Eat, Sleep, Move

Once you get pregnant there are so many questions and concerns and what ifs that just cross your mind all the time. Now that this is my second baby I know the gist of how things go but this go around I have been much more interested in exactly how much exercise I can do, at what intensity level and a few other things. I am by no means looking to spend hours in the gym or even attempt to get there daily. All I want is to keep active as long as this kiddo and this body let me. It really helps my day! Before I got pregnant this time I was working out regularly. I love to lift heavy weights and do a bit of cardio here and there. Heck, I burned the same amount of calories from weights as a cardio session so I loved it. I have an active bug in me and I love to push myself. I have found that the midwifes I see tend to give me very blanket answers when it comes to how much I can do activity wise while pregnant. They say to keep my heart rate at 140 or lower and make sure I can carry on a conversation. They said to do a lot of walking as well. For my first pregnancy I did a lot of walking and was scared to do anything more than light cardio and a stroll. I think with the 45lb weight gain I had with kid #1 my body could have greatly benefited along the way from more lower body workouts to support my legs with all that weight to carry. I had many back problems and although walking and swimming helped a bit I just don't think my muscles were strong enough to handle the constant change and weight gain of pregnancy.With that said, for this pregnancy walking and light cardio just didn't seem like it fit me because I had been doing so much before and now I was suppose to drop to just walking for exercise?! Hmm, nope. So this led me to look online a lot and do my own research as to what our bodies can really do while pregnant. In my opinion I feel like my midwifes are fantastic in many ways in the baby/mother department. But when it comes to advising someone who likes to workout and has done it basically all her life, they seem to be ancient on what to advise. I know they mean well but each person is different and as big as my pregnancies get, I needed some more answers. So here is what I have been doing:

EXERCISE:

I am making it a goal to get at least 3-5 workouts in a week. If I do any cardio or even weights I wear my polar watch. I do like to see my heart rate and know I don't need to be in a full on dripping sweat kind of workout or get my heart rate to high. No need to overheat or exhaust myself. Not good for baby or I. I use more of how I am feeling as a guide. Am I dizzy? Am I feeling tired or exhausted? Am I panting? Most of the time my heart rate seems to stay between 140-160 and I think that is okay because I can still talk and I feel good. I don't keep my heart rate high for long periods and the heart rate monitor helps me along the way. I am not lifting as heavy of weights but I haven't dropped to 5lb dumbbells for bicep curls either. I am finding my balance as time goes on as to what works and what doesn't.

SLEEP:

In my first pregnancy I was so fearful to sleep on my belly as soon as I got pregnant. I thought it would harm the baby so I gave it up quick..and have I mentioned I am a belly sleeper! Then, once I heard laying on your back to long can interfere with blood flow to the placenta I was gave up laying on my back as well. Well, being the second pregnancy I dug deeper and I am still sleeping on my belly and laying on my back so far. The midwife said I would know when I could no longer sleep on my belly because it would affect me long before it affected the baby. As for my back, I know to not lay there forever but know unless I feel dizzy or am further along, it's totally okay now. Not that I am sleeping great but getting to lay on my belly here and there during the night as needed is wonderful!!

EATING:

The eating for two thing is old news and I am pretty sure a lot of us say that when we scarf down a huge meal but really it's not necessary to consume that many calories. Yes, I have received the guide as to how many extra calories I need per trimester but again I am going by how I feel. I don't want to be stressed out by calories or numbers a day and frankly I don't have the time right now. I tend to eat every few hours anyways so this has been especially important while pregnant and if I don't keep fuel in my body, my body tells me ASAP! I am making healthy eating choices but I am not concerned with having some sweets or treats or whatever looks good that day. Currently, I consume at least one soft pretzel a day with cheese and it makes my day so much better so I am not giving it up. I don't think pregnancy is a time to down pints of ice cream each night and blame it on "baby wanted it". But I also don't think you need to eat so healthy you are depriving yourself of the yummy things in life that have no nutritional value but just taste so darn good. Why live life on one extreme or the other?! I want it all! I am going to enjoy this pregnancy as much as I can.

SCALES:

I think we focus to much on the scale a lot of time to measure our progress. While this is one indicator there are many others like how our clothes fit, how we feel energy wise, and even measuring inches. This picture from my pregnancy now and my pregnancy in 2011 show just how deceiving a scale can be. At 15 weeks now, I weigh 133lbs and the photo from 2011 is 140 lbs. To me, I look bigger now at a lesser weight than in 2011!

** For more pregnancy reads check out my new blog: habitmom.com

Introducing my NEW blog and more...

Like many moms out there, I have many great habits and a list of not so great habits. This new blog habitmom.com is all about my journey as a mom and the habits I create through fitness, nutrition, and family along the way. I hope to encourage and inspire others but mostly set a great example for my own little family.

