Baby Mama Got Back

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Midway thru week 1 of 2011 six week goal

It’s Friday 1/7/11 and so far I’m doing ok.  Started my “New Year’s Resolution” plan Monday and I have only gotten one cardio session in. I have managed to do strength training every day and hope to have a successful day today. I am battling to stay focused and not expect too much too soon. It is easy in your excitement to be overly critical in the beginning when you just start, especially the first week, to  expect to see decreases on the scale or notice a change in your physique. Experience has proven to me that I probably will not see a change until the end of week two. This is true for me. I am in no way saying that is what you will experience. Still, I find myself getting discouraged when I can’t get a good workout in one day due to my responsibilities raising a toddler and 5 1/2 month old. I am trying to stay positive and remind myself that I still have 5 1/12 weeks left and even though I may not be able to exercise every day with the intensity I prefer, as long as I get in a few hard workouts a week for six weeks, I am sure to see a huge difference. Besides, the beauty of setting goals in six week intervals, is that you have roughly 9 times the opportunity to improve. One thing that has been disappointing, is finding out my scale has been lying to me. It is three pounds off. This has been confirmed by more than one other scale  so I know it is true. It has been revealing a number three pounds lighter than every other scale I have used. A few posts back I expressed joy over moving into the 120’s which put me pretty much at home.  In reality, I am still three pounds away. Again, I am more interested in being toned than I am in my weight.  It is just that the 120’s is the weight range that I associate with being in the best shape of my life so it is hard not to focus on that number. I will try to just post updates at the end of every week to give enough time to see change, as opposed to updating in the middle of the week. I just wanted to share some common mistakes that I as well make when starting a program. Keep pressing forward and don’t expect too much too soon. Changes start on the inside before you see them on the outside. Good luck to you on your journey.

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New Year’s Resolution

It’s Monday January 3,2011. Upon observation, I am seeing some new faces jogging today. I can’t help but wonder how long I will continue to see them. After a quick Google search, I surmised that about 80% of “New Year’s Resolutions” fail. Now, I’m not trying to deter anyone from making them. I myself will be setting some personal goals. It is just a known fact. Gyms across America know it. They are slashing in half or completely eliminating joining fees, McDonald’s are offering Big Macs at BOGO prices to lessen the loss in revenue for the next 1-2 months. A few years back, when I was patronizing the gym 4-5 times a week, I hated this time of year. I knew there would soon be a line for every piece of equipment for a while. But out of all of the new faces, a few would remain and add to the “regular” gym goers. So, to look on the bright side, the other 20% keep their resolutions.  We all are a part of that 80% at one time. Whether your goals are health related or not, it is something that is important to you, and you will be victorious.

As for the personal goals I am looking to set, I haven’t finalized my plan. I think I will start by setting a six week goal of losing five pounds. This should be challenging because five pounds will put me only two away from my starting point before my husband and I started adding to our family. It would be easy if I had a lot of weight to lose. Honestly though, I am more interested in the toning and definition this will bring instead of the number on the scale. At the end of this six week period, I will measure my success on how well my jeans are fitting, and the decreased amount of jiggle. If I fail to reach the five pound weight loss, I will carry it over to the next six weeks or whatever goal I set next and be very content with my better, changing physique. I made a New Year’s Resolution a long time ago concerning fitness and began a new life style so I don’t need to “start” that again. Through the years I have had ups, downs, road blocks, and set backs. I’ve experienced multiple, epic, life changes in the last six years but I just regroup, sometimes restructure, and keep going. Still maintaining that lifestyle, at times just putting it on hold.

I guess to sum up my thoughts, I will officially begin my six weeks goal of losing five pounds and a lot of jiggle today. That means on February 14, 2011, Valentine’s Day, I should be one hot momma for my sweetheart. I would also like to strive to be a better wife and mother, more selfless this new year. Happy New Year everyone.

