A Workout of a Different Kind...

Miss Selah Grace is here!  Our birth story will follow soon...

Pregnancy Week 38: Snow and Swings

I got up early this morning to do a KB workout. Today is supposed to be a running day, but I thought it would be raining, as it has been all week so far, and I avoid running with Asher in the stroller when it's raining, since we don't have a rain cover. However, it was taking me a while to get motivated to start (and I hadn't planned anything so far!), and I looked up the weather report to see that rain wasn't forecasted until the afternoon. I went back to sleep, planning to run later in the morning with Asher. Well, I got an email from my dad: "It's snowing here, is it snowing there?" Being in bed and not wanting to get up to check, I went back to sleep. Lo and behold, it indeed was snowing--big fluffy flakes that were sticking to everything, including the roads! It continued to snow for a few hours, but that ended my idea of running, 1.5 weeks away from my due date, pushing a double stroller with a toddler in it! Instead, I did a quick workout during his naptime:

Activity:
KB swings (10kg) 600 + 400 = 1000 swings (completed using a variety of two- and one-handed swing combinations). I took a 2-2.5 min break between the first and second set because I was feeling my R SI and then later on, my L grip was tiring quick.

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with 2 handfuls sauteed Organic baby spinach, 1/2 avocado, salsa
1 plum

Lunch:
1 pear
Leftover chicken soup from yesterday (small bowl)
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone
2 pieces See's Candies Milk chocolate Cal Brittle

Dinner:
Wild cod with Taco seasoning, steamed broccoli
...and then Adam brought home a lunch-sized bag of Harvest Cheddar Sunchips...which we all three shared...and then he got more Ben & Jerry's ice cream (!!), so I had a few bites of ice cream... arg!

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 38: Stepdown Snatches

Another Tuesday and I'm still pregnant! I was noticing with my MIL that because Asher came at 37.5 weeks, we act like Baby #2 will come along any day now, even though I am 1.5 weeks away from my due date still. Well, that day is not yet here, so I decided to try out snatches while I could. This morning's workout took me a while to get started since I had been experiencing intermittent mild contractions overnight and even though I was not currently having any contractions, I wasn't sure if I should even be doing any activity "just in case". I picked up the 8 kg (18 pounds) and did a few snatches. At this weight, it was light enough not to be very taxing aerobically or strength-wise, but enough to help me go through the functional movements that are so important to healthy movement and this exercise itself.

Activity:
KB snatches
20/20/10/10 (8 kg) R/L alternating with 15/15/15/15 R/L (10 kg) x 5, for 600 total snatches. This felt great during and afterwards!

Breakfast:
Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 4 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed, 1/2 C blueberries)

Lunch:
Homemade chicken soup with carrots and dates
Handful Organic dark chocolate chips

First Dinner:
Chicken (from lunch) with stir-fried Chayote squash, celery salt

Second Dinner (10:30 p.m., I got hungry!):
Leftover stirfried chicken with Chayote squash in celery salt

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 38: A Little This, A Little That

Looks like it took 2 days for my pelvis to recover from that Saturday run! As I mentioned after the run, my pelvis was pretty wonky. It continued that way, accompanied by erratic, occasional contractions throughout the next day. It felt more stable this morning, even though I practically laid in bed all night not sleeping. Grrrr.... Monday is a running day, but it was raining pretty hard and as you know, I don't have the rain shield for the double stroller. I did a light workout during Asher's naptime, instead.

Activity:
Good mornings (12 kg) 8 x 15
TGU (10 kg) x 10 minutes

Breakfast (again, no appetite):
3/4 banana (Asher wanted some)
1 Organic Fuji apple with almond butter

Morning snack:
1/2 handful mixed roasted nuts

Lunch:
Small bowl leftover stirfry: Organic ground beef, onions, garlic, kale, celery, various mushrooms, salsa
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone

Afternoon snack:
Handful organic dark chocolate chips

Dinner:
Medium bowl of Spicy sausage/Pineapple sausage with steamed broccoli
Valentines Day Cheat dessert: Shared 1 slice of chocolate cake and 1 slice of red velvet cake with Adam and Asher. Eight bites of Ben & Jerry's Pumpkin cheesecake ice cream.

