This will be a long post - but I feel I have to get all the background info out. I promise to shorten them up in the future.
Currently I am the mother of an 11 month old high-energy boy. I have never been so happy and so anxious all at the same time. Who knew motherhood made everything feel so much more intense!
While I love every part of being his mom, I hate the after-effects it has had on my body. I of course gained way too much weight with my pregnancy (52 pounds - yikes), and waited far too long to do anything about it after he was born. I ate non-stop and didn't work-out at all during the pregnancy. Getting back into shape has proved difficult not only because it hurts, but also because I just can't seem to find the time and energy. Besides the fact, my body just isn't what it used to be in my20's.
But alas I found some motivation...For Christmas this year my family (my parents, sister & boyfriend, and husband and babe) didn't get gifts but are instead going on a cruise together in February. This really got my fire started. I started working out and eating "healthy" the day after Thanksgiving (with a week break for Christmas, and a overdose of ice cream last week). BUT my goal was to get back to pre-pregnancy size by the cruise. The cruise also marks the 1 year anniversary of my baby boy's birth - also known as his first birthday. Perfect timing to get my old body back, right?
Well here we are, just 2.5 weeks away from sail date. How have I done? Not as good as I had hoped, but at least I'm doing better than I was. In some ways I'm not far off my goal. I am 4 pounds more than my pre-prego weight. But in terms of a toned body and fitting in my old clothes... I still have a lot of room for improvement. I only wish I had measured myself that week of Thanksgiving- just to see what the real size difference has been.
The good thing though is that I FEEL a lot better. I notice how my arms hang straight at my sides. I also have more energy, and I can run again...kinda. I am up to 20 minute treadmill runs. I know that won't compute to street running time, but it's way too cold to run outside right now. I have also been trying out new healthy recipes - and putting a real focus on my baby eating nutritiously has motivated me all the more. I have a really good eater on my hands... he even makes the "mmm" sound with every bite. The things he "mmm's" the most for are veggies and fruit! Hopefully keeping up with healthy eating in our household will pay off with a toddler who still enjoys his healthy foods. I admit it would be so much easier to feed him frozen nuggets and prepackaged baby meals BUT since he likes healthy stuff just as much I don't see the point. I've got to take the time to feed him right from the start.
Here he is - my little Rome! Don't mind the bumps on his head - he is boy afterall.
Honestly, I have been "healthy" most of my life... but now I've really got to work at it. In my single years (got married at age 28, baby at 30) I had all the time in the world to hit the gym, hike, run.. and I even played in adult outdoor AND indoor soccer leagues and traveled the world with a dance team. I did eat junk food, but most of the time I tried to make good food choices. Most of all I just had the time and energy to spend on my health. Oh, and money. Now I have to squeeze healthy into my already packed life. Between work and taking care of a baby and being a good wife there just isn't a whole lot of time for the things I did before. So I'm just going to have to learn to do it differently. Here's to a new kind of healthy lifestyle!
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