Tag: Mommy fitness

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Status qu…it being so lazy!

I’ve been meaning to do a fitness update post for awhile now, but honestly, I’ve just been really lazy. Both with the post and with the fitness. Ugh. I haven’t worked out consistently for over a month now, and as such, I kind of feel like a total slug. I was doing so well, too, working up to week 4 in my Jillian Michaels workouts and really feeling great.

Then I got sick the week before Christmas, which meant I got approximately zero workouts in. Things were a little better in Hawaii, though, as I walked a solid 3 hilly miles (if not more) almost every single day. I even threw a little jogging in on some of those too. So that made for a good exercise week.

But since we’ve been back, my level of activity has dropped back to the nothing range. I think I’ve gotten 1, maybe 2, workouts in with my trainer, which are excellent, but when they come so infrequently I can’t believe they’re doing a whole lot of good. I was pretty proud of myself at my workout last week, though – I tested my pull-up endurance at the start of the session and was still able to do 5 full pull-ups. Not bad.

Outside of that, though, nada. Gone are the twice-weekly 5am workouts with Jillian I was sticking with so well to bump my weekly workouts up to 3. I felt like another cold was coming on this past week so was super tired, and in the weeks before this I’ve just been busy, tired, busy and tired, or just plain didn’t feel like it. And no matter how geared up I can be to exercise, if I just don’t feel like it by the time that workout rolls around, more often than not it doesn’t happen.

Fortunately the number on the scale hasn’t been screaming in my face and has remained pretty static, even somehow going down a pound after Hawaii. But I just hate knowing my overall fitness level is deteriorating even if my weight isn’t creeping up.

So that brings us to tonight. I got more stressing news at work today, and I’d finally had it. I needed a release. Maybe that’s been part of the problem lately, why everything has seemed so much more overwhelming than usual – I haven’t had my regular heart-pounding outlet to release my inner tension. Which could also, in turn, be why I’ve been feeling more sluggish and blah than normal.

Now get ready for this… I actually got off my lazy butt and went for a run after work. OUTSIDE again! It was even pretty much dark out, since I didn’t get started until 5:30! Here, I’ll help you up from the floor since I know you just passed out from shock. Sorry about that.

Remember my no-running-outdoors-unless-it’s-above-50-degrees rule? Totally broke it tonight. It was 38 on the temperature tower on my way home from work (and still light out! that definitely helped my motivation), but for some reason it didn’t even phase me. The run felt great. I just did my shortest route, since it’s been almost 2 months since my last jog, and I didn’t even take music. Just me and my breath, hitting the pavement.

Does that ever happen to you? You take a decent hiatus between runs and that first one back feels awesome? Now I know if I continued running outside I’d have to slow down a bit again before getting back up to speed without injury, but still. Tonight felt fantastic.

Here are the run stats – I ran 1.44 miles in 12:56, for a 9:00/mile pace. I’ll take it. Especially since for the first time in a long time I looked in the mirror after my shower tonight and saw a glimmer of the abs I was so happy to show off on my Mom Sexy day instead of a 2-pack with some mush underneath it. Maybe it was the post-workout endorphins finally coming back, or maybe it was because my little abs/push-ups routine I have been diligent about keeping up at least 4-5 times per week might actually be doing something, even with my lack of cardio exercise. But it was good to see nonetheless.

And I felt a little stress melt away with each step of the run, too. My mouth stung from the cold air, but my head was thanking me with each block. Ahh… Now if I can just get back to an exercise routine with which I can stick. I’m planning on cleaning up my road bike on the trainer in the basement and getting back on that next week after work 2 nights. Because although I love my dates with Jillian, I really hate getting up early.

How about you guys? Anyone else already giving up on their New Year’s exercise resolution, or is it just me? Well, actually I didn’t really give up on a resolution, since I don’t make them, but I just fell off the exercise wagon period. Hopefully I’ll get back on a little more permanently this time.

Hello, abs, nice to see you again

 

 

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It’s Mom Sexy time!

First off, what do you think of the new look? I decided things needed a little sprucing up around here, so I gave my blog a mini-makeover. Let me know. Good, bad, or otherwise, I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. Now onto the main event…

 

A few weeks ago I posted about finding a little Mom Sexy of my own one night at the gym. Well Mary Fischer, the Mommyologist herself, actually read that little ditty and loved it. I was SO excited! She’s since started a new Mom Sexy Fridays series over on her blog, and of course I volunteered to be a part of it. She took the time to read my small post, after all, so I definitely want to do what I can to contribute back. And I am thrilled to announce that today is my day to be featured. THRILLED, people! So please, head on over to the Mommyologist to see what amazing things I have to say today, won’t you? Happy Mom Sexy Friday!

