I’m Pregnant!

May 6, 2011 2 Comments

 

So excited to officially announce ….I’m PREGNANT!

13 weeks that is

Finally! Felt like the 1st trimester would never end…you forget how awful morning sickness (or rather “all-day sickness”) is until you’re there again. Of course it’s all worth it but I feel this time around is a bit harder, probably because I’ve got 2 active ones I’m trying to keep up with which is challenging when my doc puts me on modified bedrest, boo :-(

The modified bedrest which consisted of no walking, exercise, or sex (which well that wasn’t a huge deal to begin with since I felt like I was going to throw up any minute).  The reason being that I had  a 8-9cm cyst. I guess that’s  pretty big & they were concerned with it getting bigger & my ovary twisting which I’ve been told is more painful than labor (hard to imagine huh?). I’m happy to say the cyst is now down to 4cm, so I’m able to be more active but nothing like I was during my 1st 2 pregnancies. Thank goodness for my prenatal exercise knowledge :-)

I’ll keep you all updated from here on.

~E

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Grooving into Pre-Baby Jeans!

February 25, 2011 Leave a Comment
shanna prebaby jeans

10 weeks later…Shanna has gotten her momma’s groove back & is grooving into her PRE-BABY Jeans!

What an amazing feeling & sense of accomplishment!

Keep it up Girl!


Through all her hard times & feeling like it ain’t possible…well IT IS! Shanna is proof that you can get your pre-baby body back (is she 100% there yet, well no, but she’s getting damn closer every day!).

Does your body change after having kids, absolutley!

Can it be the same? YES!

Your body may take on a slightly different shape after having a couple kids. But that doesn’t mean you can’t rock your new momma bod! Many mom’s love their body even more after kids, as YOU should! Hell girl, you did after all go through a crazy 9 months of body changes, supporting another human being, delivering baby, nursing, & on top of that forget even thinking about hormonal changes! Take that times what, 2 or 3 babies…that’s a lot going on for one body to handle. Don’t be so hard on yourself but realize you need to make you a priority.

What are you doing to keep (or get) your bod in rockin’ shape?

~E

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Getting Momma’s Groove Back Update Week 9

February 14, 2011 1 Comment
Fitbook Inlay

YOU GO GIRL!

Shanna has lost another 2 inches off of her midsection in the last 2 weeks!!!

I couldn’t be more proud of her. If you read Shanna’s blog then you’d know that in the last 2 weeks everyone in her household (except for her) has been sick :-( We all know this sucks! Especially when all the little ones are sick..sleepless nights, cranky babies = tired & cranky momma’s. THANK GOODNESS FOR EXERCISE & EATING HEALTHY ;-) Kudo’s Shanna for not letting sleepless nights, & cranky babies slow you down!!!

Both exercise & eating healthy will decrease your chances of catching all those little bugs your little ones get.

Check out the difference in 9 weeks!


Shanna has been keeping track of her exercise & diet in her Fitbook. However, I don’t like the word “diet” :-( It has a bad connotation for most people. So rather, I’m officially changing the word “diet” to “healthy eatz” ~  because you are eating healthy about 90% of the time, right? I know Shanna’s healthy eatz have improved & are now the staples in her diet healthy eatz! Ok, so maybe it’s cheesy but at least it sounds fun…

Feel like you just aren’t losing the pounds like you “think” you should be? Read my explanation of fat vs. muscle.

What are you doing to keep you accountable?

Is it working?

~E

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Getting Momma’s Groove Back ~ Update Week 6

January 27, 2011 3 Comments
1.24.2011 Groove Update 1 Shanna

“WOW”

~ Check this out! Shanna’s belly is disapering…

(Current Wk 6 Pic)

(Where she began)

She’s lost 5 lbs & LOTS of inches!!!!

Only 5 pounds you say? Your probably thinking that’s all, really? We all know the saying of “muscle weighs more than fat”.

Let me clarify, “Muscle is more DENSE than fat”. A pound is  a pound is  a pound. A pound of muscle takes us LESS space than a pound of fat. So if you lose a pound of fat & gain a pound of muscle you have lost, no weight, but you are now a little more dense.

