Get Fit

Operation: STAY FIT, GET STRONGER!

I completed 12 weeks of week by week workouts and feel like I am back in shape, somewhat!  I have had to over come a few obstacles and getting back in shape was much harder than I ever though it would be (regardless of my efforts to continue exercising during pregnancy), but I am very proud of my accomplishments thus far.  On my birthday, I gave myself the gift of motivation and fitness by signing up for the Green Bay Marathon.  26.2 miles, here I come!  I have done 2 full marathons in the past, but this will bring new challenges and training, I couldn't be more excited! 

3/27/13
SO, this is my first post in 2013?!?!  What the heck is wrong with me?  I'll tell you...between trying to train for a marathon and keep up with my little mover, I feel like I have no time!  I can't believe I haven't updated!  The good news is...my training is going well!  My longest run has been 17 miles and I felt great.  The biggest reason is IsAgenix.  I have recently started using products to aid in weight loss and energy level and I have had HUGE results!  As of today, I am down 12 pounds and my running has never felt better.  I can't believe where these products have taken me in such a short time.  Thanks for sticking with me through my blogging drought...I will do my best to post again SOON!

12/27/12
Another long run under my belt, today is was 9 miles.  Maria, Erica, and I hit the pavement for this run, only we weren't always running on pavement - more of a mixture between pavement, ice, and snow.  Needless to say, this slowed us down quite a bit, but that is okay!  A long, slow run was just what I needed after the food-filled holiday.  It felt good to get this run done, but I''m not going to lie, I'm really looking forward to my break (from long runs) week next week.  From here on out, long runs will be in double digits - yikes!!
12/19/12
8 miles, done!  The bummer of my run was that I had to do it on the Treadmill.  The highlight of my run was that I did it in 75 minutes (just under 9:30 minute miles)!  Nothing super to brag about, but for me it is definitely an improvement.  I get so bored on the Treadmill so I am always moving the speed/trying to change something to make the miles go by just a little faster, today it worked in my favor!
12/8/12
Well, I made it through 6 miles last week - thanks to Maria!  It's always easier when you have someone by your side.  2.5 miles out I started to doubt myself, but Maria said "we are going out 3 so you have to do 3 to get back".  On our way back I realized the last time I did 6 miles was at the Shamrock Shuffle when I was 6 months pregnant.  It was not near as hard as that was, so I decided to quit doubting myself, suck it up, and just keep going!  It felt great to accomplish that, so great that I felt confident about doing 7 today!  It was a beautiful day out so I hit the trail and did all 7 miles.  I actually think I did a little more than 7 because I didn't have one of my hardcore running buddies who have GPS watches!  Oh well, I made it through and am feeling great, real sore, but great!  Next week is a break (from longer runs), but the week after, it's on to 8!
11/29/12
Over the last 3 weeks I have increased my running quite a bit.  I am striving to run 3-4 days a week and cross train with my boot camp class on Mondays and a few Insanity workouts.  My plan until 1/1/13 is to increase my mileage one day per week and keep the other days around 3 miles.  In the past I have found that increasing for 2 weeks and then taking a "break" week workouts well:  I am able to make improvements, take a break, and remain injury free.  I'm sure this will hold true post baby, I'm just hoping I can keep up!!  I'm off to run 6 miles...wish me luck, I'm going to need it!


Operation: GET FIT!

I am using this page on my blog to hold me accountable for my exercise each day and log my experiences throughout this journey. I know it is not going to be easy, but I am determined and can not wait to be back in my old routine and feel like my old self again. Check it out - week by week!

WEEK 12
Monday 10/2912
Exercise for the day: Group Fitness - Boot Camp
How I felt: Great!
Comments:  I am always pumped up for group fitness!!  Today we did a circuit with weights and a few body weight/cardio exercises for 4 minutes alternated with 5 minutes of cardio.  We kept moving for 45 minutes.  We finished with some inner and outer thigh exercises on the floor.  Burn baby burn on those thighs!

