Working out is one of the best stress relievers! Typically, I like to workout in the afternoon or evening, but when you have two kids it is whenever you get a spare moment. This may even mean multitasking – cooking and working out, playing and working out, playground adventures and working out.
My daughter and I made a great week of workouts so far – one run and two strength sessions in the books. One of the hardest things when training at home and with little ones, is actually getting the workout done. There are so many things around the house (dishes, vacuuming, cooking, etc.) that will be calling your name, just like your children are from the other room. But keep steady the course. Exercise is not only important for yourself, but to help influence your children. I can’t tell you the number of times a client has told me they couldn’t get their workout in because they had too many things going on with their kids. Keeping your kids active and engaged in activities is important, but you need to schedule yourself in on that calendar too! When you fail to workout and start noticing how unfit or out of shape you are, your children may start to notice too. Especially, when you are complaining about your swim suit or how clothes aren’t fitting, etc. I’m not expecting parents to be body builders or models by any means, but active and healthy is important. Statistics show that obesity is continuously rising and this won’t change unless we, as a society, make changes. Be the positive influence in your children’s lives. Even with the busiest of schedule you can fit workouts in. Taking your kid to soccer practice? While you wait walk or jog the field or local park. Rainy day and stuck inside? Turn working out into a game for you and the kids. Use body weight exercises. No babysitter to watch your infant? Use them as your weights. Kids make great dumbbells, not excuses. The other night my daughter (1.5months old) just wanted to be held. Therefore, we did body weight squats, lunges, sit ups and push-ups together. I got my workout in and she got the needed attention. It does require some creativity and it may take you longer to accomplish your workout, but you deserve that time!
Workout of the Week:
Single arm squat thrusters – 15 each side
Single leg RDL with front bar raise – 10 each side
Push-Ups – 10
Renegade Rows with dumbbell – 10 each side
Repeat 3 times
This week marks 6 weeks since I had my gorgeous baby girl and I couldn’t have been any more excited. I have been itching for a good run or workout for the last two weeks. Let me tell you my experience returning for my check up was much more exciting than with my son. First of all I have a two year old who has copious amounts of energy and no fear whatsoever! Second…well, really there is no second, just a crazy two year old. I did not even think about leaving my son home with a sitter, because I just bring my kids everywhere with me – big mistake. On your average day I can hand my son our tablet and he will watch his movies until I pry it from him hands at the end of his show. But of course for those ten minutes while you are being examined by the doctor, he wants nothing to do with the beloved tablet. Which is how I ended up laying on the lovely exam table, spread eagle, with my son on my chest just to keep him contained from licking the bio-hazard bin or destroying the numerous Mirena brochers he loves throwing around due the toy truck on front. Good thing my doctor likes kids and can just chuckled a bit in what I can only hope is amazement. Lesson learned and exam passed! Freedom is mine and I can start getting back to my normal workout routine.
Now you may have noticed my title today is “Freedom with a Touch of Disappointment” this is because I am free to run and workout, but my BOB Duallie Pro-Revolution that I convinced my husband was necessary to buy to run with both children is unusable for running. It seems BOB has come out with a new 2016 BOB Stroller and a new car seat adapter, which would seem shouldn’t affect me as I purchased the 2015 version when they were on sale for Memorial Day (Note: Memorial Day and Black Friday are great times to get discounts on strollers). But apparently they have discontinued making the car seat adapters all together and will not have the new version out until mid-July. I realize this is only two weeks away, but with only seven weeks to train for the Spartan Beast, I need everyday I can get. Plus, this is my “freedom” from the inside of my house. I still love my BOB Stroller, but BOB needs to get it together as many parent rely on these strollers for fitness, freedom, fun and most importantly, sanity. That daily walk or run can be the difference to a happy mommy and a cranky mom-zilla!!!
Frustrated rant over, my husband came to my rescue! He kept my son, while I got in 1.25miles around the neighborhood with my daughter. It felt great to run, definitely a bit out of shape, things jiggled more than before and a good reminder of the importance of a supportive bra! Workout number 1 in the books, only 60 days left till Breckenridge Spartan Beast and this mom of two is officially back!
It’s been a while since I have posted my workouts. I have either failed to fit them in or had substituted with walks, outdoor building/gardening or a workout I simply never got posted. My sincerest apologies to those who are using them for your own workouts.
