The JUICE is Worth the SQUEEZE

Going with the Flow

2011-06-08T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, things don't always work out the way you want them to (ain't that the truth! :)) so I have had to adjust my goals/plans.

This weekend was crazy - we had Jody's sister and her boyfriend in town (a really great visit with both of them) and Jody also had a lot of commitments and plans that kept him away from the house so I had a lot of solo parenting. We also had a party for Jody's dad on Saturday and had a house full of people from about 4pm -11pm. I didn't get to bed early either night (normally I go to sleep right after Truman's last feed around 8:30-9pm) so I was pooped both days. Then Sunday night I was up all night (literally) with Truman - he was extremely uncomfortable and would only sleep on my chest which makes it challenging for me to sleep. I can sleep but it's very light. Fortunately, Jody's mom was here Monday afternoon and yesterday and so I got some naps in and was able to sneak away for a doc appointment solo this morning (thank you Nana!).

Point to all this is that I wasn't able to sneak in any workouts after Friday. Which really stinks. But I also know that the most important thing for me right now is my rest and when I don't get it, my choice to workout or sleep becomes a simple one. Now if I were getting 6 hours of sleep or maybe even 5 - I would squeeze in a workout but anything less than 5 at night makes it impossible. And I also make bad food choices when I am tired - eating more sugar than I should and choosing quick processed foods over wholesome whole foods.

Anyway, just wanted to drop a quick update....which is really no new updates. I will eat the best I can through next week and squeeze in workouts tomorrow and Friday. I am accepting that workouts on the weekends may be wishful thinking if I don't have any help at home and I might just have to deal with that for the short term.

More soon! XXOO
Jess

Welcome Baby Truman & My 18 Day Goal

2011-06-02T20:29:00.000-05:00

On April 15th, we welcomed Truman Joe into our lives at 6lb/12oz, 20 inches. It was the opposite experience in every way from our daughter Francesca and I am finding out the post baby recovery and this baby are very different in general. More on that in a few but first, here are some pictures of our little man (at about four weeks old).

My blog today will be A LOT about the delivery and the experience of Tru being in the NICU for 3 weeks so if you are here to read about my fitness and health goals post baby (which I am TOTALLY cool with :)), scroll to the bottom. Otherwise, the beginning is my effort to capture our experience and share it with those of you who are interested.

Before I share the delivery (and post delivery) experience of Truman, let me refresh your memory on how Frankie arrived. I was 41 weeks (8 or 9 days over my due date) and started having contractions the night before she was born but they never got closer together and never got stronger. I called the doc the next AM and they told me to come in for a check up that afternoon. Jody and I were out having lunch and they called and said we could come in even earlier than the already scheduled appointment. We had the dog in the car and no hospital bad. When they tried to find her heartbeat (we didn't know it was a her at the time btw - both our babies have been surprises), a normally uneventful process, they couldn't and became very concerned. Without saying a word to us, the doctor called the OR and said she needed to do an immediate c-section. Needless to say, we were pretty caught off guard for what we thought would be a very different delivery experience. I was rushed to a room in the hospital stripped down and had my water broken and a node put on Frankie's head to get her vitals. She was fine - the doctor hypothesized that she just grabbed a hold of her umbilical cord and therefore they couldn't find her heart beat. At that point, I went into labor and started having contractions consistently - lasting longer and getting stronger - I was literally like a metronome. My water was broken around 4pm and I had Frankie 12 hours later.

With this pregnancy, I had been having what I thought were Braxton Hicks for a few weeks. I had also dilated to a 2 and was 70% effaced at my doc appointment just a week before I had him so I was moving a long MUCH faster than with Frankie. My original due date based on my recording of my last period had me at 38 weeks however in both of the level 2 ultra sounds I had (level 2 is when you have a really long ultra sound because of an increased risk factor - in my case age :)), the ultra sound doc wanted to move my due date as he though I wasn't as far along. The doctor actually changed my due date to May 7th (from April 28th) based on those two ultra sound. I was stubborn - insisting that I had my date correctly and they were just off because of the size of the baby. Frankie was small (only 7lbs, 1 oz at 41 weeks) and I was measuring the same and had gained the same weight so I dismissed the changed due date.

On Thursday April 14th, I had an AMAZING lunch with the CEO of our company and she shared some great news with me basically letting me know how invaluable I am to the company. I joked with her that I could have the baby now that she had shared that with me. :) Later that night, what I thought were Braxton Hicks contractions got closer together and stronger and I started timing them only to realize they were real contractions (I didn't have these with Frankie so I was unsure what "going into labor" meant). I was actually pretty darn excited to go into labor as I was pretty miserable (I hadn't been sleeping much and chasing after a two year old while 9 months preggers is no fun) so I didn't think anything about it being early. I told Jody I thought this was "it" and we went to bed knowing that if the contractions continued while I was laying down, it was the real deal. I woke him up at midnight with a bag packed and said: "this is it". We called a close friend who came to the house to take care of Frankie (that's a great friend at 2am :)) and we headed to hospital. When we got there I was at 3CM and 90% effaced. The on call doc was concerned about me going early and said he might send me home but the new doc that came on call at 7am said that if he sent me home I would be back there in 24 hours to have a baby. Here we are in the hospital.

By about 11am I was 5CM dialated and 100% effaced so they broke my water. I told the doc that if he broke my water, I would be good to go after what happened with Frankie - my contractions would get closer together and we would have a baby shortly! :) So, that DID NOT happen. My contractions stopped getting stronger and closer together. I was going backwards pretty much! :) Anyhoo, the doc decided to give me Pitocin after a couple hours of nothing. At this point I had been at the hospital for a long time. Since I was already at a 5, things started to happen fairly quickly and at 6:49PM on April 15th Truman was born.
The birth experience was awesome as the doctor turned Truman as he was coming out so Jody could be the first one to see the "parts" and Jody shouted "it's a boy!!!! it's a boy!!". And then Truman peed all over me.

Truman was taken to the nursery for the traditional evaluation and later that night (around 9pm) the doctor came into to tell us Truman had been admitted to the NICU as he was having trouble breathing. It was a very scary moment but the doc explained it happens to a lot of babies born at 36/37 weeks. Truman was lacking surfactant and had RDS (respiratory distress syndrome). Surfactant is the substance that helps remove the amniotic fluid from a babies lungs after birth and RDS is the #1 thing that premature babies suffer from. Truman was given a synthetic surfactant and had to get four doses before he recovered. He started out on a nasal canula (the tube that goes under the nose) and later had to go on a respirator. It's pretty scary when your child is in the NICU and hooked up to tubes/wires, etc. Here is a picture of our little man with the respirator. I was able to hold him with the nasal canula but not with the respirator.

Overall it was a very traumatic experience to say the least and the opposite of what we experienced with Frankie. After he got through the RDS and the lung issue and he had turned the corner (the term the docs and nurses use when a baby is starting to show big signs of improvement), we were on track to getting ready to bring him home that Sunday night. I went in for a late night feeding and as I was holding him getting ready to feed him, his heart rate shot up to over 200. His temperature also started to increase progressively every few minutes they took it up to 102. While I was holding him, his head arched back and he appeared very lethargic and a little like he was having a seizure. I was scared to death and I could sense the nurse was concerned as well. I then asked her the most difficult question a mom could ask: "Do I need to leave so you can attend to him?" Deidre - one of the most wonderful and caring nurses in the NICU - looked at me with pleading eyes and said "Yes, I will call you when we have him stabilized."

I walked out of the NICU not knowing if I would see Truman alive again. Jody was at home with Frankie and Nana and I called him as I walked down the hall to our courtesy room. When Jody answered I asked him to hold on until I got into the room....I couldn't tell him what had just happened without collapsing. I made it to our room and fell apart explaining how Truman had reacted. He got in his car and raced up to see me. The doctors came into our room about two hours later (felt like 20 years) and explained they had him stabilized but weren't sure what was wrong.

The next day we learned that Tru had a staph infection and would need to be hospitalized for the 14 days required to be on IV antibiotics. While we were very sad to know he would have to stay that long, we were thrilled he was alive and well and they were able to identify the problem. The next two weeks would be a trial in testing my strength as I split my time between my daughter and the hospital. In the end, I chose to spend the week days at the hospital (30 minutes from our house - so an hour round trip) and the early mornings/evenings with Frankie. She is at such a fun age right now and knew she would appreciate my time with her while Truman would have very little memory of the event. In the end, I am glad I made that choice as her joy and energy kept me sane with all of the trauma of Truman.

Our family and friends were AMAZING. We received a constant stream of positive notes and calls from everyone and the prayers and love sent our way was incredible. We are so fortunate to have such a fantastic support network and I want to thank everyone for everything they did for us during that time.

We brought him home on Monday the 9th of May and we are thrilled to say he is as healthy as a horse. Has been a regular baby since! He's eating a TON more than Frankie did (every 2 - 2.5 hours) and he isn't sleeping as well as she did yet. But I have to remind myself that he is three weeks behind so at 7 weeks old, he is really only 4 weeks from his due date. I am hoping that his sleeping settles down before I go back to work in 18 days (OMG!!!). But 18 days to a baby is probably like 6 months to us adults.

Frankie is SUCH a proud big sister and loves him so much. She never got to meet him while in the hospital because kids aren't allowed in the NICU however we took her up to see him through the glass into the nursery. It was a very funny moment because I had her outside the NICU holding her up and Jody and his mom were inside holding Tru. When she saw him she stuck BOTH her thumbs in her mouth and started sucking. :) Here is a picture of her holding him and another where she gave him some crayons.

For me, I struggled for those three weeks with the incredible guilt I felt for having him early.....did I wish myself into labor? Did I workout too much? Did I not eat right? Did I skip too many days of prenatal vitamins? Did I do something wrong during pregnancy to cause this lung problem?

After a lot of introspection and long talks with my rock (Jody) and others, I know I didn't WISH myself into labor - Frankie was 41 weeks and trust me, if I could WISH my body into labor, I would have with her. :) I worked out LESS with Truman and less vigorously. With Frankie I often did weights in the AM and cardio in afternoon. With Tru, I usually just did one a day - not both. And I only missed a few days of vitamins. I ate the same with Tru - pretty much did everything the same so it really makes no sense why only that I did and there is a lesson in this experience somewhere.

I did feel really good about my pregnancy this go round...here's a couple pic of me at about 36 weeks:

I did a combination of spinning, HIIT workouts and weights this pregnancy and gained about 23-24 pounds total. I gained 23 with Frankie (I think ;)) and was 125 when I got preggers with Truman (less than I weighed when I got pregnant with Frankie). Truman is 7 weeks old and I am 132lbs with VERY LITTLE exercise since I had little man and no modifications to my diet. In fact, I ate pretty crappy during the three weeks he was in the hospital. There were very little options for me in the hospital and to be honest, I probably comforted myself a bit through food.

The post delivery recovery was 10x better than it was with Frankie. I think my body going through it once was the main reason it was easier. He weighed close to the same weight as Frankie and the doc said had he gone to term he would have been over EIGHT lbs. Whoa. That's all I will say about that! :) I was able to walk right within a few hours so that was awesome (I couldn't walk for about 12 hours with Frankie).

I tried on some regular work clothes the other day and while all my clothes "fit" they don't fit the way I would like them to and some of my more fitted clothes don't really fit. :) So, I have 18 days until I return to work and have to dress NOT in sweats or stretchy type clothing. You moms out there know what I am talking about but when you are a staying at home on mat leave and are breastfeeding all the time, you pretty much wear the most comfy clothes possible. Elastic or drawstring is your friend. And that's pretty much what I am wearing every day so the reality of regular dressing hasn't kicked in yet. Anyhoo, I am SO ready to get back to work but also want to feel "ok" about my post baby bod. The hubby tells me I look great ("you just had a baby babe") but that doesn't make ME feel like I look better.

So, I have an 18 day goal to lose about 3-4 pounds. Now, my husband (who is reading over my shoulder as I type this) won't think that's a lot of weight but for a 5'3" female, that is a big goal. Also, the weight may not be the best indicator - how my clothes fit will probably be better if I gain back any muscle.

How do I plan to do this?
1. Improve my diet. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't really been doing anything with my diet - eating as I like as often as I like.
2. Do some type of workout each day.

That said, I have to be very careful about not hosing my milk supply like I did after pregnancy. Essentially, when I tried to add back in my more intense workouts (and heavy lifting) my milk supply totally dropped. I started working out much later after Frankie and so I think my milk supply had already regulated. I am hoping by starting earlier I can trick my boobs into accepting workouts. ;) I have done a few supreme 90 workouts (25 minutes tops) and so far, it seems to be fine. Wednesday I did a supreme 90 shoulders and arms workout and did hill repeats pushing the stroller. About 25 minutes of lifting and another 25 minutes of cardio. Today I did a spin HIIT workout for 20 minutes.

I will check in with you guys every couple days and also do a before after abdominal pic. Wish me luck! Aw shucks, you all know luck has nothing to do with it - it's all preparation and dedication. :)

Love you guys!! XXOO

Baby Soon? Week Late Recap :)

2011-04-07T21:15:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all!!

Crazy couple of weeks with work....of course. This maternity leave will not be as stress free for me as the first one was. I was in between clients with the last one so things felt much more "doable" in terms of being out for eight weeks. This go round, things are crazy busy but I will just have to let go and trust that our clients are in great hands. Plus I will be so sleep deprived I am sure I will barely be able to remember my name. :)

Anyway, I am 37 weeks as of today and the baby is officially full term! Some stats below:

Total weight gain 22lbs (about where I was with Frankie - maybe a pound more)
Measuring 35 weeks (top of belly to bottom of belly)
Had doc appoint this week and I am 1cm dilated and 40% effaced (my cousin tells me this could mean delivery right around the corner but mom says she was effaced for like a month - awesome :)).

Overall feeling good - sleep is difficult but still getting some. Still haven't packed hospital bag (planning on doing that tonight or in the morning) and am slowly getting things set up around the house. We don't have an official baby room because this baby will share a room with little Frankie so we are doing to set up a temporary nursery on the main floor where I can sleep and keep the baby near by. I am still tripping out that we are having another baby! AHHHH! ;)

Overall, my workouts have been pretty consistent. I think my shoulders and arms look better than they did this time around. I have definitely been working them more consistently. Here's a couple pics I took tonight after my workout (sorry they are so grainy):

Here's my weekly summary from last week:

Week of March 28nd
Monday: OFF
Tuesday AM: Spin Intervals 30 mins
Tuesday PM: P90X Back/Bi's speed round: 25 mins
Wednesday PM: S90 (Supreme 90) Cardio Conditioning 35 minutes intervals
Thursday PM: P90X Chest/Shoulders/Tris speed round: 30 mins
Friday AM: Spin Intervals 30 mins
Saturday: P90X Shoulders & Arms/speed round: 30 minutes + 30 minute bike
Sunday: OFF
Total cardio workouts: 4, total weight workouts 3

I will keep you guys posted with baby H #2 arrives! Hopefully all these workouts will make me strong enough to pop it out quickly! :) Hee hee.

Jess

Supreme 90 Cardio Challenge Review & Less Than 5 Weeks to Go!

2011-03-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone!! I hope you have all ROCKED it out these last two weeks! I am trying to post as regularly as possible but realize I am doing what I used to do and that is to wait until I have something amazing to post. ;) Who needs amazing??? I can post anytime!!

My last post was a bit somber because it was sharing what happened with my co-worker and his untimely death. :( The office is doing better but it is still a bit surreal. His girlfriend isn't back at work and not sure when she will be....I don't know how I would deal with something like that.....it feels like a bad dream to me so can't imagine what it feels like to her.

I also got pulled into a HUGE project for Walmart and P&G this week and most of my week was dominated with preparations and the meetings themselves. I still managed to have a pretty good week of workouts (see below). It was challenging barbecue I was definitely exhausted but I working out always makes me feel so much better and such a good stress release.

I am TOTALLY digging the Supreme 90 series. It's pretty awesome and despite all the little "quirks" that make it less quality than a P90X, it's a great mix up in the routine. I did the Cardio Challenge DVD this weekend and although I was a little concerned over the pelvic pressure, the workout was great!! 30 seconds on/30 seconds off for 31 minutes. A lot of compound movements and plyos. There was also a bit of core work however I just did kettlebell swings when they were doing core work and that kept the heart rate up big time! It was very dynamic cardio utilizing weights, core and high intensity moves. But my philosophy with intervals is you can do anything for ____ seconds. :) And that's just what I did. It is one I will definitely do A LOT in future workouts plus I tacked on the spin bike for 20 minutes to really burn up any extra reserves.

Here is a snapshot from the leg workout I previewed today - plan on doing it this week sometime.

Below is my weekly recap for the last two weeks.

Week of March 14th:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday AM: Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Tuesday PM: Supreme 90 - Back & Biceps- 35 minutes
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday AM: Spin Intervals - 30 minutes (followed by 15 mins back/bi finish from Tuesday)
Thursday PM: Supreme 90 - Chest, Shoulders, Tri's - 35 minutes
Friday PM: Spin Intervals - 35 minutes
Saturday: Supreme 90 - Shoulders and Arms - 35 mins
Sunday Late AM: Cathe 4-Day Split Legs Only

Week of March 22nd:
Monday: Off
Tuesday AM: Spin intervals - 35 mins
Wednesday AM: Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tris - 35 mins
Thursday AM: Spin intervals - 35 mins
Friday PM: Supreme 90 Back Bi's - 45 mins
Saturday: Supreme 90 Cardio Challenge (loved it!) -40 mins followed by 20 mins Spin bike
Sunday: Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms

On a happier note, I am 4 weeks and 4 days away from my due date with just 32 days left to go. We both can't wait to meet this little critter!

Have a great week all!!

What a Week......Remembering What Matters

2011-03-19T10:06:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on facebook you will know that I rarely post sad or bad stuff....I really believe in being silly, fun and using facebook to light up others lives or express joy/love. I feel the same about blogging....but less so because I believe it is a great place to share struggles and challenges in a longer format/context. Well, this week was a challenging week for me personally and professionally.

