I managed to squeeze in my 30 min. of activity by taking a walk with Elliott shortly before going out for a much needed Girls' Night Out with some friends. I'm really feeling like the accountability of the blog and my 21 day challenge is making a difference because I know I would have otherwise skipped the walk.
We headed out to Bar Louie for dinner and I am quite proud of my choices. Yes, I had a Heineken Light, but prior to leaving I checked out meal ideas for the restaurant on The Daily Plate and in turn chose the Baja Fish Tacos for dinner. They were really good and the girls complimented my food choice because it did look like the most appealing meal on the table and they had no clue that I had picked the healthiest thing on the menu.
I love that I can go out and enjoy my night, but still make small changes that will hopefully have big results in the long run!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Newborn Nips
Besides the painful nipples in the beginning and around the clock feedings, breastfeeding has been a very enjoyable and easy part of parenting for me.
Then my first post partum period reared her ugly head last month. On one hand I was happy to feel a bit of my pre-pregnancy self returning, but I am already changing enough diapers during the day! It came and went without much issue, but about a week ago my nipples have started hurting whenever Elliott latches and I think it is related to menstruation. I really hope this goes away soon because I am starting to cringe at the beginning of every nursing session and that is the last thing I want to be experiencing with my 8 month old. My goal is to breastfeed at least a year so I should know to expect some bumps in the road, right?
Then my first post partum period reared her ugly head last month. On one hand I was happy to feel a bit of my pre-pregnancy self returning, but I am already changing enough diapers during the day! It came and went without much issue, but about a week ago my nipples have started hurting whenever Elliott latches and I think it is related to menstruation. I really hope this goes away soon because I am starting to cringe at the beginning of every nursing session and that is the last thing I want to be experiencing with my 8 month old. My goal is to breastfeed at least a year so I should know to expect some bumps in the road, right?
21 Day Fitness Challenge: Day 2
So far, so good! I would hope so since I'm only 2 days into this bad boy challenge of mine. I started the day with a run outside. Did I mention I have my first post-baby 5k this Saturday and I basically started getting serious about my running about a week ago? I was actually signed up to do the Chicago Rock N' Roll 1/2 Marathon in about 10 days, but obviously that isn't happening. Although I am slightly disappointed in myself for slacking on the running front, I am trying to appreciate what I am doing and not be so hard on myself. I set my timer for 30 minutes and ended up doing about 2 min. of walking at the 1/2 way point, but finished strong after that. Hopefully I can do the 5k without walking, that would be my first goal and I'm not even going to think about my time for this race. I figure it will be my starting point and all other races should just be improvements upon this one.
Pretty good with the eating again, although I had one too many Fiber One bars for one person's digestive system to take in one day! I've been focusing on keeping snacks small and eating more fruits and veggies, I think this will be key to not feeling deprived and like I'm on a diet. For dinner my husband made a Tortilla Soup that he saw on "Just Cook This!". Fantastic and really healthy and filling! I'm not the cook in our family, but I think my husband is slowly making me a convert by watching this show because the recipes are really, really easy and look so tasty.
Pretty good with the eating again, although I had one too many Fiber One bars for one person's digestive system to take in one day! I've been focusing on keeping snacks small and eating more fruits and veggies, I think this will be key to not feeling deprived and like I'm on a diet. For dinner my husband made a Tortilla Soup that he saw on "Just Cook This!". Fantastic and really healthy and filling! I'm not the cook in our family, but I think my husband is slowly making me a convert by watching this show because the recipes are really, really easy and look so tasty.
21 Day Fitness Challenge: Day 1
I need to take my measurements because I have a feeling my size will change more than the actual weight on the scale and I don't want to be discouraged.
Anyways, the first day was a bit of a soft start. I had a really rough day with Elliott since he has started crawling and separation anxiety is in full effect and he refused to nap in his crib. I did end up taking a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood and it did wonders for my sanity and met my 30 minute activity criteria for the challenge.
I also succeeded with the healthy eating aspect for Day 1. My personal success happened at Caribou Coffee when I was tempted to get something totally decadent to "make me feel better", but instead I paused to look at the menu and got this:
Anyways, the first day was a bit of a soft start. I had a really rough day with Elliott since he has started crawling and separation anxiety is in full effect and he refused to nap in his crib. I did end up taking a 45 minute walk around the neighborhood and it did wonders for my sanity and met my 30 minute activity criteria for the challenge.
I also succeeded with the healthy eating aspect for Day 1. My personal success happened at Caribou Coffee when I was tempted to get something totally decadent to "make me feel better", but instead I paused to look at the menu and got this:
Heck yeah! This is not exactly nature's finest with the sugar-free syrup and flavorings, but the Caramel Northern Lite Cooler is only 100 calories and super yummy. I sipped away while I took my long walk and all was right with the world again!
Monday, July 20, 2009
My 21 Day Challenge: Eating/Exercise
We just got back from a week-long vacation filled with fudge, beer and enough Cheetos to make me turn a fine shade of orange! I really hate that I am still not taking my weight loss seriously enough. It's great that I have a new level of comfort with my body, but I don't want to get too comfortable.
