Pregnancy Week 27: Tuesday snatches!

For the past couple of days, I've felt like my tummy has become larger (baby is growing, yay!) and have wondered if today would be the day I stopped snatching the 12 kg and started using the 10 kg...I practiced a couple times and found that if I did two things: emphasized the hip hinge by really sitting back, and moved my arm laterally towards my thigh on the downswing, I could avoid compressing the belly and yet load my hips to give more explosive power for the overhead portion of the movement. What a fun workout!

In the afternoon, I went to a Myofascial Release session for bodywork to prepare my fascial system for labor, delivery and beyond. Prevention is always the best choice, and preparing my body and mind through physical exercise, manual techniques, visualization/awareness will help with not just pregnancy and birth, but overall function and quality of life. Obviously, there are occasions when preparation and/or prevention is not an option; however, with the mindset of striving for healthy choices and actions during daily activities, the likelihood increases that we will be as prepared as possible to meet any challenge!

Activity:
Snatches 15/15/15/15 L/R x 10 = 600

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado

Lunch:
1 large bowl Vitamix (1.5 C coconut milk, 5 stalks kale, 2 bananas, 1 honeycrisp apple, 1 kiwi, 4 slices fresh pineapple, 6 Tbsp golden ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed)
1 Lindor milk chocolate ball
1/2 C sauteed string beans w/ bacon
1/4 C sauteed broccoli

Snack:
2 gluten free paleo cranberry walnut chocolate chip cookies

Dinner:
1 Turkey drumstick
1 Fuyu persimmon
8 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
9 ounces water

Pregnancy Week 27: Run with BOB and baby

Activity:
50 minute run with Asher in BOB revolution dualie (which is such a great stroller)! We got lost, so the run went on longer than I had planned.

Breakfast:
leftover 5 bites of Vitamix drink (same ingredients as 11/26)
2 slices gluten free cranberry walnut bread, toasted
3/4 Fuyu persimmon

Lunch:
Spinach salad w/ cucumbers, celery, carrots, red peppers, 5 small slices leftover ribeye steak, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
4 slices honeydew
Remaining 1/2 scrambled egg from original 2 scrambled eggs of Asher's

Snack:
2 Lindor mint chocolate balls
15 roasted cashews

Dinner:
Red pepper & Spinach sausage w/ cabbage
2 Dove dark chocolate promises

Pregnancy Week 27: Run with Double Stroller

This morning, I suited Asher up in a lined waterproof windbreaker jacket (with hood!) and matching pants over his footed doggie pajamas and cloth diapers, put some shoes on him for extra warmth, brought a couple paleo cookies for him and set off in our single stroller. Five minutes into the run, I noticed that the back right tire was flat. So, back home we went. It was pretty apparent that the tube was flat, and since we don't have a replacement, I pulled out the BOB Revolution Dualie stroller we got a few months ago through REI and loaded Asher into it. Off we went! Yes, I may have gotten a few strange looks at the empty seat next to Asher, but at least I got my run in!

Activity:
38 minute run with Asher in double stroller

First breakfast (pre-run):
2 gluten-free cranberry walnut chocolate chip cookies

Second Breakfast (post-run):
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
8 roasted cashews

Lunch:
Large bowl Vitamix drink (1 c coconut milk, 2.5 bananas (used the half a banana Asher didn't finish from a few days ago), 5 stalks kale, 1 carrot, 1 honeycrisp apple, few slices fresh pineapple, 6 Tbsp ground organic flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed; this was split into 2 bowls to cover today and tomorrow)
3 squares Dove dark chocolate

Dinner:
Half a small Ribeye steak w/ sea salt and pepper
Kale chips (kale, olive oil, sea salt, pepper, dried garlic; 350 degrees for 15 minutes)
1 C cantalope
1/2 kiwi
2 rectangles Hershey's special dark chocolate

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 26: "A Change is as Good as Rest"

