Yoga Baby; Maternity Photos

Earlier this week, I met up with a friend of mine at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks for a little sunset maternity shoot.

I'm not gonna say much else other than that. I am so happy with these photos. Have a look!

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 43

Wednesday I ventured out of the office for a lunchtime workout of Fit Ballet Body, taught by my dear friend Chelsea. I basically get to skip the last 10 minutes of class because it's all abs, but the rest of class I thought I hung in there pretty well. There was some floor work - glutes and legs that I majorly wimped out on because of the stress it was putting on my (already sore) low back. It's a lot harder to tuck your tail bone and support your spine without the use of your abs. Womp womp.

Thursday I taught and then my sister called and asked if I wanted to have dinner. She just moved back here from Portland (that day), so of course I said yes. And then there was no workout. Oops.

Friday I had a doctors appointment in the evening, so I ended up out running errands with my hubs afterward. We made a late trip out to the gym after and I walked on the treadmill for a half hour while I watched the World Series.

Saturday I took a vinyasa flow yoga class, and one of my pregnant friends tagged along. It was fun. I'm glad she came.

Sunday morning I got up early to take yoga before my baby shower. It was a weird class. In general, it was ok, but it just had a weird flow. I missed my prenatal yoga crew.

Monday I taught yoga in the morning and then spent the evening cleaning the house. I had residual overwhelmed-ness from all the stuff we brought home on Sunday, and was feeling like our house was not a place for a baby, so I cleaned and cleaned.

Tuesday I ended up taking yet another "rest day", if you could call it that. I actually taught two classes and did a pretty decent amount of demonstrating, but I never really got warm or a good calorie burn.

How was your week?

Yoga Baby; Week 34

Week 34

With just about 6 weeks to go, I am already feeling huge, but taking my weekly pictures has been a shock. 

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: All I want are carbs and sweets. I still don't crave specific things - except I NEEDED to make these cookies last week (and I did). 

Aversions: Cooking. Haha, oh, that's not an aversion, that's just laziness. I have been better about eating vegetables though. Hoorah!

Energy:  I've been napping almost every day. On weekends I'll nap for an hour +. Weekdays they're shorter and usually just a little pre-bedtime shut-eye. BUT I did have a really great workout on Monday. I wrote about it a little bit in my weekly workout recap, but I started dance central spotlight with such lightness! It was such a nice change from my new norm of lumbering around. 

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 42

Last Wednesday was October 15th. By the time I got home from work, I was ex-freaking-hausted. No workout happened. As I write this I barely remember the evening, actually.

Thursday night I was back in Power Yoga after almost two weeks away. Everyone was surprised to see me - like it had been so long since I'd been there, they all thought I wasn't coming back. *le sigh* I'm pretty sure I'm right on track with where my yoga practice should be. I went to my knees in chuttarunga when I was too tired to tuck my tailbone in the full extension of the pose. This was my first time actually putting that into practice.

Friday night I was worried I wouldn't make it to Bollywood because I'd neglected to bring my workout clothes to work with me that morning, but I ended up with the perfect amount of time to run home, change and take the pup out before dance.

Saturday I tagged along with my hubby to the gym and did about 30 minutes on the recumbent bike. I was SUPER frustrated by the treadmill situation. I had planned on walking at a good clip for 30 minutes. There were a ZILLION open treadmills - one open to my right (I was second from the end) and about 5 open to my left... and some guy decided to choose the one on my right. He messed with my chi. I tried to stay on for a few minutes, but I just felt off balance, and I was majorly annoyed that of all the empty treadmills, he picked the ONE with a neighbor. Has that ever happened to you?
I also giggled to myself a lot once I realized that the person nearest to me on the recumbent bike (also right next to me, but there was a decent amount of space between the bikes) was a) wearing jean shorts (knee length, if you must know), and b) not pedaling fast enough to keep the bike on because c) he was too distracted by whatever game he was playing on his phone. I wanted SO BADLY to take a video and post it somewhere, but I didn't feel like I could be properly incognito about it. Rest assured, it was an amazing demonstration of proper attire and use of gym equipment. JORTS FOR THE WIN!

Sunday was back to prenatal yoga. I thought I might try boxing, but I've been ultra tired lately, so I let myself sleep in Sunday morning and then took care of stuff around the house until it was time for yoga.

Monday night I did 30 minutes of Dance Central Spotlight. I stopped at 30 minutes because that's roughly when hubs got home and I always feel bad/awkward hogging the living room. It was a great 30 minutes though! I was really happy about how my workout started. I downloaded a new song, so I was able to get excited about new moves (instead of the same 10 songs over and over and over again). When my workout started with the new song and new moves, I was pumped and energized. I felt really light on my feet, which is not a way I've been feeling lately. It was great.

