Postpartum Workouts: 16 Weeks

Well, it finally happened. I got sick. I hadn't been sick since, oh, wayyyyy before I got pregnant (Minus the case of food poisoning  I got while seven months pregnant...that kind of sick is in a category of its own). I was healthier than I had ever been while sick, which is pretty crazy as a teacher who regularly gets colds. It started with a scratchy throat on Sunday and Monday, which I attributed to sleeping with the windows open etc. Nope. By Wednesday I was groggy/coughing and by Thursday night I had a full blown cold meltdown. Went to bed at 8:30...and this just so happened to be the night that Henry decided to start sleeping through the night. Thanks Henry Jo, you knew mommy needed it! Here's a recap of my workouts, from a high place to a low place.

Weekly Workouts: 16 Weeks Postpartum

• Sunday: 5 MILE RUN! Furthest run postpartum. Henry had awoken bright and cheery at 5am, so I decided to "start our day": feed him, play with him, and then put him down for a nap. He was tired within an hour, and went right back to sleep. I decided not to go back to sleep and go for a run! I had wanted to run 5 miles, and I did it. I was SO happy.

No jogging stroller was a nice boost for this Postpartum PDR!

As close to a sunrise run as I'll get for a while!

• Monday: Rest day. I had a baby fighting a nap. NOT. GOOD.
• Tuesday: Fitzala workout! Three circuits, and each move had a number of reps. I like counting down so it was a great workout!!! 
• Wednesday: Two mile walk. Starting to feel sick. In total denial.
• Thursday: Fitzala workout in the morning, about two miles of walking in the afternoon. By 6pm I was SICK. 
• Friday: Rest day. SICK.
• Saturday: Rest day. SICK.
• Sunday: Rest day, kind of feeling on the mend.

I'm kind of sad that I crashed and burned after a great start to the week. I'm excited to get out there and get some decent weekly mileage happening. Now that Henry is going to bed a bit earlier these days, I'm considering taking up night running. Stay tuned!

How about you? Are you in the taper?! Have you found yourself with a seasonal cold yet? Do you stick to running at one time of day? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Henry: Four Months

Many people have asked where we got the nickname "Henry Little Lion Man". Well, Mr. Miller and I are huge Mumford and Sons fans. In fact, we saw them in concert just before we found out that we were pregnant! Henry was an emergency C-Section, so we kept telling him that he was brave like a lion cub. We remembered the song Little Lion Man and decided our hashtag for his photos would be #HenryLittleLionMan. (The lyrics aren't exactly kid friendly, but it's just the nickname we chose for Henry!) Now that that's out of the way, here are a few highlights from this month:

• Henry weighs in at a hefty 14lbs 8oz and isn't stopping! Every day I feel he is a bit heavier.
• HE FOUND HIS HANDS.
• He's now kicking and batting things like a madman. He is so noisy on his play mat!
• It appears that we are at the beginning stages of teething. Drool on drool on drool, constantly sucking on his hands, we are in for it soon!
• He has laughed. Not at me. I've gotten a chuckle, Mr. Miller has gotten some laughs, but my MOM got the five minutes straight of continual laughter. Will do anything and everything to get him to do it again. Will report back on progress.
• Puppy brother Lambeau has been slowly accepting him into the pack. He can now be caught on the reg snuggling near him...albeit Lambeau pup likes soft blankets, so jury is still out on his motives for the snuggles.
• There was the first eight straight hours of sleep. No, mommy did not get up to check on you in a panic...I GUESS I WAS TIRED. We changed his bedtime to be earlier, and as a result  he is sleeping longer. He is now consistently sleeping 9+ hours a night. Please dear God, let this trend continue.
• He's scooting while laying down...rolling over is not far behind...WAHHHH.
• Henry is the happiest baby. Even when he's crying we can usually get a smile out of him. His spirit is so sweet and happy go lucky...like his daddy.

Things are going to get interesting. We are entering the era of teething, rolling over, food...eek. I am so grateful to be staying home this year, getting to experience all of his moments as they happen. 

Happy Four Months Little Lion Man!!!

Guys, he can stick his whole hand in his mouth. So proud.

Feel free to check out my articles on SmartMom! 

