Happy Birthday Baby!

It's hard to believe that this time last year I welcomed my baby boy and had spent the better part of that year pregnant (read tired, hungry, large, tired, oh and hungry.) I've been absent from my blog for several weeks as this has just been a super busy and emotional time for us as we prepared for the baby's 1st birthday party. Looking back on the day he was born and our year as first time parents was heavy stuff!

I had planned out this long blog post detailing my traumatic birth story, our first few months as new parents, my struggle with breastfeeding, the roller coaster of our relationship as we grew into new life stages, going back to work (kind of!) after maternity leave, and planning G's first birthday party....but I've changed my mind and I'd much rather keep those intimate details between my partner and I.

However, I will say that all seriousness aside, this year has been a BLAST! Everyone says how hard being a parent is, and yeah it has it's moments. It's way harder than say, not being a parent. But, all that hard stuff doesn't even compare to how much fun it is to watch  your child learn and grow and laugh. I've had the time of my life being G's mommy and I'm excited about the year to come!

Here's a pic of us taking a breather at his shindig!

Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 Review & Results!

I did the program September 10, 2012 - October 7, 2012 and here are my results!

Total Loss:

Weight: 9lbs

Chest: 1"

Waist: .5"

Hips: 1"

Thighs: 1"

Review:

Loved this DVD! The circuits at first seem kind of dumb and very awkward because the combination of moves don't seem to really flow together, but sure enough after just a few days on each level it will all make sense and your body will be begging for mercy and crying tears of joy simultaneously. Jillian incorporates several yoga poses into this one and does a corny pep talk during shavasana at the end of Level 4, but even though I don't like the way she crammed the "yoga" into this DVD it still got me to my goal so I will forgive her for it...this time! All in all, I highly recommend this DVD and will definitely be doing it again at some point I'm sure. It was super fun and crazy challenging and my ass is looking great! 

Workout Diary:

9/10/12 RI30 DAY 1: I started Jillian's Ripped in 30 today and loved it! I like how there are 4 workouts vs. 3 in 30DS and her workout are just so quick and fun yet still heart pumping and sweat inducing. Get some.

9/11/12 RI30 DAY 2: Ran 1 mile as a warm up to RI30. Super determined to get off of this stupid plateau! Seems like I've been stuck at 189 forever. Oopsies I forgot to take my starting measurements and snap a pic. Too tired to do it tonight but definitely will post them tomorrow.

9/12/12 RI30 DAY 3: Rest! 

9/13/12 RI30 DAY 4: Warmed up with a tortoise paced 13.5 minute mile and ripped through RI30. Psych! I totally wanted to quit during the last set and I fluffed my way through the butt kicks. No dark chocolate and peanut butter for me tonight. Psych again! I'm totally eating chocolate and peanut butter! 

9/14/12 RI30 DAY 5: I absolutely did NOT want to work out today, but that certainly never stops me from doing it. I upped my weights on the 2nd set which felt much better. I still completely hate butt kicks and have a hard time with my form on the side step arm raise one in the last set. I didn't do well with it in 30DS either. Blah. But I feel great! Thanks JM!

9/15/12 RI30 DAY 6: Week 1 Done! I felt great and I kind of did rip through today's workout even though I didn't get to it until 10PM. o_O

9/16/12 RI30 DAY 7:  Dear Week 2, Why the f!@# are you so f!^#ing hard? I mean yeah I want to be Ripped in 30 but it won't make any difference if I'm dead. I also started my period today so that's pretty awesome. Please & thank you.

9/17/12 RI30 DAY 8: Rest!

9/18/12 RI30 DAY 9: Busted out a 2 mile run as my Jillian  warm up and felt great throughout the workout! The moves (although oddly paired and irregular at times) were a bit more comfy today and I didn't feel quite like a fish out of water as I did the first time I attempted this level. I'm looking forward to doing it again!

9/19/12 RI30 DAY 10: I did it and couldn't hardly wait for it to be over. Totally faked my way through the high knees. I think it was way harder to get through without the adrenaline pumping from jogging first. One would think not jogging first would make the workout easier, but alas, God has a peculiar sense of humor (if that's even his real name).

9/20/12 RI30 DAY 11: Rest!