On Monday I got a call from a good friend of ours that their 25 year old daughter had passed away unexpectedly. She was beautiful inside and out and her life ended too soon. I don't know all the details behind her death but I know she died in her sleep and her family is not surprisingly devastated. Jody and I were both taken aback by it and forced to think about how we would deal with something so tragic if it happened to us. I don't know how I would ever get past the pain.

Jody left Monday night for a week long ski trip (thrilled he could go - it was a last minute trip that came together for him with a good friend) and on Wednesday morning I got more bad news. A coworker of mine committed suicide on Tuesday night. It is a tragic story - he had lost his brother a few years ago in a tragic car accident and his mother passed away three months ago. He had been going through a very rough time and his depression had started to severely affected his relationship and his girlfriend broke up with him. It was apparently too much for him to take and he ended his life. He lived with his girlfriend and she also works at our office. Between the two of them, they touched many, many lives. He was absolutely hilarious and was a genuinely good person who worked hard and impressed our clients every step of the way. He will be missed.

As you can imagine, Wednesday was a whirlwind - not only were we all dealing with our own tragedy, I had to communicate the terrible news to our client whom he worked very closely with. It was a very difficult time with people streaming into my office crying and struggling over why someone would take his own life. Because we are such a close knit family, it affected all of us in some way. Thursday and Friday were spent talking and remembering him in the most positive ways possible and today we have a memorial for him. Working at a creative agency means that we will have many unique and creative ways of saying our goodbyes.

Jody normally being out of town for a week would mean a lot of free time for me at night and lots of workouts, etc. I spent most of my nights squeezing in a quick workout and then working because I wasn't getting much done during the day with a lot of people needing to talk. But I did get in some workouts and overall my energy level is ok. I am not sleeping well at night just trying to get comfortable and the baby is obviously getting bigger making moving around not as easy. I am loving the Supreme 90 workouts - despite the crappy music, bad cueing it is a fast paced, fun workout that is more the speed I enjoy.

I will hop on and do a full recap Sunday or Monday but wanted to leave you with this parting thought:

Be grateful. For all that you have and the people in your life. Be thankful every day that you are able to do all the things you can do. That you have food, water, electricity, loved ones and the gift of life. While the tragedies I experienced this week were sad, the people of Japan are dealing with much more significant challenges. They are dealing with it all with grace, respect for each other and humility. Our lives can change in an instant and I want my daughter to always know I love her and will be here for her no matter what she is going through. I won't be a perfect parent but I will do everything I can do let her know she is loved.

Love you guys.
Jess

Are we there yet??? Two Week Recap and Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders & Tris Review

2011-03-13T16:42:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all! Hope you have had a FABU week!

It's been super busy for me and little Frankie got sick toward end of week (again). We have a consult a week from tomorrow to get tubes and by all accounts I think it will be a life changer for us. She is constantly sicky with a runny nose and has had about 8 ear infections. Ugh. Because I am already sleeping poorly with the large apparatus on the front of my stomach, if she is up at night, it is a killer for me because I just don't have the energy to workout. Anyhoo, everyone says tubes are amazing so I would rather get them in now than wait till baby #2. ;)

Below is a summary of workouts over the last two weeks. I have decided to alternate Supreme 90 with P90X speed rounds for my upper body. That means I will work upper three times a week and perhaps even a fourth if I sneak in a total body workout.

Week of February 28th:
Monday PM:
Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms - 45 min circuit
Tuesday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Wednesday:
OFF
Thursday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Thursday PM:
Supreme 90 Back/Bi's - 45 min circuit
Friday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Saturday:
OFF
Sunday:
Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tris followed by 35 mins spin intervals
Summary: 4 cardio workouts; 3 strength training

Week of March 7th:
Monday PM:
P90X Back Bi's Speed Round
Tuesday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 mins
Wednesday:
Off (slept about three hours on Tuesday night and just couldn't muster the energy)
Thursday AM:
Spin Intervals - 30 minutes
Thursday PM:
P90X speed round of Chest, Shoulders and Tris
Friday:
OFF (up Thursday night with baby most the night :))
Saturday:
Spin Intervals AM
Sunday:
Cathe 4-Day Split Upper Body + Boot Camp Workout (90 minutes weights/cardio)
Summary: 4 cardio; 3 strength training

If you are a Cathe fan, I would recommend you get her 4 Day Split DVD set. While I am not a fan of step (not coordinated enough :)), there are a TON of premix's on these two DVD's that rock. Here is a link to the DVD with all the premixes. I did the Boot Camp/Upper Body today and loved it!

As for the Supreme 90 Chest, Shoulders, Tri's review.....here's a couple addition thoughts in addition to the review on Supreme 90 I gave before.

There is such little cueing that when you do an alternating exercise, he doesn't indicate whether 2=1 rep or 1=1 rep. For example on P90X, there are some exercises you do that 2=1 and some where 1=1 even on a unilateral exercise.
I do like that Tony shares the weight he is using - I usually do 1/2 of what he does which works well for me. You really have no indication on here what is being used.
That said, I love the speed and pace of the workouts. I think it is a great mix/alternative to P90X. I have yet to do any of the cardio workouts because of my pelvic issues ;) but I did purchase a female jock strap that seemed to help during Boot Camp today. Hee hee.

And I am totally over being pregnant. I keep asking myself, Are we there yet???? We are only 6.5 weeks away from baby #2 and I am having TONS of anxiety but am also so excited to have my body back and have it back permanently. Now, I have to keep reminding myself I really have about 7-8 months since I will be breastfeeding (plan to) for about 6 months BUT at least having my bladder back and not feeling so cumbersome will be nice. :)

Keep rocking it out kids and remember, if I can get off my bohunkus and do this at 7.5 months, so can you! :)

XXOO
Jess

Sassy Saturday Video Review: Supreme 90 Shoulders & Arms and Back & Bi's

2011-03-05T12:08:00.000-06:00

Hey chicas (and chicos for those boys stumbling upon this blog)!! Hope everyone had a great week!

Had my two week doc appointment on Tuesday and I am definitely having some pelvic floor issues (let's just leave it at that eh :)) which means I have to take it a little bit easy and not do a lot of high impact exercise but I can still do the bike and all my upper body workouts just fine. Plus I have a few low impact DVD's that still get my heart going crazy - in particular some awesome kettlebell workouts. Love those.

I will give you a weekly review on Sunday or Monday but wanted to start doing some video reviews for you. I am a self admitted workout video addict so why not pass on some of my finds to you!! My hubby is the opposite and likes to do his own stuff. One day he asked me about why I liked them so much and after thinking about it, it occurred to me that I love them because I enjoy having someone else tell me what to do. My job is fairly stressful and I spend my days directing teams and people to deliver for our clients. Having someone plan out and tell me what to do in my workout is very relaxing for me.

Anyhoozle, a couple months ago I caught an infomercial for a program called Supreme 90. I was a little shocked and appalled they would so blatantly hijack the P90X system with their references to 90 days, muscle confusion and shocking the body. I knew there was no way at $19.95 they could put together a program that would be anywhere close to P90X.

Fast forward two months and I see it at Bed Bath and Beyond of all places (JUST where you would expect to find workout videos right?? :)) and picked it up for $19.95 (yes, you heard me correctly. Since I am 32 weeks or 8 months pregnant, I will not be doing the full 90 days program but I think I would really like to do it as a full program post baby. The cardio workouts seem harder and more insanity style which is what I prefer. I have done both Shoulders & Arms and Back & Bi's and plan to do Chest, Shoulders, Tri's tomorrow and put into a regular part of my pregnancy rotation. It was immediately clear to me these are nothing like P90X. Here's some highlights of why:

Things that might matter if you are a hardcore P90Xer looking for something to mix it up):

It's circuit style weight lifting - no rests or breaks.
Workouts are around 40 minutes start to finish.
There are no countdown timers for either exercises or the full workout. I really like that feature for P90X and most workout DVD's - it's mental for me but because these are fast paced and fairly short, it's ok.
You can't fast forward by chapter - meaning, if you hit fast chapter forward or reverse you go to the end or beginning.
Ab/core work is done at the beginning of both of these and much of the exercises incorporate the core.
The warm up and cool down was the same on both DVD's. Pretty basic.
I was sweating like crazy when I was done. I do P90X circuit style as well and fast forward through all the breaks so the 59 minute shoulders/arms workout is done in about 30 minutes.

Things that might matter to some but are just details in the grand scheme of things:

I honestly felt like I got a better "pump" but that might be because I have been doing P90X for so long and because of the new exercises.
There isn't a lot of cueing or true weight lifting pointers.
The menu is very basic. Very.
People in the videos are super ripped. Way more ripped that P90X.
The instructor doesn't do the workouts - just hosts.
The set is very basic - nothing like a P90X set.

So far my assessment/recommendation is this: for $19.95 - why NOT add it to your workout rotation?? Especially if you have been doing P90X for awhile and want something different. It is totally worth the price although if you want or think you are getting a P90X quality workout, prepare yourself you will not.

You can pick up the set at Bed, Bath & Beyond, Academy Sports or online at https://www.supreme90day.com/

Enjoy and have a great weekend!!
Jess

Hump Day Happiness!

2011-03-02T21:48:00.000-06:00

Hey y'all!!

Have some updates....and hopefully will get more into the swing of things with blogging. I am feeling totally back to normal and we haven't had any bad weather so I've had a normal schedule. Frankie had another ear infection weekend before last (we're going in for a consult for tubes in two weeks) but she is feeling 10x better and life is grand as a result.

I am eight weeks away from baby #2. Have gained about 20lbs total so far and anticipate staying at the 25lbs total gain mark. Without sharing too much TMI (or in this case it would be WTMI), I am having some issues with my lower girl parts that are going to slow me down a bit. Basically, I strained some things (not working out - just doing things we all do every day) and I probably won't be jumping around as much as I have been. Let's just leave it at that. :)

Anyhoo, below is a recap of my workouts last week (not bad) - and I track my workouts on the right hand side of my blog so I can keep you updated.

Week of February 21st:
Monday AM:
Cathe Maximum Intensity Strength - 60 Mins
Spin Bike (steady state) - 30
Tuesday AM:
TurboFire HIIT 25 + 2 rounds (total of 30 minutes)
Wednesday PM:
P90X Chest, Shoulders, Tris
Thursday AM:
HIIT on the Bike - 30 mins
Friday AM:
P90X Back & Bi's
Saturday Noon:
Cathe HIIT - 30 mins
Sunday:
OFF

I gotta tell you guys, I can't WAIT to get my body back. I don't relate to women that love to be pregnant. I am happy for them but it's definitely not something I want to do again. Two is plenty. :) I just keep telling myself eight more weeks, eight more weeks, eight more weeks. I can do anything for eight weeks!

Gonna start doing workout video reviews for you guys. I have a TON of them and my girl Kelly O does them pretty regularly and it is a great way to share with you videos/programs I like that you might like too. :)

Will kick that into action this weekend!!
Love you guys!
Jess

Cabin Fever, Fever Fever and one long week!

2011-02-20T10:22:00.000-06:00

If you watched the news at all, you saw that we got 22 inches of snow here in Arkansas week before last. Now, for people that live in Minnesota or Nebraska or really any place north of Iowa, that's a regular snow dump. For Northwest Arkansas it's the most snow we've had in one single snow since 1918 and the first time in 26 years the post office hasn't delivered the mail. This was the third week since Christmas we had closed schools and closed daycare. So last week (not this week), I worked Monday and Tuesday in the office, woke up to 22 inches of snow and -17 degree temperatures and closed schools/daycare, etc. UGH!!! I showed the pic of snow from our last snow...but check this one out - we got A LOT more.

And we live on a SUPER steep hill and our driveway is pretty much impossible to get up and down. So, we parked the SUV at the bottom of the driveway and got up and down using this mode of transportation. :)

The biggest challenge for me was that I still had to work and that is tough to do with an 18 month old at home. While daddy was home and a big help, if baby sees mommy around she wants to be with mommy. So I would have to sneak around a bit to get some work done.

I got in some great workouts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then Thursday hit and I had a fever, the chills and definitely knew something was wrong. By Friday night, I was really sick. Runny nose, cough, exhausted. The funny thing was on Wednesday when I worked out, I had to really go get the workout. Meaning, I had to really talk myself into the workout. And normally I don't. I should have listened to my body and known that something was coming and I needed to rest.

At 9 weeks out from due date, my body is definitely starting to react differently. I find myself more out of breath and it's more laborious to move around. I asked the hubby to switch sides of the bed with me for sleeping because of my increase in bathroom trips at night. :) But I can't imagine NOT working out while pregnant. I feel so much more powerful and so much healthier. This week, I was still sick Monday, Tuesday and finally felt better Wednesday morning. This was the first full week I worked in about three weeks and it felt SOOOOOO LOOOOOONG. Thank goodness for President's Day tomorrow!! WOO HOO!

I did P90X Shoulders and Arms yesterday and plan on hitting a full body workout with some cardio today. Still not feeling a 100% but definitely want to get back after it.

Hope you are all having a great week! XXOO

Previous Belly Bump and Snow, Snow, Snow!!

2011-02-04T20:57:00.000-06:00

Hey y'all!! Hope you are having an awesome week!! It is NUTS here in Northwest Arkansas. We have been pummeled with snow and there's no end in sight. I know there are many other areas across the US experiencing the same thing so I feel for everybody....the only challenge or different with Northwest Arkansas is we literally have like three snow plows.Total. And people here simply don't know how to drive in snow (how would they?? :)) so it's pretty crazy. Schools have all been closed since Tuesday. Yikes! Here's our deck. This wouldn't look out of place in Iowa or Wisconsin but in Arkansas, it is. And still coming down.

So my good pal Kelly O suggested I post the old pics of my belly bump so you can see my progress. And like any typical mom, I haven't done half of the things I did for the first pregnancy - like take weekly pics. :) So I will have Jody take a pic of me in the next week or so to share. I am pretty sure the belly is bigger at this stage but I weigh less overall. You can double click the pic below for a bigger view. Yippee!

Looking at the pics, I think I am showing about a week ahead (so I look like I did at 29 weeks at my current week of 28).

So one thing I LOVE about having a home gym (since my last blog, we moved and have an awesome set up - have a walkout basement that has a huge bonus room we converted to a workout room) is that when the weather is bad, I don't have to stress cause I can't run outside, can't drive to the gym, worry about gym hours, get a baby sitter, etc. LOVE IT.

Here's what I have done so far this week:

Monday: Off
Tuesday AM: Turbo Fire 25 HIIT Workout with three extra rounds - 35 mins total
Wednesday AM: P90X Shoulders and Arms - all my P90X workouts are done Jessica style (no breaks/rests)
Thursday AM: Cathe HIIT Pyramid Workout (30 minutes intervals)
Thursday PM: P90X Back/Bi's
Friday AM: Spin Intervals - 5 min warm up, 25 minutes intervals 1 min on, 1 min off, 5 minute cool down

If you aren't familiar with these workouts, they are high intensity plyometric rounds - lots of jumping and leaping. I usually only work legs once every week or two weeks because of the intensity of these workouts on my legs. I LOVE them!! TurboFire is another Beachbody product and Cathe can be purchased on Cathe.com or Collage Video.

Good week so far....not sure what I will do this weekend - probably P90X Chest/Shoulders/Tris and a full body cardio type workout. Weekends I usually just play by ear but definitely need to get another upper body work out in and another cardio workout. Body is definitely taking longer on recovery - feel muscle soreness for probably a half day longer.

I hope each of you are having a great week! Anyone have any recommended HIIT workouts they love? Tell me about it! :)
Jess

Metamorphosis: Fitness Life After Baby

2011-01-31T21:35:00.000-06:00

Yes, I am back to blogging. Officially. (P.S. I actually shut down my blog a while back because some foreign wankers were hijacking comments to give all you good followers a virus. NOT cool.)

My last post was July 26th, 2009 - just four days after our baby girl introduced herself to us. Life has totally and completely changed. More on that shortly (might not be what you think :)).

Why am I back? Well, let me share my top ten list with you starting with #10:

10. I soooo miss this aspect of my pre-baby life.
9. The community of support I receive from blogging is AMAZING.
8. It's a great way to share my thoughts/opinions.
7. It's a great way to share my experiences so that they might help others.
6. I can say the STUPIDEST things and you guys love me anyway.
5. Being a mom is tough - knowing there are others out there with my same challenges - time, patience, weight and balancing makes me feel like I'm part of a team.
4. I need feedback from a larger community - one that gets what I am trying to do and why I am trying to do it (which is ultimately to be healthy, fit and show my kids why health is so critical to life - and yes, I said kids - plural - more on that in a few).
3. Kelly Olexa pretty much double dog dared me. Actually more of a triple dog dare if you ask me but regardless, I will take that challenge!! :)
2. My husband told me one day how proud he was of my blogger commitment and the happiness he saw it bring me.....he was right - blogging is a part of my life!
1. I love each and everyone of my blogger peeps. Without you, this journey wouldn't be as fulfilling.

So, let's get to the nitty gritty. Let me give you the reader's digest version of the last year and a half.

July09 -February '10: Holy crap having a baby is HARD!! I had about 22 stitches (sideways no less - sorry to any guys reading this :)) and walking was very challenging for the first two weeks. Breast milk came in and I had NO idea I could be that hungry. OMG, I was starving all the time breastfeeding. Literally thought I could eat a horse. Total weight gain was about 25 lbs with Frankie. I would say I lost most of the weight (and yes, I wish I had kept better records) in the first 4 weeks and was back in my regular clothes as quickly but still had another 5-7 lbs to go. Frankie had colic so I had a lot of trouble with getting my diet to a place where she could tolerate it - literally ended up eating only green beans, chicken and rice. Ugh. I went back to work at8 8 weeks and started exercising with about 5-7 lbs to go - but when I would do anything more that a light lift, two things happened - first, my milk supply dropped drastically and secondly, she would react negatively to the lactic acid. Ultimately, I decided to not stress or obsess, I enjoyed breastfeeding and put my daughter first. It sucked mentally because I wanted to workout but knew it wasn't what was best for her. And here's why:

February -August '10: I had stopped breastfeeding and had about 3-5lbs of weight to lose but really needed to focus on my body composition more than anything. I had lost a lot of muscle and had some of the typical belly weight to lose.We had a trip to Mexico planned and I was determined to look good for just having had a baby. I was on a mission! But I also had a LOT less time. Balancing a baby, job and trying to squeeze in workouts changed everything. I used to workout an hour + each day - sometimes twice a day. I used to stayed at the office until 6 or 6:30 pm and had plenty of time after to workout at my leisure. With Frankie, I had to leave the office at 5:15 to pick her up from daycare, get her home, feed, bathe and get her in bed around 7:00 pm. After that I would work to try to catch up on not working later and then if I had any energy, I would workout. I finally figured out I had to workout in the mornings. Now that my boobs were back to regular size again, I felt more comfortable working out.

