Burning Baby Weight
photo courtesy of weighttraining.com
When you marry a man who has fitness as one of the priorities in your life you get the benefit of in-house motivation. You come home to someone who says “let’s go to the track!” or “how about a game of tennis?!” I’d become so used to a naturally active lifestyle that I began taking my own fitness for granted. Exercise didn’t feel like work so I’d started thinking I was just genetically fit. But one long, hard twin pregnancy and fifty extra pounds later and I realized that my own fitness could no longer be an unexpected lucky side effect of my marriage. Especially since i spent a lot of the pregnancy on bedrest. Nope. If I want to be tone and strong again now I have to set some goals and some parameters and put in the WORK.
I spent the first 4 weeks post-partum avoiding mirrors, which is actually not that hard to do when you are keeping up with feeding and soothing two tiny babies. I spent the next two weeks looking at photos of myself before the pregnancy wondering if I’d ever look like that again. I realized that looking at old pictures wasn’t going to make that body magically reappear. It just made me want to cry into a bowl of ice cream. So at 8 weeks when I was finally cleared for real exercise, and I was ready to DO SOMETHING!!
My first order of business was to address my calorie intake. I’d increased it greatly during pregnancy to support the twins calorie needs. I’d then continued to load calories while breastfeeding. But (like many mothers) I couldn’t keep up with the milk demands for the babies and phased out to formula. So now there’s no reason to pack extra calories into my day.
My second order of business was to set a routine and GET MOVING. That’s when living with the founder of Collier Fitness & Health became a huge asset!!! We worked out a plan that fits into my busy schedule and includes
- two 10 minute muscle toning workouts during the day (squats, lunges, static, and dynamic stretching) Tuesday/Thursday
- A 3 mile walk that is slowly becoming a 3 mile jog and will eventually be a three mile run in the evenings. Mon/Wed/Fri
I don’t know about you, but I like FAST results. The benefits of post-pregnancy fitness plan is that you can literally feel and see results every single day. It’s one of the few times in life that your body responds so swiftly to physical activity. The extra weight and decreased activity of the pregnancy is foreign and your body is more than happy to shed it. The real danger is leaving the baby weight on for a year or two. It’s MUCH harder to get off later. I’ve also been careful to keep my water intake high since staying hydrated prevents false hunger. [Often when we think we are hungry we are actually just really thirsty and headed towards dehydration]. In just 5 days of the workout plan I’d lost two pounds! I am on my way, and intend to celebrate by running a half marathon at the end of the summer!! I’m not the type of girl to run out and get liposuction or a tummy tuck, because I don’t think that quick fixes equip you for long term success. But I do believe in the power of persistence. So even if I have some rough days, or a few set-backs, I will keep plugging away towards my goal because “Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.” ~Joseph Pilates IT’S A LIFESTYLE.
Delivery Day Weight: 174lbs. (3.15.12)
Workout Plan Starting Weight: 142lbs (5.15.12)
Current Weight: 138lbs (5.24.12)
Goal Weight: 120lbs
4 Responses to “Burning Baby Weight”
Trackbacks / Pingbacks
- - May 29, 2012
Mr. Collier, I am a thirty-something year-old woman who has struggled with yo-yo dieting for years. Can you give me some tips to maintain a healthy lifestyle that is realistic for someone who enjoys socializing. Happy hour always ruins any plan I attempt to start.
In addition to monitoring how ‘happy” your Happy Hour is, make sure you have established an exercise routine. It is recommended that if you participating in running, fitness classes, or cycling, that you get at least 1 hr 15minutes per week. For even better health results, and recommended if you want balance with your social life, increase that exercise to 2 hrs 30 min per week or even add some lesser intensity exercise like walking. Enjoy life, and don’t be discouraged when you have off days. Look at what you are doing MOST of the time. Your consistent diet and exercise plan is realistic for your social life.
You want to keep Happy Hour Happy? Avoid The fruity colorful drinks with the umbrellas. Skip the appletini and order a “cape cod” or a “seven and seven”. The danger of mixed drinks are the landslide of sugar and calories in the flavored liquers and syrups. Stick to a more basic blend of your favorite adult beverage on the rocks.
Not into spirit? Switch to the low calorie option of your favorite beer. The average regular beer is 150 calories (think two hours on the treadmill at a very brisk jog) Fortunately lots of brands now offer a low calorie option. Wine averages about 100 calories per glass.
No matter what you decide to drink, Limit yourself to one, and drink slowly.