30 Days to Better

Reflection: Modifying exercise for pregnancy

I was thinking recently about much more active I am with this pregnancy, particularly this early on.   there are definitely days when I succeed at keeping the couch warm and Noah exists on crackers and water. 

But!  Several times a week I am getting out for a walk, a real walk.  Today was over 3 miles and clocked in somewhere between 45 and 50 minutes.   I was exhausted all afternoon but I know the exercise is good for me and the baby and that number on the scale which is definitely NOT inching up nearly as fast as it did last time and for that I'm super grateful. 

Eating Better, food diary, exercise, today's thoughts

Last night I made a rockin' dinner.  Fish, rubbed with olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic and grilled over a charcoal flame.  Steamed broccoli (in a Zip Lock Steam Bag) and baked potatoes.  I made two and the three of us split them.  It was super yummy and super healthy.  Also, it was like eighty-five-thousand degrees yesterday and all that cooking heat was made outside and my kitchen stayed cool. 

Today?

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/ flax, blueberries, strawberries and brown sugar, Coffee

Snack: Cheese Stick, (maybe 2)

Lunch:  Big salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, feta cheese, grilled chicken with low fat Ranch dressing

Dinner:  Bowl of Life cereal and popcorn (not so great, meh.)

I did some good exercise today too, I walked for 45 minutes with the dog and the stroller. Overall I'm feeling good and healthy.

I am really looking forward to getting some fresh local produce.  This time of year I love eating tons of fresh food grown in the dirt.  Farmers Markets? Here we come!

Frustration; Shredheads

I don't think I look too good right now. 

This is, of course, all very, very relative. 

October of last year was the highlight of my self esteem high from months of sweating it out with Jillian and her blasted 30-Day Shred. 

I bitched and whined about it a lot, but the truth is, Noah stopped sleeping through the night sometime during that month and when the sleep deprivation reared its ugly head I caved under the pressure and gave up the one thing that could have kept me mentally on top of my MOM-game.  I stopped exercising.  It wasn't a conscious decision but rather I just got a bit derailed.  One week I only worked out twice and then only once and then I got sick and before I knew it I hadn't seen a pair of spandex anything in ten days and then it became two weeks and two weeks became a month and then we were sick again and a month became m-o-n-t-h-s.

I know this isn't news.

I know I'm not an anomaly. 

Many people take on exercise routines and things and life get in the way and they  get, you know, derailed. 

My stomach is flabby and it hangs over my waistband.   My arms are not as toned and don't feel as strong.  I have lost the hint of obliques that I was once so proud to see, albeit, shocked.   It is my fault.  Sometimes I blame Marc for "letting me get off track" and what I mean is that I wish he had noticed that I wasn't exercising and had come to me and said such and then pushed me toward the treadmill and reminded me to make no excuses.   But, he is my husband, not my trainer and not responsible for my choices. 

I want to blame.

I want to cry and yell that it isn't fair. 

I have to just ... get back on track.  

I am not starting from zero.  And I know how much I can do.   I know that I can walk on the treadmill on an incline for thirty minutes and then run for thirty more.  I know that I am capable of Level 3 on the 30-Day Shred, but I'll stick with Level 2 thankyouverymuchhere'smylung.  

I need to schedule better.  I need to stop making excuses and just do it. 

I'm asking you to hold me to it this time so I'm joining the Shredheads.

I will post my weight, shred-plan and goals soon ....

May days

I'm taking a break for the month of May from the 30 Days to something Better and reverting to the original intention of this website which was to chronicle my efforts on weight loss. 

I don't want to make yet another blog about weight loss and the ultimate fabulousity of the 30 Day Shred, but I make no promises to avoid mentioning it.  I am resolving to eat more protein and veggies and less animal crackers dipped in whipped cream.  I bought fat free chocolate yogurt today and some 100-calorie snack packs which are great, unless of course you eat four of them.  Which I did not do tonight.  Just last night.

I exercised tonight and it felt great. I have lost a small amount of strength and gained a few inches in my butt, thighs and waist.  I want to fit back into my smallest skinny jeans and see the obliques I had for such a brief time last fall.