(Look they weigh the same)

Shanna is a great example of what changes you can make only losing 5 lbs!!! So if you’re in this spot feeling like “Dam*t! I’m working my a** off & the scale has barely moved!!! AWWWW!!!” ~ anyone? Don’t let that scale discourage you.

My advice: THROW OUT YOUR SCALE!

I know this may seem like a sin to most but it’s what you need to do. So how do you determine if your losing weight (or rather LOSING FAT & GAINING MUSCLE) & moving in the right direction…

  1. Your clothes are getting loser ~ this is the best guide
  2. You feel great!
  3. Your eating healthier & are being honest with yourself about it
  4. You’ve gotten into a regular workout regimen
  5. You have more energy / feel stronger

Back to continuing my update:

Shanna has been doing awesome! After she hit a rough patch over the holidays & after it was hard for her to get going again, we all have times like these & for some it’s much harder than others.

~DON”T GIVE UP!~

Say it again with me “Don’t Give Up!”

Shanna pushed through – even with all those sleepless nights & frustrations – & now look at her! This is were accountability plays a huge roll. It’s way to easy to just say hey this is “too hard” or “not worth it” & continue moving on with your life feeling tired & exhausted & low on energy. Now I’m not saying your not going to feel tired getting up early before your hubby leaves for work so you can get your workout in. However, as time goes on (& it doesn’t take long) your body adjusts to getting up early & can’t wait to exercise. Once you’re there you’ll realize  you can’t live without exercise. Once you start seeing the amazing results, & realize even though you may be getting a little less sleep cuz your getting up early, you feel so much more energy during your days.

Your muscles – wait what! Yes though things that help you through your days of lifting kids, picking up toys & groceries, constantly chasing little ones around…You need to be fast on your feet with them. As you become stronger all these things get easier (isn’t that a nice bonus).

To Read more about Shanna’s Journey:

~”If Momma Ain’t Happy Ain’t Nobody Happy”~
So momma’s I want to hear from you! What are you doing to conquer the challenge of getting your exercise in everyday / losing the baby weight? Have you thrown out your scale yet?

~E

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Getting Momma’s Groove Back Update Week 5

January 10, 2011 2 Comments

It was great getting to workout with Shanna this morning: Pilates with a little jumpboard & Kettlebells to keep our heart rates up = burn more calories! Yippeee

The last couple weeks have been a tough one for Shanna to keep her workouts going & eating healthy. Let’s see: holidays, travel, oh & she (well her & her hubby) decided it was as good of time as any to potty train their 2 oldest! Yikes! Not only trying to potty train 1 but 2! Wowza! I’ve only had the luxury of potty training my daughter & as much fun as it was I don’t look forward to potty training my son (or maybe I do..I’m over changing poo diapers).  If your already a mom you can totally understand what this time period is like, lots of craziness in her house lately (& sleepless nights). I can say I am very proud of her for getting back to working on losing her baby weight. As hard as it is to get back on track when we get overwelmed with life it’s what you need to do. Go here to read Shanna’s update post

We’ve all felt like this at one point or another…

So get your Sh*t in order & do what you need to do to take care of yourself! Maybe it’s time to re-prioritize & schedule your workouts into your day-time to hire a trainer??? & plan healthy meals. – Sorry to be so blunt but it’s true.

“If MOM ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy!”

When life becomes overwhelming & we feel like we have more on our plate than we can handle many tend to eat to comfort that feeling. Is that you? If so listen up! The more stressed you allow yourself to get the harder it’s going to be for you to A) lose the weight you are working so hard to lose, or B) you’ll gain weight! AWWWW!!! This is caused by cortisol (I know you’ve heard of it), a hormone produced by your adrenal glands (your metabolism motor) which your body releases in response to STRESS, it can supress your immune system, decrease thyroid function, increase your blood sugar levels (among other things) = you get sick easier & you gain weight (or have a hard time losing weight).

