Like a beast

Move that body: I found my motivation last night and went for a 2.7-mile walk after dinner. Nothing this morning but laps at Kroger.

The hunger beast is back.

Or should I say the hungry baby?

Either way, the past few days, I have been faced with near constant hunger reminiscent of my early pregnancy. I’m doing my best to be mindful of the circumstances – weighing whether I’m really hungry or wanting something, whether I need water or whether I’m getting caught up in the fat/salt/sugar cycle – but I’m not going to go hungry. I’m going to eat.

And eat I do.

Even if it means a 5:30 dinner.

Thankfully, Mark is kind enough to oblige his pregnant wife, and he met me at the popular lunchtime spot, Dash-In, which also serves beer and dinner.

The Dash is known for its amazing grilled cheese sandwiches – including an “epic” double decker version – and espresso malts. While I’ve had my fair share of the treats, when I’m eating like I have been, I really try to focus on filling my body with good for me foods and not junk.

Like a house salad with peppercorn dressing – dip the fork method (thank you, WW).

And hummus plate.

It doesn’t look like a ton of food but I was full after eating the salad and a third of the appetizer. (I took the rest home and ate another third while watching a poor Netflix selection - “The Rite”.)

I was so satisfied with my selection that I wasn’t the least bit jealous of Mark.

He had the bruschetta grilled cheese and tomato bisque.

Nope. I wasn’t jealous. Not. At. All.

What did you do for dinner last night?

The cautionary whale

Do you ever wake up totally not motivated to work out? Like, even the thought of a one-mile walk is enough to make you want a nap?

Yeah, that was me this morning.

Of course, most people aren’t motivated to work out at 2:30 a.m. – the time when I woke up. Nor are they excited to do anything at 3:30, when I headed to the couch and decided to watch “Juno.” And while I did manage to fall asleep for about an hour, hour and a half, I decided that I could skip a walk today. Or at least this morning.

Of course, the absence of a workout doesn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about it. In fact, in my sleep-deprived delirium, I gathered quite a few strategies from my gal, Juno.

1. Proper gear is essential to running. Sweat bands, wrist bands and knee-high socks are not only fashionable but functional. Even Runners World says so.

2. It’s important to fuel before a run. Forget whole wheat toast with PB&B – the Hot Pocket is where it’s at!

3. Don’t feel limited to pasta when it comes to carb loading. Fries, burgers and Jell-O are also good sources of simple carbohydrates.

4. Slurpies are not only tasty but an excellent source of hydration. Seriously, didn’t you read this month’s Runners World. A snow cone can help improve endurance by 20 percent because of its sugar-cool factor combination.

5. End a race with a kiss. Or by giving the middle finger to that 70-year-old guy who didn’t think it was cool to be out ran by a chick and sprinted to the end, promptly giving himself a heart attack. It’s your pick.

Three Things Thursday: Pleased to report edition

Move that body: 2.4-mile walk

1. After a particularly brutal day of walking Tuesday, I’m pleased to report that I experienced very minimal ligament pain this morning. I can’t say that I didn’t have any but the pain I did have was just for short periods of time and didn’t hurt enough to stop walking. (Note: I did not say that it didn’t hurt enough to avoid rubbing myself in public and taking popular “hand on my achin’ back” pregnant pose.) I asked the doctor about this yesterday, and he seemed none too worried. “Just a sign of things to come,” he said.

2. And speaking of the doctor … remember when I said last week that I gained a schload of weight? Yeah, it was 11 pounds between appointments. ELEVEN pounds in two weeks. But guess what? This week, I “lost” 8 pounds between appointments. The doctor’s assistant seemed to worry but I reminded her that my last appointment was on a particularly hot day, and I had drank about a half-gallon of water that afternoon. Yes, there is truth to that whole water weight idea. Anyway, my point is that in three weeks, I gained 3 pounds – exactly what I should have – and I was able to do well because I didn’t say, “Fig it – I tried and gained. I might as well hit up the Dairy Queen every night.” Scales do lie but the work we put in doesn’t. Effort = Results … eventually.

3. I am so excited – I can put my hair in a ponytail. Well … almost. I need two bobby pins to hold up the bottom but that’s it. I bet with my prenatals and baby recovery time that I’ll be able to pull it all up by the time I hit the trails.

What do you have going on today?

Unlaced

Move that body: 30 minutes “10 Minute Solution – Target Toning for Beginners”

Guess who went for a run today?

 

Guess who didn’t go?

Yeah, that would be Mark and Denali running and me, well, not so much.

After my acid reflux issues of last week forced me to take some rest days, I kind of felt like it was a good time to hang up the Under Armor cap and stash away the Garmin. I made it through most of my 36th week. I could say that I ran when I was 9 months pregnant. My last run was a good one – I could end on a high note. And, most importantly, it finally felt like time.

So while they left for a 3-miler, I stayed home (maybe a bit teary-eyed) with Cindy Whitmarsh. She’s a personal trainer and exercise DVD personality and just happens to be the instructor of one of my former (and favorite) ExerciseTV options – Tank Top Arms. While we’re still sans cable and, therefore, without Exercise TV, I found that Netflix has some workout options to put in my Instant Queue. One such option was “10 Minute Solution - Target Toning for Beginners.”

“Target Toning” is (duh) divided into 10-minute sections that focus on specific body parts: thighs, arms and shoulders, buns, abs and power stretch.I did the first three sections – thighs, arms and buns – and while it wasn’t really challenging, per se, I didn’t manage to sweat and I know I’ll feel the thighs tomorrow. Effing lunges.

Do you follow DVDs for strength training? What’s your favorite?

I like anything by Jillian Michaels and, when we had cable, I would do a lot of selections available OnDemand through Exercise TV.