I was dragging this morning and trying not to bail on my workout. I thought I'd go running, but didn't want to drag Asher through another rainy day stroller run (we don't have a rain cover for his stroller) in these cold temperatures. I thought about calling it a Rest Day....but then got inspired to do something little. A friend once said, "Do something every day toward your goal." And Pavel says, "A change is as good as rest." So, thanks to Tracy Reifkind (tracysfoodandthought.blogspot.com) , I started with a quick workout that gave me motivation to do a little more:

Activity:
(from Tracy's Shoulder Smoker TG workout)
Light KB presses (8 kg), no rest:
12 L/R
10 L/R
8 L/R
6 L/R
4 L/R
2 L/R

I decided to adapt the concept for the lower body:
Goblet squats (12 kg) alternating with Mountain climbers, no rest:
12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega-3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
1 Fuyu persimmon

Snack:
4 Lindor Mint Chocolate balls (yum!)

Lunch:
Large spinach salad w/ tomatoes, cucumber, leftover turkey and a few grapes; balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Dinner:
Leftover roasted brussels sprouts and purple cabbage
A few slices of leftover turkey
2 Dove dark chocolate squares
1 gluten free paleo Cranberry walnut chocolate chip cookie (fresh from the oven!), courtesy of elanaspantry.com

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 26: Thanksgiving KB strengthening

Happy Thanksgiving! I am thankful for so many things...my mom's slow but steady recovery, my dad for hanging in there through thick and thin, my husband who is driven with a passion for excellence in everything he does, my sweet happy healthy little boy, this fetus who is taking up a lot of my abdominal space (but gives me a good excuse to wear maternity pants (a.k.a. "buffet pants") to Thanksgiving supper, a healthy family, to be living in a free country...and all the big and little blessings that I take for granted that God gives us without merit.

Activity:
Pullups (wide and narrow grip) 4x4

Clean-Press-Overhead Squat (12 kg) x 5
Single leg Deadlift (14 kg) x 8
Repeat for 10 cycles

Breakfast:
Big bowl Vitamix drink (see yesterday's post for ingredients)
Handful roasted cashews

Lunch:
Thanksgiving supper cheat meal! Various traditional and non-traditional TG items including napa cabbage w/ scallops & meatballs (with breadcrumbs), purple cabbage (hey, my mom makes some interesting dishes these days), sweet potatoes, mac & cheese, roasted brussels sprouts, spinach salad, turkey w/ cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie

Dinner:
several slices of fresh pineapple, a few bites of leftover mac & cheese

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 26: Wednesday KB and core

I decided to KB this morning instead of run since it was really cold, frosty, and I would be more concerned about my footing while pregnant.

Activity:
KB swings (14 kg) x 60
Ab roller x 10

Repeat for 10 cycles

Breakfast:
Large bowl Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 5 stalks kale, 1 carrot, 2 kiwi, 1 large jonagold apple, 6 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed)
15 roasted, salted cashews (I am craving fat)

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up Omega-3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado

Dinner (unscheduled dinner at parents' house...most of choices had gluten):
1/2 tilapia filet with tomatoes and onions
3 pieces of dark chocolate See's Candies (I made this choice as a consequence of not eating a very satisfying dinner, despite the fact that the fish was very tender and juicy)

came home and made Macaroni and Cheese from scratch (Adam's Southern upbringing dictates Mac & Cheese at all family gatherings and holidays) for tomorrow....had a bowl...

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 26: Tuesday snatches!

Ahhhh, Tuesday...I look forward to Tuesday's workout even if I don't get any sleep! (I won't go into detail about my hypotheses regarding my dogs' behavior when they are being crated overnight (ours get exceptionally muddy in our soggy yard) versus when they have free range over the house....when they are crated, it seems like they have to go out for urgent #1 or #2 throughout the night.....which is preceded by whining and crying and pawing at their crate gates.....) Enough about them; back to me!

Activity:
KB snatches (12 kg)!! 15/15/15/15 L/R x 10 = 600 snatches
I did these in front of a space heater in our garage gym and my toes were still frozen when I finished...

I wait for the day when this workout will leave me low on energy throughout the day. When that time comes, or when the volume of snatches becomes uncomfortable during the workout, I will make changes. My current thoughts are either to continue with the 12 kg but decrease the volume, or go to the 10 kg and maintain volume. Obviously, there are other options that I can pursue, but that time has not yet come since I've felt great all day so far.

