Tag Archives: body

Pregnancy Amnesia

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Well I’m officially at 17 weeks. But I feel like I’m 7 months. I must have pregnancy amnesia because I don’t remember feeling this big and bloated with my other two kids. When I think about it, I honestly have forgotten almost everything (discomfort wise) when I was pregnant with my first two. I sort of remember feeling achy and having to pee a lot. But that’s all I remember. I have literally forgotten everything. Maybe that’s why I was ok having a third. I had forgotten all the pain and discomfort that came with the first two.

I do understand what they say about pregnancy being more difficult as you get older. One thing I do remember is having more energy with the other two than I do now. I definitely feel like I’m moving a lot slower this time around. Granted I am chasing after two little ones while pregnant so that definitely adds to the exhaustion. I’m also getting up earlier and staying up later than I would like. So I’m getting less sleep as well.

The exhaustion is definitely taking a toll on my body and making it harder to do things like workout. I remember wanting and liking to go workout with my first two. I had no issues working out other than just comfortably moving around thanks to my big belly. The motivation was there. This time around I have zero want to workout. Just thinking about workout makes me tired and I swear I can already feel my muscles start to ache even before I start.

I still have 5 months to go. A long 5 months! Somehow I need to find more energy and the ability to sleep. Definitely sounds a lot easier than it really is.

Summer slim down

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I started my “summer slim down.” This year I have a good friend helping hold me accountable. I’m a week in and I’ve done pretty good! I’m someone who does better with a goal. I’m less likely to cheat on a diet or get lazy with workouts if I set a goal to work towards. I think it’s the competitive side of me that kicks in. I don’t like to lose. Plus, having a friend give me that little push tends to help.

I’m not doing an extreme diet or anything. I’m simply cutting out a few items that I regularly grab while grazing or boredom eating. So less cheese, less milk (I drink a crazy amount), less sugar, less carbs and less alcohol. I still consume a good amount of carbs. I need them to fuel my body. But I’m aiming to add in more complex carbs and reduce my simple carb intake.

The word diet doesn’t mean you’re going on some strict meal plan. A diet by definition is “the kinds of foods that a person habitually eats.” So I’m making little adjustments to my regular eating habits.

My overall goal is less snacking. I’m someone who goes to the fridge to eat just because I’m bored. So I’ll grab a snack when I’m not even hungry. I’m attempting to cut out these extra unnecessary snacks/meals.

Judging weekends

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It was a long weekend judging High School cheer nationals. But I have no complaints. I enjoy doing it and I loved seeing the great teams that were there competing. 📖

Monday’s are hard after a weekend of judging. The food they serve us while judging isn’t my normal so my stomach gets all thrown off. Waking up Monday I always feel bloated, achy and slow. Sitting for 12+ hours a day judging definitely takes a toll on your body. We aren’t built to sit that long. The body needs to move and get blood flowing. I do my best to stand or move around for a minute between teams but sometimes it’s just not enough and I still end up sore and achy the next day. 😫

On Saturday I managed to add more pain to that already lingering soreness…… I was tired but knew I needed to stand to help with circulation. So during a break I stood up and just put one knee on a chair so I could sort of stand and lean. Well, I wasn’t paying attention to the type of chair. It was a folding chair. So when I put my knee on the chair and added some weight, the chair gave, seat flipped and I went down! My left leg went through the back side of the chair, front leg stayed at the front of chair and my upper body folded down the left side of the chair to the floor. I was literally laid out on the chair, dangling and stuck. I couldn’t do anything but just laugh at myself. Thankfully a few of the other judges helped me up before they started laughing. I have a lovely bruise on my left leg, and sore inner thigh and stomach from the impact. 😂🤦🏼‍♀️

It was a good weekend. I enjoy judging. It’s my way to have a hand still in the cheer world without being fully involved again. However, as much as I enjoy judging on the weekends, I’m happy to be home to my boys and back on a normal schedule. 🗓

The Dreaded Workout

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Have you ever dreaded going to workout…..got yourself there…..and come out thinking, yeah that still sucked? 😂 That’s not what you thought I was going to say was it 🤪 But seriously. Some days when I am not feeling the gym, I drag myself there and afterward I’m like oh yeah that was great I’m glad I went. Other days I think to myself, that was horrible and I’m still annoyed I’m not just sitting on my sofa.

We all have our days! Today was one of mine. I just had zero motivation. I finished my workout and still felt no motivation. I would much rather have been in sweatpants sitting on my sofa with a hot bowl of pho.

I’m sure my body is grateful I went to the gym, it’s just not letting me know it yet. The movement helps increase blood flow which reduces my risk of blood clot during pregnancy. It also reduces my leg and foot swelling so I have less aching during the day. There’s so many amazing benefits of workout during pregnancy. So for now I’ll just be grateful I made it through the workout despite my lack of motivation. I know there will come a day, last time it was right at 9 months, when I almost physically can’t workout due to size even though I’ll be dying to.

Morning vs Evening Workout

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Should you workout in the morning or in the evening? In all honesty it’s up to you.