Totally spoked

Move that body: 1.5-mile walk (it was cut short by round ligament pain – boo!)

I leaped over Denali and jumped into bed. It might have been 6:45 a.m. but I just had to tell Mark.

“Behb, I’ve got good news,” I exclaimed.

He rolled over and began to sit up.

“Did your water break?”

Uh. No. This news was far more exciting than my water breaking.

Fort-4-Fitness, the fall half-marathon here, was adding an event - a spring event.

The Inaugural Spring Cycle “will be held over Memorial Day weekend and will include a 56 mile race on Saturday May 26 (for licensed cyclists in Classes 1 to 5), followed by tours of 15, 25 or 56 miles (open to all ‘weekend cyclists’ and anyone else wanting to take the challenge),” according to the website.

“But, Kim,” you’re thinking, “you are a runner.”

Yes, I’m a runner but Mark’s first love is cycling, and I knew he’d be pumped to take on the challenge of a 56-mile ride (although I have no idea what a licensed cyclist is). I could cheer him on with baby boy, hand him PB&J along the route and enjoy watching men in tight shorts show off their athleticism.

Of course, the timing just happens to be perfect if – and I say if – I wanted to take on the event as it would be weeks after a spring half-marathon. (My No. 1 choice, the Flying Pig, is May 6 and the Indy Mini is May 5.) I’d be inclined to do the 25 miles as I have a hybrid bike – not a road bike – and 56 miles on such a bike would take me a good three hours. And by “good three hours” I mean longer than three hours. Either way, it would be good to have different event post-half marathon to focus on and encourage cross training.

So what do you think? Would you ever consider doing such a biking event?

Body after baby

Move that body: 45-minute treadmill workout and 15-minute upper body set

On the one day I felt good last week, I headed to the library to pick up a couple books I had seen mentioned on the blogosphere - “The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite” and “Body For Life.”

 

I was interested in “The End of Overeating” because you don’t manage to become 245 pounds by eating fruits and nuts in tiny portions. Overeating is always something I’m going to have to battle and be mindful of, I think, and a little insight might help. As for BFL? I’m on the search for a program to follow post-baby to keep me motivated and get me into shape.

On my way back to the stacks, I took a moment to peruse the library’s picks and new releases. One of which just happened to be “How to Exercise When You’re Expecting: For the 9 months of Pregnancy and the 5 Months It Takes to Get Your Best Body Back.”

Yeah, I found it a little late.

I haven’t really read it read it as I’m already 9 months pregnant but I have paged through to see what I should be doing now and what I should be doing in a few short weeks.

Now? At 38 weeks, I should be doing 20 minutes of light cardio a day with no intervals. Bah! This morning’s workout involved a 3-2-1 interval (3 minutes easy, 2 minutes moderate, 1 minute hard). The “3” was walking, no incline; “2” walking with incline; "1” fast walking with incline. Just call me a rule breaker.

Later? The plan has you working your core, following a “Postnatal Boot Camp” DVD and focusing on strength – 3 days versus the 1-2 for cardio. Everything seems pretty, well, easy and a lot less strenuous than I would anticipate – and less than I’ve been doing now. Well, except for the whole core thing (there are modified exercises to do earlier in pregnancy detailed in the book).

I will say that the book does have some interesting workouts to do with the stroller if you take the baby for a walk in the park and feel like making an ass out of yourself working hard. Surprise, surprise, though – I think I’d just rather run with the stroller in the park.

I’m pretty sure the book is going back to the library very shortly but I’m excited to page through BFL as I’ve read about other bloggers’ experiences. I probably won’t follow the eating plan as I have already scoped out WW meetings but the exercise part should be interesting.

Have you tried BFL? Do you like following a program or prefer doing it on your own?

Sunny days pushin’ the clouds away

Move that body: ~4-mile walk with the boys

It’s Day 3 of my Prilosec regimen and, let me tell you, things are looking up. I might not be pain free but I rolled over this morning with one thing on my mind.

Food.

It had been three days since food was something to be wanted rather than feared. And I can’t lie, I don’t think I loved my husband more than when he said, “Do you want to go out for breakfast?”. The thought of pancakes and eggs is enough to make this lady swoon.

Mark and I tried a new-to-us restaurant in our ’hood that a few of my co-workers LOVE. The menu features French toast made with angel food cake, a baklava topping for pancakes, bacon waffles and a million and one egg dishes. Seriously, a million and one. I opted for one of those – a Greek skillet that had gyro meat, tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes, cheese and eggs. It was served with my favorite condiment ever – tzatziki sauce.

(There are no photos because I a) couldn’t wait to eat it; and b) I didn’t bring my purse.)

After such a filling breakfast – of which I ate half and saved the rest for lunch – you would think I’d be ready to do something. You know, like, exercise.

Not.

The idea of gardening for a few hours and then a movie seemed like a better idea. To me, at least. Mark was amenable to the gardening – not so much to the movie.

So I told him to get walkin’.

I was nice and went, too, but only under the condition that we went far enough to make me not bored.

We walked a mile to the park and did a loop, stopping occasionally to enjoy the scenery. Mark admired the muddy river and Denali took delight in Mark’s legs. I took delight (unpictured) in the shade. It was warm! And, I hate to say it, the combination of the gardening and 4 miles left my uber pregnant self a bit fatigued. (Folks, I only have 17 days to go!)

But no worries – I was able to power through. With a little help.

Just the thought of our post-walk visit to Cold Stone Creamery kept me moving. Not so healthy but I did have a acid reflux caloric deficit to make up ;) I had a “Like It” That’s How I Roll or something like that. It was AH-mazing.

Mark was a chunk-a-monk and had a “Love It” something and loved every bite. Except the one he gave me.

Yep. He’s a keeper.

What did y’all do this weekend?