Tuesday 10/30/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Interval Circuit
How I felt: Fantastic
Comments:  Insanity is over!  I don't feel 100% complete since I didn't do the last 2 fit tests, but mentally I can not put myself through that.  Due to the ab strain and having to cut back on the craziness, I know I wouldn't have improved physically that much.  I am excited to say that since starting Insanity, I have lost 15 pounds!!  Less than 10 to go, woot woot!  I WILL be doing Insanity again, probably in a few months when I have lost what I said I want to lose and then decide I want to lose 5 more ;-).  I am excited to continue to report my workouts, trials and tribulations, because folks, this weight loss/getting back in shape post baby is a long way from being finished.  I have a lot of goals yet to be accomplished.  Thanks for sticking with me and I am excited to take you on my next "journey" in my crazy, fun fitness world!

Friday 11/2/12
Exercise for the day: 20 minute run
How I felt: Terrible, I'm not sure it would have been much worse!
Comments:  It is a cool fall day but the sun is shining so I decided to take Vaan out for a jog.  I had good intentions, I'll start there!  For the first 10 minutes Vaan had his hands in his mouth so his mittens were soaked and his hands were freezing.  This was the point where he started crying and wanted nothing to do with his pacifier.  Nor did he care for the blanket on his lap and was bound and determined to get it off, no matter how cold his legs!  At the 15 minute mark I couldn't take it anymore and called Justin to come get Vaan.  I ran for 5 more minutes before giving in and taking him out of the stroller to wait for Justin.  By this point my head was pounding.  I was so irritated that when Justin got to us, I just got in the car and rode home!  It was probably for the best, I have felt like I have been fighting off a cold and after getting back in the warm air I realized how sore my throat really was.  Not the way I intended exercise to go, and not anywhere near the time I intended to spend on the pavement, but something is better than nothing.


Saturday 11/2/12
Exercise for the day: 30 minute run
How I felt: Much better!
Comments:  It's so much easier without a crying baby!

WEEK 11
Monday 10/22/12
Exercise for the day: Group Fitness - Boot Camp
How I felt: GREAT!
Comments:  Love love love teaching boot camp!  My participants are great.  I know they think class is all about me motivating them, but they equally motivate me.  I am inspired by their dedication and I love knowing that I gave them (and myself) a kick butt workout!  Today we were in partner and alternated running for 1 minute on the Treadmill with 1 minute of a strength exercise.  To give ourselves a break from the Treadmill, we did 5 minutes of legs.  Great total body workout and a fabulous way to start the week!

Tuesday 10/23/12
Exercise for the day: 20 minute walk and 30 minute run
How I felt: Tired, but good
Comments: The reason I am including the 20 minute walk as part of my workout is because I was carrying Vaan (14lbs) on my in his front carrier and pushing Cade in the stroller.  It was definitely interesting, and I'm sure my neighbors thought I was crazy, but it was nice to get the kiddos outside and it was a workout for me!  I went for a run with Maria later that night and pushed Vaan in the stroller.  It was nice to get all that cardio in and work out some of the soreness from yesterday!

Wednesday 10/24/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Cardio
How I felt: Good
Comments:  In this video you do 1 minute of each exercise.  It is broken down into different "sections" and there is a 6 minute section that is KILLER.  I dread it before the video even starts.  I made it through, with lots of breaks, but at least I made it!

Thursday 10/25/12
Exercise for the day: Group Fitness Body Sculpt
How I felt: Sore Abdominals!
Comments:  I did not teach this group fitness class!!  I got to attend, follow directions, and roll my eyes at the instructor (like everyone does to me).  I'm only joking about the rolling of the eyes, but Jen sure did put us through a good workout!  It is Thursday night and my abs are already sore!  I can only imagine what tomorrow is going to bring, but that's okay - it's much needed!