With that short introduction, I am excited to announce I have a new workout partner!! This person is going to keep me motivated, determined, and exhaust me all along the way but I am up for the challenge! Together we are going to be forming a Healthy, Active, Balanced lifestyle or what I like to call, HABits. This is the whole premiss behind my new blog; HABits. We all have them and we all have the power to change them. Through motivation, determination, and repetition we can create a habit. My idea is to share my journey specifically my goals and what motivates me to keep or strive for maintaining better habits. If you know me, you know I love fitness and like everyone have my ups and downs with achieving those goals. Over the next 6 months I have an amazing motivator that will allow me to share my fitness journey as I watch the scale go up, slowly lose sight of my toes, and become more rounder than usual. I am happy to share….

Little Spoon #2 due November 2014!! Stay tuned to my new blog HERE for my pregnancy workouts, nutrition, and more. I will be keeping this blog but it will become more about family updates here and there and more private.

The Negative Chin Up & Pull Up

Two weeks ago I had this epic dream that I walked up to my pull up bar and started doing pull ups, like tons and tons of them and doing them with ease! In my dream they felt so natural and easy and simple. So upon waking I was pretty excited about attempting one and no doubt in my mind I knew it would feel like the dream I had. HA, not even close! Whew, let's just say I was lucky enough to struggle to get up to the bar for one. But that dream made me realize that I do miss being able to do pull ups with ease and able do many at one time.

Back in 5th grade during PE class we had a pull up contest amongst all the boys and girls to see who could do the most and I won it! I beat the girls and all the boys too. I was so excited and thrilled that I beat EVERYONE and knew I was going to be the talk of the 5th grade due to my showcased strength. I was excited to brag about my new talent and looked forward to being noticed. Well, the follow recess some crazy boy decided to do a "skin the cat" trick off the monkey bars and fell and broke his arm. My pull up champ news was quickly forgotten and the talk around school was all about the wild kid. Short lived fame..boo.

I want to regain some of that strength I had back when I was 10 years old. I have been working on my pull ups and chin ups. More so my chin ups because they are easier since your palms face inwards when you pull yourself up. But, in order to gain more strength and be able to do more than one at a time I have been practicing sets of the negative pull up and negative chin up. My goal is to be able to do ten in a row. Right now I am at one. If you can't do one then practicing negative pull ups can help you build your strength to get there. They really aren't that bad to practice. We frequent parks and playgrounds several times a week so I never have an excuse not to try a couple and get my some practice.

How To Do a Negative Chin Up:

1. Start with your chin at or over the bar. You can climb on something or jump up to the bar to get in this position.

2. Now slowly lower yourself down. Keep your movement slow and steady and take your time to really work your muscles! The slower you go, the harder it is! Try counting to 30 while lowering yourself.

3. Finish in a full hang position. Done! Basically, its like a reverse pull up or chin up. Do a few of these a few times a week to work on your strength!

Polar Watch and Training Zones

I, like many people, am motivated and fufilled in many areas of my life by seeing results. Whether it's trying out a new recipe and tasting how delicious and yummy it turned out, or hearing my daughter count from 1 to 5 all on her own from all those bath nights of practicing with her. With fitness, results seems to take awhile and they aren't always noticeable. I think you start to feel better, stronger, and more energetic before you see physical changes. I am all for the slow and steady race for results and not a two week fix or some 1 week starvation detox for weight loss. However, during my workouts I am always checking in with myself on my intensity level. Am I pushing hard enough? Am I pushing to hard and compromising my form? Well, I have to say I LOVE my heart rate monitor for this very reason. It allows me to see where my intensity level is during my workout so I know the answers to those above questions. I have the Polar FT7 watch with the heart rate monitor that I got here. I use it for weight workouts, cardio, walks to the park, workouts at the park. It kinda serves as a gym partner. We all know that when we workout with someone we are more prone to push ourselves harder vs. working out alone and stopping to soon. This watch will allow you to program your fat burning zone min and max as well as your fitness zone min and max. But, my opinion on these zones is a little less traditional and here is why. I am 30 yrs old and according to the max heart rate formula (220-your age=max heart rate), my max heart rate is 190. Well, I consider myself to be in shape and I continually workout out so is it really that accurate to assume my max heart rate is the same as another 30 yr old woman who never workouts out? I don't think so. I think in comparison both of our resting heart rates would differ as well. The best way for me to find my max would be to perform an all out sprint to really find my limit. For me, my body would tell me when I hit my limit and the watch would serve as a guide as to determining that number once I hit that point. Now, regarding zones, the most popular one…the one you are eyeing…the one most of us think will provide the best benefits and get us back into those skinny jeans... is the fat burning zone. Am I right?!

