When I was pregnant with my son, I had a little “heart to heart” with my family.  I knew that there was going to be a time where I’d have to leave my son with one or all of them.  I’m an RN so I don’t worry about how I would react if a friend or a neighbor needed CPR or assistance because he/she was choking.  I also don’t worry about my ability to deal with a similar incident should it ever happen to my son (although I can’t presume I’d be as calm as I am with my patients). But up until a few months ago, I couldn’t say the same thing about the people in my life who were about to take care of my son.  So I sent them all to get CPR certified at our local hospital.  It was the only way I could have peace of mind leaving my 6 month old with, say, my father.

Summer is coming very soon and there are lots of activities for children to enjoy.  But with activities like swimming, come real facts about what happens when people are not prepared.  Unfortunately, more drownings occur in the summer months.  For many families, summer is synonymous with water.  You may vacation at the lake or spend weekends at the beach or tote your kids to swimming at the community pool.  Regardless of how you plan on spending family time this summer, might I encourage you to get CPR trained?  It’s easy and painless (I promise).  Many of you may think, why?  Maybe you think you can just call 911.  Those vital minutes you spend calling and waiting for the ambulance to arrive can be spent doing CPR and increasing a person’s chances of survival.

The first week in June begins National CPR and AED Awareness Week.  I highly encourage you to get trained (have I driven the point home yet?).  Honestly, I hope no one who reads this ever has to use CPR.  However, I hope that everyone who reads this, makes it a priority to get trained.  As a busy, working mom, I understand time and child care restraints.  The thought of trying to take a class right now makes me want to laugh since I know I have no one to watch my son.  The American Heart Association realizes that adults are busy and may not be able to attend a traditional course in a classroom (which they do offer, by the way).  For those of you who are self-learners, the AHA offers a self-directed course called CPR Anytime.  In 22 minutes you (or anyone) can learn CPR (infant and child/adult).  The kit comes with an inflatable, reusable mannequin and instructional DVD.  We have one at home that my husband used since he couldn’t attend a physical class before my son was born and he learned a lot from it.  What’s nice is that you can practice or brush up on the skills in the comfort of your home at your leisure, thereby building confidence.

We use the CPR Anytime Kits in the NICU where I work for parents getting ready to take their babies home, and they’ve been very effective when a class is unavailable.  Once new parents have viewed the video, we have them practice and return demonstrate the skills, thereby encouraging questions and providing feedback.

I highly recommend checking out the site and finding a CPR training that works with your schedule.

Profuse thanks to Mom Central for this review opportunity!

You wouldn’t know it by looking at me, but I used to love running and was in pretty decent shape before I got pregnant with my son thanks to 8 months abroad.  Whether it’s intentional or not, backpacking trims and slims like no other workout!

I don’t often blog about fitness because I feel like I should set an example if I’m going to pretend to be an expert impart my expert opinion.  I am actually extremely passionate about health, wellness, and fitness and am hoping that will transfer into measurable weight loss!

Beth at Role Mommy offered me the opportunity to review Slendertone’s EnerVive Muscle Conditioner. Having had some experience with EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) I was very interested to see how effective a consumer version could be.  The basic premise behind EMS is that an electric impulse delivered to the muscles elicits a muscle contraction.  EMS has been approved by the FDA and is used to rehabilitate and strengthen muscles.  It is also used as a complement to sport training because of it’s ability to enhance muscle performance by increasing strength, improving endurance, and speeding up recovery.

When I was in high school, I sustained a back injury after a horse decided that I was weighing him down.  I primarily sustained muscular injuries and was sent to physical therapy to assist in my recovery.  The therapist utilized EMS to help my muscles heal and return to normal functioning.

The hands-free EnerVive unit allows you to select from six different muscle conditioning programs including excercise preparation, endurance and strength building, and exercise recovery. Despite it’s initial appearance, it was actually really easy to set-up.  You insert the battery, apply the pads to one of seven different targeted muscle areas, and select your program (you may need some help placing the pads on your back).  You can manually control the intensity of the contractions with the unit.  You also have the option of varying the pre-set contraction-relaxation cycle via the Trigger mode.  When utilized, you’ll be able to control the length of the contraction.

I’ve been using the EnerVive unit for about a week for exercise recovery after walking/running.  I have to say that my muscles have not really been sore after working out which is most likely due to the system (and good stretching!).  I’m actually going to start using it on my abs in hopes that I can do something to tone this baby belly!  I’ve been trying to think about how to describe the way EnerVive feels…it’s almost like a sustained muscle twitch (but that’s not entirely accurate because it actually feels relaxing, not annoying like a muscle twitch).

In summary, I’ve compiled a list of the pros and cons.

Pros:

1.  The unit is approved by the FDA

2. The unit is very easy to use

3.  The unit allows for numerous variations in settings

4.  It is effective for relaxation and muscle recovery

5.  EnerVive is a high-quality, professionally designed unit

Cons:

1.  At $179.99, it’s definitely a luxury

2.  When you open the manual, you’ll find four pages of warnings, contraindications, and precautions which can be a little

3. Pads will need to be replaced after 20-30 sessions (a set of three retails for $49.99)

For more information on EnerVive and all of the products offered by Slendertone, visit their website!