Sorry for absence this month. I don't really have a good excuse, I suppose I have just been trying to catch up with myself.
We're starting a big clear out and it was with joy that along with the newborn and 0-3 month baby clothes I was also able to pack up not only my maternity clothes but also the trousers I had bought a size too big as I grew into and out of proper maternity wear. I'm not back to my old shape but I am back in my old clothes. Hurray!
Talking to other new mums I realise that we all have little things that we do to make ourselves feel better despite the sleep deprivation. One friend always wears a bit of jewellery, another puts on mascara each day. I have nice pyjamas, try not to wear exactly the same clothes two days in a row (maybe every other day though!) and paint my toenails (three coats so it last ages and I don't have have to take off the varnish until my nail grows). These small things help to remind us that we are unique, individual women as well as mums. For me, this little effort makes such a big difference to my sense of self and well being.
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Monday, 6 August 2012
Baby carrier exercises
This week I thought I would share some ideas for exercising while carrying a baby.
We don't have a double buggy and so for the last four months I have been pushing the toddler and carrying the baby. That alone is pretty good exercise if I keep up a decent pace, but twice a week I try to do an all round workout with other mums in a local park. The biggest challenge in these park sessions is keeping the baby settled during our session.
Usually she falls asleep in the baby carrier on the way to the park. When we arrive I get the toddler out of the buggy, lie the seat down and try to transfer the baby from the carrier into the buggy without waking her. Every time I fail! She is grumpy about her rude awakening and doesn't easily settle and I flit between trying to exercise and trying to calm her.
To avoid this difficult situation I adapt some of the exercises and do them while still carrying her. Here are my suggestions for a baby carrier workout:
We don't have a double buggy and so for the last four months I have been pushing the toddler and carrying the baby. That alone is pretty good exercise if I keep up a decent pace, but twice a week I try to do an all round workout with other mums in a local park. The biggest challenge in these park sessions is keeping the baby settled during our session.
Usually she falls asleep in the baby carrier on the way to the park. When we arrive I get the toddler out of the buggy, lie the seat down and try to transfer the baby from the carrier into the buggy without waking her. Every time I fail! She is grumpy about her rude awakening and doesn't easily settle and I flit between trying to exercise and trying to calm her.
To avoid this difficult situation I adapt some of the exercises and do them while still carrying her. Here are my suggestions for a baby carrier workout:
- Warm-up by power walking (never run with your baby in a carrier as their little heads are not supported and will shake about). I stick to power walking while pushing the buggy for cardio work too.
- I find that the baby carrier reminds to keep my back straight and hold my tummy in when doing squats and lunges.
- Lots of floor work you can do against a park bench, including press-ups, an adapted plank and supported leg rotations. You can also do tricep dips against a bench.
- I find upper body stretches a bit harder to do but try to stretch out as best I can. Standing tall with arms above my head helps me to stretch out my back from the ache of carrying the baby.
- The baby carrier and the buggy can be good aids for remembering your posture, and therefore strengthening your core. The buggy is also a good prop for balancing exercises when the baby carrier alters your centre of gravity.
Sunday, 29 July 2012
Olympic spirit
We've definitely got Olympic fever in our family. We went to see the torch go through our area on Monday and the men's cycling road race yesterday, the TV is on all day and we're channel-hopping between events, and we have tickets for rowing, canoeing and synchronised swimming.
The thing that really inspires me about all the athletes is their discipline, endurance, long-term vision and planning. It is an attitude that I should try and adopt a bit more when it comes to exercising. I exercise because I want to be healthy and I want to set a good example to my girls. I can't really say that I enjoy it, although I do enjoy the benefits of it (social as well as physical), and so I can be easily persuaded to put-off a workout at home. My reasons are mainly excuses: I'm too tired; I've only just eaten; I've got other things to do; I can't put on my workout DVD because my husband is watching TV...
Athletes don't become Olympians by skipping the bits of their training that they don't like and I will never be a truly fab fit mum if I continue to eat ice cream while watching Team GB instead of doing a few stretches. Discipline, endurance, long-term vision and planning are words I could do with writing on a post-it note and putting on my mirror.