- Can I Exercise While Breastfeeding

- The Truth About Bullying in School

- Book review "One" by Kathryn Otoshi

- What you Need to Know About Having a C-Section

Postpartum Workouts: 15 Weeks

Check out my guest post on SmartMom about The C-Section Process! 

It's almost been 16 week?! Not sure why, but even weeks seem like more of a milestone than odd weeks. Week 15 was filled with family and traveling, packing, unpacking, laundry laundry laundry, repacking, then unpacking AGAIN! My sister was visiting from California with her daughters, so I opted for a lot of quality time with some cute snuggle bunnies this week! I find that I have great workout intentions when I travel, but then I lose my gusto in the midst of being tired from traveling and spending time doing fun things. Kim has been traveling a lot for work, and I love how she continually fits in her workouts on the road! Here are how things went during week 15.

Henry actually interacted with his cousins this trip, as opposed to his 4 week old sleepy self last time they were together!

Weekly Workouts: 15 Weeks Postpartum

• Sunday: 3 mile run. I hit my favorite trail in CT and it was HOT and HUMID! Probably my warmest postpartum run...in September?! Weather can be SO strange.

CT is very pretty.

• Monday: Rest day. I did tons of laundry. Yes, I bring my laundry to my parent's house #NYCLife
• Tuesday: Fitzala Workout! Lots of burpees, push ups, and squat jumps involved. I had a little assistance from a bored little girl. She counted how many reps I did for each set. We did a couple of dance breaks. FYI, squat jumps are still my most loathed exercise.

Someone else was roaming the backyard but OBVIOUSLY came around when it was time for push ups!

• Wednesday: Rest and packing. Seriously. Packing for two people is taxing, but packing for a BABY is insane! Books, shampoo, laundry, diapers, they come with so much stuff! I was exhausted after a tough night of (limited) sleep and decided to relax and enjoy my family.
• Thursday: Fitzala workout. I drove from CT with Henry sleeping in the back the whole time. It was so peaceful: just me, my ice coffee and Mumford and Sons Pandora (Which I have thumbs up'd and thumbs down'd to perfection). Someone got some intense mommy workout entertainment after we got home!

• Friday: Walked about a mile around around the neighborhood. Henry had a doctor's appointment, which seems to tire me out and monopolize our day. Since he got some shots I opted to stay home and cuddle him a little more than usual.
• Saturday: Fitzala workout. I finished 5/6 of the workout, and suddenly someone was ready to eat! Feels like the eternal story of my life! This is why I workout while he's awake!

Summary: I think I found a healthy balance. Henry is still struggling with consistent sleep, therefore mommy is struggling with consistent sleep. It's going to be such a game changer when he finally evens out just a bit more. I'm very happy that I fit in four workouts this week, can't wait to keep it up this week!

How about you? Do you make it a priority to workout while traveling? Do you opt to spend time with family over getting some miles in? How does it feel to get 8 hours of sleep? I forget. TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Dairy and Soy Elimination Diet: Part 1

It all started with some spit up. I felt that Henry was spitting up a lot around 4 weeks old. A lot meaning 3-5 times every feeding, and sometimes an hour to three hours after eating. The doctors didn't think anything of it because he was rapidly gaining weight. Finally they realized he had reflux, and he went on Zantac. However, that didn't help. Basically, we went through a series of stool samples and eliminations; first it was dairy, and soy. We changed his prescription to Prevacid, and are finally seeing a change. It has all been a lot for me to process, here is what my research has yielded so far. 

Some things you may not know about dairy and soy:

- They are the two most common ingredients in packaged foods (At least to me!)

- They are in pretty much all cereal and bread.

- There are several names for soy.

- You can't have goat cheese when you're eliminating dairy.
- When ingredients list "natural flavoring", chances are pretty high that it means soy.

So, this is a new journey for me. I'm allergic to bees, that's it. Suddenly being "allergic" to food items, especially hidden food items like soy, is a  huge challenge. When you're told you can't eat something, all you want is THAT thing. I had "cooker's block"; I couldn't think of anything to make to eat. Now on week two of no soy and week four of no dairy, I'm slowly finding my way around avoiding those ingredients. Here are a few things I've made so far:

 L-R T-B: Cinnamon Life! MY FAV! I bought 10 boxes on sale. Eggs with any vegetables, cooked in coconut oil. Apple walnut quinoa. Seasoned sauteed chicken.