I am now nine days from my due date and the contractions are starting to pick up. Nothing crazy but definitely more frequent and occasionally keeping me up at night. Take last night for instance, finally at 1:00am I realized the contractions we fairly close together and quiet frequent. Per my experience the first time around I began to drink water, just to ensure I wasn’t having contractions due to dehydration. By 2:30am I woke my husband up and informed him and we started timing more closely. One glass of water down. By 2:45am I called the doctor who told me to come on in, but take my time. So take my time I did and immediately after calling contractions started to slow down. Needless to say we decided to stay home and wait it out. End result – still pregnant!
However, on a fitness note yesterday we did take a mini hike and today the little guy and I took a stroll around the neighborhood. When we got back I incorporated a small amount of strength work:
Keeping moving is helping me to stay sane and feel like I am not losing total control of my body! It has also helped to keep the swelling down this time. Comparing pictures from my last pregnancy and talking with friends/family, we have all realized I was a whole lot more swollen last time around. Below are a few of my most embarrassing pictures – enjoy!
The benefits of moving more during pregnancy begin immediately and last your whole life. Your baby will start reaping the benefits in utero, too. Here’s a laundry list of reasons to start exercising today, along withexcuse-busting ways to overcome some common obstacles.
1. You’re likely to gain less weight. Research shows you might put on 7 pounds less than pregnant women who don’t work out, while still staying within the healthy weight-gain range.
2. Labor and delivery may be easier. No guarantees, of course, but strong abs and a fit cardiovascular system can give you more oomph and stamina for the pushing stage. One study found that prenatal water aerobics regulars were 58 percent less likely to request pain medication during labor than non-exercisers.
3. You lower your gestational diabetes risk by as much as 27 percent.High blood sugar during pregnancy puts you at extremely high risk for developing type II diabetes in the decade after delivering and raises the odds of preterm delivery or having an overweight baby. If you do develop it—and many fit women do because genetics and age play a significant role—exercise may help prevent or delay your need for insulin or other medications.
4. You get that “prenatal-spin-class high.” Active moms- to-be report better moods than their sedentary peers, both immediately following a workout and in general throughout their pregnancies.
5. You’re less likely to cry, “Oh, my aching back.” Some two-thirds of pregnant women experience back pain, but water workouts, yoga and pelvic tilts can offer relief. Exercise during the second half of pregnancy seems to be especially helpful.
6. You’re less likely to get constipated. Pregnant women’s intestinal tracts often get backed up due to high progesterone levels and a growing uterus, but exercise, along with a high-fiber diet, keeps your digestive system humming.
7. You have more energy. On days when lifting your remote control seems like a tall order, even a 10-minute walk can revive you.
8. Odds are, you’ll deliver a svelter baby. Babies born with excess fat are significantly more likely to become overweight kindergarteners, and overweight newborns of moms with gestational diabetes are more prone to develop diabetes later in life.
9. You can enjoy the greatest flexibility of your life. Relaxin, a pregnancy hormone that loosens your pelvic joints in preparation for delivery, also relaxes the rest of your joints. With careful stretches, like those done in prenatal yoga workouts, you can capitalize on this window of opportunity.
10. You’re more likely to avoid a forceps delivery, C-section or other intervention. Regular exercisers are 75 percent less likely to need a forceps delivery, 55 percent less likely to have an episiotomy and up to four times less likely to have a Cesarean section, research has found.
11. You’re likely to be fitter in middle age. In a study that followed women for 20 years after delivery, those who’d exercised throughout pregnancy could run two miles 2 ½ minutes faster than those who’d taken a workout break while pregnant. The continuous exercisers were also working out a lot more.
12. You’ll get positive attention. Everyone smiles when they see a pregnant woman on a power walk. No one is more popular at the gym than the pregnant woman on the biceps machine!
13. You feel less like a beached whale and more like a hot mama. Women who exercise throughout pregnancy have abetter body image than those who sit out the nine months.
14. Your labor may be shorter. A landmark study found that among well-conditioned women who delivered vaginally, those who had continued training throughout their pregnancy experienced active labor for 4 hours and 24 minutes compared with 6 hours and 22 minutes for those who’d quit training early on. Two hours less of hard labor is nothing to sneer at!
15. You learn to chill out. With its emphasis on breathing, meditation and joyful movement, prenatal yoga helps stressed-out moms-to-be stay calm. Plus, a regular prenatal yoga practice can teach you to relax rather than tense up when you feel discomfort, a helpful skill during labor.
16. If you work out in water, you enjoy a wonderful sense of weightlessness. For some women, swimming or water aerobics may provide their only relief from painful foot and ankle swelling.
17. You’ll likely experience less leg swelling. Your body retains more fluid during pregnancy, and your growing uterus puts pressure on your veins, impairing the return of blood to your heart. Exercise can limit swelling by improving blood flow.
