Pudgy to Fit Really Quick

My second pregnancy was pretty tough on me. My body couldn't handle it and in the end of the 9 months, I could hardly walk. After my daughter was born I was in the worst shape of my life. I am 5 ft and I was 149lbs. Looking in the mirror made me terrified that I was going to look and feel that way forever, but then looking at all the beautiful clothes in the closet that I wore before my first baby made me furiously determined. That's when I promised myself I'd get back to how I was (or as close as I could). Below are some Pre-Baby shots.

Catching dinner

Enjoying life with my husband

Of course I want to be healthy and live a long life but sometimes people, like myself, need short term goals. I'm pretty hard on myself and even though I'll feel better after losing 5 pounds, I'll still be sad that I'm not as comfortable in my body as I used to be. I don't feel better mentally until I look better physically. Superficial, I know, but I never had weight problems growing up so I had to learn ways to deal with the extra weight physically (tired faster, not able to hold my baby for long periods while standing up...), mentally ("Why am I so fat? My husband should get rid of me"), and emotionally (feeling sorry for myself, envious of people who don't have these issues).

After having my son

After having my daughter

GOAL 1: Eating Right

First I just want to mention that before starting this mission I had a great understanding of what healthy food was and what it could do for me because of the book Clean by Alejandro Junger. This was an amazing jumpstart to great health in addition to the already active lifestyle I had before I got pregnant. I didn't do his 21 day cleanse but rather used his guidelines for food and smoothie making. If you're new to eating healthy I recommend starting there. 

Luckily I don't live near any chain restaurants, so if I want to eat I have to cook! Cookbooks were my first investment. My favorite one is Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan. I've already pre-ordered her second book. Not only did she introduce me to the Paleo Diet but she also has some amazing tips to save time making nutritious meals. With two babies under two, I could use some time! I'm over-the-moon happy with this book. 

After much research on Paleo, I decided to give it a shot. I found many books online for free with my Kindle on Amazon. Some good, some not but it was free so I just kept the good ones. I subscribed to some blogs like, Mark's Daily Apple, and Food Babe (not 'Paleo' but clean eating site) and they give me daily reminders to keep up the healthy eating and I get to see success stories from other people whose lives have change from this diet. 

RESULTS: 

With just eating Paleo for 3 weeks, with little to no exercise, my husband and I lost 10 pounds each. It was such a relief for me. My husband wasn't trying to lose weight but I can tell that he is now really motivated to go out and exercise by doing things he enjoys. 

GOAL 2: Workout Regularly

I don't get a lot of time to myself during the day. Most of my workouts consist of pretending I'm a bunny rabbit and hopping down the hallway. But even with two little ones, I force myself to stop looking at my to-do list of chores and open my laptop (forgetting Google and Facebook exist) to Blogilates. I recommend this site to ANYONE who likes to work out. It's based off pilates but I don't think there's one person out there that's too cool for this. She had tons of HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts too. When I was going to a personal trainer before my wedding, he would have me do planks and leg lifts that are exactly what's done in her videos. Not only are they wonderful workouts, but she plans every month out for you (always different so you don't plateau), has links set up for you to get to them without searching YouTube, has a whole calendar for beginners, a new app for those on the go, but above all - she's an awesome person. You can tell that she truly cares about inner beauty first. Her inspiring videos are FREE and her radiant personality is motivating. You won't want to let her down. 

In addition to Blogilates, I like to continue educating myself by reading different types of fitness books. I really liked The Primal Fitness Blueprint by Mark Sisson. He talks about things like chronic cardio that really makes sense. He also pushes the fact that the best workouts are the ones that you're having fun doing. You can get his book free when you subscribe to his site.... He inspired me to get the paddle board that I've always wanted. I follow his primal fitness plan and mix it up with the Blogilates videos that correspond to what I'm working on that day.

My awesome inflatable SUP

I know running almost goes against The Primal Fitness but it's the "mommy time" that I get to myself early in the morning before the family is up. I don't run everyday, in fact, I'm just starting out. Two books that have motivated me are Hot (Sweaty) Mamas by Kara Douglass Thom and Laurie Kocanda. They truly pushed me out the door with my running shoes on convincing me that I need to do this for myself without feeling so guilty. Not feeling guilty wasn't something I thought was possible but I came home and feel like a wonderful, happy mommy which is what my family deserves. READ IT! I'm also in the middle of reading Run Like a Mother by Dimity McDowell and Sarah Brown Shea. This book so far makes me want to toss the kids in the stroller and GO!

I currently run with a Navy Diver and according to him, I run incorrectly. Yep. I started dancing when I was two and stopped when I was pregnant with my first. I don't have runner's muscles, I have dancer's muscles. Instead of putting one foot in front of another quickly, I take graceful leaps... something I have to work on I suppose. 

I can't forget to mention Yoga. It does a world of wonders for my body and my mind. Even though it's only an hour per week and some morning stretches, it really makes me feel like I'm taking great care of myself. Those last 5 minutes of yoga that I share with myself is better than any decadent molten chocolate cake I'll ever experience. 

I'm not going to lie, if there were a CrossFit by me then I'd probably be doing that but this plan that I have now is the closest thing, if not, better. 

RESULTS:

I am close to my second level in the primal fitness book, I can run two miles (almost) non-stop, balancing on the paddle board is so much easier,  I can do some awesome yoga pose holds, but most importantly, I can hop like a bunny rabbit for much longer. (I'll take some 'after' shots soon)

AND NOW:

After having built a strong foundation for my healthy lifestyle, I felt it was time to compete with myself. I made a 'goal weight' for a month. I wanted to reach 125 lbs. My birthday was the actual day to weigh in. I did it! I was so proud of myself that I made another goal. My husband is sweet enough to make sure that they are "realistic"  goals so I don't let myself down. The first month was 5 lbs and this month is going to be 4 lbs. I know from some reading that the first 10 pounds is the easiest to lose so I understand that the rest will be stubborn. It will all eventually be gone though. :) 

I'm so happy in this journey that not only do I feel accomplished and almost back to my old self, but I also learned to cook healthy meals for my family. Plus, working out in front of the kids daily shows them that it's an important part of life. It's amazing how the solution to my problem ended in benefits for the entire family. <3