After Birth: Small Ways I'm Getting Back on Track

Hello people! I know you've missed me because I have missed you!

My Newborn Baby: Hunter!

I haven't been writing much since I got pregnant and I apologize for that. I'm not to sure where to start so I will start at the end (because I'm that backwards). I just gave birth to my third son Hunter on August 11th. I had an emergency C-Section (my first one by the way and for the record, I feel as though it could have been avoided if the labor wasn't rushed). I am happy to be a new mom all over again. I feel renewed! I don't know if that is a feeling that happens after you give birth to everyone of your children but it seems to happen to me. Life seems a bit brighter with my little Hunt around and I am so happy. I'm on maternity leave until at least 8 weeks after he is born and i have some time on my hands until I get back to work. I want to heal quickly and get back on track with my hair and weight loss goals.

My weight loss goal is still to get to 150 pounds. That has been and will always be my goal. That is the weight I was most happy at. It is about ten pounds more then my recommended weight for my height but its better then being 50 or even 100 pounds more than what I am suppose to be at. I want to be healthy and I think 150 will bring me down to my most healthy weight in years! I have a plan to get back on track. Also since I had gestational diabetes, I have to get down to a healthy weight and watch what I eat so I can be Diabetes free and around for my boys. I want to watch my boys grow up, finish college, get married and have families of their own! Here is my start up plan to get back on the wagon:

Stop Stressing! Life is too short to stress out about every little thing- including weight! I know I can lose the weight. I know my hair will grow at its own pace. I refuse to stress out and worry about stuff that is out of my control. Stress also keeps pound on and makes your hair fall out. Woooooosaaaaaaa! I actually found that shopping (even window shopping) is a good way to burn calories and reduce stress. I actually found a great store while walking around the mall called Lush! It's an amazing organic store which has makeup, bath soaps, shampoo, hair dye, etc. They also have items directly related to keeping you stress free. My favorites are Golden Slumbers and French Kiss which have lavender, chamomile, rosemary oil, etc. Those herbs are used to calm and relax the mind, body and spirit(Check them out! You might enjoy them).

Light Exercise: Since I have had a c-section, I was informed not to do anything that has to do with heavy lifting or running or anything like that! I was actually looking forward to giving birth so that I can start my exercise regimen back up at full speed. I was super disappointed upon hearing that I had to wait 8 weeks to do any real exercise. So I decided that light exercise should be okay just to keep my body going. Lifting 5 pound weights and walking thru the house with the baby in tow seems to be working for me. I have also started moving a lot more now that I am healing. I found an article I liked about this very subject. It's called Exercise with Baby: Postpartum exercises to do with your baby by Shannon McKelden. She offers 7 exercises to try postpartum:
 

• Baby Bench Press: Lie on your back and hold your baby securely above your chest with arms straight. Lower elbows, keeping arms close to your sides, and then extend arms straight up. Repeat while smiling and make funny faces with your child, keeping arm muscles engaged.
• Cooing Crunch: Lie on your back and hold your baby with arms extended in front of you. Sit halfway up, keeping abs engaged, and come down. Repeat.
• Baby Bend: Hold the baby in front of you and sit all the way down, bringing your butt to your heels while keeping arms straight. Stand up again and repeat.
• Stroller Stroll: Push the stroller in front of you. Speed up for 30 seconds and slow down. Do the same thing uphill for added resistance.
• Baby Ballet (Plié) Squats: Hold the stroller in front of you (in locked position) and stand with feet wide apart. Bend from your knees till your hips are knee level, making sure to keep your entire body engaged.
• Kiss Push Up: Arrange yourself in the push up position with your baby flat on his back near your head. Raise and lower your body doing traditional push ups, and be sure to smooch your baby on the way down.
• Use an Exercise/Swiss Ball: Use an exercise or Swiss ball (those giant beach balls that you see in the gym). Sit on the ball while holding your baby in your lap. Bounce up and down, keeping your abs engaged. Your baby will love the vertical movement and will enjoy being held close, and you'll love the tighter tummy. You can also do this more gently to help put your baby to sleep. Talk about multitasking.

Breastfeeding: YES!!! Breastfeeding does help you lose weight. It is an amazing and very effective tool in weight loss after pregnancy. It also helps you bond with baby and its the healthiest option for your baby. Don't believe me? Google It! Ask a Breastfeeding consultant! Research the facts! I actually found a great site about How To Get Back To Pre-Pregnancy Weight While Breastfeeding. 

Calorie Counting: If I truly want to lose any kind of weight, I cant escape the dreaded calorie count. I'm going back to using My Fitness Pal. It helped me lose 40 pounds last year and hopefully it will help me lose 75 pounds going into next year! It is a major help in breaking down what I eat, how much I exercise and how much weight I have lost. It is an awesome help when it comes to support as well. It has support groups and message boards. You can also add friends for support. It is actually a great way to lose weight and you don't even have to log using a computer. They have an app that can easily be downloaded on any android phone using the Google Play Store ( Formerly Known as The Android Market).I recommend this to anyone who needs something nice and easy to help them track their intake.

Last but not least, Positive Affirmations! Being positive and staying that way helps a lot when it comes to weight loss and taking care of my hair. Sometimes it does get rough and I want to just throw in the towel. Getting to that inner calm and saying to myself that I can do it makes a huge difference. Self esteem is very important in not just these two areas but life in general. You must learn to love yourself before you decide to change yourself or it will become an unhealthy obsession (bulimia, anorexia, self hate, etc.).



Well, That's my small list of how I plan to get back on track. I cant wait to see the progress!

Much Love, 
Tori P.