Wellness Blog: Lisa Druxman

Everything I Ever Needed To Know About Health, I Learned From Being Pregnant

Lisa Druxman — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:16:05 GMT

I've been a fitness professional for nearly two decades. I've learned the foundations of fitness from conferences to books to certifications. But it wasn't until I became pregnant with my first child that I realized what it meant to take care of my health. It changed my perspective on everything. I ate to fuel my body, my baby. I exercised in moderation - not too much, not too little. I stressed less and meditated more. I never forgot to take my prenatal vitamin and I made sure to drink my suggested water allotment each day. Yes, I had that glow. But was it from pregnancy or was it because I took better care of myself for 40 weeks than I ever had in my life? After Jacob was born, I continued on this path as I still felt that I was fueling my baby. I was a nursing mom and I wanted to pass my good health on to my new son. As he has grown older (now 7), I still embrace this way of health. It occurred to me that my pregnancy regime was what health was all about. We should all take care of ourselves as if we were growing a baby. What we won't do for ourselves, we will do for your children. This can last you far beyond pregnancy as you are always a model mom for your children. They will learn about healthy eating, exercise and wellness from you. You are the ultimate teacher and guide.

Getting Sick

Lisa Druxman — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 05:31:42 GMT

I am just recuperating from 2 weeks of nasty cold and sinus infection. Yuck! I can't tell you how much it slowed me down. And if you know moms (especially moms who work), we can't afford to slow down. But it occurred to me that maybe just maybe my body is smarter than I am. Just for a couple of weeks, I didn't workout (often) and I didn't wake up at 5:00 a.m. and work late every night like I usually do. I cancelled some appointments and took a couple of naps. Is it possible that maybe my body is smarter than I am and actually demanded that I slow down? Ok, I know reality is that I just got a nasty bug from my kids. But it is true that it takes a sickness or injury to physically make us slow down. Truth be told is that if we were smarter we would do it on our own from time to time and maybe not get sick. Right now I have that "high" that you feel from feeling a touch of health after a long illness. I feel like I'm going to do the right things and take good care of myself. But truth be told that high will be forgotten and I will be back to the grind in a week (probably less than that). Maybe if I read this blog of mine I can remind myself to slow down before I get the yucky cruds again!

Skin Deep: Is the 'Mom Job' Really Necessary?

Lisa Druxman — Sun, 25 Nov 2007 14:08:09 GMT

I was just appalled when I read this recent article in the NY Times Skin Deep: Is the 'Mom Job' Really Necessary? http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/fashion/04skin.html?emc=eta1

All I ever needed to know about health, I learned from being pregnant.

Lisa Druxman — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 07:16:05 GMT

I've always taken decent care of myself but it wasn't until I became pregnant that I learned what it truly was to be healthy. All of my behaviors revolved around what was best to grow my baby. I chose foods that would fuel me, I drank more water and I stopped drinking caffeine and alcohol. I exercised but in moderation every day. Not too much, not too little. I meditated more and took time to breathe. In my entire life, I have never felt better than when pregnant. I had kind of an "ah ha" moment where I realized that this is how we are all supposed to care for our bodies, all of the time. Even after my first child was born, I continued on that path, especially because I was breastfeeding. I wanted to make sure that I was creating the best quality nourishment for my baby. Whether you are a man or woman, parent or not, I hope that all of you one day try to treat your body as if you were growing the most precious being. I think you will find that you really are - it just happens to be you.

Model Moms

Lisa Druxman — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 06:01:25 GMT

It's always a wonder to me why we are astounded by the rates of obesity and eating disorders in children. We are all frightened by the new realization that for the first time in history our children will have a lesser life expectancy than their parents. Yet, what are we doing to change? Moms continue to diet and to fret about their weight on the scale and we continue to feed our children with restaurant menus of macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. P.E. programs have been cut and kids are glued to their seats playing video games. Phew. Thanks for letting me vent. So, what can we do? Our children are not going to learn healthy behaviors from school or television. We really need to exemplify what healthy eating and exercise looks like for our children. What we won't do for ourselves, I believe we will do for our kids. Let's all start to be more active and make some better choices so our next generation has a better chance.