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega-3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
3 slices of gluten free paleo Cranberry Pecan bread
2 ounces Monavie w/glucosamine

Lunch:
Spinach salad w/ 1 tomato, 1/2 avocado, 1/2 can light tuna, balsamic vinegar and olive oil
3 squares of Hershey's dark chocolate

Dinner:
Fish patty cakes (from The Primal Cookbook by Mark Sisson) using salmon and tuna
Steamed broccoli w/ celery salt
6 ounces Monavie w/glucosamine
3 squares Hershey's dark chocolate

Fluid:
5 cups water.....not enough!

Pregnancy Week 26: Hilly Solo Run

I guess I ate too much chocolate (dark chocolate, if that helps any!) last night, since I didn't go to sleep until after midnight, and was woken up by Priya (10 YO white german shepherd dog) wanting to go out at 4 a.m. I thought about ignoring her, but then realized that as she is a doggy Senior Citizen, I'd rather get up now than wake up later to clean up her mess...however, pregnancy insomnia kicked in after that, and I stayed awake until 6:30 a.m., when I realized that despite bringing my 14 kg KB into the house to do my workout (it was 33 degrees outside/in the garage gym), I wasn't anywhere near starting....so I went back to sleep...and slept through Adam's alarms, showering, getting dressed, and Asher waking up (this last bit got incorporated into my dreams). I'm normally a light sleeper, so this was very unusual for me. When I finally got my morning started (hard to avoid with a little boy dragging me around to play blocks, find the doggies, play hide-and-seek, hold his books/toys while he plays with them, etc), I decided to go running. It snowed yesterday at our house, but not at my parents...so off we went to their neighborhood!

Activity:
3.0 mile run on 1/2 mile hilly loop (my watch is broken so I don't have a time total), played around with shortening my stride a bit to hit even more at midfoot and this seemed to require less energy.

First Breakfast (5 a.m., while contemplating my workout): 1 slice gluten free paleo cranberry pecan bread

Second Breakfast:
Bowl of Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 5 stalks kale, 2 bananas, 1 honeycrisp apple, 1 carrot, 6 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed)

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up Omega-3 eggs
1 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
1 bowl Paleo chili (adapted from The Primal Cookbook by Mark Sisson) w/ kale and 1/2 avocado
4 squares hershey's dark chocolate

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 26: Run with Odin

Activity:
35 min run with Odin (4 YO GSD)...2 stops because we got lost, 1 potty stop (for him, not me), 1 poop stop (again, not for me!), 1 loose-dog-charging-at-us stop....legs felt heavy, heart felt great.

Looking forward to a rest day tomorrow!

1st Breakfast (pre-run):
1 1-inch slice gluten free cranberry pecan bread

2nd Breakfast (post-run):
Large bowl Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 2 Tbsp chia seed, 6 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 2 bananas, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 1 carrot, 1 plum, and a partridge in a pear tree)

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/4 avocado
2 kiwi fruit
1 gluten free cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookie

Dinner:
2 cups Roasted brussels sprouts (olive oil, sea salt and pepper, dried basil, dried parsley, dried dill, garlic powder; 400 degrees for 40 min)
Tri tip steak (sea salt and pepper)
8 ounces Monavie w/glucosamine (yes, I WANT juice!)
3 GF cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies

Fluids:
5 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: KB strengthening

Activity:

Bodyweight Pullups (wide and narrow grip) 4x4

Followed by 10 cycles of the following:
KB Swings (14 kg) x 60
Bodyweight Sideplanks (advanced position) x 18

Today was my first appointment with a midwife; I recently changed my prenatal care provider from an OB group to a midwifery group that offers waterbirths at a hospital. I weighed in at 120.2 pounds (up from 107 pounds pre-pregnancy, and 116 pounds at my last appointment 6 weeks ago).

After the appointment, Adam and I caught the second showing of the latest Harry Potter movie (it was great, as you might expect), and then joined my parents for a dim sum lunch to welcome some traveling distant family members. Yes, my weekly cheat meal came a day early, and I made the most of it!

