Back home & 23 weeks

We’re officially back home. This vacation has been filled with so many wonderful memories, magic, and happiness. I really can’t believe it’s all over. My family and I had an amazing time here in Orlando.

This last Thursday marked the official beginning of week 23! I can’t believe I’m 23 weeks pregnant already, the time has gone so quickly. This week at Disneyworld I couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of emotions. I felt extremely overjoyed, blessed, & grateful!

However; like every first time mom, I started thinking about the new chapter unfolding before me and was overwhelmed at the thought of my new responsibilities as a mom. I started thinking about all the things needed to be accomplished before our baby arrives, and then the anxiety started to kick in. I’m trying to remind myself to take it one day at a time, to make small checklist and not over analyze the small details. I also need to let go of control because I know I have little control over what can happen. I have faith and hope in God that He will guide my husband & I down the right path as new parents. I also know I have been blessed to be surrounded by a loving family that continues to show us & our growing family love and support. I can’t wait to bring our baby to Walt Disneyworld one day, and the many other adventures we will have as a family. We had the best time at WDW, but I know the next time we come out here it’ll be extra special sharing that time with our baby girl

Side note: we didn’t enact the midday break, but with a mid week break from the parks and tons of sleep throughout the trip I was able to easily get through the last two days at WDW strong!

This is how we took a break from the parks. We scheduled a date night on Wednesday!

We were celebrating in a few short months we are going to be parents!

Mommy & daddy can't wait to meet you sweetheart.

I hope all you amazing super mom's enjoy your special day! Happy Mother's Day!

Surviving Disneyworld while pregnant

At 23 weeks pregnant I couldn’t be more proud of how I handled myself over the last 2 days of park hopping. I’d like to share some tried and tested tips that have helped me survive the last two days at the Happiest Place on Earth!

Day 1-Animal Kingdom
Before I left home I researched on the Disney boards to see what rides I would be restricted from riding. The consensus seemed to agree AK park was the least pregnant friendly amongst the other WDW.

So I approached this day as an opportunity to really slow down and enjoy the natural surroundings of AK. I met with family around 9:30, a big group of about 15 people and as the day went on we branched out and discovered our own path to AK.

Here are my tips from this day-
Carefully select the rides you ride. Throughout all parks at Disney they give fair warning on what rides aren’t safe for pregnant women. Take those warnings seriously! No ride is worth risking the health & safety of your baby. At AK I didn’t ride anything.

Find alternatives to rides.

Disney has put in an insane amount of work in creating world-class, live shows and parades. My favorite at AK is the Festival of the Lion King!

Play carnival games & enjoy sweet treats. My husband and I had the opportunity to take my adorable niece around DinoLand while her mom (my sis) & dad enjoyed some big kid rides. We also fed her Mickey ice cream. She absolutely loved it! And we did too! We won her 4 new stuffed animals or “new friends” as she likes to call them!

Slow down, and enjoy your surroundings. At AK they offer many walking trails through animal exhibits. Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature displayed at this park.

Take mid-day breaks. I only sat during 2 shows and 2 meal breaks for a short time each. Being on your feet for almost 10 hours for anyone can be a challenge for any adult, but when you’re pregnant it can take a complete toll on your body. Take the time to return back to your hotel for a nap and to refresh yourself.

Elevate your feet to let your body fully relax: I elevated my legs on a stack of pillows and let my body relax after a nice cold shower.

Day 2: Magic Kingdom
After running on only 5-6 hours of sleep for the last three nights we decided to take the opportunity to sleep 8 hours last night. It felt amazing!

We arrived at the park at 9:30 am, and met up with family. We took off towards fantasy land and ran around non-stop until hunger struck. We stopped at the new Gaston’s tavern-a cute little quick service area. We enjoyed a pork shank that was to-die-for! Fall off the bone amazing! Then we were off again. Around 3, I needed a break.

