Moving

The last time I remember having a real running routine was the summer after I graduated from High School.

I'll let that sink in for a moment.

So here I am, 11 years later, running on a treadmill in my basement. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I think I kind of like it. With Kev working a lot of hours again, I can't get outside to run in the cooler hours (because he's not here to be with Aspen) so I run at night while Aspen sleeps. My only problem with running is that EVERYTHING JIGGLES. Let's be honest. Even with the runner's high afterward, there's nothing that makes the jiggling enjoyable. Places that used to be toned thanks to teaching 6 Yoga classes a week are no longer toned. And that sucks.

But I'm doing what I can to keep moving this body. Aspen and I are biking a lot. I'm still hosting the occasional Yoga practice at my home (in addition to personal practice throughout the week). I'm running on the treadmill 20 minutes a few nights every week. And I guess it's good to get used to running on the treadmill first. Otherwise being stuck on it during the winter would be even worse. I just wish Maddie wouldn't stare at me warily the whole time I run. It's very unsettling. What are you doing lately to stay active? You can join me tomorrow at 730 for a Yoga practice in my backyard if you'd like!

---

You can also find me on:

• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Bloglovin

Yoga Meltdown

I had a brief moment of solitude last week so I took advantage of it and pulled up a yoga video on YouTube. I happened upon a 35-minute Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown and decided to try it because she's like, a fitness Goddess or something. As soon as it started I realized it would probably be a great workout, but not necessarily a great practice.

If you're not familiar with Yoga, I don't recommend doing Jillian's Yoga workouts. She does a lot of great variations of postures, but not once did she offer a restorative pose for any of her inversion/back bend postures (like Locust and Camel Pose). I actually had to stop the video so I could do a counter-pose to relieve tension in my back. In the video, she said Yoga is great exercise, but it's not going to help you lose weight unless you bring movement into all the postures.

I think that further perpetuates the misconception that Yoga is not a good workout unless it's modified. She rarely used the names of postures until you were already supposed to be in the pose so I always felt a little behind the whole time (and I've been doing Yoga for 8 years!). Jillian obviously knows a lot about exercise and I think she's amazing at what she does, but she's also a little scary. And I don't think Yoga is her thing.

You're not going to learn anything about form or alignment from her Yoga videos, but you are going to get a good workout. I did enjoy a lot of the sequences and I did sweat a lot in those 35 minutes. But maybe the next time you want to do Yoga you should come to my house and I'll do it with you!

---

You can also find me on:

• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Bloglovin

See-Food diet... see food, eat it!

One of my personal theories is that there is no such thing as "bad" food. There is, however, such as thing as too much food.

I've never dieted because I simply don't have the willpower to deny myself certain foods. So in order to maintain a healthy body weight, I've had to work on portion control. It's a great way to enjoy things I love like ice cream and cookies and carbs and yeah... everything that people claim is "bad."

A friend created a support group on Facebook for those trying to lose weight, and from it I learned about a couple of online programs that can track your calorie intake, helping you stay on track to either lose or maintain your weight. I've signed up for MyFitnessPal.com and have successfully logged about a week of meals. Woo! The only problem with the site is that I can't figure out how to factor in the extra calories I burn as a nursing mother. To contemplate, I mentally allot 500 extra calories for my daily intake.

My goal is to maintain my current weight so my summer clothes fit like they did before pregnancy. I have so many great pairs of shorts and summery tops that I'm looking forward to wearing again (since I was pregnant to the max last summer).

Have you used a calorie tracking system? Or do you keep a food diary on paper? What has worked for you as you've tried to get and stay healthy? So far I'm finding it annoying. I knew before signing up that I wasn't consuming enough calories based on how much I exercise, so it's frustrating to see those numbers on "paper." With that in mind, I'm going to go have a snack!

Health tips for nursing mothers

I've realized there is a lot of confusion regarding good health when nursing a baby. The information I've gathered is based on what I've experienced, and what I've read on websites like BabyCenter.com, eHow.com, FamilyEducation.com, and iVillage.com.

A common misconception is that you can't exercise while nursing because you'll "lose" your milk, or "dry up." I'm here to tell you from personal experience THAT AIN'T HAPPENIN'.

I found myself teaching fitness classes 6 weeks post-partum after receiving the okay from my doctor. I didn't teach at 100% because, let's be honest, my lady parts still needed some TLC. So I taught classes at my own level, and encouraged participants to do what they needed in order to feel challenged. I also did a lot of walking right after my daughter was born. Now that I'm 7 months post-partum, I'm still nursing, and I'm teaching at least 4 classes each week on top of my own personal exercise. I never once experienced a loss of milk because I ATE AND DRANK TO MY HEART'S CONTENT.

I can't stress that part enough. You must eat and you must drink like it's going out of style when you're nursing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating non-stop, especially if it's good food. Just avoid empty calories; go for filling snacks like apples with nut butter, or tuna fish mixed with tasty mustard on a piece of toast with avocado. Greek yogurt with your favorite fruit and honey. Find what fills you up and enjoy it. And drink water like it's going out of style.

If anything, working out was helpful to my nursing schedule. Since I sometimes missed a feeding, it gave me a chance to pump the milk that was building up so it could be used later. As long as you stay hydrated and well-fed, exercising will not adversely affect your milk supply.

An average nursing woman will burn 500 calories each day. That amount will differ based on your nursing routine. It's safe to say that if your baby nurses for 30 minutes at a time, each time, you're probably burning more than 500 calories per day.

Numbers don't really matter though. If you're hungry, eat. You do the same for your baby, right? I haven't paid attention to calories since my daughter was born. I eat when I'm hungry and I exercise 5 days a week. I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight and shape, and I have a lot of energy.

The point is, find what works. Do what feels good for your body and for your baby. If it means you track calories coming in and being burned, so be it. If it means you eat willy-nilly and don't exercise for a while, so be it. If it means you find a happy medium, so be it.