Then Tuesday I took the night off. I taught my regular class and then didn't have time to squeeze in a workout before my guitar lesson, so that was that. I got home a little after 8, ate dinner and called it a night.

How was your week?

From Power to Prenatal; Transitioning My Yoga Practice

You guys know me a little bit, right?

I'm a fitness fanatic and I like to push myself to the limit. I think I've briefly mentioned this is some of my posts lately, but the transition from my former to current yoga practice has been tough - not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. It's hard to go from your personal limit - where the line is usually in your head because 9 times out of 10 you ARE strong enough to finish this set - to your pregnancy limit - where your body says "Nope, sorry dude." and you actually need to listen because otherwise your body will crap out and really, you don't want your body making that decision for you when you're 7 or 8 months pregnant.

Working out so hard that you pass out or throw up is not really an option at that point. Not that that's comfortable in any situation. I've only worked out that hard once and I immediately regretted it, but going from a super active and fit person to someone who goes on walks, gets winded walking up stairs, does prenatal yoga, and dances with an Xbox in her living room... has been a challenge.

Despite wanting to push myself to my former limits, my body just won't do that anymore. Now that my belly is actually starting to get in the way during yoga, I thought I'd take some time to document how my practice has changed and why...

Here are some of the ways I've had to adjust my yoga practice to accommodate for this little person.

Take a wide stance
...in everything.

Forward fold - I cannot fold forward with my feet together or even hip distance apart anymore. The belly will not allow, so I take my feet wide apart so there is room between my legs for my bump and I can still get a good stretch in my hammys.

Don't be afraid to step off the mat. I did this for the first time about two weeks ago. I've been doing this modified twist for months, but just recently I had to step my front foot off the mat so my belly didn't get squished by my thigh. I was surprised, but it happened and that was that. Now my front foot is nearly always off the mat in this pose.

No more headstands (at least until this extra weight stops throwing off my balance and compressing my spine). I've been doing handstands and supported shoulder stands when I feel like I need to invert. I can't do regular shoulder stand either because it's too difficult to breathe.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 41

I don't have any pictures pertaining to my workouts this week, so you get my cute outfit from yesterday 

Wednesday I taught Mommy & Baby in the morning, which ended up being suuuuper mellow because we had two babies that just wanted to eat and sleep. We skipped the songs at the end and just stretched and did savasana. When I got home I put on some KT tape, turned on the Xbox and did 50 minutes of Dance Central Spotlight. I'm feeling more and more ridiculous dancing around, but at least I'm getting my heart rate up, right?

Thursday was a little wonky. I taught an extra class in the evening - my old class, actually - from 7-8pm. I thought I wouldn't have time to workout at all. I was slightly mistaken. With the amount of demo-ing I did during the class, I basically got a full yoga class in. I was pretty stoked. Workout not skipped after all.

Friday kicked my butt and I got stuck at work late doing tax things. October 15th, y'all. No sweat though, it gave me chance to catch up on some laundry and try on all the dresses in my closet to see what still fit and what I could consider for my maternity shoot.

Saturday I got my exercise by walking around the mall with my mom.

Sunday was prenatal yoga. It was harder than usual, but I think that's saying more about me. My body was wimping out because I'd given it 2 days in a row of rest. I even crashed at 5pm for a 90 minute nap.

Monday yoga ended up being cancelled due to a sick friend and working late for yet another tax deadline.

Tuesday was cray. Work errands into Beverly Hills and Culver City (highlighted by a lunch date with my honey), worked a slightly long day, got a chiropractic adjustment, picked up my pup, and went home for a half hour before my guitar lesson, ate dinner and then it was 10pm. At least I was up and about and not just sitting all day.

Currently; October 2014

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
I finished Four to Score and I read about 8 pages of High Five before I decided to read something baby related instead. So, I pulled out my kindle and started reading Happiest Baby on the Block. I read the introduction. I think I get it. I don't feel like there's a lot of incentive to keep reading, but I will at least skim through it to make sure I don't miss anything important.

Watching...
We finished Parks & Rec and are all caught up. Walking Dead is starting this weekend. We should be able to watch it online by borrowing cable logins from family. Hooray! Not sure what show we'll marathon next, but it's pretty crazy how much TV we're still able to watch with only the internet.

Listening to...
Serial! I'm also looking for some good songs to learn to play on the guitar, not necessarily tiny person appropriate, but bonus if they are. Suggestions?
I've also just started listening to the Hypnobabies tracks. They suggest you start way earlier than I'm starting, but I figure if I don't finish the whole class, they should still be helpful.

Struggling with...
Getting dressed in the morning. Every. Single. Day. My mom and I went shopping yesterday and got me some lightweight sweaters to throw on over the tank tops or maxi dressed I've been wearing almost every day, also some tops that should transition me into cooler weather pretty well. It's still tough though, man. Clothes are my nemeses.

