Yes, I sure did! And I am so proud of myself!!! (read on for more of that...)
Yesterday was a delightful day - although I was pretty tired at the end, I went to sleep at 9pm! I ran a 10k, big long run for me, then came home and had about 20 minutes to eat watermelon while catching up on blogs, then DH left with Rachel for the fundraiser, and my SIL brought over her 1 year old and 3 year old to stay for about an hour. The baby kept me on my toes, he wanted to be held alot (he's heavier than Harmony who is a year older!!), but awww such a cutie!!! We enjoyed having him VERY much...Harmony kept following him around and talking about the baby. So cute.
With the addition of the baby, I wasn't able to do much - the house needed a facelift in a really bad way - 3 big jobs. Dishes, laundry, and vacuum. All three, BIG jobs, backed up from the day before. I finally finished making lunch (1,2,3,4,5,6,7 plates - I had half a tortilla with meat/cheese/lettuce/tomato and STOPPED there, I was so proud of myself!! It was yummy...) was about to start on the housecleaning (I hadn't taken a shower yet) when I got a call from Rachel - "I need to be picked up at 1pm..."
I jumped in the shower, said hi-bye to Bret who came home a little before that, and made sure to include 2 32-oz of green smoothie that needed used up, as well as a baggy of my fave grapes from costco. Picked her up, delivered her to Grandma's house to spend the night, then I went clothes shopping - woooot!!
That was super fun; I'm getting more used to how I look now, more used to the fact that I wear a size 6-8 in most clothes. I had specifically family week at Macleay in mind, just 2 weeks away - I don't have many skirts to wear, and with a meeting every night I don't want to have to wear the same one every night, or have to dress up every night wearing my fancy one either. I found some really nice clothes at my favorite frugal store - Goodwill! LOVE that store. I had a $10 off coupon and a 5% off card and ended up spending $66 total and that includes 3 pairs of shoes for the boys. Always needing shoes or sandals, those three! I found a really nice pair of Dr. Martens for either James or Isaac for $15, those are good quality shoes that hopefully won't fall apart.
My tummy is in a weird place. I do have some maternity shirts I bought quite a while ago, but they are just too big in the tummy. They are for a 6 month along person, probably..and when I wear them, it just looks like I am trying to wear an oversized tshirt and hide a flabby midsection or something. I like the more fitted look, but there just isn't much out there for a just-starting-to-bloom tummy. So I scoured the regular tshirts looking for maybe size Large so they'd have more room.
I really enjoy shopping when I have no timeframe to be back home - otherwise I stress. So it was super nice, I came home so refreshed! I also stopped by Baja Fresh and got takeout for DH & I for dinner - our favorite, a huge plate of veggie fajitas for $4.99. Love that place! This time, I ordered no rice (it's fried), no sour cream, corn tortillas instead of flour, and no cheese. It wasn't the same as nachos, but it was wayyyy healthier for sure. I asked them to add extra veggies. Yum! I did eat the little baggy of chips they include, so it wasn't perfect, but it hit the spot and I ate it in the car by myself, while reading a good book with the air conditioner on. Aaaah! Super nice.
DH wanted me to pick up motor oil at the store and I also needed cereal for the kids' dinner. (Yeah, weekends are more relaxed...lol!) They had THOSE donuts, and tons of them, the ones with cream cheese and chocolate drizzled in a zig-zag. I calmly walked over and put one in a bag, and proceeded to go get the cereal. After the fajitas I felt like something sweet, you know? And my FAVE is to eat a donut by myself in the car (no kids crying; it turns my stomach into a LUMP when I'm eating) .... it just sounded delightful. But then while I was walking around the store, I realized that I didn't really want it - I mean I did, but I wasn't hungry OR really WANTING it, I just knew it would be yummy. So, I put it back. I'll wait until I am really really REALLY craving it or just a better time.
Bonus: this morning I was at the same weight! At this point in the game, that is a good thing...and I probably would have been up if I'd have eaten that donut!
Came home to the house exactly how I left it - Bret was working outside on the yard the whole time I was gone - mowing, edging, pressure washing, moving the trampoline.
Oh, my. Everyone started crying and fussing as soon as I walked in the door! I could see them, too, as I drove up - happily playing in the yard on their bikes. HAPPILY. But as you know, when Mom steps in, all of a sudden they remember all the things they were sad about the whole day and it all melts together somehow. I was thankful for the relaxing and restful/rejuvenating day I had, as I was all ready to tackle the issues and problems they had. Someday I know I'll look back at my former self and remember those days when they were all crying at me at once, and hitting the other because they wanted to talk to me and it was THEIR TURN. And how it would just make me dizzy and overwhelmed trying to ascertain who needed me most, for what, and how to make them settle down. I'm thankful for the meeting I listened to on my way home, as it put me in the right mood for sure.
So kicked it into gear even though I was really exhausted from being on my feet for 4 hours shopping, lol. I tidied the house, then vacuumed every square inch except for the bedrooms (we are all carpet except the small entry-way and small kitchen), then swept the hard floors. Bret was SOOOOO kind to clean up the entire kitchen for me - it was gleaming when he was done.
Then, I collapsed in my bed after putting the littles to bed. Read more book, then turned off the light after praying with Isaac(8) just as it got dark.
This morning, GREAT workout - just 25 minutes long, Fit Yummy Mummy August workout. I woke up before any of the kids were up, and it was really nice. Worked up a good sweat, felt the burn, short but sweet. I only did the workout 2x, it's supposed to be 2-4 (so I usually do 3x) but I figure if I can stick with this 3x per week, and not dread it because it's too long, then it's MUCH better than just skipping workouts here & there.
Tomorrow is my midwife appointment, yay!
Weigh in for this week:
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
Week 16: 140
Week 17: 141
Week 18: 141
Monday, June 27, 2011
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Week 18, Day 3 - THE BEST 6.2 Run Ever!!!
Oh, what a glorious morning!!! Last night I made SURE that my Ipod was working, and set my alarm for 6:30. Woke up at 6:15 and again, debated going or not....but the sunshine spilling in the window talked me into it. =)
I ran the same route I followed yesterday, into the Lake Labish area which was hard, brutal, and looooong yesterday without my Ipod. It's beautiful country roads but they tend to kind of stretch long and far into the distance and it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. I kind of decided on the way back yesterday, that I would pretty much never run that route again.
But then last night I mapped out that same route only further, converting it from a 5.6 to a 6.2 run...a 10K again. Since I want to run once of those at least, each week, that was perfect - and I was curious about those country roads even further...I'd never driven them before.
So THIS time, I listened to some Venus podcasts - interviews of the contest winners. I entered the contest too and did AMAZINGLY well for the first 4 weeks, looked my best EVER since I got married, and then faltered for about a month, and then got pregnant. So I really enjoy listening to the interviews of the winners, having gone through part of the contest myself. Really motivating too!!
And the run? It went by like a flash! It was soooo beautiful out there, with gorgeous country fields stretching for miles, the sunshine and overall feeling of the day about to start. Plenty of birds chirping and best of all, hardly any cars - although I do admit that I sometimes get a little wary of someone kidnapping me, lol.
About a mile from the finish, there is this pretty steep, long hill - but it's perfect, not too steep that I can't continue my normal pace and I don't get really out of breath; I can tell it's just a good workout for my legs. My quads feel rock hard these days and that feels SO awesome, a confirmation that I am working in the right direction. Of course now they are covered in an extra 20 pounds of flab so they don't LOOK like they're rock hard, but, that'll come soon enough - if not during pregnancy, then afterwards I'll have a running head start compared to all my other pregnancies.
Before I left for my run, I also compared my weight now with where I was at this exact stage in pregnancy #6 and #7, which are the only 2 that I was health conscious. I was elated to find out that I am doing super well! #6 I gained 24 lbs and #7 I gained 34 - I am smack in the middle of those two. Of course, the optimal would be 24 pounds again and I am working towards that, but it was nice to see I'm not like majorly gaining way too much weight in comparison.
Jack (#6) - 12 lb gain @ week 18, 146 lbs
Harmony (#7) - 18 lb gain @ week 18, 145 lbs
Baby (#8) - 14 lb gain @ week 18, 141 lbs
So in all actuality, even though I have gained a teensy bit more than I did with Jack, I am lower than I HAVE EVER BEEN at this point while pregnant. I have never, ever weighed 141 lbs before at week 18. So that is super cool for me - I love love LOVE that I blogged all through those two pregnancies, it means the world to me that I can compare against myself and put all my fears of gaining tons of weight, to rest.
It's cool to read my blog and see the way the weight came on, how fast/slow, and to see the end result. I'm no longer going at it "blind" like I was the first time I tried really hard to keep my weight gain at bay, with Jack. It feels great!
Yesterday's eating day was, quite simply, amazing. No, it was NOT perfect. In fact, I had a little flip-out moment in the morning when I ate 6 (yes, 6!!) cupcakes with raspberry pie filling or frosting. To be fair, they were pretty small, but still. Then I had a few small snickerdoodles, and then a humongous GIANT bowl of parmesan buttered popcorn. I was watching a movie, the kids were all gone except the youngest 3 who were playing really nicely - it was really nice!
But the BEST part of it, the most amazing part to me, is that I just continued on the rest of the day AS IF I had never even flipped my lid. I basically fasted until 5:00 after that, then had a handful of local strawberries, then made dinner for my family. We enjoyed roasted herbed potato wedges, roasted herb root vegetables (for me and Bret only), salad, and fruit - apples & strawberries. I had some of everything, especially the potatoes. I use half oil/half water for them, and they are sooooooooooo delicious I was even craving them after I went to bed, hee hee!
So last night, Bret was out getting a haircut with Jack. I realized that we needed milk and dishwasher soap - we HAD to have them like, literally, that night...the dishwasher was loaded and ready to run with all the cereal bowls for the morning. I debated. Cream cheese was calling me...they have this carrot cake I've gotten at the grocery store...hmmm...I had a good book too, and I had visions of getting that cake and eating it in the car while reading my book....ooooh quiet yummy me time for just a little bit! But then I just decided, you know what? The grapes on the counter sound JUST AS GOOD to me! So I called Bret and had him get the stuff, and settled into bed after getting the kids to bed, with my grapes. I was asleep by 10:30 and ready for my FAB run this morning.
Best part? I lost a pound this morning! Now I'm even more inspired...forget about that cake! Although I MAY indulge in some in a few days, if I continue to be good about my eating. It's liberating to realize it is NOT the cake in itself that is going to make me gain weight. It is the cake, and then more cake AGAIN, and then again and again!!
I'm also fantasizing about nachos lately, ever since I had some with Bret at the movies a week ago and then again with Rachel & her friends on Tuesday. I am going to wait, but still, am looking forward to having them again (with real cheese!) soon. I love how nothing is OFF LIMITS but for the majority of the time, raw is my choice and by not forcing myself into a mold I'm kind of calming down and not flipping out and eating everything in sight like, every day.
I ran the same route I followed yesterday, into the Lake Labish area which was hard, brutal, and looooong yesterday without my Ipod. It's beautiful country roads but they tend to kind of stretch long and far into the distance and it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other. I kind of decided on the way back yesterday, that I would pretty much never run that route again.
But then last night I mapped out that same route only further, converting it from a 5.6 to a 6.2 run...a 10K again. Since I want to run once of those at least, each week, that was perfect - and I was curious about those country roads even further...I'd never driven them before.
So THIS time, I listened to some Venus podcasts - interviews of the contest winners. I entered the contest too and did AMAZINGLY well for the first 4 weeks, looked my best EVER since I got married, and then faltered for about a month, and then got pregnant. So I really enjoy listening to the interviews of the winners, having gone through part of the contest myself. Really motivating too!!
And the run? It went by like a flash! It was soooo beautiful out there, with gorgeous country fields stretching for miles, the sunshine and overall feeling of the day about to start. Plenty of birds chirping and best of all, hardly any cars - although I do admit that I sometimes get a little wary of someone kidnapping me, lol.
About a mile from the finish, there is this pretty steep, long hill - but it's perfect, not too steep that I can't continue my normal pace and I don't get really out of breath; I can tell it's just a good workout for my legs. My quads feel rock hard these days and that feels SO awesome, a confirmation that I am working in the right direction. Of course now they are covered in an extra 20 pounds of flab so they don't LOOK like they're rock hard, but, that'll come soon enough - if not during pregnancy, then afterwards I'll have a running head start compared to all my other pregnancies.
Before I left for my run, I also compared my weight now with where I was at this exact stage in pregnancy #6 and #7, which are the only 2 that I was health conscious. I was elated to find out that I am doing super well! #6 I gained 24 lbs and #7 I gained 34 - I am smack in the middle of those two. Of course, the optimal would be 24 pounds again and I am working towards that, but it was nice to see I'm not like majorly gaining way too much weight in comparison.
Jack (#6) - 12 lb gain @ week 18, 146 lbs
Harmony (#7) - 18 lb gain @ week 18, 145 lbs
Baby (#8) - 14 lb gain @ week 18, 141 lbs
So in all actuality, even though I have gained a teensy bit more than I did with Jack, I am lower than I HAVE EVER BEEN at this point while pregnant. I have never, ever weighed 141 lbs before at week 18. So that is super cool for me - I love love LOVE that I blogged all through those two pregnancies, it means the world to me that I can compare against myself and put all my fears of gaining tons of weight, to rest.
It's cool to read my blog and see the way the weight came on, how fast/slow, and to see the end result. I'm no longer going at it "blind" like I was the first time I tried really hard to keep my weight gain at bay, with Jack. It feels great!
Yesterday's eating day was, quite simply, amazing. No, it was NOT perfect. In fact, I had a little flip-out moment in the morning when I ate 6 (yes, 6!!) cupcakes with raspberry pie filling or frosting. To be fair, they were pretty small, but still. Then I had a few small snickerdoodles, and then a humongous GIANT bowl of parmesan buttered popcorn. I was watching a movie, the kids were all gone except the youngest 3 who were playing really nicely - it was really nice!
But the BEST part of it, the most amazing part to me, is that I just continued on the rest of the day AS IF I had never even flipped my lid. I basically fasted until 5:00 after that, then had a handful of local strawberries, then made dinner for my family. We enjoyed roasted herbed potato wedges, roasted herb root vegetables (for me and Bret only), salad, and fruit - apples & strawberries. I had some of everything, especially the potatoes. I use half oil/half water for them, and they are sooooooooooo delicious I was even craving them after I went to bed, hee hee!
So last night, Bret was out getting a haircut with Jack. I realized that we needed milk and dishwasher soap - we HAD to have them like, literally, that night...the dishwasher was loaded and ready to run with all the cereal bowls for the morning. I debated. Cream cheese was calling me...they have this carrot cake I've gotten at the grocery store...hmmm...I had a good book too, and I had visions of getting that cake and eating it in the car while reading my book....ooooh quiet yummy me time for just a little bit! But then I just decided, you know what? The grapes on the counter sound JUST AS GOOD to me! So I called Bret and had him get the stuff, and settled into bed after getting the kids to bed, with my grapes. I was asleep by 10:30 and ready for my FAB run this morning.
Best part? I lost a pound this morning! Now I'm even more inspired...forget about that cake! Although I MAY indulge in some in a few days, if I continue to be good about my eating. It's liberating to realize it is NOT the cake in itself that is going to make me gain weight. It is the cake, and then more cake AGAIN, and then again and again!!