Here are my tips-
Run on your own schedule: If you keep sacrificing sleep for park time you put you and your baby’s health and well being at risk. You’ll be too tired to truly enjoy the magic that is Disney. It’s ok to fall behind your group, you can catch up later.

Eat & drink: make sure you are eating enough food, we probably stopped and ate 6 times throughout the day. Stay hydrated, I brought a 100ml hydration pack by Dakine and make sure to finish it all by the end of the day. In the morning I fill it up at our hotel for free. It’ll save you at least $50 on water a day. Yes, at the parks they charge $3 or so for a bottle of water! Bring your own!

Take advantage to rest in the AC buildings. Listen to your body, if you need to stop, stop! Florida heat+tons of walking+being pregnant=a high possibility of overheating, dehydration, or much worse!

Rest frequently for long periods of time throughout the day. Don’t hesitate to just rest your feet on an empty bench for 30-40 minutes. I took a lot of moments to just sit.
Unlike day one, where I only sat during the shows and meals.

My favorite rest break was at a little garden area across the castle during the Celebrate a Dream parade with my mom & hubby! We were able to catch views of the parade while letting our feet breath!

Accept the fact that you can’t keep up with everyone else! This lesson was one I learned from my mom, and It took me a couple days to come to terms with this reality but I’m still learning to adjust to my pregnant body.

We stayed at the park till 7, and then went back to our hotel for the rest of the night. I still didn’t learn from my own tips from day 1 to take a mid day break. I promised myself and my husband last night that we would enact this as a rule. For the other two park days we will leave by 3:30 for a midday break! I’ll keep you all posted to see how it goes!

Me resting my feet during the parade

A few pictures from the last two days

We are back!

My husband and I are back at Disneyworld! The happiest place on Earth!

On May 5th my sweet cousin married the love of his life, and I’m so glad we were able to be here to witness this happy union!

We’re on day two of Disney magic fun. Our days have been packed! Tons of walking, eating, and pictures!

Fit Pregnancy

I had a vision in mind when I found out I was pregnant that I would be able to stay fit throughout my whole pregnancy. I learned quickly though that you never know how your body is going to react to all these changes. I always imagined myself as one of those glowing women on the cover of Fit Pregnancy still working out and eating healthy. However, my first trimester was a trying one and I completely fell off the workout wagon for a good 6 weeks. I had extreme nausea and threw up constantly (sorry for the detail), but it’s true. I lost 7lbs during the first trimester and had no urge to eat, which means I had barely enough energy to get through a workday. Around week 12 things slowly started to turn around for the better, some days. I would try my best to go for walks, and my wonderful husband bought me a prenatal yoga DVD by Gaiam. On the days I ate well and had some energy I did what I could. I learned to be lenient with myself, and not be so critical. I’m on week 21, and feel myself getting back to normal. This past weekend we had friends visiting from San Diego, and it felt great to spend time with them and walking all over Seattle for two days. Some of the lessons I learned while being pregnant-

• Baby is the first priority and as long as she is growing strong & healthy do your best to maintain your health also
• You can’t be so tough on yourself, be lenient
• Don’t expect to follow a strict workout/diet regimen
• Listen to your body, if you have been throwing up all day and can barely have the energy to finish a work day, don’t expect to fit in a workout
• Lift, but not as heavy. Go for higher reps with way lower weight, and focus on more body weight exercise
• Focus on stretching, I highly recommend prenatal yoga. Not only has it helped me stretch, but it helps me really tune into what my body is actually feeling.
• Let your body eat what it craves, but make sure if it’s an unhealthy try to find alternatives. For example, I had terrible chocolate cravings so I turned to dark, natural chocolate!
• If you haven’t been working out ask your doctor if you can start. With the beautiful weather of spring all you need is a brisk 20-30 minute walk to get you going. Then make sure to stretch after.

Back at it!