9/21/12 RI30 DAY 12: Did it. Sorry Jillian this one definitely wouldn't have impressed you, but it's done and that's all that matters. One more day of Week 2 then I can move on thank goodness!

9/22/12 RI30 DAY 13: It was like the stars and the moons all aligned to create the perfect workout for me today. It took the baby about 30 seconds to go down for bed and the had the entire evening to myself. I really pushed myself through this one and I feel very ready for Week 3!

9/23/12 RI30 DAY 14: Rest! I did, however, go out for a leisurely stroll with the baby in the jogger. I did an easy 1.5 miles. Honestly, I wanted to get in a good, hard 3 mile run but *someone* didn't bring his ass home so I could go out alone. I'm pretty ticked about it, but I'll try again on my next rest day.

9/24/12 RI30 DAY 15: I love Week 3! It's so different from anything in 30DS or in the previous 2 weeks. Awesome thigh and shoulder burn! 

9/25/12 RI30 DAY 16: I did a 2 mile jog then RI30 and felt good! I struggled through my first mile with lots of mental blocks then magically the noise just all cleared up and I had a very enjoyable run after that. Still loving Week 3! Even the warm up is fun.

9/26/12 RI30 DAY 17: Rest!

9/27/12 RI30 DAY 18: Good workout today. So glad I still have a few more days to do level 3! Yup that's how much I like it. I'm not, however, dropping any weight so maybe I shouldn't stay on it too much longer. That could also be all these tortillas I've been eating. Oopsies.

9/28/12 RI30 DAY 19: Rest! I didn't do Jillian because there were already guests at my house when I got home today so I went out in the rain for a quick 1.68 mi jog. I wanted to hit 2 but the route I chose just wasn't quite long enough! Whatev. Can't win 'em all.

9/29/12 RI30 DAY 20: Got it done! Nothing to write home about except that I'm feeling pretty bad ass.

9/30/12 RI30 DAY 21: I got it in pretty late after a very long day. Bye bye level 3. You will be missed!

10/1/12 RI30 DAY 22: I'm in love with Level 4! It's by far the hardest out of both RI30 and 30DS combined, but it's so much fun! Yay I'm in the last week already! My how time flies. I will add that I'm not a fan of Jillian as a yoga instructor/meditation guide. I think it's neat she's throwing in some yoga moves and has  made the program as holistic as you can possible make a 20 minute workout DVD, and I also appreciate that she didn't overdo it, but it still makes me roll my eyes a little.

10/2/12 RI30 DAY 23: I ran a mile under 13 minutes for the first time ever! Woo! Then Jillian kicked my ass. 

10/3/12 RI30 DAY 24: Rest!

10/4/12 RI30 DAY 25: I ran 1.7 miles in 20 minutes, then literally ripped through the workout! I felt like I could've done it all over again I was so pumped afterwards!

10/5/12 RI30 DAY 26: Rest! (The parents are in town.)

10/6/12 RI30 DAY 27: I ran 1.4 miles first thing this morning then did Jillian this evening after the baby was in bed. I drug through it but I gave it my all for a serious burn! We also made hamburgers for my family today and OMG is was so good as were the potato chips I had with it. I earned it!

10/7/12 RI30 DAY 28: Surprise surprise the program is only 28 days long unless you throw in a couple extra days for good measure which I am NOT going to do! I gave this last workout my all and my legs are definitely paying for it right now! Ouch!

Stuff I Ate Today

Roasted Cauliflower! So this was my first time ever in life eating cauliflower (I think) but I've been trying to branch out and try different veggies. I loved it so much I ate all of the cauliflower you see in this pic...with my fingers...right off of the cookie sheet. Oops! And frozen grapes are my newest most favorite treat. Yum!

 

Vacation Running

I'm on vacation visiting the in-laws and went way over my calories today but still managed an awesome 3 miles yesterday. The app shut down at .75 mi so the run is split into 2 different entries but whatev. Here's my October running so far and now that I've finished RI30 I can get more mileage instead of just warm up jogs!

New Fruit!

My coworker took a trip to the Asian market over the weekend and brought me new fruits! I tried an Asian pear and this awesomely strange lychee. Yum!

In other news, I look like an alien holding an alien baby egg! Creepy McCreeperson!

