Zwow #8 Workout

Today's Workout is Zwow again. I guess you could say I'm on a kick. I am really just loving these workouts. I am starting to feel stronger and better able to do them as well. It's hard but I pushed through till the end. :)

Egg Muffins

These are great to make ahead of time and eat in the morning when your on the run.


Egg Muffins
(Makes 12 muffins, recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from The South Beach Diet book.

Ingredients:
15 eggs (for silicone muffin pans, use 12 eggs for metal muffin tins or individual silicone cups. You can use less egg yolks and more egg white if you prefer.)
1-2 tsp. Spike Seasoning (optional, if you have food allergies or don't have Spike, use any type of seasoning blend that's good with eggs.)
1-2 cups grated low fat cheese (I like sharp cheddar or a blend of cheddar/Jack cheese, use less cheese if using meat)
Optional, but highly recommended, 3 green onions diced small.
Optional: chopped veggies such as blanched broccoli, red pepper, zucchini, mushrooms, etc. (Using veggies will reduce the fat content)
Optional: diced Canadian bacon, lean ham, or crumbled cooked turkey sausage

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Use regular or silicone muffin pan, 12 muffin size. If using silicone pan, spray with nonstick spray. If using regular muffin pan, put two paper liners into each slot, then spray liner with nonstick spray.

In the bottom of the muffin cups layer diced meat, if using, vegetables, if using, cheese and green onions. You want the muffin cups to be about 2/3 full, with just enough room to pour a little egg around the other ingredients. Break eggs into large measuring bowl with pour spout, add Spike, and beat well. (I used to add a bit of half and half or milk, but lately I like the way they turn out without it.) Pour egg into each muffin cup until it is 3/4 full. I like to stir slightly with a fork. Bake 25-35 minutes until muffins have risen and are slightly browned and set.

Muffins will keep more than a week in the refrigerator. Egg muffins can be frozen and reheated, but I like them best when they are just refrigerated. For best results, thaw in refrigerator before reheating. Microwave on high about 1-2 minutes to reheat.

ZWow Workout 51

  

This is Zwow #51. I loved this workout. the above video is a preview explaining all of the exercises and the video below is the actual workout. Loved it. It got my heart going and was super tough. Good luck!

Jan. 11, 2013 Killer Abs workout

Today My legs were killing me from yesterdays workout so I took a nice long epsom salt bath and decided to do some abs. This was a great workout. You can do it all from home. They used some sliders for their feet. I didn't have any so I just grabbed some paper plates. I was on carpet so they worked great. If you are on tile or linoleum you could try using hand towels. good luck everybody.

Today's workout: Zuzka light # 3

So I have just really enjoyed doing Zwow workouts. Today for the first time ever...(I think) I actually finished a workout. It was brutal but I did it. Zwow does body weight circuits that you can do at home. They have been great for me after having a baby because it is challenging enough to get to the gym let alone with a baby hanging around. I can take care of him or workout while he is napping.

Training for Beginners

When one is starting out an exercise program you can't just jump into things if you aren't in shape at all. These are some great videos of phase 1 of the Optimum Performance Training Model.

Stabilization Endurance Training:

The goals of this stage is to:

•  improve muscle endurance
• enhance joint stability
• increase flexibility
• enhance control of posture
• improve balance and stabilization

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsx_eiVjv_E

Great Youtube workout channels!

It's sometimes hard to get to the gym and sometimes you gotta wonder why go when there are so many great instructors and personal trainers online. here are a few of my favorites.

 

Zuzkalight.com

  

Bodyrock.tv

   

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheBlondeponytail?feature=watch

http://www.youtube.com/user/LivestrongWoman/videos?flow=grid&view=1

http://www.youtube.com/user/BeFit?feature=watch

https://www.youtube.com/user/Kitty8Tim

https://www.youtube.com/user/JennyFordFitness

Yay, I can work out again

August 8th workout

Did this today. :)

The birth

Yep that's right this picture pretty much says it all. I know I imagined me looking  beautiful and refreshed and both of us holding our little baby boy at home on my bed with no tubes or anything. Well I have learned that you can't plan everything out perfectly, the hospital isn't as bad as I thought, and next time I need to be more pushy. :) I'll explain.

After watching a documentary and exploring my options of homebirth with a midwife or a hospital birth with and OB I decided I wanted a home birth. I loved the idea of just getting to be there with my baby and being able to trust that indeed my body was capable of giving birth without medical intervention. I mean god doesn't make mistakes right. Women should be able to do this. I also was farely confident because of my high pain tolerance and my general bullheaded and stubborness that I would have no problem.