I'm also fantasizing about nachos lately, ever since I had some with Bret at the movies a week ago and then again with Rachel & her friends on Tuesday. I am going to wait, but still, am looking forward to having them again (with real cheese!) soon. I love how nothing is OFF LIMITS but for the majority of the time, raw is my choice and by not forcing myself into a mold I'm kind of calming down and not flipping out and eating everything in sight like, every day.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Week 18, Day 2 - Brutal 5.6 mile run this morning!
...but of course when I was done, I was glad I finished it! I ran 5.6 miles today, and it was hard to pull myself out of bed. I skipped my run yesterday and of course it gets MUCH easier and MUCH more tempting to skip again, the next day. So I made myself get up - I really, really, really didn't feel like it, though! The run just kept on going...and going...and going....I suppose it didn't help matters much that my ipod died just 1/2 a mile into the run. I still am not sure what is wrong with it, it plays for 3 seconds and then just stops. I ran a new route today, in the country, but that particular road had three hills I didn't know about! I got a good workout for sure, but that made it all the more brutal I think.
Yesterday I did fabulously with eating - I basically just had grapes, green smoothie, big giganto salad, and that's it. Lots of it, though. Oh, and a few bites of watermelon, but the one I cut open was pretty much past it's prime so I threw it away and will get my money back at Costco.
Last night we had a party for Rachel (Mina, she LOVED what you got her!!! She said those are the markers she's been wanting for a long time...score!) and I made cupcakes. They pretty much bombed....I couldn't get them out of the cupcake pan so they were all crumbled and ruined. Fortunately I had made 14 other ones in little teflon heart cupcake molds and those were ok. Rachel told me that the frosting was too watery. LOL. So kind of a flop all around but they WERE tasty, even though they also pretty much crumbled in your hand. Oh well...I did eat 2 of them, but just one had a tad bit of frosting. I found it quite interesting that I really didn't want them...I was more interested in the crisp, sweet grapes waiting for me.
Today Bret is gone with the four older ones fundraising at Macleay, so I have a nice quiet day with the little ones. I plan to go get the ingredients to make pizza in the dehydrator, and also some more blueberries....they're $5.88 for 2lbs at Fred Meyer until the end of today.
This is kind of cool - the program I used called mapmyrun.com keeps track of my workouts and it has this calendar setup that shows my stats. I have run or walked 50 miles so far in June! Wow - pretty cool. My goal is to averag 15 miles per week...pretty doable, I think!
Yesterday I did fabulously with eating - I basically just had grapes, green smoothie, big giganto salad, and that's it. Lots of it, though. Oh, and a few bites of watermelon, but the one I cut open was pretty much past it's prime so I threw it away and will get my money back at Costco.
Last night we had a party for Rachel (Mina, she LOVED what you got her!!! She said those are the markers she's been wanting for a long time...score!) and I made cupcakes. They pretty much bombed....I couldn't get them out of the cupcake pan so they were all crumbled and ruined. Fortunately I had made 14 other ones in little teflon heart cupcake molds and those were ok. Rachel told me that the frosting was too watery. LOL. So kind of a flop all around but they WERE tasty, even though they also pretty much crumbled in your hand. Oh well...I did eat 2 of them, but just one had a tad bit of frosting. I found it quite interesting that I really didn't want them...I was more interested in the crisp, sweet grapes waiting for me.
Today Bret is gone with the four older ones fundraising at Macleay, so I have a nice quiet day with the little ones. I plan to go get the ingredients to make pizza in the dehydrator, and also some more blueberries....they're $5.88 for 2lbs at Fred Meyer until the end of today.
This is kind of cool - the program I used called mapmyrun.com keeps track of my workouts and it has this calendar setup that shows my stats. I have run or walked 50 miles so far in June! Wow - pretty cool. My goal is to averag 15 miles per week...pretty doable, I think!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Week 18, Day 1 - Day 2 of 100% Raw
Ahh...feels SO good to have one whole day of 100% raw under my belt! No matter WHAT happens, if I can sprinkle in at least 2-3 days per week at 100% then I will be very happy with that!Now that I am firmly in my 2nd trimester, there is no trace of the sickness that so plagued me for so long, even up through my 16th week. I am SO THANKFUL for that!!!!
But on the downside, things don't really make me sick anymore. The only reason I feel crappy these days is the same reason anyone would feel crappy - for stuffing themselves with TOO MUCH food that is not good for them. Like donuts on top of ice cream on top of pizza on top of....chips or something. Duh! But EVERYTHING I eat tastes really delicious!! I remember this from previous pregnancies - I would usually go into a gourmet mode where I was making these extravagant meals for dinner that took like 3-4 hours. It's like my taste buds have been rejuvenated or something. So I'm trying to turn that towards eating raw, cuz otherwise I'm in trouble. Nothing really hurts my stomach anymore, no matter how bad it is for me....
Yesterday I enjoyed these things in different quantities:
Watermelon
Grapes
Chocolate Maraschino Cherry Shake
HUGE salad w/organic greens (Mina, I used ALL those greens you gave me in that one salad! It was so yummy, thank you!)
Now, guess what? It is THREE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING - yes, I know, so lame!!! But insomnia has kicked in...I get that with pregnancy every once in a while. I woke up at 2:30 and tossed and turned for an hour, then decided to just turn off my alarm for waking up at 5:30 to go running, and surf the net for a bit. If I wake up early on my own, great, but if not - oh well. I think my shoulder is well enough that I can sub my running with a good hard weight training workout.
But anyway, the "guess what" part is that my MIL said I can borrow her Excaliber dehydrator!! Those are like the limousine of dehydrators...one of the best you can get, and pretty spendy...like $200 spendy. I don't know how long she'll let me use it, but I definitely plan to put it to good use, and HOPEFULLY be able to stay excited about new raw recipes so I don't stray to eating SAD (standard american diet) food again. We'll see! I have in mind veggie pizza, corn tortilla wraps, kale chips, cinnamon rolls, sweet potato fries....mmmmmm!!!
I remembered this raw "Black Forest Cherry Cake" recipe from a really long time ago that I've been wishing I could try.
I have a pound of frozen cherries in my freezer and I want to use them on this...it should be yummy! I have to get a few things for it - mostly cashews, I think I have everything else.
I love it when I get excited about eating raw and making all sorts of yummies. Then I'm not really even tempted to eat normal stuff, because I am looking forward to eating xx after naptime, or xx tonight for dinner. It's like if I have these treats to look forward to then I don't need the stimulation of cooked food and the "reward" of it on a hard day, so to speak. Some days I feel like I just NEED a treat to look forward to or the day is unbearably long, you know? Funny how that is - I think that's why I love my quiet evenings after the littles are in bed so much, to wind down and enjoy a little time doing what I love to do.
I haven't weighed myself in 3-4 days and it actually feels nice. Tomorrow I'll probably weigh, after a whole day of raw usually things start settling back to normal - although it usually takes 2 whole days to lose the water retention from too much salt and fatty foods.
The Raw Food Talk forum is where I usually go to get inspiration to stay raw - they have the coolest section that is devoted to food recipes and questions only, and I love to hang out there. One thread in particular, is a "pictures only" thread where you post pictures of the raw food you've been eating, and often times, the recipe when people request it. Just scrolling through the many pages, I get SO INSPIRED to make the food! And it is ALL legal, all 100% on target with how I want to eat; can't get any better than that! I just have to watch out for the lure and enticement of the gourmet food, which requires ingredients that are pretty spendy. For the most part, I try to stick with juicy fruits, simple salads, and green smoothies - and then have 1-2 recipes that require a bit more ingredients that are yummy on the side to supplement my normal food with. I try to only allow myself to make the things I already have ingredients for - the staple things like inexpensive nuts (no macadamia's or pine nuts here!), coconut butter/oil, cocoa powder, etc.
Guess that's it for now, I'll be sure to share fun yummy new recipes as I try them!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Week 17, Day 6 - Hitting the "reset" button & weigh-in
First of all, I think that things in my head are not necessarily what they are in reality. Anyone else have this experience? LOL I'll bet it's more common than I think.
Yesterday I went to pick up Rachel's friend whom I've never met, for her birthday party. Her Mom helped her get her stuff in the car and she was really nice...she said, "Are you the one that is pregnant?" and I laughed and said yeah, that's me!
At the time I was like yep...but then I realized later that while I took it like yeah, here I am, pregnant again...lol...SHE actually meant it like I don't look pregnant yet. When her daughter got in the car, she said that her Mom said I look too skinny to be pregnant. LOL!
So that was actually kind of cool to hear - when I look in the mirror all I can see is that I have GAINED from where I was, especially at Christmas time, just 6 months ago. I see rolls trying to form where before there were none before - and lots more cellulite than there was before, it's so ugly! I focus on the negative, when in reality, if I were to compare myself to where I was in previous pregnancies where I gained 50 pounds and actually STARTED at 145 - I look perfectly fine! Great, in fact. No, not perfect like I seem to want to lean towards, but great.
Interesting thoughts for me to explore; I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I even AM pregnant, and often still can't believe I am here. Today I was driving and felt a pretty strong braxton hicks contraction come on...it brought me back IMMEDIATELY to labor with Harmony, which I delivered while in the car. There's this resistance that wants to come, a denial, a NOooooooooo I don't WANT this! I don't want to be here right now, I don't want to give birth again! And then, I realize that is so much my own thinking, my own reasoning and I am thankful yet again, for another life inside me. But it is a work.
I've had a rough week as far as eating goes...it's like as soon as I decided to drink green smoothies only, with high hopes mind you, my whole entire being decided AGAINST it. It did not sound appealing in the slightest. Like, at ALL. Half a day was hard enough, let alone a whole week...aagh! So then I beat myself up, because I HAVE done it before, so why not now?? What the heck is WRONG with me? It's not like I don't have different goals, it's always the SAME goal...to be fit, healthy, and happy where I am or at least strongly working towards that.
So I am starting over tomorrow with a clean slate - no expectations not realized, no letdowns that I put on myself...I am not going to look at yesterday and wish for other things.
I'm not going to have any lofty goals - my goal is to just simply eat raw, every day, as much as I possibly can. I am hoping that by not constricting myself to low fat raw, or green smoothies only, or xx calories, etc...maybe I won't spaz and flip out and eat everything in sight.
Today I kept thinking that DIET is the most important thing. Yes, I am running alot and doing exercise - I have been consistent with that for 4 weeks and yet, not much is changing. So it's mainly eating raw that is going to change things and I am determined to get that mindset back that tells me simply, that raw IS the only option.
Last time I weighed the scale said 146. That is CRAZY, 5 pound gain in one week. Scary, actually, considering that my goal of 25 pounds of weight gain total hits me at 153 at WEEK 40 and here I am only at week 17. So - my goal this next week is to calm down about the whole eating frenzy thing, and just forget about the pool, or what people think, and work on being happy in my own skin for the simple reason that I want to be happy. Nothing else.
Tomorrow I am scheduled to go running again but we'll see what it feels like tomorrow. I am slowly slipping out of my routine of going to sleep at 8-9:00...which means it's much harder to go running so early in the morning. We'll see....I haven't been able to life weights this week due to my shoulder, but I have been able to run...I ran the 10k yesterday with my shoulder just fine, thankfully...no sling needed. =) But I feel like I'm slipping out of my groove, so I just gotta' find it again.
Weekly Weigh-in:
Weigh in for this week:
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
Week 16: 140
Week 17: 141
Yesterday I went to pick up Rachel's friend whom I've never met, for her birthday party. Her Mom helped her get her stuff in the car and she was really nice...she said, "Are you the one that is pregnant?" and I laughed and said yeah, that's me!
At the time I was like yep...but then I realized later that while I took it like yeah, here I am, pregnant again...lol...SHE actually meant it like I don't look pregnant yet. When her daughter got in the car, she said that her Mom said I look too skinny to be pregnant. LOL!
So that was actually kind of cool to hear - when I look in the mirror all I can see is that I have GAINED from where I was, especially at Christmas time, just 6 months ago. I see rolls trying to form where before there were none before - and lots more cellulite than there was before, it's so ugly! I focus on the negative, when in reality, if I were to compare myself to where I was in previous pregnancies where I gained 50 pounds and actually STARTED at 145 - I look perfectly fine! Great, in fact. No, not perfect like I seem to want to lean towards, but great.
Interesting thoughts for me to explore; I'm still coming to grips with the fact that I even AM pregnant, and often still can't believe I am here. Today I was driving and felt a pretty strong braxton hicks contraction come on...it brought me back IMMEDIATELY to labor with Harmony, which I delivered while in the car. There's this resistance that wants to come, a denial, a NOooooooooo I don't WANT this! I don't want to be here right now, I don't want to give birth again! And then, I realize that is so much my own thinking, my own reasoning and I am thankful yet again, for another life inside me. But it is a work.
I've had a rough week as far as eating goes...it's like as soon as I decided to drink green smoothies only, with high hopes mind you, my whole entire being decided AGAINST it. It did not sound appealing in the slightest. Like, at ALL. Half a day was hard enough, let alone a whole week...aagh! So then I beat myself up, because I HAVE done it before, so why not now?? What the heck is WRONG with me? It's not like I don't have different goals, it's always the SAME goal...to be fit, healthy, and happy where I am or at least strongly working towards that.
So I am starting over tomorrow with a clean slate - no expectations not realized, no letdowns that I put on myself...I am not going to look at yesterday and wish for other things.
I'm not going to have any lofty goals - my goal is to just simply eat raw, every day, as much as I possibly can. I am hoping that by not constricting myself to low fat raw, or green smoothies only, or xx calories, etc...maybe I won't spaz and flip out and eat everything in sight.
Today I kept thinking that DIET is the most important thing. Yes, I am running alot and doing exercise - I have been consistent with that for 4 weeks and yet, not much is changing. So it's mainly eating raw that is going to change things and I am determined to get that mindset back that tells me simply, that raw IS the only option.
Last time I weighed the scale said 146. That is CRAZY, 5 pound gain in one week. Scary, actually, considering that my goal of 25 pounds of weight gain total hits me at 153 at WEEK 40 and here I am only at week 17. So - my goal this next week is to calm down about the whole eating frenzy thing, and just forget about the pool, or what people think, and work on being happy in my own skin for the simple reason that I want to be happy. Nothing else.
Tomorrow I am scheduled to go running again but we'll see what it feels like tomorrow. I am slowly slipping out of my routine of going to sleep at 8-9:00...which means it's much harder to go running so early in the morning. We'll see....I haven't been able to life weights this week due to my shoulder, but I have been able to run...I ran the 10k yesterday with my shoulder just fine, thankfully...no sling needed. =) But I feel like I'm slipping out of my groove, so I just gotta' find it again.
Weekly Weigh-in:
Weigh in for this week:
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
Week 16: 140
Week 17: 141
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Week 17, Day 5 - Ran my first 10k this morning!
The past few days have been a huge struggle for me with food. I decided to start doing all green smoothies 2 days ago but fell flat on my face over & over. It's like my motivation was just...gone. So today, I was just pretty darn mad about that - and I decided to DO something about it!
