What I did last week:

Thursday-30 minutes on a bike. Spoiler alert: I met my goal!

Saturday-Our gym was closed during our normal morning sweat session due to a nice layer of ice on everything. I ended up doing a 45 minute cardio workout thanks to My Fit Coach game on my Wii.

Sunday-We were not able to make it to the gym that day due to some family obligations, so I improvised. George was also have a day with no naps so I did this leg workout while baby wearing him. I don’t know how long it was but I did a leg workout doing 5 sets of 10 reps of squats, lunges, and calf raises. His 15ish extra pounds definitely made a difference. I didn’t want to topple over by losing my balance, so I noticed it also really helped me concentrate on my form and going slow with the movements while wearing him, which added to the burn for sure. And he was content about not napping and being held, so it worked for him too. It may not seem like a lot, but I had a hard time walking up and down the steps that night and on Monday. Improvisation apparently worked!

Monday-15 minute ab workout.

Tuesday-1 hour of BodyPump. I haven’t been in a couple weeks due to family stuff on the weekends, and we will be out again this Saturday. I needed the weights in my life, so I jumped on the chance to do a weeknight class when Tom wasn’t working late. After a couple weeks off the class, I was glad I only had to stop in the chest and shoulders tracks.

Impressed by:

Motivating myself to workout at home even when I know I feel more motivated at the gym. It was good to see I can still be active and get a good workout even when my favorite routines may not be an option. I am happy that even with George on the nap struggle bus I found a way to incorporate him into my exercise and making them both a priority. I really have no excuse not to workout in some way. That leg burn while carrying George was a good reminder that even a small activity in the most random way can have positive results as far as exercise goes.

Struggled with:

Friends, if I am to be honest, I am really struggling with my weight. Like A LOT. Outside of my pregnancy, this is the most I have ever weighed. I went back down to my pre-pregnancy weight soon after giving birth, but have since gained several of those pounds back. I am very uneasy about it and have zero confidence. It is also a struggle seeing that I have gained more weight in the last two months since starting working out consistently. I know that muscle weighs more than fat, but here is the thing: pants that were large a couple months ago are no longer fitting. I wouldn’t normally freak out about the number on the scale, and honestly I rarely weigh myself to begin with. But since clothes are becoming tighter and tighter, that number is haunting me. I have emotions about it right now that I am having a hard time accepting and understanding. Even as I right this, I know it is crazy, and I need to give myself grace. Writing it out definitely makes me feel silly about the whole thing. I need to love my body more than I do and accept that I do eat healthy and am active. However as a woman, it can be very difficult to sort out all those images and feelings that can be very self-deprecating. It has been a really long time since I have been this self-conscious about the way that I look and feel. And then it is this vicious cycle that I get mad at myself for losing confidence and even worry about what the scale says. It’s a long road of growth and acceptance I guess.

Did I meet my goal from last week?

My goal was to get 6 miles on the bike. Last week I got 5.96, but this week I nailed it with a 6.13. Hoorah!

What is my goal for next week?

To be more positive about myself and remind myself of the beauty and strength that I do possess.

Fitness Thoughts:

I really like knowing how much time/reps I have left in a workout. The BodyPump instructor I had this week was not my favorite because she did not give us prompts or countdowns. I like to know how much time I have left so I know whether to pace myself or go hard on those last two reps. She was really good at her instruction on how to do it, but I need those markers of where we are at in the workout. I find those status updates motivating and push me throughout, so I was a little disappointed by that and felt lost throughout the entire class.

image via

What have you done this week to be healthy? What do you do to remind yourself you are beautiful? Any new workouts I should try?