A kink was thrown in my plan when little Kenter decided to come 5 weeks early. At 35 weeks I was going into labor. I had to decide what to do. That is a little too early for comfort to have a baby at home. Although I wouldn't need medical attention he would as soon as he came out.

At 34 1/2 weeks I started having random contractions that really didn't hurt. I kept talking to people asking how I would know if I was in "real" labor or not. I talked to my midwife, my mom, my sisters, my bosses wife, and really any other woman that was around. :)  Although my  midwife planned to come check my I was generally assured that it is quite normal to be having some contractions this late in the game. This continued for a few days...off and on. Some days I would time the contractions to see how far apart they were. There were a few days that were a little scary as they would be like 5 minutes apart for an hour or so and then completely stop. I decided to take it easy. I was told to just lie down so I didn't actually go into labor. I started having alot more contractions friday night. enough to keep me and Kwin up most the night tossing and turning. My Baby shower was Saturday the 11th. I headed to it after the contractrions subsided a little that morning. After I got there they came back but still 15ish minutes apart and not painful. Everyone thought I was having Braxten Hicks. I kind of did too.  I was so used to just having contractions all the time. That night I took a nice bath to ease the contractions and then headed home for the night. This seems to be where my brain got fuzzy and I was just in denial. At about 10:00 that night the contractions started getting a lot more painful and closer together. They were about 5 minutes apart. Because my midwife didn't seem too worried about it the earlier contractions I thought I would just text her and see if she thought maybe this was something. (I should have known, but aparently wasn't quite in the right state of mind...granted I was exhausted from no sleep the night before and completely new at this.) I didn't get a response so I went to bed. Well at least tried to. 4 hours of hardly any sleep I started thinking this was something so I texted her again. They were still painful. I kept trying to breath through them to bare the pain.  Periodically i would go take a hot bath to ease the pain too. At 6:00 in the morning I was taking a bath and I could hardly bear it. I thought if this isn't real labor I'm  getting an epidural. At that time I called my midwife, (who then explained she hadn't gotten the texts) she said she would rush down to see me.  Unfortunately she lived 2 1/2 hours away.  Soon after I called her the contractions subsided a little and I actually was able to sleep a little. She got here at 9:00 and checked me. I was dilated 9 centimeters. (wow) She started doing some pressure things and the pain with every contraction was almost unnoticeable. (Why didn't I call her earlier). At this point we had to make a decision. Should we go to the hospital? I labored for another hour or so.  The bag of waters was bulging out of my cervix so my midwife broke it.  After a little while baby's heart rate started acting funny so we went to the hospital. (good thing) We were admitted at 11:20 and Kenter was born at 11:56. My OB of choice was the one on call so lucky for me she is the one that delivered him. I had no epidural or pain medication of any kind and only had to have one stitch. I was doing pretty well besides my lack of sleep. Poor Kenter though came to the world too early. He was given to me just long enough to pee on me and then taken to the Nicu. He was hooked up to a cpap machine, an IV, Oxygen. I was taken to my room. I really wanted to go see him but needed to be checked myself. After 4 hours I finally walked to the Nicu and saw my little guy.  Poor thing it was so sad seeing him hooked to all the machines and having to be poked all the time. Over the next few weeks we watched as he first got off the cpap, then off oxygen. He was given a feeding tube and started to learn how to eat. It took two weeks before he was able to nurse all of his food on his own and we were able to take him home.

So what did I learn...What would I have done differently.
I still love the idea of having my child at home. As far as labor goes I think it is a perfectly normal thing that I want to do on my own. However I am extremely grateful for modern technology.  They were able to take care of Kenter as he struggled for his first little while here on this planet.  Of course no one wants to end up with a child in the nicu...I am glad that he was treated so well and for the nursing staff there.

I think next time... I'm going to be a little more careful with what I do in the last trimester. i gotta keep that baby in as long as I can. I'm going to attempt a home birth again...(unless I start contracting too soon again). I'm going to get a midwife that lives less than 20 minutes away. I also want to get an ultrasound to make sure everything is going well along the way.

Fat, Sick, And nearly Dead

So I have been struggling during this pregnancy to get my veggies into my daily diet. I work at a weight loss clinic where our clients eat 4 cups of vegetables a day. That is a lot. (especially when it doesn't include potatoes and carrots). My parents have started Juicing after watching a documentary entitled "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead". http://www.fatsickandnearlydead.com/ After they and my midwife told me to watch it I finally did. I needed to find some way to get all those healthy green veggies in. It is a super interesting film. My parents have been feeling so much more vibrant and healthier from all the fresh fruits and veggies. So anyway this is a great film to watch. It helped me realize that most American's really don't get the veggies they need.


