Baby Weight

How I am already six weeks into being a mom of two, I have no idea! Needless to say, it's flying! Before Nolan arrived, I thought a lot about the baby weight I had put on and what I was going to do about taking it off. With Kenley, I really struggled. I just did not take care of myself for the first year of her life. I was so focused on her and did not take the time or put in the effort to take care of myself - in the gym or in the kitchen. It took a toll, a big toll. Not only did I end up the heaviest I've ever been but I felt like crap. I had no energy, wasn't sleeping, my clothes didn't fit and my self esteem was damn near close to rock bottom. So needless to say, I want desperately to avoid all of that this time around. 

Because of the changes I made and effort I put in once I'd hit that turning point {right after Kenley's 1st Birthday} I weighed 10 pounds less when I got pregnant with Nolan than I did when I got pregnant with Kenley. With Kenley I gained a total of 34 pounds during my pregnancy and with Nolan I gained a total of 40. So even though I gained more weight this second time, I still weighed less at the end of this one than I did at the end of my first. 

I decided before I had Nolan, that I wanted to document my journey of getting back in shape and losing the baby weight. I think posting about it and setting goals will help me stay motivated but also I love so much the support that this blogging community offers. So many of you have been through this already and if even you aren't a mama so many of you have a passion for health and fitness and your ideas, wisdom, and support have been so great in the past and I hope will continue to be as I embark on losing the baby weight 2.0. And hey, maybe I will even help or inspire some other mamas along the way! 

Now that I have had my 6 week postpartum visit and have been cleared to workout, I am hoping to set up monthly progress reports/recaps {time willing} to share what I've been doing, what has been working or not working and where I am in the process. I also want to set a few goals each month that I can check in on with these posts as well! Never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd be so excited to have permission to workout! 

So let's jump right in! 

My long term goal, is to get into a healthy routine and habit that is maintainable! I want to be an active and healthy family, I want to have energy to care for my kids and I want time to myself to take care of ME. I want to feel good inside and out for myself, my husband and my kids. I do have a number on the scale I would love to hit which was 6 pounds away before I got pregnant + the 40 pounds I gained with Nolan means I am setting my official weight loss goal at 46 pounds.

I'm setting a couple of goals to get myself started and then will check in again in a couple weeks when I hit that two month mark! 

JUMPSTART GOALS

□ Utilize my FitBit - Since about week 34 of my pregnancy my FitBit was off. Honestly, wearing it just depressed me. I was so very tired and steps just were not happening. Seeing how few steps I took did not motivate me, it just bummed me out. So I opted to just go without it at the end. Now that I have it charged back it up I need to use it to motivate me to get those steps in and drink enough water!

□ Set up fitness analysis at the gym - Our gym offers a complimentary analysis and workout with a trainer and I need to take advantage of this to get a plan of attack in place.

□ Log calories using MyFitnessPal - It's time to get diligent about counting calories. Because I am breastfeeding it will take a little trial and error to find a number that works to maintain my supply and gives me enough energy but still results in a loss each week.

□ Start C25K again - I am signed up to run my first post-baby 5k on July 17th, I'm a little nervous to start running again as I imagine I am wildly out of shape so starting with C25K which helped me to get into running in the first place seems like a smart way to get back into a groove.

Alright, there it is and here I go!

Wish me luck! 

A Running Review

I'm not sure what the heck happened to me this year, but I'm really stinkin' proud of myself. As I shared in this post earlier this year, I used to HATE running and would find any and every excuse to get out of it. But somehow over the course of this year I have learned to enjoy it, have become better at it and have turned it in to a regular old hobby! 

I set a goal to clock 350 running miles this year which sadly I fell pretty short on. Normally I'd be kicking myself for not achieving that goal, but I am really excited with what I did accomplish, so I am not beating myself up in the slightest. With 27 days left in 2015 I have clocked a total of 134.41 miles all of which were strictly running miles {yes, I'm a freak and track walking miles separately}. 

Beyond just the miles I clocked, I also ran in 4 different states; Minnesota, Arizona, Colorado, and New York {my run through Central Park being my most favorite run to date}!

I also racked up some new race t-shirts and medals by participating in a 5K, a 10mile Relay {my first!}, a 10K {my first!}, and a Half Marathon {my first!} this year!

