So my fitness goal for while Matt is at BCT is to be able to run a decent 5K. I won't be entering into any races (yet), but I am just too lazy to go for a run and that needs to stop.
Well, he is now beginning Week 5 of BCT... and last night I went for my first run! Yup, you could say I'm a little behind. Life just gets away fro you when you are keeping track of a 6 month old!
I decided not to join a gym since I didn't want to pay the money when I wasn't sure how often I would be using it. Plus I'd have to find one that's close by and has decent child care. I didn't really want to bother. Plus my parents have a treadmill and I have my 5 lb. free weights. Sure, I won't be able to do all the exercises I'm used to, but I can do lunges, squats, and abs without weights.
So... I decided to start out slow to get a feel for running again. This is my second run post baby. I did just one mile. I ran the first half, speed walked the next quarter, and then ran the last quarter. It wasn't horrible, honestly, but it wasn't great either. But, the good news: I didn't feel like death afterwards. I would call run number one a success. I plan to run every other day for a little while and then maybe increase it to every weekday... but we'll see. It also depends on if baby cooperates. Last night I ran after he was in bed. Love my video monitor so I can keep track of him!
A few tips from a new runner:
1. Take it slow to begin with.
2. Make sure you have good shoes. I bought new ones to make sure I put them to good use.
3. Stretch beforehand. I used to just jump into runs and my legs felt it afterwards. Stretching beforehand makes a big big difference. No nasty shin splints mid-run.
4. Don't eat donuts pre-run. I'll leave it at that.
So here we go. I wanted to become a runner (not a serious runner, but 1-5 miles regularly) for two reasons: in case I ever need to run for my life (sounds silly, but I'm entirely serious) and because running gets rid of flab that other exercise doesn't. I am not overweight, but I would love to be slightly more trim. Ellipticals keep me healthy, but running will help me stay slim.
Here's to meeting a new fitness goal!
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fitness. Show all posts
Monday, October 15, 2012
Monday, August 06, 2012
A New Week
So... it is day two without the kitties. So far we're doing exceptionally well! It is honestly a very freeing feeling not having the cats around. We don't have to close the doors to bedrooms. We don't have to clean the litter or worry about feeding them. We don't have to bat them away wile we're eating (since they always want scraps). We don't have to worry about them running out the door when we're coming home or going out. I plan to go through and deep clean the areas they inhabited (vacuum and clorox-ing the litter areas). Our house will probably look and smell much cleaner minus their fur and litter.
On the other hand, I do miss their snuggliness. Thankfully, my baby is a cuddle bug. Of course, baby trumps animals any day. If we would have rehomed the cats before we had a baby that probably wouldn't have been a good situation. I would be very sad and probably cry a lot. Ever since we had Jackson I've felt much less connected to the cats in general. Their new home will give them lots of attention and love.
Yesterday their new owner texted me letting me know that the cats were doing much better than Saturday. Here's hoping that they calm down, settle in, and that Emily doesn't have any accidents.
In other news: My fitness goals are kind of a joke. Maybe I shouldn't make goals for every day in a month. It just isn't feasible with a baby unless I actually go to the gym. So, for no I'm canceling my August fitness goal of doing abs every day. I have been able to do them this month... but every day just isn't going to work. Once I am done working (which won't be until 2013) we will see if I can get into a schedule of working out. Then I'll be able to take Jack to the YMCA child care while I exercise. Now though, come 5 o'clock I'm just ready to get home to my baby. I try to do abs once baby goes to sleep, but inevitably he squirms once I begin and he wants to be held. Of course, I have to pick him up and snuggle him.
Life with a baby is very different than life without one... but I so enjoy life with a baby much much more. He is so fulfilling. I don't really miss the freedoms I've given up. I do wish we could go see Batman... but it actually works out well since we shouldn't spend the money on a regular movie theater ticket now. So... baby helps us save money!
Baby's 19 Week post coming.
On the other hand, I do miss their snuggliness. Thankfully, my baby is a cuddle bug. Of course, baby trumps animals any day. If we would have rehomed the cats before we had a baby that probably wouldn't have been a good situation. I would be very sad and probably cry a lot. Ever since we had Jackson I've felt much less connected to the cats in general. Their new home will give them lots of attention and love.
Yesterday their new owner texted me letting me know that the cats were doing much better than Saturday. Here's hoping that they calm down, settle in, and that Emily doesn't have any accidents.
In other news: My fitness goals are kind of a joke. Maybe I shouldn't make goals for every day in a month. It just isn't feasible with a baby unless I actually go to the gym. So, for no I'm canceling my August fitness goal of doing abs every day. I have been able to do them this month... but every day just isn't going to work. Once I am done working (which won't be until 2013) we will see if I can get into a schedule of working out. Then I'll be able to take Jack to the YMCA child care while I exercise. Now though, come 5 o'clock I'm just ready to get home to my baby. I try to do abs once baby goes to sleep, but inevitably he squirms once I begin and he wants to be held. Of course, I have to pick him up and snuggle him.
