After my 6 week (already?!) postpartum check up on Thursday, the doctor gave me the green light to begin exercising. At first, I thought, I’ll start on Monday. Then I realized that I was just putting it off. Why not start now? What was so special about Monday?
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So instead, I just started. On Friday. The last day of the work week. The beginning of the weekend. The day I look forward to relaxing with some sweet and salty popcorn and watching a movie with my love. I started.
I don’t have a detailed plan for my post-pregnancy fitness. We don’t have gym memberships so my options are limited what I can do at home or outside. I just plan to get creative and do what I can, when I can fit it in, to get myself back in shape and feeling good.
Ultimately, I want to start road racing again, something I haven’t done in four years. I miss it. I know I have a long way to go before I’m in road racing shape as it’s been over a year since I’ve ran any significant distance, but I’m excited to get back into it.
There’s one little thing holding me back from jumping into running feet first–it’s January and I live in Ohio. I guess that’s two things. Anyway, I have painful memories of my college track days, when I was forced to run outside in frigid temperatures. I vowed I’d never willfully run in weather under 50 degrees (I’m such a wimp) again. After college, I moved to Arizona and didn’t have to.
Now I’m back in the freezing Midwest and know that it’s time to either put on my big girl panties and run in the cold weather, or talk Tim into buying me a treadmill. A treadmill isn’t in the budget right now, not that the thought of running on one day in and day out is that appealing either.
So. I’ve decided to mix up some cold weather running (spring’s right around the corner anyway, right?) with some workout options I can do at home. I have a few exercise DVDs, including P90X and also like doing plyometrics and circuit training with hand weights, which can easily be done in my living room.
For Friday, I found this home fitness workout on Pinterest and decided to modify it and let it be my inaugural workout (jumping jacks six weeks after having a baby=not a good idea). Here’s what my modified workout looked like
I did each exercise back-to-back and took a 1-2 minute rest between each set. This was just the type of workout I needed to jump back into fitness. It was short, it only took me 20 minutes, but fairly intense. The wall sits were killer!
When I finished, even though I’d only done a 20 minute workout, I felt a fantastic high. I’d started. The first workout was under my belt.
I didn’t work out on Saturday, but today, Sunday, I braved the cold for a run/walk outside. The wind was blowing fiercely, but I bundled up and gave it a go.
I wanted to give myself some grace on my first attempt to run, so I didn’t set my expectations too high. I told myself that I’d likely walk more than run and that would be okay. I wasn’t going to beat myself up over it.
Then something happened. I got really, really cold walking. I walked for about 5 minutes and thought about turning around probably 35 times. I forced myself to start running before giving up. I told myself I could walk when I got to the next street, which was only a few hundred yards away. Well, I passed that street and just kept running. It kept me warm and I felt good, so I didn’t stop.
Completely surprising myself, I didn’t walk any more, and ran for 30 minutes. I wasn’t running fast. I’m sure I looked like a fool. But I ran.
And now here I am on Sunday night, with two post pregnancy workouts to my credit. They weren’t super impressive or overly difficult, but they’re done. Now I don’t have Monday and the prospect of having to start working out hanging over my head when I go to bed.
I started, and getting started is the hardest part.
What do you need to get started on right now?
starting is the hardest part, so i think Tim needs to get you a treadmill. Start walking, then running, the hit the road. Way to go friend!
The weather’s been surprisingly warm, so I’ve been able to get outside to run. 4 Xs this week! 🙂
I have 2 weeks till my due date~! Like you I have been active the whole pregnancy with mostly swimming laps and yoga. I have some plans on how to lose the weight too! I am going to do a 5k with friends who want to lose some weight and hang with me! I live in NE ohio and we have been lucky not to have terrible weather this year. My dog loves it!
Good luck with your last 2 weeks! You’re almost there. 🙂 I live in OH, too, (Dayton area) and this past week was awesome! I’m just afraid we’re going to end up having snow in March or April.
Fantastic job Mamma!! You are so right about getting started being the hardest part! I felt soooo chubby after baby #3 (well, I was 🙂 and it was so painful to start. Everything jigggled when I jumped….aaack! But, I stuck with it (jiggle and all) and lost 25 lbs. For me, it is such a mental game. I can always think of excuses! But, after I’m done….I feel so much better! Congrats on taking the first step….literally 🙂
That’s exactly how I can be. I’ll make every excuse in the book as to why I can’t do it right now, but once I actually do I feel so good! I try to remind myself of that feeling when I’m trying to make excuses. 🙂
Oh NO!!! I have been away from blogging far too long!!! I cannot believe you are 6 weeks postpartum already??!!
I know! It’s crazy that today is the last day of January. The first 6 weeks of Luke’s life are kind of a blur. 🙂
Awesome!! I implemented the exact same rule for myself last fall – no running if it’s under 50 degrees outside. 🙂 But I’ve been feeling like a super slug lately and am getting back into the exercise swing after an illness/Christmas hiatus. I canceled my gym membership about a year ago (which was a few months after my daughter was born), so I, too, am trying to find substitutions at home. I like the Jillian Michaels “Ripped in 30” DVD – those are also short workouts, roughly 25 minutes including warm-up/down. Congrats on having the first 2 postpartum workouts down!