 

My Mom Sexy Friday…

 

 

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Impressive

There’s a girl I see jogging most mornings on my way into work, and it is now obvious that she’s pregnant. I’m a terrible judge of things like this, but I would guess she’s around 6 months along. She’s really thin, so maybe she’s showing early, though, and could be earlier in her pregnancy. Or maybe she’s how I was, not showing until pretty late, and is even farther along. I have no idea. All women show and carry their pregnancies differently, so for the sake of this post let’s just say she’s 6ish months pregnant.

Now why did I entitle this one “Impressive”, you may be wondering? Well here’s the thing. Assuming this girl (girl? woman? i never know which to use. is there an age cut-off where you no longer call a girl a girl, but a woman? is it offensive to a younger female to call her a woman if she prefers girl? lady? whatever, i’ll stick with girl for now. she appears to be maybe my age, so we’ll say 30ish. lots of “ish”es here today) is near the end of her second trimester, if not even into her third, to me jogging every morning is certainly impressive.

When I got pregnant with D I was fully planning on continuing my usual workout routine as far into my pregnancy as possible. And this included jogging. For although I was by no means an avid runner at the time, I did try to jog whenever possible (weather permitting, duh), because I really do think it is one of the best ways to stay in shape. Well things happened, plans changed, and my exercise took a back seat to simply being pregnant. And I mean a way back seat. Like if we were in a stretch limo, exercise would have been all the way in that far back area, past the bar and tvs, so far back it could barely hear the conversation.

For some reason, however, I got it into my head to try jogging again during the spring that I was pregnant. The weather had started getting nice again, and I felt like I needed to do something. Why that something took the form of a jog after months of doing basically zero exercise, let alone running, I have no idea. I tend to get these “great ideas” in my head from time to time that really end up being just plain dumb and painful. Yet I rarely learn my lesson and keep trying them.

Well this, indeed, was a dumb one. I was about 4-5 months pregnant at the time and not really showing, but I could definitely feel D and all the pressure she was putting on my internal organs in there. Especially my bladder. I shit you not – I took 3 steps of that jog and felt like I was instantly going to wet my pants. Oh what the hell?? I thought. And of course I was jogging in a park near my office, having decided to workout after work that day instead of heading out from home. Splendid. So not only was I going to pee my pants, but I was going to have to go back into my office building with soiled draws (you know, ghetto for drawers, pants, trousers. not the verb like something an artist does. duh). You must be kidding me. Thinking it may have just been a fluke and my body simply needed to get used to jogging with extra weight, I tried again. Same result – a few steps and the feeling of impending and uncontrollable urination was back. Ok, that’s enough, I’ll walk the rest of the route here, thankyouverymuch. It at least counts as some exercise, and I won’t have to go back into my office sporting soggy bottom.

So that’s why I say this girl jogging each morning while this much pregnant is impressive. I tried it once, for about 10 seconds, and failed miserably. Obviously many, many women run while they’re pregnant, and a lot of them run the entire time with ease. I, however, was not one of them. Maybe next time I’ll try a little harder to be able to run farther into my pregnancy. Or maybe I’ll just skip it again and find an alternative, saying it’s all in the name of keeping my undies dry.

 

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Every little bit counts

Recently I’ve started getting back into exercising in the morning (something i swore off years ago) with a workout DVD I bought a few months back, and I must admit I’m pretty proud of how well I’m sticking with it so far. It’s Ripped in 30 with Jillian Michaels, and it’s everything I wanted in a workout – short (each one is about 25-30 minutes long, including warm up and cool down), full-body, sweat-inducing, and tough! This is no jog-in-place-for-a-minute-then-do-a-sit-up workout. No. It kicks your ass! There are 4 different workouts, 1 for each week of a month (hence the “ripped in 30” part), and after 3 weeks I’m still only doing the week 2 workout. Woof.

When I got into this routine 3 weeks ago, I did it to free up time at night. We desperately need to get back to doing some work on our house, and since R does all of that I need to be able to watch D after work single-handedly. Plus I hate running when it’s cold and/or dark outside, and unfortunately I think we’ve finally hit that turning point in the seasons. Although, oddly enough, I’m starting to miss my couple little runs each week. Maybe I’ll try to sneak one in here and there, as long as I can still feel my digits. But anyway, this DVD has turned out to be a decent solution.

