Pregnancy Week 35: Rest Day

I took today as a rest day in anticipation of the busy morning we'd have. In retrospect, it was a good thing to have a day off.

Activity: Rest day

Breakfast:
2 GF paleo Chocolate chip Raisin scone
1 banana

Lunch:
Spinach salad with cucumber, tomato, green bell pepper, balsamic vinegar & olive oil
1 Fuji apple
1 GF paleo Chocolate chip Raisin scone

Dinner:
Paleo Coconut curry beef stew with onions, garlic, carrots, celery
Cheat dessert: 1 slice of Almond Roca chocolate cake, shared with Asher (this boy loves chocolate, just like his mama!)

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 34: Rest Day

Today was an enforced Rest Day. When I went to bed (around 12:30 a.m., when I finally felt tired), I was ready to do a KB strength workout in the morning. However, at 3 a.m., I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep until 4:30 a.m. When my alarm went off at 6 a.m., I was dead tired! The next time I woke up, it was too late to do a workout before Asher would wake. I thought I might get a chance to squeeze it in during his naptime, but decided, at 34 weeks along, that I should take a rest day. I look forward to doing my workout tomorrow!!

Activity: Rest Day

Breakfast:
2 sunnyside up omega 3 eggs with 1/4 avocado

Lunch (don't have much space at all now, still feel like my breakfast is in my throat!):
1 banana
Handful cashews

Dinner:
1 bowl of leftover Fish soup
1/4 GF paleo Chocolate chip raisin scone

We met with our Doula this evening and went over the birth preferences. Time has really gone by quickly with this pregnancy (I'm sure time always seems to pass quickly in retrospect!). If this baby comes around the time Asher did (37.5 weeks), we will be a family of four in early February! Wild. I need to practice my coping techniques from the Birthing from Within book...

Snack:
1 pear

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 32: Rest Day

I took today as a rest day. The headaches that were frequent during the second trimester had been fairly rare during this last trimester, but for the last 2 days, I've had a headache that would start in the early afternoon and last all evening. Tylenol helped for a period, drinking more water didn't seem to change things noticably either. This morning, I woke up with a headache, despite taking Tylenol before bed and around 3:30 a.m. (when I couldn't go back to sleep). Today was a great day to take a break....but only after I had done a little activity! ;)

"Grease the groove" activity:
Pull-ups 4 x 4 wide grip and narrow grip

I had another Myofascial Release session today, and felt good (ie. no headaches or other physical distress) for the rest of the day. This type of bodywork has been helping my SIJ issues (and my posture)...I no longer wear my SIJ belt to sleep as I did during my first pregnancy (I think I wore that SIJ belt 24-7 (except not when bathing) starting week 20 of my first pregnancy!), in fact, I only wear the belt when I run, and that is preventative as I expect moderate ligamentous laxity this far along in the pregnancy.

Breakfast:
Medium bowl of Vitamix drink (1 C coconut milk, 2 handfuls organic baby spinach, 1 stalk kale, 2 oranges, 1 kiwi, 1 honeycrisp apple, 6 Tbsp organic golden ground flaxseed, 1 frozen banana)
1 GF, paleo Chocolate scone

Lunch:
Large spinach salad with cucumber, red pepper, red cabbage, cherry tomatoes, celery, balsamic vinegar & olive oil
Handful of nuts including raw walnuts, raw pecans, and roasted cashews

Dinner:
Slow cooker beef flank steak w/ carrots, celery, ginger, garlic, cilantro, chicken broth
Sauteed string beans with garlic
2 pieces "Aplets and Cotlets"

Fluid:
7 cups water

Pregnancy Week 30: Rest Day in SC

After an uneventful red-eye flight to Atlanta, GA, we have made our way back to South Carolina, the birthplace of Carolina Kettlebell & Wellness. Today is a rest day for me; I did an easy 1.0 mile walk with Asher while Adam did a nice 2 mile run. We will be doing our best to eat Paleo style, but may have to modify our normal dietary choices based on availability since we are relying on the hospitality of others. I will blog as often as I can, but computer time may be limited. For those of you traveling, hope your travels are safe, and you find your loved ones healthy and happy!

