Mom Hacks for going to the gym

I took a break from the gym for a while, while I healed injuries from overtraining. I also found myself in a season of life where my job hours were long, and by going to the gym, I would be losing time with my small human. So I chose time with my small human and rested.

Along the time I was falling out of the habit of going to the gym, I started a new relationship with my long time love. And then had another tiny human. So began my journey back to the gym.

I don’t know about you, but I feel better when I work out and move my body. It increases my productivity. Especially as a stay at home mom, its easier to just chase the small ones around, and take naps.

So going back to the gym, aka my happy place, I had work to do. My kids are amazingly attached to me, (I am their comfort item.. no blanket, pacifier, or stuffed animal… me) so when it comes to going to the gym and leaving them in the daycare for an hour is hard. And almost as hard for me as it is for them.

Here are my tips and tricks that have worked!

1. Figure out their schedule.. If they’re tired/hungry its not going to go well.

2. Find a class or buddy that you can go to/with that falls farther away from nap/food times.

3. Hand them over to the daycare friends, and leave. There is no need to draw out the process. The longer you stay and try to comfort the worse it will be. if they have a favorite toy, now is time to pull it out. Distraction is key!

4. Enjoy your workout. Even if its 20 minutes, that’s still a good workout!

5. Give yourself grace. Consistency comes. But sometimes kids get sick, teething happens, life happens. The gym will still be there, just keep striving to go back time and time again, over time your kiddo will become more accustomed to going, they will get better if they’re sick, and you can go back!

It’s a journey. Not a sprint. It takes time and determination to create a new routine.

You got this momma!

Day 1… 151 days to go…

Last Sunday I ran/walked what was one of my WORST half marathons… it was by far my slowest, which in a lot of ways makes sense {that’s a post for another time}..

So after a Half I generally always take the next day off training of any kind, just to let my body recover. So Tuesday being two days post Half Marathon it was time to start training for the next thing….. Chicago.

Talking with friends Tuesday night the one word of advice they had for myself and my poor friend I am dragging along with me was… TRAIN…. your other workouts are bonus, now is the time to focus in on running.. nothing else matters (obviously cross-training is super important to reduce risk of injury).. but…

Nothing else is going to prepare you better for running 26.2 miles than running.

This is something I have heard over and over.. something I know it true, but it’s daunting. My friend and I looked at each other, and later encouraged the other that we are not going to die, because this race has become priority #1 in training, we discussed “Runger” {you know.. that feeling of ravenous hunger from all the miles you are running….. but trying desperately to stay on your meal plan…..} and how to stay accountable.. which I really kinda suck at. Anyone else clam up and want to hide when trying to be held accountable?  {I see you, lets figure this out together}

Presently I have 22 weeks to The Chicago Marathon.. Two weeks low impact {which by the way is SUPER hard for me to do, but I need to.. I have to allow time for my foot to heal… also a story for another time} then a 20 week pyramid essentially of training which after 6 weeks I will join a marathon training class at my local Fleet Feet Sports store… {sometimes I need someone else to tell me how to run}

So here are my workouts this week:

Sunday: 13.1

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 3.10 on the Elliptical

Wednesday: 45 minutes of Boot camp

Thursday: Power Yoga

Friday: 55 minute bootcamp + 20min Elliptical

Saturday: Rest

Anyone else get overwhelmed when looking for a training plan!? because I do, everytime!

So for now I’m taking my training one day at a time.

-ebs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Year two.

Year one was incredible.

Year two was not.

Year three will be INCREDIBLE (again).

This year as I reached my Gym-iversary, I reminded myself how far I’ve come. This is my nod to my successes, failures, struggles, and accomplishments. Here I will leave my lessons, and hopes for the future.

In year one, I was challenged and naive, I was so excited about the fitness world. Everything was so new, and I jumped in head over heals, and it was magical. That year there was a lot of magic. I lost a lot of weight, learned to eat well, and smashed some real cool goals like running my first half-marathon.

Year two, I fell. hard.

I let so much of what I told myself wouldn’t, happen. I got amazingly overwhelmed by the social pressure, and found myself relying on socialization to make it to the gym, until injury struck, and I found myself in a place where I HAD to do this solo, and remember why I’m doing this. I ended up having 3 total injuries in 2017, and not all were workout related. I found that my body was partly failing me, and had I not been eating well (ish at the time) and exercising I would have been in a lot more trouble than I was in. I had to have a couple really hard deep soul searching moments to remember my “why”, to remember what got me started in the first place.  A lot of days I still have to remind myself about it, in some real ways.

