Thoughts on Food, Biggest Loser, Workouts

I am amazed at the participants in the Biggest Loser. They really are inspirational, to lose that much weight publicly. I would love to get the personal training that they get, but (fortunately) I will never be that big--even at my largest during pregnancy, I was considered one of their lighter weights. It makes me think if they can do it why can't I??

Some reasons:
-I love to eat. I need to watch it carefully and then the pounds melt away, but this is difficult when your Nana gives you a delicious box of Hughes chocolates and a bag of pistachios and you eat almost all of them in a two day span.

-Personal training is expensive. I don't like to spend a lot of money on working out because...well I already do with all my gadgets and what not. I am not a fan of the gym, I'd rather be in a group workout setting (now difficult with baby, except for my moms' classes) or preferably, outside workouts. This kinda puts the kabosh on the weight thing.

-Really, I like to be skinny but where I'm at right now is a healthy weight so that is somewhat demotivational. Couple that with the fact that I am not going to probably be wearing a bikini again due to cat scratch fever (aka stretch marks). A bikini was always so motivational for me. Now what?

So that being said...the past few days:

Friday--nothing
Saturday 2.5 mi walk, core workout
Sunday--3 mi run
Monday--nothing, unless you count decorating
Tuesday--indoor class with lots of squats, lunges, upper body weights with high reps

December goals (more realistic than November goals):

Run 2-3x week
Core 3x week
Continue pushups

Happy Thanksgiving!

This past week:

Saturday--6 mi run in 1:08, the longest run I've done yet.

Monday--3.15 mi run in 32:15--fastest run since being post preggo.

Today-- 3.3 mi run followed by core workout and pushups. Then undoing of all the work by eating Thanksgiving desserts!

Postpartum is not the same life...

This week:
Wed core workout

Thurs 5 mi run (sub 11 min/miles, but I don't know exactly as I didn't precisely time it).

Friday: nuthin'

Saturday: So far core workout and 100 pushups week 1 day 3. I don't know if I said this, but my intention is to do two weeks with modified knee pushups and then do a new exhaustion test and do weeks 1-2 again with real pushups.

My plan is to get a 5 miler in today if the weather holds, and my ligaments too--they've been sore.

It's been 12 weeks since I had my baby, and I wonder when I'm ever going to feel normal. Yesterday was the first day I was able to button a pair of my regular jeans--even if they are still tight they buttoned! I couldn't button them last week. Maybe I'll never feel "normal" again--maybe it's time to develop a new normal, I don't know. I'm hoping that the working out will get my body back to some type of normal. I wonder when I'm not going to feel my ligaments when I run.

I had originally put Crossfit as a November goal, but I think that I am going to go ahead with keeping up with my core workouts and doing the 100 pushups program (hundredpushups.com) for this month. Crossfit will come back when I feel stronger because I don't want to hurt myself. I do need to get my ass to the pool as well...but I'm just not feeling that yet. It will come because I want to do triathlons this summer, and that requires swimming.

Procrastination

I am supposed to be doing my grad work homework right now, but I am in full on procrastination mode.

Workouts:
Saturday--ended up being a 14.5 mi bike ride and then I went for a 4 mile hike afterwards with the family. Have to take advantage of the weather!

Sunday--rest, unless you count walking at the outdoor mall in the gorgeous weather and picking up a Thanksgiving and Christmas outfit for my little guy.

Monday--core workout. Second to last class :( but I am going to be joining a core circuit class starting Thursday that should take me through the end of my maternity leave. I also did my first workout towards 100 pushups.

Today--nada, yet. I was randomly awake from 5-6 am this morning (baby was not), then up again at 8 for nursing. I fell back asleep with the boy instead of getting up to run after nursing this morning. That's ok, I should be able to get on the treadmill after class tonight and pound out a typical 3 miler. I also want to try to get my core workout in, but I gotta do my school work first.


I suppose I should go work on my stupid project...

Catch up time!

Thursday evening: a 5 mile run! Haven't done that since May...and it was sub 11 min/miles!

