Kath Younger

I am a mother, and a grandmother, and this Mother's Day I am happy to say that my daughter has supported my health as much as I have supported her health. Kath was my first baby, born at 9:35 on a Tuesday morning. As I changed her diaper that evening in the hospital, she fussed. Oh no! I thought. She knows I’m doing it wrong. Later, I realized she couldn’t actually tell that I was a novice to motherhood. She was, after all, only twelve hours old. But parents understand that as kids grow, they do figure you out. They watch you. They model you. And hopefully, they admire you. They also learn your foibles. Your moods. Your bad habits. They know you in a way few others do. Kath grew up to become a healthy living blogger and a dietitian. That child who knows me so well has plenty to teach me. Here are five lessons she’s taught her own mother about health: Be Innovative - Kath tackles life with exuberance. She studies. She experiments. She improvises. From new spices for quinoa salad to a more efficient way to organize her son’s toys, Kath plays with space, time, and materials to creatively improve her home and her health. Move lots - Kath once told me, "when you’re tired, instead of slumping on the couch, get moving. You’ll revive!” When my feet hit the pavement each time, I realize how right she is. A few years ago, she convinced me to train for a 5K. On race day, I was the final runner to cross the finish line (and I was also one of the oldest). Kath was waiting with her camera. I was a bit sheepish by the attention but pleased with her daughterly pride and my own accomplishment. Be proactive about what you eat - Six months before Kath’s wedding, I got serious about shedding some pounds. Kath was my coach. Her eating tips enabled me to lose the weight. She told me to substitute Greek yogurt for sour cream. She taught me to curb hunger by including protein, carbs, and good fats at every meal. She showed me how fruit smoothies make delicious and filling snacks. And yes, you really can create crispy chips out of kale. Celebrate health - Kath doesn’t see health challenges as a chore; she salutes them. She walks in cold weather, which makes me feel bolder about the cold. She’s got me working on building muscle. I lift those bright pink weights with bravado. She believes good athletic shoes are a must, soothing teas are afternoon ambrosia, and we should all splurge on a jar of chocolate almond nut butter every now and then. Share the spirit - Kath inspires a healthy mindset among her friends, blog readers and community at Real Health. She receives email after email thanking her for the information and empowerment she provides. I’m blogging now too. I’m sharing my insights and tips on Friend for the Ride: Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster. I’ve been a writer for years, but when it comes to blogging about health, I learned from a master, my reward for reading each and every post Kath’s ever done. I love to watch my baby grandson Mazen gaze with adoring eyes at his mother. Yet I do look forward to the day when he says to Kath, “No Mom. Do it this way.” On this Mother's Day, I’ll offer a toast with my raspberry smoothie: To parents! To kids! To learning! To life! Share these tips, or your own health tips, with your parents on this special day and on other days in the future. What's the best health lesson you learned from your mother? If you are interested in reading more about how to influence the health of your parents, check out Rosemary Lichtman's post on Helping Parents Without Getting Overwhelmed. *** Editor's Note: This is a guest post by Barb Younger, author of over 20 books for adults and children and blogger. She has two daughters including Kath Younger, a new mom who contributes to Real Health every Monday on the subjects of parenting and nutrition. Barb and Kath answer your questions in-depth on parenting once a month in s segment called Real Health, Real Questions. Feel free to leave a question for them in the comments section.

You've heard the saying "it takes a village." I certainly agree with that saying when it comes to getting back in shape after having a baby. I rely heavily on my moms' group in my hometown of Charlottesville, Virginia for support. I want you to benefit from the same support I have received. So I interviewed other new moms from my group on what has helped them the most in sticking to a workout routine. In New Moms Weigh in on Working Out, Part 1, we all talked about the best time to workout. In this video, we turn our attention to what accessories and support systems help new moms the most. A couple of suggestions from my friends stood out: Use the stroller - When I think of workout accessories, I immediately think of dumbbells and bands. However, every single mom I interviewed called out the stroller as the best accessory. Look for gyms with day care - My baby boy Mazen and I go to the gym together often. Lean on family and friends - This may sound obvious, but I know I have sometimes been too passive in asking for help from friends and family. We should be open with our friends and family when we need some help to make time for our own health. If you have questions for my moms' group, leave them in the comments section. We'll wrap up this series next week with a question to the moms' group about their #1 tip for post-pregnancy exercise. What accessory has helped you fit in fitness more than any other accessory?

As a new mom, it took a lot of testing and learning to get back into a workout routine. I don't think I could have stayed as healthy as I have over the last six months without my new friends that I met through a local meetup of mothers. In this video, four of the new moms from this meetup give you insights into the best times for working out. A couple of themes emerged from talking with my mom friends: Weave a workout in - Prior to having children, we could much more easily define a time everyday to workout. Once we became mothers, we've had to be flexible and make it more of a point to workout at some point during the day, but not necessarily the same time everyday. Double it up with bonding time - Many of my friends go on power walks while taking their babies outside for a stroll. A stroller has become one of the best workout accessories for many of the new moms I meet. Nap time as a trigger - Just as we want to workout on a regular basis, all children want to nap on a regular basis. Some of the moms I have befriended regularly use nap time as a cue to exercise. Now that you have some tips on when to workout, we are going to get into how and where over the next few weeks. This is the first in a series of posts on fitting in fitness as a new mom. Next week, I will interview my moms' meetup group on how they use accessories to support their workouts. When do you workout?