I do however feel like it is a complete waste of vegetables to juice them. You loose a lot of the bulk of the veggies. (ok and the real truth) I can't stand to drink them. I think they are disgusting. So although I love the idea and the ease of it I really needed to come up with something else. I decided to just make sure I ate tons of veggies. So of course if I want to eat them whole it is going to take a lot for me to learn how to incorporate vegetables into my diet.
How to shop for veggie's
How to cook them so they taste good
How to cook meals that include veggies but don't take forever. (let's face it...it's easy to throw spaghetti on the stove, it's easy to do whatever is already a habit.)


So there is the goal.... Learn to cook healthy meals that taste good but don't take forever to make. Can I do it? I hope so. :)

Photo Booth

                                                   

Weekly Weigh in

Although at the beginning of this pregnancy the thought of gaining the inevitable weight was terrifying, I have kept track of my weight gain. And I have actually enjoyed it. It is amazing to me to see how i am gaining weight and the reality of this whole experience. I am now at week 27 (13 to go) and in my extremely organized, wanting to know everything that is going on attitude I have followed my weight and measurements since before I got pregnant.
I think this is extremely interesting.

My weight and measurements throughout pregnancy:


Week                     Date               Weight          Belly        Waist            Hip            Thigh
Pre-Pregnancy        08/12                145                                 30.5            38.75            21.75
12                        01/04/2012          146.2           33              30.5             38.75           21.75
14                        01/15/2012         145.2            34.5           30.75           39                21.75
16                        01/29/2012         147               35.25         30.75           38.75           21.75
20                        02/25/ 2012        152               36.5           30.75           39                21.75
21                       03/03/2012          155               37.5           31.25           39.5             21.75
23                       03/18/2012          158               38.5           32.75           39.75           21.75
24                       03/26/2012          159               38.5           32.75           40                21.75
25                       03/31/2012          164              39.25          34                40.5             21.75
26                       04/09/2012          162               39              34.25           40                21.75
27                       04/14/2012          163              40.25          35.75           40                21.75


I must admit that some of this data may not accurately represent my weight gain. mostly looking at week 25. We went out to eat the night before to Pizza Pie Cafe so obviously that was artificially high.
Weight is taken consistently in the mornings before eating anything.
Belly measurement is just the biggest part of my belly
Waist is where I bend
and Thigh is always measured 6 inches from the top of the knee cap.
It has been interesting for me to watch my measurements. Although at first I was worried that I wasn't gaining any weight I soon realized that i would and yes my belly would grow too.  More importantly than what my measurements say however is the fact that I am extremely happy with myself. I know that I am gaining a healthy amount of weight and that my baby is healthy. Weight may have been a worry for me at first but now I am much more concerned about the health of my baby. I want to make sure it is getting the nutrients it need and that I keep my body in good physical shape so that I can go through labor.  I believe that is what is more important than the number on the scale or how big my belly ends up getting. I just want my baby to be healthy.

Walking Hills

My Husband took me out this morning for a speed walk. We sped walked down and up a hill. This is a great exercise because it let me get my cardio up without having to worry about my bouncing belly getting to annoying.

How Far and How Often?

If you already walk, keep up your regular program. To get started, walk 20 -30 minutes a day three days a week and build from there to 30 - 60 minutes most days of the week. Walking for exercise can continue into your last trimester and right up until birth as long as it is comfortable for you.

How Fast and How Hard?

Moderation is the word during pregnancy, don't push yourself to the extreme. The chemical byproducts and raised body temperature of overexertion are bad for the fetus. Your pulse rate should not be above 140 beats per minute at any time during your walk. You may also use the "talk test" -- you should be able to speak in complete sentences without having to huff and puff and gasp out only short phrases. A pulse more than 100 beats per minute five minutes after a workout means you have worked your body too hard. Drink water before, during, and after your walk to help regulate your core body temperature. The fetus cannot get rid of excessive heat, so avoid exercising in hot weather and keep your walking workout moderate. Consider mall walking as an alternative during hot weather.

Posture!

