A Pure Barre Pregnancy: Pure Barre Pregnancy Modifications

[Friends and family: The reason for this post is that when I found out I was pregnant, one of the first things I did was search for articles about pure barre modifications while pregnant. I found several helpful articles which were all great, but not as much as I hoped.  So, here I am, paying it forward!]

Disclaimer: I am not a Pure Barre instructor, owner or employee, nor am I a doctor (but I am a lawyer!), so this is not medical or technical advice.  This is just my own personal experience and some practical insight, as if we were having a friendly informal conversation about it.  Pure Barre is an intense workout and should be done with your OB's blessing.   

A Pure Barre Pregnancy 

First time wearing my sticky socks around 11-12 weeks, at a 90 minute full body burn! 

Overview: 

Pure Barre is very possible and even fun while pregnant! And I think it's really helped to manage my weight gain and help me feel good about how I'm carrying.  Ultimately I took over 100 classes during my pregnancy and was there on my due date (my goal) and one day after.  I returned to PB around 4.5 weeks postpartum (with clearance from my doctor).

It's important that you are already familiar with the technique and the difficulty, and it really helps to have a baseline of "pure barre strength" before you get pregnant (so you can still do those dreaded ledge exercises on your hands and knees during seat with a bump!).  I had been taking PB pretty regularly for a year and a half before I got pregnant, and was going several times a week the month I got pregnant (including the day I found out I was pregnant, in Hawaii)  But be prepared, as baby grows so do you, and that weight will be a strain!

Also to be clear, I was overweight before I became pregnant, and so I was not one of those "little" pregnant ladies who barely showed.  I was fortunate that I carried very forward and had that classic "bump," but was NOT small, and gained at least 35-40 lbs during my pregnancy.   But I lost my baby weight quite easily postpartum and I suspect that pure barre before and after helped.   

If I had the time, I'd try to go 4-5 days a week, but unfortunately with work I really only manage 3-4. I think PB is most effective if you don't miss more than 1-2 days between classes, but that also depends on if you're walking, running or doing other exercise while pregnant.  

My biggest piece of advice is that EVERY DAY IS DIFFERENT!  Your body will change daily and your PB experience will change with it.  Every pregnant lady is different so don't feel bad if there are others in your studio that are doing more than you do!   The best advice I got was from another woman in the studio who said, "just do what you want and you'll be fine" which I have found to be so true.  The instructors are a great resource and you should use them, but don't be afraid to "wing it," especially if you're experienced in the technique and the proper posture.  Also, there were moves that I wasn't into at 35 weeks that I was able to do at 39 weeks so sometimes your body is just into it and sometimes it isn't. 

Finally, this is required reading! http://jjsways.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-80-thoughts-you-have-during-pure.html

Clothes: 

Around 34 weeks.  Regular Beyond Yoga pants and Old Navy maternity tank. Pup sold separately.

If you're lucky like me, you had instructors who had babies before you got pregnant, and you paid attention to their style.  I'm still fitting into most some of my largest and stretchy pants, and wear long tanks (like the emijay "see you at the barre" tank) to cover the bump.  My bra selection is quite limited so that's an excuse to spring for some new stuff (which you'll continue to wear after, especially if breastfeeding!).  I have a few looser, "maternity" options for when I'm bigger so I don't stretch out my nice regular pants.  My mom insisted that she get me a pair of Beyond the Bump capris, which are very comfortable, and then I found a pair of Beyond the Bump leggings that were severely discounted, which  were great!  Once I was close to full term, I was limited to my maternity PB clothes, and even those were strained, but if I was desperate I could have used my husband's workout clothes, and I didn't. 

Water:

Water deserves it's own section.  What's great about a PB class if you have plenty of opportunities to gulp down water, so not only is it important for fluids, etc. it's also just a great opportunity to load up on water during the day.  I know on the days I go to PB I'm better hydrated than on my off days.

Also, if you're breastfeeding postpartum, drinking water during class is VERY important.

Instructors: 
I chose not to reveal my pregnancy to my instructors until 11 weeks, which made sense for me.  That was also when I started wearing the "baby on board" socks, which are fun :-) (my debut of the socks was during a 90 minute total body burn intensive, awesome, right?).  My studio does not require a doctor's note but some do, so be prepared either way.  It's been fun for my instructors to see my belly grow and they are some of my biggest cheerleaders!  They have a handout they can give you with modifications, I never saw it and I'm not too concerned about it.  If you're an experienced LTBer, it's not that hard to figure out modifications. 

Odd Pregnancy-Related PB Issues:

- I got awful heartburn during class! It was very strange.  I considered packing TUMS in the gym bag but it never got to that point, I just drank a ton of water and pushed through.  

- If you're fighting the first trimester fatigue (or any trimester fatigue), get yourself to the studio anyway, it helps.  I had weekends when all I did was PB and lay in bed with my dog.  

- I had a series of headaches during a few weeks of my second trimester.  Nothing helped, so I went to PB anyway.  

- Bathroom breaks: you will need them! I suggest you go after seat during the beginning of "round back," the least useful section of PB while pregnant.

- I had a setback in week 24, when I had sciatic pain on my left hip (likely NOT caused by PB), which completely hampered my walking and was very painful.  After about 9 days of rest, ice, and heat, nothing changed. So I decided to try "active recovery" instead, by returning to the barre, with the hope that some PB "physical therapy" and stretching would help.  Two days in the verdict is unclear, I'm not sure it helped, but my pain went away about 5 days later, and mentally it was GREAT to be back.

