Gugu Guru

BYOBfit™’s Favorite Babywearing Exercises for the Home

Here, certified personal training mamas, Missy and Anja of BYOBfit™, share their favorite babywearing exercises for the home.

Let’s be honest – even though us new moms and dads may have the best intentions to go to the gym for a workout or for a run outside, sometimes we simply do not have the time or the ambition to do so. Life happens, winter happens, sh*t happens. WE GET IT!! This is why we have come up with four simple, yet very effective exercises you can do with your child in the carrier in the comfort of your own home. It simply does not get better than this! Are you ready to get toned and entertain your baby at the same time? Here we go:

1. Deep Squats
Simply place your hands on your hips (or around the carrier if you like that extra snuggle and support for your baby), stand hip-width apart and point your toes slightly outward. Proceed to sink your butt back and down towards the floor as if you were sitting down in a chair. Once you have reached a point which you feel like is the lowest you can go, press back up through yout heels. Squeeze your glutes when you are standing up tall. Repeat 20x for 3 rounds.

2. Dips
Place your hands on a bench or the edge of your couch with your fingers pointing downwards. Step your feet out so you are in a table-top position (knees 90 degrees bent) and keep your butt close to the bench. (For a more advanced option, fully extend your legs.) Bend your elbows and sink your butt down towards the floor; with an exhale press back up and fully extend your arms. Repeat 10x for 3 rounds.

3. V-sits
Sit on the floor with your legs extended in front of you and your hands on the floor behind you. Lean your upperbody back and elevate your legs (you can slightly bend your knees). Hold this position for 30 seconds. Repeat 3x.

4. Lunges
Step your right leg forward a lot and bend the knee to a 90 degree angle. At the same time sink your left knee towards the ground. If you have a big home, opt for walking lunges, which means you will step your back leg towards your front leg and then step forward with the opposite leg. If you have a smaller space, simply bring the leg back that you just stepped forward with. Now step forward with the other leg. Keep alternating. 20x each side for 3x.

3 Tips to Emotionally Charge Your Resolutions

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Happy New Year! As a weight loss coach for women and also a body image & confidence coach, I know how challenging it is to lose weight fast and make it last on diets or with different exercise programs. That’s why I’m here to share with you 3 tips to make sure that your resolutions are emotionally charged to give you the results you want! I even coached one of my clients to lose 83 lbs in just 12 weeks. Anything is possible when you follow the program!

Tip #1: Emotionally charge your goal or resolution by focusing on how you want to FEEL once you’ve accomplished the goal. If your goal is weight loss, don’t focus on the number of pounds you want to lose. Focus on how you want to FEEL and how fitting into a size 10 jeans is going to feel. How will you feel when you look in the mirror? Attach emotions to your goal and repeat this to yourself at least once per day. The ladies in my free 21 Day Challenge are encouraged to share their emotionally charged goal in our private online community. (You can join us for free here.)

Tip #2: Have a support system of like-minded women supporting you and cheering you on. Get your girlfriends and husband on board to celebrate in your successes. Even small successes, such as working out for an extra 30 seconds, should be celebrated! Success breeds success, so continue sharing the positive things you’re doing for yourself. We have the ladies in my free challenge doing this on social media using #stepitupwithsteph

Tip #3: Improve your relationship with yourself. If you hate yourself, why would you be nice to yourself, eat healthy food, commit to exercising, or do good things for yourself? Emotionally beating ourselves up is one of the ways we sabotage our efforts. There’s no “guilt” if you eat an extra cookie. It was just an unhealthy choice, and then it’s time to move on! There aren’t any “cheat” days. You wouldn’t cheat on your husband, right? Instead of cheat days, there are just unhealthy choices. My 30 Day Workbook focuses on boosting self-esteem and self confidence and changing your relationship with how you view food and exercise. (It is available here.)

Remember to strengthen your relationship with yourself and find a support system! Emotionally charge your goal and you WILL be successful!

For more about Steph and to join her Free 21 Day Challenge, visit our website.

Pregnancy Fitness Must-Haves + Giveaway

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Working out – even lightly – on a regular basis is key to having a healthy pregnancy. Whether it’s taking a stroll down your block, yoga, or jogging, there are many ways to stay fit and feel good while pregnant. Here, some of our favorite products for mamas-to-be that are working up a sweat:

Bao Bei Maternity
Some pregnant mamas feel overwhelmed with a new belly while they are working out, which is why we love the Belly Sport Band from Bao Bei Maternity. Created by a Women’s Health Physical Therapist and pilates instructor, these bands are made to feel like a “sports bra for the belly”. Slip one of these soft, but structured, bands on and you will instantly feel pulled together, as the band takes pressure off the lower back; helping your posture and ab muscles. The Belly Sport Band is perfect for under fitness wear, or anytime you need that extra belly support.