So I got up at 6:45 and mapped out a fun new route, making sure to write down all the streets on my hand this time so I don't get lost! I ran exactly 6.2 miles, which is a 10K - this is such a milestone for me!!! I don't know if I'll press on to run further than this, not unless I am really just feeling it. But I would love to throw in a 10k every week or two weeks, just for the heck of it. And to make 5 miles seem "short" in comparison. =)
I'd say the last .3 miles of it, I started to feel it. My feet started to hurt, and even my belly started to protest; up until now it has been 100% completely FINE with me running. I would have stopped and just powerwalked the rest of the way if I had 1/2 a mile or more to run, but it really was just to the next street, so I persevered. It feels SO wonderful to start my day like this!
And, I reposted my original starting post on the green smoothie blog to start today. I am going to do my darndest to make this happen - this morning the scale was up to 146! I told you my body globs on to fat like you wouldn't BELIEVE when I'm pregnant, it is so discouraging - I weighed 140 just 3 days ago. Rrrrr. I am confident I can get it back down though, if I stick to green smoothies because alot of it is probably water retention.
My first test will be tonight - I'm taking Rachel & four of her friends to go see Soul Surfer at the theater for her birthday. It's the kind of theater where they serve you food during the movie - it's yummy food too, and pretty cheap. But I'm going to remain strong and drink a big old smoothie before we go. I know I'm going to feel SO good tomorrow when I wake up knowing that I have a whole day of clean 100% raw behind me.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Week 17, Day 3 - Dislocated my shoulder...
Yesterday I was going to do my 3rd workout for the week as planned, followed my an interval cardio session for 15 minutes. Since it was Saturday and we didn't have anything planned, I decided to leisurely read in bed while the kids watched a movie...Bret was still sleeping.
My shoulder has been dislocating since I was about 16 years old - it started when I would play tennis or anything else that required me to put my arm straight up, and then put force on it. Hurt SO, so bad.
It got better as I started working out when I was 23 - but even still, inevitably, it will dislocate about once every 2 years. I never know when or where it will hit - it comes close quite often but I always have to be careful and aware of what I am doing, ALWAYS. It KILLS and is also quite gross feeling, as I can clearly feel the "ball" coming out of the socket.
So I was reading, and felt a sneeze coming on - since DH was sleeping, I tried to lean to the side away from him and at the same time, used my "bad" arm to cover my mouth...and wham, there it went. I immediately went into a cold sweat, my heart pounding, and had to relax, relax, as it slowly slowly eased back into the socket. It's really traumatic when it happens.
I immediately knew, that a workout was out of the question. Completely. I lay there realizing that there really is NO exercise I can do when I have to keep my arm basically close to my side with my hand basically on my heart. It has to be locked in that position tightly, or else it is very loose - it feels like the ligaments or whatever that were holding it securely in the socket were stretched and probably torn - thus the "loose" feeling.
Even if I go running, my arms swing by my side.
I was so bummed. I have really big plans for this week, especially since the family week I've been using as my goal, is only 21 days away! That's ONLY 3 weeks! So I decided then and there that I am going to really dial into nutrition, that's all I can do! And it IS something, really, I suppose, since eating is about 90% of your success anyway!
HOWEVER. Two things. I did not do well with eating yesterday -- it is really hard for me to eat well when I have not had the exercise backing me up and motivating me for that day. DH and I ended up going to a movie at Northern Lights ($3 ea + food served to you while you watch, gotta' love it!) and saw Lincoln Lawyer - VERY good movie, by the way! Anyway, I had a big salad (good), nachos minus meat and sour cream (not so good) and the Peanut Butter Mountain (BAD - ice cream, reese's, brownies, fudge, AND whipped cream). Felt kind of sick after that, but it sure was good. =)
Second thing. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and out of the blue it occured to me - make a sling! I had no idea if it would work, but I got one of Harmony's thin blankets and folded it diagonally, then tied a knot. I put it on and used a safety pin and wa-lah! I didn't know how it would actually PERFORM, but heck, I was really determined!
It worked WONDERFULLY! Yes I felt a little dorky running with this baby blanket on my shoulder - white with little pastel animals or flowers on it, lol. At first it was hard to find my rythm...not being able to swing both arms. But then I found my groove and just...continued on. I didn't know if my back would start hurting, or my neck from holding up my arm, or what. But it was fine - I'm soooo happy about that!
So while I know I won't be able to lift weights for probably about a week, I plan to run 5 miles every single morning. And also, with my goal coming in sight so quickly, just 20 days away now, I am working with my nutritional plans and am going to focus intensely on green smoothies for the next week. But as much raw food as I possibly can - I know especially with lots of greens, that this will provide premium nutrition to the baby as well as not storing any additional fat (like, um, the peanut butter mountain last night).
I'm still feeling pretty drab in my clothes. I think all my tops except for 2 (and my tanktops, but it hasn't been warm enough here yet to wear those) are true blue maternity and just have WAY too much loose material in the tummy. Yet, I can't really wear normal clothes - well at least, all my normal clothes are too small because I was SUPER tiny before I got pregnant, and I don't want to go buy normal clothes because I'm going to outgrow them in a flash.
I keep waiting for my tummy to grow into a really preggo tummy, I think it should in the next 2-3 weeks. But it doesn't help when you're working hard to be fit and you feel frumpy in your clothes, you know? Maybe I'll hit up a few consignment stores once we get paid on the 5th...that's a good way to get some in between clothes for a decent price.
Today, nothing planned...DH is volunteering at our church to cook for the youth conference at 11 - and he went running before that so we're not seeing much of him for the first part of the day. Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day cleaning the kids' bedrooms, vacuuming, putting lots of toys (shhhh) in the trash. It feels so great to have that done! I think today I might tackle my bedroom, it's been the most neglected since I've been sick. I love days like this when I have nothing planned, nothing to do....
....oh, I just remembered it's Father's Day. Hmmm....I should get a card for my Dad, maybe? Hmm....
My shoulder has been dislocating since I was about 16 years old - it started when I would play tennis or anything else that required me to put my arm straight up, and then put force on it. Hurt SO, so bad.
It got better as I started working out when I was 23 - but even still, inevitably, it will dislocate about once every 2 years. I never know when or where it will hit - it comes close quite often but I always have to be careful and aware of what I am doing, ALWAYS. It KILLS and is also quite gross feeling, as I can clearly feel the "ball" coming out of the socket.
So I was reading, and felt a sneeze coming on - since DH was sleeping, I tried to lean to the side away from him and at the same time, used my "bad" arm to cover my mouth...and wham, there it went. I immediately went into a cold sweat, my heart pounding, and had to relax, relax, as it slowly slowly eased back into the socket. It's really traumatic when it happens.
I immediately knew, that a workout was out of the question. Completely. I lay there realizing that there really is NO exercise I can do when I have to keep my arm basically close to my side with my hand basically on my heart. It has to be locked in that position tightly, or else it is very loose - it feels like the ligaments or whatever that were holding it securely in the socket were stretched and probably torn - thus the "loose" feeling.
Even if I go running, my arms swing by my side.
I was so bummed. I have really big plans for this week, especially since the family week I've been using as my goal, is only 21 days away! That's ONLY 3 weeks! So I decided then and there that I am going to really dial into nutrition, that's all I can do! And it IS something, really, I suppose, since eating is about 90% of your success anyway!
HOWEVER. Two things. I did not do well with eating yesterday -- it is really hard for me to eat well when I have not had the exercise backing me up and motivating me for that day. DH and I ended up going to a movie at Northern Lights ($3 ea + food served to you while you watch, gotta' love it!) and saw Lincoln Lawyer - VERY good movie, by the way! Anyway, I had a big salad (good), nachos minus meat and sour cream (not so good) and the Peanut Butter Mountain (BAD - ice cream, reese's, brownies, fudge, AND whipped cream). Felt kind of sick after that, but it sure was good. =)
Second thing. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and out of the blue it occured to me - make a sling! I had no idea if it would work, but I got one of Harmony's thin blankets and folded it diagonally, then tied a knot. I put it on and used a safety pin and wa-lah! I didn't know how it would actually PERFORM, but heck, I was really determined!
It worked WONDERFULLY! Yes I felt a little dorky running with this baby blanket on my shoulder - white with little pastel animals or flowers on it, lol. At first it was hard to find my rythm...not being able to swing both arms. But then I found my groove and just...continued on. I didn't know if my back would start hurting, or my neck from holding up my arm, or what. But it was fine - I'm soooo happy about that!
So while I know I won't be able to lift weights for probably about a week, I plan to run 5 miles every single morning. And also, with my goal coming in sight so quickly, just 20 days away now, I am working with my nutritional plans and am going to focus intensely on green smoothies for the next week. But as much raw food as I possibly can - I know especially with lots of greens, that this will provide premium nutrition to the baby as well as not storing any additional fat (like, um, the peanut butter mountain last night).
I'm still feeling pretty drab in my clothes. I think all my tops except for 2 (and my tanktops, but it hasn't been warm enough here yet to wear those) are true blue maternity and just have WAY too much loose material in the tummy. Yet, I can't really wear normal clothes - well at least, all my normal clothes are too small because I was SUPER tiny before I got pregnant, and I don't want to go buy normal clothes because I'm going to outgrow them in a flash.
I keep waiting for my tummy to grow into a really preggo tummy, I think it should in the next 2-3 weeks. But it doesn't help when you're working hard to be fit and you feel frumpy in your clothes, you know? Maybe I'll hit up a few consignment stores once we get paid on the 5th...that's a good way to get some in between clothes for a decent price.
Today, nothing planned...DH is volunteering at our church to cook for the youth conference at 11 - and he went running before that so we're not seeing much of him for the first part of the day. Yesterday I spent a good portion of the day cleaning the kids' bedrooms, vacuuming, putting lots of toys (shhhh) in the trash. It feels so great to have that done! I think today I might tackle my bedroom, it's been the most neglected since I've been sick. I love days like this when I have nothing planned, nothing to do....
....oh, I just remembered it's Father's Day. Hmmm....I should get a card for my Dad, maybe? Hmm....
Friday, June 17, 2011
Week 17, Day 1 - I got lost on my run! (& today's plans/new bathing suit!)
Yowza, THAT was interesting! Nothing like getting LOST when you're near the end of the run and don't want to stop, yet aren't sure exactly which street to turn on!
Bret told me last night that he had to leave by 6, so I decided to just not run, and maybe to do my workout today instead of tomorrow; so kind of just swapping days. But at 5:30 I woke up and he was still sleeping! So I asked him if he still had to leave at 6, and he said no, he was going to leave by 7. Yay! Perfect!
So I got up and ready as quickly as I could and headed out for the longest run ever, 5.2 miles. I left him a note saying I'd be back no later than 7:05 hopefully...it was 6:00 when I left. No problem - my last 5 mile run took me 1 hour & 4 minutes so it should be perfect.
Except for my route today had a few more streets weaving in & out - and one dead end in particular, wasn't on my mapping program! So as it got closer and closer to 7:00 and I was no even close to home, yikes, I really put on the speed as much as I could without overdoing it, and switched up my route, taking the most shortcuts I could think of. I ran ALL the way home, not even stopping to walk, and burst into the house at 7:08, not bad! And guess what? HA HA on me, Bret hadn't even started his shower yet, LOL!
So I went back outside and cooled down, stretched, and got on to re-map my run, relying on my memory as to where I had been. Turns out - I ran 5.6 miles today!! And my time was 12:28 per mile which is a record for me since running while pregnant (when I ran my first 5k race while not pregnant, my time was just under 10 minutes per mile). So over all, today was a success...and no wonder my legs were starting to feel like logs - I was kicking it!! Feels good...now I don't want to run a measly 5.2 miles tomorrow, the original run I had mapped out for today, LOL - I'm going to shoot for 5.6 again, why not? Just maybe not as fast, lol.
Today on the agenda we have POSSIBLY garage sale-ing with the kids, I'm not sure...it's really hard for me to resist when it's a beautiful day and I'm feeling adventurous. It is so fun to do, and takes very little money since there are many of them in our neighborhood (less gas) and I usually let them pick out one thing each for 50 cents or less at each one. They love it! And I do too. =)
But the downside is, our car is really crowded now with these bodies-getting-bigger. We have a Ford Expedition and the ones in the back have to climb OVER the seat to get out - so the ones in the middle, if they don't move fast enough, will get clobbered and then of course there's crying and hitting and people getting mad. Then there's the two little ones who have to be buckled and unbuckled each time, even if we are just going down the road to the next one - I am always very careful about that. Some of the older kids will usually help me with that, but it's just one more thing that takes time.
Then, the embarrassment factor, lol! Here we pull up and alllllll these kids start piling out, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7...plus Mom. Geez. Sometimes I can just imagine the garage sale owners wincing and hoping they don't start destroying stuff!
There's also the question: Harmony in the stroller or not? If yes, I have to drag it out and open it up, buckle her, etc every time = big pain, lots of time. If not, she's kind of like a little free bird, flitting here and there...she's almost 2 and pretty smart, so she usually loves to go right to the toys and claim a baby doll or a book, but other times....she'll go in the street looking for me or one of the other kids, or head to the breakables. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's not quite as fun for ME if all the kids go. It's near impossible to really look for good finds when I'm trying to keep my eye on all of them. But it does make for good memories for them and we do find lots of treasures!
The other idea I had - there's a little farm right at the end of our street about 1 mile away that has u-pick and their prices are fabulous! $1 for a pint of (almost) organic strawberries, open today for the first time this season at 11am. The kids have been begging to go...I mean, how fun is that? They get to eat all the berries they want for free and then we can take some home too.
Then at 12:00 we'll head over to the Boys & Girls Club for a free lunch for the kids - it's nice, usually includes chocolate/white milk, meat & cheese sandwich, an apple, baby carrots, and some fish crackers, and sometimes a cookie. That lasts for half an hour - we're meeting a friend & her boys there. They also have a nice playground so we'll play there for a bit.
At 12:45, off to pick up Rachel at Grandma's and bring her to Macleay to shuck some corn for the youth conference with some girls her age. Then back home for naps and ahhhhh some much-anticipated and looked forward to, couple of hours in the sun while the littles sleep and one or two of the olders join me with their cozy blankets and paper/pens/books/whatever. Right now as I type this I am cooling down from my run and ate some icy cold watermelon from the fridge so I am f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g!! Warm sun sounds FAB right now.
So guess what? Because I ate 100% raw yesterday (yes, I am VERY proud of myself!!! I almost caved TWICE on those tortilla chips & mango salsa! Better not buy that stuff again) I felt really great most of the day. In fact, so great that I was able to go to the mall AFTER DINNER (shock - usually by dinner time if I have eaten ANY cooked food I feel like crap and am good for nothing the rest of the night) and shop for a new bathing suit!
I don't know if I am feeling better about myself OR if my body is changing a teensy weensy bit from almost 4 weeks solid of working out (maybe a little of both?) but I found THREE bathing suits that I liked on me! One was just kind of eh....so I put it back, it looked nice and was a pretty pool blue color with swirls of silver, but had those thick stripes all the way to the ties at the neck and I really don't like that look of a tan line so promenant.