My baby boy is just a few weeks away from starting solid foods and I wanted to let everyone know how I plan to transition Mazen to new types of meals. In this episode of Real Health Real Questions, my mother, Barbara, and I hold a discussion about our thoughts about this new chapter we're about to begin. If you haven't joined us for this series before, here is what you need to know. My mother and I get together each month to discuss a topic on parenting that comes from your questions. After watching the video, if you have questions on solid foods for babies, feel free to leave them in the comments section. Also, if you want us to address a particular topic in April, let us know in the comments and we'll put together our answers. For this episode, I put together my list of top sources for information and tips on solid foods. I also included resources that my pediatrician suggested to me. If you have additional links you would like to add to this, leave them in the comments section and we'll compile a comprehensive list for all the moms and dads dealing with this transition. My top links for information on solid foods for babies Kelly Mom Academy of Nutrition + Dietetics HealthyChildren.org Mayo Clinic International Breastfeeding Center My list of top books on feeding babies The Best Homemade Baby Food On The Planet Baby-Led Weaning Super Baby Food 201 Organic Baby Purees The Baby + Toddler Cookbook As always, we’d love for your to share your tips and advice with other readers. Stay tuned as we start a new series of episodes on Monday about fitting in fitness with a newborn. *** Editor's Note: Kath Younger posts to Real Health every Monday as she goes through the first year of raising her newborn baby, Mazen, to be a healthy child. She is available to talk in the comments section about what to expect as a new mother.

Oy, this mama could use a nap! Sleep is one of the hottest topics in our house these days with our newborn at six months. Our baby has never been much of a sleeper, but somehow we survived the first six months of parenthood feeling pretty rested. It was not easy, but we found ways to get creative with finding time to sleep while caring for a newborn. Now that Mazen is six months old, it is time to turn our attention to his sleep habits. Let's talk today about getting newborns to nap. My "rest, baby, rest," tips are below. They may or may not work for you, but we will all cross our fingers for happy, rested babies. Find your baby's "nap spot" As much as I would have liked for Mazen to nap in his big fancy crib from day one, the first month or two he really just wanted to nap on me. I was happy to hold him into a peaceful slumber at times (and watch Downton Abbey!) but sometimes I just really needed my hands. Thus, nearly all of his naps in the early days were taken while baby wearing. I used both the Boba Wrap and Boba Carrier, which meant he could sleep and I had two hands again. I was as happy to have him near as he was, and we both made naptime work. Develop a slow transition to the crib Like most babies, we did our share of rocking and soothing our newborn. We had a brief period of happy swing naps, but he didn’t love the swing as much as other babies do and grew out of it quickly. Around four months I tried to put him in his crib for a nap and he wasn’t happy at all. I suspect it was too big of a transition to go from the swing to the stationary big crib. Through some trial and error, I found that he would fall asleep if I laid down next to him. After about a month of us napping together, I was able to get Mazen to sleep alone. Create a calm setting I’m sure most parents have heard of the book Happiest Baby on the Block and the 5 S’s that help soothe newborns. White noise was an amazing calming tool from the get-go, and we continue to use it during naps and at nighttime today. Not only does it drown out some of our household noises (like our alarm system’s door chime or plates clanking as I take them out of the dishwasher), but I find that he relaxes more the moment the white noise is turned on. In addition to the white noise, I broke down and bought some black-out curtains. I definitely think having a dark room for naps helps lull a baby to sleep. Pay attention to wake times A lot of the sleep books talk about wake times and how babies have a hard time staying up past 90 minutes, two hours and so on depending on their age. Mazen has been on a two hour wake time routine for many months now. We played around with everything from 90 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes and two hours seems to be his sweet spot. I keep track of nap intervals on a smartphone so when I see he’s crying and it’s been 1 hour 57 minutes, I know ithe issue is sleep related. We have noticed that he can stretch the last interval to bedtime closer to 2 hours 30 minutes to three hours, but daytime naps are pretty much set at two hours. Try to note these same patterns with your little bundle of joy. Come up with a nap routine Generally when Mazen has been up for 1 hour 45 minutes we go into the nursery and wind down with a few books. The second he cries out, I close the curtains, turn on the white noise and sing a few rounds of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” We’re still hooked on the pacifier, so that goes in as well. On a good day he goes down without a peep, but on a typical day it takes him five to ten minutes to settle with a cry or two and some patting on the back. We are still trying to figure out how to extend the length of naps beyond one sleep cycle, but we are still happy with our sleep at the Younger household. With that, I need a nap. Time for you to join in the discussion on napping. What triggers your baby to take a nap? *** Editor's Note: Kath Younger posts to Real Health every Monday as she goes through the first year of raising her newborn baby, Mazen, to be a healthy child. She is available to talk in the comments section about what to expect as a new mother. Photo Credit: Kath Younger took this picture of her baby boy Mazen in his crib.