(A lot happened in year two, that I’m nodding to, and walking away from, in attempt to better myself)

Year three. The year of the Marathon.

Back to Basics. To remember who we want to be we have to remember who we were, and not let it over take us. The fitness cycle is not all weight-loss, and race PR’s, it has some really low moments, moments where you question everything, and moments you push through and keep going.

-ebs

 

 

When did this happen?

When did I become a runner? How did this happen? At what point was my sister not the only runner in the family?? Next year I have 3 half-marathons planned (still looking to find 1 more). I have 3 10Ks (6.2miles) I am planning on, the first one being beginning of March. I plan to run a weekly 5k. and do actual 5k races. I want to run most daily.  It calms me. Like any good workout I dislike it pretty greatly while I’m doing it, but afterwards I feel invigorated.

Working out has become a habit. something I do because I want to, but because I feel better afterwards.

November sucked for me. I feel like I alluded to that in my last post. It truly did. I hit a pretty bad funk. My nutrition was not great, I struggled to eat, let alone gain enough calories. I dropped my calorie intake by about 3-500 on any given day. I struggled to make it to the gym and go “balls to the wall”. My Trainer and I had many “real talks” where she told me to cut it out, and to get serious again.  Finally at the end of the month I came clean about my struggles with my fitfam, and accountability group. From there I was able to make a plan.

Since making a plan I feel so much better, I am back on track, and happier. I still have really emotional days. Where I sit in the gym locker room pretty much up until the class it about to start, or where I walk into a class, wish the music was louder, and punch the crap out of a bag, where I bring my own intensity rather than relying on the instructor. Some days it’s Therapy. And yet other days it’s a social hour where we work our butts off and feel great after.

I chose not to measure in December, which is something I generally look forward to. I chose to get refocused and ready to conquer new challenges, to continue to work out, and be absolutely obsessed with fitness, because I love it, and it makes me a better person, rather than because I have this race, goal, or whatever. I am in love with fitness. I love everything about it, in such a holistic way.

I didn’t hit a plateau physically, but I did hit one mentally. I tried to prepare for it, and didn’t. I struggled through it, and chose to change things up. I pushed through where I wanted to quit. I kept going, and checked in where I wanted to cry, and stay home. For that I am Stronger Everyday!

My next Big “race”/Adventure is: a RUCK Tough Race! I am doing one with My Trainer. and absolutely Terrified!  Here is a Link to give you a sneek peak. I’m still not sure I am strong enough. But I am doing this! and I will finish it successfully.

 

 

Also guys, Balance is hard.

– ebs

Food is Fuel….

Little known fact about me: I LOVE Pizza… Who am I kidding? Everyone knows I love Pizza. A friend even got me Pizza earrings, which I promptly wore to my personal training appointment with a trainer who shares my love and struggle with pizza. Needless to say I’m not sure she took me super serious that day, but the same day I moved to what I like to call the “big kid”  weights, aka weights and racks not just machines.

In all seriousness, this post is my most transparent struggle with food.

I grew up in a big family, we didn’t always have a lot of money so foods like spaghetti, and vegetable soup, rice and beans of every variation came in large supply. Even now as an adult I’m not a huge fan of a lot of foods I had to many of as a child.

Looking back I think food became a problem for me in high school.  And I’m still not sure how. I wasn’t super concerned about my body, looking thin, or being strong, I think and still think “counting calories” is silly. My family has always had a strong push towards “healthy eating”. My dad  as a chiropractor teaches holistic medicine, and does a lot of nutritional counselling. So even as I got to be an adult I thought “oh, I know how to be healthy and eat right”.

When i started college I gained a lot of weight, way more than the “freshman 15” and I ate or didn’t eat whatever I wanted. I found myself too busy to eat, or more often forgetting to eat. When I did eat, I would eat a lot kinda, and not think anything of it. At one point I dropped out of college and moved home. While living at home, I was not the one meal prepping, and again living in a big family portions were pretty much predetermined. There was no moments of over eating, but I was definitely under eating, but never on purpose. My family was/is Vegan so meals were so different than what I was used to having. When I moved out, and had to prep meals I remained vegan, and continued to lose weight, I didn’t exercise a lot, but I was walking a bit. Eventually I came back to  eating dairy, and  over time back to my old eating  habit, in turn gaining pretty much all my weight back.