Saturday 10/27/12
Exercise for the day: 30 minutes Treadmill
How I felt: Weak
Comments:  Today I did not feel like just straight running and I knew I only had a short time to get a workout in.  I decided to do run/walk intervals to get my heart rate up and burn some calories.  I did 2 minutes of walking at a 5% incline alternated with 2 minutes of running.  For my running I alternated between 6mph, 7mph, and 8 mph.  It felt good to kick the speed up a bit but depressing because I used to be able to run several miles at 7 and 8 mph.  Oh well, baby steps...right?!

WEEK 9 & 10
UGH!  I've had my first blog "glitch".  On Sunday I did some mass posting; I updated week 9 & 10 and I made a new post on my family blog.  Today, I opened up the blog to start updating week 11 and IT'S ALL GONE!!  So frustrating.  I must not have saved, but it's not in my drafts, so I can not figure it out.  If you know me, you know I'm not all that technically inclined (this blog is really stepping out of the box for me), so you might not be all that surprised that I finally screwed something up!  Of course I deleted the notes I keep in my phone as well if I'm not able to post right away.  So, I will have to summarize the last two weeks...

I have continued with the every other day, for the most part!  There have been a few times I have worked out a couple days in a row.  There have also been a few days in a row that I have not worked out.  (I can't believe I just admitted that.)  I have been continuing with Insanity; I only have 3 workouts left until I have finished the entire schedule.  I have also continued to teach group fitness on Mondays and have added some running back in.  This less "strict" schedule is doing me a lot of favors.  I am still working out really hard, but the breaks are exactly what my body needs.  Prior to my ab strain, I was working out 6 days a week with no breaks, even when my body said slow down. At this point, I was really struggling to lose weight.  Now that I am listening to my body better, I have lost a TON of weight in the last 3 weeks.  I am excited to say that I have just under 10 pounds to go!!  The last 3 1/2 months have taught me a lot about balance and how important it is in all aspects of life.  I NEVER thought I'd say this, but it really is okay to not workout two or three times a day, every day!

WEEK 8
Wednesday 10/3/12
I saw Dr. King today.  She told me she wanted to see me because she thought I had a hernia.  Thank goodness, I do not.  She believes I pulled or strained a lower abdominal muscle underneath my incision.  She says that this can take several weeks to heal, but I can continue to exercise if I can tolerate it.  I am still in pain, so I'm not going to go crazy, but I am definitely going to get back on the horse.  I think, to be safe, I am going to try finishing Insanity by doing the workouts every other day.  I'm hoping this will give my strain enough rest in between but still let me work out.  I'll keep you posted!!

Thursday 10/4/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Cardio
How I felt: Good!
Comments:  Strange as this may sound, it felt really good to do this workout.  It is not easy, but I was really missing this craziness for the last week!!  I tried to back off on the exercises that bothered me and this seemed to cause less pain.  I am definitely feeling my incision now that I am done, but I am going to stick to my every other day plan and hopefully this will get me through.  It may kill me mentally though to take the days off, but I know it's best... :)

Saturday 10/6/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Core Cardio & Balance
How I felt: Good
Comments:  This is a significantly easier workout than the others in month 2, thanks for the break Shaun T, but it is very hard on the lower abs.  I'm definitely feeling it on the right now, but it's not terrible.  I'm hoping the every other day routine will go well!

WEEK 7
Monday 9/24/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Cardio Conditioning & Group Fitness-Boot camp
How I felt: I got through both workouts feeling strong, physically
Comments:  Half way through Insanity I came upstairs because Vaan was screaming and Justin told me he just got a phone call that he needs to go into work this afternoon.  Needless to say, it wasn't a short break in the workout.  After discussing this and calling my mom to see if she could watch Vaan while we both go to work, I got back at it after 30 minutes.  Group Fitness was great, lots of burpees - I love it!

Tuesday 9/25/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Plyo
How I felt: Good
Comments:  Somehow I talked Justin into doing the workout with me today.  This workout does have a lot of push-ups in it, so I think I convinced him that way.  He did a really good job considering he never does cardio and has never done Insanity.  However, it did make me feel really good to power through the workout watching him take breaks!

