Inertia

So I woke up this morning to the sun shining on the snow outside. It's been three days of snow days and it is always a blessing to see the beauty after the storm. I've been lucky to live in so many different types of environments in my life...

In Florida I got to experience the tremendous fury of a hurricane and what a real thunderstorm is like. We used to watch the lightening from our garage.

Japan brought the most amounts of snow you could possibly fathom in one night. And with it the Sapporo Snow festival got built and is still one of the most amazing things I've ever seen!

North Carolina had some tremendous ice storms! I woke up one morning and my car looked like an ice sculpture. This pic is from that ice storm:




And Michigan, Michigan has all sorts, but in my adult life I get to spend a snow storm inside with my baby and then go running after it's all done. This is awesome!



So I have decided to run the River Bank Run in May... today was the first day that I actually started training. I feel like God was giving me the snow days to really relax in my home - and lots got done, even the junk drawer got cleaned! So to wake up to a beautiful morning and challenge myself to actually begin the River Bank journey, was AWESOME! Running is HARD... and it takes everything in me to keep going. But I have discovered my secret word:


INERTIA


It's Newton's first and coolest law... and well I think it's true for running. Once you get going... you HAVE to keep going :) I guess as my mass decreases, my inertia should too... but I'll defy physics with that one!

A new goal!

So I have two friends that run - a lot - Theresa and Jill. I went to Theresa's 30th birthday party last Saturday where a ton of her runner friends were celebrating with her... and Jill was there too... and they were all talking about running (and other stuff, they're not crazy one topic people). And it got me to thinking - I used to run, I used to run really well. I was recruited to run cross-country at my middle school in 7th grade simply because I looked like a runner... I ran from that day on until I graduated from high school. Then I danced - and dancing was fabulous! But I don't have access to Calvin's dance studio anymore, nor do I have the youth or agility to do what I did in "those days" (When you turn 30 you can say "those days" because you are no longer in your twenties). What I do have access to is a great pair of running shoes, thank you Race for the Cure, and a winter looming large ahead of me like a blanket keeping me in doors.

So I say YES to the shoes and toss the blanket aside and say YES to the freezing cold and training through the winter - YES I will do something I've never done before! YES - here I come River Bank Run - 25K - 15.6miles, further than I've ever run in my LIFE.

Deep Intake of Breath... am I crazy? Maybe - but posting this makes it real.

155 more days.

Dance. Laugh. Move.

So I just watched Ellen as I do most days. Some days I'll watch two, cause I DVR it and I love her. She just makes me laugh and laughing is so important! I realize that if I am going to have rolls and old stretch mark scars it's not that big of a deal because I have JOY!

I did not go to work today because... well there are a couple reasons.
#1 was that Owen was coughing a lot during the night - the kind of cough that you don't want your 6 month old to be uttering ever.
#2 was because the secretary at work that takes our calls when we call in for a sub called back after I had called her cell phone and hung up (I thought it was a sign that calling in to stay at home with your baby is legit!)
#3 I wanted some q.t. with Owen

I think #3 was really the most important - I feel that sometimes I put my work before my family and I need to keep my family at the top of my priority list!

Which brings me back to JOY - Dancing has always brought me joy and I should really do it more often because it is a GREAT work out! Tonight Logan and I did just that - we danced to Shakira whom I love and it was just wonderful. Dancing with Logan was almost as good of a work out as running around the park this afternoon - that was crazy tiring. Go do that if you need a work out - play tag with a (almost) six year old!

And if you still want more joy - go to your son's six month appointment and realize that you are only 23lbs away from your goal weight... finally in the one sixties!

What next? I've been thinking about this - I need a goal like the Race for the Cure had been... any ideas?

The latest...

I haven't stopped moving! I've just been crazy busy with LIFE which is always a wonderful thing and something I am very thankful for.

Since the Race for the Cure I've been going on walks... but not running.