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Two more Pounds

That’s right, the scale is showing two more pounds lost. Not so much lost, as kicked to the curb on their ugly little butts, is more fitting. Take that plateau! I don’t know if this has anything to do with it, but, my wonderful husband did bring home a used spin bike for me the other day. Actually, just two days ago. I used it for the first time yesterday. I got a good thirty minute work out in on it. I sweat more in that half hour then I can remember doing in a long time. Also. I had a vegetarian dinner last night, really out of necessity. I had spacers put in at the orthodontist, pre-braces maneuver, and that left my teeth pretty sore. Too sore to chomp down on meat. I ate a gigantic sweet potato instead.

Coincidence?, I don’t know. I think it was just the change my body needed. Three more pounds and I’ll be in a new tenth digit. Woot woot.

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Over the Hump

I have been working out routinely now for about six weeks or so. I started out by jogging at night after dinner and getting the kids in bed, so that put me jogging around ten o’clock at night. Started jogging around the block that I knew to be about a mile in diameter, so I would do two laps. This went well until I got spooked by one too many slow cars a couple times turning around for another pass and one time someone actually called out the window to me. This led me to stick to the road directly in front of our house. In order to get a good cardio work out in, I would have to sprint to one stop sign and walk back, doing this for about twenty minutes. One time I startled a family of racoons that were out for a stroll. They didn’t know that I was more afraid of them, so much so, I started looking for a good tree to climb contemplating many possible scenarios. Finally, I got a double jogging stroller which allows me to jog in the mornings with my girls and under the comforting protection of day light.

Along with cardio, I started strength training again about three weeks ago. I have been doing really good trying to hit each muscle group twice a week. I have already noticed significant changes: bum is lifting, shoulders are more toned, I’ve lost inches but I don’t know how many because I never measured myself in the beginning. Frustratingly, I have not seen my number go down on the scale. I know this is due to the fact that I am strength training and therefore gaining muscle mass which actually weighs more than fat, but it doesn’t console me much. Like everyone else, I look to the scale. It is hard not to. Mine still tells me I have ten pounds to lose. I need to keep in mind that my baby is only three months old, so I am still recovering from that too.  I probably need to do a little more cardio though. Maybe just one more run a week. Right now I can count on running twice a week. All in all I am feeling great. I have so much more energy and I am very encouraged by the signs of a steller body still existing. Even though my two year old made it difficult in the beginning, she has now gotten used to mommy working out and understands to give me a little space so neither one of us gets hurt. I soldiered through and made it over the initial hump of “starting”, and it feels wonderful.

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Draw me a beer & drink a bath

Well, I just made my first attempt since having the baby to seriously try to do a cardio routine. It left me pretty scrambled. Not the routine. Never finished. The attempt did. Let’s see, after dusting off the old step aerobics music disc I would use when teaching my class, I got started, moving at 128-130 beats per minute (bpm). Not to fast for aerobics, way too fast to move with a toddler darting back and forth behind you. Finally, after stepping on her 4-5 times, prying an arm out of the slats of a dining chair, fetching another milk, I gave up. UGH. I seriously need some me time. Currently listening to Bridgette Jone’s Diary soundtrack. That used to go with my beer & a bath but I can’t have that right now. Actually, I tried to find myself in a long hot bath the other day but it only lasted about two minutes before my daughter found me. So I was back to being “mommy”, we had a bath together. I’m sure I’ll miss these days one day, right now I would just like to feel like a woman again.

