Quick Fix Post-Baby Crash Dieting not part of the Take Care Project

Is fitting back into your pre-pregnancy jeans more important than having stable moods and the energy to lift your child?

In the June 2008 Glamour magazine's list of 5o most glamorous women, we are told that "real-woman beauty" is "big this year." We are greeted with Jennifer Lopez in a flowing ball gown, looking for all the world as though she had never given birth, and certainly not recently, and to twins, at that.

We tuned in back in May to find out exactly how Christina Aguilera lost 40 pounds in 4 months. On one hand, it was allegedly from exercising 5 days a week and avoiding items such as white bread. But she was voted in FHM as being one of the sexiest two months before she hit that forty-pound weight loss. Her post-natal hot factor coincided with a fuller figure.

Bombarded with images of celebrity mothers in ball gowns and jewels, holding infants that are sleeping peacefully, today's new mother might decide that weakness and mood swings are worth the weight loss.

But does spending the first few weeks of motherhood covered in breastmilk, wearing your grandmother's nightgown, make you an inadequate parent? Of course not!

Fitness expert and author Vianesa Vargas says "Mothers who are serious about weight loss need to take a balanced approach to eating and exercise and not look for a quick fix...Mothers need to be strong and healthy."

Vargas's eating plan emphasizes balance, not calories, carbs, or fat grams.

Every meal should include protein, carbohydrates, and either antioxidant-rich fruits or leafy green vegetables.

Skipping meals is ill-advised. Eating regularly throughout the day (including high-protein snacks) balances blood sugar levels and moods.

Vargas has degrees in biology and nutrition studies. She has a four-year-old son, and a newborn. Vargas, who formerly specialized in helping obese adults reach health and fitness goals, has founded the Take Care Project as an online resource for mothers who are finding balance in their busy lives by taking care of themselves first.

This free website includes:

• Articles on health and wellness, fitness, nutrition, recreation, and relaxation
• Forums for mothers to connect with one another
• Links to places in local neighborhoods for "me" time
• Vargas's blog, with personal insights, as well as expert advice on nutrition, fitness, and motherhood

TodaysMama.com and MamaVote Project

TodaysMama, founded in 2004, was created as an avenue to inspire and inform empowerment, connection, and a sense of identity for mothers and others.

TodaysMama CEO Rachel Herrscher, a young mother of two, launched the Mamavote Project. More moms than ever are getting involved in politics this year. The MamaVote Project is a non-partisan initiative encouraging more moms to get involved and to make informed and responsible decisions for our communities and country.

Mamavote offers educational resources about the significant role women play in the political process, from local school boards to the federal level.

TodaysMama.com began its "A Conversation With..." interview series in March 2008. This series of interviews with influential women in politics opened with Diane Feinstein's discussion of the changing roles of women in politics.

Feinstein's career began with an atmosphere of "women need not apply," but she became both the first female mayor of San Francisco and the first female Senator from California.

Feinstein encourages mother -- in fact, all women -- to "become really knowledgeable about an issue" and to volunteer for candidates and issues that you're passionate about.

To read Feinstein's complete interview, got to

http://www.todaysmama.com/mama_vote-articles.php?view=306

New conversations will be posted regularly.

Redbook Hot Mamas Contest

In February 2007, I made it into Redbook's Hot Mamas Hall of Fame.

Many thanks to those who voted for me all five rounds in order to get me there! There must have been a lot of you, because when you Google Redbook Hot Mamas, February 2007 is the second listing. It's the first on msn and altavista.

Just thought that was a neat little self-esteem boosting tidbit to share, even if it is old news, especially in the cyber-world. If you visit Redbook, nominate yourself or another Hot Mama you know. C'mon, you deserve it!

Off to wrap up this semester of Spanish 1. So I can be an educated mama.

February 2007 Hot Mamas:
http://www.redbookmag.com/love/hot/hm-hall-of-fame/

My Hot Mamas entry, direct link:
http://www.redbookmag.com/love/hot/hot-mamas-hof2