Happy New Year's Eve! 2009 Goals and Lots of Pics!

Hey friends! I wanted to share some pics with you! Finally! :)


A pic of me and then me and the DH on our way out one night. I wanted to show you guys what I look like with my hair done and make up on as opposed to my usual no make up, sweaty vlogs. :)


A pic of me and DH from the summer...how handsome IS he???? This is my own manjoyment moment. The cool thing is, I am married to him! :)

This is from our Christmas celebration with his family. We broke out the karaoke machine at his parents house and got crazy! Me and the hubby doing a duet to Bust a Move. Jody did the wrap and I sang "If you want it, you got it. If you want it, baby you got it." :)

My aunt Dixie (on left) and my mom (on right) singing something (I can't remember). Aren't they adorable! :)


Me and the hubby on at outlook overlooking his home town in Russellville, Arkansas. This park is called Mt. Nebo and it is beautiful! Please note my zippie and matching hat. :)

Ok, enough of the photo show. I know you are waiting for a pregnant belly picture but the last picture we took had some really bad shadows so you can't really tell what my belly looks like because of the shadowing. So, I will have the hubby take another one today and see if we can get a better image. I can't tell if I am starting to show a little or if I have just had too much good food over Thanksgiving and Christmas. ;)

We are having a HUGE New Year's Eve party tonight and I am so excited! We had one last year and it is called: Pro's Night In! versus Amatuer's Night Out! :) We were getting frustrated because our only options for New Year's Eve were to go to the bars or a hotel. The challenge is driving while drinking (although this year is not an issue :)) and all the idiots who go out on New Year's Eve. It is SO packed! So, we decided to have a party. We have poker (high and low stakes), karaoke in our garage which we completely clean out and heat - set up tables and a drink station and this year we are having Rock Band in our living room. We always have tons of food and our friend Doon makes tons of shots for everyone! It is a BLAST!! I wish you all lived closer so you could come! I will have lots of party pics to share and I am sure lots of stories....most of which I am sure will involve my hubby!

As I mentioned the other day, Jody and I did our Goals for 2009. I am still looking for our 2008 goals and haven't had any luck yet....but I probably met about half of them...I know one I did NOT meet was to get my body fat to 16% so as I look at Goals for 2009 I need to make sure I consider my obstacles and challenges for not acheiving it in 2008. I will say a HUGE piece was mental. I was burnt out and not committed.

Note: We prefer to do GOALS versus resolutions. Goals focus more on the positive and achievement versus NOT doing something or removing a negative behavior. To each their own but this is how WE roll. :)

Here are my 2009 Goals:

General:

• Participate in monthly bill paying and savings/investment review with the DH. He manages most all of this currently and I want to become more involved so I can help make better decisions about what I spend money on.
• Keep our house more organized and clean.
• Remember and acknowledge birthdays and anniversaries consistently.
• Focus on non-draining friendships. I think there are some relationships that drain you...the energy you put into the person or relationship isn't balanced by what you receive. Friendships are like any other relationship, they have to be a two way street. I have a few friendships that mean a lot to me that I didn't give the attention to in 2008. I am going to focus on those in 2009 and repair where I wasn't a good friend.
  

Physical:

• Gain less than 30 total pounds with the baby, weight at 155 max.
• Have a baby. :)
• Decrease body fat to 15% by end of year (6 months after baby). This will equate to about 120 lbs if my lean mass is 105. I know it is aggressive but hey, goals are goals. :)
• Find a food tracking system that works for me and track food daily.

I hope you all have a wonderful and safe New Year's Eve! Remember, you CAN ACHIEVE whatever you set your mind to! The mind body connection makes everything possible! Be PATIENT and CONSISTENT and you will achieve your goals!

Jess

Sorry Guys - Internet Lock Down

Hey y'all and happy Monday! I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful Christmas holiday!

We drove to Jody's parents on Friday night and came home yesterday evening. I was TRAPPED in blogger he$$ because a friend of theirs who apparently is an amateur IT person put a security code on their wireless modem and set it up so that wireless users can't get on even WITH the WEP key. And they have TWO modems, a regular and a wireless and I wasn't able to figure out how to get into the wireless modem setting to turn off the WEP key. Let me tell you I was NOT happy! I spent about an HOUR trying to figure it out and could never get on. GRRRRR. So apologies for not getting on and checking out all your blogs over those three days. I was trapped in NON internet purgatory!

Anyhoo, my goal for last week was to increase my cardio. I did five days of cardio this week which was awesome however my lifts sacrificed as a result. I got some great runs in with my hubby (three total for almost 20 miles!!!) which is always nice and makes us feel closer to each other. Whle I am super pumped I got in my cardio, I am bummed I missed out on my lifts. So, this week will be all about balancing BOTH. :)

Jody and I did our goals for the year in the car on the way home last night (an annual tradition for us). I need to look up our goals from last year and then I will share with you along with our new goals. One of my goals is just "have a baby" :).

Love you all and hope you have a wonderful week! More later (and pics of the family).

Jessica

Merry Christmas and Peace to All!

I found this quote for peace and I hope it resonates with all of you. :) It certainly did with me. We will never have a life without challenges, obstacles, heartache or sadness however we do have 100% control over how we react to those things and being calm in our hearts is the best give we can give to ourselves.

Merry Christmas everyone! You are each very, very special to me and I can't imagine a world without my blog family. I hope each of you has a wonderful and joy filled holiday with your families and friends and I hope you are able to relax, enjoy the skin you are in (even if it is just on Christmas) and remember all the things you are grateful for in life.

*******************************

I had a great leg workout at the gym last night....this is what it looked like:

• Hack squat, 15 reps, 5 sets, 200lbs
• Leg press with close foot position, 15 reps, 4 sets, 170 lbs
• Hamstring curls, 15 reps, 4 sets, 90 lbs
• Split squats on smith rack, slow and controlled, 10 reps each leg, 4 sets, 40lbs
• Back extension, focus on glutes, 30lb kettle bell, 15 reps, 4 sets
• Quad extension, 15 reps, 4 sets, 90lbs
• Calves, 125 lbs donkey machine, 12 reps, 3 sets
  

Felt great and my legs were shaking when I was done!

I am probably going to do back and biceps today along with a couple cardio sessions. I find that if I split into two 30 minute sessions, I feel MUCH better!

Have a wonderful Christmas Eve everyone! Love you guys!
Jess

Forming Habits and SAD

Hey y'all! Happy Monday!