I set a personal record for my fastest mile, ran my fastest ever 5k and ran a 10k while 4.5 months pregnant. ME! The girl who used to cheat on The Mile in middle school!  I really can't believe it but am super proud of what I have accomplished this year in something that used to absolutely terrify me. I know that running is going to get tougher as I get bigger and now that it's winter, but I don't intend to give up and am excited to get some post-baby races on the books for next year!

 If you are thinking about trying to start running but are scared to start - DON'T BE because I really truly mean it when I say...if I can do it, YOU can do it!  

Plans for a Healthy Pregnancy

As a mama-to-be, I have a responsibility to my little fetus to provide the safest and healthiest home as I possibly can for 9 months. While pregnancy seems like it would be a great excuse to be lazy and eat whatever I want, that's not the case. Now more than ever, I need to take care of myself because it's not just my body I'm nurturing, it's the body of my unborn baby as well. Of course, all pregnancies come with some energy limitations and cravings/aversions but these 9 months are far from a free-for-all. 

Over the past several years, my weight has been a bit of a struggle for me. I shared my whole weight loss/gain story in THIS POST awhile back and reading that back now, if I'm being honest, gives me some anxiety. Weight gain is absolutely part of the gig and is essential in growing a healthy baby and I am all on board for that. What makes me nervous is afterwards. With Kenley I gained just over the healthy recommendation of 25-35 pounds and gained 36 pounds but after she was born took terrible care of myself and kept off only 24 of those pounds {which I lost with no effort beyond breastfeeding} leaving me 12 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight for over a year after Kenley was born. But worse than the number on the scale, I wasn't healthy. I had no energy, felt like crap and had pretty bad self esteem. I worked my butt off for the following year to lose 20 pounds and get myself 8 pounds lighter than I was when I got pregnant the first time. I feel so much better and so much more confident and I never want to get back to that place where I was after Kenley was born.

Therefore, I have some plans and goals in place to help me take care of myself {and my baby} over these next 6 months in hopes of looking and feeling great throughout my pregnancy as well as making my postpartum bounce back easier than it was the last time. 

Utilize MyFitnessPal. Call me crazy, but I kind of like counting calories - it makes nutrition like a little game. Of course counting calories when you are pregnant is a little different than when you are trying to shed pounds but MFP is just as helpful. The first trimester you do not need any extra calories so maintaining your weight is your goal and you will naturally gain a few thanks to extra blood, fluids and that growing zygote. The second trimester you need an additional 300-350 calories and the third trimester another 100-150 on top of that. So I use MFP to calculate those first trimester calories by going into my goals and changing it to "maintain current weight", then it gives me the calories I need my first trimester, then the following trimesters I will go in and manually add those additional cals. I'm not nearly as diligent as adding every little thing as I am when I am trying to lose weight, but it is nice to keep track and see where I am each day. Plus, MFP has a nutrition section where you can track the nutrients {think protein, calcium, vitamin c, and iron which are all super important during pregnancy} you've had, which is super helpful when trying to maintain a well balanced diet. 

Walk/Run/Ride 400 miles. With Kenley I walked over 250 miles which was a doable challenge that kept me moving. This time, now that we have bikes that we love, and I am in much better shape I want to up that goal and push myself a little harder by hitting 400 active miles during this pregnancy.

Curb the caffeine. It's no secret I LOVE my coffee and an occasional mountain dew {I know, I know - such poison} but now is not the time for either. I will definitely keep one cup of coffee as a part of my morning routine because I might actually die if I don't, but that's it. No pop. And only decaf after my one cup in the am. I'm actually really hoping I can try and maintain this after baby is born too, for sure during breastfeeding but beyond as well.  

Take a quality prenatal. Unfortunately, not all vitamins are created equal and some contain some really icky ingredients {like high fructose corn syrup! yuck!} I looked at quite a few and found one I LOVE at a price point that is manageable. I've been taking the Rainbow Light Prenatal One which provides vitamins and minerals in a base of superfood extracts. It has plant-source enzymes, ginger juice and probiotics to make for easy digestion and absorption {it never makes me feel sick} and is 100% natural, vegetarian, vegan, and is free of animal ingredients. It also contains no gluten, soy, yeast, milk, eggs, nuts, fish or shellfish and is lactose-free. Basically, it's the bomb. 

