She’s baaack ….

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Yes, that’s right – it’s return of the Red-Faced Girl! Adam will be eight weeks old on Monday. (WHAT?!) I had my six-week post partum checkup last week and was cleared for exercise, so I’ve been easing back in … yoga and an occasional, purposeful walk to test the waters.

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So here are my fitness plans (such as they are):

  • Ballet class weekly – YES! I’m going back to the Tiny Erin dreams and taking a ballet class. If I’m going to pay for fitness instruction, it might as well be something I actually like! Two classes in, and I love it. It’s so hard to get out of my mental games, but I’ll get into that another time. I think it’ll be great for strengthening my feet, ankles, and legs.
  • Yoga at least weekly – four babies have done a serious number on my core. I’ve halfheartedly worked core before because … more babies. Why bother until I knew we were done? Well, Adam is the crowning glory on children for our family, so there you have it. Time for core work, and I’m going to start with yoga focused around core exercises. I need to add arm balances and upper body strengthening, too, but I think toting the baby around is already helping with that … and the ballet upper body work.
  • Running/walking – today was about a 15 minute mile, two minutes of walking and one minute of running. I feel pretty good about that, actually! It’s been nine months since I dared to run. Nothing felt like it was falling out (#fourkids) and I didn’t feel exhausted after. Granted it was a little over 1.5 miles, but still! It was Houston and gross outside.

That’s it. No weight loss goals specifically, just toning and getting fit again. This is a picture I took at the beginning of August. I’ll keep taking a picture with me and Adam at the beginning of each month to see what changes – for him and for me!

IMG_4300 What else should I think about for post-baby fitness? Can’t slash calories – nursing takes a lot, especially when you’re also active. Do you have ideas for healthy additions to my diet that will get me those extra calories without loading up my sugar and fat?