Had a great weekend....although it was freezing! I much prefer cold AND snow as opposed to just frigid cold. This morning when I walked Pablo it was a balmy 6 degrees and -3 degrees with the wind chill. I looked like the kid from A Christmas Story with the number of layers I had on...I could barely put my arms down. :)

So, I have to be really honest guys, if you look at the right hand side of my blog, you will see my workout schedule for the month. I am doing monthly recaps now instead of weekly but I update it frequently. The point here is that I have not been good about my cardio workouts...I have been getting in a couple, maybe three a week. And weak cardio workouts too. Yes, I know, I am pregnant but I am only 11 weeks for goodness sakes. I should still be getting in plenty of good cardio. And the body is reflecting the lack of cardio. I can tell my comp has changed, probably more so a result of slacking off on cardio and not eating perfect versus being preggers.

Now, I am not going to beat myself up over it because I am preggers but I do need to get back to focusing on cardio. Keeping my heart healthy and making sure I am in good physical shape during this pregnancy is key. My lifting has been awesome but the cardio...just not so good.

This morning I got up and although I really didn't want to (and by the way, you trick yourself into excuses NOT to workout b/c of pregnancy which is a total cop out) I hopped on the treadmill for a 30 minute power walk at 10% incline (that's all mine will go to) and it felt great. Read a book, burned almost 400 calories. Gotta remember that feeling. And planning on going to a spin class tonight after work to get in another cardio session. Jody's mom is in town so I don't want to take too much time away from her but definitely want to get in another lifting session.

The plan is to use the next 14 days (including today) to develop a habit of doing morning cardio again. I always feel so much better when I get in my morning cardio but lately I haven't made the CHOICE to do it. That is a changin! :) Everyone forms habits differently...some people may form a habit in 14 days, some in 21. I am going to focus on the 14 days and see how ingrained it feels and reassess.

There is a great article in Clean Eating this month on SAD (Seasonal Affected Disorder) and so I wanted to share some thoughts on it in case any of you are having issues with the dreary winter weather. Wikepedia defines SAD as the following:

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer,^[1] repeatedly, year after year. The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up."^[2] The condition in the summer is often referred to as Reverse Seasonal Affective Disorder, and can also include heightened anxiety.^[3]

Can you relate to any of these symptoms? What should you do to address them?

• Light therapy is the best therapy. There are light boxes you can purchase that simulate natural light and with a few weeks treatment. Here is a location I found online.
• Vitamin D! Vitamin D is actually what your body produces with sunlight. You can supplement with Vitamin D or fortified milk or food products to increase the VD in your body. 1000 IU is the recommended dosage for treating SAD. Vitamin D was actually proven to work BETTER than light therapy for some SAD sufferers.
• Get outside! Even if it is chilly, taking a walk in the sun is well worth the benefit of the increased mood that can result in that short trip outside. Bundle up and enjoy the sun!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Had Doc Appt and It's a......

....BABY!!! :)

Happy Friday you guys! I can honestly say this day will go down as one of the most special in my life! I won't bore you with ALL the details but let's just say the first ultra sound which was NOT through my stomach did not show a baby so I was a little freaked out. Turns out I have a tipped uterus so my uterus is actually closer to the outside of my body that most women. So she used the ultrasound on my belly and behold....our little bundle of joy:



You will need to click on the image to see where I have circled in red where the fetus is if you can't see it from this view. It was so amazing to see him in there! I teared up and was so emotional just seeing that little body inside my body. And then we heard the heartbeat...so cool. I teared up on that one too. And then while she was looking at the little person, he/she moved a bunch! She said "whoa, they normally don't move that much so soon" and I told the doc that the baby was waving at us. Flipping us a gang sign - letting us know he/she is all good. :) I grabbed Jody's hand and was pretty veclempt knowing WE did that. Jody is going to be such a wonderful Dad....I can't wait to see him chillin with his offspring. :)

So cool guys. I have gained 2lbs which she said was totally normal especially since I haven't had any morning sickness. I told her it was all in my bra! :)

Have a great Friday night guys! Had to get this up for you all!

More this weekend!
Jess

Feelin Better!

Yeah! Last night was my first night since Friday NOT using nose spray (remember, no worries - it is baby approved) and I could breathe! Yeah! So awesome. So, clearly I am feeling better except for the fact that I had to play dodge ball today at a team off site. And although I really didn't want to play it was pretty darn fun! At first I thought I probably shouldn't play for fear of getting whacked in the belly. Would be a little trouble explaining THAT to the doc. ;) I haven't gone public about the pregnancy at work yet...will do so next Tuesday! So exciting!

My workouts are pretty consistent from a lifting perspective. And I am trying to really work in my lower back and abs. I can still lay on my back so I am trying to take advantage of those types of ab workouts as much as I possibly can. Last night I did abs in between back and bicep sets. I am really enjoying working out with the hubby again. Lifting with him definitely helps push me on going heavier.

I have GOT to get my cardio amped up again. I am just not getting it in and I can feel it in my energy levels. I am running a couple three times a week and getting in some treadmill walks but not getting in the length or time I would like to. I want a strong and healthy body to help bring the baby into the world.

Oooooo.....and we took our first baby belly photo. No difference in my belly, I gotta tell ya. Maybe just a LITTLE rounding of the belly. But I don't think anyone notices but me...not even the hubber.

Doc appt Friday guys so hopefully I will have a ultrasound image to share!! WOO HOO!

Sorry for the boring post guys....will have more to share soon!
Jess

What a Week! Snotty....and I heart Puffs w/Vicks!

Oy vey! What a week!! All day conference on Wednesday, Leadership meeting all day Thursday. Christmas party Wednesday and Thursday nights. It was a brutal week so it's no wonder I got under the weather again.

I had gotten rid of whatever I had a couple weeks ago, but with my long days this week, inconsistent sleep, lack of exercise and lack of good eats, I have a nasty cold. Very congested and a lot of snot. Not fun. Called my practitioner Friday to make sure it is ok to use nasal spray so I could breathe while sleeping. Man that stuff is a miracle. Thank goodness the doc gave me the ok on it....I would have slobbered all over myself trying to sleep. I know, SEXY!

Had planned on running the lake with Amber Saturday morning but just didn't feel up to it. Sorry for the gross out but when I have so much extra snot I really struggle with my breathing it is really hard to get enough air for good cardio. And I am also a firm believer that when you are sick, taking care of your body is key for healing. So healing is what I focused on on Saturday. I started a blog post but felt like dukie so decided not to force one out.

I DO heart Puffs w/Vicks. If you haven't tried them and you like the smell of Vicks when you are sick and congested, you HAVE to check them out. They have a little lotion on them as well so they are super moisturizing. But when you blow your nose you get this awesome whiff of Vicks. And I usually just put them up to my nose and inhale which is awesome. I feel like I have a crack problem but it is just Vicks not real crack.

Amber told me that one of her friends at her office had pregnancy rhinitis for most of per pregnancy. Basically it means that your mucous membranes are swollen and you have a cold for the duration of the pregnancy. I am hoping and praying I just have a bug because I do NOT want to feel like this for long.