UNTIL I realized my next challenge is this Saturday - oh my goodness - so I went running on Monday evening, which was actually pretty wonderful. Amazing really.

Fall is so beautiful in Michigan, if you have to run through trees that literally look like they are on fire, it's breathtaking and you forget the pain of running! Plus if you have a five (almost six) year old that is pumped to go with, you are set!

So Logan and I ran out the door and ran straight for about a mile... by then we had run to a park, so he had to play. I kept moving through the park slowly while he jumped up a slide and onto a couple things, then we moved on... and then he decided we should walk through the woods in case we bumped into any monsters/animals that live there. So we walked/ran through the woods.

When we had come to our street I told Logan we should really run home - he literally threw himself on the ground in protest. So I just ran away (this works... he was up and running next to me in no time!)

When we got home he was so proud of himself, I was proud of him and I had also gotten a great run in. I don't know how Saturday will go, since my training has been shotty at best. But I am glad I have my blog to come back to and remind myself that those extra poundages will not leave until I actually MOVE ON PURPOSE!

Owen's 6 month appointment is on November 9 - that will also be the big weigh in day for me. I'm not expecting much, but under 170 would be great since it's been almost a year since I've seen one sixty ANYTHING blink in front of me.

I don't know how many of you watch the Biggest Loser - I am a huge fan - and this season I have been even more reminded that losing weight and staying in shape is a huge thing to do for yourself so that you can be their for those you love.

Here's to moving for those I love - mmmmmwa.

I did it!

This morning was the Race for the Cure. It was amazing...

There were 2054 finishers in the timed race, but at least another 2000 walking and running that were not timed. I was #1149. BUT #136 in my division (women 30-34). It was an event to say the least. I was inspired more than once, laughed at clever shirts, and kept telling myself to keep on keeping on... Even on the huge hill that loomed large in the first ten minutes of the race. Yikes!

But I kept telling myself I can run 3.1 miles if so many women can fight cancer... so I plodded on. Near the end I saw a woman start walking... she had been running, so I said, "Let's go!" and she said, "Thanks!" and started running with me... we were almost to the end, and this woman started kicking it... I told her to go ahead, she said, "Come on!" and grabbed my hand and we started bookin' it in :) It was a great feeling!

After the race was over I walked back to where I had seen Brandon and the boys cheering me on (okay, Logan was cheering for me, Owen was asleep in the baby carrier) and we walked back to find Courtney's family who were doing the walk. Then we all walked in together.

Lots of pink. Lots of pink shirts worn by survivors like Courtney's mom, Jean.

A pretty inspiring morning.

Talk about moving WITH purpose!

And for honesty's sake... my time was 34:09... that was the chip time, I don't think I actually started running until a minute after the gun went off (for those of you who have run a 5K with thousands of people starting, you know why!!) So let's say 33:09 for "feeling good's" sake!

And I am at 171lbs according to a scale I saw in the gym yesterday. Seriously? But I'm starting to look toned... and I'll take that :)

Getting Ready to Race

I've been waiting to buy new shoes because running shoes are muy $$$ if you get the good kind. BUT after walking for Sudan yesterday

(and getting a really cute t-shirt with the quote "Leave your footprint on the other side of the world" on it)

and feeling pain in my shins only 1/4 mile in, I realized I really need new shoes!

So today I went to Meijer in hopes of finding some good shoes at a decent price. I usually opt for the asics, my last shoes are asics... and the asics I tried on were nice and comfy. But there were these adidas shoes that were black and PINK and I thought - that is very appropriate for the Race for the Cure. And they just look way cool.

I got home, laced up, and ran out the door. I ran a little under 2 miles in 18 minutes... not quite a 5K, but I RAN the entire time. That is what counts. We have a 5K coming up on Halloween here in Alger Heights that I am going to run, so I am going to try that course this week before Saturday.

