Weekend Recap

Posted on September 28, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Another great weekend in the books! Which also mean one week closer to going home..womp. Friday: Obviously the day started with pancakes! The consistency of these are way different than the ones I make at home..I now know just how awesome … Continue reading →

Three Things Thursday

Posted on September 24, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

WHOA- I’m doing a post that doesn’t start with a ‘W’ (Winesday Wednesday, Weekend Update, Wes’s monthly updates..) I just felt like blabbing a bit here while we are hanging out on the floor watching all the Pope action on TV. So here goes!

1) Let’s talk about mat leave. Or rather, 52 weeks of less pay. I am NOT complaining in the slightest because HOLY CRAP a whole year of paid leave to stay home with my baby is pretty much the best thing ever. GO CANADA! But the cut in pay makes it a bit limiting, especially now that there is another human in the household. With that, I was thinking of potentially getting involved in an online business like Beachbody as a means of generating a little bit of extra $$

Only problem is, I absolutely cannot stand how my social media feeds are now bombarded with all the entrepreneurial (<–spelled that right on the first try!) posts. No offence to anyone! I don’t want to be a hypocrite and end up doing the same. I know, I know, it’s the best way to reach others. Only, I feel that I might do well with that type of business because I am already a very active, health-minded, and fit person. I would love to share that with others….but not annoy everyone else in the process. It’s a toughie. Please let me know your thoughts!!!!

2) I have been drinking Polar seltzer water LIKE IT’S MY JOB. (If only that were a real job which would easily help me out. See #1)

In the two weeks I’ve been home, I think I’ve consumed 8 cases. Cases. Then there’s the regular water. And the fizzy water I’ve bought while out. And the beer. Haha, the beer. (not as much as you’d think.) I do miss my sodastream at home since it’s more cost efficient, but I can’t hate that my parents have been keeping the fridge stocked with this stuff for me!

3) I am planning on a solo shopping trip for myself before leaving New York. I NEED CLOTHES. No, it’s legit you guys. First, I only brought 3 outfits + a dress with me for this trip. That’s three outfits to repeat for a month. WOOF. Plus, most of the clothes I do have don’t fit me anymore. I was out with Wes yesterday and saw so many cute things I could incorporate into my fall/winter stay-at-home-with-the-baby-but-not-look-like-a-hobo wardrobe.

I’m keeping the budget small, but I think I can do it! So long as I steer clear of the Oreo aisle in Target.

Tell me something random!

Pregnancy/Post Pregnancy Fitness Thoughts

Posted on June 25, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

I didn’t originally plan on typing up anything on my pregnancy/post pregnancy fitness-y ‘stuff’, but I typed up a quick email about it to a friend and thought it might be a good idea to post just in case anyone else is interested. Here goes (it’s pretty abbreviated. if you want me to elaborate, let me know!! I think I have WAY too many thoughts about my experience, and I don’t know if I could even begin to properly discuss it!)

Pre-pregnancy:

I worked out 6 days a week for about 60-90 minutes. It was a combination of treadmill work, HIIT, tabatas, strength intervals, spin, hot yoga, you name it- I did it. I was sore and exhausted most days- because that’s how I loved to be! I was still indulging in drinks/sweets- just balancing them much better than I had in the past. I was in the best physical/mental shape of my life before pregnancy.

While I was pregnant:

So my workouts pretty much stayed the same as pre-pregnancy until around week 23-25. For the most part, the intensity and the same exercises were there, but some days I was more fatigued than others and would go for a walk instead.

Here’s the crazy part- I got weighed at all my appointments and even though I knew I was going to gain weight (duh, there’s a baby in there) I still didn’t want to see the numbers. So even on those appointment days, I would drink less water so the number wouldn’t be so high. TERRIBLE.–> don’t judge. (I think it was about 27 lbs I wound up gaining?) I normally don’t care about the numbers, but now that I had to actually see them every few weeks, it was just….bleck.

From 25-30ish weeks, I started to modify all my workouts. Plus, my gym membership ended so all my workouts were done at home. I was doing some WODs, circuits, HIIT, prenatal yoga, Tracy Anderson prenatal workout DVDs and modified T25 (it’s high impact, but there were several ways to modify and still get a great cardiovascular workout). I wasn’t walking the dogs anymore because crazy dogs + snow/ice + pregnant lady= no bueno. I made sure to take long walks on my lunch break at work (about 3ish miles).

