My 6 week check up is on Monday. I am hoping to get the official word from the doctor that I can start my fitness regime again. I can't believe that 6 weeks has gone by already! Belle is over 9 pounds now and such a sweet and wonderful baby girl. Hope and Nicole have adjusted really well to having her join our family. They are always willing to help and want to hold her and kiss her all over. They both love being BIG sisters. As I sit here writing this they are both curling up around her on the floor reading her books. So freaking cute!

With that said, I am hoping that I will be able to fit fitness back into our daily regime! It's now fall and Hope is back to school and Nicole has started preschool 2 half days a week. We also registered the girls for some fall activities which start next week. So, life is about to become that much busier. No excuses though! When I was working I fit in 3 exercise videos a week. If I didn't have time at home I used my lunch break at work to get it done. So, I WILL be able to fit this in. I may need to take it slow based on the fact that I did just have a baby (which is what I keep hearing) but I am committed to trying. I am not going to lie, I did do a few workouts this week and I felt slightly discouraged with my strength and energy. I listened to my body and took modifications when needed but my mind wants to GO HARD and my body is not quite ready. I am not able to do any core exercises yet and I am not able to do jumping exercises for fear of my damn bladder falling out. Yes, that's right my freaking bladder thinks is 80 and needs to make a appearance on the outside of my body rather then staying where its supposed to be. So, added to the exercises this week will be plenty of kegals which ladies are important if you want to keep your insides inside! Freaking vagina problems! lol....

Important to my success in eating this week will be food prep. I find I eat way better if I have healthy options ready to go. I like to make overnight oats, chia seed pudding, protein balls, muffins and healthy sweet treats like pumpkin pie squares. Tis' the season! What do you prep?! I have bough both Oh She Glows cookbooks and I am loving all her smoothies, breakfasts, power snacks and sweet treats. I am not vegan so I do alter some of the main course recipes but if you haven't had a chance to check out this cookbook its amazing. Very healthy and very yummy. Yes, healthy doesn't mean you have to give up taste.

I have no idea what I weigh or how many calories I eat but the doctor will weigh me at my appointment and if I get the all clear I will post about my progress. If I don't get the all clear well life's a bitch and I will just have to keep walking and focusing on my eating. Either way, I am committed. How have you been doing? Are you trying to keep a healthy lifestyle? What's worked for you or hasn't?

Food Journal

Thursday

Breakfast:
Warm lemon water
Coffee w/ almond milk and honey
Oatmeal w/ rhubarb, strawberries, chia seeds, hemp seeds, pure maple syrup and almond milk
Snack:
Ice cream smoothie bowl (blueberries, banana, avocado, almond butter, almond milk, vanilla) topped with pumpkin and hemp seeds
Lunch:
Turkey stuffed pepper
Snack:
Buckwheat zucchini muffin and 10 almonds
Dinner:
Butternut squash soup and grilled goat cheese sandwich w/ avocado, cucumber, tomato and spinach

Friday

Breakfast:
Coffee w/ almond milk and pure maple syrup
2 pieces of sprouted grain bread w/ almond butter and peach jam w/ chia and hemp seeds on top
Snack:
Chocolate hemp shake w/ spinach
Lunch:
Butternut squash mac n' cheese w/ brown rice noodles
Snack:
Grapefruit w/ 2 handfuls of pumpkin seeds
Dinner:
Hummus crusted chicken w/ paprika
Carrots, Yellow Beans, Spaghetti Squash
Snack:
Avocado brownie and leftover ice cream smoothie from Thursday

Saturday

Breakfast:
Warm lemon water
2 pieces of sprouted grain bread w/ almond butter and peach jam w/ chia and hemp seeds on top
Snack:
Buckwheat zucchini muffin and 10 almonds
Lunch:
Leftover hummus crusted chicken and veggies
Snack:
Apple and almond butter
Dinner:
Kale and Quinoa salad
Toasted tomato and cucumber sandwich on sprouted grain bread
Snack:
Peach Pie

Sunday

Breakfast:
It was a two coffee morning!
French toast made with 2 eggs and almond milk and topped with almond butter and pure maple syrup
Snack:
Lemon protein ball
Lunch:
Crispy Quinoa bowl with goats cheese
Snack:
Buckwheat zucchini muffin and handful of pumpkin seeds
Dinner:
Chili with 1 piece of sprouted grain bread

I can honestly say that writing what you are eating really does seem to work. I feel like I did really well over the last 4 days. What do you think...Do you have any suggestions....(the question mark on my computer is not working its doing this funky thing É) Also, making sure that you have snacks ready and waiting in the fridge makes grabbing a quick bite easier and I have learned to LOVE leftovers. Leftovers make my lunches so easy! I also managed to get my exercise in this week. I went for 3 walks and fit in a 20 min leg workout. WIN! The end result is that I feel good and I think I will continue to food journal.

Okay, I said that I would post honestly so here it goes. Last night after I created my FB page to post my blog to I ate so many chocolate chips. I mean handfuls of chocolate chips. That didn't seem like enough so I topped it off with Natures Path Organic Cereal!!! Within an hour or so I was so high on sugar and caffeine (since I don't normally consume much of it unless its natural sugar such as coconut palm sugar, pure maple syrup, honey or madjool dates) that I thought I was having a bloody heart attack. My heart was pounding, my arm was tingling and I felt so sick. Not to mention that while I laid awake on this sugar rush my newborn slept the night away (SHE SLEPT 8 HRS) which I didn't get to benefit from!!!! Shit!

I'm not going to punish myself by working out extra hard or eating next to nothing those are old habits. I have learned that we have good days and bad and today is a new day. Along with my goal of walking this week I will be keeping a food journal until Sunday. Apparently writing your food intake down brings your success rate up substantially! I will post my journal online for you to see on Sunday. I don't plan to be perfect so see what you think on Sunday!

Three weeks ago I had a baby. My THIRD baby. I know, you either have lots of kids yourself or you think I'm slightly crazy for having three kids each two years apart. However, I have been blessed to have relatively good pregnancies and quick births and enjoy being home with the kids and away from shiftwork (for the most part as I'm not super mom and the kids and I both have good days and bad). I have started this blog (which I have no idea how to use) to keep myself accountable.

Yes, three weeks ago I had a baby but also three weeks ago I was physically active and probably in the best shape I have been in in a very long time. Just over a year ago I started an online fitness program that helped me become "healthy". Royally Fit taught me not care what the scale says or how many calories I am eating but to care about how I feel and eating clean. This lifestyle change helped me feel energized, healthy and confident (confidence for some reason has always been a bit of an issue with me so being happy with myself is HUGE success as far as I'm concerned!) but the scale and my overall appearance (weight, muscle definition, skin) demonstrated my success as well. It's been a commitment to ME and perhaps that's what I needed all along in order to feel happy and confident with ME!

After giving birth you aren't supposed to be physically active until the doctor gives you the go ahead at your 6 week check up. I have 3 more weeks to go before that appointment. I worked out 3-4 times a weeks right to the day I started having contractions (39 weeks) for fear that if I stopped and allowed myself this "break" that I wouldn't go back to the same lifestyle change I have made over the last year and a bit. So, I am creating this blog to keep myself accountable to eating clean, staying active and committing to ME as my body allows me to. 

With THREE kids all under the age of 5....I CAN do this and if you want to you CAN do it too!!! I plan to post honestly about my activity level, my eating and how I am feeling. My goals this week are to get out for a walk at least 3 times and to eat clean!!! School just started yesterday, so I am hoping walking with two might be easier and FASTER then walking with three. I will let you know how that turns out. Stay tuned...