Adams Park Sandbox Chicago Family Health & Wellness

2 Mile Run/Walk – Playground to Playground

Active Moms’ Club is thrilled to introduce a new guest blogger today, Mistie  Lucht of Playground Pointers. Mistie is a Chicago mom of three young girls, an outdoor enthusiast and avid runner. Mistie co-created Playground Pointers – a factual, searchable iPhone/ iPad app database with details on more than 700 playgrounds, with over 3,500 photos in the Chicagoland area. Thank you Mistie…
April 27, 2013
Lincoln Park Zoo run Family Health & Wellness

Outdoor Fun & Fitness With Your Family

Parents who are regularly physically-active are doing more good for their family than they may realize. When parents take time to exercise, they are modeling healthy choices over the other alternatives that compete for precious free time. And, what constitutes physical activity is not limited to the treadmill at the gym.  Any physical activity can provide a variety of fun…
April 22, 2013
AMC Events

Nutrition & Exercise Wins The Prize

Congratulations to Sarah & Brooke, winners of Active Moms’ Club 90-Day Weight Loss Challenge. These two moms, along with six others, took on 2013 with great expectations and goals for their body. Sarah, the grand prize WINNER of the Challenge lost the greatest percentage of body weight, 8.5%. Brooke whittled away 4.6% of her body weight to win second place.…
April 2, 2013
Toddlers holding hands with mom Mom Moments

Toddlers. What, already?

My twin boys, W and H, are 19-months old. Their development in the past six months is nothing short of amazing. They are three inches taller, learned to walk and now run everywhere, and babble emphatically. The boys touch body parts on command and love to turn in circles when asked. They complete simple tasks, like helping mom put clothes…
March 29, 2013
Shine Chicago Infertility Support Group / Owner Womens Health

Being Active & Healthy While Going Through Infertility

Active Moms’ Club is thrilled to introduce a new guest blogger today, Katie O' Connor. Katie is an Infertility Consultant, and Founder and President of Shine – a ray of light on infertility – a place of comfort, community, and support for women living with infertility. As someone who struggled for two years to get pregnant, I'm thrilled Katie has created such…
March 20, 2013
ParentingThe Organized Mom

Can Your Nanny Become Your Friend?

Active Moms’ Club is thrilled to introduce a new guest blogger today, Amelia Miller, owner of Lincoln Park Nannies. Amelia and her team have been placing nannies in Chicago since 2007. Thank you Amelia for providing such a wonderful resource! A common discussion I hear in class is the task of hiring a nanny, and creating a healthy rapport with…
March 4, 2013
AMC Events

What One Event Makes Chicago So Special?

It’s the Special Olympics, of course. Did you know the Special Olympics was 'born in Chicago' at our very own Soldier Field in 1968 and Mayor Daley once mentioned – in 1968 at the first games – that "Special Olympics is one of Chicago's greatest exports to the world." The Special Olympics is currently in 170 countries with 3.7 million athletes.…
February 20, 2013
Mom Moments

Traveling With Twins – Our Family Vacation

Last week we took our first family vacation to Hawaii. It was a celebration of our five-year wedding anniversary and was made with kids and grandma in tow. We had a blast! Our twin sons are now 18 months and they proved to be great little travelers given their young age. The biggest challenge of any trip with children is…
February 16, 2013
Family Health & Wellness

Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day

January 26 is Kawasaki Disease Awareness Day.  I‘ve never heard of this serious illness until a friend’s son was diagnosed with it in 2011. If we can enlighten and prevent at least one child from the long-term effects of this disease, we have succeeded. Kawasaki disease (KD), also known as Kawasaki syndrome, is a serious illness characterized by inflammation of…
January 25, 2013
Family Health & WellnessMom MomentsWomens Health

2012 A Year In Reflection

Happy New Year To You And Your Families! Coach Cassandra & AMC's Mascots The beginning of a new year encourages us to reflect upon what has been, and what will be. What successes did you have in 2012? What are you hoping to achieve in 2013? 2012 REFLECTION Active Moms' Club celebrated its four-year anniversary in October 2012. We launched…
January 6, 2013
AMC Events