Second one was SO cute, I loved it, but...the top fit me either PERFECTLY, as in my bust has absolutely NO more room to grow. =( Wah! The next size up looked like...a moose. Just way too chunky and big. I knew if I got that one I would love it for, about a month. Then come late July & August I'd have to go buy another one and by then all the cute ones would be gone. It was kelly green & white polka dot, love those colors.
The one I chose, though, really is special. I love it - it's kind of, Victorian! Different from most of the ones there. The strap does not tie behind the neck, it is just a tiny little strap that hooks on either side in the front and goes all the way around the neck without tying and you can take it off for strapless sunbathing. Which I ALWAYS do at home while I'm just laying on the trampoline cuz the less tan lines the better, in my opinion. So that's nice.
I also like that it has a little ruffle for a more feminine look, and I love the tie that goes down instead of up on the top. Cute! Except that I had to get a size 12 bottoms, holy moly oly! That's just kind of sticker shock for a girl who wore size 2 just 5 months ago...but honestly I think it's a little screwy cuz I definitely don't fit into size 12 anything else. =) The top that fits me is size 8.
You can see a picture of it here but of course this is a beautiful model and while my body IS beautiful too (so there!) it doesn't look *quite* the same as hers. My attributes are not quite as, well, perky as hers are. =) But then, what ev, she's probably like 19 and has never had babies. I am proud to say I have had many and love my body for it, thank you very much! Here's another picture of it WITH the strap. Cute, eh?
Have a great day, all!
Bret told me last night that he had to leave by 6, so I decided to just not run, and maybe to do my workout today instead of tomorrow; so kind of just swapping days. But at 5:30 I woke up and he was still sleeping! So I asked him if he still had to leave at 6, and he said no, he was going to leave by 7. Yay! Perfect!
So I got up and ready as quickly as I could and headed out for the longest run ever, 5.2 miles. I left him a note saying I'd be back no later than 7:05 hopefully...it was 6:00 when I left. No problem - my last 5 mile run took me 1 hour & 4 minutes so it should be perfect.
Except for my route today had a few more streets weaving in & out - and one dead end in particular, wasn't on my mapping program! So as it got closer and closer to 7:00 and I was no even close to home, yikes, I really put on the speed as much as I could without overdoing it, and switched up my route, taking the most shortcuts I could think of. I ran ALL the way home, not even stopping to walk, and burst into the house at 7:08, not bad! And guess what? HA HA on me, Bret hadn't even started his shower yet, LOL!
So I went back outside and cooled down, stretched, and got on to re-map my run, relying on my memory as to where I had been. Turns out - I ran 5.6 miles today!! And my time was 12:28 per mile which is a record for me since running while pregnant (when I ran my first 5k race while not pregnant, my time was just under 10 minutes per mile). So over all, today was a success...and no wonder my legs were starting to feel like logs - I was kicking it!! Feels good...now I don't want to run a measly 5.2 miles tomorrow, the original run I had mapped out for today, LOL - I'm going to shoot for 5.6 again, why not? Just maybe not as fast, lol.
Today on the agenda we have POSSIBLY garage sale-ing with the kids, I'm not sure...it's really hard for me to resist when it's a beautiful day and I'm feeling adventurous. It is so fun to do, and takes very little money since there are many of them in our neighborhood (less gas) and I usually let them pick out one thing each for 50 cents or less at each one. They love it! And I do too. =)
But the downside is, our car is really crowded now with these bodies-getting-bigger. We have a Ford Expedition and the ones in the back have to climb OVER the seat to get out - so the ones in the middle, if they don't move fast enough, will get clobbered and then of course there's crying and hitting and people getting mad. Then there's the two little ones who have to be buckled and unbuckled each time, even if we are just going down the road to the next one - I am always very careful about that. Some of the older kids will usually help me with that, but it's just one more thing that takes time.
Then, the embarrassment factor, lol! Here we pull up and alllllll these kids start piling out, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7...plus Mom. Geez. Sometimes I can just imagine the garage sale owners wincing and hoping they don't start destroying stuff!
There's also the question: Harmony in the stroller or not? If yes, I have to drag it out and open it up, buckle her, etc every time = big pain, lots of time. If not, she's kind of like a little free bird, flitting here and there...she's almost 2 and pretty smart, so she usually loves to go right to the toys and claim a baby doll or a book, but other times....she'll go in the street looking for me or one of the other kids, or head to the breakables. So I guess what I'm saying is, it's not quite as fun for ME if all the kids go. It's near impossible to really look for good finds when I'm trying to keep my eye on all of them. But it does make for good memories for them and we do find lots of treasures!
The other idea I had - there's a little farm right at the end of our street about 1 mile away that has u-pick and their prices are fabulous! $1 for a pint of (almost) organic strawberries, open today for the first time this season at 11am. The kids have been begging to go...I mean, how fun is that? They get to eat all the berries they want for free and then we can take some home too.
Then at 12:00 we'll head over to the Boys & Girls Club for a free lunch for the kids - it's nice, usually includes chocolate/white milk, meat & cheese sandwich, an apple, baby carrots, and some fish crackers, and sometimes a cookie. That lasts for half an hour - we're meeting a friend & her boys there. They also have a nice playground so we'll play there for a bit.
At 12:45, off to pick up Rachel at Grandma's and bring her to Macleay to shuck some corn for the youth conference with some girls her age. Then back home for naps and ahhhhh some much-anticipated and looked forward to, couple of hours in the sun while the littles sleep and one or two of the olders join me with their cozy blankets and paper/pens/books/whatever. Right now as I type this I am cooling down from my run and ate some icy cold watermelon from the fridge so I am f-r-e-e-z-i-n-g!! Warm sun sounds FAB right now.
So guess what? Because I ate 100% raw yesterday (yes, I am VERY proud of myself!!! I almost caved TWICE on those tortilla chips & mango salsa! Better not buy that stuff again) I felt really great most of the day. In fact, so great that I was able to go to the mall AFTER DINNER (shock - usually by dinner time if I have eaten ANY cooked food I feel like crap and am good for nothing the rest of the night) and shop for a new bathing suit!
I don't know if I am feeling better about myself OR if my body is changing a teensy weensy bit from almost 4 weeks solid of working out (maybe a little of both?) but I found THREE bathing suits that I liked on me! One was just kind of eh....so I put it back, it looked nice and was a pretty pool blue color with swirls of silver, but had those thick stripes all the way to the ties at the neck and I really don't like that look of a tan line so promenant.
Second one was SO cute, I loved it, but...the top fit me either PERFECTLY, as in my bust has absolutely NO more room to grow. =( Wah! The next size up looked like...a moose. Just way too chunky and big. I knew if I got that one I would love it for, about a month. Then come late July & August I'd have to go buy another one and by then all the cute ones would be gone. It was kelly green & white polka dot, love those colors.
The one I chose, though, really is special. I love it - it's kind of, Victorian! Different from most of the ones there. The strap does not tie behind the neck, it is just a tiny little strap that hooks on either side in the front and goes all the way around the neck without tying and you can take it off for strapless sunbathing. Which I ALWAYS do at home while I'm just laying on the trampoline cuz the less tan lines the better, in my opinion. So that's nice.
I also like that it has a little ruffle for a more feminine look, and I love the tie that goes down instead of up on the top. Cute! Except that I had to get a size 12 bottoms, holy moly oly! That's just kind of sticker shock for a girl who wore size 2 just 5 months ago...but honestly I think it's a little screwy cuz I definitely don't fit into size 12 anything else. =) The top that fits me is size 8.
You can see a picture of it here but of course this is a beautiful model and while my body IS beautiful too (so there!) it doesn't look *quite* the same as hers. My attributes are not quite as, well, perky as hers are. =) But then, what ev, she's probably like 19 and has never had babies. I am proud to say I have had many and love my body for it, thank you very much! Here's another picture of it WITH the strap. Cute, eh?
Have a great day, all!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
To run at 4:45am or not to run, that is the question...(and weekly weigh in)
My first schedule conflict since I started running and working out. Tomorrow, according to my schedule, I am planning to run 5.2 miles. BUT - Rachel is spending the night at Grandma's, and Bret has to LEAVE for work at 6am! Oh, man...I was planning on getting UP at 6am, not coming back at that time. On one hand, I would love to run when it's barely getting light, and watch the sunrise - it's going to be nice tomorrow.
On the other hand, what am I going to do that early? The kids don't start waking up until 7:30 or so. I could go back to bed but then I'm going to fall into a deep sleep and wake up all groggy and weird. I don't feel like doing housework that early...or working on the bills...hmmm.
I will probably end up going after Bret comes home from work...but I really don't like running when everyone is out & about; too many cars, too many people staring lol.
Weigh in for this week:
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
Week 16: 140
It's creeping up there, ever so slowly. Now if I can just hold on to that 140 number for a little while!
On the other hand, what am I going to do that early? The kids don't start waking up until 7:30 or so. I could go back to bed but then I'm going to fall into a deep sleep and wake up all groggy and weird. I don't feel like doing housework that early...or working on the bills...hmmm.
I will probably end up going after Bret comes home from work...but I really don't like running when everyone is out & about; too many cars, too many people staring lol.
Weigh in for this week:
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
Week 16: 140
It's creeping up there, ever so slowly. Now if I can just hold on to that 140 number for a little while!
Week 16, Day 7 - Fit Yummy Mummy Video - SO inspiring!
Wanna see what I wish I could look like? If I had a physique in mind to shoot for, this is it. This is Holly Rigsby, the Fit Yummy Mummy lady - whose area of expertise is Moms who are trying to get their body back after having a baby or babies. She is awesome, and I have gotten far in the past on her advice!
I love how she practically glows with health and looks so fit & trim.
GRANTED she has not had 9 pregnancies...this is her 2nd pregnancy and her other son is 8 years old or so. But I am a firm believer in the fact that having lots of babies does not automatically mean that I am destined to have a postpartum body for the rest of my life! I don't think our bodies are meant to be so beaten up by pregnancies - we are MADE to have babies, and God did not make mistakes in the recovery ability either. I do think, however, that the food we subject ourselves to takes a high toll on our bodies, and that is not natural, thus our bodies have a much harder time coming back. That, and the ease with which we live these days - I mean, can you imagine the laundry ALONE for big families back in the day, when they had to scrub it all by hand??? Talk about a major workout right there!
Anyway, watching this video today really gave me a renewed vision for what I am trying to accomplish with my body. I don't have unrealistic goals, but I do think that by eating HEALTHY (no pizza, ice cream, donuts, DUH!) and exercising regularly to my body's ability, I can eliminate unnecessary fat. As in, the roll that is trying to make it's appearance under my bra strap can be stopped dead in it's tracks and even smoothed out just a bit, if I am disciplined enough to stick with the program. We'll see - I experienced a little of this with my last pregnancy and I'm inspired to continue on this time.
This morning's workout went just great - I used 2 20# dumbbells when doing the T-Bends, that was a challenge! I'm started to feel rock solid muscle on my thighs, UNDER the cellulitishness that has accumulated, wah. But still, feels great! I am sufficiently, no, very sore from starting the new workout - I lower myself slowly when I sit down. =)
Tomorrow I've mapped out a 5.2 mile run, and am very much looking forward to that; it's supposed to be a nice day and I plan to get up at 6:30 for that. It's different for me, doing this when the kids are out of school, because I don't HAVE to get up early. I could just go at 8am and have Rachel babysit...but I am enjoying very much, coming home to a quiet sleeping family, and starting my day that way. I don't like doing my workout or returning from a run to kids immediately realizing Mom is back/available so now is the time to ALL cry at the same time. LOL
Eating today has gone well so far...I've had watermelon, green smoothie, and strawberries fresh from a local farm. But I am really craving tortilla chips and mango salso right now....rrr!! I don't feel "full" but I'm not really hungry, either, and I do have the other half of the green smoothe in the fridge. Of course it doesn't really appeal, not as much as that mango salsa! We'll see, I may have a small portion, or I might just promise myself that if I can make it through today 100% on plan, then tomorrow I'll have some of it.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Backwards day today....ouch.
Oh my good LORD today has been one big, fat, HUGE failure in the eating department!! I don't know what came over me, but somehow at several different points in the day I just completely lost sight of my goal. I ate lots of lemon squares (leftover from the potluck, until I put them in the trash and poured WATER over them to keep from eating more!), pizza, ice cream with peanut butter, donut holes, veg. spaghetti with 3 pieces of french bread. And yes, I felt and FEEL ill and am really looking forward to a new day tomorrow. I feel on the verge of throwing up...and am having bad flashes back to when I was really sick no matter WHAT I ate.
In the past, what I would have done to reverse this odd feeding frenzy (and no, I was not hungry when I ate those things!!!) would have been to call a complete and utter HALT to eating and fast for the next 36 hours. Aaaah I loved doing that!!! It completely would erase the damage done and set me back on track, it is SO so weird not being able to do that! And kind of crippling, or maybe I should say frustrating...I feel like I'm on a headlong crash course with no way to stop it, or reverse damaging days like today!
But what I *can* do is declare a complete and utter HALT to any cooked food or heavy food - that includes raw nuts. So tomorrow will be a day of fresh fruits & vegetables to fill my body with the nutrition that it lacked today.
In the past, what I would have done to reverse this odd feeding frenzy (and no, I was not hungry when I ate those things!!!) would have been to call a complete and utter HALT to eating and fast for the next 36 hours. Aaaah I loved doing that!!! It completely would erase the damage done and set me back on track, it is SO so weird not being able to do that! And kind of crippling, or maybe I should say frustrating...I feel like I'm on a headlong crash course with no way to stop it, or reverse damaging days like today!
But what I *can* do is declare a complete and utter HALT to any cooked food or heavy food - that includes raw nuts. So tomorrow will be a day of fresh fruits & vegetables to fill my body with the nutrition that it lacked today.
Week 16, Day 6 - School BBQ & 5 Mile Run
Last night I realized that I am fighting a cold. My kids have the symptoms too, runny nose...sore throat - my throat was scratchy all night and I felt a little bit swollen in the glands in my throat. I woke up periodically, looking at the clock as usual (bladder calls) and at 5:15, contemplated whether or not to actually get up and go run, or reset the alarm to my normal wakeup time of 6:40. I wasn't feeling all that great...but then, aren't there always a million excuses in the early morning? Oh, definitely.
I got up and of course, I am soooo glad I did. I felt better the more awake I got, and besides, if I DO get worse, I'll be glad to have this run under my belt for sure.
I ran 5 miles again, and enjoyed it as usual! It was long, and hard at times, but I focused more on praying today - while listening to Enya. I want to do that more, it's a really special time alone with God, although it'd be nice to get some type of classical music; not so easy to pray with words playing loudly in your ear, lol!
Today the kids have their last day of school - I bring them at 8:30, then have to come back and quickly take a shower, eat breakfast, and make some type of dessert to bring (lemon squares? Something squares probably, quick & easy) to the school BBQ at 10:30. It's so nice not to have to make their lunches this morning! At 12:30 the BBQ and school are officially over - it'll be sooo nice not to have to wake them up and get them out the door every morning!
The local schools here provide free lunches for any children ages 1-18 just about every day for the entire summer. It is SO nice and saves us probably a good $150 for the summer. The lunches they serve are not necessarily the most nutritious, but I give them a good breakfast and home cooked dinner every day so it's alright. That starts tomorrow, and it's nice because they play on the playground afterwards, most days. It's also nice to have *some* kind of structure in our day, gets us out of the house - last year we enjoyed blueberry picking afterwards.