The thing that really inspires me about all the athletes is their discipline, endurance, long-term vision and planning. It is an attitude that I should try and adopt a bit more when it comes to exercising. I exercise because I want to be healthy and I want to set a good example to my girls. I can't really say that I enjoy it, although I do enjoy the benefits of it (social as well as physical), and so I can be easily persuaded to put-off a workout at home. My reasons are mainly excuses: I'm too tired; I've only just eaten; I've got other things to do; I can't put on my workout DVD because my husband is watching TV...
Athletes don't become Olympians by skipping the bits of their training that they don't like and I will never be a truly fab fit mum if I continue to eat ice cream while watching Team GB instead of doing a few stretches. Discipline, endurance, long-term vision and planning are words I could do with writing on a post-it note and putting on my mirror.
Sunday, 15 July 2012
The dress
One of my motivations for exercise was fitting into a bridesmaid dress for a hot summer wedding. There would be no layers to hide under, I was going to be exposed in a navy blue summer dress with a fitted bodice and loose from waist to the knees. Such a beautiful dress deserved a beautiful body and with the wedding date set for 13 weeks after the birth it seemed reasonable to set getting into this dress as a first challenge to be more fab than flab.
I did it! Unfortunately, with the busyness of being a bridesmaid, wife to a best man, and mother to two flower girls I didn't manage to get a photo, so here is one I pinched from someone else and a family photo from a few days after the wedding.
I did it! Unfortunately, with the busyness of being a bridesmaid, wife to a best man, and mother to two flower girls I didn't manage to get a photo, so here is one I pinched from someone else and a family photo from a few days after the wedding.
Tuesday, 19 June 2012
Balancing
One of the exercises that we do in the park is a three-way balance: standing on one leg with the other leg and arms outstretched and, if possible, closing your eyes and trying to stay upright. The balance improves core stability. My balance has never been very good, I find it difficult to stand on two feet with my eyes closed! When we do this balance I don't close my eyes but I keep practising with my eyes open and one day I will close them. I will probably topple very quickly but I'm sure that in time I will be able to manage a few seconds.
Being a mother of two children is also a balancing act. I try to balance the attention that I give them, make sure I am handing out cuddles to the older one as well as the baby, have time with each child on their own and with them together. The girls themselves are like weights on a set of scales as I assess at each moment who wants or needs me more, is it the toddler upset with teething pain or the baby crying for a cuddle? Should I put the toddler down for a nap and close the door on the fussing baby for a few minutes or try to settle the baby first and hope I can do it quickly before the toddler changes her mind about sleeping?
I hope I will soon have enough confidence in standing on one leg to have the courage to close my eyes and see what happens. I'm also practising the parental balancing act but this exercise will never be perfected, I will just have to keep my eyes open to the ever-changing needs of each member of my family and hope that I develop the confidence to trust that I will make the right decisions about their care and well-being.
Being a mother of two children is also a balancing act. I try to balance the attention that I give them, make sure I am handing out cuddles to the older one as well as the baby, have time with each child on their own and with them together. The girls themselves are like weights on a set of scales as I assess at each moment who wants or needs me more, is it the toddler upset with teething pain or the baby crying for a cuddle? Should I put the toddler down for a nap and close the door on the fussing baby for a few minutes or try to settle the baby first and hope I can do it quickly before the toddler changes her mind about sleeping?
I hope I will soon have enough confidence in standing on one leg to have the courage to close my eyes and see what happens. I'm also practising the parental balancing act but this exercise will never be perfected, I will just have to keep my eyes open to the ever-changing needs of each member of my family and hope that I develop the confidence to trust that I will make the right decisions about their care and well-being.
Tuesday, 12 June 2012
Leading my first exercise session
Today was to be the first Ready Steady Mums session that I would be leading. It rained. It was really chucking it down and I didn't think anyone would come but I did a feed and a change, got the two of us waterproofed as best I could and walked over to the park.
Halfway there the little one starts crying and I nearly turn back but decide that if anyone else has made the effort to come and exercise in this then it is my responsibility to be there and congratulate them. The walk is a good warm-up, so I correct my posture, hold my tummy in and continue. My daughter also continues with her crying. Sure enough, the park is empty but I go through my planned warm-up just in case anyone turns up. Nobody comes so we walk back home.