Maintain regular chiro appointments. My number one biggest complaint during my pregnancy with Kenley was back pain, and it only got worse after she was born with nursing and lugging around all her stuff. I've been seeing a chiropractor that I love for almost two years now and plan to continue my appointments throughout this pregnancy.

Splurge on a couple prenatal massages. Rest and relaxation is just as important for mama's health and I think growing a human warrants a massage or two. Again, my back was an issue the first time around so hopefully having a couple massage appointments set up will help compliment the chiro appointments. 

Make workouts fun. I definitely want to take some prenatal yoga classes because I LOVE yoga. I also want to take advantage the free workouts that the Twin Cities Bump Club offers once a month. And I want to spend time with friends while being active - I'm thinking coffee and walking laps at Mall of America might be the trick!

Any ideas, motivation or tips you ladies can contribute would be much appreciated!!! 

OH! And I finally got my FitBit fixed after nearly two months of not having it! So add me as a friend and we can step battle! :) 

Half Marathon FINISHER!

I ran a half marathon.

I ran a frickin half marathon and am still in disbelief that this past Sunday I ran 13.1 miles. Signing up for this half was a very, very big and lofty goal for me. It's definitely not something I ever imagined I would do - but I did it.

To say I was nervous going in to race day would be a HUGE understatement. My training didn't go as I had planned or hoped due to a knee injury, in fact training was so bad that the longest training run I had was my 6.17 mile run in New York City. I had a really hard time wrapping my head around the fact that I was going to have to go more than double that distance and was worried about how my knee would hold up.

When my alarm went off at 4:30am on Sunday morning I thought I was going to puke but as soon as my brother showed up, all nerves disappeared. My brother and I signed up together and he completed his first FULL MARATHON! When I saw my brother I realized what a big day it was for both of us and then I actually got kind of excited.

My stepdad dropped us off and we had about an hour to kill before Nate's race started. I really loved having that time with my bro before he set out to do 26.2 and am so glad I was able to be with him during that time. At 6:30am I sent him off to run his first marathon!

I had an hour before my race, so I used that time to fuel up, hydrate and stretch and then at 7:30am - I was off. My goal for this race was simply to finish but as I was running I realized that running this half marathon meant more to me than I realized. Setting this goal was so far out of my comfort zone and once I got out there I pushed myself harder than I have ever pushed before. I was able to run the first 8 miles without stopping at a 10:35 pace. Like I said, my longest training run was 6.17miles and I wasn't able to run that without stopping to walk, so to run 8 miles with no walking was a monster victory for me and I was pumped. Mile 8 required a quick bathroom break and then I was able to run the better part of mile 9 with just a little walking. It was then that my knee really started to act up so I alternated walking and running from miles 10-12 and then once I saw that mile 12 sign, I picked it back up. I could not believe I only had 1.1 miles left and immediately got emotional. Then, I see my best friend and her fiance walking up the street and when I saw them I almost lost it. They joined me for the last bit of my run and were cheering me on and making me laugh just enough to make that last mile fly by. And then I saw it...the finish line!

Crossing over that line and realizing I had just completed 13.1 miles was a feeling I'll never forget. It was such a feeling of pride, accomplishment and disbelief. I had done it, I had pushed myself, I had finished and I'd done more than I ever had before. I finished with an official time of 2:30:38 and am thrilled to tears about that!

The ONLY thing that really stunk is that Jason was out of town on a work trip. I was so bummed not to have my hubby at the finish line but the cheering squad that I did have did an amazing job of celebrating my finish!

Not long after I crossed the finish line, my baby brother completed his first marathon! Seeing him cross that line was SO special and I had a hard time comprehending that he had just done what I did but TWICE {and way faster - 8:44 minute pace}! I was so very proud of him, what a huge accomplishment!

Being able to share this with my little brother was really cool. He has been a HUGE motivator and support in helping me learn to not hate running and without him there is no way I EVER would have done this. I don't know if I have ever felt as proud as I did on Sunday morning.