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/4 avocado
1 slice gluten-free Cranberry pecan bread

Lunch (the cheat meal):
various dim sum items chock full of gluten, also some Chinese broccoli
1 gluten free Cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookie

Dinner:
Vegetable & Sausage stirfry: napa cabbage, yellow and red bell peppers, Chicken and Apple sausage
1 Fuyu persimmon
8 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine (that's the only "juice" we have in the house, and the pregnant lady wanted juice!)

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: KB strengthening

Activity:

KB clean-press (14 kg) x 6
KB bent over rows (12 kg) x 10
Single leg deadlift (14 kg) x 10
Goblet squat (12 kg) x 10
Renegade rows (12 kg) x 5

Repeat for 10 cycles

I couldn't decide this morning what I wanted to focus on....and by the time I had come up with the above movements, I couldn't decide which I wanted to cut out. By cycle 7, I recognized that including bent over rows and renegade rows gave me a lot of repetitions with upper body pull movements! And using the 14 kg for some of the movements makes the workout more difficult than using the 12 kg (duh, I know). The interesting part of all this is how wiped out I was for the entire day; I was so tired, I didn't trust myself to drive since I didn't think I could stay awake! I got in a 1.5 hour nap during Asher's naptime, but was still dragging into the afternoon. I napped for another hour on the floor in Asher's room while he was playing in his crib, and that helped a lot (he stayed awake that entire time in his crib, but promptly fell asleep in the car after my nap). I did a lot of baking this morning....followed by more eating than I should have, and since stomach real estate is in short supply with the baby-growing these days, I didn't feel my best. Almond flour is very filling....and thus, my meals for today are quite disorganized and unbalanced...

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
5 gluten-free cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies (http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-chocolate-chip-cookies/)

Lunch:
leftovers, 2 organic ground beef mini patties, steamed broccoli
1 Fuyu persimmon
3/4 kiwi

Snack:
2 cranberry pecan chocolate chip cookies

Dinner:
Spinach salad (2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 1 tomato, 1/4 avocado, balsamic vinegar & olive oil)
3 slices ribeye steak
1 honeycrisp apple
4 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine
1/2 slice Cranberry Pecan bread (gluten free) (http://www.elanaspantry.com/cranberry-walnut-bread/)
1 cranberry pecan choc. chip cookie

Fluid:
6-7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: Solo Hilly Run

I'm pretty excited about being able to run without dog or baby for the first time in a few weeks!

Activity:
3 mile run on 0.5 mile hilly loop, approx 26 minutes

Breakfast:
Large bowl Vitamix shake (1 carrot, 2 handfuls baby spinach, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2 bananas, 1 C coconut milk, 6 Tbsp organic golden ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed)

Lunch:
At New Seasons health food store: Paleo hamburger with 1 hamburger patty, 1 salmon filet, lettuce, tomato, avocado, mustard, 1/4 pickle slice...YUM

Dinner (still full from lunch!):
Spinach salad (2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 1 roma tomato, 1/2 cucumber; balsamic vinegar and olive oil)
Several pieces of dark chocolate

Fluid: 8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: Tuesday Snatches

Tuesday is my favorite day, mostly because I get to start it off with a nice snatch workout!

Activity:
KB snatches (12 kg) 15/15/15/15 alternating with 15/15/10/10/5/5 R/L x 10 = 600 snatches; 40 min

I really focused on technique, especially sitting back and hiking the KB, and a crisp hip and knee extension with the overhead lockout. The KB seemed to just float up if I did these two elements well. After this workout, I felt great all day!

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up omega-3 eggs with 1/2 avocado
cantalope

Lunch:
Beef stew with carrots, celery, dates, salt, pepper
1/2 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
4-5 small beef patties (organic ground beef) w/green and yellow onion, celery, garlic powder
steamed broccoli with celery salt
1 kiwi

Fluid: 5 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: Stroller Run

I felt low on motivation this morning (maybe it was the Chipotle's vegetarian burrito bowl and chips I had for the weekly cheat meal last night, maybe it was from the lack of sleep), but somehow managed to get my morning going...and the rest of the day was great!

