Tag: goal setting

Catching Up

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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!

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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:

30 body weight squats
30 dumbbell snatch (each side)
30 dumbbell squats
30 dumbbell tricep presses.

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!

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Keeping up the workouts

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Workout of the day…

Incline dumbbell bench press – 10
Single Leg Step Ups with dumbbells – 10 each leg
Assisted pull ups – 10
Kettlebell swings – 20
Repeat 4 times

Kitchen Workout

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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!

 

Back in the Game

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It has been a week since we had to make a trip to the hospital and a week since my last workout. I have taken the time to let me body recover and to make sure to perfect my eating habits to decrease the chance of going back to the hospital again. Wednesday was the lowest energy I have been in a long time and it felt like my abs had been through one of the toughest workouts ever thanks to all the contractions. By Friday some of my energy had returned and I no longer felt like my blood sugar was tanked.

To detail how my meals have changed…first and foremost I have increased my eating frequency. Every couple of hours I will have a meal or a snack with both protein and complex carbohydrates. I was sometimes doing this before, but now I am not missing a snack!  I am completely staying away from sugary snacks and drinks to avoid the huge spike in your blood sugar. I will have the occasional soda, natural and sweetened with Stevia, to satisfy my sweet tooth, but nothing else. Stevia is a natural sweetener that will not affect your blood sugar levels like regular sugar, but is a much healthier option than artificial sweeteners.

Yesterday’s meals…

Breakfast: 2 Sausages, Quinoa bake, and protein shake.
Snack: Trail mix with dried fruit, cashews and pecans.
Lunch: Chicken breast, sauteed squash, zucchini and carrots, and gluten free mac’n cheese
Snack: Apples and natural peanut butter
Snack: Chia Seed Bar
Dinner: Sweet potatoes cooked in Natural Bacon grease, bacon, asparagus and grilled pork chops.
Snack: Right before bed I will typically have a small amount of nuts or a protein muffin and a glass of water.

The reason I have been so conscience about my food and eating is due to the fact that my blood sugar seems to be running lower than my normal. This can be expected the baby is taking a good amount of the nutrients away from me to grow. Because my blood sugars tend to be lower I have the tendency to uptake sugars quickly and utilize them even quicker. For those of you who may not be a familiar with how your blood sugar works. When you eat something sugary (cookies, candy, cereal, bread, etc) your body is able to take in those nutrients much quicker than protein or fat, which quickly increases your blood sugar. As seen in the image below protein and fat take longer to be broken down into fuel and do not affect the blood sugar as does carbs.

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Some people may notice that immediately after eating something sugary or made of simply carbohydrates they have energy, but within an hour they are looking for something else to eat or caffeine to bring their energy up.

This doesn’t mean that people do not need carbohydrates, we do! But we need to be smart about when and what types we are consuming. Carbohydrates that are more complex and provide a great amount of nutrients are items such as sweet potatoes, brown rice, quinoa, vegetables and fruits. These will not have as dramatic effect on the blood sugar as items such as white rice, tortillas, sugars, cereals, etc.

Some women’s blood sugars, like mine, may run lower than their “normal” during pregnancy, which can lead to symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, weakness, blured vision, hunger or headaches.  Maintaining a steady diet in protein, fats and complex carbohydrates can ensure blood sugar levels remain steady throughout the day.

Women who have or are at risk for having gestational diabetes will actually have the opposite or high blood sugar levels. Gestational diabetes starts when your body is not able to make and use all the insulin it needs for pregnancy. Without enough insulin, glucose cannot leave the blood and be changed to energy. Glucose builds up in the blood to high levels. This is called hyperglycemia. (See more at: http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/gestational/what-is-gestational-diabetes.html#sthash.nXpsbDst.dpuf)

 

Today’s workout…

1 mile (1600 meter) Row on Rower

Leg Press – 3×10
Walking lunges with barbell – 2x8each leg
Barbell RDLs – 2×10
Lateral box step ups – 2x10each leg (holding Kettlebell in hands)

Post workout feelings – GREAT! Minimal contractions, lots of water consumed and legs were happy to get a short workout in!!!