- Pelvic floor issues:  I realized postpartum that I have pelvic floor tightness.  (The opposite of what you have to do kegels for.)  The one legged stuff at PB seems to bring it on, both before and after the baby was born.  Just be mindful of that muscle group because there are lots of changes happening! 

Modifications:

This is what you're here for, right!  This is what has worked for me.  My original goal was to get to 20 weeks without a major modifications which, for the most part, worked.  Even at 28 weeks, I didn't modify as much as I expected.  Here's how I break up the working sections of class, your terminology may be different (and I've never been an instructor) so bear with me: 

First 100s 

Plank

Push Up series 

Tricep dips 

Upper Body w/ Weights (or without) 

Thighs 

Seat

Round Back 

Flat Back 

Final Abs Series

Cobra/Back 

Back Dancing(Bridge)

Weeks 4-15ish (before you start showing):  

I don't think you need any modifications because of your pregnancy here.  I chose to go down on my knees during plank to protect my back, and otherwise took it more easily than I used to (which I recommend) but really don't be afraid to challenge yourself in the same way as before. 

Weeks 15-20: 

I stopped doing the chair pose in thighs and instead stood up at the barre to limit back strain (which I probably should have done before I was pregnant - UPDATE: 8 months postpartum I'm back at doing chair!).  I modified my cobra stretch but I still do it, and on most days I stayed up on my hands and knees during back stretch and stuck out opposing legs and arms.  I had to modify the final abs series a bit to protect my back, but I'm sure that varies. 

Weeks 20-30ish: I continued to to everything I had modified before, but: 

First 100s I kept my legs up a lot higher, and eventually kept them on the floor, and for the roll-up I keep my legs down.

Plank (even on my knees) is harder! 

Push Ups: I still do push ups on my toes, but I always keep both feet on the floor (I don't do any alternating lifting the feet).  There's only so much my arms can take with this extra weight!

Thighs: One quirky symptom was calf cramps when we're on our toes during thighs!  It's happened almost every class for a few weeks. (This eventually went away, which was also strange) I just come down on to my feet and am fine.  I always stand up for chair but I still do water ski. UPDATE: At 28 weeks my belly is starting to get in the way while I'm at the Barre...I can still do everything but, it's different... 

The stretches between thighs and seat are a little more tricky with the bump but I still do the split stretch.  It feels so good! 

Seat:  I "lose steam" during seat (or, on bad days, "the wheels come off"), especially if we're standing at the barre on one leg (again, not much different than before, just worse, standing pretzel sucks for everyone!).  I take a lot more breaks than I used to, and modify a lot more to keep pressure off my standing hip, which is just harder with more weight.  Sometimes I stay upright at the barre if there's a fold over, other times I'm able to do it, do what makes sense and don't push it too much.   The "seatbelt" position is getting harder so I might have to face the barre soon.   Also, when on all fours, it's much harder to not arch my back and keep my hips tucked.  I do the best I can and take several breaks.  Eventually I was done with being all fours in seat, and did everything at the barre.  It was just too hard to protect my back. 

Round back is harder, I do a lot more table top/foot on the floor during that time.  Be careful when rotating during the stretch between round back and flat back.  

I don't modify flat back (yet). Eventually I couldn't really keep my legs together or in diamond anymore, so I just did the best I could. 

Final Abs Series:  I always keep the ball behind my back (I did that pre-pregnancy and now postpartum), and don't push it as much as I used to.  All of the abs on my back are a little trickier, because the center of my abs is basically hidden from here on out.  I can't get my legs to a 45 degree angle very easily, so I just keep my feet on the floor (knees bent) or keep my legs up high, depending on how I'm feeling, and often grip my legs.   I still do the reverse crunches, I'm carrying high and they feel fine. 

Back Dancing: I can't physically keep my feet together during back dancing anymore, so I just keep them further apart and protect my back, no big deal. 

Be purposeful with your stretching! It's great for overall pregnancy comfort and I have to think hope it will help with labor!

Weeks 30-40: There is a huge difference between 30 weeks and 25 weeks, at least for me!

First 100s:  I keep my feet on the ground the entire time.

Plank:  I can still do it on my knees, but I'm not sure how much longer, I'm running out of space!

Push Ups: Still doing the full pushups!

Weights:  I pushed myself until about 38 weeks and then it was funny, my arms started getting tired faster, so I took it pretty easy at the end.

Thighs and Seat: Same, except I'm carrying around more weight.  I do not do anything on my hands and knees, I lean against the barre.

Abs against the wall: I usually take a bathroom break.

Final Abs series:  I could still do it, but it's wasn't the same.  If it wasn't for back dancing and final stretching I'd probably have left class after seat.  I feel like I'm still getting a workout in, and it's great for my obliques (I'm carrying VERY forward).  I focused on upper abs and obliques at the end.

Concerns:

The most common thing I read is to be careful about positions on your back.  I also see a lot about modifying the abs sections, I haven't modified much at all and won't until my doctor tells me to.   I think the biggest thing is DON'T GET HURT. Now is not the time to push it.  My round ligament pain sometimes gets worse during PB so I try to take it easy on those days, knowing that a few days later, I'll probably be fine. At 28 weeks I told my nurse practitioner that I'm still doing Pure Barre and would continue to until she told me otherwise, she said that it was all good, and also said that I'm carrying really well and my weight was good, which I think is largely because of my PB practice.

