Friday, April 10, 2009

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





9 comments:

mallory said...

This was awesome! Thank you for taking the time to write all this. I loved reading it! I'm inspired by all these changes and very impressed that motherhood has propelled you into a healthier lifestyle. This is major motivation for me to start making healthier choices. Keep it up!

Claire Helena said...

I've told you before and I'll tell you again..you should (one day) do something in health! You'd be great!

xoxo

Anonymous said...

SOOOO PROUD OF YOU. YOU ARE DOING SO GREAT, PUTTING ME TO SHAME.
LOVE AND BLESSINGS,
GRANS EDDINGS

Anonymous said...

So... are you saying I should have a baby and I'll look as fabulous as you????? I'll have to talk to Judd about this! ; ) lol
Thanks for your post.. what's your workout routine nerd?!
love all the posts though! keep them coming! : )

The Akins Family said...

You will love training for the half.....it is the most consistent and fun training I have ever done! Good luck with it - they are addicting! :)

Tiffany said...

Thank you again so much for such a great visit! It was so great to see you guys! I put up the pictures on our blog. thebradkes.blogspot. Miss you guys (and especially Addie!!) already.

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

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