Wednesday 9/26/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Recovery
How I felt: My body is hurting
Comments:  I'm not sure I can really say I did this workout because I was in so much pain.  I skipped A LOT of it.  My incision is killing me, I can barely walk.  I wouldn't care about the pain if it weren't right by my incision...that is making me worried.

Thursday 9/27/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Great during the workout
Comments:  Maria and Dawn came over to workout with me today.  I really needed that motivation and am very grateful for them today!!  It also made me feel really good that they were impressed with how much I could do.  This means a lot coming from two ladies who are in really good shape and could kick my butt around the track all day long.  Thanks girls!

On the other hand, later in the day after the workout, my incision started to bother me something terrible again.  I planned to workout with Maria Friday morning, but after a night of being work up several times due to pain, I decided it probably wasn't the best idea.  I did call the doctor to see if this is something to worry about.  Unfortunately, I was told I can't exercise again until I see her... :(


WEEK 6
Sunday 9/16/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Fit Test
How I felt: Great
Comments: I am so happy with my improvements since the last test.  I did better in every category and my form keeps getting better and better as I get stronger.  It's so motivating to see improvement!  By the way, Erica & I had to do the fit test today due to the craziness that will begin tomorrow...longer and harder workouts as we start month 2, yikes!

Monday 9/17/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Interval Circuit & Group Fitness-Bootcamp
How I felt: So sore from the fit test and totally not prepared for a 60 minute Insanity workout at 6am, but so happy to be teaching class again!
Comments: I think "How I felt" sums it up for the day.  Month 2 is a shock to the system and I am feeling it - I'm sure I'll be feeling it the rest of the week.  On the other hand, today was my first day back teaching a group fitness class at work and that makes me HAPPY.

Tuesday 9/18/12
Exercise for the day: ..........(insert cricket noise)
How I felt: Ugh, my body is saying it's okay, my mind is not
Comments:  I was so beat from yesterday that my butt did not get out of bed for an early workout today.  These first two weeks at work I have to work a few extra hours (other than my Monday/Friday schedule), so I had to be at work from 9:30-12.  Vaan had to get two shots at 1pm and we unfortunately didn't get out of the office until after 2.  It is 100% miserable to see my little one upset, so I decided to hold him for a long nap (good excuse for me to nap as well).  I had a conference call I committed to in the evening, and well, I guess I'll stop with all of my excuses.  Anyway, long day, didn't get up = didn't get it done. :-\ Will have to play catch up later in the week.

Wednesday 9/19/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Plyo
How I felt: Good, but lots of muscle failure
Comments: Shaun T never fails, month two continues to kick my butt today.  I have done Insanity before, but it's like child birth, you forget how miserable it is because of the great thing you get out of it. I had completely forgotten that his video is push-ups galore.  I was barely moving by the end.  Tomorrow should be interesting!

Thursday 9/20/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Cardio AND Insanity Max Recovery
How I felt: CRAZY sore
Comments:  Today is catch up day from Tuesday.  Great day for it considering I can't straighten my arms out wide because my chest is so sore and I can barely lift my arms straight up because my lats ae so sore.  Plyo really did me in good.  I do feel better that I am back on track for the week and didn't miss out.  As you could probably guess, Max Recovery is no recovery - just not the cardio torture the other videos are, at least I had Erica to get me through this second workout!

Friday 9/21/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Interval Circuit
How I felt: Muscle soreness but good
Comments: Erica was here for this workout and thank goodness she was.  I'm not sure I would have pushed myself if she had not been.  Best sister EVER.

Sunday 9/23/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Max Plyo
How I felt: Much better than the first time
Comments: Aunt Roselle was in town for the weekend, so Erica and I pushed Saturday's workout to Sunday so we could spend all our time with our aunt.  We had a great weekend, lots of fun, family, and good food.  I am extremely exhausted today and my body is letting me know I didn't exactly eat super healthy the last two days.  Despite this, I was somehow able to push it through the video and physically feel much better than when I did this workout a few days ago.  Tomorrow starts another week already.  Giddy up!

