dolphin dashing and step counting

We are back from a mostly cold and rainy but still fun 10 days in Georgia!  I absolutely love going to Georgia, but I think 10 days without the ability to go to the pool and the beach every day was a bit much for us.  But nonetheless it was a relaxing trip and I'm so happy we had the opportunity to go.  But more on the actual trip another time.

The whole reason we scheduled this particular trip to Georgia was so I could run the Super Dolphin Day Race.  My mom had been on the island last year when the race was going on and thought it would be fun for us to be a part of it this year.  The had a 10k, a 5k and a 1 mile race.  If you were bold you could take on all three, as the 10k was at 7am, the 5k at 8:30am and the 1 mile at 9:30am.  If I wasn't pregnant it would have been fun to go for that.  Just over 10 miles would be great if you're training for a spring half!  But I am pregnant, so I opted to play it safe, and remind myself that I hadn't run more than 5 miles since November.

When I walked to the end of my parent's driveway that morning, I could literally see the race start about a football field away.  Talk about the most convienent race start I've ever had.  I was still in bed 45 minutes before the thing started.  And the way the course worked out the 6 mile marker was actually in my parent's yard.  So Papa and Ryann camped out at the end of the driveway to watch me run by!  I loved it.  But back to the start.  I headed over about 10 minutes before the start time, and I was stupidly shocked at how few people were running the race.  And nearly every single person looked like a 'legit' runner, with Garmins and all that.  I wasn't planning on being super slow, but I'd been running anywhere between a 10 and 11 minute mile.  So I texted my mom and told her not to be alarmed if I came in last.  Ha.

Thankfully I didn't finish last.  Well I was the slowest in my age group, but I was 112 out of 142 total runners.  I am proud to say that I finished in 1:01:56, a 9:58 mile pace!  Not speedy by any means, but great for me right now, and certainly not anything to be embarrassed about.  The course is mostly residential (which isn't surprising since the island is small!) and incredibly flat.  There was one stretch close to east beach that was SUPER windy, but it was a very windy day in general so it was to be expected.  Overall I really loved the race.  The convienient start and finish definitely helped.  And it was fun that the girls could watch all the runners from the windows of the house.  The race was in support of the local elementary schools so there was a lot of kids running, something I think is great for my girls to see.  I can't wait until one of them is interested in running with me!

On a different but still health related note, I mentioned that I snagged a fitbit flex that my dad wasn't going to use.  I haven't had it very long, but so far I'm a fan.  It is certainly motivating!  And also has shown me that I need to move my butt even more.  There have been a couple days that I've run 3 miles, and still struggled to hit 10,000 steps by the end of the day.  But my stubborness and hatred of not reaching a goal works well with the dang thing so I've found myself doing laps in the family room at the end of the night to get those last 300-500 steps or whatever.

I can't speak for it's accuracy, but in one random article I read it noted the fitbit products are some of the most accurate for step counting.  I know that I sometimes get extra steps counted because I don't truly have a dominant hand.  I write and eat left handed, but everything else I do with my right hand.  I noticed it counted steps while I was doing my make-up, but sometimes doesn't count steps when I'm carrying Elsie or pushing a stroller or a cart.  So I think in the end it all evens out.  Or something like that.  I look forward to the warm weather when we can be outside all the time getting in more steps! ;o)

I finished the Whole30!

This post is a bit overdue, I completed my Whole30 June 27th.  Woot woot!  I wasn't perfect in the sense that I did snack occasionally, which is supposed to be avoided during the month.  But every morsel of food I put in my mouth was compliant.  I truly didn't think I could handle it for 30 days straight, but I did it!

Some of my favorite meals in the last week and a half...

Top left was salmon cakes from It Starts With Food.  I was completely grossed out by the salmon coming out of the can, thank goodness Chris was home and could handle mixing that one up.  I was worried I wouldn't like them at all just because I was so grossed out by the prep, but they surprised me and I loved them.  They were even better once I made some homemade mayo and created a dipping sauce.

Top middle was compliant chicken salad made with my homemade mayo.  Guys, seriously, make some mayo.  So tasty!  I loved the chicken salad on top of some romaine.

Top right was an open faced omlette with leftovers from a mexican skillet meal the night before.  Leftovers are an amazing tool while doing a Whole30, and this just shows you don't have to eat the 'same' thing over and over.  Use your leftovers but switch it up.

Bottom left was basically shrimp scampi.  I sauteed the shrimp in ghee, lemon juice and garlic.  Heck yes, it was very good.  I've discovered I don't really like ghee on my veggies, I'm not sure why, but it didn't bother me in this one bit.

Bottom middle was a grilled mahi mahi fillet (frozen, the Simply Balanced brand from Target) topped with a fresh mango salsa from Whole Foods and steamed asparagus.

Bottom right was my last meal of the Whole30, made by my mama.  She did the tarragon cream sauce (except she didn't have any tarragon, whoops, but threw in italian seasoning I think?) from It Starts With Food.  Oh my gosh SOOOO good.  Seriously.  I would like to have that again soon.

My Whole30 Results

I know that the majority of the people who are interested in doing a Whole30, are looking for the weight loss factor that generally comes with it.  I was.  What you get out of a Whole30 is so much more than that, it is different for everyone, but since I was shooting to lose weight here is my before and after.  Well the morning of day 29 anyway, I wasn't going to be home on day 31, so I took my pictures early.

Numbers wise, I lost 6.5 pounds.  I was really hoping for 9, but we all know the scale isn't everything.  And it is obvious that I lost a lot of bloating and some inches.  I never took any measurements (should have, I know) but it isn't a huge deal.  The photos are what I care about, and even though the results weren't drastic, I was happy with them.

I never got any 'tigers blood', but I felt good.  My energy levels are a lot more stable when I'm eating real foods, and my anxiety and temper are a lot easier to manage.  Granted there is a whole different sense of anxiety when I worry so much about meal planning and doing the extra dishes, however it was worth it.  And guys, seriously, I love all the food I was eating.  Sure sometimes (a lot of times) I wanted sweets, but I could handle my cravings.

So what is life looking for me after Whole30?  Well I wish I could say I've continued my excellent eating habits with no problem, but that isn't the case.  I didn't follow the reintroduction phase because I wanted to enjoy our anniversary dinner without worrying about what I was eating.  And I definitely enjoyed it, plus some cheesecake.  And then we had friends over for dinner and they brought some non-compliant foods.  Then we had a patriotic play date, and while I provided compliant foods, there were some desserts available that were not, and I took full advantage.  And then there was the Fourth of July and several days with lots of unhealthy food choices and holy heck.  I feel like I just erased my month of hard work.

The truth is that is just life, and I still need to figure out the balance.  I'm very much a black and white person, I'm not good at finding middle ground.  Right now I'm toying with eating Whole30 compliant foods until the first weekend in August (which includes my 10 year reunion, Chris's birthday and a baby shower).  And if not strict Whole30, then strict paleo.  I don't know.  When I'm planning meals for myself now, I have no issue with creating compliant, healthy and nutrisious meals.  It is making the right choices outside the home (or saying no to things when they're brought over) that is going to be the difficult part.

