Evolving My Yoga Practice

I wasn’t planning on writing a post this week. Cramming three-plus months of necessities into TWO suitcases, amongst other things I need to do before we leave at zero-dark-thirty, literally, Friday morning has me busy and anxious. And then I started feeling how tight my body was becoming.

I’m 31 weeks tomorrow and I’ve been doing really well at keeping up with yoga and my workouts, but my body is just SO achy. Baby girl does not like me laying on my back though and side sleeping is pulling everything out of whack. Neck, shoulders, chest, hips, glutes; you should hear my deep breathing exercises as I settle into bed each evening! J is always asking, "Are you OK?"

This last week I noticed some particular new muscle tightness in my chest, to the point it’s actually sore to the touch. My sternum often cracks when I stretch my chest. I haven’t been doing any out of the ordinary exercises so I did a quick search to find out this is pretty common among pregnant women when their rib cage starts expanding. I didn’t have this sensation with The Gents though. I’m guessing because C&R took up more space so my rib cage was probably slowly expanding during the pregnancy, versus baby girl who has been sitting low on my abdomen and now I’m feeling the movement of my ribs as she’s growing bigger. At least that’s my logic. Bottom line, it hurts! 

So I started augmenting my core power and prenatal workouts with hatha sessions. And they’re wonderful, so wonderful that I felt compelled to share. As amazing as a good HIIT or core power workout is itself, we often push ourselves to the point that we don’t recover as quickly and make our subsequent workouts even harder than necessary. Or the general stresses and strains from everyday life create a lot of tension in our bodies, creating a vicious cycle of constant soreness. Hatha has been a great addition to my practice given the recent strains on my body.

There are a lot of different apps, YouTube channels and sites where you can find yoga workouts. I’ve been collecting my favorites on Pinterest, here and here. My favorite site for video classes is Do Yoga With Me. Most of the classes are free!

If you’re a complete novice I do recommend taking a few classes, with a good instructor, to ensure you’re doing the poses correctly. Some online instructors are so good though that they’ll talk you through the poses so that you’re mindful of how you’re positioning your body. I also place a mirror on the floor along the long side of my mat so I can check myself. Once you start getting in the habit it’s so easy to maintain your practice at home.

Here's to my keeping up with it for the rest of this pregnancy! Namaste. :) xo

How Do You Define Self-Care?

Self-care has become a very popular term and topic in the last two years. There are 5.7MM hashtag posts on Instagram alone. We get it. Taking care of ourselves, physically and emotionally, is important. It’s not just for Mamas either. Although I believe that Mothers probably need to work harder at it because we take care of everyone else, mainly our children and husbands, before us. The important thing is prioritizing YOU. Do what makes you happy and feel like a better person. Everyone should have their own personal definition of self-care.

For me, there are two aspects. A big part is working out. Emotionally and physically, I feel better for doing it. The other part is my creative outlet – this blog, my drawing, even cooking. No one else may read it, see it, or taste it other than me, but when I produce something and grow a bit in the process I’m feel like a better version of myself.

A few weeks ago I got down. I didn’t have the energy to workout and part of me was feeling like a failure for not working. Sure I was producing things, but for whom? I thought, I’m not making any money off my efforts so what’s the point? I know, that’s such a ridiculous criticism. But when you go from having a pretty successful and lucrative career where you are paid for your work, it’s hard to change that mindset.

I had to talk myself into a new headspace. I have never cared what anyone has thought of me. I don’t let conventional notions define me, or my successes. What’s most important is what makes me happy right now. And at this point in my life I have this wonderful gift of time to cultivate my passions! I have fantasized about having this time just for me and I’m taking advantage of it. Even if I’m not conventionally "successful", I’m happy and that’s a success itself. I can’t put a price on that.

Earlier this week I was chatting with a group of women and the self-care subject came up. Someone defined it as taking time out for herself to binge watch her favorite show, but that it made her feel anxious after because she hadn’t gotten any of her meal prep done for the week. She’s a meal prep queen. She actually does brown bag sessions at the Embassy on the topic. It’s a struggle – to balance what you need to decompress with what also makes you feel good. So I shared my perspective of how I think about self-care and someone else chimed in on theirs. Everyone's it different. Sure, some days we just need some mindless TV. Admittedly, this was my definition of self-care when I was on maternity leave with The Gents because it allowed me to shut my mind off for a bit.

When you read about self-care it’s usually defined by some form of enhancement, improvement, or growth. I agree to an extent, but it’s also problematic because it lends a whole new pressure to the idea of self-care. We’re being told that we should take the time to take care of ourselves, but it has to be within certain parameters? I get it, downing a bottle of wine isn’t a glowing example of self-care.  Maybe watching a few episodes of whatever mindless TV show gives you enough time to recharge and tackle whatever is next. Or even a few minutes of me time to do a face mask while your kiddos are napping or watching their favorite show. Some days, walking Wally over to the garden is the only time I leave the house and have a moment for myself, but feeling the sunshine and warm air is enough for me. 