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 38: Run like the Wind

This morning, Adam, Asher and I went for a run together. Adam was trying out a Garmin GPS running watch, and needed an easy run on his step-down week. Obviously, a 9-month pregnant woman pushing a double stroller with a 25 pound toddler in it would be someone who wouldn't push his easier pace. On the contrary, I really had to step it up to keep up! It was fun, but now my pelvis is very loose and I've been moving around so slowly all day just because my pelvis aches. LOL. I laugh at myself when I think about how slowly I am moving; usually, I just get up and go, but now, I have to move slowly and sometimes help myself up by holding onto furniture! What a change! I am, however, very happy about that, since the increased laxity (and crampy stomach feeling) means D-day is approaching soon! YAY!

Activity:
30 min run with Asher in double stroller, 8-9 min/mile pace. Achy feet the whole way!

Breakfast (no appetite):
Vitamix drink: 1 C coconut milk, 1 banana, 2 oranges, 1 carrot; 4 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 2 Tbsp chia seed
1 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scone

Lunch (really no appetite and not hungry either!):
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs

For most of the day, I've been feeling a little "off". Intermittent crampy feelings and general pelvic laxity and aching... We got out of the house in the early evening and ended up eating out. Feels like things are "on hold" until this baby shows up, including maybe even our diet. We had a cheat meal...

Dinner:
Baja fresh: 2 grilled Mahi Mahi tacos (corn tortilla, cabbage, avocado, salsa, fish)
Several corn chips
1/4 cheese quesidilla

Dessert:
1/8 pint of Ben & Jerry's Chocolate brownie ice cream

Too many cheat meals in too few days. I'm not being too hard on myself about this, but I do recognize that I need to be more disciplined in the coming days, for my health and that of this baby.

My hospital bag is packed. Asher's overnight bag with grandparents is ready. We've filled the gas tank... My breastpump parts are cleaned and ready just in case... I've updated my Birth Playlist on my iPod for the labor.... ;)

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: Swingin'

I really wasn't feeling it this morning with the whole "exercise" thing (LOL) and was in the middle of planning a strength session when I decided to just start swinging the KB. I was thinking on Tuesday that I hadn't swung the KB in a while, and how good it would be for me to do some swings. Well, as it is with most things that are worth doing, it took me a few seconds to get into the flow, and then realized that it felt so good that I wanted to continue! This is what I did:

Activity:
High volume KB swings with 10 kg: 2 x 500 using various two- and one-handed swing variations
Side planks advanced position 8 x 20 each side

I had a midwife appointment today. Looks like the Cheat Desserts I've been having entirely too frequently this week have helped me move the scale! I weighed in a 122.6 pounds (gained about 1 pound since last week! ha!) and my fundus measured 35 cm (I can't believe how much my uterus/the baby has grown in the last week!). The baby is still low in my pelvis, and I am 2 cm dilated.

Lunch:
Medium spinach salad with green and red bell peppers, cucumber, olive oil & balsamic vinegar
1 scrambled egg
1 orange
1 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scone (with organic ground flaxseed and chia seed substituted for 1/2 C almond flour)

Snack:
2 See's candies Milk Chocolate Cal Brittle

Cheat Dinner with parents, Adam and Asher at Gustav's Pub and Grille
Appetizer sampler: I had 2 crab cakes, some rye bread w cheese fondue, and 1/4 potato pancake
NY Grilled Salmon with sweet potato and beets: I had one of the two salmon pieces, all of the beets, most of the potato and some of Adam's fries. I also ate his dill pickle half.

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: Active Rest

Pregnancy insomnia continues...I was up at 4, seemingly wide awake, but then pretty much crashed at 6 a.m., when my alarm went off to get up for this morning's workout. Well, I nixed that idea, went back to bed, and was happy that I got a few more minutes of sleep. I was able to get a little workout in later on in the day, but let me just say, for the record, that I am pretty much done with this pregnancy gig. I know, I know. Most women carry their babies until 40 weeks (40 WEEKS!!!) and I've got nothing to complain about, since I've been feeling great for the most part and have been blessed to be able to continue with exercise.