Making A Difference

The Active Moms’ Club holiday drive was a huge success for The Primo Center thanks to everyone’s generous donations. AMC collected 28 new toys, 6 bags of clothes, and over $300 in donations. Together with Classic Kids Photography’s toy drive, we amassed over THREE car-loads full of items to drop off at the Center to make their Christmas wishes come…
December 30, 2012
Favorite Things

A Few of My Favorite Things: Gifts of Love

During the holiday season I like to give gifts of love, and baking is how I like to spread my love. My all-time favorite, healthy, go-to gift is homemade granola. It's easy to make, requires minimal baking time, and one batch can fill up to five containers. (I whipped up a batch today while the boys were napping.) Personally, I…
December 22, 2012
Favorite ThingsNutrition

A Few of My Favorite Things: On-the-Go-Snacks

I never met a mom who wasn’t busy, and this time of year is extremely hectic with all the holiday hustle and bustle. Today I’m sharing a few of my favorite things: on-the-go snacks for moms.While you are working to get everything done, it’s important to keep energy levels up and blood sugar stable to avoid the dreaded crash and…
December 17, 2012
AMC Events

Moms Unite – Help Us Help Fellow Moms In Need

Each holiday season, we add a charitable cause to our holiday giving list. This year, we're proud – and motivated – to support The Primo Center for Homeless Women and Children in partnership with Classic Kids Photography. Located on the west side, the Primo Center provides food, shelter and safety for homeless women and their children who have experienced abuse.…
December 6, 2012
Favorite Things

A Few of My Favorite Things: Baby Gear Edition

It’s the perfect time of year to reflect, make lists and check 'em twice. I’m making lists of  my favorite things to share with you each Friday in December. Enjoy – and share your favorite things with us in the comments section or on Facebook! Just in time for the gift-giving season, here is a list of my top five…
November 30, 2012
Fitness Tips

How To Squeeze It All In?

The holiday season is in full swing and to check off everything on your to-do list, time and efficiency are of the essence. One important ‘to-do’ is regular exercise. Exercise helps manage stress and promotes the feeling of wellness, which can be fleeting during the holiday hustle-and-bustle. Rather than skipping a workout because you don’t have time, squeeze it in…
November 28, 2012
Fitness Tips

5 Tips to Battle the Holiday Bulge

It’s here! The holiday season has arrived like a bolt of lightning, and along with the season comes parties, family gatherings, buffets, cocktails, and an abundance of calories. Did you know the average American gains five pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years? Here are five tips to battle the bulge over the next five weeks and kick-off 2013 feeling good…
November 19, 2012
Family Health & WellnessWomens Health

M is for Mommy AND Me

Active Moms’ Club is very excited to present a guest blog from Christy Weber, a licensed clinical professional counselor, giving great advice on self-care tips for new moms. Perfect timing! As the holidays approach and even more demand is put on mom’s schedule, self-care becomes even more important to maintain a healthy balance. Thank you Christy! Be sure to check…
November 10, 2012
AMC Events

Active Moms Rock – Thank you!

Thanks to our awesome host, Athleta and the two-dozen Chicago moms and moms-to-be who rocked their core last weekend during a super fun workout. The enthusiasm from all the participants and Athleta's staff was outstanding. Moms new to AMC quickly learned the fundamentals of our training philosophy: functional core exercise – it is not as easy as it sounds. Women…
November 9, 2012
Fitness TipsWeight Loss

The Skinny on Burning Calories

If your fitness goal is weight loss, here’s an excellent example of how misperceptions can derail your best effort: On Thursday, I decided to go the gym to get in a cardio workout. I hopped on the revolving stairs, aka the “gauntlet” for 45 minutes. I know, I know…it’s a little maniacal, but the calorie-burn-to-perceived-exertion on the gauntlet is equivalent…
November 4, 2012