WEEK 5 - Recovey Week
Monday 9/10/12 - Saturday 9/15/12
Exercise for the week: Insanity Core, Cardio & Balance
How I felt: Honestly, not good
Comments: It was a really rough week.  Tuesday, I was ready to throw in the towel, but thanks to Erica & Justin, I have decided to stick it out.  I am frustrated with my weight loss, or lack there of at this point.  I have been busting my butt with little to no results.  I am struggling with eating enough to produce enough milk for Vaan.  I never realized how hard it would be to balance trying to lose weight but yet trying to breastfeed/produce milk.  I have had a couple days were I have not eaten enough and have not had enough milk for Vaan, and that makes me feel horrible.  I am making a conscious effort to eat small meals or snacks throughout the day now, but I still have room for improvement.  On top of this, my incision HURTS.  I have woken up several times in the night in pain.  There is a lot of hip flexor work in the video, so I'm sure that is most likely the cause, but it still gets me down and makes me nervous I'm doing too much to heal properly.  But, if you're reading this you KNOW I'm addicted to exercise, so wish me luck with trying to scale it down if that's what it comes to.

Due to my incision pain, I've toned down my running.  So, my 1 mile run last week that I said wouldn't make sense for a few weeks still won't make any sense!  I was planning to train for a half (at a decent pace) starting with 1 mile at 9-10 min pace, adding 1 mile each week at that pace.  I am going to put that on the back burner until later this fall and hopefully do a race early next spring.  On a side note, I did run 3 miles with Maria on Wednesday and didn't feel like I was going to die, so that seems like improvement!  She did push Vaan more than half way and we did run extremely slow, but it's still progress.  Thanks to Shaun T's facebook post, my mantra is now "progress, not perfection". 

Thanks for keeping tabs on me, Andrea!  Maybe we can sign up for a race together next spring, that would be good motivation for me!!   

You'll want to check in next week to see if I survive the first week of Month 2 in Insanity - YIKES!

WEEK 4

Monday 9/3/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio & Insanity Cardio Abs
How I felt: Good
Comments: Pure Cardio = Pure Hell, but I always feel good when I'm done.  I'm happy with my accomplishments today and feel great about myself & the progress I'm making!

Tuesday 9/4/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance and 1 mile run
How I felt: Tired legs, but felt great from the kick butt workout
Comments: I STINK!  Wow, my shirt is soaking wet and I can barely stand the smell of myself.  I guess this is a recipe for a great workout.  I know I didn't slack today!  The one mile run is weird, I know, but it will make sense later on.  Stay tuned!

Wednesday 9/5/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Tired, but good
Comments:  I got my butt KICKED today.  So happy with the progress I am making on my fitness level. This is by far the hardest video for me, on the arms and legs.  The last few times I have really been able to push it - leaves me sore but feeling good!

Thursday 9/6/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Recovery
How I felt: Tired
Comments: I am still amazed with how much my legs can be shaking after this "recovery" video.  Whatever you say Shawn T, clearly I will listen!

Friday 9/7/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio
How I felt: Wiped
Comments: Vaan usually naps/sits in the rock and play sleeper when I work out.  Today he woke up towards the end of the video and Justin came down to entertain him.  If Justin hadn't been watching me, I'm not sure I would have pushed myself or even made it through the whole video! 

Saturday 9/1812
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit and 2 mile run
How I felt: A) Glad I was able to fit it into the day B) Very glad it's over for the week C) Discouraged
Comments: Today I am crazy tired and was not sure I'd be able to pull off a workout since I waited until late in the afternoon to even attempt it.  I'm sore beyond all get out and a slightly easier week with all Core, Cardio, and Balance could not come at a better time.  I am slightly discouraged because my incision is sore - more sore than it's been since I started working out again.  Don't even try to tell me I did too much too soon!

