My goal is to finally get back to a regular fitness routine. I am ready to feel strong, healthy and sexy in this body of mine. While I would be lying if I didn’t say I am also hoping to lose some LBs what I really want is to feel strong and confident and happy with this body of mine right here and right now.
To help myself along I have scoured YouTube for fitness videos that I am going to try this month. Most are beginner and the length range from 5 minutes to 40 minutes which means there is no excuse not to fit at least one workout into my days. To keep things interesting I have included a variety of videos from HIIT to barre3 to yoga to ones focusing on various areas of the body.
So who wants to join me this month in trying out these workout videos? Which video are you most excited to try?
I’ll be honest since having our third child I haven’t been making fitness a priority. I spent my first 3 postpartum weeks recovering and really caring for my body and since then I feel like I have been surviving and not thriving. I have been just simply trying to make it through each day and have really not carved out anytime for me to focus on getting stronger and losing the baby weight. However, as with most new years I have a new fire to get back to feeling strong, healthy and get to a weight that makes me feel good.
The thing is all of those “obstacles” that I felt in the last 7 months are still there so I am having to figure out creative ways to increase my activity while juggling three kids and all that comes with that. Luckily, I have a little more time these days because Neil’s 2.5+ hour commute has been cut down to 0 which means there is more time in my day to focus on my fitness. That being said life happens so I have also been relying on alternative ways to get active and have my kids involved.
Set Up A Schedule With Your Partner. Your partner wants you to be successful and wants you to reach your goals so TALK with them about your needs and create a schedule together that allows you to have kid free time to workout whether that is at home or outside the house.
Get Your Kids Involved. Ideally you will have time to workout without your kids but that doesn’t always happen so it’s about figuring out what you can do with them.
Go to a family yoga class.
Head on over to YouTube and do a family yoga class together! We love Cosmic Kids Yoga.
Go on a nature walk!
Head to the playground and get in a playground workout such as this one!
If you have a child who will still go in a stroller head to a stroller mama bootcamp.
Turn music on and dance it out at home!
Utilize Any Down Times During The Day. Find times during the days such as when your kids are napping or having screen time or before the wake up to fit in a quick 7-10 minute workout. There are a few great apps for short workouts search around and find one that works for you or you can try this 7-minute plan.
When All Else Fails Go For A Walk. Get outside and more your body. The change of scenery, the fresh air and the movement will feel good and you can easily bring the kids along.
Get your kids excited to join your workouts with their own outfits just like yours. Make them feel a part of the process and you will all benefit from getting out the wiggles and spending time together. That being said don’t forget about yourself; make sure you too have the gear your need to feel confident and ready to take on each workout. I know it might sound vain but the truth is when you feel good in your clothes you are going to want to workout and want to continue to reach your goals.
Speaking of goals….
This month my goal is to workout 21 days this month. This could be going on a class, spending 7-minutes going hard, getting all the kids out for a walk, hiking or setting up for yoga in the living room. Whatever it is I want to move my body more simple as that.
What are you fitness goals? If you have kids how do you make time to workout? What tips can you share?
I’m officially four months postpartum and while I had hoped to write about all the things I am doing to stay healthy and fit while being a WAHM/SAHM to three children the reality is I am still working on finding my fitness. I always say that with most things it’s not that you don’t have enough time to do something it’s that you aren’t making time and over the past four months I haven’t been making time to workout out. So when I came across a list of postpartum fitness plans that I made months ago I thought it was finally time to share them and to actually follow my own advice.
Listen to my body. This is the one plan I actually followed through with. I listened to by body during the first six weeks of postpartum and didn’t push my activity level. If I was feeling exhausted or any sort of pressure around my pelvic floor I took that as a sign to slow down and I did. I ended up with the quickest healing I have ever had and I really attribute this to taking things slow this time around. Allowing myself to heal.
barre3 Online – 10 minutes/day. Okay so I re-activated my subscription at the start of this month and I have only done two sessions. So this is currently one of my top goals especially since I plan to attend The Mom Edit barre3 event in less than two weeks and I would like to make it through the entire workout.
Find Mama & Baby Yoga Class. This is one of those things that I think the time has passed. Unfortunately I couldn’t find a weekend class and since I am home with my bigs during the week I couldn’t attend a class. That’s okay though- can’t win them all!
Daily Walks With Kids. This is one that I feel like I am failing at the most. I really need to get outside and walk with the kids everyday (weather permitting). The fresh air, the time in nature is something we all need so this combined with the barre3 online are my two main focuses.
