Breastfeeding is hard; Part 1

I was around 37 weeks pregnant when I went back in for a second complete anatomy scan. The midwife was concerned that my belly was too small, which turned out to be unnecessary because baby was absofuckinglutely perfect, but before we knew that, at the end of the scan, the tech hovered the wand over his face for a few extra moments to show us our baby was already practicing suckling. We watched him there on the screen, sucking on his tongue. That image is burned into my mind. My baby was practicing eating. He was real and ready to be out on his own.

When we left the hospital on Sunday, December 14, 2014 with a 36 hour old baby in tow, he had still not properly latched. Turns out, that whole sucking on his tongue thing was actually a problem.

In the delivery room the Friday before, midnight approaching, the room was dark when I came out of my first assisted trip to the bathroom and my kick-ass no-BS labor & delivery nurse, Krystle, helped me try to breastfeed my baby for the first time. I was already in my wheelchair, ready to transfer to postnatal, and she wasn't concerned when we couldn't quite figure it out. It wasn't her specialty and she knew that the lactation consultant would come by my room in the morning to help. It was already practically morning anyway.

Fit Mama; Week 8

Monday little dude and I were going to go on a walk, but it started raining the second I stepped out of the garage. I did Core Synergistics. The little guy has become a great workout buddy. He mostly just hangs out in his crib and we talk and he kicks things. This particular day, he started to get frustrated that he couldn't see me the whole time, so I moved him to the floor so he had a better view. He was perfectly happy after that.  

Tuesday I decided to do plyometrics. I guess I've given up on the P90X schedule. I'm just doing the workouts I'm not sick of and still feel like I'm getting a good workout.

Wednesday I pulled out my Tracey Mallet DVD for some Functional Interval Training. It's a 90 minute DVD, but my dude woke up from his mini nap at the 60 minute mark, and I was beat anyway, so I called it and took a shower. I also went on a quick 3 mile walk earlier in the day. I was a little rushed because we were meeting my mom and grandparents for lunch and shopping - lots of big events coming up my little dude needs outfits for.

Thursday I opted for Cardio X. I was so excited to have a shorter workout, but then the computer decided it needed to run updates 10 minutes in, so my workout was rudely interrupted. While I took my unwanted break, dude did a little core work aka tummy time.

Friday my only workout was baby & me yoga, but we did our usual squats and lunges and planks and such.

Saturday I complained that I was bored with my workout DVDs, so hubs put together a workout plan for me. He bought me all kinds of fun workout equipment for Christmas, so part of the plan was to get me to use it! I did squats on a balance board and more squats and pushups wearing an extra 20 lb weight vest. It was nice to do something different. :)

Sunday afternoon I ran out to one of my favorite yoga classes - pre/postnatal. Some of my fellow new mom friends joined me. Its so nice to see them and workout where most of us met.

That was my week. I'm really hoping to get some more interesting posts going soon, but for now it seems like this is it.

Fit Mama; Week 6

Monday was a holiday. Hubs was home so I planned to take power yoga from one of my teachers (woman who taught me to teach)! The website didn't say anything about a sub, so when I showed up and saw it was being taught by someone else, I have to admit I was a little bummed. It ended up being an incredible class. It was fun and unique and challenging. I was so impressed. Jill, the sub, taught such a great class!

Tuesday I got back into P90X. It was week 2 of Chest, Shoulders, and Triceps. I was supposed to do Ab Ripper X too, but my fussy monkey baby would not allow it. At least I got to finish the arm workout this time. ;)

Wednesday I texted the hubs and asked him to come home a little early so I could maybe go for a jog instead of doing plyometrics. He said no and told me to suck it up and do plyo - it was a better workout anyway. Woooooooomp. I did just that, and I'm glad I did. It wasn't all that bad. It's actually easy to get through the workout when you break it up into sections - I could tell myself, "only 3 more sets to go". My dude was a boss and let me finish the workout AND shower before losing his sh*t. :P

Thursday I did back & biceps and ab ripper X. As I write this I don't remember anything in particular about the workout except telling Joe, who was in his crib next to me, how much I hate all curls and pullups. He laughed at me.