The only other reason I question whether or not I stick to a grain free diet, is because I've had some AMAZING runs the last 10 days, and I don't know why.  Maybe it is because on those days I've gotten a little more sleep, or maybe it is because there are some carbs in my life.  I'm not really sure.  But the morning after my first non-compliant meal I set out on a 6 mile run, and felt so good that I ended up running just over 8.  On the fourth I participated in the 'run around the lake' in my parents neighborhood, a 6 mile (I believe anyway) race I've done before.  And ran the whole thing in 51:54.  That is roughly an 8:40 pace.  I haven't run that fast in a LONG time.

Right now the only food that really bothers my body that I can tell, is sugar.  Surprise surprise, I knew that going in.  I expected to have more of an issue with gluten and dairy, but didn't.  I haven't really had much soy, it has been surprisingly easy to avoid.  I may not be making great food choices all the time, but I still don't eat a ton of packaged food, so unless I cook with it, I'm not getting it.

So...... until further notice I'm taking on Whole30 round two.  Well, a whole 26 I guess, since I don't intend to stay compliant at the reunion.  Goodbye tasty desserts, I'll miss you the most.

where's my tiger blood?

And everyone who read my post title is all what the heck is wrong with this girl?  No worries, I haven't completely lost my mind.  As far as I know anyway.

I'm currently 19 days in to my first Whole30.  It has been hard, but not THAT hard.  Sure it takes a little extra planning, and some will power (my husband was laying in bed eating animal crackers and m&m's last night... grrr...) but it isn't impossible.  I haven't even touched the surface of all the recipes and ideas available.  But I have yet to hit that point where I feel like I have 'tigers blood' as they call it in It Starts With Food.  I know a lot can happen in 11 days, and maybe my body is still working stuff out, but I honestly don't feel all that wonderful.

That isn't to say I haven't seen any benefits.  I lost 5.5 pounds in the first two weeks (you're not supposed to weigh yourself, I don't care, I did anyway).  I don't have headaches anymore in the afternoon from too much junk.  I can go without snacks between meals and not feel like I want to slap someone (hanger is real people, Elsie and I are both evidence of that).  And I don't have an upset stomach as much anymore either.  I've discovered that nuts make me extremely bloated, and almond butter makes me feel sick (lame!).  But they aren't the only thing bothering me.  I just haven't figured it out yet.

My runs have also been pretty miserable.  I anticipated the first week being bad, and it was.  It was quite horrible, my body was having a very difficult time providing enough energy to keep me going.  I felt shaky on runs.  I've found that eating a banana or a Larabar before a longer run definitely helps, so some homemade Larabar bites might be in my future to pop before all my runs.  But on Friday I went out for a six mile run and it was AWFUL.  I walked probably a good mile spread throughout there.  My legs felt weak, my stomach was a bit of a mess and my back was killing me.  I don't know what is going on.  If it's all in my head, if it is just because I need new shoes (I really need new shoes), if I really need to strengthen up my legs more, what.  But right now nothing seems to be working.

I feel like it sounds as though I am not enjoying this process and the Whole30.  That isn't true.  I don't feel deprived, I'm eating lots of good food, I'm never truly hungry.  Honestly if the people around me weren't eating off limits foods, I don't think it would be a huge deal at all.  But currently the girls get a 'sweet treat' (a few m&m's or chocolate chips) if they finish their meal, and dishing out m&m's without eating a few is kind of agonizing for a few seconds.  Or just reminding myself not to eat the crust off Ryann's sandwich, or a handful of whatever snack I'm getting them.  Overall the experience has been positive, and I look forward to hopefully moving our family toward a clean eating or paleo lifestyle.  It will just take a while to figure out the balance.

If you care what some more of meals have looked like, here you go...

I'm pretty sure some combination of sweet potatoes and chicken apple sausage has become one of my favorite breakfasts.  So tasty and so filling.  Today I added spinach and it was great.  The second photo is an Asian Almond Chicken Salad.  I liked the flavor, but wanted more of the sauce.  Directly underneath that photo is a Chili Lime Chicken Burger from Trader Joe's.  I really liked it on top of a portobello with guac.  Chris wasn't as impressed but he said they were good.  I don't know what I would do without Trader Joe's.  They have some great clean options.  To the right of that photo is a Zesty Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad.  I really liked it, and would eat it more often if I wasn't too cheap to buy the good shrimp.  And that very last photo is an example of how much I fail at making omlettes.  They taste fine, but I can't figure out how to make a pretty one for the life of me.

I'm challenging myself to make at least two new actual recipes in the next 11 days, instead of just throwing compliant crap together and calling it good.  The recipes I've used have been delicious, but I'm not a very good meal planner so we haven't had all the ingredients for stuff.

it's time.

Time for me to cut the crap, and get back in the whole fitness game that is.  And bring back 'Move it Monday.'  I can't promise that it will be here every week, but I'll shoot hard for at least every other week.  I need all the motivational help and accountability that I can get!

I am making no promises to do anything amazing, but I do have some goals for the new year.  I've spent the last oh, I don't know, 20 months more or less devoting my body to Elsie, but 2014 is going to be my year.  Before I get in to that though, I want to revisit my fitness goals from 2013 and see how I did.

1.  Run 500+ miles.
It wound up being harder than I thought, but I did it!  I ended the year having ran 545 miles.

2.  Try a new group fitness class at the gym.
I ended up pausing my membership at the gym, so I guess I'll give myself a pass on this one.

3.  Run a half marathon.
Check.  It certainly wasn't my best or most rewarding half, but I did manage to train for and complete the Kansas City Half Marathon in October.

4.  Run a 'fun' race.
Boo!  I didn't do it.  And I'm always kicking myself when everyone starts posting pictures from whatever color run or glow run or who knows what run they did.

5.  Lose the baby weight by July 1st.
I've still got five pounds to go.  But I am proud to say that I maintained my 'only five pounds to go' weight since a couple months after E was born.  It would have been easy to give up on exercise and eat everything and sight (well, sometimes I did the latter) but I didn't.  I kept running, and nursing, some of those calories away.

6.  Go a week without added sugar.
I did manage to do this way back in April.  Over the last few months I've been hitting the sweets HARD again, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt to try and cut sugar out another time.

Well, I only truly managed 50% of my goals.  But hey, I feel like I accomplished the ones that truly mattered the most to me!  It would sure be nice to get rid of the rest of this baby weight though.  Which brings me to my goals for this year.

1.  Run 750 miles.
This sounds a little daunting, and also completely doable at the same time.  I hit over 500 miles only really running half the year, so surely a full year without being pregnant, and only nursing part of the year, I should be able to do it.  Just have to stay motivated!  If I could manage to get back to running with friends again I think that would really help.  Running by yourself all the time gets old.  I'm all for having a little alone time, but some days I could use a little push.

