Cinnamon chips and Fruit salsa!

This Recipe counts as:
1 yellow, 1 purple, 1 tsp (oils), and 2 tsps (coffee section)

Can I just say?  SOO yummy!  I got the basic recipe off the internet and added my own twist and oh my heavens it is seriously delicious! I like to double it and save half of it for the next day. 

WARNING: If your husband is anything like mine, you will need to make a bigger helping.  He said it sounded too healthy for him so he wouldn't like it, but then once it was made and he tried it he ate a TON.  I also think it would be yummy to warm the fruit up a bit next time so I fool myself into thinking its some sort of cobbler.

Ingredients

1 6inch whole wheat tortilla shell

1/2 small apple**

1/2 purple container of frozen strawberries (partially thawed) **

1 tsp of coconut oil

2 tsps of raw sugar (coffee section, max amount for day)

Cinnamon to taste (Free)

Lemon juice to taste (Free)

 

** You can honestly use whatever fruit you find delicious that day!  

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2.  Melt coconut oil in small dish in microwave. Only takes a few seconds!
3. Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small container. I used the yellow container and it worked well!
4. Take the tortilla shell and put it on a cutting board. Brush some of the coconut oil onto the tortilla shell until it has a slight coating over the whole shell. Then sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar mixture over the tortilla shell. 
5. Cut the tortilla into small triangles (chips), and then place on a baking sheet.  I use foil on the baking sheet because it is less cleaning!
6. Place in the oven for 6 to 8 minutes or until crispy.
7. While the chips are baking take your partially thawed strawberries and blend them and also dice up your apple into small pieces. Put the diced apples and blended strawberries into a small bowl. Sprinkle over your last teaspoon of sugar and mix. Add Lemon juice to taste. Put the bowl to the side
8. Once the chips are done, let them cool and then enjoy!

Week 2- how did I do?

Tuesday: The start of this week was rough.  I get pretty nervous about my little guy inside my belly.  I hope that he gets the nutrients that he needs to grow healthy and nice and big.  I mean, not huge.  But a solid 7 lbs would be wonderful!  So I have been eating healthier, but under doctor's order, I can't be doing the diet full time, and I need to have at least one more (healthy) fatty meal a day.   So I typically choose one meal a day to indulge.  This being said, I'm not having ice cream or anything.  I am having like a big bowl of cereal for breakfast, but even then keeping it to cereal that is healthier, like Honey Bunches of Oats or Mini Wheats is what I have been doing.  So far it has worked out well!

Wednesday:  Today was a pretty great day as well!  I am learning better ways to get myself going each day.  Baby has been waking up earlier, around 8:30 now.  I actually really like that!  I am able to get up, make us some breakfast, and then she is happy and I can get going on my house chores for the day.  Then I can play with my little sweetheart and put her down for her nap.  Her nap time is my chill time.  I just use it to relax. Then when she wakes up we get eat again, cuddle, and when she is ready to play again, its time for the work out!  She doesn't love every second of it, but most of the time she is standing at the tv dancing watching Autumn.  Is has been a wonderful week!


Thursday: Ugh today was HARD!! My belly has been pretty crampy and I cheated.  I had a small scoop of ice cream. It was delicious, but it gave me a tummy ache. Tummy ache on top of cramps equals no bueno.  So no work out for me today.  Then I tried to make a yummy dinner.  I took a meal that I know the hubby loves which is a pasta bake with marinara sauce.  But I made some healthy substitutes.  I used fresh chicken instead of canned, I used whole grain pasta, and rather than Bertolli's 5 cheese spaghetti sauce, but I used just some normal plain marinara sauce and some mozzarella cheese.  I thought it was delicious!  But when Zack had it and I asked him how it was his response was- it wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as normal.  My pregnant emotional mind heard "thanks for the effort babe but you suck at cooking healthy".  I KNOW that isn't what he meant, he is the sweetest.  But it really discouraged me because I wanted him to love healthy food and adjust his diet the same way that I am.  So after I go grocery shopping this weekend my  goal is to find meals that hubby will love as well.