My workouts were fairly dismal this week...a couple good workouts on Monday, Tuesday and little one on Thursday morning but outside of that I didn't get in all I wanted to. Regardless I got in a few! So that is good! I had a great shoulder workout this morning....great considering how I feel! :) Did the following:

• Alternating front shoulder raises w/10 lb dumbbells - 15 reps each side, 4 sets
• Lateral raises with extra extension w/15lb dumbbells - 15 reps, 4 sets
• German volume training, behind the head press w/smith rack - 30 lbs, 10 reps, 10 sets (last rep should be almost impossible to complete (and it was!)
  

Jody and I may go do legs later and I might try to take Pabs for a little jog afterward. It is 66 degrees here and I would hate to miss an opportunity for us to both get some fresh air.

All is well with the baby....have our first doc appt on Friday!!! I am so excited I can barely stand it!!! Hopefully we will hear the heart beat and see the ultrasound....I can't wait to see the little guy or girl. Outside of my cold, I feel awesome. I am really so lucky to not have the morning sickness so many women go through. Who knows...maybe I will have some at some point but for now I am thankful.

Next week my focus will be on getting in some form of exercise every day - even if it is just a walk on the treadmill to get my cardio back up. And Jody and I are really enjoying the gym at night together....such a great way to talk and catch up. I caught up on Oprah yesterday during my couch sick fest and watched the episode about why men cheat. The doctor she had on there said that the average couple talks for 12 minutes a day!! TWELVE MINUTES! How terrible is that????? So sad. Another reason I am so grateful for my cherub.

Hope you all are having a great weekend! With Monday right around the corner I hope all of you are thinking about what you want to accomplish this week!

Love you guys!
Jess

P.S. I just got back from the gym and a great leg workout considering how I am feeling. I was pretty much in O2 debt the whole time.

Four sets of:

• Smith machine squats, 50lbs, 15 reps
• Hamstring curls on machine, 90lbs, 15 reps
• Quad extensions, 90lbs, 15 reps
  

Four sets of:

• Sumo squats, 50lbs 15 reps
• Walking lunges w/30lb Kettlebells (60lbs total), 20 reps each leg
• Calf press, 100lbs, 15 reps

Good stuff.

'Tis the Season

Hey y'all!

What a WEEK I tell ya! Started out relatively normal with Monday and Tuesday and then the crap hit the fan....yesterday I was in an all day session starting at 8 am and ending at 530. Then we let someone go in a very high level position and so I was running around dealing with that fallout until about 6:30. Then had to speed home to get ready for the leadership holiday party. So I changed and we got back in the car and drove to the party where we stayed until 11pm. And I am not getting ready to go to an all day off site. Arghh! And then TONIGHT we have Jody's holiday party. 'Tis the season. :)

The good news is I lifted on Monday and Tuesday hard and got in a couple of low cardio sessions. I took yesterday completely off but am hoping to squeeze in a workout either before our holiday party tonight or when I get home (party starts early). That is one of the joys of being preggers, I am not drinking so working out after a party is never a problem. :)

Just wanted to pop in quick and tell you guys to keep on bustin it and working hard! The holidays are SUCH a difficult time to manage the extra social activities, food around the office or at people's houses and manage your time to get in workouts while shopping and doing all the other extra things the holidays require. Just remember even a little workout is better than none at all. And you can control what goes in your body. Garbage in, garbage out. :)

Hope you are all having a great week and more this weekend!
Jess

P.S. Our new camera arrived yesterday so get ready for baby belly pics (although I got nothin yet :)).

Going to Booty School

Is that not an awesome hiney?? Holy cow. Maria Kudla and the awesome roundness of her glutes.

So, the DH and I were working out the other day (our return to the gym together) having a pretty awesome upper body workout (can't remember which one) and he is giving me major props for how my arms look. He hasn't "witnessed" me working out for awhile and so wasn't expecting me to really look like I had been working out. :)

Anyway, we were talking about how I want to make sure my arms are still shapely and toned while preggers and he was like: "heck yeah, just keep blowing up on your upper body" and then I had an epiphany. Insert angels singing noise here.

My lower body has always been my challenge area. I cannot lose fat right now....I can lessen the amount of fat I put on by making healthy choices and eating good food but I cannot lose fat at the risk of harming the little baby I carry in my belly. When you get pregnant (for those of you who DON'T know) you gain fat stores so that your body can access them if you go too long without food or if the baby needs additional nourishment. I hope to provide a steady stream of food every 2.5 to 3 hours so that my body doesn't feel the starvation factor often and puts on minimal amounts of fat. Regardless, my focus right now is maintaining my muscle mass (if I put on a little bit of extra mass during 1st and 2nd trimester bonus but I am not counting on it) and staying healthy.

Anyway, back to the original story...my epiphany is that I need to use this time to really work on my lower body. Now, as I stated already, I can't lose any fat right now but I can keep the muscle in my legs, work on shaping the muscle that is there and keep my legs toned and tight. And yes, still keep focused on my upper but really focus on the lower. I came home from the gym and went immediately to my huge 3 ring binder of workouts I have pulled from years and years of collecting magazines and tabbed to the lower body section. It was there I found: Booty School with Carla Sanchez. For those of you who don't know Carla, she is with Performance Ready and she is pretty awesome. The article was in the Oxygen Glutes issue from Spring of 2007 and her permise is basically this: women carry fat in hips and thighs and therefore have to work extra hard to keep it tight and toned. She said that women should make sure that their cardio is very glute specific and work legs more often than upper body. Anyone else remember this article?

For contest prep she recommends 6-7 days of booty work. Here's how it works:

• Monday: Glute Focused Cardio
• Tuesday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Wednesday: Glute Focused Cardio Thursday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Friday: Glute Focused Cardio
• Saturday: Strength & Conditioning Circuit
• Sunday: Optional Cardio
  

She doesn't think women can truly get over trained doing these 30-45 minute workouts once you work up to them. Her recommendation is to start with three a week and then add one a week as long as you aren't overly sore.

Last night I did my first Booty School Workout....I am going to post it because it is search and reapply and it was publicly printed. :)

I warmed up with 3 sets of 25 reps on the smith machine - 80lbs racked

Three rounds of the following (I did the following straight through and then repeated twice):

• 50 reverse lunges each leg off of a step with one riser (with or w/out weights) - 15lb dumbbells
• Step Mill - 200 quick steps (I don't have a step mill at the house - YET :) - so I just walked on the treadmill at the highest incline
• Hamstring curls - stability ball - 20 reps
• Jump split squats - 20 reps each leg
• Sumo squat - 20 reps - 60lbs
• Straight leg dead lifts - 15 reps holding 20lb dumbbells
• Jumping jack squats - 20 reps

Then I ran Pablo for 30 minutes. Great workout!