Wednesdays and Fridays (and sometimes mondays if i’m unable to get to my monday night group workout with my trainer) I get up at 5am, throw on my workout clothes, head out to the living room, unroll my yoga mat and grab my 5 lb. weights, and turn on the Xbox. Jillian and her 2 rotating cronies proceed to wipe the floor with my body for the next 23ish minutes (i skip the cool down and substitute my shower instead. bad form, i know, but whatevs), and I’m still ready to head out the door at our normal 7am without a hitch. So I wake up 40 minutes earlier than usual, but in that short time I get my exercise and shower in for the day, am pretty much always more awake by the time we leave than the non-exercise days, and start off the day feeling accomplished and really good. The best part, though? I DON’T HAVE TO LEAVE THE HOUSE. Hard to make excuses not to do it when I don’t even have to open the front door.

As the title suggests, you’re supposed to do this workout continually for 30 days, working your way up to level 4 by advancing to a new workout after each week. Then in 30 days, you’re magically ripped like Jillian and her sidekicks. Or something along those lines… Seeing as I only do it twice a week, however, I’m progressing as I feel comfortable. Which right now seems to be about 2 weeks on each level (so 4 workouts spaced out over 2 weeks for each level instead of 7 days in a row for each level. ouch). Even at a reduced schedule than what the plan recommends, I think it’s doing the trick. I feel great after each workout, and when I switch up to the next routine, I’m definitely sore for a bit. No pain, no gain, right?

Now this 3-times-a-week exercise regimen pales in comparison to my pre-D gym rat days where I would spend a good hour there after work every day and often on weekends, too, but hey, I don’t have time for that mess anymore. And that’s ok. I cancelled my gym membership at the beginning of this year, and I haven’t regretted that decision once in the almost 11 months since then. I was very fortunate to have shed my baby weight through breastfeeding and walks with D in the stroller those first couple months after she was born, so the goal of my exercise this year has just been to get my body back in shape. And I think I have. I did a pretty good job of running regularly this spring and summer, I do abs and push ups on my own most days of the week, I still have my weekly sessions with my trainer, and now I have my twice-weekly mornings with Jillian. And I feel good. And all my clothes are fitting properly, always a plus.

But sometimes I feel like I should be getting more exercise. I mean 3 times a week is good and all, but like I said, it’s much less than my body was used to before getting pregnant, so I know I can handle a lot more than this. But dammit, I just don’t have (or try very hard to make, anyway) more time for it. So I’ve done a little brainstorming, and I realized that many things in my everyday routine actually do count toward upping my exercise quota without me thinking much about them. And most of these I’ve discovered since having D, for since I’m not torching calories on a spin bike or treadmill each day anymore I am trying to dust a couple wherever I can.

  • Having a growing toddler in the house, period. D weighs close to 25 lbs. now, so constantly picking her up and toting her around is a great bicep blaster. One of our friends who came over the other week held her for a good half hour, and when he put her down he even commented on how surprisingly tired his arm was, simply from having her up there. My guns are thanking you, little one.
  • Using my abs to straighten up. I’ve just noticed recently what a difference this one makes, but I can totally feel it. Whenever I’m bent over at the waist – washing my face, washing dishes, picking up another pile of crap from wherever it may lie – I would normally just stand straight up without even thinking about it. This can be really hard on a back that already aches from carrying around that aforementioned toddler. So now I concentrate on engaging my abs and using them to straighten my back, kind of like a reverse sit up. This helps strengthen your core (abs, obliques, and lower back), and doesn’t put nearly as much strain directly on your back. Don’t believe me? Try it. And if you notice no difference, then by all means, feel free to call me a liar. It’s ok, I can take it.
  • Lifting with my legs, not my back. Everyone knows this rule when doing any heavy lifting, but it certainly comes into play more and more as that toddler gets bigger and bigger (read heavier and heavier). The last thing I need is to be out of commission with a strained back.
  • Using my butt to stand up, not my knees. I used to do this wrong constantly. Whenever I’d be crouched down, say trying to retrieve something D dropped while in my arms and trying not to drop her in the process, I would push through my knees to stand back up. This killed my knees every time, and they would often pop or crack in revolt. Now, whenever I’m down in a low squat position, I turn it into just that – a squat. Don’t push on your quads with your hands and force your body staggering back upright through your knees; engage your quads, glutes, and hammies to rise. You won’t even need your hands to push on anything. You can feel your buns burning, which is always a good thing. And for extra credit, squeeze your core along with your butt. Feel more burn. I’ve heard that squats are good for quieting unhappy babies, too, so if you find yourself in that predicament give this one a shot. Silenced baby + toned booty = happy mama.
  • Pushing a vacuum more effectively. Or a broom, or a mop, or whatever floor cleaning device you have. Again, use your core. Tighten up your midsection, put a little oopmf into each push, and you can work your biceps and triceps too.
  • Take the stairs. In fact, I take the stairs 2 at a time whenever I can. Overachiever, I know. How many loads of laundry do you do each week? Is your laundry room on a different floor than where you fold or put away the clothes? How many trips up and down those stairs does that equal? ‘Nuff said.