I started out with p90X workouts but did them in a cardio format....I literally fast forwarded to the next exercise after I finished my reps so I would literally finish an hour long workout in 25 minutes and I would be drenched in sweat.

Then I got really crazy and ordered Insanity from Beachbody. OMG!! I thought I was going to die after the warm up much less the workout but I could get in a great workout in about 40 minutes. Insanity is an awesome workout - Shaun T is a great instructor and the workouts were so much fun. The premise is high intensity intervals or HIIT training and I was hooked. The regular Insanity program of 6x a week of that type of workout was too intense for me but I created a hybrid between P90X and Insanity that I LOVED. I did one of the 40 min Insanity workouts, a P90X Plyo or Interval workout every other day and did a P90X weight workout on the alternate days with one day off.

My eating was less regimented as I just didn't have the time to prepare food or plan the way I used to but I would guess I was around 2000 cals a day. But certainly not all whole foods or anything else crazy. I lost all the weight and THEN some. If memory serves me, I was around 129-130 when I got pregnant with Frankie. By the time we left for Mexico I weighed about 122 which is the lowest I had ever been EXCEPT when I was getting ready to compete which was so crazy.

How could it be that I was in better shape than I had ever been (except post contest prep) and I was working out less than I ever had???

No more 90 minute workout sessions or two a day workouts and I was smaller and leaner than ever?? What???

Here's what I learned:

HIIT workouts WORK. Your body becomes a fat burning furnace during and long after the workout. With Insanity, your whole body is engaged.
Workouts that are short can be just as effective. My hubby has been doing this for years - he is 43 years old and has the body of a 25 year old.
Being laid back about my diet and workouts and putting my daughter and husband first made me workout harder and smarter and the results showed.

I don't have any full body shots to share with you but here's a pic of me a little less than a year after I had our daughter that shows my progress.

We went to Mexico at the beginning of August and had an amazing trip. In late August, I found out I was PREGGERS again!! YAY!!! So, it's now January and I am 27 weeks pregnant. So far I have gained about 15-16lbs but am about 4lbs lighter than I was at this same time in my pregnancy which is awesome.

Weekly workouts right now, look a little like this:

3-4 HIIT cardio worktouts on the spin bike or TurboFire HIIT workouts (30-40 minutes)
3-4 weight workouts - mostly upper body, possibly a total body weight workout - usually P90X or a Cathe upper body circuit (30-40 minutes)

I am due at the end of April and we don't know what we are having (gender wise). We're so excited!!! We knew if we had one we would have two and although I am totally freaked out about two, I can't wait to invite baby two into our lives.

And before I sign off, I want to say how awesome my husband has been.....he is still my best friend, my love, my soul mate. Though our lives have changed and our time is now more divided than ever, I know he sees me for me and gives me all the support I could ever ask for. I love you pumpkin.

I am so glad to be back and look forward to following you all again as well! Miss you guys - thanks for being so awesome!

XXOO
Jess

Introducing Francesca Marie

2009-07-26T07:47:00.003-05:00

Family shot - she looks just like Dad.

On Wednesday morning, July 22nd at 3:59am, Jody and I welcomed Francesca Marie into our lives. She weighed in at 7.1lbs and 22 inches long and is in perfect health. We are absolutely in love with her and I am so thrilled to have a little girl.

Labor was interesting as it started with discussion of a possible emergency c section because they were getting a very low heart rate with the external HR monitor. The drama included them sprinting me in an office chair from the clinic to the hospital (they are connected) because they couldn't find a wheel chair, putting a node on her head and breaking my water to make sure she hadn't pooped in the water (a sign of stress for the baby). Once all that happened my labor had officially started. I had gone to the doc at 6 days overdue and I was having contractions in a strange pattern. They broke my water at about 3:30 and I immediately started having regular contractions and went from a tight 2cm to 5cm in about 5 hours.

I was having back labor and made a decision to get an epidural at about 9pm. I know each of you who have had children have made your own choices to have or not to have an epidural - it was the right decision for ME and didn't slow down my labor at all. It made the experience much more enjoyable for me and I was able to enjoy my family and friends leading up to the actual delivery. I never had to get Pitocin and my contractions were literally 1 minute apart lasting for 90 seconds. I was at 10cm by 2am but they were unable to start me pushing until 3:15 because my doctor was in surgery.

I pushed for about 5 push sessions of 3 pushes each - total lasting about 20 minutes and she arrived!! I had let my epidural drip wear off a bit so that I could have control of my legs during but still couldn't feel my you know what. :) It was hard to push without "feeling" things but I had a couple of great coaches. Frankie was born without any manual interventions and outside of a squished nose, she looks great.

Next post will be all about post baby exercise plan! And I will show you the before baby pic!!

Hope you all are doing awesome! The next 8 weeks will be spent enjoying time with my daughter, husband and catching up on you guys!

Love to all!
Jess

40 Weeks + One Day - STILL PREGNANT! :)

2009-07-16T16:00:00.003-05:00

Hey everyone,

At last update I was just a month out and feeling great! I am still feeling great however I am now one day past due and this little baby hasn't budged!

Here are my updates:

Weeks: 40 + 1 day
Weight Gain: 23lbs (average at this point is 35lbs)
Fundus (belly measurement): 37 weeks
Had an ultra sound three weeks ago and baby was estimated at 7.5lbs (already!!)

My workouts have been great with the exception of last week.....and here's why.

Three weeks ago, my step father passed away peacefully at home after a three month battle with cancer. He was surrounded by his kids, his wife, grandson, brother and dog and went painlessly and peacefully. We are very sad to lose Jack but we also know he is in a better place and lived a full and wonderful life. I will miss him dearly.

Two weeks ago, I started having major pre-labor/false-labor symptoms and had dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced. I was no longer having the "subtle" Braxton Hicks (Jody likes to call them Toni Braxton's) contractions but was having really strong contractions - not full blown but they were strong and got closer and closer up until 5 mins apart lasting for a minute. I laid down that night to sleep and about an hour later the contractions stopped. And I had every other symptom as well. Then last week I went in and was a tight 2 and 60% effaced. My mom drove down from Iowa to bring my aunt half way (she lives in Louisiana) and stayed for a week. We all thought baby was coming. Then a week ago, after my 2/60 appointment everything stopped. No more contractions, nada. And I literally have felt like I did three weeks ago. CRAZY!

And trust me guys, I have done everything to get this baby to come including:

Spicy food (lots of jalapenos)
Acupuncture
Got a massage
Pedicure
Castor Oil (yes, tried it and you are just miserable and pregnant)
Sex (sex and more sex)
Walking (like an hour in the AM and an hour at night

So yesterday I went into the doc and I am still 2/60. The good news is my doc is awesome and isn't wanting to talk induction until next week. I have an appt Thursday and they will do an ultra sound and make sure the baby is doing well.

I have a stubborn baby in my belly! Stubborn. But I am also just a day past the due date so will let baby H come when baby H wants to come.

Here are a couple pics of me post workout inspired by Julie and her baby belly pics! :)

If I have the baby I will post a new blog to let you all know ASAP! Sorry I haven't posted a whole lot - I feel like I don't really have a lot of new news. :)

Love you guys and thanks for all the comments and coming back to check on me!!

Jess

Week 35 and Family Update

2009-06-14T09:23:00.008-05:00

Hi everyone!! Thanks so much for all of your notes and comments....the pregnancy is doing awesome - I am feeling great and I have MUCH to update you on!!

Stat Update:

Weeks: 35
Weight Gain: 19 (average is around 25)
Fundus (belly measurement): 33 cm or 33 weeks
At last doc appt I had only gained about 3 ounces which kind of worried me but the doc said it wasn't an issue at all - because I have been gaining weight consistently and my belly is still growing, doc says everything is on track.

Monday is my next doc appt (tomorrow) and they will actually do the FULL check up if you know what I mean. With a little less than 5 weeks to go, maybe I will have a little dilation - maybe??

We had two incredible baby showers - one for family and close friends and another with close friends and co-workers. We received tons of wonderful gifts and had a great time!! I have a bit more work to do on the baby room and then will take some pics for you. We have the essentials - crib, diapers, car seat. :) Here are a couple pics from the showers (we are waiting to get more pics from people who took more pics and I will post them for you soon!):

Other fun facts:

No stretch marks - YEAH!!! :) Still rubbing the tummy butter every morning and then put on my Bella Band over top. I think it is working!
Workouts are definitely getting harder - I am sure it is a combination of additional weight gain, diaphragm getting smaller and just having a bigger belly.
Sleep is the biggest challenge right now - tough to find a comfortable position and lots of peeing throughout the night.
No swelling - rings still fit. YEAH!
LOTS and LOTS of baby movement - getting kicked in the ribs - LOTS and is sometimes painful - I find myself stretching out as long as I possibly can to give the little critter more room.
Not so much room in the tummy right now lots of small meals and snacks.
Workouts right now are still 3-4 body pump style workouts a week and 3-4 cardio sessions - usually Spin or Elliptical. Will probably go back to walking or even some light jogging in a week or so (once the baby is full term to encourage delivery :) hee hee). Also want to do some yoga again to make sure I am fully stretched and ready.
Jody is getting more and more excited about our new family unit and he is going to be an AMAZING daddy. I fall in love with him more each day thinking about what a great dad he will be.

Now, the bad news.....we have had a number of family health challenges over the last month which is one of the main reasons I haven't been posting much. My father in law had double by-pass heart surgery. He did NOT have a heart attack but instead listened to his body - he had very low energy, tingliness in his arms and tightness in his chest. He went to the doc and they found out he had 95% blockage in his main artery. If he would have had a heart attack he would have died instantly with how bad the blockage was....I am so thankful he went to the doctor. He had his surgery about 3 weeks ago and is feeling so much better. Very weak but better. We are so thankful the doc found it so he can enjoy many, many years with his grand baby.

And for the really bad news, my step-dad Jack was diagnosed with bladder and prostate cancer about 2 months ago. He went to the Mayo clinic and had been going through chemo and radiation when they rechecked him and found neither tumors had decreased in size. They then did a bone biopsy and found the cancer has metastasized in his bone. Because he has stage 4 bone cancer they have given him about 4 weeks to live. After talking to my doctor about the situation, she ok'd us to drive to Iowa to see him and say our goodbyes. While the 9 hour trip in the car was not the most comfortable in my current pregnant state, Jody and I were so glad to be able to go visit and spend some time with him to say our goodbyes. It was also really good for my mom to see the baby belly in all its glory - life affirms life and I think me being there eased some of her pain. We also set up a Caring Bridge site for her so that she can post about Jack's health and people can stay updated through the journal versus calling constantly and my mom having to repeat the same thing over and over again. Jody made mom and Jack both laugh a ton which was great to see smiles and hear laughter.

My mom and Jack have been together for 12 years and he is a wonderful person who has had a fantastic life. While it is ending too soon (he is 68), he has done so many amazing things and has had tons of memories to take with him. He has three children and many grand children and has been a great member of our family. I love him dearly and will miss him terribly. I hope this baby will provide a welcome distraction to my mother during her grief....she is going to be a wonderful grandmother and I can't wait for her to meet our new addition.

I can't stress enough how important it is for all of us to live each day in as healthy a way as possible. Both my father in law and my step dad smoked for many many years (35 and 25 years respectively) and didn't exercise or eat well. While it is tragic their health has taken a turn it certainly makes me even more grateful for the health choices I have made - not smoking, exercise and eating well. While I can't stop anything bad from happening, I can certainly decrease the chances.

And make sure that you cherish each moment with those you love - make sure they know much you love them.

Thanks again for your comments and checking in on me....will keep you posted over the next few weeks as we get closer to BABY TIME! :)

Love you guys!
Jess

Well HECK!

2009-05-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

Updated pic - hopefully you guys can see the pic ok when you open up the image in bigger view. Belly is DEFINITELY growing. :) It's official I am preggers. I only have SEVEN more weeks - can you believe it???? Holy cow.

Updated stats:

Weeks: 32.5
Weight Gain: 17 (average is around 23)
Fundus (belly measurement): 30 cm or 30 weeks
Other stuff: sleep was rough for awhile but I am getting more used to it now and am sleeping much better. No swelling or bloating - rings still fit fine. Bladder is ok - definitely starting to go more often but I am not miserable with 20 minute bathroom breaks. Boobs getting bigger.

I guess I am getting my first glimpse at being able to manage (or not manage as it turns out) all of my responsibilities as a new mom. Right now my non-work time is divided up between:

Sleep (body is needing more right now - 8 hours minimum a night - I used to only get 7)
Reading: I am reading a ton right now about labor, delivery and what to do with the little critter once it gets home including breast feeding, sleep patters for baby and all of the new things I need to know with a little one.
Working Out: As I gear up for birth, my workouts are changing a bit....my full body workouts are the same in terms of frequency and weight load but I definitely have to take longer breaks if I get out of breath. Cardio wise, I am still spinning, walking and doing elliptical 3-5 days a week. But again, I notice I am more out of break. As I get closer to delivery, I am even MORE focused on muscle and endurance as I feel strongly both will serve me well in the delivery room.
Nesting: Yes, you really do nest - lots of nesting. Lots of organizing and making lists of things to do. :)

I am SO looking forward to having my waist back and getting back into regular workouts. While I definitely love working out pregnant, everything feels different.

Thanks to all of you for continuing to stop by - I am sure I will start posting more the closer I get and then soon will have a baby announcement and baby pics! :) And then, I have a very special post baby blog idea planned and I think you guys are going to LOVE IT!! :)

Love you all - take care and happy memorial day weekend!
Jess

Baby Break :)

2009-05-08T09:59:00.001-05:00

Hey guys!!

Sooooooooooooooooooooooo very sorry for my hiatus. I was sick and then got really, really busy with work and the baby is getting REALLY big so I am LUGGING my belly around. :) Here is the latest pic:

I have gained 15lbs total so far. Average weight gain at 30 weeks is 21lbs. The GREAT news is that the baby at last ultra sound measurement (a week and a half ago) is estimated at 3lbs and they expect I will deliver a 7.5 to 8lb baby! So baby is getting all of their nutrients and necessary protein and fats to grow.

I am SUPER happy with my weight....its not jeopardizing the little bambino and I am going to have less work to do because I have moderated during pregnancy. My workouts have been consistent - except the week I was sick (which I took off) - I have been getting in 4-5 cardio workouts a week and 3-4 Body Pump sessions a week. I haven't had to lower my weights for Body Pump but definitely modifying my cardio based on my exertion level and hwo I am feeling.

I obviously haven't been updating my weekly workouts and need to do a month/weekly recap for all of you. For those of you out there considering children, pregnant or thinking of having another - you can be healthy and smart in how you approach your pregnancy weight gain. And working out makes you feel so powerful - I literally feel like I am going to just POP the baby out because of the steps I have taken during pregnancy. Now, that is yet to be seen - I am sure delivery day will be a BIG day. :)

Jody and I went to childbirth class last weekend which was really good. Probably more so for him than me because I knew a lot of the stuff already but we did a ton of breathing work and we learned a lot of great positions for back labor. We also did a really cool exercise where you hold ice in your hand for 60 seconds (OWWWWWWWW!!!) and then do it later with your partner massaging your other hand and talking you through the pain and that was awesome for seeing how those things help you deal with pain. The funniest thing Jody said at the end was: I didn't know about the dilating thing. :) WOW. Good thing we went to class. Hee hee.

A couple other updates:

Having tons of Braxton Hicks.Kinda funny when the belly gets hard as a rock.
Getting kicked in the ribs tons! Doc had me start doing kick counts - so how fast you get to 10 kicks after a meal or when baby is active - takes this little critter like 2 minutes - TOPS.
Back is starting to feel the baby more but doing lots of stretching and stuff to work through the discomfort.
NO stretch marks - YEAH! What has worked for me so far: I lather up my belly every morning after the shower with Palmer's Tummy Butter and then put my Bella Band on - I think this combo has made a big difference in my belly absorbing the lotion. I am also drinking a ton of water and my weight gain has been gradual - two things they say help a ton.

I love all you guys and hope you are working hard at your fitness goals!!!

I will do a VLOG this weekend (for Mama's Day) so stay tuned! :)
Jess

Sicky

2009-04-21T21:58:00.002-05:00

Hey guys...just a quickie...I am sick. One of my co-workers came to work last week sick, sick, sick and eventually was diagnosed with bronchitis. Which is awesome since he is in the cube next to me coughing his head off. Anyhoo, now I am sick (got sick Sunday) and stayed home from work today. The bad thing about being sick and preggers is:

I can't breathe.
I can't take anything for said lack of breathing.
As an asthmatic, colds = more asthma = not awesomeness.

Will try to get in some little workout tomorrow but will probably just be a lift and maybe some light cardio if I don't cough up a lung.

Hope you are all having a good week!
Jess

P.S. We are still taking the pregger continuum pics - I just haven't updated yet. Will do soon!

Easter Vlog - Belly Button Ring and Wkly Recap!

2009-04-12T19:51:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter everyone! My first VLOG in a long time - almost 7 months! Video baby bump! :) And I had just finished my workout so red/sweaty face - if you could ONLY smell me too! And check out my new belly ring!

I hope you are all having a great weekend! I have to give a HUGE shout out to my hubby for his last two sporting events. He did the Hogeye half marathon last weekend with his goal of 1:44 minutes. He finished 1:44 minutes and 44 seconds. He did awesome!! Then THIS weekend he did a duathalon which consisted of a 3 mile run a 19 mile bike and a 3 mile run. His goal was 1:40 or less and he did it in 1:37!! Would have gotten top 3 in his age group had it not been a ten year age group. Normally age groups are 40-45 but they did 40-49 this time. He did AMAZING!! I am so proud of him. NICE JOB BABY!