Training Zones:
50-60%: low intensity
60-70%: fat burning zone
70-80%: aerobic zone
80-90%: anaerobic zone
90-100%: max zone

I think 'fat burning zone' is pretty catchy and inticing. I mean no one would gravitate towards it if it was called fat gaining zone. Nope, fat burning sounds like we are going to torture it right out of our body and bid it goodbye! I think this zone and its benefits above other zone's is a misconception. Do your research and decide for yourself. Yes, you do burn more fat calories in the fat burning zone however you burn more overall calories in the aerobic zone. In the aerobic zone you burn more calories per minute due to your elevated heart rate. Since your intensity is higher you are not burning the majority of your calories from fat, however you are burning more calories overall.  Why burn more calories overall when targeting those specific fat ones seems like nipping it in the butt?  Well, fat loss is accomplished by expending more calories than you consume. Your fat can't hide from a calorie deficit! So you WILL lose fat from burning more overall calories and reap more benefits from an aerobic workout than a easy peasy fat burning workout. A benefit to aerobic training zones is the after workout effect in which your body continues to burn calories post workout because you are recovering from an elevated heart rate. This means you can plop your butt on the couch once you completed your workout, not lift a finger, and you are still burning calories and reaping those rewards towards RESULTS!

With this said, I don't like to pay to much attention to my zones on my watch, but I do look at my total calorie count post workout and I do monitor my heart rate to see if I am pushing hard enough. My body will always be my ultimate judge but the watch is a great guide to helping me reach my goals and push myself a little harder each time.

Cruise Time is HERE!

It's official cruise time so that means a week of good eats, no workouts, and lots of relaxing is coming my way. Although, a yoga class on board does sound sort of nice and may help take the edge off of leaving my tot for so long. Bet it's cheaper than a mixed drink too!

I don't feel like I made my fitness goals that I set for myself awhile back but I understand life happened and things came up that continually threw me off. Overall I feel pretty good and wish I had gained more muscle but wishes don't get results, hard work does. Last week our house got sick (again) and I have been pretty nervous to leave my tot which has led me to skip a few meals each day. I am not a stress eater and somehow breakfast has been the least appealing meal to me all day. Oops. So here is my final snap shot of my progress. I would say this was a consistent 5 weeks of home workouts and eating pretty balanced. This is also my new swim suit for the trip! Yay!

The only thing left to do now is cruise and make new goals for Spring!

Five Favorites Keeping Me Focused

Our cruise is 22 days away and I am working my tush off keeping my focus until it's vacay time! These are five finds that have kept me motivated and focused on getting the most out of my workouts this week.

1. Polar FT7 Watch: 

This week my Christmas present arrived..my Polar watch. It's FANTASTIC! Originally, I had wanted a FitBit Force and did get one for Christmas. After about a week I had to return it because it would not stay on my wrist. I thought maybe I was not putting it on correctly but come to find out a lot of reviews stated the same issue. With that said, I was afraid I would lose it so it just didn't work out. Besides that, it seemed like a really expensive pedometer. For a more accurate number of calories burned the Polar watch was definitely the right choice. It allows me to track my heart rate, see the duration of my workout, calories burned and how long I was in the fat burning zone vs the fitness zone.  

2. Planks:

My favorite ab exercise lately are planks. There are so many variations of them that they keep my workout interesting and challenging! I can incorporate them into my cardio days, shoulder days, and of course ab days!

3. Aqua Zinger:

 I love fruit infused water and I found this water bottle at Target. You put the fruit in the bottom part and fill the rest up with water. It flavors your water and the stainless steel keeps it cold which I love! Plus, my kiddo loves it as well because it the flavors always change so she thinks she is getting a treat. 

4. Hair Accessories:

I found these hair ties at Old Navy and they were on clearance for $1.50. I have been wanting to try out this style and with a price like that I could not refuse! 

5. Roasted Veggies:

I am trying to eat a ton of veggies daily to fuel my body and energize my day. I have just discovered that any vegetable roasted seems to taste about 90% better than steaming or microwaving. I am currently obsessing about roasted broccoli and roasted brussel sprouts with a tad bit of sea salt sprinkled on top. Guess who else gobbles these up?! Yup, Little Spoon is loving them too. Win win!

Belly Confessions

Two weeks down and seven more to go until cruise time!! With it being so close to Christmas I have definitely had a full plate and was keeping my sweats and treats to a minimum until a wonderful package of goodies arrived at my doorstep today. Homemade goodies from my brother arrived and lots of them. Oh and the goodies are all my Christmas favorites so naturally I am going to be snacking on them for awhile.

Back to the fitness. I have completed two weeks of T25 with the exception of missing one day this week. I like it but it seems very heavy on the cardio so I plan to incorporate my weights in addition to the daily T25 workout. I am getting plenty of cardio chasing my tot around and carrying her around A LOT lately. It seems to be the only way I can get through any store without her losing her mind. That's right, I am the lady pushing the cart and carrying her kid. Seems silly right? Seems like  I can't control my kid right? Well it's been a crazy month so it's a battle I am choosing to admit defeat on for the time being. Plus, its a KILLER arm workout. 25 pounds of moving weight on one arm..whoa!