2.  Run two half marathons.
At least one in the spring and one in the fall.

3.  Run a 'fun' race.
Which one of my friends will sign-up for something with me and hold me to it?

4.  Get back to the gym.
And go at least three times a week.  For some reason I'm dragging my feet on getting back to the gym.  I know once I get back in the habit I'll love it, but, well, it isn't habit right now.  It still seems daunting to time it and make it work, but I foresee Elsie to be able to handle only one nap a day pretty well by the time she is 13 months, and that will make a world of difference on the timing front.

5.  Lose the baby weight by March 1st.
No more excuses.  The extra pounds have to go (and then another 5 would be awesome!).  And if the number won't budge I still want to see a certain pair of pants fit by then.

6.  Strength train once a week.
Ideally a strength class at the gym once a week.  My muscles are getting smaller and smaller.  Time to whip 'em back in to shape!

I've challenged myself to run at least one mile every day this month and also to go the first week of the year without any sweets.  So far so good, although I'm already so tempted to cheat on both fronts.  More so the no sweets gig.  Some of my friends are going the whole month, and, um, I just don't think I can do it!  Maybe, but I really really REALLY want to dig in to some chocolate.

 

How has the new year started off for you?  Have any goals?  Link up health and fitness related posts below!

quirks

Sorry this is really late today.  There was zero overlap of nap time, and pretty much no nap time from Elsie anyway.  Therefore blog post just wasn't happening.  Until now.  Anyway.

So I'm a little OCD sometimes.  The dishes have to be loaded in the dishwasher a certain way.  It drives me crazy if someone else writes on a paper of mine.  Or if a paper gets folded.  I get anxiety when Chris puts together a snack or lunch for Ryann because it isn't just so (I wish I was joking).  Running is no different.  I can't run back over a path I've already been on unless absolutely necessary.  I have to finish with my mileage ending in .0 or .5.

But what has really been getting me while running at my parents house, is that I simply can't make myself start running on an uphill.  There is about a third of a mile of uphill after I leave their driveway to get to any of my routes.  The problem I have with that is that I HATE that walking time gets added in to my running time, slowing my pace.  I could wait to start my tracker until I started running, but then I'd lose fractions of miles that I've actually covered.  It is quite the conundrum.  HA.  Please tell me I'm not alone in this weirdness.

Goals went better this week.  I got in 4 runs totaling 16.6 miles and had zero sweets three days.  I may have overdone the chocolate a bit the other days, but I did survive three days without.  Still didn't get in a strength workout.  I'm sure that story is getting old.  But it is really something I need to work on for more than one reason.  I've been having some pain in my pelvis/hip region, which I'm going to attribute to a weak core.  Could be totally wrong on that one, but it sounds good, right?

I'm getting excited (and nervous) for my long run this week.  I've got seven miles on the calendar, which will be my longest distance post baby thus far.  I hope the weather is decent, it is absurd how much my pace is affected by the humidity.  I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish the half in under two hours, and I think I'll be back in better shape by October, but right now I'm not sure of where I'm at.  My current pace averages wouldn't do it for me, but I've read that for every 10 degrees over 55, your pace is generally slower by 4-7 seconds per mile.  Hoping that holds true and as the temps cool down and I put in more miles my pace will get better.

Goals for this week:

-4 runs totaling 16 miles
-one strength workout
-one new breakfast

Ok that is all I've got for now.  This post is taking me entirely too long to write.  Sorry it is so late!

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

dude. it's early.

Saturday was Christopher's birthday, so naturally we went out to breakfast, had some cake and ice cream, went out for a nice dinner, had some drinks and stayed up later than we should.  And then Elsie woke up at 3am.  Thus, when my alarm went off on Sunday to go run, I felt like I had been hit by a bus.  Note to self, don't plan a long(ish) run for the day after a special day (actually I wouldn't have, except I felt it was rude to make Chris get up early on his birthday so I could run!).

Lately I've been running along the main street (because having cars drives by encourages me not to walk, and I feel slightly safer).  Thankfully when you run before 6:30am, the street really isn't all that busy, and it is nice and flat and an easy route.  I make a point not to wear headphones when I do training runs, because I'm paranoid about not hearing a car.  Even still, I zone out and am kind of in my own little world.  Sunday I was incredibly out of it, and probably moving like a zombie, when all of the sudden a car honks at me.  Scared the crap out of me seeing as it was maybe, MAYBE 6:40am?  I turned to look and it was a red mustang with some immature males who then proceeded to whistle at me.  Oy.  What is it that makes men feel the need to do this?  I wasn't the least bit impressed.  Not to mention it wasn't even 7am.  Much, much too early for that.  Whatever.

My random thought while running... how do you wear your hair when you exercise/go for a run?  I've got a LOT of hair, so I can't just put it in a pony tail, because then it touches me.  And I absolutely can't handle it if my hair touches me while I'm sweaty.  I used to put it in a bun, but sometimes I'm too lazy for that.  So I'll just pull my pony part way through (kind of a messy bun thing I guess?), except I can't pull it too far or it flops around and drives me nuts, so instead I end up with a little loop and a huge chunk of hair hanging down.  Really, really cool obviously.  Maybe I'm the only one who has all those 'issues', but I was curious what other girls with lots of hair did.

As for my goals from the week.  HA.  Massive MASSIVE fail.  No idea if I lost a pound because I don't have my scale with me (I'm at my parents, big surprise), but based on what I ate this weekend I'm going to guess the scale wouldn't be tipping in my favor.  I did manage four runs, but they only totaled 14.75 miles instead of 15.  I'm going to give myself that one, because Elsie woke up and I needed to get home twice.  I didn't try anything new for breakfast (unless you count going out on Saturday, haha), and I didn't do any strength workouts.  It is so much easier for me to go out for a run, than it is to convince myself to do any form of strength training.

Maybe this week I'll do better?

-15 miles
-3 days without sweets
-one strength workout

What do you do when you are having a hard time meeting your goals, or committing to your fitness plans?

 

Link up health and fitness related posts below!

i'm so boring

Blech.  I am so SICK of eggs for breakfast.  I have scrambled eggs nearly every morning for breakfast.  I figure it is the easiest way to get in some protein, and since I only do one egg plus egg whites I can keep the calories low.  But I think I've only got a few more days in me of eggs for breakfast before I lose my mind.  I haven't been doing the best eating clean or whole foods lately, so I figured what the heck, I'd just have peanut butter toast.  Except my body apparently doesn't like bread in the morning anymore.  What gives?  My stomach gets all eeew, gluten on me or something.  So now I'm half heartedly on the search for new easy breakfast options.  I would go the smoothie route, except I think I'd be sad if I didn't get to actually chew my breakfast.  Is that dumb?

Now that I'm thinking about it though, if I could have a smoothie and some bacon for breakfast, I'd be content for a while.  Because bacon.  Yum.

But cooking bacon for one seems like a waste of time/mess/etc...

