Archives for posts with tag: healthy lifestyle

I have started and failed to finish several posts this week. It has been difficult for me to get into a good writing flow. They were all very long posts but they just didn’t seem right to me. They all were incomplete as well. I have had a lot on my mind but the words just won’t form correctly. Today, though, I am going to try a bit harder.

Yesterday evening I was thinking to myself that I would really enjoy it if I had a rainy day tomorrow. A day to just slow me down a little bit. A reason to stay inside, cuddled up with my sweetheart. A day where I could use the bad weather as an excuse to not run errands, go somewhere fun, walk to the park, or whatever ever else came up. 

For over a week I haven’t slept through the night. Last night was no exception. As I lay in bed I considered a walk to the park with Jackson today. No workout, take a rest day because I haven’t taken a rest day in over a week either. But a nice 1.5 mile walk and maybe some swimming. My brain was active as I lay in bed considering all the things I could do today. I finally decided to get myself up for the day, having stayed in bed a bit later knowing I didn’t plan on fitting in a workout. Alexander started slowing moving around, then kicking. It was time to start my day. 

Imagine my surprise as I waddled into my kitchen, not greeted by the usual beaming sunlight that radiates through the massive set of windows we have. I was greeted by grey sky, rain, clouds, and utter wetness outside. My heart skipped a beat. My rainy day! I hadn’t even checked the weather forecast yesterday. I had no idea rain was coming. I just wished it would, to force me to slow down a touch. As I sit here and write I am accompanied by the sounds of rain falling on my skylights. Heavy raindrops writing their own song. Jackson is still asleep. He likes to sleep late on rainy mornings. There is no sun radiating around the small space around his blackout blinds. 

I am not sure what we will do today. My dishes could be washed. I was too tired last night to wash the ones from dinner. Legos are already spread across my kitchen table. Except for the small area I am afforded for my meals and well my laptop I am typing on now. We have a ton of books we could read. I have a new big Ninja Turtles coloring/activity book we could make our marks on. Maybe we will do all of them. If he keeps sleeping much longer, there won’t be a nap today. Especially on a day where we don’t wear ourselves out playing outside or going on an adventure. 

As I sipped my coffee earlier, watching the rainy day, I couldn’t help but thank my Gma (that is what I called her a lot). I can’t help but feel like she may have had a hand in providing me with exactly what I needed this week. Forcing me to slow down a little, her girl who is always on the go. Thanks Gma, you did me a solid. 

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View from my kitchen

This weekend was so busy! I had been trying to write a post for a while. I would get a little done, and then I would be needed or have to do something else! AHHH

Yesterday I weighed myself. 129.0! Another few ounces gone!!! I even stepped on the scale three times to make sure it wasn’t wrong. It read the same all three times. I am thrilled to be so close to 128. I was thinking about how a couple months ago I was in the low 140’s! YIKES! I have lost about 30lbs total since having this baby already. I am just 5lbs away from being back to where I was.

I attribute this to the following things:

  • Running again. My body was desperate to do this again. Or I was mentally. Either way, it makes a huge difference in my life. It works better for me than the elliptical. I will have to convince Jason to sell our elliptical this winter and buy a treadmill instead ha!
  • Pilates again. Yoga was great but for some reason my body responds better to pilates training. There is nothing quite so refreshing as an awesome core workout. When you feel those core muscles burn and you just know that you body is just a little bit stronger.
  • Carrying around a 15lb baby, whether it is in my arms or when I wear him while running errands. I generally always work up a sweat. That extra weight burns extra calories for sure.
  • Bouncing and “tossing” the aforementioned 15lb baby constantly (it happens to be one thing that can make him smile and laugh when upset) I don’t really toss him in the air, you know what I mean though. Lifting him above my head and back down again. It is a great toner for the arms and if you brace your core while doing it you get some core work in.
  • Not having ridiculous preggo cravings, like Dr. Pepper and Culver’s!(REALLY I wanted those and ate them?!?!? Like my hubby said when that started happening, “Who are you!?!?!” I am happy to be back in control of myself again. Glad the hormones are no longer in control of my brain)
  • Breastfeeding. It helps when you burn calories in the middle of the night because your almost 5 month old still doesn’t sleep through the night. Huh, I guess when I am complaining about being so tired I should remember he is helping me slim down. Yeah, that’s it. My little man knows how important it is to me to get back to my pre-preggo weight. He is just trying to help out anyway he can!
  • I always park far away in parking lots, even if I do have the baby. Extra steps always help.
  • Having the energy to cook about 99% of our meals again. It really can make a huge difference when you are controlling what you put in your meals and subsequently into your body.
  • All the general movement that comes with being a stay at home mom. Cooking, cleaning, playing etc with the baby.
  • Summertime. I actually find it easier for me to lose weight in the summer and I think it is because I am so active when the weather is nice. I really don’t LIKE cold weather. I like to snuggle up inside when it is cold out, with more comfort stews and foods (I do try to keep these healthier). I still work out regularly but I just don’t do as much extra movement as I do in the summertime.
  • Not being pregnant. That is a big one! HA. I am not gaining weight anymore. My body isn’t going bananas. Not having an ever growing human being taking up residence inside your uterus really helps with weight control.
  • Not letting myself fall into that “I am so exhausted” trap. I am usually worn out and exhausted every day. But honestly, I feel better when I do find time to workout.
  • Having a supportive husband. I will admit, having a spouse who supports your lifestyle is really key. I am able to go on 3 miles runs every night because he takes care of the baby while I do that. I get a little “me time’ and a run simultaneously. It will be a little easier come August 4th when Jackson is 6 months old and I can use a jogger.

I could likely sit here and think of a thousand other little things that have contributed to this. I won’t though. I guess the bottom line is, it has become my lifestyle. Health and fitness is such a part of me. We are intertwined. It is not something I am using as a quick fix. It isn’t a yo-yo diet or workout. This is me and how I choose to live my life. It becomes easier to maintain and achieve when you make it part of your daily lifestyle.

Oh and on all of those notes, I discovered a new Pilates studio. RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE! They have just switched locations, which is why I never saw it before. I honestly thought I was going crazy for a bit. It is right next to my nail place, so I knew I would have seen it if it had been there a while. But I looked them up, they moved here a couple weeks ago. I am SO excited. I want to stop in sometime this week. Although, this week is extremely busy so it may have to be next week. I will post about why after Wednesday. We have something exciting going on! Ok, well I am off to squeeze in some pilates in my living room. The little man is STILL asleep. I am sure as soon as I roll down on to my mat he will wake up, but I can try, right?