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MP3 Picks

I didn’t realize what I was getting into when I started this list. I had to make myself stop because there are so many bands and songs that I love to listen to when working out. Here they are:
All American Rejects (dirty little secret,move along,it ends tonight)
Beckah Shae (here in this moment,faith hope & love)
Black Eyed Peas (anything)
Carman (who’s in the house)
Dashboard Confessional (hands down)
Default (wasting my time)
Duffy (mercy)
Finger Eleven (paralyzer)
Fireflight (unbreakable,go ahead,forever)
FloRida (jump,available,right round,gotta get it)
FooFighters (entire “no way back” album)
Lady Antebellum (anything)
Little Big Town (good as gone album)
Monday Morning ( wonder of it all)
Mandisa (shackels)
Mary Mary (god in me, get up)
Natasha Bedingfield (pocket full of sunshine)
Nelly (hot in herre)
Nelly Furtado (promiscuous, maneater,powerless,say it right,give it to me)
Our Lady Peace (all for you, do you like it,story about a girl)
Papa Roach (last resort)
P.O.D.
Tenth Avenue North (hold my heart,by your side, times,beloved,you are,hallelujah)
third eye blind (how’s it going to be)
Thousand Foot Krutch (move)
Three Days Grace (anything)
Toby Mac (anything)
10 Years (wasteland)
30 Seconds to Mars (the kill, from yesterday)
As you can see, this list is pretty diverse and it will definitely motivate. Send me some more suggestions. I have a spare bedroom that my husband and I going to use as a work out room and I look forward to going in there and cranking the music up and getting my swell on. Yeah I know, that last comment was kinda corny but that’s gym talk. If you hang out in the gym very long that is how you will start talking. Next will be farting and mirror posing.

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Ooh Baby!

More like Ouch!  it’s a baby. Well, on July 20th 2010 at around 1:15pm I delivered a beautiful baby girl. She has blonde hair, I think blue eyes, and she weighed a whopping 6lbs 15oz. My largest baby yet by 1oz. I had an epidural as I did with my other three children, but this time it had absolutely no time to work fully before she was making the trip out of my uterus and into the new world.  Basically, she may have been my  fourth and last child but it was the first time I felt that “pressure” they warn you about. It was intense. Thankfully she came quick because I didn’t think I could push any more. Unfortunately, I pushed so hard that I injured my neck. Yes that’s right, my neck. Weird I know. You would think I would have injured a number of other body parts. This really sucked because the last couple of months of the pregnancy was so limiting for me physically. I was feeling guilty for appearing so fragile to my two year old. Resenting how my husband would phrase things to her like “you can’t play with mommy”. I really hated that. I worried it was going to create some kind of distance between us or something. That was just me being paranoid. Not to mention emotional due to crazy pregnancy hormones. My husband was just trying to take care of me and the baby.

So for the first two weeks of recovery, I was on prescription pain meds just to be able to function. I still have some limitation of movement in my neck but at least I know it is not permanent. I was frightened for a while that it would be months before I felt normal again and then I wondered if I was going to need intervention from a chiropractor. To make things worse, I thought I may not be able to start working out again like I have been looking forward to for so long. Anyways, almost three weeks post birth, I am feeling much like my old self again. I plan on resuming some sort of work out routine very soon. I will keep you posted on what I decide will work best for me right now while I have feedings every 3 hours and a rambunctious toddler running around (remember my previous problem with the monkey, a few posts down).

I really felt handicapped for the past few months now. It has really made me so thankful for my health. I’m already only 10lbs from a weight range that really looks best for me but I think about the people who struggle with so much more weight and definitely a real handicap because weight is within our own will power to change. With this thought, I would really love to encourage anyone out there that may be living with extra weight to just MOVE.  Lol, that reminds me of a song I used to have on my mp3 player I used to love working out to. If you like rock you may be interested in it Move by Thousand Foot Krutch. Back to my thoughts, starting is the hardest part, believe me I know. Even if you work out 10min tomorrow and not again for a month, that is still a start. Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Remember it is a life style change, so it is a change in your mind,body,and spirit.

I guess I’m going to wrap this up by asking for some suggestions in work out music since I myself am starting up again. I think I have the most broad taste in music than anyone I know.

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I am…SASHA FIERCE whaaat?

