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. :)

Kitchen Adventures; Mango Tahini Wrap

Happy Monday! I plan on having this delicious wrap for lunch today, so I thought it was time to give it a little share.

There's a place between my office and the freeway called Hugo's. There are actually 12 miles between my office and the freeway, but that's neither here nor there. I've only actually eaten in the restaurant once, but after I had this one wrap from their menu, I started picking it up on my way to or from work and eating it at home or my desk. It's so good, I decided I had to try and make it for myself.

It's totally vegetarian - light, crunchy, spicy and delicious. I was craving one for weeks before I finally had a chance to pick one up for lunch a little while back.

Then for a week I hoarded random ingredients in my house, buying one at a time until I accumulated everything... because the same store couldn't possibly carry jicama AND spinach tortillas. That would be ridiculous.

Kitchen Adventures; Farro Salad with Kale, Feta & Heirloom Tomatoes

I'm trying to like tomatoes.

Have I mentioned that before? I don't know. Let me get a little bit more specific though....

I am suuuuuuuper picky about tomatoes. For a long time I didn't like them at all. Then I started appreciating them in caprese salads and on bruschetta... or green, breaded and fried. Yum.

But see...

Tomatoes are really good for you. In addition to being super high in vitamin, they're loaded with lycopene, and research has shone lycopene to have cancer fighting properties.

A friend of mine - also not a tomato fan - inspired me. She ordered a wrap on a lunch date and didn't specify they leave the tomatoes out. They're healthy. So, she's trying to eat them despite not caring for them.

Pregnancy Super Foods

Happy Friday, folks! Happy 17 weeks of existence to my baby!

A couple of weeks ago, I found this list of "pregnancy super foods"

It made me so happy... because 10 out of the 12 foods on this list were not only in my regular diet, but some of my favorites. So, I thought why not share them with you, and give you a little something to think about.

Whether you're pregnant or not, these foods are so freaking good for you.

1. Avocado - High in healthy fats, these gorgeous green fruits are also an excellent source of folic acid (for baby's brain development), vitamin C, B6, and potassium. Aside from classically throwing these on sandwiches and into a big bowl of guacamole, I love to slice up a ripe avocado, sprinkle a little salt on there and call it a snack. Healthy and delicious.

Currently; April 2014

It's Saturday, I know. Most of you won't see this until Monday, but it's the 12th, and the 12th is when I post these currently thingys.

3 more days until I can breathe. As tax season comes to a close, I am more and more tired every day. I am so very much looking forward to my week off. Words fail me.
Teaching 4 classes a week on top of my 9-5 on to of P90X = one tired Alyssa

Currently, I'm...

Reading...
I gave up on Lost at Sea. Since it's a book of short stories, I just couldn't get myself to get involved in the book as a whole. I finally picked up A Long Way Down, which is on my reading list for this year. I haven't gotten very far yet, but I'm enjoying it thus far.

Yoga & Fitness Favorites

1. Zella Streamline Live-In Capri Leggings - They call these leggings "live in" and aptly so. I could actually live in them. I would wear them all the time. They have just the perfect amount of compression. They're so so flattering and soooooo comfortable. I have them in a million colors and lengths, and they go on sale all the time, so I am always stalking the Nordstrom website for when they do.

2. Nike Pro Racerback Compression Bra - I found this bra at Nordstrom rack in teal with grey polka dots, wore it once, and then went back to find it in more colors. Once my previous go-to sports bras (C9 from Target) started letting me down - so to speak - I needed a more supportive option. These bras stepped up to the plate, offering support without cutting into my back and sides making those ick rolls nobody likes.

3. Lululemon Run Times Tank - This was the top lululemon traded me to teach there a few weeks back. I love it oh-so-much, I am thinking about going and getting one in black too. As is the way with lulu, it's a little on the pricier side, but it's a really great top. It's simultaneously breathable and supportive - one of the few workout tops I don't need to wear a bra with. It's flattering and doesn't show when I'm sopping with sweat.