30ish-end of pregnancy: this is when I started to get pinched nerves and had a real mobility problem. But I knew I still needed to move to stay healthy (docs said me/baby were both perfect, so it was really where I was mentally). I was still eating as healthy as possible, but not neglecting my sweet tooth! Some days were TERRIBLE. I literally could not get up from the couch, but knew I needed to move in some way, so I would attempt some workouts…mostly just standing up was my workout. Or just going up and down the stairs for laundry would do the trick. Can someone say winded?!! Doctors advised to only do what made me comfortable; PT advised the same after an assessment. PS: I worked out until the day before Wes was born! I probably would have worked out the day of, but he was born at 3:30am

Lucky for me, the birth went great and my body handled it really well. To be honest, it was still EXHAUSTING to even walk around the block pushing the stroller the first two weeks. I even ventured to the mall a few times and was extremely fatigued afterwards (pelvic floor muscles are shot and it feels like your insides might fall out).

I knew I’d have to wait 6 weeks to workout, and in those first weeks I didn’t even THINK about working out because I was EXHAUSTED and trying to figure out this whole baby thing. Breastfeeding probably helped with the post baby weight loss, and my appetite was pretty low. It’s weird because I am one of those people who hate going more than 2 days in a row of no workouts, but for 4 weeks I didn’t even break a sweat! (Is it weird that I wouldn’t mind going back to those days already? Yup, probably)

I really can’t stress enough how much it didn’t even bother me..which I still think is so weird! The doctor cleared me to workout at 4 weeks so I decided to do the entire T25 program from start to finish (currently halfway through it). The first week was TOUGH and I modified it just about as much as I did when I was 39 weeks. After the first week, I noticed improvement in my strength and endurance and was gradually able to transition from modified to full-intensity workouts.

I even dared to step on the scale and was shocked to see the number be less than my pre-preg weight! (I am more than sure that there is some muscle loss that caused this..my butt is pretty flat lately! although my guns? NEVER BETTER. That’s what will happen when you hold a 15lb baby in a precarious position because that’s how he fell asleep and you DARE.NOT.WAKE.HIM.)

So now, I’m still very in tune with my activity level (and conscious of making sure I eat a good balance of fruits/veggies/protein/dairy/carbs—especially since what I eat goes directly to what Wes eats!) but it’s not my main focus anymore. Which I think is a pretty good thing because my more relaxed approach to it has allowed me my SANITY, allowed me to enjoy Wes, and to just enjoy the time I have off to be with him and NOT worry about logging hours of sweating. Plus, I’m still not drinking a lot like I was pre-pregnancy, so I’m not consuming all these crazy calories!

I think my biggest fear was stretch marks (let me rephrase that: more stretch marks. I already had a lot on my hips and inner thighs) and not being able to shed the weight, but even after he was born my stomach flattened out after only a couple days and my hips/thighs and everything in between seemed to be exactly how I *left* them pre-pregnancy! And those days after birth when your tummy is still big is honestly not as big of a deal because not only do you have a baby to look after but it’s still way better than a 40 week belly and the fatigue that comes with it! I still have my mental fat days and they’re a struggle to get over but it’s nothing some fresh air/bowl of veggies/baby snuggles can’t fix!!

So there you have it…some of my briefest thoughts on how I tackled fitness during my pregnancy, and how my approach has changed!

Friday Favorites

Posted on June 12, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

TGIF! Although that really means nothing for me. All the days run together..

I’ve got a few things I wanted to share as my latest favorites. But first, quick recap of this week:

Wes is now is size 2 diapers. Can someone say HUMUNGO
Tyler traded in his new Mustang for a new 4 door Wrangler. #familyfriendly
Leigh came over with Amelia on Wednesday to hang out!
Reggie ate a batch of chocolate chip cookies. He’s a total garbage disposal. Although, I did discover that he won’t eat walnuts, so that’s something.
Ok, one more baby thing–> remember the episode of Friends when Ross sings Baby Got Back to Emma and she laughs? Yeah, I totally did that to Wes the other day. And YUP, he laughed. So he’s definitely my child. I actually used to have a shirt in college that read ‘OH MY GAWD BECKY.’ I miss that shirt

So, my favorites:

1. Neutrogena Light Night Cream

I have only ever used Neutrogena on my face and had been previously using one of their anti-wrinkle night cream, but I found it didn’t do really anything as far as wrinkles or moisturizing for my skin. I picked this one up a few weeks ago and just started using it and it’s really great. It keeps my skin nice and soft and definitely helps keep it moisturized- especially now that I’m starting to spend more time outside in the sun!

