health

i took the plunge

May 30, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

After months of plateauing at my current weight, and months of struggling, I’ve finally taken the plunge — I joined the masses — I joined Weight Watchers.

I have to admit, it was difficult for me to do. In fact, I’m not certain I could have done it without the support of my family + friends.

But I did it because something needs to change. For whatever reason, my body is clinging to this baby fat. Regardless of how much I work out, I am just not losing the weight.

Like, not even a single pound. And that’s not even a slight exaggeration.

I’m only a few days into the program and still getting used to it. Tracking everything I eat and all of my activities is nothing new for me. I just have to watch and make sure I’m not becoming obsessive over the point system. For instance, not reaching the daily point allotment on purpose; basically, restricting calories more than I should.

So we’ll see how this goes. I’ll still keep up on my regular exercise routine of yoga, running and cardio. And I’ll still enjoy a real, yummy meal once in a while, too. 🙂

get fit! // fitness goals

May 10, 2013 by Rachel 6 Comments

I’m big on lists. And goals — big and small.

So I’m sharing how I am holding myself accountable.

and offering myself little rewards throughout my “get fit” journey!

1. Fit back into my old pre-baby jeans. This is a big one. I’m tired of wearing maternity & postpartum clothes. I miss my old J.Crew jeans. Sigh. Reward? New pair of Lululemon yoga pants.

2. Go back to a C-cup. You may think I’m crazy, but baby weight gain + nursing = giant tatas. And I’m over it. Like, a thousand percent over it. Reward? New bra from Victoria’s Secret.

3. Run for 30 minutes straight. Used to be easy-peasy. Now I’m working myself back up to it via the Couch to 5k program. Getting there! Reward? I Run This Body shirt from mile-posts.com.

4. Work out 7 days straight. This is kind of self-explanatory. I used to work out everyday. I know it’s not possible to do 7-day a week workouts all the time, but just one week would be nice. Reward? These pub glasses I’ve been lusting over for ages now.

5. Run my first timed 5k race since Ari was born. It’s been a longggg time since I ran an actual race. Reward? This Run Like A Mother shirt.

How about you? Do you have any fitness goals or other life goals you’re working on?? Do you set mini-‘rewards’ for yourself when you achieve them?? 🙂

Fitness Fridays // Excuses

March 8, 2013 by Rachel 3 Comments

Lately I can think of a gazillion reasons to skip the gym:

Illness. Headache. All-nighters with Ari. Pure exhaustion.

But in reality, only one thing will bring my pre-baby shape back: exercise.

[sidenote: Because I’m breastfeeding, limiting calorie intake isn’t an option. More on that another time.]

And as I was feeling exhausted and sorry for myself early yesterday morning [and by early I mean 2:30 am] I happened across a friends recent blog post about finding the motivation to exercise.

I was up with a teething baby, which has been the case a lot as of late. All I wanted to do was to crawl back into bed for a few minutes, even though I knew that no matter how many times I would hit snooze, I’d still be exhausted; even though I knew that when I manage to drag myself to the gym I feel a hundred times better.

If only I could just get there.

So I drag myself there.

Why?

Because there will always be plenty of reasons to skip a workout.

And I know that even if I can only get 30 minutes in, I’ll feel better, more energized, just for showing up.

So I’ve been managing to psych myself into working out.

But everyday, every workout, is a struggle. Well, at least the beginning is.

Lucky for me, my goals are bigger than my excuses.