Inspired by...
My tiny human. Still. I have a feeling this category is not going to change for a while. Haha.

Workouts are...
Getting a little lame (by my standards). As long as I do something almost every day, I generally feel good, taking the pup for a decent length walk, doing mellow yoga, or dancing in the living room are all acceptable. I wish I could work out more and harder - especially since I'm feeling whale-like - but that will just have to wait until January or February and I've mostly come to terms with that.

Eating...
I'm trying to eat healthier. I've still been unintentionally carbo-loading, but I'm working on eating more veggies and protein.

Planning...
My free time, or lack thereof. The rest of October is jam packed, and to kick off November, I'm trying to figure out when to take maternity photos. We talked about doing them at the beginning of October, but decided I wasn't big enough yet, so we have to reschedule. Bleeeeh. I need to figure out what the heck I'm going to wear

Teaching...
I did a little more subbing recently. I've been getting more consistent numbers in my regular classes since school started again. I also talked to the studio owner and we've got everything pretty much figured out for how long I'm going to continue to teach and what will happen while I'm gone. I'm super excited we've decided to give my classes to a long term sub and then I can jump right back in when I'm ready to come back.

What are you upto?

Yoga Baby; Week 32

Week 32

Last Sunday was the 5th, exactly 2 months from Thor's EDD. From here on out, it's looking like *less than two months to go! *fingers crossed*

Here's what's happening with me and the tiny one...

Cravings: Nothing in particular. I have been eating a lot of bagels for breakfast lately. I actually really wanted an onion or everything bagel, but I always opted for something more mellow because I didn't want to smell like onion all day, but this week I gave in and got an everything bagel... and it was glorious. 

I also wanted to briefly mention second breakfast because it's real. Every week day around 10:30/11, I get the munchies. 

Aversions: Vegetables. Not in a real aversion kind of way, I am just really not excited about eating them most times, which is weird because I usually love veggies. 

Energy:  Depends on the day. Usually I'm pretty good, but some days - especially in the heat we've been having - I could nap every day and be happy. 

Summer in October; The Pregnancy Clothing Chronicles

Am I actually writing a blog post about this?

I think I am... even though the weather is cooling down (now). I'm also not including any pictures in this post because there is nothing glamorous about complaining about how your clothes fit.

Last Sunday, after spending the better part of the day in yoga clothes - having taught at 830am and then taken yoga at 1pm - I got out of the shower around 5pm so hubs and I could make our one outing of the day together; a quick run to Target for a new video game.

I showered before he did. I always do when we are planning to go out because it takes the length of one husband shower for me to get my face on. Usually that works out perfectly.

Usually was not this past Sunday.

This past Sunday I got out of the shower and started looking through my clean clothes for something light and flattering to wear into the 100 degree heat. AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT I FOUND????

Nothing.

I found nothing that fit all of these criteria; clean, light, and flattering.

Maybe I just needed to do laundry? Yes, that's possible.

but I think I know what else you're thinking - "you're pregnant, Alyssa, get over your definition of flattering", but it's actually not that hard for me to find flattering things... usually (by my standards anyway). I kind of love my shape right now. When adorned appropriately, pregnant bellies are downright adorable and I'm proud to have one.
The trouble was finding things that were flattering and didn't also make me feel like I was wearing wool - because when its 100 degrees outside and you're pregnant, everything is itchy and hot.

I dug around and found a pair of clean, black maternity shorts with an itchy belly band that I can't fold down anymore because my son is too large and won't tolerate that kind of discomfort/tightness around the lower abdomen any longer, and a tank top that I only kind of like when I'm not pregnant, but was one of the few shirts in my closet that was long enough and could be easily paired with the shorts.

I was not comfortable. I was sweaty and itchy and all I wanted was to turn around, go back home and put on my pjs.

The next best option was to use this time at Target to buy things that looked large and comfortable... which is exactly what I did. I bought myself three super soft cottony things - a GOM nighty (on sale, woot!), this lattice back dress in black, and a really long cozy tshirt.

I wore them all within the next 48 hours, and today it is 20 degrees cooler than last weekend, so I may never need to wear them again. *face palm*

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 40

Wednesday I did nothing. Well, not nothing - I walked from Volkswagon to Whole Foods and back for a grand total of about a half mile walk. Haha. I had my TDAP vaccine and flu shot on Tuesday. I usually am not into flu shots (this was the first one I'd had in my whole life), but I am into protecting unborn children (specifically mine). Tuesday night I had - what I am going to call - a reaction to one or both injections. Obvs I felt like I had been punched hard in the shoulders, but on top of that I was up all night. I had chills. I think I had a fever at one point. No bueno. I called and spoke to a nurse, we went over some stuff and decided I didn't need to come in and get checked out. When I got up in the morning I told the girl at the studio I would be cancelling my class that day, and later in the evening I opted to stay in and rest. Go me.