During family week and summer conference at Macleay it is also nice, because there's a school pretty close that I take the children to - which means, no lunches to make and no extra food FOR lunches to pack! But I suspect it's only a matter of time before they start scattering all around the property too much and it's too hard to round them up at a specific time...but we'll see. It has been nice in years past, that's for sure.
I got up and of course, I am soooo glad I did. I felt better the more awake I got, and besides, if I DO get worse, I'll be glad to have this run under my belt for sure.
I ran 5 miles again, and enjoyed it as usual! It was long, and hard at times, but I focused more on praying today - while listening to Enya. I want to do that more, it's a really special time alone with God, although it'd be nice to get some type of classical music; not so easy to pray with words playing loudly in your ear, lol!
Today the kids have their last day of school - I bring them at 8:30, then have to come back and quickly take a shower, eat breakfast, and make some type of dessert to bring (lemon squares? Something squares probably, quick & easy) to the school BBQ at 10:30. It's so nice not to have to make their lunches this morning! At 12:30 the BBQ and school are officially over - it'll be sooo nice not to have to wake them up and get them out the door every morning!
The local schools here provide free lunches for any children ages 1-18 just about every day for the entire summer. It is SO nice and saves us probably a good $150 for the summer. The lunches they serve are not necessarily the most nutritious, but I give them a good breakfast and home cooked dinner every day so it's alright. That starts tomorrow, and it's nice because they play on the playground afterwards, most days. It's also nice to have *some* kind of structure in our day, gets us out of the house - last year we enjoyed blueberry picking afterwards.
During family week and summer conference at Macleay it is also nice, because there's a school pretty close that I take the children to - which means, no lunches to make and no extra food FOR lunches to pack! But I suspect it's only a matter of time before they start scattering all around the property too much and it's too hard to round them up at a specific time...but we'll see. It has been nice in years past, that's for sure.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
I can't comment...rrr...
So Bekalovesjeremy...here is my comment to you since my computer is refusing to let me:
Hi hi hi!! Super nice to have a comment on here - and welcome! I agree HUGELY that it is really really motivating to read other mom's blogs who are working hard - especially when they're working HARDER than me, lol.
I know what you mean about finding time to workout with small kids - I'm a bit nervous about that because school gets out tomorrow and I obviously have to still workout even though they're all home. But I guess for me its more like lots of BODIES getting in my way, in our small 1200 square foot home. I have ages 5,3, and 1 home every day when I workout and they're pretty good. Usually the 1 year old naps for 45m-1 hour in the morning but she doesn't always sleep, just plays and stays out of my way in her crib.
The hardest part for me is postpartum, finding time to workout, so I can definitely sympathize with you!!! My baby is due in Nov and, well, I can see myself not really being that motivated to go running in the cold. Keep on trying, though, never give up - we're in this together! That's why I am loving the *option* to at least powerwalk with the stroller - the kids LOVE it and think I'm "playing" with them (hee hee) and at least it gets me out of the house and moving, doing something, ANYTHING other than putting off my workout for another day!
Hi hi hi!! Super nice to have a comment on here - and welcome! I agree HUGELY that it is really really motivating to read other mom's blogs who are working hard - especially when they're working HARDER than me, lol.
I know what you mean about finding time to workout with small kids - I'm a bit nervous about that because school gets out tomorrow and I obviously have to still workout even though they're all home. But I guess for me its more like lots of BODIES getting in my way, in our small 1200 square foot home. I have ages 5,3, and 1 home every day when I workout and they're pretty good. Usually the 1 year old naps for 45m-1 hour in the morning but she doesn't always sleep, just plays and stays out of my way in her crib.
The hardest part for me is postpartum, finding time to workout, so I can definitely sympathize with you!!! My baby is due in Nov and, well, I can see myself not really being that motivated to go running in the cold. Keep on trying, though, never give up - we're in this together! That's why I am loving the *option* to at least powerwalk with the stroller - the kids LOVE it and think I'm "playing" with them (hee hee) and at least it gets me out of the house and moving, doing something, ANYTHING other than putting off my workout for another day!
Week 16, Day 5 - Week's goals, motivation, and body at pool thoughts
I'll be honest, the last few days have been a struggle for me. This morning my plan was, after going to bed with a way too full stomach full of junk and PROMISING myself tomorrow would be different, to do my first Fit Yummy Mummy workout and eat ONLY raw all day long. Lots of watermelon, in particular!
First thing I ate was some of Harmony's cereal - full blown MILK, Life cereal, and rolled oats. Hmmm. I took the kids to school and contemplated things on the way home, and decided that I was going to just take this workout plan and ignore it for today. And eat whatever.
Got home, made myself 2 bowls of cereal - Life & Honey Bunches of Oats. We never have this type of cereal but with our WIC vouchers, we get them for free so we get about 5 boxes per month. One box is usually gone in one morning so it's rare that there is any left. And I love both of those kinds! But NOT raw by any means and always a no-no for me. =(
Checked my email. Thanks for your email, Jen!! Super nice to hear from you, and thank you for the encouragement - hearing it from you, who has recently been there, done that - was good. Funny cuz you'd THINK having done this seven times already, I would be like oh yeah, don't even worry - it'll all be over before I know it. Ha ha. Yeah, it still feels like eons, YEARS, since I felt normal and will be even more YEARS until I do. =)
What else was in my email? The 4th of July picnic details at Macleay!! As I was reading about it, I got SO excited and cannot wait - it'll be a small taste of things yet to come with conference and family week because this time...we get to spend the night!! In the same dorm room we'll be staying in for family week. Then just THREE short days later, we'll be back for 8 more days!
This is the type of thing that motivates me HUGELY to continue on with my efforts to be fit and healthy this pregnancy. Especially the pool - it's not like I think I'm going to look amazing at the pool, lol. It's that I have spent many summers feeling so awful because I did not do ANYTHING to make my physique better BEFORE hand. I clearly remember after having baby #5 in May (I know, really awful time when you're at the pool and 1 month postpartum...) sitting there feeling so overweight and like my body was, well, UGLY. And you know what? I think 75% of that was because I KNEW that I had done it to myself.
I am the one who just let myself go during the pregnancy AND afterward, did not exercise and ate Taco Bell, Burger King, and ice cream like every single night for weeks on end. I KNEW I shouldn't and yet, I did. And there I was. Looking at other Moms (and yes I know it's NOT good to compare, but this gave me an idea of what I DID want to look like) I just felt....yuck.
I remember sitting there and having a conversation with myself - I remember it really clearly. I promised myself that I would never, ever, ever put myself in that position again. When you feel badly about how you look, I think it really spills over into other areas. But it's not so much HOW you look, really - it's what you are doing about it!!
If you're 50 pounds - heck, 100 pounds - overweight, yet have been dieting and exercising for 3 weeks and have seen inch and weight loss, you will feel on top of the world at the pool. NOT that you think your body is perfect BUT there is not that hopeless feeling of "I wish, but it will never be for me...". That's it. It's HOPE that makes the difference.
So that is what really gets me motivated and excited to continue on these days - there is 3 1/2 weeks left until family week, aka pool time. I have a HOPE that I will look and feel better than I do now, then.
But in order to do that I gotta get of my duff pretty much...um...right now, before Harmony gets up, and do my FYM workout. Day by day, especially those days where I just.do.not.feel.like.it. Like today!
Update: 11:am
Okay, IN.LOVE. with my newest Fit Yummy Mummy workout!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It took me about 50 minutes to complete the warmup, workout, and 15 minute interval cardio. That is PERFECT! My goal is to do some type of exercise for approx an hour 6 days a week. Yesterday was my rest day, so here is my plan for the rest of the week:
Wed - 5 mile run
Thurs - FYM Workout + interval cardio
Fri - 5 mile run
Sat - FYM Workout + interval cardio, and a 5 mile run (later in the day prob)
Sun - 5.25 mile run
Mon - FYM Workout + interval cardio
In essence, my goal is to do 5 miles min. 4x per week, and workout/interval 3x per week. So one day a week I'll have to double up, if I'm going to accomplish that goal - but if it is just too much, then I'm ok with 3x a week running too. We'll see...how much this pregnant body can do.
So far I have not pushed myself beyond any natural warning signs. I can't even tell that I am pregnant when I am running - except for in the beginning, "the girls" are bouncing a little more than I am used to. When you're close to an A-cup, you don't really need much of anything as far as a sports bra goes. When you're a fuller cup, especially getting-ready-to-nurse type of cup, lol, things get a little more interesting. I'm going to have to figure out something better than just my normal Old Navy sports bra, I think.
So today, I started doing my normal and favorite go-to interval cardio of jumping jacks, side jumps, twist jumps, and that did NOT go over too well. My belly was com-plai-ning about that! So I switched to ice skater side little hops which is more of a smooth and fluid motion and that was perfect - and also just danced VIGOROUSLY to the music for a minute, then rested for a minute. That was FUN until I got side aches something fierce so I'll have to figure out how to combine the two.
All in all, great workout and my face was BEET red when I was done and I'd worked up a really good sweat - always a good sign, lol!
PS It's super cute but not very, um, feasible, when you're in the middle of working out, shaky and all, and your ADORABLE 23 month old with little mini pigtails and big puppy dog eyes comes up to you with her bottle and blanket and holds up her hands for you to rock her. Soooooo cute!!! But...not very good timing, lol.
PPSS Not a good idea to do hardcore exercise when you've just eaten 2 bowls of cereal with dairy. Especially when said dairy does not agree with your stomach in the FIRST place....
Just for kicks, here is what I have accomplished in the last week:
Mon - Venus Workout
Tues - Rest
Wed - Venus Workout
Thurs - 3 mile power walk w/stroller
Fri - 3 mile run
Sat - 4 mile run
Sun - 5 mile run
Now if I can just get my eating lined up, I'll know that I am doing ALL I CAN to be fit & healthy this pregnancy, and the rest is up to my body. NO looking in the mirror and berating myself for the way I look because I know I'm working the darn hardest that I can! Right? Right. =)
First thing I ate was some of Harmony's cereal - full blown MILK, Life cereal, and rolled oats. Hmmm. I took the kids to school and contemplated things on the way home, and decided that I was going to just take this workout plan and ignore it for today. And eat whatever.
Got home, made myself 2 bowls of cereal - Life & Honey Bunches of Oats. We never have this type of cereal but with our WIC vouchers, we get them for free so we get about 5 boxes per month. One box is usually gone in one morning so it's rare that there is any left. And I love both of those kinds! But NOT raw by any means and always a no-no for me. =(
Checked my email. Thanks for your email, Jen!! Super nice to hear from you, and thank you for the encouragement - hearing it from you, who has recently been there, done that - was good. Funny cuz you'd THINK having done this seven times already, I would be like oh yeah, don't even worry - it'll all be over before I know it. Ha ha. Yeah, it still feels like eons, YEARS, since I felt normal and will be even more YEARS until I do. =)
What else was in my email? The 4th of July picnic details at Macleay!! As I was reading about it, I got SO excited and cannot wait - it'll be a small taste of things yet to come with conference and family week because this time...we get to spend the night!! In the same dorm room we'll be staying in for family week. Then just THREE short days later, we'll be back for 8 more days!
This is the type of thing that motivates me HUGELY to continue on with my efforts to be fit and healthy this pregnancy. Especially the pool - it's not like I think I'm going to look amazing at the pool, lol. It's that I have spent many summers feeling so awful because I did not do ANYTHING to make my physique better BEFORE hand. I clearly remember after having baby #5 in May (I know, really awful time when you're at the pool and 1 month postpartum...) sitting there feeling so overweight and like my body was, well, UGLY. And you know what? I think 75% of that was because I KNEW that I had done it to myself.
I am the one who just let myself go during the pregnancy AND afterward, did not exercise and ate Taco Bell, Burger King, and ice cream like every single night for weeks on end. I KNEW I shouldn't and yet, I did. And there I was. Looking at other Moms (and yes I know it's NOT good to compare, but this gave me an idea of what I DID want to look like) I just felt....yuck.
I remember sitting there and having a conversation with myself - I remember it really clearly. I promised myself that I would never, ever, ever put myself in that position again. When you feel badly about how you look, I think it really spills over into other areas. But it's not so much HOW you look, really - it's what you are doing about it!!
If you're 50 pounds - heck, 100 pounds - overweight, yet have been dieting and exercising for 3 weeks and have seen inch and weight loss, you will feel on top of the world at the pool. NOT that you think your body is perfect BUT there is not that hopeless feeling of "I wish, but it will never be for me...". That's it. It's HOPE that makes the difference.
So that is what really gets me motivated and excited to continue on these days - there is 3 1/2 weeks left until family week, aka pool time. I have a HOPE that I will look and feel better than I do now, then.
But in order to do that I gotta get of my duff pretty much...um...right now, before Harmony gets up, and do my FYM workout. Day by day, especially those days where I just.do.not.feel.like.it. Like today!
Update: 11:am
Okay, IN.LOVE. with my newest Fit Yummy Mummy workout!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! It took me about 50 minutes to complete the warmup, workout, and 15 minute interval cardio. That is PERFECT! My goal is to do some type of exercise for approx an hour 6 days a week. Yesterday was my rest day, so here is my plan for the rest of the week:
Wed - 5 mile run
Thurs - FYM Workout + interval cardio
Fri - 5 mile run
Sat - FYM Workout + interval cardio, and a 5 mile run (later in the day prob)
Sun - 5.25 mile run
Mon - FYM Workout + interval cardio
In essence, my goal is to do 5 miles min. 4x per week, and workout/interval 3x per week. So one day a week I'll have to double up, if I'm going to accomplish that goal - but if it is just too much, then I'm ok with 3x a week running too. We'll see...how much this pregnant body can do.
So far I have not pushed myself beyond any natural warning signs. I can't even tell that I am pregnant when I am running - except for in the beginning, "the girls" are bouncing a little more than I am used to. When you're close to an A-cup, you don't really need much of anything as far as a sports bra goes. When you're a fuller cup, especially getting-ready-to-nurse type of cup, lol, things get a little more interesting. I'm going to have to figure out something better than just my normal Old Navy sports bra, I think.
So today, I started doing my normal and favorite go-to interval cardio of jumping jacks, side jumps, twist jumps, and that did NOT go over too well. My belly was com-plai-ning about that! So I switched to ice skater side little hops which is more of a smooth and fluid motion and that was perfect - and also just danced VIGOROUSLY to the music for a minute, then rested for a minute. That was FUN until I got side aches something fierce so I'll have to figure out how to combine the two.
All in all, great workout and my face was BEET red when I was done and I'd worked up a really good sweat - always a good sign, lol!
PS It's super cute but not very, um, feasible, when you're in the middle of working out, shaky and all, and your ADORABLE 23 month old with little mini pigtails and big puppy dog eyes comes up to you with her bottle and blanket and holds up her hands for you to rock her. Soooooo cute!!! But...not very good timing, lol.
PPSS Not a good idea to do hardcore exercise when you've just eaten 2 bowls of cereal with dairy. Especially when said dairy does not agree with your stomach in the FIRST place....