Activity:
40 min run with Asher in jogging stroller, light rain, mostly flat though I ran up every incline I could find!

Breakfast:
my mild aversion to vegetables has been lifted....yay!
Large bowl Vitamix drink (1 carrot, 2 handfuls baby spinach, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2.5 bananas, 6 Tbsp organic golden ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed, 1 C coconut milk)

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
1 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
2 C roasted brussels sprouts (salt, pepper, dried dill, dried basil, olive oil; 350 degrees for 30 minutes)
"some" (very little...maybe 7 slices) thin sliced Tri tip cut beef, cooked under low temperature w/ coconut oil

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 25: Hilly Run w/ Stroller

Activity: 3 mile run on 1/2 mile hill loop, Asher in jogging stroller, light rain

Breakfast:
3 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
2 slices gluten-free Cranberry Walnut bread

Lunch:
Spinach salad w/ 1 tomato, 1/2 leftover tilapia filet
1 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
1 cup cantalope
1/2 Spinach and Red Pepper Sausage
1/2 Chicken and Apple Sausage

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Bodyweight and KB strengthening

This was the perfect workout following a night of pregnancy-wakefulness and teething toddler! It follows Mike Mahler's 5 Pillars of KB Training :
1 upper body pull
1 upper body push
1 lower body pull
1 lower body push
core

Activity:
Bodyweight pullups (narrow and wide grip) 4x4
KB military press (14 kg*) 10x5
KB swings (14 kg) 10x60
Multi-directional lunges (14 kg) 10x5
Sideplanks, advanced (hip & shoulder abduction with non-weightbearing leg)10x18

*Since I started KB training in 2006, I have used the 12 kg as my go-to weight for most movements. Naturally, over the years, I began incorporating heavier weights during Swing training, TGUs and Renegade Rows, but the 12 kg was still my favorite weight (ie most challenging for the movement/repetitions). During my first trimester of this pregnancy, swinging the 12 kg just seemed too easy, so I started using the 16 kg with lower volume. As the pregnancy continued, and my pelvic joints got looser, using the 16 kg started becoming uncomfortable. So, a few weeks ago, we got the new KB sizes, 14 and 10 kg! Originally, I intended to use the 14 kg (in the post-partum period after my joints have "tightened up"...so, a long long time from now!) to improve my L arm pressing strength, and the 10 kg for KB training into the third trimester and in the "early" post-partum period. Well, as you can see from the workouts of the last week or so, I just couldn't stay away....I love the 14 kg! It's just the right challenge for me at this time.

Breakfast:
something was just "off" about today; I was hungry but had no appetite. There was no way I was going to make, much less, eat a "healthy" vegetable-fruit drink!!
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with 1/4 avocado
1/2 Fuyu persimmon

Lunch:
(yes, I made myself eat it, reluctantly)
Spinach salad w/ 1/4 avocado, 1 diced tomato, balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Snack:
3 slices Cranberry walnut bread

Dinner:
1 tilapia filet with taco seasoning
1 serving sauteed squash
1 honeycrisp apple
1 slice Cranberry walnut bread
4 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
(yes, I had to empty my bladder every 5 minutes all day long)
9 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Rest

Asher is cutting teeth and has been waking up at unusual times (3 a.m., 5 a.m.). This morning, he was up at 5:30....so instead of my KB training, I spent some time with him! And then my head started to hurt. My already-low motivation coupled with leg fatigue and headache convinced me to take a day off! I'm not very good at taking rest days, even though I know rest is essential for strength gains...I'm even worse at taking days off while pregnant, for fear that I will lose fitness in a 24-hour period and not be able to regain it (since my goal with exercise during pregnancy is to maintain, not necessarily to increase strength/fitness). This fear is foolish, I know. So, today, the most I did was a stop-and-go 30 min walk with Asher. I'm thankful for the time off!