I will post other booty school workouts as I do them. My plan is to do three this week. The cardio workout is basically a combination of jump rope, step mill, treadmill, etc.

Hope you all had a great weekend!! I have no baby updates other than I got nothin. Everything is totally normal and I feel great. Boobs are bigger, have gained about a pound, maybe a pound and a half and clothes fit fine. I am a little paranoid b/c I haven't made the official announcement at work and I DO feel like I have a little pooch.

Have a great week everyone! Keep your goals and your dreams in your sights!
Jess

P.S. I ran the lake today with Amber and Pabs - awesome!

My List of Top Tips

Front Back

Hey y'all! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend! Found this tank top on Performance Ready the other day and I am ordering immediately. :) Hee hee. Cute, huh? Hopefully it won't offend anyone if they just see the front! :)

Today I have a few small goals: get in a kick ass leg workout and catch up on all my blogs. I was SLAMMED at work this week and didn't have many opportunities to catch up on my blog peeps so today will be a big one. May also vlog later today or tomorrow got some stuff to say, yo!

Cynthia (Visionquester) posted a list on her subscriber only blog (a definite MUST subscribe if you don't already) with her "best dieting tips" and I was inspired to share my tips with you guys and perhaps ALL of us can share our tips! Hint, hint. :) I do have one caveat, MOST of you know all this stuff so forgive me if it is boring...what I hope is that there will be a nugget or two that each of you find helpful. :)

So...without further ado, here are my top tips for eating right and working out:

1.Be prepared! Always.

Being prepared applies to both eating AND to working out. With eating, you should never leave your house if you plan to be gone for more than an hour without food. It is as simple as bringing a bar or RTD shake or throwing a tupperware with cottage cheese and an apple in your bag. Start your day or end your day getting all your food ready for the following day. Even if you do food prep on the weekends, you obviously will need to do some daily prep.

Make sure you have a food storage system that works for you. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Stax System. It comes with an ice pack, containers for your food and it all fits together is a super smart way. Even comes with a timer so you can remind yourself (if your tummy doesn't) to eat.

Also be prepard for your workouts! Don't walk into the gym without knwoing what you are goign to do. Write out your workouts.

2. Begin With the End in Mind

Set your goals for the year, break them down into monthly and weekly goals and then make sure that EVERY day you are reviewing your goals and incorporating little daily steps towards achieving your goals. This is KEY to success.

3. Turkey Burgers Are Awesome!

On Sundays, I take 2lbs of ground white turkey breast, 1/2 cup oats, 2 egg whites and a packet of powdered ranch dressing and mix it all up. I break out the George Foreman and cook up about 15 or so 3.5 OZ turkey burgers. I throw them in a zip lock and they are consistenly one of my favorite things to eat throughout the week. They are also super portable and not bad cold. So if I am in a rush or pinched on time, I just eat one cold with my fingers. They are great with a slice of pepper jack cheese or with Frank's Red Hot hot sauce.

4. Hardboiled Eggs are Great Snacks

On Sundays while I am working my mojo on turkey breasts, I also boil a huge pot of hard boiled eggs. My friend Amber got me a hard boiled egg maker for my bday and so now I use it but regardless by end of food prep on Sunday, I have 30 hard boiled eggs. I usually put them in a huge tupperware (not peeled - I find they peel better after being refridgerated) and then when I get home from work and am starving - reaching for some type of snacky, I grab 3 or 4 hard boiled eggs, spray them with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray and I am all set! Yummy.

5. Magic Bullets, George Foreman, Egg Makers, Crock Pots and Steamers and More are Your Friends!

All of these tools will make life easier and food taste better. Why torture yourself with nasty chicken breast and all of the hassles of steaming veggies when there all all these tools out there to help make your life easier. I love the Magic Bullet - it is great for making shakes or oatmeal/egg white pancakes.

6. Order Appetizers when Eating Out

There is a restuarant we go to usually twice a month and I am not in love with anything on their menu (except the $37 Fillet) and so I order two appetizers and a side salad. It is probably about 400 calories and I am never overly full. Plus when you get your bill, you will be much happier.

7. Workout in the Mornings

Unless you are 100%, absolutely, dilligently committed to working out at night and have no problem making your workouts, I recommend the early mroning workout. A couple of things happen when you workout in the morning...first you give your metabolism a SUPER awesome jump start. When you wake up, your metabolism is at its lowest from you sleeping all night. Working out kicks it in gear. Secondly, your workout is DONE for the day. Done. Unless you want to do abs or more cardio or whatever later (which is all just a bonus). And your energy level is super high all day long.

This is more for people who have full time jobs or just a lot on their plate during the day but for me it is a lifesaver.

8. Be Good to Yourself

Reward yourself for acheiving a goal. Buy yourself that _______ you have been wanting. But more importantly - TALK TO YOURSELF LIKE YOU WOULD YOUR CLOSEST FRIEND. Be encouraging, give yourself credit for what you DO not what you DON'T do. Call out your assets. Focus on your positives.

9. Track Your Stats and Take Pictures!

I can't stress enough how much I recommend this! It isn't fun in the beginning of the process but it is SO much fun in the end or when you are ready to go back and do it all over again. Trust me, you will want to know what your waist measured 6 weeks into contest prep the next time you go through it. And you will want to see that your biceps have grown 1.25 inches in a year. But don't obsess - weigh or measure yourself once a week - don't become obsessive with daily measurements - losing 3lb in two days can simply be water weight.

10. BE CONSISTENT!

You can't do something for a week and expect results. Commit to something - a new workout plan, a new diet or a new program for AT LEAST a month. If you give up after a week you will never really know if it worked of if you just gave up too soon. Remember how long it takes for a farmer to get his field ready, for corn to grow and crops to be harvested - a long time.

11. Wiegh Your Food/Know Portions

Cynthia also mentioned this one and it is so important. People overeat all the time.

12. Keep a Log Book for Food and Workouts

See #9, when you go to do this again, you will want to know what you ate and how you worked out. Trust me on this one....it's like being a scientist. You can't expect to repeat an experiement if you didn't write down what you did the first time.

13. You CAN Eat at Fast Food Restaurants

Look, there are healthy food choices at almost every fast food restaurant out there. Period. So, if you have left your house without rule #1, don't go five or six hours without eating just because you are freaked out about clean food. Get familiar with fast food restaurant menus so you KNOW the stats of the healthy stuff. Buy the Eat This, Not That book and know what a healthy choice looks like. Order it here.



And if you don't know what to order because you haven't checked out menus or read something, order a grilled chicken breast or a salad with grilled chicken breast. You can make smart choices. You are in control of you.

14. Tell Everyone You Know Your Goals

My hubby kind of made fun of me when I decided to compete because I told so many people. But I did that because I wanted everyone to know so I they would hold me accountable and wouldn't be offended if I didn't go to brunch and stayed home to workout instead. When everyone knows your goals, they give you support and drive you to reach your goals. You also inspire people when they see you working towards a goal.