For Two Fitness
But, what to wear over your Belly Band? We like the stylish and functional clothing from For Two Fitness Apparel. Just as its name implies, For Two Fitness Apparel caters to active pregnant mamas. A family owned business, For Two Fitness focuses on making women feel beautiful and comfortable during all stages of their pregnancy and beyond. Made in the USA, For Two Fitness offers a huge selection of adorable tank tops, t-shirts, and long-sleeved tops, perfect for running, cycling, yoga, dance, and more. With side-ruching, these tops will stay in place while you work out, so you don’t have to think twice about how you look. With a wide selection of capris, yoga pants, and running shorts, you’ll be fully covered from head to toe in cute and comfortable fitness apparel.

Baby Bump Ball
Looking for a great way to work out at home? Check out the Baby Bump Ball, which is a revolutionary way to exercise, pre-natal and post-natal with baby in arms. The Baby Bump Ball‘s unique feature is its legs; making it stable and secure for a pre-natal workout, as well as to bounce a crying baby on. By using the Baby Bump Ball during pregnancy, it can help prepare your body for labor, as well as strengthen your abdominal muscles and legs. Suffering from lower back pain towards the end of pregnancy? Baby Bump is good for exercising the deep, supportive muscles in the lower back and surrounding spine so you’ll have better posture and be less prone to backache and sciatica. These colorful bouncy balls are “burst proof, recyclable, Latex-BPA-Phlalate-FREE and environmentally friendly,” and a great investment, as you can use prenatal and postpartum.

basq Cooling Body Bliss
Pregnancy can cause swelling and achy muscles in general and working out can exacerbate this. So how does a pregnant mama soothe those pains away? We love the Cooling Body Bliss from basq; a light textured gel packed with antioxidants perfect for the pregnant body. With a wonderful aroma, reminiscent of green tea, cucumbers, and eucalyptus, this cooling gel instantly soothes the body upon application. Ideal for reducing swelling in the feet and legs, which is common in pregnancy, this cooling gel will leave your skin feeling silky smooth and refreshed. Whether it’s a neck ache, tight back muscles, foot ache from walking all day, or a swollen ankle from running, slather on some Cooling Body Bliss and your pregnant body will instantly feel revitalized and nourished.

Ready to break a sweat with these products? Enter to win a Belly Sport Band from Bao Bei Maternity, a top and bottom from For Two Fitness, a Baby Bump Ball and basq Cooling Body Bliss here:

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BYOBfit™ -Friendly Workout Clothes

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Melissa “Missy” Paris and Anja Pierre are two certified personal trainers and new mothers. Shortly after they had their babies, they would casually meet up for walks (and talks) with their new babies, and pretty soon they realized how invigorating it was to combine these walks with strength exercises while wearing their babies and exchanging “new mom stories”. Onlooking mothers would stop and ask them if they could join in, and pretty soon the “BYOBfit™” baby-wearing classes were born. Here, the ladies of BYOBfit™ share their favorite clothes to exercise in.

When it comes to our unique babywearing strength training program, one thing is for sure: we are always on the hunt for high-quality workout clothes that will not only be suitable for a BYOBfit™ training but that will also look cute and fashionable- because, let’s admit it, you just feel better when you look good! 😉

Here are our top 5 choices for BYOBfit-friendly workout clothes:

1) High-waisted Leggings
Aside from the comfort factor, we like high-waisted leggings. They are very functional for our type of classes. On top of being fashionable and cute, high-waisted leggings are so great because they will simply never fall below our hips, which means there’s no trying to pull up pants underneath a babycarrier. WIN WIN!
Brands to check out: Lululemon, Old Navy

2) High Quality Sportsbra
Obviously, nobody wants to worry about their boobs staying in place while exercising, but at the same time nobody wants to feel like they are being suffocated by a sportsbra. We look for soft, fun to wear bras that keep everything in place so we can just focus on the workout and not on sportsbra malfunctions. We especially love Lululemon sportsbras because they are designed for RUN. Like lulu says…”keeps the bounce at bay.”
Brands to check out: Lululemon, Old Navy

3) Nursing Sportsbra
Since a lot of moms who are taking our class are still nursing, it is important to them that they have a high-quality, durable sportsbra, which will also double as a nursing bra. Our favorite ones are by Motherhood Maternity since they are durable, cute and very affordable.
Brand to check out: Motherhood Maternity

4) Stylish sneakers
Our favorite sneakers to wear during our classes are super light and support most foot types. We especially love the Nike Free but we will vary between models (let’s just be honest- we love them all!)
Brand to check out: Nike

5) Zip-up Jackets
When we teach our classes outdoors and the weather happens to be chillier, our zip-up jackets come in very handy. We love the form-fitting look of the the lulu define jacket. It’s warm but breathable; and has a slightly longer fit so everything stays covered- even when we wear our babies!
Brands to check out: Lululemon, Old Navy

Top 5 Jogging Stroller Features: VOTE on Your Fave!