Catching Up on Miles

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Today I tested the length of my bladder control. My goal on the treadmill today was to get in two miles.  I am not one who likes to stop mid-way through my workout to go to the bathroom, so I’ll push through till the end potty dance if needed!  My first mile today was a slow jog. By the end of this mile my bladder could not handle another full mile of jogging so I mixed it up. Second mile was intervals of jogging for 0.10 mile and walking 0.10 miles until I hit two miles. At two miles I realized I had energy to go a little further! Final results 2.5 miles on the good old hamster wheel.

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I then finished up my workout with a 1 mile (1600 meter) row on the Rower to get me to a total distance of 3.5 miles for the day!

January Distance Challenge – 10 miles down, 30 miles to go!

Working Through Tired

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My workout today felt great! I felt completely lazy and tired while completing all of it, but I got it done. Sounds a little backwards right?  I have noticed lately, while I am not really in need of nap, I am just way more tire than usual. However, regardless of how tired I was, it felt great to sweat and get my heart rate up.  Here is what I did!

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My belly is starting to look like my workout equipment! 🙂

50 Jumping Jacks
10 Single Leg Stand Ups each side with 18lb medicine ball
10 Pull Ups
10 Bent over Rows with 25lb KB
10 Single Leg RDLs each side with 25lb KB
20 Bosu Sit-Ups

40 Jumping Jacks
10 Single Leg Stand Ups each side with 18lb medicine ball
10 Pull Ups
10 Bent over Rows with 25lb KB
10 Single Leg RDLs each side with 25lb KB
20 Bosu Sit-Ups

30 Jumping Jacks
10 Single Leg Stand Ups each side with 18lb medicine ball
10 Pull Ups
10 Bent over Rows with 25lb KB
10 Single Leg RDLs each side with 25lb KB
20 Bosu Sit-Ups

20 Jumping Jacks
10 Single Leg Stand Ups each side with 18lb medicine ball
10 Pull Ups
10 Bent over Rows with 25lb KB
10 Single Leg RDLs each side with 25lb KB
20 Bosu Sit-Ups

10 Jumping Jacks
10 Single Leg Stand Ups each side with 18lb medicine ball
10 Pull Ups
10 Bent over Rows with 25lb KB
10 Single Leg RDLs each side with 25lb KB
20 Bosu Sit-Ups

Finished my workout with 2 miles on the elliptical and 1 mile on the rower.

January Distance Challenge – 5.5 miles down, 44.5 miles to go!

Confessions of a Slacker!

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I must confess I have let my life take over my workout time the past week and I am guilty of slacking! It has been 6 days since my last workout, but as of today – no more slacking! First of all my body feels awful and neglected. Second, I have challenged all my clients to a distance challenge for January, so I need to get my butt moving. As of yesterday (January 4th) – zero miles, but as of today the 5th – 2 miles down and 48 to go. In June of last year I did this same challenge and took on 100 miles, but with two differences I had the outdoors to run and didn’t have to worry about ice and extremely cold temperatures and I wasn’t pregnant. Therefore, for the month January I feel that half of the miles (50) should be a challenge. If you are interested in participating in my challenge please email or comment below and I would love to help you stick to your goals. All of my clients have chosen a distance whether it be running, biking, swimming or using their pedometer to track their steps and set a number goal to achieve. Each week I will check in with your progress and post it on my website to help keep you accountable. Top two people will win a prize! Participation is completely free, so please join in!  Most important thing to remember about slacking is that it only last as long as you let it. We all have those days, sometimes even weeks, we just don’t feel like working out. Not to mention missing one day seems to make missing next day even easier. There are so many excuses to NOT do something, but we need to focus on the reasons you WANT to ACCOMPLISH something. It’s not about having time to workout, it’s about MAKING time to workout!!!

Today I made sure to schedule in a good workout. I wanted to get a bit of strength and cardio in to fire up my lazy muscles! Here is what I did…

8 Squats
20 Kettlebell Swings without stopping (if I stopped before 20 I had to do 5 Burpees for each rest)
400 meter Row
Repeat 4 times

I finished up my workout with a short 5 minute Tabata (sprinting intervals).  When I say sprinting this was not my usual graceful sprint, but rather slow run with a bouncing belly! 🙂 For the Tabata I did 30 seconds sprinting, 30 seconds rest and repeated 5 times. Keep in mind when you are pregnant to ensure you stay within safe range during your “sprint” should be able to say a full sentence while running and don’t feel strange in any way. If you have not sprinted in the past year these should only be a fast paced walk!!!!

