The Adventures of Pregnancy - Body Image and Body Change (an article for all!)

I'm going to share with you my journey from the past 9 months of pregnancy (yes, I'm expecting my first child any time in the next 2 weeks).  Part of the reason I'm sharing this with you, there may be a lull in the blog for awhile.  I will be recovering and Sarah has been extremely busy with her corporate fitness position and raising kids leaving little time to blog.  There are over 170 workouts to keep you busy while I'm out :).  When I return, it will be time to lose the baby weight...so watch out and be ready!!

I didn't share my story during the process because I was trying to keep my life as close to "normal" as possible.  I didn't want sympathy, I didn't want people to caudal me (well until the last few weeks ;), I wanted to be me (best described as an independent functioning person!)  

During my nine-month journey, I have experienced so many "new things"with my body as well as body image.  I've always been pretty close (we all get to exclude freshman year of college, right?) to my "recommended" weight so I was concerned how well I would take weight gain.  Honestly, when you follow the guidelines of weight recommendation during pregnancy it isn't all that bad and it is for the sake of a healthy baby.  What bothered me more than gaining weight was the fact that everyone else was concerned with my size.  "You aren't gaining enough, now I can finally tell you are pregnant, when are you due...no way you can't be that size".  It really made me feel self-conscious about my body and it made me feel for people that endure this or feel this way their entire lives.  It is something I feel our society can work on...worry about your own image.

The other lesson I've learned is the aches of pains of life, literally.  This portion of this post is going to hit home with a lot of people and I don't mean it to be offensive, but I want to use it as a way to enlighten people to the fact that there is a better way to live life (physically).  I've gained nearly all of my pregnancy weight in my stomach which means several things:  my back is so tight it feels like my muscles could rip in half at any given point, I can't see my feet and struggle to put socks and shoes on, I can't bend over and pick anything up very easily, I struggle to breath in general but it is really bad when you involve a flight of stairs, and simple tasks make me tired.  I'm not mentioning these so you'll get the violins out and play me a sympathetic song (remember, I don't want that), but what I do want to note is these "conditions" mentioned are also associated with being overweight.  As I struggle each day with them I think to myself, why would anyone want to live this way on purpose?  The next thought in my head is "I wonder if they have forgotten what it feels like without these conditions?" 

From this experience, I am now motivated more than ever to help people feel better physically and feel better about their body images.  I didn't do anything special or over the top to only gain the needed weight for pregnancy.  I gave up caffeine and all the pregnancy no-no foods and exercised regularly, but not excessively or as hard as I had once imagined I would (once my body started changing, it eliminated a lot of options!).  My point?  It doesn't take any special program, shake, supplement, etc it takes a little self-discipline and motivation (I have to say I feel their is some genetics involved, but that is for a different blog).  These are the same principles I will use to remove the pregnancy weight and if you want to...join me!  I'll share my tips along the way along with my struggles as I'm sure they will occur in my sleep-deprived state.

I'll keep you updated and let you know when we will be going full force again!   

Allison

Workout 170 - Are You Doing Squat?

Squats are the theme of our workouts this week.  A few months back, the Wednesday Wisdom discussed the benefits and proper form of a squat.  Click here (Do you know squat?) to read/review this great info (with pictures) again!!  Proper form is EVERYTHING when seeking results with squatting exercises.

This workout is designed to be most effective when performed 3 times a week on non-consecutive days.

Equipment Needed:  Weights (or weighted object)

Warm-up: (1minute each exercise)

jog in place
walkout pushups
quadruped 
gate swings
side shuffle


complete 1 round and rest for 30 secs and repeat this pattern for 3 total rounds then move on

Round 1 - 30 secs of each exercise
squat press
plank rows
bicycle crunches


complete 2 round and rest for 30 secs and repeat this pattern for 3 total rounds then move on

Round 2 - 30 secs of each exercise
side squats
dips
reclined knee-ins


complete 3 round and rest for 30 secs and repeat this pattern for 3 total rounds then move on

Round 3 - 30 secs of each exercise
side plank dips (30 sec each side)
squat curls
plank to pushup

walk for 3-5 minutes and stretch for cool down

For a more challenging workout, extend the intervals to 45 sec OR add more rounds up to 5

Workout 169 - Post Holiday Blah Blah Blah...