Run Run Run

Making my future race plans when I should be working!

Adventures in #Unprocessed Salad Dressing

Umm ok so I'm not ready to let go of my ranch dressing. And I'm a little worried about the calories involved in using oil as dressing. I'll definitely have to put more thought into this than originally anticipated. I did, however, stumble upon this here "formula for an unprocessed super aweosme salad dressing" on the Eating Rules site:

• 3 parts high-quality oil – extra virgin olive oil, hemp seed oil, flax seed oil, pumpkin seed oil – get creative! Think outside the olive oil box.
• 1 part something acidic – vinegar, lemon, lime
• A dash of salt and fresh ground pepper
• Some fresh or dried herbs if you’re feeling fancy

At one time in my life I did used to stir up some EVOO, ACV and lemon with Italian seasoning and use it on salad and pasta and I loved it, so this will definitely be my starting point...if I ever get myself psyched up enough to ditch the ranch! **insert anxious face**

October Unprocessed 2012

I took the pledge! But with an asterisk. I wish I would have known about this sooner so that I could've prepared for it, but I'm not going to let the last minuteness of it keep me from doing it at all. So here's my amended pledge:

"I pledge to be more aware of the processed products that I consume and to identify the unprocessed alternative."

I'm skimming my MyFitnessPal log and here's a tentative list of the stuff I eat on a regular basis that I need to give the boot:

• Fat Free Ranch
• Sugar Free French Vanilla Creamer
• Low Fat Creamy Jif Peanut Butter
• 2% Kraft American Cheese
• Johnsonville Smoked Turkey Sausage LInks
• Whey Protein Powder

Not as bad as I thought it would be! I think I'll start with replacing my ranch dressing and work my way down the list.

If you'd like to read more about "October #Unprocessed" visit Albert Wilder's "Eating Rules" blog.

Thoughts on Running

• I love seeing other runners while I'm out. I always smile and wave. The ones I see out often I even think about when I don't run. The ones I don't see out often, I think about too.
• I care if they wave back. 
• I wonder what kind of run they're having. 
• Somewhere in between 7-13 minutes I hit my stride. Everything kind of stands still. It's like meditating. I hope to be able to stay in that place all the time someday.
• I try to plan my runs for distance, hills, etc. I always hate those runs.
•  I love the ones where I just wing it and take a new route, go out at a different time, listen to some new music. That's when it's really fun and I feel alive!  
• I love my hydration belt (even though it cost a bazillion dollars).
• I have no interest in learning about running. I just want to keep doing it.
• I'd like to try running early in the morning before the sun comes up.
• Running is the only time that I get where I'm truly alone.
• I usually have several moments of clarity during a run. I forget them the minute my high comes down. 
• Sometimes, I pretend that the trees and grass and squirrels and birds and dogs and bushes are all cheering me on. 
• Even more weird, I sometimes pretend that I've stopped running and the universe is carrying me. (But I really just still be running though.) =/
• It's super awesome running with a group because of the collective energy. Harness and use it!
• I ache to GTFU from my desk and run while I'm at work. If I didn't sweat like it was the end of the world I would try to sneak in a light jog on my lunch break.
• I love even the runs I hate.
• I run because it's something that I never thought I could do. Who knew all I had to do was do it?! 

Stinky Workout Clothes (womp womp)

Ewe! My workout clothes smell like hot sweaty sour ass even fresh out of the wash! I'm going to have to start washing them separately and I came across some tips to try:

• Soak clothes in detergent and lemon juice
• Spray with vinegar before throwing in the wash
• Use sport formulated detergent (yeah didn't know this existed)

Thanks Google!

10/5/12 UPDATE:

I filled the washer with a little detergent, fresh lemon juice and a cup of vinegar and soaked my clothes overnight (by accident! I honestly just forgot about them!) and they came out not smelling like shit! I've started adding a little vinegar to every load I wash. Woop! 

Meatless Monday

I'm not an official "Meatless Monday"er, but I gave dinner a shot today! Freaking delicious. Even though I made the fried rice with brown rice, carbs still make me VERY nervous so as yummy as this dish was, I'm not sure it will be making another appearance anytime soon. Hello and goodbye.