Happy Thoughts
The instructors and clients in the two studios I regularly attend are so POSITIVE and sweet. Seriously, they constantly tell me that I look great and that I'm doing really well.  In a world where everyone wants to tell you that you're huge and that you're "not going to make it to August,"  having this safe, happy space several hours a week while pregnant is invaluable.  The value of that support cannot be understated.

After class on my due date - I made it!
Beyond the Bump tank and capris

Happy tucking for two :-) 

Update: some postpartum thoughts! I never thought that going back 40 lbs lighter 4.5 weeks after having the baby would be 10x harder than going at 40 weeks! So give yourself some time and be patient.  It took several months before I felt like myself again at the barre, but it does come back! 

5K Training Update

I'm one workout away from being halfway through this 5K training program  The big run is on April 20th.  And since it's a color run, I don't see "speed" as much of a goal since it's more about looking colorful and messy at the end.

Having said that, although I was already exercising, I decided to do a legit training program for two important reasons:
1. I wanted to be able to breathe and walk after 3.1 miles; and
2. Given what my body and mind has gone through the last couple of months, I needed some structure to my workouts, which compliment my weight loss program.

This last workout this week (which will probably take place on Wednesday), is a doozy:

Walk 1.5 miles. Run 10 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 10 minutes, walk 5-10 minutes.

I'm not used to running for long time periods. (and by "running" I mean what you probably consider "jogging" - 5.0 mph; but don't judge, remember that I'm only 5'2.5")

So on Friday when I had to do: Walk 1.5 miles. Run 10 minutes, walk 5-7 minutes, run 10 minutes, walk 5-7 minutes.

I was quite scared.  But I made it through, slowing down to 4.8 mph for the last 5 minutes of the second 10-min run. I was happy that my legs felt good and had finally caught up to my heart and lungs, but now it seems the tables have turned and it's not my cardio endurance that needs to reach the next level.  I'll do some cross-training tonight, take tomorrow off, and then see how Wednesday goes.

I'm glad I've done a training program because I'm a lot further along than I would have been on my own for 3 weeks.  I'm also glad because it exposed me to the fact that I was wayyy undertraining. I was not prepared for this level of mileage per week, and would have never done this much mileage on my own.  I'm obligated to 4 days of exercise a week, but those days are LONG; most if not all workouts have clocked in at over an hour. My legs did not have that kind of strength, so I've seen drastic improvement. I get so easily bored by the long walk workouts, but am doing them because they are part of the program, and have seen really good results in my pain level and in my leg strength. I think I'll definitely incorporate long walks as part of a long-term routine.

I'm starting to toy with the idea of a 10K race in August in California, and/or a half marathon in the fall in the Philadelphia area, but I think I'll wait until after the April race to make any decisions.

On a related note - I've officially lost the weight I gained in February, plus a bit; in fact I'm just under the weight I was at before the holidays, which is a nice accomplishment. I have some short and long term goals associated with that and I'm currently on track.  I've clearly lost inches - I was able to fit into my "next size down" pants this morning, and although they aren't quite ready to wear yet the fact that I could button them was exciting!

What a difference a few weeks make

We finally weighed in on Saturday - it turns out what I suspected was true - I had gained at least 5 pounds in about a month. For months the weight had been slowly creeping up but that was quite drastic - no wonder I was feeling horrible.

I weigh in again on Saturday and expect to have already lost at least a few of those pounds.  Those of us with some experience know that if you gain weight fast you can lose it fast, and vice versa.

The timing has worked out because we also signed up for a 5K color run on April 20th and so I immediately started on a 6 week 5K training program.  I'm glad I did because after completing the first week of training yesterday (it's a 4 day/week program), I realized that as much as speed  and cardio endurance is important since I was out of shape, the bigger issue was that I hadn't done that kind of mileage in years, so my legs needed to be stronger.  (Since college I had transitioned from a 3 mile walk/runner to a 2 mile walk/runner, in part to save time - now that I'm older that 3rd mile is a challenge!)  This training is VERY WALK INTENSIVE.  In fact, it's really testing my patience because I don't like to just walk on a treadmill (which for me, I have to do most of the time to ward off allergies), it bores the heck out of me.

For example, last night my training was:  Walk 3-5 miles, including 10 run/walk intervals (run 30 seconds, walk 1 minutes) in the last mile.

I did a 1/2 mile with Curtis and Kenny outside, then went in the gym, did 1.5 miles walking and the last mile as instructed, with intervals.   I just don't have the patience for any more walking with that.  So I'm going to use my 5th day of training this week to add a few miles on to my week total and enjoy some freedom from the training program (meaning more running less walking for a shorter distance).  Thursday will probably be an off day or elliptical, and week 2 starts Friday. 

I can safely say I already feel better than a did just a few weeks ago - I'm eating really well and my clothes already fit properly again. This week I opted to not count activity points in an effort to drop the weight a little faster, so I'm excited to weigh-in on Saturday and looking forward to continuing this 5K program. 

In retrospect, I probably should have seen this coming...

After a busy/chaotic/traumatizing fall season, followed by a really nice Christmas, followed by two nasty colds/awful weather/a reasonably fun mardi gras season, I was feeling pretty awful last week.

My body basically hit rock bottom, to the point that I think it was calling out for help.

