Who says you can’t maintain or even improve fitness while pregnant?

Ok, so maybe you’re not gonna PR a marathon or dead lift 2x your body weight, but it’s not like you have to become a blob either.  I did Fight Gone Bad last week and I don’t know how, but I improved on my previous FGB score!  The only sub was step ups for box jumps which take longer anyways, and I still did better!  WOOP WOOP!

Who says you can’t manage pregnancy cravings and a healthy diet at the same time?

Especially when you crave veggies and meat!  This second trimester has me feeling like I did at the height of my fitness/wellness endeavor.  I want REAL, nutritious food.  Sure, I want a lot of it, but it’s still easier to manage that than just craving cereal all the time.  And if a need for shaved ice arises, I don’t feel bad indulging. 

Who says it’s impossible to look/feel cute while sporting a stretch marked, zebra looking belly? 

Ok, so stretch marks aren’t wonderful.  Especially when they’re red.  But then I look down at my belly and see what I can only imagine is a teeny foot or fist making my tummy move and I can’t help but smile.  And the secret to feeling cute?  Same as when I was at my highest weight- wear stuff that fits, that’s not muumuu-esque, and put in a little effort.  A hairstyle and some mascara go a long way :o)

Who says we can’t have it all???

But dang it I should have- the 80+ degree heat didn’t keep me away from my planned Sunday walk on my favorite trail. 

The one I abandoned when I started CrossFit because I was hating running. 
The one where I logged hundreds of miles in preparation for races short and long. 
The one I cried on when I didn’t know how I’d get all the way back to my car.
The one where I danced like an idiot and didn’t care who saw after finishing a long run.

As soon as I got out there all that stuff came flooding back.  I wanted to run, I wanted to sweat, and I wanted to just be there. 

But, it’s a different time.  And I’m settling for what I’m comfortably able to do… which doesn’t include running.  Don’t get me wrong, I can run but it’s certainly not the most comfortable thing to do so I opted for a walk instead.  I realized how much pregnancy is started to slow me down- not because of the energy zap (I have a lot more energy now than I did in the beginning!) but because I’m just slower.  I don’t move as quickly as I used to even when I want to- my body is definitely different.

And while that could’ve been frustrating, it was actually really nice.  To be out there walking, taking a break from everything, feeling my son wiggle around, and knowing that I was doing something to take the best care I could of me and him.  It’s moments like yesterday that I hope I don’t forget- even if the walk was filled with breaks in the shade, breaks on benches, and what felt like ridiculous heat, it was still good time spent with my wiggly little baby.  <3

Looked at the website for today’s workout- 1,000m row followed by max deadlifts in 10 minutes. Good good.

Get to the box and there’s a 2 scribbled over the 1. Sooo that’s 2,000m. Wasn’t sure how I felt about that.

I was there early so I went for a warm up walk, came back, and got to work.

We worked heavy deadlifts- clearly that wasn’t on my agenda. So I did deadlifts, just capped my weight at 135#s. Totally comfortable.

Then came rowing. When we started the coaches ok’d 1,500m if we really thought we couldn’t make 2,000 in 10 minutes. I went in planning on 1,500.

As I approached 1,500 I found myself wondering if I was gonna bail out early because of being pregnant and not wanting to push too hard or if that was just an excuse for being lazy.

It was an excuse for being lazy. So I pushed through and finished the full distance and felt damn good about it. It took me 9:42 but I took a couple breaks. Not the best time, but surprisingly I wasn’t even last!

I’m finding that it can be hard to separate being lazy and taking it easy because I’m growing a human being.

But at the end of the day, I have to do what I feel is safe and healthy for me and baby and let that be my guide.

And now it’s time for a nap :o)

Some people have asked how far along I am and how it’s goin (thanks btw!)… I’ll be 23 weeks on Friday (23/40= over half way there!) and I’m feeling pretty great now.  They really aren’t kidding when they say the second trimester is worlds better than the first =)

And now for the good stuff…

This past weekend my CrossFit affiliate, NorCal CrossFit, hosted a competition.  I had the pleasure of volunteering on Sunday and was reminded of just how freaking awesome/badass the CrossFit community is.  Nevermind watching people like Neal Maddox (number 6 coming out of the open!) and Miranda Oldroyd (don’t know her?  just google her and check out a pic and you’ll see why I was so fricken impressed), it was the throngs of regular joes that got my CrossFit love ignited.  Ever been to a competition?  If not, you’re missing out!

So after a long day there (and after an extra long nap for this momma-to-be) I was looking forward to Monday… even after I saw the WOD…  And to think there was 45 minutes of “warm up” before this…

25 Burpees
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 45#33#22#  
25 Pull Ups
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 45#/33#/22#
25 Handstand push-ups
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 45#/33#/22#
25 Chest-to-bar pull-ups
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 45#/33#/22#
25 Burpees

For me that meant:

25 air squats
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 22#  
25 “Pull Ups”- I put a bar low on a rack , laid under it, and pulled my chest to the bar
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 22#
25 regular push ups
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 22#
25 “Pull Ups” as above
25 Barbell Thrusters @ 22#
25 air squats

The pregnant sub for burpees is an air squat with a push up but…. No thanks.  And yes, pre-pregnancy I would have for sure used a 35# bar, but that wasn’t gonna happen.  My last set of thrusters probably looked more like push presses anyways.

