My mommy tummy

Motherhood has come with so many rewards. Being able to hold, hug, and kiss my children and watch them grow to the point that they can hold, hug, and kiss me back is just one of many joys of being a mom. Motherhood also has come with some sacrifices and lifestyle changes, as well as physical reminders that I am a mom. On the latter front, most notably is my mommy tummy.  I have stretch marks (thanks Emma!) and I have a little bit of extra insulation around that area, if you catch my drift. The stretch marks may fade with time, and I really don't mind them because strangely enough they serve as reminders about the days when I was pregnant with my two children. But the extra insulation on my mommy tummy really needs to go. I would really like to feel more comfortable in my clothes and I don't want to start down a slide toward always moving up to a higher size as I age. 

So, I've started waking up a bit earlier in order to exercise! This is something that I never thought would be possible given how early I had to wake up in order to get both myself and the kids ready in the mornings. Yet, just by starting in baby steps with waking 20 to 30 minutes earlier for some weight training or a quick run on my elliptical machine, it's been pretty doable most days of the week.  It has also helped that I think I've finally gotten a quicker morning "get ready" routine down now so it doesn't take me as long as it used to when I was a new mom (unless Evan decides to give me trouble, which happens more than I would like).  In addition, I'm also going to start trying to watch my portion control on what I eat, but I don't think I'm ready to give up all my favorite foods (and sweets!) just yet. After I had Emma I didn't have to worry about what I ate at all. The "nursing diet" was doing everything for me.  In fact, it worked so good that by last summer I was in tip top shape (at least based on my weight, I can't say that I was incredibly fit at the time though). But ever since I stopped nursing last autumn, the pounds have been coming back and my pants getting just that much tighter.  

So, my goal is to get fit and feel good as well as fit better into my clothes.  A goal that allows me to focus on myself a bit, which is not something I do very often as a mother.  I'm sure losing some weight and getting fit will be a slow process, because I am getting older and pounds will only be more difficult to lose.  (In fact I've been at this new routine for two weeks now and haven't dropped a single pound yet!)  However, I really only want to lose about 10 pounds total, and I want to gain muscle as well.   And while I haven't apparently lost any weight yet, I am feeling better already.  I find myself having more energy, despite 30 minutes less sleep! 

I don't want to call this a diet, because I want it to be my lifestyle choice; something that I will follow for long into the future. And I hope that by summer, when the days warm up and the snow melts away, that I can take long walks with the kids, play at the park again, or go for a long bike rides to also help with this goal. One extra bonus for me is that I recently had my office at work moved from the 2nd to the 3rd floor. Not only do I have a better view, I get to do more flights of stairs when I go into work and whenever I go to meetings on other floors.  Even just to get lunch in the cafeteria I go back to the main floor and then back upstairs.  If I can go straight up both flights of stairs without winding myself, that will be a good sign I'm making progress I think!  I would also like to try going for midday walks on work days when the weather is nice too. So there are lots of options for me to try to add more exercise into my daily routine, however some of them are dependent on the weather being nicer. So in the meantime, I'll get up when its just before sunrise and I'll come down to my basement to run on my elliptical or lift my weights in the peace and quiet of the early morning.  A time that with my kids (and often husband too!) are still fast asleep, so it is truly a little mommy "me" time each day.