I soon realized that I had gained about 10 lbs overnight - we're talking about 4-6 weeks. I had completely lost my athleticism and had no strength OR conditioning, and, what really spoke to me, was that my stomach for about 3 days was in a state of pain, bloat, etc. etc. (and it wasn't that time of the month).  I was simply uncomfortable, at a level beyond the typical, my clothes don't fit as well as they did before, way.

So, I made changes gradually: I tried to cure the stomach issues first, because it was actually really disruptive and made my daily life rather miserable.  I ate less junk, more healthy food, more fruit in particular, and was able to resolve those issues in a few days.

Then, on Saturday, I went to the gym and did a tough 1 mile.  I had gone a few times in 2013 (including in the last few weeks), but those two weeks I was essentially in bed really changed the game for me - I was starting from square one with the running.  [It almost feels better to tell myself that I'm recovering from an injury and because of that I can expect to have challenges in building up my conditioning].  In fact, after the 1 mile, Curtis and I went to a Chili Cook-off in town, and after that, I could barely stay awake I was so tired and worn out from the activity.  It was BAD.

To make matters worse, this is probably the worst allergy season on record for me.  I'm known to have a bad week where I'm out of commission, but I literally have laryngitis this week from my allergies. So I basically have to live in a bubble and with each walk to the gym, pray that I don't inhale TOO many particles that my immune system will attack.  But enough complaining ...

This week I'm trying to work my way back to both a weight-loss diet AND an exercise program, but to be honest, I'm having trouble staying motivated on the former.  But the stomach issues have at least convinced me to eat whole, healthy foods, even if I end up eating more of them than I should.  I'll start tackling that issue for real on Saturday after my weigh-in.

I think the biggest issue for me now is the mindset with the food.  It's something that will, sadly, always be there with me.  I have three ways of eating:

1. Eating with an eye towards losing weight (counting, weighing, measuring, restricting, etc);
2. Eating with an eye toward being healthy, but not to lose weight, ideally to maintain (but have a little fun in the process); and
3. Eating with an eye towards being self-destructive, which naturally results in gaining weight quickly

Obviously, the fact that I am not 300 pounds indicates that #3 is not a state I'm in very often.  But it is the demon that raises its ugly head every once in awhile, and it presented itself this past month.  #2 is the ideal, and probably the state that I'm in most of the time, and is a happy place.  #1 is what I should be doing now, since it's a truth that I'm overweight and have a significant amount of weight to lose to no longer be overweight. (Although lets be honest, what amount of weight is NOT significant?)

There are a few things I can be happy about today.  I did not gain all of the weight back that I lost last year.  The weight I lost I was actually able to keep off for about 6-8 months before this recent slip. And, most importantly, I emerged from this setback with an understanding of why it happened in the first place, and am grateful that I hit rock bottom last week and not 2 months from now.

I, like many other people, am not good at handling "unstructured time."  The more regimented my life is, the better I am in all aspects of it.  And both my work life and personal life these last 2 months has been the epitome of "unstructured."  After the flurry of August-December, when I was planning my life in 1-2 week increments, I literally entered 2013 with no short term life events to plan and prepare for.  Mardi Gras could have been that motivation, but frankly, it just wasn't.  I still don't have any short term life events to plan for.  But now that I know that, I can try to work around that to create some structure and facilitate a return to the healthy lifestyle that I had taken for granted this time last year.

I have a short term, 10 week goal.  I'm still working on the reward for if I'm successful.  But I took a giant step in the right direction this week and for that, my body and mind already feel better.



(It also doesn't hurt that this period of time on the Gulf Coast/legal calendar contains the least amount of imbibing*, thank goodness for that! ;-) ).

*For those of you not familiar with the Gulf Coast and/or legal "imbibing" calendar - here's how I see it: 
Mid-February: Mardi Gras 
May-June: Summer Clerks are in town
July-August: it's just really hot
September-February: Football season/Holiday season
February - May: (relatively) dry season. 

Oh Jillian Michaels ...

As I mentioned on the other blog, I got a 80 minute massage on Saturday.  It left me quite achy that night from all the hard work the masseuse put in on my back.  So I woke up on Sunday feeling pretty stiff, but I wanted to work out nonetheless.

Luckily (haha, a funny thing in hindsight), I saw our downstairs neighbor leave for church, so I knew I had a window of time to do a workout video.  I've only done the videos a few times since I moved to Alabama because it's just too loud for the folks downstairs so I have to wait until I know they're gone.

For some twisted reason, I decided to do Level 2 of the 6 week 6 pack cold turkey.  In retrospect, I don't know why I thought I could handle it.  I haven't done any upper body training in months, no planks, no squats, no lunges, NOTHING.  Just because I've lost 19 lbs can kinda run 2 miles does not make me ready for some JM pain.

18 minutes in, I gave up, took the 3 activity points, and went on my merry way.  The one perk was that my body got some needed relief from the stiffness because the workout stretched everything out.

But of course, this morning, I couldn't put weight on my left leg - it was so tight.   I guess I got what I deserved.

Quad Injury

(or a lesson in how NOT to come off a gym break)

Life has been quite busy lately.  After pushing to get to a certain weight before Juls' wedding, I (well, we) took a several week break from running and focused on work and on our visitors.  In retrospect, I wish I hadn't gone cold turkey.

