24 week bump-date & other exciting news!

I was looking forward to this week, because it's the first true comparison of my last pregnancy (as documented here).  I started blogging my pregnancy journey at this time, in a non-fitness related way. Would you believe me if I said I had already gained 25 pounds by week 24? (I've only gained 12lbs as it stands) Yup, it's the truth.  Of course, every woman and every pregnancy is different. However, the recommended weight gain for my BMI is 25-35lbs (not the 60 that I packed on!)

  I did not workout consistently, and I was not mindful of my eating (lots of pizza, takeout, icecream, fast food, did I mention icecream?) Here is a side by side comparison:

Left: July 2012/weight: 163lbs   Right: Jan 2015/weight: 140 lbs

By no means am I saying that I look "big" or perceive the left picture in a negative way.  I just recognize where I personally gain weight, and I can see it in my face, hips, and arms.  This was probably the last baby bump pic where I actually felt like a "cute preggo".

I want to bring to light the weight difference too.  There is a 23 lb difference in these pics, which is why I do NOT use the scale as a serious form of progress (I used to, as you can see in my old blog).  I didn't start weighing myself this pregnancy until I started doing weekly updates for any fellow mamas that want to know and are curious.  I'm an open book. :)

Time for some stats!

How far along: 24 weeks
Baby is the size of a: About the size of an ear of corn (just over a pound; almost 1 ft long)
Total weight gain: 12 lbs (still)

Maternity clothes?: On occasion, mostly gym clothes or tanks/leggings the next size up.
Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had from my last pregnancy
Sleep: Pretty good, overall. Baby Jax likes to be active just before bed.  Still love spooning my pregnancy pillow.
Best moment this week: We found Jax's crib! Ahh, can't wait. Pictured below :P
Miss Anything? I really miss sleeping on my belly. Just feeling like my "normal self" as far as energy and appetite. A glass of wine, perhaps?
Movement: Yes, lots and lots.  I love it!
Cravings: Fresh fruit/veggies.  Ice cold water. Spinato's pizza (yum!) Starbucks hot, white chocolate mocha. Chipotle! Healthy dessert; greek yogurt, almond butter, & honey. I really want some Olive Garden breadsticks with Alfredo sauce.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. Too early yet
Symptoms: Fatigue (probably because I have a non-stop toddler). Food not settling too well(if my portion is too big) Some lower back ache. Nothing too bad!

Mood: Happy, tired, and happy! Anxious to meet our little prince
Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready, especially now that we ordered room furniture.  Also, looking forward to a few spa days when we head to Cancun in a few weeks.

Exercise: Still consistent, feeling really good.  I can truly feel a difference in my energy levels and mood. Now that I can reference my other pregnancy posts, it's good to know that my hard work is really paying off.

Mon: Shoulders Tue: Back Wed: Biceps/Triceps/Chest Thu: Legs Fri: OFF Sat: Legs & Extra Stretching Sun: OFF

I have noticed that having a consistent schedule for my workouts(Shoulders every Monday, Back every Tuesday, etc) has really helped me stick to it. I'm still trying to figure out where to incorporate Yoga, the classes at my gym don't have certain times that I want. Hehe, guess I will hafta do some at home!

...
Exciting news:

My new website is still going through revisions, but I am hoping it will launch by the end of the month. Another exciting project I worked on this week was a feature for Gilbert Daily PRSS on the importance of being an active mom, especially while pregnant.  It was my first time in front of a video camera and let's just say I was a nervous wreck.  Le sigh, gotta practice if I plan to post more on YouTube.

Oh, and speaking of YouTube.....I filmed an At Home Leg Workout and will be posting that in the next few days.  Sheesh, can you tell last week was super busy? All fun stuff though, so no complaints here!

Hope everyone is having an awesome Monday!

Lex

PS

Oh yeah, and here is the pic of baby boy's crib!

American Heritage Memphis crib in Slate

23 week Bump Update!

Well, HELLO! I feel like I just posted my last update, time flies during the 2nd trimester (in my opinion!)  One exciting non-baby update is that I got to see my first glimpse of the new website that I am launching soon!  I am seriously SO excited about it!  It's going to be so much easier to navigate through and is going to look fantastic.  Gah, is this real life?  2015 is already so exciting.  

Ok, bump-date time.