Friday afternoon my little dude and I led baby & me yoga. We danced and did squats and tummy time, and core work and pushups. It was so fun. We started late, but we still did about an hour of class.

Saturday I was not feeling Kenpo (I wonder if I'm bored with P90X? ;)). Instead I decided to do an hour of Dance Central Spotlight in the living room. I wore a 20 lb weight vest for the first 15 minutes. My plan was to wear it the whole time, but it was digging into my shoulders. Mucho uncomfortable. The game threw some new moves at me and I had a lot of fun with most of them. Hooray!

Sunday my sisters and I had a date for aerial yoga. I ended up jacking up my shoulder during the warm up. It made me suuuuuper careful for the rest of class. I skipped one silk climb altogether. Everything else I did, I just took it really easy. Then I made a quick stop at the gym and ran 2 miles on the treadmill. I'm starting to feel better about running again, but I still haven't been able to get the full 2 miles without taking a break.

That's it for last week! Look at me getting one of these posts up in a timely manner with a picture and all! 

Fit Mama; Week 5

I'm really bad about getting these up in a timely manner. Sorry, sort of. I have an infant.

Monday week 4 came to a close with core synergistics and a walk - 2 miles with my dude. I'm still having issues with my left wrist so all the push-up stuff was not fun, but I don't think I did any further damage, so at least there's that.

Tuesday was the first day of week 5 of p90x. That means the start of "phase 2". I've been to the start of phase 2 before. I've never made it to phase 3. I always get bored (or last time I got pregnant and decided I should be doing other workouts instead). The chest, shoulders & triceps workout is another push-up heavy workout. So I closed out with some wrist tenderness. Womp womp. Followed it up with ab ripper - per the schedule - and earlier that day the little guy and I went for a walk.

Wednesday I was text complaining to the hubs that I didn't want to do plyo. I tried to negotiate a way for him to get home earlier so I could go for a run (I mean, I've got a marathon to train for), but it didn't work out. Later in the day I got my energy up and was ready to tackle plyo. As always, it wasn't as bad as I expected. Also took the dude on another  and walk

Thursday was weird/tough. Our computer got all wonky and I had to get creative with the disc for my back & biceps workout. I ended up wimping out of the end of my workout, but I did go for my 2.5 mile walk earlier that afternoon.

Friday night hubs got home early enough that I could go to the gym! Woot! I ran two miles on th treadmill for the first time since last summer. It felt amaaaaazing, and again, earlier that day little dude and I went for a walk. 

Saturday I did p90x legs & back and ab ripper x. Had a cranky dude toward the end so it was a baby incorporated workout, beginning with toe-roll iso lunges). I didn't get to do all of ab ripper because some of the moves are just not possible while holding a baby. I don't feel bad about it ;)

Sunday I drove out to pre/postnatal yoga! Some if the girls I met while pregnant (all of whom have had their babies) and I planned a little semi reunion. It was so fun! It was a nice mellow workout/stretch with some more challenging parts for those of us who wanted. 

That's all for last week. Better get going on this weeks post! :P
 

Fit Mama; Week 4

Time gets away from you taking care of a tiny one. I don't remember much by way of specifics about these workouts, but I did do them - at least I'm sure of that.

Not only is this post late, but I don't have a picture for it. These posts are mostly for me anyway, amiright? ;)

Week 4 of P90X is straight core/cardio/stretching. So I did not lift a single weight last week.

This week also commenced dude taking semi-regular naps. So whenever he starts to get sleepy I put him down in his crib and workout next to him. He usually sleeps through most of my workout. If he wakes up cranky, I either nurse him or incorporate him into my workout to keep him happy. If he wakes up happy, I can usually finish my workout. :)
 

Monday was Kenpo X. I've set up so now I work out almost completely in the nursery right next to the crib. He slept through most of my workout, and I even managed Ab Ripper X that I was supposed to do the day before.

Tuesday ended up being a rest day. I don't remember why. That's real life.

Wednesday I did yoga X - again in the nursery. I'm getting stronger. I've been doing a lot of the push-ups after vinyasas  now. It's so nice to feel sort of strong again.

Thursday another rest day. We have mommy & me on Thursdays now, and since it takes a lot if planning to get a workout in, I didn't want to worry about having to schedule it in around our afternoon out. 

