So now that I got this whole pregnancy thing out of the way, it's time to hit the gym again. I never thought that I would have missed the gym more than a glass of good wine on the deck or even being able to see my own feet, but I sure did. I was warned by my Dr that I needed to ease back into things and he was right. I can't believe how much I have digressed since September.
Going back to the gym today I felt intimidated like it was my first time in a weight room and embarrassed at how little weight I was able to manage and at how easily I became winded. A 10 minute jog on the treadmill was enough to leave my calves feeling as though they were filled with fire ants. Of course I couldn't resist a visit to the weight room. After all, my Dr told me that I couldn't start power lifting for another 6 weeks but he never said that I couldn't start girly lifting right now. Yeah I said it....too many girls out there lift like, well, girls. Stop that. That's for another blog though...
I'm already feeling the effects of the minimal workout that I did today. It's amazing that I have fallen so far back. I only hope that it doesn't take me as long to get back to where I was. I need to keep reminding myself that if I rush into this I'm most likely going to injure myself. It didn't help seeing my trainer today and how ripped he has become since Sept. He looks amazing. He also started a new weight training class, which I cannot wait to be a part of, and of course they were meeting tonight. I felt so left out. It was like being back in middle school gym class all over again. I had to drag myself out of there before I beat myself up too badly.
I have to do some thinking and come up with a new fitness goal. Obviously I want to get rid of all this baby fat that I still have clinging to me but I feel like just having a weight loss goal is lame and stereotypical of being a female. Plus it's not something that is easy to measure when weight training since I will be putting on muscle at the same time that I am reducing fat. Maybe I should start with the goal of being able to button my pre-pregnancy shorts. That should be easy enough. I feel like I need a big goal though with little ones along the way. This is going to take some thought.
I would really like to participate in the Muckfest in Philly again this year but I'm not sure that I will be ready in time. I'm pretty much back to square one as far as running is concerned. I wasn't running much when I was lifting last year but I still did an occasional jog and was fit enough to be able to hit a 10 min mile, which for me is perfectly fine. I'm no where near being able to do that right now and I'm not sure my body will allow me to do the training I need to in order to be back up there in a months time. The other problem is that the race includes obstacles and requires upper body strength which I am also lacking at the moment. The risk of injury seems like it might be higher than I am willing to risk at the moment. Who knows though? Maybe after a month of training I will decide to do it anyway. I wouldn't be running it competitively anyway, only for charity) so it may be a great chance to get out and play in the mud with a little jogging in between.
There is also a 5K (the Rattlesnake Run) in Jim Thorpe at the end of June that I am planning on registering for. I'm not expecting to be able to match my time from last year but it's an easy course and it will give me a better idea of how I am progressing.
While being at the gym today made me realize how out of shape I have become, it also made me realize how much I love being in the weight room and working out. It's the form of exercise that I get the most enjoyment out of and honestly I never thought of it as exercise. I looked forward to my training sessions and loved the improvement that I was seeing.
I'm very excited to be back at the gym and love the fact that there is a child care area for when you are working out. I'm hoping that this is a very exciting and productive summer.
I need to be accountable for my training since I'm not back with my personal trainer yet so I will be posting what I do. In addition to the gym, I take lots of walks, at least 2 a day with the baby as long as it's not raining.
This is a small start but I have to start somewhere and see how my body reacts. It's a good thing that I kept a journal of everything I had done and what my weight was like as I was training last year.
11 min of alternating walking and jogging on treadmill
calf raises 40lbs 3x8
leg extentions/curls alternating 30lbs 3x10
burn out curls 15/10/5lbs x10
step-ups body weight 3x8