How far along: 23 weeks
Baby is the size of a: Large Mango (just over a pound; 11 in long)
Total weight gain: 12 lbs (still)

Maternity clothes?: On occasion, mostly gym clothes or tanks/leggings the next size up.
Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had from my last pregnancy
Sleep: Pretty good, overall. Baby Jax likes to be active just before bed.  Still love spooning my pregnancy pillow.
Best moment this week: Doc appointment; listening to the heart beat and getting back good results from my last u/s. So grateful for a healthy pregnancy so far.
Miss Anything? I really miss sleeping on my belly. Just feeling like my "normal self" as far as energy and appetite. All worth it though!
Movement: Yes, lots and lots.  I love it!
Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle. Fresh fruit/veggies.  Ice cold water. In'N'Out protein and animal style. Starbucks hot, white chocolate mocha. Chipotle! Healthy dessert; greek yogurt, almond butter, & honey.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. Too early yet
Symptoms: Still get small waves of nausea, Fatigue (this may attributed to the Diclegis and my Energizer Bunny 2 yr old keepin me busy). Food not settling too well.  Some lower back aches.

Mood: Happy, tired, and happy! Anxious to meet our little prince
Looking forward to: Getting the nursery ready.  We just bought the Halo bassinet and I am beyond STOKED.

Exercise: Still consistent, feeling really good.  I can truly feel a difference in my energy levels and mood. It's my therapy!

Mon: Shoulders Tue: Back Wed: Biceps/Triceps/Chest Thu: Legs Fri: OFF Sat: Legs & Extra Stretching Sun: OFF

I know I keep saying this, so I just need to go for it.  My goal is to post an at-home Leg workout on my YouTube channel.  I am a total noob when it comes to YouTube, so let's hope it's not a complete disaster.

My few pieces of advice to help you with your goals:

1. Start small: Only focus on making 1-2 small changes at a time and celebrate those small victories.

2. Replace the word "try" with "DO" or "WILL". It's empowering.  "I'm going to try and workout 3 times this week" instead say " I WILL workout 3 times this week"  Instead of, "I'm going to try my best"; say "I WILL DO my best"

Hope you had a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Lex

22 Week Bump Update & Happy 2015!

I hope everyone had an amazing last week of 2014! It's always a great time to reflect on the year as a whole and make new goals for the future.  I'm not really one to set New Year's resolutions, necessarily. However, I think it's always great to re-assess and/or make new goals (personal growth/health(fitness)/financial/etc) on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. So, I guess I technically do make them! Haha

Here are some goals that I have made for myself in 2015:

1. Write in my gratitude journal every day, even if it is just a sentence.

2. Workout at least 4 days a week (with no more than 2 off days in a row)

3. Focus on my nutrition and allow 1 cheat meal per week.

4. Drink at least half of my weight in oz of water (aiming for a gallon)

5. After my new website is launched, update my blog a minimum of 2x per week.

6. Go on more family vacations, specifically 1 that is longer than the weekend.

These goals are realistic for me.  Not super easy, but also not completely unattainable.  Once I enter the 3rd trimester, I will re-evaluate and see how I am feeling and where my life is.  
Once I have my baby, I will re-evaluate again since I know I will have a recovery period from giving birth and adjusting to life with a newborn and a toddler.

Your goals should always be evolving, because you should be evolving along with them.  If you are just starting out on your weight loss journey, please learn to celebrate the small victories.  For these small wins, all add up to one BIG change.  I cannot stress this enough! If you haven't seen my post about my personal advice on attaining and keeping a healthy lifestyle, click here to read about the "7 FITspiration Lifestyle Tips" I came up.  Included is a separate blog post about setting goals!

Ok, time for the bump-date, haha get it? I really do crack myself up...hahaha

How far along: 22 weeks
Baby is the size of a: Spaghetti Squash( 11 inches and almost 1 lb!)
Total weight gain: 12 lbs (really surprised I didn't gain this week!)

Maternity clothes?: On occasion, I've mostly invested in clothes a size bigger (Target tank tops and Old Navy leggings!) And of course, gym clothes.

Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had from my last pregnancy

Sleep: I missed one of my nausea doses and it threw me off, eek. Been pretty tired, but better than the Nausea Monster!

Best moment this week: Playing volleyball & badminton at family BBQ's.  That counts as a workout, right?

Miss Anything? The usual, but I'm trying to soak this up and be thankful for this miracle that I carry.

