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Sticks And Stones May Break My Bones…And Apparently So Do Futons

Three days ago I had the misfortune of kicking the leg of a futon.  There have been countless times in my life in which I have stubbed my toes. Although, never without pain, none of those incidents resulted in a broken bone, until now. Unnecessary details aside, I am experiencing much pain, pressure, swelling, and difficulty of movement. This riding the curtails of a week long of my entire household fighting a cold and severe congestion.  Some days I can’t believe the number of obstacles we can face when we are trying to reach a goal. This is definitely a moment when it feels too easy to throw in the towel and succumb to complacency with no longer making an effort to exercise. I like to blog about my struggles and ways I find to overcome them for the encouragement of my followers. This is but a moment. All things are temporary, my body will heal, this too shall pass, and I will press forward.

This leads me to something else. I have just been hired by my local YMCA as a lifestyle coach for their Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). In the interview they asked me how I would respond to a participant if they judged me  based upon my thin stature   as not being able to relate to their sensibilities about working out, and also their struggles, (most in this program will be over weight). It was an easy question to answer because I have experienced this discrimination many times.  This mentality is the number one reason I created this blog. Yes, I am a smaller framed individual; that is due to some degree genetics, the rest is perseverance.

Perseverance:

1. steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Life circumstances do not discriminate. If you have read through my past entries, you will see all of the difficulties I have encountered, and continue to endure. I can empathize because of them and share mine to encourage others. T.V. makes it look so easy sometimes. We can not compare ourselves to people we see on T.V. They all have personal trainers, personal chefs, nannies, assistants. In the real world, it is hard, it is not easy, but, with perseverance it is very rewarding. So don’t live in the moment. Moments are fleeting, in this moment I feel defeated. If I live here I will stay defeated. Just keep your mind on where you want to be.

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Hurdling

I want to give you a quick update since it has been six months from my last blog post. I’ve started working out at our local YMCA again and have been doing really good the last two weeks. My goal is to try to do cardio as many days as possible. It is easier for me to NOT mark my calendar with how many days, and/or which days I want to work out. With two toddlers, I am only partially in control. So I just aim for as much as possible. I have also been supplementing my workouts at home with either my step and old step aerobic routines, or my new Brazil Butt Lift dvds. My initial review on the Brazil Butt Lift series is that I will probably use it strictly for sculpting. I tried the cardio work out the other day and although it did get my heart rate up, it just wasn’t my cup of tea, and failed to challenge me cardiovascularly. My past obstacles with my toddlers still exist. I have only made it through one complete group fitness class before someone in the nursery calls my name over the intercom, or walks by the class windows holding up a sign simply saying “EMMA”. I must give the nursery attendants credits, they do try to give me as much time as possible and I appreciate that. My husband and I frequented another gym last year and as soon as one slight protest from my child came, they were out the door looking for me.

This thing called motherhood is still presenting me hurdles and I continue to find my way over, around, or through them.

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Tomato, Tomoto

So I’ve been taking an Anatomy class at a local junior college and we are currently studying the Endocrine system. This lesson will primarily focus on hormones and their functions. A fellow student asked our professor a question about hormones added to our food supply, and the affects they have on our body. The conclusion to this question, from our highly educated professor’s perspective, is that because our food supply is regulated by the FDA, the amounts of added hormones are so miniscule, it really does not affect our hormone balance.  Then, I inadvertently ran across this blog post by one of America’s favorite personal trainers, Jillian Michaels, from the T.V. show, “The Biggest Loser”. Here it is http://www.jillianmichaels.com/fitness-and-diet-tips/Finding-the-Estrogen-Progesterone-Balance .

It talks about the negative affects of hormones added to our food and definitely raises the debate over it. Although, I believe there are only good benefits to eating organic, since learning more about our bodies endocrine system, it is my opinion that it is not that important to increase your grocery budget just to buy organic. I do however, totally buy  into the reasoning that added sugar and processed foods in our diets are devastatingly bad for you, and that more than anything else, the increased intake of these pollutants over the last few decades are the main culprits for this country’s spike in many cancers and ailments, not to mention weight gain.

If you are on a tight budget like so many of us are right now, it can be depressing to think you must join a gym and buy strictly organic. It doesn’t take too much imagination to come up with ways to exercise at home, walk, sprinting up and down stairs, and so on. If I can afford it, I like to buy organic simply because I think it tastes better. But remember, it doesn’t cost anything to cut down your sugar intake and stop buying processed foods. With cancer, diabetes, blood pressure, and so many other deadly health conditions on the rise, it is time to stop buying into the lies of convenience, take back our health, and pass something good on to our children.

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End of Six Week Goal

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 .

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Nearing end of week Four

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.

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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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Wednesday

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.

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Raising Motivators Not Monsters

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.

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