Friday: Bleh!  So much happened today.  But the good news is that I did great on my diet!!  No work out, as my tummy has been in a lot of pain, but I went to the doctor again today and found out that in the last 3 weeks I have only gained 1/2 a pound!! WOOHOO!!  But my belly is still growing quickly.  But I am completely happy with that!  Like I said, I am not looking to lose weight, I know I need to gain it, but I really want to keep the weight gain within healthy amounts so I have less to lose afterwards.  I feel like I'm on my way!

Saturday: This was an AMAZING morning.  I went off and spent the temple alone (what?  I got alone time? Yep thats right!  About 3 hours of it! AMAZING! and also super weird).  Anyways while I was gone I had my cute husband watching the baby.  By the time I came home he had cleaned the kitchen, changed a poopy diaper, and even gone on a run with her and taken her down to a nearby lake where he let he play in the water.  He is seriously the cutest dad.  The rest of the day went well as well except we were out all day shopping and I forgot to pack much food.  So I was STARVING by the time we got home.  Luckily I had some healthy dinner left overs so when my hubby wanted top ramen I had something easy to go to!

Sunday: I love Sundays.  Family time, church, Sunday nap, and no yard work or errands.  Sundays are literally the very best.  I ate well and had a DELICIOUS dinner! I marinated a chicken breast in Basalmic vinaigrette.  Then the hubby grilled them all up while I made some baked potatoes and green beans.  We ate outside on the patio and it was so much fun and so delicious.  We both LOVED the dinner and even little Rylie did!  She is eating more and more and I love it.  I love her.  My little family is the greatest, can't you tell?

Monday: Well that is today.  My little sister comes this evening from Vegas!  I live in Michigan and its her first time flying all alone.  I'm so excited for her!  So I have a LOT to do today.  So far I ate my cereal for breakfast and am excited to get lots done so that I can actually have my cute family together for dinner this evening.  I hope that you all have a wonderful week and stay tuned for some of my recipes this week that are a hit!

Working Out With a Baby

So my first few work outs have been a little rough.  Not because I couldn't do them, but because I have a little 1 year old that is used to all of my attention.  While I try to give her as much as I can, she struggles and whines unless I give her my FULL attention.  This is obviously a struggle when I am working out!  Honestly it breaks my heart to see her so sad like she is.  Take a look at that sad little face.

Another hardship of working out with her is that she thinks that any time that I am not standing or moving around it it time to crawl on me! Here are some pictures of her distracting me with her climbing on me.  She knows I'm a sucker for her kisses, no matter how slobbery they are.  So she sucks me in with kisses and then climbs all over me.

Seriously I love this girl so much, she gets away with distracting me basically all day long.  And I'm not even really mad about it!  The third distraction that I have found is that when you already have one baby and another on the way and you are still a young person, you may not have your own weight set at home.  Well at least I don't.  And even though I found some at a pretty decent price (they sell up to 8 lb sets at 5 Below which means they are like $5 or cheaper) I honestly don't have the gusto to get out and get to the store to get them.  You know what shopping means now? Shopping means that I have to find time to get ready for the day while baby terrorizes the house, then get baby ready which is fine, I love doing that, then I have to pack her diaper bag if we will be gone during any sort of feeding time, and then I have to lug my pregnant belly around while carrying a wonderfully curious little girl who wants to touch everything and constantly crawl around.  Its just a lot of work.  I will get around to it soon, but until then, here are my at home super high tech weights. (don't mind my post-work out swag I got going on there)

If you can't see it- that is some good old Progresso Vegetable soup.  Although really any caned good works. You can also use your baby if you are insanely strong, but I am not all for that so I am just going to stick with my Progresso.  

So there are the difficulties.  However I have found that I can make the work outs fun for my daughter!  Especially if I am moving around at all.  I can cover my eyes during the up part of squats and then "peek-a-boo" at the bottom.  She loves that. or just hold her during calf raises. You want to really feel those calves burn?  That is the way to go!  Also when I do floor exercises I just let her crawl on me and do the best I can while being used as a jungle gym. Believe me, my body is burning a TON of calories just trying not to kick her to accidentally push her off me.  So its for sure a good thing.  So this is my advice- go into your work outs with a positive attitude, knowing that your baby will probably distract you or make your work out less "effective".  But HAVE FUN!!  Remember, your baby is watching you.  If they see that working out is fun they will want to do it with you and maybe even as they get older they will want to do their own work outs and lead a healthier lifestyle.  So below are some videos to prove that babies can have fun during your work outs too.