Friday was core synergistics. I forgot how hard that workout can be. Chutarunga runs are a cruel form of workout torture. In general it's a fun workout though. I might even go so far as to say I missed it. 

Saturday I did Kenpo X. I'm getting bored with it. That could be a problem since still have 2 months of P90X to go.

Sunday I did  yoga x. I had a relatively cranky boy in my hands through a good chunk of he workout. I incorporated him into A LOT of the workout, which was challenging for sure.  

That's it for last week.

Today is the last day of this weeks workouts so hopefully I'll have that post ready soon. ;P

Fit Mama; Week 3

Monday (Day 14) would have been my rest day, but since I rested on Saturday, Monday was Kenpo X. This happened to line up with the day Joe started taking semi regular naps, SO, he sat and watched me from his rocker for half the workout and then passed out. I had a pretty good workout. Not super tough, but Kenpo is one of the easier ones.

Tuesday I jumped right into week 3 Day 15 with some Chest & Back. I put Joe down for his second nap around 330, and he stayed down for about 40 minutes in his rocker. He lasted about another 25 minutes without totally losing it. I was able to make it through most of Ab Ripper X too! Only had 4 moves left before I had to feed him. Then I finished and showered after he ate. I was really pleased with my workout overall. I managed some really great sets of pushups, and I felt so much stronger during abs than the last time I attempted it!

On Wednesday for day 16, I decided it was time to attempt Plyometrics. I remembered how hard this workout was when I'd done it before, so I put it off as long as I could. Up until a few hours before my workout, I was still contemplating doing Cardio X instead. I stuck to my guns though! Pressed play on some plyo and got my heart rate up and a good sweat going. I felt really bad when Joey got cranked and wanted to put his head on my chest, but it was all sweaty. ;/ So, I grabbed a burp cloth and put it between his face and my chest. That was about halfway through. After the freak out, he napped through most of the rest of my workout.
Earlier in the day, Joe and I also started practicing for baby & me yoga. He's so helpful - such a good ~10 lb weight. ;)

Thursday ended up being a rest day. We went to our mommy & me class in the morning and by the time we got home we we're beat.

Friday I started Shoulders & Arms and Ab Ripper X at 10:30am... and I finished my workout at 1pm. It's an hour and 15 minute long workout. There was some baby drama to say the least, but at least I finished my workout, right? 

Saturday I put Joe in his crib to stare at the flowers on the wall for a minute and he fell asleep. He stayed asleep for the entirety of Yoga X. I didn't have to stop once. I held back a little in some of the poses. It just didn't feel right to wrap my arms in right angle yet - though it's already more comfortable than last week. I also was able to hold crow pose a lot longer this time around. I was pretty happy.

Sunday I was scheduled to do Legs & Back, and I did... kind of. I subbed my first class since having a baby, and that kind of threw off my whole schedule for the day. It was so great to be teaching again! I loved it so much. Had some rust to shake off, but the class went really well. I think it was a class I would have liked to take. I did a lot of demoing too... more than I did toward the end of my pregnancy anyway. After I taught I ran a mile on the treadmill. I might have done more, but I forgot headphones and I was bored and focusing on how tired I was. Then I came home and did 30 minutes of Legs & Back before dude got fussy, then hubs got home, so we showered and went on a family trip to the park.

How was your week?

Fit Mama; Week 2

Monday was an official rest day. Technically day 7, but I could rest or stretch with the dvd. I took the day off, went out to lunch with a friend, and had Joe babysat for the first time ever by my mom and grandma. They were so excited to hang out with him.

Tuesday was Day 8 Chest & Back. We made it 45 minutes before the babe had a mini meltdown, so we sat down, I fed him and I picked it back up again. I'm still having a rough go with pushups - also, it turns out I have "mommy thumb" (kinda gnarly tendinitis in my left wrist). I'm icing it, trying to change how I hold baby, and Monday night I ordered a wrist brace for extra support. It didn't help that I was trying to do a ton of pushups though. Using freeweights as pushup bars helped take a lot of the pressure off.