Can you tell I didn't really have anywhere I wanted to go with this post?  Ha.

Looking back at my goals this week I didn't do too terrible.  I managed four runs totaling 14.65 miles, but other than that I didn't do much.  So I failed at the whole strength workout thing.  One day I did do a total of 100 sit-ups and 40 push-ups, but...  Reading some of the posts that were linked up from last week is making me antsy to up my mileage.  If only got 14 total on my calendar again for this week, but maybe I'll shoot for a touch more.  I think I'd like my base to be 15 miles a week, and just add from there if I am training for something.  Oh, also, I did succeed in losing a pound this week. Two goals out of three isn't terrible (although by school standards I failed, didn't I?  sad.)

Goals for this week:

-lose one pound
-four runs totaling 15+ miles
-one strength workout
-one new breakfast

Has anyone else started training for fall races?  Following a plan in particular?

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

small steps.

Good morning afternoon, Monday.  I was waiting until this morning to start this post because I wanted to do measurements and such, but Elsie hasn't napped as well as I had hoped so maybe I'll get this published before the end of the day.  We shall see...

Anyway.  I wish I had more progress to share, but there is progress, so that is better than nothing.  Looking at the pictures (here is my first set), I can't really see much of a difference.  Which isn't all that surprising because there isn't a huge difference in the numbers either, BUT I really want to see some progress soon!  I suppose I'd have to really commit to see the results though.  Just do it Ashley, just do it...

As far as numbers go, I'm down 4.2 pounds from where I first started.  Still up about a pound and a half from the lowest I've gotten over the last five weeks, but down from the start, and that is what counts right?  Even if it's two steps forward, one step back, I'm still going forward.  My measurements...

natural waist = 27.75 in (-1.5 inches)
belly button = 32 in (-1.5 inches)
hips = 40.25 in (-.75 inches)
leg = 24.675 in (-.825 inches)
arm = 11 in (no change)

Again, measuring your arm is kind of awkward, and I'm not sure (on any of these) if I'm holding the tape exactly where I did the first time, so they could certainly be off.  But the numbers in general are going in the right direction.  So it is all about committing and doing and not giving up.

Speaking of commitment, I decided to go all in and sign up for a half marathon in October.  The same one I've run twice before.  Because I've done it twice (here and here), I know what to expect.  Granted I won't be pregnant this time, so that will be nice.  But training will still be interesting.  I'm most concerned with getting in my weekday runs.  Right now the training plan (I'm loosely following Higdon's Novice 2 Plan) doesn't call for too high of mileage, but it won't be long before I'll need to be getting in five miles during the week.  I'm hoping this whole sleep training business we started with Elsie last night goes well, and makes my days a little more predictable.  That way I can be more prepared to get my runs in when I need to.

I'm so excited to truly have something to be training for though!  My goals for this week:

four runs
lose one pound
one strength workout

Oh, and another non fitness but sort of fitness related goal, get new shoes.  I've been in my same pair of Brooks since I ran the half in October, and even though I haven't been packing on the miles like I used to, it is about time to get some new sneaks.

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below! 

i'm nervous.

You guys?  Six.  I got in SIX workouts this week!  It was tough, because several of them had to be done during nap time, and I HATE doing anything physically taxing during nap time, but Elsie opted to stop sleeping through the night so mornings were coming way too fast and it just had to be done.  I got my three runs in (3.15 miles, 3.25 miles, 4.25 miles) as well as one day of Jillian Michael's Six Week Six Pack, an hour long Strictly Strength class at the gym, and one session of the 30 Day Shred.  Even though I didn't specifically set out to do 30 minutes of core work, I'm going to say between the ab video and the two strength classes, I definitely can put a check next to that goal as well.

I surprised myself and lost almost two more pounds this week, making my total lost in two weeks just over six pounds.  I'm both thrilled and concerned with that.  I am not counting calories, just aiming to eat better again.  And I really don't think I hold back all that much, you should have seen the meal I consumed on our anniversary (801 Chophouse, zohmygawd my filet was SO GOOD).  Not to mention my emotionally charged bowl of strawberries and bananas last night (single parenting for the win!  not.)... topped with cashews, marshmallows and dark chocolate chunks (I suppose if I'm going to eat my feelings that wasn't the worst I could have done).  So I'm just worried about my milk supply.  Elsie has been extra fussy the last few days, and honestly I don't really have reason to believe she's not getting enough.  She is making plenty of diapers and isn't inconsolable, but she isn't sleeping real well and sometimes she is frustrated during nursing sessions.  So I'm going to try and make sure to be very careful about how much I'm losing from here on out.

But what I'm super nervous about this week, is running.  On the fourth there is a run around the lake my parents live on.  It is roughly a 10k I believe.  So far the furthest I've run post baby is 5.6 miles.  In theory, I should be fine.  My last two runs have been outside and they haven't been too shabby at all.  But the treadmill runs I did last week?  It was a struggle to run two miles straight before giving up and switching to run/walk intervals.  Yes, the treadmill is always a mental thing for me, and I was running around 2pm, when really morning is the best for me.  So I shouldn't really use those as an indicator for how this run will go.  But it is much more hilly and has the potential to be a little warm so I'm freaking out a bit!  I'm sure I can finish it.  But I'd really prefer not to come in last.  The last time I did it there was like 30 - 40 people?  There is definitely the potential for it to happen.  I guess I'd live.  Oy.  Deep breaths, it is just a run, it will be fine...

Goals for this week:

four workouts

three runs

maintain weight (+/- one pound)

A note on the weight goal.  I wouldn't want to lose more than a pound this week, but honestly, knowing my mom and the food we generally have for the fourth, I'll be lucky if I can only gain a pound.  Knowing that dairy really does affect Elsie helps keep me in check a bit, but my willpower?  Not so good when it comes to things like Better Than Crack Brownies.

Anyone participating in a race or run on the fourth?  What are your favorite July Fourth foods?

 

Link up health and fitness related posts below!

i'm not a good summer runner.

Well hello Monday.  First things first, I wanted to comment a little bit on last week's post and the feedback I received.  Most of it was completely positive, and I appreciate all of the 'you look great already!' and the 'you've had two kids, you look awesome!'.  Really, you guys are too sweet, and it puts the biggest smile on my face to hear I've inspired some of you.  And I'm not hating on my body.  Yes, I have body image issues often, I touched on it a tiny bit in this post, but I think a lot of it stems from having naturally little friends and growing up in the dance world.  No one ever said I was overweight or made a comment to me being bigger, but I'm not blind.  It was easy to see who the biggest one was among our group of friends, and there is no hiding anything in spandex hot shorts.

Right now I'm ok with my body.  It HAS birthed two children.  I weigh 20 pounds less than my highest weight (not pregnant), 10 pounds less than when I got pregnant with Ryann.  But I worked SO hard to get to where I was before I got pregnant with Elsie.  And I was happy, proud of what I was doing health and fitness wise.  I'm not completely unhappy right now, but I don't want to settle either.  I never want to get back to where I was after Ryann was born, physically or emotionally.  So I think there is nothing wrong with striving to get my 'old self' back again, eventually.