I hope you enjoy my tips, but even if you didn't I am pretty sure you can't watch those videos without them at least putting a little smile on your face.  

Work Out 7- Yoga Fix- with pregnancy modifications

DISCLAIMER! I am not a healthcare or fitness professional.  I am a woman who has been pregnant or nursing now for 2 years and has just done lots of research from my doctors and anything that I can find online to try to work out but keep my body and my baby healthy.  These modifications are simply a compilation of that research.  I have modified some exercises, but I did so  just to give others an idea of something that you can do instead.  Feel free to make your own modifications so long as you are keeping your body and baby safe.

YOGA!! Oh my goodness this work out came at the seriously perfect time.  I have been super sore and tired.  This was the PERFECT work out for this time in the week.  It was perfect to help me breathe and stretch and even though it was still hard, I walked away from it feeling nice and calm and energized.  Seriously perfect.

So the thing about this work out is that the poses change and repeat and change again so often it makes it difficult to really write down each work out and the modification.  So what I am writing here are some general rules to follow while doing this work out.

1. Don't stretch too far.  When you're pregnant, you can stretch further than normal, but it still may actually pull muscles and cause injury.  So push yourself, but not too hard.

2. Don't lay flat on your back or flat on your belly.  For these exercises I will either do the same basic motion while sitting, or leaning back against a couch or on my elbows if it is possible.  Just keep stretching and moving and breathing deep.

3.  The last pose, the "corpse pose", just lay on your left side for optimal circulation with knees slightly bent and relaxing and breathing deep.

I hope you all love this work out as much as I did!!  It was the perfect thing to loosen your muscles and relax you.  And bonus- if you have a little one they can sit with you almost the whole time without freaking out because you are ignoring them in order to get your work out on!  At least that was the case for me.  And while I was stretching it was fun to try and get her to stretch and do some of the positions as well.  We both definitely got a kick out of it.

Week 1- How did I do?

This is going to be the post where I write about my feelings for each day of the program.  It is horribly honest, and please know that I am doing my very best!  And please forgive any mistakes that you come to, as I am writing this with my sweet baby on my lap and she is a HUGE distraction.  But I want to get these done and out there so that if anyone else is experiencing what I am they will not feel alone!

Day 1- Tuesday
Today went so well!  I was able to do a really great job with my diet!  Honestly it was hard to get in all of the food that I was supposed to eat and ended the day one green veggie tupperware short of eating all the food.  But hopefully I can keep this up!

Day 2- Wednesday
Today I woke up SO HUNGRY!  All I wanted was some delicious cereal- my go to breakfast normally. I typically eat fairly healthy cereal like Frosted Mini Wheats or Honey Bunches of Oats.  But the problem is that I usually have like 3 bowls of it.  But I fought through and I did a great job on my diet, even despite the fact that I had my hubby's soft ball game to go to during dinner time.  I made a yummy chicken and whole grain pasta "salad" with cooked veggies and a dressing made of lemon juice and olive oil.  It was a little less flavor than I like so I added a little Parmesan cheese and it was good!

Day 3-Thursday
Ok, #realtalk.  I am tired of this healthy food.  I need some cereal.  And some chocolate. and some deliciousness.  I am very tired of veggies.  I feel like there is no way that I can stuff any  more veggies down my throat.  I am pregnant.  I am tired.  I want more food, but not more veggies or healthy stuff.  I want real food.  Commercials are driving me crazy because their food looks so good.  Even TV shows it seems like everyone is eating delicious food and here I am eating nutritious foods and feeling so sad because I want some serious flavor.  Ugh.  Still fighting through.  I did eat a pretty big handful of chocolate covered almonds which I am pretty sure is cheating, but it was worth it.  They were absolutely worth every bite.

Day 4- Friday
Despite being pretty down about my diet, I had to work this day which meant that I had to pack all my food.  Best decision ever because I didn't pack any cheat food.  And I was distracted enough that the food didn't bother me!  Plus I started adding 1/2 a banana and 1 tsp of Peanut Butter into my Shakeology and adding ice so it is ice cream-ish.  HUGE difference!!  DELICIOUS! It is the sweet tooth that I have been searching for!  Definitely Friday was a good day.