#4WeeksFit - The Results

Is it just me or did these past 4 weeks just FLY by? I swear my head wasn't screwed on right this entire month. As a result, I get a big fat FAIL on my goals this month. I am so embarassed to say I didn't succeed in completing a single one of them. I want to blame the fact that I was in Arizona for 8 days, but really, there are no excuses simply just a lack of effort.

1. Drink 70oz of water every day. I started this one with a bang, then just kinda stopped tracking despite still drinking a lot of water. Then, per usual, I started choosing coffee & pop over water. Yikes! I went 2 months without a pop but now that I've given up Starbucks for lent it's making me crave pop - I guess when you give up one vice you activate another, am I right?

NOT water. 

2. Run every training run. I was suppose to run 12 times in the month of March and ran 8 + climbed a mountain. While it wasn't EVERY training run it was pretty close and I'm proud of it! Especially since 2 of the runs were on vacation - who runs on vacation???

3. Average 12k steps per day. Again, started out with a bang! I was doing awesome but it turns out laying by a pool for 8 straight days really does a number on your average steps. I ended up averaging 9,976 steps a day this month, which is pretty good but I know I for sure could have done better.

Laying out = ZERO steps. Bummer.

4. Blast past the plateau. Not only did I not pass the plateau but I gained weight on my vacation. GO ME! Seriously, what a disappointment. But, silver lining, I had an awesome vacation!

All day snacking for 8 days = no plateau blasting

I'm excited to see how all of you did as I'm assuming it was much better than me!

Thanks for linking up! 

Motivated Monday

Welp, it's Monday. It's the day of the week I am without a doubt the least motivated and should probably be the most motivated. I had high hopes for a productive weekend as we had limited plans set but sometimes, you just need to lay around and do nothing, especially when the whole family isn't feeling 100%.  So now it's Monday and I am feeling like I need to catch up on all the things that didn't get done over the weekend AND stay up on all my usual stuff. 

I am, however, feeling pretty good about my #4WeeksFit goals so far. One week in to me and Erin's challenge, and I'm feeling good! If I can just replicate this first week of March, I think I'll be able to accomplish all the goals I set. 

goal 1. Drink 70oz of water each day.  My water intake was all in the green last week, but I'm not going to lie - I struggled. I don't know why it's so dang hard for me to drink water! 

goal 2. Run every training run. Done! I'm aiming for 3 runs a week - on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Due to a hectic schedule on Friday and not feeling the best on Saturday I "ran" yesterday. However, I was just not feeling it. Could I have pushed myself? Yes. Should I have pushed myself? Yes. But sometimes you just need to walk instead of run and enjoy the beautiful spring weather. I'm giving myself a pat on the back for lacing up my shoes and going out - even if I only ran a mile of the 5.25. 

goal 3. Average 12k steps a day. Thanks to those three runs and a super busy week, I was able to hit this goal pretty easily!

goal 4. Blast past the plateau. I am about 1.5 pounds away from that dreaded plateau number. I think if I just stick to healthy foods and keep up my run I will be able to FINALLY break past it by the end of the month. 

How are your monthly goals coming?

I'm linking up with Kelsey from Random Randts for Motivated Monday!

#4WeeksFit - My Goals

We're baaaaack! I am once again teaming up with my buddy Erin to challenge all of you to set some goals for the next 4 weeks! Goals to help you get healthier - whatever that means to you! Post your goals today {or tomorrow works too} and link up with us! We'll all reconvene on March 31st to link up and share the progress and results of our 4 weeks of kicking ass!

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<a href="http://www.lovefunandfootball.com/2015/02/4weeksfit-goals.html" title="Love, Fun & football"><img src="http://i57.tinypic.com/11jsp7d.jpg" alt="Love, Fun & football" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Here is what I am hoping to accomplish over the next 4 weeks. 

1. I am terrible at drinking water. I don't know why it is so hard for me, so I plan on tracking my water on my FitBit and reach 70oz every day this month. 

2. I've been finding all kinds of excuses to skip training runs. Yes, life happens and sometimes runs just are not part of the plan. However, readjusting the schedule and making these runs a priority is necessary this month. My half marathon is just under 3 months away and while that seems like a long time now, I know time is going to fly by. 

3. I've been averaging around 9k steps in a day which for me really is average. I need to step my game up *pun intended* and get moving more throughout the day. If I stick with my training runs like I intend to do, hitting a 12k average shouldn't be too tough. 

