Back to a Workout Routine

Looking back on my pregnancy, I feel pretty good about the way I continued to workout. Sure, I slowed down and couldn't do as much as I was used to, but I maintained a fairly regular schedule up until the day my water broke (literally, that morning I was at my weight lifting class at the gym). Before I was pregnant, I remember seeing pregnant women at the gym and thinking, "That's going to be me."

I truly believe my quick bounce back post labor was due to this working out. Less than a week after Norah was born I was wearing my old jeans. (That's not to say that my body was back to where it was, but nonetheless I was in those jeans.) I was pretty quickly walking for exercise, and within a few months I was running. While on maternity leave, while the weather was nice, Norah and I made good use of the jogging stroller.

Particularly since going back to work however, it is a regular workout schedule that I have missed. With breastfeeding and daycare duty added to the morning routine, it has been difficult to find the time. I went to the gym one day last week, but even getting up at 5AM I was only able to get a 30 minute workout in. Several months ago, when Norah started sleeping through the night, I decided I could at least manage strength training workouts at home, and that works out okay.

I decided recently that finally, 9 months later, it is about time I get more serious about this. I have been back to my pre-pregnancy weight for a while, but I am no where near as toned as I was. In order to get more serious, I know two things are required: a routine and morning workouts.

When the weather gets nicer maybe I'll feel more like an evening jog around our neighborhood sometimes after Norah goes to bed, but right now I know that won't happen. I need the gym. Seth and I talked over the weekend and came up with the following schedule:

Monday - lift arms at home
Tuesday - lift legs at home
Wednesday - Ang's morning at the gym for cardio
Thursday - lift arms at home
Friday - lift legs at home
Saturday - Ang's morning at the gym for cardio
Sunday - optional, but hopefully often another cardio workout

I realize this probably doesn't look like much, but (sadly) it is more than I am doing now. It's a start!