Pregnancy Workout - Cable Machines! & Breastfeeding Truths!

BREASTFEEDING TRUTHS!

Written May 16th 2015:
 I have so many pregnant friends and ones who just had babies (guess its that phase in life) and I just wanted to share my dose of reality because I wish someone would have posted this for me to read when I was pregnant. BREASTFEEDING is NOT EASY (especially at first)!!! I know for some of you it will be and I am truly happy for you. But for me...it's just wasn't. I was super overwhelmed. And Remy latched great, so that wasn't the issue. Figuring him out was exhausting- what position did he like? why is he choking? is my flow too fast? he just spit up everything! why is he falling asleep? is he getting enough? is he getting too much? is it gas pains? what foods do I need to give up? why hasn't he pooped? It was endless. Around the clock me and my little man working on getting this thing right. And I mean literally around the clock... I was on call 24 hours a day. No one else could feed him or help. No one else to take on the challenge of figuring your baby out. It was, quite honestly, like one crazy, demanding, full time job in which you weren't allowed to sleep at night. Everything blurred together into one giant Groundhog Day. THAT WAS MY REALITY! I apparently saw too many glamorous IG nursing pics and thought it was going to be all rainbows and sunshine. It wasn't. And I sure do wish someone would have warned me. It DOES get MUCH easier as you go. But there are still a lot of not-so-fun nursing things....like pumping, keeping the milk cold, pumping, no feeding on the go, pumping. Don't get me wrong, I think it's awesome to be able to give your baby all the nutrients it needs, but it's not this easy peasy cakewalk thing (for most). You've got to have the will to do it! And if you do, you will make it. Just remember one Groundhog Day at a time ;) and eventually you will feel normal again and you'll be proud. Rightfully so!

And here is a great third trimester cable machine workout (full-body) I loved this one!

Eating Healthy While Pregnant

Healthy?! If by healthy you mean a healthy serving of french fries :)
Well let's just talk about the diet I tried to stick to, because we all know sometimes cheating is necessary and did I mention that I was big, hungry pregnant during the holidays?! Note to self: Get  pregnant in the summer next go 'round, when people snack on watermelon not snowman sugar cookies and peppermint bark.

My pregnancy diet/ healthy eating plan
This method won't work for everyone, but for me it really does: when I am honestly hungry, I eat something. AND 9 times out of 10 I try to make sure it's a fruit, vegetable or protein. I try not to eat fruit past lunch time, unless I workout in the afternoon. It's sort of my way to ensure that all the fast burning carbs I eat (sugars) will be used up before I go to bed.

Here are some really basic healthy eating tips (pregnant or not):

• When you’re hungry drink a glass of water first. Seriously! Even if you still plan to eat something as soon as you’re done with the water, that’s fine. Just drink a full glass before hand. 
• Drink a full glass of water before you do anything else in the morning!  
• Always go to the fridge first! When you’re hungry, don’t dart for the pantry.   Go straight to the fridge and find something to eat there.  
• Try to fit in eating potassium rich foods (spinach, kale, bananas, oranges, etc)   once a day. This will help you avoid cramping after workouts.   
• If you need a treat, choose a healthier option like Frozen Yogurt and buy it at   a restaurant. Do not bring a carton home EVER! Small semi-sweet dark chocolate is ok too, but allow yourself one or two squares a night.  
• Weight-training is SO important! Extra muscle burns more energy at rest than fat.  Extra muscle will also burn more fat in active phase, so having more muscle will definitely help burn more energy and fat! 
• Don’t eat carbs by themselves! Always try to pair carbs with a protein or a vegetable. For example, if you’re in a hurry and have to eat a bowl of whole grain cereal for breakfast, pair it with a bit of cottage cheese on the side or egg whites. This will help to ensure those carbs digest more slowly which will cause less insulin to be released and therefore have less of an impact on your ability to burn fat. 
• Never, ever, ever eat carbs right before bed.  
• Skip the oil! Cook with low-sodium vegetable stock as much as possible! 
• Try not to eat  FRUIT past lunch! The only exception is pre-workout.

My last few weeks growing my sweet babe.