Great question! As I already mentioned, my maternity leave is over...
And yet I have also told you how much more pleasant I am to be around when I get a run in...even if it is incredibly quick. So, what is a girl to do?
First of all, can I just say that it infuriates me when experts go on shows like the Today Show or Good Morning America, or contribute to articles in Fitness or Shape and preach about how you CAN find time in your day to excercise. Every single moment of my day is scheduled. I have NO time. Especially if I want to run when there is enough daylight so that I won't be mistaken for a prancing deer just begging to get shot by a hunter or a wannabe thief looking to speak with local law enforcement.
My day starts with breastfeeding the baby. Can I go run before this? Nope. It doesn't really matter if I could ignore the bowling balls on my chest first thing in the morning because I would not feel safe running in the pitch black pre-6am light. After feeding the baby I then race to get dressed and ready for work, make lunch for myself and my school age son, feed the older two boys their breakfast, and sneak in quick kisses to all my boys (the hubs included) before bolting out the door. I do all this in the span of 45 minutes and also fit in one quick pumping session to make sure my breasts are completely empty before I start the day.
I work a full day and before you tell me to run at my lunch break, I only have a 21 minute lunch during which I hide in a closet and pump again. Break time? Teachers don't really get that. We have prep times full of meetings (team, grade level, content area, evaluation groups, special ed., counseling, parents who want face to face conferences, the list goes on and on). When I do get a "free" period I hide in the closet to pump and maybe grade some papers or prepare lesson plans.
When I leave work I rush to daycare to pick up the baby and the toddler so that I can get back to the bus stop to meet the bus. Now I have three children in my wake and, as I have mentioned before, no way to take them all with me on a run and I still have to fit in at least two feedings with the baby before dinner. My only option is to find a treadmill with access to a television to occupy the kiddos. Quality bonding time?
If I wait until my husband gets home it is once again dark and I am usually in the process of preparing or feeding the kids dinner. Then it is a whirlwind of pjs and teeth brushing, stories and snuggles. One more feeding with the baby and lesson planning, paper grading, and responding to emails that I can't read or answer at school because I am "on stage" all day long. Sadly, my husband and I are usually sitting at opposite ends of our couch on our laptops doing work. Romantic night, huh?
As you can imagine, I am EXHAUSTED at the end of the night, but still find time to beat myself up over not fitting in a run.
The weekends are my only salvation. If I am lucky I can run on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If I get those two runs in I feel like I am winning. Anything else is a pure miracle.
How do you fit your runs in? If I could finagle a treadmill for my house I may be more successful, but it would honestly be a struggle to get one in even with it. A double running stroller might also help, but again it would be quite a monumental effort with all three boys in the winter. Sometimes I feel like I can't win, but I keep trying.
"Just keep swimming"
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label exercise. Show all posts
Thursday, December 12, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Running after Baby: Excuses, excuses, excuses
Did you just hear Salma Hayek in Fools Rush In? Me too!
When anyone is doing anything that they don't necessarily always want to do, excuses are going to make an appearance. Sometimes the excuses win, sometimes they lose, but they always seem to come back again and again. Those excuses are seriously persistent little buggers.
Today I am going to share my top five excuses that sometimes win. I think many of these are common, some are not, but they can all be beaten, or at least worked around.
1. I don't have time
No shit! Who has any time these days? I probably DON'T have time there is ALWAYS something else I could/should be doing, but somehow I must make time. There HAS to be a way.
A way: Bring all three boys to a location with a treadmill (my mother's), give the older two snacks, put the 2 year old in front of Curious George, make the 6 year old do his homework, and pray to God that the baby stays asleep for 30 minutes. Then run! Even if the baby does wake up, sometimes he cries for the last ten minutes or so when he is in the stroller so it is the same. Right? Right??
Of course you could go the traditional route of getting up earlier (I am NOT a morning person), running during your lunch hour (Ha! I am a teacher. I get 20 minutes IF the kids all move their butts when they are dismissed...which they don't), get a membership to a gym with child care (In my dreams), or running in the evening when your significant other gets home (it is pitch black when that happens for me and I live in the woods. So...no).