This last year when I decided to “get healthy” I decided that I needed to eat better, telling myself and being told by friends that “You can’t out train a bad diet” I started buying healthier foods, but then once again found myself not eating enough, or being too busy to eat. I would prep meals and eat part of them, but never get to the rest. I had increased my activity, but had not changed my fuel or increased my fuel.

After about a month of training with my trainer she began asking about my nutrition, wondering how I felt I was doing, and expressed concern from conversations we had. We began working on a meal plan, and creating goals and a plan for a balanced nutrition plan, and had me begin logging my food choices.

It sucked.

I struggled to make my meals, log my meals, and not just go get quick food. Over time tracking my meals had its good days and bad days, I had days I ate like crud, and I felt it. after a good month and a bit of struggle, and tracking meal prepping clicked better, and my body stopped craving most of the junk I had been eating. (I still want junk sometimes. but when I give in I pay the consequences). I began talking with friends about how to make sure I was eating enough, and staying on track on days where routine was not there. I began setting silent alarms on my fitness tracker to keep myself accountable. (this helps sometimes). I have had to change my mindset about food, and be self aware when I start slipping. My Trainer and a lot of my fit-fam are amazing and generally call me out on nonsense before it becomes something to worry about. At times their analytical views of life hold me accountable, because I know they care and want to make sure that I am properly fueling my body.

Food is Fuel.

I still very much struggle some days eating well, cutting bad habits like late night snacking, giving in to peer pressure and eating out for lunch with coworkers, eating the lunch and snacks I pack every morning. but at the end of the day when I don’t eat well I feel it. I know in how well I do in group fitness classes, on runs, and how I go about my day whether or not I ate, or ate well.

Yesterday I had Papa Johns pizza. just a slice. and for about the next 4 hours I felt bogged down and my stomach was not thrilled with me. My body is no longer used to eating pizza, and the fast foods I was feeding it, and for that I am beyond thankful.

I didn’t go on a diet, I changed my diet. 🙂

I’ve changed the way I view food, and although I will always struggle, I am thankful that I have friends that hold me accountable, and encourage me to continue to eat well, and live well.

-ebs

 

If I quit.. I’m only cheating myself..

Results never come with out struggles. Physical struggles, struggles of a new routine, struggles of a major behavioral change, struggles of the mind.

Recently I’ve had a few people tell me they’d love to come work out with me, but they aren’t sure they can keep up, or that my success has motivated/inspired them. I’ve got more questions in the last couple months about how I’ve made my changes, from people who say “what I’m doing isn’t working, and I need something different”…. Which is usually followed by “BUT I’m just not sure I’m ready to do all the things you do” “I’m on a tight budget”, “<insert other excuses here>” or my favorite: “I’d work out with you but you’re going to have to drag me with you”

I will never say I don’t have excuses but everyday I make a choice to better me. Anyone who knows me well knows I would describe myself as one who never shys away from a challenge, and I have to be always bettering me, and moving toward something…. I will also describe myself as the busiest, most ambitious slacker I know..  I want to do BIG things! I want most of all to help people!

Many of my friends think I just “jumped in” false. I did not. I started out making so many excuses. When I walked into my first kickboxing class I struggled a lot, it was hard! I couldn’t breathe, my face was red, my heart was beating as fast as it could, and I basically felt like I was dying. ( I am thankful that I remember this class so vividly, Because it reminds me about how far I’ve come. ) During class I told myself one phrase.. Over and over

“If I stop now I’m only cheating myself!”

If I stop now…  I struggled adding exercise into my life. It’s so much easier to go home and hang out at home, it’s easier for me to worry and worry. It’s easier for me to eat what ever I want, or be too busy to eat.. It’s easier for me to hide from my own fears and insecurities.

I often feel like I’m “not good enough”, “not smart enough” “I’m not strong enough”, I have anxiety attacks about seemingly silly things, I overthink so many things!! Soo many! I’ve told many that I started working out because I realized I needed to make change.. Few know that the change that needed to happen was more mental than physical.

“Train the mind and the body will follow”

People say once you see results you become addicted, my exercise “addiction” came when my stress decreased, when I felt more able to cope with my busy life, when I didn’t feel so anxious walking into work. When I realized I wasn’t complaining as much, I was happier, more positive, more confident.

I still go to classes and feel like I “should” be able to do more. I struggle feeling like i   “Should” be able to lift heavier, run longer, run faster… The list goes on..  Should will kill me everytime!!