As I was running today, and wanting to stop, these are some of the thoughts that went through my head:

I am going to run in honor of my friend Paulette who was only recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has attacked this cancer head on in ways that I only hope I could do if faced with the same situation! Basically she rocks and if she can go through surgery and whatever comes next with a positive attitude, I can run 3.1 miles!

I am running in memory of my friend Courtney's aunt who died bravely fighting breast cancer and for her other female family members who have fought and won the battle (I need to get all their names so I can put them on my bib!)

I am running for all of those who have been affected by CANCER period... my cousin-in-law Peter died after a 5+ year fight against cancer... he was 27.

As I was thinking about what this race is for, it struck me as funny... I am also running for my boobies. Yes people - they are what have expanded and contracted in ways I never knew possible, and I never thought much of them until now. They provide my beautiful baby with much needed nutrition. This disease takes that away from many women. That was pretty flooring for me - you never know how or when you or a loved one may be affected by something unexpected like cancer.

So I can run 3.1 miles with my sandbags - they are what I am running for! These two and all the other pairs our there...

Especially those that are fighting, have fought, or will fight this disease!

Tired feet that keep on keeping on

School is officially underway. Every year my entire body has to readjust to school. My feet have to grow another layer of skin to withstand the standing for hours on end and my voice has to get used to talking... or talking LOUDLY for 8 hours a day. It's an adjustment to say the least. And in the midst of that adjustment, I am still attempting to move on purpose. Because let's face it, I do NOT want to go to Owen's 6 month well baby check up and see anything near 170 blink on that scale!!!

So since I decided to do Race for the Cure, I've been running. I had a bad case of an allergy attack on Labor Day, so I did go two days without running, but that's the longest. I've been doing the run five walk five routine.

The first two times I took the dogs.

If you need a trainer, don't go to the gym! Run with a Lab :) They are nutso... nutso in a fantasticly energetic way. The second time I went running with my two dogs a man on a bike went by and I could hear him laugh THROUGH MY NANO BLARING INTO MY EARS... that must of been a loud laugh. I think he was laughing because I was not running with my dogs, my dogs were taking me for a run... literally dragging me along. My arms may have felt it more than my legs after those runs :)

Today I ran by myself, it was nice and calm. I needed that for a Sunday run.

So, so far
thighs still touch...
pants are still tight...
a tire of "soft skin" still revolves around my waist...
and my boobs, well they will never be the same!

But I love my baby, I love my life, and I am determined to love my body!

And I'm back in the game

My title is one of my favorite quotes from "10 things I hate about you" - yes a corny cheesy teeny bopper movie that I just happen to LOVE!

But that's how I feel.

I walked almost 5 miles today. Okay, so I don't know how many miles I walked, but I know it was more than 4 because Jill and I walked back into the enclaves of the Reeds Lake neighborhoods. Those homes are just absolutely GORGEOUS! At the end of the walk I felt muy accomplished because this was AFTER two hours of grading at school.

Yes - school has begun. And I have walked up the five flights of stairs every day. I even bi-passed the option to ride the elevator with other teachers after the assembly on Thursday. Must keep on keeping on.

So if you read this... and even if there are two of you... I am back. And my new goal is to run the Race for the Cure on September 26 for my friend Paulette. She's actually an old friend of my family's who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. I just know... I know she can beat it, and if this is something I can do, then I will do that.

Gained by mistake

So the whole point of this blog was to keep me in check, to move on purpose, to get back into shape. I was so pumped about going to the doctor today for Owen's 4 month appointment to weigh myself... seriously, how many times in your life have you been pumped to weigh yourself?! So I get there and they go to weigh Owen (who is a heafty 17lb 6oz) and I step out of my flip flops (cause you know they may add a pound!) and get on the scale ready to see 165 blink before my eyes - but no...

172

Seriously? I was 170 (171 according to nurse lady) when I started this blog... and maybe I haven't worked out EVERY day, but I have worked out at least 4 times a week, which is normal and good and should do something like DENT my blubber!