So this is embarrassing, I have abandoned my blog since October 2012? WOW where has the time gone? Let me tell you…

August

• My husband and I started the house hunting process

September 

• We purchased our first home! As exciting as it was, boy did I underestimate what a process it was going to be.
• This same month we went to San Diego for a wedding for 5 days
• Once we returned the moving process went quick!

October-December

• The holidays just zoomed right by me, with family in and out of town
• We hosted our first Christmas, which was an incredible feeling and the time when owning a house felt more real.

January

• The best and most amazing thing happened to my husband and I. We found out I was PREGNANT!
• We were starting out the New Year with a little bundle of joy growing strong!
• Finally the most important aspect/goal on my bucket list is happening.
• The reason why I trained so insane, wasn’t to achieve a specific look, but to make sure my heart was strong enough to have a baby, to share in the joys and inevitable hardships parents face, I feel beyond blessed that God has trusted us with a life to care for, and that he has made me stronger to be able to deliver a happy, healthy child.

February

• We had our first ultrasound; our doctor said we have a happy baby on the way, with a strong heart beat!
• It was the best feeling ever!

It’s been a whirlwind of excitement and emotions these last few months for my family. My husband and I are feeling incredibly blessed, I can’t wait to share this journey with you all.

This picture pretty much sums it all up…I’ve never felt so complete!

Brazilian Butt Cardio Workout

This week I’ve decided to step up my cardio, especially my morning session. I felt like I wasn’t getting the most out of my sessions because I wasn’t really focused on intensity. I would use this time to catch up on How I met Your Mother on Netflix, or browse through facebook or pintrest. I also felt myself getting bored. I needed a way to amp up my routine!

Of course I turned to Pintrest, and I found this interesting high intensity routine, originally posted on SuperSkinnyMe.com. I do this routine as instructed, but repeat it twice for a total of 45 minutes. This is one difficult workout, by the end of my routine I’m crazy sweaty! GROSS!

However, I’ve seen great improvement with making my cardio sessions more intense. I feel like you don’t need to follow this exact formula, but when you focus on increasing your intensity by pace or resistance with some recovery breaks in between- it helps you power through a routine, making cardio sessions more effective, and challenging.

How do you change your cardio sessions/routine to keep you mind and body engaged?

Will you try this high intensity interval training? I’d love to hear from you!

Happy Friday Everyone!

GUEST POST: Jim from Gym Source

Hi Everyone! I’m excited to have Jim from Gym Source as a guest blogger to share his knowledge on the benefits of staying active while enjoying the great outdoors.

Jim Rollince is a member of the creating writing department of Gym Source
He enjoys writing about Fitness, Nutrition, and many other related topics. Contact him at jimr@gymsource.net

Great Outdoors: The Many Benefits of Exercising in Nature’s Gym

Although many people believe that choosing to work out outdoors is simply a matter of preference, there is emerging science that shows that exercising outside actually offers a lot more overall than doing so indoors. Many fitness experts are recommending that you exercise outside whenever possible and save the elliptical and treadmills for when the weather is in climate. Here are some of the benefits you can enjoy from outdoor physical activity.

Improved Mental Health
If you’ve been feeling depressed, angry or otherwise under the weather lately, you might want to consider moving your fitness routine to a local green space. A study done in Scotland showed that exercising in someplace like a park or forest had a 50 percent greater benefit on mental health than exercising indoors.

Get the Pets Involved
Going outside to exercise is a great opportunity to see to Fido’s health, too. Animals need exercise just as much as human beings, and this will enable you both to spend quality time together doing something healthy and productive. Your pet will quickly shed excess weight, have fewer health problems and be less inclined to become depressed. Furthermore, if your pet has an opportunity to expend some of their pent-up energy, they’re less likely to take out their frustration and boredom on your furniture!

