Its a Hero

yoga

get fit! // fitness update

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I would love to say that if I wasn’t working, I’d be spending hours and hours a day working out. But I know that’s not the case.

That being said, I dream about having 3 additional hours in every day; an hour of which I would spend with Ari. The other two? Working out and cleaning.

But even with working full time, [somewhat] keeping up with our household chores, and taking care of Babycakes, I have been fitting in workouts.

I’ve been continuing Weight Watchers religiously. In fact, the second week I lost 1.5 pounds. After a 5-pound first week loss, I’m proud to have lost a second week in a row! I still had a ton of unused activity points. And I did have a couple of meals that weren’t healthy — but that were worth it! [Umm, hello?? Grilled cheese?! YES!]

Last week I went to TWO yoga classes at Yoga Bliss. TWO! That is nearly unheard of! And it has been doing my body wonders. Power yoga is a really tough workout plus it’s a great way to balance out my runs.

Speaking of running, I totally rocked it again last week. I’ve been running for 30-minutes straight for the last week and a half now. There are times in my run when I start to doubt myself, but I keep moving. I ran a total of 14.5 miles last week, and walked an additional 8.5 miles with Ari! And? I’m averaging a 9.5 minute running mile. Which is certainly not my best, but I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished post-Babycakes. 🙂

And I’m officially signed up for four races! One 5k in July, one 5k in August, the Pretty Muddy Women’s 5k, and the Akron Marathon Relay 4.8 mile leg in September. Holy smokes! I’m so excited, but I’m also thinking, ‘what have I gotten myself into!?’

But mostly I’m excited. 🙂 I’m excited to see where I’m headed. I’ve been here before, and I’m happy to be making my way back.

weekend wrap up // weekly mantra.

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This weekend was everything a gal could ask for.

Late Thursday night my parents came info town from Kentucky. Even though we love, love, LOVE our sitter, Ari skipped for the first time and spent the day with Mimi + Papi!

But Mimi was too excited to make him nap [cough-cough–that’s right Mimi–I know you’re reading this!], so my babe was a cranky mess Friday night.

Saturday Ari slept in! Oh hooray! Once he finally woke up [at 8!!!!!] Ari, Mimi & I went for a 30-minute run followed by an hour long walk.

Then we hit up the Haymaker Farmers’ Market in Kent. Fresh produce, local meats & cheeses & food vendors are what our foodie dreams are made of!

It was Ari’s second visit to the market but his first experience tasting all the food. And that wasn’t our choice! My parents got a local beef burrito & a bean + veggie burrito from one of the vendors. Ari saw it & immediately opened his mouth & started kicking his legs with excitement.

This is where the baby led weaning is really fun. The kid gnawed on the burrito like a champ! Follow it up with three — that’s right; 3!! — samples of sheep feta (he tasted 1 & freaked out until I gave him some more). The kid is going to have the most sophisticated pallet of any baby!

We finally got him to lay down for a nap after the market for a short time. And once he woke up, we headed out on another adventure. This time to a festival in Highland Square, a local neighborhood here in Akron. The community was hosting a food and music festival called Porch Rokr — where families and homes in a ten-block neighborhood host dozens of bands to perform on their front porches! How cool is that!? We walked for a couple of hours and stopped to listen to bands for as long as Ari would let us stop moving. And then we moved on.

After our legs were sore and our baby was getting sleepy, we grabbed some dinner from The Lockview. When my grilled cheese arrived, Ari started to get excited again and jump up and down. I had no choice but to let him ‘take a bite.’ I say that loosely because it was really just sucking on the sandwich. But he loved it.

My parents had to leave Saturday night, so we tucked one sleepy baby boy into bed.

After getting some rest, I woke up and went to an early yoga class at Yoga Bliss Sunday morning. I stretched my way to a completely full heart. After yoga, Ari & I met up with Gretchen and her baby for some coffee at Nervous Dog. And after sipping our lattes and playing with our babies [and chatting up a storm], Ari and I went for another walk. This time to the Riverfront Irish Festival. I was sure all of the walking would make him nap. But it didn’t.

Our weekend was busy but incredible. Filled with everything I needed: family, food, friends, and fun.

And that’s why my mantra for the week is:

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To me, showing up means making the most of every day. And this weekend, I’m confident that I accomplished this. And I want to remember to do this every day. <3

weekly mantra

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The great thing about any workout is that sense of accomplishment afterward.

But the truly inspiring part of yoga, in particular, is the letting go; the knowing that your mind is what’s holding you back.

For me, it’s not always an immediate feeling. You kind of have to practice the ‘letting go.’ Often times I’ll find myself on my yoga mat, thinking about everything that’s stressing me. Luckily, our yoga teachers are there to remind us of the most important reason we find ourselves on our yoga mats — the letting go part.

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As much serious knowledge that yoga teachers give us, they also give us remind us how bad ass we are. Cause seriously? We are pretty badass. And we should embrace it for what it is.

Every time I get on my yoga mat, I’m a badass.

Every time I go for a run, I’m a badass.

Every time I wake up to feed Ari at 3am, I’m a badass.

Every time I pump another bottle of milk for Ari, I’m a badass.

And I need to remind myself that even when I’m feeling completely low, I am a badass. And I am going to embrace it!

So go ahead, embrace your inner badass.

i love long weekends ♥

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I feel so lucky to have had 2 full days spent with Babycakes — and the weekend isn’t even over yet!

Friday night Chad went to the gym and I settled into my evening ritual of putting Ari to bed, getting my PJs on, and relaxing with the DVR.

Saturday consisted of a power yoga class and a family party. It was great to see some family, despite the cooler than anticipated weather.

And today has been a surprisingly laid back day. Chad went to see a movie while Ari and I went to Nervous Dog to grab a coffee and headed to the Towpath to do some walking. I love love love our jogging stroller. It makes walks so much easier!

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We spent the remainder of the day playing and talking. It amazes me that even though Ari has tons of toys to play with, he always grabs the big container of Butt Paste and is happy as can be!

He’s been such a happy baby. I totally hope I’m not jinxing myself for tomorrow. 🙂