4. There is the stupid number on the scale that I just cannot pass. I think if I focus on eating the right foods and sticking to all those runs I should be able to FINALLY blast pass this dang number! 

I can't wait to read about all of your goals! 

AND, Don't forget to share your progress throughout the month by using the hashtag #4weeksfit!

An InLinkz Link-up

4 Weeks Fit is BACK!

Yes! Yes! Yes! Get excited because 4 WEEKS FIT is back! Whoop! Me and my pal, Erin from Love, Fun and Football are back to bring you the link-up you love to hate. 

Here's what you do...

1. Spend the weekend coming up with some health & fitness related goals you would like to achieve during the month of March!

2. Jot your goals down in a blog post and share with the world this coming Monday, March 2nd! Don't forget to use this button!

3. Come back here to Mama & Mou or visit Erin at Love, Fun and Football and link up your post! While you're there, check out the posts of other bloggers participating so that you can encourage and cheer for each other!

4. Dominate your goals. 

5. Link-up with us again at the end of the month, Tuesday, Mar. 31st to be exact and share your progress, success and struggles!

I'm thinking I'll definitely have some kind of FitBit step goal, maybe a water drinking goal and should probably throw in a half marathon training goal....what goals are coming to your mind right away?

 Enjoy your weekend and get excited to link up on Monday!

This is going to be great!

Gettin' Back on Track

It seems to be the consensus that the end of the year is kind of a slack time in terms of diet and exercise. There really is no excuse for not being healthy, but it sure is a lot harder during the holidays. I know I for one really let myself go the past couple of months. Birthdays, holidays and a week in Mexico have left me with some unwanted winter weight, and so, it is time to get back on track in a big way. 

Kicking off my half marathon training has me excited to workout more and improve my running while hopefully shedding some pounds but equally as important in preparing for the race is strength training and stretching which is why I am PUMPED about Class Pass coming to Minneapolis! Class Pass is a monthly membership to the best boutique studios in the area. Basically for a monthly fee you get unlimited access to a variety of different classes and a variety of different studios all over town. It's pretty stinkin' awesome! I did a Yoga Sculpt class with Carolyn yesterday and it kicked my booty in the best possible way. 

I am doing Zumba this morning and have another yoga class scheduled for Friday. It's such a fun way to experience different exercises and different studios. I don't know about you but I get bored doing the same thing over and over, so this is the perfect solution! 

For all my Minnesota friends looking to sign up, if you use this link, you can skip right over the waitlist and start using your Class Pass today!

 http://classpass.com/buynow?utm_source=tpblog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=min&utm_content=3631

And to my out-of-state friends, check out the Class Pass locations to see if there is one in your hometown (Austin, Chicago, Denver, Columbus, Houston....you are all for sure on the list!)

While getting back in the gym has felt great, we all know there is two parts to this equation:
gym + kitchen = results
I am back to logging in to My Fitness Pal every day which helps me so much. Of course the ultimate goal is to not have to track calories but I also know this is what works for me, plus I actually think it's kind of fun. I actually enjoy entering my food, tracking what I'm eating and checking in on my nutrition. I am sure some day I will get to the point where it's annoying to track and hopefully at that point I will have met my goals, will be in the "maintain stage" and won't have to concern myself with counting. But until then, I am going to have fun experimenting with different meals and tracking them! Like this week, I made some pretty delicious and nutritious meals. A couple of my faves were the following:

Breakfast: 1 slice Little Big Bread (toasted) with 1/3 of an avocado (mashed), 1/2 cup baby spinach, 1 cage-free egg cooked over-easy in tsp of coconut oil & 1 tsp chia seeds served with half a banana. All organic. All fresh. All delicious. And a great way to start the day. Not pictured: a giant cup of coffee, obviously.

Lunch: 2 cups baby spinach, 1/4 cup garbanzo beans, 1/2 avocado, 4 black olives (sliced), 1 tbsp shredded parmesan & 2 tbsp Organic Ville Olive Oil & Balsamic salad dressing (my new favorite). All organic. All delicious. An awesome lunch. Plus, I split the beans & avocado with Kenley to create a healthy lunch for her as well. 