Beginning T25 Photos:

Week 2 Photos:

And...my confession:

Since I am being honest about my fitness journey here it goes: I have a belly roll. It shows up when I sit down and hides when I am standing. I still have that extra belly fat/skin that just won't budge. It's just a part of my pregnancy from the HUGE belly that I got during pregnancy that has stuck around. I really think its more loose skin than fat so there isn't much I can do but continue to let time take its course. I am not really sure what to do?? But it really sucks to continually try to get rid of it and nothing change. It's my insecurity for sure and my biggest hang up. I hate seeing it just hang there when I do planks or feeling that little roll over my jeans when I bend down to pick something up. On the plus side if it's still hanging around when we decide to get pregnant again then maybe my belly will appreciate having the extra room to grow into rather quickly. Either way if it doesn't budge any by our cruise I just won't bend down but instead bend back to grab things and I just won't sit down. Done. Problem solved. Ha!

Not Giving Up

Remember way back when I was so dedicated to working out and eating right to meet my goals?! Yea, that was so long ago, me neither. Well guess what?! My long term goal is 9 weeks away and I am no where near my goal. Somehow I thought life would not interfere and that I could push through anything and maintain my healthy habits of daily workouts and perfected eating habits.
Well I was wrong. My kid went from 2 naps a day to 1 which threw off my entire day. Then we had a few family emergencies requiring us to leave town ASAP for a few weeks. Lastly, there was the constant on the go, out of town, lack of sleep situation which required DEMANDED more caffeine in my body to keep me going. With all that said, I have had to restart several times and even though I am starting over (as of this past Monday) I am not giving up. I will continue to restart, regroup, and refocus as many times as needed because I will not give up.

I should have posted along the way about my struggles and why I suddenly just disappeared from the "fit" scene but I was so disappointed about it all that I just said nothing. I felt I let myself down and disappointed anyone who was looking to me for advice or guidance. Well it turns out that trying to maintain a perfect mom image isn't commendable either! Actually, it's not an image I want any part of. When I think of "perfect women" who are moms, wives, business owners and have that perfectly kept house, delicious documented homemade dinners, always well dressed, never a hair out of place, beautiful children, and everyone is always smiling... it drives me nuts. No one can be that perfect, can they?!  I guess social media gives us that false perception and allows us to be seen in only the best light at all times. False perception at it's finest. Well, I don't have it all together and I have flaws. I don't want to strive to be that perfect mom, but more so a relatable mom. I have a toddler whose currently makes grocery shopping a tremendously stressful event to the point of me wanting to go through a drive through instead of entering a store just to keep sane. Is this just part of the 18 month old stage?!  I have life events that require my attention weather I want to address them or not. I am not above having that second afternoon cup of coffee so that I can stay awake after my kid goes to bed so I can wind down. We all face hurdles, some expected and some not. My family takes a priority above my fitness goals, as I am sure that is the case for many mothers. But when all the fog clears and things settle down I do my best to get back to MY time and MY goals. So here I am.

Here is to trying my hardest to get to my NEW goal: being in the best shape I can be by cruise time and documenting my HONEST journey in getting there (or not) over the next 9 weeks.

Fasted Cardio

Have you heard of fasted cardio? It's where you do a cardio session with nothing in your belly and you supposedly burn more calories and fat. I think I tried this a few times in college before swim practice or an early morning weight session because of lack of time and I never felt worse and weak. I do not workout well without food or liquid in my body. Well I tried it again, this week but not on purpose...

Yup, I did fasted cardio for about 8 hours on Tuesday and about half the day Wednesday with a bonus round Wednesday afternoon. Tuesday, I had my morning cup of coffee and then got wind of some really upsetting news that lead me into a day of not eating and running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off. Literally, all day I just did my best to entertain the tot and take care of some issues. The kid got lots of TV, kindle time, and snacks on the couch. I think I had some chocolate covered pretzels for dinner but honestly I am not to sure what was consumed if anything earlier in the day. I am not a stress eater. In fact I am the opposite. With an overwhelming amount of stress I can go about 2 days with only a snack and some water in my system. It's not a good habit, I know that, but the thought of food will literally make me want to puke because my belly is so upset and twisted.

Skip to Wednesday, I was on the phone with the bank and I hear a loud BAM followed by a painful toddler cry. Instantly it hit me that I forgot to close the bathroom door, crap! She had splashed in the toilet and then slipped on the water. That was my best guess, as the toilet seat was up, water around the toilet, she was holding one half soaked shoe screaming and the other shoe was fully soaked next to the toilet. I am sure the lady on the phone from the bank was wondering what the heck was going on as I abruptly hung up to run to my tot. I pick her up and she is crying so hard which made me feel awful that I wasn't keeping a close eye on her, so I start crying. Hooray, we have our first mother daughter cry session. I will also mention my kid stayed in PJ's until about 4pm when I forced myself to get out of the house for a walk. This is where I got her dressed with her shoes on wrong the feet. I didn't notice this until a few hours later (can I get the good mom award now?). No wonder she was not enjoying the walk. This screaming tot walk made me pick up the pace on the walk which turned into a run that made this another fasted cardio session. I did redeem myself with making her an actual dinner and turning off the TV to play with her before bath time.

Today I am trying my best to get back on track and force myself to eat and workout. I think my mind needs the workout more than my body. I need a mental break and need to focus on something else. So the goal today is to eat 3 meals, get out for a walk, and get my weight session on when the tot goes to sleep. Oh, and I must mention thank goodness for my husband, mother, and best friend. A girl has to vent and they have made so much time to talk to me these last few days which means a lot to me! Talking is therapy! Much love to them and their support.

