Me at 7 Weeks Postpartum

So, I mentioned in my post about the first two weeks with Baby C that I hurt my neck at some point during labor and delivery.  It was difficult for me to stand up, sit up, and sometimes even hold Baby C for the first 8 days. Holding my camera to take pictures was really hard, which made me really sad. But, after 8 days, my neck pain went away completely. It was pretty much overnight that it got better. Because of the neck pain, I felt like my recovery was a lot slower than after Miss A and Little J were born, and that was really hard for me. Thankfully it was only 8 days. Everything else has seemed to heal pretty well, and besides getting a little less sleep than normal, I'm back to feeling pretty much like myself.

Around the 4 week mark I started getting really anxious to be active again. I tried a couple of workouts on our elliptical to see how I would feel, and then at 5 weeks postpartum I went on my first run.  It was really tough. I ended up running a super slow 2 miles.  When I got home I told E that my lungs hurt the most, but the next day wow were my legs sore. I went out again a couple days later and managed to do the same 2 mile route a little bit faster. Yay!

Now that I'm a little past the 7 week mark, I thought I would set some goals for myself, and share them here to hold myself accountable. With 3 little ones running around it's easy for me to find reasons to skip out on workouts, but also really important for my mental health to stay active.

I'm currently about 10 pounds over my pre-pregnancy weight. I was able to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight by 6 weeks with Miss A and 6 months with Little J, and I'd like to get back there again. I'm trying not to put a lot of pressure on myself to be at a certain weight right now, but I would like to get things more toned up, and have my clothes fit better. For now I'm not planning to restrict what I'm eating (besides maybe cutting back on the sugary treats), so my focus is really on activity.
So, my goals are to do 3-4 cardio workouts each week, and 1-2 weight workouts. I'd like to run as much as possible this fall, because I know that winter is on the way and I'll be stuck on the elliptical for many months. I look at our schedule for the week, and try to plan which days will be the best to run. I have met my cardio goal the past two weeks, with 3 runs each week, but I haven't done any weight workouts yet. I'll check back again in a few weeks to share my progress. I'm planning to treat myself to Stitch Fix if I consistently meet my goals.

Does anyone have good tips for staying motivated?

Fit Pregnancy

Back when I was pregnant with Miss A, I was really committed to working out throughout my pregnancy.  For me, working out has always been partially about managing my weight and partially about relieving stress.  I started a new job that fall, in a new school, new grade levels, teaching new subjects, so keeping my stress in check was important.  Plus, working out had been a part of my weekly routine for years, and everything I read about working out while pregnant was positive, so I stuck pretty much to my regular routine.  I continued going to the gym until around 38 weeks when I was more tired and getting a lot of funny looks from other gym members.  Plus it was nice enough outside for E and I to walk around the lake most nights.

After Miss A was born, I had a hard time getting to the gym.  The one E and I belonged to didn't have child care, and I hated leaving as soon as E walked in the door to go work out.  Miss A was born in late March, and we had a beautiful spring, so we walked miles every day.  By my 6 week postpartum visit I was a few pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight and fit in my old clothes okay, so I didn't really worry about it.

I gained a few pounds back as I was weaning Miss A (she was about a year old) but it was still winter here, so I didn't worry much about it.  Then I found out I was pregnant with Little J, so I really wasn't worrying about it.  During my first trimester with Little J (as will all three pregnancies it turns out) I was really sick and tired, so I wasn't able to do much.  Summer came, and I walked a lot with Miss A and E, and pretty much called that my exercise throughout the rest of my pregnancy.  In fact, we made it out for a nice, somewhat chilly walk around the lake the day before Little J was born.

When Little J was born, my postpartum experience was much different.  For one thing, Little J was born in late November, meaning there were limited options for outdoor activities.  I could have gone to a mall to walk, but the idea of getting two kids under two bundled up to go walk around a mall was not appealing.  I also had to go back to work a lot earlier with Little J (8 weeks versus the 5 months... big difference!).  I picked up a Jillian Michael's DVD and some hand weights at Target, and tried to do those a few times a week.  Those helped me get started on my weight loss and back into a workout routine.