I’ll have to check out Jillian Michael’s DVD–some days 20-30 minutes is all the time I have for exercise! And I’d much rather do a short workout than no workout at all.
Packing!!! Wahooooo!!!
🙂
PS TAG. You’re it! http://www.mythornshaveroses.com/2012/01/eleven-randoms.html
Go Mama, go! That’s awesome… bet you were buzzing on those endorphins afterwards, no?
Definitely!
Yay for you!!! Starting really is the hardest part and kudos for you for just jumping right in – figuratively speaking, as, yes, jumping 6 weeks post partum is not the wisest choice….
I need to get started on getting my recipes on Recipage. And on deciding if I want to self host and/or get a new blog design.
Oh how I wish I had more time to devote to my blog right now! I’d love to use Recipage AND get a new blog design. Especially the new blog design. Oh well, one thing at a time!
Good for you!! Starting really is the hardest part and you’ve done fantastic already. I cannot wait to get back to my regular workouts in 3 months – I’m itching to get back to it already, but actually setting aside the time to do it is so hard. I totally second the comment above that recommended Bodyrock(although I MUCH prefer Zuzana, especially now that she’s on her own, so look for workouts by her) I miss them so much, they made me feel incredible and they’re so fast! Plus, they’re usually pretty easy to modify to make easier. Totally awesome 🙂
I’ll definitely be checking out Bodyrock. Thanks!
You rock Mama! I might be stealing your set for my workout tonight 🙂
Do it–it’s a good one!
I don’t have children yet, but I always wonder how women get back into shape so fast. Well, I guess they just START, just like you did 🙂 You have to start somewhere. I tried to talk my husband into a treadmill. He said I’d never use it. He’s probably right. He’d rather pay for a (way-too expensive) gym membership because in his mind, part of working out is getting out of the house. So that’s where I go to work out.
Congratulations on starting your journey back to running!
We only used the gym membership in the winter months, so that’s why we cancelled it. When it’s warm outside, I much prefer to do my exercising outside. I do think I need to find a gym that doesn’t charge a yearly fee and will just let us go month to month so we can just pay for it in the winter and not the spring/summer/fall when we don’t use it!
Very inspiring post! I am due in a month and a half. I’ve kept up a fairly rigorous workout schedule but am getting winded very easily now and think its about time to just relax before the baby gets here. I am hoping to pick up the exercise routine after birth and start out doing stuff just like you are-short but fairly intense. I hope I have the energy!
If you exercised during most of your pregnancy you should have no problem getting back into it. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
Looks like a great workout. I don’t think I could have done any high knees or squat jumps or running at 6 weeks postpartum, so kudos to you. I think that planks, lots and lots of different kinds of planks, really helped my stomach get back in shape after baby #2.
The high knees and squat jumps were tricky, I will admit. Planks are great–I’m going to have to make sure to incorporate those. My stomach is the area that needs the most work right now, by far!
Way to go, Maryea! Starting is *truly* the hardest part! ….I went for a run yesterday, it about killed me. I have been working out all winter, but no running so it was so hard to run against the wind and just be outside in the January weather- even though it was mild.
I need to start organizing–TODAY! I have so much to lean out and get put in its place!
Do it! Even if you start with something super small like cleaning out one drawer or one file, at least you started. 🙂
Great job Maryea! You did awesome at getting back to exercising! I can’t imagine how tough it must be. Running for 30 min at any pace is hard work, so great job!
I love this post! And good for you for starting!
I will write a note in my agenda now, to remind me of “what is so special about that particular day”, whenever I need to hear it 😉
I have thinking of starting working out again and it just hasn’t happened. I always come up with some excuse or the other. You post is telling me to get off my butt and hit the exercise. Sometimes though I will be doing planks and pushups on the ground next to my daughter, while she is doing her homework. Sometimes you just have to multi-task!
Hey, when you’re a mom you do what you need to do, right? Sometimes I have to do a living room workout with Meghan trying to copy me and do it with me. It’s pretty funny. 🙂
Way to go! I am so impressed you just took off running and ran for 30 minutes! That is awesome.
I surprised myself, too. I did it again today, too! Woo hoo! 🙂
I loved this post! I struggled getting back into a regular fitness routine just a month or so ago after nearly 2 months of morning (all day) sickness and ZERO energy. I was so easy to make excuses and keep putting it off. Starting really is the hardest part… once I started feeling better and pushed through a couple of workouts, it DID start to get easier again.
The best thing about running through the winter is how much you appreciate spring when it finally arrives! I swear it’s that much sweeter if you’ve suffered through a bunch of cold, wet, slushy runs first! I’m not running right now and I miss it, but I know it will be there waiting for me late summer…
Way to go on getting started!
Good job Maryea! Starting really IS the hardest part and with two little ones, time is so hard to find. I love that living room workout and sometimes workouts like that are the best. They’re quick, challenging, and something different. Plus, you can do it anywhere and don’t need anything fancy to get it done. You should try BodyRock. All of the workouts are online and even though they use equipment, you can modify everything. Trust me – it’s hard enough and body weight will still give you a great workout. The only thing you really need is an interval timer and if you have an iphone or ipod touch, you can download an interval timer app. The workouts are around 12-20 minutes long and will really make you sweat 🙂
Excited to check out BodyRock–thank you!