18 Weeks Out From Goal #2

I am on to goal #2 that I originally set for myself...yay! I am going to start labeling my progress posts/pics from #1 onward because I had such a long break from my first goal to now due to sickness and travel. So it only makes sense to start at 1 again and work my way up to 18. My next goal is 18 weeks out and it feels like I am starting all over for the THIRD time this year. But I suppose it's better to keep going than to give up entirely. In 18 weeks we will be on our cruise..yay! It will also be my first time leaving my daughter longer than a few hours. I really need to leave her overnight, for one night at least, but that makes me a little nervous even thinking of being away that long. It may be a bit to drastic to go from hours away to a week away! I gotta work on that overnight situation. We just haven't had time to plan a getaway and then ask family to watch her.  I know by the second kid I will be begging anyone to watch the kids and run away (or so I hear that's the magic that happens with a second). It's just hard to imagine a morning not waking up to her. When I go to bed each night I look forward to seeing her first thing in the morning and have that snuggle time while she munches on cheerios and I drink my coffee all while watching Sesame Street. It's our thing and I love mornings with her.

So nothing great to report since we are back to week 1. It was a lot harder to start back than I thought it would be. I ate all my goodies up on Sunday to start fresh on Monday with no temptations. That included consuming a bag of candy corn m&m's in 3 days. Oh did I mention it wasn't the snack size that you get at a gas station, it was the big bag! The 9.9 oz bag. It made me super happy though and it was worth all that chocolaty candy corn goodness. Nothing new there on my consumption rate. As far back as I can remember if there is chocolate in the house I will consume it within record times. I don't play portion size, make it last, or only eat a few at a time. Nope, I go all out and you know what...I don't regret it. It's a habit that comes out only every few months and I get my fix and move on with life.

So here we go. Week 1- my starting point. Dragged my self off the couch and completed a workout. I really think starting over is just as hard as just starting. I know mentally if I can get through a week then I will be back into the swing of things.

Fitness.. Where Ya Been?!

Our family got bit by a bad bug a few weeks ago and we are finally starting to feel close to 100%. It started with little spoon and then I caught it and then the hubs joined the party too. We were sick a full THREE weeks! It's the longest I have ever been sick. Needless to say we all know what happens when you are sick...not a lot. Besides eating random things, watching to much tv (that reminds me of the Berinsteen Bear book, Too Much TV but sadly I don't remember the moral of that story...it didn't stick with me), and laying around we were not to productive. It really makes me sad that I haven't had a workout in 3 weeks but I guess that is just how life goes sometimes. Now that I am feeling better it's time to get back to making gains!! I have 18 weeks until our cruise. I know with holidays and going out of town there will be some set backs so my goal is to remain as consistent as I can when I can. I am debating on getting a gym membership or not. It would mean I would need to get up super early to get to the gym and back before the hubs went to work. Plus I don't workout well on an empty stomach so factor in another 20 min earlier just to eat. Whew, this is getting to be really early!! I think my leg workouts could really benefit from a gym setting with the extra weight I just can't get at home but I could get by with my upper body workouts at home still. So realistically it's planning to get to the gym 2-3 times a week which would not be that bad right?! It's doable and I think if I want to reach my goals I gotta do what I gotta do to make it happen. I got the motivation back and now I am looking to partner up with determination.

I need my workouts back in my life because for me they give me balance and daily energy. I am more productive with housework, food prep, blogging, and errands when I have a workout routine each day. Since we have been sick I haven't made many decent meals, if I have cooked at all, and the tv is like a magnet drawing me in during baby girls naps. The way I am looking at this 3 week lapse is that sometimes you gotta fall off the wagon, lay in the dirt a bit, get dirty and then realize that wagon had way better amenities than the dirt does and bring you back to focus. So with that said, today I'm staying dirty with my big ole glass of Pepsi and cheesy quesadilla in hand and tomorrow I am going to be back on track to reaching my goals!

Week 5 Progress

 I now have FIVE weeks under my belt and I was really starting to feel like I hadn't made any progress.  That was until I pulled out my week 1 photos and compared them to my week 5 photos. Sooo many fitfam gals that I admire on IG said to take weekly photos because they will give you more motivation when you see improvements in the pictures that you just can't spot when looking on the day to day basis. They were right!! I have made small gains but they are GAINS and that's what matters. My midsection is leaning out and I am beyond THRILLED about this!! This totally motivates me to work harder and see where another 5 weeks gets me.

