My exercise demons

Yes, I spelled that right. I don't have demons to exorcise, I have exercise demons. I'm terrible at getting myself up and going, and I've always been that way. That's why, after gaining the freshman *cough* my first year in college, I walked-on to the swim team. Nine practices a week got my tushie in shape and ensured I'd be staying healthy(ish - my diet wasn't great) and fitting into my clothes. After college, I had my wedding to get ready for almost immediately. After that was when my waistline, thighs, and pretty much everywhere else started to bulge. Before getting pregnant with Adrian, I actually managed to lose 20lbs through a combination of being more active (taking the stairs, free weights) and a better diet. I have Eating for Life to thank for much of that - it's a great book to change your philosophy on food, and contains a meal planner and some healthy recipes.



But then I had a baby. And, you know, life gets in the way. I've never been a gym rat, past NCAA-athlete status aside, and even paying for a membership hasn't gotten me to go with any regularity. I know I need to be working out. Working a desk job, plus a long commute, lead to a fairly sedentary lifestyle. I hate running, I stink at trying to do TV exercise, and basically unless someone is standing over me with a whip I have a lot of trouble finding the motivation to work out. I wish it weren't that way.

So I'm writing this post with the hopes that it will serve as a surrogate coach for me. I gained 50lbs in my last pregnancy. It was too much, and even though (thankfully) Adrian wasn't too big, I believe that my weight gain and lack of conditioning lead me tired me out too quickly, and aided in taking the fight out of me. I can't have that happen this time - there will be no drugs to help me sleep, and I will need to get myself through from beginning to end.

I'm at about 24lbs gained right now. I started 10lbs up from my first pre-pregnancy weight. I'm in dangerous territory, with a little under 2 months to go, and I need to be smart from here on out. Tonight I walked for 30 minutes on the treadmill. Feeling a little better about myself, but only if I can keep this out. I wish I'd had the time for a group yoga class, or gotten myself back into swimming a few times a week, but if wishes were fishes.... Roughly 50-ish days to go. I can do it.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Working and Pumping

Image
I feel strongly about breastfeeding. Prior to giving birth I had no idea how strongly I would feel about it, as I always assumed it was a given. But my first few weeks of crying, pain, and "helpful" relatives simply made me a determined lactivist. Not only that, but I've always been proud of my boobs. They used to be my shining glories. Now they no longer look that great, but they also no longer belong to me. They are unequivocally the property of my baby boy. Of course, I can't bring him to work with me. That's where the pump comes in. I have a Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced . It's cute enough to be inconspicuous (though totally noticable if you know what to look for), has plenty of space to fit my cooler in, and can either plug in or operate from a battery pack. Who knew that it would become my new best friend? I pump twice daily at work. That has become "Me" time. I get to shut my office door so nobody bothers me. I get to chill out at my comput...
Read more

Working from home

I have a full-time job away from home. I also have a part-time job in my home. But on Wednesdays, those two worlds collide just a bit and I get to telecommute from home for my full-time job. Telecommuting is a fabulous thing. I can sit at my computer in a tank top, sweats and slippers, sipping tea from my favorite mug, and working on as many projects as I can handle. More employers should get with the program and let their employees work from home at least once a week. For me, I'm even more productive on my telecommuting days than otherwise. Instead of lollygagging, I'm focused with a set of tasks to complete for the day. Partially I think it's that accountability factor. If I can't show that I'm getting work done at home, I won't be able to keep this gig. So I get more done on Wednesdays than any other day of the week, without leaving the comforts of my own home. It's a pretty sweet deal.  My husband's cousin is our babysitter, and she comes up by tra...
Read more

An End to the Haitus?

Image
  It's one of those things that sits at the back of your mind. The ever-neglected blog, languishing in internet anonymity as its brethren sigh into the void and tumble off the screen, one by one. When I visited this blog today, it wasn't with the intention to create a new post. I've been back periodically in the last five years to pull that old recipe (yes I still use some) or to just take a spin down memory lane. My intention today was similar - looking for a recipe (which, it turns out, I never even blogged about). But then I read the last post. And revisited a few others. And updated the list of "blogs I like," finding that more than half of them no longer exist. I'm still the same person I was when the cursor last blinked at this URL five years ago. But my life has become so much more expansive. There are so many things that could be said about that last post, which will now become the penultimate once this gets published, and then perhaps relegated even f...
Read more