As I have just done 45 minutes of warm-up and this was my designated exercise time I decide to complete what I had planned to do in the park at home, with a few adaptations. The routine works pretty well but takes much longer than expected due to breaks for more feeding and nappy changing. I'll tweak the order slightly for when we do it in the park, but I'm pleased.
I think I am developing a more rounded view of exercise. There's 'keeping active' which I was doing - and continue to do - in my everyday life anyway and there is 'exercise' which I think of now as being something more considered, such as improving stamina, working specific muscles, building core strength, cardiovascular work. For me at the moment the two are separate but sit together quite comfortably but I'm aiming to get more 'exercise' stuff into the everyday.
As I have just done 45 minutes of warm-up and this was my designated exercise time I decide to complete what I had planned to do in the park at home, with a few adaptations. The routine works pretty well but takes much longer than expected due to breaks for more feeding and nappy changing. I'll tweak the order slightly for when we do it in the park, but I'm pleased.
I think I am developing a more rounded view of exercise. There's 'keeping active' which I was doing - and continue to do - in my everyday life anyway and there is 'exercise' which I think of now as being something more considered, such as improving stamina, working specific muscles, building core strength, cardiovascular work. For me at the moment the two are separate but sit together quite comfortably but I'm aiming to get more 'exercise' stuff into the everyday.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
Trying to stay motivated
The little one is 8 weeks old, 9 weeks in a couple of days, and I'm having a bit of a motivational blip.
Two weeks ago I had a giggle when I found myself doing tricep dips against the bath one evening while waiting for it to fill. A couple of days later, while waiting for some pasta to cook, I was doing assisted press-ups against the worktop. Now when I get a moment to myself I just want to flop, right here on the floor a crumpled bundle of me not doing anything except breathing. I wanted to flop before, and I did but I also exercised. Now I'm considering buying those pants that hold everything in.
I know that I feel like this because I'm sleep deprived, I've missed a couple of park sessions and therefore missed encouragement from other mums, and because my uterus has contracted and I'm only making small gains (or rather small losses) in the flabby tummy area.
In the hope that recognising this blip is the first step towards remotivating myself, here is my plan of action:
1) I will put on my waterproof jacket (rain is providing an excuse to stay in) and buy some soft fruit and a little choccy bar or cake. The treat is to remind me to be nice to myself and I will eat it on my own in silence when the kids are asleep and enjoy it as a treat, rather than gorging it when the toddler's back is turned and not appreciating it (so wanting another one).
2) I will plan the exercise session I am going to run on Monday. I'm volunteering to run this weekly Ready Steady Mums session - come along - and will blog about this another time.
3) I will try on my bridesmaid dress, which should arrive this week, and feel happy wearing something beautiful. In four weeks I'll be wearing it for the bride and groom.
4) I will do some yoga daily, even if only a few minutes of breathing exercises, as that helps me to slow down and appreciate a moment, and it also helps me to sleep.
Two weeks ago I had a giggle when I found myself doing tricep dips against the bath one evening while waiting for it to fill. A couple of days later, while waiting for some pasta to cook, I was doing assisted press-ups against the worktop. Now when I get a moment to myself I just want to flop, right here on the floor a crumpled bundle of me not doing anything except breathing. I wanted to flop before, and I did but I also exercised. Now I'm considering buying those pants that hold everything in.
I know that I feel like this because I'm sleep deprived, I've missed a couple of park sessions and therefore missed encouragement from other mums, and because my uterus has contracted and I'm only making small gains (or rather small losses) in the flabby tummy area.
In the hope that recognising this blip is the first step towards remotivating myself, here is my plan of action:
1) I will put on my waterproof jacket (rain is providing an excuse to stay in) and buy some soft fruit and a little choccy bar or cake. The treat is to remind me to be nice to myself and I will eat it on my own in silence when the kids are asleep and enjoy it as a treat, rather than gorging it when the toddler's back is turned and not appreciating it (so wanting another one).
2) I will plan the exercise session I am going to run on Monday. I'm volunteering to run this weekly Ready Steady Mums session - come along - and will blog about this another time.
3) I will try on my bridesmaid dress, which should arrive this week, and feel happy wearing something beautiful. In four weeks I'll be wearing it for the bride and groom.
4) I will do some yoga daily, even if only a few minutes of breathing exercises, as that helps me to slow down and appreciate a moment, and it also helps me to sleep.
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