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?

You all are into the Chobani! Keep those entries coming. And HELLO to any new friends who came across the site. I hope you stick around for awhile. We have a good time here. 🙂

In my last “Body After Baby” post, I shared my overall goal of reaching my body’s “happy place”. Feeling physically fit and strong. Feeling healthy because of proper nutrition. Feeling confident because I know I am caring for myself in all ways.

When setting goals, often times we hear the recommendation to use the “SMART” approach: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, & Timely.

While my overall goal is very vague and measured just from my personal thoughts, I still agree with the SMART approach. Goals should be those things, especially realistic. Today, I want to share other goals I have outside of what I will strive for overall next year.

10 Extra Goals on the Path to the One Overall Goal

Complete unassisted pull-ups again. These epitomize strength in my mind.

Squat 135# (the man bar + one big plate on each side). I love, love, love squats. I could easily do this at my happy place for 3 sets of 10. It was fun getting looks from the men in the weight room!

Bench press 100#. Yet another I could easily do at one point. I would also do pushups with a 25 pound plate on my back. What can I say? I adore strength training!

Run a 5K Race. This one really excites me. I was starting to truly enjoy running before I got pregnant. It’s a fitness challenge that has always intrigued me, but I have never embraced out of fear I would stink at it. Who cares if I stink? I want to give it a shot and experience my first race!

New workouts. I would love to try out some new things. Like my first yoga class in a studio, Insanity & TurboFire DVDs, and anything else I may come across.

Stretch, yoga, foam roll OFTEN. It is so easy for me to let flexibility slide. I want to focus on it fully to help with my other fitness related goals.

Cook more and try new recipes. I would love to aim for one new recipe a week. I need to branch out and grow my cooking skills.

Less processed foods & way more veggies. I want to get back to the style of eating I know I feel best with. That includes focusing on those two factors.

More balance with food. Continuing with that idea, I don’t want to become restrictive in any sense. However, I also know I could use more of a balance with carbs, protein, and healthy fats. Also between natural foods and my “treats”. Once these pregnancy sugar cravings lose their hold on me.

Daily prayer & positive affirmation. I want to focus on loving myself. I still pray regularly for God to help me see myself through His eyes. It’s a very powerful thing to remind yourself of and I want to keep that going.

As you can see, I have things related to fitness, healthy eating, and overall emotional well-being. All three are important to me. These are not the definitive list, but just an idea of things I plan on working towards in a more specific nature. I fully believe all of these things will help bring me to the overall place I hope to achieve…and keep me feeling wonderful throughout the process.

Question of the day – What are some goals you hope to work towards?