Category: Uncategorized

How to Write a Top Mom Blog and Make Money from Home!

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Recently, I have been getting an increasing number of questions regarding blogging in general, and specifically, how to become a “top mom blog.” Many of you know that I am both a personal trainer and a web marketing specialist. I usually say that web marketing is my career, and health and fitness are my passion. In my case, I am able to use my career to promote my passion and extend my influence beyond the gym (best case scenario? — yeah, I would say so).

Top mom blog

Click here to see examples
of other “Top Mom Blogs”.

A couple weeks ago, I was named a “top mommy blog” and placed on topmommyblogs.com! Click on the icon to check out their site. You will get some great ideas if blogging is something you are interested in as well!  I originally started blogging because I had a hard time finding good information about fit pregnancy on the internet. Also, one of my gym clients asked me to write a book, and since I was already a web marekting specialist, I thought a blog was a better fit. As a personal trainer and a mom, I believe that I have the expertise and passion to help other moms be happy and healthy, so I blog!

But what about you? Are you interested in starting and maintaining a mom blog? Do you enjoy reading mom blogs? Have you been looking for a way to make money from home? Are you on social media and other websites quite a bit as it is? Not only is a mom blog a fun place to share your ideas and inspirations — it can be a way to make a little income! There are a couple ways that you can make money from blogging: You can allow adverstisements on your site, or you can be a paid blogger for another third-party site. I do not currently accept advertisements on my site (because I am on wordpress.com, and they ban advertisers), but I am considering moving to a new web host that will allow me to have paid advertisers and make some money from views on my blog. I have also applied to be a paid blogger for two different national companies. I am waiting to hear back (crossing my fingers).

If you want to have a successful mom blog, you need to drive traffic to your site by doing the following:

  1. Post unique, value-added content regularly (I usually suggest at least two or three posts per week)
  2. Use important keywords that moms search often on an organic search (Google or Bing) related to your topics
  3. Share your posts on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc) that directs back to your blog
  4. Network with other bloggers to create non-reciprocal links to your site
  5. Utilize Google Analytics and social media stats to drive your content strategy

Sounds easy enough, right? So, why not get started?!? Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about blogging or would like to start your own mom blog. 🙂  I would love to consult with you and show you how to maximize your efforts on the web. Best wishes.

* Update: The day after I published this post, I was invited to WordAds through wordpress.com. I am now part of an exclusive group of sites that have been approved into the WordAds Beta, and make money from these ads (you can likely see a video or small ad at the bottom of this page. WordAds is a partnership. On the WordAds and wordpress.com side, the WordAds team will focus on maximizing my earnings potential. On my side, the more traffic I get, the more I earn.

WordAds seem to be great so far. No controversial content at all. The ads do not pertain to fit pregnancy and parenting, or nutrition, but they are interesting. I am thrilled to be part of WordAds, and I hope you find the ads to be interesting. If they compromise the content on my site, I will turn them off. But so far so good! If you have any questions about WordAds or how to develop a great blog and be approved for paid advertising on your site, please let me know!

 

How long will it take for my body to bounce back after pregnancy?

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While I was pregnant, I worried a lot about how quickly my body would bounce back to normal after I delivered. There is a lot of negativity surrounding postpartum body image. Most women/fellow moms that I interacted with told me that, “your body will never be the same after pregnancy.” I was always disappointed to hear their remarks, and of course, hoping to prove them wrong.

Body after pregnancy

My baby bump the week before I delivered

I asked my doctor how long it would take my body to look normal after delivery. He said, “Well, it takes 9 months for your body to make a baby, and it takes 9 months to a year for it to b0unce back to normal.” 9 months to a year?!? Wow, now that is frustrating to hear. But luckily, my experience was very different than the fellow moms or my doctor told me it would be.

See below for my Fit Pregnancy (and post-delievery recovery DVD). I did these moves consistently through pregnancy and after delivery, and bounced back very quickly.

Pregnacy Exercises: Fit Pregnancy Total Body Workout DVD

Introducing my Pregnancy Exercises: Fit Pregnancy Total Body Workout DVD. If you are looking for a prenatal workout to do through all three trimesters of pregnancy, during your pre-pregnancy fitness plan, and for post-delivery recovery, look no further.

For a very limited time, I am accepting pre-orders for the Pregnancy Exercises: Fit Pregnancy Total Body Workout DVD with an added incentive of no shipping and handling fees!

Now, before I continue writing, I do want to point out that my absolute biggest priority when training my gym clients is to help then develop a healthy lifestyle and healthy body image. Size, shape and weight is NOT the most important issue. Living a healthy lifestyle and being healthy on the inside is vital. However, with that being said, there is not anything wrong with wanting to look great too. Just remember to maintain the right motivations. Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.

After I delivered my daughter, I had a lingering “bump” like everyone else does. Every day it got a lot less noticeable, and a week after I delivered, I felt like I looked pretty decent. I even went out in my bikini at a week postpartum. Looking back, I might have jumped the gun, but hey, it was August and I wanted a tan.

pre pregnancy body after delivery

Less than 24 hours after I delivered. I still had a lingering bump.

Three days after delivery I went to a meeting at work. I wore a skirt to try and cover up my lingering bump, and covered it pretty well. Two weeks after delivery I went back to training clients in the gym. My clients were impressed with how fast my stomach had shrunk, but I definitely still had a small pooch, and some of the women even patted it.

In all honestly, it probably took me 4 months to really look back to normal. But I had to bite the bullet and be very intentional about working out my abs. Now, 6.5 months after delivery, I actually think my abs are stronger and look better than before pregnancy! We have gone on a few mini vacations and swam in the pool with Emma. She loves to swim, and I am confident taking her to the pool in my bikini! We have a vacation to the beach in a few weeks, and I can’t wait to show off my abs.

Swimming with Emma 6.5 months after delivery!

So, don’t be discouraged when you hear that “your body will never be the same” or it will take a full year to get your figure back. Eat healthy, be intentional about exercise, and you can bounce back quickly too!!! Best wishes.