2. Grilled Zucchini Salad by Bobby Flay

I made this when friends came over for dinner a couple weeks ago. I didn’t know if it was going to turn out, but it ended up being delicious! I had to bookmark it because we now have zucchini growing in our garden and I’m going to want to whip this up for a lot of dinners this summer!

3. Home Workouts! I’ve completed week 4 of T25 Alpha and I know I keep talking about it, but it’s really just that great. It’s only 25 minutes and I find it to be super effective for both cardio and strength training. BUT- it’s starting to get repetitive. I mean, I have been doing the DVDs for just about a year now! Hopefully by the time this is published, I will have bought the 21 day fix extreme (just for the workouts, I don’t care about the food portion of it!) I keep logging in to the website to get it, but then keep getting distracted by a certain someone.

4. My neighborhood. Lame sauce thing to say as a favorite, but it is! I can take Wes or the dogs for walks for MILES and never leave the neighborhood! There are tons of paths and little parks along the way that make it pretty enjoyable and I’m able to change up my route on a daily basis so it doesn’t get boring. Plus, there are areas that are flat and some hilly areas, so I can choose which way to go depending on how strenuous I want the walk to be.

5. GapFit Breathe V-neck tee

This shirt is so soft and breathable and I can wear both casually and for workouts! I must have washed mine a billionty times already and it’s still holding up! I keep waiting for them to go on sale so I can pick up like a dozen more.

Ok, that was a pretty boring list, but it’s what I’ve got! Hope you all have a great Friday and a great weekend!!

High/Low

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Jen @nutcaseinpoint

Hi there, ho there internet friends! I didn’t mean to be away for almost a week, but life got in the way! It has been quite the week of highs and lows which I thought I’d share (only some because I can’t remember everything. SHEESH)

high: My little man is 3 weeks old today and weighs a hefty 9lbs 4oz

low: My little man is 3 weeks old today and he’s so big. I want to be back in the hospital with his super newness and tinyness

high: My godparents from Las Vegas visited us this weekend! It was a full house and felt a bit hectic, but I’m so glad they got to meet Wes and hang out for a few days.

low: I was in the shower the other day and realized Wes’ birth happened so fast that my mom wasn’t in the delivery room, so I cried.

high: I *think* I’m just about back to my fighting weight. I don’t weigh myself to determine where I am, I prefer to go by how I feel. And I feel pretty great. I have the itch to start working out again, but I know I need to take my time and I’ve been walking every day. No stretch marks and only a bit of a funny belly button right now, but I know that’ll go away after time.

low: Wes got his you know what snipped today. He didn’t cry at all throughout the procedure, but it absolutely kills me when he whimpers through diaper changes.

high: I had two successful nights with Wes! Granted, it takes a HUGE chunk of time to feed/burp/change/snuggle him each time, but it’s worth it to have a cry-free session (SO RARE)

low: I hate when he cries. Or pouts. It makes me cry. A lot. A lot a lot.

high: I had 2 margaritas on Saturday! Then took a nap. GLORY GLORY.

low: My parents leave in less than a week and I’m still not convinced I can do this whole baby thing without their help. Tyler and I have a loose plan on how we will tackle things once they leave, but I’m still scared.

high: I’m back to walking the puppies again! I try to shoot for about 2 miles a day with them.

low: I miss sleep. So hard. I haven’t got more than a 4 hour stretch and that’s with my parents here helping out. It probably doesn’t help that I have a monitor RIGHT in front of my face at night and I am 1-800-paranoid that I have to keep an eye on him at.all.times. The other morning, my mom heard Wes had the hiccups and went to check on him. I didn’t even hear it and I had the sound on the monitor! I smell faulty parenting on my part.

high: Watching Tyler be a dad. He’s so good. Heart=melted.

low: I know this newborn phase won’t last forever, but I feel like such a bag lady hanging around the house in my undies and bathrobe all day (newborn= unpredictable schedule). At least I shower every day, but Tyler must be questioning my hygiene.

high: I’ve been eating pretty healthy! Gotta mostly thank my parents for that one- they’ve made mostly every trip to the grocery store over the past few weeks so there has always been fruits/veggies at my disposal. But then again, there has also been more candy, chips, foods that involve mayo….

low: A slight breastfeeding mishap that resulted in super lots of pain (on my part). A few phone calls/appointments later and I have an ointment that is a god send.