18. You may be less prone to morning sickness. Though nausea stops many women from exercising, many moms-to-be report that they feel less queasy after a workout or that the exercise takes their minds off the nausea for a short time.
19. You may boost your child’s athletic potential. One study found that 20-year-olds who were exposed to exercise in utero performed better at sports than same age peers whose mothers did not exercise during pregnancy.
20. You’ll bounce back faster after delivery. Compared with new moms who were inactive during pregnancy, those who exercised are more likely to socialize and enjoy hobbies and entertainment post-baby. They just seem to cope better with the demands of new motherhood.
21. You’re likely to be healthier and leaner when your kids head off to college. Twenty years later, fit women who’d exercised throughout pregnancy had gained 7 ½ pounds, compared with 22 pounds for women who had taken a break while pregnant and resumed exercising afterward. The continuous exercisers also had lower cholesterol levels and resting heart rates.
22. The sense of accomplishment and confidence spills over to the rest of your life. Finishing a prenatal power walk makes you feel like you can conquer the world!
23. Your child may have a healthier heart. The developing babies of prenatal exercisers have more efficient hearts than those of non-exercisers, and this higher cardio fitness level seems to last into the childhood years.
24. If you smoke, exercise may help you kick the habit. In a small study, pregnant smokers reported that exercise gave them confidence to quit, decreased their cigarette cravings, boosted their energy and “helped them feel more like a non-smoker.”
25. You might sleep better. Some pregnant women who work out say they fall asleep faster, slumber more soundly and snooze longer than inactive moms-to-be.
26. You’ll meet other expectant moms in a prenatal exercise class. Get their phone numbers; you may be meeting up for playdates or babysitting co-ops soon!
27. You may be at lower risk for the No. 1 cause of premature birth. That’s preeclampsia, a complication that involves high blood pressure and excess protein in the urine. About 5 percent to 8 percent of pregnant women develop it, and the numbers are growing.
28. You’re more likely to avoid prenatal depression. This is especially true if you exercise outdoors because bright light has antidepressant effects. Some 12 percent to 20 percent of pregnant women experience depression, which is linked to poor sleep and marital problems after delivery.
29. You feel more in control. When your body is changing in all kinds of wacky ways and your entire life is about to be transformed in huge, unknown ways, a regular exercise routine offers consistency and the knowledge that you’re doing something great for both yourself and your baby.
30. You look better. Exercise increases blood flow to your skin, enhancing that pregnancy glow. Plus, when you’re calmer and fitter, it shows.
31. Your children may grow up to be smarter. Some research indicates that kids of moms who work out during pregnancy have better memories, in addition to higher scores on intelligence and language tests.
32. You bust out of your exercise rut. Pregnancy often forces you to try something new— to swim when you used to run, to try Wii Fit Ski instead of snowboarding, to give Pilates a whirl.
33. You keep your immune system humming. Moderate exercise such as walking lowers your risk of catching a cold by as much as half. Researchers believe the data applies to exercising moms-to-be as well.
Now that I am 35 weeks and counting, I am starting to notice my sleep is decreasing, my brain is foggy, my muscles ache a lot more and my emotions are on a bit of a roller coaster.
Sleep is playing a huge roll in my inability to think as clearly as possible. Case and point: yesterday I thought it was Tuesday, when in fact it was Monday – therefore I showed up to my clients house for our Personal Training appointment right on time. I waited in front of her house for a while, rang her door bell with no answer, finally shot her a text to get the response “Yes, we are schedule for 6pm tomorrow“! Duh! This has just been the tip of the iceberg. Several times I have mixed up dates, forgot what I was talking about in the middle of my sentence and my favorite – walked into a room several times with no recollection of what I went in there for. A few things that have helped my sleep a bit over the past couple nights – warm bath with bath salts right before bed, not using my phone for an hour before going to bed and adding Calcium/Magnesium supplement prior to going to bed. The only thing can’t really control in the number of times I have to get up to pee! Seriously, the other night it was four times!!!! Good news is that I am staying hydrated, bad news for any hope of consistent sleep.
Over the past couple weeks I have noted a spike in muscle cramping at night. Throughout the day I may be sore, but the moment I hop into bed I feel like I belong in a “Restless leg syndrome” commercial. The few things I have added is stretching and muscle release techniques (ex: foam rolling), additional supplementation of Calcium/Magnesium (Magnesium plays a huge roll in muscle cramps), extra bananas and increase movement. Sitting, I believe, is contributing to my muscles aches and pains.
