It’s been a year since I published something … Anything. I’ve thought of various posts and thoughts to share and never got around to it. But here I am today, tapping away on my phone. Why?
I need some accountability.
I started blogging again while reading awesome running blogs to keep me inspired to start training again. Then I got pregnant with Adam and then I had four kids and life was chaotic. Then I had an ankle injury and then it was summer … You get the idea. Every excuse under the sun. Some valid, some weak.
This week I started another training plan. It’s actually my second attempt to complete Train Like a Mother‘s Heart Rate 101 plan. Earlier this summer I started the plan, did great for 8 weeks, then bombed it as temperatures climbed. I’m hoping this second attempt is even better – and the program is only 8 weeks now, so hurray!
It’s slow. I mean, slower even than my post-baby, post-injury pace. A heart rate cap of 140 for most runs means I am slogging. Especially when you add on temperatures and asthma meds. But the changes are worth it.
So yeah … accountability. And doing the plan. Last time I skipped some of the strength circuits (okay, most of them) and never did the resistance loop training.This week I’ve done them! Next week … I’m going to try!
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.
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!
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?
Can you tell this is our fourth child. Poor little baby … I barely have Jude’s baby book filled out. Maybe I should do that before Baby Mouse arrives.
How far along? 26 weeks when I started this post … now almost 27!
Picture by Seth, my 6 YO. 🙂
Total weight gain/loss: I’ve gained about 13 pounds total since getting pregnant. Since I was above my target weight anyway, I’m fine with that!
Maternity clothes? I discovered by reading Old Navy reviews that the weirdness I talked about in the last update (tight legs, loose hips) is common for those pants. DRAT. I do NOT want to buy more maternity pants. I also got another Stitch Fix (my affiliate referral link) in the meantime. Meh. I need to do a post on the ups and downs I have with them. My last fix with no guidance was great. This fix, with very specific guidance and feedback, was awful. I’m fed up enough that I’ve stopped the automatic shipments for a while.
Stretch marks? The marks I already had on my legs are turning purple again. Yay. At least I know they’ll fade. Meanwhile I’m moisturizing the heck out of my skin after every shower. I’ve also braved the Rodan + Fields Foaming Sunless Tanner (I’m an independent consultant, so yes that’s my link). The added color helps disguise the marks a bit. Sigh. I will be sort of sad to be done having babies, but NOT being done with these stretch marks.
My Preggo Pale legs with Rodan + Fields sunless tanner … a little better!
Sleep: I love my pillows. My husband loves my pillows … I keep having to push him off! I told him that I keep punching him when I turn over because he’s on my pillow, and it’s a total accident … for now.
Best moment this week(s): We had another ultrasound around 24 weeks, and we have another stubborn family member. Baby Mouse was holding onto his/her feet most of the time, lying transverse across my belly, and generally making life difficult for the ultrasound tech. It was pretty funny, actually.
Movement: Mouse has very quiet days then super active days, which I’m guessing are a cycle of growth spurts and busy baby time. S/he is definitely still able to turn some flips in there, though. Some of the movements I feel seem like little tiny waves and pokes, which seem to be more than I remember with the other three.
Food cravings: SALSA. Waking up in the middle of the night, needing fresh salsa. Which is sad since I’ve been told to lay off the carbs … not because of weight, but because my amniotic fluid levels are borderline high. Apparently carbs make the baby pee more, which leads to more fluid. Who knew?
Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat still isn’t my favorite. Now that I’ve been watching my simple carbs (sugars, white grains, etc.) for a few weeks, having anything higher in those makes me sick. Handful of M&Ms = tons of nausea and regret. Boo.
Gender prediction: Still think it’s a girl! And I want to know so I know which of these adorable Orla Kiely baby blanket sets to buy. I want them ALL.
Orla Kiely Baby at Target. I DIE.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On and loose, but the warmer temperatures have made my hands swell a little. In about a month I will have heating pad hands.
Feeling all the Feels or Just Some of the Feels? I’ll be honest – March has been a hard month. My grandfather passed away unexpectedly at the beginning of the month, which has been very, very hard. Our sweet nanny has had her own family sadness this month, and she’s needed to be out for a bit. We saw that our old house (sold when I was pregnant with Jude) was on the market as a rental. I (stupidly) looked at the listing pictures and … they didn’t change anything. My colors, my CURTAINS in most rooms, and my nursery that we created when I was pregnant with Seth. I was desperately sad about not having that, either, especially because I didn’t get to create a nursery space in our new house while pregnant with Jude … we were in a rental when he was born and moved to our new house when he was 8 weeks old and my maternity leave was almost over. All of these things, the stress and emotions, plus a heavy workload are making me feel very drained and emotional now at the end of the month.
Weekly Wisdom: Don’t look at listing pictures of your old house when a) you loved your old house, b) you haven’t been out of it long, and c) you don’t feel fully at home in your new house. Just don’t.
Milestones: We are swiftly headed to the less-risky third trimester! If Baby Mouse was born after this point but before 37 weeks there would still be lots of challenges but larger chances of survival. I try not to stress about these things, but reaching the 27/28 week milestone makes me feel significantly better.
Pregnancy Fitness: YOGA! I signed up last summer/fall for I Run 4 Michael, a program that matches runners with buddies who have special needs. We run in honor of our buddies, sharing the victories, the highs/lows together. I got my match last week and I’m so excited to have her to consider in my intentions in yoga practice and my accountability buddy as I start running after the baby is born.
Yoga belly in my For Two Fitness yoga tank.
Jude likes to help me “do the yoga” when he’s up in the mornings.
Pardon me, my four-year-old has been watching Cinderella over and over. Yes, the classic and iconic princess has claimed Nora’s #1 Princess spot, over the likes of Elsa, Sofia, etc. Rapunzel and Elsa are probably rounding out the top three, with Sofia making a strong push for third too.
This past weekend was the Disney World Princess Half Marathon weekend, full of such fun as the Glass Slipper Challenge (10K + Half Marathon), kids’ races, a fun 5K, and princesses everywhere. I would have loved to run this but … did I mention baby due in June? And not a good pregnant runner? Thought I might have.
Also this weekend came an announcement of a Disney race close to my heart: the inaugural Disneyland Paris half marathon in September 2016. The husband is French, see, and 2016 is our 10th anniversary year. I’d already talked about wanting to do the Tinkerbell Half (Disneyland in California) as my “We’re done having babies!” race in May 2016, and the Wine and Dine Half Marathon (Disney World in Florida) since it’s near our anniversary in November 2016. (And earn that coast-to-coast, because why not? It’s a big year.) So if we added in a Disneyland Paris in September for an unofficial “around the Disney world” challenge … ah, it’d be so fun. And expensive. Let’s not forget expensive.
So dreams and wishes and et cetera … in honor of all the Disney racing fun, I thought I’d share some fun running costume boards I’ve put together. I started doing these for the Disney 10K in 2014, and it’s become a fun little hobby of mine. I’ve done some of the “main” princesses, but love to do characters less known or emulated.
First: a princess who always does her best. Sofia‘s sister Princess Amber.
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?