Day 5- Saturday
Today started out great.  We were out all morning and I packed my lunch again.  So my options to eat while we were out were honestly fruits, veggies, or Shakeology. So I did great.  Until I went to Sam's Club.  Our traditional lunch at Sam's is for me to order a piece of pizza and my hubby orders a hot dog combo. But I can never finish their massive pizza piece so I always cut it down to a normal size pizza slice and give the other half to the Hubbs.  Well he was STARVING so I knew that his hot dog wouldn't be enough for him so I ordered the pizza.  I didn't eat much, but I ate about half of a normal slice of pizza while feeding my daughter the other half. It was so good and I have no regrets.  Except then my husband suggested that we go to this ice cream place near us that we have both been DYING to try.  We are BIG ice cream fans.  I couldn't turn him down, so we went.  I ordered a small, but it was not a small, it was very large.  I ate about half of it and put the other half in the freezer for the hubby to finish another time.  Needless to say, I kinda failed the whole diet thing today.

Day 6- Sunday
Put simply, Sunday was pretty great!  I did a great job staying on track, enjoyed my shakeology, and because its Sunday and I don't work out on Sundays, I just went on a walk with my sweet family.  It was a wonderful Sunday.

Day 7- Monday
Honestly today was a little shocking.  I went to the doctor to talk about my ultrasound results.  As it turns out I have what is called a velamentous cord insertion.  To put it simply, it means that my baby may not be getting the nutrients that he needs on the inside of the womb.  This could cause a whole lot of complications that I will not go into, but my doctor told me that the most important thing I can be doing is eating a SUPER healthy diet to get as much nutrients to my placenta as possible so my baby can be getting everything that he possibly can.  What a wake up call for me.  I will be eating healthy from here on out, I can promise you that.

Work Out 6- Dirty 30- with pregnancy modifications

DISCLAIMER! I am not a healthcare or fitness professional.  I am a woman who has been pregnant or nursing now for 2 years and has just done lots of research from my doctors and anything that I can find online to try to work out but keep my body and my baby healthy.  These modifications are simply a compilation of that research.  I have modified some exercises, but I did so  just to give others an idea of something that you can do instead.  Feel free to make your own modifications so long as you are keeping your body and baby safe.

This one is HARD!  It is the work out that has so far mad me the most sore!   But it is completely worth it. Work hard and kill this work out and I know that it will make a difference in your body and in the way that you feel!
 


Warm-up:    OK*

Alt. Side Lunges:   OK*
Renegade Row:   OK*

Sumo Row:   OK*
Chest Fly Raise:  Do not lay flat on your back!  I leaned against the couch or you can use the wall to keep you up at a 45 degree angle and only did the upper body movements.

Squat Lat. Raise:   OK*
Tricep Kickback:   OK*

Side Bend:   OK*
Side Plank Raise:   OK*
  
Cool Down:    OK*


*Whatever Autumn has planned here is, as far as I know, safe for pregnancy.  If what Autumn is doing gets too hard, just watch her modifier.


As you can see there is only one exercise that needed modifications.  Great work out!  Work hard and keep going!  This can be a great deal for you and everyone involved.  Just think- It is only 3 weeks of your life to change everything. 3 weeks.  You can do this!   

Work Out 5- Cardio Fix- with pregnancy modifications

DISCLAIMER! I am not a healthcare or fitness professional.  I am a woman who has been pregnant or nursing now for 2 years and has just done lots of research from my doctors and anything that I can find online to try to work out but keep my body and my baby healthy.  These modifications are simply a compilation of that research.  I have modified some exercises, but I did so  just to give others an idea of something that you can do instead.  Feel free to make your own modifications so long as you are keeping your body and baby safe.

This cardio work out is definitely a great one!  And I am excited to say- I was able to do the ENTIRE Cardio Fix work out without any modifications more than what the modifier showed (besides occasionally taking an extra water break).  As far as I am concerned this one is super hard but very safe for pregnancy.  Always warm up and cool down, don't be afraid to take a break if you need to, and please be careful of your back.  Don't hurt it trying to bend over or overexerting yourself.  Exercise smart! Good luck!

