Controlling your weight with a new baby around can seem impossible, but shedding those final pregnancy pounds is actually easier than you think. To lose fat, tone up, and increase your energy levels, just follow these five easy weight control tips for new moms

• Catch more zzz’s. There’s no such thing as “enough” sleep when there’s a new baby in the house, but you should stock up when you can. Lack of sleep stresses the body, which means you’ll hold on to more fat. To help shed the pounds, nap anytime your baby does – your waistline will thank you.

Family insurance rates rise right along with the cost of living. And even those of us who don’t have a sensitive aversion to discussing life insurance often avoid it for one simple fact: cost. But there are ways that you can get affordable family insurance.

• Stop smoking now. Not tomorrow or next year, but right now. Even if you forget for a moment the damage you may already have done, there’s the damage you’re doing to yourself as a result of putting off something that you should have dropped years ago. But we’re not here to chastise you for having bad habits. What we will do, however, is remind you that you’ll end up paying incredibly high family insurance rates if you don’t.

If you’re in poor health and are seeking a family insurance policy, you don’t have to assume that you’ll be turned down for life insurance coverage as a result. Life insurance protection is offered every day to people with less than stellar physical exam results – and the best part is, you may not even have to take a physical to be able to get signed up for some family insurance plans. If this sounds too good to be true, it isn’t.

College investments and endowment funds are important components of school tuition costs. When these funds perform well, institutions better control school tuition costs and designate significant portions of earnings to university-sponsored scholarships.

Since the recent recession, many endowment funds have declined. Most investments have yet to recover to pre-2006 levels. University investment problems require that your college savings plans become more conservative and rewarding.

A lot of people are turned off by life insurance coverage simply because they’re not aware they have choices. The high cost of permanent life insurance and the complexities involved with the commitment end of it make getting life insurance coverage seem a bit too much like a chore. But the fact is, life insurance protection comes in various shapes and sizes, and depending on whether you’re shopping for individual or family insurance plans, your search can yield significantly different results.