Wednesday I opted to do Cardio X again for Day 9. I figure I'll try Plyometrics next week and see how I do. I managed a pretty good workout. Did need to stop and give thebdude specified but for the most part, as long as he could see me - and I was doing lots of big movements and silly faces - he was happy.

Thursday was Shoulders & Arms for Day 10. I moved my weights into the nursery so I could put Joseph in his crib and talk to him while I did my workout. He made it almost 40 minutes before that wasn't cutting it. At that point, I wrapped him up, wore him into the garage to start a load of laundry because walking calms him down, and then did my best to pick up where I left off and finish my workout wearing him. It put a little added pressure on my upper back, but I made sure to keep my shoulders down and chest up, I also couldn't do a lot of the actual moves. So I had to modify with similar moves. Lying down tricep extensions turned into overhead tricep extensions. Crouching curls turned into good old fashioned regular curls.

Friday I was at my parents most of the day, but when I got home I managed Yoga X for Day 11. I am feeling so much stronger in my chuttarungas. I even managed a couple extra pushups. Baby started to lose it while I was in right angle pose, so I literally reached behind me, rocked his rocker with my free hand and it totally knocked him out. SCORE!

Saturday my inlaws were visiting, so a little rearranging turned it into my rest day for the end of week 2.

Sunday hubs kept the babe entertained while I did Day 13 Legs & Back. That's still my favorite workout. Hubs got me a really cool (super cheap) workout accessory that allows me to thread my resistance bands between the door and the frame, so I can use my bands for pull-ups instead of the door frame pull up bar - you may remember how the door frame bar ended last March. I'll give you a hint. It may or may not have involved a concussion and bruised tailbone.
I also managed Ab Ripper X for the first time this go-round. Of course it was especially tough, being that it was my first attempt at real ab work in over 6 months. It felt so good to start using those muscles again.

Fit Mama; Week 1 - Getting My Body Back In 2015

Oh hey, guys, remember how I had a baby at the end of last year?

There's a funny thing about having a baby - it does a number on a human body. Then you basically sit on your a** for a month and before you even know it, you're ready to try going on a short walk, which ends up leaving you completely out of breath and wondering what happened to the strong, fit, healthy person you used to be.

No? Not You? Maybe that's just me then.

So, this is the beginning - the campaign to get my body back in 2015.

I gained 36 lbs during my pregnancy. Most of it came off on its own. On the 5th, I started taking Joe out on 2 mile walks in the afternoon, and on the 12th, after my postnatal checkup, I started working out from home. As of today, I have 8 lbs to go to get back to my prepregnancy weight.

Aside from trying to eat a healthy diet, this is what my workouts have looked like this week...

Monday I had planned to start P90X, but forgot that I had lent it to my sister, so I did 45 minutes of Dance Central Spotlight. It was so much easier than trying to dance with my giant pregnant belly. I could do all of the squat moves, move my feet faster, and most of the bouncing didn't bother me either - though next time I will have to wear a better bra. Joe loved it too. The combination of watching me flail around and listening to pop music made him very happy.

Tuesday I got P90X back from my sister, so mid evening I started Day 1 - Chest & Back. 20 minutes in, the baby lost his shit, so I nursed him until hubs got home. Then he sat with him mwhile I finished my workout, which by the way, was so freaking hard. It's a pretty intense hour long routine of pushups and pullups.

Wednesday was supposed to be Plyometrics, but I wasn't feeling ready for it so I subbed in Cardio X for Day 2. Joe was a rock star. Totally chilled out and watched me workout in the dining room. He likes to watch my workouts when I move my arms and legs around a lot. I'm so so glad opted to do cardio x instead of plyometrics. It was a really tough workout, especially considering the only cardio I'd done for a month was a week of two-mile walks.

Thursday was Day 3 Shoulders & Arms. Another really tough one. I let myself slide on some moves. I'm not supposed to push myself too hard (seeing as I was only 4.5 weeks PP). Dude was a little fussy. I needed to stop halfway through to feed him. I managed the whole workout nonetheless.

For Day 4 on Friday, I did Yoga X. It was my first time doing an actual complete practice since before Joe was born. Dude was a little fussy so it wasn't very Zen, but it worked out. I gave him a pacifier when he fussed and then he brought him down to do floor work with me. I finally started to feel stronger on Friday. I had a rough time the first few chuttarungas but they actually got easier as I went through the practice. It felt great.

