Fitness & Motherhood

Health and fitness is something that has always interested me and after a request from my Cousin's Michelle and Mallory to share my fitness secrets I am obliging them.... DISCLAIMER: I am not a health expert, just sharing my personal experiences. Oh and also there is no real "secret".

SO, first I must start by giving you the stats: I am 5'2 104lbs and have 19% body fat as of yesterday. I am more fit and have a lower body fat right now (10 months after baby) then I have since I was about 16. I mainly equate this to a HUGE lifestyle change after having Adalie.... here are some things that are very different then they were before I got pregnant. I believe these changes are what has made me healthier.

1. I get about 9 hours of sleep every night. I go to bed about 10 and get up about 7:30am every day. It has been proven that getting 8-10 hours of sleep and going to sleep and rising around the same time regulates your metabolism. Before Adalie I had no regular sleep schedule.

2. I am much more active being a Mom and Wife. I am constantly moving. Running after Adalie, housework etc. This burns a lot of calories I don't even realize I'm burning. Most days I don't sit for a prolonged period of time till dinner time. Before Adalie I had much more of a sedentary lifestyle. At work I sat in an office 6 hours a day.

3. I drink very little alcohol. I may have 2-3 glasses of wine a month some months I don't have any at all. This is a HUGE calorie saver. Before Adalie especially in college the social scene was centered around alcohol. I probably indulged in about 800- 1000 calories worth of alcohol 3 days a week for a 3-4 year period. THAT WILL PUT WEIGHT ON YOU!

4. I eat much less meat now.. It's not something I have intentionally tried to do my palette has just changed since pregnancy and I find veggies and grains much more appealing then a hunk of meat. Before Adalie we ate meat almost every night for dinner.

5. I practice portion control. I eat anything I want in small amounts instead of restricting certain food groups (example: carbs) I like to use a salad plate for my meals instead of a dinner plate it makes the amount of food you are eating appear larger. Before Adalie I would occasionally restrict whole food groups mostly carbs which would just make me want carbs MORE.

6. I eat a good sized breakfast. This gives me more energy during the day and for my workouts and starts up my metabolism first thing in the morning. Before Adalie I usually didn't eat anything till 11 or 12. I am still not a huge breakfast person but just make myself eat.

7. And of course there is EXERCISE. I do try to exercise 5-6 times a week. This includes at least 30 mins of cardio sometimes more a day, running mainly. And 3 days of strength training, weights, lunges, machines. Sometimes I will do a 20 minute Pilate's video at home for the stretching and core benefits. Before Adalie I was an erratic exerciser with no plan or regularity. I would get really into it for a few months and then not work out at all for a few months.


I do have to admit one more thing.... occasionally I do forget to eat and skip meals. Not often but it does happen when I have a really busy day out of the house with Adalie. So that's pretty much it. I feel like it's all pretty practical advice. Cut your calories and increase activity level and YOU WILL SEE RESULTS. I will post my half marathon training schedule when I restart my training next week.

Hope this helps,
Meghan