How to return to running after having a baby...

I am not even going to try and tell you that I know much about this just yet. Thus the reason for researching what to expect and some guidelines for getting back into it.

This will be my greatest motivation post baby - it's already happening!

Here is an excellent article from Runners World about how to return to running after pregnancy. It has great advice and takes you week by week through the guidelines for post partum exercise. It gives you guidelines for Pelvic Floor exercises, Cardio and Strength training right up to 8+ weeks post delivery.

*Please remember that these are just guidelines and will depend on each individual and their birth, as well as how active they were before and during pregnancy.

Following the birth of our wee bubba I will be trying to follow these guidelines and figuring out what works and what doesn't for my 'Great Return'. You will be able to follow my journey on here (the blog) and I hope that you will be encouraged, inspired and motivated by my journey. I also love to hear any advice from anyone who has been there, done that so feel free to drop me a comment if you have some tips or advice, or even just want to share your story of post-partum running.

Now here's some inspiration and motivation for us all - I will be coming back to all of this once I have begun the Great Return - I will need all the help and encouragement I can get, I am sure!!

Please remind me of this when I want to die or give up - it's so true!

Yip!

That's all for now folks, check out the article and watch this space for baby news... 8 days til due date... YEOW!! 

Keeping active with two weeks to go...

So I am almost there... 2 weeks to go today! Yikes! I feel like I could pop now, this heat is not fun, but I am trying to make the most of everyday that I have without the baby. We are both very excited for when it all does happen though, and we have that wee little bubba in the world with us!

Woah Belly! And yes, I pretty much only have two sets of workout clothes I can fit now... Sorry for the boring wardrobe.

As you may recall from earlier this year (if you regularly read my blog) one of my goals was to stay as active as possible up to as close as possible to the birth. I think this has been going well so far and I am confident I will be able to keep going for the next couple of weeks (or however long til baby is with us). I feel good and enjoy the exercise and it helps to keep me sane - just ask Tim what I am like on a day I don't exercise...

Although it is extremely hot right now I have been able to keep up my walking, as long as I go during the cooler hours or stick to shaded paths. So yesterday I contemplated death by heat, or a nice walk in the shade... You guess which one I chose.

We have some beautiful tracks where I live and this is one of them...

Beautiful shaded paths

The track runs along a river - always makes for nice scenery

Evidence that I was actually there :)

It was about a 5km track with a slight bit of undulation. Would you believe that I even jogged a little bit during this walk?? Ok, so only about 50 metres, then I had to stop before my insides fell out (well it felt that way), but it just felt so good to jog!
I have also been using these bad boys to get in a bit of weight training so I don't end up all totally jelly once baby is out...

5kg hand weights - perfect for pregnancy workouts!

My other workouts consist of dreaming about post-baby running and getting back into it when I am able to. I will have a post up soon about different plans and options for post-baby running and race training. I have also been working my arms by holding up a book and a bit of thumb training thrown in there with turning pages. It's awesome, a workout I highly recommend!

How are your goals coming along? Have you been keeping active lately? 

If it's summer where you are, what are your tips for exercising during the hot months?

More on goals and how I've been keeping busy...

How are your 2013 goals going so far? Mine... Well it's a little too early for most of them as most consist of post baby stuff but here's how my keeping active in pregnancy goal is going:

Thursday last week I was lucky enough to have a personal training session with my lovely PT friend, who is also preggers. We did an all over body weights workout and I was super tired afterwards!
Friday was a small walk and a whole lot of wall paper stripping and sanding - hard work but it keeps me busy for sure!

Thanks for the shorts Tim!

Earning my keep

Saturday was Pump class. If you want to know more about Pump with a Bump you can check out this post here. I think this was probably my last pump class for pregnancy. Although I can still manage it just fine, a) my concession card has run out, and b) it is getting a little more difficult in some areas than usual. But mostly just the concession card thing. I am so thankful that my pregnancy has been a great one that I can still continue to be active right through. I know not everyone has that privilege so I really am grateful that I do!

We then spent the rest of Saturday at a family event with Tim's family where I got uber sunburnt... Oops! But i did manage to go from the photos above to this:

Phew! I bet you are glad I let Tim wear his own shorts here!

Sunday and Monday both were actually rest days from the exercise but there was still a lot of Sanding, stripping, painting and repeat that we wanted to fit in so they definitely kept me busy. Tim has been wallpapering today and the room will be finished soon. Yay! Then we can begin to get the baby's room all sorted - that's exciting!