I have been asked a lot lately if Jody is having any sympathy symptoms with pregnancy and he is but you guys are going to DIE when you hear what they are: pregnancy hemorrhoids. No joke. Now, I haven't had any hemorrhoids (sorry for those of you out there this grosses out - for those of you who have had kids - you know hemorrhoids are a reality for most pregnant women) but I thought I had one and read a bunch about them and they talk a lot about them in my pregnancy books. So all of a sudden the hubby starts saying he is having hemorrhoids. Too friggin funny. :) Thought you guys would get a kick out of that!

I am feeling pretty darn good....definitely starting to feel like the 3rd trimester is upon me - heavier belly, sleep not as easy, back hurting. And then the other night I realized that the baby could be here in as little as 10 weeks. Holy crapper. Weight gain is still at 11-12lbs - will need to weigh myself tomorrow morning. Again, feeling pretty good about everything since two pounds a week over the next 13 weeks would only put me at my original goal of 30lbs and I can't imagine I will gain 2lbs a week for the next 13 weeks but who knows. The body is a wondrous thing!

One thing pregnancy has done for me is force me to plan my workouts better and be more dilligent in keeping records. I don't know why I wouldn't have been more diligent at this previously but I just haven't been....with pregnancy it is fun to see what I'm accomplishing. And I had a long talk with a guy at my job who told me his wife ran and worked out in all of her pregnancies and she breezed through delivery - pushed the kids out super fast. How cool will that be for me??!!! :)

Here is my recap for this week - a pretty good one overall:

Week of April 6th:
Monday: Treadmill, 2% incline 6MPH jog 45 mins AM; Shoulders PM
Tuesday: SPIN 60 minutes AM; 70 minute Body Pump PM
Wednesday: 50 minutes Precor PM w/10 minutes abs PM
Thursday: SPIN 50 minutes AM; Body Pump 50 minutes PM
Friday: OFF
Saturday: 60 minutes upper body circuits, 45 minute run treadmill 2% incline 6MPH 45 minutes
Sunday: 45 minutes leg circuits followed by 45 minutes of cardio kick boxing (Cathe Legs & Glutes + Kick, Punch & Crunch cardio premix)

Running Weekly Totals:
6 cardio
5 lift: 3 Body Pump; 2 lift
0 stretch
1 days off

Have a great week everyone! Keep rocking your goals! You are ONE STEP CLOSER!!

Love you guys!
Jess

Darn RIGHT It's GOOD FRIDAY!! Monthly Recap!

2009-04-10T14:44:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday everyone!! And Happy GOOD Friday - I hope everyone is having a WONDERFUL day - some of you are probably off....I am working but clearly taking a little time away to blog.

I am feeling great!! Definitely starting to grow more (Jody says my belly looks bigger every day). But holding steady at about 11-12lbs weight gain which I am super happy with! I am almost 27 weeks so even if I gain a pound a week through the end, I will stay under my 30lb max weight. I feel really strong and powerful and LOVE how I feel after a great workout!

This week I have been NAILING it with my workouts! I already have in four cardio sessions and three lifting sessions and I plan on getting in a shoulder/bicep workout tonight followed by 1/2 hour of cardio! And the more women I talk to about how exercise helped them have faster/better deliveries the happier I am that I am having such a healthy pregnancy. My eating is awesome - I am pretty much following the Precision Nutrition principles and trying to stay compliant 90% of the time. My stomach is getting smaller and I can tell certain foods/meals fill me up a lot faster.

I have also been trying to catch up on everyone's blogs and I am slowing getting there! I hope none of you are taking that personally - you know I love you all. Work has finally slowed to a more manageable pace and that makes a HUGE difference for me on all levels - when I get home at night I can actually workout and then blog as opposed to workout and work. :(

Let me know in comments if you guys have any particular questions for me - happy to answer anything and everything!

Have a great weekend you guys! Happy Easter and love you guys!

Monthly Recap:

Totals for March:

Total days in month: 31
Total cardio: 17
Total lifts: 17
Yoga stretching: 1
Days off: 6

Compared to Monthly Totals for February:

Total days in month: 28
Total cardio: 16
Total lifts: 14
Yoga stretching: 3
Days off: 8

Difference in March vs. February:

3 more days in the month!
3 more cardio sessions!
3 more lift/weight training sessions!
2 less yoga/stretching (need to work on this!)
2 less days off!

Weekly Details:

Sunday, March 1st: 1 lift: biceps/triceps

Week of March 2nd:
Monday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM;
Wednesday: OFF (not feeling 100%)
Thursday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 minutes LUNCH
Friday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM
Saturday: SPIN class, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 65 mins PM
Sunday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins & 30 minutes yoga

Week of March 9th:
Monday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Shoulders 45 mins PM
Tuesday: Back/biceps 45 mins PM
Wednesday: Spin class - 45 mins AM; Body Pump (Muscle Max) 60 mins - 45 mins
Thursday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.3 MPH, 45 mins AM; 40 minute shoulders SLAM!
Friday: 45 minutes Body Pump
Saturday: 45 min Spin class AM; 45 minute Body Pump (Cathe Push/Pull)
Sunday: 5 minute warm up - treadmill at 4.3 10% incline, 45 minute run at 10 min miles, 2% incline, 10 minute cool down walk - 60 mins AM

Week of March 16th:
Monday: Treadmill 10% incline, 4.4 MPH 45 mins AM; Shoulders 45 mins PM
Tuesday: Spin class - 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Wed - Sat: OFF (30 minute dog walk each day)
Sunday: Body Pump 80 minutes PM

Week of March 23rd:
Monday: Treadmill, 2% incline, 6MPH jog 45 mins AM; Shoulders/Abs 45 mins PM
Tuesday: 50 minutes SPIN AM
Wednesday: 75 minutes total body weight circuit
Thursday: Shoulders/biceps/abs 60 minutes PM
Friday: Treadmill, 2% incline 6PMH jog 45 mins AM
Saturday: 70 minute body pump PM
Sunday: OFF

March 30th & 31st:
Monday:Treadmill, 2% incline, 6MPH jog 45 mins AM
Tuesday: SPIN 50 minutes AM; 75 minute Body Pump PM

Back to Blogville

2009-04-05T20:38:00.004-05:00

Hey y'all! I started catching up on blogs this weekend but I still have a long way to go! It is kind of exciting to see where everyone is after a few weeks! And of course, everyone is sill rockin it!!

Basically two weeks ago we got two of the largest projects we will have for the year laid in my lap at the same time. I work in advertising and work with the largest Consumer Package Goods company and the world's largest retailer so the speed of our business is often ridiculously fast. So, upon arriving home from our short baby moon in Atlanta, I proceeded to work 13 days in a row of 9-11 hour minimum days. This Friday I was at the office from 7am to 11pm. YUCK. Anyway, as I am sure you guys can understand, when work picks up like this, I have to make some sacrifices and blogging is one of them. :( Sorry you guys - I missed you all! Be patient with me as I continue to catch up!!

A huge happy birthday to Kelly who turned 40 last week - she is super smart, a wonderful person and beautiful on the outside and inside! You GO girl!

As you can see from my pics, the bump is getting bigger! :) It's kinda fun. I am definitely in maternity clothes full time now and at 6 and a half months, I feel great! My workouts are still kicking ass and although I get a bit more fatigued than normal, I am running with ease and lifting weights with no problem. While I only got in four cardio and three weight sessions this week and took off three days, I still feel really good about the week considering how much I worked. Anyhoozle, eating is still good. Am holding steady at about an 11lb weight gain (yesterday scale said only 10lbs) so feeling great about where I am at rounding out the second trimester. I have a doc appt tomorrow I will let you guys know how it goes!

As hubby and I were doing the week by week picture layout, I compared week 13 to week 26 and HOLY COW!! Look at how small my week 13 belly looks in comparison! WHOA!! Anyway, thought it would be funny to share with you guys! And we will do a reverse picture montage AFTER the baby - we will just take pics every day! How cool will that be??? :)

Getting ready to hit the sack but I promise to blog again this week! I have lots more to share and need to do my March monthly recap.

Keep on hitting it hard guys!! Just a few months to bikini season!!! And you can acheive a LOT in two months! :)

Have a great week everyone! Love ou all!
Jess

Looooooooong Week, Babymoon and Much Bigger Bump!

2009-03-25T09:14:00.005-05:00

Happy Hump Day everyone! New baby pic above - holy cow my belly is definitely popping out. 6 months along - 24 weeks! Total weight gain so far: 10.5lbs. Holy crap we only have 16 more weeks! AHHHHH!

I am so sorry I have been MIA in blog land and on your blogs. Work has been insane since a week ago Monday and we went to Atlanta for our babymoon last Thursday - had a great time but we spent 20 hours of 72 in a car. Yikes! And work has been absolutely NUTTY! But I think you guys have figured that out about me....when I go MIA it usually just means work is crazy. I have to prioritize and right now it is hubby, workouts, work, sleep. :) I AM growing a baby after all.

Things I've observed lately:

I had started walking uphill, fast at an incline but now running feels better. The key here is to listen to your body. :)
After FIVE spin instructors at the new gym, we found a gal we REALLY like who teaches on Tuesday and Thursday morning so those will be my spin days - always.
I can DEFINITELY tell it is taking longer for my body to recover for weight workouts - even though I am just doing full body workouts.
It is REALLY strange to do abs. I do ball roll outs, planks, crunches on a ball - all that good stuff.
I still have absolutely NO cravings. NONE. In fact, I don't even have any taste buds for eating out.
I feel SO very powerful working out the way I am...it makes me feel like I am going to have such a bigger role in the birth of our child. Can't wait!
If you are pregnant or know someone who is....I can't recommend enough working out while pregnant (with approval of your doctor)...it makes you feel so much better about your body, delivery, etc.

Below is my weekly recap from week before last...it was pretty crappy with work and this week I am feeling run down already.

Week of March 16th:

Monday: Treadmill 10% incline, 4.4 MPH 45 mins AM; Shoulders 45 mins PM
Tuesday: Spin class - 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Wed - Sat: OFF (had some activity in those three days - dog walking, walking - but no real workouts)
Sunday: Body Pump 80 minutes PM

Running Weekly Totals:
2 cardio
3 lift: 1 body part, 2 Body Pump
0 stretch
4 days off (work was CRAZY!)

I hope you guys have a great week! I hope to catch up soon!
Love to all!
Jess

I Want My Baby Bump, Baby Bump.... :) Week 23

2009-03-15T16:25:00.003-05:00

10lb weight gain

Hey y'all! I hope you are having a WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL healthy and POWERFUL weekend! I have had a pretty darn good weekend despite the fact that I worked a bunch yesterday AND today. Basically had some fantastic workouts, a lot of great time with the hubby and friends and am feeling pretty darn fantastic in general.

I had a doc appt on Thursday last week and it was AMAZING. Everything happens for a reason and I feel SO much better about the doc, the nurse and the facility. Everyone was very nice, sweet and ready to answer all of my questions. My doctor is so wonderful...a great bedside manner and very gentle (if you know what I mean - wink, wink). She gave me some great information:

Fibroid is in a great spot but she will keep monitoring it via ultra sound to make sure it isn't getting any bigger. Shouldn't interfere with birth at all.
My activity level and workout (I actually printed out a monthly recap from my blog for her) are A-OK as long as I am feeling good (which I am). She wants me to be careful with any type of balancing exercise like bicycling or something that would require a lot of balance.
Recommended weight gain is 25-35 lbs (no sh** but it was good to have the clarity from my crazy previous doc of 50-70lbs).
Everything looks great!!!
Heartbeat is 140 (and it was the last time too) which by the way is he LINE for the old wives tale - so 140 and below is a boy and 140 and above is a girl. We are straight up 140. ;) Of course.
I go back in four weeks for an updated ultra sound and my glucose test.

So very happy that I changed docs....love it! If you aren't happy with your doc, switch - ASAP!

Here is my weekly recap....I plan on doing a Body Pump workout tonight too so I have logged it and will change it if I need to later. :)

Week of March 9th:
Monday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Shoulders 45 mins PM
Tuesday: Back/biceps 45 mins PM
Wednesday: Spin class - 45 mins AM; Body Pump (Muscle Max) 60 mins - 45 mins
Thursday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.3 MPH, 45 mins AM; 40 minute shoulders SLAM!
Friday: 45 minutes Body Pump
Saturday: 45 min Spin class AM; 45 minute Body Pump (Cathe Push/Pull)
Sunday: 5 minute warm up - treadmill at 4.3 10% incline, 45 minute run at 10 min miles, 2% incline, 10 minute cool down walk - 60 mins AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM

Running Weekly Totals:
5 cardio
7 lift: 3 body parts, 4 Body Pump
0 stretch
0 day off

Overall, pretty darn good week of workouts. I am at around 90% compliance for my food - and am starting to eat more meals because of how tiny my tummy is....I was STUFFED after a small apple the other day - WHEW.

A couple of shouts out to some people that are new to the blog. Prettyface - thank you SO much for stopping by and saying hi! Yes, my doc has given me the thumbs up on my workouts. And Kia - HUGE congrats on your pregnancy! Jacey sent you my way and me yours - can't wait to follow our journey's together!!! Jacey - thank you so much for thinking of me and passing me along to Kia! Sherry Shay - CONGRATS to you too!!! You let the cat out of the bag and I am so excited for you! I hope my email to you didn't deter you from still working towards your goals!! You are gonna ROCK this pregnancy!

And to the rest of you that were so sweet and wonderful and posted so many comments on my last pic post of the night out pics - you guys are all so special and sweet! And I have to tell you, I am still feeling pretty darn sexy and sassy! My hubby says I am the hottest pregnant woman he has every seen but COME ON, he is married to me and he might want to get lucky! :) Hee hee. But it is great to feel strong and powerful.

I am still struggling with the new look in figure....I am acutally not struggling with it - I am just not ready to leave a full blog post on my thoughts. Figure is DEFINITELY becoming a softer sport and I am very interested to see hwo they will award at the Olympia as well. If you haven't yet listened to the lastest Body Sport talk radios, go to BodySport and check out the Jen Hendershott interview and the Allison Ethier interviw (NPC) - Terry Goodlad talks a TON about his thoughts on the new Bikini division along with how Figure is evolving.

And finally, the sweetest moment happened on Tuesday night with the hubby. The baby is moving a TON - like the wiggliest, wildest feelings inside of me. And when our litle peanut is really active, I can feel it on the outside. Well, I am always grabbing the DH's hand to put on my belly and feel it and low and behold as soon as I put Jody's hand there - the baby stops moving. Sneaky little devil! Anyway, the other night we were going to bed and Jody and I have a couple of little rituals...we always go to be together (99.9% of the time) and we kiss before we go to sleep. Not like hot steamy makeout (although sometimes we do that too! ;)) but always a kiss or two to sign out for the day. So I get in bed and am laying on my back (just for the kiss) and he rolls over and puts his hand on my stomach while he kisses me and BAM! the baby kicked his hand! Jody's eyes got really big and he suddenly came face to face (or hand to hand) with the fact that there is a baby in my belly!! :) I couldn't have planned it more perfectly.

I am also sorry I have been a bad blog follower this week....I have been slammed with work and have been working out and then working each night. I am going to do some catch up tonight and tomorrow night but you know I love you guys! Don't forget it.

And I do have one question for you guys....is there anything I am NOT sharing with you guys that you want to know more about?? Anything at all??? Let me know if there is and I will be happy to share!

Love you guys and have a great week!!
Jess

Night on the Town and Lovin My Baby Bump!

2009-03-08T09:06:00.005-05:00

Weight gain to date: 9lbs

Hey y'all!!! Happy Day Light Savings Time!!! Do you love Springing forward or hate it? I personally think they should do away with Day Light Savings Time (DLST)... it was invented for farmers that now use equipment with lights so why can't we just NOT have DLST? Help a sister out - if any one knows of another reason I would love to hear it. And from what I understand, it is really hard to get your kids back on a schedule after DLST.

Check out new baby bump pic above...definitely starting to bump out more and more. I am actually loving this stage with two exceptions: 1) I am not quite big enough to fill out my maternity clothes and not small enough to wear my old clothes. 2) I get full really easily. And by the end of the day, I feel like I swallowed a basketball - I have no room left. BUT other than that, pregnancy is awesome. I feel so blessed and lucky. I had a week of drama but in 22 weeks, a week of drama is pretty easy to deal with. And the baby is moving like crazy - before it just felt like little flutters and now it is full out karate practice happening inside my belly. :) So much fun. Jody hasn't felt it yet - but I am sure he will soon - just have to time the baby moving to his hand on my belly right!

The other pics are of me ready for date night with my hubby so you could see what I look like preggers in regular clothes. The shirt is actually a shirt I have from pre-pregnancy - ruched shirts are the BEST! They show your curves but not every bump and lump. And those pants I have on are the absolutely BEST. They are from Japanese Weekend and are their luxe jersey gaucho pants. At $56 they are a little pricey but TOTALLY worth it. So cute cause you can wear them with heels, boots, flip flops...really anything. And SO comfortable. And the only reason they are maternity is because of the soft band at the waist that you can roll - but I will totally wear these post pregnancy. It is kinda fun to wear clothes now since I LOOK pregnant. :) BTW, I had a WONDERFUL date night with my hubby - very romantic. Everyone needs date night now and then!

My workouts are feeling really good...I have had a really good week this week. I am entering in my workout for today as "planned" and will update it tonight if I don't adhere. :) Eats are good too....just a couple of cheat meals - I may even switch to 7-8 meals a day just because of how "full" I feel. Here is my weekly recap:

Week of March 2nd:
Monday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM;
Wednesday: OFF (not feeling 100%)
Thursday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 60 minutes LUNCH
Friday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins AM
Saturday: SPIN class, 45 mins AM; Body Pump 65 mins PM
Sunday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, 45 mins & 30 minutes yoga

Running Weekly Totals:
6 cardio
3 lift: 3 Body Pump;
1 stretch
1 day off

Now, on to the Arnold....I will do another post this week on my thoughts about the Arnold placings however I want to say congrats to all the competitors! All of them looked absolutely BEAUTIFUL - stunning! I am not sure what I think of the bikini competition and clearly they are rewarding softer looks in figure. A HUGE congratultions to Stacey and Tina who looked so beautiful and got up on stage and rocked it!!! Nice job ladies!!!

