with fatty foods and snacks. Children – just like adults […]
Read Google ads or get on Twitter, and you will be promised lifelong health, bones that never degenerate or hurt again, and a body that will remain perfect once you take five pills and jump through ten hoops! I hate to break it to you, but that’s so NOT true! I was reminded of this […]
That’s what I decided to call my first weekly fitness column that wrote for The Daily Barometer at Oregon State University: More Than Movement. I had started my freshman year in college as a beat reporter, covering politics and crime. Those interests fit my major which I initially declared as Political Science – or “poly-scy” […]
It doesn’t matter if you are late to my classes, online or in the club. My focus isn’t ruined by your tardiness, and I tell people all the time that, “Something is always better than nothing.” In the physical realm this is true. If you don’t have an hour, then exercise for 20 minutes. As […]
What would make today a healthy day for you? What do you need to accomplish or eat or consume to be able to say you had a great day of fitness? Do you have an unwritten “health” checklist that you mentally compare yourself to and berate yourself for if you don’t achieve it all? Workout […]
Children love to use their imaginations, act like animals, pretend to be things that they are not. In the process of pretending, they often tumble into positions that could be labeled as Yoga. Little tykes often do “Downward Facing Dog,” also known as Down Dog without even realizing it. As adults, we forget how to […]
The stage was set. The lights were on. My makeup was done, my hair kinda-done … and that’s when my biz partner, Chris, asked an interesting question. No, wait, he didn’t ask. He stated: We’re going to do this live on U-stream. “What’s U-Stream?” I asked, and he shook his head sadly at my ignorance. […]
We film more videos for the site tonight. I stand in front of my closet full of simple things and a few flashy things, and I think about my standard for this site: clean, modest, inspiring, non-intimidating. Unfortunately, that means this site might not grow as rapidly as other more “visually appealing” sites that have […]
We know how hard it is to take time to exercise. Your job wears you out. Your munchkins wear you out. Body and soul, you are tired. You might wonder if you have any energy left to put into a decent workout. What do you usually buy to boost your energy? Coffee? Soda? How much […]
Why has it taken me five years to get it? I had my first child five years ago and went from every workout being paid for and planned as part of my job to having to find ways to fit in fitness on my own. At first I tried to keep teaching aerobics … Have […]
When I was pursuing my degree in Exercise and Sport Science at Oregon State University, I had the privilege of attending a lecture series about the Psychosocial Dimensions of Fitness and Sports. No other class in all those four long years excited me more, because the professor finally highlighted a truth I was raised to […]
If there’s one important thing I’ve learned about the deep desires that everyone seems to have concerning their physical fitness it’s that you don’t want to be intimidated by a skinny bimbo at the gym. I mean, it’s nice to see what kind of body we all might be able to work for – if […]
My kids have a yoga instructor for a mom. When people discover this interesting tidbit, they usually say something like “Oh you must love teaching poses to them!” Confession: I have never “taught” my kids any poses. We don’t start every morning with prayer and meditation and the lotus pose. Okay, we do pray over […]
I find myself counting things at least once a week. It usually happens on my crazier days at home with my kids when more than one of anything seems to happen in quick succession. Take today for example … Five major meltdowns, four cups of strong coffee, three chickens loose in the backyard, two more […]
How long do you have to exercise before you feel like it really counts? If you are like me then you tend to look at a 15-minute window of opportunity to exercise like it’s not even worth your time. We get sucked into the trap of laziness, though, when we pigeon-hole ourselves into the 30-minute […]
Did your parents ever give you the three-legged stool lecture? The one about the triangle between quality, time and money? Basically, if you change one of those things, then your whole outcome is affected. If you want to save time, it will cost more money to still get good quality. If you want it done […]
Also known as the extended child’s pose in Yoga, this is known as the praise pose in Pilates. In the photo, the child is resting on her elbows, but the arms can also be “extended” out in front. The stretch is quite useful for lengthening the lower back muscles and relieving pressure in the hips. […]
If your bones are the skeleton – the girder, the rebar, the forms, the I-beams – of your body’s bridge, then your muscles are the cement that holds it all together. If you want a nice-looking bridge, then you had better make sure that you are mixing quality cement. I have always told my classes […]
If you are wanting to diet to lose weight, feel better, or maybe you need a diet to control your diabetes, but you can’t afford that fat loss for idiots diet handbook you have two options. You could find fast diet help by downloading some free menu planning software, or you can make your own […]
So I was hired for my first guest blogging experience through Girly Fitness. My instructions: Write 200 words about fitness that make people laugh at least once. No problemo! Here is the start of my first one. You’ll have to click the link to read the rest at girlyfitness.com “I miss my lovely Legs … […]
As parents, the amount of time we spend sitting on the couch with our kids is staggering! Yes, we chase the little rascals around a lot, too – just the other day my 21-month-old son ran into the bathroom, wanted to try going potty, then stole my hairbrush! I was chasing his naked little fanny […]
My daughter started where we all start: She started small. Small in size, small in goals. Rolling over, then creeping, crawling, cruising, and finally walking. Each accomplishment was greeted with cheering and camera flashes and pats on the back. Now she shouts “Look at me!” And I say, “Wow, I see you,” for what seems […]
The garbage that your home and family tosses out on a weekly basis dramatically increases when you have children, and disposables add even more to the dump. Environmental fitness is part of your overall wellness, so why not consider cloth diapering. Full time cloth diapering might feel expensive and time-consuming at first, but it is […]