Movement: Yes, he is so low! (comparatively)

Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle. Fresh fruit.  Ice cold water. In'N'Out protein and animal style. Starbucks hot, white chocolate mocha. Chipotle! Peanut butter ANYTHING
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. Too early yet
Symptoms: Still get small waves of nausea, Fatigue, some lower back pain is starting to bug me.

Mood: Overall: Happy! Unless I am hungry....and it turns to hangry (hungry+angry) then feed me or STEP BACK! Hehe

Looking forward to: Cancun in a month! Hubby won a sales incentive trip and I get to accompany him (no toddler)  Can't wait to relax with a virgin piña colada by the beach. 

Exercise: Not bad considering I got hit hard with nausea, and suffered the consequences of catching up (Diclegis has a sleeping aid in it, so makes me a total zombie for a few days). Listened to my body and took an extra off day.

Mon: Shoulders Tue: Back Wed: Biceps/Triceps Thu: OFF Fri: Legs! Sat: OFF Sun: OFF

Gearing up for a better week (nutrition-wise) and my OB appointment tomorrow. I plan to renew my prescription for Diclegis to keep this awful nausea at bay.

Here is my one piece of advice today: Find something that YOU like.  You'll hafta try new things.  Try a yoga class. Go for a run. Lift some weights.  Whatever makes you the most happy and makes you feel alive, stick with that!  Everyone is different, so just because your best friend or sister is an avid runner/crossfitter/yogi/whatever, doesn't mean that you have to be.

Oh, and this:

21 Week Bump Update!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! Since both my hubby & I are from AZ, we are blessed enough to stick around town for the holidays.  Sofie had a wonderful time playing & giggling with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on Christmas Eve.  We chose to keep a quiet day to ourselves on Christmas Day and spent the day in our jammies. 

 Normally being cooped up would make a very active toddler crazy (and momma!) but, she was havin' way too much fun with all her new stuff.  She is currently obsessed with trains, choo choo!

Man, it feels like forever since we had a lazy day.  It was much needed! It was nice to "sleep in" til 8am.  Out of all the days, Sofie slept in til 8:30 (she is an early bird and is always up around 6ish) 'Twas a nice Christmas treat.

How far along: 21 weeks
Baby is the size of a: Carrot (approx. 3/4 of a pound; 10.5 in long)
Total weight gain: 12 lbs 

Maternity clothes?: On occasion, mostly gym clothes or leggings!
Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had from my last pregnancy
Sleep: Pretty good, especially since Santa brought me a pregnancy pillow this year. So comfy!
Best moment this week: Christmas, of course! Watching our daughter light up while she opened gifts. Spending time with family & loved ones.
Miss Anything? The usual:laying on my tummy, normal energy levels, a cocktail, and SUSHI!
Movement: Yes, he is so low! (comparatively)
Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle. Fresh fruit.  Ice cold water. In'N'Out protein and animal style. Starbucks hot, white chocolate mocha. Chipotle!
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. Too early yet
Symptoms: Still get small waves of nausea, Fatigue (this may attributed to the Diclegis and my Energizer Bunny 2 yr old keepin me busy). 

Mood: Happy! I had my first "I feel like I'm crazy because I-want-to-cry-over-something-silly" moment since I first found out I was pregnant.  I'm really surprised that I have been pretty level-headed this pregnancy.
Looking forward to: Spending time with my little family this week, and going to watch The Hobbit! Going to the movies is a luxury nowadays, hehe.

Exercise: Kept the consistency, even though it was a busy week.  Lots of drop sets to make sure I made the best of my time (and battling the crowds)

Mon: Shoulders Tue: Back Wed: Biceps/Triceps/Chest Thu: OFF Fri: Legs Sat: Cardio (10 min incline fast walk)and Upper Body Sun: OFF

My normal "80/20" flexible eating was more of a "60/40" last week, I have to be honest! No regrets, I enjoyed many tamales and lots of treats (pie, cookies, chocolate) It was all so yummy! I was really good about sticking to making it to the gym 5 days a week and I think that helped me avoid more than a 2 lb weight gain this week.

I'm getting really excited about my new website launching soon! I am serious when I say that I am open to feedback and suggestions.  Email me at: lex@fitspirationmom.net with any ideas or topics you would like to see.  I plan on continuing similar posts with recipes, tips/tricks, and other FITspirational posts.