Well, our work is complete for today so now we are off for a walk together through a track that goes along the waterfalls. Bliss!

Don't forget to keep an eye out for my giveaway that will be coming really soon to celebrate my one year blog anniversary!

Have you fallen off the goals wagon already or are you still charging along?

How to get through the summer months with a baby on board

Workouts so far this week: Monday - 7.5km walk - 1hr
Tuesday: 3km walk - 25mins
Wednesday: You'll love this one... "The bikini Workout" strength training workout from Woman's Health... I am sooo bikini ready now!! 3 x 8 mins with 2 mins rest in between each circuit.

Whenever I tell people my due date: 27th Feb, they all seem to say things along the lines of 'Oh no, poor you, it'll be so hot for you', and 'You're going to find it so hard in the heat' and sooo many similar things like that. It was just starting to get so ridiculous that even Tim started pointing out how everyone was down on being pregnant through the summer... Yikes!

Yes, the heat has been a little overwhelming at times, but I decided after getting all those comments that I wasn't going to just nod and agree but actually try and enjoy it - after all, there's no way around that one so may as well!

34 weeks pregnant and ready to work out! (P.S. that's our newly finished room behind me - a post to come on this soon!) 

 

Man, I am just so good at taking photos I can even do it with my eyes closed!

One of the things I love the most about being pregnant through the hot summer months is that it is really motivating me to keep active. Summer is my most favourite time to get out and active and especially being pregnant. I think if I was pregnant through the winter I would have turned into a couch potato and watched movies and soaps all day drinking hot chocolates and eating cookies and chocolate... Not a good combo!

So far I have been achieving my goal with trying to keep really active and I feel great! And there is a little thanks in there to this glorious, motivating weather too.

My belly now leads the way - I actually had to lean forward to be able to get my feet in this shot.

But what this post is actually about is how to cope, and get through the hot summer months being pregnant... For any of you that are pregnant during summer, are planning to be, or just want to read about how I do it, here you go...

1. Exercise during the cooler parts of the day - mornings and evenings are the best

   

   From my rural walk on Monday - going down a nice big hill means you have to go back up one on the other side!

2. Live on popsicles and cold drinks from the fridge

   

   Yip, I've eaten so many that I finally got a free one - Best. Day. Ever!

3. Where possible, wear the minimal amount of clothes, but when you must wear more, wear a dress. A bit awkward when the JWs come knocking and you are cruising around the house in an Ah Bra and your husband's comfiest shorts... Oops!

   

   Comfiest dress thanks to my lovely SIL - sorry about the terrible photo though!

   
   

   P.S. Wasn't going to put a photo of the first mentioned outfit in there for all of you who were asking.
   
4. Invest in a paddling pool or become best friends with either the beach, or someone who owns a swimming pool - thanks so much to my cousin who has been letting me swim in her pool - saved me!
   
5. Get a fan - it'll become your night time companion (and often day time one too)

   

   Me and my biggest fan!

6. Instead of doing a big weekly or fortnightly grocery shop, take a small trip there every day and shop as slowly as you can - supermarkets are sooo deliciously cool and enjoyable. Normally I hate grocery shopping but I love going in there now. It can even take me 20 mins just to purchase milk!
   
7. Do a lot of shopping (if the baby has left you any money) or internal window shopping (if, like in our case, it hasn't) in air conditioned shops
   
8. See movies during the day instead of at night. Yesterday I enjoyed 2 hours of Air conditioned bliss whilst watching Les Mis with my friend... Not sure which was better: the company, the AC or the movie
   
9. Go for long drives in your air conditioned car if you don't have AC at home - enjoy some scenery while you're at it
   
10. If you work (but I am not sure why you would want to) make sure your work place has excellent AC and you get a really comfy chair - if it doesn't, for crying out loud what are you doing there?!?
    
11. Get a tonne of good books or magazines and find a cool, breezy place to enjoy reading them

 

How do you get through the hot summer months - pregnant or not? Any good tips? 

What's your favourite thing about summer?

Food for thought...

Lately I have been super busy with school work as well as still trying to have a life, and get lots of bits and pieces done around our house before wee one joins us. My priority is my teaching job and doing the best job I possibly can before I go off to have this baby. I am absolutely loving my job and my students - I teach 9 and 10 year olds - and my school is totally the best!