About a month ago, I finally got the motivation to get back to the gym, and did too much too soon.  On the one hand, I went hard because my level of athleticism hadn't fallen off as much as I had feared - I was so happy that I could still run at the times and distance I could three weeks earlier, that I did way too much and my legs were not ready.  On Day 3, after doing 5 miles in two workouts on Day 2, I felt some unusual pain in my right quad.  I knew it was bad but finished my workout, knowing that it would be my last for awhile.  I put some ice on it and took some advil, hoping it would be ready to go again in a few days.

Well, it turns out, quad injuries are difficult to heal, because we use our quad so much when we walk.  In the morning it would feel fine but at the end of the day it hurt (and I don't have a job at which I'm on my feet much), and running was out of the question - it was obviously strained.  It reminded my of my (probable) stress fracture back in 2009 - where most activity was out of the question.

A week later, without any improvement, I decided that I would basically have to take a weekend and stay off my leg to the extent possible, wrap it and apply ice every few hours.  I'm not sure if it helped, but by that next week, it was feeling much better.  2 weeks post-injury, I did 20 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the treadmill without pain.  But I knew that I should probably go easy on it because the muscle felt weak.


So now here I am  - trying to start up again and avoid another such injury.  I did a mile on Saturday and 2 miles last night, and am hoping to get back to 3-4 days a week training until I feel like I can up the intensity again.  I'm also brainstorming ways to get some weight training in, both to help prevent another like injury and to fix this hip problem I've been having for months when I run.  But I'm happy to be past the injury, and happy that I didn't gain much (if any) weight in the interim. 


Update: going to try these exercises tonight. 

How have I been exercising lately?

Some of you may be curious abut my workout regimen, now that I'm in a weight-loss process.  Especially given the fact that I was diligently recording my Jillian Michaels workouts last year.

Well, I can't do as many of those videos these days, because of our neighbor downstairs.  I may speak on that in a separate blog post later, but we are so annoyed with her, it's hard to put it into words (hint: she's a nurse that thinks that everyone else should be quiet during the day while she's sleeping). So, once a week or so, Curtis and I look out the window, see that her car is gone, and put in a video.  

I actually just got a new JM Video - Kickbox Fastfix.  Curtis wasn't crazy about the kickboxing, but I loved the fact that it is only 20 minutes (from warmup to cooldown), and gets you a decent sweat.  Each workout on the video focuses on a muscle area, one lower body, one upper body, and one abs.  I've only done the abs so far but am looking forward to trying the other workouts, tomorrow perhaps. 

The other days of the week, we go to the gym. 

Thankfully, our gym has 5 cardio machines, and it isn't hard to get a free treadmill, which is both of our workout of choice for the moment.  I am focusing on decreasing my 2 mile time.  I try to go 4-5 days a week (this week I went Monday-Wednesday, and tonight (Friday), and plan to go a lot more while Curtis is away). 

I don't exactly remember where I started, generally anything under 28 minutes (for two miles) I'm happy with.  But the last two times I attempted it I was able to get just over 25 minutes, or 12:30/mi.  I'm quite pleased with that. I'll likely try to keep under that time, and then do another push in a few weeks after I've lost a little more weight. Running has always been something difficult for me, and it's nice to have a good routine and something that I now look forward to. I have ideas of a half marathon next year on the horizon, but right now I really need to focus on getting into a healthy weight range, and I still have a long way to go.

The other issue is injury management and prevention.  I'm trying to go easy on the treadmill because often it doesn't take long for things to go wrong.  I'm a little concerned about shin splints, as well as my right Achilles ankle. Tonight for example I walked the two miles instead of running/walking them, so that I can do some speed over the weekend hopefully without straining it.  I don't mind the daily aches and pains (well, I do actually, but the alternative of not exercising isn't great either), but I've been lucky to avoid major injury so far and I'd like that to continue while I'm losing weight, since exercising is a crucial physical and emotional component of my life.

I'm also considering joining a local crossfit gym for a segment of my weight loss. It's expensive, and I think if I do it I'd only commit to 6 weeks at first, it's open Monday-Friday for classes that I can go to after work.  I'm trying to decide when to start, probably mid-April at the latest, otherwise I'll have to wait until after summer, since I have a lot of after-work summer events at the firm this summer. But it is something that I have at the back of my mind. Right now it's just nice to regain a running stride and have my clothes fit better.

I weigh-in tomorrow morning and am hoping for a good loss! Will update my sidebar after I find out.  

Weight Loss - 10 (11) pounds!

Many of you already know that I started back at Weight Watchers in Mid-December.  Curtis is also doing it, but his news is not mine to share.  I decided in December that I would not keep my progress off the blog, but that I wanted to be able to report something substantial.  So I decided that I would post once I lost 10 pounds.  

Well today we attended a meeting and I have officially lost 11 pounds! I still have a long way to go, but it's great to be more comfortable in my own skin. 

I also thought to take my measurements when I started and have seen some results after the first 10 pounds: 

-3 in the bust

-2.5 in the chest

-2 in the waist

-2 in the hips

And other smaller changes in my legs and arms.  I have some short term goals that I'll hold off on reporting, but I am looking forward to running/walking a 5K in March, and I look forward to posting my progress as I go along. 

Back in the Saddle...

Side note: I actually saw two guys riding horses around my neighborhood - strangest thing!

When I first arrived in Spanish Fort, I immediately went to the gym that weekend and got two good 2-3 mi treadmill workouts in. Then I got this nasty cold, and Curtis got it. So finally today I felt like it was a good day to start working out again.

