As much as I was loving the burn I received from my more recent workout routine, after about six months of dedication, I was ready for something different.  Even though I still had a good pound and a half to lose (and keep off legitimately) to meet my newest post partum weight loss goals, my body, while stronger than it has ever been before, needed a break from the high intensity, high impact, and high insanity workouts. The jump work from this particular series of exercises were taking a tole on my joints and I knew that my body could … Continue reading →

I continued my workout variation exercising any where from thirty minutes to sixty minutes a day four to seven days a week.  I cut back on my baking and baked goods eating which of course made a huge difference in my body’s fat burning abilities.  I increased my protein consumption and never ate past nine in the evening.  Somehow I managed to find the motivation to commit to exercising a minimum six days a week again. I forced myself to exercise even if I procrastinated until ten at night.  I was going to get those last very stubborn five pounds … Continue reading →

With weeks and weeks of post partum exercise in the bag, I was feeling pretty good about my progress and continued motivation to get the pregnancy weight off quickly.  I had set goal dates to be back down to my pre pregnancy weight (after my son but before my daughter) and my pre pre pregnancy weight (before both babies).  Even though I was making progress, I was losing weight and my muscles were getting toned,  my goal dates came and went without being met.  Feeling more than a little frustrated, I set new goal dates and switched up my post … Continue reading →

By week two of my exercising excursions, I was ready to try something a little more difficult but still low impact.  I started switching off every other day with a total body toning and strengthening work (because of the stomach down mat work, I was not able to do this workout after week eighteen of my pregnancy).  It was a really hard workout and I was happy to only be doing it every other day! Two weeks into my new post partum workout routine and six weeks post partum, I started feeling a little more tone in my abdominal muscles. … Continue reading →

Now that it has officially  been an entire years since my daughter’s birth, I feel that my post partum period has come to a close.  This twelve month phase of my life has been rather incredible mostly because of the precious gift of my daughter’s life and the joys (and frustrations) of being a mother, but also because I seemed to have accomplished my post partum fitness goals.  I felt that it was fitting to bring my post partum journey to a close by divulging some of my fitness triumphs and defeats. I set out determined to get back into … Continue reading →

Today marks exactly five months since the birth of my second child. I am amazed at how quickly those five months have gone and how quickly my newborn daughter turned into a laughing, squirming, and very interactive baby. Gone are the days of healing and chilling. Life has returned to normal swiftly and without warning. It is rather difficult at this point in the post partum stage to recognize how my journey has progressed. All the signs of my pregnancy are pretty much gone aside from a few stretch marks and a few extra pounds that still remain. My clothes … Continue reading →

I am almost in disbelief that it has already been three months since my daughter’s birth. I was thinking, hoping, and mostly dreaming (apparently) that I would be completely back to my normal non pregnant state by now, but I still have a long way to go. My perceptions and expectations are being forced into change, e.g. there is not a lot I can do to make my ribs and hips go back into their narrower place (it takes more time than I anticipated). I am caught in kind of a weird transitional place right now. Most of my clothes … Continue reading →

I have reached another one of the post partum milestones. At twelve weeks post partum I have mixed feeling about my progress in the last six weeks. While change has definitely taken place, other aspects of my post pregnancy fitness seem stuck. Compared to my first post partum experience, I am leaps and bounds ahead the second time around, but in terms of my own self imposed goals, I am way behind. I am continuing to exercise at least five times a week. If I am especially motivated, I will get in a workout or two over the weekend as … Continue reading →

My second week post-partum continued into the day after Christmas. While I anticipated having a very low key and largely uneventful day, I was feeling amazingly refreshed and was itching to go shopping. It did not even cross my mind that December Twenty-Sixth was one of the busiest shopping days of the year; I just wanted to go shopping. I picked up one of my younger sisters to accompany me and help with my son (I stilled needed to get my hands on a double stroller to keep both of my children contained and safe). The moment I saw all … Continue reading →