Get A Gym Membership. Okay so technically I have a gym membership but it’s at my husbands works which takes me anywhere from 20-90 minutes each way to get there so I honestly just don’t go. I could go on swim class days but just haven’t – so that being said I should. I am considering getting another membership to a closer gym but I have my insecurities about this which I’ll share in a later post.
So that is it. My November goals are to do 10 minutes of barre3 per day and walk with the kids most days of the week. I also want to spend more weekend time out in nature with my family.
I recently shared that I have decided to quit the gym and I joined ClassPass. For me the gym I was attending was the right price but not the most convenient to go to and one of the major things I felt like I was lacking was the social interaction that fitness can have. At the gym I wasn’t able to attend any classes so I simply headed straight to the cardio equipment, put in my ear phones and completed by workout. The only interaction I ever had with my fellow gym goers was a smile or a quick ‘hi’. Since I am a stay-at-home/work-from-home mom my interaction with other adults is often limited and I so desire the time to connect with other people.
Unfortunately when all you are doing is cardio at the gym there really isn’t much of an opportunity to interact with others. That is why I think I often prefer a workout class. It’s a time to connect with yourself and also with others. If you attend a class regularly enough you become familiar with the other regulars and overtime you can get to know them. Also if you live in a [small] big city like Portland you’ll most likely run into people from your classes when you are out around town. Just in these few short weeks that I have been reimplementing workout classes into my weekly routine I have already started to find that feeling of community and connection and I know it will only grow over the months to come.
Do you prefer solitary workouts or classes? It’s funny because when it comes to running I prefer to be alone but if I have the choice of the gym or a class I would prefer a class.
In January I joined the gym at Neil’s work. While not the most convenient gym for me to go to the facilities are top of the line and the cost for me to join was less than my monthly coffee habit. So I joined and I have been fairly dedicated to making it to the gym at least twice per week while supplementing with at home workouts.
The thing is I am only able to go gym when Neil gets out of work or on the weekends. For months we have been making it work but I’m going to be honest it’s not without it’s struggles. My gym time is right when I would normally be preparing our dinner so by the time I am done at the gym it is dinner time for our early birds. This means I either have to prepare a meal that can easily be eaten at the gym or we end up going out to dinner.
Sleep has also become a bit of an issue. Edith who is nearly four only naps [maybe] once per week and not for a lack of tiredness but for pure strong will that she doesn’t want to nap. That being saidcome 4pm I usually find her asleep in carseat on our way to the gym or both littles fall asleep on the way home from the gym which means bedtime is a struggle. Late bedtime means that often Neil and I have little time for each other and little time to work at night.
This weekend I was finally at my breaking point because we have been so behind on dishes, our organizing projects and oh the never ending laundry. To top things off because it’s a work gym most of the workout classes are during the day or just at a time that doesn’t work with our schedule so I haven’t been able to take advantage of them.
Since workout classes were a ‘no go’ for me I bought a personal training package assuming that I would be able to find a trainer that worked for my availability and not one was available. So since I usually just spend my time doing cardio while catching up on Pretty Little Liars I figured it was time to take the summer off from my gym membership. I can spend my time outside on walks and hikes with my family this summer and who knows maybe I’ll actually take up running again.
That all being said the decision to quit the gym was one that I was very conflicted about because I have fallen in love with routine and making that time for me. Unfortunately I just hate everything that comes along with it.
I thought about joining a gym closer to our house but it would still be a lot of the similar issues that I had with the work gym. I felt a bit at a loss but then I thought about ClassPass*. I had given it a try last May and while I loved the classes and the concept where we were living at the time just wasn’t ideal for me to keep with the pass after my trial month, but right now it seems perfect so I signed up. I have decided to go with the 5 classes for $45 option so I can see how much I will really use it. If I find that I am using it enough to get the the most out of the unlimited package I will bump it up.
With ClassPass* I can go to barre3, The Bar Method, a ton of yoga studios that I have had my eye on and a meditation studio that I am so excited to try. So my new workout plans include regular barre3 online at home, hikes and walks with my family [maybe some running?] and at least one workout class per week. It sounds pretty perfect, at least to me.
Where do you do most of your workout classes (home, classes, gym, etc)? Have you tried ClassPass*? If you are local to Portland or are traveling through Portland and want to attend a fitness or meditation class together let me know! I love to go to classes with others – especially new-to-me classes!
