Make It Count Monday: Back to It

When I first found out I would be activity-restricted for the majority of my twin pregnancy, I was disappointed. I had always pictured myself as one of those women who would work out during the first 8 months or so of pregnancy, maintaining a healthy me while growing one (or two!) new people. I quickly redirected my hopes to postpartum workouts, diligently researching new-mama workouts and reading other twin mamas' stories of getting fit after babies. I knew it would be the best thing for all three of us for me to quickly get back in shape - I'd be a more energetic, positive, effective mommy, and my girls would know that exercise was an important part of life. Win-win, right? I fixated on that six-week postpartum mark, planning to start my workouts the day the doctor cleared me.

Motivation: It's now the second week of January. Emily and Erin are 6.5 months old, just 12 days from being 7 months. I've created a board on Pinterest called "Back to it" and filled it with workouts and healthy food. Oh...and did I mention that I looked through some old pictures of myself yesterday?

I've been searching for motivation to get back in the exercise/health groove for a few months now. If I'd known it would be as simple as seeing a picture of myself in the same shirt twice - the first time a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant, the second about two months after Emily and Erin were born. Needless to say, there was a huge difference. When I was pregnant, I gained about 50 pounds. Within two weeks of the girls' birth, I had lost 35 pounds. I knew I was supposed to try and maintain some extra weight to help with nursing, so I didn't try too hard to lose more - I was actually somewhat alarmed that I'd lost so much so quickly, as was my doctor. So I made a concerted effort to eat more, and ate just what sounded good, not what necessarily was the most nutritious. I exercised occasionally, but I never got in a routine.

Direction: So this week, my goal is to start working out again and generally live a healthier lifestyle. We're far enough along in the nursing game to add solids as a supplement, and according to our lactation consultant, it's also less dangerous to lose weight after 6 months because your body apparently gets used to your babies' needs.

I decided to try skipping my morning shower and just putting on workout clothes right away. If I shower in the morning, it feels like a little bit of a waste to go running or do a workout video and then need to shower again. Putting on workout clothes also takes away one more obstacle - I don't have to change my clothes to exercise!

I've also been making more of an effort to skip my regular grocery store and hit up Trader Joe's for as many healthy foods as I can. Some things are a little more expensive, but most are very reasonably priced. I love that for the packaged things we do buy, Trader Joe's commits to no GMOs. A lot of things are organic as well. Best of all, the store is tiny, so I can't get off-track as easily - unlike the regular grocery store, there aren't aisles upon aisles of pop, chips, and cookies. The regular store is still best for bulk items, but I only need to buy those about once a month. Overall, I feel like I end up going home with just what we'll realistically eat in a week, no extra, and spending roughly the same amount. You can't really put a price on good health, so I think this is a winner!

Accountability: I downloaded an exercise and foodtracking app for my phone, one that I'd had for a previous phone but hadn't used in a while. It has pretty much every food I've looked for already loaded, with calories, and it lets you add your own exercises, so I just added one called "breastfeed twins" with the appropriate caloric deduction. I will probably need to set an alarm on my phone at first to remind me to track the food and exercise, but I hope to make a habit of it quickly. Twenty-one days, right?

I'm linking up with Megan for Make It Count Mondays!