15. Don't Be a Perfectionist

This is one that I used to struggle with OFTEN. I usually like to have about 75 to 90 minutes for a workout - that is an ideal situation. So often times if I don't have a full 75 or 90 minutes I would just bail on the workout. Now I get in what I can when I can. Maybe I only have 20 minutes in the morning, 30 minutes over lunch and 20 minutes when I get one. I will do a body part in the morning, cardio over lunch and a body part at night. Make it work. Fit it in. Even little bursts of activity make a difference. Make it a part of what you do. Walking my dog has always felt like a burden to me - wasted time - but know I make it a leg toning exercise. Eat step I take is a hard core isometric move. I squeeze my butt and hamstrings and quads - I make the 20 minute walk work for me (and the doggie!). Trust me on this...once you let go and just make it a part of everything you do, you will notice how easy it becomes.

Allright guys, time for me to go blow up. I do help my list was helpful in some small way for some of you. I know we probably all know all this stuff but sometimes seeing it written out helps. Who will be the next blogger to make their list???? That's a CHALLENGE folks!

I am doing my first true cardio session later today with Amber - doggie run around the lake so wish me luck! :)

Love you guys!
Jess

Quickie & Workout

Just a quick post guys but wanted to share my workout tonight with you guys! Hubby and I went back to the gym again and had a great workout!

Shoulders:

• Overhead press on Cybex Machine (started out at 45lbs), 6 sets of 10-15 reps increasing to 60lbs
• Lateral raises 15lb dumbbells - high raises, 4 sets of 12-15 reps, slow and controlled
• Front raise with curly bar - forehead level, 4 sets of 10-12, slow and controlled

Legs:

• Kettle bell swings with 25lb KB - 15 reps followed by 40lb smith rack squats - 15 regular squats, 15 sumo squats and 15 close legged squats - 3 times through (I am doing very light weight right now b/c doc said to wait until full examination as sometimes squats can put too much pressure depending on the shape or position of my uterus)

Then I did three sets of abs on a crazy ab machine they have at the new club. It is called the Ab Coaster (www.abcoaster.com) and it is actually kind of cool - definitely effective if you engage your abs and don't use your legs to pull you in). It will be great for the pregnancy because I am not laying on my back at all and uses full range of motion for upper and lower abs. :)


Cardio is crap this week b/c of my cold - my asthma is always terrible when I have a cold b/c of all the extra mucus so I am just focusing on lifting and eating good. I imagine in have this little bird in my belly with his mouth open and I need to feed him. :) Funny huh?

Have a great night kids! Love you guys! Hope your week is awesome!
Jess

Weekly Recap and Family Workout

WHOA! Can you say contest day photo shoot? Holy cow!!

Below is my weekly recap for the week of the 24th. As I mentioned in my last post, I definitely was "off" but I am not beating myself up over it - in fact, I am going to take the Krissa mentality and give myself props for the 3 workouts I DID get in! ;) Thank you Krissa!

Week of November 24th

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Hamstrings and biceps - PM
Wednesday: HIIT 30 minutes AM followed by a meal, 45 minute rest and back/bis for 45 mins
Thursday: 7.3 mile Turkey Trot - LOTS of hills - 66 minutes
Friday: Off
Saturday: Dancing 1 hour (hey! it counts)
Sunday: Off

Since we moved here 2.5 years ago, there has been a sign up saying the new World's Gym is coming....and every time you would call one of their other locations they would literally tell you it was opening in six months...then another six months....then another...you get the idea. But it FINALLY opened up yesterday and it is bad to the bone! A really nice facility with 3 smith racks (one of my biggest complaints about most gyms), tons of great machines and racks, lots of dumbbells, tons of cardio equipment and much more. So we joined last night and we went tonight for our first gym workout in awhile. Working out at the country club is a mini-gym - like a super bad ass hotel gym - but working out at a regular gym again was nice.

BUT that wasn't the best part about the workout...it was working out with my hubby. We used to workout together every day but haven't in awhile so it was awesome to get back in there and workout with my cherub. We did back and biceps. :)

• 5 sets of assisted pull ups (I am not a bad ass like Cynthia)
• Seated rows - 4 sets at 50lbs (remember, trying to keep my weight lower than normal)
• Bicep curls wth olympic bar - no weight 12 reps 2 sets and 10lbs 10 reps 2 sets
• Hammer curls with 20lb dumbbells

Not a long workout, just a shorty once we smoked our back and biceps. But I loved it. :)

I am feeling really good about my pregnancy workouts. And my eating. I ate perfect yesterday and today and it felt so good. I have added a lot more veggies and fruit into my diet to give little man (or woman) what they need.

Hope you guys are rocking it out! Drink your water, eat for fuel and workout with intensity!!

Jess

P.S. Still have a cold which is NOT fun when you are eating 6 meals a day b/c I can't breathe through my nose when I eat which means if I want to eat with my mouth closed I SUFFOCATE. Not cool. Hoping the nose clears up for sleep tonight so I can get some rest. Can't take anything b/c of the baby in my belly. :)

Back Home and Sicky :(

Hey y'all! I hope by now you have all put your Thanksgiving guilt behind you and you are focusing on your plans for this week! I am doing exactly that....but first a recap of the holiday week. :)

• Thursday: Turkey Trot and relaxation with the family
• Friday: Recovering from Turkey Trot (good GOD my legs were toast from those hills)
• Saturday: Running around, movie, shopping, bowling, karaoke and DANCING! Hours of dancing
• Sunday: Drive home - and not feeling so hot at the moment

So, as you can see, not so many workouts during my holiday break. In fact, I would say just one good one - the run.

And I also ate Taco Pizza. Has anyone else ever had Taco Pizza from Happy Joes? It is WONDERFUL! And very bad for you but it is one of those things that is SOOOOOO worth it. Imagine, thick and yummy crust, a marinara/bean pizza sauce base, Italian sausage and ground beef, cheese - baked until piping hot. Then, once out of the oven, lettuce and tomato's are sprinkled on top. AND THEN crushed Doritos are sprinked on top of all that. It is SOOOO good. Really. Trust me. So, I had that on Friday night and it was fantastical.

Right now, I am planning my week - workouts, food, etc. And shortly after I wrap that I up I will be heading to the grocery store to purchase all my food for the week and do some quick food prep. I will do the majority of it tomorrow night.

I feel like dukie - literally started feeling very mucusy on the ride home and when I stepped in the house I started aching. So, might have a little bug I am fighting off. I am confident it has to do with the fact that I have been eating like crap. I never do well with refined sugar - my immune system takes a poop when I eat sugar. So tonight it is all about hot tea, vitamin c and a bath.