That spring was probably the nicest spring I can remember.  We had Miss A's birthday party and Little J's baptism over St. Patrick's Day weekend and it was 80 degrees.  We were about to have people out on the deck and playing in the yard.  It was wonderful.  The nice spring also helped me start running.  Running had never been my go to exercise, but it was something I could do fairly quickly in the evenings, and I knew it would be effective in helping boost my weight loss.  A friend suggested we run a 5k later that spring, and once I signed up I was committed to not embarrass myself at the race.  I ran a lot that spring, making it below my goal time for the race, and below my goal weight for a Biggest Loser contest we were having at work.  I continued running throughout the summer and fall, and the next year when it warmed up again I started running again.

When I found out I was pregnant this time around, in early December, 2013, I was in a pretty good workout routine.  The weather had gotten colder, so I was mixing in time on the elliptical (we got one for the house) on days I couldn't run outside.  So far I've been able to keep up with cardio 3 to 4 times per week, which I'm pretty happy with.  I joined a rec center near our house with a running track so I have somewhere to run in this crazy winter we're having.  I'm not running fast or far, but it's helping me to stay active.  I'm not sure how long I'll continue, but at 18 weeks it's still feeling okay.  The elliptical is a nice alternative.  The movement is much more smooth, but I don't always feel like I'm getting the best workout.  As the weather gets nicer, I'll probably add in a lot of walking too.  I haven't done much for weights during this pregnancy, but now that I'm starting to feel like myself again, I'll probably try to work more light weights in too.

I really feel that working out during my first pregnancy helped my postpartum experience, so I'm trying to keep that in mind as I go through this pregnancy.  I'm being careful to listen to my body and not do too much, but I'm hoping to continue some kind of work out routine throughout this pregnancy.  Any advice or suggestions for things to try in the coming months?

Sunday Run

I'm writing this Sunday night, at the end of a 4 day weekend.  I loved having 2 extra days off of work this week.  It really was great.  But even though I technically had 4 days off, I brought home a stack of papers to grade and new materials to read, I had 4 photo sessions (including a group of 16) and we had family in town.  So the 4 days were still full.  Yes, I got time to relax, but I also worked a lot.

So this evening, while E was headed out with the girls for a quick trip, I got ready to go for a run.  This was my first run in a week, so I was kind of anxious to get out, even though it was cold and wet.  As I ran a frequent 2 mile route, I was thinking about running.  About how, over the past year and half, I've made running a part of my routine.  How it has been great to help me get fit after having Little J, relieve stress during the school year and get my days off to a good start in the summer.  How, 2 years ago, there's no way you would have me outside in this weather, much less running.

My phone died as I was getting close to the house, but it wasn't a big deal because I was already over the 2 miles I had hoped to fit in.  My plan was to go home and start dinner so it would be ready when E and the girls got home.  But, as I got to the house, I found that the door I thought I had left unlocked was actually locked and the lock box we normally keep outside with an extra key was in the kitchen.  I was stuck.  No phone, no key in the cold and rain.

I could have gotten really cranky.  I could have let this problem add to the stress I was already feeling about Monday morning.  Instead, I made one healthy choice (thanks, Heather).  I knocked on the neighbor's door and borrowed their phone to call E and left a quick message letting him know what happened.  Then I headed back out to run.  I didn't run far, just a little over a mile (my best guess), but it was making a good choice.  A good choice for my body, and a good choice for my mind.  When I got home again, I wasn't cranky.  I was refreshed, and ready to tackle the rest of my Sunday night to do list.

Free to Breathe 5K

Last weekend I ran the Free to Breathe 5K in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  About a year and a half ago my grandma died of lung cancer.  She came to visit me in early December of 2011, just after Little J was born to help out while E was out of town for work.  She died just over 3 months later.  Everything progressed very quickly, and needless to say, it was really hard on my family.  My mom found this event in Milwaukee that happened to fall close to her little sister's 50th birthday.  My Aunt Kecka is a runner, so this seemed like a great way for our family to both celebrate her birthday and honor her mom.  In total there were 19 of us who were able to participate including E, the girls and me.

The full group!