Activity:
2 rounds of modified Shoulder smoker with 10 kg: Clean, then Military press descending ladder R/L 8, 6, 4, 2, 1
Planks 5 x 1 minute
1 hour walk with Asher in double stroller

Breakfast (again, no appetite, couldn't figure out what I wanted to eat):
1 banana
1 plum

Morning snack (since breakfast was obviously lacking in quantity and culinary interest!):
Handful Roasted Mixed nuts

Lunch (3 p.m.):
3 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with 2 handfuls sauteed organic baby spinach, 2 spoonfuls salsa, 1/2 avocado
2 handfuls Organic Dark Chocolate chips

Afternoon snack:
2 slices Organic Fuji apple

I took a nap for an hour at 8:30, then was a little hungry, so had "dinner":

Dinner (10 p.m.): Bowl of leftover fish soup
The corn tortilla chips were calling me (they've been calling me ever since we got them on Sunday for our Superbowl Cheat meal! My staple used to be chips and salsa, but I have only had that once this entire pregnancy, last Sunday being the first time, since corn is not on the Paleo approved list). The opened bag is still sitting on the countertop in full view. I had entirely too much....used it to scoop avocado so I could start feeling "full". On Sunday, when I had chips for the first time this pregnancy, my fingers got slightly puffy. Thanks to the Paleo diet, I haven't had any puffiness or swelling during this pregnancy, so it was really a difference after I ate those corn chips! Just waiting for the puffy fingers to strike again now! I tried to salvage the poor nutritional content of the meal (just the massive amount of corn chips I ate...the Fish soup was Paleo all the way), I had 8 ounces of Monavie w/ glucosamine, hoping the antioxidant benefits of the various berries in the juice would redeem me somehow. I am feeling very full right now and a little sick....who's betting that labor will start tonight of all nights?! I have since hidden the chips....

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: Chugging along...

Well, I'm still pregnant today! Looks like this new little one has set a new record (not that it would have been difficult, there was only one other contestant, Asher!) for Longest Time In Utero. This is the halfway point for the week. Personally, I am rooting for a birth on Friday, February 11. That would make this little one's birthdate: 2/11/2011. How neat would that be?! Obviously, the longer the pregnancy continues towards the due date, the better; it's just fun to play with numbers.

Activity:
30 min run with Asher in double stroller, SIJ belt. This run was a little faster than Monday's, though my feet were still sore (not unexpectedly) throughout most of the run.

First breakfast (4:10 am):
1 banana

Second breakfast (11 a.m., post run):
3 omega 3 sunnyside up eggs with 2 handfuls organic spinach, sauteed, topped with salsa and 1/2 avocado
1 plum

Lunch (2:45 p.m., after Asher's nap. I wasn't hungry yet):
1/2 banana with almond butter
1 Organic Fuji apple with almond butter
1 handful Organic Dark chocolate chips

Dinner:
1 bowl Fish soup with coconut milk (modified from The Primal Cookbook)
8 ounces Monavie with glucosamine
1/2 handful Organic dark chocolate chips

Cheat dessert:
1 slice Chocolate cake

Fluids:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: Good ol' KB snatches!

I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off snatches today, since my pelvis is becoming increasingly loose as this pregnancy continues. I am thankful for that, as it will make birthing much easier, but have to be mindful of my early morning activities (when I feel my pelvis is most lax). This morning, I entertained the idea of doing military presses or jerks to avoid engaging my pelvis too much. I picked up the 10 kg and did a few practice snatches, and everything felt fine....so, I went with it and did my Tuesday snatch workout!