What concerned me with a few of the comments that were left last week, is that my desire to be a better me, should not make anyone feel less about themselves.  Let my want to be better and do better be an inspiration to be the best YOU that you can be right now.  Health and fitness goals and where you are with either should not be measured against anyone else.  They should be personal.  If you want to be better at something, try and be better than you were.  Not better than your neighbor, or another blogger or your spouse.  Sure a little friendly competition is always good, but don't let something I post make you feel less or inferior in any way.

My goal is simply to be the best me that I can be.  And right now?  I'm not there.  I'm doing a pretty good job.  I'm raising two kids and trying to take care of my body.  But I don't have it all figured out yet.  I'm working on it.

Ok, jumping off the soap box.  Sorry!  I've discovered a new favorite veggie to snack on.  Not new that I've never had it, but new that I've never really thought to keep it around the house as a snack.  Hello blanched sugar snap peas.

Seriously.  I'm not sure what it is about these little green guys, but they are SO good blanched.  I probably like them so much because they have a higher sugar content than most veggies damn sweet tooth, but there are only about 70 calories per cup of pea pods.  I'm going to guess that eating a cup of sugar snap peas is a much better choice than a handful of M&Ms.  I was eating the peas with a veggie dip that my mom had leftover, but it was sour cream based so that's no good.  Well, actually, the dip was REALLY good.  It tasted like it was probably sour cream mixed with maybe taco seasoning?  I'm not sure.  Something like that.  I would love to try and make my own with greek yogurt, but my little puke monster is back in full force so I'm trying to keep the dairy to a minimum.  Boo.

I managed to meet my goals this week.  I got in four sweat sessions:  one barbell class and three runs.  Barbell seriously left me sore for DAYS.  That is the class I will miss the most (I suspended my gym membership until further notice, read why here).  Anyone know if there is a video similar to a class like that (which I think is the equivalent of body pump at some gyms)?  My runs were pretty meh.  The first one was on the treadmill, and after the first mile I kind of wanted to bang my head against a wall, so I switched to intervals.  The second two were outside after not a whole lotta sleep and it was already 75+ degrees at 6:15am.  My pace wasn't what I would have liked and I took some walk breaks.  So there's that.  But I kind of hate summer running anyway, so I'm just trying to keep plugging away and survive until fall :o).  Also, the scale surprised me this morning, and I'm down 4.5 pounds.  Yeah, I'm going with water weight for the most part.  I know I made better choices this week, but I can almost guarantee you I didn't have that kind of calorie deficit.  Oh well, I'll take it!

My goals for this week:

three runs

lose one pound

30 minutes of core work

Hopefully I can have another successful week.  Our five year wedding anniversary is on Friday and I fully intend to enjoy our nice dinner out.

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

keeping it real

You guys?  I'm struggling in the health and fitness department (hence my absence last week).  Pretty much since I went to Georgia my eating habits have SUCKED.  I do my best to get some workouts in, but last week I only convinced myself to run once.

Part of me is ok with everything, simply because I know having a baby and busy husband puts a lot on my plate, and if I don't want to stress about working out right now, I shouldn't.  But the other part of me knows how much more confident and in charge I feel when I feel strong.  And I want to truly believe my husband when he tells me I'm beautiful.  And I want to run two half marathons this fall AND feel good about them.  I know I won't run my best if I'm feeling heavy and lethargic.  So it's time to get serious.

Instead of losing the last five pounds of baby weight, I've gained an additional five.  I know some of that is water weight because I ate a lot of 'party' food the last few days.  But still, my body is just not going in the direction I want it to.  And the only one I truly have to blame for that is myself.  Yeah, it would be easier if everyone would pick up the eating habits I want to institute, and yes I would be easier if someone would come workout with me, or make sure I had a babysitter for the girls, but no more excuses.

After my friend Jenny bravely posted her stats online, I realized what I needed to do to get my butt in gear.  I had to put myself out there.  Now I'm still not quite as brave as Jenny, I won't post my weight for all to see (why that number scares me so much, no matter what it is, I have no idea).  But I've got some before pictures for you.  I'm hoping that every four weeks I can update my pictures with noticeable progress.  Seeing the pictures helped last time around, so I'm crossing my fingers it will work for me again (and holy heck I almost forgot how in shape I had gotten!).

For the record, I planned to take some 'nice' before photos with the big camera and a tripod and all, but reality is it was now or never so I squeezed in some mirror selfies right before I hopped in the shower.  I think it will just add to the 'beforeness' of the pictures.  HA.

And some measurements, that may or may not be accurate, have you tried to measure you own arm?  And I'm wearing jeans at the moment...

natural waist:  29.25 in

belly button:  33.5 in

hips:  41 in

leg:  25.5 in

arm:  11 in

So there's that.  I can't believe I'm posting that picture.  But it will only make it so much more rewarding when I get to post an after.  Now I just have to get there.

My goals this week:

lose 2 pounds

two strength workouts

three runs

I'm not going to focus on the food as a specific goal this week, simply because there is a whole lot of crap in my house, and I know I'm going to eat some sugar and processed junk.  My parents had a party Saturday night, and I took home some leftovers.  They are SO good.  So I'm going to enjoy them a bit, but hopefully not in excess amounts.

Also, I know it is recommended that women who are nursing lose no more than a pound a week (I think I've heard or read that...), but this first week I'm assuming I've got some water weight to lose that won't truly affect my milk supply.  As long as I stay hydrated and fuel my body with healthy things I should be good.

I've already got one workout in this week, I managed to make it to barbell this morning at the gym.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sore, even though I probably could have lifted a little more weight.  I was scared of going too heavy the first time back at the class in a LONG time.

 

Did you move it today?

hello old friend.

My day?  Started at 4:30am.  I was all excited because Elsie had been asleep since 10pm (not that getting her to sleep was any easy task or anything), so I was thrilled for some consecutive hours of sleep.  Except then she didn't want to go back to sleep.  And then she was up again at 6:15.  And then Ry came bounding out of her room at 6:30am.  Even though sleep buddy was still on because woot!  She wanted to be awake!  Grrr.  Since then the kids have only been asleep for about 30 minutes at the same time.  So, uh, this mama is tired.  And so is my mama.  Cause we're at her house.

But good news on the fitness front this week.  We made it back to the gym!

The only downside is that right now, getting there?  Kinda stressful for me.  Elsie just can't stay awake long enough for me to feed her, get us there, work out and get us home, and get Ry settled in doing something or what not.  And she doesn't fall asleep, or stay asleep, in the carseat.  So if we go to the gym she misses a nap.  Of course I feel guilty about that, but its not like she likes napping anyway?  I don't know.  I'm sure we'll figure it out eventually, but going to the gym isn't quite as rewarding as it had been.  Thankfully Elsie has done great in the childcare.  The first day she was a bit fussy when I came back, but I wasn't surprised.  She was tired.  The other two times she was happy as could be.