I find out today if we are having a boy or girl. I’m so excited. Also, I can’t express enough how anxious I am for the baby to arrive. Yes I am ready to meet this new person but, even more so, I am ready to not be pregnant any more. I have this itch to  teach (instruct aerobics) again.  There is a lot of work I need to do on myself first. Basically, I have been pregnant for the last three years. Previously, I always taught kind of reluctantly, to fill a need in the aerobics department. This time it is different. After all this time away from it I realize how much I love it. I’m good at it. It is so wonderful to find  that “thing” that you are passionate about.

With this realization, there is a lot of work to do. I want and need to re-cert myself and  get the professional certifications required to be able to present myself to people as competent and knowledgeable. It can be pricey to pursue these certifications on your own (A.C.E.)

I guess you could say I am a health and fitness geek. I soak up everything on the subject. But even if you just enjoy working out and you are a stay at home mom like myself, teaching aerobics in some form is a great way to express your individuality and maintain a hobby that is just for you. It is so easy to feel like you sort of lose yourself when you do not work outside of the home. If you already frequent  a gym especially like a YMCA since they are a non-profit facility and may be in need of volunteers, you may be able to get a basic certification at their expense. This is how I got started. Don’t think you can’t do it because you are shy and reserved either. That was me. I am relatively reserved and definitely prefer to be in the back row. As a matter of fact, when I participate in other instructors classes I always take the back row still  to this day. But, I’m different when it is my class and I’m all by myself out front. I know I have to be heard and that forces me to speak loudly and your own music is energizing too. Maybe I should give myself a stage name like Beyonce did (Sasha Fierce). LOL. Believe me, I am just kidding. But if you have any ideas…

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See you in seven

This is the last post I may write for a while. I have decided to throw the budget out-the-window and join a gym. Besides, my husband has a membership so I think I will just have to budget one for me too. My health is important enough to find a way and I ‘m just no good on my own. It is an investment I am making for my mind as well as my body; I need something for myself.

Now, the reason I say I might not write for awhile, is because I don’t think I need to worry about toning and experiments and all while I’m pregos. All I want is an elliptical machine and some quiet time. I just don’t know if I will have anything to comment on, BUT, you never know what may strike me as interesting enough to tell about. A trip to the locker room can sometimes throw you a little scandalous story that is good for years and that is a “ladies” locker room. I know first hand from the years I spent working at a gym to know the Men’s locker rooms are unparallel in controversy.

Anyhoo, the preliminary due date is July 22. Seven months from now if all goes well.And then, consistency here I come. I’m taking control and kicking “transition” out. I want to feel good about myself again and settle in to the rest of my life.

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Help, there is a monkey on my back!

So I’m doing the whole work-out at home thing right now; we are trying to cut out any unnecessary expenses, and my two year old thinks this is some sort of new game I’m trying to play with her. I get about two modified push-ups in before she jumps on my back forcing  me into a fixed “down” position. I am modifying my movement for a reason, weakness. 23lbs added to my back at the point I’m at right now is not aiding my workout. Do I even need to mention, when I do squats & lunges, is an invitation to run in and out, or sometimes STOP right between my legs? Of course, she is laughing hysterically as was I the first couple of times. Not any more.

I know I know, you say, why don’t you work out during nap time? Well, I don’t because remember, I am hopelessly addicted to routine and the routine I grew accustomed to was the gym 3-5 days a week and having no little ones to contend with. Also, I like to have eaten a certain amount of time before I workout or be ready to take in some protein right after a workout. I realize this is a bit stubborn and nit-picky and I suppose I will have to compromise, but does a girl have to sacrifice everything for our little monkeys.

Well, I really need to figure this out because we are adding another monkey to our tree. He/she should arrive sometime in September, I think. So really I am doing a little experiment, since I never reclaimed my previous physique (oh I got back down to pre-baby weight, but I’m talking about strength & tone) I am now trying to see if I can get toned during pregnancy, safely.

Today  is lower body. We’ll see how many lunges I get in dedicated to exercising before it becomes monkey business.

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