Just for kicks, here is what I have accomplished in the last week:
Mon - Venus Workout
Tues - Rest
Wed - Venus Workout
Thurs - 3 mile power walk w/stroller
Fri - 3 mile run
Sat - 4 mile run
Sun - 5 mile run
Now if I can just get my eating lined up, I'll know that I am doing ALL I CAN to be fit & healthy this pregnancy, and the rest is up to my body. NO looking in the mirror and berating myself for the way I look because I know I'm working the darn hardest that I can! Right? Right. =)
Monday, June 13, 2011
Week 16, Day 4 - Happy Monday! 5 Mile Run, Parties, and Bathing Suits...
For some reason I haven't been in a very blogging mood, thus no post yesterday. I don't know why...I guess I'm not really excited about anything per say, lol.
Especially after...swimsuit shopping yesterday? Oh, my. I mean, I KNOW I'm pregnant and all, so I have a "good reason" for the lumpiness, and rolls trying to make their appearance, and boobs that are not so super cute in a strapless bikini top - actually, scratch that. They don't even hold UP a strapless bikini top. I was thinking how nice it would be to get one of those so I don't have this big this "stripe" tan line this summer. Ha.
I think I spent about an hour at Target yesterday. They do have really cute 2pc bathing suits - but it's just so darn hard to figure out what the heck I even wear these days! First I spent about 10 minutes picking out strapless size Medium tops with matching size Small bottoms.
Trooped allll the way across the store to the dressing room, only 6 allowed at a time. Uh-uh. No way on EARTH size Small fits anymore, and size Medium tops? Nope.
Back to the drawing board.
I think I went back and forth 4 times. I never did find one. It's a different world for me, and I clearly remember the time when I realized that wow, just about EVERYTHING I try on looks really cute! I had my pick of anything, if I liked it, I could buy it because most likely I would love the way it looked.
So that's what I did yesterday - maybe I'll try JCPenney next. Now I know more what to look for, though. MUST have straps...waaah. Size Large tops, size Large bottoms. Waaaah again. No big thick straps around the neck, and it must tie in the back or else it squishes my back into what looks like a 2nd butt, hee hee.
I AM, however, excited about the fact that I ran FIVE MILES yesterday morning!!! Can you believe it? I have never ran 3x in a row before, morning after morning. It took me a whopping HOUR and two minutes. It felt strange to look at my watch and see that I had actually been running, MOVING nonstop, for that long. I felt like I'd run a marathon or something, lol!
Since I need challenges, my next goal is to run a 10k which is 6.1 miles. But I def need to get used to running 5 miles first - I could tell I was stretching my abilities...but it was not a bad thing. At the end I even sprinted - I seemed to have boundless energy.
Wish I could have that boundless energy during the day, but not just yet apparently. I still get very tired around 6pm and it's a chore to stay busy and talk to the kids, get through dinner, and by 9pm I am ready.for.bed. I don't even want to read before bed, I just want to fall into blissful sleep.
Today I am putting on an "end of the year" party for Grace's class, along with another mom. I am bringing the cupcakes, 24 of them from Walmart, as well as a present game and the paper plates & napkins. She is bringing 24 balloons, popcorn, and the drinks + another game. Should be fun but we have to be there at 1:30, smack in the middle of naptime. We'll see how that goes. =)
Today I weighed in at 140! Super happy about that, my weekend eating wasn't really really bad, mostly I watched what I ate very very carefully but ended up eating some things not allowed at night. If I can maintain 140 for a while, I'll be happy.
Especially after...swimsuit shopping yesterday? Oh, my. I mean, I KNOW I'm pregnant and all, so I have a "good reason" for the lumpiness, and rolls trying to make their appearance, and boobs that are not so super cute in a strapless bikini top - actually, scratch that. They don't even hold UP a strapless bikini top. I was thinking how nice it would be to get one of those so I don't have this big this "stripe" tan line this summer. Ha.
I think I spent about an hour at Target yesterday. They do have really cute 2pc bathing suits - but it's just so darn hard to figure out what the heck I even wear these days! First I spent about 10 minutes picking out strapless size Medium tops with matching size Small bottoms.
Trooped allll the way across the store to the dressing room, only 6 allowed at a time. Uh-uh. No way on EARTH size Small fits anymore, and size Medium tops? Nope.
Back to the drawing board.
I think I went back and forth 4 times. I never did find one. It's a different world for me, and I clearly remember the time when I realized that wow, just about EVERYTHING I try on looks really cute! I had my pick of anything, if I liked it, I could buy it because most likely I would love the way it looked.
So that's what I did yesterday - maybe I'll try JCPenney next. Now I know more what to look for, though. MUST have straps...waaah. Size Large tops, size Large bottoms. Waaaah again. No big thick straps around the neck, and it must tie in the back or else it squishes my back into what looks like a 2nd butt, hee hee.
I AM, however, excited about the fact that I ran FIVE MILES yesterday morning!!! Can you believe it? I have never ran 3x in a row before, morning after morning. It took me a whopping HOUR and two minutes. It felt strange to look at my watch and see that I had actually been running, MOVING nonstop, for that long. I felt like I'd run a marathon or something, lol!
Since I need challenges, my next goal is to run a 10k which is 6.1 miles. But I def need to get used to running 5 miles first - I could tell I was stretching my abilities...but it was not a bad thing. At the end I even sprinted - I seemed to have boundless energy.
Wish I could have that boundless energy during the day, but not just yet apparently. I still get very tired around 6pm and it's a chore to stay busy and talk to the kids, get through dinner, and by 9pm I am ready.for.bed. I don't even want to read before bed, I just want to fall into blissful sleep.
Today I am putting on an "end of the year" party for Grace's class, along with another mom. I am bringing the cupcakes, 24 of them from Walmart, as well as a present game and the paper plates & napkins. She is bringing 24 balloons, popcorn, and the drinks + another game. Should be fun but we have to be there at 1:30, smack in the middle of naptime. We'll see how that goes. =)
Today I weighed in at 140! Super happy about that, my weekend eating wasn't really really bad, mostly I watched what I ate very very carefully but ended up eating some things not allowed at night. If I can maintain 140 for a while, I'll be happy.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Week 16, Day 2 - Food Bank, Date w/Hubby, 4 Mile RUN!
This morning I got up at 6:15 and went for another delicious run. That is like the perfect word to describe it - I LOVE it! It's just...exhilarating somehow. But the early morning is half of it, honestly - there is just something really awesome about being in the cool morning air when hardly anyone is up. And then to come home and the house is quiet still, all is sleeping - my day has yet to begun and I am already finished with my workout!
My foot hurt me for about 2 minutes out of the entire run, and never again after that. My left knee is bugging me though, I once dislocated it and ever since it hasn't been the same...just kind of tight, sort of swollen feeling. But it goes away pretty quickly usually, and hopefully will again today as well.
I can kind of compare it to eating something yummy - when I was finished with my run and walking for the last 3-4 minutes to cool down, I wanted to just keep on walking...nooooo I don't want my time out here to be over!!
Today I ran 3.9 miles. Slowly but surely, inching my way towards my goal of 5 miles per day. It's fun to challenge myself and see how far I can go - I felt rather invisible today, and I could tell my pace was faster, but I forgot to set my timer on my watch when I started, wah!
I mapped out my run for tomorrow, an ambitious 4.8 miles. Today was cloudy again - the absolute ULTIMATE is to run in the early morning on a sunny, cloudless day - maybe tomorrow?
In about half an hour I'll be leaving for the monthly food bank at a local church nearby. It's amazing how much food they give for a family of 9 - often it has covered my entire table WITH a leaf extended! Several of the girls from church go as well, so it's fun to hang out and chat for 45 minutes or so before the doors open (you have to get there early).
After that, home to put away the groceries and then a date with DH! I think we're heading to Portland to catch the Saturday Market, go to our fave restaurant for lunch (I plan to have a big salad with dressing on the side + maybe something else ON PLAN), and then a $3 movie somewhere hopefully.
Gotta' run!
My foot hurt me for about 2 minutes out of the entire run, and never again after that. My left knee is bugging me though, I once dislocated it and ever since it hasn't been the same...just kind of tight, sort of swollen feeling. But it goes away pretty quickly usually, and hopefully will again today as well.
I can kind of compare it to eating something yummy - when I was finished with my run and walking for the last 3-4 minutes to cool down, I wanted to just keep on walking...nooooo I don't want my time out here to be over!!
Today I ran 3.9 miles. Slowly but surely, inching my way towards my goal of 5 miles per day. It's fun to challenge myself and see how far I can go - I felt rather invisible today, and I could tell my pace was faster, but I forgot to set my timer on my watch when I started, wah!
I mapped out my run for tomorrow, an ambitious 4.8 miles. Today was cloudy again - the absolute ULTIMATE is to run in the early morning on a sunny, cloudless day - maybe tomorrow?
In about half an hour I'll be leaving for the monthly food bank at a local church nearby. It's amazing how much food they give for a family of 9 - often it has covered my entire table WITH a leaf extended! Several of the girls from church go as well, so it's fun to hang out and chat for 45 minutes or so before the doors open (you have to get there early).
After that, home to put away the groceries and then a date with DH! I think we're heading to Portland to catch the Saturday Market, go to our fave restaurant for lunch (I plan to have a big salad with dressing on the side + maybe something else ON PLAN), and then a $3 movie somewhere hopefully.
Gotta' run!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Week 16, Day 1 - 5:30am 3 1/2 mile run! (plus raw strawberry shortcake, yum..)
SO happy that my foot let me run today! My knee is acting up too, both are a little sore, but hopefully it'll just ease up and go away like it did last time. I was able to retrace the same run I did that injured my foot, 3.62 miles - it was kind of long, to be honest. But I did enjoy it - I listened to half Enya and half Dave Ramsey talk radio. I'd really like to get some conference CD's on there so I can listen to a meeting too.It felt really nice, though, to get up early and be out there in the early morning air - hardly anyone is around. Today it was cloudy and kind of sprinkling...I prefer the dawn of a sunny day for sure, but there *is* definitely something refreshing about rain-ish weather.
This morning I was thinking about and craving strawberry shortcake - and I remembered a delish and very fast raw recipe I have used in the past to cure this very craving! It's really yummy and quick and uses ingredients most people have on hand. You can view it here:
So, that's what I had for breakfast. =) I always think it's pretty cool how I can eat dessert for breakfast when I'm eating raw! We'll see how this particular recipe does on my stomach...usually nuts in general make my stomach upset pretty shortly, even though they're sooo yummy! These were not soaked, but they were made into a fine powder in my Vitamix so who knows. I made half the recipe and ate the whole thing slowly, savoring each bite. It was delish...but the jury is still out as to how I feel.
In other news, last night I went shopping at Goodwill, thanks to Rachel!
Right now I have very low energy and don't feel well, am very tired at night at around 6pm and on. Thus it's easy for me to go to sleep at 8-9pm, feels soooo good. She asked me can we PLEASE go to Goodwill and get her some clothes......I was just dragging my feet. I told her I still had to give the 3 little ones a bath, huge job when you're tired and have an ever growing belly.
She decided to do it for me! I was so amazed, I love it when I see small fruits of my labor, you know? I was able to actually sit in the comfy chair in the living room with my feet up while she gave the 3 & 5 year olds a bath, and my 7 & 1 year old took a bath in the other bathroom and 7 yr old washed both of them. Of course it was my job as soon as they were done, to dress them, but it felt wonderful; bathtime, like bedtime, has always been a struggle for me. =)
We managed to get in & out of there in an hour, she is really fun to shop with. Not like OMG a blast, but really pleasant company. No demands or throwing fits because I won't buy her this or that. I told her she had $20 to spend of my money (I buy her clothes, but only things that she NEEDS, not another pair of Converse when she already has 5!) and she came in right under $20.
I was so happy though, I haven't gone shopping since before Arizona, and even then I was soooo sick that the thought of shopping honestly makes me ill still, the memory is still so strong. But I found a CUTE maternity jean skirt - really needed for the meetings, and flattering to boot. 2 skirts, 2 knee length shorts, shorts for running, and one pair of longer capris that are a little too big for me but are Gap Maternity and SO comfortable that I bought them anyway. Everything I got was $4.99 except the Gap denim which was $6.99 - for that reason, I LOVE GOODWILL! It's not a place to go to buy the newest styles, but to find cute, affordable every day things that become staples - it's sure the place to go simply because they have long racks and you're bound to find something! These cost me a total of $30.40 which includes my 5% club membership discount.
The long shorts I got, are size 7/8. Boo. Coming from a size 2, that is hard to swallow...especially in bottoms which having nothing to do with a growing belly!! Aaargh. But oh well, they're cute, flattering, and I currently have just my exercise spandex shorts and a pair of long denim capris that I wear all.the.time. Sometimes I would wear a skirt just for the change of scenery, lol! So it'll be nice to have different choices.
Yesterday was 100% ON PLAN. I *did* indulge in some tortilla chips & salsa, that was before I got so motivated to do the Fit Yummy Mummy plan, but I am SO proud of myself - I measured out 1 handful of tortilla chips (about 160 calories, gah), and exactly 1/4 cup of mango salsa(100 calories). When I ate those two the other day, I had probably a CUP of the salsa + wow, sooo many chips. I just practically attacked the thing!! It felt wonderful to enjoy such a small amount but really ENJOY it, knowing that I wasn't going "off plan". But now that I'm doing FYM where every piece of food I put into my mouth is to be food that SUPPORTS fat loss, tortilla chips won't be on the menu anymore.
Last night I made angel food cake with blueberries in sauce to go over it. And yummy rice with onions...and homemade wheat bread with honey. ALL tempting for me, especially the plain angel food cake, I really like that. But I just kept thinking about supportive foods, and I ended up making a whole new pot of the lentil stew - SO, so yummy! I ate a bunch of that - and enjoyed my day. =)
What I ate yesterday:
Watermelon
Lentil Stew
Grapes
Handful of tortilla chips
1/4 cup Mango Salsa
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Fit Yummy Mummy ~ My New 4-week Plan!
So you guys must know by now that I LOVE finding new "plans" and new "inspirations". I am pretty much always doing mostly the same thing (working out 3x per week minimum and eating LOTS of fresh fruits/veggies) but I love actually having a plan to work from.
I was on facebook just piddling about and came across a video that Holly from FYM had done, stating WHY she does not work out more than 90 minutes per week and YES that she gets the results she does, JUST FROM THAT. Nothing extra. Her point was - why on earth would I use ANY extra time I have in my day, to workout? When I don't have to, and can get the same results from less? (although I do have to say that being pregnant, the workouts would not be 15m each for me, more like 20m)
Why, indeed. =)
Now, I have found THE perfect plan for me, in Venus. I love it, pure and simple. It works, I was able to attain the best look I've EVER had, and I will surely go right back to that after I have the baby.
But for pregnancy, it honestly kind of sucks. It's all about calorie restriction for weight/fat loss, and I can't do that while pregnant. No way around it, I just cannot, it's not healthy.
The workouts are also really long and I am trying my darndest just to be MOTIVATED enough to actually do a workout, any workout - and when they're 1 1/2 hour long, it just becomes the first dreaded thing I think of when I wake up.