But nooooooooooooooooooo.

No, instead I gain a pound or two depending on who you are talking to.

Needless to say I'm a little frustrated. Maybe I need to seriously start watching what I eat? (But how fun is that?!) I like good food and I don't eat large portions, so why do I need to count calories? That just seems way to involved for me.

So I will march on... and hope, hope, hope that the next time I step on a scale there's a 16-something. I don't even care if it's 169, as long as I leave the dang one seventies!

Another 4 miles

Jill called me again yesterday morning and I jumped at the chance to walk another 4 miles around Reeds Lake. It was fantastic. I felt so great afterward and went directly over to school where I got lots done (thanks to Owen rolling half way over and sleeping on his side! It's the cutest!)

Jill has been my friend for a long time and has some great suggestions for "moving on purpose" that I'd like to share:
When you get the milk out of the fridge, do a couple of curls with it!
When you are watching T.V. sit on the floor and do some sit ups, or curls while watching commercials.

I am going to try and implement these little bits of wisdom.

But now I am off to school to organize my life which is going to be my classroom for the next 9 months. Gotta love it!

(Oh p.s. my school has five stories, and I am on the fifth - an easy move on purpose this year? Don't use the elevator!)

The latest in movement

A while ago my husband moved his brother's weight bench into our basement with the intention of using it. It originally went into the laundry room... at that time I said, "Is this going to become a clothes hanger, or are you goint to use it?!" Brandon insisted he would use it.

It became a clothes hanger.

So a couple weeks ago I asked him to move it into the finished part of the basement. Maybe if we saw it regularly we would be inspired to use it. This past week I finally had him show me how the leg press part of the machine worked and I officially began using the weight bench! I don't know how many leg lifts and pull ups to do to make me "feel it" but I don't want to overwork it either and end up incabable of walking. So I've been doing a couple reps of 15. Woohoo!

I've also added some more sit ups to my daily routine. These are done at random parts of the day when I find I have 10 minutes or I am already on the floor.

The other day I was weeding in the garden and decided that counts as moving on purpose, because some weeds require some crazy amounts of strength to remove!

I've also gone on a couple of walks.

Nothing crazy like biking to school... but I'm planning on doing something like that again soon!

This Wednesday Owen has his 4 month appointment - I'm curious to see how much I weight. I will report it here. Until then, move on purpose!

Moving out the door!

Today we brought the CRV in to see what is wrong with it... well I knew there would be lots of things. I haven't had the car fixed in a while. Needless to say we have a big bill to pay for our car getting repaired, but it's less than buying another car, so keep on truckin' Curvy! (She's 12 years old!)

So I was stuck at home, literally, with my two boys. I was so tired too from the long trip up north still, but kept working around the house getting stuff done. At one point I noticed some kind of animal leg on the deck and glanced around looking for the body it must have been ripped from. Sure enough a furry pile resembling a racoon sat in the grass by the deck. This is animal number ?? that my dog Rocket has killed... numerous squirrels, a groundhog, and now a racoon. I don't know why rodents would even set foot in our backyard.

I waited until Brandon came home to remove the pungent smell from the backyard. He did just that and then took a shower and a nap with Owen. Logan was just itchin' to do something active so we filled up the sandbox with water (obviously there is no sand in the box) and bubbles and had a splashing fabulous time getting just soaked out on the deck. But then I was even more tired... so we went inside and I attempted a nap. Owen would not nap and just kept fussing and Logan would not go downstairs and just PLAY by himself for even five minutes. Brandon was working on this glass etching project for his friend's wedding so he had his hands full... but I just couldn't take it. I needed to get out of the house.

At 5:20pm I decided to bike to school. I live about six miles from my school and desperately needed to start getting my classroom into order. I chucked a frozen thing of milk on the counter and said, "I'm biking to school!" Brandon seemed to understand and said, "Okay!" and Logan cried about how he was going to miss me. The kid is such a sap, you gotta love him.