Have a great weekend everyone! Keep up the hard work - the year is almost 1/4 of the way through - are you on track to reach your goals????

Jess

Monthly Recap and Baby Bump 20.5 Weeks!

2009-03-01T19:32:00.001-06:00

Hey y'all! New bump pics for you....Kinda funny week 20.5 looks less bumpy that week 19.5. Funny huh? Who knows - maybe I ate more last week..?? ;) I will have Jody take a pic of me in my maternity clothes on the way to work one of these days and post it for you since it is weird to see me in maternity clothes versus my green (GRRR!) shorts and blue tank. :)

I hope everyone had an absolutely WONDERFUL weekend! I certainly did...hanging with the hubby and feeling like $1 million bucks! :) I can't tell you the peace of mind I got from the Thursday ultra sound and talking to smart docs. I have had a couple great workouts and plan to get back to my normal regimen tomorrow. Plus I will dial in my eating back in...for me, when I can't work out, I struggle with eating super healthy which is actually silly b/c if I could eat good I can stop whatever ill effects I could have from not working out. But it's mental so what can you do??

I can't believe the Arnold is NEXT weekend!! A huge shout out to Tina and Stacey who are competing at the show! You guys are going to ROCK IT! Someone please stop by Carla Sanchez's VPX booth and tell her Jessica said hi - she has been so awesome to talk to during my pregnancy and I am sure she is absolutely gorgeous in person!

Below is my monthly recap for February. I technically took off two full weeks (with a smattering of workouts during those two weeks) and since February is a short month, it was definitely not my best in terms of total number of workouts. BUT with the complications I had which cause the two weeks off I am absolutely 100% OK with taking that time off. What is most important is the bambino and taking care of my precious cargo. :) And God forbid, if I have anything else happen, I will be happy to take more time off. My goal is to be healthy and active and share my journey of pregnancy fitness and my post postpartum rebound.

So here is how February shaped up:

Monthly totals for February:

Total days in month: 28
Total cardio: 16
Total lifts: 14
Yoga/stretching: 3
Days off: 8

Compared to monthly totals for January:

Total days: 31
Total cardio: 31
Total lifts: 18
Yoga/stretching: 3
Days off: 3

Difference in January vs. February:

3 less days in the month!
15 fewer cardio sessions
4 fewer lift/weight training sessions
Same number of yoga stretching
5 additional days off

And here is the weekly detail of my workouts!
Week of February 23rd:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: Biceps (light)
Wednesday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.2 MPH, 30 mins
Thursday: Body Pump 60 mins
Friday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.2 MPH, 30 mins
Saturday: Treadmill, 10% incline, 4.2 MPH, 30 mins; 60 mins Vinyasa Yoga
Sunday: Biceps/triceps

Running Weekly Totals:
3 cardio
3 lift: 1 Body Pump, 2 bi's, tris
1 stretch: 1 yoga
1 day off

Week of February 16th:
Monday-Friday: OFF (rest and recovery on doc's orders)
Saturday: Biceps and shoulders - 45 minutes
Sunday: Light leg workout - 30 mins, Elliptical - 30 mins.

Running Weekly Totals:
2 cardio
2 lift: 1 bi's/shoulders & 1 legs
5 days off

Week of February 9th:
Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 mins plus 15 mins stability ball abs PM
Tuesday: Yoga 30 mins AM; Shoulders/abs 40 minutes & 30 minutes elliptical PM
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Thursday: OFF (yeah! :))
Friday: 55 minute SPIN AM;
Saturday: 45 minute SPIN AM
Sunday: OFF

Running Weekly Totals:
5 cardio
3 lift: 2 Body Pump; 1 shoulder
1 stretch
2 days off

Week of Feb 2nd:
Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Tuesday: Shoulders - 45 mins PM
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Thursday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class PM
Friday: 70 minute Body Pump workout (double arms) followed by 30 minute steady state cardio PM
Saturday: 45 minute AWESOME SPIN class! AM
Sunday: DOUBLE Body Pump - 1 hr, 45 mins WHEW

Running Weekly Totals:
6 cardio
5 lift: 4 Body Pump, 1 body part :)
0 stretch
0 days off

Have a great week everyone! Love you guys!
Jess

Grinning Ear to Ear and New Ultra Sound Pics! :)

2009-02-26T12:35:00.005-06:00

Tummy, leg and foot!

Profile. Think he/she has my nose?? :)

Profile and thumb sucking.

Ahhhhh.........mental relief. I had my level II ultra sound today with people that have a brain and actually know what they are talking about! :) It was at a separate facility and they teleconference with the main hospital in Little Rock to a physician there who is trained and specializes in reading ultra sounds.

I am happy to report our little baby is 100% healthy (barring any enzyme or blood disorders that can't be detected by the ultra sound!)!! The baby is growing exactly at the rate it should be....and everything is in perfect proportion. :) YEAH!!! I looked away when they verified gender...I am so looking forward to our suprise! For the record, I have said all along it's a boy. Keep having boy dreams. :)

The other good news is that the fibroid is getting smaller and is in the BEST location possible - right under my belly button. So, they don't think it will interfere with delivery or the baby for the duration of the pregnancy. The doc said there MAY be some additional pain and discomfort on and off as a result of the fibroid and they can treat the symptoms but can't do anything about the fibroid. Because it is shrinking, the likelihood of pain or other complications is low. My pre-term labor contractions two weekends ago were from the blood supply getting cut off to the fibroid and causing it to degenerate (as I read online). They ALSO said every thing else looked great and they told me it is A-OK to exercise!

I walked out of the appointment floating with happiness...our baby's heart, stomach, lungs, kidneys, skull, legs, arms, face...all are perfect! Such a relief. Ahhhhhhhhhh. I couldn't stop smiling. Unfortunately the DH was out of town and I tried to reschedule the appt but they couldn't get me in until April. Yikes. But I got some great pics and he was just happy to hear all is well.

Got home tonight and did Body Pump....man, I missed working out. Felt really good. Kept my weight moderate and really watched myself on some of the exercises. I am going to do some treadmill time in the am and see how that feels.

Hope you guys are having a kick ass week! Since I am back at the workouts, I will be keeping my rolling log updated on the right side of the blog. :)

Love you guys!
Jess

What a Difference Two Weeks Made!! New BUMP Pics!

2009-02-22T09:53:00.007-06:00

I told you guys my bump popped! Holy cow! It looks so crazy in just two weeks! WHOA! :) Kinda fun though...I am actually starting to look a little pregnant. Which I like...as opposed to looking chubby - I like pregnant! :) And I wore maternity clothes last week which was a little weird. Click on the pic above if you want to see it BIGGER!

I wanted to thank EACH of you for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. As I have said 1,000 times, I am so lucky to have you all in my life and I am blessed to have this support system. I only shared the story with you b/c I knew you would each view it with compassion and empathy. I am sure your prayers and thoughts are one of the reasons nothing more has happened. :)

I am feeling SOOOOOO much better - no thanks to my old doc. I have slept the last three nights without hardly any discomfort or pain (night time was always when the pain peaked) and haven't had to take anything for the pain. I don't feel 100% but I feel about 90% which is awesome. Makes me very happy. Yesterday I was much more active than I have been any other day this week - just standing more, walking around the house, cleaning, etc. I also decided to go to the gym with Jody and just lift some really light weights and do exercises that don't involve the core or the pelvic area. I did seated bicep curls with 10lbs, seated overhead presses with 15lbs and dips. I also did straight bar curls and then did overhead presses with a straight bar. FELT GREAT!! I was definitely paying very close attention to my body and I didn't feel any strain or tension. When I spoke with the nurse at my new doc's office, she told me to do light exercise and just pay close attention to how I was feeling - and that's just what I did. :) Man, I miss working out. Holy cow

For those of you who DIDN'T see what I put in comments from my last post...here is what I know so far doing my own research online:

have a uterine fibroid, roughly the size of a small tangerine. Fibroids are fairly normal for a lot of women however most don't know they have them and with pregnancy, the hormones that "grow" the uterus also "grow" the fibroid. What I read this week (on forums and websites) is that usually fibroids stop growing after about 4-5 months and sometimes at that same time the blood supply gets cut off to the fibroid and then the fibroid starts to degenerate which is what causes the pain. This is just one option.

The other option is that the fibroid is just causing massive discomfort and pain because of HOW it is attached to my uterus. I read a terrible forum post about a woman 19.5 weeks along who miscarried after having a week of intense pain as a result of her fibroid and the doctor ignoring her concerns. It just infuriates me that I had to find that information on my OWN and that I don't know anything more about how my fibroid is affecting me.

The good news is I see the new doc a week from Monday and the nurse there was reviewing my chart in its entirety and will call me tomorrow if she sees any reason for me to come in ASAP.

So the hubby pointed out something pretty insightful...I have done a crappy job of showing my weight gain over pregnancy which is probably something you guys and other pregger women want to see. So here is my weight in a little chart for you:

I don't know how well you can see the chart (click on it to see it larger) but basically I have gained 8lbs over 20 weeks. Average is 12lbs so I am pretty happy with where I am tracking. I know now I will probably gain around a lb a week till the end (or more) which will put me around 28-30lbs. Most recommendations are around 25-35 a week (although my former LOSER doctor told me I could gain between 50 & 70lbs - I should have known at that exact moment she was coo coo for cocoa puffs) so I am feeling pretty darn good about my weight gain. I never go hungry and eat good, nutritious whole foods all day long.

Have a great week you guys! Work has been a little nuts for me but it should be slowing down a bit this week. :) Love you guys! Keep reaching for the stars!!

Jess

Honeymoon is Over

2009-02-17T14:04:00.004-06:00

Hey guys,

Sorry I have been MIA for a few days...and I wish I had better news for you guys but unfortunately I have had a bit of baby and mommy trouble. Baby is safe and I am ok but my perfect pregnancy honeymoon is officially over.

Here is the skinny....I spent the day on Sunday in the hospital (again, baby and mom are ok). The short story is that I was having pre-term labor and contractions apparently due in part to a fibroid (had no idea I even had one) that is sharing space with my baby that has enlarged to the size of a tangerine.

The pain started Friday night, was strong Saturday and in particular Saturday night (couldn't sleep it hurt so bad). Sunday morning my stomach was hard as a rock and felt like a baseball was under my belly button. When I finally called the doc on call on Sunday morning, they told me to come to hospital immediately. Jody was really upset and worried and put me in the car immediately. When we got there, I heard the baby's heart beat right way and it was strong (that was the scariest moment for us – waiting to make sure the heart beat was still there) and they hooked me up to the contraction node thing that measures contractions with a needle graph (think lie detector). The pain I was experiencing was in fact, contractions. I was having one every 3-5 minutes when I arrived.

They also did an ultra sound and everything appeared to be fine – in fact, we got lots of awesome pics - but the ultra sound did expose the fibroid - which is a non-malignant tumor/mass of cells that feeds off of pregnancy hormones and grows b/c of the hormones. They gave me some ibuprofen and did urine, blood tests and everything was fine. The ibuprofen decreased the swelling and slowed down the contractions. When I was examined (sorry, I know WTMI), on-call doc said she WAS concerned because my uterus was thinning out (which as you know is what happens before you start dilating).

I, of course, asked 1,000 questions - one of which was if exercise could have possibly caused this and the doc said absolutely NOT - that clearly something else is happening with the fibroid but she wanted me to talk to my regular doctor so gave me little info. After confirming that my contractions had slowed and I wasn't in danger of miscarrying, they released us at 4:30pm - again with very little information or explanation for why I was having contractions (outside of the ultrasound tech who said that she has known people who have fibroids and go into preterm because the body is trying to reject the fibroid).

I felt ok when I left but the pain was excruciating that night so I took some more ibuprofen (doc approved) which thankfully got me through the night and I got some sleep. Monday I felt good in the morning but by about 1pm I was in serious pain again and that night the pain was horrible and the only thing that made me feel better was getting in the bath tub. I took ibuprofen to sleep.

Yesterday I had a doc appointment with my regular OBGYN and I was very disappointed. Basically she, as suspected, treated me like a whiny wimpy first time pregnancy. "The baby is fine. The pain it probably just your uterus and ligaments changing position. This is just part of pregnancy. I will give you something to help you manage the pain if you absolutely MUST take something." Then she asked me if I could take some time off work....my response was that I sit most of the day anyway so what would taking time off work do and of course, she didn't have an answer. She said my cervix and uterus looked fine. The more I asked, the more irritated she got with me. I will see her again in four weeks. Gave me a prescription for Percocet. No explanation for why Sunday happened or any information about the fibroid or why I am having so much constant extreme pain.

Throughout my pregnancy, I have not been impressed with her when I have asked more difficult or in depth questions. I could give you guys lots of examples but the BEST example is the fact that I was in her office for all of about 7 minutes yesterday and walked out with absolutely no more information on what happened on Sunday and what that meant for my body going forward.

Needless to say, I have been asking around to get a new OBGYN and am switchign immediately. I have two doctors that I will be considering....but it has really been a struggle. My cousin, an OBGYN nurse with years of experience, summed it up for me: "Cuz (she is from deep, deep Louisiana), there are good doctor's out there and bad doctor's, jus like there are good cooks and bad cooks, good singers and bad singers....and your lil ole doc, she jus wants to deal with textbook pregnancies. Minute she gets a prob'm she just gets that patient right out the door. But girl, you got to get somebody you can talk to....you need some answers girl!"

And she is exactly right. :) I am MOVING on.

As you can imagine, I am having lots of emotions. It is really scary, especially after not having ANY problems. I am so happy the baby is healthy....of course, the doc did tell me to take it easy until I started feeling better so I am officially off of the workouts - which I am ok with since I have said all along I would stop when my body or baby told me to stop. And who knows what the future holds but for a few more months I can hang tight and just enjoy the extra time I have to focus on other things - reading, blogging :), talking to friends, sleeping, preparing for baby!

Today has been better for pain...didn't really start until around 4pm (normally starts around 12 or 1pm)...and I am curious to see what happens tonight when I try to sleep. I slept last night without any pain meds (YEAH!) and I really don't want to take Percocet - even if she prescribed it. Maybe this is just a blip on the radar screen...I hope so but I am going to do everything in my power to make sure the baby is safe and sound.

Through it all, Jody has been amazing - as always - asking how I am doing every 30 minutes. He is really worried and wants our little baby to be happy and healthy along with mommy. And it is great being married to your best friend in situations like this. He is awesome, of course.

Sorry I haven't been on all of your blogs lately...hope you all understand. And if ANY of you have any insight or have had a similar pregnancy experience....would love to hear your experience. Email if you don't want to post in comments.

Love you guys...

Jess

P.S. I have a major baby bump. It literally just popped out on Monday but now that I know I have a baby AND a tangerine in there, it makes sense to have a bump. :) Can't wait to show you pics.

Whew! What a week!! And I heart you all!

2009-02-12T21:27:00.003-06:00

Hey guys!

Just wanted to post a quick one....I am having one of the weeks I used to have...crazy, nutty, out of control with client requests and fast time lines. Today I had 7 hours of back to back meetings...no breaks - thank goodness I pack my food eh??

I took today off from working out (hadn't had an off day in 2+ weeks) and I am really glad I did. Sometimes the body just starts to get overtrained and a day off can be JUST what the doc ordered! My body is saying AHHHHHHHH.

I will post this weekend with baby bump pics but if I don't do it BEFORE Valentine's Day I just wanted to wish you all a wonderful Valentine's Day! If you have someone special in your life, make sure they know you love them and take the time to show them how much. Be grateful for all the people in your life that you love....if you DON'T have someone in your life, then give yourself some love. After all, if you don't love yourself how can you expect someone else to love YOU?? :)

LOVE YOU GUYS!!!
Jess

Baby Bump Pics Part Tres and Weekly Recap! It's a Big One!

2009-02-08T08:04:00.004-06:00

Good morning all! Happy Sunday to you!

So notice anything about my baby bump pics??? Well, I will give you three things:

I was half a week late (remember, weekly baby bump pics)
I have on my GREEN shorts, not my blue ones
I am getting a BUMP! :)

Let's discuss the WHY behind each of those:

Crazy, crazy busy week at work. Nutty. So I didn't have a chance to blog or catch up on blogs. So my apologies to those of you I am still haven't gotten to...I will today...promise. Work was crazy and so between that and getting in my workouts I had very little free time. Hopefully things will be better next week.
You aren't going to BELIEVE this but somehow the blue shorts have been misplaced AGAIN. We actually think that last weekend when we went through all of Jody's t-shirts and gave like 50 to good will that perhaps the shorts were on the floor and got thrown into the bag. It is like some terrible joke with these shorts!!! GRRRRR. Maybe they will turn up - regardless, it is frustrating b/c I wanted my bump pics to look the same in each pics (except the first one :)). Sorry for the inconsistency - I DID try to put the shorts in the same hip position but I think they are a little high still.
I am definitely getting more of a bump. I am still in my regular clothes but barely. It is kinda fun. At night it sticks way out. It is fun! :) But the biggest news of all is that I am feeling the baby now. It feels like little bubbles in your belly. So cool.

Next week I enter MONTH 5!!! How crazy is that?? I am so excited to start showing more and to have Jody feel the baby move. I know 5 months seems really far along but here is how pregnancy works (I am explaining this for those of you who don't know because it is really confusing how pregnancy math is done):

Weeks/Month
1-4/First (and it starts from the day of your last period so technically you aren't preggers until like week 3 but this is how all the docs, books, etc. calculate it)
5-8/Second
9-13/Third
14-17/Fourth
18-22/Fifth
23-27/Sixth
28-31/Seventh
32-35/Eighth
36-40/Ninth

I will tell you this is the hardest part of pregnancy - when you don't really look pregnant and aren't ready for pregnancy clothes - so you just feel and look chubby. The funny thing is when you are in this stage, no one is going to ask you if you are pregnant cause they really just think you look thick through the middle. So I look forward to getting through this stage and into the "OH, she is pregnant" stage. :)

Anyhoo, I had an pretty good workout week - I only got in two total body body pump workouts although I am planning on doing a double class today since my goal if four week. But I have got in all my cardio workouts so that is good. Eating has been about 85%. Had a couple of bad meals but they were worth it! :) No yoga so far this week but we are hoping to get one in today.