4. Yogitoes Yoga Towel - Yoga towels are amazing if you like taking classes that really heat up and you end up dripping sweat all over your mat. Yogitoes grip to your mat, so the towel's not sliding around all over the place. I only put out towels once I've worked up a sweat. I've found that if my hands and feet are dry, I will slip more with the towel than without.

Guest Post on Lemon Jelly Cake

Happy Monday, yogis! (and Happy St. Patty's Day!)

Today I am blog sitting over at Lemon Jelly Cake while Claire and fam get used to having baby Micah around. I am so so excited for the whole Printz family, I made them cookies...

well, I made them digital cookies, anyway.

We love cookies in our house. You could call it an addiction. On weekends I don't bake a fresh batch of cookies, it's because we already have leftover dough in the freezer. 

Over the holidays, I decided to tackle some gluten free baking. Word on the street is that gluten is just bad news bears for us humans - and I've actually noticed it's the source of a lot of upset tummies, so, in order for our household to continue to enjoy cookies, I did some experimenting cutting it out...

Get the rest of the post and the recipe over at Lemon Jelly Cake... 

Kitchen Adventures; Chia Seed Pudding 2 Ways

I've been a little frustrated on the diet front lately. I try to eat healthy (mostly clean) and I calorie count. There's a little bit of a taboo with calorie counting, but it helps me track my energy input and output, and I can do it on my phone with myfitnesspal so I don't have to be "that guy". I work part time in the fitness industry, so part of my job is to actually be a fit person, (that sh*t cray) but I've got a killer sweet tooth and a deep love for fried food. So while I am strong, my thighs touch *GASP* (this fitness goal is abhorrent to me, by the way) and I do not have six pack abs.
Back to the point - I'm trying to find healthier options to curb my sweet tooth and comfort food cravings. I'm also working really hard to eat less dairy, which is so tough because cheese is one of my favorite things on the planet.

Chia seed pudding has been out in the universe for a while now, and last week - after my coworker came in raving about a "just add liquid" type mix she found at Whole Foods, I decided it was time to give it a go.

Kitchen Adventures; Vanilla Berry Protein Smoothie

I knoooooow! It's winter. Why would you want to drink a cold smoothie? Umm... because it's 80 degrees in Los Angeles this weekend and all I want to do is workout, soak up the sun, and drink refreshing smoothies. No joke. That's all.

At Costco, they sell giants bags of mixed frozen berries. My hubs likes to just toss a whole mess of them in a bowl and have them as a snack, but me... I like to blend them up with vanilla protein powder and almond milk.

Foam Roller to the Rescue

Y'all know I was having some knee trouble, right? Every since I ran my half marathon, I had some pretty regular discomfort behind my right knee - sometimes in the calf, sometimes in my hamstring, but always behind the knee. No big deal, I thought, I'll just keep doing my yoga and I'll stretch it out and heal it, right? Wrong.

Since high school I've had undiagnosed hip and leg pain. I even saw a doctor for it once, but because we couldn't figure out where the source of the pain was, they didn't even know where to look. I ended up working with my chiropractor aunt on stretches and things I could do at home to prevent and alleviate.
Then when I started doing yoga all the time, I stopped noticing leg pain. I never even knew what stretches were helping - only that I was active, doing yoga, and not hurting anymore.

Then my shiny new injury limited the amount and depth of the stretching I could do. Normal stretches I used to relieve and pain in my hips, legs and low back, I couldn't get into all the way because of my knee.

Now lets rewind a little bit again... (imagine rewind sound effects)

I'm a P90X fan. I've done both P90X and X2, and while I was doing X2, I invested in a little gadget called a foam roller. This is the one I bought (because they're majorly overpriced and I didn't want pay $40 for a piece of foam). I mostly used it to roll out my calves and middle back. Since I was so active with my regular yoga and stretching, I didn't feel like I needed it much.

