20 Weeks PP

It's hard to believe it has already been 20 weeks. This marks the halfway point of my 40-week blog! I am kicking myself right now for not managing to finish Insanity in the original timeline, because then I would be DONE! But after a busy work week, I have a chance to get it done once and for all! With only five pounds left to lose, I'm excited about doing some major toning during the second half of this blog's short life. Something really, really cool has happened since I have been gaining muscle in my back and shoulders: I no longer have excruciating middle back pain after a couple orchestra rehearsals! I used to have to go to a chiropractor weekly when I was playing nine shows/week because it got so bad. That was in 2009. My chiropractor's advice to me was "lift weights and eat red meat." Well I didn't do much of either, but lately the Insanity workout has given me more strength than I have ever had in my life and after over 14 hours of playing in a 4-day span, my back feels just fine, so that was a truly unexpected positive. Other than that, I don't have much else to report. Hopefully it will be a delightful, sweat-filled week.


Total weight gained: 46 lbs
Weight lost: 41 lbs
Weight left to lose: 5 lbs
Fat %: 22.7
Muscle %: 38.5

Get Fit Challenge Ends!

You may remember that I posted about the Stroller Strong Moms Get Fit 2013 Challenge back in January:

http://theunbabyblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/10-weeks-pp.html?m=0

Well it just finished and I am happy with the results! After ten weeks, I lost 11 lbs and 5% body fat. This makes me happy, considering I made no dietary changes whatsoever and got quite a bit more muscle tone in the process.

In the fitness evaluation, I am happy to say I improved in ALL AREAS!

January stats:

Shuttle Sprint: 42 seconds
Step-ups: 115 in 2 minutes
Half mile run: 4 minutes
Push-Ups: 16 in 1 minute
Timed Plank: 2 minutes

March stats:

Shuttle Sprint: 37 seconds
Step-ups: 139 in 2 minutes
Half mile run: 3 min 32 sec
Push-Ups: 40 in 1 minute
Timed Plank: 2 min 30 sec

According to the fitness experts, I would be at an ideal BMI if I lose just ONE more pound of fat! Of course, being insane as I admit that I am, I would like to lose about 15 more lbs. I don't want to be underweight, but I'd like to be as low as possible on the healthy spectrum. That's all. :)

So many ladies did an AWESOME job in these 10 weeks and I am beyond grateful to be constantly surrounded by others with the same motivation to be healthy and happy.

19 Weeks PP

This week...FAIL. Workout-wise. Ok, so all those times I said "at least no matter what happens, I will be done with Insanity on March 31!"...yeah. Not gonna happen. This week kicked my ASS. I barely did Insanity. I think I went to one Stroller Strong Moms class. But I'm trying to not be so hard on myself because this week was crazy. I had an audition recently, so I had to prioritize practicing and miss some workouts. For whatever reason, my kids woke up a lot during the nights this week and I barely got any sleep and felt like a zombie most days. I had a ton of headaches. I didn't eat well. I had family visiting. I got a new student. Usually one or two of these things is manageable but when they all happen simultaneously, I have no hope. I am happy that last weekend was my first 5k and today I did Mud Mania, which was another 5k but with over 20 obstacles and a LOT of fun. So I did work out a little. Ugh. But back to Insanity...unless I do double workouts every single day, it won't happen. So I am doing something I don't want to do: extending one week. I'm just going to pick back up and finish it. In good news, despite my failures this week, I have lost all but 6 lbs of my pregnancy weight!!! When I see pictures of myself, I still get disgusted though, which is why I think I want to lose another 10 after that. But one thing at a time. In the meantime...it's a new week. Time to try again.

Total weight gained: 46 lbs
Weight lost: 39.8 lbs
Weight left to lose: 6.2 lbs
Fat %: 23.1
Muscle %: 38.3

18 Weeks PP

Another pound lost, nearly 8 to go. This week I was very, very tired. As a result, I am behind a couple Insanity workouts, which I will double up on this week. No matter what happens, I WILL finish all of it by the deadline of March 31!!! Just two weeks to go! I am already starting to fantasize about what workouts I will do when Insanity is over! A lot more Stroller Strong Moms, a lot more running, and a lot more gym classes! A few really cool things happened this week though. I finally got a double jogging stroller (a BOB Ironman- one of the best!!!) and although I have only used it once, it is absolutely amazing! I feel so free pushing that thing compared to what I had before. So that makes life easier. I even got a nifty weather guard for it in case it is cold or rainy, so the kids will stay comfortable and I will have NO EXCUSES! Ok, the second cool thing that happened is that I ran my first 5K race ever today! It was to raise money for research to find a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. I know a family who has two very sweet little girls with this disease and I ran for them. It simply needs a cure.
It was a hilly course, but I managed to run the whole thing and finish in 26:15. My ultimate goal is to finish a 5K in 20 minutes, so as soon as Insanity is over, speed and endurance will be my new goals. I don't know how long it will take me, but I know I can do it.
And the final cool thing that happened is that I can now fit into my pre-pregnancy pants! Last week I couldn't, this week I can! It's such a good feeling. Sometimes it feels like your hips will just never be small enough again. Like, the bone structure has changed. Luckily, after both kids I am back into my old pants and I don't have to buy a bunch of new clothes! So this is definitely a milestone and it significantly increases the amount of clothes I can wear each week. In the meantime, this week will be much of the same (hopefully less tired) and I look forward to doing Mud Mania next Saturday!

