Set a date & get a move on.

Daily challenge. Race Date. Coach Schedule. Workout meetup. Without these things, I am sure I'd be a total bum. I KNOW this and because of it, I try to always have at least one on the list going.

Over the last few months, I've gone on several runs, one good bike ride, a couple of swims, done some P90X workouts and have gone on plenty of walks but I have done nothing with consistency or on a schedule.  I have had no end goal in sight (other than fitting into my pants & pencil skirts again). I was doing just enough to keep me moving but I knew that once I went back to work, some level of discipline would be required so that I can stay fit with my crazy schedule.

So, right before the new year, I started looking for challenges, planned on meeting up friends on their long training runs and looked into following a "Coach" schedule from the new update on my Nike app. Aren't I resourceful?! I figured these were all things that would get me "there".   But then again...what was "there"?

I started to think about races to sign up for that will give me more of a definitive finish line (pun intended). I have a few goals swirling in my head but nothing I am willing to commit to just yet (especially on an public forum like the interwebs). Will it be my first tri that comes first or a half marathon? Maybe just PR a 10k?

But then, something BIGGER hit me in the back of the head while I was looking at dates. Um. My birthday! I have a whopper of a milestone coming up and I have always said I wanted to be in the "best shape of my life" by then. Well, crap! I totally forgot about that and now I am what...a month away?! Aaaaahhhh!!! Where has the time gone?!

All this to say that my ho hum approach will have to be stepped up for the next few weeks if I want to meet that goal. I guess first things first though.  What does the "best shape of my life" really mean? Well, I guess this is where I can cheat some, huh? I define this based on me and my life? Because, technically, I am already pretty close to being in the best shape of my life. I have been the fittest I have ever been in the last 5-6 years and more importantly the HAPPIEST. So, I'm done right? Oh yea, I still have to get into those pants.

But seriously, I need to define this so that I can have something to put a tack on or write it on that post it on my monitor. To me, being in the BEST shape is feeling strong, being tone, living a healthy lifestyle and...being confident enough to wear shorts.

Yes, that's right. Confident to wear shorts.  I said it.  That may seem silly (and my husband thinks I'm crazy) but every one has that "area" on their body that just makes them cringe, right?  Okay, maybe not everyone...most people. Fine, I'll speak for myself.  Yes, I have that area.  For me, it's the lass. You know, the area between the back of your thigh and your ass? There. And upper thigh area altogether could use some toning up.

Sitting down in shorts with confidence is a pretty solid goal.  In my mind.  Sitting down is the key piece of the goal though.  I am totally okay with standing, walking and running around in shorts (if they are not too short) but sitting? That's a different animal.  Tightening up the ab area where baby left squishy I'm throwing on to the goal too because...what the heck, I could use a fall back of success if this lass thing doesn't work out. (I hope you all have picked up on my sarcasm and sense of humor by now)

Anywaaaay....I have a few things going for me that will make this endeavor a little less painful and perhaps even achievable. For starters, these are the things that I am already doing (yay, me!):

~ 30 Day Yoga Challenge - keeps me practicing and engages my core daily (Abs!)
~ 10K Coach Challenge on Nike Ap - keeps me running MORE often (fat burning & some leg definition)
~ Green smoothie daily - I admit, I am addicted.  I've been doing it since pre baby and when I go without it, I crave it.  This keeps my nutrition in check by getting all my daily fruits and veggies (and then some).
~ Meet ups - I've been also meeting up with friends on Sunday mornings for long runs. The Nike coach would disapprove as I would be considered as "over training" but...it's motivated me to push the pace and distance.
~ Weekly Aerial Fabric class.  Good overall body workout but lots of core work. (more abs!)

My abs seem to be heading in the right direction but my lass was not mentioned in any of those things.  This is where the rubber meets the road. I'll be looking for some glute workouts on pinterest so pardon all the butt pics coming through on the board below, this mama needs to get squatting!

Now I have a fast approaching date to work towards.  I also will have measurable results which will be before and after pictures (that will never see the light of day).  My first goal for 2014 is set and I know it's going to be tough but my motivation is not only to wear those shorts but to wear them (and a bikini) on that birthday beach trip my hubby will be taking me on. (wink, wink - hi, honey!)

Stay tuned for progress reports.  I gotta go...I have some lunges to do.

~V

23 week wrap up, challenges, kids and vacation included.

Week 23 looked like this:
*Ab & Yoga are in reference to the challenges I mention here.