Activity:
KB snatches (10 kg)
20/20/10/10 R/L alternating with 15/15/15/15 R/L for 5 cycles equaling 600 total snatches

Breakfast (didn't have an appetite):
3 bites of slow cooker beef cooked with coconut milk, garlic, onion, carrot, celery, curry, ginger
3/4 banana
1 plum

Lunch:
3 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with sauteed spinach and 1/2 avocado, 2 spoonfuls Organic salsa
2 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scones
8 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine

Snack:
2 handfuls Organic Dark Chocolate chips

In the late evening, I started feeling crappy. Took a short nap. Laid down for a little while longer...finally, decided it wasn't going to change, so I got up and played with Asher, gave him a bath, helped him get to bed. Still feel hot, nauseated. Didn't really have an appetite, but decided I should eat something:

Dinner:
Bowl of slow cooker beef with carrots and celery with 2 handfuls organic baby spinach, wilted
8 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: Catch Me if You Can!

Over the weekend, I've been having more frequent nighttime contractions. We briefly entertained the idea of becoming parents of two yesterday afternoon when I had been having increasingly uncomfortable contractions throughout lunch. Obviously, that stopped, since I'm still pregnant today! Last night, I didn't get much sleep since the contractions were pretty uncomfortable and frequent. This morning, however, things have gone mostly back to normal, so being that it's Monday, I did my normal thing, went running!

Activity:
30 min run with Asher in double stroller, medium pace. My feet were sore the entire time, but we finished before it started to rain! Yay!

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with sauteed spinach, medium salsa and 1/2 avocado
1/2 banana

Lunch (not hungry at all!):
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone

Dinner:
Pan-fried wild Cod seasoned with sea salt, pepper and dried dill with medium salsa
Fresh tomatoes
8 ounces Monavie with glucosamine
1 plum

Dessert:
3 bites of Adam's chocolate cake/red velvet cake

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 37: RKC Snatch Test

Welcome to Full-Term Pregnancy! I am officially 37 weeks pregnant today, which means that if I were to go into labor at any time from now on, nothing would be done to stop it! I mentioned previously that Asher was born at 37.5 weeks. This new little one will likely be making an appearance sooner rather than later as well.

Since I may not be pregnant anymore come Tuesday (my snatch workout day), I decided to do snatches today. The particular workout is the Russian Kettlebell Challenge (RKC) Snatch Test. At certification, each candidate must snatch a KB of designated weight (corresponding to the candidate's bodyweight) 100 times within a five minute time period. Multiple hand switches are allowed, as is putting down the bell. As with my first pregnancy, being able to complete this snatch test near the end of the pregnancy was particularly important to me. I am very blessed to be able to attempt it today:



Activity:
Five minute RKC snatch test (10 kg). I chose to do 20/20/20/20/10/10 R/L. In Feb 2010, I recertified, completing the snatch test with the 12 kg in 3:22. Today, I misspoke at the end of the video saying how much time I had left. I think I got my snatches done within 4 minutes...

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
2 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scones (We got our first shipment of Honeyville Almond Flour, so I baked a double batch of the scones...compared to Bob's Red Mill almond flour, Honeyville is more fine, and has an aftertaste of sweet almond extract, very light), fresh from the oven!

Lunch (3:30 p.m.):
Cheat lunch at Red Robin Restaurant. I was having mild contractions at the time and didn't feel up to eating my usual (Bonzai burger). I had the soup/sandwich combo of New England Clam Chowder (cup) and BBQ chicken wrap (without Ranch dressing). I also had a few of Adam's steak fries with ketchup and a few slices of apple that came with Asher's meal. Water. Contractions continued throughout lunch.

Evening snack (not hungry):
10 blueberries

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 36: Still Running...

For the last 2 nights, I've been having more frequent Braxton-Hicks contractions. They occur at pretty regular intervals but only last for a few hours, and don't feel like real labor contractions (since they're a preparation for labor, but not strong enough to be the real thing). Anyway, I've kept on, keeping on....especially since the contractions stop within a few hours. This morning, I put on my SI belt and went for a run...

Activity:
30 min run with Asher in double stroller, mostly level terrain. Felt great!