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up omega 3 eggs
1/2 avocado
1/2 Fuyu persimmon

Lunch:
1 bowl Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 2 bananas, 1 carrot, 2 handfuls spinach, 1 honeycrisp apple, 1/2 c cantalope, 6 Tbsp organic golden ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed; Asher also got a small bowl of drink)
1 bowl leftover Hot Pot

Snack:
1 slice gluten-free Cranberry Walnut bread

Dinner:
1/2 Ribeye steak w/sea salt and pepper
1 C broccoli, sauteed with grapeseed oil and celery salt
3 slices plum

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Wednesday unilateral KB strength

With my schedule changing in the last 2 weeks, I've missed out on some of my most effective KB strengthening for core and pelvis. Today's workout addresses those areas:

Activity:
Clean-press-overhead squat (14 kg) x 5
Single leg deadlift (14 kg) x 10
Unilateral suitcase squats (24 kg) x 8

Repeat 10x

Breakfast:
1 square pumpkin walnut bread
1 bowl vitamix drink (split from yesterday's batch)

Lunch:
Large spinach salad with tomatoes, cucumber, avocado; balsamic vinegar and olive oil
1/4 Fuyu persimmon

Dinner:
2.5 bowls Paleo Hot Pot (garlic, green onions, napa cabbage, tilapia, spinach, carrots, dried mushroom assortment, organic free range chicken broth)
4 roasted cashews
1 small square tart and tangy cranberry bar

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Tuesday Snatches

After a slow start to the morning, complete with recovering from Asher waking up at 4 a.m. (he got some Ibuprofen, a banana, and learned about shadows), I got to do my favorite workout of each week: snatches!!

Activity:
Snatches (12 kg) 15/15/15/15 R/L x 10 = 600 total snatches; 50 minutes

Breakfast:
1 sunnyside up Omega 3 egg
1 bowl of Vitamix drink (coconut milk, 2 bananas, 1 carrot, 2 handfuls spinach, 3 stalks kale, 1 orange, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2 Tbsp chia seed, 6 Tbsp ground flaxseed; split into 2 bowls)

Lunch: just couldn't do a salad! Craving salty chips, but we didn't have any in the house!
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs
1 cup pumpkin with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger
handful roasted cashews
1 "winter banana" apple
1 Fuyu persimmon

Snack:
1 square "Tart and Tangy Cranberry Bar" (elanaspantry.com)

Dinner:
2 patties Paleo hamburger (organic ground beef, celery, green and yellow onion, garlic) with baby spinach, avocado and tomato
1 cup steamed brussels sprouts w/ grapeseed oil, sea salt, pepper, parsley and basil
1 square Cranberry bar
4 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
9 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Monday Stroller Run

After a rest day, I am ready to go! However, the sleep thing is still not going great and the time change yesterday is still throwing me off. Asher sleeps more soundly than I do! He not only makes it through the night, but he actually slept until 8:30 this morning, the day after changing our clocks back!!

Before the run, I made 2 loaves of Cranberry Walnut Bread from elanaspantry.com, while waiting for Asher to wake up.

Activity:
40 min run with Asher (24 lbs) in jogging stroller....looking for hills....

Breakfast:
3 slices of Cranberry Walnut Bread
Bowl of Vitamix drink ("cashew milk", chia seed, 3 Tbs flaxseed, 1 honeycrisp apple, 2 bananas, 1 carrot, 4 stalks kale, 1 orange)

Lunch:
Paleo Salmon chowder (from The Primal Cookbook by Mark Sisson)
10 roasted cashews

Snack:
1 Fuyu persimmon
1 square of Cranberry Tart (gluten free, from elanaspantry.com)
4 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine

Dinner:
Spinach salad (spinach, tomato, avocado, balsamic vinegar & olive oil)
2 sunnyside up omega 3 eggs

Fluid:
8 cups water

Pregnancy Week 24: Running, Rain, and Cheat Meal!

Activity:
40 min run (approx 8:30 pace) with Odin, 4 YO (still hyper) German Shepherd Dog. It was peaceful mostly because we didn't encounter any animals or people while running in the dark, rainy morning.

