Getting back into it after baby.

 

    I just want to quickly say that this is my opinion and you should always check with you doctor before beginning a new workout routine after you have a baby!

      It is important to make sure your body is ready to handle physical activity again! With that being said, start slow, see what you body can do and work from there. Everyone will be different, have different goals and progress at different rates and of course nutrition plays a huge role! Remember if your breast feeding do not cut calories, baby and you need them! 

      Being active is one of the best things you can do for your body, your mind and your family! Speaking of family. It is not easy to balance a new baby and working out, but it is important for you to get your workouts in and to get moving again. If you can block out some time a few days a week to get moving and have some alone time id suggest it highly! Once you have a short and long term goal set you can get back into working out again (going in without one most likely ends up in quitting). Like I said earlier, start slow. Its not all about cardio. Many women lose a ton of muscle mass while pregnant and speaking from experience I know we all want the weight to fall off but building that muscle is important. So ladies, LIFT weights when your back in there. To save on time do multi join exercise, circuit training or CrossFit type workouts. Build your strength back up! For some of you, you may think lifting makes women bulky. PLEASE STOP thinking that. I is the best tool to shape your body, lose inches and help shed body fat! If you don't believe me, please check out my Facebook page ( Tasha Crankshaw Anderson) Im proof.  You can spend a half hr or so strength training to start and build your body back up. Again everyone will be different. As you go more often or are you progress you will notice body changes and you will be stronger then before! If your going to do cardio again start slow! Get in a brisk walk, light run or use the stair master. Each time u go add speed and continue to get better! Go from a lit run to a moderate run or a few HIIT sessions a week and a pace you can handle. 

      If the gym isn't an option take a walk, do body weight exercises in your quiet time at home, get a few weights to use at home, take up a hobby like tennis or swimming to keep active. A gym is great but I understand that not everyone will or can afford to go. That isn't an excuse to not be active tho. Back yards are great for sprinting, you can buy a jump rope from any store and your own body weight is enough to get started! Basic exercise like squats, lunges & push-ups take up a small space and a short amount of time!

      I know putting kids in daycare for your own personal time might not be popular with some moms out there but its something I choose to do. I get to have time set aside for my personal growth and Tesla gets to interact with other children and adults for about 3 hrs a day. I think thats a win win for us both. I believe that if a parent does not get the opportunity for personal growth and a mental break that the stresses of parent hood are 10x's more then what they need to be.  Yes it is about the child after they are born but if your not mentally there or so unhappy it WILL hinder your ability to be a good parent. So I have yet to find it a bad thing.

      Remember that balance is keep or it will burn you out. Sleep is important as well as hydration and nutrition. If you have a wonderful partner/friend/family to lean on for help and time, do it! We are not super women! Plan your time away to ensure you are on track and have it to use. If your feeling bogged down check you nutrition and sleeping habits. EAT food and enough if it! Don't live on a 1200 calorie diet hoping to feel great and lose weight. 

It's OK to say NO & NOT feel bad!

      NO is a word many people can't, wont, don't or feel bad saying when it comes to improving their lives thru health, but why?

      Why is NO such a hard word for us to say? If saying No will improve your health, your body, your mind then it doesn't seem like such a bad word now does it. I know, your afraid of what people will say, think and how they will make you feel when you say NO. Unfortunately they DON'T have your goals, they CAN'T get you to them by hindering you and they SHOULDN'T make you feel bad about them. Only YOU can do all of that. So YOU need to find the reason of why saying NO is so hard for you and decide how to fix that. YOU need to decide whats more important, your own goals or their hurt feelings and YOU need to decide when YES is OK.

      NO has always been negative. NO I can't do this, or NO you can't do that, but why? I know, It can be associated with failure. Many have been told all our lives we can't, we won't succeed or why would you even try that (that's not fun). Well just because someone says you can't or you think you can't does not mean its true. Have you tried? Maybe, Have you failed? Probably, Have you tried again? Most likely not. That is because most people associate failure with not being able to ever do it. That is the furthest from the truth. Failure is NEVER trying again. SUCCESS is failing and falling MANY, MANY, MANY times and trying that one more time!

      NO as a positive. Never thought of that huh? Well NO is a good thing! Saying NO means your in control of your own life. You decide what is best, and you decide what you need to do. Giving into someone just because they might pressure you means your not living for yourself. Why would you want to live for someone else's own pleasure?

      I learned long ago that the word NO isn't such a bad word. I don't feel bad for saying it and the people around me who are my friends understand why. They understand why because I have explained to them why Im doing what I do and that it is important to me. Since it is important to me they support! I have learned to surround myself with great people, not just people who I'm around everyday because I have found that the best people in life are the ones you talk to less often or rarely see. The everyday people I have learned are mostly there when your on the same page and when you tweak an interest they question the friendship or try to steer you in another direction (their own agenda in mind). Again, they CAN'T live your life for you! I'm not saying don't be friends with them, I'm just saying you can control who you are around, and when you surround yourself with like-minded people or people who may not be like-minded but accepting of a difference in life then it will be much easier on you to achieve your goals.

      There are times when YES is ok too! When you learn how to say NO, YES can come out more often. How so you ask, well once you reach your goals or you learn that your in control of your own life you can say YES a little more often. You may be out to dinner and want to enjoy drinks, so far all you have been doing is saying NO NO NO well you have learned thru that period of NO's that u reached your goals and instead of having 4 drinks you will only have 1. That is you learning in moderation. You KNOW that if u have a lot it may mess with your success but if you want to enjoy in moderation, YES becomes a word you can use more often. Make sense? Don't get to YES crazy now because it will hinder. Hopefully by the time you get to this point you will know when and when not to say YES.

      So you see, NO is up to you. No is positive and imperative to your focus of health regardless of what others think or say. You are living for you not for someone else's feelings or comfort. This may seem harsh but if you explain to them why, many will understand:)!