Breakfast:
1 banana with Almond Butter
1 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scone
1 Fuji apple with Almond Butter

I saw my midwife today, here are my stats:
Weight: 121 pounds (I gained a pound in the last 3 weeks!!!! After not gaining "any" (according to their scale) for the last 3 months)
BP: 110/70 mmHg
Fundus measurement: 32 cm (!!!!! The baby has dropped.)
Cervix: 1 cm dilated, 80% effaced

Lunch:
Large salad: romaine lettuce, green and red bell peppers, cucumbers, balsamic vinegar & olive oil
Still hungry, so: 2 sunnyside up omega-3 eggs

First Dinner:
1 bowl GF Paleo Chicken Pot Pie (The Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam)...significantly modified since we didn't have most of the ingredients. I used what vegetables we had (kale, red bell pepper, celery, garlic) and skipped the crust.
8 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Second Dinner (my lower body was exhausted this evening, so I laid down and took a little nap. When I woke up, I was a little hungry....):
Small bowl Chicken Pot Pie
Handful Organic Thompsons Raisins

See what I mean about the baby dropping? Now I have all sorts of room for more food! ;)

Fluid: 6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 36: Off-center KB strengthening

Today's workout was all about training one side of the body at a time. This helps facilitate stabilization on the non-working side and equalization of strength from one side to the other.

Activity:
See-saw press (10 kg) x 8
Lat pulls (12 kg) x 10
Single Leg Deadlift (10 kg) x 10
Unilateral suitcase squats (12 kg) x 10

I repeated this cycle 10x, then:
Turkish Get-ups (10 kg) x 5 each side

Breakfast:
1/2 bowl Vitamix drink (leftover from yesterday)
8 ounces Mona-vie drink w/ glucosamine

Lunch:
1 scrambled omega-3 egg w/ sauteed spinach
8 ounces Mona-vie drink w/ glucosamine

Dinner:
Bowl of Curry ground beef with mushroom medley, red bell pepper, kale, garlic
1/2 paleo GF chocolate chip raisin scone

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 36: Still Running...

This morning's run was a little slower than the previous few runs, but still felt great-during and after!

Activity:
30 min run with Asher in double stroller, mostly level terrain

Breakfast:
1/2 of large bowl of Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 2.5 bananas, 1 Fuji apple, 2 kiwi, 3 stalks kale, 6 Tbsp organic ground flaxseed, 4 Tbsp chia seed)
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone

Lunch:
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado
Handful roasted mixed nuts
10 ounces Mona-vie w/ glucosamine

Dinner:
Paleo Stir-fry chicken with celery and yellow bell peppers
2 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scones (fresh from the oven! I have been replacing 1/2 to 3/4 C of almond flour with ground flaxseed and chia seed for the extra Omega 3 and fiber)
8 ounces Mona-vie with glucosamine

Fluid: 7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 36: 9 mo Tuesday snatches

My favorite day of the week is here again; I always look forward to Tuesdays because of the weekly snatch workout. Today's workout went by much faster, perhaps because the movement felt so great that I inadvertently increased my cadence. I don't know how many more Tuesdays I will have before the little one arrives, so I recorded a short video of part of one round of snatches just to remember... (In the video, I am doing a set of 20/20/10/10 R/L at about halfway through my workout.)




Activity:
KB snatches (10kg)
15/15/15/15 R/L alternating with 20/20/10/10 R/L for 5 rounds, totaling 600 snatches

Breakfast (we still haven't gone grocery shopping, so the randomness continues...):
2 sunnyside up Omega 3 eggs with 1/2 avocado
1 banana
1 GF paleo chocolate chip raisin scone

Lunch (we have no leafy greens! Those who know me know that I live and breathe leafy greens like spinach and kale! What to do?!):

"Tuna salad": 1/2 can light tuna, 1/2 avocado, 3 stalks celery, 1/4 yellow bell pepper, 2 packets of mustard
1 kiwi

Snack:
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone

Dinner:
Chipotle salad: Greens, Carnitas, salsa, guacamole

Fluid:
7 cups water