Then this weekend at the gym, about halfway through cardio Sunday, I had an epiphany (or an 'apostrophe' for any fellow Hook lovers out there). Maybe I can work out this leg pain with a foam roller. So, I grabbed a mat and a roller (the gym has nicer ones than I have) and ducked into the empty workout studio.

I immediately went for my IT band. I didn't know for sure that it was the source of my pain, but it's helpful to give all your muscles a little foam roller love sometimes, so I went for it, and almost immediately I knew I was working the right place. I stayed on it for a good 10 minutes - finding points and letting the foam roller work its magic, essentially using my body weight against the roller to work out tension.

Later that night, sitting on the couch I noticed the lack of nagging discomfort in my right leg. Then just for the heck of it, I straightened my leg and grabbed my foot... just to see if I could, and I was astonished to find I had almost COMPLETE mobility back in my right leg. It's not all the way back to normal, but can I just say "Hallelujah Foam Roller!"? I am elated.

Foam rolling can be very uncomfortable. Let's just get that out of the way. You're finding tense points that need to be worked out hard. It's the equivalent of having a knot in your back and asking your friend to dig their elbow in there. The difference is that the foam roller wont slide out of place and elbow you in the rib. That's how you know you're working the right place - when you have to grit your teeth until the pain goes away. Ultimately, it should feel good though, so listen to your body and know your limits.

Have you ever tried foam rolling? Do you love it or hate it? :)

The Carb Hangover

Relaxing beach side post hangover

The last few weeks, hubs and I have made some major changes in our diet. We're trying really hard to get healthy. This has been hard for both of us. We love us some baked goods. *cough cough* BAKING yogi *cough cough* It's meant that my recreation time is spent differently. Instead of having the leisure time I'd like to head into the kitchen to make a quick batch of chocolate chip cookies, I am out late running or doing yoga or finally catching up on errands that have taken a backseat to training for my half marathon.

We've also stopped buying and making bread. I don't know how long this is going to last, but the last time I had a sandwich was on my husbands birthday in early August. We were feeling great! I was maintaining my happy weight and hubs is already down 15 lbs!

And then... Labor Day weekend happened - Saturday, specifically.

Beer. Pizza. Candied bacon. Too much hummus (which I diligently ate will ALL the carrots). Because I used twitter to proclaim that I was giving up potato chips, I did not touch a single chip (even though they were all tortilla chips).

The next morning, we both woke up feeling terrible - groggy, dehydrated, slow, bloated, upset stomachs. It was... the worst. It felt, legit, like a hangover. Yes, we'd had a few beers over the course of the day, but cutting alcohol is not part of our new healthy diet - though I am aware we would be much healthier if we did cut them. The point is, it wasn't the two beers I had over the course of the day that made me feel that way - it was the food. It was heavy, fat and carb loaded delicious treats that our bodies were just plain not used to anymore.

It's a huge wakeup call. Now that my body isn't used to eating that stuff, it can more easily recognize it as something bad. It's made me realized the real impact those foods were having on my body, and remembering how gross I felt on Sunday is helping me move forward with my healthy eating with much more enthusiasm.

Rx; Sunshine

My doctor is retiring. Not really a huge deal to me personally since I hadn't gone to see her since before college, but I was thinking it would probably be a good idea to get a physical - just make sure I am A-OK, ya know? So, I set up an appointment with a NEW doctor - old doc wouldn't see me since I hadn't been in since before 2010.  And, I guess, as is procedure for new patients nowadays, they did a full blood panel.

This week I went in so we could go over everything. I guess that's a thing too now? Every page of the test results, she pretty much spent applauding me for staying so healthy. She even told me that she rarely sees such great cholesterol levels. She drew a little star and happy face on my chart - and like the 5 year old I am, I beamed.

Of course, I spent the whole time waiting for the "But..."

and, of course, there was one.

My vitamin D levels are - in her words - "kinda wimpy". Optimal levels of Vitamin D are between 50 and 70. Mine are at 26.