Both E and I had planned to run the 5K, but he wasn't feeling the best and has a big week coming up at work, so he decided to do the walk.  I talked to Kecka on Friday night about what pace she was planning to run.  She said 9 minute miles.  I told her I was hoping to run closer to 8:30, so she said we could try to run it together.

I'll back up a bit here, and say I had a minor melt down on Wednesday night when I ran a 29:30 5K time, much slower than I had been running.  Luckily I have an amazing husband and friends who supported and encouraged me that Saturday would be better.

Back to the race.  Kecka and I started out together, and fought our way through the crowd at the start.  At the first half mile we were around 8:45, which felt pretty good.  Each half mile, Kecka ran a little faster, and at 1.5 miles she had the pace down to 8:18.  After a rough week training, and knowing that was faster than I'd ever finished 3.1, I let her go ahead.  My uncle Mike was standing around the 2 mile mark cheering us on, which was a big boost for me.  The last 1.1 miles were right along Lake Michigan.  It was really pretty, even though it was a little cold and windy.  I was still running at a good pace at 2.5 miles, so I picked up my speed a little, and when the finish line was in sight I ran as fast as I could.

3 Generations: My mom, Miss and and me!

The official time for the race had my at 26:38, a personal best itself, but the timing started everyone at the same time, not when I actually crossed the start line.  My timing of the race was 25:59!  When E asked me what time would make me ecstatic on Friday I said low 26s, so breaking 26 was absolutely amazing for me. I guess all those early mornings this summer paid off!  Kecka finished well in front of me, and finished 2nd in her age group!  

Overall I was really happy that we did this event as a family, and I ended up with a PR too!

Super Summer Challenge SUCCESS!

Earlier this summer I wrote about the Super Summer Challenge that Heather shared with me.  As you can see from the lists above, I got to fill in a variety of activities that were assigned different point values from 10 to 500 points.  Each activity would earn mind, body or mind and body points.  The Super Summer challenge started on June 1st, with the goal being to reach 10,000 mind points and 10,000 body points by August 31st.  

I'm excited to say that I accumulated over 10,000 points for both mind and body!  I kept track of my points every day for 3 months (not including the 10 days we were in Germany) and I am feeling really proud of my Super Summer success!

The Super Summer Challenge helped me stay on track this summer.  I made an attempt to lose some weight last spring, but didn't accomplish much of my goal.  As I worked on the Super Summer Challenge, I managed to lose about 10 pounds, and I'm feeling much stronger too.  I have been doing planks like crazy, and have gone from being able to do a plank for about 30 seconds to a little over 90 seconds.  I also ran over 5.5 miles earlier this summer, which is probably the longest distance I've ever run.  E and I even took the kids to a nearby high school one afternoon to do a sprint workout, all because it was on my Super Summer Challenge list.  

Even though I technically had more mind points than body points, much of that was due to racking up wake up and run points for both body and mind.  I ran 3 to 4 days a week all summer, which was a big deal, especially after some of the warmer weeks we had.  I probably wouldn't have done that if it weren't for wanting to get those points early in the day.  

Needing to earn mind points also helped me make sure I was doing something with my summer.  I have the luxury of not working in the summer, and while I love spending my days with Little J and Miss A, it's not always the most stimulating conversation.  Reading for 10 minutes a day earned me 10 points, so I did a lot of reading.  I read 7 books this summer, and I'm started on an 8th.  I also listened to countless podcasts. While some are less serious, like Pop Culture Happy Hour, I also listened to many, many TED Talks.  It made me feel good when my principal played a TED Talk that I'd already listened to during opening week.  And I was able to cross a couple of big project items off of my summer to do list, like paint the living room, paint the trim and clean out a basement room (each earning me 500 points).

I hope to carry some of this success into the fall.  My fitness sometimes suffers when I go back to work, but I think I have set some things in place to keep me on track (like signing up for fall races).  Some things have also developed into habits, like taking some time to read as soon as the girls start their rest time.  I may also set up some rewards for myself if I finish some other big project items from my to do list (like clean out the rest of the basement). 

Did anyone else stick with the Super Summer Challenge all summer?  How did you do?  Any plans for how to continue on with healthy activities as the weather cools off?  I'd love to hear suggestions!