I got in three runs totaling 9 miles, and one cross training workout.  Hopefully I can keep my mileage around 9-10 miles a week until mid July, and then I really REALLY hope I can start training for some fall half marathons.  Not 100% sure if I'll make it work, but I want to!

Now, the healthy eating?  Not so hot this week.  Still WAY better than I used to be, and better than I was in Georgia, but I've been caving to chocolate in the evenings.  Usually just a handful of dark chocolate chips, but still.  I had been doing SO good!  I need to have some dessert alternatives on hand so that I'm not so tempted by the chocolate.

Ugh.  Yawn.  And now I'm going to go pass out in my bed.  Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

i'd rather run for an hour

Hello Monday.  I wish you weren't here.  The weekend was wonderful and I wanted it to last forever!  I got to see lots of family and friends, and best of all, my husband had the ENTIRE weekend off for the first time in I can't even remember how long.  The weather was great.  Seriously, it was nearly the perfect weekend.  Per the usual the kiddos could have slept a little more, but what are you gonna do?

Saturday we celebrated my lovely friend Laura's upcoming nuptials with some bachelorette fun.  To kick of the day we had a private class at Title Boxing.  I was so excited that I was able to attend, because it is a workout I'd been interested in trying, but hadn't had the guts or the time to get around to it.  Laura has been boxing for over two years, and after taking the class I am more impressed than I already was.  The class was no freaking joke, I was exhausted!  I literally said I'd rather run for an hour then take that class.  I was living for the laps between what I'll call five minute sets.  The laps I could handle.

Seriously, the class was very humbling.  I know I'm not in the best shape I've been in my life, but I'd still consider myself relatively in shape.  And I STRUGGLED through this class.  Granted I was running on four hours of broken sleep, but it was tough.  I really did enjoy punching the bag though.  A great way to get out some aggression.  Other than the laps, my favorite part was the very end of class, where we hung from the bags in sort of a bear hug for 60 seconds.  I could handle that.  If you've never tried a boxing class, and have the opportunity, take it.  Again, I'm much more confident and comfortable running for an hour straight, but boxing was a great workout and I did have a good time.

With the bachelorette festivities and mother's day, my food choices weren't the best they could have been this weekend, but they also weren't terrible.  Slowly but surely I've found that it is much easier for me to deem a food 'not worth it'.  Mini vanilla cupcakes?  No my favorite.  A month ago I would have eaten one anyway, because it was there.  But now I know it really just isn't worth it.  I'd rather put fruit in my body than a cupcake that I won't love.

I did indulge in some bruschetta (mmmm so good), chips, brownie bites and zucchini brownies over the weekend.  But looking back overall I really didn't do that bad.  I said no to bread and potatoes yesterday at lunch, AND strawberry shortcake (mostly because I couldn't eat the ice cream).  Something that was hard to pass up was the chocolate milk after the Mother's Day 5k yesterday (which I will recap in a separate post, it went well!).  Chocolate milk is one of my favorite post race treats.  It just tastes great, and is an excellent way to refuel.  But I figured after eating cheese Saturday night, straight milk might be pushing my luck with Elsie.  She hasn't really reacted to any of my indulging though, so I'm thinking we'll be out of the clear sooner rather than later.

I'm finally seeing some of the benefits of my healthy eating.  My skin is super clear, and I've actually lost a couple of pounds.  Still four to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight, 9-12 to go to hit my goal weight (I haven't decided my official goal) but I'm happier with where I'm at.  I'm struggling at being ok with my body right now, just because my belly is still so soft, but I can get there.  I CAN DO IT.  Just have to keep telling myself that and remind myself that this body grew two healthy beautiful babies.  It is amazing no matter what it looks like.

Oh, and planking is getting tougher, but going well.  Last night I lasted 2 minutes 8 seconds!  It is getting SO hard.  But it is fun to keep working at it.

 

I hope to get a little 5k recap up in the next couple of days, and next week I want to focus a little more on how we are making healthy eating easier for us.  Have a good one!

move it... tuesday?

I apologize that 'move it monday' wasn't up yesterday.  I know that no one is judging whether or not I post, but I still like to!  I've actually got a couple of design projects I'm working on, so the little free time I have that I'm working on those or trying to keep my house from looking like a complete disaster (ha, it almost always looks like a disaster).

The good news these days?  We finally reached the end of Christopher's hell month, so his schedule is much more pleasant.  The bad news that goes with that?  I don't have my parents around as much, so I actually have to figure out how to squeeze a workout into my day without someone to watch the girls.  And with that, I'm finding more and more excuses to not workout (especially a strength workout!).  No good.

Last week I got in a 4.4 mile run, a 2.5 mile run, a 3.8 mile run and a 1.4 mile walk pushing the girls in the stroller.  Pushing that thing is no joke.  I have the Baby Jogger City Select right now, and it has been great in the mall and such, very smooth and turns really well.  But an inline while walking on crappy sidewalks with 40+ pounds of kid?  I struggle to keep it going in a straight line.  I'm still toying with the idea of getting a double Bob so that I can run with the girls, and I think walks would be easier, but running with it sounds daunting.  I've never run with a stroller at all.

Also this month I've decided to attempt the plank a day challenge.  I saw a couple people doing it on instagram, and it seemed like a good and somewhat easy (ha) thing to tackle for the month.  I like that it doesn't take very long, and I can randomly do a plank in the middle of the day whenever I get a chance.  It is easy in that sense.  But OUCH.  My planks are getting tough!  I started at about a minute the first day, and as of yesterday (day 9), I planked for 1 minute 45 seconds.  I increased my time pretty quickly in the first few days, but it is a struggle to up it now.  I'm definitely hoping to be planking for over two minutes by the end of the month.  And I'm glad some of you are at this challenge with me!  Fun to see the progress on instagram.

Cleaning up my eating habits and being sugar free has still been going pretty well.  I did enjoy chips and cake on my birthday, and since there was leftover cake I had a piece the next two nights, but I've been sugar free again since Thursday morning.  I'm still not perfect on the non processed foods, but only in the sense that I'll eat the crusts off Ryann's bread, or I'll use a salad dressing or soy sauce or something in cooking.  But I'm not eating the junk that I used to.  Finally I'm starting to see some of the benefits.  My skin is clear, I don't really get headaches (unless it is related to sleep deprivation) and I don't crave chocolate or sugar quite as much.  I could still use more vegetables in my day, but I'm getting better at that too.  I've discovered that I love carrots with peanut butter, or guacamole.  I'm also working at eating at least one salad a day, a great way to get a bunch of veggies all at once.

I feel like I have more to say, but there are about 1000 other things begging my attention.  Hopefully I can squeeze in a stregnth workout and two runs during this week, and I have my first 5k post baby on Sunday!  I'm very excited and hope I can post a time that I personally feel proud of.