Work Out 4- Pilates Fix- with pregnancy modifications

DISCLAIMER! I am not a healthcare or fitness professional.  I am a woman who has been pregnant or nursing now for 2 years and has just done lots of research from my doctors and anything that I can find online to try to work out but keep my body and my baby healthy.  These modifications are simply a compilation of that research.  I have modified some exercises, but I did so  just to give others an idea of something that you can do instead.  Feel free to make your own modifications so long as you are keeping your body and baby safe!

I LOVE THIS WORK OUT!!! There are a lot of modifications on this one, but I was completely ok with that.  I seriously loved this work out and would choose this one every day if I could!  Its hard but not like crazy hard, and I really felt like it gave me time to breathe, but it also gave me a good work out.  Seriously my favorite one yet.

Below I have modified some exercises, but I did so  just to give others an idea of something that you can do instead.  Feel free to make your own modifications so long as you are keeping your body and baby safe!  Also, for the sake of seeing it easier while working out, I have simplified many of the exercises as "OK" if an exercise says "OK" that means that I have deemed it safe for pregnancy. However if anything feels uncomfortable, just watch and follow the modifier that Autumn already has in her group.  Some exercises or positions are simply not safe during pregnancy, and those are the exercises that I have modified.

Warm up: OK*

Hundreds: I did the same motion but I didn't lay flat on my back, I sat up more just on my butt and kept my knees bent.
1 Leg Stretch: Same as above- keep motion the same but don't lay flat, sit up at about a 45 degree angle.  If you need the couch or a wall behind you for some extra support that is fine too!
Scissors:  Same motion, but I leaned back on my elbows so I wasn't laying flat on my back.
Leg Lowers: Same motion but with bent knees and laying against a wall or couch or on elbows-just NOT FLAT ON BACK!
Alt. Leg lifts: OK*
Alt. Knee Pulls: OK*
Alt. Toe Taps: OK* (or elbow plank if it is too hard)

C Center:  OK*
C Twist:  OK*
Knee Drivers:  OK*
Two Way Kicks:  OK*
Bicycle Front/Back:  OK*
Mix the Bowl:  OK*
Stir the Pot:  OK*
Double Taps:  OK*

Superman: Same motion but standing
Lift and Rotate: Same motion but standing
Swimming: On hands and knees. Lift right arm left leg at same time, then switch to left arm right leg. Rotate throughout time.
Forearm Plank Hold: OK*
Hip Drop: OK*

Cool Down: OK*


*Whatever Autumn has planned here is, as far as I know, safe for pregnancy.  If what Autumn is doing gets too hard, just watch her modifier.

Don't forget to drink your water and keep your body hydrated!!  And if anything feels wrong to your body, don't do it.  We want it to be tiring to your muscles, but listen to your body and stop if it is telling you to stop.

Work out 3- Lower Fix, with pregnancy modifications

DISCLAIMER! I am not a healthcare or fitness professional.  I am a woman who has been pregnant or nursing now for 2 years and has just done lots of research from my doctors and anything that I can find online to try to work out but keep my body and my baby healthy.  These modifications are simply a compilation of that research.


Great news!!  I found that I was able to do the ENTIRE Lower Fix work out without any modifications more than what the modifier showed (besides occasionally dropping all weights because I am holding several pounds of amniotic fluid and baby over my whole body and that is weight enough!).  As far as I am concerned this one is super hard but very safe for pregnancy.  Always warm up and cool down, don't be afraid to take a break if you need to, and please be careful of your back.  Don't hurt it trying to bend over and all that.  Exercise smart! 

Work Out 2- Upper Fix- with pregnancy modifications

Well, work out number 2 is in the books!  Upper Fix is all about working that upper body to get your tank top arms.  But lets be honest... at this point my goal is just to not have arms so huge when this baby is born that he doesn't get lost in my arm fat.  I remember when my daughter was born looking down and thinking how much smaller than my arms she was.  My bicep had a much larger circumference than her head.  I know I don't need to be skinny when I give birth, but I want to feel healthy. And for my body type, that was not healthy.  Plus it took a LOT of time and effort to get those 50 lbs off.  This time I want to put in the work beforehand so that I don't have to work it off but can simply maintain my lifestyle and concentrate on my two beautiful children.