Until next week! Hope everyone is enjoying the last week of 2014 and gearing up for a healthy, prosperous 2015. Xoxo

Lex

20 week Baby Bump Update!

Hello hello! I'm stepping up my "blogging game" I feel like the 1st trimester I was consumed by the "Nausea Monster" as I like to refer to the ALL DAY nausea I experienced. Life has felt so busy lately and BOOM: the holidays snuck up on me.  Similar to my last pregnancy, I am gonna start weekly bump updates. Yay! 

How far along: 20 weeks
Baby is the size of a: Banana(10 inches from head to heel & approx 10.5 oz) according to Baby Center, but at our u/s last week the tech said 13 oz
Total weight gain: 10 lbs

Maternity clothes?: A few comfy pants, but mostly normal leggings and longer tanks/tops. That's if I'm not in workout clothes(which is like 90% of the time, haha)
Stretch marks? Just the ones I already had from my last pregnancy
Sleep: Pretty decent. I'm still taking Diclegis for my nausea, so it knocks me out!
Best moment this week: Well, last week we got to see little man doing somersaults on the u/s and hear his heart beating.  I love technology!
Miss Anything? Laying on my tummy. Enjoying myself a cocktail with dinner. I kinda miss my old workout habits too!
Movement: Yes! One of my favorite things about pregnancy.
Cravings: Grilled cheese sandwich with a pickle. Fresh fruit.  Ice cold water. In'N'Out protein and animal style.
Gender: Boy
Labor Signs: Nope, thank goodness. Too early yet
Symptoms: Still get small waves of nausea, hoping it's gone soon, my script is almost out. Fatigue (this may attributed to the Diclegis and my Energizer Bunny 2 yr old keepin me busy)

Mood: Happy! Moments of emotion, like when I watched a father get reunited with his son after 40+ years. Damn you Dr. Phil!
Looking forward to: Christmas next week! Excited to spend time with family and to see Sofie's reaction on Christmas morning.

Exercise: Consistently working out 5 days a week.  The key has been planning my workouts ahead of time and writing them in my calendar. An appointment that I cannot miss! 

This week looked like this:

Mon: Shoulders Tue: Back Wed: Biceps & Triceps Thu: Legs Fri: Yoga

That's right, I said Yoga! I've never really been into yoga (I sporadically did yoga during my last pregnancy). I think it's because I am not very flexible and I'm drawn to more high-intensity-let's-lift-heavy-ass-weights type shtuff. ;)

 

I also want to add that the only "cardio" I currently do is 15-20 minute walk after dinner *some* nights(this will be more of a focus once I get closer to the end)  I tend to do all my strength training in a super-set format (I pick 2-3 different exercises and do one move after the other with a 30 second break in between)  This keeps my heart rate up and makes me break a sweat. This is how I worked out before I got pregnant, so that's what I personally stick to.  Rule of thumb is that you can continue to do what you did before you got pregnant(always consult with your doctor first!), which makes it so important to establish a workout routine before you decide it's time to get knocked up.

 

  My weight gain is on track, as of now.  According to Baby Center, if you started out in a normal weight range: you should gain about 1-5 lbs during the 1st trimester and 1 lb per week for the remainder of the pregnancy.

Halfway point is really exciting! I feel like this pregnancy is now starting to fly by.  Looking back, I can honestly say that doing my best to stick to eating healthier foods and exercising helped my nausea overall.  I still had it pretty rough, so I am really thankful I only dealt with it for 2 months until I got my hands on Diclegis (a newer prescription specific to pregnancy nausea)

I have some exciting news to share!  For the last few months, I have been working on a new website for my blog.  The type-A person in me is super stoked to have a cleaner, more organized place to share all my favorite recipes, FITspiration tips/tricks, and posts that speak candidly about self-love and acceptance.  

 

I'm also considering becoming more active on YouTube, so I can share some of my favorite workouts that I love.  If there is anything you'd like to see on my page or topics you want more info on, please let me know! I am open to anything that can help you along your journey to become healthy and happy!

Until next time,

Lex

Fit Pregnancy: The 1st Trimester

Gaining 60 lbs during my first pregnancy has been a huge motivator for me to stick to my normal healthy habits as best as I can.  This pregnancy was planned, so I feel like I was gearing up for battle with all my weapons of knowledge, tips, tricks, recipes, etc.

Boy, was I in for a surprise!  To all my mommas out there that deal with morning sickness and nausea(not to mention extreme fatigue); I give you major props.  Especially if you have other children to tend to, aaaand especially if they are of toddler age.

