Monday, August 13, 2012

Still Here!

Oh hey!  Yeah, we're alive over here.  Last week was a red hot nightmare, hence the lack of blogging.  I was either sitting on the couch with a boob out or trying to get one of a million things done with an extra accessory:


Neither one of us was in a good mood at that point. :-)

I have to give mad kudos to single Moms.  You guys rock.  Patrick was gone during the day on most days, so it was me and the beeb handling a growth spurt together.  Rough.  Tripp slept in 20-30 minute increments, wanted to eat so often I thought my nipples were going to fall off and wouldn't let me put him down long enough to run to the bathroom without screaming.  Truth be told, I mastered the art of nursing and going to the bathroom at the same time in the early days.  That, however, is much easier with a 7-pound half-asleep baby that is curled up into a ball the size of a canteloupe.  It doesn't really work with a 12-pounder that likes to flail all four limbs in every direction while I'm trying to hold him in one arm.

Needless to say, I was a little tired by the time Friday rolled around.  Patrick was amazing when he was home and would take the baby so that I could just relax for a few minutes or go take a shower.  Life. Saver. 

Good news:  I think we've weathered the storm!  Tripp woke up all smiles on Saturday and was acting pretty normal so I think we've seen the worst...until the next one haha.  Can't wait.

One thing that fell by the wayside last week was my workout routine.  Sad face.  Clearly it wasn't a top priority considering the circumstances, but after four days of being couch-ridden I had to get creative. 





See the resemblance? ;-)  Depending on how much your baby weighs, the exercise and your fitness level, you may need more weight sometimes.  Put a few books in a backpack and throw that on! 

I did a circuit of 5 moves:

Shoulder Press - Stand with your feet hip-width apart.  Keep your legs straight but your knees soft, abs in tight to protect your lower back.  Hold the baby out in front of you with your arms bent.  Raise him overhead and lower back down for 1 rep.  I wouldn't recommend doing this right after baby eats. ;-)



Squat: Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.  Hold the baby close to you, keeping your abs in tight to protect your lower back (see a theme here?).  Sit down like you are sitting in a chair, pushing your butt backwards and keeping your back straight.  Push your hips back farther than you think you need to.  This will keep your knees from coming out over your toes and protect the knee joint from injury.  Switch the side you have the baby on each time you go through the circuit.



Bicep Curls: Stand with your feet hip width apart, knees soft, abs in tight.  Start with the weights baby up close to your face.  Slowly lower to your hips and come back up for 1 rep.  Don't go too fast or the baby will feel like he's falling and I promise your workout will end quickly.



Dead Lift (Tripp's favorite...that one got some smiles): Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees soft, abs in.  Hold the baby with your arms bent as shown.  Keeping your back straight, slowly bend forward at the hip until you feel a stretch in your hamstring.  Squeeze your glutes and slowly come back up.  **You have to slightly alter your form from a normal deadlift when you're using the baby.  Just be careful to keep your abs tight and your back straight. 













Pushups:  I'm pretty sure we all know how to do pushups, but here are some form cues.  Keep your abs in (sorry, broken record but seriously!), legs and back in a straight line.  Drop to your knees if you need to, but keep your back and thighs in a straight line. 


Pushups didn't go over so well haha.  I told you he wouldn't let me put him down!

Do each exercise 12-15 times without taking a break.  Rest for 1 minute after doing all 5.  Rinse and repeat as many times as the baby and your muscles will allow. :-)  Is it an 800 calorie workout?  Probably not...but its better than nothing on *those* days and I bet it will light a fire in your muscle fibers if you do enough circuits!

Have a lovely Monday everyone!

xo
Shaina



 

2 comments:

  1. sounds like buggy bootcamp. do they have anything like that where you are? If not, you should start it!

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  2. We have something called Stroller Strides...same idea. I haven't looked into it, but I believe each group is privately owned, kind of like a franchise. Not sure though...I should find out.

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