 

Link up your health and fitness posts below! 

it's my birthday...

... and I'll run if I want to.

No seriously.  Today is my birthday, and I told my mom I didn't really want anything, other than to be able to run AND take a shower and get ready.  Well, then I requested guacamole, margaritas and a dairy free chocolate cake, but seriously, nothing too crazy right?

I just got Elsie back to sleep, so now I'm trying to pump, type a blog post and go for a run all before she wakes back up.  We will see if that happens.  Good news is she did me a solid and slept from 9:15pm - 5:15am.  Not a bad birthday present at all.

This week was lacking in the number of workouts, I only managed three.  A two mile run on Monday, and tabata/strength workouts on Tuesday and Sunday.  I wish I would have gotten at least one more run, but I will say those tabata workouts left me feeling sore!  I loosely followed this one and this one I found on pinterest.  I followed them up with a few more strength moves.  It felt good to be sore for a change an I liked how quickly I could do the workouts.

I'm proud to say I have gone two full weeks without any sweets or chocolate.  I am quite impressed with myself.  I can't say I haven't been tempted, or that I don't want them, but I've done it.  I haven't be 100% about not eating processed foods, but I've done pretty good with that as well.  But you better believe I am cheating today.  What more would a birthday be for right?  Oh I did manage to meet my other goal this week by trying a new vegetable.  For dinner Friday night one of our side dishes was mashed calliflower and turnips.  It tasted pretty good, but the texture was a little too creamy.

 

Well, that is all I'm leaving time for today.  Fill me in on how your health and fitness adventures have been going!  Link up below :o).

it isn't all or nothing

Want to hear something crazy?  I have gone an entire week without chocolate.  And not just chocolate.  But an entire week without any sort of sweets.  Nothing.  Also I've been limiting all processed foods and anything with added sugar to minimal amounts.  I honestly can't believe I've made it a whole week.

I think what helped me finally just suck it up and try to go sugar free, is the fact that I finally accepted a healthy lifestyle doesn't have to be an all or nothing kind of thing.  Just because I'm not hitting the gym everyday doesn't mean I'm not working out.  Just because I haven't cleaned up every inch of my food intake, doesn't mean making good choices as often as I can won't make a difference.  No, I'm not giving in to chocolate cravings, but I'm trying not to be too hard on my mom's food :o).  The girls and I have been staying with my parents, and while my mom has been trying to be more than accommodating to my new eating habits, there are some things she just isn't up for changing, or isn't interested in doing right now, and, um, I'm going to eat the food she makes me.

For the most part, I've been trying to stick to foods that fit into the Paleo and Whole 30 rules, but I'm not opposed to things that still fall into the 'real food' category such as whole wheat pasta, breads and tortillas, things of that nature.  That is another place where I really had to make peace with my decision.  I was feeling like if I didn't go all out and eat strictly whole foods what was the point of changing my diet.  But eating that way 70% of the time is surely better than eating that way 20% of the time, or something like that.

When I have a spare five minutes here or there, I've been scouring pinterest and the internet for new recipes and ideas to help with this new food regimen.  Slowly but surely I'm collecting a list of things I'd like to try.  Last night for dinner my mom humored me and made a quinoa salad, and it turned out really good.  Even she liked it!  I think it is a great thing to whip up that can be used as a side dish one night, and as a lunch option throughout the rest of the week.  I prefer it warmed up, but it was intended to be a cold salad.  You can find the recipe here.

I won't lie, I still crave chocolate after lunch and dinner.  I'm guessing that is because I haven't been absolutely strict about making sure there is zero added sugar in everything I eat, and because I'm definitely compensating by eating a lot of fruit.  I'm also over eating nuts such as almonds and cashews.  I'm just not a vegetable lover, so snacking on vegetables and incorporating more of them into my meals is the tough, but I'm working on it.  My goal this week is to try one new vegetable.  Any suggestions?

As for workouts this week, I managed four.  A 2.3 mile run, a 3.6 mile run, a 3.25 mile walk and one 30 Day Shred workout.  I finally got back on dailymile (find me here) to start logging my workouts again.  It is incredibly motivating for me to see the numbers add up, and I like seeing what others are doing and cheering them on as well.  My goal in the exercise department this week is to do two strength sessions.  I really want to tone up a bit before a wedding I'm in Memorial Day weekend, so I better get cracking!

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

oh hindsight.

Even though my body isn't what it was, I had been feeling pretty good about myself and where I am at.  Despite the fact that I know I'm eating like crap when I say I want to do better.  However on our way to Georgia I started cleaning photos off my phone, and came across all the ones from right before and right after I found out I was pregnant.

At the time I had been down on myself.  I had gained a few pounds and wasn't doing as much weight training.

Oh hindsight.  You're such a bitch.

I think I was about eight weeks pregnant in that photo.  Yep pregnant.  And still looking much better than I do now.  Yes, I'm aware it has only been eight weeks since I birthed a child.  Yes, my body does look pretty dang good given that regard.  But man.  What I would do to get my body back...

It is a good thing I ran into that photo.  I've been struggling with jumping on this whole cleaning up my diet thing.  I keep saying I'm going to do it, and then someone offers me a treat or I pick up a bag of candy at the store and all will power goes out the window.  But when we get home from Georgia?  It's on like Donkey Kong.

Again I don't plan on any extreme calorie cutting.  I know that likely wouldn't be good for my milk supply.  It's unfortunate because counting calories and keeping them low was how I had success the first time around with weight loss.  Still, putting only good fuel in my body will get me somewhere.  So this time around I think I'm going to try and avoid weighing myself, and rather take measurements.  Because really no one else will see my scale, but they will see me.  So that is what counts.  And feeling good about myself and being healthy and... whatever.

I managed a 4.5 mile run walk this week.  My longest distance in months.  I'm definitely feeling it, but every time I go a little further I feel like I might be able to get my running mojo back.  Because my goal about year from now?  To run a marathon.  Eek!

 

If you had a health and fitness post last week when I wasn't around, feel free to link it up this week.  And whatever posts you might have regarding the subject.  Thanks for sticking around even when I'm a little flakey!

making a plan

Good news, at my six week check-up my doctor said everything was all good.  I have full clearance to resume all activities.  Woot woot!  Which means I have no excuses not to squeeze in a workout.  Well, other than limited time and lack of sleep... but you know.

So now I'm just trying to come up with a plan.  A plan for how I'm going to squeeze in a workout, and a plan for how to adjust my diet.  Because that certainly hasn't happened yet.  As far as exercise is concerned, I really hope I can get in four good workouts a week.  I know that might be wishful thinking right now, but at the same time it seems like it shouldn't be that hard.  I just have to decide what my priorities are.  In my alone time I have to choose between chores, blogging, exercise and if he is around, spending time with my husband.  Plus any other random thing I might want to do, like crafting... or online shopping...  I think I could pull off a short workout while Elsie is awake.  Surely watching me do the 30 Day Shred would be highly entertaining for her, right?

