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UGH!
Can I start this post with UGH? I really didn't think I'd be here at this point, but whatever. Let me start from the beginning. Or actually let me start with this phrase:I was in better shape right after birth than I am now ( at the time of writing).
Bam! That blows! It took 3 years (pregnancy and 2 toddler years) to UNDO all the work I had done prior to pregnancy. People often ask me how I stayed so fit and "skinny" after birth. Before, I could have told them something worthwhile. Now I just chuckle. I looked good after birth because I was REALLY fit going INTO pregnancy.What went wrong?
Motherhood did me in 🙂 Going into pregnancy I was in fabulous shape. Best of my life. I'd been skinnier before, but never was I that fit.{before I started the new exercise program}
It was time to change things around when it came to my body! Seriously! I have tried virtually anything to get into some kind of routine or system when it came to work out prior to that realization. As many of you know, I run Daily Mom, I write on this blog, I do some things for our family businesses, take care of Lexi most days and all evenings, try to cook and clean which usually is the lowest on my priority list but at the same time put getting work outs in was just simply impossible. They were times when I couldn't take a shower because I just couldn't prioritize a shower over all the important things that I would need to get done. I've tried going running: I just can't. I hate it. I hated it since I was in middle school. That is partially an impatient person in me and a person who has to maximize the productivity of everything, so running for half an hour or an hour bored the crap out of me because I couldn't do other things at the same time ( listening to music doesn't count). I have tried going rollerblading. Rollerblading has always done really well for me in terms of cardio. So this was another plan, but it turned out to be more difficult as I work in the mornings while Andrew takes Lexi so I can't go then. And in the evenings, Andrew works and I am with Lexi, so I cannot go then either. I could technically go in a stroller, but I don't like the idea of her sitting mindlessly in a stroller for an hour while daddy runs in the morning and then doing the same with mommy. Plus with Lexi's unreliable sleep I could never find an exact time when I could go rollerblading without her. I couldn't get out of the house while she slept because she was so attached to me at the beginning and as she grew older I got busier and busier with Daily Mom and I just never could squeeze rollerblading in. So while I enjoyed it greatly, it just kept breaking down .  I've tried doing my Pilates exercises that used to love but you know working out to the same DVD program for seven years is just that just got so boring and I just couldn't handle it. I didn't have the same willpower as before and had different priorities now and nothing seem to grab me enough to help me work out and help me get in a routine. Things had always been so easy for me in this department, that I never had to think hard about finding time or getting in shape. I always had time, and getting in shape was easy. I didn't need that ice cream after an exhausting day with a 2 year old. I could take an hour to go to the gym, or unwind by going rollerblading at night. I knew something had to be done, so out of desperation I looked at different apps on the iPhone, thinking I always have my phone on me so maybe I could find something on the go.. I figured if I could find a good program that I like, I could possibly do some exercises in between playing with Lexi when she has 2,3,4 minutes of all alone play. I tried many apps...But the truth is:
I just DO NOT have 30 minutes to myself that I can give to exercises. If I have 30 minutes to myself, I work on Daily Mom, or take a shower, or eat some ice cream after Lexi's bedtime and watch a show once or twice a week. That was my rare relaxation time. I did not see how I could fit working out in daily, especially since I didn't enjoy doing it and was tired from a day with a very energetic, active non-stop toddler.My solution came suddenly and unexpectedly.
This is when I did it:
DURING BEDTIME:  the thought of doing 12 minutes of exercises didn't send me into "nope, nah-nah! Can't do it!" even when I was tired WHILE WORKING: Taking a break for 12 minutes from work is manageable and a great way to kick your metabolism up WHILE PLAYING WITH LEXI: It's much less fluid trying to find 5 minutes while playing with Lexi, because often I don't get those 5 minutes, and other times we are playing outside, or I am trying to clean/cook. But however many minutes I can get in while she plays, is awesome and usually I finish 12 minutes in 2-3 minute increments before I know it. WHILE WATCHING SHOWS: this is the best. If I need to watch an episode of my favorite show after a particularly long exhausting day, I do FitStar while watching. Since exercises are super easy, 12 minutes go by really fast while enjoying the banter of HIMYM WHILE CLEANING: The first exercise on Fit Star is always run in place, so  instead of running  in place, I run around the house, putting things away. The two minutes is usually enough to sort a load of laundry or to distribute about 15 items to where they are supposed to go. Maximizing productivity at its best and makes me feel like I accomplished two things 🙂 DURING NAP: I work during her naps but using my new time management technique I still get some work outs in if I need to for the day. Any time that I had a 5 minute break, I would do it. It felt great! Then I devised a time management plan that put this program  in overdrive and has been working amazingly since. What is it? Ah! You'll learn in the next post. It works like gangbusters! You can try a month of premium fitstar for free if you use this referral code B4ENZS. (It sounds like an ad but it's not. I didn't even know the code existed until a reader asked for it so I thought I'd share)I have a series of posts in drafts with the same common theme: BUSY MOM. I have been struggling to fit everything I want/need to do and I finally feel I have a good handle on it. It took me 2 years of trial and error living with a extra active and extroverted two year old and working from home to figure out how to do it best. And I am going to share it with you. Some might be able to relate and adopt it, others might have to change a few things, others might not have the same issue, but in the end I hope it helps someone.