Happy New Year!

Well hello there and happy new year!

Where the heck have I been with this blog? Sheesh! I must be honest, as gung-ho as I sounded about fitness in the beginning of this pregnancy, it still has managed to bite me in the ass. First of all, the holidays are hard enough to avoid weight gain without being pregnant and well, I fell a little off the fitness train between traveling and holiday get-togethers. I just have not been myself.

I even *gasp* quit my gym membership in November! I know...how the heck can I call myself a gym bunny now, right? Well, I quit for reasons other than not using the gym because I certainly was using it. I wanted to get out of my contract because I didn't like the terms and I had already met the contract date. I also started a new job and had found it hard to get to the gym due to pregnancy nausea...I figured I would just rejoin a gym after the baby came and workout at home in the meantime.

Well, that plan failed because I have been lacking motivation in the evenings. I get home around 6pm from work, have to make dinner, get the kids' bedtime routine done and then catch up on housework every evening...which, let's face it, it's tiring enough being pregnant...adding in a late night workout on top of all that just proved to daunting of a task most nights. I really need to get my workouts done first thing in the morning...before pregnancy tiredness kicks in. So what am I doing? Tomorrow I am rejoining the gym...at least I can take advantage of New Year's specials. I will start going before work again. I don't have nausea anymore, so I can manage to eek my way out of bed a tad earlier to get a good workout in.

I can't even look at that weight tracking chart I posted when I first found out I was pregnant because I am way off track! It's depressing. I'm not sure how it's even possible I've gained as much as I have, but there's no turning back now, I just have to roll with it and make good choices this last half of pregnancy. Here's me today at 21 weeks and 1 day:

Looking ripe as ever!

Oh, and if you don't follow along on Style Oyster {and you really should}, you missed my announcement that IT'S A GIRL!

I am so excited {and have a hunch this is the culprit for my extra weight gain - it's true what they say about boys vs. girls in the womb!}

But I can't stress myself out about the weight. I need to just do the best I can, let my body do what it needs to do and know that my fitness-motivated self will take care of the damage when it comes time. I'm already a step ahead as I've ordered Shaun T's Focus T25 program and plan on starting in June. I'm due in May, so I figure I will ease my way back into working out for a month or so and then get started with this intense HIIT workout. I will hit up Insanity after that. My husband is already doing it and I'm jealous I can't join in yet. I have been trying to do at least the warmups with him...but once it gets to all that jumping around, this prego has to bow out.

I do have a set of barre DVDs coming this week and plan to incorporate those into my routine a few times a week for the rest of this pregnancy.

But anyway, that's my update for now. I plan on posting a detailed list of fitness resolutions for the new year next week. Do you have any fitness resolutions?

Project: Fit Pregnancy

I am DETERMINED to have an ultra-fit pregnancy this time around...not to say that I went completely overboard with the other two...I gained 30 lbs with Tanner, and 45 lbs with Breckin {but ended at the same exact weight at the end of each pregnancy - do the math}. However, I recall letting myself have a lot of things "just because I was pregnant"...things that weren't beneficial to baby...just beneficial to my sweet tooth, such as slurpees {hey, the summers are HOT here!}, Skittles, ice cream, etc...you know...just extra empty calories.

But, let's get real y'all. I'm 30. This is my 3rd pregnancy. I may not bounce back as easily. In fact, I remember struggling a bit more after the 2nd than with the 1st. I made it, but I struggled. I don't want to struggle to lose unnecessary weight that could be avoided in the first place.

Here is a pregnancy weight tracker chart for week by week based on my starting weight:

Of course, I would love to stay in the minimum range...but the average range would be OK too. I'm 5 weeks along today and as of this morning on our new digital scale, I weigh 145.6, which puts me right on track.

I'm being careful this time to plan my meals so I don't just grab something like fast food in a pregnancy craving/starving frenzy. I'm eating a lot of protein-rich foods, leafy greens, veggies and fruit. Of course getting my calcium through things like skim milk, Greek yogurt and string cheese. And downing the water like crazy...I am trying to get way more than the recommended 8 glasses...more like 12-16! So far, it's helped me stave off cravings...though I know I'm only 5 weeks. 

And lastly, I'm exercising every day. I still hit the gym after I drop the boys off at school and that is the plan for the entire pregnancy. I hope I can maintain doing a lot of what I already do, with just a few minor modifications. Currently, I do 30-40 minutes of cardio, usually on the elliptical since it's easier on the joints, and then I do weight training. I also mix in barre classes a few times a week. Starting next week, I'll be walking the Cooper River Bridge twice a week while my son has his baseball practice nearby. Exercise promotes easier labor and delivery and of course a faster bounce-back postpartum.

I'm not in maternity clothes yet, but I'm waiting for it. Everyone says they show way faster with each pregnancy...I remember showing by like 11 weeks with Breckin! Crazy! I feel my pants get a little tighter in the waist, especially near the end of the day, so I know it's coming. I think maxi skirts and leggings are going to be my best friends. Thank God for fall and winter style!