There have been studies that show you burn more in the early morning before breakfast. This is because your body has to burn fat for fuel, as your glycogen stores will be depleted after a night of fasting.

With evening workouts, some studies have found that muscular function and strength peaks in the evening hours, in addition to oxygen uptake and utilization. This means you may be able to push harder, better, faster and stronger! Some people find it easier to sleep better at night after an evening workout.

I personally prefer morning workouts. If I get up and workout first thing in the morning, I feel like I have more energy throughout the day. I also feel more productive. With morning workouts I’ve started my day out “healthy” so I’m encouraged I stay on track better with my diet throughout the day.

If I try to do evening workouts I’m typically really exhausted by the end of the day and I’ve usually lost motivation. For me personally my workouts struggle a bit in the evening. It takes me longer to get through an evening workout than a morning one. I feel like I piddle around more at the gym in the evenings than I would in the morning.

Honestly it just comes down to what works best for you. Are you a morning or evening gym person?

Getting your body back

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I think it’s funny when I hear someone say “You’re going to have to work harder to get your body back after this second baby.” It makes me laugh every time I hear it. Is my body going somewhere? Did it get lost? 😂

Having a baby doesn’t mean you LOSE your body. Yes your body changes but it’s still there! People keep telling me it’s harder to get back to your old shape after baby number two. Is it really? Or is that just an excuse we use?

I actually liked my body better after I had Ryder. It took me some time to lose the extra baby weight but I like to think I bounced back pretty well. I wasn’t one of those IG moms who got back to pre baby size in 5 months. It took me a full year. But I did it and I was beyond proud of myself and loved how I looked. No I don’t have my 20 year old body. I probably never will and I’m ok with that. But this 33 year old body is pretty resilient and it’s been good to me.

I think this time around I’m going to enjoy myself (and food). I was so paranoid while pregnant with ryder, that I wouldn’t get back to my original size. I put so much stress on myself mentally, that I don’t think it was very healthy. Now I know I can get back to a good size with a bit of hard work. So I’m not going to stress this time. I don’t plan to go overboard and eat everything in sight and skip workouts! But I will treat myself if I want! And if my body is too drained to workout, rather than force myself to go to the gym, I’ll rest. I can try again the next day. Everything in moderation and at my own pace.💙

Avoid a flat butt

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This is probably going to be one of my weirdest blog posts. It’s about butts. Bear with me 😂

Have you ever seen someone’s butt that was flat, as if they sat on it too long? Did you know that sitting for too long can actually flatten out your butt? Now don’t freak out. This won’t happen over night. But hours of sitting, day after day, can change the shape of your butt over time.

When you sit for long periods of time with poor posture (which 90% of people are guilty of), your hip flexors tighten up and cause reciprocal inhibition (preventing activation) of the glutes. This weakens the muscle and “flattens” it out.

Bad posture when sitting can also cause an anterior pelvic tilt. This means your pelvis rotates backward causing your butt to appear flatter.

If you have a desk job where you are forced to sit every day for hours on end, make sure to move often. Set an alarm on your phone to remind yourself to get up every hour. Walk around the office or go up and down the stairs for a little bit. Get those muscles moving. Also be cautious of your posture while sitting. Make sure your spine is aligned and you aren’t hunching.

You can easily keep that butt of yours from getting the dreaded flattened look!

At home arm workout

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(Click the link to see video examples if viewing on FB)

My favorite upper body workout! These are a few things I do at home or in the gym! They require little to no gym equipment.

🔹Lateral Plank Walk

🔹Plank Rows

🔹Modified Pushups

🔹Plank Taps

These hot only workout your arms but your core as well. 💪🏻

Bosu Exercises

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I love to use the bosu ball during workouts. It’s so versatile and it’s an inexpensive piece of workout equipment you can get for home!

These are two exercises I added into my workout routine for the next 6 weeks.

✴️ Pushups

✴️ Hop-outs

These are great for core or upper body workout days!

Walking for exercise

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I’ve heard people complain about never having time for the gym. Or they don’t have the funds for a gym membership. I completely understand! I have been in the same position!

Transitioning from marketing to teaching I quit my job to take classes full time to get my teaching license. I canceled my gym membership to save money till I started working again. But I’m not one to sit around and not workout. I needed to do something. Every day I would take my dog out for a long walk. I hate running but walking I can do! My pup and I would walk for an hour a day. Some people laugh and say walking does nothing for you. But that’s actually incorrect.

In addition to a healthy diet, walking can do so much for you. Here are a few benefits:

✴️ Improves your mood

✴️ Improves circulation

✴️ Helps with weight loss (burns calories)

✴️ Can reduce arthritis pain

✴️ Manages high blood pressure

✴️ Improves balance and coordination

✴️ Reduces stress

✴️ Boosts your immune system

In addition to these, walking gives you time to think! If you’re someone who likes time to themselves every so often, walking is a great break away.

Have a young child? Put them in the stroller. Have older kids? Make them walk down to the park with you. Have them kick a ball or play a game while you walk around the park!

Even just 30 minutes a day can do you more good than nothing at all. Get your body moving! 🏃‍♀️