Breakfast:
3 ounces Mona-vie w/glucosamine
2 over-easy Omega-3 eggs
4 pumpkin walnut bars (these are also Asher's current favorite!)
1 "winter banana" variety apple

Snack (on road trip):
handful roasted cashews
1 pumpkin walnut bar
1 banana

Lunch:
leftover steak and cabbage
1 Fuyu persimmon
Handful roasted cashews

Dinner:
1x/week cheat meal; yay!!
Baja Fresh 1 chicken soft taco, 1 mahi mahi soft taco; chips & salsa
4 spoonfuls of Adam's Coldstone ice cream in "Candyshop" flavor

Fluid:
5-6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 23: Friday High Volume Swings

Activity:
KB Swings 10 x 100 (14 kg); consisting of various combinations of two-hand and one-hand swings ala Tracy Reifkind style; 35-40 minutes total.

Breakfast:
3 ounces Mona-vie w/glucosamine
1 bowl Vitamix drink (same ingredients as 11/5 post)
1 sunnyside up omega-3 egg

Snack:
1 bar pumpkin walnut bar
10 dark chocolate covered raisins

Lunch:
Spinach salad (2 handfuls) with 1 tomato, 1/2 avocado, slivered almonds. Balsamic vinegar & Olive oil.
Shared a small bowl of "tapioca pudding" (cashew milk with chia seed, 1 tsp vanilla extract modified from elanaspantry.com) with Asher

Dinner:
1/2 medium rare Ribeye Steak
Leftover cabbage
1 Fuyu persimmon
Handful roasted cashews

Water:
8 cups

My Pregnancy Journal

I am 6 months (23 weeks) pregnant with our second child. Nighttime sleep is fragmented into 2-3 hour blocks followed by 1-2 hours of wakefulness. During my first pregnancy with our son Asher, now 18 months, I ate vegetarian; alternated days of running with kettlebell training (using Mike Mahler's 5 pillars of strength format--1 upper body pull, 1 upper body push, 1 lower body pull, 1 lower body push, core), reducing the length/weight by half at 20 weeks; and worked full-time.

This time around, we are eating Paleo-style (meat, veggies/fruits, seeds and nuts; no grains/gluten, no dairy, no processed foods); i alternate days of running with kettlebell training, except I am continuing at my current levels as long as I continue to feel good during/after; I am at home with Asher. My mom was diagnosed with "non-vasculitic autoimmune inflammatory meningoencephalitis" in March. I resigned my position at work in June to help her recover from a brain biopsy. Thankfully, she is getting better. I still spend most of each weekday with her. Because of her illness, we moved to Vancouver, WA to be closer to my parents. We are in the process of opening a Crossfit/Kettlebell facility nearby!

This is my typical exercise schedule. My goal during pregnancy is to maintain my fitness and improve strength to limit the effects of pregnancy hormones on my joints, and to help me with labor and post-partum recovery.

Monday: 3 mile run
Tuesday: KB snatches
Wednesday: 3 mile run
Thursday: KB strength
Friday: 3 mile run
Saturday: KB strength

Today I tried out the 14 kg KB we picked up this weekend:

Clean-press x 6 each side (14 kg)
Multi-directional lunges x 5 each side (12 kg)
Ab roller x 10

Unlimited rest breaks between cycles (typically 1-1.5 minutes) x 10 cycles

Breakfast:
3 ounces Mona-vie (acai berry anti-oxidant drink) w/glucosamine
Vita-mix drink (split 70:30 with Asher): 1 C cashew milk (raw cashews pureed in water) w/chia seed; 4 stalks kale; 2 bananas; 1 carrot; 1 honeycrisp apple; 1 orange; 6 Tbsp flaxseed

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up omega 3 eggs
spinach salad (3 handfuls baby spinach, 1 tomato, 1/2 avocado, olive oil-balsamic vinegar dressing)
2 bites "pumpkin nut bar" from The Primal Blueprint Cookbook" by Mark Sisson

Dinner:
4 ounces Mona-vie
Bison meatballs (ground buffalo, green onions, ginger, garlic)
Sauteed cabbage
Half a handful cashews
Half a handful dark chocolate covered raisins
Half of a "Winter Banana" variety apple

Water:
6 cups