Here is my weekly recap for the week:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Tuesday: Shoulders - 45 mins PM
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 mins PM
Thursday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class PM
Friday: 70 minute Body Pump workout (double arms) followed by 30 minute stead state cardio PM
Saturday: 45 minute AWESOME SPIN class! AM
Sunday (planned workout): 110 minute body pump class

Running Weekly Totals:
6 cardio
4 lift: 3 Body Pump, 1 body part :)
0 stretch

And the last thing I wanted to share with you guys is an excerpt from Self Magazine on Thinking Yourself Thinner (it is part of a bigger program that involves eating right and working out). It is the mind/body connection that is often the biggest part of the battle so I wanted to share a couple of their healthy behaviors hints with all of my girls out there...since I know we all battle with some of these:

Flatter yourself. It is a fact that women who see themselves as heavy have a harder time losing weight. Every time you think something bad about yourself, write down 10 things that are positive.
Find a release valve. If you eat for stress, find something to help you with the stress that isn't food. Talk a walk, crank up the music and dance, watch a movie...lots of different options. :)
Slow down. Focus on eating slowly so your mind and body connect to the fact that you are eating food and are nourishing your body.
Celebrate. When you achieve your goals (and make sure to set little ones along the way), make sure to celebrate. Reward yourself for your hard work!

Have a great Sunday everyone! ROCK OUT your goals and achieve what you KNOW you are capable of!
Jess

Weekly Recap/Month in Review - January

2009-02-02T21:50:00.006-06:00

Cathe Friedrich rocking out her Muscle Max (just like Body Pump) workout! WOO HOO!

Happy Monday y'all!! It is the beginning of the month and the beginning of a week and that means weekly/month recaps! A chance for me to look back and see how I fared for the month!

Here is the weekly recap from last week....SUPER happy with my commitment last week. I felt great and clearly that shows in some GREAT workouts (have I mentioned how AWESOME the 2nd trimester is?? J):

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Light cardio 30 minutes plus 25 minutes power yoga
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH + 30 minute P90 Yoga AM; Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Friday: Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Saturday: 55 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH (620 cals) AM; Shoulders/legs/abs supersets 45 minute followed by 30 minutes elliptical PM
Sunday: P90X Yoga - 45 minutes AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM

Weekly Totals:
Cardio Sessions: 6
Weights: 4 BP; 1 Superset WO (shoulders and legs)
Yoga/Stretching: 3

And my monthly totals for January:

Total days: 31
Total cardio: 31
Total lifts: 18
Yoga/stretching: 3
Days off: 3

Compared to December:

Total days in month: 31
Total cardio sessions: 14
Total weight training sessions: 17
Total workouts: 31
Days off: 10

Difference in Dec vs. January:

17 additional cardio sessions (can you tell my energy came back???)
Same number of lifting/weight sessions
Added in yoga stretching - only 3 sessions but it counts!
7 fewer days off

Overall, I feel really great with where my January ended up. I wanted to increase my cardio - CHECK! I wanted to change to total body workouts - CHECK! I wanted to incorporate some stretching and/or yoga - CHECK! I love the monthly recap...definitely makes it easier to look at improvements, successes, etc. How do YOU look at your progress? Are you reviewing your workouts to determine areas of focus?

Have a great week y'all! New baby bump pics on Thursday! :)
Jess

More detailed monthly summary:

January 1st:
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill uphill walk, back and chest w/o
Friday: Trail run with my DH, 5.5 total miles but we only ran 4. Held hands and enjoyed the wonderful weather for the last 1.5!
Saturday: Back and biceps followed by 6.2 mile run with my cherub (about 55 minutes for the run, I struggled big time)
Sunday: Light leg workout, no cardio.

Week of January 5th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill walk at 10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; planned a PM workout but was SO sleepy, went to bed at 9!
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH AM; 30 minute SPIN class + 45 minute shoulder/tricep workout PM (shoulder press behind the head, arnold press, side and front raises, close grip chest press, rope press down, french press)
Wednesday: 35 minutes treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH AM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill walk, 10% incline, 4.4 MPH, AM; 45 minute SPIN class PM.
Friday: Day Off
Saturday: 60 minute back/bicep/ab workout w/45 minutes cardio after
Sunday: 30 minutes cardio
Totals: 8 cardio, 2 lifts

Week of January 12th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; 30 minute leg w/o followed by 40 minutes spin class PM
Tuesday: 30 minute intervals on treadmill alternating between 10 minute miles and 7 minute miles - 60s on/120s off AM; 60 minute shoulder/tricep/abs workout
Wednesday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class 40 minutes
Thursday: Body Pump Class - 60 minutes PM
Friday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Saturday: Awesome leg workout followed by 30 minutes cardio
Sunday: Rest day
Totals: 7 cardio, 4 lifts

Week of January 20th:

Monday: Light cardio, 30 minutes
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 70 minutes + 15 minutes of abs PM
Wednesday: Missed AM cardio so 25 minute shoulder workout followed by 45 minute treadmill @ 12% incline 4.4 MPH LUNCH; 45 minute spin, PM
Thursday: OFF
Friday: 30 minutes cardio AM
Saturday: Body Pump + Abs - 70 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio
Sunday: Shoulders & core work - 60 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio
Totals: 7 cardio, 4 lifts

Week of January 26th:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Tuesday: Light cardio 30 minutes plus 25 minutes power yoga
Wednesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH + 30 minute P90 Yoga AM; Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Thursday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Friday: Body Pump 70 minutes PM
Saturday: 55 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH (620 cals) AM; Shoulders/legs/abs supersets 45 minute followed by 30 minutes elliptical PM
Sunday: P90X Yoga - 45 minutes AM; Body Pump 60 minutes PM
Totals: 6 cardio, 5 lifts, 3 stretching/yoga

So Easy a Cavewoman Could Do It

2009-01-30T21:09:00.007-06:00

I gotta tell you guys, this pregnancy thing: PIECE OF CAKE! :) I can't tell you how fortunate and grateful I am to have such a wonderful and easy pregnancy (SO FAR). I am SO blessed. WE are so blessed because my wonderful hubby doesn't have to deal with the ramifications of me having a bad pregnancy....which is good for BOTH of us! :) I am 16.5 weeks...so we are almost half way there...in just three short weeks, it will be halfway over! How crazy is that?

Well, I'm not going to bore you with how wonderful my pregnancy is....so let's move on to things perhaps more relevant to all of you! :) I LOVE feeling as strong as I am right now....my energy level is through the roof still and I feel absolutely amazing during and after my workouts. By splitting my cardio and doing it in the mornings, separate from my weights workouts and changing to full body weights (the pic above is from Cathe Freidrich's Body Max DVD which is basically Body Pump on DVD - she is an amazing mother of two!), I can absolutely tell a difference in the quality of my workouts. I think we all get stuck in a rut and ultimately our bodies plateau. The change in my workouts has caused a reaction in my body for the first time in a long time. I am sharing this because I think we all adapt, I think each of our bodies are different and react differently to different stimulus. That's why it is so important to TRY different things - SHOCK your body - make it grow and change because you are forcing it to do something different.

I remember reading an article about Jen Hendershott and she said all of her workouts are different...she never does the same workout. She mixes and matches and does a variety of moves - each time. It's like Cross Fit - constantly shocking the body. And even though I know my body fat hasn't changed, my arms feel more toned, my legs tighter and more conditioned.

The other thing that has changed for me with pregnancy is I am eating more whole foods. I might have one serving of protein powder every other day and that is usually in my milk with cereal. I am eating lots of fruits and veggies and lots more dairy - like three servings a day - cottage cheese, yogurt, string cheese and then other types of proteins come from lean ground beef, chicken, fish. The point here is that my body is humming like a well oiled machine. For whatever reason, I strayed from dairy products (I probably read some article about how they bloat people....and I am sure some people have that reaction) and I found it more "convenient" to eat protein powders or meal replacements. With the baby, I have put nutrition at the top of my list and consequently me at the top of my list and what a difference it has made.

Two points I wanted to make with this post:

Asses what you are doing for your workouts. Ask yourself some critical questions: How long have you been doing the same thing? Have you seen the results you want? How do you feel after you workout? Do you feel your body changing? Are you energized and do you feel powerful?
Asses what you have been eating. Ask yourself MORE critical questions: Do you feel energized by what you eat? Are you eating a lot of processed food? Why? Are you eating fresh vegetables and fruit? How do you feel when you eat? Good? Bad?

I was chatting with Jody the other day and he was asking about whole foods...etc. I told him I group food into three categories A, B and C:

A: 100% natural, unprocessed foods: fruits, vegetables, oats, brown rice, chicken, yogurt, olive oil.
B: Those foods that are somewhat processed: Ezekiel bread, canned tomatoes, string cheese, lunch meat.
C: Foods that are highly processed: white flour, cookies, chips, hot dogs.

I try to eat 80% of my foods out of the A food group, 15% from food group B and only 5% from C. This is what works for me.

Do you know what works for you? :)

Have a great weekend guys! Love you all!
Jess

Baby Bump Pics Week 16 and Weekly Recap!

2009-01-27T10:12:00.006-06:00

Hey y'all! I FOUND MY SHORTS!! YEAH! So, here are updated baby bump pics...which really don't look that different to me than week 13. But I am definitely FEELING the bump more...like meaning clothes are still getting tighter (DUH!!!). And my hubby said it looks like I am getting thicker through middle but not more of a bump, bump. Does that make sense? I am sure one of these days I will start poking out with a real little critter in there.

Here is a pic of Carla Sanchez at 17 weeks:

Pregger Update:
I have gained 5lbs total and have my next doc appointment in two weeks so we will see what I put on during those two weeks. I am officially into the fourth month (14 to 17 weeks) and actually only have two more weeks in my fourth month. And in FOUR weeks (20 weeks) I will be HALFWAY there. How crazy is that??? I have not felt the baby yet but am anticipating feeling my little peanut in the next couple weeks! Can't WAIT!

Weekly Recap:

Monday: Light cardio, 30 minutes
Tuesday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Body Pump 70 minutes + 15 minutes of abs PM
Wednesday: Missed AM cardio so 25 minute shoulder workout followed by 45 minute treadmill @ 12% incline 4.4 MPH LUNCH; 45 minute spin, PM
Thursday: OFF
Friday: 30 minutes cardio AM
Saturday: Body Pump + Abs - 70 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio
Sunday: Shoulders & core work - 60 minutes followed by 45 minutes cardio

Summary:

7 cardio sessions (really only 5 - those half hour sessions were really light)
4 lifting sessions - two Body Pump and two lifting sessions
Eating was about 87% compliance so I had about 6 off plan meals. Which is ok...not good, but ok. The extra day off work with MLK day threw me off!

I am pretty happy with my workouts but I got derailed on a couple Body Pump sessions of my own accord. I allowed what was happening with my cherubs schedule to dictate my own. Going forward, I have to get my workouts in - no matter what.

Here is my plan...continue to workout like this as long as I can...I cannot tell you how many women have told me that because they worked out while pregnant, they had much easier deliveries and recoveries. I KNOW I won't always feel the way I do today with energy and mobility, but while I do, I am going to use it to my advantage. My goal is FOUR Body Pump (or similar total body circuit workouts) a week and two lifting sessions (arms and shoulders) along with 5-6 cardio sessions. Again, the goal being total body strength and general fitness. My cardio sessions are uphill treadmill walking or elliptical so low intensity, low impact.

We are getting pummeled by an ice storm here in Arkansas. Our driveway was pure ice last night...couldn't even get the car up the driveway. I did get to the grocery store ahead of time and made a huge batch of my low carb, healthy lasagna. YUMMY! Hubby and I are snuggled in at home...I love ice days...as long as the power stays on! :) South of us they have lost power so that is not good. If you are experiencing the same weather, be careful! Take care of YOU! Here is a pic outside our front door of the tree in our front yard. HOLY ICE!

I wanted to say a couple things about using POSITIVE LANGUAGE WITH YOURSELF. I cannot tell you how detrimental this is to your progress when your inner dialogue is negative. How many times do you look in the mirror and frown at your love handles or hips? STOP TODAY! Start focusing on the new tone in your arms and the definition starting to show in your quads! Focus on what you are DOING not what you haven't done or what you don't like. Focus on what you like...what looks good. There is so much power in your own mind and being kind and generous to yourself is one of the best motivators in the world because you continue to encourage yourself towards the positive - NOT the negative. Even if it is your eyes or your hairstyle...focus on the positive!

Be patient, be consistent, be good to you.

Love you guys!
Jess

Super Shorty (No, Not My Height :))

2009-01-25T22:06:00.003-06:00

Hey guys...I am SUPER bummed because I can't find my blue paisley shorts that I used for the last two baby bump pics...and now it is time for a progress pic and I can't find them!! AHHHHHH!!!!

A couple things I will have for you tomorrow:
1. Baby bump progress pic (possibly in the grubby green shorts bleh)
2. Weekly recap and weekly goals
3. Some general ramblings about life. :)

Sorry I haven't posted much this week - it was a crazy end of week and weekend. We went and saw Brian Regan tonight and I LOVE that guy. Check out his skit on going to the emergency room. He was so friggin funny tonight...my face hurt from laughing so much...and I am sure the baby loved the laugh ride! :)

Love you guys have a great Monday!
Jess

Everything Happens for a Reason.....and Great Pregnancy Info!

2009-01-21T21:31:00.007-06:00

Carla Sanchez, IFBB Pro, Mother and Owner of Performance Ready - how awesome does she look???? That is her at 35 weeks pregnant!! Amazing. And she looks GREAT post baby as well and because of how healthy she was during pregnancy she had a super fast return to her pre-baby bod! Go Carla!

I am a BIG believer that everything happens for a reason. I have always felt that way...always believed in it. This week a few things happened that further solidified that belief. For some reason I was drawn to the Performance Ready website...Carla always features a "Hot Mama" which is a mom who competes or someone who has got back into phenomenal shape after baby. Anyway, I went to Carla's website and low and behold she has just released her PREGNANCY WORKOUT DVD. Yahtzee! I ordered it and it is fabulous.

THEN I went to Body Sport's website and low and behold on the Body Sport Radio Network (which I LOVE by the way - it is an HOUR of truly relevant and applicable informaton for the figure or fitness athlete and Terry and Elaine mandate positivity on the site and on their forum) and found an entire hour long episode dedicated to pregnancy and exercising while pregnant. It was SUCH a WONDERFUL show and helped clarify SO many of the questions I was having. Click here to listen to it now.

If you are a pregnant woman or are considering getting pregnant, I highly recommend listening to the Body Sport Radio Show featuring Carla Sanchez and Corry Mathews and also ordering Carla's DVD. She provides examples of working out both IN the gym and out of the gym and gives great tips on eating clean and giving the baby all the nutrients they need and then some great tips on Palmer's Cocoa Butter Products specifically designed for pregnancy. I highly recommend the DVD and commend Carla for making a DVD so relevant to the needs of a fit pregnant woman (and no, I am not on commission nor do I get any click through commissions if you visit her site - this is just a good old fashioned testimonial.

As I mentioned earlier, I have struggled to find a lot of good relevant information out there for the above average fitness minded woman. It's AMAZING to me how little information is out there and after learning what I learned this week, it became even MORE apparent there is still a lot of misinformation out there. Carla sent me two links to a couple of documents/sites that provide clarity on working out while pregnant. I will paraphrase below some of the questions I had specifically below but click here or here for more.

Myth 1: Keep your heart rate below 140
ACTUAL: This is MORE important in the first trimester in order to allow the embryo to form those important organs like the heart, lungs, brain, etc. HOWEVER the ACOG doesen't recommend particular heart rate and instead relys on the perceived rate of exertion. For me, 140 BPM is barely breaking a sweat.

MYTH: You can NEVER lie on your back after the first trimester of pregnancy. (And I took this straight from one of the links above)
ACTUAL: Pregnant women should avoid the supine (lying face up on your back) as much as possible. It does NOT state NEVER. Some women experience discomfort in this position. If the mother is comfortable, the baby is comfortable. You may exercise are your back but in a very limited capacity. Possibly 1-2 minutes, then roll to your side and perform a series of exercises there.

In my 4th month, 15 weeks in, I have had no discomfort on my back - I have rolled over on my back a couple of times while sleeping and it feels fine...doesn't even bother me. I am not planning on hanging out on my back but I am certainly not going to freak out if I am on my back for a few minutes.

So, there you have it, a couple of tidbits for you.

I am feeling great. This week has started a bit slowly for me on the workout front but I am looking forward to getting in some great workouts this weekend. I am really enjoying this time in my pregnancy. I know I won't be up for working out like this forever so I am taking advantage of it now.

I hope you guys have a great rest of the week and weekend! We'll take a progress pic tomorrow but I probably won't post until the weekend! ;) KEEP PUSHING YOURSELF! Believe in all you do!

Jess

P.S. I KNOW I am link crazy in this post...but I had to show you guys HOW to get there! :)

Big Meals = All Day Misery

2009-01-18T22:11:00.003-06:00

Can you tell I am on a Jenny Lynn kick at the moment??? And I love this particular photo shoot. They showed part of it on her DVD "The Harder I Work the Luckier I Get". I just love her physique...always have. I feel like she has such feminine lines....and is so beautiful.

Thanks to all of you who said such wonderful things about my baby bump pics in the comments on my last post! You guys are all SO sweet and encouraging and supportive - how did I get so lucky with such an awesome extended family?? :) A special shout out to that someone who was an extra special ear to me tonight and helped me keep perspective on things and people who choose to be negative! :) Thanks for your words of wisdom chica!

As I posted in my last couple of posts, I am working towards 90% compliance on my eating. That means of 42 meals, 38 need to be on plan while the other four can be off plan. As you can imagine, the weekends are tough for staying on plan - as I am sure it is for all of you! Today we went and had Sunday brunch....I had an omelet (they were out of egg beaters) with bell peppers, mushrooms, bacon and cheese. I also had a very small serving of hashbrowns, one piece of bacon and a bunch of fruit. I had a bite of Jody's biscuits and gravy and a bite of his waffle. I ate WAY more than I normally do. Probably around 6-700 calories. Which is double what I normally eat. I paid for it the rest of the day...and felt "FULL" until about 4:30 at which time I had a small bowl of my low fat chili. I didn't feel good after I ate that either...still felt really full. I am JUST now feeling hungry again. GRRRR.

