Status qu…it being so lazy!

I’ve been meaning to do a fitness update post for awhile now, but honestly, I’ve just been really lazy. Both with the post and with the fitness. Ugh. I haven’t worked out consistently for over a month now, and as such, I kind of feel like a total slug. I was doing so well, too, working up to week 4 in my Jillian Michaels workouts and really feeling great.

Then I got sick the week before Christmas, which meant I got approximately zero workouts in. Things were a little better in Hawaii, though, as I walked a solid 3 hilly miles (if not more) almost every single day. I even threw a little jogging in on some of those too. So that made for a good exercise week.

But since we’ve been back, my level of activity has dropped back to the nothing range. I think I’ve gotten 1, maybe 2, workouts in with my trainer, which are excellent, but when they come so infrequently I can’t believe they’re doing a whole lot of good. I was pretty proud of myself at my workout last week, though – I tested my pull-up endurance at the start of the session and was still able to do 5 full pull-ups. Not bad.

Outside of that, though, nada. Gone are the twice-weekly 5am workouts with Jillian I was sticking with so well to bump my weekly workouts up to 3. I felt like another cold was coming on this past week so was super tired, and in the weeks before this I’ve just been busy, tired, busy and tired, or just plain didn’t feel like it. And no matter how geared up I can be to exercise, if I just don’t feel like it by the time that workout rolls around, more often than not it doesn’t happen.

Fortunately the number on the scale hasn’t been screaming in my face and has remained pretty static, even somehow going down a pound after Hawaii. But I just hate knowing my overall fitness level is deteriorating even if my weight isn’t creeping up.

So that brings us to tonight. I got more stressing news at work today, and I’d finally had it. I needed a release. Maybe that’s been part of the problem lately, why everything has seemed so much more overwhelming than usual – I haven’t had my regular heart-pounding outlet to release my inner tension. Which could also, in turn, be why I’ve been feeling more sluggish and blah than normal.

Now get ready for this… I actually got off my lazy butt and went for a run after work. OUTSIDE again! It was even pretty much dark out, since I didn’t get started until 5:30! Here, I’ll help you up from the floor since I know you just passed out from shock. Sorry about that.

Remember my no-running-outdoors-unless-it’s-above-50-degrees rule? Totally broke it tonight. It was 38 on the temperature tower on my way home from work (and still light out! that definitely helped my motivation), but for some reason it didn’t even phase me. The run felt great. I just did my shortest route, since it’s been almost 2 months since my last jog, and I didn’t even take music. Just me and my breath, hitting the pavement.

Does that ever happen to you? You take a decent hiatus between runs and that first one back feels awesome? Now I know if I continued running outside I’d have to slow down a bit again before getting back up to speed without injury, but still. Tonight felt fantastic.

Here are the run stats – I ran 1.44 miles in 12:56, for a 9:00/mile pace. I’ll take it. Especially since for the first time in a long time I looked in the mirror after my shower tonight and saw a glimmer of the abs I was so happy to show off on my Mom Sexy day instead of a 2-pack with some mush underneath it. Maybe it was the post-workout endorphins finally coming back, or maybe it was because my little abs/push-ups routine I have been diligent about keeping up at least 4-5 times per week might actually be doing something, even with my lack of cardio exercise. But it was good to see nonetheless.

And I felt a little stress melt away with each step of the run, too. My mouth stung from the cold air, but my head was thanking me with each block. Ahh… Now if I can just get back to an exercise routine with which I can stick. I’m planning on cleaning up my road bike on the trainer in the basement and getting back on that next week after work 2 nights. Because although I love my dates with Jillian, I really hate getting up early.

How about you guys? Anyone else already giving up on their New Year’s exercise resolution, or is it just me? Well, actually I didn’t really give up on a resolution, since I don’t make them, but I just fell off the exercise wagon period. Hopefully I’ll get back on a little more permanently this time.

Hello, abs, nice to see you again

 

 

It’s Mom Sexy time!