So you see, there are plenty of little things you’re probably already doing that help contribute to your overall daily exercise. And if you’re not, then try these out. It’s zero extra work, it’s just tweaking actions you already make. They’re easy, and if you do them right you really can feel them working. Sure, none of the above tips will break a sweat like a 5 mile run or build your biceps like you’ve been curling with 50 lb. dumbbells, but then again not much does besides those activities themselves. I just like knowing that even though I don’t exercise as much as I used to right now, every little bit really does count.

 

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Finding a little Mom Sexy of my own

I recently discovered a great blog, the Mommyologist (i know, i’m sorry, i’m way late on that one. but better late than never, eh?). It’s hysterical. Mary is the Mommyologist – a career woman turned stay-at-home-mom, and she takes us on her journey through this craziness that is motherhood.

She’s funny, she swears, and she lets us know that it’s ok when we feel like total parenting failures and are ready to pluck our eyelashes out one-by-one – this job called parent isn’t always all puppies and rainbows. Or eating chocolates and drinking wine during nap time, if that ideal is more your style.

She also started the Mom Sexy Revolution over a year and a half ago. SM, what the hell is Mom Sexy? Yeah I had no idea either, but it’s really simple…

Just because we’re moms doesn’t mean we have to be relegated to the frumpy-jeans, bad hair cut, stuck-in-a-rut, no time for “me” brigade. We can still be cute, we can still be fun, we can still rock it. Mom + Sexy = Mom Sexy. Voila!

So anyway, I did a little super-sleuthing, went back through her archives to learn myself a thing or two about her Mom Sexy crusade, and believe or not, it’s stuck with me. And it comes to me at the most random times.

Now if you know me very well, you know I’ve never been one to “flaunt it” or really even consider myself sexy at all. So I’m more surprised than anyone to hear myself saying I’ve found a little Mom Sexy. But I totally did…

I’ve started working out as part of a group of 4 women with my trainer instead of just one-on-one sessions each week, and Monday night was my second group session.

Now for a little background, after the first week I came home and told R I didn’t think I was going to like this because there’s a girl in the group who was a track runner at UW-Madison, graduated 4 years after me, is tiny and petite and rock solid, and just had a baby 6 months ago and bears no signs of pregnancy whatsoever.

So yeah, I was jealous and felt like I was competing against her. Which I totally am not, we’re all just there for the workout, but I couldn’t shake that twinge of envy. I felt like a huge clod next to her. So that didn’t exactly get me off to the greatest start attitude-wise for this little workout group, and was pretty much the opposite of Mom Sexy.

Well this Monday I decided to try to kick it up a mini-notch. I wore a cute workout tank to the gym that night to show off my guns instead of a baggy t-shirt, and tried to feel confident going into the session. I’m in decent shape right now, but I still feel like an Amazon compared to the runner.

And of course, what did she wear that night? A cute little workout tank too and skin-tight running shorts to boot! Ugh. (i feel kinda bad talking shit about her, because she’s actually quite nice and i’m sure they would all think i’m an idiot for feeling this way. but whatever, i just do.)

All right, forget the outfit, you’re here for a good workout. And man, did we ever get our money’s worth that night! Our trainer must have majored in ass-kicking in college, and now she’s going back for her Masters in making-sure-your-clients-can’t-walk-or-raise-their-arms-the-next-day.

But at one point I was doing chest flys with a band stretched around a pole, and my Mom Sexy suddenly came to me. I was looking down toward the floor and thought hey, my abs look nice and flat right now. My arms look really strong. My legs look even stronger as they’re supporting me in this stance. And you know what? F runner girl, I’m the hot one here tonight!

Granted, all those thoughts took place in about a 7 second span, but still. It was a glimpse of my Mom Sexy and it felt great.

So thank you, Mommyologist, for awakening something I never even knew I had – my Mom Sexy. I may not yet be grabbing my butt and boobs in admiration like she does (seriously, go check out her site and videos. she’s got some awesome ‘tude goin’ on.), but I am feeling pretty good about this mommy body of mine.

And for all you other moms out there, try rockin’ a little of your own Mom Sexy. You just might surprise yourself.