It may have taken 4 hours and 15 minutes, a stop to pick up lunch provisions, two stops to clean up vomit (we have come to learn that Alder has a bit of a weak stomach) and the same two Daniel Tiger episodes over and over again but we made it to Bend! I was hoping we might be able to stop on the way to Bend to get out and enjoy a bit of the beautiful scenic spots but with two little ones those plans changed. At least I wore my comfy prAna clothes that ended up being perfect for a hike or for staying comfy in the car.Our first stop when we got to Bend was to pick up food to stock our rental house and then straight to the rental to relax and unwind. Neil walked over and picked us up a coffee and then I started to prep dinner, tofu with tons of veggies and rice. I have to say I just love renting houses rather than staying in hotels because it means cooking meals and it’s so much easier with two little ones. We lucked out that our place here in Bend is super walkable and we were able to find a park for the kids to burn off some energy at before bed.
Day 2.
We started our morning with breakfast at the house and coffee out and then we headed off to the High Dessert Museum. We had heard amazing things about it and it was so much fun and just beautiful. We spent most of our day enjoying their outdoor exhibits and nature path. I even made a quick stop to do a little yoga stretching. Luckily walking around in prAna gear seems to be pretty standard for Bend and it makes stopping for a quick yoga sesh super easy.
After our visit to the museum we went to Spork for lunch and then spent the a few hours lounging around the house before heading out for a 4.4 mile walk around the city. We walked down to the water and over to the Old Mill District and ended our night at Next Level Burger before heading back to the house once again. I always love to do as much walking around new cities as possible because it really allows me to get to know the city and plus it’s a great workout. Now I am ending night #2 on the couch watching The Returned and snacking on Dayia smoked gouda and crackers because if I’m going to be real Next Level Burger was kind of a bust. I’m not sure what we will do for our last day in Bend but I am sure a lot more exploring will happen and coffee, lots of coffee.
As you all already know prAna is my go to when it comes to active clothes. I fell in love with them about a year ago and I just can’t get enough. I am in love with their new Spring line which features the tank above. For all you plus sized girls most of their tops and bottoms fit super well and leave you feeling confident and not like an encased sausage. I am also loving that I can buy clothes from them with confidence due to their partnership with bluesign® systems to ensure that the fabrics they use meet the highest environmental and human safety standards. If you also want to join the prAna obsession I have a 15% off promo code for prAna for you: PSSS16RWTG.
What are you favorite things to do in Bend? Do you prefer active getaways or the sit back and relax type? Is purchasing environmentally conscious clothing important to you?
This post was sponsored by Fit Approach on behalf of prAna. All opinions and enthusiasm are my own.
Running the same neighborhood loops over and over can start to be a little boring so it’s always nice to mix things up with a new route. Add in some scenic views and you’ve just made your run go from a workout to an adventure. So whether you are from Portland or are just stopping through for a visit these runs are fantastic ways to get some of the best of what Portland has to offer from city to nature. Honestly if you’re not a runner no worries these runs are also great for walkers, hikers, and bikers.
Waterfront Loop (2.5 miles): This is probably one of the most well known running loops and for good reason. You get views of both the East and West sides of the city while running along the Willamette River. A good spot to start this loop is at the Salmon Street Fountain on Portland’s West side. From there head North through Tom McCall Waterfront Park until you reach the Steel Bridge which you will then cross as you make your way to the East side. Once across the bridge head south along the Eastbank Esplanade until you reach the Hawthorne Bridge which you will crossand make your way back to your starting point. Fell like adding on a few extra miles? Keep running past the Hawthorne Bridge to Portland’s newest Bridge, Tillikum Crossing. Head across and then immediately loop back and head back to the Hawthorne Bridge to cross and return to your starting point
Lower Macleay Park to Pittock Mansion (5 miles out and back): This run is for my trail runners. Starting at Lower Macleay Park you’ll run until you meet Wildwood Trail and from there you will follow the signs to Pittock Mansion. Once at Pittock Mansion head over to the mansion and take in the city views from the top. Once at the top to complete your run you’ll head right back down the way you came.Tip: This run is great any day but for optimal views seek out a bright clear day.
Powell Butte (10 miles of trails): There are many spots to jump on to the Powell Butte trails but a great spot to start is the Visitor Center where there is a good amount of parking and restrooms. From the visitor center you will head up to the summit where you will find open meadows and a great running path. Make a stop at the mountain finder where on clear days you can see Mount Tabor, Kelly Butte, Mount Saint Helens, Mount Adams and Mount Hood to name a few. There are a total of around 10 miles of trails winding through Powell Butte so you can really make this run any distance that you like. Tip: These trails are used by hikers and bikers as well so stay alert!
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