I got on my bike and awwwwwwwwwwww. It was such a nice release. I felt the burn in my legs and the wind on my face. I loved it! And every time I get on that bike I think of Australia and how I biked nearly 800 miles in 2 weeks there! I remind myself of the in shape fab girl I once was and try to ignore the sand bags bouncing over every bump!

I stayed at school for a solid hour organizing my room a bit and felt accomplished and biked home. I felt so happy when I got home. I think Owen even got cuter - and Brandon was making dinner.

Sometimes exercise saves your sanity!

Digging in on the Dunes

I went to Mackinaw City this weekend with my family for my father in law's 50th birthday. It was so fun! And I moved on purpose!

I climbed a dune! It was incredibly tough and my calves are still feeling it :)

I walked around the Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park with Logan and Brandon (and Owen too in a stroller). Logan and I walked up a tower!

I biked a bit - not too much, but it was nice to bike around the park.

Overall - lots of activity. I took a break today, because walking up the stairs still hurts!!!

School starts in a couple weeks, I can't believe it. I can't believe I don't fit into all my work pants yet! WHAT?! 9 months on 4 months off --- right? Just kidding! I am all about the 9 months on 9 months off... give me some time baby. I can do this!

Friends can make you move!

So yesterday I did some sit-ups - that's it. It wasn't a great day for moving on purpose. I did make a photo album on Snapfish of our trip to Florida! Here's a favorite...

But today my friend Jill called to see if I wanted to walk tomorrow morning around Reeds Lake and reminded me of moving on purpose - and I decided I would. Later. Then I went and stained the new stairs my husband installed to our basement. They look great! I thought, "Wow, I am all sticky and did a lot of work! Does this count?" A few minutes later my friend Theresa called to see if I wanted to walk now.

At this moment I wondered if these two friends of mine from different walks of life who happen to be in the same running group were conspiring together to be mentioned in my blog :)

Really what I thought was that friends ROCK. Another thing I don't lack is the ability to drop everything when a friend calls to do something. Sometimes this is a great trait. Other times I need to really ponder whatever I should be doing at that moment.

But at the moment Theresa called I wasn't doing much. Brandon was napping with Owen. I pumped (that great invention) and got ready to go on a walk. It was a GREAT 2 mile walk. We chatted and walked at a fabulous pace that made me sweat. Sometimes I think of Matthew McConaughey and how he says that you shouldn't go through a day without sweating. You shouldn't go through a day without thinking of Matthew McConaughey either!

Tomorrow morning at 8:30am I am going to walk with Jill around Reeds Lake - about 4 miles. I think Lunges and Laundry are scheduled for later this week!

Back from Vacation... thoughts and movement :)

So I got inspired to move on purpose about three days before I left for Florida for some relaxation and reunioning with family... Needless to say my purposeful movement was not as much as I had hoped.

I walked through all the airports and never once set foot on a moving walkway. However, I did enjoy watching Logan run on them.

I swam laps in the pool when I went swimming - which wasn't THAT much, but hey it was movement!

I walked a LOT on our trip to the Keys... so that is good.

What did happen on my trip to Florida is that a lot of pictures were taken of me... all of them reminded me of what I really look like as opposed to the glossy magazine image I have of myself. Let me reflect a little bit on THAT... I do not have a lack of self esteem - I never have. Ask anyone I know. That doesn't mean that I think I am drop dead gorgeous all the time - or any of the time really. I've just always thought I'm an okay looking girl with okay assetts and not much to complain about. When I see pics that show how I really look it kind of stings a bit. It's like I am a thin woman caught in a bloated body... cause when I see what I look like, I think that I look bloated more than overweight. I feel like I want to take a pin and pop me.

This whole journey is kind of new to me. I've never been overweight, nor had to work at controlling my weight. All of a sudden I have to work for this!