The only problem is, this job is very tiring, not to mention growing a wee baby... Which means that there is less energy for workouts. I have still been pumping up the jam (doing pump class) 1-2 times a week at the gym but my running has turned to run/walks, and inconsistent. I don't mind this but I do need to do better with my consistency.

Ever find this a struggle? Starting an exercise regime/plan and struggling to stay consistent?

This evening I went for about a 6km walk. It was only ever going to be a walk as I really just did not feel like wearing my support belt today, and I just get a wee bit too much discomfort if I try and run without it. I loved the walk but really felt like running the second half especially. Was quite a nice change though to just walk.

If you are a newby to exercise or are really just trying to create some great habits and consistency in your workouts, this website here  has some excellent tips...

"Once you have decided on the type of exercise you want to engage in, creating consistency means being realistic about how much time you need to devote to your regular exercise regimen. Create a workout schedule that involves at least a few minutes a day for a warm up, 20 minutes for a cardio activity and additional time for strength training and a cool down. You might write down your schedule to solidify your commitment to your exercise plan."

Great advice to people starting out, or you can take some gems from that if you are a bit like me at the moment and struggling to fit everything in.

Tim is away tonight on a Managers retreat thingee so I came home and had a nice dinner of fish and veges... So good! After that, however, I decided that I was allowed to indulge in some fruit salad with ice cream and caramel sauce. YUM!

Treat city!!

Don't get me wrong, I am trying to eat really well during my pregnancy and I am not buying into everyone's comments that 'It's ok, you're eating for two so you can eat whatever you want'. This is somewhat true, I am eating for two, however the second person is only teeny weeny and only requires an extra 300 calories from my behalf, so the 'eat-what-you-want-because-you-are-pregnant' excuse doesn't really cut it. I am a bit more partial to indulging in treats a little more often than I used to though. I think I could actually live off ice cream!

Now that I have had that little burst of thought, here's a preggy pic update to keep you happy... Or unhappy if you're not into that stuff??

6 months preggers and check out the bump!

As I mentioned, Tim's away, thus the reason for the cheesy selfie! And thus the reason for eating treats on the couch whilst (supposed to be doing school work but am blogging) watching this victorious victory speech live from Barack Obama...

Got to say, although I am not American and can't vote so it doesn't really even matter, I am a bit of an Obama fan (sorry to all the Romney fans out there). So good on you Obama, and great victory speech. Yip, NZ might be small and totally a gazillion miles away from any other country but we do get some of the world news over here you know :)

American readers (and anyone else) - What do you think about Obama's success in this election? 

I don't really know too much about politics, but I do enjoy hearing people's opinions on the matter and sometimes even share my own... Would you believe I share my opinions?? 

That's about all for now but please, keep watching this space for my guest posts and my giveaway coming up, as promised!  

Pump with a bump...

I am totally supposed to be doing school work right now but thought I would much rather talk to you about this morning's pump class instead... Yay!

It is finally starting to actually feel like Spring now which is one of my most favourite seasons... That and summer of course. Watch out for the pregnant bikini babe this summer... haha! This morning I woke up nice and early to head off to pump class at the gym... Such a great morning for a work out!

Last month I won a free 10 concession card to the gym but hadn't used it yet. I'm not really that much of a gym-er anymore as I really prefer to get outside. However, I am stoked to have won this pass so will make the most of it. One thing I had been missing, too, was pump class. So this morning I met my lovely friend, who is also the world's most awesome personal trainer, and we got our body pump on!! She is also preggers so it was like bump pump. Fun times!

Before I left home this morning I was looking through my pack that I had won and inside it was this brochure...

How appropriate!

Although I have been doing weight work all the way through, as this was my first pump with a bump class I had been thinking of what sort of modifications I may need to make, if any. So when I saw this it was totally perfect!

Here are some wee gems I got out of the brochure...

"Body Pump is a great way to maintain a healthy, strong, toned body during and after your pregnancy." YAY!!

"During the class focus on yourself and your baby and work at an intensity that is comfortable for you. Choose sensible weights and move seamlessly, i.e. no jarring or jerky movements. Don't over exert and be mindful of your Range of Movements (ROM) in all exercises."

Pregnancy is NOT a time to increase your weights!!

So, here's how to modify the class for pregnancy...

For your warmup and anything that involves squats, such as the back and legs tracks, make sure your base is a little wider than it would normally be. E.g. feet slightly wider than the hips, instead of in line with them. This helps to give you more stability and makes the exercises a bit more comfortable, especially as your belly gets bigger.