So enough blabbing... Here is the work out modifications.

Warm-up:    Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.

Bent -over Row:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.
Transverse Twist:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.
Push-ups:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier. Rest when needed!  Push-ups during pregnancy are SO hard!!
Forearm Plank:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.
Curl to Press:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.

Lat Pull Overs: Do not lay flat!  I chose to do the same motion but leaning back against my couch to about a 45 degree angle.  You can choose to just skip this, but keep your body warm by marching in place and keeping those arms moving!
Circle Crunches: DO NOT LAY FLAT! You can do this motion just standing up.
Chest Press: Same concept as lat pullovers.  I just leaned back against my couch so I wasn't flat.
Scissor Twist: Lay on side, knees bent. Do small crunches up to the side. Switch at 30 seconds.
Front Raises:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.

Cool Down:  Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.

I just want to emphasize that I am not a healthcare professional, a midwife, an OBGYN, nor a fitness professional.  I have just done quite a bit of research to see what I should and should not do and am modifying according to that.  If you are nervous or uncomfortable with any exercises, please consult a professional and keep your body and your baby safe!

21 Day Fix Meals

So one of the harder parts of this program is the whole meal deal. I hate meal prepping for a whole week, as it makes both my husband and I feel like we are eating left overs every night.  There is something about making, cooking, and eating your food in one day that just makes it feel more fresh.  So I have opted into doing that.  I did plan out meals and grocery shop for the ones that I wanted to make, but "meal prep" makes me feel too much like I am on a diet.  This way I at least feel a little more normal about what I am eating and it feels less "diet-y".  So I have taken a few pictures of the things that I have been eating so you can see that meals can be delicious and healthy!

This is a typical breakfast!  two pieces of toast with two eggs and some fruit.. Delicious!

Shakeology.. I have been blending it with 8 oz of skim milk, some ice cubes, half a frozen banana, and a tsp of PB. Seriously delicious and fills me up enough to be mu lunch! 

Oatmeal and a nectarine.  Yet another perfect breakfast. Delicious and nutritious. Plus gives me lots of good energy to go about all my duties as a wife, a pregnant mom, a member of the relief society presidency in my church,  and to get my work outs in. Eating healthy is hard, but worth it!

Chicken, whole grain pasta, spinach, carrots, and asparagus spears topped with  olive oil and lemon juice.  This was a very good and very filling dinner.  I I wanted to eat more but couldn't finish it all because I was so full.  No need to starve while losing weight!

Work Out 1-Total Body Cardio Fix-with pregnancy modifications

Well I did it!!  It is day 1 of my 21 day fix and so far so good!  I completed the work out and let me tell you- it was great!  I felt like it wasn't too hard, but definitely got me in a good little sweat.  I really enjoyed it!  Below I have compiled a list of all of the exercises that she did and whether or not we can do them with pregnancy. .m, Most of the moves were just fine, and if not you can look to see the modifier and whatever she was doing worked great.  So here it goes in order!

Warm-up  Everything for this was fine!  It got my body loose and I felt ready to go!  If you feel uncomfortable with any of the moves you can just watch the modifier and she has great alternatives that are safe with pregnancy.

Surrenders- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier.
Side Shuffle- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier

Wood Chop- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier
Cross Country Skiers- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier

Weighted Jog- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier
Knee Pulls- Safe with pregnancy, but if uncomfortable watch and follow the modifier

Frog Crunches-  I only laid back on my elbows rather than flat on my back and did the leg motion.  However I could see how as baby gets bigger this could be difficult, so use your best judgement and don't hurt yourself!
Oblique Crunches- lay on side with knees bent, and do a slight crunch on each side

Cool Down-  DO NOT LAY ON YOUR BELLY TO STRETCH!  You can stand with arms stretched above your head and lean backwards to stretch your muscles, but please be careful!  Also with the Child's Pose just keep your knees wide and try not to smush baby too much.  All other moves were just fine and safe with pregnancy.


I hope this little summary helps you!  I will be doing one each day for the first week to go with each work out.  So please feel free to ask any questions or add any helpful tips that you have found!