A little cortisol is good, a lot is NOT! So take a good look at what is really going on in your life, what needs to be changed? & what can you do to create a healthy balance in your life? Exercise of course can help decrease cortisol levels as it’s a natural stress reliever, also try meditation (yoga, pilates), take deep breathes throughout your day, relax your shoulders, SLEEP (aim for 7-8 hours.night) & so on…

Here is a Healthy Eating outline I have given Shanna to follow:

  • Pre-Workout Snack: fruit or oatmeal (30ish minutes prior to exercise)
  • Breakfast:
  • 1 egg
  • 2 egg whites
  • I always cook eggs in pan with 100% Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 1/4-1/2 avocado
  • coffee & milk (or whenever you usually drink coffee)
  • AM Snack: oatmeal w/berries (can be quick cooking in a pinch, or make a big batch & scoop yourself a serving & refrigerate the rest)
  • Lunch: (no wraps or sandwiches, use either a corn tortilla or lettuce as the wrap, or nothing)
  • 3-4 oz chicken breast, or lunch meat (no nitrates), or leftover protein from night before
  • veggies
  • fruit
  • Snack: 1/8 cup nuts &/or fruit
  • Dinner:
  • 3-4 oz protein
  • veggie
  • fruit (optional, I usually double – triple my veggie serving at dinner)

What are you doing to help relieve your stress as we start a New Year? Are you…

  • Scheduling your workouts into your day?
  • Hiring a trainer or nutritionist
  • Preparing healthy snacks in advance so you don’t grab the candy out of a vending machine?
  • Cooking extra portions of your healthy dinners for lunch tomorrow?
  • Going for an evening walk to “de-stress” at night?
  • Waking up a couple minutes early so you don’t feel so rushed in the morning? (that’s no way to start your day)

Keep up your great work Shanna! You’ll continue to see results…so your measurements aren’t down from last time but you’ve lost another 2 pounds! Which means you didn’t gain any weight over the holidays, hooray :-)

~E

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My 1st Pregnancy

January 5, 2011 Leave a Comment
Morgan Baby


Ok so since my site is about pregnancy & fitness I figure it’s about time I tell you my stories. Here it is pregnancy #1 – My energetic little girl, always keeps me on my toes.

Being a trainer & already taking an interest in prenatal fitness during college I was like “awesome!” I knew what I should & shouldn’t do. For most of my pregnancy I continued doing everything I was before, pilates, lifting weights, elliptical, & lots of walking…Oh how I loved walking, it replaced my running. Yes it is ok to run during pregnancy but running just felt weird to me (a hint that you shouldn’t do something during your pregnancy). So I didn’t run during my pregnancy.

Even though I was naseaus for most of the first 5 months I continued to plow through & exercise (I think it must have made me feel better, but who can really remember…that was 4 YEARS AGO!) anyways I continued to exercise through my pregnancy & I do remember finding a newfound love for pilates! I was still doing crazy pilates moves up towards 6 months till I could no longer lay on my belly & had to start limiting certain exercises. Pilates replaced pretty much all my weight lifting, weights just became too hard or maybe it was that I was too stuborn to decrease my weights so I just preferred doing pilates. I could handle doing 30-60 minutes of pilates & I felt great after!

My daughter was born on her due date December 11th at 11:36 p.m. – crazy huh? who is actually born on their due date – plus no one actually thought she’d be born before midnight, I was in labor for around 5 1/2 hours. Not to bad for my first labor/delivery.

Timeline:

  • Water broke around 6p.m.
  • Arrived at the hospital 7 p.m. ish (oh & I don’t recommend arriving at the hospital around shift change – they might forget about you, & trust me you don’t want to be forgotten when your in labor. Especially if you want an epidural – there’s only so much of a window of opportunity for that). I say this because I almost missed my window of opportunity due to shift change!…However I had told myself that I knew I had a good chance of having a fast labor so I might have to go without but thank goodness I didn’t :-) Kudos to you women who give birth the natural way, it’s just not for me…
  • Epidural must have been 9:30/10 pm because I remember only having had it in for an hourish before she was ready to come out! Awww…..
  • So I love this part with the first baby when you really don’t know what your doing or what your feeling. With an epidural you don’t or shouldn’t feel pain, you just feel pressure (a weird feeling the 1st time)…but the nurse comes in & says to me “let me know when you feel like you need to (well for lack of better terms) poo” & I’m like “I have been!!!”
  • Shocked she was! She couldn’t believe it & of course I had to wait for the doc which takes him a good 15 minutes to get there – so no pushing yet just hold that baby in…
  • Less than 10 minutes of pushing & there she was!