Pregnancy Week 29: Rest

What a day I had yesterday! Or maybe I should rephrase that to say "What a day Adam had yesterday!" Here's the backstory: I had a hard time sleeping Saturday night since I felt like all my insides were being shoved up my throat and I was convinced I would throw it all up at any second (hence, the bucket by the bed). On top of that, if I took anything greater than a shallow breath, I felt tremendous soreness in my chest, as if I was on the verge of getting a cold. For the throw-up feeling, I tried hanging on the pullup bar, rocking on all-fours, lying on my left side, walking around....but it never happened, and after 2 or so hours, the feeling subsided. The sore "throat" feeling, however, lingers to today. It's less so now, so hopefully I can avoid getting sick!

I spent yesterday lying in bed sleeping most of the day. Those who know me know that this is very very strange behavior. Being sore and achy from doing 100 squats on Saturday didn't help much either. Adam got to hang with Asher for the majority of the day. This is usually a fun, but tiring task, since our 19 month old is always on the go. They both survived, and are better for it, I think!

I decided to take another rest day instead of going for a run today. My legs don't feel as heavy and I'm not exhausted like I was the day before, but it just felt right not to try to set any records.

Activity:
0.5 mile walk with Asher (he walked too) on hilly loop, stop and go toddler pace

Breakfast:
Medium bowl of Vitamix drink (from Saturday's mix)
2 kiwis

Lunch:
Spinach salad w/ 1/2 yellow bell pepper, 1/2 wild-caught Rockfish filet (cooked with sea salt & pepper), 1/2 avocado, balsamic vinegar & olive oil

Dinner:
4 stalks sauteed baby bokchoy
1 serving squash
2 slices steak
1/2 tilapia filet
3/4 Bartlett pear
1 square Hershey's Pure Dark Chocolate
handful dried cranberries

Fluid:
6 cups water

Pregnancy Week 28: Unplanned Rest Day & Cheat Meal

I intended to do a strengthening workout with kettlebells this morning, but went to sleep way too late and woke multiple times during the night thinking that I had been awake the entire time... Pregnancy sleep is, oftentimes, an oxymoron!

Activity: Rest Day

Breakfast: 2 sunnyside up Omega-3 eggs w/ 1/2 avocado and 1/2 tomato
4 ounces Monavie w/ glucosamine

Lunch: Leftover Salmon chowder and brussels sprouts
1 slice Pumelo
2 squares Hershey's Intense Dark chocolate 72%

Dinner: Unplanned cheat meal!
My parents treated Asher and me to dinner at a Japanese restaurant. I ordered the Chilean Sea Bass, thinking that the description of the entree would fit the Paleo diet. I thought I was ordering a filet with a side of salad, miso soup and rice (I planned to pass on the soup and rice).....but I got something entirely different! My entree was sea bass covered in some sort of creamy crabmeat/fish balls mixture on top of a few stalks of asparagus on a bed of white sushi rice w/ seaweed. There was decorative creamy-something all over the plate as well (those who know me know that I am not a "creamy-food" person: for example, I don't like Ranch dressing, mayonnaise, or alfredo sauce, so you can imagine how I felt when I saw the entree!). Artistic, but not what I had envisioned based on the menu description! After some internal wrestling over consuming this meal, I decided to make things easier for everyone, especially after the hectic day we'd all had, and eat the darn thing. Dad gave me his grilled salmon and one slice of steak also.
*****
Initially, when I started the Paleo diet, it was to support Adam in his quest to become healthier, feel, look and function better. I didn't think gluten made me feel badly and I loved pasta, bread, and cheese! After two weeks of eating Paleo, I remember claiming that I felt no different. However, after every cheat meal (we've had 4 so far...5 including today), I am reminded how different I actually do feel when I eat Paleo-style! I can stuff myself (stomach space is prime real estate in this pregnant mama!)--thought it doesn't take much these days--with Paleo-type foods and not feel uncomfortably full, bloated, gassy. At the end of a Paleo-meal, I just find that I'm not hungry anymore. Contrast that with how I feel after I eat grains or dairy....bloated, painfully full, and gassy! (I used to think being bloated at the end of the workday was typical and something to be expected, so prior to eating Paleo, I thought my sensations were all normal!) It's amazing how we can trudge along day by day doing the same things we've always done and claim that we feel "fine", not knowing that if we were to tweak things here and there, or try something totally different, we might discover how much better we might feel, look and function! I'm sticking with this Paleo thing!!

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 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