Baby Mama Got Back

This past Monday marked the end of my New Year Resolution Six Week Goal. The final weigh in had me at two pounds lost. I consider this very good because I was very lacking in cardio. All the credit must go to my intense leg work-outs. I also noticed some tightening, therefore I am pleased but I know I could have done much better. I plan on continuing my workouts and trying to incorporate more cardio. We rearranged our gym equipment to be more conducive to working out. The new location is already motivating my husband and I. I am hoping this new arrangement plus my idea of buying a spinning dvd, will help me to do better going further.  Constant interruption from my two babies continues to be an obstacle.  What I have done so far, is made this a priority and a part of my weekly routine. Eventually my babies will be more independent and this will no longer be an issue.

Lets keep pressing forward together, never giving up on our fitness goals .

Ok, to recap the past couple of weeks, I’ll start with week two. Crappy. Both of my girls were sick so I literally got no sleep during the night and was exhausted all day. It was so bad my husband had to stay home from work Friday. I may have gotten one cardio session in. Week three started and I was trying desperately not to feel defeated by week two and feeling PMS setting in. If you are not a woman and you are reading this blog, PMS means fatigue, headaches, cramps, among other symptoms.Even though I have been tired, I have done pretty good. No cardio for week three . It is now nearing the end of week four and I have managed to get in a couple good leg days in and therefore have started noticing a good deal of tightening going on and it may be too early to report, but I’m pretty sure a one pound drop on the scale. I’m going to try to run tonight when my husband gets home. My spin bike is great but I really need to get out of the house. Darnit, I need batteries for my mp3 player. Oh well. Probably too dangerous to run with it anyway. I only have two weeks and two days left of my six week goal. I don’t believe I will reach my five pound destination but I will certainly be tighter and stronger.

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.

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.

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.

Jogged two miles again with the kiddos in their stroller. Not adjusting well to the time change. We are leaving the house at the usual time in the morning, not taking into account the position of the sun after the time just changed and is now one hour back. Why is this an issue? Well, the sun is in the face of my infant almost the whole time. She is so small that her head doesn’t sit high enough in the stroller for the canopy to shield her. My only option to cure this will be to leave at least an hour earlier. I know from experience that the sun remains a problem for her for about four hours. Leading into the afternoon. I most likely will not feel like getting out after lunch time. This isn’t a big deal, it is just something that is happening right now. Just finished another leg work out:  squats w/barbell & two 10 lb plates= 65 lbs., hip hinges/dead lifts w/ same weights as squats, lunges two 15lb dumbbells, & leg extensions. All three sets each. I did an upper body workout two days ago, I just didn’t log it. For that, I did: shoulder press 15 lb dumbbells, side lateral raise 10 lb dumbbells, tricep kick backs 10 lb dumbbells, over head tricep dip with a 10 lb dumbbell single arm alternating, overhead tricep dip w/ 15 lb dumbbell dual arms, bicep curl, slow, w/ 10 lb dumbbells, & seated bicep hammer curls 10 lb dumbbells alternating.

Also, I am happy to brag, I am seeing a two pound loss on the scale today. I lost some initial baby weight to get stalled at 136lbs. For weeks I haven’t had any change. I know this is because I am strength training and therefore gaining muscle weight while losing fat weight and they are substituting each other out.  Even though I want to continue building muscle, I should still drop about 8-10 pounds. When I was in the best shape of my life so far, I had a lot more muscle and I weighed in at 125 lbs. I may have been slightly too thin, but not much. Still need to bump up my cardio.

I am pressing on to my life goal of aging gracefully. I have given birth to five children and I feel great and look pretty darn good too. I know, with out a doubt, this is true because of exercising. Not just cardio, but a big part is strength training. I could eat a lot “cleaner”, but I am conscious of how I eat. I tell you this to motivate you. It works. Keep going even when you don’t think you are seeing change. Change is happening. Some weeks you may not see it in your body, but you may be able to go a little longer or harder on your cardio of choice. This is heart health and proof your muscles are strengthening.

Jogged my usual two miles.  Realized I have something more motivational than any playlist…a toddler. As we were starting out, I always walk first to warm up and my daughter kept asking me to go faster. So after warming up, I obliged. Next, I hear, “go mommy, go mommy…”. Lol, it really did work. I wanted so much to make her happy, it kept me running a little further until it burned. Later today, I could thank them again for motivating me. After trying desperately to get them down for their naps simultaneously to no avail, I gave up and decided to do a leg work-out. Wall squats with a ball, single leg squats, and some floor leg lifts. For the leg lifts on the floor, I got down on my elbows and knees. This bringing me face-to-face with my not-napping 3 month old daughter watching from her bouncer seat. So I used this time to try teaching her to count to my reps. Why not?

Moms, don’t give up. Whatever your obstacles, keep trying new things. You will find what works best  for you.

We just got home from a two and a half mile jog. Interval style, sprint for 30 seconds and walk for a minute or two. This is the only way I can finish a two mile jog while pushing a double jogging stroller. I really don’t mind, because in my opinion, interval training is the way to go. You have heard me state that before. I’m hoping to get an upper body work- out in some time today too. Right now I am toast.  As I type, I have a wet, cold wash cloth draped atop my head. Running is just not my thing. Maybe because I just haven’t experienced being able to jog any distance with out feeling like keeling over afterwards. I still look forward to the day, hopefully soon, that I can purchase my spin bike. I know if I had one of these right now, I would have seen some progress in dropping more baby weight and a lot more tightening. I can’t wait.

I made it a fun trip for my girls by stopping at the local 7-11 for some skittles and chocolate milk. Not for me, for my almost three year old. I got water and boy did I need it in this Florida heat. It is still summer here. Before I wrap up, I want to tell you about a web site I discovered yesterday where I was able to download some FREE work- out music on Vital Juice. I think I am going to love it. Most tracks seem to be re-mixed and sound to be 128 bpm (beats per minute) which I like for, not only aerobics, but for working out in general because you can easily count your reps to the beat. Check it out. It looks like there may be some other interesting information on there as well.

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.

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.