Shushing Your Hunger

Have you ever fed a hungry screaming baby before? I am guessing yes since most of my readers are women or maybe even some fathers. There is that moment right before you give them a bottle that is pure pandemonium. You wonder if that little baby thinks they may just die if they don't eat.

We have noticed this look on our son's face quite frequently throughout the night... like every 3 hours. He looks as if he would put anything in his mouth to squelch his hunger pains. He would eat his jammies, angry fists, blacket... anything. Then once you put the bottle in his little mouth, the world is a more peaceful and better place.

I know I can relate to his sheer panic. I have been to that tipping point of hunger when you think you just may lose it if you don't eat something. That is the exact time when very very bad decisions can be made. You could find your car in the fast food drive thru lane or your hand in a bag of chips.

Having a plan of attack when this moment hits can save you some serious unwanted calories that you will regret later. So what can you do?

Drink Water- yes boring but have you ever guzzled 16 ounces of water and took notice of how you feel? You are a little full. It may be just enough to get you through to your next healthy meal.

Chew Gum- I am a gum freak and think it really does fool your mind into believing it is eating something.

Take A Fiber Supplement- regular or not who cares when it comes to hunger. Dr Oz even recommends this particular supplement HERE

Drink Coffee Or Tea- this has been my go to method lately because it kills two birds with one stone, the hungry baby at 1 & 4 am fatigue as well as my own hunger.

Eat A Handful Of Nuts- don't go crazy here, this could get out of hand if your not careful. Buy one small snack pack of nuts, eat half the bag and save it in your purse or car for later. This is a better quick fix than the other possibilities.

Lastly, I am a big believer in taking a mental step back for a split moment. Remind yourself how hard you have worked in the gym or where ever to achieve your results thus far. I have a go to thought that helps me at these moments, "I didn't work that hard to eat this bad, it's not worth it".

Belly Progress Pictures

1 Week Before Due Date

4 Weeks After

8 Weeks After

Slowly but surely I am getting there.

Check out an interview HERE I did with a mom of 2 a few months back, amazing!

Swings to Sprints and 13 weeks update

Find yourself a field or a treadmill will work too. Get a heavy kettlebell, I used a 32 kg (70lbs). Perform 30 second swings (roughly 20 good swings), put the kettlebell down and go into a 30 second sprint. Use the walk back to start as your recovery or use your heart rate as your gage.

Perform 8-10 sets of paired intervals at the end of your workout and you will feel this in your booty the next day!

Tip: If you do this on a treadmill, keep it running during your rest period so it doesn't take so long to get to a sprint speed.

Personal Update:

13 weeks out

weight 154

body fat 21.2%

Hard work, a solid diet and true dedication to my plan is paying off!

Fun Changes Ahead for Boot Camp

I am very excited about what is to come for FIT OC Women boot camp classes! In the next few weeks, I will be offering more class times as well as a great time slot this fall for the not so early bird (perfect for the mom who has just dropped their kids off at school and wants to get their workout done for the day). I will have limited spots for the the later morning class so check back often for updates and to reserve your spot!

I am also looking forward to announcing a very cool opportunity that has come my way!

Later this week, I will share a great finisher to your training session... it has left this woman with the sorest booty ever.

Fun stuff ahead!

14 Weeks, Long Road Ahead

Two weeks ago, I made the decision to do a competition in early October. Initially I had thought I would do an NPC competition in late October (unfamiliar with physique competitions click HERE). I have decided to switch and try a different organization, INBA- The International Bodybuilding Association, click HERE to read more about it.

I had contacted Kellie Davis who had recently done an INBA competition to get her feedback on the organization. She raved about it and only had positive things to say. She has a great site, www.motherfitness.com check it out. So, thank you Kellie, you helped me make the decision to switch and I am excited to give it a try!

The competition I have my eyes on is Clash of the Natural Champions, October 1st in Corona, CA. That is 14 weeks away! I wouldn't be honest if I said I was totally confident that I will be ready by this time but like most things that are tough in life you never know unless you try. Switching to this competition cut my prep by 2 weeks. Lots of changes need to be made in this 7 weeks post baby physique. Thankfully I am a girl who likes a challenge and love to work hard!

So, with 14 weeks to go and a body fat at a higher level than I have EVER started at, I am ready to go!

The nitty gritty details...

16 weeks out- weight 157

body fat (taken with 3 spot Skyndex)- 23.5

Currently (14 weeks)- weight 156

body fat- 22.5

I will post progress pictures eventually but for now I am just not quite ready to do that yet :).

If posting my progress in this journey inspires you to try something new or commit to something way outside your comfort zone, than I have succeeded.

Your Weekend Workout

If you are in need of a quick weekend workout, here is one straight from today's session at boot camp, 500 reps.

Warm Up- jog, skips, butt kicks, knee hugs, wide out squats, jumping jacks, quad stretch, jump rope, lateral lunges, sumo squat to stand, hip crossover

Core Work- various plank positions

500

Circuit #1

25- Prison Squats

25- DB RDL

25- Mountain Climbers

25- Forward Jump (jump into a deep squat), 2 hops back

short recovery

Circuit #2

20- Right Leg Forward/Backward Lunge

20- Left Leg Forward/Backward Lunge

20- Prone Pike Up (plank position, pike hips up and then back to solid plank is 1 rep)

20- T Turns (push up position, turn open to sky, back to start, open to sky other direction back to start is 1 rep)

20- Burpees

short recovery

**Repeat entire 2 circuits

Last 100

20- Full Sit Ups (keep straight leg, full sit up to tall spine)

20- DB Russian Twist

20- Jackknife

20- Push Up Position, Knee to Opposite Elbow

20- Plank to Push Up

Didn't feel challenged? Add some resistance to the circuit- weight vest, dumbbells, medballs.

For the overachiever, finish the session with 10 minutes of jumping rope. Jump for 45 seconds, rest 15 for entire 10 minutes.

Have a great weekend!

Goal Attained & Lesson Learned

Just three weeks ago, I posted my 5 personal goals regarding fitness. Today, I achieved my goal to run 3 miles under 24 minutes. The last 3-4 minutes my heart rate was through the roof!! I was using all the mind tricks possible to not quit.

During that last 1/2 mile I glanced at my heart rate monitor. It read 173 bpm. I typically see 172-175 bpm when I am doing a timed interval. Those intervals are usually only 60 seconds long with a good rest in between. I feel pretty beat after 60. What I am getting at is, I held a very high heart rate, for almost 3-4 minutes. I didn't think I would be able to keep that pace. However, I wanted to beat that clock so bad that I hung in there.

The take away message is you are stronger than you think you are. You are faster than you believe you are. You can focus on something when everything around you or in you says to quit. If you set goals and share them with friends, family or the internet world in my case, you will achieve them and learn something new about yourself when doing so!

If you have a burning desire in you whether it is to shed 5 pounds... cut out the sweets at night... exercise 3-4 times a week... serve healthier meals for your family... be able to do 10 perfect push ups... drink more water and less soda... write it down and share it with someone else!

My lesson learned today- I am definitely faster than I thought I was and pretty sure I need to up my intensity during those intervals. It is time to set a new goal.