It’s Free
Money is a huge stressor for many people, and stress is one of the most serious threats to health in modern times. Couple that with the often massive costs of gym memberships and you’ve got a problem. Exercise is important, but it does little good if paying for that gym membership is causing undue stress because it’s contributing to financial hardship. Exercising outside is free, easy and you can go any time of the day or night.

Lose Weight
There is a nearly endless capacity for variety when exercising outside. Whereas the inside of a gym stays the same every day of the year, the outside environment is always changing its appearance and you can choose to go wherever you want. In fact, this gives outdoor exercise yet another benefit over indoor fitness. Studies have found that people who exercised in differing environments worked out harder, stayed more motivated and lost more weight than people who exercised in a static environment.

Less Distraction
Many people buy home gym equipment because the idea of working out in the comfort of their own home appeals to them. While this seems like it would make someone more likely to exercise, the opposite is often true. Your home is filled with potential distractions, such as televisions, computers, family, work and household chores that can make it easy to forget about your fitness routine. When you’re outside, these things aren’t around to tempt you into ‘taking it easy’ for the day.

Get Active!
It doesn’t matter exactly where you exercise, but be sure to do it! Chances are you will feel happier and healthier and will go back for more! Grab some friends and get active, or take some time alone to enjoy the great outdoors while you better your health!

Stretching

Happy Monday!

Like most people I find myself sitting for the majority of my day-during my long commute and being at work. Being seated all day can tense up muscles. This can lead to headaches, pain, and stiffness in our bodies. It is essential to stretch!

Stretching helps prevent a multitude of injuries, stress, and strain that is caused by sitting. It’s a simple solution and can help improve your overall well being and aide in relieving soreness from working out! Make stretching a part of your daily routine

I found this on the Greatist! Six essential stretches all day desk workers should do today!

 What are some of your favorite stretches?

The power in setting goals

I believe there is sheer power in setting goals. I’ve learned over time that whenever I didn’t set new, attainable goals I lost my motivation. Without motivation I lost a sense of direction and detoured from the ultimate goal I set with my trainer 14 months ago.

When I first started my weight loss journey I wanted to lose 45lbs. My trainer told me to make a smaller goal, but just keep the bigger goal in mind. This helped me not to get overwhelmed since 45lbs seemed nearly impossible during the days I could barely do body weight lunges. I started by setting 5lb increment goals.

Today, I’ve met the ultimate goal of losing 45lbs, but I have now set a new goal to lose 7 more, bringing me to my ideal goal weight. This month has been intense with so many changes, but keeping this small goal in mind has kept me on track and has kept me motivated!

Below is my alarm, A daily reminder of my new goal!

Speaking of changes, I have great news to share! This month my husband and I bought our first house. We are so thrilled! However, I knew there would have to be some financial sacrifices, and to me it was not being able to train with my personal trainer. I only had three sessions left. I wanted to thank my trainer for all the time and knowledge he shared with me, so I sent 24 Hour Fitness a short thank you letter last Friday. I described a little of my history, and success I had while training with Spencer.

This past Monday I was offered by the district manager 10 free sessions to help me accomplish my goal of my last 7lbs that will bring me to my ultimate goal weight! I’m beyond ecstatic and can’t thank 24 Hour Fitness enough! I have more motivation than ever, and I can’t wait to see what I can do in the next couple months!

PS-Thank you to my readers that have stayed with me throughout my sporadic blog posts, I promise as soon as we are settled into our home I’ll be dedicating a lot more time to Heartland515!

Staying fit in Paradise

While the rest of the nation is getting sun and heat, it’s pouring here in Western WA. This makes me even more anxious to go on vacation, and enjoy an actual summer. I read this article on FitSugar (one of my favorite fit blogs) and it inspired me to share some activities I can’t wait to do while enjoying paradise-

Walk along the sand-

According to FitSugar walking along sand burns up to 30% more calories than walking on a flat surface.

Run outside

Swim in the ocean

Go on a scenic hike and see views like this

I can’t wait for vacation! Happy Friday everyone!