The point I am trying to get to is it's days like today when I am reminded why I eat on plan. I am reminded why I feel SO much better when I eat 6-7 small meals a day. Feeling full for that long of a period of time is so foreign to me and I struggle wtih my body not feeling revved up when I do from eating regularly. Going forward, I will make sure my off plan meals are smaller and I don't eat to the point of being stuffed. Consider and make a note if you have similar feelings after a meal or a particular eating habit and then revisit that feeling if you are making a decision to do it again. Remind yourself of how you felt...you may just make a different decision than you have in the past! :)

Below is a recap of my workouts for the week:

Monday: 45 minute treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; 30 minute leg w/o followed by 40 minutes spin class PM
Tuesday: 30 minute intervals on treadmill alternating between 10 minute miles and 7 minute miles - 60s on/120s off AM; 60 minute shoulder/tricep/abs workout
Wednesday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM; Spin class 40 minutes
Thursday: Body Pump Class - 60 minutes PM
Friday: 45 minutes treadmill @10% incline 4.4 MPH AM
Saturday: Awesome leg workout followed by 30 minutes cardio
Sunday: Rest day

5 lifting days and 6 cardio sessions. I am SUPER happy with my workout week and am feeling so great!

I am off tomorrow for MLK day and Jody and I are going to hit Body Pump and either do cardio after or run the lake later in the day. I am fired up to attack this week with the same enthusiasm as last week. How bout you??? YOU FEELING IT??

Jess

P.S. We saw Defiance tonight (Daniel Craig) and once again a story causes me to consider all the wonderful things I have in my life...I am so grateful to live free and not be persecuted for any belief that I have. And it certainly reminds me to keep things in perspective. Love you guys!

Week 14 (and a half) Baby Bump Pics

2009-01-17T08:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Saturday my peeps! Check out the newest belly pic above. I think I have a little more of a bump....what do you guys think?? :) Still in all my regular clothes...although pants are getting snug. I have a Bella Band waiting in the wings for when I have to start using it with my pants. Oh, and I got SIX items on Ebay for $23. :) It's all about the timing people! And I am feeling awesome still. I feel so terrible for women who have difficult pregnancies. NO FUN! I am so fortunate!

I hope each and every one of you had a wonderful week! Were you compliant with your meals?? Did you feel good about your workouts? Were they intense? Did you commit to what you planned to achieve?

Let me answer those questions for myself...:) Yes! I was compliant with my meals. I have had two off plan meals so I can have two more today and tomorrow to still be at 90% compliant. I prefer going into the weekend with all my off plan meals available but it is what it is! :) My workouts this week were great. I want to lift today and tomorrow so I can have five lifts under my belt. ;) I am feeling so good about how I feel physically (not how I look necessarily) but how I feel. And it is awesome! My energy is high...workouts feel great. Life is good.

I didn't have a good with with class instructors however....we had some pretty bad classes at the new gym. I like an instructor with hutspa (sp??) and spunk - energy and fire! And what we have been getting is LOW intensity, boring, no spunk. Blah. If I wasn't knocked up I would get certified to teach some of those classes. Man I would have fun. And Les Mills, the group that designs Body Pump, actually has a brochure outlining how to do a Body Pump workout while preggers. Pretty cool.

Will do a weekly recap tomorrow for you guys.

I have to give two shout outs:

For those of you who recently experienced a loss.....I am so sorry you lost someone close to you....my prayers and thoughts are with you. Cherishing those people close to you in life and being grateful for all the things we have make those losses less painful and I wish each of you relief from your pain and sadness.
I had an "anonymous" person come out of the closet to me who has been following my blog for a long time. But it meant SO incredibly much to me to know the she has been following my journey. She is in AMAZING shape. Like AMAZING. She could get on the figure stage tomorrow and KILL it. Truly. Anyway, she sent me a long email and we have been emailing back and forth and not only do I have a loyal blog follower, I have a new friend! Thank you for being a part of my blog community and sharing so much about yourself in the process! :)

Have a great weekend everyone! Keep that momentum going!!
Jess

2009-01-13T10:45:00.002-06:00

Happy Tuesday everyone! How is your week???? Wanted to start out with an awesome pic of Jenny Lynnn...still love that girl! Are you having a great start to your week? I am!! I LOVE starting my week right....that way I never feel behind on my eating or working out and I get a little wiggle room on the weekend! Woot!

I had my doc appointment this morning....I basically go every four weeks until 36 weeks. My doc said I was doing great and the little bambino's heart rate was like a little choo choo train. 160 bpm and the baby was moving a ton while she was taking the heart rate. So cute! I have gained 3lbs total since my first appt. I think part of this is a bit of body comp change...I am sure I have lost some muscle since my lifting has decreased and I am doing lower weight, higher reps. I am really happy that I am gaining weight gradually. My clothes all still fit (although SNUG) and you have all seen my little baby bump.

Oh, and I did a KILLER back/bicep workout on Saturday. I am STILL sore today but just getting over DOMS today. JEEZ!

Here is what I did:

Superset 1, 4 sets:

Assisted pull ups - 15 reps
Alternating dumbbell curls - 15lbs, 15 reps each arm
Abs on weight bench - lifting legs into air (not sure the name for that one) - 15 reps

Superset 2, 4 sets:

Reverse pull-ups underneath the squat rack - 15 reps
Straight bar bi-cep curls - 15 reps
Ball pass abs - 15 reps

Superset 3, 4 sets:

Seated machine rows - 90bs, 15 reps
Bicep machine curls - 30lbs, 15 reps
Planks - 1 minute hold

Superset 4, 4 sets:

One arm row - 40lbs, 15 reps
Triple 7's bicep curls - 30lbs
Captain chair leg lifts - 15 reps

OUCH!!

Oh and my new favorite breakfast that I can't live without is: 2 slices of Ezekiel bread with 2 poached eggs and one poached egg white. SO GOOD!

Have a great day everyone!
Jess

Sundays....Love Em/Hate Em? And Gender Decision!!

2009-01-11T16:35:00.003-06:00

Happy Sunday everyone!

How do YOU feel about Sundays? Do you love them? Hate them? I have mixed feelings. I usually struggle toward the end of the day when I start thinking about going back to work. And I have to make sure I plan well for what I want to accomplish during the day otherwise I spend a lot of wasted time.

Today, I definitely had some wasted time. Didn't check to see what time the gym opened and so I got to the gym at 10:30 only to find out that it doesn't open until NOON on Sundays. So I decided to go to the office and get some work done...I DID get some work done but about 3/4 of the day home (20 minutes), I realized I left my phone at the office and had to turn back around. I had planned on going to the gym before my massage at 2pm but b/c I left my phone at the office I wasn't able to workout before the massage. Now it is after the massage and who wants to workout AFTER? NOT ME! I am going to have to muster it up though....I made a commitment to myself and I am keeping it. :)

Regardless, I definitely need to have a better plan in place next weekend so I don't feel so frustrated! BAM! Attack! Attack!

Anyhoozle, I was really happy with my compliance on eating this week. I am following Dr. John Berardi's 90% compliance concept/recommendation, whatever. Which means if you eat 42 meals a week (6 meals over 7 days) you can miss or not comply on 38 of those meals. This week my goal was 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fats. I complied on 40 of my 42 meals and I am PUMPED!! I ate off plan Friday night and this afternoon. LOVE this system...what was great was that I made it through the entire week with 100% compliance so that meant I could have all my cheat meals over the weekend. HELLS YEAH! :)

As for my workouts: I got in 7, yes 7 cardio workouts but only 3 lifting workouts. I am thinking about switching to total body workouts. I am really not trying to add mass and want to get in MORE lifting which seems to be a challenge with the traditional body part split. Something I might consider....WHO KNOWS!

All right guys....we asked A LOT of people, talked a lot about it as a couple and of course, considered all of your suggestions/thoughts on the issue of whether or not to find out the gender of the child. We had some great arguments BOTH ways but we have decided......................

........

........

........

We're going to wait!!!

The main arguments that got us were the following:

It is the ONE suprise in life where the outcome TRULY doesn't matter.
It will make the day even MORE special for us to find out after the end of a long delivery! :) One of our good friends has two kids, they found out on one and waited on the other. They LOVED not knowing and the excitement of finding out during delivery. It gave him, as the hubby, the wonderful role of running out of the delivery room and shouting "It's a _____"! This really pulled at my heart strings!
We will truly get the things we need. Not blue or pink baby clothes someone else thinks are adorable! One of my girlfriends said it was great because at the shower they played guessing games on what she was carrying and they even started a pool. :)

I know, there are lots of you out there who may disagree but I think it is going to be LOTS of fun waiting!

You guys will of course be amond the first to know!! :)

Have a GREAT week everyone! Acheive your goals...reach your potential.
Jess

First Baby Bump Pics

2009-01-08T14:36:00.004-06:00

8 Weeks (green shorts) AND 13 Weeks (blue shorts)

All right you guys.....here they are.... :) Please not that I will be wearing the BLUE shorts and top from here on out - the green ones are just yucky. And I am taking these in the morning after a workout and with NO make up on. And the 8 weeks out pic I had to do a little Paint modification with on my belly because there is a really bad shadow (we have rectified that now and are doing the pics a different way) so I deleted the shadow so you could see the actual difference. WITH the shadow the 8 week pic actually didn't look any different. I think I have a little baby bump at 13 weeks! My little bird is in there growing like crazy! The baby is 3 inches and the size of a peach! :) How cute. My little peach is a peach. I will be taking pics every week from here on out.

My workouts have been awesome this week -getting cardio in EVERY morning. It is so awesome. And the DH has also decided to start waking up early (6:15 or so) and so he walks the doggie with me after morning cardio which is so awesome. I only lifted on Tuesday so far but will lift the rest of the week since my goal is 90% compliance to my plan which equals 5 days a week! And I can't tell you all how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE The Daily Plate. It was having some server issues earlier this week and I was not loving it...but they are fixed now. EVERY food I eat is already entered in so I haven't had to log in anything. And they have a super simple process for adding the foods you eat all the time which for me, I eat pretty much the same thing every day with the exception of lunch. It has been such a help in eating good this week. We also got a crock pot which I am loving. Tonight I have beef stew waiting for me. YUMMMY! It is making for EASY dinner prep and great lunches.

I am struggling with gaining weight guys. I have only gained 3lbs but still, it is hard to gain weight and be "ok" with it because of the baby. I know the day will come when I don't really look preganant but look chubby and that will be a tough one. Let's face it, you have to put your vanity on the shelf when you get knocked up. Or at least I have to embrace being a sexy pregnant! I know, I know...I am pregnant...just deal with it...but it is still hard. I am focusing on working out, eating healthy and getting lots of rest.

Other big news....the hubby and I heard powerful arguments from TWO different people that we should WAIT and not find out the sex of our child until delivery. I guess I had never CONSIDERED not finding out. One of the people who convinced me said: "This is the ONE suprise in life where the outcome TRULY doesn't matter" and the other person who played a huge role in our decision was someone who said: "We have two kids - found out on the first and didn't on the second. The second delivery was so much more special and exciting". So, I would love to hear opinions out there...I am sure some of you momma's have them...we had planned on decorating the room in bright, non gender specific colors anyway so that isn't an issue. And I have NO problem forcing people who want to buy us gifts to buy us NON baby clothes stuff. :)

That's all I have for today! Love you guys! The week is almost over! Woo hoo!

Jess

Eating Healthy = Hunger Pangs

2009-01-06T14:04:00.002-06:00

Hey y'all! Happy Tuesday to each of you! An ode to Monica Brant who will compete at the Arnold this year....that woman is such an icon. Look at that tiny little waist! She is the Erika Cane of the figure world...never winning a major event. But yet we all still consider her one of the best!

I am over half way through day two of super clean eating and loving it! My diet has consisted of Ezekiel bread, poached eggs (so yummy), bell peppers, cottage cheese, pineapple chunks, naturally more peanut butter, apples, oranges, celery, carrots, low fat cheese sticks, tuna, salads, chicken, yogurt and more! LOVING IT! My calories are around 2000 right now....doc said baby doesn't really need a whole lot more till I get to second trimester.

I forgot how good you feel when you eat super clean....and I wake up SUPER hungry. But that is probably partially baby. :) Regardless, my energy level is higher and I feel much, much better than I did when I was eating buffalo shrimp, pizza, etc. :) GO FIGURE!

I am still feeling GREAT with the baby. I have a doc appt a week from today and then the NEXT doc appt will be when we find out what the sex is....we are so excited! I need to weigh myself and I plan on taking a couple pics in the morning. The last picture we took had a wicked shadow that made it look like i was showing a lot more than I am. I am still wearing all my regular clothes - no Bella Band - no rubber bands. I think the worst will be when I am in the in between stage of not really looking pregnant and just looking chubby. Oh well, I will probably only be pregnant once or twice in my life - I am enjoying it all!

Workouts are also going better....I have also done cardio last two days early in the morning. I wanted to workout last night but we went to the grocery store and that took forever since we were stockpiling and I slept REALLY bad Sunday night with anticipation of coming back to work so I went to sleep at 9am instead of lifting. Tonight I will get back on a regular lifting schedule and start with Shoulders/Triceps.

Oh and a SUPER QUICK cooking tip for those of you who eat poached eggs....add a tablespoon of white vinegar to the water while it is boiling before you add the eggs. It prevents the eggs from getting really stringy. And I usually do two eggs and one white. SOOOOO good. I even have the hubby eating them. YUM!

Have a great day all!
Jess

Food, Food and Food!

2009-01-04T20:33:00.002-06:00

Well, you have heard me talk A LOT about my workouts but not so much about my eating. So let me give you a play by play of conversations I have had with people recently:

"Are you showing yet?" Random Person
"Maybe a little but I don't know if it is Thanksgiving, Christmas or baby! Ha ha!" Me

I have been eating really bad....like super bad. I would say I am eating at about 50% compliance to a healthy and clean eating plan. I am taking my prenatals and definitely still eating every three hours BUT what I am eating is not the best. My quantities aren't out of control but they aren't good either...and there are a lot of reasons for it...the staycation...holidays....pregnant.

My good friend Amber got me an awesome pocket calorie calculator so I can look up and track foods immediately. It is awesome! I am going to use it along with an online tracking system for daily totals. My goal based on my calorie needs, activity level and baby needs is between 1800-2000 a day of clean, healthy, non processed foods. I will track the same way I do with my workouts - daily and focus on compliance at 90% of plan.

Have a great week everyone! I am back to work tomorrow and not excited about it... :( Twelve days off has been heaven!

Jess

December Recap & Baby Bladder Challenges

2009-01-02T18:16:00.008-06:00

Gabby Reece - 4.5 month pregnant. WOW! That is ONE fit mama!

Hey y'all! Happy New Year again to all of you! I finally got caught up on all my blogs today and I was so happy to get reconnected with all of you again! You guys are such a part of my life and I am so thankful to have all of you as friends! Thank you for being such a wonderful support system! And I know each of you will achieve what you set your mind to in 2009!!

Instead of doing weekly recaps, I will be doing a monthly recap. The idea here will be to get a 15,000 foot view of my monthly workouts.

Total days in month: 31
Total cardio sessions: 14
Total weight training sessions: 17
Total workouts: 31
Days off: 10

Detailed summary:
Week of December 1st
Monday: Off
Tuesday: Back and biceps - PM
Wednesday: Shoulders & Legs - PM
Thursday: Off
Friday: Chest & Triceps - PM
Saturday: Booty School (more on this later) & 30 minute jog - PM
Sunday: 5.5 mile lake run with Amber and Pabs! Awesome!

Week of December 8th:
Monday: Back and biceps - PM
Tuesday: Jog, low intensity 30 mins AM & Shoulders - PM
Wednesday: Off
Thursday: AM Treadmill Walk/Jog - 30 mins
Friday: Off
Saturday: Off
Sunday: AM Shoulders; PM Legs

Week of December 15th:
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: 30 minutes, treadmill high incline, Back and biceps, PM
Wednesday: BOMBED Shoulders, 30 minutes treadmill
Thursday: Legs - Yowza!]
Friday: 30 minute 10% incline treadmill walk
Saturday: Back, biceps, abs
Sunday: OFF

Week of December 22nd:
Monday: 30 minutes, treadmill 10% incline, AM; Shoulders, triceps, abs PM
Tuesday: 40 minutes, treadmill high incline, AM; Brutal leg workout, PM Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: 6 mile trail run - felt awesome!
Friday: 6.2 mile road run - not as easy as yesterday, AM; Killer shoulder workout, PM
Saturday: OFF (celebrated Christmas with our families!)
Sunday: 60 minute run at gym, approx 7.5 miles Week of December 29th:

Week of December 29th:
Monday: 30 minute treadmill uphill walk, biceps and triceps
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: KILLER shoulder workout and 1/2 hour run

This is PRECISELY why I wanted to do a MONTHLY recap. What I suspected was that my perception of my workouts would be better than what they actually are and I was right!! My goal has always been to workout 5 days a week with both cardio and weights. I fell 6 workouts short of my cardio goals and just 3 short of my weight training. Overall, considering the holidays and being pregnant and very sleepy, I feel really good about my accomplishments. And let me say I am PROUD of the achievements. Now, I need to focus on increasing my cardio and weight training for a more consistent week. This will ultimately look like making sure I do cardio and weights 5 days a week. I found a great blog last night about a girl that worked out consistently and only gained 30 lbs. And the KEY here is how strong all the women I have talked to and read about feel during delivery. How nice will that be???

Now, let's talk about bladder changes. So I drank two or three 16 oz bottles of water yesterday and then the hubby and I went for a run at about 2pm. I peed RIGHT before we started running and as soon as I started bouncing up and down on the trail, my bladder felt full again. NOT fun. It was REALLY uncomfortable. About twenty minutes into the trail I asked the hubby to keep an eye out and I peed in the woods and AHHHH relief. At first I thought maybe the baby was just on my bladder b/c it couldn't possibly be full again but it was. JEEZ. My plan will be to stop drinking water about 45 minutes before a run but make sure I hydrate big time up until that point. Talk about PLANNING! :)

Have a great weekend you guys! I am SO sad b/c my staycation is coming to an end tomorrow. :( I am so not excited about going back to work on Monday but I just have to soak up the next 36 hours...get done everything I need to get done to feel like I am in a great place for Monday!