Everyone has different needs, whether they seem trivial or complex. Whatever they are, I think it’s important to figure out what self-care means for you. At different points in your life your definition will change, as it should because we’re constantly evolving as individuals. I know mine will change drastically come September when this new addition arrives.  You’re not being judged on it. And if someone is judging you, screw ‘em. Do it for you and no one else. You know what you need to be a better version of yourself. Don’t let anyone tell you different. xo

Working Out During My Pregnancies

We all know that diet and exercise is integral to leading a healthy life. I really started taking better care of myself in my thirties. I really didn’t have to workout much in my twenties. I did, but it was more on a whim of “I feel like going for a run today”. In my thirties I started getting a little more consistent, but it wasn’t until my mid-thirties when my Brother talked me into my first Tough Mudder when I got serious about running AND strength conditioning. By the time I met J I was really strong. He bought me a 20 pound GoRuck sand bag. Me with my 20 and he with his 40, we’d run a quick 3 miles along Lake Michigan. Seriously. Workouts quickly became a part of our daily routine.

With my first pregnancy I had some really high expectations of what I’d be doing – pre and post. I fully intended to continue running. I remember J and I going out for a run when I was about three months pregnant. We made it from our place in Rosslyn, over Key Bridge into Georgetown and proceeded along the canal. It was the strangest sensation. It felt like my belly was already bobbing up and down. It was not comfortable. And that was my last run that I remember outside during that pregnancy.

I decided to keep my workouts to our apartment and the gym in our building. Runs were on the treadmill so I was close to home in case I didn’t feel well (I was nauseous all the time), but I mainly stuck to strength conditioning/HIIT workouts. I kept with it as best I could, getting in three to four workouts a week. This lasted until week 24 when I became so exhausted from all the work my body was doing to forge these two lives. At that point I had gained about 25 pounds. Not terrible for twins, but it really was taxing on my body. By the time they arrived I had gained about 35 pounds.

When The Gents arrived I made all sorts of efforts to get back to the gym. I’d purposely get dressed in workout gear in the morning. If you’re a mother you can relate to this being a feat in itself! I was nursing them, but since they were preemies we had a tough time getting the tandem feed down. And because I was nursing one at a time it felt like feeding them was a full-time job in itself. Nursing is wonderful for them, but it’s also pretty amazing because it helps burn so many calories. As a result, it’s exhausting! I would sometimes fall asleep with one on them on me or immediately curl up on the sofa or into bed after a feeding. Thank God for our amazing nanny. She took care of me, too.

From the all the nursing and not working out regularly, I lost a lot of my muscle. I lost my booty and obviously the girls did not look nearly as good as they used to. I was so thin. We went to Chicago for Thanksgiving and even a good friend said she’s never seen me with so little muscle on my body. I knew I needed to do something for myself physically and mentally, but I was beat down. I had been back to work six months already and even though we had gotten into a good routine with The Gents, I had no energy for myself. My mental health was approaching an all-time low.

Fast-forward to moving to Riyadh. If you’ve been following my story you know that I started working out again soon after our arrival, after an 18-month hiatus! We ended up living a couple houses down from where a group meets to workout three times a week in the evenings. As I always say, everything happens for a reason. Our nanny had moved in at this point so there was no way I wasn’t taking advantage of this, just steps away. And I started regularly practicing yoga as well, thanks to a friend who teaches classes at the Embassy. It’s been a blessing to get back into it all this past year.

And then I got pregnant and had to deal with all of the fun that comes from the first trimester. This time around I know my body better. What it needs and when the best times of the day are to get things done. Evening workouts with the group rarely work with my schedule now. I have the most energy in the mornings, after breakfast. If I’m feeling up for it, which I do most days, I get a 30-minute HIIT workout in or an hour of yoga. Most weeks I’m able to workout 5 days.

Here I am approaching 24 weeks and I feel pretty good, save for my odd sleeping patterns as of late. I've gained about 15 pounds. I know things could change drastically once I hit the third trimester, but for now I’m moving forward and continuing with what’s been working for me. I’ve certainly had to alter my workouts a bit, but most important is that I’m continuing to do them. Not only will they make a huge difference during my labor, recovery and getting back into shape post-partum, but it helps me mentally. I had a tough day yesterday and was feeling really down on myself. Lack of sleep, raging hormones and not working for the last four months got the best of me. I knew if I did a quick workout I’d feel better, but I just couldn’t muster the energy. I took a two-hour nap instead because my body really needed the rest. I promised myself I’d get back after it in the morning, which I did and I feel all the better for it. Always remember, tomorrow is another day.

If you’re interested to know what kind of workouts I’m doing, most are on my Pinterest page. (Don’t forget the yoga and stretching!) Total body workouts, with some cardio mixed in, to get the heart pumping are key. All areas of the body are still important, even when you’re pregnant. I do make some modifications though – no sit-ups, putting my hands under my bum for all lower abs exercises, no heavy overhead weight lifting, push-ups on my knees, doing sprawls sometimes when the bouncing from burpees is too much, etc. Some days I don’t use weights at all since my extra body weight is enough. Hell, I feel the burn just going up and down the stairs in our house throughout the day. I rarely follow one workout exactly, especially since I’m making modifications or switching out certain exercises that are better for me. I often combine some of my favorite exercises to make any entirely new workout. Have fun. Make it your own. Take care! xo

Disclaimer: I stress, I’m not a doctor, nor a trainer. These workouts are probably more suited for someone who’s worked out regularly before their pregnancy. You know your body better than anyone, so listen to it and slow down/stop when you feel it or your baby is telling you. Mine’s told me a few times to cool it! :)