Oh, and planning my week. :) I can't stress enough to each of you how important it is to review your goals and incorporate them into your daily to-do list. Make sure that each of those items relates back to your goals. Remember there is only one way to eat an elephant - one bite at a time. :)

Have a great week everyone and I will vlog soon. Promise.

Oh, and check out the pregnancy time line lapse video I was telling you guys about. It is pretty cool huh?? We just ordered a new camera that should be here this week and we will start creating our own time line. Fun times.

Jess

Gobble Gobble - LOTS of Gratitude

Hello my little turkey's.....HAPPY THANKSGIVING! My absolute, most favorite, most wonderful holiday of the year! Why??? Because it is a time to JUST give thanks - no gifts, no expectations, no awkward thanks for a gift you didn't ask for :) just time with family and friends. WONDERFUL!

And I am SO very grateful for all of you. I have such a wonderful and special group of supporters on this journey and I can't thank you enough for all you give to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Yesterday we drove to Iowa, where my family is from. It was about 8.5 hours and Pablo (our doggie did great). I was super psyched to get in two workouts before we hit the road! Made me feel great about the rest of the day. For road food, I ate an Egg McMuffin post workout (we hit the road right after I lifted) and it really is one of the best fast food eats. 300 calories for an Egg McMuffin (that is if you INCLUDE cheese), 18 grams of protein, 30 grams of carbs and 12 grams of fat and yummy. Not "clean" but after a kick ass workout it was perfect. Then had a 99 cent chili from Wendy's (another GREAT fast food food - 190 calories, high protein, beans and low in fat) and just the chicken breast (no bun). I also had pork rinds and an apple at our final stop before we got to mom's house. The pork rinds are a FAR stretch from "clean" eating but they are low carb, low fat and high protein. And yummy. Although they WILL stink up a car. :) But wanted to show you some options when you are on the road. You CAN eat ok at fast food restaurants. But you have to be smart and make good choices.

This morning we got up at 7am and drove about an hour from my mom's to run a Turkey Trot in Dubuque, Iowa. It was 7.5 miles of BRUTAL hills. About 7 of them. And I gotta tell you, my running has been crap lately. And I did hamstrings on Tuesday night and then ran HIIT intervals yesterday morning so it was a TOUGH run. Finished in 66 minutes. My goal was 70 minutes or less (because I knew there would be hills). Jody finished in 57 minute - yeah piddle! :) It was so much fun! While we didn't run together, we love to do that stuff and create more memories. And I think it was the baby's first race! :)

All right guys, I have to go make my famous Pumpkin Chiffon Pie (super light, yummy pumpkin pie that isn't super heavy). Graham cracker crust and I add Splenda to make it a bit healthier. :) After that I am going to try to do shoulders quick (my mom has a bunch of dumbbells). Have a wonderful, healthy and happy holiday. You guys are awesome!

Love you guys!
Jess

Weekly Recap, Dr. Appt and House Guest

Happy hump day all! The lovely and talented Cynthia Herndon above whom I have to pay hommage to for her bad assness. :)

But I guess today isn't really a "hump" day since tomorrow is a holiday. :) Technically Tuesday was the hump day. Sweet. I actually only have 17 more days of work until my 12 day staycation. How awesome is that??? :) I love the staycation and this year it is all about organizing every room of the house - going through everything to get myself as organized as possible before baby.

Anyhoo, on to more important things. Michelle Anderson emailed me!! How cool is that? I sent her an email and asked her what her training schedule was like when she was preggers and she sent me a long email in response. Awesome, just awesome. But her story is so amazing - had a really hard time with high blood pressure and diabetes in her 3rd trimester so she had to take it super easy but she worked out up until 6 months. She weighed like 188lbs when she delivered. And now look at her. Wow is all I can say.

We have had a very "interesting" house guest since Friday night, a friend of the hubby's from college. He actually left yesterday but let me just put it to you this way he talks NON-STOP. Lke not just chatty but everything he was thinking he would say. Anyhoo, he was supposed to leave Sunday morning early but lost his keys and didn't leave until yesterday morning - that would be Tuesday. So Jody and I pretty much felt like we were prisoners in our own home. And I couldn't workout in my workout room b/c the spare bedroom is right next to exercise room. Grrr. Oh well, it is over. We had a wonderful night last night just the two of us before we head to Iowa for the holiday.

I had my first doc appointment yesterday. But it was really just to run tests - not to actually SEE the doc. Which sucks because I was hoping she could check me out more fully. :) But I will be 11 weeks when she sees me so we will get to hear the baby's heart beat (or beats) and she can give me the full scope out in case I got two little critters in there. :) My hcGG hormone (the one you get when you are preggers) is through the roof - when the lab did my pregnancy test she dropped urine on the tester and literally 1.5 seconds later it turned positive. She said it was one of the fastest positive results she has seen. I think that means my Native American name right now would be "Stands with Strong Hormones". :) Kidding. I asked about exercising again (Cynthia this is for you) and the nurse practitioner asked what my current routine is like so I told her and she said keep it up - it is great for me. She just said to listen to my body and adjust as needed.

The biggest change outside of the newly increased size of my boobs is the sleepiness at night. It went away for a couple weeks and it is back again. I am totally going to have to commit to workouts in the morning because I don't think I can muster the eveining workouts like I used to - or maybe over lunch too. But how lucky am I that I don't have an ounce of morning sickness? Lucky, I tell ya.

Below is my workout recap for last week and I just want to give a HUGE shout out to Krissa who last week when I was complaining about my 4 measly workout days, she said: HEY! That is FOUR days you DID workout!! And that is absolutely right! Thank you Krissa!

I will post a Thanksgiving Day post tomorrow - might even do a VLOG with my family. :) Love you guys! Jess

Week of November 17th

Monday: Leg workout - 90 minutes
Tuesday: HIIT 30 minutes AM; 45 minute shoulder workout PM
Wednesday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Thursday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Friday: OFF :( Just 2 fast paced doggie walks
Saturday: Legs - 90 minutes AM; Shoulders/Tris - 60 mins PM
Sunday: 5.5 mile trail run with Amber - AM; abs PM

Fleece is Heaven

Hey kiddies! An early Turkey Day vlog featuring my new zippie jacket. Heaven, glorious heaven.



Love you guys!
Jess

Double Day and Twins?

Hey y'all! Happy Saturday! I hope you are all having a wonderful weekend! :) Pic above is of Noel Clark from Lean Bodies Fitness at Nationals today. I haven't seen final results but don't think they are up yet. Best of luck to all our girls out there!

I gotta be honest, I had a crappy workout week. I CHOSE to take off three days. I will do an assessment tomorrow (with an accompanying VLOG on the assessment) but mentally I have struggled to get there. I know, I know - I have a lot on my mind - new baby and all that crap but I think having my goal of competing in Kentucky threw me off. I like to have a plan. I had a plan and my hubby knocked me up. Hee hee.