So to my friends who want to do something… JUST DO IT! If you want to work out with me lets go! I don’t expect you to be where I am now, just to be present.  If you want to make a change, start making the small changes and one day you may realize life is different. You got this! Work out from home, find a gym you love and feel accepted. Make friends with the staff, they become your biggest cheerleaders, and your fit family!

Have a great weekend!  Remember it’s never too late to start doing anything!!

-ebs

When I lost my excuses…

In my last post I talked a lot about how I began, and a little about my why, but I talked more about leaving excuses in the dust..

Sure, I still make them nearly daily, they however do not have the same affect. I try not to let my excuses cripple me from attaining my goals.

Needless to say I have attained some pretty fantastic results in the past couple months. Gaining results has been nothing short of very hard work, dedication, and commitment. I can’t imagine now not having the routine that I have now. I prep my meals, and my snacks, I log my meals every couple days to make sure my macros are lined up, and I work hard. I’m not afraid to do things low impact, in order to avoid injury or increase endurance, but low impact is not by any means low intensity! I feel the differences since I started, and people around me see the differences. I am able to wear clothes that have been tucked away in my closet for years, and feel confident.

Embarking on this journey has brought me so many results aside from my pounds and inches lost.  I am more positive, I am more confident, I am happier, and I am more present… just to name a few things.  Yes I still struggle, there are days that I am grumpy, and just in a bad mood, but those days are so much fewer.

I guess I should share my actual results. 🙂 I mentioned before that I started taking pictures of progress in March however I didn’t begin to take measurements until April 1st.

My results from April 1st to August 4th

Left: August 4, Right: March 23

Left: August 4, Right: March 23

When I started working out I was 210lbs, and a lot of inches, and a lot of fat. It was incredibly difficult for me to drop below 200lbs and that took a toll on me. It was crazy hard for me to keep in mind that I was gaining muscle left and right, but muscle weighs so much more than fat.

I set some guidelines for myself, to help my mental health, and body image.

1.I don’t weigh myself without my trainer, ( I broke this once. I was so incredibly happy with the numbers on the scale but it made my anxiety for my next check in basically horrible. I was terrified that the numbers wouldn’t be the same….) I keep in mind that even a bad measurement day does not mean the end of the world, it means time to make sure I’m committed, and check my priorities.

2.I measure once a month. that is all.

Okay maybe I only set two real guidelines when it comes to tracking progress, and I get so excited about the progress, even when to me the numbers seem small.

I’m so blessed to have this amazing fit fam who celebrate small successes with me, and say “okay whats next” I am always looking for the next goal, and next challenge to get stronger.

Be gentle with yourself success is a Marathon not a Sprint,

-ebs

 

That one time I decided to make a change.

I have started writing this first post about 15 different times over the last 6 months. So here goes nothing!

My name is ebba, and this is my story, and my adventure.

Through our lives we learn and grow, lets say mine is no different. I come from a big family, and went to the college my parents wanted me to go to, I dropped out, moved home, traveled, worked at a high school, became a firefighter, and went back to school. Before ever finishing my degree I got pregnant and became a  single mom to the most wonderful kiddo ever, and then finished my degree with a newborn. (I barely remember my last year of college).

Through all of this I have had these amazing goals of being “fit” and “thin” but also strong. I never really knew where to start or I would work out with a friend or by my self sticking with it for only a couple days, and then falling off. One summer I worked out the most consistently I ever had, biking 12-18 miles a day, and then running a mile or so before some “P90x yoga”, or “hip-hop abs”, but to stick with it I had a goal, and a coach telling me what to do, and holding me accountable. After school resumed I went back to my studying, and not being half as active as I  had been.  Fast-Forward two and half years to February of this year. A couple of my coworkers began working out fairly consistently and were talking about it around the office, I would over hear, or listen to them complain about it being a “rough leg day” or what have you, and wish that I could go with them and work out too. I began talking to a friend of mine and we decided we were going to start a schedule and I would join this super reasonably priced gym that she and my coworkers went to. And then “ta-da” I would be on my way to that beach body! I kept finding excuses on why I needed to push the date I was going to join this gym.

I would say “oh well I’m trying to move, I really don’t have time” or “I’m going out of town next week, so this may not be the best time” or “I don’t really know what to do at the gym except walk on the treadmill” … Finally I cut through my excuses and my friend and I set a date, the weekend after I returned from my trip I would join.