Friday: 4 mile hike in woods with mom, baby, and dog.

Today...getting my bike out for the first time since finding out I was preggo. Going to try to get a bike in followed by my core workout. Gotta get air in the tires.

Getting ready for a morning workout is somewhat of an ordeal with pumping and all, but once I'm out there its so worth it!

Core and arms...and a run later too!

Yesterday and today I did my core workout. I suppose I should be more specific.
1. Walk out planks--hold for 10 sec, walk back up to vertical and do 10x squats--repeat 6x
2. Crunches 10 x 10x, 1st set is hands behind ears, 2nd set is hands over chest, 3rd set is arms straight overhead. I do two sets of #1 during the first round to get 10 instead of 9 sets.
3. Bridges slow x 5
4. Hip rolls 5x each side, then add leg extension 5x each side.
5. Double leg stretch
6. Front/back side kicks. These hurt. 10x ea side
7. Small leg circles 10x ea side
8. inner thigh lifts 10x ea side
9. 5 Planks starting at holding 5 sec, increase to 25 sec hold.

Additionally, today I did my pushup test for hundredpushups.com and it was pathetic --I did 10---on my knees. Ack. Guess you gotta start somewhere.

Tonight I'm going for a run with my running group. Slowly but surely I'll get back into shape!

4 miles and 2 lbs

Lost 2 more lbs this week, but have gotten lazy on recording points, which means I'm not going to be losing weight for long. Must get back to recording the points so I can contine to lose the last of this baby weight and then go a bit further!

In other news, I ran 4 miles for the first time since May. Ouch, seeing that in print makes me realize how far I need to go, and how I need to tke it slow because I don't want to get injured. Ligaments were a little bit fiery in the hoo-hah, but I'll take it as a point of victory that the ones running down my inner thighs have subsided. Hopefully these ones will subside eventually as well. I think all my core activity is helping with the ligament pains. Didn't get to do my core workout today, but I vacuumed under my couch, which is a workout in itself.

Core workout and a hike and an accidental run

Today I went to my core class and all the babies were awake. My boy was really good and entertained himself by watching me for the hour. The planks are killer and today we added some side hip workouts. Ouch.

Since it was so nice outside today, I texted a colleague of mine to see if she wanted to go for a hike in Palos with her baby, who is a week younger than mine. She did, so we went out to enjoy the fall woods on a beautiful day. I took Lucy, my dog, as well. Lucy decided it was a good idea to roll in horseshit on the trail. She has a pinch collar, and the shit collected under the collar next to her neck. To add to the delight, oak leaves got stuck in the shit on the collar, so it looked like she had some absurd oak leaf necklace. On the way back it got more interesting because I dropped her leash and didn't realize it. We got to the end of the trail and I noticed it wasn't on the stroller, so my friend stayed with the babies while I ran back to find it. At the same time, Amilio was crying with hunger, so I gave my friend the bottle of breastmilk to feed him while I took the dog for the impromptu run. We were under the added time crunch of the trail entrance closing at 3:30 as well, and it was 3:13--or so I thought. I haven't been able to figure out how to change my watch for daylight savings time, so it was a bit earlier than that. I ran for 3 mins and then told myself I only had 1 more minute to find the leash. I found it 35 seconds later, thankfully, and I could hook Ms. Horseshit to the leash. We (me and the dog) then ran back to the babies, and I haven't run that fast in a while. It all ended well, and I hope to get out on the trail for a few more times before winter shuts us in.

Advice for running during pregnancy

I am by no means an expert on running and pregnancy, but I did manage to run until 33weeks of pregnancy. I wish I would've blogged about it, but I just was not in a blog mood because I was much more focused on eating laffy taffys as well as running. However, these are the things that worked for me and things that I wish I would've known:

1. Give that belly some support.I would suggest investing in a pregnancy support belt for running once your belly gets bigger. I had ligament issues. What I wish I would've know is that "ligaments" aren't these things I imagined held my uterus to my body like tethers on a hot air balloon, rather, they are ligaments that run down your inner thighs and your hoo-hah area that, on me at least, got very sore. No danger to baby, but that pain is what made me quit running because 3 miles would leave me marathon-style sore for 2-3 days and it just wasn't worth it.

