Fit Pregnancy; Week 16

It was not my intention to make Monday and Tuesday rest days, but they definitely were. Monday I was not feeling well, and Tuesday was my first day of school(!), so I took my "spare" time in the evening to get myself set up with the class' online portal and do the chapter 1 reading. It's hard to do homework when you're trying to simultaneously feed your 3 year old dinner and block out whatever your husband is watching on TV. I'm going to have to start setting aside designated homework time where I am to be left alone. Oh, the things we take for granted when we are in our 20's and can lock ourselves in our rooms with no interruptions for hours.

Fit Pregnancy; Week 15

Monday I had the day off work! I got a massage and did a little bit of gentle swimming at the pool. A little later I went to Equinox, did 20 mins on the stair climber, and then ran through the Anna Saccone 2nd trimester workout. I did a little extra yoga and stretching, and I added some 3 lb weights to most of the exercises because I felt like they were a little wimpy.

Tuesdays my son goes to karate, so figuring our my workout plan every week is a bit of a challenge. This week, we packed up and went swimming at my parents' house. We swam around for just under an hour. I tried to keep moving as much as possible, instead of just floating around on an inner tube or sitting on the steps. After the kiddo went to bed, I put on my running shoes and went on a little VERY MELLOW jog. I ran about a mile and a half. It was my first jog since May. The first half mile was really hard, but as I ran, I slowed down a bit and it got easier. I got a good stretch afterward, then hopped in the shower and ate a late dinner.

Wednesday I went back to Equinox for another attempt at Firestarter. It was harder this week than last week. I felt sorta crummy for a few days this week, so it probably wasn't the best day to attempt a HIIT workout, but I did all the low impact options. No jumping, unless it felt right (which it actually did at one point, but then I went back to not jumping again). I move at a much slower pace than I used to. I did regular mountain climbers instead of cross body mountain climbers. So, just lots of modifications.

Thursday turned out to be a rest day. I was feeling pretty crummy, so I took some tylenol and took Joey to go swimming with my sister and nephew. I just grabbed an inner tube and enjoyed the weightlessness.

I actually ended up resting Friday and Saturday too. I just wasn't feeling up for much other than lounging about.

Sunday I got up and went to Vinyasa Flow at Equinox. In the beginning it was really hard, and I realized very quickly how much that class focuses on the rectus abdominus (the 6-pack), so I ended up having to modify quite a bit more than I expected. Once I got going though, it felt really great and I was very happy to have had the time on my mat.

Until next week!

Yoga Baby 2; 16 Weeks

Here we are! Week 16! I've started monthly self-care excursions. My first was actually for my birthday, so I couldn't get a massage because I was still in the first trimester, BUT NOW that I'm in the second, I can get my monthly massages and feel oh-so-good. I had a spa day all to myself last week. It was amazing. I swam and read and lounged about and didn't worry about anything at all.

Cravings: I ACTUALLY HAD SOME! The other day I smelled something that reminded me of peanut butter toast, and I stopped and made peanut butter toast right then. Other than that though, I mostly crave water. Haha. I am just really thirsty all the time.

Aversions: Still coffee and meat products. Haha. I actually have a bit of an aversion to chocolate, which is so strange. I even have a couple of pieces of chocolate in my desk and work, and I just am not interested in them.

Nausea: I haven't been nauseous in weeks! Hooray! Keep me in your thoughts I stay this way!

Gender: Don't know yet. I went in at 15 weeks and we tried to see, but babers was sitting crosslegged and the midwife couldn't get a good angle. I'll be scheduling my big fancy pants anatomy scan next month though, so then we will actually know.

Energy: Better! I am still tired and sometimes have bad days, but I definitely am feeling that second trimester energy boost.

Missing: Sushi, runny eggs. I'd like a turkey sandwich from Jimmy Johns.

Sleep: The vivid dreams are back. Sometimes up to three separate, very vivid dreams in one night.

Maternity clothes? Still loving sundresses. Toying with the idea of maternity pants. I bought some at Old Navy. I put them on the other day, but they are legit too big in the front... like maaaaybe I could wear a longish shirt with them to cover up some of the extra fabric, but it just feels awkward right now. I am back in my maternity uniform from my first pregnancy - tank tops and wide band foldover maxi skirts. I'm not as comfortable in it this time around though.

Exercise? As soon as I started to feel better, I started exercising regularly. I set a 4 day-a-week minimum for myself and I've been sticking to it. Most weeks I've been able to do more than 4 days.

Until next time...

Fit Pregnancy; Week 14

Since I think I've managed the ability to workout regularly again, I've decided to go ahead and start posting weekly workout recaps.

Let's start with Monday, eh?

Monday and Tuesday were actually the same exact workout. I did this Tone It Up Bumpin' Body Prenatal workout with Kat and Christina and then followed it up with 2 rounds of Anna Saccone's 2nd Trimester Workout. I am really digging this combination right now. I feel like it's challenging enough without making me feel like I'm overdoing it. Hubby also bought me a Bosu ball, so Monday I did about 50 Bosu squats, and Tuesday I did 30 Bosu lunges (15 on each side) and followed it up for 3 one minute planks. The whole sequence takes about 45 minutes, and I work up a good sweat without feeling like I'm hurting anyone.

