Fitness Editor Blog

Anyone who reads this blog will know how passionate I am about exercise. Which is why the past week has been so weird for me – its almost like i have lost my exercise mojo. Not that this has stopped me, I have been back at gym and running more than ever – just at a slower pace than usual.
 

I put this down to tiredness, it’s really hard to get yourself motivated to work up a sweat when all you want to do is crawl back into bed for another hour. Our baby isn’t a bad sleeper mind you, he only wakes up twice a night, but it’s still very disruptive to my usually good sleeping pattern. Ah well! It has just meant that I have had to motivate myself more to get going, once I am into a workout it’s fine… it’s just getting going that’s the hard part! 
 

So as I mentioned in the last post, my running has become a lot easier for some reason. I think it must be due to some residual pregnancy hormones that have loosened things up a bit. I am now running every day, which I was never able to before because my legs would seize up and cramp.

Running with a pram is hard work though, especially along the beachfront when you have to run heading into the wind. Apart from the fact that you can’t swing your arms when you run, you’re also pushing a heavy pram with an almost 5kg baby and if you couple that with a fairly strong south easter wind it’s really quite a workout.. and 5km seems a LOT longer and harder.

I haven’t really been able to hit the gym properly yet, but I have managed a few visits when hubby has looked after baby and those stolen moments are worth every second. As much as I hate being away from my gorgeous baby, I feel so rejuvenated when I get back from gym that I can enjoy my time with him more since I’m not so tired.

Last week I hit the gym on Tuesday and did a “Retro” aerobics class at Virgin Active. It was… interesting.

Pregnancy has clearly done nothing for my coordination because the simple ‘grapevine’ move had me heading the wrong way, stumbling all over the place and looking nothing short of ridiculous. It was a high energy class but I didn’t find it very different from a step class, just without the step. From all the hype around it I had really expected some cheezy 80s music and proper Jane Fonda-style moves.

But it made me sweat and got my heart rate up so that’s really what counted. But I think I got more of a workout in my Preggi Bellies aerobics-style classes!

Then on Wednesday I did three rounds of:

500m row
20 squats
20 push-ups

Then 20 pull-ups and 20 push presses with 8kg dumbbells. Not very heavy I know but I’m still getting my strength back!

Then on Thursday I hit the gym again and did:

10 minutes on the elliptical
10 mins on the step machine
500m row
20 thrusters with a 15kg bar
20 pull-ups
20 sit-ups

Then on Friday morning I had a long run along the beachfront which was nice, but hard work!

Then on Saturday morning I didn’t get a chance to go to gym but grabbed half an hour during baby’s nap time to do this workout:

Three rounds of:  100 rope jumps
                          20 push-ups
                          20 squats
                          20 sit-ups
                          20 crunches

Then on Sunday I hit the gym again:

2000m row (it’s far!)
20 pull-ups
20 push-presses with dumbbells
20 sit-ups
20 kettle-bell deadlifts

So far this week I have only managed a run every morning, no real crossfit-style workouts yet. But i am thoroughly enjoying our morning run with the pram, nice to get some fresh-air for baby and for me.

I am hoping to form some sort of routine with this so that working out can work out for both me and baby. I know most new mums find it very difficult to get back into exercising or even finding time to exercise with a baby that needs so much attention but I really believe that if you work out a plan to suit you then there’s no reason why you can’t exercise while baby sleeps.

In fact our morning runs HELP baby to sleep, since he usually resists his morning nap, but in the pram he is lulled to sleep and gets a good hour’s nap while I get a workout. It’s win-win for everyone! For now anyway, I know things could change when his routine changes but then I’ll just have to re-work my exercise plan then too.

Alrighty then, this being a mom thing is quite the full-time job. Not much time for blogging let alone brushing of teeth before lunchtime with all that has to be done on a daily basis. Not that I’m complaining, look at this beautiful face and tell me you don’t melt…

This is his “WTF mom?” face. I have a feeling I’ll be seeing a lot of it over the next 18 years in varying degrees of intensity…

Anyhoo, back to all things fitness!

I have started running again, I took it slowly the first three runs and ran not only super slow, but also not very far and it all went well. In fact it went better than well… it was AWESOME. I actually felt like a person again and although I didn’t run far or fast it did me so much good mentally that the bleary-eyed tiredness that’s been dogging me for weeks now completely disappeared. 

On the weekend I decided to push it a bit more and ran my old 4/5km route (not quite sure just how long it is cause I haven’t measured it yet) and not only did I manage it with only one walking break inbetween, but my legs felt strong after the run and even the next day. 

Usually my legs take a bit of strain, especially my calves, but either the pregnancy has left me with some residual flexibility which makes running easier or Mother Nature decided that it was compensation for hitting me with bronchial pneumonia in the last 3 weeks of my pregnancy. Either way, I’m not complaining!

So now evening runs are a part of my routine. Hubby looks after baby and gets some nice alone time with his son and mom gets to work up a sweat and feel like she’s part of the human race again and not just a walking milk machine. It’s awesome. 

I coupled last night’s run with some push-ups, sit-ups and squats too, although I felt it in my arms today. But I need to get back into shape if I’m going to get back to CrossFit anytime soon. That will be an interesting juggling act time-wise but we will make a plan. An exercising mom is a happy mom as far as I’m concerned and all babies need a happy mom, especially if they insist on peeing on you in the dark at their 4am feed. 

A happy mom with a sense of humour actually…

Hello all!

Sorry for the long gap between posts but it’s been one HELLUVA month! I promise I will do a longer post later this week but for now I just wanted to give you an update… 

Firstly meet baby Dylan Reece, born October 21 weighing 3.34kg via natural birth (yeah baby!) without an epidural… yup. Sans epidural. Not that I wasn’t begging for it at the end but to be fair I was actually only in real labour for about 2h 45m before he was born thanks to the hypnobirthing course we took beforehand. 

Gorgeous no? 

I am of course bias but he is just the most beautiful baby every born and at only 11 days old I can’t imagine my life without him. 

On the fitness side of things I have had a bit of a hiatus from any form of exercise for a month now because my chest cold morphed into severe bronchial pneumonia when I was 36 weeks pregnant and landed me in hospital for 5 days. Can’t say that was much fun! Add to that the fact that I felt like I had broken a rib or two from all the coughing and you will see why my doctor banned me from any form of exercise.

Fortunately I now have full lung capacity back now baby is on the outside and not kicking my lungs and ribs every five minutes and I feel 100% better. Although I daresay when I cough now the baby finds it quite comforting

This week I started going for long walks again and I reckon by the end of the week I should be able to start some light jogging again and hopefully even hit the gym between naps and feeds (the baby’s, not mine). I am desperate to get back to some form of exercise because just a daily walk lifts my mood and makes those 3am feeds that much easier! 

And if there was any doubt about how excellent exercise is during pregnancy I have the proof… firstly a healthy, happy baby and secondly it’s only 11 days after I gave birth and I am back in my pre-pregnancy jeans. If that’s not incentive to keep moving I don’t know what is! 

Anyhoo, till I have more to report that’s me for now! 

Hope you’re all well and keeping the fitness flag flying!!