BEFORE Venus, I was able to lose 20 pounds on Fit Yummy Mummy. That was my postpartum baby weight. So ladies & gents, I am going to go back to that. I love the looser eating guidelines that rely more on nutrition rather than calories, and I love the workouts. I'm also looking forward to adding back in some interval cardio too! That is really good for me mentally because I KNOW it burns fat like nobody's business.
But I am still going to run, I just love it too much. However, since the workouts themselves are so quick, I can easily double up and add in a run - especially since it really is a moderate form of exercise, no heavy breathing so my heartrate stays pretty even.
I'm excited that there is exactly 30 days until family week at Macleay - those kind of goals really help motivate me.
So I'm going to do this:
EXERCISE
M-W-F
20m FYM workout + 15m Interval Training
3x/week as it fits, 3-5 mile run
1-2x/week as it fits, 2-3 mile power walk w/stroller
The last two are not necessary FOR fat loss, but they help my mental game SO much, just to do SOMETHING each day for exercise. I'm not going to PLAN on taking any break days, but if it just happens that I can't do my workout any particular day, I'll take it. Our meetings are at night now, so it's easy for me on Sundays to do a workout or go running in the morning.
Also, I'm going to keep a log of my workouts and try to improve SOMETHING each and every time. Whether it's higher weights, better form - trying to keep myself challenged and stay away from maintainence mode. (lifting what I know is fairly easy for me, barely straining). Focusing on STRENGTH.
FOOD
*Eat 75% raw food - that allows for some cooked, but:
*Choose only cooked foods that SUPPORT fat loss. This is whole, unprocessed foods and does not include tortilla chips!!
*Each week, plan 3 "planned indulgences* of my choice. But these should be fairly supportive foods such as veggie subway sandwich (yes Mina, those ARE addicting!!! Bret and I always have them STUFF it with lettuce, yum!), Thai stir fry with brown rice, hmmm I'll have to put my thinking cap on.
*Foods to AVOID:
Sugar
Dairy
Meat
Refined/Overly processed food (mostly comes in a box or bag)
Wheat
Rice (for me, makes me feel ill)
*Track what I eat, every day. You guys will help keep me accountable this way!
The funny thing is, most of what I've written here is what is recommended for optimal health anyway. It's not really a fat/weight loss program at all - it's what we should all be doing, for crying out loud! (except for the vegan part maybe) Just really hard to do, to stay away from all the *other* yummy things out there.
Tomorrow I am planning to go running since I've already done 3 workouts this week. Saturday running, and Sunday running. Monday I'll start the FYM workouts and I'm excited to see results!
I was on facebook just piddling about and came across a video that Holly from FYM had done, stating WHY she does not work out more than 90 minutes per week and YES that she gets the results she does, JUST FROM THAT. Nothing extra. Her point was - why on earth would I use ANY extra time I have in my day, to workout? When I don't have to, and can get the same results from less? (although I do have to say that being pregnant, the workouts would not be 15m each for me, more like 20m)
Why, indeed. =)
Now, I have found THE perfect plan for me, in Venus. I love it, pure and simple. It works, I was able to attain the best look I've EVER had, and I will surely go right back to that after I have the baby.
But for pregnancy, it honestly kind of sucks. It's all about calorie restriction for weight/fat loss, and I can't do that while pregnant. No way around it, I just cannot, it's not healthy.
The workouts are also really long and I am trying my darndest just to be MOTIVATED enough to actually do a workout, any workout - and when they're 1 1/2 hour long, it just becomes the first dreaded thing I think of when I wake up.
BEFORE Venus, I was able to lose 20 pounds on Fit Yummy Mummy. That was my postpartum baby weight. So ladies & gents, I am going to go back to that. I love the looser eating guidelines that rely more on nutrition rather than calories, and I love the workouts. I'm also looking forward to adding back in some interval cardio too! That is really good for me mentally because I KNOW it burns fat like nobody's business.
But I am still going to run, I just love it too much. However, since the workouts themselves are so quick, I can easily double up and add in a run - especially since it really is a moderate form of exercise, no heavy breathing so my heartrate stays pretty even.
I'm excited that there is exactly 30 days until family week at Macleay - those kind of goals really help motivate me.
So I'm going to do this:
EXERCISE
M-W-F
20m FYM workout + 15m Interval Training
3x/week as it fits, 3-5 mile run
1-2x/week as it fits, 2-3 mile power walk w/stroller
The last two are not necessary FOR fat loss, but they help my mental game SO much, just to do SOMETHING each day for exercise. I'm not going to PLAN on taking any break days, but if it just happens that I can't do my workout any particular day, I'll take it. Our meetings are at night now, so it's easy for me on Sundays to do a workout or go running in the morning.
Also, I'm going to keep a log of my workouts and try to improve SOMETHING each and every time. Whether it's higher weights, better form - trying to keep myself challenged and stay away from maintainence mode. (lifting what I know is fairly easy for me, barely straining). Focusing on STRENGTH.
FOOD
*Eat 75% raw food - that allows for some cooked, but:
*Choose only cooked foods that SUPPORT fat loss. This is whole, unprocessed foods and does not include tortilla chips!!
*Each week, plan 3 "planned indulgences* of my choice. But these should be fairly supportive foods such as veggie subway sandwich (yes Mina, those ARE addicting!!! Bret and I always have them STUFF it with lettuce, yum!), Thai stir fry with brown rice, hmmm I'll have to put my thinking cap on.
*Foods to AVOID:
Sugar
Dairy
Meat
Refined/Overly processed food (mostly comes in a box or bag)
Wheat
Rice (for me, makes me feel ill)
*Track what I eat, every day. You guys will help keep me accountable this way!
The funny thing is, most of what I've written here is what is recommended for optimal health anyway. It's not really a fat/weight loss program at all - it's what we should all be doing, for crying out loud! (except for the vegan part maybe) Just really hard to do, to stay away from all the *other* yummy things out there.
Tomorrow I am planning to go running since I've already done 3 workouts this week. Saturday running, and Sunday running. Monday I'll start the FYM workouts and I'm excited to see results!
Lovely walk today!! (& date morning coming up!!)
Powerwalking with 70 lbs of kiddos is such a perfect form of exercise for me! I'm lucky, I know, to have kids who *last* for 3 miles - today even Marie lasted for 2.5 miles, I was so proud of her! And happy to have a much bigger load to push at the end, for just half a mile. My foot started complaining RIGHT about when we got home, so that's progress even from yesterday! I hope hope hope I can go running tomorrow...
James stayed home today from school - he has some stomach issues he deals with, and had a rough evening yesterday laying beside me in the bed while I was sick - he complained of a headache, sore throat, AND a stomach ache. He's not *really* the type to make things up, but he does love James & Mommy time. =) So today I let him stay home for some TLC - and he came with us on our walk, riding his scooter.
He took a picture of us - fun!
James stayed home today from school - he has some stomach issues he deals with, and had a rough evening yesterday laying beside me in the bed while I was sick - he complained of a headache, sore throat, AND a stomach ache. He's not *really* the type to make things up, but he does love James & Mommy time. =) So today I let him stay home for some TLC - and he came with us on our walk, riding his scooter.
He took a picture of us - fun!
Today instead of hurrying to get the kids out the door for our walk, I spent an hour cleaning - it made such a difference to come home from our walk and enter a lovely clean home! Well, HALF of a home, anyway. I don't usually feel all that energetic afterwards and am looking forward to a good NAP - so it was nice to have that halfway done, anyway.
It looks like on Saturday DH & I are going on a date!!! We haven't gone on a date since we went to Arizona, exactly 2 months ago. Coming from someone who used to go on 8-hour, paint-the-town-red dates at LEAST twice a month, yikes - it's been a long time!
Since I feel WAY better in the morning, I am going to leave with him at 5:30am to head to the big city where he's running in a 10K race. I am hoping to scout out a route on mapmyrun.com (I LOVE that site and use it every single time I go for a walk!) and run while he runs. Afterwards we're going to the Saturday Market - they have big ones up there! Then maybe catch a matinee movie and go out to lunch, and head home in the afternoon.
The only thing is, we'll both be sweaty. Not super awesome for a date, lol! Maybe we can make a pitstop at his sister's house and take showers there - the city is a good hour away so it's not like we can come home. I mean we COULD come back here, shower, and then go...but it's not as fun as just being out all morning and plus, it's like chaosx10 when Mom & Dad step back into the scene of a babysitter, lol! All of a sudden so and so has been SUPER BAD (according to brother) and so and so DID NOT OBEY and this person all of a sudden is crying....when they were totally fine before we got home!
I'll try to take pictures - Bret has a better phone camera than me - so I can share our time with you. =)
Tereza, awww, I am so sad that watermelon isn't working for you. Are you being sure to eat it on an empty stomach? That is a must...or at least, let an hour go by since you last ate. Watermelon was kind of like that for me, the past 2 months - it tasted wonderful, but immediately afterwards I would get this aftertaste of like nutrisweet or something, bleh. And my stomach didn't like it much either. I know it's really cleansing, like REALLY cleansing - lots of people will do "watermelon fasts" type of thing. So it makes me curious what exactly IS going on inside when it gives someone a stomach ache or the runs .... but whatever, doesn't really matter, we don't want to eat something that's going to make us feel awful for sure.
I hope it changes for you, though....rrrrr!!
Week 15, Day 7 - My stomach BETRAYED me & Weekly Weigh-in
Yes, Tereza, I do know how you feel now!! Even though some days I feel pretty good, although evenings are rough, OTHER days - my stomach, geez, I have no idea what the heck it wants me to do!! So confusing.
Yesterday's mexican mishmash sounded so good! And it tasted good too, but I ended up eating only maybe 3/4 cup before my stomach said, enough. All was good until I just kind of felt like laying down - no biggie, I do that often, on the couch.
An hour later? Worse. Much worse. An hour after THAT? I was throwing it up. Wow. I wonder if maybe the corn was bad - it'd been in the fridge, on the cob, for about 3 weeks - the ends had a little bit of mold but the rest was perfect. I was transportd back to my really sick days of just laying on the couch and only getting up to change a diaper and get cereal for the kids for dinner real quick.
I ended up going to sleep at 9:15 - konked out, and in the night my stomach still hurt. Egads! Thankfully I feel back to normal now...makes me never want to eat corn again, though!
Weekly weigh in ~
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
I'm happy with this BECAUSE last weekend I really had a rough time - and even just two days ago, I had like 5 homemade yummy rolls, lots of pieces of chocolate chip banana bread...all this heavy stuff (that didn't make my stomach hurt as bad as that mexican dish, go figure)...and I've been fighting this whole week to get my weight down from 140 - even 141 one day.
So it's a victory for me - now I just have to make sure I eat as much raw as I can and see where the scale takes me.
Today is the warmest day it's going to be in the next 10 days - 74 degrees! Fun! I'm going to attempt my long walk with the kids today, hopefully pushing them all on the stroller at some point so I get a good workout - hopefully 3.5 miles today. I WISH I could run this morning, it's so pretty out there! But it's probably a good idea to make sure my foot can handle that long of a distance WALKING, let alone running.
It's so strange to take a shower and shave my legs, and realize that my legs are not mine. They're thicker, bigger, more plump - not near as sculpted as they used to be. =( It's like my body is foreign, I'm still not used to it! Hopefully either I can 1)slowly change that this pregnancy by being consistent with eating well/exercise or 2)I'll never get used to it, an after the baby comes I'll work hard to get it back to where it used to be.
It's time now to get the kids' clothes ready for school, make their lunches, get them ready...no more computer time for a while! =)
Yesterday's mexican mishmash sounded so good! And it tasted good too, but I ended up eating only maybe 3/4 cup before my stomach said, enough. All was good until I just kind of felt like laying down - no biggie, I do that often, on the couch.
An hour later? Worse. Much worse. An hour after THAT? I was throwing it up. Wow. I wonder if maybe the corn was bad - it'd been in the fridge, on the cob, for about 3 weeks - the ends had a little bit of mold but the rest was perfect. I was transportd back to my really sick days of just laying on the couch and only getting up to change a diaper and get cereal for the kids for dinner real quick.
I ended up going to sleep at 9:15 - konked out, and in the night my stomach still hurt. Egads! Thankfully I feel back to normal now...makes me never want to eat corn again, though!
Weekly weigh in ~
Week 5: 127
Week 8: 133
Week 9: 130
Week 10: 133
Week 11: 133
Week 12: 136
Week 13: 138
Week 14: 138
Week 15: 139
I'm happy with this BECAUSE last weekend I really had a rough time - and even just two days ago, I had like 5 homemade yummy rolls, lots of pieces of chocolate chip banana bread...all this heavy stuff (that didn't make my stomach hurt as bad as that mexican dish, go figure)...and I've been fighting this whole week to get my weight down from 140 - even 141 one day.
So it's a victory for me - now I just have to make sure I eat as much raw as I can and see where the scale takes me.
Today is the warmest day it's going to be in the next 10 days - 74 degrees! Fun! I'm going to attempt my long walk with the kids today, hopefully pushing them all on the stroller at some point so I get a good workout - hopefully 3.5 miles today. I WISH I could run this morning, it's so pretty out there! But it's probably a good idea to make sure my foot can handle that long of a distance WALKING, let alone running.
It's so strange to take a shower and shave my legs, and realize that my legs are not mine. They're thicker, bigger, more plump - not near as sculpted as they used to be. =( It's like my body is foreign, I'm still not used to it! Hopefully either I can 1)slowly change that this pregnancy by being consistent with eating well/exercise or 2)I'll never get used to it, an after the baby comes I'll work hard to get it back to where it used to be.
It's time now to get the kids' clothes ready for school, make their lunches, get them ready...no more computer time for a while! =)
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Oh, yum! My Mexican Mish-mash
So as you know, my goal is to eat 75-90% raw and the rest, vegan plant based food. I just spent my entire naptime looking up recipes - fun! Obviously I was slightly hungry upon going to bed, for that to appeal to me so much. =)
Anyway, I have this big bunch of black beans I cooked up yesterday - just simple, beans & water. No salt or anything.
When I got up from my nap, I threw together this delish combo that actually tastes really good!
Salsa
Black Beans
Avocado
Raw corn from cob
Cilantro
Squirt of lemon juice
Tobasco sauce
Mixed together, it's pretty darn tasty and totally hits the spot. It's all raw except the salsa is (organic) from Costco and thus, preserved or whatever, and cooked too, I think. And the beans, of course. It is bang-on with how I want to be eating, though, and once again I realize how much easier it is to eat this way when I have new and tasty recipes to try! This would be great over spinach too as a mexican salad, I'm thinking....
As always, I have to see how my stomach reacts - it is still QUITE fickle and will betray me at the drop of the hat, even with the most healthy of things. =(
Anyway, I have this big bunch of black beans I cooked up yesterday - just simple, beans & water. No salt or anything.
When I got up from my nap, I threw together this delish combo that actually tastes really good!
Salsa
Black Beans
Avocado
Raw corn from cob
Cilantro
Squirt of lemon juice
Tobasco sauce
Mixed together, it's pretty darn tasty and totally hits the spot. It's all raw except the salsa is (organic) from Costco and thus, preserved or whatever, and cooked too, I think. And the beans, of course. It is bang-on with how I want to be eating, though, and once again I realize how much easier it is to eat this way when I have new and tasty recipes to try! This would be great over spinach too as a mexican salad, I'm thinking....