Wednesday I went back to Equinox. This has been kind of a big deal for me (and I have actually cancelled my membership as of the end of August) since a) I was struggling to workout at all during the first trimester and b) my purse was stolen from the locker room in early July. So, I cancelled, and less than a week later got a letter that at the end of August they are raising their already high membership rates. ANYWAY, Wednesday I actually went back and took Firestarter. It's a HIIT workout. I modified a ton. A TON. I can't do jumping jacks at the moment. I move relatively slowly to make sure I don't get too short of breath. I'm basically short of breath just sitting down at my desk every day, but I did it. I got a good workout despite the modifications.

Thursday I took my son out for ice cream and took the night off exercise. Hehehe.

Friday I worked out at home. I busted out by current faves - the TIU and Anna Saccone workouts I did on Monday and Tuesday. I am really digging those right now.

Saturday ended up being a rest day also. I'm allowing myself that - two rest days. Considering I went over a month barely working out once or twice a week.

Sunday I took Equinox Barre Burn. I had to take breaks, but generally, it was a good class and I felt like I got a good workout. I'm really trying to get over to EQ as often as possible right now since my membership will be up at the end of the month. After class I treated myself and my kiddo to a smoothie from EarthBar. So delicious, and a great way to replenish after a workout.

Round Two!

Hiya friends! As of today, I am 14 weeks along, and baby is scheduled to make their appearance in early February. These last few months have been a bit of a roller coaster, so without further delay, lets get into this pregnancy update!

The first trimester of this pregnancy was nothing like my first pregnancy. I barely noticed a difference the first time around. Around 7 weeks, I started getting tired and would have the occasional headache. This time around, beginning around 5.5 weeks, I felt bloated, nauseous, generally crappy, so tired I could barely keep my head up all day, and had spotting that scared the heck out of me. Then at about 8.5 weeks I started getting really bad nausea and headaches. I had several days of just being completely confined to the couch or the bed, when even the simplest tasks, like getting up to get a glass of water or empty the dishwasher were just too much. Laundry sat in baskets unfolded in the middle of the living room. So, its been different. I started reading Expecting Better, which hadn't come out yet in 2014. I'm really enjoying it. My sister told me about it when she was pregnant in 2016, but I forgot what it was called until someone mentioned it on the Birth Hour, and I immediately downloaded it onto my Kindle.

Here's the typical pregnancy stuff:

Cravings: I'm fresh out of the first trimester. I wouldn't say I have cravings. I would say I have "let's have X for dinner because it is the only thing I think I could tolerate right now" Usually, this means some kind of crunchy food - like hard shell tacos or big crunchy salad.

Aversions: Coffee. My usual morning latte just sounds repulsive at the moment. I was having iced chai in the mornings, mostly enjoying the flavor, but feeling yucky once it hits my stomach. So, I stopped having those. Most animal protein sounds disgusting. I've had a really hard time eating chicken and steak. I have to kind of disguise meat in other things - like (see above) big salads, burrito bowls, soups, etc. Around 10 weeks, my husband made his own parmesan chips. It stunk up the whole house and made me so sick.

Nausea: This comes and goes.Now that I'm clear of the first trimester, I'm *hoping* that means no more (or at least minimal) nausea. For a while there, I was nauseous and had some kind of headache every single day. I didn't throw up much - only once, I think, but we did have to stop the car a few times so I can get my land legs. The excess saliva is no joke. I just feel generally crappy and exhausted basically all the time. And bloated. So so bloated.

Gender: Don't know yet. Won't for a little while. We are going to find out though, so I'll post when we do.

Energy: What's that? I miss my workouts. I'm trying to workout more often, but I'm living my life with pretty much the bare minimum to get by.

Missing: I'd really like some sushi and eggs over easy on toast, and a freaking Jimmy Johns turkey sandwich. I feel like I could eat those things without getting sick.  I have been going a bit easy on myself with the restrictions, as Expecting Better helped lay out the medical evidence for all the things we avoid, but I still haven't taken the plunge on those most missed.

Sleep: Not terrible, but not great either. Falling asleep to begin with is the hard part, and even though the internet says Melatonin is OK to take, I'm not about to go and F with anybody's hormones.

Maternity clothes? Mostly no. I did put on one of my sisters big cozy maternity tops last week, but it didn't look very maternity-ish. I'm still wearing my pants, but I have resorted to the old rubber band trick until I'm ready to go full fledged maternity pants. Sundresses are a huge win at the moment.

Exercise? At the moment, I've been managing to get in about 2 workouts a week -  a steep drop from my usual 6-7, but I am hopeful that I'll work my way back up. I have had a couple of weeks when I managed 4 workouts, so I know that I can do it. I just hope it doesn't totally knock me back into feeling terrible.

I think that's it for now.