Baby Mama Got Back

So, this week started out with me having to back out of a self-obligated duty rather embarrassingly.  VBS (vacation bible school) started at our home church and I was asked if I could help out.  Me being the stay-at-home Mom and having a desire to help if I can, agreed but explained that where I go my toddler must also go . Challenging? No doubt. Possible? Don’t know unless you try, right?  Forty minutes into it, I realize this is obviously not possible with my child. Apologies spewing from my mouth, I exited, quick.  This is not the first time I have bitten off more than I can chew trying to be a “helper”.  I used to teach the Tuesday morning 6:00 A.M. step aerobics class because it was hard to find anyone else at that time willing to do it. The problem for me was I struggle to get up early enough to have time to eat a quick meal and time for it to settle a bit, but I would drink 1-2 cups of coffee. I have recently learned that doing this (a heavy work out first thing in the morning on an empty stomach with coffee) is actually a new craze for mostly athletes called “Bonking”. This is an extreme concept probably not very safe, and that is more than likely why I would feel so aweful physically when I would teach that  class.  I am scheduled to teach it next Tuesday but it has been over a year since I have done so. I will be needing to prepare myself for it before then. I think I will try to get up very early and eat a protein bar or something, and save the coffee for when I get home.

Furthermore, I have never counted calories before but am now coming to terms with the need existing.” Maintaining”, is where I have always been fitness wise. My body type is primarily an ectomorph, so after babies 1 & 2, I needed to work out but never needed to change my diet. Here I am older;  I have weight to lose and therefore the same rules that apply to “maintaining'” do not apply to losing.  I believe I have plateaued and in order for me to lose the last remaining pounds, I am going to have to shave about 300 calories from my daily diet. Now, I still don’t believe in counting every single calorie, but you do need to educate yourselves on the issue. Knowing that I only need to cut about 300 cals to be in the zone for weight loss for me, it will be easy for me to make that adjustment with out counting every thing. I suggest checking out the website I have in my “favorite Sites” called “super skinny me”. It has some very useful calculators on there.

Balance. This is the answer to life really.  In our personal engagements as well as our fitness lifestyles.  It is my goal from here on, to bring more balance into my life. From knowing when to say “No” to lending a hand, to just following a more “balanced” diet ( i hate even using that word “diet”), instead of going crazy reading all the labels, and stressing over disappointing people if you can’t help, lets just be Happy.

Happy= Balanced and/or vise versa.

Transition is definitely how I would classify every aspect of my life at the moment; from creating this weblog because I have never blogged before, to where I am at in my fitness routine. As you may have read in the “about” section, my third child did not come along until my first two were fifteen and sixteen years old. So I had a few years of freedom in-between. You know, once a child reaches a certain age you find yourself able to leave the house again without packing a travel bag each time, and also feeling some since of security your children wont burn your house down. This was when it was really easy for me to dedicate myself to working out 4,5, sometimes 6 times a week. Now, with an infant in-tow again I am stuck wondering how I did it before.

As I mentioned, my old routine just isn’t cutting it for me any more. I am not sure why (thought for another day). Step aerobics and indoor spinning (cycling) along with alot of strength training is what I have always done with great results, but I have been in such a rut the last 18 months since my daughter was born. Aerobics is no longer appealing. I still like to cycle. As a matter of fact I feel spinning is one of the BEST activities you can do for weight loss and no doubt TONING. Every time I have “started back up again” and needed to tone up, I always go to spinning because I know I will see results in as little as two weeks and that is just doing it maybe twice a week. It is awesome. I do warn you though, invest in a gel bike seat; Even with a seat cover your bum is sure to be sore for a few days. Also ladies, I would be doing you a disservice if I did not suggest that you NOT wear g-strings or underwear with a thick outline. After all, you will be sitting on your derriere for the length of the class on this rather uncomfortable seat, bouncing a little at times.

Outdoors is one of my favorite places to be so I have been trying to take up running/jogging. I love the idea of this. You can do this where ever you are, even if you are traveling. However, i find there must be a “sweet spot” for every individual where pace is concerned because I tend to have issues with knee pain . What works best for me is a jogging pace, and I love intervals (light jogging with bursts of 30 sec sprints). I usually save these for the local high school track. If you are a seasoned runner I would love to hear from you.

Looking into a more sport (athlete) inspired workout, I have 20 minute cardio routines involving moves like: Burpees, boxer shuffles, and hop squats. I haven’t tried them yet. Still trying to figure out the best time to borrow our local YMCA’s aerobics room so I have ample floor space minus all the baby toys. I love the idea of these types of routines and how they offer cardio as well as hard core toning at the same time. I am sure you will agree, a Mom’s time is precious.  Hopefully this “transition” period won’t last much longer and I finally settle into new Momhood (again) with a routine that works best for me soon. I am thinking about adding a personal journal on here soon to hold myself more accountable.

From Cyberspace,

Stephanie