the secret to how I got my body back...

First things first.... THANK YOU sooooo much for all of your sweet comments about my post baby body! Of course every girl loves a compliment, but after having a baby? Sweet, kind, encouraging and uplifting compliments are the best thing for a brand new mom (am I right??) Thank you for making me feel so good when it was really easy to be disgusted with this new body of mine :)
So! My secret is..... I actually don't have a secret! I wish I did! I wish I had the perfect answer on how to have a bikini ready body after having a baby, but I'm still trying to figure that out. I can tell you that my doctor said the key to a great recovery is exercise! Before and during pregnancy, apparently it does make a difference! Of course every pregnancy is different! Some are too sick to work out, others have to stay on bed rest, etc. And the same goes for recovery! But I'll share what seems to have worked/does work for me!

 Hiking in Zion National Park... workouts that don't really feel like a workout are my favorite kind!

Before I got pregnant I was in pretty good shape. I went to spin a couple times a week, ran and did Jillian Michaels DVDs (don't ask me why, but I am always so self conscious to lift weights at the gym, unless I have a friend with me ha ha!) When I found out I was pregnant I continued my same work out regimens, I just really paid attention to what my body was telling me. Around 7 weeks I felt like I was going to die in a spin class! The instructor even asked me if I was alright because I had no energy  or endurance... it was crazy! I'd never experienced anything like it. But the fatigue from pregnancy finally hit me and I learned I had to take it EASY! I learned I had to eat before each workout (of course, I had to eat all. the. time. But I used to never eat before I workout because I'd get intense side aches. But suddenly my body needed the energy the food provided!) Around 16 weeks I had to stop running because of my sciatic nerve, ouch! I continued spinning and the work out DVDs. Eventually I got too lazy to lift weights (those 3 pounders definitely got heavy, HA!) so I just did spin, walking or the elliptical. I huge motivator for me to do a workout every day was work. I do hair and I stand on my feet all day long! That became extremely difficult to do as my baby grew. But working out helped build my stamina and made the long days on my feet not quite as bad as if I sat on my bum on my days off. So find something that motivates you to do a little something each day... it will make a difference!

31 weeks. I retained water and my butt got squishier... but other than that the weight gain was mostly baby! {instagram}

Once I had Mia, I was shocked by how quickly my stomach deflated. I thought I'd look pregnant for weeks after, ha ha. But I did/do nurse, and they say that helps! (I'm convinced I burned more calories crying over how sucky nursing was, than the actual nursing ha ha!) At Mia's 2 week appointment I asked my doctor if I could start doing sit ups. He said yes but take it easy. So I went home and did 30 sit ups.... and was spent for the rest of the day, ha! I did a few sit ups and push ups on my knees each day but other than that? I took it easy and let my body heal! I waited to really start working out until after my 6 week appointment. Since then I've been spinning (which is easiest on my body), the DVDs and running. The most important thing for me is to continue listening to my body. I would love to just go run for miles, but I have to build up to that! Right now I run a slow mile and half to two miles.... my ribs feel bruised/sore after each run and I can feel certain parts of my body that still feel shifty (those of you who have babies know what I'm talking about, right?) So clearly my body is still recovering. I really want to start going to yoga and pilate's classes to help my body build muscles that will hold everything in place! I will continue working out but if my body says, "ouch, can't handle that!" then I won't push it!

Source: someecards.com via Kathy on Pinterest

I also want to throw in that the most important things right now are my baby, my husband and my health. Sometimes after I'm done feeding Mia, instead of putting her back in her crib and working out, I snuggle her until she wakes up so that I can play with her and enjoy her morning smiles! My husband doesn't work the normal 9-5 job (I'm jealous of you wives who have husbands that keep those hours!) so if I want to go to the gym, I have to go at 5AM. I have decided that getting my sleep is way more important that day than going to spin more than once. Instead I do a DVD at home or go for a walk. I'd rather do that than be sleep deprived, ornery and more susceptible to catching a cold that day because I didn't get any sleep, you know? I work out to be healthy and feel good about myself, and sometimes I have to put working out on the back burner to be healthy and feel good about myself! I try to help my body in other ways by drinking tons of water (which you have to do while nursing anyways) and eating my fruits and veggies. I'd be lying if I said I could care less about having a bikini ready body, of course I'd love that! But my main focus is to enjoy every second of my baby, because she won't be a little baby forever. So I do what it takes to stay healthy and feel good about myself, other than that? I've come to terms with the fact that a squishy belly, muffin tops and precious baby smiles are just the perks of my new life ;) (But at the risk of sounding like I'm bragging, I will admit that my belly isn't quite as squishy as it used to be, the muffin tops are almost gone, and the smiles get sweeter every day! So little by little, the workouts DO make a difference!)

Source: someecards.com via ErinBeth on Pinterest