Now the diet thing, that is a whole different ball game.  I want to eat healthier, I really do.  But right now I'm lacking the will power.  Thankfully Christopher is on board with trying to clean up our food choices, it is just a matter of implementing it, and deciding how strict we want to be.  I've browsed a bit about Whole 30 (eating whole foods for 30 days), looked a little at Paleo, and started exploring the 100 Days of Real Food website.  Initially I wanted to go all out and do the Whole 30 challenge, but ultimately I don't think that is going to work for me or my family.  There are too many times I'd want to cheat, and after a few cheat times I'm sure I'd just give up.  Focusing on eating real food, or less processed food seems like it will be much more promising.  I never see us giving up dairy, legumes or grains completely.  But we can be better about which ones we choose to eat.

I can't bring myself to immediately toss all of the current stuff in my home.  That just seems too wasteful.  But Chris and I have both agreed to stop bringing overly processed food into the home, and once what we have here is gone, it's gone.  Right now it sounds easy enough, but I know I am going to be SOOOO tempted to buy junk (I can already hear mini cadbury eggs and cookie butter whispering to me from the stores).  Thankfully after Easter there aren't any holidays that come with candy for a bit.  For some reason the holiday stuff really gets me, "But it is only going to be around for a little bit!!"

A huge reason I want to cut out the processed food from our diet is because lately Ryann has been eating way too much junk.  She won't eat meat or vegetables, but loves fruit snacks and chips.  She is a good fruit eater, but when she knows that crackers or something is in the house as a snack option, that is what she wants.  I want her choice to be between blueberries or carrots, not fruit snacks and cheddar bunnies.  Those things don't bother me in moderation, but the amount she consumes isn't great.  And I can't blame her, I can only blame myself (and Christopher, but hey).   Again I also know cleaning up my diet will probably be better for Elsie.  Good enough reasons to work on it.

This is looking like I'm going to start rambling and making no sense (I probably already have) so I'm just going to wrap it.  I've had a six week grace period, now it is time to start cracking down.  Time to get healthy and get fit and get back to loving my body and being confident in my skin.  I want to lose 12 pounds.  I want to run another half marathon.  I want my arms to look great in tank tops this summer.  I want to be a good role model for my daughters.  Let's do it.

 

Link up your health and fitness related posts below!

a slice of heaven

Honestly, it still baffles me that I can find refuge in a short run around the neighborhood.  Me, the girl who just a short while ago much rather scrub the kitchen floor than exercise, now is calmed by my feet pounding the pavement.

It is quickly becoming apparent that squeezing in time for a workout is going to much harder than I thought.  As the current sole provider of nutrition for Elsie, I have a max two hour window of time to myself to be away.  Usually a wee bit less.  And the list of things I want to get done in that window is long.  Throw taking care of the toddler and sleep into the mix and there are a million in two reasons why going for a run can take a backseat.

One day last week I debated between going for a run and trying to clean something while Elsie was sleeping, and Chris kicked me out the door.  He told me I'd be a happier person if I just went for a run.  Of course he was right.  The sun was shining, the air was a bit crisp, it was my ideal weather for a run.  Cold enough that you don't get hot, but not so cold that you need gloves and extra crap that get in the way.  When I first started off, my hips and pelvis felt a bit sore from my first postpartum run, but things didn't take too long to loosen up.  And then I truly relaxed.  For 30 minutes there wasn't a pile of laundry staring me in the face.  No dirty dishes.  No strewn about toys.  I wasn't the milk machine waiting for the next feeding.

I was me.  It was a strange feeling.  Really, it was only 30 minutes, and of course I knew I was coming home to all of those things (plus a family I love, but hey).  But for that little span of time I felt free, and I felt like myself, whoever that is.  With the sun streaming threw the tree branches, it truly did feel like a little slice of heaven.

Workouts are going to be hard to come by for a while.  Until we can start going back to the gym, or figure out a better way to slide them into the schedule, it is just going to be tough.  And all of those other things are always going to be nagging me to get them done too.  But that run solidified that I need my workouts.  For a healthier body and mind.  My six week check-up is this Friday, and I've been waiting to do anything besides walk or jog until then, but hopefully my doc will clear me to resume all normal activities (I don't have any reason to believe she wouldn't).  Then I can try to figure out how to toss in some 30 Day Shred workouts when I can, along with some of the short random workouts I'm finding on pinterest.

In regards to my goals for this week?  Yeah.  None of them happened.  I have definitely cut way back on the chocolate intake, but the sugar intake and general snacking are at an all time high.  And that run might have been the only workout from last week.  I think there might have been one other walk run, but that is it.

For this coming week I'm not going to make any concrete goals.  I have a lot on my to-do list that I just want to get done, and we decided to have Ryann's birthday party this coming Saturday, and I have done literally nothing for it but invite people.  And buy a bunch of tissue paper and balloons.  So I'm just going to work on surviving, and putting together a little shindig that will make my kiddo happy.

 

Thank you so much to everyone who has been linking up!  10 posts were linked last week, that is a record for me.  I love reading about your adventures in health and fitness, keep it up!

one month postpartum

Somehow my baby is already a month old (I've taken her one month pictures, just have to somehow find the time to write the post!), which means my body is one month post baby.

Still no change in my weight in the last three weeks, but my belly has definitely gotten smaller.  For the most part I can fit into all of my pre-pregnancy clothes, they just don't look quite the same.  My body is soft, and I'm not so happily rockin' a muffin top.  Yes, yes, I know.  It has been one month.  I've got plenty of time to get back into shape.  I'm not stressing too much.  Day by day it just gets a little harder to accept it and not try and change it right away.

sleep deprivation plus no make-up isn't my best look...

I've done so much better about my chocolate intake this past week.  I've still had a lot of sweets, but I'm taking baby steps.  However I'm thinking doing some sort of sugar free challenge or whole eating challenge might be good for me to curb the sugar addiction.  If you've done something like that I'd love to hear how it went, and what sort of plan you followed!  The hardest part might be convincing my husband to participate with me.  I don't think I could do it alone...

The good news?  I sort of started working out this past week.  It was only three days.  And two days were just a 30 minute walk, but I actually put on my running shoes and moved my body.  And yesterday?  Yesterday I RAN.  Not super fast, but I ran.  I covered just under 3.25 miles in about 36 minutes.  I was surprised how easily my body and legs fell back into a rhythm.  I had to convince myself to walk a bit, and remind myself it is not yet the time to push it.

Today I'm feeling a little bit sore in my pelvis and hips.  No doubt I think I over did it a bit.  I just didn't notice at all while I was running.  My lungs were burning before my legs showed any hint of being uncomfortable.  But getting out there was a HUGE boost to my spirit right now.

My goals for this week are to get in another three workouts, even if they are just walks, and to continue to work on my sugar intake.  Well, and also get some more vegetables in my life.  I'm not sure I ate an actual vegetable all day yesterday.  Probably not good.

 

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