To be great by April

Today I was walking into the Y and one of the instructors was walking out.  She stopped me to ask if I'd be interested in hooping again at the Y ride like I did last year.  Um, yes!  To be honest, last year I was 6 1/2 months pregnant and probably looked like a fool.  This year I fully intend to look like I somewhat know what I am doing. 

 

This is great, it gives me a goal to work towards!  I mean, I have already been working towards getting better anyway, but now I have more motivation to practice practice practice!  I'm learning lots of new tricks every week and just have to keep working at perfecting them.

 

I've gone and made my first couple of hoops the other day.  Ok correction, my husband made them.  He had some extra irrigation tubing at the farm anyway so he just bought some connectors and cut them for me, and fastened them together.  They're not great, the tubing is too thin and flimsy, but I think they will work well for working my hand, arm and off the body tricks.  I got some coloured duck tape too to make them look funky.  Would still like to buy another new hoop though, if that lady in town that sells them ever gets back to me! 

 

Now, if only I had more time and space to practice!  I do what I can at home, but I have had very little extra time lately.  And I do what I can at the Y, but I haven't even been getting there as much.  I just have to try harder!

Back At It

Wow how am I finding time for all this blogging with three kids?  I must be neglecting them or something.  Haha, just kidding!  They're all napping, and usually I would be too but it's Saturday and I had other stuff to do.  So now that I'm all showered and caught up on some housework (ok, maybe no so much housework as it's still a mess around here but it's the weekend so that makes it acceptable), I'm sitting down for a few minutes before it's time to get them up and move on to other things.

So pretty much the day after Lily was born I felt like I could run a marathon.  In reality that probably wouldn't have been a good idea, but that's how I felt.  Right away I felt like I wanted to get back into working out.  Of course common sense told me to give myself at least a few weeks for my body to rest, so I tried my best to listen.  I was out and about walking the town early on though, and managed to do a little bit of hooping at home (ohhhh, hooping!  That's what I could be doing now!).

When Lily was 2.5 weeks we went to a Mommy and Baby yoga class hosted by our new naturopath.  It was great and made me realize that I really miss yoga.

Last Wednesday I did my first fitness class since having her, it was the Outdoor Postnatal Bootcamp at the Y.  Tristan went to the farm with Tyler and I took Finn and Lily in the double stroller.  The class was supposed to be 45 minutes but was more like an hour, maybe even more.  It was great, we did lots of walking with breaks to stretch and do intervals of cardio and strength, and we did some jogging too.  I loved it.  I really felt it the next day though. 

Today Tyler braved watching all three kids so I could go to the gym and work out, and I was so thankful for that.  I walked there then did 25 minutes on the elliptical, and probably another 25 on the strength machines, before doing some stretching then walking home.  I wish I could have stayed and done more.  I'm hoping to meet with a wellness coach soon to discuss other machines I can incorporate into my workout now that I'm not pregnant.  I was limited with what I could do while pregnant but now I feel like sky's the limit!

I'm really excited to get back into exercise though I know I will have to start slow, mostly because I don't want to be putting the kids in childminding too much and I don't want to leave Lily too often either.  But I'm hoping to manage at least 3 workouts a week, the postnatal bootcamp one, a weekend trip to the gym, and hopefully a spin class as well to help lose the leftover baby weight. 

Now that I'm not pregnant I'm ready to pick up where I left off on my getting in shape crusade!  In the fall I'd like to take the learn to run 5k class at the Y and hopefully get into running.  I'd also like to start going to power yoga on Tuesday evenings again.  Hopefully soon Lily will be going to bed easily before then so I can go.  There's just so much I want to do!

I have so many fitness goals for the next year.  In addition to learning to run 5k, I plan on doing the Y Ride again, this time riding for 3 hours instead of just 1.  But my big goal for next year is to participate in Met Con Blue Mountain Race.  Never before would I have thought I'd want to do such a thing but now my goal is to train for it.  There is one in September of this year but I know that would be too soon after having Lily, so I'm planning to train for next year's.

If you had asked me 10 or even just 5 years ago what I did for fitness, I would have laughed at you.  Me at the gym?  Ha!  Now I can't imagine my life without it.  I know now how important it is to stay fit and active, and I can't believe how many years of my life I wasted being a potato.  If I could get to the gym every day I would.  Right now with 3 small children that's not realistic, and I know they come first, but as they get older I hope to find more time for the fitness activities that I love.

And of course how can I forget hooping!  I'll be starting that back up again soon too.  I need to find some pro hoopers in town to give me a few lessons so I can get back on track.

Regular exercise makes me feel great.  The goal of looking good is only a part of it, though it is a bonus.  The real benefits are what it does for the mind and the spirit, not just the body.  Since I have started exercising I have definitely noticed I have more energy and am able to cope with stress better.  It's win win, how can anyone not exercise?

So Lily is only 4 weeks old and I'm already getting back into the swing of things.  It took me almost a year after having both boys to do anything even remotely active, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself these days!

Hey, I might even have some time for some hooping before the kids wake up!

Y Ride

This time last year we had only just become members of our local YMCA.  I did not know much about the Y prior to then and had never been in one, but a friend had suggested we become members as we were still new in town and it was a great way to meet people.  It took several months to get around to it but finally last spring we signed ourselves up, and I must admit it was probably one of the best things we did for ourselves as a family since moving here (especially for me and the boys). 

I had only ever been a member of a gym once before in my life and I never felt comfortable there.  Getting another gym membership was not something I was interested in mainly because it was so expensive and intimidating.  But the Y is totally different, and it has been such an important place for me over this past year.  It has allowed us to do so many things as a family, and to stay healthy and active, without having to spend a lot of money.  There have been so many great programs there, both for me and for the boys, and it has allowed me to get out of the house with them and have a place to go, and keep my sanity in the meantime.  We've met so many great people and made so many new friends through our local Y.

Last spring I remember going one Saturday during the annual Y Ride and seeing all the participants cycling in the gym.  It looked like so much fun, I couldn't help but stand there watching and wishing I was a part of it.  I had never been on a spin bike before but that day I resolved that I would do it next year. 

It took me several more months after that to get up the courage to take a spin class, but once I did I was hooked.  And I have been going every week ever since.

This year I AM going to be participating in the Y Ride, at almost 6.5 months pregnant no less.  The Y Ride helps raise money to support the YMCA and all it has to offer.  Seeing as how the Y has given us so much, it only makes sense to give back.

I have to say I'm really excited for this event.  I have found a sense of community at the YMCA here that I have never experienced anywhere else.  It really is our home away from home.  The boys and I can be found there usually at least 5 days a week, and sometimes we go both in the morning and the afternoon.  Everyone is warm and friendly there.  We have always felt welcome. 

The Y Ride is on April 14th and it is a 6 hour event, though I have only signed up to cycle for 1 hour (not sure I could manage much more than that being pregnant!).  My goal is to raise a minimum of $75 but I would love to raise more. 

If anyone out there would like to donate to help me reach my goal, my personal page can be found here:  Martina's Y Ride Page