Loving My Body

I have been into working out for a long time. I always did sports growing up. And while I am not always one of the fast ones, I am big and strong. Although I do wish to tangent one moment and say that one of my basketball coaches in high school once made a comment that I can never forget. He said,
  
"Mary is going to do a lot of great things for us. But Mary is not going to set any land speed records." 

He went on to basically tell me (and all the other posts/big girls) that we need to be sprinting from lane to lane (one side of the court to the other) and not lollygagging on the sides or trying to steal the ball on the way. And it was good advice. I feel like I was a better player in high school and then in college because I would seriously turn and sprint to the other end of the court each time the ball changed hands. I was not the fastest, but I ran my fastest and it put me in position faster and better than anything else could have.

Fast forward to basketball in college. It was winter break. Everyone went home to their families, etc. I kept my work-out up, even over the break. It was our first practice back after the break and we were running winners (or suicides, or whatever you want to call the sprints). And I kid you not, I was THE FASTEST!! I was faster than the point guard!! All because I was the only one who continued to work out over break. It only lasted a few practices and then everyone was back in shape, but it is still a great memory for me.

So with that bit of my past in mind, you see how I am physically oriented. I took up running outside during college because I was intimidated by going to the gym there. And long distance running was what I considered the most difficult thing I could imagine at the time. But I started small -- keep running for 10 minutes straight, super slow. Then I increased my time and my pace until I hit a comfortable speed for me. Then I pushed it. I wasn't running races or anything. I was running to stay in shape. (I noticed that I could really eat almost anything, as long as I kept up my running I was still losing weight/slimming up slowly.) But my mild OCD had me running in any kind of weather or location. (I am a little nuts like that.)

Fast forward again, I am still running, but going to the gym, too; married and pregnant with my first baby. Finally around the last half of the third trimester my running turns to walking, but I still hit the gym for weights (though nothing too taxing) and enjoyed seeing my stomach bulge all funny when I did sit-ups while pregnant.

So seven pregnancies down and I stumble on this home program called STS (Shock Training System) by my favorite DVD instructor, Cathe Friedrich. I picked the program up second-hand thankfully (as it is understandably pricey -- it's a lot of DVDs). I worked through the program (it's long -- like 3 months or something if you just do the "regular" routine). I initially was not impressed with the work-outs, but by the end of the program I had noticeably built muscle and I felt faster and stronger than I had ever been!

So then I'm pregnant with baby number eight, in the midst of doing my second round of STS -- a special "strength" routine that has me repeating each week twice. It just so happens that this routine is set to end the week before I am due to deliver this last baby. Well, being who I am, I made it to the end with no injury. I was very careful to listen to my body and I might have gone slightly less heavy the last few weeks than what could have been my max. (Although that is really debatable as I don't have the proper equipment to truly max myself -- I need a spotter, a squat rack, and a stand for bench, but even without those, I feel that I did a great job of challenging my muscles and getting stronger.)

Here are a few pictures of me that last week (taken by my oldest son) so you will believe just how nuts I am. (Please pardon the pile of clothes -- we were blessed with these from a friend and they had not found a home yet. And yes, I feel the need to point out that this particular pile was not just random laundry. But don't worry, we have plenty of that around, too. 😄)

And let me tell you, I felt better this pregnancy than I have with ANY of my previous ones, even though I am getting older and this is my eighth time doing this! But seriously, I could carry things and walk long distances. It was awesome.

But I wasn't exactly patting myself on the back as I had gained a good amount of weight during pregnancy, despite trying to eat healthy and obviously working out. I think it was around 35 pounds maybe a bit more. Which brings me to my next tangent.

Obviously I have been pregnant before and despite working out as best I could during pregnancy, I would of course slow down a ton toward the end (perhaps too much) and normally not lift much at all. And even as I try to eat well, lots of vegetables and protein, low or no sugar or carbs, I am just really good at gaining weight while pregnant! So of course I come out the other side with a body that's "a little larger and a little looser than I had going in. And it takes A LONG TIME to get that thing back under control! Seriously, breastfeeding makes me want to eat ALL THE FOOD ALL THE TIME!! And then not feeling up to working out/baby not sleeping, etc. It is tough. After several pregnancies, I finally almost felt comfortable believing that a year and a half is the recovery I require to feel like myself again. So this time, here I am prepared to suffer through this "pudgy" stage in my life. But alas, I was totally shocked to see what happened to me this time.

Despite having gained all that weight, I barely look like I was pregnant! Even my doctor made that comment at my baby's first weight check. And I was like, "I know, right?!?!" All I can chalk it up to is the lifting. Lifting and lifting heavy up until the end must have kept the muscle building and the blood flowing. I am completely amazed at how I look right now. 

(These pictures are from about four days postpartum. I got dressed to take baby to a retirement party for a good friend. I just couldn't miss it!) I mean, I still have a belly, but man, I really don't look like I just popped out a baby! And these are my regular jeans and shirt. No need for pregnancy clothes needed at this time. (But I am still not holding my breath that this will last. I have definitely gained weight after giving birth in the past. But I am taking it one moment at a time and marveling in this one for now. )