Saturday was Day5 Legs & Back. Joe was pretty entertained by watching me do lots of squats and lunges. The last 15 minutes he got pretty fussy, so I started using him as a weight. I had to sub in some baby press instead of the last round of pull-ups. He worked great as my extra weight for squats and calf raises.

Sunday I managed to get my workout (and shower) to coincide with Joe's nap. He doesn't always take a real nap so this was a pleasant surprise. I put him in the rocker while I did Kenpo X for Day 6.

Sooooo, that was my first week working out again. I'm so happy I've been able to start working out. It hasn't been easy, and a lot of days its my only time off my butt, but it feels pretty darn fantastic!

I'm back to workout update posts every Wednesday (as long as I find the time to type them up - which I can usually do while nursing). Fun times. :)

A Day In The Life... with a newborn

Ok. This post is a little ambitious for me right now. I'm living a whole different life than I was just over a month ago. Every day is different and in some ways exactly the same...

This was my Friday, January 16th...

3:35 AM - I get up to feed the dude. I usually change him before he eats, but this morning I toy with leaving his diaper until we get up for the day.

4:05 AM - He's asleep, so I put him back down.

4:15 AM - He fooled me. He's grunting up a storm, which usually means he's waking up instead of falling back to sleep. I get up to check him and he's more awake than ever. I unswaddle him, change him, and reswaddle him. For a minute, before I nurse him again, we just smile big smiles at each other and he coos.

5:15 AM - I go back to bed

8:30 AM - We're up. I wash my face and brush my teeth as quickly as possible while he slowly gets fussy. He leaked pee up his back. I still don't understand the physics there. I take him downstairs. Hubs is on the couch, sick and working from home. We need to be as quiet as I can manage while change him. We do okay, and head back upstairs for baby's breakfast. 

9:15 AM - I put Joe down while I get dressed and take my thousands of vitamins, then go back downstairs and one-arm some yogurt with granola and honey for breakfast while sick hubby asks if I can turn Joe to face him because he misses his face.

9:45 AM - Joe and I play on the bed. I find a rash on his neck and upper chest. It looks like an allergic reaction, but I call the pediatrician's office anyway. The nurse says it sounds like his skin was irritated by something, to watch it, keep him clean, and make sure he doesn't start acting lethargic, extra fussy, or develop a fever.

11:10 AM - I feed Joe while updating blog, texting friends and family, and checking social media.

12:00 PM - Change full but fussy baby's diaper, put on the Solly wrap and wear Joe around the house for a while. I eat a cinnamon roll hubby made and call it lunch. Then we (me and Joe) take Panda out to get the mail. Exciting mail day. Lots of fun stuff to open; two wedding invitations, the photo book I ordered, (more) vitamins, and a pumping bra.

1:00 PM - Joe's 2nd lunch.

2:00 PM - I get my yoga mat out of my car and put Joe down in his crib. The first 15-20 minutes he was half sleeping but gassy, which keeps him from totally falling asleep. I kept stopping to give him a pacifier so he didn't fuss. Once he felt better he kept himself pretty well entertained. I moved to floor stretching and brought him down to do it with me. I'm practicing for when I *hopefully* start baby & me yoga up next month.

3:45 PM  - Joe eats. I watch Friday Night Lights on Netflix

4:15 PM - I put Joe in his stroller and we go on a quick one mile walk around the neighborhood.

4:45 PM - I am a human pacifier

5:15 PM - I manage a shower. Joe is in his pack n play in the bedroom. I can hear him but not see him. He is not happy, but hasn't totally lost it. I have a few minutes. No time for lotion. I put him on the bed, talk to him, and keep his pacifier in his mouth while I take care of my skin.

5:45 PM - Diaper change for the dude. Then I wrap him up and wear him around for a while. I eat an Asian chop salad trying not to drop bits of salad on his head, and sterilize the parts for my new pump. (I had to send back my hospital grade rental that day) Hubby and I dance around each other, trying to maintain a 10-foot minimum distance between us so baby doesn't catch his sickness.

Little dude falls asleep in the wrap. I let him stay wrapped up until he starts rooting around looking for food. Its been a while since he's eaten anyway.