So I went out just now and ran a mile.

Moved on purpose again!

There was something joyful about running today. I kept thinking about how I had to work at this, and how happy I will be when I look at pics of me down the road and get to compare and see results... I've never done that before. Basically I have a lot more respect for those in this world that have lost weight when they needed to, than those that have never had to work at it. You inspire me to do the same...

Yasmin in particular is someone I thought of today. She's a mom of two - cooks vegan meals - knits - makes healthy lunches for her kids - goes to sporting events - works a full time job - and this past year... did a triathalon. In the process she's been losing weight on purpose - you rock my world Yasmin!



She also happens to be my friend since third grade - check us out! (We're the ones standing)

Walking by the moving walkways

So lunges and laundry work - very effectively. So effectively that I could hardly walk through the airport yesterday for our trip to Florida. In fact getting into the sitting position was an ordeal. I'd have to brace myself like an old lady each time!

I must say that this really excited me. (Not the old lady bit, but the fact that my muscles burned from being used!!) I've always been one of those people that thinks you have to put aside a half hour of time to exercise, and do only that. That's crazy! Why don't they start exercise shows featuring moms doing their "mom things" and working out?

So my "move on purpose" activity for my travel day was not taking the moving walk ways in the Atlanta airport. If you've been to the Atlanta airport, you would know that this is a good idea if you want to get a nice walk in. Logan, of course, used the moving walk ways to speed by us. I kind of wondered if he was annoying those travellers that he was running by, but he was having fun. I decided that his cuteness factor could buy him a couple points in their tolerating graces.

On a personal note:
Before we left I cut Logan's hair into a cool mohawk - it is darling! He was also complimented on how well behaved he was on the plane. And I must agree. There were three teenagers behind us that were much more annoying and immature than my five year old!

And I only packed two diapers in our carry on... This was not darling. Owen's diaper proceeded to leak about 20 minutes outside of Fort Lauderdale. Brandon had found maxi pads in the airplane bathroom... we lined Owen's diaper with that until we landed. (While I was lining my son's onesie with maxi pads I started convulsing into uncontrollable laughter. I had baby poo on my pants and shirt, but I couldn't stop laughing... what mom forgets diapers on a full day trip?!) He was all smiles through the entire ordeal.

I've got great kids!

Moving squat...

Owen and I are both just a tad on the congested nose/coughing side of health right now. It's not fun feeling like your sinuses could at any moment cause serious brain damage because the pressure is so big... I took some medicine this morning, and drank coffee... and thought about how the heck I would move on purpose today.

So tomorrow I leave for Florida to visit my family, including my new nephew, I am very pumped. Needless to say today needed to be a packing/cleaning day. (It's 4:30pm, bags are still not packed.) My friend called around 10:30am and asked if I would be up for going to Millenium Park Beach today (not Chicago... I wish! It's a local park with a beach on a lake). I said that maybe this was the incentive to get stuff done today. So I started laundry and organized all Owen's clothes... Then got the two of us ready for the beach. On the way to the beach I decided I would swim when I got there for my movement of the day.

I pulled up to the round-a-bout thingy hoping that Theresa would be standing there ready to grab Owen, so I pulled his carrier out, and my bag and then a cop pulled up in his golf cart and I was all worried because it said, "No loading or unloading" right where I was parked. So after unloading Owen and my bag, I loaded both back in the car and sped away to the parking lot. This made it necessary for me to carry my bag and Owen in his carrier all the way to the park... Most mom's are saying, "Why didn't you have the stroller?" and at the time I was thinking the same thing. Then I began to feel the burning in my arms and realized I was exercising without even realizing it! SO, keep that in mind the next time you go to the grocery store, carry the carrier into the store instead of grabbing a cart in the cart corral... it will make you feel accomplished!