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Leading baby gear expert Hollie Schultz of Baby Gizmo shares her top five must-have features for jogging strollers with Gugu Guru and we’ve listed them here. Help us understand what’s key to our readers by selecting the thumbs up button next to the jogging stroller feature that is most important to YOU.

Resolution 1: Taking Care of Me

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I was talking to the ladies of Well Rounded, Kaity and Jess, the other day and told them that I had put off minor surgery for two years. Jess said, “Isn’t it funny how once you become a mom you always put yourself last, even when it comes to your health?” The statement was so valid and got me thinking about the fact that if I wasn’t healthy and taking care of myself, then I was not really being fair to my family.

Me and my Super Girl, Fiona.

With the “birth” of Gugu Guru this past year, I have put off so many doctor appointments, let some of the baby weight that I had managed to lose pack back on and just generally neglected myself. At night, when I shut off the computer, I am often just so exhausted that quality time with my kids has turned into The Minions movie and popcorn. This is why I have made taking care of myself my number one resolution so that I can set myself up for success with resolution 2 (being a better mom) and resolution 3 (being a better wife).

Me With My Super Guy, Rory

First things first, I need to set realistic expectations about what exactly is the best version of me. It’s very hard sometimes to work in this category and see the gorgeous mamas of Instagram who always look good even when they’re bumming around, have their kids dressed so stylishly and just generally seem like they have it all together. Here’s the truth: I will never be that mom and I don’t even know if those moms really are those moms or if it’s just an Instagram facade anyway. (Do those moms really exist?) I just need to make minor improvements to my lifestyle to feel better about myself and thus be a better mom and wife.

Some of the small steps I am taking to make progress on my resolution, in no particular order:

1. Avoid being sedentary as much as possible. My sister told me about a treadmill desk. The entire desk with treadmill is a few thousand dollars on Amazon – thus out of my budget – but we have a treadmill and I spotted this attachment for around $40. I set it at 1.1 miles per hour when I work and wind up burning a whole bunch of calories. I’m a pacer anyway (like I can never sit when I talk on the phone) so this works great for me. It has also helped my back since I am not leaning over the laptop on my dining room table anymore.

2. Look presentable everyday so that I don’t look like a bum when I go to the supermarket or pick the kids up from school. I am not talking a full face of make-up here; I am simply saying that the ratty sweatpants, San Antonio sweatshirt and Fiona’s barrettes won’t cut it anymore. I know that putting just a little more effort into my appearance plays into how I feel about myself. On a low effort but high return note: I discovered this brand of leggings, Yogaletics Wear, and I adore them. They’re high-waisted, so there’s no muffin topping and seamless, so no camel toe. Yogaletics Wear fit my life because they are comfortable to work out in and also stylish enough to wear out-and-about. I pair these babies up with a cute top and I can go from treadmill desk to the nursery school looking like I actually care and perhaps even teetering on looking like a stylish mom (not to get ahead of myself or anything.)

3. Eating right and staying fit. I met Steph Mansour of Step It Up With Steph in a Facebook professional group that we both belong to. I just started the program so I can’t really report on it just yet but what I like about it is that it’s based on four pillars of holistic health: physical, nutritional, emotional, and spiritual – with a strong focus on the mental aspect of weight loss. I especially love the workbook that forces you to be introspective about your weight, health, etc. Will report back on this once I finish the program!

4. Creating a schedule and getting organized. This really is a key component to my second resolution about being a good mom. I have to set a schedule for work time, family time, and ME time and stick to it. Me time is when both kids are at school and it can actually include doctor appointments because that is taking care of me. In the absence of doctor appointments, I can workout, do yoga, get my haircut, etc. – just as long as it’s not work. Because it’s not just my family and my health that suffers when I don’t take care of myself, my work can too.

Three New Year’s Resolutions of a Work At Home Mama

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I have been a work at home mom since the birth of my son over five years ago. It has definitely been a learning experience (and I am still learning.) This past year, I gave birth to a different kind of “baby” with Gugu Guru — an entrepreneurial endeavor. Starting a tech company with now a three year old daughter and my five year old son has been an experience filled with the mixed emotions of boosted confidence, sleepless nights, feelings of guilt, thrilling highs and so much more.

With 2015 wrapping up, I took December to reset a little and think about what I can do in the new year to help me be a better business woman, a better wife and most importantly a better mom. I’ve come up with three general resolutions that are comprised of mini resolutions:

1. Be a better me by taking care of myself. (Yes, this is #1. I have put off too many doctor appointments this year, let the pounds creep on, and generally neglected my health.)