M - Ab (25 sit ups, 10 crunches, 10 leg raises & 15s plank) & Yoga

Wild Thing with my girls

T - Ab rest day, Yoga

Warrior II with bonus baby squatter

W - Abs( 30 SU, 12C, 12LR & 20s plank), Yoga  + 4.5m run

Upavistha Konasana (I have to really work on this one)

Th - Abs (35 SU, 15C, 15LR & 25s plank), Yoga + AerialTone class

Crow - I mean, Crow!!! I did it!!

Aerial Tone - Awesome back stretch

F - Abs (40SU, 20C, 20LR & 30s plank), Yoga + 1250M Swim

One legged, one handed headstand

Gorgeous day for a swim!

S - (Travel day) Ab rest day, Yoga

Forearm Sideplank

Dancer at the Boston Common

S - 5mi run, Boston city walk (countless miles) plus yoga. Ab halt.

Cambridge side of Charles River overlooking Boston

A fun, challenging, full week complete with the start of a new job!  Still feeling great at week 23, full of energy and ready to take on a week of an active vacation.  More on that week coming up next.

~V 

Poof, there goes week 18!

Just like that, another week has gone by and I am beginning to finally see a bump and also...FEEL pregnant.  Just last night, I jumped out of bed to check on the baby and whoa, Nelly!  My hip popped and my legs felt like they weren't attached to the rest of me.  I needed a few steps to um...wobble into a normal stride. Oh boy.

Nonetheless, I will continue to keep my fitness levels in check but most importantly, read the signs of my body and know when to pull back and take it easy.  Here is the run down on how last week went:

Mon - I had an early doctor's appt so I had to pass on Aerial class so I went for a 5 mile run after work.  For the 1st 5k of it, I ran with my son and pushed the baby in the jogging stroller.  I found a nice perk to this is that we could take turns  pushing the baby and he now has a new found respect for his mama...that thing hinders speed FOR SURE.  (Hence why he only hung for the first 3 miles...he was pooped!)

Last Monday, at 18wks2days, baby bump still in hiding...

Tues - off

Wed - Aerial Tone at lunch...I had the instructor all to myself so she was able to do extra modified moves just for me...like a private lesson! Sweet!

Thurs - I did double duty here...Lunchtime Yoga at work (I was the only one in class that was able to do the "Side Crow"...on both sides!! Yay!!)  and then Aerial  Tone in the evening.  My daughter's first words when I got home from work were "are we going tonight?!"...she pumped her brother up about it and really, I had no choice.  I was a little nervous about bringing them both and having them be a distraction but ironically enough, the threat of NEVER, EVER coming back there if so much I heard a peep from them kept them on their best behavior for a solid hour.  I couldn't help but enjoy the play time and monkey swinging free time at the end of the session with them.  Honestly, although my body was pooped, the time I spent with them is absolutely priceless.  ...my sister thinks I am the coolest mom ever and by the way my kids have told all their friends, I'm thinking they do too. :)

My favorite pigeon pose on the top right and some fun moves at the end of class with the kiddos (while I can)...I spy itty bitty baby bump! :)

Fri - off

Sat - off and the 1st time I felt HUGE.  My jeans felt tight and my hubby grinned all day about how my belly bump was protruding. We were supposed to go on a family bike ride (the weather was AMAZING) but our errands consumed the day and before we knew it, it was time for IRONMAN 3!  Fun!

Sun - Another gorgeous day and I was feeling antsy that we wouldn't get out there again because of a soccer game right smack in the middle of the day.  Getting 5 people in sync for a bike ride outside the neighborhood takes some juggling and when the baby fell asleep for a nap, I thought my outdoor activities were doomed for  the day. Luckily, my awesome husband stepped up and offered me a golden ticket..."you go, enjoy it, I don't want you to feel bad" I was hesitant and guilt started to wash over me but when he said "you better go before you run out of time!" I quickly packed up my gear and headed out.

I took Blu (my beloved road bike) out for a gorgeous ride from the club onto the trail and ran into a couple of friends that are training for a long ride next weekend.  They were on their way back and had already logged in 42 miles! ...I decided that at 8 miles, it was as good time as ever to turn back and ride with them for a bit.  I totaled 14 miles back to the club and quickly changed into my swim gear and worked on my laps.

Those first 10-15 laps are the hardest.  The water is cold, my body was cold and I was just plain 'ol tired.  But once I got warmed up, the laps came easier and easier.  I was shooting low because of the bike ride but managed to keep it at 50 for a 1250m swim.

My friend and I upon meeting on the Terry Hershey Trail. (I need a new helmet) 

Not bad for a prego mama, huh? Hopefully, I can keep it going!