February 28th I walked into Good Life Fitness, I rushed through the paperwork, (Sorry Steve), and met my friend, we walked some, and then kinda lifted some… and then I went home, a couple more days the next two weeks I went in, and my friend began having to work late,  so I would go into the gym and try to figure out what to do, but I felt too embarassed to use the machines much, so I would walk/jogg, and then leave. The next weekend I decided that since I was paying for classes and feeling a little discouraged that I would try Yoga. It was amazing, I thought I was fairly decent at yoga, but I hadn’t done yoga in years so I was  out of practice, and felt crazy, but I did it. I survived the class, and the next day began looking at other classes that might fit my crazy schedule.

Tuesday rolled around and I decided to give Kickboxing (KBX) a go. It sucked. and I loved it. I couldn’t do a burpee, I was not great at hitting a bag, I used the smallest amount of weight I could find from the boot camp room, and moving my bag was a challenge.  Afterwards the instructor was talking about personal training, and what not. I thanked her for the class, and she told me I “killed it” and that it was good seeing new people step out of their comfort zone. and boy was I out of my comfort zone.  The next week I started talking with her about personal training, and then about my goals.

My Initial goals:

• to run a half marathon at some point in my life
• to be able to do a pull up.
• to be addicted to fitness as a whole.

She immediately told me that registration for the Halfsy was open and I should look into it. I found a million and one excuses on why I should NOT run the Halfsy. I thought and said, ” I wont be ready by November to run a half marathon” “I definitely don’t want to run a half marathon on my birthday” and again “I’m not ready”, the response I got back was  “yes you will, its plenty of time , you can do it”.. so the next day  I registered for the Good Life Halfsy.  I started trying to add more working out in my life, I decided that I would “check-in” on facebook when I went to the gym as a form of accountability. If others knew I was going, I had to go..  For my pull up goal I started personal training with this trainer. We began having many conversations about my goals, what I wanted to do, and began working on how to accomplish them.

My first day in my personal training appointment I was terrified, I had no idea what to expect. We walked into the weight room, which besides the treadmill I had found a way to avoid… She had me do some squats on a machine, and I thought I was going to get stuck, and nope, just nope. For the next couple days I nearly obsessed about how I could do this squat better, and be better at it. ( looking back now we both laugh at what I did so poorly then, vs what I do now.. its pretty incredible)

Meanwhile I began trying to figure out what other classes I could/should go to. I had established Sunday morning Yoga, Tuesday evening KBX, and Thursday evening KBX, however I felt like I needed more. My kiddo struggled at first being dropped off in the gym daycare, which took a major toll on me. I posted one day that someone should tell me to get my bum to FIRE (Freakin Intense Resistance Experience) and got an amazing amount of support saying  “yes do it, take care of you so you can take care of your family and others”, and some push back saying “maybe you should just hang out with your kiddo, he needs you”. Well needless to say I made it, and was so glad I did.

I began tracking my progress in my measurements April 1st, and March 29th in pictures.  I quickly became a regular in the classes I went to, and added the instructors I had taken classes from on Social media so I knew when other classes they taught would be. Pretty soon other instructors added me, I felt kinda cool for a minute.

Anyway, So the past couple months my life has changed a lot. I have found myself trying to find more things to do to step up my training. I go to classes a lot, I do boot camps now which is not something I saw myself doing… not for a long time at least… I joined a running group and walked a 5K. I started meeting with a nutritionist (who is also my trainer) and was told that I need to eat more not less. My view of changing my lifestyle has changed. I see so many things where I wish I could have found this life long long ago. I am happier healthier, thinner, and stronger! I am strong. I have increased the weight I use in classes nearly 7.5lbs in group fitness classes and use much heavier in boot camps.

Since the end of March I have trained every other week with my personal trainer who has become a friend, (its kinda nice) and here soon will be training weekly with her. I am not nearly as scared of the weight room, and even play with the idea of lifting more than I attend classes…( stay tuned… this may actually happen) …

My goals have changed some, although I have actually only attained one. My body has changed A LOT, in the amount of time I never thought possible. I am happier, healthier, and so much more positive. Fitness has become a passion, and here is where I will document my journey.

 

My current goals:

• Half Marathon, ( I am so prone to the race bug at this point, this will not be my last)
• Pull up (still not great with upper body things, better not great)
• STAY addicted to fitness
• Lift more.
• Get more defined muscles…
• inspire and encourage others
• find more goals.

 

I think that’s all for now…

– ebs.

 

Ps. Any Ideas, or topics, things you want to know or hear about let me know.