Working out and Pregnancy

WARNING!!!

If you are pregnant and working out- PLEASE be careful.  Disclaimer: I am not a healthcare professional, nor a fitness professional.  I am merely an obsessive researcher when it comes to keeping my body and my baby safe during pregnancy. So through talking to my doctor and researching whatever I could find online I have a few tips.

1. DRINK LOTS OF WATER!! Like more than normal.  After every work out, drink water.  When we are pregnant we are bigger, which, at least for me, means that I sweat more.  But you need more when you are pregnant to protect the baby. Beachbody recommends that for this 21 day cleanse you are taking your body weight in lbs and cutting it in half to know how many ounces you should drink per day.  So I weigh right now about 126.  Cut in half that is 63.  So I should be drinking 63 ounces per day.  My doctor recommended that if working out I should drink at least 80, so that is my personal goal, and if you are pregnant, I would suggest the same to you!  As much as you can!

2. WARM-UP!  I cannot stress this enough.  The 21 day FIX program has a short warm up.  I would suggest marching in place for about 2 minutes or even doing some sweeping or vacuuming before starting this just to make sure you're nice and warm.  During pregnancy, your body is releasing hormones to help stretch your muscles and ligaments out to make it possible to pass a HUMAN through your birth canal. (Can we talk for a moment about what an amazing thing that is?!  I seriously cannot believe we do that.  Its a miracle!) Because of this, we, as pregnant women are more prone to injury and torn muscles.  So warm-ups and cool-downs are essential.

3. STRETCHING!  Stretching is a wonderful remedy for our aching backs and tight shoulders, and is a great tool to help prevent injuries.  I have also found that stretching has helped me with the restless legs that I get during pregnancy.  But remember those crazy hormones that are there to stretch your body for birth?  Yeah they work here too.  So please be careful.  You may be able to stretch further than you ever have before, but that does not mean that you should.  Stretch to where it feels good, but don't get to the point where it hurts.  You will need all your muscles in tact when you deliver your baby so stretching is good as long as you don't take it too far.

4. CARDIO:  You CAN do cardio while pregnant!  In fact, you should!  It will help your body become stronger and your heart to handle labor better.  Some women are literally pushing for HOURS before they get to see their little one.  You want to have the stamina to do that, and cardio will definitely help!  I have just found that too much bouncing around feels uncomfortable.  So I avoid jumping and bouncing and replace those movements with marching and very gentle bouncing, nothing where both feet are in the air at the same time.

5. POSITIONS/EXERCISES TO AVOID: Obviously you should not lay on your belly.  Do not do any exercises where you lay on your belly.  You can skip these ones and find another exercise to do, or simply march in place.  You should also not be laying flat on your back or doing crunches flat on your back while pregnant either.  I have found that I am usually ok if I lay back on my elbows, and can do most exercises that way.  But please be mindful of the fact that there is another human occupying your belly right now, so don't squeeze them too tight.  It is already pretty packed in there, so do very slight crunches, or if you feel more comfortable skipping them, then you can do that as well!  Just replace it with something else.


Well that about covers what I have found out!  Feel free to comment with any more advice that you have or if you have any questions. 

21 Day Fix- Day Minus 1

Ok so I am doing something that I am a little uncomfortable with, but I am hoping that in addition to keeping me honest with myself, I am able to do this blog to help others become healthier in their lifestyle.  So here it is.  I am days shy of being 20 weeks pregnant.  I am a former collegiate gymnast, a wife, and mother to two, although as mentioned before, one is still in the womb.  While i definitely believe in fitness and living a healthy lifestyle,  I am not very good at carrying out my plans to live healthy. Ice cream is just SO GOOD!! And sometimes I have a lazy day and cereal sounds like the best meal for all three meals.  Last pregnancy I gained a little over 50 lbs, and I really don't want to do that this time.  So I purchased Beachbody's 21 day fix program and became a coach.  In order to be a great coach and to be able to reach as many lives as possible, I feel strongly that I need to try the product and see how it works.  I am going all in.  Before and after pictures, meal planning, everything.  Not something that I have done before, and not something that I am eager to do while pregnant, but here goes nothing.

For the past two days while I figure out the whole Nutritional side of this program, I have started with  two more simple parts of the program.