In the meantime, I ordered Jillian Michaels' new video:

I just finished Level 1 - which was crazy tough - since it's been about 2 months since the time I was really in JM Shape (meaning I could get through her advanced workouts 4-5 days/week). Lets just say I'm not in the shape I was before. But I'm looking forward to getting back to it, and it was definitely a fun workout.

One problem however, is with our neighbors downstairs. I've seen the sign on their door which says they sleep during the day and work at night. Well they called the office and complained that they heard me working out. Curtis got the call and called me - I moved the rest of my workout to another room with the hopes that by moving maybe I wouldn't be right on top of them - and perhaps I will change up the way I workout - before I was thinking I'd do the video in the morning and cardio at night, I think tomorrow I will do cardio in the morning and the video at night, and maybe that will work better with their schedule. As much as I want to do what I want in my apartment - I don't want our neighbors to hate us. 

So, I'm starting back up with the workout log, while I have been extremely active these last two months and have miraculously maintained my weight despite all the post-bar partying, it's time to buckle down again - I have two goals that I'd like to meet by the end of September:

1. Get into a workout routine and make a short term, 2-3 month goal (like a certain number/level of videos, or a race, or a time that I want to run/walk 3 mi in, etc.)

2. Decide how I am going to lose the weight - I'm back and forth on whether I want to go back to WW again, whether to do it online, whether to do another program online, but I'm giving myself by Oct. 1st to decide and then I will start it. In the meantime I'm trying to eat well and control portions, but cutting myself some slack as I get back into the workout routine.

Funny how things change...

For the past 4 months, I've worked out more than, probably most of my life (except for my last year in college, when I worked out more than I studied...)

The last three weeks have been difficult in terms of working out. I got a nasty cold which made it difficult to do anything, including study. Then, on the superficial side, I had my hair professionally straightened when it was dyed, and it would have been ruined by a Jillian Michaels warm-up. So I decided to abstain from working out until it started looking gross, which was probably two days ago, but laziness (combined with three root canals - seriously) pushed it to today.

So, today, I finally got the motivation to put in a video. I decided on the easiest workout from Jillian's newest video, Ripped in 30. When I first tried this workout, I had just finished my 30 Day Shred goal, so I was in pretty good shape and Level 1 of this video was easy. It's Funny how easily your body reverts when you don't work out! My entire upper body today is exhausted, my cardio, which is already bad, was really bad. But I survived :-). Looking forward to working out through the weekend and getting my weekly totals back up to 4-5 days a week.

Plus, I'll be laying by the pool studying a week from today, so that's added incentive to get it going again. At least my body still looks decent, even if it FEELS weaker.

It's also funny how my standards have changed. The idea that I would be down on the fact that I haven't worked out as much lately, even though I still managed to get in at least one good workout a week since graduation, is indicative how my body AND my mind have changed. I think I've enjoyed so much progress, both in my body shape and in my muscular strength, that I'm scared of completely losing all this progress. I hope this motivation continues through July! (although I will let myself off the hook if I don't completely make it, as long as I pass the Bar, right?)

In other news, Curtis' last day is tomorrow, and then he is off for three weeks before he leaves for Alabama. He's planning to work out during his time off, so I'm hoping to supplement my videos with short sessions on the treadmill or elliptical with him, to really try and get fit before July, when Bar prep really gets crazy.

A Set of Setbacks but I survived :-)

On Monday evening, I suddenly realized that my right wrist was super stiff. I told Curtis that it hurt to bend backwards and forwards. We looked up the symptoms of Carpal Tunnel, and it looked like it probably wasn't that, but I was still concerned, but decided to sleep on it.

Tuesday I took my last final (!!) which was fine, but I didn't feel like my wrist had gotten any better, so a bought a sports brace to put on, to see if some rest would do some good.

Something like this, to stabilize it, and to remind me not to lift things with that hand :-)

Today (Wednesday), I got the workout bug, and tried to see if I can get into a plank position - turns out, I basically can't put any weight on that wrist, it just isn't strong enough..... UGH! That wrist has always been relatively weaker, and even though I hadn't worked out in 4 days, I must have tweaked it somehow*. I had one Ripped in 30 Workout left, and I had just bought a Jillian Michaels for K-Swiss sports bra to do it in (she wears them in the video), and I could not get into a normal plank position.

I obviously don't look this good yet, but compared to when I started in February, I look much better :-) The bra is very fun and fits well :-) Obviously I don't go out in public with just a sports bra on, but it's fun for working out at home and seeing my progress, my tummy is so much flatter!

So, after watching an Oprah show about weight loss (those always motivate me, I should watch one every day), I decided that just because I can't do a Jillian workout doesn't mean I can't work up a sweat. So, I put on my running shoes and went to the gym here in the apartment complex and decided to try the treadmill, for the first time in months! It wasn't too bad, my legs and abs felt good, but my cardio wasn't as good as I expected. But it occurred to me while there, that using the treadmill afterburn, I should go back and do the video, and just modify or skip the moves on my wrist. So, after a sub-13 minute mile (not bad not great for me cold turkey), I went back, and put in my Ripped in 30 DVD.

Except that it turns out that my Ripped in 30 DVD is now ripped in half! There's a giant crack in it!!! So, I sadly went over to my computer and ordered myself a new DVD (only $10, and I get free 2-day shipping on Amazon), and decided to do Level 3 of the old 30 Day Shred, thinking I'd get a good workout and minimize the plank interruptions.