So, it is time for a new plan. One I can adhere to. And to Cynthia's blog about bad habits, one of mine is putting off my workout. Not accceptable. I do think my energy level has dipped a bit but that could just be from not working out as much. I have always had this problem - unless I am organized and have a plan, I just put it off. Silly, silly, silly.

Today, to make up for this week, I did two workouts. The first was an hour of high intensity leg circuits: squats, burpees, step ups, lunges, kick backs, hack squats, romanian split squats, steps ups again, speed skaters. It was awesome. Then later I did shoulders and tris. I took a nap today too - gave body and baby lots of recovery time.

Tomorrow will be back and biceps and a run at the lake along with some core and abs. And I will work my plan. It is kind of tough because my body wasn't where I wanted it to be before I got pregnant (which is probably also WHY I was able to get pregnant - higher bf percentage) so it is weird to train: am I training to lose fat? to gain muscle? to maintain muscle? to get leaner in the areas I can? I don't know. But putting a plan in place is key. And obviously making sure I do everything to take care of little one.

I have my first doc appt on Tuesday although I have talked to my doc already about exercise. It is encouraged. Yeah! But I am curious to find out more. One of my friends who I think is mildly psychic (?) said she thinks we are having twins. WHOA! Now I have that crazy thought running around in my head. :)

All right ladies...I hope all those girls at Muscle in the City are ROCKIN the HOUSE! And more tomorrow!

Love you guys!
Jess

Role Model # 2 and Pregnancy Musings

Hello my little friends! :)

Hope everyone is awesome! And I know you are cause you are all AWESOME inside and out! Thank you so much for all the kind words of support for Jody! He is super excited and is going to kill Ironman Louisville!

A HUGE shout out to all the girls competing in the Muscle in the City compeition - April, Stacey and Angela - and anyone else I am missing!! You guys all look awesome and you are going to have so much fun!! We will be cheering you along!

Most of you saw the pics of Julie - truly an inspiration to ALL pregnant women! I have found another role model....role model #2! :) Her name is Michelle Anderson and some of you may have seen her You Tube on Cynthia's site. If you haven't, check out her blog - you can find it on my blog roll on the right. Her blog is: http://michellefit-journal.blogspot.com/

Anyhoo, she gained a lot of weight during her pregnancy - got up to 182lbs and 49 inch hips!!!! After the baby she weighed 155lbs and competed just 7 months after the baby at 123lbs and 7% body fat!! Is that not amazing????? Crazy. Here is a pic of her from that show:

Wow, huh? She is my 2nd role model - and I am sure you can see why! So, I will assess where I'm at after baby and look at shows and set my goal! :) I know, I am jumping the gun but you gotta understand I had JUST made the decision to compete so I was fired up! :) But the baby is such an awesome detour! Amazing blessing!

Speaking of baby, Julie left a comment on yesterday's blog about NOT feeling like I am preggers and YES! that is exactly what it feels like - NORMAL. Completely normal. I am maybe a little more tired at night and even the frequent peeing has subsided. My boobs hurt - and I can tell I am adding weight in the boobal region but that's about it. It is pretty awesome so far. We will see what the next couple of months bring! :)

Love you guys! Keep on rockin EVERY workout and staying on your meal plan! I have been rocking mine and eating so awesome - giving the baby the nutrients we both need! :) Good thing I was already eating good....well, for the most part! Hee hee.

Later!
Jess

Ironman and My Weekly Recap

You guys...I am SOOOOO freakin excited to post today I can hardly stand it.

Yesterday something AMAZING happened! Jody signed up for his THIRD (yes, THIRD) Ironman Triathlon. He has been talking about doing another one and missed the sign up for Ironman Florida and thought his window had closed for his goal but ALAS, it has not! Ironman Kentucky - perhaps slightly less well known, still has availability and he SIGNED UP! Here is the link to the Ironman Louiville (Kentucky) website: http://ironman.com/louisville

For those of you who don't know, an Ironman is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile run! It takes place on August 30th (we will have a 6 week old - WHOA!) and I am so proud of Jody I could almost burst! It is awesome. Did I mention this will be his THIRD Ironman??? So cool.

Please go to his blog: http://jody-slowtwitch.blogspot.com/ and wish him luck on his new goal!

Below is my weekly workout recap! Check it. ;)

Week of November 10th

Monday: HIIT 30 minutes AM
Tuesday: AM: Cardio - 20 minutes; PM: 70 minute leg circuits + heavy shoulder workout and abs
Wednesday: Day Off (tired)
Thursday: HIIT 30 minutes AM; 30 minute back workout
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: Shoulders/Triceps - 20 minute jog with doggie
Sunday: 6 mile trail run

Have a great day you guys!
Jess

P.S. Nothing happening in baby land. I feel great. I keep waiting to like throw up spontaneously or something. :)

I See Pregnant People

Here's the deal...you know how when you started working out really hard, you started to notice buff or in shape people more? Like you noticed them before or admired them but then when you first decided to compete you started REALLY noticing - looking at shoulder width, back spread, quad sweep, bicep vein....small butts etc.

Well, I SEE PREGNANT PEOPLE and babies. It is kinda crazy. It is mostly pregnant people but I also see a lot of babies that I didn't see before.

I see them at the grocery store, at the mall, EVERYWHERE. It is funny. At Coldplay there were a bunch of really pregnant girls and that made me so happy - hells yeah I would be at a concert pregnant. The baby can ROCK out. Jody laughs at me...but he is starting to see pregnant people too. And he is being so awesome! Really. Supportive and excited and very sensitive to how my body might be changing. I am a lucky girl.

Workouts this week were pretty good - I took two days off mostly just because we were busy and out of town. I know more than ever I have to get my workouts in in the morning or else I might miss it that day. And I also think my energy level is higher when I workout in the morning - just in general.

That's all I got for today.

Oh, hubby ran a 20:20 5k yesterday. He is SO close to breaking 20 minutes and I just KNOW it is right around the corner! :)

I ran the lake this morning with Amber and the doggie - 6 trail miles and it was glorious. Glorious. Feel great.

Have a great Sunday y'all!
Jess

Coldplay and More Later

Hey y'all!!

Sorry I have been MIA on the blog front since Wednesday. Everything is fine - me and the baby. We went to see Coldplay last minute in KC and had a wonderful time! If you ever get to see them live - GO FOR IT!

Even had a celebratory baby dinner at Capital Grille - amazing.


More later - going to watch Jody run a 5k. It is too fricken cold for me to run - 34 degrees but feels like 25 with wind chill. YUCK!

Jess

New Blog Look - Time to Talk Baby!