1. Work outs: I have been doing the easiest versions of the work outs (remember, I had a child 11 months ago and am currently 5 months pregnant, and have not worked out consistently since college, so about 5 years ago.)  So far I have found that the work outs are hard, but honestly I don't sweat too much during them.  That being said, after I'm done my muscles are EXHAUSTED and the next day I am very sore!  So I know that I'm getting good muscle tone going on.

2. Shakeology:  This is supposed to be a yummy, nutritional shake that I drink to help boost my nutrition.  I decided on the chocolate flavor because lets be honest- you can't go wrong with chocolate! Well.. apparently chocolate alone doesn't make this shake something I would call "yummy".  I mean, its fine, I can drink it without gagging. Its just not delicious.  I have been drinking that along with some fruit as my lunch.  I will say that normally around lunch time I take a nap with my little one because I am exhausted!  But today I felt energized after drinking it and actually got some much needed house work done instead!

Ok so now for the good part.  The embarrassing part. Before pictures and measurements.  Yes, I bought into this part even though I am pregnant.  No, I am not looking to drop any weight or even inches (well maybe in my arms and legs if I am toning them up).  I am doing this to see what happens.  I want to see the results, if any, and I want you to see that I am a real person.  I started this pregnancy at about 116 lbs.  I am a thin person.  But what people don't understand is thin is not necessarily fit, nor is it necessarily healthy.  I was neither.  My goal is to be pregnant this time and not gain more than 35 lbs, which is what the doctor recommends.  So here it goes.  I am turning the page to a healthier, more fit life for me and my family.  This new chapter starts first thing tomorrow morning, yes tomorrow, Tuesday. Nobody likes Mondays anyways right?  So here is to fresh start Tuesday.

Here are my measurements in inches:

Chest- 34
Right arm- 10.5
Left arm- 11
Waist-31
Hips- 38
Right thigh- 21
Left thigh- 20.5

Total inches: 166
Current weight: 126

Ok and here are the embarrassing but useful before pictures that I know my family will all make fun of me for.   But I want a free t-shirt and Beachbody gives free t-shirts for before and after photos.  So here are the three "befores" required to qualify me for the shirt.  Please enjoy!

Introduction!

My name is Bailey Olsen.  I am 26 years old and gave birth to my first child about 11 months ago.  When she was 6 months old, my husband and I were SUPER surprised to find out we were expecting another one!  So now I am 5 months along (half way!) in my pregnancy, and I have decided to make some life changes.  As my daughter started to eat real food I realized that I really wanted to feed her healthy foods.  So we started with fruits and veggies- healthy right?  But then I noticed that she started to get a little bit sick of those and wanted whatever I was eating.  I am perfectly fine sharing with her, but honestly I wasn't eating a healthy diet and would hesitate to give her what was on my plate. But what was I supposed to give her?  I didn't really know!  I wanted it to be healthy, but I didn't know what to prepare for her!  Being an ex-collegiate gymnast, I was a bit embarrassed by this and decided I needed to change.  I needed to know more about nutrition so I could help my daughter, and any future children, to have good habbits and eat right.  Now I am not a crazy obsessed fitness guru or nutritional nut, but I do think that it is important to give our body the correct nutrients.

That is when I found Beachbody's 21 day fix.  At first I over-looked the program because it is a weight-loss program, and being almost 1/2 way through my pregnancy at the time I had no interest in losing weight.  But doing more research, I found that with a few small tweaks it could become, not a weight loss program, but a great health and fitness program for me as a pregnant woman, and would teach me important nutritional facts that I could use for my kids.

So here I go.  Last pregnancy I gained about 50 lbs, and this time I am determined to keep my weight gain where the doctor wants it.  While my doctor recommends between 20-30 lbs, my personal goal is no more than 35 lbs.  I want to be realistic with my goals, and seeing as I gained so much last time, I don't want to set myself up for failure.  I want to gain 15 lbs less than I did last time, and I feel that is a good goal while still being reasonable.  So I am hoping that this program will help me accomplish that, and you will get to follow me through my journey!  Then once the pregnancy is over, I will either do this program again to help kick the baby weight, or find another one that works.  Hopefully I don't completely embarrass myself, but here goes nothing.