As always, I have to see how my stomach reacts - it is still QUITE fickle and will betray me at the drop of the hat, even with the most healthy of things. =(
Found a Cool Pregnancy Blog
I get so inspired to continue on the straight & narrow when I read other blogs of people in similar situations/with similar aspirations as I have. I've been having fun this morning searching through Google for "pregnant running blog" and have come up with some gems!
This one is my favorite ~ titled, "Pregnant Running Blog" LOL.
She went to the gym and ran her entire pregnancy, including the morning of her delivery - and she has 4 kids ages 4 & under too. One of the things that really encouraged me was that at 27 weeks she was diagnosed with gallbladder problems, so her doctor put her on a diet of strictly fruits, veggies, very little salad (low-fat) dressing, chicken breast (cooked with small amount of seasoning and with no oil or butter) and one piece of bread a day. Eating small amounts and eating every 2 hours.
Up until then, she was eating kind of whatever she wanted, only in moderate amounts...and gaining lots of weight. Once she switched to her much cleaner diet, she felt SO FANTASTIC!! And kept on exclaiming so, for the rest of her pregnancy. She stuck to it very strictly, more strict that I'm sure I could be because I have no medical reason, but it was so encouraging for me to hear what she wrote. She also dropped some of the fat that she had gained, and I love two of the pictures she posted - total inspiration to me:
I LOVE how she looks here, just 2 hours after having the baby, wow! This inspires me to continue with a clean diet and exercise so I can FEEL as good as she looks afterwards!
This one is my favorite ~ titled, "Pregnant Running Blog" LOL.
She went to the gym and ran her entire pregnancy, including the morning of her delivery - and she has 4 kids ages 4 & under too. One of the things that really encouraged me was that at 27 weeks she was diagnosed with gallbladder problems, so her doctor put her on a diet of strictly fruits, veggies, very little salad (low-fat) dressing, chicken breast (cooked with small amount of seasoning and with no oil or butter) and one piece of bread a day. Eating small amounts and eating every 2 hours.
Up until then, she was eating kind of whatever she wanted, only in moderate amounts...and gaining lots of weight. Once she switched to her much cleaner diet, she felt SO FANTASTIC!! And kept on exclaiming so, for the rest of her pregnancy. She stuck to it very strictly, more strict that I'm sure I could be because I have no medical reason, but it was so encouraging for me to hear what she wrote. She also dropped some of the fat that she had gained, and I love two of the pictures she posted - total inspiration to me:
I LOVE how she looks here, just 2 hours after having the baby, wow! This inspires me to continue with a clean diet and exercise so I can FEEL as good as she looks afterwards!
This is such a great picture, she looks amazing - again, something to aspire to!!!
After reading her blog, I am so determined to do well this pregnancy! And to ENJOY it, I really want to sit back and smell the flowers, so to speak - not always pushing for the next thing, waiting for the next thing - this could very well be the very last time I ever experience this.
So far today I have been tempted by things, yes - chocolate chips, bologna (I know, I know, you don't have to tell me!!!)...but instead I have eaten watermelon, grapes, and sprouted sunflower seeds. Lunchtime, my hardest time, has sailed on by - hardly even tempted, thanks to my awesome workouts this morning and reading her blog.
I also love hearing how these ladies who exercise and eat healthy, do so well after having the baby. Many of them write nonchalantly about going to Sam's Club with the kids on day 5, going shopping for clothes...I'm like oh my WORD!! That has NEVER been me, I've always been completely flat on my back EXHAUSTED and just not myself at all until about 2 weeks postpartum, if even then.
Not that I'm going to be pushing for more than I can handle, but it really gives me a vision of how it could (possibly?) be - especially this lady, who has 4 kids SO young. That's half the work right there - yes, I'll have double the amount of kids she has, but my older ones can easily fend for themselves if I am not able to get dinner, or amuse themselves while I take a nap.
Week 15, Day 6 - Found some beautiful flowers by the road!
I'm so thrilled to say I am now going on 3 1/2 weeks of working out and eating better!! The scale doesn't agree (or at least, it's holding steady at about 139-140 so I suppose that's good) but who cares, pregnancy scale weights are all wacko anyway.
I'm actually thankful for my foot injury while running on Saturday. It forced me to workout again because I really really REALLY wanted to run again the next day, but my foot would only let me do things that required solidly STANDING only. No walking, jumping, running, etc. So I got 2 good workouts done in a row with pretty darn good eating, then yesterday took a day off (didn't want to do 3 workouts in a row) and had a backwards day eating.
But no matter, today I got another great workout in again - although I have decided for sure to scale them down to just doing 2x through instead of 3 (per exercise). I think that'll help my mentally be able to do them consistently and they ARE a challenge so I'm hoping I still get good results doing them 3x per week. Today the reverse lunge and presses were a BEAST! Whew!
After I workout we're going on a 3 mile walk while I powerwalk the stroller with 70 pounds of kids in it, lol. My foot seems to be healed enough that I can walk, but not run. So we're going after the medium cardio that gets my heartrate up and a little sweaty - probably more for the mental clarity of mind in KNOWING that I'm doing something, you know?
Today my plan is to eat ALL raw (resisting the chocolate chip banana bread, ahem!) and then enjoy a big salad with a cup or so of the leftover lentil stew. I think I might make it again but try it with my own tomato sauce somehow...my stomach gets upset after I eat it, and the only thing I can think of is the tomato sauce. It's really yummy and gosh, you can't get much healthier than that if you're going to eat cooked food! No chicken broth or anything, either.
Edited later:
Hmmm, well, we walked for 2 miles but part of it Marie decided she wanted to ride - fine with me, I love a better workout! That makes for 120 pounds + a bike that I'm pushing ... I can't powerwalk with that, but it definitely gives me a great workout pushing so much resistance!
However, my foot really started complaining when I did that, and we ended up cutting it short to just 2 miles instead. It's ok though, I need to make sure I don't end up re-injuring it even worse, much better to work my way back to normalcy. Aw well, isn't that what life is all about? Grand aspirations and then you just take what you can get out of that, usually not everything happens like it was planned or how you'd hoped.
I also found a GORGEOUS bouquet of wildflowers that someone had tossed aside next to a street light. I picked it up and now it's in water, no longer dying, beautiful in my kitchen! I took a picture of it on my phone but now it's not uploading...rrrr. Oh, wait a sec....there it goes. See? Purty!
I'm actually thankful for my foot injury while running on Saturday. It forced me to workout again because I really really REALLY wanted to run again the next day, but my foot would only let me do things that required solidly STANDING only. No walking, jumping, running, etc. So I got 2 good workouts done in a row with pretty darn good eating, then yesterday took a day off (didn't want to do 3 workouts in a row) and had a backwards day eating.
But no matter, today I got another great workout in again - although I have decided for sure to scale them down to just doing 2x through instead of 3 (per exercise). I think that'll help my mentally be able to do them consistently and they ARE a challenge so I'm hoping I still get good results doing them 3x per week. Today the reverse lunge and presses were a BEAST! Whew!
After I workout we're going on a 3 mile walk while I powerwalk the stroller with 70 pounds of kids in it, lol. My foot seems to be healed enough that I can walk, but not run. So we're going after the medium cardio that gets my heartrate up and a little sweaty - probably more for the mental clarity of mind in KNOWING that I'm doing something, you know?
Today my plan is to eat ALL raw (resisting the chocolate chip banana bread, ahem!) and then enjoy a big salad with a cup or so of the leftover lentil stew. I think I might make it again but try it with my own tomato sauce somehow...my stomach gets upset after I eat it, and the only thing I can think of is the tomato sauce. It's really yummy and gosh, you can't get much healthier than that if you're going to eat cooked food! No chicken broth or anything, either.
Edited later:
Hmmm, well, we walked for 2 miles but part of it Marie decided she wanted to ride - fine with me, I love a better workout! That makes for 120 pounds + a bike that I'm pushing ... I can't powerwalk with that, but it definitely gives me a great workout pushing so much resistance!
However, my foot really started complaining when I did that, and we ended up cutting it short to just 2 miles instead. It's ok though, I need to make sure I don't end up re-injuring it even worse, much better to work my way back to normalcy. Aw well, isn't that what life is all about? Grand aspirations and then you just take what you can get out of that, usually not everything happens like it was planned or how you'd hoped.
I also found a GORGEOUS bouquet of wildflowers that someone had tossed aside next to a street light. I picked it up and now it's in water, no longer dying, beautiful in my kitchen! I took a picture of it on my phone but now it's not uploading...rrrr. Oh, wait a sec....there it goes. See? Purty!
Because I've been going to bed so early, I am wide awake early in the morning. I love it on summer mornings!! The birds chirping, beautiful sunrise and light morning breezes/fragrances. Last night I fell asleep at 8:15, after the kids were put to bed I just climbed in bed and laid there, praying with Isaac when his bedtime came at 8:15, and then with James when his came at 8:45. Of course they woke me up but it felt so nice just to doze and then finally fall asleep for good.
Then, 5:45 I just, woke up! It felt nice, really rested...no kiddos woke me up at all, although DH did. =) Sometimes in his sleep he does things he doesn't realize, lol! =) I went for a quick walk in the morning to test my foot and it seemed to do okay, a 10 minutes power walk.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Reflections on today - a resounding 10!
9:30 PM -
So I DID end up completely finishing the mountain of laundry - yay! That felt so good, mostly just knowing that I'll be starting tomorrow out with a clean room. Except of course 30 minutes after I finished, another load of whites got done so that is now sitting on the couch...but its in a basket and looks nice, one load of laundry. =)
However, the floor never did get vacuumed and as a result, even though I swept this morning there's lots of little pieces of whatever on the floor AGAIN. That get stuck on your feet when you're walking, so annoying lol! I guess that happens, though, when there is so much traffic AND when I'm cooking in the kitchen so much in one day. So, that will be my #1 priority for tomorrow as well as working on the bedrooms.
The hashbrowns were a smashing hit! I just put them on a pizza tray, sprayed pam first though, and tried to get them all in one layer (frozen). Then I generously sprinkled sea salt, and stuck them in the oven at 425 until the edges started getting crunchy brown. Then I flipped them as best I could (they stick together) and added more salt. They turned out crunchy and yummy, but only about 1/4 c for each person (7) was all I could fit on the biggest pizza pan I have. Oh well, it did the trick - a meal of bread, green beans, bbq shredded chicken, and "baby fries" was perfect for the kids. Even Jack liked this dinner!
The meal I was planning on for Bret & I didn't happen...I realized I did not have a pound of spinach, and I also don't have mushrooms. Instead I found a different recipe that included lentils, but had everything I do have, and made that. It was SOOOO good! Basically it was lentils, green pepper, onions, garlic, basil, parsley, bay leaf, tomato soup, Soy sauce (I used Bragg's). I'm thinking about sneaking into the kitchen right now and having some cold, it was that good. Perfect blend of spices, yum. Only thing is, it calls for tomato sauce (I used soup) and the ingredients are certainly not ideal. Maybe sauce has less ingredients, I'll have to check on that. It was good though.
Today overall I am happy to say was a resounding 10 - a definite step forward! I had a great workout in the morning, ate very well all day - my eats today:
1/3 big watermelon
big spinach salad w/raw dressing
chocolate banana shake
2 cups of lentil stew
I successfully said NO to chocolate chip banana bread, and was sorely tempted several times! But I just kept telling myself that it is NOT the times that it is "easy" that are going to catapult me to the next level of physical fitness I am looking for. It's the times when I REALLY really really don't care, or don't WANT to say no or workout, that I have to press through and do it anyway. Or not eat it anyway. That will create a spiral effect of GOOD days, and bring the results I am working so hard for.
My foot is doing GREAT tonight, just a little bit of tenderness left and I can walk normally now. Not run yet, but I'm hoping that by Wednesday I might be able to get up early and go running.
These days I go to sleep anywhere between 9pm-10pm and it has been SO nice. I'm realizing that I am just .... tired, and instead of saying no to sleep and watching a show or reading a book until 11-11:30 like I used to, I just, go to sleep. It is wonderful to feel rested in the morning even though I have to get up at 6:40. And yes, even with multiple potty runs in the night in addition to at least one bad dream, sleepwalking, or diaper soaked through episode with at least one of the kids. =)
So I DID end up completely finishing the mountain of laundry - yay! That felt so good, mostly just knowing that I'll be starting tomorrow out with a clean room. Except of course 30 minutes after I finished, another load of whites got done so that is now sitting on the couch...but its in a basket and looks nice, one load of laundry. =)
However, the floor never did get vacuumed and as a result, even though I swept this morning there's lots of little pieces of whatever on the floor AGAIN. That get stuck on your feet when you're walking, so annoying lol! I guess that happens, though, when there is so much traffic AND when I'm cooking in the kitchen so much in one day. So, that will be my #1 priority for tomorrow as well as working on the bedrooms.
The hashbrowns were a smashing hit! I just put them on a pizza tray, sprayed pam first though, and tried to get them all in one layer (frozen). Then I generously sprinkled sea salt, and stuck them in the oven at 425 until the edges started getting crunchy brown. Then I flipped them as best I could (they stick together) and added more salt. They turned out crunchy and yummy, but only about 1/4 c for each person (7) was all I could fit on the biggest pizza pan I have. Oh well, it did the trick - a meal of bread, green beans, bbq shredded chicken, and "baby fries" was perfect for the kids. Even Jack liked this dinner!
The meal I was planning on for Bret & I didn't happen...I realized I did not have a pound of spinach, and I also don't have mushrooms. Instead I found a different recipe that included lentils, but had everything I do have, and made that. It was SOOOO good! Basically it was lentils, green pepper, onions, garlic, basil, parsley, bay leaf, tomato soup, Soy sauce (I used Bragg's). I'm thinking about sneaking into the kitchen right now and having some cold, it was that good. Perfect blend of spices, yum. Only thing is, it calls for tomato sauce (I used soup) and the ingredients are certainly not ideal. Maybe sauce has less ingredients, I'll have to check on that. It was good though.
Today overall I am happy to say was a resounding 10 - a definite step forward! I had a great workout in the morning, ate very well all day - my eats today:
1/3 big watermelon
big spinach salad w/raw dressing
chocolate banana shake
2 cups of lentil stew
I successfully said NO to chocolate chip banana bread, and was sorely tempted several times! But I just kept telling myself that it is NOT the times that it is "easy" that are going to catapult me to the next level of physical fitness I am looking for. It's the times when I REALLY really really don't care, or don't WANT to say no or workout, that I have to press through and do it anyway. Or not eat it anyway. That will create a spiral effect of GOOD days, and bring the results I am working so hard for.
My foot is doing GREAT tonight, just a little bit of tenderness left and I can walk normally now. Not run yet, but I'm hoping that by Wednesday I might be able to get up early and go running.
These days I go to sleep anywhere between 9pm-10pm and it has been SO nice. I'm realizing that I am just .... tired, and instead of saying no to sleep and watching a show or reading a book until 11-11:30 like I used to, I just, go to sleep. It is wonderful to feel rested in the morning even though I have to get up at 6:40. And yes, even with multiple potty runs in the night in addition to at least one bad dream, sleepwalking, or diaper soaked through episode with at least one of the kids. =)
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