7:25 PM - I take him out of the wrap and he starts wailing (even though he was just trying to eat my sternum). He falls asleep in my arms on the way up the stairs and gets right back to wailing the second I put him down to go to the bathroom. I get myself situated, turn on the PS3 and try to watch more Friday Night Lights while he eats, but no luck. The playstation needs updates so I let it run while I update my blog from my phone and send text messages. 

8:00 PM - I draw a bath for the guy. We still wash him in the sink. I think he's outgrown it and it's time to move to the baby tub. This was my first time bathing him by myself since hubs was sick. I decided to dry him off with a full size towel instead of a baby towel. It worked so much better in my opinion. For starters, he didn't soak through the towel when I wrapped him up in it. Once he's dry, I get him in a clean diaper and some pjs and head on upstairs.

9:00 PM - I get washed up and we begin what will hopefully be the last feeding of the day... And it is! I'm trying to get both of us to bed earlier - instead of starting the going to bed process at 10 and hoping he's asleep by 11 (usually closer to 1130 or 12). 

9:50 PM - I rock him a little to make sure he's asleep and put him down. I crawl into bed before 10 for the first time in over a month.

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 49

Thor is due any day now. He's done cooking as far as I'm concerned and I'd much rather snuggle him than lug him around in my abdomen anymore.

But this is what I've been doing for exercise this week...

Wednesday Panda and I walked about 3 miles. It was a little rainy, but I wore a giant bright red Bama sweatshirt (Hubby's) and we treaded carefully over the slippery areas. We got home just a little damp. Panda needed to towel off... which is one of her favorite games ever. I'm convinced it's the only reason she'll tolerate getting baths.

Thursday afternoon I went to vinyasa flow. It was tough - as are all classes not geared specifically toward pregnant people, but I got a solid yoga flow on, so I felt really great after class.

Friday I took pregnancy yoga. Since I was 40 wks that day, I got to pick how intense our class was. I said to go for the tough stuff and do a labor inducing class. Obviously that didn't work, as I am still pregnant.

Saturday I took the day off in favor of an evening walk with my honey and Panda Bear. We only did a mile and a half. I was a little disappointed because I'd planning on it being my exercise for the day.

Sunday I opted for more walking instead of prenatal yoga. I did 2 miles in 40 minutes at a 1.5% incline. I felt pretty good afterward. Then I did some yoga stretches on my own.

Monday hubs worked from home so we went to the gym together in the early evening. I walked another 2 miles on the treadmill, upped the speed to 3.5 so I could walk to the beat of my music, and increased the grade to 2%. I actually worked up a bit of a sweat, which was a nice change from how I've felt about most of my workouts lately.

On Tuesday I decided to go to cardio barre. I was a little worried it would be too hard, but a friend of mine is just a few weeks behind me in her pregnancy and she's been going every week, and I took the beginner class. It was easier than I thought it would be. I definitely still needed breaks and it was a good thing I didn't attempt an advanced class, but I got a pretty great workout in... and then I proceeded to scarf down a cheeseburger for lunch. :)

How was your week?

Seven Days of Yoga, Week 48

Wednesday evening I accompanied hubs to the gym. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill at 2.5 mph (just a touch above painfully slow, but at least I'm walking, right?) and followed it up with 20 minutes of recumbent biking. I wore 4 strips of KT tape on my belly because it was feeling especially heavy that night.

Thursday morning, we got up earlyish for a quick Thanksgiving workout. I did 40 minutes  on the treadmill, followed by 20 minutes on the recumbent bike. I did not end up wearing tape on Thursday and it worked out OK. In retrospect, I probably should have, but I just plain didn't think of it as we were leaving.

Friday pregnancy yoga ended up being a lot of stretching our vocal chords. We didn't even start actual yoga until halfway into class, but everything we did felt great.

Saturday morning we went back to the gym for more walking and biking. I did 30 minutes walking at 2.7 and 34 minutes biking. My little sister met us there and did almost the same workout I did, except she managed some running while we were on the treadmills. It was nice to have her next to me to chat with while we cardio'd.

Sunday afternoon I was back at my regular prenatal yoga class. I missed it last week.