A good walking posture is essential and can help prevent backache.
Stand up straight: Think of being a tall and straight, do not arch your back.
Do not lean forward or lean back: Leaning puts strain on the back muscles.
Eyes forward: not looking down but rather 20 feet ahead.
Chin up (parallel to the ground): This reduces strain on neck and back.
Loosen the shoulders: Shrug once and let your shoulders fall and relax, your shoulders slightly back.
Suck in your stomach
Tuck in your behind: Rotate your hips forward slightly. This will keep you from arching your back.

Other Helpfull Pregnancy Exercises

• Pelvic Tilts: These can be done in nearly any positions. For beginners, I'd recommend standing, my personal favorite is hands and knees. To get started in a standing position, place a hand on your abdomen and a hand on your lower back. Bend slightly at the knees. Concentrate on moving only your pelvis only. You should not get a lot of body movement from this exercise. It should be done slowly. Do this often through out the day.
• Squatting: Try this first with a partner or a chair back. Slowly go down into a squat, stopping as low as you can go but before your heels come up off the floor. Practice this several minutes a day.
• Tailor Sitting: Basically it's sitting with your legs crossed at the ankle and knees out, much like you used to do in kindergarten. It helps stretch your inner thighs.

Kegels

The "wonder exercise of pregnancy", kegels are something every woman, pregnant or not, should learn how to do. Though you may be sick and tired of people telling you to exercise during your pregnancy, kegel exercises require so little effort from you, yet give you so much back in return, you really have no excuse not to do them.

Little Pain, Lots of Gain

Kegels are named after their inventor, Dr. Arthur Kegel, who suggested them to his female patients in the 1940s. Kegel exercises target your pelvic floor muscles, helping to strengthen your urethra, bladder, uterus and rectum. Both women and men can become a kegel exerciser, although men won’t gain the childbirth benefits that women do.
Pregnant women are encouraged to do kegels because strong pelvic floor muscles help make childbirth, specifically pushing, easier. Plus, the exercise can lower your chances of tears happening during labor. During the postpartum period, doing kegels can aid in your healing from an episiotomy as well as prevent postpartum incontinence and tone your stretched out vaginal muscles, thereby making sex better.
But the benefits don’t stop there! Kegels can also:

• Prevent incontinence from happening later in life
• Make your orgasms better
• Reduce your chances of hemorrhoids (the exercise aids in circulation to the rectal area)
• In men, kegels can help with erections since kegels encourage increased blood flow to the genitals

Become a Kegel Master
Easy childbirth? Better sex? What are you waiting for? It’s time to get that kegel technique down! Thankfully, instructions for kegel exercises are very simple and easy to follow:

• Contract your muscles as if you were trying to stop the flow of urine
• Hold this contraction for a count of three
• Slowly release and relax

That’s it. You’ve just done your first kegel. To begin with, try to do three to four sets of 25 repetitions several times throughout the day. As your pelvic floor muscles get stronger, increase the length of time you hold the contraction for, working your way up to ten seconds.
When you contract your pelvic muscles, though, be careful not to squeeze your buttocks and abdominals. These muscles aren’t needed to do a kegel. You may also find that you squeeze your rectal muscles. As you get better, you should be able to focus on just your pelvic floor muscles. To make your workout harder, and more effective, try changing your contractions. Do some quickly, like little flutters, while doing others more slowly.
Do It Anywhere!
The best part about kegels is the fact that you can do them anywhere at anytime. Whether you are watching TV, standing in line at the grocery store or are driving in your car; fitting kegels into your busy schedule is easy. Once you’ve had your baby, though, don’t neglect these muscles that you’ve just built up. Make kegels are regular part of your fitness routine for life.

This article from: http://www.pregnancy-info.net/exercise_and_well_being_kegels.html

The Decision to Deliver my baby at Home

Up till even after I got married I always imagined that my children would be born in a hospital with an OB-GYN. Of course isn't that what everyone does? The realization that there was more than one option came when I was shown a documentary, “The business of being born”. This documentary looks at birth the business aspect of it. As those who are delivering our children are running a business. There was a lot of insights that made me question if what was happening in hospitals was really for the good of the expectant mother and baby or just good for the business of bring babies into the world.

I started researching and talking to people who had used midwives and had home deliveries with there labor and deliveries. Everyone I talked to seemed very satisfied with the whole experience. Many women who had turned to midwives had done so because of bad experiences at the hospitals. The midwife allows much more freedom and the comfort of your own home.