WEEK 3

Monday 8/27/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Fit Test and 35 minute Run
How I felt: Like I'm improving - with Insanity at least!
Comments: It was a nice surprise that it was a fit test day.  I was certain it was Plyo and was putting off the workout as long as possible!  (I guess I'm in for that treat tomorrow.)  There were a few exercises that I only got a few more reps in and there was one (globe jumps) that I did the same amount as last time, but I felt SO. MUCH. BETTER.!  I know my form was better and my body cooperated a lot more than last time!  I did improve a lot on some exercises, including push-up jacks, so that alone is motivation to keep going.  I told myself from the get-go I would not look ahead at the workout schedule and play that mind game; well, I did it today.  It's going to be a tough week, but I'm looking forward to it after the improvement I made in the first two weeks.

Oh, the run you ask? - I'm not talking about it today!

Tuesday 8/28/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Achy
Comments: I almost skipped today, but thanks to this blog - I didn't have the guts to either lie or admit I skipped!  I've had body aches and a headache all morning.  Thanks to the coffee Dawn brought, I found the energy to give the workout a go.  I'm always dripping sweat, but today was especially bad; I guess I had to sweat the bug out.  Feeling great now!

Wednesday 8/29/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Recovery
How I felt: Ahh, good!
Comments: So glad for the cardio break.  It was much needed after being hard core and not doing the recovery last week.  I'm truly taking a cardio break, no running today - not that I'm excited about that or anything! :-)

Thursday 8/30/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio
How I felt: Great
Comments: Same form as last week, grateful for Dawn and her ambition to workout a second time today & do Insanity with me!  Not only did I get a great workout, but I got to vent the whole way through it!  You can get so much more accomplished than just fitness during a workout with a GREAT friend!

Friday 8/31/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Abs and Cardio Power & Resistance
How I felt: Body felt good, heart felt happy!
Comments: Aunt Erica is here!!!  Vaan and I are both extremely excited to see her!  It was a late night workout followed by a late night dinner, but who cares, auntie is here!

Saturday 9/1/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Tired and Sore
Comments: Erica and I can both tell it's the end of the week.  Regardless, we powered through Plyo like a boss!  I definitely would not have worked that hard if she had not been here, so THANK YOU ERICA for pushing me to be better.  Love ya and SO glad you are here this weekend, I needed my sissy!

WEEK 2
 
Monday 8/20/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance and 35 minute Run
How I felt: Tight!
Comments:  I thought after a rest day I would be feeling great; however, I think yesterday just gave my muscles the extra time they needed to become extremely stiff!  It was a slow start to the Insanity workout, but I felt good after I was done.  The run was slow, but it was a beautiful day so it was nice to take Vaan out for a while.

Tuesday 8/21/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio
How I felt: Bleh!
Comments: I am missing my sister!  It was so nice to have such a supportive workout buddy last week.  I think I am going to have to call on a few other workout buddies to make it through this week.  I hope Maria and/or Dawn is ready to get insane this week!

Wednesday 8/22/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit and 3 mile Run
How I felt: Happy with what I was able to do today!
Comments:  Thank you MARIA!!  Maria was with me at 6am for the Insanity and at 7pm for the run; feels awesome to have such a wonderful friend and great support!

Thursday 8/23/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance and P90X2 Yoga
How I felt: Good
Comments: Grateful for Dawn and her ambition to workout a second time today & do Insanity with me!  The workout goes so much faster when you have someone to talk to and doesn't seem quite as bad when someone else is suffering with you!  P90X Yoga is no joke, so thank you Mom for the second workout today!

On another note, I am so thrilled I got to train my two athletes today - Robin & Andrea!! You ladies rocked the Yoga workout (I would like to note, my Yoga is also NO JOKE!) and I am so glad to be back in our training routine. Now that your Yoga request is out of the way, I can't wait to dream up your next workout...burpees all the way!