The weather has gotten much warmer here and I had to dig deep into my drawers for some shorts and much to my chagrin, they didn't all fit so well.

I am giving myself  one month to feel better, look better, lose about five pounds and regain my confidence and my physical strength.

30 Days to Better Self Esteem

Is your self-esteem tied unnaturally to the number on the scale?  Mine is, sometimes.  I know many great people who battle this issue daily as well. Do you hate your legs or your flabby arms or that roll of chub that lazily hangs over the waistline of your jeans serving no other purpose but to remind you of how many missed workouts?  You aren't alone.  Perhaps for you it isn't physical, perhaps you just don't value yourself in your current job, relationship or lifestyle.  Do you allow the media's devaluing of stay at home mothers to wear on your own views of yourself?  

I am vowing to spend the month of March exploring ways to make myself and YOU feel better about who we are and what we are doing in this life. 

It is often said that if we don't love ourselves, who will.  A statement made with a bit of triteness perhaps but it is true.  Working to maintain and rebuild self-esteem is directly linked to how much respect we show ourselves, our minds, our bodies.  It ranges from eating healthy foods to feeding our bodies with knowledge, relaxation, and sleep to treating others respectfully and demanding the same for ourselves. 

I hearby declare the month of March to be Self-Esteem Month. 

I feel good about myself because I KNOW I am a good mother and I take care of my body.  I will feel better about myself if I carve out some time for exercise (regularly!) and build more emotional intimacy with my husband. 

Now you: What do you love most about yourself and what do you want to improve?               

Does typing count as exercising?

Balance.

Exercise.

WHAT?!

I just can't get it all under control.  I'm feeling unbalanced and I'm certainly under-exercised.   We were hit once again by disgusting virus that rendered us all ill and whiney and generally pathetic.  I'm feeling extremely frustrated with myself right now for NOT being able to keep up with my exercise or even keep any balance in my life. 

It feels like Noah is taking more and more time and energy but perhaps that is just because he isn't sleeping through the night at all, ever, and hasn't since before LAST OCTOBER.   I'm really fucking tired, ya'll.  There are mornings, hell, days, when I truly fear that my eyeballs are going to fall over the ledge  into the sallow yellow-tinged wells of fatigue that threaten to swallow them whole.  It's always me who is awake with him and I never seem to get daytime naps and I never catch up on the sleep. 

On the positive side of things, I have managed to maintain my weight loss.  I am within two pounds of my lowest weight achieved, however, without maintaining the muscle tone, I have ... softened.  I have curves where I should be tight and rolls where I should have a nice gentle curve.  My skinny jeans still fit but not without a muffin top situation.  Honestly, I miss feeling strong.  That's all I want. 

I have to get it together and create some space and time for exercise. 

Walking. Fast. With added poundage.

I'm insanely addicted to The Biggest Loser and occasionally they have challenges where the contestants have to do something while carrying a pack loaded with the amount of weight they have lost and they all are shocked, SHOCKED to realize how much extra poundage they carried around on a daily basis.

Today, I went for another hour long walk with the dog on a leash and the baby in the stroller.  I added a ten pound dumbbell to the stroller, just for fun.  Heh.

I have heard of this trick before and a trainer at the gym where I hardly ever go mentioned this to me as way to kick up the intensity of a typical walk.   I didn't find it to be massively harder, except on hills, where I really felt that I was working harder.  I could feel more cardiovascular involvement and my legs got a bit more of a workout too. 

When I lifted the ten pound weight it felt really heavy.  It's kind of strange to think that I've lost ten pounds since last July, but more unsettling is that after giving birth to Noah in December 2007, I lost 50 pounds, and I was carrying THAT around on my body too. 

I think this is a good thing to do now and then for perspective. Pick up some weights, carry them around, walk up the stairs, sit down, stand up, and realize that you used to have to carry that around on your body. 

Perspective is good. So is a good, fast,  hour long walk.

The only thing that could have made it better would have been the baby napping when we got home!

What did you do today?

I did thirty minutes of exercise tonight, a combination of cardio, core and lower body workouts from the 10 Minute Fitness Solution-Fitness Ball Workout, DVD. 