2. Be a better mom. (Set defined work hours. Stop feeling guilty.)

3. Be a better wife. (Schedule a date night with my husband each month.)

I’ll be sharing my resolution journey this month in three separate posts, along with some other general tips that hopefully can help some working mamas out there. Thanks so much for reading and Happy 2016!

Trend: Central and South American Influence

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We have seen the design and style influences of the Central and South Americas trickling in to the mom & baby category over the past six months and the trend does not seem to be slowing down. Some brands like Land of Nod and Anthropologie offer textiles and decor that hint to the regions – such as the use of the iconic llama. Other brands like Tea Collection were ahead of the curve with their Fall/Winter collection of children’s clothing completely inspired and directed by the respective aesthetics of Bolivia and Argentina.

As the trend continues, we are seeing cause-driven, philanthropic brands that give back to the countries of manufacture, as well as brands that simply draw from the beauty of a Central or South American culture. Here, our trend report on what we’ve been spotting:

Clothing

To inspire Tea’s Fall and Winter 2015 collection, the brand traveled to Argentina and Bolivia. “From the European flavor of Buenos Aires to the indigenous pride of La Paz, our newest collection pays homage to the people of Argentina and Bolivia. The sophisticated style of the gauchos and traditional elegance of Cholitas. The passion of tango musicians to the wild color of las mascaras for Carnaval.”

What we particularly enjoyed about Tea Collection’s approach was the beautiful photography, whimsical illustrations and storytelling that accompanied the line.

One to keep an eye on: Joobles on Fair Indigo is an award-winning collection of beautiful fair trade products like the organic baby booties above. Purchasing Joobles products not only lifts up workers with a living wage and a safe workplace, it also helps support small family-run organic cotton farms in Peru.

Other brands to check-out: Humble Hilo, Nena & Co

Diaper Bags

Brands like Nena & Co and Humble Hilo are sourcing directly from the artisans of Guatemala, while also giving back by giving Guatemalan women the income to work from home with their children. Alejandra Hynek, the founder of Nena & Co, has Guatemalan roots herself and was taught about her Mayan heritage by her mother and grandmother, which ultimately inspired her to start the company. Humble Hilo adds another philanthropic layer by allowing customers to decide which humanitarian project to support with their purchase.

Baby Bedding & Accessories

Petite Vigogne is a new high-end brand that sources its fine textiles from Peru. The founder of Petite Vigogne – a mom and native of Peru herself – was inspired to start the company after her difficulty in finding high thread-count Peruvian Pima cotton bedding for newborns in the US. In addition to luxurious Peruvian Pima cotton, Petite Vigogne sources Vicuña – one of the highest-quality threads in the world – and wonderfully soft baby alpaca, also from Peru, to make perfectly crafted products for lucky newborns worldwide.

Other brands to check out: The Joobles Collection on Fair Indigo

Toys & Other Handcrafts

While not suitable for children under 3 years old, these eco-friendly, finger puppets are perfect for older siblings. Moms on team Gugu Guru have personally enjoyed using them during story time with our toddlers. Each puppet is handmade by a number of artist collectives from the rural areas of the Peruvian high-plains. Finger Puppets Inc. sources ethically, practices fair trade principles and strives to help these artisans extend their products’ reach.

Other brands to check out: The Joobles Collection on Fair Indigo

Lorena Canals

by Gugu Guru 1 Comment

One of the most important things you should consider in designing a nursery is the flooring or carpeting. Hardwood floors may be easy to sweep, but they’re not always the warmest on those little feet (or the quietest – we’ve all had a baby awoken by the creak of a floor board – it’s the worst!) Unfortunately, rugs are not always easy to clean and there are many unhealthy – sometimes even toxic – chemicals associated with certain types of carpeting. Fortunately, there’s now a practical, safe and stylish solution. Straight from Spain, Lorena Canals offers non-toxic, machine washable rugs that are truly delicious on the eyes.

Already a favorite, staple brand of European mothers and fathers, each Lorena Canals rug is carefully handmade from 100% cotton, safe for any baby’s room. The dyes used are also non-toxic, which is critical when you consider you’ll be laying your infant on the rug for tummy-time and as they grow they’ll be crawling around everywhere. The rugs are of the utmost softness, making it comfortable for parents to sit on the floor and little feet to jump and dance. But what we love most of all is that you can wash these rugs right at home in your regular laundry machines.

Not only are these rugs practical and safe, they’re also beyond stylish. Coming in a plethora of colors and styles, these rugs will match any nursery theme, from polka dots, skulls, angel wings, butterflies, numbers, letters, clouds, stars, flags and more. Lorena Canals rugs will accent your child’s room now, and are guaranteed to become a family heirloom which you use for many, many years.

Help Snuggin’ Design Packaging!

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The husband and wife co-founders of Snuggin‘ – the adorable and super soft pacifier holder – are redesigning the product’s packaging and they need your help. Take this quick poll and let us know which packaging appeals the most to you!

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