Journey back into fitness

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I had a baby 15 weeks ago and I feel like I’m finally getting back into my exercise groove. The weight is also starting to come off (the first 25 pounds were easy. The rest? Notsomuch.) But more on the weight loss at a later time. 

I was cleared to exercise a little more than 6 weeks after my surgery. I went for a 1-mile run that day and it was TOUGH. I went for a run the next day and on the third day I was so incredibly sore. I couldn’t believe how much it hurt to run *just* one mile. Last August I was running 5 and 6 miles with no problem. 

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We got a gym membership last July and I honestly didn’t use it as much as I should have. In fact, I’m pretty sure I didn’t go once between mid-March and June. I used the pool once in March and then I just called it quits. 

As you can imagine, I was anxious to get back into a routine. I just wasn’t sure what that routine would be – and now that I’m back at work, the routine will change again. 

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(The photo above was taken 2 years ago – July 2014. I want to get back to that point.) 

The majority of my exercise has been running and walking. I have only run 3 miles once (and that was this past weekend). I’m working back up to that. My Fitbit has been good for me. I aim for 10,000 steps every day and if I haven’t hit them by dinnertime, I’ll usually take a walk in my neighborhood. It’s rare now that I don’t get 10,000 steps. 

If and when I go to the gym, I tend to start on the treadmill and work my way over to the arm weights. I’ve worked on abs a couple of times, but other things need to happen (such as my eating habits, which are changing.) I’m working my way back to weights-only workouts. The cardio is helping me, though, and it’s all about baby steps at this point. 

Some things I’m trying to remember this time:

1. Walking is ok. I’m a runner, and my doctor had to remind me that my body was far from the condition it was in when I got pregnant last summer. When I walk, I try to go at a slightly faster pace, but a stroll around my neighborhood is just fine. 

2. It’s going to take time. It took 10 months to gain the weight. It will probably take me longer to lose it. 

3. I may not get back to “race form” and that’s ok. I love running. I like exercising. I’m not in a mindframe to run a race and I finally admitted that to myself and a friend recently. 

4. PLAN on it. If I don’t plan exercise into my day, I won’t get it done. The past few weeks have been crazy since I returned to work full-time. The past two weeks have been nuttier because I’ve been working on other things when I get home. I have less than 90 minutes to spend with my baby before she’s asleep for the night, and I have just over 30 minutes more to spend with my son before he goes to bed. I know that after-work workouts don’t work well for me, so I have to plan for lunchtime or after the kids go to bed.

5. Grace. I have to accept that I’m not going to hit every workout every day. I’m not going to lose all of the weight this month. And I may not be able to run a 5k in a couple of weeks. That’s ok.

As I type this, I’m also thinking about what clothes I need to take to the office in order to work out at lunch. What helps you get back into a fitness frame of mind? 

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3 Comments

  1. Yes to all of these! I am having to tell myself the same things, even at 12 months pp! It is tough, but you are doing a great job. And yes, walking is better than just sitting on the couch!

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