A friend of mine kept talking about how healthy she used to eat when she was pregnant. Unlike me, her diet consisted of fresh fruits and veggies when she was carrying her baby. I, on the other hand, ate like I’ve never seen a cheeseburger and milkshake before. I never realized that grease and fat taste so good going down until I got pregnant.
Fortunately, after the surge of pregnancy hormones left my body, I resume my regular healthy eating habit. Yes, normally I would pick a salad with dressing on the side over a cheeseburger. It is not even a struggle for me to pick steamed veggies instead of fried tempura.
On being a role model
I also have a 7 month old watching everything I put into my mouth like a starving, madly drooling hawk (Hazelnut is far from starving). I am conscious of being a role model to my daughter. My eating habits can have a lasting impact on my child.
I still have 5 pounds of baby weight to lose (I gained 42 pounds during my pregnancy). As everyone knows, the last 5 pounds is the hardest to lose.
Finding time for “me”
It probably would not be as difficult if not for the fact that I am struggling to find time to exercise after spending 12 hours a day doing work related activities (getting ready for work, commuting, actually working, etc). Hazelnut takes up another 4-5 hours in the evening (feeding, bathing, putting her to sleep, making up bottles for the next day, etc). I have about 1.5 hours a night of “me time.” But this “me time” including eating dinner and bathing. And each day is a repeat while I survive on 4-6 hours of sleep.
I finally understand how little time parents with young children have and how easy it is for that free time to be consumed by other tasks. But I also realize that you can still exercise if you make it a priority and actually schedule it in.
Squeezing in exercise
Instead of leisurely lifting weights one body part at a time for 45-60 minutes like I used to, I do compound exercises that used multiple muscle groups and both upper and lower body at the same time (eg. squats with overhead press). I also lift weights heavy enough to fatigue in 8 reps within 2 sets. I need to finish my exercise within 20-30 minutes. I can fit this in 2 times a week. I also do Pilates once a week for 30 minutes. On weekends I usually take Hazelnut for a long walk for about 45 minutes each day.
It is not as much exercise as I was doing prior to becoming a mom, but it’ll get me through the time consuming first year of nursing and bottle feeding. There are some weeks where I do not get any exercise, but I can always feel its lack in my mood, stress level, and aching back and hip. You don’t need to exercise every day or to exercise for an hour to get the health benefits of exercise. You just need to exercise consistently each week.
But is this lack of free time worth it? Yes, it is. The best part of my day is being greeted by a smiling, excited Hazelnut bouncing on her grandmother’s arms when I get home from work.
Until next time and thanks for stopping by Small Steps to Health.
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