Women's Health and Issues

Are you a chronically late mom? CBS News has contacted Marin Mommies to help find Bay Area moms to interview for their new segment in January on chronic lateness. The segment will feature the book, Never Be Late Again, 7 Cures for the Punctually Challenged (www.neverbelateagain.com). The ideal interview subject is a woman in her 30s or 40s who must balance a job with kids, doctor appointments, chauffeur duties, etc., but anyone who is chronically late is encouraged to apply. You can live anywhere in the Bay Area.

If you're interested or have any questions, please call Diane DeLonzor at (415) 407-7237 or email her at delonzor1@yahoo.com. CBS will want the following information: sex, age, occupation, marital status, and city of residence.

Since it's the beginning of a new year (which of course always includes those New Year's resolutions), we thought we would re-post this guest article by Marin fitness expert Michele Vaughan. There's one helpful tip here for each week of the year! Michele is president of The Balance Workout, Marin's premiere fitness studio.

Here are 52 things that you can do for the new year 

1. Put yourself first. Write your exercise in your date book as if it were a doctor’s appointment and keep it! If we aren't healthy then we can't take care of our children or partners.
 
2. Put your fork down between each bite of food. It takes 20 minutes for the stomach to signal the brain that it is full.
 
3. Make dates with your girlfriends around fitness and health. Go for a walk, hike or run instead of going out to eat a high calorie lunch.
 
4. Never go to the grocery store hungry.

Marin mompreneur Stephanie Ziegler decided to ditch the corporate world and fulfill her dream of opening her own Pilates studio. The result of her efforts is Pilates Studio Tiburon, located in downtown Tiburon at 78 Main Street.

We asked Stephanie a few questions about her business, what led her to open her own studio, and living in Marin.

Please tell us a little about you and your background, and what inspired you to open your own Pilates studio?

My background has always had a focus on “helping others” with a health & fitness component. When my daughter, Skye, was born I wanted to be there with her as she grew. My career as a healthcare consultant had me traveling quite a bit. The companies I worked with spanned from eHealth start-ups to national health insurance companies to the Military Health System. I was going across the country in every direction. It was tearing me apart to be separated from Skye.

Marin Mommies is pleased to present another great guest post, this time by Zeina Grifoni MPT, Certified Pilates Instructor and owner—with her husband Tiziano—of Synergy+ Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio.

Pregnancy, birth, and now the aftermath—a beautiful baby, but what about mommy?

Pregnancy and new motherhood are amazing, life-changing experiences. Throughout pregnancy, an OBGYN or midwife makes sure that both mommy and baby are healthy and happy. Once the baby is born and the initial stages of healing are complete, all the attention shifts toward baby. While it is wonderful to focus on baby, many women are left wondering what is happening to mommy!

Join The Parents Center, Heller's for Children, and the Novato Mother's Club for a free infant/toddler sleep and breastfeeding panel on Wednesday, October 28 from 7–9 pm and features a panel discussion with infant/child sleep consultant (and frequent Marin Mommies contributor) Angelique Millette and lactation consultant Margie King. A brief lecture will be followed by question and answer session. Best of all, this event is free to the public. RSVP to georgia@theparentscenter.com

The Parents Center is located inside the Heller's store at 514 Fourth Street (on the east side of 101) in San Rafael. Located in Heller's loft area (in space donated by Heller's), the Parents Center is a comfortable, welcoming place that offers support and education for new and expectant parents. Moms are invited to come in, feed and weigh baby, have a cup of tea and relax. There's even a special rocker for breastfeeding moms with an optional privacy screen. There is a library of books and dvds for loan, and classes, workshops, and programs are also offered. For more information, visit www.theparentscenter.com.

Marin Mommies is pleased to present a guest article by massage therapist, doula, and yoga teacher Elizabeth Shelhart on the many benefits of prenatal massage.

When a woman becomes pregnant, her body begins to rapidly adjust to the new levels of hormones circulating throughout her system and her emotional balance is also affected. Throughout pregnancy, a woman’s body changes in ways she never imagined before. Muscles soften, ligaments lengthen, skin stretches, and organs shift around as the baby grows in its underwater home. Pregnancy is by far one of the most transformational experiences a woman will ever go through.

According to a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women at high risk for breast cancer can possibly cut their chance of developing the disease by 59% by nursing their baby for at least three months. Dr. Alison Stuebe of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and her team followed over 60,000 women for more than nine years, and found that breast-feeding could possibly offer the same benefits as taking the well known drug tamoxifen to cut down on the risk of breast cancer.

Read more about this study and the benefits and challenges of breast-feeding in the article on CNNHealth.com.

Marin Mommies presents a guest post by Cheryl Huang, MD FACS—Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon

As mothers, we all delight in our babies’ skin—soft, plump and smooth. But we often forget to value our own skin. Neglecting to take proper care of this “canvas of beauty” can deprive us the opportunity to keep looking radiant and youthful for the years to come.

So many factors take a toll on our skin, from stress and hormonal changes to illness, sun exposure, air pollutants, and poor nutrition. These inflict damage on our skin, ultimately leading to the degeneration of collagen and elastin. For many, this breakdown begins during our thirties, with the appearance of fine lines under the eyes and around the corners of the mouth. Those lines may begin to deepen, and the surface of our skin may start to become dull, dry, blotchy, and discolored. 

But today we know that the earlier we start taking care our skin, the more damage we can prevent. Simple lifestyle changes and the help of a medical professional can help you make 40 the new 30. The following ideas can go a long way to restoring some of the youth and vigor to our skin.

We're pleased to present another great guest article, this time written by Marin life coach Johanna Beyer.

So often I speak with people about what they would do in their lives if there were no constraints holding them back. Often times people have visions of being more creative or starting a business or traveling to new places. Inevitably, there is always a big, old BUT that comes after their exciting stories of possibility and that BUT is usually followed by a reason why they cannot make it happen. Perhaps it is not financially possible or there is a fear of failure or no one would think their idea would succeed. I then ask them why they cannot begin to explore their curiosity. What is the harm in beginning to carve out some time to specifically explore, research and talk to others about what interests them? The biggest obstacle I see people bump up against in trying to make purposeful change in their lives is an “all or nothing” approach. I can see the ego wanting the new endeavor to be perfect and that is just about death to any new seedling of an idea. Does a redwood tree come out of the ground strong, tall and robust? No, it takes time and the right conditions for it to grow and become majestic.