Monday I went back for more pregnancy yoga. It was a lot of talking again, but we did do some stretching - a lot for me, actually, since I mentioned it feels like baby's head is burrowing into my hip.

Tuesday it was pouring rain most of the day and I spent the day at my parents' house. I didn't get much exercise at all, but it was a weird day, so I'm ok with that.

How was your week?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 47

Wednesday I ended up doing more rest and cleaning - not too much cleaning though.

Thursday I taught my power yoga class, but I was pretty beat afterward, so I opted to take the rest of the night off.

Friday I worked about half the day, then had a baby checkup and then went to see the latest installment of the Hunger Games. I won't get into that here, but I thought it was just OK.

Saturday hubs got up and went to the gym, but it was too late for me to feel not stressed about the state of the house, so I cleaned mostly.

Sunday I also didn't workout because I was helping out at my mom's holiday pottery sale. She collected $2,000 for Doctors Without Borders. She's amazing. I'm so proud of her.

Monday commenced my first official day of leave. I was(am still) a little stumped on how to spend my days, but there is a pregnancy yoga class at my studio on Mondays, so I went back for round 2. I felt better about this class than last week. There were more first time moms, which meant more friendly faces. I actually met a mom who is due the same day as I am. There was another woman there who had just passed 40 weeks and was looking for a class to put her into labor, so every time we were going to do something potentially labor inducing, Kristen, our instructor, gave us 38 weekers an alternative, so our babies would get some more cook time.
After class I took Panda out on a 45 minute walk. We walked veeeeery slowly. She was a great walking partner - not pulling me around, and being a good listening. We only walked about a mile and a half, but it was good for both of us to get outside and breathe the fresh air.

Tuesday afternoon I taught my last power yoga class for a while, and then I took power yoga after. That may have been my last class too, but I'll just have to see how I'm feeling next week. Even child's pose is hard sometimes. It feels squishy and can be difficult to breathe if I'm not in the exactly right position. I have dropped my back knee in the crescent twists now. It hurts my wrist to stay up and support all of my new weight on one hand. I also modified side plank for the same reason. I am still finding ways to challenge myself by working around the wrist discomfort though.

How was your week?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 46

Wednesday night I did Dance Central Spotlight for 45 minutes. Some things are harder and some things are easier, but it's nice to get some cardio in - even if it is just mellow dancing around in the living room.

Thursday night I skipped my workout on purpose. I opted to hang with my mom and sister for a bit in the evening after I taught my class. Teaching was actually a lot of work that day. I had to do quite a bit of demonstating.

Friday night hubs and I went to the gym together. I did 30 minutes on the treadmill, and 10 on the recumbant bike before we decided to call it a night. I was doing about 3mph, and it was hard at times. Hubs came by and told me he thought I was going too fast. My little sister showed up when I had about 10 minutes to go on the treadmill and walk/jogged with me for a bit. I like having her at the gym now.

Saturday we had more time at the gym because of the bama game. I ended up doing another 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 more on the recumbant bike.

Sunday afternoon I went to prenatal yoga. I love seeing the same familiar faces every week, but I missed some of the girls who are at about the same place in their pregnancies as I am.

Monday morning I tried a new prenatal yoga class. It's actually the class at the studio where I teach, but I haven't been able to go until now because it conflicts with my work schedule. It's so interesting how different the groups of women are at the different studios. I feel like the women at the Sunday class are much more similar to me - working women, most of us pregnant with our first, really open and friendly and talkative with everyone - whereas this class I took Monday *seemed to be* a lot more stay-at-home moms (most of them in their 2nd or 3rd pregnancy), and a little more clique-y. I feel weird saying that, but I think it has a lot more to do with the time of class than the location.

Tuesday night I went to power yoga. Now, you may be thinking "Alyssa, you have 2 and a half weeks to go before that baby comes, are you sure power yoga is a good idea?" to which I reply - a little wishy washily - "Yes." It seems scary - like there is the potential to push myself too hard or hurt myself and my newly achey wrists, knees, and hips, but when it comes down to it, my body is really good at telling me what I can and can't do. I talked about this a little bit before. I brought a friend along to a vinyasa flow class a couple weeks back and the teacher told my friend that I know and am really good at listening to my body. I don't always think that's true. I think my body is very talkative. :P Anyway, this week power yoga was really hard. I skipped a lot of stuff, didn't go very deep in much of anything, and took all the breaks. I was still a sweaty mess when I left  - I think the room was hotter than usual. I hope I can go back at least one more time, maybe next Tuesday, but we will just have to see.