Dinner: 4oz Simply Balanced Shrimp tossed in 1 tbsp olive oil, salt, pepper & cumin then grilled, 1 tbsp Annie's Organic Ketchup, 1 cup broccoli florets with 1 tbsp shredded parmesan & 1 cup baby spinach with 1 tbsp Annie's Organic Papaya & Poppyseed salad dressing. All organic. All delicious. And actually really filling and satisfying! 

It feels really, really good to be getting back to the lifestyle that helped me lose so much weight last year. I am anxious to see more results and finally hit my goals! 2015 is going to be the year and I can't wait!

Linking up with Kelsey for Motivated Monday!

Half Marathon Training Plan

Today is a big day - today I officially start training for my half marathon. Being that I am still very much a novice runner, I wanted to give myself plenty of time to work up to running 13.1 miles.
Will it EVER stop scaring me to say that? 

I had started the Couch to 10k program during the fall {the Couch to 5k program is what helped me to not completely hate running}, so I figured finishing up where I left off on that plan would be a good way to first build up my distance and kick off the training. I researched a lot of different plans and after talking to my running coach aka brother, landed on Hal Higdon's Novice 1 Training program. I'm committing myself to a minimum of 3 runs a week then adding one day of cross-training {most likely yoga or some kind of fitness class or weights at home}, one day will be intense stretching, a light walk and strength training and the other 2 days will be for much needed rest. With some extra planning, I was able to work in some fun runs {can runs be fun?} while on vacations I have planned AND Goldy's Run which Jason and I have done with my brother and sister-in-law the past two years. 

Obviously, I had to make my training plan cute because let's face it, if it's not cute, I'm not going to do it and therefore no matter how boring you thinking this is, just had to share it! 

If you need to find me in the next 20 weeks, this is what I'll be doing.....

The Story of a Girl Who Hated Running

I feel confident in proclaiming that I have hated running ever since I knew what running was. 

Even as a kid - running was just not my thing. Remember those elementary school field days or whatever they were called where you basically went outside all afternoon, ran around and got graded on it? Well that was pretty much everyone's favorite school day of the year but mine. I hated it! I dreaded it! The last thing I wanted was my first grade crush to see how slow and girly I ran!

In middle school and high school, I was FAMOUS for coming up with reasons why I couldn't run the mile. I was sick, I had a dance competition and didn't want to risk injury, I even went so far as to fake fall down some stairs and fake hurt my ankle one year. 

My favorite "Kristin hates running" story, however, is from the year when my gym teacher just would.not.give.it.up. I think it was my freshman year of high school. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how many excuses I had, this man was going to make me run the damn mile. So, I did what any intelligent mile-hating teenage girl would do and I went down to the track to make up my test with some friends, walked around the track once, multiplied my time by four and then sat in the grass for a while. Unfortunately, another gym teacher saw me and ratted me out. That day, my mom got a phone call from the school explaining I had "cheated on a test". As she tells it, it took everything in her power not to burst out laughing in to the phone when she found out said test was THE MILE. 

Over the past few years as I have tried to get healthier and more fit, I have tried to get better at running. And I really can't believe I am going to say this but I am at a point now where I LIKE it. I do. I like running. I am still not the best at it. It's still pretty hard and I'm still pretty slow. 

via

But, I'm trying. 

I've completed the Couch to 5K Program which I really give a lot of credit to. This program starts you out so slow and easy and before I knew it I was running 3 miles without stopping - something I never, ever, ever, ever, imagined I'd be able to do. I have participated in six 5k races and actually have fun during them - go figure. Not to mention I have set a new personal best at each of the six races.

Additionally, my little brother has become a super star runner over the last year and a half. It's so fun seeing his passion for it and he has been a huge inspiration and motivation for me to continue to work at it. I like to call him my running coach because he is full of running knowledge and is so good at sharing his wisdom and pushing me to be a better runner. 

And then, the two of us had an idea....

Yup, I'm still not entirely sure how this happened but as of this past Monday, I am signed up to run 13.1 miles in a Half Marathon and my brother will be running 26.2 in his first Marathon on Sunday, May 31st. 

I'm excited. I'm terrified. I don't really know who I am and what happened to the real Kristin. 

But, I'm going to try. 

Why the hell not, right?