2. It is too cold out (for the baby)
Who are you kidding? If you think it is too cold for you, running will make you warmer. Layer up and stop whining.
If you are concerned about the baby and the thirty layers of onesies, and sweaters, and snowsuits, and blankets, and snugglies that they are undoubtedly bundled in, then see one of my indoor solutions above. No gym membership or access to a family member's treadmill? Find a mall that opens early and run there with all the old people walking. Or maybe a school will let you use their hallways after school.
3. I am too tired
Exercise is scientifically proven to give you more energy. Seriously. Look it up.
When I am faced with this one I usually tell myself that I will sleep more soundly and fall asleep more quickly if I am absolutely exhausted. Maybe I will even be so fast asleep that when one of the kids wakes up the Hubs will hear them first for once.
4. I'm just not "feeling" it
Seriously? This one has to be a non-excuse. And yet it wins sometimes. I have actually walked into my house less than five minutes after "going out for a run" uttering these words.
My solution to this one is telling myself I only have to run for ten minutes and then if I am still "not feeling it" I can stop. This usually works. If not, I have at least gotten a ten minute run in, which is a run. Winning!
5. I ate too much to run right now. I don't want to get a stomach ache
I know. This one is ridiculous. If I would just stop stuffing my face with whatever I can get my hands on because I forgot to eat at a normal time this one wouldn't happen. To this one I say, "Get outside and deal with it. Maybe if your stomach really hurts you won't let it happen again."
**And a bonus for all those breastfeeding mothers out there:
The breastfeeding excuse (Fare warning: this one can take multiple forms)
If I run my breast milk will decrease/there won't be enough for the baby/lactic acid and all that stuff
I actually fell prey to this one with my first two boys. I was seriously scared that running would hurt breastfeeding; something that I worked very hard to get going and plan to do for the first year.
Honestly, this one kept me from running for almost a year with my first son. By my second I ran a little after I knew that everything was okay (about 6 months) and still worried about it every time I ran.
I am not sure what the research or experts say about this one. The baby has not gotten upset at me yet. I try my best to plan accordingly as far as his feeding schedule goes. I make sure he has just eaten. Sometimes I pump right before, sometimes I don't. He has taken it all in stride. I don't think I run enough for the whole lactic acid build up in my body to effect my breast milk (I read something about this once). I don't know. It hasn't been a problem yet and every time I run and it is not a problem I worry about it less and less.
I guess the moral of this little excuse is to take it slowly and see how it goes. You can always stop if something seems to be negatively effecting your breastfeeding. I'll let you know how it goes.
So, what are your top five excuses that allow you to not run? How often are they winning? Are there any solutions that you could pull out of your back pocket on those days where it would be easier to curl up on the couch and binge on old episodes of Gilmore Girls, Dexter, or Downton Abbey (There is a tv watching combo that tells you a lot about me!)?
When anyone is doing anything that they don't necessarily always want to do, excuses are going to make an appearance. Sometimes the excuses win, sometimes they lose, but they always seem to come back again and again. Those excuses are seriously persistent little buggers.
Today I am going to share my top five excuses that sometimes win. I think many of these are common, some are not, but they can all be beaten, or at least worked around.
1. I don't have time
No shit! Who has any time these days? I probably DON'T have time there is ALWAYS something else I could/should be doing, but somehow I must make time. There HAS to be a way.
A way: Bring all three boys to a location with a treadmill (my mother's), give the older two snacks, put the 2 year old in front of Curious George, make the 6 year old do his homework, and pray to God that the baby stays asleep for 30 minutes. Then run! Even if the baby does wake up, sometimes he cries for the last ten minutes or so when he is in the stroller so it is the same. Right? Right??
Of course you could go the traditional route of getting up earlier (I am NOT a morning person), running during your lunch hour (Ha! I am a teacher. I get 20 minutes IF the kids all move their butts when they are dismissed...which they don't), get a membership to a gym with child care (In my dreams), or running in the evening when your significant other gets home (it is pitch black when that happens for me and I live in the woods. So...no).