Any track/exercise that involves lying down on your bench, make sure your bench is at an incline, instead of flat. This will relieve abdominal pressure, help circulation and feel more comfortable - which it totally did!

For the back track you might like to use free weights instead of a bar. This gives you a better ROM, as you wouldn't be able to move the bar straight up and down because of a certain bumpety bump (my words, not the brochure's). If at any stage you feel your back hyperextending, focus on drawing your abdominal muscles in.

Remember to breathe steadily all the way through, and if with any exercises that require above the head lifting, you feel dizzy or faint, just opt for an exercise that keeps your arms below your neck.

If lying down for any exercises is uncomfortable, use a seated position with a similar exercise, if not the same. Your instructor will be able to help you with this.

Abs... "As your baby grows, change the focus to deep and lower abdominal work using Leg Drops or Pelvic Tilts. Shift to kneeling ab work if it's difficult to lie on your back."

That's about the brochure summed up. I found it really helpful and so great to know that I can keep doing it all the way through. Things like Pump and weight classes are great, low impact exercises to do all the way through and help you feel like you still have some control over your own body... Well I think anyway.

Make sure you always check before doing it though with a doctor or midwife, and also let the instructor know you are pregnant and they can offer you great options to do during the class. 

I hope you all have a lovely weekend. we have a long weekend so there will be a nice balance of work and play... Yay!

What exercises have you found great all through pregnancy?

What are your plans for the weekend? 

What is your favourite weekend workout?
 

The T-Rex Workout...

For Tim's birthday last month he wanted this 'thing' called TRX... I thought it was like a BMX or something like that, which I then thought was totally weird because he HAS NEVER been into any such thing...

Anyway, turns out it is a workout thingee jig which is actually totally awesome! And totally makes sense because working out is one of the things he IS into. You can read more about TRX training here, but this post will be all about it. Woohoo!!

"At TRX we believe in training movements, not muscle. We produce best-in-class training equipment, workout programs, and education courses to help you achieve peak performance, reach your goals and get the results you want."

So Tim got his TRX suspension training kit (I call it the T-Rex) and has just started to teach me some awesome workouts you can do on it.

Source

This is the suspension training kit that you buy and set up somewhere in your house. It is all you need and you really can get any sort of workout possible from it. I kinda thought it was just another lame home gym style thing, until I had a go and realised how great it was.

"The TRX Pro Kit has all the equipment, workouts and education you need to perform hundreds of exercises that build strength, flexibility, core stability and power, anywhere, anytime. The TRX Suspension Trainer provides fast and effective workouts, scalable to all levels of fitness and intensity. This revolutionary system leverages your own bodyweight as resistance, putting you in control."  (www.trxtraining.com)

We have ours set up in our garage and because it's basically just some well designed and thought out straps, you can take it with you on holiday, or wherever you want (yes, Tim did take it with him on our last holiday *cough TRX nerd cough*). And because I love my husband so much, or should I say because he loves me so much, he even agreed to be my model for some pics to put in this post. Most awesome husband ever - sorry ladies, he's all mine!

He's totally sold it to me, I mean just look how hot he is working out on the T-Rex...

T-Rex training is serious business... Doing a standing row - works lats and traps

Single leg squat with lat row at the top - feel the burn!

Double leg squat with lat row at the top - great whole body workout to warm up with.

Sprinters stance - as named by TRX themselves and as you can imagine, a great workout for runners' legs in every way possible.

Tricep extensions

Bicep curls

This one's called the booty shaker... Not actually but it's what the picture looks like. It's called a knee tuck and you can do a press up at the end. Awesome core/shoulder/chest/arms workout!

These are just a very small sample of the workouts that can be done, and as you can see, all the workouts are just done using your own body weight which can be modified for extra resistance and trickiness. For example, the squat exercises can be made harder by moving your feet further forward - that gives extra resistance and extra booty burn... YEOW! Also, the knee tuck and press up workout can be made harder by moving your arms further forward, or easier (in my case) by moving your hands back.

This is such a great piece of equipment to own, especially if you are a runner as it provides tonnes of great workouts you can do to help with strengthening your legs, your IT bands, your core, your glutes, and pretty much actually just all the muscles in your whole body. It's also great for stretching - what all good runners should do but most probably don't do anywhere near as much as they should (*cough me cough*).

Well, after my first ever T-Rex workout and doing some awesome killer workouts, we just had to have a super healthy dinner to top off the night... Delicioso Garlic and spiced chicken and veges on top of tumeric quinoa with a side of avo and beetroot... Bit of a random combo, I know, but it was just everything I felt like.

