Two months later

Has it already been two months since that last post?

time really keeps on slipping slipping slipping ....

I'm not going to post a progress pic of the scale, because if you go just by that, it looks like I've made no progress.

But I know I have.

I'm hitting the Y four times a week now:
- Mondays: Zumba followed by Weights on Ball
- Tuesdays: Zumba
- Thursdays: Yoga/Pilates
- Fridays: Weights on Ball

Last week, the weather was even just right for me to add a few days where I walked (and pushed the stroller) to/from the Y (20 mins each way) in addition to the regularly-scheduled exercises listed above.

So that part of the weight loss equation is in place. Now to enhance it. I'm psyching myself up for engaging the services of a personal trainer.

I also need to eat better, and drink loads of water. I'm failing at both right now. Too easy to reach for those KitKats and Coke Zeros rather than a stick of celery and a glass of water. Also trying to cook meals again -- with the kid being a major timesuck, it has been too easy to grab some fast food burgers (and fries, onion rings, even McFlurries!) on the way back from the Y, or get pizza delivered for dinner. And when I do go grocery shopping, I end up stocking up on Golden Oreos, ooey gooey cake and chips rather than veggies, fruit or dead animals.

One step at a time.

At least I've got the basic exercise routine down pretty well.

Now, onwards and upwards!!

YMCA I was in you!

After just about four months of absence, I actually hit the YMCA for a bit of exercise this evening! I am SO thankful they have a FREE in-house 2-hr nursery facility!! Today I only did a quick 30 + 5 mins on the elliptical, but it was good to be pushing the heart again (wasn't out of breath the way I was four months ago when I started my cardio up again for what was that, a week?, before I had the PROM incident?). My quads were quietly groaning at me after just a few minutes' work, it was a great feeling to use them the whole 35mins.



^^ It's washed out, but that's fine... this is what the scale read today... In a few weeks' -- or a month's -- time, I'll take another pic, and we'll see if that needle went down any. The number is way off from my last weigh in at the doctor's office, so I'm not going to focus on the actual number, just the change. You see, I'm pretty much at my pre-pregnancy weight, which is still over 30lbs too heavy, so the journey to a less-fat me continues.

Updates on actual breastfeeding and mommy-related things will come too... when I have time!!! Even this blog post is being typed on stolen time :p Can't stay and chat. Ciao!

bf notes - 1

After getting back from the breastfeeding mom support group meeting followed by an impromptu session with the lactation consultation, i had a quick lunch (chili cheese fries, yum! oh and some soggy leftover salad), then kinda hung out with the kid, expecting him to be wailing for food... in the end it wasn't until 5pm that i managed to pop a boob into his mouth... so 15mins each side took us to 5:30pm... then i prepared and gave him 2 oz of formula, taking us to about 5:45pm... then I was supposed to put him down and go pump... and here is where the problem really starts... he cries, fusses and in general behaves such that I am reluctant to leave him... but in the end i hardened my heart and did just that... the time was already 6pm... pumped for about 15 mins... then cleaned up the equipment and other older bottles, nipples, etc... guess what time I was done? About 6:30pm... so then what, I have 30mins before starting this cycle all over again? And that's only if the kid cooperates.

and while i was pumping it's not like the kid slept... he was wailing about half the time... so unless he gets his act together, we are looking at both mommy and son who will in no time be majorly cranky and sleep-deprived.

I will be re-meeting with the lc Friday morning... let's see if I can stick to this at least until then.

oh look, it's 6:48pm... I guess i'll go take a power shower now.. this whole rigmarole is supposed to repeat itself in 12 mins' time!

ugh.

[UPDATE: 730PM ... have yet to shower; baby is totally passed out, now wondering if I should try to force another round of nurse/feed/pump, or let the kid decide]

[UPDATE: 815PM ... kid has cried a bit then gone right back to sleep ... so I will go ahead and pump now... dunno if that's the right thing to do, but I think frequency is majorly important right now if I'm to reestablish a proper supply of boobjuice. Oh, and the cat peed outside her litterbox again, guess who stepped into a puddle of it? I *really* do NOT need to deal with her PLUS all the new baby issues!! aarrgghhhh!!!!]

30 mins daily cardio!

A few months ago, my weekday morning Nia classes changed days and overlapped Zumba classes at the Y. Like rock paper scissors, Nia wins over Zumba anytime. Unfortunately, this meant that instead of having at least 5 dance workouts a week, I was down to 3. And since my hands/wrists hurt, I've retired from racquetball until after I pop and recover. So I've not been to the Y for the longest time.

That's gotta change, though. Due to genetics (thanks, father's side of the family!), I'm now having to deal with gestational diabetes. Apart from watching the food intake (quantity *and* quality) and monitoring my blood sugar levels, I need to be exercising more. 30mins of cardio daily should make a world of difference.

The weather's *finally* warmed up enough to warrant walks outside... except that the neighborhood we live in isn't that great a place to take a stroll through..

So I'm back at the Y. Wanted to bike the 30mins but the baby bump was totally in the way. I am not a fan of the treadmill. Why hello there, elliptical machine, it's been a while, eh? Wasn't planning on spending all 30 mins on my feet what with the edema and all, but what to do...

The newer silver machine I used on Thursday said that my 35 min workout took me 1.73 miles. My heartrate was slightly elevated, but I kept an eye on it and how I felt, made sure the max measured was 160 bpm.

I actually felt my body working... as in, ooops I guess I've been taking it *too* easy these past few months, being happy to just move around for an hour at a time, and not concerning myself about whether or not I was cardio-ing. My legs ACHED afterwards and the next day. I followed-up the cardio with some very basic weights on the balance ball. Didn't stretch much though, that didn't help with the leg aches, I'm sure.

The next day (Friday, i.e. today!) I had to use the older black machine, and already we're comparing apples and oranges... I put in 25 mins and took it easy. I did feel I was working a bit harder than the day before (different machine, different Level 1 settings?) but I don't believe I did 2.22 miles in 25 mins. My heart rate was slightly higher too, I think I caught it at 164 bpm a few times. Overall, however, I felt good.

I also made it a point to get on the floor mat and just do some hamstring stretches and butterfly stretches, taking my time, sinking into them, taking it easy. I think my muscles are a LOT happier with me as a result.

This weekend involves travel and limited exercise opportunities: if nothing else, I'll be back on the elliptical on Monday then.

Have a great weekend!

(image sources: diabetes and stretch)

calories vs posture?

Every day I browse through the rotating headlines on the Yahoo! main page, clicking the ones that catch my eye. Today, my eye was caught, but in a very bad way:

What's wrong with this picture?

After a few hours of hunching over the desk like that, what are the chances that this woman isn't going to be able to stand upright, and will be suffering from a lot of low back, shoulder and neck pain? How ironic would it be to stand at the desk to burn that extra 60 cals/hour only to find out you can't do any yoga, cardio, dance, etc, because you've hurt yourself by standing (improperly) at your desk?

fyi the actual article talks about "... drafting-style tables and high chairs for office workers, which gives you the option of working on your feet most of the day and sitting down to take breaks ..." so at least that is okay *if* one bothers to actually read it!

It would be nice to have a (stock) photo that actually fits the article it illustrates, y'know?

(image: screenshot of Yahoo! main page, April 6th 2011)