             

WEEK 1

WEEK 5

             
           

WEEK 5

8 Minute HIIT Workout

Today we have a super busy day which means it is that much harder to get my workout in for the day. I know the longer I put it off the less likely I will actually do it. My window of opportunity is usually my little girl's nap time in the morning. Sometimes she doesn't take a second nap so if I don't work out in the morning I risk my window of opportunity for the day. You can find TONS of HIIT workouts on YouTube and these two are my favorite lately. The best part is you can do them at home! They are quick and leave me feeling that I got something done. Anyone has 8 minutes to spare. Shoot you can even save more time by sleeping in your workout clothes the night before, then get up 20 min earlier than normal in the morning and get this done! Also, they coach you along the way so you can focus on your exercise and form instead of watching a clock to figure out when you start and stop. I set my laptop on the floor, hit play and it's that easy!

8 Minute HIIT Workout

I really like this workout as well:

15 Minute HIIT Workout

 Today I combined both to give me a 25 min workout which meant I could actually workout, shower, blog and enjoy my post workout shake while catching up on some good reality tv!

I just realized that I left out my HIIT day on my last post listing my workout schedule. I will share my workouts later this week. I do all my workouts from home, no gym. So here is my workout schedule:

Day 1: Glutes/Back

Day 2: Chest/Shoulders

Day 3: HIIT

Day 4: Legs

Day 5: Arm Circuit

Day 6 or 7: Walk with family or rest day

Week 3 & 4 Fitness Progress

Well I am now technically into my 5th week but just getting around to posting about my last two weeks. I changed up my entire workout schedule starting last week and I am loving it. I always know it's time to mix things up when I find myself dragging out a workout or putting it off until late in the day.  I decided to incorporate more circuit type training for the next few weeks in order to get my heart rate up and keep it up throughout my workout. Each workout last week had me breathless and wanting to give up but once I completed it I felt AMAZING and kept reminding myself that a good challenge brings results!

I will be honest, the hardest thing I am currently struggling with is my core, post preggo belly. Being pregnant does a serious number on a belly and mine was no exception. My belly took 9 months to stretch that big (you know to fit that almost 11lb baby!) so I know it will take longer than a few months to really get it where I want it. It won't be an instant transformation but it's still my biggest hang up. I know this will take time and the best thing I can do is to keep pushing myself and keeping giving my body the nutrition it needs.

This brings me to my next point about how I have decided to fuel my body. So I started this journey with the idea to "eat clean" meaning I would eat all healthy clean foods all week with only one "cheat meal" a week. A cheat meal being fast food, ice cream or any junk really. This was a great idea at first but then I realized this just didn't feel balanced. I don't like the idea behind fad diets and this was starting to feel that way because I was attaching guilt with food and thinking about what I ate WAY to much. The cheat meal actually made me feel worse because I had not eaten those types of foods but once a week so my body was rejecting it. Almost like if you gave up meat for a few months in the fall and then Thanksgiving rolled around and you ate a plate of turkey. You would feel bloated, sick, and just awful. I also felt that if I ate any "bad foods" during the week that were not my ONE allowed cheat meal that I would need to work that much harder to work it off because I cheated on my cheat. Ugh, how did I get here!? Why was I beating myself up over FOOD!?! I have made worse decisions in my life that deserved more guilt than the ill feelings I was attaching to food!

So last week I decided I needed a new plan. My workouts were becoming predictable for my body and my idea of "food" was all messed up for my liking. I mean for the first time in my life I bought organic low calorie ice cream! This was a pivotal turning point because I have always associated ice cream with POSITIVE feelings like summer time, family outings, laughter, smiles, and pure deliciousness. Buying organic low calorie ice cream somehow took all these wonderful feelings away. I was stripping away the meaning behind all those memories and making it something that had to be enjoyed in a low calorie portion control size way. Yuck..this is NOT me! This made me realize that I don't want to be one of those girls who reaches their physique goals and says "I got this body by eating sweet potatoes, chicken and veggies for 6 months with the occasional diet ice cream treat."  Yes I am sure it works but that is just unrealistic to maintain long term without creating a new warped view on food and your body. Plus, I don't see that as inspiring and one of my goals is to be an inspiring person! I need a routine that allows me to enjoy my workouts, enjoy the benefits of healthy eating but also enjoy all those GREAT, no nutritional, high sugar, high fat, pop the button off your pants food. So I sat down, did more research and thus my new plan was born...

NEW PLAN:
Put simply- Meet my daily macro's and micro's (ex: my fiber, sodium and potassium) to the best of my ability that day. Meet them through primarily healthy balanced foods but if I have a few days of "bad" foods in the mix I know I can still get my nutritional needs from those foods as well. "Bad" foods contain macros/micros too! Does your body know the difference between plain boiled chicken vs. chicken from a plate of chicken enchiladas?! Nope, your body will still utalize the protein, carbs, fats, fiber, etc from whatever foods you eat! Granted if you only ate mexican food for lunch each day for your source of protein (for example) you would still get all the high fats, simple carbs, and high sodium amounts that come along with it. That would not be the best daily choice but it's not a total waste when you do eat it here and there! So the overall goal is to still choose healthy foods but to enjoy all the other ones along the way as well. The fitness world calls this Flexible Dieting. I dig the concept but not the name. Again, we have dieting in the title which just rubs me the wrong way. I don't want to diet my way to my goals. I want to find my balance!