First off, what do you think of the new look? I decided things needed a little sprucing up around here, so I gave my blog a mini-makeover. Let me know. Good, bad, or otherwise, I’m always open to feedback and suggestions. Now onto the main event…

 

A few weeks ago I posted about finding a little Mom Sexy of my own one night at the gym. Well Mary Fischer, the Mommyologist herself, actually read that little ditty and loved it. I was SO excited! She’s since started a new Mom Sexy Fridays series over on her blog, and of course I volunteered to be a part of it. She took the time to read my small post, after all, so I definitely want to do what I can to contribute back. And I am thrilled to announce that today is my day to be featured. THRILLED, people! So please, head on over to the Mommyologist to see what amazing things I have to say today, won’t you? Happy Mom Sexy Friday!

 

My Mom Sexy Friday…

 

 

Finding a little Mom Sexy of my own

I recently discovered a great blog, the Mommyologist (i know, i’m sorry, i’m way late on that one. but better late than never, eh?). It’s hysterical. Mary is the Mommyologist – a career woman turned stay-at-home-mom, and she takes us on her journey through this craziness that is motherhood.

She’s funny, she swears, and she lets us know that it’s ok when we feel like total parenting failures and are ready to pluck our eyelashes out one-by-one – this job called parent isn’t always all puppies and rainbows. Or eating chocolates and drinking wine during nap time, if that ideal is more your style.

She also started the Mom Sexy Revolution over a year and a half ago. SM, what the hell is Mom Sexy? Yeah I had no idea either, but it’s really simple…

Just because we’re moms doesn’t mean we have to be relegated to the frumpy-jeans, bad hair cut, stuck-in-a-rut, no time for “me” brigade. We can still be cute, we can still be fun, we can still rock it. Mom + Sexy = Mom Sexy. Voila!

So anyway, I did a little super-sleuthing, went back through her archives to learn myself a thing or two about her Mom Sexy crusade, and believe or not, it’s stuck with me. And it comes to me at the most random times.

Now if you know me very well, you know I’ve never been one to “flaunt it” or really even consider myself sexy at all. So I’m more surprised than anyone to hear myself saying I’ve found a little Mom Sexy. But I totally did…

I’ve started working out as part of a group of 4 women with my trainer instead of just one-on-one sessions each week, and Monday night was my second group session.

Now for a little background, after the first week I came home and told R I didn’t think I was going to like this because there’s a girl in the group who was a track runner at UW-Madison, graduated 4 years after me, is tiny and petite and rock solid, and just had a baby 6 months ago and bears no signs of pregnancy whatsoever.

So yeah, I was jealous and felt like I was competing against her. Which I totally am not, we’re all just there for the workout, but I couldn’t shake that twinge of envy. I felt like a huge clod next to her. So that didn’t exactly get me off to the greatest start attitude-wise for this little workout group, and was pretty much the opposite of Mom Sexy.

Well this Monday I decided to try to kick it up a mini-notch. I wore a cute workout tank to the gym that night to show off my guns instead of a baggy t-shirt, and tried to feel confident going into the session. I’m in decent shape right now, but I still feel like an Amazon compared to the runner.

And of course, what did she wear that night? A cute little workout tank too and skin-tight running shorts to boot! Ugh. (i feel kinda bad talking shit about her, because she’s actually quite nice and i’m sure they would all think i’m an idiot for feeling this way. but whatever, i just do.)

All right, forget the outfit, you’re here for a good workout. And man, did we ever get our money’s worth that night! Our trainer must have majored in ass-kicking in college, and now she’s going back for her Masters in making-sure-your-clients-can’t-walk-or-raise-their-arms-the-next-day.

But at one point I was doing chest flys with a band stretched around a pole, and my Mom Sexy suddenly came to me. I was looking down toward the floor and thought hey, my abs look nice and flat right now. My arms look really strong. My legs look even stronger as they’re supporting me in this stance. And you know what? F runner girl, I’m the hot one here tonight!

Granted, all those thoughts took place in about a 7 second span, but still. It was a glimpse of my Mom Sexy and it felt great.

So thank you, Mommyologist, for awakening something I never even knew I had – my Mom Sexy. I may not yet be grabbing my butt and boobs in admiration like she does (seriously, go check out her site and videos. she’s got some awesome ‘tude goin’ on.), but I am feeling pretty good about this mommy body of mine.

And for all you other moms out there, try rockin’ a little of your own Mom Sexy. You just might surprise yourself.