Life with a baby is very different than life without one... but I so enjoy life with a baby much much more. He is so fulfilling. I don't really miss the freedoms I've given up. I do wish we could go see Batman... but it actually works out well since we shouldn't spend the money on a regular movie theater ticket now. So... baby helps us save money!
Baby's 19 Week post coming.
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Fitness Failure
Full disclosure: I am failing miserably at my July fitness goal. I am not even going to bother posting how many days out of this month I have managed to do my abs. Let's just say that at the end of the month it will be more than half, but less than all 31 days... which was the original goal.
My schedule looks like this- wake up to feed baby between 4:30-6, depending on when he happens to wake up. Try to go back to sleep. Just barely doze off and the alarm goes off at 6:15. Wake up and get ready for the day, while also trying to occupy baby who is now wide awake. Feed baby one last time before leaving the house. Pass baby off to Daddy. Work 8-5. Drive home. With traffic, I get home around 5:30. Make and eat dinner (often Daddy has dinner ready and waiting for me). Alternate between feeding and playing with baby. Give baby bath on odd days. Rock baby to sleep between 8-10 depending on baby. Try to get some me-time in by hulu-ing some shows. Generally fall asleep before even one show is over.
Where in that schedule is there time for abs? My ab routine takes about 20 minutes in the quick version. Sigh. I will renew this goal for the month of August and hopefully do much better. We'll see how it goes.
My schedule looks like this- wake up to feed baby between 4:30-6, depending on when he happens to wake up. Try to go back to sleep. Just barely doze off and the alarm goes off at 6:15. Wake up and get ready for the day, while also trying to occupy baby who is now wide awake. Feed baby one last time before leaving the house. Pass baby off to Daddy. Work 8-5. Drive home. With traffic, I get home around 5:30. Make and eat dinner (often Daddy has dinner ready and waiting for me). Alternate between feeding and playing with baby. Give baby bath on odd days. Rock baby to sleep between 8-10 depending on baby. Try to get some me-time in by hulu-ing some shows. Generally fall asleep before even one show is over.
Where in that schedule is there time for abs? My ab routine takes about 20 minutes in the quick version. Sigh. I will renew this goal for the month of August and hopefully do much better. We'll see how it goes.
Tuesday, July 03, 2012
July Fitness Goal
So... the last week of June I set a fitness goal for myself for July.
And just now I realized it is July 3. This whole no power, not living in my home thing is really throwing me off!
So this is the plan: do my work towards my goal tonight, tomorrow morning do my work, tomorrow night do my work, Thursday morning do my work, Thursday night do my work, Friday on out do my work once a day. Evens it out, right? I'm glad I realized it today instead of later in the week!
So here's the goal: do my abs routine every single day. I haven't yet figured a time to go to the gym so I figure abs is a good place to start since I can do them in my living room or bedroom when baby is sleeping.
When I am not working I just want to be with Jack. In the mornings before work and immediately when work is finished for the day, I can't get enough of my baby boy! Makes fitting in gym trips difficult. Plus, since the pounds keep coming off I don't feel the pressure.
Maybe in the month of August I'll begun fitting in cardio videos I can do at home to my goal. We'll see how this month goes. I used to jumprope a lot. Maybe that will be my cardio. Maybe I'll go for walks with Jack for cardio. But we'll just take it one month at a time.
I have certainly lost all my baby fat, but now it's time to begin tightening up those muscles again! Although, baby has helped define my arms! He recently has like to play horsey while the horsey is lying flat on the ground. That is a great ab workout. So it's not like my muscles have been completely lax recently. But working on them more specifically certainly won't hurt!
And just now I realized it is July 3. This whole no power, not living in my home thing is really throwing me off!
So this is the plan: do my work towards my goal tonight, tomorrow morning do my work, tomorrow night do my work, Thursday morning do my work, Thursday night do my work, Friday on out do my work once a day. Evens it out, right? I'm glad I realized it today instead of later in the week!
So here's the goal: do my abs routine every single day. I haven't yet figured a time to go to the gym so I figure abs is a good place to start since I can do them in my living room or bedroom when baby is sleeping.
When I am not working I just want to be with Jack. In the mornings before work and immediately when work is finished for the day, I can't get enough of my baby boy! Makes fitting in gym trips difficult. Plus, since the pounds keep coming off I don't feel the pressure.
Maybe in the month of August I'll begun fitting in cardio videos I can do at home to my goal. We'll see how this month goes. I used to jumprope a lot. Maybe that will be my cardio. Maybe I'll go for walks with Jack for cardio. But we'll just take it one month at a time.
I have certainly lost all my baby fat, but now it's time to begin tightening up those muscles again! Although, baby has helped define my arms! He recently has like to play horsey while the horsey is lying flat on the ground. That is a great ab workout. So it's not like my muscles have been completely lax recently. But working on them more specifically certainly won't hurt!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Widdle My Middle
I was pretty proud when I stepped on the scale and saw that I had returned to my pre-preggo weight before my baby turned 2 months old. The only problem? The numbers on the scale are rarely indicative (in any situation) of fitness and overall physique. I may weigh the same as before baby, but my body is not the same as it was then.