I'm also running a contest to win a copy of that DVD, contest ends 2/13/09 at Noon, EST.  Click HERE to enter.

I did this workout with Marc (husband). He is trying to lose about 15 pounds, because, well ... his pants are not fitting too well these days.  He seems to have sprouted the classic 30-year old man-gut, and he needs to increase his exercise and add some veggies and leaner proteins into his diet.   He's doing  really well so far and I am very proud of him. 

Usually when we exercise together I feel super self-conscious and awkward, like I did back in ninth grade gym class when I was lumpy and out of shape and half of the JV baseball team was in my class. Behind me. Watching my ass move from one zip code to another with each squat thrust.  Anyway, I digress, ... tonight was somehow different.  He has been exercising more than me lately and he really likes this DVD.  Our basement was like a mini-gym tonight as we did crunches and squats with the ball totally in sync with each other. 

So that is what I did.  Some strength and toning work and a little cardio.  How about you? Did you take advantage of the good weather we're having this week? 

On tap for tomorrow: ONE hour walk with dog and baby!  And I'm going to put a 10 lb weight in the stroller too! 

Fitness Ball Workouts & GIVEAWAY

I've been doing some workouts a few times this week on the fitness ball.  I really like that it gives me a good stretch, some muscle toning and some quality time with my husband, because he does these too!!

Yes, this is not a workout JUST for the ladies.  We incorporate this, usually, into a workout that also involves some treadmill-type cardio or with another workout DVD that gets the heart beating a little faster.   I am always trying to cram some exercise into my busy mom-day. And again, you know, TEN MINUTES.  There are actually five workouts that are each 10 minutes long on this DVD.  You can focus on core, upper or lower body strength, cardio or flexibility.  I really like the core workout because it leaves my abs feeling tight and strong and I know that core strenght is vital to a healthy body and sucess with other levels of fitness. 

I reviewed The 10 Minute Fitness Solution- Fitness Ball Workouts on my review site. For a more detailed explanation of what this workout DVD includes, CLICK HERE TO READ.

Here's the part you really wanted:  THE GIVEAWAY

I'm offering you the chance to win a copy of this great workout that includes five different 10-minute segments to get you toned, stretched and strengthened.  I will be giving away one DVD of the 10 Minute Fitness Solution - Fitness Ball Workouts to one randomly chosen commenter.  You must leave a comment before Friday February 13th at NOON, Eastern Time.  Chances of winning depend on the number of entries.  You can double your chances of winning by Twittering a link to this giveaway, be sure to tell me that in the comments with your Twitter ID.

To enter to win this DVD, leave a comment telling me what your current fitness goals are.

The MOM'S DAY Workout

There are many days when I rattle around the house with Noah for hours on end, stopping only to check my email or shovel a handful of crackers down my throat.   I noticed one day recently that if I took it more seriously I could give myself a little mini-workout, or at least a few stretches and strength moves.  For example:

1. Reaching under the coffee table to retrieve a lost shape for the shape sorter toy:  do a squat before you reach for the toy. 

2. While wiping up the floor under the highchair, lean first into a downward dog Yoga position to help reach ALL of the crumbs.  As you push back up to a standing position, do that thing where you curl up your spine, and really feel the stretch.

3. While you sit on the floor playing with MegaBloks, do some crunches.

4. Bring your balance ball upstairs so that you can do a 10 Minute Fitness Solution workout while the baby eats lunch in his high chair.  Decide later it feels better to eat spoonfuls of icing out of the container along with your salad for lunch and abandon all hope of using the ball for exercise.  Later, The next day, when you chatting with your husband, use the ball for push-ups. 

5. Lay on the floor ticking the baby, decide to break it up by playing, Baby In The Air!, lift the baby up and down against your chest working those triceps and biceps.  Also, lay flat on the floor on your back, knees curled into your chest.  Rest the 25 lbs CHILD on your shins and do some butt lifts, working the lower abs.    For added breathlessness, do this while singing some dumb lullaby about Humpty or Jack or the Itsy Bitsy Spider.