Taking Flight

Every time I tell someone about my Aerial class, the reaction is usually the same..."what is that?".  I try my hardest to explain it but the  best real life reference that *most* people can get a visual of is when I mention Pink.  Not the color, rather the singer with amazing abs that usually flies through the audience during her concerts.  Of course, I have to quickly tone it down to explain that is NOT exactly what I am doing which is where it becomes a little difficult to describe without visual aids and I start looking like a monkey trying to describe some of the things we do.

Aerial Yoga, Anti-Gravity Yoga, Aerial Fitness, Aerial Arts, Aerial Fabrics, Aerial Silks, Aerial Dance...whatever you call it, they all have one thing in common - Aerial.  In the air, baby!  Depending on the studio, instructor & class you'd see a combination of techniques from Yoga, Pilates, Calisthenics, Gyrokinesis and Acrobatic moves integrated throughout any given workout.  I have been following Pink! for some time now and after she mentioned (and thanked) Dreya Webber for training her, I knew I wanted to learn more.  Dreya Webber is an aerialist and one of my "personal" work out buddies in the P90X videos so I was familiar with the name. ;)  She is strong, lean and shows amazing grace (and posture!) while doing her workouts.  Why wouldn't I want to learn more about this?  Well over a year ago, I did some research on this and even "pinned" some pictures on Pinterest as motivator to find a class and do it one day. It seemed to be on the very early side of a trend then since it wasn't something that was readily available in most cities to the layman (i.e you and me) but celebrities were starting to dote about how much they loved the practice and that's usually all it takes for it to start sprouting everywhere. Case in point, AntigravityYoga , developed by Christopher_Harrison (with many Broadway accolades) has many locations throughout the country now and their site even has information on franchising. (Check them out!...I plan to visit them when we travel to Manhattan this summer.)

I found that the ONLY place in Houston that this is available at is Vault/GyrotonicHouston.  As I mentioned here, I pulled the sample week class and was all geared up to attend and the schedule never panned out for me to make it.  (I had an infant at the time, a very active tournament baseball playing son and was gearing to get back to work among other things).  After that, Aerial lost its traction in my mind and was a faded memory until I went to the Pink concert earlier this year and it sparked me once again to look up the latest  schedule at Vault.  I was lucky enough to catch it in time so that I can set it on my radar for the following month. Coincidentally, my sister (a Yogi herself) posted a picture of herself on FB doing some pretty amazing aerial tricks with a friend of hers.  I knew fate was in the cards that I could not let this pass me up again.

So, here we are.  I attended the sample Aerial Fabrics class with a coworker a few weeks ago.  It was merely a sample so we only got to learn some basic locks, wraps and terminology but did get to flip over a time or two (super cool!).  Due to that fact that I am pregnant now, I knew that I would have to look at modifications if I wanted to pursue this as an exercise regimen. Particularly since  this class required a 6 week commitment (each class builds on itself by learning new techniques).

I tried their other class "Aerial Tone", which is more of a drop in class that can be taken anytime, and knew that I had found the right fit for me (for the time being) until post baby when I can really explore the Fabrics and actually take "flight".  In Tone, we do more muscle strengthening and conditioning that most aerialists need in order to do the performances and routines that they do up "there" by using an aerial hammock. Honestly, it's quite deceiving...it starts off kind of slow with dainty stretches but I assure you, using that hammock as a resistance band makes it is a FULL body workout, everything was burning by the end and child's pose and laying in the hammock in "corpse" pose was a welcomed relief!

I am now 4 classes into Tone and I see myself making this a twice a week routine until my belly won't allow it (which gauging from the last baby was well into my 8th month...fingers crossed that this will be the case this go 'round too!).  I feel myself (already) getting stronger, toner, more flexible and dare I say...taller?  My back feels incredible relief in some of the stretches that we perform and my spine feels realigned after every class.  Enough that I feel the need to continue my stretches and yoga poses beyond class (and see improvement!).  I'll have another post on the Instagram Yoga Challenge my daughter and I have been dabbling with every night later.

Speaking of my daughter, she has been begging to join me at one of my classes.  She's seen some of the pictures and wants nothing more than to partake in the action (can you blamer her?).  They have a kids class on Saturdays that I am considering turning that into a "mom and me" time with her but before I dive into that, I brought her to my last Tone class as an observer and to talk to the instructor about more.

Here are some of the fun things she did and let's just say, she was a natural and totally hooked!!

10 year old goes Aerial

And here are some of the exercises that work the legs, arms, abs and bum (usually all at once).

The plank (top right) is killer.  That's usually incorporate with crunching and twisting side to side at the END of the workout. Ooof!