As a mom, I am a lot better at forcing pills down my kids throats than down my own gullet. My mother had a pile of pills waiting by our breakfast plate every morning when I was a child, so I think I have subconsciously decided that I have already ingested a lifetime supply of […]
One of my good friends recently had her third baby which means she is looking forward to round number three of trying to get her pre-baby body back. However, along with her desire to get back in shape, she had an epiphany that every mother has at some point. Every mother also has trouble hanging […]
We love our children. We really do … But they exhaust us. Thus, the coffee. In a recent article, I talked about how coffee can strip certain vitamins and nutrients out of our bodies. ‘Tis true, but ’tis also true that coffee is kinda good for us. Strike that! It’s really good for us. Several […]
Pregnancy, then labor, then birth, then nursing, then carrying carseats, then … Face it! Motherhood is hard on a woman! If her mommy muscles aren’t strong enough, nursing will pull her posture out of place and carrying all that gear will strain her back. And let’s not forget the endless hours of back-patting while we […]
Parenting is stressful, and all that stress depletes our bodies. Then we drink coffee to stay awake, and caffeine removes nutrients. Then we take aspirin for our headaches, and birth control so we don’t have more kids and get more stressed out! And that stuff pulls goodies out of our bodies, too. It’s important that […]
Do something fun and healthy every day for your kids in two or three of these five areas: muscle strength, heart endurance, flexibility, nutrition, and balance coordination. With the obesity epedemic striking at the little hearts of our young kids, creating fun and healthy activities for children is very important. See the full article here…
Whether you believe in global warming on not, you have to face the full garbage dumps, littered streets, toxic chemicals in most of our cleaning and gardening products, and we must consider what we are leaving behind for the next generation of exercisers too! Read 4 tips below for greening your fitness routine! Real fitness […]
It’s simple: the more you move, the more calories you burn. The more flexible you are, the more you can move. Tight muscles restrict your range of motion. The bigger your range of motion is, the more muscles and muscle fibers you recruit. A regular routine of stretching, done at home or in a class, […]
Ankles weights used to be really popular. The appeal of burning extra calories by strapping a little extra sand to your stride is hard to resist. We add weight to our lifting routines to get stronger, so why not add weight to our cardio routines? The answer lies in numbers. Some quick math will reveal […]
You can burn calories and melt away that cottage cheese on your thighs without standing. Chairs don’t have to limit you to non-motion. You have so many options for movements and positions on a chair or seated on a floor, and Fit2B has outlined many ideas in our “Sit and Get Fit” workout pathway! […]
Vacations are for relaxing, but too much sitting around can lower your metabolism. Find a vacation spot that keeps you and your family busy. Don’t just sit on your sun-bathing fanny, sipping soda the whole time. Go! Do! Run! Bike! Play! Snorkel! Swim in the ocean. Rent a paddle-boat. Go horse-back riding. Check out the […]
It’s just another “Manic Monday” as I write this, and I’m feeling the need to catch up, to shake the cobwebs off my body from yesterday and make up for lost time. But once again I remember how God himself rested on the seventh day. If God needed a break to sit back and breathe […]
“Kris-Kross will make you jump! Jump!” And the Pilates Criss-Cross will get your abs in shape. (I know I just dated myself.) Also known as the “bicycle crunch,” this abdominal exercise recruits more muscle fibers than any other ab motion. However, it is NOT safe for those dealing with diastasis because of how the twisting […]
Ditch your stroller, and make those kids walk! Children over age two are perfectly capable of covering the entire Zoo on foot. They can hold your hand while you walk together to a neighborhood park. Preschool children can pedal a bike about as fast as you can jog or walk fast. Older children can go […]
Sure, moms might have the most daily, demanding job in the universe, but daddies work hard, too! If you work full-time, Dad, you are really limited in exercise options after you put in your shift, help with dinner, tuck the kids into bed, a get some quality time with the wife. One way for Dad […]
Design your own stroller workout. Baby will love getting out of the house and eating some snacks while mom or dad enjoys a workout. Utilize a local school track by yourself or with some friends. Walk half a lap and jog or speed-walk half a lap. Stop and do some conditioning exercises between laps: squats, […]
Put your workout gear where your children play or watch movies. Our children like to be where we are. If you must work out by yourself, then do it during naps. However, exercising with your children while they play or watch a movie allows you to observe what is happening and talk to them about […]
In the movies, a woman lies on her back, and the doctor says to push. She squints her eyes and screams through gritted teeth. Then you hear a little cry, and the fairly clean baby is handed to a beaming mother. However, anyone who has ever had a baby will mostly likely tell you a […]
I am always fielding questions from pregnant women about what they can do to stay active. Most of them fit into two extremes: They are either curious about prenatal yoga or they want to know if they’ll be able to run an 8k when they’re eight months along. As a fitness coach, the first thing […]
I had the house to myself, sort of. My husband and daughter went to Home Depot, and the baby was napping. I grabbed my husband’s Valentine gift of a pint of Haagen Daz Coffee Ice cream and settled into the couch to catch up on my current favorite show. I felt so peaceful and relaxed […]
I had the house to myself, sort of. My husband and daughter went to Home Depot, and the baby was napping. I grabbed my husband’s Valentine gift of a pint of Haagen Daz Coffee Ice cream and settled into the couch to catch up on my current favorite show. I felt so peaceful and relaxed […]
- 1
- 2