I've had many of you ask me if I have changed my workout routine since becoming pregnant. The answer is a big, fat YES!

My first priority is the health of this baby, which directly correlates with my health (of course).  So, I really had to listen to my body.  I went from working out 5-6 days a week (heavy lifting and HIIT cardio) to sometimes only making it to the gym 2 days a week.  I didn't beat myself up over it, because I knew that I needed to rest as my body kicked into overdrive to create this little miracle.

Once I stopped throwing myself a pity party(did I also mention Sofie stopped napping around the time I got pregnant...? Ha.) I made some new goals.

1. Make it to the gym 4 days a week.

2. Drink, at minimum, half my weight in ounces of water (approx 65 oz)

3. Eat as healthy as I can, when I can (see below)

4.  Listen to my body

There was a time where eating things like pizza, bagels and cream cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, and burgers were the ONLY things that settled my nauseous stomach.  So, that's what I did.  No regrets.  

The mental battle that I had with myself over going to the gym was very similar to how I felt when I was out of shape and lacked motivation.  So I told myself the same thing I did then, "Just show up and stretch, go home after that if you want."

Some days, I did just that.  Just stretched.  Most of the time, I would overcome the mental battle and focus on getting a workout in. Every single time: I always felt better!

The nausea in both of my pregnancies have been identical, except for this time around. Working out has truly helped with my nausea, as well as my energy levels.

....

Here is what I changed about my workout routine in the 1st trimester:

1.  Started to use a heart rate monitor, and focus on keeping my heart rate below 150 bpm

*Keeping your heart rate below 140 is a bit outdated, so after doing my own research and consulting with a few of the personal trainers at my gym, I focused on the level of my perceived exertion.  

2. Weight training 3-5 days a week(depending on how I feel) Lower weight with 12-15 reps

3.  Combining muscle groups.

*I used to focus on only one, usually. However, some weeks I only made it to the gym 2 or 3 days. So I worked on 2-3 muscle groups at a time (shoulders/back, biceps/triceps/chest) Except Leg Day, holy crap does my heart rate go up quick with just air squats!  I am as slow as molasses on Leg Day. Haha

4. Take daily walks.  I chose to no longer do any HIIT for cardio, but I tend to do a lot of supersets still, so I know I am getting enough "cardio" in.  When I got pregnant, I was not focused on cardio.  I was focused on maintaining and build muscle.  Now it's just maintenance

....

My advice? Same advice I give to those who ask me how to
start being fit/healthy:

....

Now that I'm in the 2nd trimester, things have been a lot easier as far as eating healthier and consistently working out.  I plan to write a separate post and am thinking about doing a weekly bump update with pics and other fun preggo details, yay.

Until next time!

Lex, xoxo

P.S.  In case you missed it, we are Team Blue this pregnancy. Yay!

Time to spill the beans...

I'm pregnant with baby #2! Due May 2015

That's what I've been up to the last 3 months.  It's such a blessing and our family is so excited to expand our family! 

8 week ultrasound

With that being said, I have to be honest and share that the last 3 months have been quite the challenge.  As with my pregnancy with Sofie, I got hit hard with what I refer to as "The Nausea Monster" (Nausea ALL day. Beginning 30 minutes after I wake up until I go to bed) in addition to my very active toddler not napping at all for the first 6 weeks. *Wooosahhhhh* 

Luckily, the napping has gotten better. Some days she will skip it, so I try and roll with it as best as I can. Nausea seems a little better, and deep down I'm relieved to have it as a reminder that my body is working hard to nourish and grow a healthy baby. 

It's been so much fun talking to Sofie about the new baby.  She came with us to our first ultrasound appointment and pointed to the screen and said "Baby! Baby!"  It melted both of our hearts!

Here are some awesome reveal pics that we included on our last photo session with our amazing photographer, Monique Hessler.

Can I also just say what a relief it is to finally share the happy news? I'm excited to share with you this new chapter in our lives.  I have been doing my best with fitting in my workouts and trying to eat healthy.  I thought it would be easier to say no to all the junk, but sometimes pizza is the only thing that will settle well with this awful nausea.  The struggle is REAL! That will be it's own blog post, trust me!


I am also working on getting my new website up, and am really exciting about things to come!  Keep an eye out for www.FITspirationMom.net