Feeling GOOD

Brittney, here!  Hi, how are you?

I think today was a classic 180-day.  A mere three hours ago I was ready to lay waste on my couch after a highly stressful day while drinking an adult beverage and probably eating bagel chips.  Sadly, this is the honest truth, but I DIDN"T.

Instead????? I just got back from a 2 mile jog/walk.  I have to give my husband all of the credit for the motivation to accomplish this task.  He swooped up the kids and said, "Go for it!"

The weather was pleasantly warm today, but as I started jogging I could tell it was getting cool.  Around 36 degrees.  Sidewalks were starting to get a little slippery from a misty rain all day.  I decided to run on the street with my bright construction vest (it's literally bright orange with reflective stripes on it).  This time of year seems like the hardest time to see things at dusk and I'd rather look like a jogging construction worker than risk someone not seeing me!

I don't want to pat myself on the back as if I just ran a marathon, I don't feel like I deserve that kind of applause YET, but I will say that I feel really good for two things in particular.  I ran 1 mile straight tonight.  I'm not sure if I've already done that in the last few weeks, but it was from start to finish - one mile.  I feel very fulfilled to be getting comfortable running again.  Baby steps!  I then walked & jogged the second mile of my workout and felt great afterwards!!!

Second feel-good event of the night was after my cool-down and ab exercises.  For the first time in a long time I attempted side plank abdominal exercises.  I have no idea if that's what they're called, but I lay on my side and bend at the waist, raising my torso and legs slightly off the ground.  This accomplishment might be confusing if you're just starting to read my blog.  A little backstory, I have had a couple years worth of working on correcting my diastis recti (splitting of abdominal muscles from pregnancies).  I've been VERY very very cautious, but tonight I felt it out and it felt GOOD.  So I took it easy and did one set on both sides.  Baby steps, part deux.

In addition to my exciting turn of events tonight I'd also like to share some information about the first part of my day!

I went to a Women's clinic to figure out if I'm having any kind of hormonal irregularities or not.  Over the course of the next few weeks I will be taking a ZRT Saliva Test to see if I need a little bit of help in the hormone department.  After the discovery of the little skin abnormality that was removed from my back two weeks ago most likely being caused from a hormonal imbalance?   Plus the fact that I've been off and on anti-depressant medication from post-partum depression for three and a half years, but still don't feel "right??"  It's time to try to figure out the root of what's going on.

Busy day!  Time to relax with the hubby and decompress.  Until next time!  :)

Three Miles!! Wooo hooo!

Hello friends, I am so excited to announce that I made it to OVER three miles in my hour long workout tonight.  Dance dance dance!  Something about the three mile mark for me is important.  I used to run regularly and if I could make my three miles every time I felt like it was a "worthy" workout.  Of course my three miles tonight included heavy breathing, sweat dripping and the sound of my pant legs rubbing together because of how large I am at the moment.  The important thing????? I did it.  and I feel good.  and it makes me happy.  and I am proud of myself.

Props to my husband for wrangling the kids to bed tonight while I accomplished said workout!  <3

SONG OF THE DAY
I greatly greatly enjoyed Madonna's "Give It To Me (Paul Oakenfold Edit).  It's one of those songs that ended up on my playlist somehow that I probably have never listened to before.  I was doing intervals and it was a really really great song to jam out to during my high resistance interval AND my low resistance interval.  Give it a chance.  It's probably been on my playlist for over a year and tonight's the first time I listened to it, so if you need to take your time doing that same I completely understand!

ABDOMINAL MUSCLES
I'd like to talk about abdominal exercises.  I've mentioned before that I have Diastisis Recti, the splitting of the abdominals, from my pregnancies.  This requires me to be very aware of and sensitive to certain activities.  Sadly it has cut out some of my favorites:  kickboxing & golfing.  The shearing motions of your abdomen during a golf swing and in various kickboxing moves actually create more separation of the muscles if they are already weakened.  THIS SUCKS, PEOPLE.  Those used to be staples in my life.  Someday I will defy the experts who say once you have a diastisis you can't do those things ever again.  I am determined, damnit.

Today I expanded my horizons in my diastisis exercises.  Up until today I stuck to three safe positions that focus on the transverse abdominus.  These have always been very helpful for me in conjunction with a "splint" that I used to wear to help move the muscles closer together.  I began to rely on said splint and have weaned myself off it over the course of the last year.  Now it's time to add on to the current exercises I do and I simply googled it today.  After my hour workout I did these moves (shown in the video below) that engaged muscles in my abdomen that I have not knowingly engaged for a really really long freaking time.  IT FELT GOOD.  I'm posting the video here for fast reference when I need a refresher!




Well folks, that's all from me today.  Have a good one!

50 Shades of Sore

First off I have something very important to say.  I'd like to thank Ace of Base for hitting up my shuffle tonight during my workout.  Instant flashback to the 90s when I used to steal my sister's Walkman to walk around the block listening to her Ace of Base cassette tape.  Good stuff.

I have used the term "the dark side," now on this blog referring to being on the hard part of getting back into shape.  I'm still there.  It's pretty dark over here, but it has shifted from pitch black of last week to charcoal grey this week.  What in the hell am I talking about.  I'M SORE.  My joints are still sore as they were last week (when they were shocked into the realization that I started moving my body again).  IN ADDITION to sore joints my muscles are starting to cry.  My favorite part of exercising is stretching.  It's such a rewarding feeling after working so hard ....but tonight I was laugh/crying during my stretch.  OUCH.  This my friends, is muscle shock.  So so so shocking.  I did an hour on my elliptical on "Hill Program," mode.  Some lovely intervals of low to high resistance over the course of 60 minutes.  I traveled approximately 3 miles and the machine told me I burned 700 calories.  I forgot to put on my heart rate monitor tonight and could have stopped to get it, but right now I'm anti-gadget.  I don't really want to wear my heart rate monitor or my Fitbit.  I love stats, don't get me wrong, but I just feel like doing this by what feels right (at the moment).

I have a milestone to share with you, and you may look at this photo and scratch your head.  Allow me to explain.  This obscure photo is our calendar that is on our fridge that we use for the kids' school, appts, etc.  The little dots and number in the circle represent my exercise.  The dots are how many intervals of abdominal exercise I've done in the day.  The number represents how long of a workout I had.  THAT BEING SAID!  I did three intervals of ab work today.  WHOO HOOOO!  I did one hour of exercise.  WHOO HOO!!

As a result of carrying two children I have had the joy of experiencing Diastisis Recti.  The splitting of the abdominal muscles.  In attempts to close the muscles back to as close as I possibly can, I do special exercises that protect my diastisis from splitting further while at the same time strengthening and bringing everything back to where they're supposed to be.  These exercises have fallen off the wayside over the course of the last year, so in addition to getting a hot ass again, I'm adamant on getting my stomach back.  Thus!  I strive to do three sets of ab work throughout the day to engage my transverse abdominus.

INSERT MOTIVATIONAL PHOTO.  I used to have a killer stomach.  I know it's not realistic to get it back the exact way it was before, but this my dear friends is my motivation:  (Me, circa 2002)

The end for today <3  Thank you for reading!