Just do it!

[withstyle]

We here everyday how important proper diet and excercise is to a longer healthy life. But are we listening and doing something about it?  IF the answer is no then the 1st step is to decide to do what it takes to be healthy.  You have to make an effort to be healthy. Before we hear the doctor tell us we need to make a change we need to do it today.  I want to invite all the moms interested in getting started and those that are already living a healthy lifestyle to join this group.  It takes support and education to stick to it and I hope that this group can do both for everyone who joins! 

[mandergov5]

Hello.  I am 29 with 5 children (2 step and 3 biological).  I feel like I have a hard time keeping up with them. I want to adapt a healthier lifestyle but don't know where to start. I am already thin so I don't want to loose weight. I just want to tone up and have more energy. Any advice would be great. Thanks!

[withstyle]

You probably need to take a look at your diet and I don't mean diet in the way of weight lose since that is not an issue for you. Some foods give us more energy.  Foods high in sugar give us quick energy, but it doesn't last and can cause you to feel tired later.  Take a look at what you are eating and how often.  You might benefit from mini snacks throughout the day to help you maintain your energy levels. Fruits and vegetables are great and not high in calories so you won't gain weight.  Also good carbs help to maintain your body's energy level. 
Don't forget the more regularly you excercise the more energy you will have.  ARe you taking time out for a regualr excercise?  Running after 5 children in excercise in itself, but you probably need to incorporate some other form of excercise to get your heart rate up for 30-35 min. and increase your energy and metabolism.

[TaraM]

Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to loose weight.
Eating healthy is making sure that you are eating the right things.
Such as: eating whole grains pasta or rice pasta instead of white pasta.
Instead of sending your child to shcool with chips for a snack, send him to school with yogurt or grain pretzels.
Start with small things and gradually add things into your diet.
For your energy, eating grain foods such as bread or the grain pasta have sugars that slow release into your body where white bread or white pastas, have sugars that make your body spike and in an hour you have less energy than you began with. So the grains will give you more steady energy. Also, coffee and caffiene is bad, you will never regulate your energy drinking that stuff.
The biggest thing to remember is to read ingridients. The ingredients are listed from what the highest content is to the lowest, so when picking something like bread, make sure that grains are the number one ingredient, not bleach flour, or unbleached flour.
Good luck and if you need more help, let me know.

[TaraM]

I have found that the south beach diet principles are great. If you are not trying to lose weight, don't worry about the phases that the diet talks about. Just look at the types of foods that are recomended and the percentages of protein, carbs, and other nutriences that they recommend.
Try it, it will give you energy.

[SpcZil]

Try upping your calorie intake by about 500 calories a day while adding resistance exercise to your day.  One of the best things on the market I've found is Muscle Milk.  It's calorie-dense, great for muscle mass, and it honestly tastes GOOD!  Like a milkshake.  Yum.