2. It is too cold out (for the baby)
Who are you kidding? If you think it is too cold for you, running will make you warmer. Layer up and stop whining.
If you are concerned about the baby and the thirty layers of onesies, and sweaters, and snowsuits, and blankets, and snugglies that they are undoubtedly bundled in, then see one of my indoor solutions above. No gym membership or access to a family member's treadmill? Find a mall that opens early and run there with all the old people walking. Or maybe a school will let you use their hallways after school.
3. I am too tired
Exercise is scientifically proven to give you more energy. Seriously. Look it up.
When I am faced with this one I usually tell myself that I will sleep more soundly and fall asleep more quickly if I am absolutely exhausted. Maybe I will even be so fast asleep that when one of the kids wakes up the Hubs will hear them first for once.
4. I'm just not "feeling" it
Seriously? This one has to be a non-excuse. And yet it wins sometimes. I have actually walked into my house less than five minutes after "going out for a run" uttering these words.
My solution to this one is telling myself I only have to run for ten minutes and then if I am still "not feeling it" I can stop. This usually works. If not, I have at least gotten a ten minute run in, which is a run. Winning!
5. I ate too much to run right now. I don't want to get a stomach ache
I know. This one is ridiculous. If I would just stop stuffing my face with whatever I can get my hands on because I forgot to eat at a normal time this one wouldn't happen. To this one I say, "Get outside and deal with it. Maybe if your stomach really hurts you won't let it happen again."
**And a bonus for all those breastfeeding mothers out there:
The breastfeeding excuse (Fare warning: this one can take multiple forms)
If I run my breast milk will decrease/there won't be enough for the baby/lactic acid and all that stuff
I actually fell prey to this one with my first two boys. I was seriously scared that running would hurt breastfeeding; something that I worked very hard to get going and plan to do for the first year.
Honestly, this one kept me from running for almost a year with my first son. By my second I ran a little after I knew that everything was okay (about 6 months) and still worried about it every time I ran.
I am not sure what the research or experts say about this one. The baby has not gotten upset at me yet. I try my best to plan accordingly as far as his feeding schedule goes. I make sure he has just eaten. Sometimes I pump right before, sometimes I don't. He has taken it all in stride. I don't think I run enough for the whole lactic acid build up in my body to effect my breast milk (I read something about this once). I don't know. It hasn't been a problem yet and every time I run and it is not a problem I worry about it less and less.
I guess the moral of this little excuse is to take it slowly and see how it goes. You can always stop if something seems to be negatively effecting your breastfeeding. I'll let you know how it goes.
So, what are your top five excuses that allow you to not run? How often are they winning? Are there any solutions that you could pull out of your back pocket on those days where it would be easier to curl up on the couch and binge on old episodes of Gilmore Girls, Dexter, or Downton Abbey (There is a tv watching combo that tells you a lot about me!)?
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Running after baby - Week 1
First, I need to do a little celebratory dance, I made it through week one! Yay!!
If you are just starting out, please read my before baby running prep post here . And, please remember that your body used to look like this:
.... or something similar to this. So be kind to it, it needs some time to get back to where it was. Don't forget to listen to it!
Starting out I knew that I wouldn't be able to run as far, or as fast as I did before. What I didn't expect was that I would not be in control of my own body. My legs refused to listen to what my brain was trying to tell it to do. I guess this is expected, I mean my muscles have probably all disappeared during the last few months of recuperation. Consider yourself warned. It will not be pretty, or easy, but at this point I figure doing anything is a step in the right direction.
Here is how I tackled week 1:
1. I planned to get my butt out the door every other day. This left my body one day to recover.
2. I planned to go at least 30 minutes (anything over was a bonus).
3. I let myself off the hook with running the entire time. I gave myself permission to walk some and run some.
4. Every day I tried to run/walk a little further or sustain my running for a little longer. I used driveways, or trees as markers and pushed myself to get to one further the next day.
5. I quickly realized that I needed to make sure to stretch after every "run." I tend to be lazy with stretching, but I could barely walk down my stairs after day one.
