Leggings To Live In

I don't know about you guys but I absolutely love that it's cool to wear leggings. I sleep in them, work out in them and wear them with a casual outfit (which is like 95% of the time). Every mama needs a good pair of black leggings but it's nice to switch it up sometimes. Lately I'm into fun details like moto leggings and side ties. I will always be a jeans + tee girl at heart but leggings are the easiest thing to run around in with a baby all day. So I thought I'd share some of the pairs I've been living in lately + a few I wouldn't mind adding to my collection. 

I definitely do not shy away from white just because I have a baby. I was getting things all over my white clothes long before I became a mom and that's why God made stain remover. These are thick so they aren't see through and I love love love the moto look, it's a fun way to spice up a classic neutral. 

Blush is everywhere right now and I have totally hopped on the bandwagon. Abercrombie & Fitch was oh so popular when I was in high school and I am pretty pumped to sport this brand again a decade later. Plus the stripe down the side on these is just cool. Right?!

Grey is my jam. Everything grey. I've already worn these leggings 4 times in less than 2 weeks and they are oh so comfortable. The ties on the side do not pinch your legs and look so cute! I had so many mamas asking me about them at the zoo this week. 

Like I said, every girl needs a good pair of black leggings. These are just amazing. Period. They somehow make all the lumps you don't want to show off disappear and the ones you do look amazing. 

I love GAP gFast capri leggings. There are always cute prints or details, they are almost always on sale and they're so breathable! I'm loving these cut outs and this print. 

Happy Thursday friends!

Stretches for Back + Hip Pain in Pregnancy

In my 2^nd trimester I was hit with some pretty intense lower back and hip pain that I wasn’t expecting. I guess I thought that wouldn’t happen until later but I must have forgotten the whole every pregnancy is different rule. It was so difficult to get comfortable while lying down without strategically wrapping myself around my pregnancy pillow. I just felt so sore, like I would if I worked out all the time but never stretched afterward. So it dawned on me to try some different stretching techniques post work out. I definitely noticed a difference and have continued to do these stretches even on my off days. I know it has taken quite a while since I mentioned this but I am finally getting around to sharing the stretches I have found to be the most effective. It dawned on me out of nowhere that I needed to take some pictures for this post after a workout this week but the lighting was terrible. Okay and I didn't like how huge and awkward I looked. So these are courtesy of Google. As always, my doctor approved all of these stretches but be sure to check with yours if you’re pregnant. I do plan to continue these stretches postpartum as I think they are extremely beneficial, pregnant or not.

 

The Standing Hip Stretch can become a bit difficult the further along in pregnancy you are simply because your center of gravity is way off. I make sure to stand next to my bed or a table in case I wobble and need some stability. Begin standing with your feet together. Step one foot back behind you and flex up onto your toes while you bend your front leg. Push your weight into the back leg to stretch and open your hip. If you worked your arms you can do arm stretches simultaneously. I usually hold the position for about 15-20 seconds and switch sides.

 

The Pigeon Stretch is one I learned during my brief experience with Yoga. Get down on the floor on all fours first then push up into an inverted V with your hands and feet. Bend one leg to bring it forward underneath you toward your hand and slide your other leg back behind you. Depending on your flexibility, your back leg may be knee down or turned out to the side. Either way, you will still feel the stretch up the back of your legs and into your hips.

 

The Butterfly Stretch was always one of my favorites but I got away from doing it until a few months ago. Sit on the ground with your knees bent toward your chest, feet flat. Drop your legs to the ground on either side of your body and press the bottoms of your feet together. Lean forward as far as you can and bounce your legs up and down, like a butterfly flapping its wings.

I’m no fitness expert but as I roll into my last month of pregnancy and try to stay active but comfortable these stretches are my ticket.

 

Pregnancy Favorites: Fitness Edition

I posted last week about staying healthy and fit during pregnancy and I want to focus on the fit part by itself. As I mentioned, while I feel like I'm kind of slacking in the nutrition department (not so much lacking as overindulging in extras in addition to healthy meals), I'm still kicking ass and taking names when it comes to exercising. In the spirit of positivity, today I want to talk about what how I'm keeping up with a moderate-high level of physical activity as I near my third trimester. Yes, I'm totally giving myself a pat on the back. No, I'm not sorry about it. #sorrynotsorry

 

As a former athlete, that intense mental and physical type of workout is my comfort zone. Just for the record, I have pushed myself outside the box and tried several forms of Yoga, Pilates and Barre. But I always come right back to HIIT cardio and strength training. It's just what works for me so why fight it? Walking the dogs isn't exactly HIIT (high intensity interval training) but our walks are done at a FAST pace for several miles with varying terrain including points with steep hills. So it's not your average low impact cardio and that's just our style.

