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