6. I promised myself to listen to my body. If the day after running, my body gave me any indication that I was doing too much, I decided that I would give myself an extra day to recover, and if that didn't work I would do a little less.
7. I made sure to feed the baby right before I headed out the door. That way my boobs would be empty of milk.
The results:
I ran three days and made it up to 2 miles sustained running by the third day. This was a huge accomplishment considering that it took me over a month to get to this point with my last son. I think this is a result of exercising so much while I was pregnant.
By my second running day I was considerably less sore. I no longer felt that my legs would collapse underneath me causing me to fall down the stairs (bonus!).
After day three my body gave me a clear message that I needed to dial it back a little. Even though I waited six weeks, got the okay from my doctor, and had stopped bleeding for over two weeks, it started again. So, I am taking an extra day off to see if that is enough.
If you are starting running good luck! If you are planning to, you can do it! Believe me, if I can, you can!
If you are just starting out, please read my before baby running prep post here . And, please remember that your body used to look like this:
Starting out I knew that I wouldn't be able to run as far, or as fast as I did before. What I didn't expect was that I would not be in control of my own body. My legs refused to listen to what my brain was trying to tell it to do. I guess this is expected, I mean my muscles have probably all disappeared during the last few months of recuperation. Consider yourself warned. It will not be pretty, or easy, but at this point I figure doing anything is a step in the right direction.
Here is how I tackled week 1:
1. I planned to get my butt out the door every other day. This left my body one day to recover.
2. I planned to go at least 30 minutes (anything over was a bonus).
3. I let myself off the hook with running the entire time. I gave myself permission to walk some and run some.
4. Every day I tried to run/walk a little further or sustain my running for a little longer. I used driveways, or trees as markers and pushed myself to get to one further the next day.
5. I quickly realized that I needed to make sure to stretch after every "run." I tend to be lazy with stretching, but I could barely walk down my stairs after day one.
6. I promised myself to listen to my body. If the day after running, my body gave me any indication that I was doing too much, I decided that I would give myself an extra day to recover, and if that didn't work I would do a little less.
7. I made sure to feed the baby right before I headed out the door. That way my boobs would be empty of milk.
The results:
I ran three days and made it up to 2 miles sustained running by the third day. This was a huge accomplishment considering that it took me over a month to get to this point with my last son. I think this is a result of exercising so much while I was pregnant.
By my second running day I was considerably less sore. I no longer felt that my legs would collapse underneath me causing me to fall down the stairs (bonus!).
After day three my body gave me a clear message that I needed to dial it back a little. Even though I waited six weeks, got the okay from my doctor, and had stopped bleeding for over two weeks, it started again. So, I am taking an extra day off to see if that is enough.
If you are starting running good luck! If you are planning to, you can do it! Believe me, if I can, you can!
Friday, October 25, 2013
Running after Baby - Let's Get it Started
Did you read the last part of the title like the Black Eyed Peas song? No? Now I can't get it out of my head!
So, first of all I need to be clear about one thing, I am by no means an expert in any of this. I have had no training, nor done any research past my own curiosity, so please check in with your doctor before starting anything. This is simply a reflection on my experiences with running post-pregnancy. Take it or leave it.
A little background:
I desperately wanted to run during all of my pregnancies. I had read a bunch of research that said exercising throughout pregnancy is good for you and the baby. I also learned that it would be easier to shed the pounds and get back in shape after the baby. Sounded good to me.
Unfortunately, with my first son I was incredibly cautious, as many first time mothers are. I didn't want to do anything wrong. So, instead of continuing my running routine I began walking and using lower impact machines at the gym. I was by no means regular with my exercising, sporadic would be a good description of it.
With my second son, I lived in constant fear. I experienced two miscarriages between my two kids and was so afraid that it would happen again that I stopped doing everything...running, drinking coffee, everything. I just didn't want to rock the boat. It was crazy.
