In 2009, I found out I was pregnant, which was a huge surprise and wonderful news! I was 29 and was seriously wondering if I ever would have a baby. First obstacle to overcome...quit smoking! I had smoked for 10 years, and now was the time to quit. That tells you right there, I obviously didn't exercise or was too healthy...smokers and health nut, doesn't exactly jive. I was able to quit smoking and in March 2010, gave birth to my beautiful baby girl.
Now we move onto obstacle number 2...how to get my pre-baby body back. Well, since I'm 30 now, I had to face a few facts. I will never look like a 20 year old supermodel ( I still do struggle with this constantly). It's reality, I can be in good shape, I can have muscle tone, but age, metabolism, stretchy belly from baby...just certain things I had to accept. So, my sister and I were making a bucket list and both had listed running a marathon. And that's how it all began. We set the goal in May of 2010, and in June of 2011, we both finished the Kona Marathon in Hawaii. It seriously took the whole entire year to train. It was a lot of hard work and a lot of sweat...and pain. 2 ankles with tendinitis and 1 knee with tendinitis, but I did it! I had never set such a goal and accomplished it! It was such an amazing feeling!
I just wanted to share that with everyone, because changing your body can happen! Set a goal, shoot for it, and once you get there, you will be amazed at how great you feel! Now that I can't run, I actuallay MISS running...I never thought I would say that, but I do! I have found other ways to get cardio in, because I like the way I feel after I work out.
Remember to start small...I didn't start running 26 miles...we found a program that started slow and gradually built up, that's what you need to do. Set a big goal, but little milestones along the way to reach. Each time you hit a milestone, the big goal at the end seems so much more attainable! And reward yourself! That's what we did! Heck, if we were going to run 26 miles, we were going to do it in paradise, so we chose a marathon in Hawaii!
And if you miss a couple days, a week, a couple weeks...don't just give up, get back up and start again, don't be hard on yourself or it won't work. Keep encouraging yourself, and give yourself some credit! It's good to be proud of yourself, nothing wrong with that at all! To other people it might not be that big of a deal, but it is to you, and that's what is important!
Now for a few health tips, I found these online and I try to stick to them when I can:
-EXERCISE 1ST THING IN THE MORNING - Raises your heart rate and jump starts your metabolism for the day, and helps burn more calories throughout the day (you could do cardio in morning and weights in afternoon)
-EAT BREAKFAST AFTER YOU ARE DONE EXERCISING - Aim to get 25% of your calories at breakfast, and eat 5 smaller meals throughout the day. Think breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper -- and two dainty snacks -- like a princess!" Go light on carbs, heavy on protein
-DITCH THE JUICE- 3 times more sugar in a glass of juice than in an apple...keep that in mind when you reach for juice, drink water and eat an apple, rather than just having the juice
-DRINK LOTS OF WATER- avoid sugary drinks (soft drinks, juices) aim to have water be the majority of your drinks
- ALLOW YOURSELF 100 - 150 FREE CALORIES PER DAY- Include the calories in your total calorie intake for the day, but don't worry about the fat, protein, carb amount....let yourself have one treat per day. It will make sticking to your diet so much easier.
Well, that is all for now! Hope this might help some people. Remember to believe in yourself! You CAN do anything you set your mind to!
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