I am really loving MyFitnessPal app because it allows me to see the breakdown of everything I am eating. I notice a direct correlation between my water intake and bloating. My weekends are so busy that I never drink as much water as I need and I tend to feel bloated and more tired the next day because my body didn't get that water! Also, I have noticed on days when I crave salty foods all day it is usually because I haven't had nearly enough sodium the previous day or that current day. I tailored my calories to my goals through "If It Fits Your Macros" and then applied that in MyFitnessPal. It's great! It gives you your daily macros for whatever your goals are (weight loss, weight gain, or maintaining weight). It's been super helpful for me and understand what my body needs.

NEW WORKOUTS:
Day 1: Glutes & Back
Day 2: Chest & Shoulders
Day 3: Legs
Day 4: Arm Circut
Day 5: Yoga or Long Walk with the Family
 *Abs workouts when I feel like incorporating them

WEEK 3: Starting to see arm progress..yay!

WEEK 4: 

Smiling because my workout is OVER (it was a tough circuit!) and it's pool time with my favorite little gal!

Reasons Why I Lift Heavy

I have had a few friends ask me why I lift heavy weights and won't that make me bulky? They say they just want to "tone" and look leaner so why not just do cardio and diet? Well after some research and talking to many fit moms (you know those moms that look like they have never had a kid and we secretly hate them for looking that way) I have the following answers...

BULKING UP:
First off in order to look bulky, manly, or even like a bodybuilder it would take some serious time, like years to achieve that look. In addition you would need a squeaky clean specific diet, supplements, anabolic steroids and specific training. You would not just happen to look that way from a few months of lifting heavy. If that were the case we would probably see more accidental "fit" people right?!

I use to lift 5lb -10lb weights and wondered why nothing every changed with my physique. Well skip to present day and thinking about it, I probably lifted 5lbs at various times during the day around the house or office and that didn't expend much effort at all, much less for any fat loss or muscle gain. Then, I had my daughter and started to see more defined arms after a few months. Well, lifting her and carrying her around ALL day was challenging to my arms. Enough to build some muscle. She continued to gain weight..from almost 11lbs at birth to now 24lbs at 15 months. As she gained more weight it was more of an arm workout thus showing me lifting heavier gave me more benefits and turned me on to this idea of heavy lifting.

CARDIO:
The problem with long cardio sessions and dieting is that you aren't fueling your body with necessary "fuel" for your workout. At some point your body begins to consume the muscle you have for fuel because it has nothing left to draw on. This will give you a lean look but it does affect your metabolism in a negative way and your body is more prone to store fat as a result! Thinking back to my college swimming days I was doing long cardio sessions in the water all week but I ate whatever I wanted thinking I would somehow achieve that toned look because I was working out all the time and eating enough. Well now I see that there is a direct correlation to the exercise you do and what you put in your body. I soo wish I had been smarter about nutrition because I truly believe I could have been a better athlete and looked better too.

Have you heard about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio? It's a way to burn more fat in a shorter amount of time. Isn't that just a dream?! HIIT cardio has shown to be a very productive, fat blasting, effective form of cardio that can be done in as little as 30 min. You can google HIIT and see what workout ideas are out there. HIIT cardio allows you to burn fat and preserve your muscle which is a fabulous thing because most folks just dieting and doing solely cardio struggle to maintain muscle and burn fat. They disappear together which is not ideal. Another reason to strive for more muscle is that your body actually burns more calories with muscle that fat. In fact 3 times as many calories!

"According to a 2011 study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, just 2 weeks of high-intensity intervals improves your aerobic capacity as much as 6 to 8 weeks of endurance training."-Shape Magazine

DIET: 
I have never been a fan of taking a diet pill, going on a diet, or starving myself to achieve a particular look. In my opinion many diets do more damage to your metabolism and overall idea of eating. I know most marketing is aimed towards quick results but I think establishing a healthy routine of eating is better for you mentally and physically. Don't we deal with enough pressure from the media to look a certain way and pressure to achieve a look as quick as possible all because we are an instant gratification society?! Now that I have a daughter I know she will be dealing with body image and other pressures we deal with as young girls and women at some point. I hope she doesn't fall into the pressure to diet and exercise to exhaustion. All I can do is lead by example and cross those bridges with her as they come. 

Diets produce quick results but then tend to lead people to binge after or go back to their old ways, sometimes worse ways all because they lost that quick progress. For me I really like the idea of creating healthy habits but also enjoying all those yummy foods out there because finding a balance doesn't come with guilt, regret, or any negative emotions from breaking your "diet". Healthier foods make me feel more energetic and I can see the direct benefits from fueling my body with the nutrients I need. I am not such a health freak that I don't enjoy a fast food hamburger, ice cream, mexican food, etc from time to time. I find my best balance is choosing to make 80% of my food intake healthy then the other 20% junk or whatever. Vacations happen, family get togethers happen, lunch with girlfriends happen and I really enjoy good food with good people. That is what makes me happy and works for me. Isn't life all about balance and finding your ideal happiness with what works for YOU?! 