When I flex my abs it is pretty sad. My once prized abs (firm, but not too defined- don't want to look like a she-man) were soft and fluffy. It was surprising, but shouldn't have been since doing good ab work was next to impossible the further I got in the pregnancy. It also is surprising how much your core really affects the rest of your workout... or everyday life!
I have gone for one run post baby. It wasn't nearly as horrible as I anticipated. Unfortunately, finding time to exercise is not high on my priority list. Since I will be returning to the office (I am working from home for the last month of my maternity leave) soon I want to take advantage of all the time I have with Jack. This doesn't leave much time to go for a run or do an exercise video. Although, I keep telling myself to do it while he's sleeping. The problem there? That's when I put the laundry away or clean the kitchen or make dinner.
I have this elegant plan in my mind where I will go to the gym three times a week on my way home from work. Weekends will be devoted entirely to Jackson. The other two week days I will do some kind of exercise at home. Probably a video of some sort (I discovered the videos on hulu, amazing!). Now, will I actually use my gym membership when I could be at home with my baby? Doubtful. I do like the elliptical better than going for a run, but I can come home and spend a couple hours with Jack and when he goes down for the night go for a run and then do crunches etc at home. That sounds much better.
I plan on buying 2-3 pairs of jeans for my birthday. My go to jeans from pre-pregnancy ran a hole in the knee during my first trimester. They were my go to jeans afterall, so they got the most wear. I went through my closet recently and go rid of a bunch of old jeans I don't wear anymore. This means I need some new ones. I can fit into my old size, but sometimes if the waist is a little tight I get a lovely little muffin top. Unacceptable. I picked out the three pairs I want. I have some work to do to get rid of that muffin top!
I plan to buy one pair of dark skinny jeans since I discovered that I like those, plus I now have a pair of boots that actually fit to go well with jeans; one pair of dark boot cut jeans, and one pair of regular wash boot cut jeans. Since I am short I order petites when they are available. The waist is the only area that might be a little snug. So... time to widdle my middle.
I know it is possible. My middle is soft so I can definitely firm it up. I just need to get motivated! So here is my official challenge to myself. I need to be diligent in doing abs at the very least. Now that I have access to exercise videos online I also don't have any excuse not to get some cardio in. I can always go for a run if I feel up to it, but that's not necessary if time doesn't allow. I can do it! My birthday isn't until August and this shouldn't even take that long anyways!
We'll see if this public post helps me get started. I've been lazy these first two months of Jack's life. Time to get moving!
When I flex my abs it is pretty sad. My once prized abs (firm, but not too defined- don't want to look like a she-man) were soft and fluffy. It was surprising, but shouldn't have been since doing good ab work was next to impossible the further I got in the pregnancy. It also is surprising how much your core really affects the rest of your workout... or everyday life!
I have gone for one run post baby. It wasn't nearly as horrible as I anticipated. Unfortunately, finding time to exercise is not high on my priority list. Since I will be returning to the office (I am working from home for the last month of my maternity leave) soon I want to take advantage of all the time I have with Jack. This doesn't leave much time to go for a run or do an exercise video. Although, I keep telling myself to do it while he's sleeping. The problem there? That's when I put the laundry away or clean the kitchen or make dinner.
I have this elegant plan in my mind where I will go to the gym three times a week on my way home from work. Weekends will be devoted entirely to Jackson. The other two week days I will do some kind of exercise at home. Probably a video of some sort (I discovered the videos on hulu, amazing!). Now, will I actually use my gym membership when I could be at home with my baby? Doubtful. I do like the elliptical better than going for a run, but I can come home and spend a couple hours with Jack and when he goes down for the night go for a run and then do crunches etc at home. That sounds much better.
I plan on buying 2-3 pairs of jeans for my birthday. My go to jeans from pre-pregnancy ran a hole in the knee during my first trimester. They were my go to jeans afterall, so they got the most wear. I went through my closet recently and go rid of a bunch of old jeans I don't wear anymore. This means I need some new ones. I can fit into my old size, but sometimes if the waist is a little tight I get a lovely little muffin top. Unacceptable. I picked out the three pairs I want. I have some work to do to get rid of that muffin top!
I plan to buy one pair of dark skinny jeans since I discovered that I like those, plus I now have a pair of boots that actually fit to go well with jeans; one pair of dark boot cut jeans, and one pair of regular wash boot cut jeans. Since I am short I order petites when they are available. The waist is the only area that might be a little snug. So... time to widdle my middle.
I know it is possible. My middle is soft so I can definitely firm it up. I just need to get motivated! So here is my official challenge to myself. I need to be diligent in doing abs at the very least. Now that I have access to exercise videos online I also don't have any excuse not to get some cardio in. I can always go for a run if I feel up to it, but that's not necessary if time doesn't allow. I can do it! My birthday isn't until August and this shouldn't even take that long anyways!
We'll see if this public post helps me get started. I've been lazy these first two months of Jack's life. Time to get moving!
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