Total weight gained: 46 lbs
Weight lost: 38.2 lbs
Weight left to lose: 7.8 lbs
Fat %: 23.7
Muscle %: 38.4

17 Weeks PP

This week was rough due to sickness and my inability to do anything except for Insanity (and some spinning), but it was also the first week of Insanity's Month 2, which makes Month 1 seem like taking a bubble bath. Motivation continues to be challenging when you know that you will be in extreme discomfort for about an hour each day. Imagine that it is -50 F outside and you have to take all your clothes off and run around the block for an hour. Not only are you embarrassed if anyone sees you, but you spend a good 10 min staring out the window to try to talk yourself into it and convince yourself you will not die. This is how I feel every morning before I do Insanity. Only 3 weeks remain though, and I WILL DO IT! The program is actually designed very well. It pushes you hard, but the warm-ups, cool-downs, and stretches are what make it possible to do every day. My muscles have been sore constantly since Day 1, but not injured. After this, my workout routine will include a lot more rest time, but I'll be damned if I don't get my money's worth and at least see what it's like to do it as it was meant to be done! It's only 9 [terrible] weeks, after all. I can see the fat melting before my eyes and muscles are toning. The place that takes the longest is the belly. After all, it is where I hosted a baby for 9 months and I didn't really exercise that area during that time. I had given up doing the Ab Wheel exercises a few weeks ago because I felt like I was doing too much. Well, for fun (ha!) I did it last night and I woke up this morning with noticeably more toned abs than I had yesterday! Needless to say, the Ab Wheel has been reinstated into my routine.
I have been thinking again about how long I will write this blog, and I have decided to end it at 40 weeks Post-Partum. After all, that's how long I was pregnant, so I think the only way I can legitimately call it an "Un-Baby Blog" is by keeping the same timeline for getting "un-pregnant". I am going to see just how badass I can make my body by that point, which is August 17. I see no reason to keep a blog after that because I am by no means a fitness expert.


Total weight gained: 46 lbs
Weight lost: 37.2 lbs
Weight left to lose: 8.8 lbs
Fat %: 23.8
Muscle %: 38.4

Is There Anything I WON'T Do?

I am a pretty motivated person. If I believe in something, I will make it happen. There is no "I hope I lose my pregnancy weight" or "I hope I can wear a 2-piece again." I mean, those things are going to happen and I have no doubt in my mind. But at what cost? There are a million diet and exercise plans out there and I'm willing to bet that they ALL provide results because you are doing something. And something is always better than nothing. I really feel like this is a very, very personal thing. So while I am determined to shed the last 10 lbs and end up with an awesomely sexy, toned body afterwards, there is one thing I won't do. I refuse to give up ANY food. Luckily, it is not a weakness of mine to overeat. Sometimes I crave a bloody steak. Sometimes I need a burger from Wendy's. I don't drink much soda, but if I am craving a Coke, I am definitely going to drink one. I eat a LOT of chocolate. No, never all at once, but little pieces throughout the day. I will put whole milk in my mocha, eat full-fat cheese, and cook with butter because it tastes better. If I die 10 years before you, let me tell you right now, IT WAS WORTH IT! I also crave salads, fruits, and vegetables so it's not all bad. Do I believe I can accomplish my lofty goals with this kind of culinary hedonism? Damn right I can and will. I grew up in a home without soda and we had Wheaties, Cheerios, and oatmeal for breakfast. If there were sweets, they were usually locked in a drawer in my parents' room OR they were some kind of disgusting vanilla sandwich cookie rip-off name brand that my brothers and I only turned to in desperation when the baking chocolate chips were gone. I admire their ability to keep our home healthy, but there was a constant feeling of junk food deprivation. Frequently, my brother and I would anxiously await our allowance money so we could go spend it on candy and eat it is quickly as possible before anyone could take it away. We were healthy, but I am pretty sure I will never deprive myself of anything ever again. Because the funny thing about eating a lot of junk (at least for me) is that I start to crave healthy food. Basically, I want it all. The healthy stuff and the crappy stuff. And I exercise enough to do that. Like I said, it's all very personal. I'm going to have some chocolate now.

16 Weeks PP

Another week has flown by and I am now TEN pounds away from my pre-pregnancy weight! I think it took me over six months to get to this point after I had Ashton, so I am happy! I have had some trouble with motivation this week though. It is hard to want to do Insanity EVER. I have tried doing it around 7am before my Stroller Strong Moms class. I have tried doing it around noon after. I have tried doing it before dinner and after dinner. Basically, I just never want to do it. Because I hate to give up (I'm pretty stubborn that way), I have decided to think of it as a virus that has to run its course. So, in 30 days I will be Insanity-free FOREVER! But until then, each day continues to be a challenge. I am now taking a friend's advice to try it barefoot, and it is actually EASIER on my joints, believe it or not. So that makes it easier to tolerate. One more time slot in the day remains for me to try, and that is around 5am. There is a spin class a couple days a week at 5:30 that I want to take and the other days I want to see if I can do Insanity then to get it over with. I'm usually awake then anyway, so we will see how that goes this week!
In the meantime, while I am not at all happy with my body yet, it is certainly shrinking and constantly reminds me of that scene in one of my favorite movies, Death Becomes Her, where Meryl Streep's character drinks the eternal life potion and her body instantly transforms and tightens into a younger version of herself, as demonstrated in this awesome clip:

http://youtu.be/fC8FQ6wxWdI

I feel like that is exactly what is happening to me, just at a much slower pace!

Total weight gained: 46 lbs
Weight lost: 36lbs
Weight left to lose: 10 lbs
Fat %: 24.2
Muscle %: 38.5