 

 

 

A little background on me is that I was a child athlete involved in soccer, volleyball and gymnastics. In college I gained the all too popular Freshman 15 and was kind of disgusted with my lack of exercise and horrible eating habits by Sophomore year. I joined a gym and got myself back into shape pretty quickly referring back to my athletic training past. Old habits die hard and muscle memory is a real thing. Google it. But eventually it became too much of a chore to go to the gym. There's the monthly payments whether you go or not, the drive time there and back, and the fact that it can be difficult to do your thing when you have to go at peak hours. So I ended up here, working out at home on my own time. I LOVE that YouTube has free full length workout videos and there are tons of great options no matter what floats your boat. I set up shop in my living room after work with my laptop, yoga mat and big tumbler full of ice water. Occasionally I will use a set of 5lb weights but these days since it's usually all about using my own body weight against me. Because now I'm working with a lot more of it! On a normal week I workout Monday-Thursday + Saturday and take off Sunday and Friday. Friday is usually a true rest day but Sunday I tend to get a lot of exercise I don't even count just going up and down stairs to clean/do laundry or whatever else we are doing around the house or out and about. I get bored with a workout routine easily so I switch it up every day and never do the same one twice in a row. There are my current favorites:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2PKsIVIsz8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oudLZLcA3Gs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F55SNOI8Wyc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9TSbIrp8qQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcN37TxBE_s

 

None of these are prenatal workouts or geared toward pregnancy in any way. So that means these are not all suitable for every pregnant woman at every stage of pregnancy. ALWAYS ask your doctor about this stuff. Safety is the most important thing for you and your little one. Since I continue to get the okay from my doctor and feel strong enough to keep up with these routines, it's what I'm sticking with. Keep in mind it's almost a given that you'll have to modify some of the moves in any regular workout to tailor it to your level during pregnancy.

 

 

Even though I'm usually in the privacy of my own house while working out, I still need appropriate clothing to stay cool and comfortable and have the ability to move around properly. I am still wearing my regular workout pants/capris since they are stretchy and can be worn underneath my growing belly. But at this point in my pregnancy I am partial to my GAP gear. I have several pairs of non-maternity pants and capris like these and these that I love because they sit low on the hips. I also have these that can certainly be worn post pregnancy. The top half of my body has spurred on a few more recent purchases out of sheer necessity. I completely outgrew my sports bras so I bought this, this and this from Target. I also grabbed some of these non-maternity tanks a size up from what I would normally wear and they are perfect to cover the bump plus I can continue to wear them as layering pieces after baby arrives. I didn't really think I would need any maternity tops just for working out but I went ahead and added this one onto my GAP order a few weeks back during a sale, ya know, just to try. Well, I LOVE it! I will probably order it another color as well since I'm getting bigger as the weather is getting warmer and these are perfect for keeping cool and covering the bump. Lastly, I work out in the house barefoot but for walks I wear my 2 year old Nikes. These and these are the same style and are so great for long walks outside because they are so light and airy but with plenty of cushion.

 

I'm striving to keep all this up but am also very aware the whole pregnancy thing might just catch up with me at any time. I'm all for pushing yourself but baby comes first so I'm listening to my body and making sure I'm not overdoing it. Hopefully something in this post was helpful to you but if not, maybe you'll better enjoy another topic on another day.

 

Happy Hump Day!

Fit for 2

Lately I’ve had a lot of questions about working out during pregnancy and really the general topic of a healthy lifestyle. I’ve posted before about finding the balance between putting in the work and the good nutrients but also taking the time to chill out and eat the crap. But now that I have the perspective of being pregnant, I’m going to revisit this subject.

