5 Tips For Staying in Shape During Pregnancy

tank: Target

cardigan: Target

jeans: Pink Blush Maternity c/o 

sneakers: New Balance

sunglasses: Tory Burch

When it comes to pregnancy, our society has given a no-limit, all-excuses fly, don't-tell-her-what-to-eat pass to women. For some reason, when a woman is growing a human being, it's OK for her to give in to every single craving, over indulge and watch her body become a shapeless mess. Yes, I know, trust me! I've been there. I ate way too many chicken sandwiches and crepes during my first pregnancy and gained too much weight (while doctors said nothing). This time around it's very different - I diligently watch what I eat, exercise, don't give into cravings and keep on top of my fluid intake . Here are some of my tips for keeping the weight gain under control.

1. Drink Water. Drinking plenty of water (not juice, not smoothies or lattes, just plain old water) will keep all those extra calories away from you. A few calories here, another there and drinks can add up to a hefty amount of your daily calorie intake. Stick to water. If you can't do plain, infuse it with fruits and citrus, which is a great way to detox your body of all the unhealthy stuff, without causing damage to the baby.

2. Cut Back on Salt. When people think pregnancy cravings, they imagine ice cream and cupcakes. I'll take smoked salmon and clam chowder any day over the cakes and pastries. It's my weakness. Salt retains fluid and makes you thirsty, causes edema and unnecessary weight gain. I have cut back significantly on amount of salt I put into my food (husband always complains that everything is under salted - good for me though). I don't salt my scrambled eggs if I know I'll be putting ketchup over them and avoid overly salty snacks like chips, salted nuts and cheese.

3. Skip One Complex Carb a Day. I love my bread as much as the next girl and can't live without potatoes but I have been trying to go one meal without any kind of complex carbohydrates (fruits don't count). If I know I will be having mashed potatoes for dinner, I won't have toast with my breakfast. If have croissant for lunch, I will skip starch during dinner time and load up on salad and protein.

4. Eat Healthy Snacks. I fall off the wagon plenty of times, but my day to day go-to snack is plain yogurt loaded with fruits, or simple granola (not the one drenched in chocolate or peanut butter). Also, I'm a big lover of fruits so I load up on those whenever I feel hungry. The key here is not to treat fruits as free pass, they still have calories and sugar. Have just a little bit to satisfy your craving and make sure to drink plenty again.

5. Do Some Kind of Moderate Exercise. When I say moderate, I mean, get up and walk, park further away from the store and take stairs instead of elevator. Every time an opportunity to move arrives, take it and welcome it instead of complaining about having to get off the couch. Either it's palates or simply taking a walk around the neighborhood, move that booty more rather than less. You will thank me later. 

I don't deprive myself of any certain food group but eat everything in moderation. If I have a pistachio cupcake, I have just one and don't add sugar/honey to my tea. If I buy smoked salmon, I don't salt the eggs and have only 1/2 of the toast. It's all about portion control. Every day, every time you sit down to eat or open your cupboard think how is it going to benefit your body and what exactly are you putting inside. Trust me, it's a lot easier to keep the weight off than try to loose it when the baby arrives and you have absolutely no time for yourself. I learned it the hard way so take it from me, instead

Link Up: DC in Style

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Spring Cleaning Tips

This maybe hard to believe but I go through my closet every season and get rid of stuff I don't wear. I try to wear *everything* I have and things that I don't, leave and never come back. I either give it to my sister, send a package to my relatives overseas or bring it to Salvation Army. Either way, I start with a clean slate every season. 

I have found that by doing that I keep my closet free of clutter and easy to navigate. I sort by color and types of clothes. Here is a peak at my recent closet clean out and some ideas on how to get your closet organized.

First of all, I dump everything out of my closet. Then I inspect, try on and look over things I want to put back into the closet.

 Items that go back into the closet:

1. Clean 

2. Current season (tees for summer, sweaters for winter)

3. Free of stains, tears and without missing buttons

4. Worn at least once last season

5. Heirlooms, designer pieces and items of sentimental value

-  laundry pile if applies with #2-4

Items that get tossed:

1. Have never been worn/don't remember the last time I worn it

2. Hate it 

3. Meh (Maybe I will wear it once - it was such a steal)

Can't do without the trouble maker with peanut butter stained lips.

Work out and home clothes get folded (read squished) into a bin with shorts and t-shirts.

I love myself a nice soft pajamas. In fact, I'm sitting in them right now, as I type this post. Fashion has nothing on a fleece PJs! Those go into a bin also.

Finding space for belts was the hardest. I have folded them, stuffed them in a box and rolled them up before but somehow they would end up in one giant pile of mess. Nothing worke as well as this Ikea find. I think it was meant for scarves but worked just as well for belts.

I fold all my knit dresses and skirts because they tend to stretch out when hang. 

Apparently I'm fond of orange. 

#selfdiscovery

Also I fold casual pants (like the collection of jean shorts I hoard), tees, hoodies and other non-dressy items

A few spring jackets for every occasion - bright, floral, stripes and white/beige get hung in the other section

Next I organize my tops. I start with short sleeves and sort by color. I find it easiest to have the colors grouped together because my eyes are naturally drawn to the selections much better then if I had them in a mix. I would not be able to find anything.

Next there are dress (and I obviously like blue/green/teal). Again, color coded, clean and ready to be worn

Lastly, there are skirts. Oh my, how love this collection of bright and cheerful skirts. I wear a lot of them and posses each in almost every color and length - from church to going out. 

I have very limited space (read tiny closet) so keeping it organized and fully functioning is the key. I hang everything that's easily wrinkles and expensive, as well as dressy. The rest of the clothes get folded or stuffed into a bin.

Last but not least, at the bottom of my shelves I have the shoes. Ahhhhh! It's a very humble (depends who's looking at it, I guess) collection of highly functional and cute duds. 

I hope you got inspired to clean out your closet and make sure that this spring you are ready to mix and wear everything you have. Sometimes, it's just a matter of organizing and getting everything where it needs to be -readily accessible and within reach. 

Thank you for stopping by and have a nice day!