 

January Distance Challenge Count: 2 Miles down, 48 miles to go!

New Years Resolutions

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happy new year

With the start of 2016 everyone is starting to think about those New Years Resolutions. Some may be planning the trip of a lifetime. Others may plan on getting ahead in their career, and many of us even set new fitness goals. Just like everyone else, even personal trainers are always looking for goals to set for themselves to keep motivated.  Please try to think outside the box.

I’d like to challenge everyone to not only set goals that can be accomplished in the gym, but to set goals that can be enjoyed in the great outdoors.  Being outside has proven to be very beneficial for the mind and body.  Below are just a few goals that my family and I hope to accomplish in the outdoors this year:

  • Take the kid(s) sledding in the mountains.  Not that our local sledding hill won’t suffice, but experiencing new(and as my husband says “steeper and faster”)  hills is always an adventure.  If I must say, schlepping all of that gear up and down the hill is always an awesome workout…especially since the kid normally rides in the sled on the way UP the mountain as well.
  • Bring the kids hiking on some of our favorite trails we used to go on.  The kids are small and easy to carry now, the extra weight provides for a better workout and more of an experience for the whole group.  Everyone knows the further you hike the better the pictures!
  • Complete 1,000 miles in running, biking or some form of cardio. In June last year I did a hundred miles, so I thought it would be fun to have a year long cardio goal. Taking into consideration I will be in my third trimester for a majority of the year I will include other modes of cardio than just running.
  • Build a more inviting outdoor living area.  Not only do we want to sit and relax on the patio while we watch the little ones play, but we’d like to have a great outdoor area to exercise.  Being cooped up in a dark basement trying to get a workout in while it’s beautiful outside can be trying for even the most motivated.
  • What are some of your OUTDOOR goals?

Eventually it is going to be time to move indoors.  Don’t worry, I’m not talking about the gym…yet!  I’m referring to the  kitchen!  Here are some of the family goals for the new year that involve a healthy diet:

  • Meal PLAN and PREP as often as possible.
  • Purchase as organic as possible when it comes to the dirty dozen foods.
  • Try a new recipe every other week(being realistic).  If we enjoy the recipe I will post it on the website as soon as possible.
  • Try to let as little food as possible go to waste
  • What are your NUTRITION goals? 

I told you we would eventually move into the gym! This can be at your home, your local park or your local gym.  Hopefully it’s not as busy as my gym has been and will be this coming month- Geeze! With goals of a healthy mommy body and even healthier baby, there are somethings that only a good ole fashioned strength training session can work.  Gym have their upsides – not only does the gym have all that fancy equipment, but it has the people to go with it.  The support structure that your gym friends and family can prove to be invaluable.  If your friends are anything like mine they’ll rag on you for missing your workout, which only enhances my own guilt.  Everyone has those days when working out just sounds terrible, but there really very few reasons to miss your workouts.  They don’t always have to be the best workout, sometimes they just have to be a workout… Below are some of my goals for this coming year I hope to accomplish in the gym:

  • Get my pre-baby belly back.  This could be different for everyone.  I’m not talking about a hard 6-pack, but for me it means core strength.  Back to the days when I could do a 5 min plank, sit-ups for days, and be able to laugh so hard that I thought my sides were going to split WITHOUT actually peeing my pants!
  • Master the double under.
  • Keep my knees as healthy and stable as possible so I can continue to play soccer at the level I do.
  • What are some of your GYM/FITNESS goals?

The biggest thing to remember is to increase your success of achieving your goals is that they need to be realistic. If you want to lose weight or gain muscles there are many things to consider – exercise program, nutrition plan and time it will take to accomplish these. If you set your goals too high – example: I am going to lose 50 pounds in 2 weeks – unless you plan on losing a limb this is not going to be realistic. Plan your goals in stages – your long term goal may be to lose 50 pounds, but maybe you want to lose 5 pounds by the end of January and 12 pounds by February, etc. Plus, maybe you want to climb your very first 14,000 foot mountain, well you will need to start building your muscle (strength training) and increasing your cardio, which will also help you reach your long term goal of losing weight!!!  Think outside the of the box with your goals. Your 2016 goals should be for you and about what you are passionate about achieving.

Tell me what your goals are for 2016 and I will do my best to help you stay accountable! If you have questions or need help achieving these goals email me I am here to help – strengthtrain4baby@gmail.com.