And finally, here are some of the awesome stretches and fun stuff I got to partake in with my daughter, that in itself was priceless. :)

I love the "Giselle" on the bottom left to open and stretch the hip and back.

I feel great doing all these moves even with the baby (although the bump is barely noticeable in these pics).  I was inverted for very short periods (just for pics and fun, really) and the ab workouts were modified to be less intense.  In fact, while I was rest/cool down mode in the pod or "corpse position" I felt the little fella kick quite a bit, he must have been doing his own somersaults!

A great place to chill (and potentially get motion sick if you stay too long, I've heard!)

I'll leave you with my inspiration for all this flying stuff...Pink performing 'Glitter in the Air' at her concert in Houston, TX earlier this year:

Another beginning

Seeing as this will be my last pregnancy, I thought this a good a time as ever to start this.  I hesitated one too many times with my last pregnancy and before I  knew it, I was working on post-baby fitness and getting my body "back". Perhaps it will be something I will continue post baby this go round too just to keep me on track and accountable with staying fit while trying to run a household of 6.

I was on a pretty regular program (though not regimented) of running, cycling and occasional P90x videos peppered in for abs, arms and leg toning.  That is until I started feeling bleh.  That is the best way to describe it really. It wasn't morning sickness per se it was more of just feeling yuck all day.  And that feeling, is just not conducive to wanting to exercise.  It completely zapped my energy.  

What I have learned in the last few years (usually the hard way) is that when I stop exercising because I have no energy, I feel WORSE.  I become sluggish, moody and my body just starts to feel achy all over.  This realization (every time I have it) is when the difficult transition BACK into some sort of routine takes place.  The eye opening experience of "wow, I lost so much strength and endurance in just 6 weeks!" and "ugh, I have to start all over again!" takes place and then you get your butt in gear to make the change.

So that's where I am at.  I'm 16 weeks pregnant and into my 2nd week of getting my butt in gear.  I started easy with a family bike ride.  My husband was so concerned that I was still in the "bleh" zone and kept asking "are you ok?, how are you feeling? do you want to head back or keep going?" After just a half mile I was responding "GO, GO, GO!!!" The immediate satisfaction of feeling the slightest of burn in the quads while pushing down on the pedals was not something I was not willing to give up so soon.

We did the P90X arm/shoulder workout a couple of nights later and the soreness that followed for the next couple of days was all I needed to get me back IN the mode. 

My company sponsors a weekly lunchtime Yoga class that I seem to always forget about or forget to pack my clothes and mat for.  I was geared up last week, went and felt renewed. I also tried an Aerial Fabric class that a local dance studio/fitness center offers "Vault/Gyrotonic Houston".  I've had my eye on this for well over a year when they had their "sampler" week between 6 wk class sessions.  I had it in my calendar last Spring but with my son's crazy baseball schedule and having a few month old, I couldn't get away to try any of the classes and missed out.

That wasn't about to happen to me again this year!  I've been checking on them periodically and when sampler week came around, I jumped on it...lucky for me it wasn't during the "bleh" period.  Haha.  I was also lucky enough that a coworker (who coordinates the office Yoga class) was also looking at the classes and we happen to find a night that worked to go together.  Buddy system!  Bonus!

It was fun, different and definitely something I'd like to commit to later on but my interest was caught and  focused on an "Aerial Tone" class they offer on class by class basis. It combines Pilates, Yoga and Gyrotonic moves for a full body conditioning and strengthening workout using an aerial hammock. 

I spoke with the studio owner to discuss my pregnancy and possible workout modifications (if necessary) and was happy to hear that she was not in the common camp of "alarmists".  People who quickly think that because you are pregnant, you should halt and avoid all things active and become sedentary.  As with all exercise, you should listen to your body FIRST.  If it doesn't feel right, stop.  I haven't always listened to my body but that was usually during runs when my IT Band flared up or my knee felt "off".  When there's a baby on board, listening comes first.

Her response quickly led me to take her class on both days this week. My schedule wouldn't permit a workout any other time this week so getting it in while I could was optimal.  ...and quite frankly, it was worth it!  I highly recommend looking for these type classes as a way to "shake things up" with your workouts.  

I also managed to drag the kids to the club on Sunday evening so that I can get a swim in.  It has been almost a YEAR since I've been in the pool and honestly, I was nervous.  It is not like riding a bike.  Breathing is well...essential and not my forte in swimming.  I struggled at first but managed to get 40 laps in with the kids cheering me on while sitting on the ledge. Yay!

I am well on my way to getting ultra baby fit with baby #4 if I keep this up!

Here's a progress picture of the barely bump at week 16...sorry for the graininess...it was dark and everyone was sleeping... :)