Ok guys, it is time to talk baby. :) I am about 5 weeks along (see the baby ticker on the right hand side of my blog). I actually know the exact date of conception - October 23rd (5 years and 2 days after Jody told me he loved me for the very first time) but they count it as starting from your the first day of your last period (sorry Fikenator and any other boys reading this! :)). Here is what has happened so far:

• I was slightly nauseous the first two weeks (this was the same time I was convincing the DH I was preggers and he was telling me I was being paranoid - ha, showed him! :)) but no morning sickness and now it has pretty much gone away (how awesome would it be if that is all I had for morning sickness???? I know, I am probably being VERY unrealistic but you can't blame a girl for trying!
• Boobs are starting to get a little sore but if I have gained any weight (and I don't think I really have - maybe a half a pound or a pound) it is in my boobs. They are starting to come out of the bra. Yes Cynthia, this is gonna be funny for you!
• My workouts were not very good last week - I really already knew I was preggers and it was really distracting me. Hard to put all your energy and effort into a hard workout when you are totally preoccupied with weather or not you are pregnant. And I was really tired the first two weeks.

So, here is the scoop - I am absolutely positively thrilled to be preggers. We had been casually talking about it for a year or so but had never really come to a decision...just chatted about it. We are a super active couple and just never slowed down to really consider it. I guess that is why we actually GOT preggers - it was meant to be and someone had to make the decision for us. :)

While I am thrilled to be pregnant, I also want to take really good care of my body. I have worked hard over the last few years to build muscle, keep my body fat in a range that is reasonable and have endurance and strength. I want to maintain my muscle, stay as fit as possible and gain a healthy/reasonable amount of weight.

Am I freaked out about blowing up? YES!! Hello! But I also know I can be healthy during this pregnancy and not gain more than my body needs. In the first 5 weeks I have eaten 5-6 meals a day - all well balanced. I have had a few cheat meals...nothing crazy.

Here is my inspiration...her name is Julie and the first two pics are her at 8 months and the last one is her at 9 months (THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU JULIE for sharing your pics and info!). Can you believe that???? Her blog is listed on the right and she is truly an inspiration. Here is her training routine while preggers: 45 minutes steady state cardio (treadmill incline walking for 45 minutes) and weight lifting 3x a week. Her nutrition was Body for Life style but with more food overall at each meal depending on appetite.



How AWESOME does she look???? AMAZING! Great job Julie!

I can't WAIT to post MY pics. No no, I WILL post my own fit pics at 9 months!

For those of you worried about me working out while pregnant, I have done a lot of reading and research: the don't get your heart rate over 140 bpm is out of date and there is lots of evidence that women who exercise their entire pregnancy. Any of you reading this who have had your own experience, please share.

The key is that you shouldn't START a new training program while pregnant but you can keep exercising at the same level - especially in the first trimester. Moving into the 2nd and 3rd I just have to be careful and pay attention to what my body is telling me.

So what have I done since I have had a bun in the oven:

• That KILLER leg workout with Amber
• A bunch of other workouts - running, lifting, sprinting, etc.
• Abs

I will keep posting my workouts on the right hand side of the screen and do weekly recaps. My plan is to workout at my regular level for first trimester and then start to scale back intensity in 2nd trimester. So first trimester, some short HIIT sessions (like 15-20 minutes), lifting 5-6 days a week, some steady state cardio. Definitely abs (can do them for the whole first tri) because the abs will be such an important part of giving birth. Remember, there will be a few months where I will really have to scale back so I want to take advantage of the ease of first trimester.

What else do you guys want to know??? TALK TO ME! :)

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to have a baby! Whoa.

Love you guys!
Jess

P.S. Tell me what you think of the new layout - I am not sure what I think about it. :)

Democracy and 7 Things (You Got Me Kelly :))

This is a democracy, so after all your comments and input, I will be keeping the same blog! You guys are already following this one and I think Jacey said it best: it WILL be the Juice is Worth the Squeeze when I give birth to something the size of a bowling ball! :) I will probably start another one with baby only updates for friends and family - great idea Lynnde. :)

So, Kelly tagged me and I am supposed to give you the 7 random things that you might not know about me. :)

1. I was on the cover of Parenting magazine when I was like 8 or 9. My dad submitted a photo of me and he won the contest and I was on the front cover. I do not have the picture (will see if I can get it next time I see him).
2. I hate centipedes. Hate them. Best way to kill them is to spray them with Lysol - because they are fast, the Lysol eventually kills them no matter what crack or crevice they get into! :)
3. I love magazines - love them. And when I get them, I have to be the first person to flip through every page - if someone else does it in front of me, it really bothers me. And I don't really look at every page but I go through every page.
4. I love old 80's 90's movies - Breakfast Club, Pretty In Pink, Legend, Neverending Story, Night of the Comet (awesome B movie). And further, I love the 80's.
5. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I LIVE for sitting on the couch and having coffee with my hubby (that's gonna change huh??).
6. I eat a fresh cut green bell pepper every day.
7. I have asthma.

That's all I have! :)

Soon to come, the first buff baby blog. :)

Jess

Thanks So Much and Need Your Help :)

You guys are amazing! Amazing!Thank you all so much for your kind and loving comments! We are so excited! SO excited. And each of you has genuine excitement for us which is beyond what I could ask for! Such a warm and positive environment here in blog land....

I thought I would answer some questions that might be floating around out there and then I have a question for you guys! ;)

Q. How did you get pregnant?
A: Well, besides the obvious birds and the bees thing...I am not on the pill and our normally carefully planned physical expression of love for each other happened to not be so careful. It only takes once! :)

Q: How far along are you and when are you due?
A: About four weeks. Middle of July.

Q: Will you workout while preggers?
A: Hells yeah! Ran 4 miles yesterday morning and did legs this morning. I have been doing a lot of digging and reading and talked to my gyno and because I was working out consistently and intensely before I got preggers, I can keep on working out. Yeah!

Q: How will you eat?
A: I will keep eating clean...and probably a lot better now that I know I am taking care of another little person. I am eating 5-6 meals a day. Whole foods. My food right now is the same since my body doesn't really need more food until I am further along. :)

Q: Why tell everyone before you are past your first tri-mester?
A: I am only telling you guys (no one at work knows I have a blog to decrease weirdness in the work place) and our family and a few friends. I know there is some risk in telling people before we are out of the first trimester but you guys are my people and if something happens (god forbid) to the baby, I will need you guys to lean on too. You are all my family!

So, here is what i need to know from you guys:

Should I just keep this blog and post my baby status updates on this blog or should I start a new blog and then come back to this one after the baby? The reason I would start a new one would be so that once the baby is here I can get back to the JWS (juice worth squeeze) blog and then people who were interested in healthy baby body health could check in on it...

What do you guys think? Post your thoughts in comments please. :)
Jess

Thoughts?