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!
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