operation post baby body: week 3

My relationship with running for the past year can be summed up with one anecdote from this weekend.  Saturday morning I woke up intending to start the Couch to 5K program all over again.  The problem was, I couldn't find my running shoes.  It had been so long since I'd pulled them out that I couldn't for the life of me remember where I'd seen them last.  After 30 minutes of digging and Darrell finally suggesting they might be in the storage bin underneath the bed, I found them and managed to finish the first run of the program with Fitz by my side, wishing the whole way that I had doubled up on the sports bras.  But hey, at least I went!  I was also reminded of why I used to love running so much; there's such a pure, unadulterated alone-ness about it.  I spent 99% of my days lately caring for a job, a home, a tiny person, but when I'm running it's just me.  And whether that run sucks or not, when I'm in the park with nothing but some headphones & tennis shoes I can get nothing done except running for myself.  

Running & yoga will improve the general looks of things, but in truth it's diet that will make my jeans fit again, so I've been doing Weight Watchers for the past month.  I could use a free iPhone app, but Weight Watchers is the only program I've found thus far that builds in points (calories) for breastfeeding moms.  Losing weight while you're breastfeeding is slow going - yes it helps you lose weight, but you have to keep it slow, otherwise you risk compromising your milk supply - so this month, I lost 5 lbs.  That sounds like nothing and admittedly it isn't much, but at this rate I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy weight in about 3 months, and I can handle those odds!  

As for my fitness progress overall, I'd say I'm halfway back to where I was.  While 3 weeks ago getting into a lunge was tough, I popped into a decent version of crooked sage this morning for Darrell to take this photo without relative ease.  While the leftover baby belly makes certain poses impossible still (flying pigeon, fellow yogis?) I'm thrilled to say that I feel stronger than I thought would be possible by now, and I know that's because of the effort I put in to rehabilitate my practice and keep moving.  I want to be the kind of mom who gets down in the dirt and really runs and plays with Claire, and her cute face is the best motivation I could ask for.  

*I teamed up with ALIVE Magazine to bring you this post. Thank you for supporting the people that make, this blog possible.

operation post-baby body: week 1

So even though it PAINS me to break up the never ending baby-focused posts here, I thought it was time I made myself accountable to some plans I have for myself.  The days of late night ice-cream runs & couch living are over, and it's time to start getting back into shape.  If not only for vanity reasons, also because I have NO CLOTHES.  I had to break down and buy some transitional jeans & tops last week at Loft, and even though they're cute and comfortable, it was depressing.  No one wants to spend $$$ on clothes they don't always want to wear, and believe me, I don't always want to wear pants in the size I had to buy.  The tops, however, will probably last for a while because......nursing boobs.  

When I got pregnant, Darrell & I made a pact that we would keep fitness as a priority, even with the baby here.  We promised to let one another go to the gym, a yoga class, on a run, whatever while the other is on baby duty.  I've held up my end of that bargain since she's been born, and when I finally got cleared to exercise this past Thursday Darrell starting holding up his.  I'll admit, I was terrified.  I have a long way to go.  In the year before I got pregnant, I was very into running - I even ran a half marathon:  

and I was deeply into my yoga practice

and although maybe I wasn't stick thin, I was strong and probably in the best shape of my life.  That's not to say that losing some of that wasn't totally worth this: 

because it absolutely, completely was.  And in a way, being pregnant and having Claire was just a whole new physical challenge, and I really loved it.  But I would be completely remiss if I didn't mention that being 8 & 9 months pregnant is REALLY HARD.  Your body can start to feel like a bit of a prison, like it doesn't really belong to you anymore, and that doesn't really improve much after you give birth.  It's important to find a way to reclaim it as your own.  

I had wanted to participate in Alive Magazine's #31DaysofMovement since I heard about it, because I think it's a wonderful initiative for the city of St. Louis, but I still wasn't cleared for exercise other than walking yet.  When my doc said I could start practicing yoga again last week, I figured better late than never and loaded up my schedule with classes!  

Remember how I said my body had felt sort of like a prison after giving birth?  Well, after my first class I felt like I broke free.  Yes, I got totally smacked in the ego after falling out of poses that I could do even while pregnant.  Yes, it was totally exhausting after a day full of taking care of a baby.  But it was the best I had felt physically in months and it only motivated me to keep it up.  

Whether you have a mountain to climb like me, or just want to push yourself a little further on your fitness journey, you can sign up for Alive Magazine's #31DaysofMovement challenge here, and follow updates on their new wellness blog here.  The blog has awesome and fun ideas on how to work out in St. Louis (beer & exercise leagues anyone?) and you can check out the other bloggers participating as well.  

As always I'll be Tweeting, Instagramming, and posting on Facebook about how things are going if you'd like to follow along!  You can also check out my fitness focused Pinterest board here.  

*I teamed up with ALIVE Magazine to bring you this post. As always, the story and opinions are completely my own!  Thank you for supporting the people that make this blog possible.