How was your week?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 45

I don't have any workout related pictures from this week. I barely have any photos at all, so you get a picture of my saturday morning project - an assembled baby swing.

I started Wednesday off teaching my mommy and baby class. We had one little guy who just needed to dance the whole class, so we spent a good amount of time dancing around in a circle, totally rockin out. Ended up working up a bit of a sweat, which was much needed. The rest of the day kicked my butt. I was exhausted, so if I got home and opted to snuggle with my pup on the couch, I wouldn't feel bad about it, but I ended up having the energy to do 45 minutes of Dance Central Spotlight. Hooray!

Thursday I had a dinner planned with an old friend, but I bailed because I was feeling stressed about the amount of stuff I needed to do that night after teaching and before my guitar lesson. I ended up with just the right amount of time to get everything I felt like I needed done that night.

Friday I ended up teaching two classes and by the time I was home from round two, I was beat.

Saturday was a busy day. Lots of baby prep. I taught an afternoon class. I thought about walking on the treadmill after, but I forgot my shoes, so we just went home.

Sunday I taught again. Since these classes have mostly been gym classes, I've been doing a lot of demonstrating. So, I've actually been working quite a bit when I do these classes - not so much as if I were taking them, but still.
Later I went to prenatal yoga. We talked a lot about low back/sciatic/piriformis pain/glute pain. I am working on relieving the tension I carry there - because apparently I carry so much tension there that I barely even notice it. Now that I'm trying to work it out, I'm noticing it and it huuuuurts.

Monday night I rested again, ran a couple loads of laundry, and generally overdid it on household stuff. My body was not happy with me.

Tuesday night I went to Power Yoga. It's hard to come back after taking a week off, but as always, I was so happy to be back. We talked about more piriformis stretches, but so many of them require forward folds and general squishing. I ended up in pigeon at the wall, which still gets a little squishy, but I can adjust as necessary to get as deep as possibly without squishiness. I also loooove supported bridge and supported shoulder stand for this and will sometimes/usually rock side to side to hit points with the block in my glutes. It feels awesome.

How was your week?

Seven Days of Yoga; Week 44

Wednesday I skipped my workout in favor of having snazzy photos taken. ;)

Thursday night I went to Power Yoga. I know I've said this before, but it gets harder and harder every time. I was able to stick with most of it. All of my vinyasas were from my knees. I think - of the 20+ vinyasas we did - I maybe did 2 from my toes. I still managed a handstand at the end. I thought about forearm stand, but my right elbow's been bugging me, so I thought handstand would be better.

Friday was Halloween. I thought about a quick trip to the gym, but instead I went to my sister's and ate Thai food - probably too much Thai food, but whatevsies.

Saturday I had a 1st birthday party to attend. In my mind I got up early and took a yoga class, but in reality I slept in. Then I came home and tackled lots of baby prep stuff. I think that counts as exercise. Yep. Totally counts.

Sunday my back was killing me. :( I woke up that way. Sitting made it worse. So, I spent the first half of the day waiting for prenatal yoga. Hubs got home from a mini man-cation around 11, so we got to spend some time together and I got a little much needed back massage before heading off to yoga. By the end of the day, back massage plus yoga made me feel so so so much better.

Monday night I had planned to dance with the xbox on Dance Central Spotlight, but I had a majorly crankifying experience buying bottles with rewards points at Babies R Us, so by the time I got home, I was not feeling it. I opted to sit at my computer and work on my hospital playlist instead. It made me feel better.

Tuesday was another weird night. Teaching power yoga, followed by a trip to the chiropractor, picking up the pup and voting. I rescheduled my guitar lesson for a different night so I could exercise and not feel stressed out, but I ended up just coming home and doing some cleaning and organizing of baby things. I walked up and down the stairs a few times. That counts as exercise, right?

How was your week?

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?

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.

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?