Tag Archives: Fitness

the Maria Kang phenonmenon

Maria-Kang1

 

I was avoiding posting about Maria Kang. I had mixed feelings.  I think we should all strive to be healthy, but what is the real meaning of healthy? All I know is that if Maria Kang could see me now, she would disapprove. Fitness is most definitely on the back burner. Last night I had a blueberry muffin for dinner. My tummy has a jiggle to it due to loose skin and weight I haven’t lost yet.

I’m not worried about it though. Right now, my main focus is to get enough sleep. I can’t function without proper sleep and my 1 year old is still not sleeping through the night. My next priority is establishing a day-to-day routine for the kids. I think that we finally have this squared away, but it took awhile to us to adjust to the new house. Both of these will establish an opportunity for workout time in the near future. Right now, when I’m alone, I just want to meditate, read a book or get extra sleep. I feel that this is necessary to establish a healthy me, just as important as getting on treadmill or picking up a kettle bell.

My eating habits need to get better. This is an area where I have slacked and  I have no excuse for this. I can take time to put together a salad instead of cramming a muffin down my throat. I have to find the will, during the middle of dinner with my kids or my “work lunch”  to eat a little bit better. Both these times have their struggles…getting my kids to eat or working at my desk. I just need to carry healthy options. I’ll feel better once I do.

Getting “fit” is really about the whole picture – making sure that you physically and emotionally prepared to take on the next challenge. I wouldn’t worry about your excuses for not looking like a fitness professional less than 1 year postpartum. I would make sure that you are emotionally ready to begin your journey into becoming a healthier you.

When do you become emotionally ready? It’s really up to you. This can start with eating right. Maybe start eating a healthy breakfast and once this has become routine, add on a healthy lunch….baby steps. Once you have established good eating habits, try to start walking daily….or 3 times a week. The point is to do what you can and to feel comfortable with it.

Good for Maria Kang for looking so great postpartum, but this isn’t the norm. Don’t let this discourage you. If this inspires you to get fit, don’t take your regime to the extreme since there is a greater likelihood for failure. Remember. Baby Steps.

Adapting to change

I haven’t posted here in a long while, mainly because I’ve been exhausted. Work has also kept me busy. Suffice to say, it’s been a life-altering time for me.

Last month, I was feeling quite good about myself. I was figuring out my body, lost approximately 7 pounds despite my inability to lose weight for a number of years. I still struggled with IBS, but I finally felt like I had control. Then I found out I was pregnant.

This didn’t take me completely by surprise. My husband and I were trying for another child. I felt I was mentally prepared for this, but I wasn’t. I went from feeling in control of my body to not having any control at all. My daily workout routine fell apart due to morning sickness and dizziness and dwindled down to nothing. Instead of losing weight, I had to feel comfortable with gaining weight. My diet also took hit, since many of the foods I had been eating started causing me to be sick. This really made me feel down, still does, but I know my hormones are running haywire.

I’m still in the early stages of pregnancy, almost 10 weeks along. In the last week, I’ve been able to walk daily for about 20 minutes. My IBS exasperates my “morning sickness,” but I’ll need to stick to my diet as best as I can to manage it. I’m happy to be pregnant, but I need to come to terms with it. I’m not fully in control anymore and that’s okay.