6.16.2011

stop saying "I wish", start saying "I will"

Our income is earned solely from the use of my husband's body.  If something happens to it, that's the end.

No more paycheck.

Not only does it have to be in working order on a daily basis, but it has to be in peak physical condition year-round. 

Being a professional athlete requires one to dedicate his/her body to the sport.  Day after day of skating, lifting weights, doing conditioning exercises, etc. adds up quickly. 

When my husband goes to work each day, he burns nearly 2,000 calories.

As you can imagine, as a wife of a professional athlete, you already have to work very hard to not get lost in the shadow of your spouse.  Aside from all that, you want to keep up with him in the physical category, too.  Or at least I do.... I am very competitive, and I could never sit around and do nothing while my hubby flashes around his hot bod. 

Last summer, I was at my peak physical condtion.  Toned arms, toned legs, toned stomach, very heart-healthy.  I felt great, and I looked great. 

However, attempting to have a baby, being pregnant, (then not pregnant), then pregnant again, (then not pregnant again), then attempting to concieve a third time, weighs heavily on your body.  Your body doesn't work properly if you're over-active, and obviously losing prenancies and having surgery is very limiting.  Not to mention the fact that I have [more than once] fallen into the trap of 'eating my feelings' when I've been sad.

It's extremely frustrating- I really enjoy working out, and I'm normally a very healthy eater.  When uncontrollable circumstances affect these activities (well, okay... I'm guilty of the unhealthy eating from time to time...)  you can't help but feel a little lost from normal routine.  It was like groundhog day:  I was exercising less and eating extremely healthy while trying to concieve/being pregnant, then falling into the unhealthy eating habit after learning the pregnancy failed.... then trying to concieve/succeeding again and jumping back on the healthy bandwagon, then failing again and falling into the unhealthy tailspin again. 

Then, I realized: all I need to do is re-evaluate and modify.  If I have it written out, it will be much easier to follow, and I'll be less-likely to fall into the bad habits again.

My goals are:
  • to maintain a weight that is both healthy for me and keeps me in the best possible condtion for concieving.  If I need to be 5 pounds heavier off the bat to provide a good cushion for my little one to arrive and stay safe, so be it.  A small sacrifice to pay.
  • to re-tone my arms.  I know the muscle is under there, it's just not wanting to show it's face as much as it used to.  I quit most weight-bearing exercise at the start of my 2nd pregnancy in fear of it harming the baby (though knowing it wouldn't), and also after my surgery.  Time for the guns to come back out again.
  • legs and abs are another story.  They concern me more since they are closer to my baby-making parts.  I'm okay with them being a little less-toned for now.
  • Make sure that every single food/drink I put in my body every day is providing me some sort of nutritional benefit.
And I'm getting there by:
  • Walking the dog, walking on the treadmill, going for bike rides outside with J, swimming outside in the pool.
  • Low weight/high reps with hand weights and resistance bands (same as I did last summer/fall)
  • Ab exercises that avoid crunching motions, like plank variations.
  • Eating a well-balanced, healthy diet, and avoiding the temptations of all the lovely junk food here in the U.S.... which is simple, once I put my sadness aside.  As long as I don't let myself eat my feelings, it's pretty easy to do.  We've gotten back in the habit of making balanced, healthy meals from scratch now that I'm willing to spend more time on it again (recipes to come soon! :) ).
  • Accepting the fact that my child-bearing/attempting body is just not going to look the same as it did on my wedding day.  Not until post-baby, at least... :)

What do you do to keep your health on track?  Have any of you recently had to modify eating/exercise habits for any reason?  I'd love to hear what works for YOU!

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13 comments:

  1. such a great post.. because it's so true. I felt the same when we were trying.. but really your body does need to rest a little when you're trying to get pregnant.. it's going to work HARD.. And I promise it's worth it :) Even those cookies are good for you sometimes. hehe. At least Olivia thinks so too. Hope things are going well! keep me posted! xoxo

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  2. Some parts of my body did change too after the miscarige. But I have been trying to work out and feel good about myself cause I belive that If my body is in great condition there might be easier to get preggers again:)

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  3. While I'm not married to an athlete, I have brothers who play pretty intense football - and I understand what you mean about feeling like you need to stay in shape as well. HOWEVER you're so amazing about it because you understand your limits and want to work with them - not against them :D It will definitely be worth it in the end!