So when I made it to the entrance, my dear friend Theresa was there with $3 cash for me to get in (thanks Theresa!) and she took my beach bag... but I still lugged the infant carrier with sleeping Owen down to the beach. Which by the way is very nice! BUT you may not swim past the knee high area... so much for my laps.

So Owen napped for an hour in his car seat while I chit chatted and then drove home. An hour in the sun can make you feel like sleeping all day. But I still felt like I had to do something to blog about. This blog thing really works to keep you in check!

Since we are leaving for Florida tomorrow and I need to do loads of laundry, I went downstairs to fold laundry and began doing lunges while folding - voila! Exercise! Real exercise while I work. As soon as I began to feel the "burn" so to speak, I realized that it is possible to fit in bits of exercise here and there! In my mind I picture Jillian from Big Fat Loser (a.k.a. Biggest Loser) yelling at me so I keep pushing through the burn.

Note: Even mental images of Jillian yelling at you work for motivation!

I have also spent a lot of time on the floor of the nursery today playing with Owen who will not take an afternoon nap. While there I did some sit-ups too... thought I'd throw those in as well. I don't think I looked quite like the magazine women who do this next to there babies, but it was an attempt.

Theresa suggested I write about what I am eating too... I guess that may have something to do with losing weight as well! I've never been a fan of diets, I think I am more of a fan of being conscious of what you eat, and making sure there is some healthy stuff in there!!! So here's what I've had so far - an organic pop-tart for breakfast with coffee, a chicken sandwich with lettuce and light mayo (made from dinner leftovers) and an apple for lunch with grape juice, another pop-tart for a snack... and I am thinking frozen pizza for dinner! Something easy - if it changes, I'll let you know.

Owen's clothes will be finished soon, so I have another set of lunges to attend to!

Starting to move...

I went to the doctor on Monday because I felt terribly sick and was worried that little Owen may become sick too, so of course they took my blood pressure and weighed me.

The scale blinked between 170 and 171 and the nurse said, "One seventy one" and wrote it down. I don't know if she doesn't feel like most women do about weight, but come on lady, it was blinking between the two numbers, give me that pound!

So I am going to start at 170... I am 170lbs, with a current BMI of 25. I am squishy.

My goal is to be 145lbs, with a BMI of 21. I would like to be tone.

This is my simple goal - to shed 25lbs and be less squishy.

Yesterday I swam across the lake at my inlaws house. I was tired at the end of that! But I had moved on purpose and that's my goal.

Afterward I took Owen on a walk to my friend's house a mile away. So that's two miles of walking under my belt.

This morning I got up, pumped (pumping is one of the weirdest things to do for a new mom... love the invention, hate the concept... it makes you feel sort of like a cow, which is the very animal you do not want to be associated with after giving birth) fed Owen, put him under his gym thingy, walked back in the bedroom and told Brandon (my husband) I was going to go for a run. Who knows what inspired this insane idea, but it was on this run that I was inspired to blog, so maybe it was a good thing.

I knew I wouldn't be out for long, I knew I'd be home before Brandon had to leave for work, because let's face it, I haven't run in over a year probably, and I was about to use muscles that had gone into hibernation.

I got my old running shoes on (I haven't felt the need to buy new ones yet, because I wonder if I will really keep running... I know that you need good running shoes to run well... I ran cross country for 7 years and coached it for 3... but they are expensive!) squeezed an old sports bra over my nursing tank... My boobs are huge (let's be honest) and I am not used to running with huge boobs, so I had to contain them. I also squeezed into some spandex to put under my shorts... to prevent chaffing. Because you know that's going to happen with the gorgeous thighs pregnancy gifted me with!

And then I walked out the door and just started running. Oh my goodness. I felt so weird. I was moving at a snail's pace, but kept telling myself that you have to start somewhere. I ran around the block. Maybe a little over a half mile. I stopped once to walk and catch my breath and then continued on. It wasn't much. I was gone for all of 10 minutes, but I moved on purpose!

