Fitness Update: Week 3

Last week I told myself I would make it to the gym at least 4 days, well that didn’t happen. Friday we ended up having an emergency situation (don’t worry, everyone is okay) so I only made it in 3 days. But I can honestly say I pushed myself a little more than I normally do. More and more I am feeling the progress my body is making. I noticed shorts I bought less than a month ago fit me better than they did in store. I also noticed that some of my undies are now a smidgen too big on me…..

My biggest challenge is going to be getting my lose skin around my stomach to tighten back up. I’m not fully sure that is even possible? I can feel my abs under all of it, but nothing shows..yet. Being pregnant back to back only made matter worse for my lose skin, but I intend to do what I can with it. If I have to start wearing shape-wear, I will.

It also doesn’t help that I have done nothing but eat like crap the past 2 weeks. I really need to step up my meal prep and planning game. I should probably start doing that soon as I have to go to the grocery store this evening.

I will be posting my progress photos soon with details on what machines I have been doing and how many inches I am down. My hips are already pretty close to what they were before ever having children, which is exciting.

What ever goals you have, I hope you are working hard to meet them. Happy Monday!

Fitness Update: Week 2.

My weekend was insanely busy, which resulted in me only going to the gym Monday-Wednesday. I don’t really like how that feels.

Monday was my first ever Yoga class and it wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be. See, I’ve done a bit of Yoga on and off in the past, but it is different when you have a teacher to follow. My teacher kept telling us to listen to our bodies and go at our own pace, not to strain and only do what we could. I was able to do almost everything smoothly, except for planks. My abdominal walls are stretched out and weak due to have two kids back to back. I hope to continue Yoga weekly.

Tuesday I did a Barre class and that was about what I expected it to be. I used to dance ballet, so I knew what to expect. But I am so so so far out of shape that it felt impossible to keep up. My body wore out so fast that I was shaking 20 minutes into the class. I still intend to do Barre classes here and there. I’m not sure if I will do them weekly though. At least not yet.

Wednesday I spent my time at the gym on the weight machines. My trainer has set up a chart of machines I should use to help me get the results I am looking for. I tried to do an even amount on each machine, but different body parts have different strength and weaknesses so I stopped when my body had enough. I focused a little bit more on my arms and abs. I know I shouldn’t be able to yet, but I can already tell a difference in my arms. I have been able to see the difference in my legs for a few days now, which is lovely. With my arms when I hold them out at shoulder width, the muscles feel tighter.

Over the weekend we had my daughters birthday party and surprisingly I didn’t eat like crap like I normally would. Normally I would shove 6 cupcakes into my mouth, this time I didn’t. I think I had two, I drank a lot of water and made sure I was portioning my food. In the past week my eating has been so much better, I have been drinking more water and less coffee, and all around I am in a much better mood.

Over all I can say I am really glad I finally took the push to join a gym. The women who work there are all so supportive and helpful. I don’t feel embarrassed to work out there in front of other people like I have at co-ed gyms. There is a steady flow of people working out, but it is never cramped when I go in the evening and the machines I use are almost always available. I am happy with how my past two weeks have gone, I can’t wait to keep it up.

Fitness Update: Week One.

Last week I posted about me journey into losing this baby weight I have been carrying. I decided I am not going to focus on losing the weight, rather than getting fit. The weight loss will just be a welcomed response to my body changing.

So far last week I have hit the gym 3 times, got talked into trying a class they call “Power 30”, and met with my trainer. I am actually going to be meeting with her later this morning as well. I wish I had gone more last week, but I didn’t want to exhaust my body. I am still pretty sore from Thursday.

I kind of feel like a little kid on their birthday, you play with your new toy for a few days but the charm wears off. I don’t think the charm will wear off with this though. I can honestly say I am very happy with my first week and can already feel the progress, mostly in my legs.

I notice the days I work out in the morning I tend to make better choices in food through out the rest of the day. I really liked being active at 5 am and the rest of my day following went very well. I was more upbeat, happy, not so tired and wore out. My kids even had a really good day.

I am excited to share my progress with everyone.

Starting My Weight Loss Journey.

It is a few days late, 5 days actually. But I am officially ONE YEAR postpartum! My sweet baby girl turned ONE on June first. I still remember that morning like it just happened. It is true, you never really forget your labor or the first time you meet your baby.

I was induced due to high complications and pre-eclampsia. I was in labor all of 3 hours, shaking from the pain that seemed to be worse than my first time in labor. Both of our heart rates dropped low, I had to wear an oxygen mask, Norva had to have a pin placed on her head while still in utero to monitor her heart rate. I honestly did not think we would both make it out alive. Once I was fully dilated and it was time, she took all of 10 minutes to arrive.

I knew by the way she entered this world she would give us the ride of our lives. And so far that is exactly what she has done. She is stubborn, fierce, a little mouthy, and fearless, but also the most loving and happiest little girl I have ever met.

I am also excited to announce that I am getting back into my workouts. For anyone who has had two under two will know what I mean when I say the first year is an adjustment. Sometimes it’s longer than a year. I have been battling postpartum depression, anxiety, confidence, and much more. I have just recently come open about everything I have been trying to deal with in hopes to inspire someone else, or even let them know they are not alone.

I have always had body issues for as long as I can remember. I tried so many different fad diets, pills, not eating anything at all. With both of my pregnancies combined I gained 84 lbs.

Emmett:

Start weight: 136 lbs. Day he was born: 189 =53 lbs.

Norva:

Start weight: 172 lbs. Day she was born: 220 =48 lbs.

My current weight is 173, although it seems to flux from 169 to 174.

My postpartum care was so different between Emmett and Norva. After having Emmett I was doing yoga everyday and some light weights. In the spring and summer I was walking 4 miles everyday. I ate a fantastic diet cutting out sugar and red meats. I hit a low of 157 lbs but some where, somehow I gained 15 lbs before getting pregnant with Norva. After Norva was born my body seemed to heal faster, but my will and motivation to do anything was gone. She was my spring baby, but I couldn’t bring myself to walk at all, work out, or even eat. I was under and impressively high amount of stress after having Norva that some days it was impossible to get out of bed, but I had to. I was home alone with the kids Monday morning-Friday night with no help. We moved twice after having Norva, which caused more stress. Plus the stress that comes with breast feeding, a toddler, money, everything really. I was in such a bad spot mentally that I let my physical go.

I am starting to feel better about myself and my life, which is giving me motivation to work out and get healthy again. It really isn’t about the weight at this point, it is more about gaining confidence and mental clarity to be the best person I can be. Sure losing the weight is a plus, but I want to be healthy, I want to not be winded while walking up a flight of stairs with a kid on each hip, I want to have more confidence in myself all around.

Sunday I went grocery shopping and 90% of what I bought was produce. The rest was healthy alternatives to snacks, some gluten free items, and non dairy. You could say my diet changes follow some Paleo or Keto guide lines. My work outs are consisting of Barre, yoga, walking, and some light weight lifting. My body seems to take fast to working out, so I plan to be updating my progress every couple of weeks. I haven’t worked out a schedule for that yet.

I am excited to share my progress with all of you and clue you in to my recipes and work outs I have been doing. I also hope to hear from all of you on input or challenges you think I should try, even telling me what worked for you when losing the baby weight. You can comment here or email me at Chaoswithsugar@gmail.com