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  4. I love the title of your post. Wise words to live by.

    I was very much an athlete, have high metabolism and abused by body with bad eating habits. Trying to get back on track so I appreciate the tips.

    Mila from http://hereundertherainbow.blogspot.com/

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  5. This was such an inspirational post. Taking care of our bodies should be a priority, regardless if we're in the sports world or not. Kudos for being so positive and for staying motivated! I just discovered your blog and I'm glad I did. I am now following you thanks to Thirsty Thursday, and it would be so nice if you could share the love back on my blog;)
    Also today we have the coolest blog hop there is... no rules just fun and would love you to join in with us at Boost My Blog Friday, where you can meet lots of friends and have a great time:) See you there!
    Happy Friday

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  6. Laura- thanks for the motivational words! :) love that Olivia loves cookies already... gives a good excuse to sneak one now and then :)

    Mrs K- It's so true! I must have totally missed you saying you had a miscarriage...? I'm so sorry to hear that!

    Sarah- yup, I think the 'trying to keep up' is just about true for everyone! thanks for your awesome words & motivation! :)

    Mila- isn't it so hard when you're used to being so active and having a high metabolism, and then you stop playing sports and get a little older and realize you can't live by the same eating habits?! that was so tough for me! hope some of the tips work out for ya... coming to check out your blog now! :)

    DIC- Thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad you discovered it too! Heading over to check out yours now too.. :)

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  7. Good for you girl!! I feel the same way...DOING instead of just talking about it! And why is it so hard to tone the arms??! I have such a hard time with this too!

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  8. Great goals for yourself and your body! I love getting back into shape, it seems to just make everything else fall into place.

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  9. Lindsay- have you tried a cardio kickboxing?! It does WONDERS for your arms! That, and I find I get best results from low weight/high reps, and making use of resistance bands as well as weights. Make sure you are always changing things up... it's amazing how fast you'll see results! That... and protein powder! I seriously swear by it. I haven't taken it as much since the pregnancy stuff (which I swear is a result of my not-so-toned arms). GNC has a great one- Amplified Wheybolic Extreme 60...and don't worry, it doesn't make you gain weight or anything (that's what I was worried about!).. throw some strawberry flavored in a smoothie after workouts, that's my fav! Good luck! :)

    Texa- agreed! It's SO easy to slip into the unhealthy temptations back home here... espeically since you know you won't get them for many months again! Moderation... haha. Thanks lady :)

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  10. Food diary. I went to a doctor to figure out my bad eating habits (turned out I was a late-night eater who'd go 2 wks very healthy, then binge; and I was a grazer). One of the first things they gave me was a food diary; write down every thing you eat, and just as importantly, why you're eating (bored, hungry, food is there). Seems tedious at first but then you realize how MUCH you eat and why you're eating, etc. Also helps you make sure you're staying on track for nutrients, etc.

    I lost 85 lbs. Still got a longggg way to go and I'm really just starting to exercise in full earnest, but a food diary helps a lot. :)

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  11. Wow, congrats! 85 lbs. is FANTASTIC! I definitely have the "eating cause I'm bored" problem from time to time... haha. That and I just LOVE all the tastes! Thank goodness I'm acquiring more healthy tastes now as I'm getting older... or I'd be in trouble!

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  12. Good luck with getting your body how you want it to be...and fingers crossed for you to achieve your ultimate goal!!

    I've done very little by way of exercise lately as I have cartilage damage in the knee! I am trying to get better now. I have taken up pole dancing which is the best thing I have ever done for my arms!! Hopefully I'll get back to ballet soon too!!

    Just stopping by from FTLOB!
    Missy
    http://takeallchances.blogspot.com/

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  13. Thanks for the encouragement! :) Ugh, my knees are terrible too. They only act up now and then, but I have a feeling they're only going to get worse. My biggest problem is sitting with one/both legs curled up... it's a terrible habit :( I've heard nothing but good things about pole dancing, maybe I'll have to try sometime :) Hope you get back to your ballet soon!

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