 

I found out I was pregnant just a few weeks before we moved into our new house and Chris started school. Typically I would walk the dogs about 3.5 miles 5-6 days a week and do some type of exercise routine 3-4 days a week. Most often I was doing short circuit work outs, rotating the muscle group focus, that took me anywhere from 10-20 minutes to complete. Sometimes I’d throw in a longer workout but dog walking took up so much time and energy that I counted that as the bulk of my daily exercise. Without a fenced in yard for the dogs and without the training knowledge that Chris now has, walks were always the priority because we thought they were needed as often as possible. On the nutrition side of things, I stayed on a healthy eating plan all week, barring the occasional indulgence in a treat for someone’s birthday at work and my Friday Starbucks runs. And by healthy eating plan I mean breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks all consisting of whole grains, fruits/veggies and plain or sparkling water to drink. Weekends were a free for all if I wanted them to be, but honestly when you choose a healthy lifestyle you tend to still make those choices even when you give yourself the option not to. If I went out to eat I’d get anything that sounded good and typically Sunday breakfast was the big “cheat meal” of the week. I’m thankful for pretty great genes but I definitely credit a lot of my ability to maintain my weight and overall inside health to sticking with a healthy lifestyle.

 

When we moved, we moved farther away from my job and I quickly figured out the added time it takes to get home cuts into my regular evening activities. But a fenced in yard provided the option for the dogs to run around rather than be taken on long daily walks. And we learned something very important through Chris’s training, that dogs drain tons of physical and mental energy through training and therefore long walks all the time are definitely not necessary. I was very lucky to have a fairly uneventful first trimester where I wasn’t spending time with my head in the toilet or so exhausted workouts were off the table in favor of naps. When I discovered that pushing myself to be active after car rides home feeling sick actually kicked that nausea to the curb, that in itself was a huge motivation to keep working out. Of course I also wanted to continue the healthiest habits possible for myself and my growing baby. But I know that’s much more difficult for many women.

Without the pressure of eating up a large chunk of my evening with long dog walks in favor of training and romps in the yard, I started trying new work out routines. I started exercising right after work Monday-Thursday and Saturday mornings for anywhere from 25-40 minutes. This has become my new norm. YouTube and Pinterest have been my free workout routine sources and I especially love the Fitness Blender workouts via YouTube. I’ve tried most of the available routines and love that there are enough to keep rotating without getting bored or overworking certain muscle groups. I can do any one of the workouts at home in my living room since most of them don’t require any equipment at all and the rest just a set of dumb bells, which I have. I’ve continued to check in with my doctor at each visit to ensure it is still safe for me to continue with these routines and she has, so far, given me the green light. I make modifications when necessary, but none of the workouts I am currently doing are designed for pregnancy. It’s just that now, well into my second trimester, I’ve gained weight. During my last prenatal appointment my doctor reminded me that getting tired more easily or feeling sore after workouts when I hadn’t before is completely normal because I’m basically doing them with 13 lbs strapped to me. I really hadn’t even thought of that! I am careful to listen to my body and switch out a move if it doesn’t feel right for something that does or give myself extra breaks, even if the routine doesn’t call for them. I also still swap in a long doggie walk here and there for bonding purposes as well as switching up the exercise. We have 2 long, fairly steep hills in our neighborhood that are perfect for working those legs. So far I’m still feeling pretty strong in the fitness department.

 

About the nutrition….this is where I’m struggling a bit more with pregnancy. I had first trimester aversions that were causing me to physically not be able to eat a lot of healthy foods that I used to. I was mindful not to fill the void with empty calories all the time but I was still eating things I wouldn’t normally eat like grilled cheese and egg McMuffins on the regular. Second trimester has brought the death of the aversions, thank goodness, but also unhealthy cravings. I find myself indulging more than normal because I find myself wanting to more often! There are days when I swear I could just eat donuts all day and nothing else. I don’t though. Honestly, my nutrition could be better. I joke about Pop-Tarts, donuts and French Toast but it’s really not okay to eat all that stuff and blame the pregnancy. I promise you I do eat healthy meals and snacks the majority of the time, but I also do eat treats in between that I really shouldn’t. I am trying to be much more mindful though, especially with my upcoming glucose test!

So  basically I’m kicking ass with exercise but slacking with some of my food choices. I’m still on track for healthy weight gain and my blood work so far hasn’t thrown up any red flags. It’s up to me now to keep up the fitness level and ditch a few of the donuts. All for a good cause…RIGHT?!

#damnthegirlscoutcookies