In spite of how much more energy I have no compared to the beginning of this pregnancy, a day at work still wipes me out and a workout on top of that means I’m done for the night.  But it’s worth it.  Worth the early bed time, the yawning, the almost falling asleep in the shower.  Because it’s CrossFit.  And I love it.

Read more …

I was feeling fabulous yesterday-  I felt like I was bouncing everywhere in spite of the nap I was craving.

And I was even up for a second day in a row of CrossFit- a rarity since the little guy came to be.

But it didn’t go as expected.  I couldn’t do most of the gymnastics work as it required either being upside down or bar muscle up progressions which, let’s be real, didn’t happen before pregnancy and certainly aren’t happening during.  So I was kinda wingin the first half hour solo.

Then WOD time.  The scaled version was:

10 SDHP (65/45/33)
2 Pullups
10 walking lunges
10 Box Jumps 20” or plates
10 walking lunges
5 Rounds

Great.  So I went with a really light 45# for the SDHP, ring rows for pull ups, and step ups.

First 2 rounds- completely uncomfortable.  I wasn’t prepared for the way my body would feel- my hips felt awkward, my belly was hurting, and I was HOT.  All of which led to a little break.  Then I tossed out one set of lunges for the next 2 rounds.  And the fifth round didn’t happen at all.

Am I proud of that?  Absolutely not.  Do I feel like I cheated?  Definitely.

But, there are some things I just have to deal with and realize that for right now, my body wins.  There’s no powering through, there’s no mind over matter- there’s baby.  That’s number one.  And if my body is saying it’s a no go, well dammit I’m gonna listen.

Pregnancy is NOT a license to eat all.the.things.  Repeat to self a million times.

I woke up this morning wanting to live out a more paleo lifestyle (again).  Now that I’m over the morning sickness and I have more energy in general, I need to start feeding myself and baby proper foods. 

I realize that 100% paleo is unrealistic for me, so for now the goal is to eat real food throughout the day, and then make some minor exceptions for dinner.

Reasons are twofold- 1. I really don’t feel like going through the horrible withdrawals/exhaustion I went through when I went strict before and 2. I want to allow myself the opportunity to indulge a little without feeling horrible (think: pregnancy cravings, like tacos which have been my fav). 

This is gonna be good.  For me, for baby boy, and for all the weight I’ll have to lose after all this ;o)

EDIT:  Tribander- pie can (and WILL) be eaten.  Yay for exceptions and not going strict paleo!

Exhausted as I was (did you know good sleep is hard to come by during pregnancy?), I knew I wanted to get to CrossFit… So I did.

Hang Power Snatch
2-2-2

Hang Power Snatch then descend into an Overhead Squat
2-2-2

Hang Snatch (receive in the overhead squat)
1-1-1

Tabata KB swing 2 pood (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off for 8 rounds)
Goal is 10 per round
Scale KB as needed


I started out conservative- 45lb bar on the snatch sets.  Much too light but I was worrying about hitting mah bellay.  Worked on technique and making sure I wouldn’t hit myself, then went to 55lbs.  Still too light, but I was nervous about going much heavier so I worked on that weight and getting REALLY good depth.

Funny advantage to being pregnant, my squats have gotten WAAAAY better.  I think the belly forces the knees out more which makes it easier to get to full depth and stay in the heels.  Blah blah blah, I know.

Tabata kettlebell swings.  Holy hell.  I didn’t think it sounded bad but that was spicy!  I swung 16kg (1 pood) and I think it was perfect.  Maybe slightly too light, but the 20kg was too heavy.

Overall, success.  And baby boy wiggled like crazy when we were done.  I think I’ve got a future CrossFitter on board!  :o)

Lookin forward to gettin after it again today.

I have some confessions…

I consider myself to be a pretty positive person- I like to work hard, I enjoy pushing myself, and I believe in choosing my moods and reactions.

Being pregnant, at least in the beginning, challenged that.  I didn’t want to do anything, pushing myself to stay awake was hard enough, and I felt out of control.  I didn’t feel like me and positive was the last word I’d have used to describe myself.

Truth is, I was just not right.  I was anxious all the time, stressed about nothing and everything, and just generally not upbeat.  I don’t want to say sad because I’m not ready to explain that away, but I was definitely not happy. 

And it had nothing to do with baby- the love for baby was never in question.  NEVER.

But I was struggling and feeling pretty miserable- those closest to me could really see it.  I was even talking to my doctor about it and making a plan to try feel better (read: classes/sessions/etc).

Then there was last week.  I finally got the sleep I’ve been needing, I saw my sweet teeny baby boy, and I finally got some clothes that fit (superficial, sure, but makes a world of difference).

My world today feels completely different than it did 2 weeks ago.  I’m beyond happy- practically weepy because I’m so damn thrilled.  I can picture baby now and I couldn’t before- I dream about what he’ll be like and wonder how I’ll ever be able to love him enough because as much as I feel, it still doesn’t seem like enough.  I wonder what he’ll have of mine and what parts of him will be like his Daddy.  I dream about what he’ll do in life that I can go to and scream “That’s my son!”. 

All of the sudden life just feels right.  More complete. 

And I look at my baby boy’s father and see so much more than the man I’ve loved since I was 17 years old.  So much more.

I’m a lucky lady and I can honestly say, this whole pregnancy thing is growing on me (literally too!)  ;o)