Getting My Body Back

This morning Sav and I went out to goodwill to pick up two new (smaller sized) jeans for me. I love buying jeans at goodwill because for $5 I can get a pair of jeans in really good shape that I know have already been washed and shrunk to their current size. I am excited that I finally after 20 months of being a Mom have my body back to better than my pre-pregnant shape. But, as I start thinking about getting pregnant again (no this is not an announcement) I was thinking about the transformation that my body has undergone these past three years.

I had a really had time mentally with gaining weight during pregnancy. I've always been the same size, give or take 5-7lbs. I ate well and ate when I was hungry so don't think that I was overly cautious about eating that second doughnut. But, being okay with numbers on the scale that I had never seen before was a mental challenge. Then after I had Savvy working out wasn't on my radar for a while. Candler was in school and working so I was on my own for most of the day/evening. Financially we didn't want to join an expensive gym so I attempted now and then to work out at home with little success. I just didn't push myself hard enough while working out in my living room. Then came my turning point. A friend posted pictures from a party and tagged me in the image and it seriously took me three looks to find myself. I didn't recognize myself from behind.

All in all I hadn't gained more than 15 lbs, but I had lost a ton of muscle and didn't look like me to me. So enter my now successful Colleen plan to getting my body back.
Note - this is what worked for me and I'm documenting it so it can hopefully get be back in shape again in the future after another little one is born.

• Be Happy - I am a strong believer that when I am not in a happy mental place or overly stressed that my body doesn't react to diet and exercise the same way. Some people hang onto weight when they are stressed or depressed and I think step number one for me was getting to a happy place with motherhood.
• Eat at home - Since becoming a mom I had a huge change in my eating habits. I used to go out to lunch with co-workers on a regular basis. While I still meet up with a friend every now and then for lunch out my normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner is whatever I make at home. Consequently, I've developed a huge love for cooking a delicious meal. I now try to make sure that I eat more fruits and vegetables with my lunch and dinner. I'm also more aware of what I'm putting into my body.
• Drink water - If you come over for a meal I will always have milk and water available as a beverage. Pop is only for super special occasions. Koolaid is for fun group dinners. Otherwise, it's water with meals. I have said multiple times to my Mom that my body is made of water, not pop.
• Exercise - To get my body back I decided to join Jazzercise. I was skeptical the first class I went to but afterwards I was in love. Each hour long class includes a warm up, intense cardio workout, strength training, and a cool down. I am drenched in sweat at the end. I used to have a gym membership and would often workout on the eleptical and then do some weight lifting, no where near the workout I now get with Jazzercise. Same story with Zumba and the other gym cardio classes. It was very instructor based if the class was good or not. But even though I loved Zumba, it didn't build my muscles as much. Okay, off my soap box. Working out 3+ times a week is important to my physical and mental health.
• Have a Deadline - My sister conned me into running the Rukus race with her in August. That forced me in a month to go from not running to being able to run four miles. That was huge! It ended up being a huge confidence booster and a great time. Having a goal really helped me kick my body into better shape.
• Have fun - Since the race is now past I haven't been as great at running, but working out with friends has filled that gap. I've gone running with some friends and each time I go to Jazzercise I look forward to seeing my friends.
• Wear structured clothing - Last piece for me is not allowing myself to wear stretchy pants all day. Putting on my jeans lets me know each day how I am doing physically. I don't like to get on the scale very often, so my jean test is my daily check.