Friday 8/24/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Power & Resistance
How I felt: Tired
Comments: Even though I only had a broken up 5 hours of sleep, I made it through (most) of the Insanity workout today.  I don't care how tired I am or what time of the day it is, I will do Insanity whenever I have a buddy!  So glad you were here this morning, Erica.  The week is catching up with me and who knows if I would have done it today if you wouldn't have been here.  As far as a second workout today, it's not happening.  Nap time this afternoon! 


Saturday 8/24/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio & Cardio Abs
How I felt: Good
Comments: It's been a good week of workouts with workout buddies.  Today was no different, thank you Maria!  I do have to quote Maria during the workout today.  As we begin the warm-up, Maria says, "I'm probably going to regret this later."  No fear, we turned that attitude right around and powered through!


8/13/12: Today marks the first day of my fitness regime post baby!  While the task seems daunting, I am excited to get back into the shape I was in before Vaan was born.  Fitness has always been a passion of mine.  I have trained for many runs, taught many group fitness classes, and completed many fitness/training programs, but I have never had to "get back into shape".  I did my best to exercise throughout pregnancy, but after 35ish weeks the runs no longer existed,  the weight for resistance training greatly decreased, and my motivation was lacking overall.  Unfortunately I gave birth to Vaan via c-section and have had a lot of restrictions for the last 5 weeks.  I could not have been more excited to hear the doctor say last week I was free and clear to do what I wanted!  So, after 10 weeks of little to no exercise, I am ready to jump back on the bandwagon and GET AT IT!  Here is how week 1 went...

Monday 8/13/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Fit Test and 35 minute run
How I felt: Extremely out of shape!
Comments:  I am so thankful to have my sister here for the week to keep me motivated and get me through!  One thing I learned today is that I need to take my own advice!  I have always told the clients that I train it is okay to take baby steps,.  As much as I would love to be out running 5-6+ miles, I know that is extremely unrealistic and had to tell myself on the run today, that's okay!  I did not put distance down for the 35 minutes because I do not care to know how slow I was going.  The important thing is that I was out there running and I am going to do it again and get better!

Tuesday 8/14/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Like I exercised hard, yesterday = I AM SORE!!
Comments: Feels good to have day two done! Happy Birthday to my Dad who has been a great fitness role model all my life! Thank you so much for introducing me to sports and exercise and being so supportive! I love you, Dad!

Wednesday 8/15/12 Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Power and Resistance
How I felt: Normally I feel great after a workout. Today I did not. I can not figure out why. Maybe this first week of exercise and being up throughout the night with a newborn is catching up with me!
Comments: I am disappointed that my body does not feel recovered enough to run. Insanity is kicking my butt! I am looking forward to the Insanity recovery video tomorrow and hopefully my legs will be up for a run!

Thursday 8/16/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Cardio Recovery & 30 minute run
How I felt: Ok. It was nice to have a "recovery" for Insanity, but my legs and butt are going to be sore tomorrow from the squats and lunges! Normally a run would help work out the soreness, but at this stage of the game, I think it will just add to it!
Comments: Maria came over to run with us today. Maria was a million times faster than me prior to pregnancy and is now a billion times faster, but even so, it was nice to have my two of my best friends sweat it out with me! Good conversation always makes the time go faster, thanks Erica & Maria!

Friday 8/17/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Pure Cardio
How I felt: Out of breath! Pure cardio is no joke.
Comments: Today I am going to quote Erica for this section. Her question to me after we completed the video: "Do you even feel good after this?!" Look on the bright side Erica, feeling wasted after the workout means we pushed ourselves and will be stronger next time!

Saturday 8/18/12
Exercise for the day: Insanity Plyo Cardio Circuit
How I felt: Good, but weak shoulders
Comments: I have completed week one!! It was intense and I'm not so sure I would have made it without Erica! Thank you a thousand times over for not only exercising with me each day but being so supportive sis! Just knowing we are still doing this together, even though we won't be together for every workout, is so motivating I know I can not fail. I love you so much!