It turned out that I didn't have to modify much, and that I could hang in plank on my forearms during the plank and push up moves. That ended up being as hard if not harder than what the video called for, so between the mile jog and the intense 30 minute workout, I felt pretty tired at the end, and quite satisfied. But it's a bummer to not do everything full out, and I missed my Week 4 Ripped in 30 workout, so I hope my wrist heals soon. And perhaps today will get me to do more treadmill cardio while studying for the bar!

Enough procrastinating for me, now I need to go write a 10 page paper within the next 28 hours :-)

*I am worried that I am getting a repetitive stress injury... we will see in the next week how it holds up, but talk about timing right?! Just before Bar Prep... at least it's not my writing hand.

Ripped in 30 Update

UPDATE 4/29: Obviously if you've been following my log, I had quite the break. Long story short, I had a little too much fun at the 3L Law School Gala last Friday night*, and spent two days recovering (I think I lost 3 lbs in about 3 days because of it...seriously), at which point there were some other personal issues that came up and I had to set aside my workouts for a few days to regroup and focus on finals. It didn't help either that I really didn't enjoy Week 3. But, I've watched Week 4 and I can't wait to start it tomorrow because as challenging as it looks, I love the moves! I tried to start it today but my legs were having none of it...

So, My new end date, barring another day off (which I might take if my body starts breaking), is next Thursday! I haven't yet decided for sure what to do next, but I think for the week leading up to my graduation, I'm going to mix it up and do a different JM workout each day from both videos. Then when I start bar studying, I'll start the Six Week Six Pack!

*I'm beginning to think that I just have a really sensitive stomach, but I suppose some personal accountability is always advisable.

I am halfway through Week 3, and am officially dying. Week 2 was tough because I really couldn't do some of the moves unmodified. For week 3, I can actually do all but one move unmodified, but this workout is so hard, especially on my legs and butt, that my muscles LITERALLY CANNOT FINISH. I essentially limp my way through the final 3 minutes. I hope that I can convince my body to finish better these next 3 reps, and convince my mind that I'll be able to start Week 4 on schedule next Monday. Thankfully, I'm not too sore between workouts.

I can only imagine how hard this workout would feel if I wasn't coming off of 3.5 months of intense training...

In other news, Curtis and I entered the drawing for the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco in October. You can enter until Friday, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll give you our group code. It's expensive, but you get Nike gear and a Tiffany's Necklace!

Will do a post on my DC trip soon, but I'm getting into Finals Season (which will be immediately followed by Bar studying... ack!).

Ripped in 30 - Week 1 Thoughts

(Note: feel free to skip reading these posts, I do it more for myself as a workout journal and as a way to sustain my motivation)

Coming off of a pretty intense week finishing up 30 Day Shred and doing Week 1 of Ripped in 30 has been rather strange. It's clear that Jillian's goal of Week 1 is to

1. Increase cardio endurance,
2. Begin to tone key muscle groups (core, legs, arms), and
3. introduce plyometric (jump) training
In that order.

But I ...

1. Have pretty good endurance at this point, at least for week 1
2. Have already toned these key muscle groups, so this is really just maintenance , and
3. am (suprisingly!) good at plyometrics, at least the basic moves.

So, each time I finish the first circuit (of three) and I feel bored and not very sweaty, and I think, "Maybe I should move on to Week 2 earlier??" But then, by the middle of Circuit 3, when I dripping sweat, I realize that taking a week to focus on cardio, and try and build up some endurance so that I can get through the month reasonably pain free. So, I only have 3 more workouts to go (two of which will be the same day), and am trying to get into a mindset of "this is easy because I'm now in good shape, I should enjoy my 'break!'" Plus, it didn't hurt that when Curtis did the workout with me on Saturday, he was laying on the carpet exhausted at the end, and I felt pretty good, that must say something, right?!

Pain: The good thing is, Week 1 isn't hard on my knees, so they're recovering from 30 Day Shred (My knees got really achy from that video, probably because of poor lunge form, which is improving...). The bad thing was that my lower hamstrings hurt so bad the first three days that I could barely walk down stairs...which was probably a lurking reason why I didn't do the video yesterday. But, it should be fine tomorrow and I can continue on :-).

You may remember that I hurt my foot 1 month before the wedding almost two years ago. That pain never went away completely, and varies depending on the shoes I'm wearing and the activity. Thankfully, these videos don't seem to be making it worse, which is a blessing and has really helped keep me on track. I know it sounds like I should see a doctor about it, but it's so mild and I'm so used to it now, that I'm not convinced there is much a doctor can do.

Eating: 5 days out of 7, on average, I eat quite well. Hopefully, rest, grocery shopping, and the end of the NCAA basketball tournament will help prevent further junk food dinners, and we certainly went out with a bang tonight with Pizza, bread sticks and cinnamon sticks =).

Done :-)

1 More day of 30 Day Shred, then on to Ripped in 30!

Tomorrow is my last JM 30 Day Shred Workout. SOO HAPPY!!!

I have seen SIGNIFICANT CHANGE in my waist, as well as toned up legs and bottom. My upper body is O-K, probably better than 8 weeks ago when I started, but I still need work.." (my cousin Courtney put me to shame when she busted out a set of push-ups when we did the video in PA)

With my first video, I set the goal of doing 30 workouts in 5-6 weeks. That turned out to be extremely difficult, probably because I was tired and hurting for much of it, so it was hard to be motivated. Plus, I was coming off of essentially NO fitness routine, so I had a hard time diving in. Now that I've done the workout most of the last week, I'm feeling better about pain management and endurance, as well as fitting the workout into my schedule (since my hair it not the kind that I can just wash and go with, and I generally HAVE to wash my hair after this workout). And, looking back on the last 8 weeks, I realize that I am in better shape than I've been in for a few years, and am patting myself on the back for working out at least 3 days a week for the last two months.

