Babies and Exercise

I would like to take you back in time to 2013 - I had no baby, a full time job, and was the fittest I have ever been in my life.

Athleticism does not come naturally to me, I was always okay at sport, never really that fit and was incredibly lazy. I have struggled with my weight since I was about 7 years old, a cheeseburger goes straight to my thighs. Eating is something that has always consumed my life. I am always thinking about it - what I am going to eat next, should I or shouldn't I eat that piece of pizza, what to buy when I go to the supermarket.

However, in 2013 I was FIT. Like proper fit. A typical week consisted of 4-5 runs (lengths varied from 5 - 13kms at a time), two sessions of boot camp and a game of indoor netball. I cut out all crap from my diet, did a 21 Day Sugar Detox and was the slimmest I have ever been. The icing on the cake for me was completing the Auckland Half Marathon in 1hr 59mins, squeezing in just under my goal of two hours.

I honestly believe that my body being in such an optimal position was how I got pregnant without even trying to. During the early stages of my pregnancy I kept trying to run, although exhaustion got the better of me in the end. Boot camp became too much as the instructor wasn't great at giving alternative exercises. So, throughout my pregnancy, I did a lot of walking the dog and managed to stay rather fit. While I was overdue, I was walking up hills every morning, trying to get this baby out (it did not good - he was nine days late!). On reflection, keeping up with exercise was probably how I bounced back so well from my labour, and was out and about really quickly.

Unfortunately, I have found it really hard to get back into exercise since my little man came along. Although I have lost more of the weight, my tummy has that little pooch to it that just won't go away. My commitment to healthy eating has gone out the door due to being too lazy to spend time making it. Poor Sam the dog has felt it as well, and his days of being long and lean appear to be behind him.

BUT NOT ANYMORE!

Today, ladies and gentlemen, I went for a RUN. In fact two runs! My partner and big boy did a fun run, and I was meeting them at the end. I parked my car and started going for walk when the skies opened up on us. First stop was a cafe to hide, and enjoy a coffee and a muffin. We (Finn and myself) then had to make our way to the finish line, which resulted in me running very fast in the pouring rain. Boys finished, we celebrated, then we got home and I had the serious guilt trip going on! This resulted in me hauling my chubby pup out on to the footpath for 2.63kms of running. Yes, I understand that this small, but we did it very fast, and I did have to drag poor pup up the a lot of hills. So I am going to be proud of that.

Watch this space people, before you know it I will be doing regular hour long runs again! Woohoo!