I started considering using a midwife for my own children's births. Of course I was concerned. First of all was:

What if something goes wrong? How would a midwife deal with complications? Would we have time to get to the hospital if needed? The more I have looked into this the more reassured I am. Many studies show that home births with a midwife are actually safer for both the infant and the mother. There tend to be less complications and less interventions involved in a home birth when compared to a hospital birth. One Study looked at the outcomes of planned home birth with a registerd midwife versus planned hospital birth with midwife or physician. The comparison was of midwives at home verses those same midwives at the hospital and hospital births with a physician. The results were as follows

Per 1000 Births of infant death

Planned home births: 0.35

Hospital births with Midwife: 0.57

Hospital births with a physician: 0.64

This concluded that those with a midwife at home were almost half as likely to end up with an infant death. And even with those same midwifes at the hospital the risk drastically increased. Those women in the at home group were less likely to have obstetric interventions or adverse maternal outcomes. Newborns at home were less likely to need resuscitation or oxygen after birth.

According to this study along with others, my question seems to be the wrong one. There was less complications with the at-home births. Many think this is because of the easily available interventions. We are just intervening too much with birth and maybe God actually did make a woman capable of having her own child. Maybe we should just be prepared to handle the labor and delivery and then in cases where something still goes wrong then start intervening

My second Question was: How much is this going to hurt and will I be able to handle it?

It was funny because when some people found out I was planning a home birth they thought I was crazy. It would hurt. And that is what I've heard my whole life...it hurts. Now I'm not going to argue that it doesn't hurt. Pain in childbirth is a given. But soon I found that there really is no avoiding it. Although an epidural may help I was always a little nervous with the idea of numbing my whole lower body with something so close to my spinal cord. It just seemed really risky. After talking to a few people who'd had epidurals I also found that they are often times less than desirable. They can be put in wrongly and cause complications or you would still be able to feel pain. Also they interfere with the mother's ability to be involved in pushing out her own child. (an important part of giving birth...the involvement of the mother.)

I also took a birthing class that outlined many different positions that can greatly reduce the pain and speed childbirth. I was introduced to the idea of a water-birth. (the midwifes epidural). I loved the idea of more natural ways of dealing with the pain. For example: being upright instead of laying on your back, eating so you have the needed energy for labor, and relaxing. 

Source of study:

CMAJ: Canadian Medical Association Journal; 9/15/2009, Vol. 181 Issue 6/7, p377-383, 7p, 4 Charts

Exercise During Pregnancy.

The benefits of exercise during pregnancy

Exercise does wonders during pregnancy. It boosts mood, improves sleep, and reduces pregnancy aches and pains. It also prepares you for childbirth by strengthening muscles and building endurance, and makes it much easier to get back in shape after your baby's born.

The ideal workout gets your heart pumping, keeps you limber, manages weight gain, and prepares your muscles without causing undue physical stress for you or the baby.

The following activities are usually safe for expectant moms, although some of them may not work for you during the last few months of your pregnancy. Make sure you consult your healthcare provider before embarking on any exercise regimen.

Cardiovascular

• Walking: One of the best cardiovascular exercises for pregnant women, walking keeps you fit without jarring your knees and ankles. It's also easy to do almost anywhere, doesn't require any equipment beyond a good pair of supportive shoes, and is safe throughout all nine months of pregnancy.
  Video
• Swimming: Healthcare providers and fitness experts hail swimming as the best and safest exercise for pregnant women. Swimming is ideal because it exercises both large muscle groups (arms and legs), provides cardiovascular benefits, and allows expectant women to feel weightless despite the extra pounds of pregnancy.
• Low-impact aerobics: One good thing about an aerobics class is that it's a consistent time slot when you know you'll get some exercise. And if you take a class for pregnant women, you'll enjoy the camaraderie of other moms-to-be and feel reassured that each movement is safe for you and your baby.
• Dancing: You can get your heart pumping by dancing to your favorite tunes in the comfort of your own living room, with a DVD, or at a dance class, but steer clear of routines that call for leaps, jumps, or twirls.

Flexibility and strength

• Yoga: Yoga can help maintain muscle tone and keep you flexible with little if any impact on your joints. But you may have to augment a yoga regimen with walking or swimming several times a week to give your heart a workout.
• Stretching: Stretching is wonderful for keeping your body limber and relaxed and preventing muscle strain. Add stretching to your cardiovascular exercises to get a complete workout.
• Weight training: If weight training is already part of your exercise routine, there's no reason to stop, although most women should reduce the amount of weight they're lifting (you can do more repetitions to ensure that you're still getting a good workout). If you take the necessary precautions and use good technique (meaning slow, controlled movements), weight training is a great way to tone and strengthen your muscles.

Who should handle a normal birth?

Is Home Birth Dangerous?

Education of Midwives