YUM!

Have you ever tried a T-Rex? 

What are your favourite workouts for runners? 

What meal makes you feel uber healthy and good after a workout?


Acknowledgements...

Thanks to Tim for being my wonderful model and for giving me all the technical names for the workouts. Otherwise, they'd all have names like the 'booty shaker'. Eek!

Running with a bun...

And by this I don't mean running while eating some bread, which I know some of you are dreaming of, but running with a bun in the oven!! Yup.

I know some of you out there might be thinking 'how risky' or 'is it worth it' or 'why do that to yourself and your baby???' I know those are all valid things to be thinking or asking and trust me, I have done my research. In my research I couldn't even find any negative effects of running during pregnancy even when that's all I tried to look for. As long as it is something you have done before you are pregnant... That is the only thing you need to remember. DO NOT DECIDE TO START RUNNING FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER FINDING OUT YOU ARE PREGNANT! Otherwise, go for it!

Here's a tiny snippet of what I did manage to find out in my research...

The Complete Book of Running for Women, written by Claire kowalchik, has a really big section on running and pregnancy. It has awesome info.

My favourite quote from the book: "Not only is running during pregnancy safe for you and your baby, but it can also offer several health benefits..." Claire also goes on to talk about how "...many women are discovering that running during pregnancy is a positive and healthful experience for themselves and their babies. Experts now agree not only that running during pregnancy is safe for mom and baby but that it can actually enhance your well-being and and maybe even that of your child."

How awesome is that!?! Claire also talks all about the physical rewards, oxygen, aerobic advantages, well-being, running programmes, cross-training for pregnancy, stretches and exercises, and SOOOO much more! It is great, if you are wanting to know all about it I suggest you read this book, or one similar that has lots of info in it.

In short, if you are a runner, running during pregnancy is just fine or both of you, unless you have been told otherwise from a doctor.

source

There are also some amazing women whose blogs I follow who have ran or been very physical throughout their pregnancies. If you are a pregnant runner then you should totally follow them. You can find them all here...

Janae at this wonderful blog here, is an amazing runner who ran the whole way through her pregnancy and now has a gorgeous 6 wk old baby girl. She is a huge inspiration!

Hanna, who you can check out at her blog here, is just a week behind me in her 3rd pregnancy and has an amazing and inspirational story to share about her running and weight loss journey.

Katy, who has this fab blog, has a whole bunch of awesome workouts that can be done at home or the gym, all through pregnancy. She also has a whole bunch of great workouts for non-preggers chicks too.

There are sooo many other great blogs where you can get great inspiration, advice and workouts for pregnancy but I definitely recommend you check out these ones. I follow them daily and they are some of my faves. Thanks wonderful girls! x

Go Rachel, it's ya birthday, gonna workout like it's yo birthday!!

That's right, it's my birthday today... So much fun. I love birthdays - mine and others - always have and always will and it's even more exciting now that there will be a baby to celebrate with soon!

So my birthday workout consisted of....

An at home weights workout, courtesy of womans health magazine and their awesome 20 minute at home workouts. I used my 5kg hand weights for these and mostly focussed on arms and legs, with a little bit of back and abs in there too.

After that I was all geared up to get out and go for a run...

I know, I'm totally working that running pose... Practiced for hours!

... Until hubby got home, at which time I thought it would be nice to go together. However, this just ended up being a brisk walk as I am still trying to teach Tim how to, and encourage him that yes you can, love running! This did not happen today but we had a lovely walk on a sunny spring evening instead.

Then, to top off the day, Tim took me out for a surprise dinner. I thought we were just going to eat at home since we are having a celebratory dinner with friends and some fam on Fri night instead, so this was a treat. Naturally, being the birthday girl and all, I got to pick so chose our favourite Israeli restaurant to go to.

My delicious dinner with falafels... Sooo good!

This place has the best food with delicious salads and the falafel are to die for! And to top it off, since it's my birthday and all, we shared a dessert... Classic baklava with ice cream... Yummo!

To sum it up, I have had a great day, thanks mostly in part to my wonderful husband who started my day with this funky tune that you just MUST listen to!  Then, at school, I had 4 classes of students sing happy birthday to me which, despite the colour of my face at the time, made me feel very special. Feeling the love all round, that's fo sho!

How do you like to celebrate your birthday? Do you have family traditions? 

Do you workout on your birthday or use this as an excuse to have a 'rest day'?