staying fit!

it's 2 days in a row here... could i be back in blogging?! yesterday i talked a bit about diet- but i wanted to hit a little on something i think is even more important than dieting- exercise. when i was pregnant, and even before... and sadly for a year or more after- i wasn't very active. dave & i would go on walks from time to time, but nothing major. when dave suggested we do a triathlon to celebrate our 30th birthdays, i thought he was crazy- but then i started working out, and you know what? it wasn't hard- it was actually kind of... fun. now working out isn't always an adventure, but it certainly feels good most of the time, and even better- it makes it a little more satisfying when you want to indulge every now and then. i've posted before on keeping your children active- but what better example can you set for them than the example of you yourself being active. i want ian to see that i tried, and that i worked hard. i love when we pick him up from the gym nursery and he says "momma's 'esser-sizin!'" i love being that example for him! i wanted to share this infographic because i think physical activity is so important, not only for children, but adults as well... just see what only a few minutes extra a day can do for you!!  lack of proper nutrition and activity is a serious deal for people everywhere- it's really scary stuff.  so please, take a look!

Infographic courtesy of here!

i resolve... january

not to make stupid resolutions this year that i will have forgotten about by... yesterday.

instead.  my "resolution" is to make a short list of attainable goals each month- and to share them with you.

we're almost halfway through january, but i made my list last week, and i've already started working on it!  wahoo!

january goals:

• sign up for mentor program for my biggest 30 before thirty goal
• start working out.  for reals.  find a gym- husband's company will reimburse- so do it!
• use lotion on my hands EVERY night (this is silly, but i hate that the air is so dry my skin splits)
• lose 5 pounds.  starting weight: 1X6
• finish the book listed on my blog.  that i haven't even started....
• complete 2 items on my 30 before thirty list (some of these goals should help)
• type up the "chore list"
• start/finish the "remodeling" on one of the bathrooms

we're starting slow.  here we go........

call me the shredder

well, not quite, but that's the husband's new nickname for me. yesterday i started jillian michael's 30 day shred.  a girl from my new mom's group mentioned that she had bought the dvd, and was going to start it- so i figured i'd start it too (i had the dvd pre-baby) that way we could keep each other accountable.  we started on monday, so it's day 3.  i really hope i keep it up until day 30.  i need this.  

 

i need this because my self-esteem has taken quite a few hits lately...

#1 - i decide to use the wii fit for the first time since I was pregnant- over a year ago.  i was still in the early stages of my pregnancy then, so i had only gained a few pounds- but wasn't to point that i'm back at now.  so i step on the board and the wii tells me i gained 8.8 lbs, makes my mii fat and tells me that i failed at my weight loss goal (the one i set before i knew i was pregnant).  if only the wii knew i had gained 45 total lbs and lost all but 10...

#2 - i downloaded a new app on my phone that tracks your weight.  you put in a goal, and then you put in your current weight with your height.  i put in all this information, press enter, and the app replies, "you are   fat."  nice.  i guess it could be worse- just playing around, i put my weight down as 200 lbs and it said, "you will die."


so i need to lose 10 lbs to get back to pre-baby weight, but everything i read says that i was still 20 lbs overweight then (wtf?!)  regardless, i'm about to get serious!

so i figure, what better way to motivate than to humiliate...

so, here i am on day 2 of the 30 day shred

from the front.

and from the side - still looking preggers.  boo.

update in 27 days...

McFatty Monday 1

i have decided to join Heir to Blair in her mcfatty monday campaign. this is perfect for me considering i'm already a "mcf" myself! so the point of mcfatty monday is to talk about my weight loss goals for losing my baby weight, etc.

here's me the day before giving birth:


this is what craving candy, pizza and pasta will do to you when you're 5'1". in the end i had gained 45 lbs, and i had already thought myself to be overweight for my small frame before giving birth. of course, now anytime i see a picture of me from before giving birth, i can't help but think i really was small...

when i went back for my 6 week post-partum check up, i had lost 26 lbs. when we were at my parents house, the scale said i had lost another 3 lbs. our scale at the house is broken, so i will not be weighing myself again until my yearly ob appointment, which is another 3 weeks away. i like not having a scale because i don't constantly obsess over what i weigh, but at the same time, i can't keep track of my weight and know what i'm doing. i think i prefer not obsessing.

so i'm 29 lbs down. 16 lbs to go to my pre-baby weight, and 26 lbs to my goal weight. if i want to really stretch it, 36 lbs. that's probably a little much, so i'm going to stick with 26 lbs.

so, i'm trying to eat better, but it's just so hard. i have quite a sweet tooth. i love treats!! it's so hard to not want a treat every night!! we do eat out a lot less now that i've given birth because i'm not always craving pizza, and because i didn't cook much when i was pregnant. now i have my love for cooking back, and i'm cooking at least 2-3 meals a week (most meals give us at least 1 night of leftovers). so i know i'm eating better, and i'm trying to avoid that need for sweets by filling it with fruit, or yogurt instead.