Emotions have been the best part of the past couple weeks! One minute I am happy and content and the next I am crying or upset with someone. My husband has been extremely supportive and understanding through the whole thing. My son on the other hand just looks at me like I am a crazy mommy!
Today’s home workout…
Stair “running” – Run up and walk down 10 times
Single Leg Lateral Step Ups – 15 each leg
Incline Push-Ups – 20
Tricep Dips – 15
Lunges – 10 each leg
Calf Raises – 20
This morning’s workout came much earlier than usual – 6am! While getting up with my alarm was painful as always, it felt great to have my workout done before 7am.
I have many clients who struggle with getting their workouts in during the day or even at night. By end of day we have a million and one reasons why we shouldn’t go to the gym or even get a quick workout in at home. From being tired, to cooking dinner, to family activities – the excuses just keep adding up. That’s why morning workouts (while sometimes painful to wake up for) tend to be more effective. Other than your alarm, there aren’t as many things standing in your way! Plus, if you workout in the morning you are starting your day off right, boosting your metabolism, and you don’t have to worry about fitting it in later.
Today’s workout…
Warm-Up – 5 minutes walking on treadmill
Foam Rolling – legs/IT bands and Psoas
Squats – 10 (increasing weight each time)
Repeat 4 times
Thrusters – 6 reps
Repeat 4 times
Deadlifts – 5
Bulgarian Split Squats – 10
Jump Rope – 50
Repeat 2 times
I didn’t wake up this morning thinking I was going to train with another group today! In fact I was looking forward to a lighter Olympic lift workout, but sometimes what we plan isn’t always the best.
As I finished with my client this morning and was preparing to start my own workout, another trainer at the gym asked me to jump in with his boot camp class. It’s been a while since I tried someone else’s workout so I thought why not! The workout itself was great and incorporated the entire body. Several of the exercises weren’t great for someone pregnant so I swapped them out for “pregnant friendly” ones. What I struggled with most in the group atmosphere was the ability to “slow down”. I have a competitive side that likes to push myself as hard as possible. With my friends and my own personal workouts I don’t feel the need to push myself, but with a new group of people it was a bit harder to slow down. I like being able to “beat” the person next to me – it’s the mental game I play to challenge myself. Luckily for me my fear of overdoing it and ending up with contractions helped, but I definitely felt outside of my comfort zone. The workout felt great, but I am getting ready to have my body back to push as hard as I’d like. We are about six weeks out and I am excited to meet our little girl!!
It’s okay to push yourself to your limits, but remember that everyone is different. One person may be able to lift twice as much weight as you, but you are both doing your babies good. Strong mom = strong baby!
Workout of the Day:
Round 1 (each exercise for 1minute and 30 seconds, with 30 second rest)
Walk outs with push up
Single Leg Squats with Kettlebell – (right side)
Box Jumps – I modified to step ups with dumbbells
Russian Twists – I modified with Planks/Mountain Climbers
Single Leg Squats with Kettlebell – (left side)
Lateral lunges with Kettlebell (alternating)
Round 2 – (each exercise for 1minute and 30 seconds, with 30 second rest)
Yoga Push Ups
Single leg box jumps (Step Up with a hop at the top) (right)
Standing overhead press with dumbbells
Single leg box jumps (Step Up with a hop at the top) (left)
Lateral jump with burpee
Wall Sit with Hammer Curl
Some days there is no way to fit in your traditional workout, but it doesn’t mean it can’t be done! This is where the “Kitchen workout” comes into play. Yesterday I literally was going all day and couldn’t get my desperately needed workout in by it’s self, but here is what I did. There are always a few minutes/seconds in between cooking and prepping dinner so I fit in a couple squats, lunges, tricep dips and stand ups. I didn’t have to leave the kitchen, food was perfectly cooked and I got my workout in! Life is fully of excuses, it’s finding ways around your excuses that end in positive results!
Squats – 20
Reverse lunges – 10 each side
Tricep dips – 10 (with or without doggy kisses!)
Single leg stand ups – 10 each side
Lateral lunges – 10 each side
Repeat 3 times or until dinner is ready!
Today’s workout was quick, but effective! Focus was on the rear end seeing as summer is coming. Even though I don’t foresee myself wearing a bikini, the more I do now the easier it will be to get in shape post baby.
Single leg stand ups – 10 each leg holding kettlebell
Single arm snatch with kettlebell – 10 each arm
Single leg RDLs – 10 each leg
Kettlebell Swings – 20
strengthtrain4baby 