I hope I’m not flooding you with too many “Body After Baby” posts right now. I know I just posted My Food Plan a couple days ago. I’ve tried to keep it to once a week, but wanted to go ahead and cover the Fitness Plan portion. That’s what I feel like discussing this morning, so I hope you’re cool with that. If not, watch out. I didn’t sleep at all last night thanks to false labor and may be a little cranky. I also may seriously be considering choosing the “labor inducing” eggplant parmesan over my sanity. And I hope you read the above paragraph with some sarcasm…except for the whole eggplant lasagna thing. I’m not kidding about that part after last night.

Let me let you in on a little secret. Once Baby B pops out it honestly won’t take long to get back to pre-pregnancy weight or close to it. My fitness level and shape, however, will have drastically changed. Yet another reason I choose not to use a scale – it doesn’t give the whole picture. I have numerous fitness goals I desire to achieve after baby B arrives. I don’t have a set goal on timing, as I won’t know my body’s fitness level until I get back into workouts. That doesn’t mean I can’t go in with a plan. So, here’s part of what you can expect to see fitness-wise in the (hopefully very near) future on Faith Fitness Fun.

Part 1 - Gradual Increase In Intensity

I firmly believe that if you dive in and try to do too much, too fast, then your body will burn out. Your motivation will decline. You won’t manage to stay consistent and consistency matters in achieving goals. I will take things step by step.

1. Take full rest after Braedon is born until I feel my body is ready for light activity again. This took about 2 weeks after Makenzie, but could vary this time.

2. Begin very light workouts up until my 6 week post-delivery check up. This includes things like short walks or extremely light weights, such as the videos I did to get used to weights again after Makenzie. We’re talking simple here. Fortunately I have midwives/doctors that believe in trusting your body post-baby and feel comfortable with beginning some light activity before the 6 week post-partum mark. No matter what though, you can trust I will listen to my body!

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3. At the 6 week point, I will start monthly workout rotations and plans that get gradually more challenging as each month passes. In general, this will take the form of increasing the length or intensity of cardio, like moving to running over time or getting back to spin classes more often. It will also include weight workouts that go from beginner style plans a couple days a week to more detailed strength training up to 4 days a week. Part 2 will explain in more detail the variety of things I plan on doing and how I will incorporate them into a cohesive plan.

4. More avidly pursue my specific goals – such as races, completing pull-ups, increasing the weight I can lift to previous fitness levels, etc.

Stay tuned for Part 2! Like I mentioned above, I will share a bit more detail on what types of workouts I want to incorporate again. I will also let you in on some ideas I have for the blog related to my fitness and workouts. Now, wish me luck as I have a busy day ahead – including a checkup at the doctor.

Question of the Day – How soon would you like to see Part 2? What ways do you gradually increase the intensity level of your workouts? Or how do you plan to do so this year?

Morning my pals! Time for another Body After Baby post! Currently this series catalogues my plans and ideas for getting back in shape once baby B makes it outside of my apparently-super-cozy belly. I have already shared goals and how I plan to track progress. Now, it’s time to share a little more specifically how I plan to reach those goals. I warned you all yesterday, in my Blog Changes post, that I would discuss food and fitness a bit more often. Here is a glimpse into what to expect with the food. The fitness section is coming soon, as I don’t want to overload this post with too much content.

The Food

My biggest goal is to get back to my roots – back to my normal preferred eating style. In the year or so before getting pregnant with Braedon, I had found a balance of eating that suited me perfectly. I ate a variety of wholesome, quality, nutritious foods that gave me energy and that I enjoyed. I never felt deprived and could easily dine on some of my not-so-healthy favorites without concern. I didn’t go overboard one way or the other – not too restrictive and obsessive over what I put in my body, but not a free-for-all either where I didn’t care for my health.

The balance easily fit the 80/20 “rule” of choosing the nutritionally dense foods 80% of the time and “treats” or “indulgences” the other 20%. I don’t care to classify food that way, but in reality that’s what it ended up looking like. I ate in a manner that fit my tastes, lifestyles, love of feeling healthy…and naturally came to that 80/20 place.

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I raise my hand in admission that, while I certainly do my best and focus on having balance in my nutrition, I currently do not eat in a manner I feel comfortable with for long-term health. I know my intense pregnancy sugar cravings will not bode well when hoping to achieve balance and a greater sense of health. I must make changes. I plan to do so in the following ways:

• Cook one new recipe each week that includes quality ingredients – lots of veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, etc. – and share it on the blog.
• Balance treats more. I refuse to give up treats, because I know my sweet tooth won’t disappear. However, I can find more balance between natural goodies (fruit, yogurt, etc) and the cookies/chocolate.
• Plan meal & snack ideas for the week. I do this anyways, but I want to plan more variety…like new breakfasts and lunches each week. I know I can get in ruts where I eat the same thing over and over and over for months.

• Post about my food. I won’t eat something simply for the sake of the blog, but I do know sharing more regularly can help hold me accountable to my goal of establishing better habits for myself. I won’t post my eats every day, but look for me to share recipes and possibly do a weekly post series that catalogues my regular day’s eats. Other random fun/delicious foods will appear in the mix too.
• Make room for veggies & fruit. I love fresh produce. I certainly want to incorporate more – especially veggies! I like them! Why am I not eating them more? That doesn’t mean I will start eating bowls for lunch and dinner every day like it seems some bloggers like to do…but carrot slices with hummus at lunch, for example, can certainly make a reappearance more often.

• LOOSELY keep track of food/calories. Okay, this one may come as a shocker to many of you who know me. I refuse to use a scale. I don’t like numbers for tracking my “weight loss” progress. So WHY would I even consider thinking about calories? Well, even though I won’t rely on a scale to tell me my progress, I WILL be trying to lose weight. I will also (hopefully) be breastfeeding in the process. I will need to find a balance of food intake that suits both of those processes.

I won’t track every morsel that crosses my lips by using a tracking program. I won’t hold off on eating something when hungry because it doesn’t “fit into my daily calories”. I won’t shoot for processed or packaged items for their lower calorie content. I will, however, loosely determine how many I’m eating here and there just for a general reference. I want to be sure I’m eating enough for breastfeeding, but not going overboard in portions or choices to where I hinder my personal goals either.

It will be more of a broad tally in my head some days (not every day) to check in with myself. And if it ever feels obsessive or like its leading me down a restrictive path, I will stop. Loosely tracking food worked well for me when losing weight after Makenzie, so I plan to try the same this time. I don’t think counting is bad as long as you can still listen to your body and appropriately feed yourself. I also won’t continue the practice once I reach my goal and enter maintenance.

I know I want to accomplish the above with my dining. Some other things may come up as I go along. Eating healthy should be fun. It may take some time, but I have faith I will work back to a place that I enjoy and that improves my quality of life.

Question of the Day – What things do you strive for in your eating?