Ten weeks post partum (I still don't know if that is one word or two) I still have ligament issues--I feel them while running and after for a few hours, but I have noticed that the pain is decreasing as I run more.

If you have a fuel belt, that is the PERFECT preggo support belt and you wouldn't need to buy another one. Just slide that puppy under your belly. If you don't have a fuel belt or, like me, didn't think of your fuel belt in time, I got a support belt like this from Motherhood Maternity:



You want something that adjusts like this one, because I got a Medela one that didn't have custom adjustments on the side and it was not up to par for me and my belly.

2. Double up on sports bras, but eventually you'll need a new one.

Your hurting ta-ta's will eventually lose their extreme soreness and sensitivity, but they will only get larger. I like sports bras with adjustable straps and backs. They are not pretty, but boy they are functional. The champion double dry sports bra works well. As of today they are on a really good sale on the Champion website--I just ordered two.




I managed to only wear one throughout pregnancy, but I now double up because the milky ta-ta's are something else to run with.

As a side note, don't get underwire ones. Underwire will not feel good as it jams into your uterus. Your uterus will eventually make its way so high that you will hate all sorts of underwire bras. I still don't wear them. There are high quality bras without underwire that still keep the girls high and shapely, so don't fret.

3. Its worth it to get one good preggo running outfit.

Running clothes are expensive. I chatted up my male running friends for their old drifit race shirts and got several sizes M-XL, and trust me, I was in XL at the end...and they were starting to get tight on the belly. I also got a really good pair of running shorts and a shirt from Born Fit. The shorts had a belly panel that I could fold up over the belly and put my support belt over that so it wasn't on my skin. The shirt was cut longer for the belly so I could still look like a girl while running.






4. Try to eat well.

I went all out. I was eating for a family of 8. Seriously, had I kept it in check I wouldn't have gained 50 lbs. I gained 30 in the first 33 weeks and 20 in the last 7 weeks. The last 7 weeks is when I substituted food for running. BAD IDEA, though you don't care at that point because you just want the baby out. The good news is I lost 40 lbs the first 3 weeks postpartum (25 in the hospital over 4 days). The bad news is the last 10 has hung around, and that is what I am working on now, part of the inspiration for this blog. Slowly, of course, as I am nursing and I don't want to lose my supply.

Hot Chocolate 5K Race Report

Today was my first postpartum race. I decided to do the Hot Chocolate 5K, put on by RAM racing. Time: 33:55 for a 10:55 min/mile pace

RACE GOODIES: The race schwag is pretty cool--a nice lightweight running jacket and a fleece beanie hat, both with the hot chocolate logo on them. They also come in a useful running bag that can be reused.

PRE-RACE INFO: When I got the email about the race packet pickup, there were a few snags. Firstly, the packet pickup was at the UIC pavilion, which was fine with me because I have a permit for that area. However, it sucks for everyone who had to pay for parking. That being said, its better than having to park at Navy Pier for packet pickup like you would do for the Shamrock Shuffle. The irritating thing was the fact that they wouldn't let anyone park at the event, and there is a LOT of parking at the Montrose area. I understand that part of your race is on the road, so make that non-parking, but the huge lot? Nobody touches the huge lot! It has enough potholes to kill people if they decided to run though it, so people weren't going to do that either. So they suggested public transportation, which is a good idea, but really, I'd have to leave my house at like 4 am to make that work. We did end up finding a parking spot and walking about a mile to the start line. Luckily it was a good morning to walk, and shockingly, I left enough time for myself so we could walk and not run to the start line.

