Fit Momma Friday

Well, I'm not so fit these days....in fact you could call a little round!

Yes, I do have an excuse at this very moment, but I didn't have such an excuse for the last 3 or 4 years and really, I haven't done much in the way of getting in shape since my last child was born in 2005! Really there isn't any excuse for that! Generally during pregnancy I gain a good 40-50+ pounds and lose the initial weight that comes off in the birth but that is about it (I'll even admit to gaining a few extra pounds in the last couple years that had NOTHING to do with babies!). This time around, I've been doing really good and have only gained 10 pounds (at MOST depending on the day) so far. However, my cravings for sweets have been HORRIBLE and my willingness to indulge even worst! There's a weight I set out to not go above and so far so good with a fair amount of room left to grow BUT during those last few weeks of pregnancy it isn't so uncommon for me to gain 4 or 5 pounds a week (yep, that's right, and I am not ashamed to admit it!).

Thankfully, I have a friend from The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew that has decided to help us all with our fitness goals for the year through a weekly Meme (click here to find out all the details). Honestly, for me it isn't about weight (and wouldn't be if I wasn't pregnant either) but holding myself accountable for taking better care of myself through exercise and healthy eating. I'm not overweight but there's lots of times when I don't feel/look at my best because I tend to put my needs last (like so many Mamas).

My main focus over the next little while will be on healthy eating and cutting (way) down on my sugar consumption. I have a tendency to have pretty strong "braxton hicks" contractions which served to dilate me to 2 centimeters by 26-28 weeks with my first child so I tend to take it easy when they pick up because as much as I'd love to meet this baby, it needs to bake for another 12 or 14 weeks yet! I will do some walking when I can and usually try to get stretching and stuff in there but besides that I keep things pretty low key.

This first week, I've managed to incorporate a salad with at least one meal a day. I've cut down on soda a little (yes, bad, bad, BAD Mommy) but didn't cut it out entirely...each week a little less I say and by the end of January hopefully no more. I know it is HORRIBLE stuff but it is a bit of an addiction to me and I do drink WAY less than I did many years ago. Back in August before I found we were expecting, Mike and I were doing a really good job with healthy local eating but we've let it slide for convenience sake during the pregnancy. We were looking at photos from out meals at that time a few nights ago and vowed to get back into it even though we won't find much local this time a year and may "break the bank" (okay, not quite, BUT fresh veggies and fruits are insanely expensive in our area at the moment) buying fresh produce from the grocery store.

I'll be keep you updated here on Friday's (with maybe a recipe thrown in during the week if I am inspired!). I'd love for it, if you'd consider joining me and the other fit Mamas and Papas over at Got Chai?.