Do your own research and see what appeals to you and what you think you would benefit from. 

3 week progress quick pic

Shoulders responding to HEAVY weights ya'll!

Week Two Progress: The Get Away Sticks Are Growing!

I am halfway through my second week of workouts. These are the progress pics from the week. I am VERY thrilled to see a little quad line action because I have been focusing on legs twice a week and making each exercise burn! So if this is a small reward for my work, I will take it as more motivation to kick it up even more next week! Grow get away sticks...GROW!

Excuse the wacky floor. We are saving for tile so until then just admire our lovely paint and doors (measured, cut, and hung by my AWESOME handy hubby!)

Post plyo workout

Flexin the little muscle I got

Progress is progress! You earn what you work for.

Eat More, Workout Less- My 10 Week Workout Plan

Since my short term goal is ten weeks away I plan to break it into 3 week phases. I will mix up my workouts every three weeks to keep my body guessing which plays into muscle confusion. The plan is to do minimal cardio and the cardio will either be walking the neighborhood with the kiddo or swimming.  I am doing minimal because I don't feel that I have a substantial amount of fat to lose, if much at all right now. If I did, I would add in a few sessions of HIIT cardio. My primary training will be weights, heavy weightlifting focusing on one to two body parts per day, and taking rest days as needed. It will be a rolling workout so that rest days can be inserted as needed and I can pick up my next weight routine the following day.

The majority of my workouts will be done at home during the little spoon's nap time. I plan to do some meal preps for the entire week on Sundays so that will be a huge time saver. My workouts usually last 45 min at most which gets me a workout and quick shower before the little one is up. My biggest challenge will be to eat more and to eat more frequently. Muscles need fuel to grow so I HAVE to eat more!! I may have to set some alarms on my phone to remind me to eat. That's the plan and so far I am two days in and doing pretty well. The first week is always the hardest hump to get over.

Workout Schedule:
Day 1. Legs
Day 2. Back and Biceps
Day 3. Chest and Triceps
Day 4. Plyometrics (or legs with lighter weights/higher reps)
Day 5. Shoulders
*1-2 Rest Days Inserted as Needed During the Week
*Abs 2-3 times a week

Nutrition:
1. Eating 6 meals a day (some form of protein @ each meal a must!)
2. Most meals will contain a protein, fat, and complex carb (playing around with my macros to see what
    my body responds to the best)
3. Cutting out processed foods
4. Cutting out all unhealthy sweets
5. Drinking at least half my weight in water, if not more
6. Treat meal once a week but life happens so it may be more than once

Fitness Goals: Short and Long Term

It's time I get focused and get back on the workout wagon. I was doing very well back in March and had accomplished a full 6 weeks of eating clean and getting at least five workouts a week. Then, we spent two weeks moving into a new house and then another week getting the house as ready for little spoon's first birthday. I spent the following month weaning my baby from breastfeeding which was a crazy roller coaster of hormones. It left me with no motivation to workout at all, much less walk around the block. It's been a busy and eventful two months but now that I feel a little more balanced I am ready to tackle my fitness goals again. We have eased back into clean eating over the last two weeks and I am happy about the healthy habits we are establishing.

It took me 10 months to build up to a good productive workout since my C-Section (reasons why in another post). This was my 11 month postpartum pic (a few weeks into my clean eating/heavy lifting phase) and me at 8.5 months super pregnant (174lbs). I gained 42lbs while pregnant and then gave birth to an almost 11 pounder!

                    

         Long Term Goal: 

  See ya later string bean...hello fitness model physique. Changing my physique so that people stop saying "she needs to eat something" and start saying "she definitely works out". Accomplishing gaining more muscle definition by our cruise in February.

Goal Time:

8 Months

Short Term Goal:

Toned arms, ab definition, and strength by Labor Day 2013

Goal Time:

10 Weeks

Backstory:

I have always enjoyed various ways of working out but have NEVER been a fan of treadmills, stationary bikes, an elliptical machine, or any cardio machine really. I rather jog outside, do some zumba, swim or walk the neighborhood. I just HATE cardio and really hate doing it on a machine. Up until my daughter was born I thought lots of cardio, light weights, and tons of crunches were the way to achieve the toned fit look. I did P90X before my wedding and got in good shape but I still didn't get the results I wanted. Looking back I thought Tony's option for  heavier weights and less reps were only for the bulky guys on the video who were looking to hulk up. I chose the leaner route and got in shape but didn't gain the muscle I thought I would. I just felt like a string bean.This was partly due to my lack of knowledge about the science of muscle mass and nutrition. The P90X nutrition plan was nice to have an outline but it got very expensive and very time consuming.

Well after months of research I am back with a new plan that I feel very confident about. I am ready for a total game changer and really feel this will work based on the results I saw over my six weeks of testing it out back in March and April. Fitness plan details, and my day 1 photos on the next post!

CRUISE SHAPE 2010: P90X RESULTS

WEDDING SHAPE 2011: CARDIO/PARTIAL P90X

ONE WEEK POSTPARTUM 2012: 10lb 10oz BABY!!