I have heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so I am challenging myself to 21 consecutive days of exercise and eating healthy. I define exercise as doing at least 30 minutes of activity and eating healthy as not going bonkers and overindulging like I tend to do (that's a post in and of itself). I know I may tweak the eating part as I go along to be a bit more defined than that, but for right now I have the fridge stocked and the mind ready! Wish me luck!
I have heard that it takes 21 days to form a new habit, so I am challenging myself to 21 consecutive days of exercise and eating healthy. I define exercise as doing at least 30 minutes of activity and eating healthy as not going bonkers and overindulging like I tend to do (that's a post in and of itself). I know I may tweak the eating part as I go along to be a bit more defined than that, but for right now I have the fridge stocked and the mind ready! Wish me luck!
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Letting babies swim in lakes?
We just got back from an impromptu trip to a lake house with our friends, sweet! It was a good dry run for our week long vacation at my aunt's cabin next week.
First I was concerned because of the baby float recall and fish biting off my son's toes since they might look like worms, but then my friend made me think swimming with baby was like taking a dip in the sewer. I know we all have our different levels of comfort so I just bit my tongue and promised myself to do a little research just in case I'm wrong by letting Elliott swim in the lake next week. This is another symptom of my "Mommy Life Crisis", second-guessing EVERYTHING even though I used to feel so confident in my choices for myself or even as a nanny to other people's kids.
So here is what I found regarding babies swimming in lakes, rivers, etc.:
Baby Center gives us the OK since he is almost 8 months old, although they caution about the temperature of the water and a baby's ability to regulate their body temperature. They say that lakes are just as safe (or not) as pools when it comes to bacteria and the like.
Not sure how legitimate eHow is, but they suggest waiting until baby is 6 months and their immune system is developed before swimming with baby.
Bacteria seems to be an issue in pools and open bodies of water, so keep swallowing of said water to a minimum. This article's fun fact about the amount of feces that hangs out on our butts makes my stomach churn. They do make a good point about not swimming after it rains or in lakes that are identified as unsafe.
Or Elliott could lose his nose to a flesh-eating bacteria, yum!
I'm glad I researched this and personally feel OK swimming in a lake with Elliott next week. I can go back to living under my bacteria-laden rock!
First I was concerned because of the baby float recall and fish biting off my son's toes since they might look like worms, but then my friend made me think swimming with baby was like taking a dip in the sewer. I know we all have our different levels of comfort so I just bit my tongue and promised myself to do a little research just in case I'm wrong by letting Elliott swim in the lake next week. This is another symptom of my "Mommy Life Crisis", second-guessing EVERYTHING even though I used to feel so confident in my choices for myself or even as a nanny to other people's kids.
So here is what I found regarding babies swimming in lakes, rivers, etc.:
Baby Center gives us the OK since he is almost 8 months old, although they caution about the temperature of the water and a baby's ability to regulate their body temperature. They say that lakes are just as safe (or not) as pools when it comes to bacteria and the like.
Not sure how legitimate eHow is, but they suggest waiting until baby is 6 months and their immune system is developed before swimming with baby.
Bacteria seems to be an issue in pools and open bodies of water, so keep swallowing of said water to a minimum. This article's fun fact about the amount of feces that hangs out on our butts makes my stomach churn. They do make a good point about not swimming after it rains or in lakes that are identified as unsafe.
Or Elliott could lose his nose to a flesh-eating bacteria, yum!
I'm glad I researched this and personally feel OK swimming in a lake with Elliott next week. I can go back to living under my bacteria-laden rock!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
The Great Divide
Just as I'm starting to embrace being a SAHM, it happened. One of my best friends, a mom who works outside of the house, pretty much implied that my life as a SAHM is one big vacation. Ouch!
Maybe it hurts more because it was a good friend who should know better or maybe it is because deep down I still feel conflicted about staying at home full-time? I know I should just brush it off because this will not be the last time somebody makes a comment about my parenting choices. It's amazing how becoming a parent can really test your relationships with friends that are also parents. I'm not going to lie, I judge some decisions that people make, but I like to believe that I have more tact than to say something about my judgemental thoughts (I'm working on banishing the judging internally as well).
I miss my old relationships with my friends when we didn't care what each other did for a living. I never got flack for choosing to go into Forensic Psychology, so why do people feel the need to make disparaging remarks about my job as a full time mom? Why do I care so much what others think? Maybe that is the real question here.
Maybe it hurts more because it was a good friend who should know better or maybe it is because deep down I still feel conflicted about staying at home full-time? I know I should just brush it off because this will not be the last time somebody makes a comment about my parenting choices. It's amazing how becoming a parent can really test your relationships with friends that are also parents. I'm not going to lie, I judge some decisions that people make, but I like to believe that I have more tact than to say something about my judgemental thoughts (I'm working on banishing the judging internally as well).
I miss my old relationships with my friends when we didn't care what each other did for a living. I never got flack for choosing to go into Forensic Psychology, so why do people feel the need to make disparaging remarks about my job as a full time mom? Why do I care so much what others think? Maybe that is the real question here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
