It goes without saying that there are a lot of new worries that come with being a new mom. Not only do you worry about the new tiny human that you are trying to keep alive, but your body just went through the most dramatic change since your first year of life.
During pregnancy I really tried to stay healthy and fit. I ran until my 28th week of pregnancy, I went to yoga twice a week religiously, I did spin 2x a week in my 3rd trimester, and I ate relatively healthy (brussel sprouts are really hard to get down while you are "with child" but I managed). I still gained a ton of weight, 45-50lbs!! I've admitted to my close friends and I guess I'll admit it here, I weighed more than Paul at the end. eek! Your body does what it is gonna do when you are pregnant...and you just have to roll with it.
Back to what I said early tho, your body goes through incredible changes while incubating a baby. My personal experience was gain 45-50lbs in 9 months (not a healthy thing for the average person), lose 30lbs immediately after baby (first 2 weeks), and then have the remaining stubborn 15 to lose while keeping your new bundle of joy alive. ahh! Oh and did I mention I couldn't diet (bc of breastfeeding) or workout for the first 6 weeks? so you just have to sit there...with your extra self.
Personally, my recovery from a c-section was extra long (which was kind of discouraging to me - I thought I would bounce right back for some reason). For the first 5 weeks I couldn't walk longer than 10 minutes or get up off the couch without wincing. I didn't actively start exercising until I was in GA and Roswelle was 10wks old. One day I had to finally tell Paul that I needed help getting back on the exercise train, I was scared. It was going to hurt and be annoying and be inconvenient and I needed a motivator. Enter "Coach Paul" - I call him that to be funny but in all seriousness he has been such a great motivator - most of the time working out w/ me for a 2nd time that day. I would whine and even tear up about how hard it was and how much it hurt, but each time I got through a workout I felt stronger and proud of myself.
I now exercise 5 times a week on average and I am starting to fit comfortably in my pre-baby clothes and I am only a few pounds shy of my pre-baby weight. Exercising is actually way easier than I thought to fit in with one baby - I must say, I DON'T KNOW HOWWWW moms do it with multiple kids.. but I will worry about that later.
Here are my workouts from the past week:
Thursday - BYOB pilates. These classes are great because you don't have to find a sitter. You just show up with your non-mobile baby and try to get in a work out. The class isn't about the baby, it's about you. You are just allowed to have a noisy baby and no one will blink. Plus it's a great way to meet other moms!
Friday - quick 2 mile jog w/ Roswelle - sprinting up hills. total time 25 minutes.
Saturday - family WOD (Paul, me, Rob and Jenny while babies were asleep) 50 air squats for warm up, then "10 to 1" rounds of 10 burpees and 10 lunges (each leg - so 20), then 9 burpees and 9 lunges each leg, then 8 burpees and 8 lunges each leg...and so on down to 1. cashout of 2 sprints to finish. total time 14 minutes. we were dying at the end.
Sunday - 3 mile jog without baby. blasted rap music and took my time, enjoying being alone.
Monday - 1.5 mile jog sans baby - broke it up with 8 rounds of 25 squats during the run. It broke up the monotenous run and I had finished 200 squats by the end. total time 21 minutes. Came back to Roswelle screaming and Paul sweating it out but it was worth it.
Tuesday (yesterday) - cleaned the house. all day. :)
It's been hard but really rewarding to get back in shape. It's also nice to have a personal challenge that is about me and not about my baby.
{baby pilates!}
{runnin'}
{a garage WOD in our garage gym}
In other news - my mom is landing in less than 3 hours!!!! She is staying 'til next Thursday. Yayayayayayay.