Boy was I thankful I had been an avid exerciser during my pregnancy! My Doc warned me that next time labor would be even faster… As soon as the epidural wore off I was up & walking around, something I highly suggest if you have had a healthy pregnancy & delivery. It’s a great way to start your body getting back to it’s pre-baby body.

So there she was our beautiful baby girl who didn’t like to sleep unless I was moving! So I don’t know how true it is but everyone said it was because I was always moving & exercising during my pregnancy. Whether that’s true or not I don’t know but she is one little energetic, bubbly, doesn’t miss a beat girl :-)

Enjoy every moment you can with your little one(s), they grow & change so fast.

~E



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Don’t Let the Holidays Derail Your Workouts…

December 27, 2010 Leave a Comment

You survived & had  a wonderful Christmas I hope. We did! Now if you’re like most you had good intentions of exercising most everyday around Christmas (I know my hubby & I did), especially to help burn off some of those extra calories you knew you’d be eating.

Well unfortunately for us the kids & I got sick :-( not the flu thank goodness but must have picked something up last week from our exhausting long 14+ hours of travel through the airports. So needless to say “Life Happened” & resting up, recovering & taking care of little sick ones became our priority. Now that everyone seems to be getting better tomorrow should be the start to us getting back on the “Exercise Train”.

Here’s my update about Shanna: She started off amazing (losing 3 inches off her belly in 1 week!) & then, well as what happens to most of us with little ones “life happens” & as she put it “survival mode” kicked in. Although I can be sure that she was burning lots of calories running around after her little ones. Back on board tomorrow with her kick-butt workouts & healthy lifestyle diet.

Sometimes just being “Ok” with not getting a workout in is alright, as long as you don’t let it keep happening. Traveling with little ones is one of the biggest challenges of having kids (that’s my opinion anyway), so you do what works to keep everyone as happy as possible. Cranky kids can make a cranky momma & no one want’s that ;-)

How do you stay on track when life throws you “CrAziNeSs”?

Me: I keep my eating in check when I know I’m not able to exercise like I want to.

~E

Try Fitbook to help keep you accountable.

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How to Lose 3 inches Off Your Post-Baby Belly in 1 Week!

December 20, 2010 1 Comment

Yes, you heard that right! 3 inches is what Shanna lost from her post-baby belly after only 1 week! She has been working hard doing the workouts I put together for her (including my Treadmill Sprints), pilates & doing a 3-day Ritual Cleanse detox. Not a day has gone by she hasn’t gotten a good sweat’n workout in.

Can you say “WOW”!

Shanna loved the Ritual Cleanse 3-day detox, that is after she got through her 1st day (thus she was feeling the “detox” effect). I love Ritual Cleanse juices! They make me feel great & will you too :-) Why I recommend doing a Ritual Cleanse detox: it’s a great way to “Reset” your digestive system & get you off to a healthy start.

Here is Shanna’s workout plan for the week:

  • Today: Kick-butt Pilates!
  • Tuesday: Treadmill Sprints #2 & Kettlebell, Plank circuit (2 x’s)
  • Wednesday: Shanna get’s a “rest” day – well deserved, just keep your hand out of that cookie jar, no extra calories burned today ;-)
  • Thursday & Friday: Walking at least 30 minutes (hopefully twice) & Kettlebell, Plank Circuit (2 x’s)
  • Saturday & Sunday: Elliptical 30-45 minutes & Kettlebell, Plank Circuit (2 x’s)
  • Extra Exercise: Chasing after her 2 little girls & holding the 3rd , a great arm workout ;-)

Every Monday for the next 11 weeks I’ll be posting an update on Shanna’s progress along with her workout schedule for the week.

~E

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