Let's face the facts...It's a Monday following a long Holiday weekend and most of us are struggling to return to reality.  It is already difficult enough to return to work and/or our daily lives, but what about our exercise routines?!  Oh yes...now you remember! 

Get back into the swing of things with the easy to follow checklist below.  Your goal should be to perform the workout 3 days this week (with a day of rest in between).

YOU CAN DO IT!!  


Warm Up

30 sec jog/march
30 sec inchworms
30 sec walking lunges with chest press
30 sec standing oblique twists
30 sec walk on tip toes
30 sec walk on heels
repeat again


Complete the following list of exercises.  You can do them in sets, try to do them all at once, or break them up by completing however many you can and then going to another exercise.  Just make sure you do them all, but take breaks as needed :).

50 push-ups
10 squat jumps
1 minute plank
15 burpees
25 side plank dips (right)
25 side plank dips (left)
100 bicycle crunches
25 single arm plank row (right)
25 single arm plank row (left)
100 uppercuts
50 jumping jacks
25 squat curls
1 minute high knee run
25 dips
25 DB swings

Summer Veggies!

This week at the farmers market I picked up some cucumbers and wanted to share my favorite way to prepare them in the Summer.  I'm still trying to make them taste like mom's, but we all know how that works out!

Here's the quick prep for a low-calorie, healthy side:

Ingredients:
Cucumbers
Onions (if you like)
Vinegar
Water
A little bit of sugar

You can make the desired quantity you like.  Slice the cucumber (some like to peel first, your choice) and onion and set aside.  Mix vinegar and water in bowl measuring 3 parts water to one part vinegar.  Some people use more vinegar, but I'm not a fan of really sour cucumbers so I do the opposite.  You can adjust to fit your tastebuds!  Sprinkle *sugar in to take the bite off and shake up or mix.  Add cucumbers and onions and chill in the refrigerator.  The longer you let it marinate, the more flavorful your cucumbers will become.  I suggest at least a couple hours if not overnight.

*Some recipes call for cups of sugar.  We are keeping this low-cal and it is not necessary.  For 1-2 cucumbers a tablespoon or 2 if suffice.  

You can also add other fresh veggies such as tomatoes, peppers, etc.

Enjoy this cool summer treat for very few calories per serving!

Allison

*Fourth of July Workout - A Retraction to Yesterday's Version

There was a small mistake (left the lunges out!!) on yesterday's workout, so here is the new version!  Just changed one exercise so no big deal if you completed it this way on Monday.

It's a Holiday week (yay--if you get a day off!!) but that doesn't stop our workouts, right?!  Do this "firecracker" of a workout at least 3 times this week (with at least a day of rest in between).

Equipment:  Dumbbells or weighted object for overhead press and row.


Warm-up: (1minute each exercise)
jog in place
walkout pushups
quadruped 
gate swings
side shuffle

1 minute of each of the following exercises: (without stopping, notice its 4 minutes for the 4th!)

Pushups
Lunge Press Combo (switch legs at 30 sec)
Plank Rows (switch sides at 30 sec)
Burpees

rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat x2 for 3 rounds total

Workout 168 - Fourth of July Workout!

It's a Holiday week (yay--if you get a day off!!) but that doesn't stop our workouts, right?!  Do this "firecracker" of a workout at least 3 times this week (with at least a day of rest in between).

Equipment:  Dumbbells or weighted object for overhead press and row.


Warm-up: (1minute each exercise)
jog in place
walkout pushups
quadruped 
gate swings
side shuffle

1 minute of each of the following exercises: (without stopping, notice its 4 minutes for the 4th!)

Pushups
Plank Rows (switch sides at 30 sec)
Plank Rows (switch sides at 30 sec)
Burpees

rest for 1-2 minutes and repeat x2 for 3 rounds total