With my third son I vowed to be more laid back. I adopted a fate based stance. If we were meant to have this baby we would. And so I ran. I ran until I was five months pregnant and then I continued walking three to four miles with my boys (they rode bikes). I definitely felt better and so much more relaxed during this pregnancy. Another added bonus was that the boys were getting extra exercise everyday and we had time to chat while we walked.
I can honestly say that I think all this pregnancy exercise has helped me bounce back faster which was extra important this time since I have two other boys to chase around. You may also be asking yourself what the heck running and exercise has to do with our home. Well, when I don't exercise I am less than chipper. I snap more quickly, yell more, it is not pretty. When I run we have a calmer happier home.
If you are planning to start running after having a baby here are some pieces of advice for before the actual first day of running.
1. You have to walk before you run. Not necessarily walk, but you should start slowly and see how your body responds. With my first son I did too much too soon and my body rewarded me with blood. (Yes, I know, ewww!) If your bleeding picks up it is a sign that you have done too much. Small steps.
2. Listen to your body. Bleeding is not the only way your body may tell you that you are doing too much. With my second son, I tried to do some light weights and calisthenics before my six week check-up. I felt great right after exercising, but a few hours later when I bent down to pick up the baby from the crib I threw my back out. I was literally laying on the floor with the baby on my chest unable to move. My mother had to come rescue me. Not fun.
3. Check in with your doctor. I always wait for my six week check up to get the okay from doctor before I start running. (I do walk before) But, if you are super motivated, you may want to call or email your doctor just to get their advice before starting. They are trained professionals after all.
I hope that helps you get started. More next week! Wish me luck as I start to get back on the runningtrain trail.
So, first of all I need to be clear about one thing, I am by no means an expert in any of this. I have had no training, nor done any research past my own curiosity, so please check in with your doctor before starting anything. This is simply a reflection on my experiences with running post-pregnancy. Take it or leave it.
A little background:
I desperately wanted to run during all of my pregnancies. I had read a bunch of research that said exercising throughout pregnancy is good for you and the baby. I also learned that it would be easier to shed the pounds and get back in shape after the baby. Sounded good to me.
Unfortunately, with my first son I was incredibly cautious, as many first time mothers are. I didn't want to do anything wrong. So, instead of continuing my running routine I began walking and using lower impact machines at the gym. I was by no means regular with my exercising, sporadic would be a good description of it.
With my second son, I lived in constant fear. I experienced two miscarriages between my two kids and was so afraid that it would happen again that I stopped doing everything...running, drinking coffee, everything. I just didn't want to rock the boat. It was crazy.
With my third son I vowed to be more laid back. I adopted a fate based stance. If we were meant to have this baby we would. And so I ran. I ran until I was five months pregnant and then I continued walking three to four miles with my boys (they rode bikes). I definitely felt better and so much more relaxed during this pregnancy. Another added bonus was that the boys were getting extra exercise everyday and we had time to chat while we walked.
I can honestly say that I think all this pregnancy exercise has helped me bounce back faster which was extra important this time since I have two other boys to chase around. You may also be asking yourself what the heck running and exercise has to do with our home. Well, when I don't exercise I am less than chipper. I snap more quickly, yell more, it is not pretty. When I run we have a calmer happier home.
If you are planning to start running after having a baby here are some pieces of advice for before the actual first day of running.
1. You have to walk before you run. Not necessarily walk, but you should start slowly and see how your body responds. With my first son I did too much too soon and my body rewarded me with blood. (Yes, I know, ewww!) If your bleeding picks up it is a sign that you have done too much. Small steps.
2. Listen to your body. Bleeding is not the only way your body may tell you that you are doing too much. With my second son, I tried to do some light weights and calisthenics before my six week check-up. I felt great right after exercising, but a few hours later when I bent down to pick up the baby from the crib I threw my back out. I was literally laying on the floor with the baby on my chest unable to move. My mother had to come rescue me. Not fun.
3. Check in with your doctor. I always wait for my six week check up to get the okay from doctor before I start running. (I do walk before) But, if you are super motivated, you may want to call or email your doctor just to get their advice before starting. They are trained professionals after all.
I hope that helps you get started. More next week! Wish me luck as I start to get back on the running
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