 L-R T-B: Coconut ice cream...yes it's as good as it sounds. Fresh salads with lots of protein and homemade dressing. Quinoa salad, this one included black beans, avocado, red peppers, cucumbers evoo and lime juice. Made from scratch pumpkin pancakes! 

Seeing him spit up less and be more comfortable is worth it. Despite his tummy troubles he is truly a happy baby. I love this little guy. And Baby Gap leggings.

How about you? Have you ever had to give up a food? Do you have any food allergies? What are you cooking lately? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Postpartum Workouts: 14 Weeks

This week things finally felt like they "clicked". I feel like I have been up and down with working out, suddenly being busy, and lacking consistency. This week I saw progress in my endurance, which was very encouraging!!! Here is what happened this week:

Weekly Workouts: 14 Weeks Postpartum

• Sunday: Rest. It was football Sunday, we had company over for the 1:00 and 4:00 games, so I decided to spend time with friends instead of escaping for some sweat.

Worth the rest to snuggle with this guy!!!

• Monday: Fitzala workout! It was a new week, and the workout was AMAZING. It involved a lot of kettle bell moves, which I enjoyed the the challenge of. I also, for the first time in FOREVER, did REGULAR push ups! I did 30 (Three sets of ten) and felt so happy to see this progress. I tried working out while Henry was awake, because inevitably he would wake up "early" from his nap while I was in the middle of a workout. Needless to say, Henry will be able count up to 30 very soon. To top off a great day, I did a one mile run with Mr. Miller at the park after work.

My constant companions...little baby, puppy dog, and workout equipment!

• Tuesday: Fitzala workout! I decided I liked it so much I would do it again.
• Wednesday: 2 Mile run! I let Lambeau have a little extra off the leash time at the park before beginning our run, so I had to cut it short when a certain cutie woke up hungry.

He literally woke up as I was taking this photo. 

• Thursday: I walked all over Manhattan! We were helping a friend out, so we got some great baby wearing miles (Probably 2) in. I also got another Fitzala workout in during the afternoon.

Subway baby = sleepy baby.

• Friday: Rest day. I wanted to do yoga, but I found out that I have to eliminate soy for Henry, so I was overwhelmed and googling EVERYTHING. 
• Saturday: I was hoping for a "long run" since we were in CT, but it didn't happen. We decided to drive in the night before instead of Saturday morning, so my hopes were heightened. Alas, little baby boy didn't have his best night of sleep.Considered running a bit later, but my niece did my hair for the 5pm wedding we were attending, so I was confined to having pretty hair for the day ;-) We DID, however, get some good cardio in on the dance floor!

My sister, niece and I tore up that dance floor. To quote my adorable niece when taking a break from dancing, "But I don't want to stop!" My either girl, me either.

Summary: I felt more consistent this week. Doing regular push ups, as small as that may seem, was a huge boost of confidence . I'm looking forward to some CT running this week since the low is in the 40's! I.LOVE.COLD.RUNNING.

How was your week? Did you attend a wedding like everyone I know? Are you in taper town/Peak training? Did you race this weekend? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

The Difference between Addition and Addiction

I do a lot of thinking while on the run. I've been doing a lot of stroller running, and seem to only think about a. Is Henry okay? b. Is Lambeau going to jump out of the basket? (He rides underneath during morning runs...we go for his walk and then run. Leaving the house is a task, so I combine my outings!) 

Lambeau loves his "basket"! I say "Lambeau get in your basket" and he jumps in.

While on a recent (re: rare) solo run, I got to thinking about how good it feels to be back to the activity that I love. I ran until I was 36 weeks pregnant, at which time my bladder helped make hanging up my running shoes an easy decision. After my emergency c-section, it made for a grand total of 14 non-running weeks. I missed it terribly, but at the same time I couldn't imagine running with my pain and rate of my recovery. Once I hit 8 weeks postpartum, I was ready. So on this solo run I got to thinking: Running is such a great addition to my life.