i'm also lazy (weight loss is going to be a battle, i feel it). when i took ballet, i stayed really thin, and when i was cheering i was thin, but the minute i stopped those, i didn't really work out anymore. i hate running, and i can't keep up with a regimen for more than a few weeks it seems. i've tried pilates, jillian michael's 30 minute shred- nothing keeps my interest. i'm hoping to start cycling soon, and we're going for walks with ian when it's warm outside (spring is so fickle, we've only been able to have him out a handful of times).

so i don't have a definite plan, but now i've called myself out in front of the blogging world. i will work out, i will lose the baby weight, and i will be a hot mom!

more next monday!

post-partum exercise aka things i went and opened my big mouth about

first, let me brag on myself. i was a pregnant fatty (this does not sound like a brag so far) .i gained 45 lbs (when you are 5'1" this is probably not a good idea). so last wednesday i had my post-partum checkup- i had decided i was not going to step on a scale until i entered into that office (ours was broken thank the Lord, or else i would've stepped on it 30x a day), and i stuck to my word.

the verdict at my appointment (here comes aforementioned bragging) i had lost 26 lbs! omg! pretty awesome if you ask me. that means i only need to lose 19 more lbs to get back to my pre-baby weight (i would like to make this number 25). this is the hard part...

sadly, i am lazy when it comes to exercise. this is really sad because i took ballet for about 7 years, and then i did cheerleading for 4 years. ballet keeps you nice and slim, and with cheerleading i ran until i wanted to throw up. ever since i have been out of those i have rarely kept a routine. before i was married my mom & i would walk either at the walking track at our church or take the dogs around the neighborhood. sometimes we would do pilates. when i lived on my own, this stopped. after i got married, i would sometimes do pilates, or sometimes do my jillian michaels dvd. then husband and i started walking the silver comet trail with our dogs, then we moved. then i was pregnant. then i stopped doing anything...

i now have the clear to exercise again, yet i haven't. i'm too busy caring for baby, and when he does sleep, i usually either sleep myself, or i have become a clean freak (more on that later). i really should work out.

enter where i opened my big mouth... my husband bikes. he is of a family of cyclists. my in-laws tandem. they go on 800 tandem trips a year. my father in law bikes to work rain or shine, snow or whatever nearly every day of the year. they are serious. my husband and his dad have been to peru, where the biked up the highest unpaved road in the world (my father in law has been twice). i like to brag about this too- because it's pretty amazing. here they are...

pretty awesome, eh?

so i said this to say that last week i told my husband, "i think i might like to try biking." oh, what have i gotten myself into? ::sigh::

there will be more updates on this later, as i am now a cyclist.

::i need to follow this up to quote my husband: "you haven't even been on the bike yet, you are not a cyclist." we'll see.:

oh, i yearn for you pre-baby body

i guess i expect giving birth to be some miracle- my body will heal quickly and i'll be in no pain, i'll lose 800 lbs and be thinner than i was before i got pregnant, and i'll be able to wear my "real" clothes again. riiiiiiiiiight. so, let's just say i'm more than tired of my maternity clothes- the pants with panels are too loose, and my non-maternity pants are way too tight. Just like my baby, when it comes to clothes, i'm stuck in "no man's land."

i gained 45 lbs while pregnant- yikes. let's just say that was all my fault- i craved pizza, pasta and candy while pregnant- not good. i weighed more than my husband- it was really sad. our scale doesn't work here at home, and they didn't weigh me in the hospital, so my best guess is that i've lost about 15-20 lbs. my face is definitely smaller, my belly- obviously. it seems other than the baby belly though that i'm carrying all my leftover weight between my knees and my hips- awesome. like all those years of dancing didn't give me big enough thighs... i'm also apparently carrying lots of weight in my fingers- as i have yet to get my wedding or engagement ring back on my hand. ::sigh::

so i've been shopping a few times- i don't fit into my former size pants currently, and i don't fit into the next size up either- i decided to stop there... tops though- oh, i can fit into tops all day long! squeeeeeee! so i have a closet full of new tops that are filling my heart with joy- and once i figure out how to successfully nurse wearing regular clothes- they will all be making an appearance on my body!

i'm always on the lookout for new things though- sometimes just looking is nice- even if you can't have it. prime example is the subscription i've had to Lucky for 5 years or so. the editors and staff at Lucky must think we can all afford designer wardrobes, and from the looks of it, most of them can. unfortunately i cannot pay $3,000 for a dress, let alone $300- heck, I can't pay $100 for a dress these days. woe is me... however i've become a darn good looker and an even better bargain shopper.

so i was thumbing through the pages of this month's Lucky when i saw this adorable cardigan in the front. i didn't get my hopes up, as most of what i like in there ends up being way out of my price range... BUT my faith in affordable, adorable clothing was restored when i saw that the cardigan was not only designer-made, but affordable and available at h&m!!


so cute!! i love that it's so springy with the pastels, and girly with the bows, and i might even say it's a touch parisian- it is made by a french designer after all! i can't wait until the line hits h&m next week- i will be figuring out how to take baby to the hellhole that is woodfield mall where i will make the cardigan mine, all mine.

now what do i wear with it?! i just don't have the knack for putting together outfits like you guys do. help!