Thursday night I did yoga with my mom and her friends. She taught a more challenging class than I've typically taken with her, which was actually perfect for me since I wanted to feel like I was working out in some way. It was more of a flow, and therefore, more my style.

Friday night I took Bollywood dance. We're still doing the Jai Ho dance. I guess there's some kind of showcase at the studio coming up and he's decided that this will be the dance they do. I am not planning on participating in it because I have no idea when it is or how pregnant (or possibly post-pregnant) I'll be by then, but it's fun to learn the choreography and dance around Bollywood style. I wore my KT tape for the second week in a row. I do think it's helping.

Saturday hubs and I took care of a ton of errands. It was a super productive day, including a Costco trip, Good Will drop off, and car maintenance. We also watched a good chunk of the Bama game together while walking on the treadmill. We were there walking for over an hour. I wore tape this time. I think it helped, but I did still feel some pressure/discomfort in my pelvis. It wasn't as bad as last week though, so I will give the tape some credit. I did not need to go flip upside down this time. I thought I might try to jog a little bit, but I decided against it. As much as I want to push myself, it will have to wait until my organs are all back where they're supposed to be.

Sunday I taught a flow class in the morning and then took prenatal yoga in the afternoon. There are still some things about prenatal yoga that I do not like, and some things that I just love - any and all side and upper back stretches, I could do all day. Hip circles though? Not for me. I don't get them.

Monday night I had my weekly yoga date. We tried to start a little earlier this time so we could get in a bit more of a workout before she had to put her little one down. We did ok, but I struggled a little bit coming up with our flow.

Tuesday night I taught my regular class, but I didn't have time for a workout after because I started my GUITAR LESSONS! I'm super excited about that, but it's not a workout, so... maybe another post. :P

How was your week?

Kitchen Adventures; #bakingbootcamp Apple Pie Biscuits

This weekend I wanted to bake.

We have so much fruit that needs to get eaten or frozen. I really wanted to use the blueberries first, but I wasn't feeling inspired by blueberries, so I opted to take part in the Joy the Baker #bakingbootcamp this time around and make her Apple Pie Biscuits.

Holy smokes.

I just... I was so... surprised... by how amazing these biscuits are. I guess because they're not really all that pretty. Seriously, go explore on Instagram and look at #bakingbookcamp... there are an unfortunate amount of ugly biscuits. I don't feel like I'm being harsh... am I?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 39

Wednesday I taught Mommy and Baby. It was pretty mellow compared to last week, so I decided to do some Dance Central Spotlight when I got home from work. I only did a half hour - as opposed to my usual 50 minutes. It was hot and hubs got home from the gym right as my half hour was coming to a close, and since I don't really like working out in the living room when he's home - other parts of the house I'm OK with, oddly - I decided to skip the 20 minute set I usually do. Plus I need to download more music for that game. I'm already sick of half the songs - mostly because they're majorly overplayed on the radio. I think if I hear Royals one more time I may stab someone.

Thursday night I was back on my mat for some power yoga. I was a little apprehensive earlier in the day because I didn't sleep very well the night before - lots of waking and vivid dreams - but I committed to completing the hour and a half long practice no matter how many breaks I had to take. I actually did really well. I took my time getting into and out of the poses and just listened to my body.

Friday night I went to Bollywood dance. We learned his choreography to Jai Ho. It was a lot of fun. I wore KT tape to support my belly. I think it helped. I didn't notice the baby hanging out super low or making me uncomfortable, so I'm gonna give credit to the tape.

Saturday my only exercise was a short walk with Panda bear on the beach. We went to Malibu as a late anniversary celebration weekend. It was lovely. I was actually amazed by how winded I got just walking up and down the beach. Sheesh!

Sunday we took another short beach walk. Later in the evening - once we were back in the Valley -  we went to the gym. I hadn't been feeling great most of the afternoon, but by around 4, I was better. We walked on the treadmill and watched the Niners game together. It was actually kind of fun. Ended up walking for over an hour. Not normally my cup of tea, but I had music and exercise, so watching the game without sound and getting the occasional high five from the hubs was fun. I did end up getting a little too high impact about halfway through. I didn't think I would need KT tape to walk on the treadmill, but I probably should have used it.  I had to go into the exercise studio and do a handstand to get Thor out of my pelvis... again. Oy.

Monday night I had my weekly yoga date. It was cut a little short to get my girlfriend's baby to bed, but we still got a decent amount of flow in.

Tuesday night I took Power Yoga. Though it was a great class, it wasn't the regular teacher. I had kind of a weird time adjusting to the pacing and the holds. Plus longer holds are harder for me now, so I found myself getting ants in my pants.

How was your week?