But, now, I am setting a new, much more ambitious goal! I start "Ripped in 30" on Friday, April 1st. My goal is to finish the video by May 4th! (why May 4th? Because I'll be in Washington D.C. for four days in the middle of April, and want to take a rest, not to mention the fact that when you visit D.C., you're on your feet most of the day anyway). (UPDATE 4/1: end date is now April 30, as I can do 24 workouts in that period of time, with an extended break for DC, which works well b/c I can then start the 6-week six pack on May 1st)

This video has 4 levels, with one level for each week. Jillian wants you to take a day off each week for each level, so I might set the goal at 24-27 workouts, instead of 30, but we'll see. (Now that I've done the first workout, I see that she wants you to do 5-6 workouts each week, so I am aiming to do 6 workouts for each week/level) To get me motivated right away, my goal is to finish week 1 and 2, level 1 and 2, before I go on my trip, which essentially means that I will have only 1 day off in 13 days. We'll see how it goes. (The first day was not easy, but not impossible either, at least as compared to how hard it would have been in February. Week one for six days straight should be fine)

Workout Update

As I said here - my goal was to do 30 workouts of the 30-Day Shred Video. I tracked my progress both on the sidebar of this blog, and on the whiteboard on the refrigerator (I'll post a picture when I finish). I have 8 more workouts to go before it is over.  I wish it could have gone faster, but it goes to show how hard it can be to be motivated to workout, and I can see that the end is near!

I just took my longest break to date, but I got back on it today and did Level 3 from beginning to end for the first time. I hope that the new level will give me enough mental stimulation to keep me going to the end, because I could feel the boredom set in on Level 2, and my body was getting used the movements.

Level 3 is no joke. Most of the movements have modifications to make the move easier, and I had to use those modifications for at least a quarter of the movements. But in doing Level 3, I also saw that my cardio is SO MUCH BETTER than when I started, it's amazing. I just wasn't dying like I was when I started Level 2.  So, there was much to be happy about, and much that will present a challenge as I finish this DVD.

The good thing is I was smart enough to realize that I would get sick of the 30-Day shred, so I already have two more Jillian Michaels DVDs to try: The 6-Week 6 Pack, and her brand-new video - "Ripped in 30." My next goal is to do "Ripped in 30" in 30-40 days, and I hope the fact that it's 4 levels instead of 3 will help. 

The real exciting thing for me, is how much I've seen results. The fact is, my stomach is much smaller and flatter than when I started. I can feel my abs, and my butt is more toned. Level 3 has a lot of movements that will work my quads and hamstrings so I'm excited to see some more tone in that region.  And, I just feel fit, more able to move around, and more healthy. Walking around NYC was so easy last week, and I know that is because of this fitness plan.  I hope to focus more on weight loss when I start "Ripped in 30," which comes with a meal plan (because, lets be honest, I have a significant amount to lose), but I am making progress in converting fat to muscle which improves my metabolism, so all things considered, progress has been made :-).

After I finish the 30 Day Shred, it's doubtful that I'll want to look at it again for awhile. My mom has a copy of it as well, so if anyone wants to try it, let me know and I'd be happy to send it to you! It's also available at Wal-Mart, Target, and on Amazon for a good price. All you need is 3 lb weights, and it's only 30 minutes. I think it's extremely effective and encourage anyone to try it.

Jillian Michaels - Kicking my "you know what" in 20 minute increments

Most of you know that I have been overweight ever since college, and that it is this huge life hindrance that I've been trying to overcome. I'm currently doing Weight Watchers from home using their eTools, and have had some early success.

I've also discovered that watching people achieve dramatic weight loss on television has the effect of getting me to be motivated in my weight loss. Randomly one night, we started watching The Biggest Loser and we're totally hooked! Then, completely randomly, I saw an ad for a Jillian Michaels workout DVD. I walked over to Wal-Mart (yes, I live a block from a Wal-Mart, but we never go b/c we're a little elitist when it comes to shopping), and they had one of her DVDs, the 30-Day Shred. I bought that, plus some 3 lb weights, and put the DVD in that night.

I LOVE her workouts! They remind me of the short period of time I worked with a trainer, very similar moves and similar level of intensity. The video is only about 28 minutes, of which 20 minutes are high intensity. 7 workouts in, I'm already seeing substantial improvement in my strength, endurance, and muscle tone, and have official graduated from Level 1 to Level 2 (If I do Level 3 as well as I can do Level 1 now in 5 weeks, I will have exceeded my expectations). My goal is to finish 30 workouts in 7-8 weeks, and then move on to the "6 week Six Pack," another Jillian DVD. But I will say, they are effective and efficient workouts, and I see Jillian in a completely different way now on the TV show!

I originally planned to minimize my workouts while I lose my first quarter of weight loss, but I have to say, I'm glad I found something that I can do from home that is as efficient as this, and I am enjoying the challenge so far. The soreness is not fun, but feeling strong is :-)

Update 2/23: I just finished my 11th workout, after 3 days off the video. It was an odd mixture of easy and hard, but I am happy to be more than 1/3 done!