RACE: We started too far back, as evidenced by the ladies ahead of us who were standing there with their race bags. It took 11 minutes to get to the start line, and the start line was a reduced size from the waiting area, kinda like pinching the end of a hose. The race started out on the road, but very soon went to lakefront path, and there were waaaay to many runners for that. Additionally, the walkers didn't know path etiquette and were walking all over the path, not staying to the right. So we spend a large part of the beginning of the race dodging people. There were some hazards on the course: low tree branches, dumpster handles (two of them), and an open truck tailgate with a inflatable dinghy in it. At one point just past mile two, there was an extremely sharp S curve which was wwwwwaaaayyyyy to sharp for the amount of runners running over it. It was a gorgeous course, and it was pretty to look ahead and behind and see all the runners, but it was definitely not a course for someone trying to PR.

I would suggest having 5K walkers start after 5K runners before the 15K people start. That would alleviate a lot of the congestion. Or perhaps because you didn't allow parking at ANY of the lots, you could use more of the wider road to give runners some room. There is another 5K out of the same location that has runners on the road for much longer and it is much more effective.

POST-RACE: They did a good job funneling runners toward the fondue tent and then after that was the hot chocolate tent. Fondue was YUMMY good, hot choc was bitter and watery. They also had a lot of volunteers passing out post race chocolate bars. Overall, it was more of an event than a race, and if you go into it with that attitude, it is a fun run to do with friends or family. The goodies are top notch, there is no denying that!

Core workout for a post-partum bod

I never was a huge fan of core work. My core has always been sub-par, and I have always wanted it to be nice, but haven't wanted to put the work into it. I am not a flat belly girl, never have been. I am graced with the "no butt" figure instead of no gut. Even when I would go in spurts where I would do a lot of core, I never noticed any improvement, so I stopped. However, pregnancy has really done a number on the little core that I have. So a few weeks ago I joined a core class where I could bring my baby. Man am I glad I did. I didn't realize how weak I was until I started this class, but I can already feel myself getting stronger. Lots of planks and bridges will do this for you!

Getting back into it

I have successfully completed a week of eating right and exercising more. This has led to a net loss of 3.0 lbs exactly. So now I am 9.2 lbs from my pre-preggo weight with another 15-20 lbs to lose as a secondary goal to get down to the bottom of my weight range, as the next time I decide to get pregnant (which won't be anytime in the very near future) I want to start it at the bottom of my healthy weight range rather than the top. The first pregnancy has taught me what not to do, and while it was fun, I am not going to eat to excess and gain 50 lbs again with the next one.

Things I am committed to doing:

1. Core workout 3-4x week to get the core back in shape. It is a sad state of affairs.

2. Run 2-3 miles 3x week with the goal of increasing mileage as my ligament issues subside (a leftover bit of fun from the pregnancy). I would like to get back to my winter running mileage of 15 miles/week with the goal of a half marathon in the spring. That half marathon will be the WI half marathon that I had to waive last spring due to my ligament issues at 5 mo preggo.

3. Continue to follow Weight Watchers points. I am very close to getting within my goal range of weight again, which means I can attend meetings for free (I am a lifetime member). Future goal is to attend bimonthly meetings so I can be accountable for my weight. I need accountability. I don't think I have time with the new babe to do a weekly meeting, especially when I go back to work in Feb.

Things I want to do(goal is to add them in the next month before Txgiving):

1. Add one swim workout per week.

2. Get on a trainer with my bike--2x week. I have a crappy kind of trainer, but I think I can make it work this winter. I'm sad because I have this new bike that I haven't rode since I was preggo and then post-partum recovery from the C-section didn't allow me on it either. Since then its gotten really cold.

3. Re-start Crossfit. This will help me get my arms back into shape. They are not pretty and I need to put my money where my mouth is because I always make fun of teacher arms.

2010 Goals:
1. Spring half marathon
2. Spring sprint triathlon
3. Late summer olympic distance triathlon
4. Fall marathon or half marathon (depending on free time--taking baby into consideration)

Weeks start on Sunday and end on Saturday. So far this week:
Sunday: 3.1 mi run in 37:25
Monday: Core workout (45 min)
Tuesday: 3.1 mi run in 36:18 + core workout (45 min)