Love and kisses!
Jess

P.S. We saw Seven Pounds last night. It was REALLY slow and a little challenging to follow in the beginning but the end was phenomenal and very moving. I was crying....it is a really powerful film....and I highly recommend it but it can easily be rented. Not necessarity worth the $20 to GO to the theater...but again, powerful and moving.

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

2008-12-31T07:09:00.006-06:00

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

2008-12-29T09:34:00.003-06:00

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!

2008-12-24T07:07:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-21T20:16:00.003-06:00

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......

2008-12-19T17:48:00.003-06:00

....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!

2008-12-17T07:13:00.005-06:00

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!

2008-12-13T10:38:00.009-06:00

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

2008-12-11T06:54:00.002-06:00

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

2008-12-07T17:39:00.006-06:00

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

2008-12-06T08:27:00.004-06:00

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

2008-12-03T21:36:00.003-06:00

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

2008-12-02T21:13:00.004-06:00

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 :(

2008-11-30T17:49:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-27T14:45:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-26T06:37:00.005-06:00

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

2008-11-24T21:28:00.002-06:00

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

Love you guys!
Jess

Double Day and Twins?

2008-11-22T17:33:00.004-06:00

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

2008-11-19T20:35:00.003-06:00

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

2008-11-18T14:46:00.006-06:00

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

2008-11-16T14:22:00.002-06:00

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

2008-11-15T08:36:00.001-06:00

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!

2008-11-12T19:12:00.004-06:00

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 :))

2008-11-11T16:25:00.002-06:00

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. :)

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).
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! :)
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.
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.
On Saturday and Sunday mornings, I LIVE for sitting on the couch and having coffee with my hubby (that's gonna change huh??).
I eat a fresh cut green bell pepper every day.
I have asthma.

That's all I have! :)

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

Jess

Thanks So Much and Need Your Help :)

2008-11-11T05:09:00.001-06:00

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?

Vlog: Withdrawing from March Comp

2008-11-09T18:14:00.003-06:00

Hey guys,

I am not going to compete in March....just too much. It is a little longer than my usual vlog but wanted to let you guys know the whys....

Love you guys. :) Thanks for always being there no matter what life brings.
Jess

The Cardio Question: Part II

2008-11-08T13:46:00.003-06:00

Well, I think outside of announcing I am competing, I think this post has gotten the most comments ever! :) Yeah! I LIKE it.

Most of your questions/comments surround the following questions Cynthia asked in her comment so let me clarify. :)

Q: Can you clarify why you were doing that much cardio that far out?
A: I did two shows back to back - one in early June and one six weeks later. So the 12 weeks I was doing was in between the two shows (6 weeks) and 6 weeks prior to (so not far off of what you guys were doing).

Q: Was it your diet?
A: No, my diet was good - I was carb cycling and started at 1800, then went to around 1500 calories about 6 weeks out (from the first show) and then 4 weeks out I was down to around 1200.

Q: Was it that you had adapted?
A: Might have been.

Q: Were you in starvation mode?
A: I am assuming during the last four weeks I was....tired, crabby, cranky and poopy.

Q: Were you instructed to do it?
A: I, like many of you, read a ton for about three years before I started competing. Oxygen used to print training routines and diets for any competitor they featured. So, I literally have pages and pages of what Jenny Lynn, Jenny Hendershott, Gina Aliotti, Mary Lado, Davina Medina, etc. While I didn't hire a trainer, I did a bunch of research and I based my training around my progress and biofeedback.

Ok, so all that being said...the one thing I want to point out is that I don't know what would have happened if I would have done it ANOTHER way. That's the rub right - what would have happened if I WOULDN"T have trained that way. For me, I added the additional cardio when I still wasn't seeing the results I wanted to see. Part of it is hard b/c you have to TRUST it will happen. You just never know. :)

In fact you never know WHAT life will bring you.

I think doing two shows back to back like that was a bad idea. I was over trained and it affected so much of my daily life.

More later. BIG VLOG to come tomorrow. :) Stop back in - it will be a REALLY good one. I promise.

Jess

The Cardio Question

2008-11-06T20:57:00.004-06:00

We are having QUITE a discussion around extreme cardio and I just wanted to post an official blog on the subject and my thoughts. :)

First of all, I speak about cardio from my own personal experience and come from a place of love and concern for my fellow athlete's/competitors/women who love iron. :) I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings or talk down to anyone. I want to share the information and knowledge that I have from my experience and my years of training along with what I have learned from the hours and hours of reading and sharing others experiences.

Please, please, please know that this is my opinion from my experiences and knowledge coming from a place of love. Did I say that already?? :)

I did the two hours of cardio. I did it for 14 weeks and did two back to back competitions. And then I pretty much stopped working out consistently, completely fell off a consistent eating plan and was sick for about 6 months. Literally. I lost my desire to workout and I struggled with intensity.

Now, did I have other things going on in my life like a very rigorous work schedule? YES! Wedding? YES! But, I feel strongly that the 3 hours a day of training (cardio and lifting) and then another hour of food prep put me in a place of extreme over training - mentally and physically.

Further, I was TRAINING my body to store fat once I went back to a normal life. Training it - think about it - your body is surviving on like 1100 calories a day and you are doing tons of cardio and then you start eating normally and training regularly and your body is freaking out - thinking it has to store up for the next starvation so pack it on, pack it on, pack it on.

And it took ME (again this is my story and my perspective) a long time to get back into it. In fact, at one point I said I would never compete again and even said I regretted it. Now I am in a wonderful place.....I know what I need to eat. I know how I need to train. I know I need to dial it in at certain intervals out from the contest. I know I can do it with mental and physical commitment but NOT 2 hours of cardio a day.

And you know what - AFTER this next competition I KNOW what to expect and my body will adjust - not drastically like the last time.

So, that is why I feel the way I do. That COMBINED with tons of articles and scientific info about how your body responds to extreme dieting and cardio. Show me scientific data that supports the long term benefits of 2 hours a day cardio on low calories? Your not going to find it. What you will find is scientific, imperial and experience (lots of competitors) based data that says High Intensity Interval training for 30 minutes and intense weight training workouts and a consistent diet (even adding re-feeds) over a long period of time allow you to achieve your goals AND not rebound.

That's all I got. I hope those of you who have an opinion chime in....to each their own I ALWAYS say and I feel that way as well. Everyone has to go on their own journey and I hope each of you finds the journey that is healthiest and happiest.

Peace.
Jess

Adjustments

2008-11-05T21:43:00.004-06:00

Hey y'all!

Poppin in on hump day to apologize for my MIA status. :) Have had a lot of things going on at work that have kept me tied up and have been keeping my efforts focused on eating right and getting my workouts in....those are key to achieving my goals.

A lot of the blogs I follow have been focusing on goal setting and I wanted to share with you one of the systems that works for me and perhaps it will translate to something that works for you as well. I do love the fact that we all support and help each other. I couldn't do it without you guys!

So, here is what I do...I set my goals - and I make sure I have a clear understanding of what those goals are at different milestones. Then on Sunday's (or Monday's) I fill out my Weekly Compass which is a proprietary tool Franklin Covey uses but it is basically a 8.5x3.5 inch card that has seven roles listed out and the big rocks you want to achieve every week. That probably sounds like Spanish to you (the big rocks part) but here is how it works. If you want to fill up a jar with rocks, you would start with big rocks and then fill in with little rocks right? Otherwise you have to throw in a bunch of little rocks which takes twice as long. So, you set your goals and then WEEKLY you review your goals and make sure each week you are achieving a goal toward your bigger goals.

THEN (and here is where it gets REALLY important), you must review your weekly goals when you plan your day. Make sure that every day you are doing something that will allow you to reach your weekly goals which should all roll up to your overall goals. Here is what it looks like:

The Compass card breaks your "big rocks" down by life role. So, for example, my roles are the following (with weekly goal examples):

Wife - date night, hall closet project
Competitor - 90% meal compliance, 100% workout compliance, research new suit options
Account Director/Leader - blah, blah, blah
Manager - blah, blah, blah
Team Leader - blah, blah, blah
Dr. Me - Make eye appt, make OB/GYN appt

You get the idea. I guess I just want to REITERATE that to achieve your goals you must think about them every day and incorporate them into you daily planning.

Reach for it. Plan for it.

MAKE IT HAPPEN!

Hope this helps! Jess

P.S. I found this article on the big rocks concept this morning and wanted to post as part of this blog. Here is a great explanation of why you need to have your big rocks figured out FIRST before you start going through the details of your day. :)

“Scheduling is how we manifest our intent on the world”
- Stephen Covey

Those of you familiar with Stephen Covey’s great read, “First Things First” will recognize the reference to placing your big rocks first. The story goes:

I attended a seminar once where the instructor was lecturing on time. At one point, he said, “Okay, it’s time for a quiz.” He reached under the table and pulled out a wide-mouth gallon jar. He set it on the table next to a platter with some fist sized rocks on it. “How many of these rocks do you think we can get in the jar?” he asked.

After we made our guess, he said, “Okay, let’s find out.” He set one rock in the jar… then another….then another. I don’t remember how many he got in, but he got the jar full. Then he asked “is the jar full?”

Everybody looked at the rocks and said “yes”.

Then he said, “Ahhh”. He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar and the gravel went in the little spaces left by the big rocks. Then he grinned and asked once more “Is the jar full?”

By this time we were onto him. “Probably not,” we said.

“Good!” He replied. And he reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went in all the little spaces left by the rocks and gravel. Once more, he looked at us and said, “Is the jar full?”

“No!” we all roared.

He said, “Good!” and he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in. He got something like a quart of water in that jar. Then he said, “Well, what’s the point?”

Somebody said, “Well, there are gaps, and if you really work at it, you can always fit more into your life.”

“No,” he said, “that’s not the point. The point is if you hadn’t put the big rocks in first would you ever have gotten any of them in?”

Two Great Recipies with a Small Twist

2008-11-03T14:56:00.004-06:00

Amber and I made BOTH of these recipies on Saturday and we HIGHLY recommend them. By the way, my new favorite fake mashed potato recipe is mashed sweet potato and brocoli mashed up together with salt and pepepr! Yummy!

And I can personally attest that BOTH of these are awesome! And good for you!

Shepherd's Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 large sweet potato - peeled and boiled
One large head of broccoli, boiled until soft
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 pounds ground turkey
1 large carrot, shredded
1 (4.5 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Mash sweet potato with broccoli, butter or margarine and milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Stir in ground turkey, carrot, mushrooms, parsley, thyme, garlic, and chicken bouillon. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until meat is broken up and cooked through. Drain. Stir in flour.
Transfer meat mixture to a deep dish pie pan or casserole. Spread potato/broccoli mixture over meat like a topping crust and then spread Parmesan cheese on top.
Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until top is lightly browned.

Nutrition (approx 8 servings):

Calories: 268

Total Fat: 8g

Cholesterol: 43mg

Sodium: 212mg

Total Carbs: 24g

Dietary Fiber: 3.4g

Protein: 25g

Maggie's Granola Chocolate Chip Protein Cookies

Ingredients:

1.5 cups rolled oats, dry, uncooked (Old fashioned, not quick oats)
.5 cup Fiber One
3/4 cup trail mix with the following: Sunflower seeds, raisins, cashews, almonds, pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup Chips, chocolate, semisweet, large
4 scoops Cytosport Cookie's N' Cream protein powder
1/2 tsp Salt, table, 1/5 oz per teaspoon
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar free Maple Syrup

Directions:

In a large bowl combine the oats, trail mix, chocolate chips, and whey.
Add the syrup, vanilla, and salt. Stir until everything is thoroughly mixed. At first, it will seem too dry, but continue stirring and it will eventually blend.
Spray two non-stick 12-compartment muffin tins with cooking spray, then press the mixture into the bottom of each cup firmly. Alternately, spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray, then drop 24 equal blobs of the mixture onto the sheet, squashing each down slightly into a cookie-like thickness.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 6 minutes.

Nutrition (per 2 cookies):
140 Calories
5 g. fat
15.5g carb
3.2 g fiber
11g protein

Need a Wheelchair

2008-11-02T13:20:00.004-06:00

Seriously, I need a wheelchair big time.

Amber and I had a BRUTAL leg workout this morning. Just so you can get a sense of how painful and challenging it was I am posting it for you below.

Right now, my legs feel like this:

But this hard work should result in this:

:)

Here is what we did.... Jogged for 10 minutes for a warm up and then did the following four sets, four times through (workout took us about 2 hours total) - OWWWW!

One legged burpees - 10 each leg
Step ups - 30 each leg - no weight - for speed
Hill repeat (and if you haven't heard me talk about Amber's hill, it is like suicide hill - the grade is like 40% and it is about 1/8 of a mile)
Inch worm superman holds (5 second hold)

Deep squats with EZ bar and 30lbs (55 total) - 25 squats
Step ups with weight (15lbs) - 20
Romanian lunges - 20lb Kettlebells in each hand - 15 total
Hill repeat

Stiff legged deadlifts (same EZ bar weight) - 20 reps
Lying leg curls with stability ball - 20 reps
One legged reaching lunges w/15lb dumbbell - 20 reps each leg
Side lunges - 25 each leg down the hill Walking lunges up the hill (about 40 lunges each leg)

Split lunges with 20lb kettlebell - 15 reps
Sumo squats with EZ bar - 15 reps
Single leg deadlifts - no weight - focusing on glute - 15 reps
Lying side leg lifts - 15 each leg

Did I mention we did each set of four exercise FOUR times??? It was awesome. Loved it.

Gonna post a vlog later so look for it! Hope you guys are having a GREAT weekend!
Jess

Happy Halloween and Going with the Flow

2008-10-31T18:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween everyone!

Very quick post - no pics or anything! :) Had a really rough couple of days with long work days and so took yesterday off. This means Thursday is my off day and so I need to redo my schedule.

I will need to do light arms, light back and chest tomorrow with HIIT session and then Sunday plyo legs.

Look for a new vlog soon!
Jess

Three Minute Inspiration!

2008-10-31T05:38:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all!

So, we all know Cynthia, Visionquester, is awesome and a bad ass. We all know it - just look at her pics from competition. But if you really want to see some bad ass sh## check out this video and then vote for her! She rocks and if you need a video to watch to get motivated to workout - this is your video. :)

Please click the link on the right hand side above my picture and vote for her on Bodybuilding.com as a spokesmodel. She has it all: humility, heart, passion, honesty, everything and IMHO deserves our votes.

Oh, and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Jess

Vlog!!! All Hail Cynthia and Kelly - Queen Vloggers

2008-10-29T22:00:00.008-05:00

All right ladies, I can't even get CLOSE to you guys for vlogging awesomeness but wanted to drop it in anyway!And major apologies for my hair and the bad lighting - sometimes the love of my life is so comfortable he doesn't want to help adjust hair or lighting - next time I promise to look cuter! And give you a bicep shot! :)

I had a VERY long day at work today but ate great and got in my workouts! Yeah! Hammies this morning and light shoulders/heavy arms tonight.

I love the new heavy lifting schedule! :) Thanks to all my followers! Fikenator has joined the Juice Squeezing revolution!

Love you guys! Duh.
Jess

Weekly Recap and WOW!

2008-10-28T13:33:00.002-05:00

Hey y'all! I have a LOT to say this evening so I am going to get right to it!

First of all, I love the new follower feature on blogger - it is awesome! I follow my peeps and they follow me. :) Fun times.

Had a GREAT workout tonight - did back. Awesome. My leggies are still a little sore so hammies and an HIIT workout in the morning. It is really weird doing heavy lifting instead of the hard core super intense more cardio focused workouts I have been doing. So I KILL IT with heavy weight and then that's it...I am done. I love this. I eat, get in the hot tub, and sleep. Good times.

Back workout was four exercises 3-4 sets, 6-8 reps - HEAVY and then final exercise (5th one) was German Volume Training (GVT) so 10 sets of 10 at 70 lbs lat pull down. It was awesomeness. Exercises were: deadlifts, rows, seated cable rows, one arm reverse grip pull down.

Below is a summary for my workouts last week...I am going to keep rocking it this week and will keep you guys posted. Food has been perfect....which is kick ass. I have some all day meetings tomorrow and Thursday but preparation is key so I have to make sure I have all my meals on me and prepared.

Have a great week everyone!

Week of October 20th
Monday: Day Off - WHEW!
Tuesday: Leg circuits and 20 minute jog - 85 total minutes
Wednesday: Off (business clients in town)
Thursday: Heavy lift shoulders - 20 minute jog.
Friday: Off - workout clothes left at home
Saturday: 5K - 25 minutes (massive asthma attack :()
Sunday: BRUTAL 2 hour leg workout with Amber - WHOA!

Jess

Breaking News! News Alert!

2008-10-27T20:30:00.004-05:00

News Alert: Northwest Arkansas

The sound of a bomb was just heard in Northwest Arkansas. The location of the suspected detonation was in the home of Jessica Hendrix. Bomb forensics were able to locate the exact location of the detonation to the deltoid region of Jessica's shoulders.

BAM! Blew up! Wow. :)

A couple things: It is wierd to do shoulders and do low weights, heavy weight - I am so used to the opposite. Plus, while my heart rate went up - it didn't really do anything crazy and I am not doing any cardio so just chillin - letting the muscle recover.

And for my post workout meal - homemade lasagna - and it is gonna be TIGHT. Yummy. And good for me - 100% whole wheat noodles, 98% lean ground beef - yummy.

I wanted to post a better back picture for you guys - I totally jacked up my posing at the Missouri show so my back looks wacked and I wanted you guys to see a better view. This was me 2 weeks out from the Missouri show. I need to make sure I nail the back pose. :)

Have a great week y'all! I will be updating you on progress with my first week with the new training schedule.

Jess

P.S. I just ate the lasagna and I have to tell you it was GOOD! And good for me! Post workout meal - CHECK!