Throwback photo to the 2012 Philly Marathon with some pretty great people. Thanks, Running!

And then my mind ran with that. I recalled the article in Runner's World "No, Running Isn't Therapy". I loved this article, because it embodied my thoughts about running in a very poignant way. I agree that running is a great outlet, that it helps with stress and all, but there are some things that running can't solve. When it's taken away, what will you do? That's the problem I faced post baby. Thankfully the answer was rest and relax, because running is just a great addition to my life, not an addiction.

Toe surgery circa August 2013 sidelined me for a month. This was a tougher no running time, since it was the end of summer! Teachers get how stressful that is and you try to pack all the fun things into the remaining weeks before school!

The difference between addition and addiction is the place of something on your priority list. I used to get so upset with a missed run, an injury, change in schedule, or shortened run. Now? I'm just happy to run. I'm not worried about my pace, how long I go, or if I feel all jiggly and weird. Now, I understand different strokes for different folks in training, and training can get serious. Goals are great. Aspirations drive us. I think Psychology Today summed it up right, I'll paraphrase their definition of addiction:

"Addiction is the condition where an individual engages in an activity that can be pleasurable, but the continued act becomes compulsive and interferes with life responsibilities."

These days, I have different life responsibilities. I used to get so down and flustered when work would interfere with my running schedule. Now, life is all about finding the balance of being fully present with my family as well as enjoying the addition of running in my life. Running should enhance your life, not detract from it. I have definitely felt a shift in balance to enhancement within running friendships, running with my husband, and setting it aside as "me time"; a get to, not a have to.

How about you? Do you think running is therapy? How have you handled times when you couldn't run? Where does running rank on your priority list? TELL ME ABOUT IT!

Postpartum Workouts: 13 Weeks

My little guy is three months old! I can't believe it. I thought I would be a lot further along in this game of "getting back to pre baby body status" at three months. I haven't been able to get a single one of my rewards from my postpartum fitness plan. Want honesty? I HAVEN'T LOST A POUND! I'm still 18lbs away from my pre baby weight. And you know what? I'm working with what I've got. I'm going to keep going, keep working at it, and earn my fitness back. My other choice is to sit and mope and stay the same, which I have no interest in. The challenge is to focus on my increased fitness, NOT my lack of numbers progress. Easier said than done, but I'm working towards it! Here's how things went this week:

 

Via

Weekly Workouts: 13 Weeks Postpartum

• Sunday: Ran three miles! About a mile long walk on the beach. It was a windy overcast day, but we made the best of it! I seriously love running in VA Beach, I've had the most beautiful, peaceful....and HOT runs there! 

 My hair was WILD. The tail/head winds were extreme!

 It was even windy for Lambeau to run!

My Linus baby and I. He was very cuddly. I obliged!

• Monday: Torrential downpour, nothing. Basically we took another lazy day and watched movies.
• Tuesday: Fitzala workout! A great circuit workout. I had to use some household items because I didn't think to pack my kettlebells. Silly me ;-)

• Wednesday: Beach and travel day. It was the most gorgeous day, so we soaked in the morning lazing on the beach. 

Family Beach photo!

• Thursday: Rest Day with tons of running around.  Henry has been having some reflux issues, so we spent the day at his pediatrician then an ENT. I felt exhausted but didn't feel like I got anything done!
• Friday: Fitzala workout. Made it two out of three rounds. Henry woke up from his nap and wouldn't continue snoozing, so we called it a day! We also went to the park and did some walking with some friends.

My companions for my workouts.

• Saturday: Walked a mile. My hamstrings were tight so I decided to take it easy. It was a rainy day so it was easy to rest with my boys. 

Summary: I want a solid schedule. Easier said than done with an infant, but I want to arrange things to ensure I get my workouts in. Now that the pool is closed, I find it harder to leave Mr. Miller & Co. because it's so nice to spend time together! We're trying to run together today to see how that goes. We both feel like we need to be more consistent; we know what to do but we need the extra OOMPH to do it more consistently!

How was your week? Did you have rainy weather for your workout? Eat anything fabulously pumpkin? Do your animals interrupt you during your workouts? TELL ME ABOUT IT!