And so my journey begins...

Why I am blogging

So the reason I began this blog is to catalog what I do on a daily basis to shed that pregnancy poundage. I am not a crazy exerciser,
I enjoy

• playing with my three month old
• reading
• walking the dogs (okay, I don't walk them, my hubby does, but we walk together)
• playing with my five year old (stepson... whom I will simply refer to as mine from now on... his name is Logan, I've known him since he was 2 1/2 and I love him to death!)
• going on facebook
• watching t.v.
• planning for next year (I am a teacher)
• cleaning my house (yes I like doing this, it's somehow a stress reliever for me!)

I believe I am normal and in being normal I wanted to speak out for the rest of us. The women after pegnancy that don't get into those cute exercise outfits and work out with their baby laying next to them like some of the magazines show. Are you serious?!

So this is a journey of a real woman... who really wants to get back to her normal size, but do it in a way that doesn't make me superwoman. I just want to feel like superwoman, and be me.

Before I began to move...

I am currently reading Julie and Julia and was inspired to start blogging in order to motivate myself.

Owen Seth Gasper was born three months ago on April 26. He is a new joy in our lives and I didn't know I could love such a little being so much.

I also didn't know that being pregnant would allow my body to expand (not contract) in ways I had never imagined.

Now you must know something... I am almost 5'9" - I like to say "Five Nine" when people ask how tall I am... it implies that I am tall and slender. There's something so beautiful about the number "9" don't you think? ANYWAY, before I was pregnant I was 5'9" and 145 lbs... at one time. I think that the real weight that I carried around was 153 when I got pregnant, and since I am writing this blog to keep myself honest, let's start there! I don't own a scale, so I honestly don't know, but I have that number filed away in my brain somewhere, so I think that's it.

So my BMI before I was pregnant was somewhere around 23. 23 is good, average, normal. There's something comforting about being that person. You just fit in.

I must rewind and tell you that during my first few months of pregnancy, I gained weight at a normal pace... a few pounds here, a few there, a beautiful baby boy was growing inside me and I was eating normally... maybe a few extra things here and there (let's be honest) but nothing insane.

Then all of a sudden the third trimester came and POW weight was attracted to me like bees to honey. I read in a book (one of the many that sat on my nightstand that I would go to for comfort but rarely find any when it came to my third trimester of pregnancy) that in the last month of pregnancy most women do not gain weight or sometimes LOSE it! WHAT?!?! During my last month of pregnancy I gained 3 or 4 lbs a week. No joke. It was unbelievable, I was like a balloon. That's about 12 extra pounds that the normal woman does not gain.

So let's start there. Let's start on the last day of my pregnancy, which happened to be my 30th birthday. I had notions in my head for much of my twenties, that my 30th birthday was going to be a BIG BASH. All my friends would come over, we'd toast my twenties and welcome my thirties. There would be dancing and talking and eating... there was eating.



What actually happened on my 30th birthday was that my wonderful husband and stepson made me a three layer yellow chocolate cake. (For those of you that know me and know my aversion to cake, yellow chocolate cake is the only cake I eat, and it is delicious!) I waddled my 205lb self (yes that was the last weight taken of me before Owen was pushed into this world!) around the house. My grandparents and aunt and uncle came over and sang happy birthday to me, which, if you know my mom's side of the family, is quite a treat because it's harmonized. And my grandpa ended it with "hip hip hooray!" which is another family tradition. It was a great day, not the day I imagined, but wonderful none the less. Little did I know that the next day I would shed 20lbs... 8lb 11oz of that would be Owen. He was a gorgeous new born... I know I am biased, but I am also honest, and some newborns are down right weird looking. Owen was not, I don't know how I got lucky in that arena!








So on April 26, 2009 a new journey began for me I became a mom to a newborn... and a woman with a BMI of 27 - which is definitely in the overweight category. It was a new beginning.