reclaiming me

In order for me to prepare your personalized monthly workout schedules, please answer the following questions not later than Sunday, 3/23/2008:

March 23? Oops. Of course, I didn’t join until the 24th, but still, it’s sad that I’m only now, five days later, answering this silly thing. Here goes nothing!

1. What workouts do you do, T-Tapp and others? What kind of a workout schedule do you currently keep (frequency, duration, etc.)?

I have a 3-1/2 weeks old newborn (March 5), and I’m only just starting to work out again at all. During this pregnancy (unlike my first, with my daughter), I became more and more inactive — at least in terms of formal workouts. We moved during my last month, and painted much of the interior of our new house, so that’s got to qualify for something! Just the same, I gained more than 50 pounds, and was horrendously bloated by the end. When it’s hard to even walk, it’s tough to exercise!

Anyway, I’ve only just started slowly working movement back into my routine, starting so far with Primary Back Stretch and OIP/HF.

2. When did you complete your most recent T-Tapp bootcamp? How many days was it, and what workout(s) did you use?

April 8-16, nine days, mostly TWO with Tempo Torso once, BWO+/SATI once, Inst 1/2 once, and one clinic. In other words, it’s been long enough that I’m overdue!

3. Do you have any health challenges that I should be aware of (e.g. joints, back, illness, surgeries)? Are you under the care of a physician? If so, for what?

Postpartum recovery — but that all seems straightforward so far. Other health issues: history of depression/anxiety (no longer under any treatment at all, though), major heartburn/reflux due to hiatal hernia.

4. Tell me what you feel are the three (only three!) primary problem areas on your body?

Mummy tummy (though this is where I usually don’t carry weight)
Butt
Thighs

5. Do you own a pair of cross-trainer type athletic shoes? If not, you’ll need a pair!

Have some 2250 Skechers, but I’d like to find another pair of shoes — not sure if I’ll simply get the same or shop for something new. I’d love to have something a little better looking (shrug).

6. Please list the T-Tapp workouts/DVDs that you own.

Instructional 1
Instructional 2
BWO+
TWO
SATI
SITTM
Tempo Torso
Tempo Arms
Ladybug
Ladybug POP
Tempo Lower Body
Hit the Floor

7. What is your body type in T-Tapp terms (ST, LT, or combo)?
If you are unsure, see pages 61-70 of the T-Tapp book or visit http://www.geocities.com/dyfalck/tips1.html#bodytype

Combo, bordering on short torso (in terms of inches, at least) — but I gain like a true honest-to-goodness combo.

8. Tell me anything else you’d like to add.

I’m looking forward to having my tuckus kicked on a regular basis. With my first child, I hit the gym hard and often, taking advantage of their childcare, as soon as she was old enough. Now, I live in a town where childcare at fitness centers is fairly well unavailable — so I’m going to have to squeeze in T-Tapp (yes, double meaning intended) wherever I can!

Tags: T-Tapp, Self-Motivation by Allison
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On March 5th, at a final weight topping out around 205 pounds, I gave birth to a lovely baby boy, Gavin Leopold. And no, I don’t have belly pictures, at least not past about the halfway point.

Pregnancy sucked. I was exhausted. I gained a ridiculous amount of water weight (evidenced by the fact that now, at 3 weeks postpartum, I’m 25ish pounds lighter). I swelled, ached, and could barely walk toward the end. He’s totally worth it. Now, for the collateral damage: I’m still nearly 30 pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. Yes, as of yesterday (I forgot to weigh today for my start point), I’m sitting at 180. I’m 5′3″. Figure it out. I’m still rather round. A new weight/measurements chart will shortly join the links to the right (like the new digs?), and photos will follow early next week.

I’ve joined Kirsten’s Tight Club, because while last time around I had tons of self-motivation, this time I’m having to press myself to do anything. Two kids? Yeah, that’s a little more difficult than one. Fortunately for my tuckus, Maya goes to playschool three days per week, so those are days I can more likely slip in longer workouts. I’m still hoping to hike here and there, but since Gavin seems to overheat in any baby carrier at all, that’s still up in the air.

Tight Club begins April 1, and runs for 12 weeks.
The 60-Day Challenge starts April 11, and runs through June 11.

Now is the time to get serious about reclaiming my body.

Tags: Self-Motivation, Admin by Allison
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Actually, I saw my ob’s office on Friday, and according to them, I’m 9 weeks, 1 day. But, since I’ve charted my cycles, I know better — I ovulated late. Whatever — they say I’m due 11Mar08. I say I’m due 19Mar08. Suffice it to say, sometime in March, I’ll have a baby.

This was a much better week, workout-wise than I’d expected it had been. Funny what happens when I actually take a look at the calendar! I’m slowly working back up to a total workout with T-Tapp. Until then, I’m thrilled when I can get Basic+ done, as I did twice this week. Step it to the Max fit in for an extra day of cardio. Considering that I woke up on Friday with the worst stitch in my neck I’ve had…oh, ever…it’s all good.

This week’s measures:

Week 8

I’m up 1/2″ to 1″ all across the torso including (unfortunately) across the hips. BUT…my upper thighs stayed level, my lower thighs pulled in a bit, and my arms are toning back up. That’s encouraging.

Just to demonstrate the wacky nature of pregnancy, I’m putting my current pics next to my mid-challenge photos. Sure, some of this might be vacation spread…but seriously, people? Not all of it is. The instant inch gain has been simply amazing, enough so that I can just sit back and laugh. Oh, and hope that my hips don’t grow much more; I’d like to be able to still wear the same size maternity clothing at the end! Delusional? Guess we’ll see.

Pictures below the fold.

[Read more →]

Tags: Photos, Measurements, Self-Motivation by Allison
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Woo-hoo, yes, it really has been more than 1-1/2 months since I posted last. Oopsies.

I kept getting workouts in — though of course, not as often as I’d like — while I was in Japan, then Colorado, then Oregon, then Colorado. When I returned to Santa Fe for a single night on July 6, I used a pregnancy test on a whim (totally expecting no result, since it was only nine days post ovulation), and whadyaknow? I’m pregnant. The next trip (Bisbee, AZ followed by Tucson and Scottsdale) saw me bursting out of my clothing at the waist and abdomen — enough so that I had to start buying nice, stretchy, maternity clothing. Oh, and new bras.

This time, it’s sticking, and my body is once again exploding outward (as it did in late May), but even more so. Seriously, if it weren’t that I have ZERO gut feeling about twins, I’d really think I had two in there. My body has just changed so much, so fast!

Today marks gestation week 7 (ie, 5 weeks post-ovulation), and here are my measurements as of today. Oh, should I warn that I gained about 10 pounds *instantly*? Maybe that 10 pounds has more to do with traveling and eating out, but who knows for sure? I’m tracking weight now in addition to measures because…well, that’s what you do when you’re pregnant. They want to know.

Week 7

Weight 165.5 pounds

Bust 40
Ribs 33
Waist 35.25
Abdomen 40.5
Hips 45
L Upper Thigh 25.5
R Upper Thigh 25.5
L Lower Thigh 18
R Lower Thigh 18
L Calf 14
R Calf 14.25
L Upper Arm 11.75
R Upper Arm 12

All of those measurements are higher. Every single one of them. I feel puffy, but I also feel somewhat sexy, Rubenesque, and fully of life. Mike tells me I look wonderful, and whether he means it (I think he does), or whether he’s just afraid of what I’d do to him if he said I looked like a cow, he’s being supportive. Nausea comes and goes, and T-Tapping seems to help limit it. Then again, so does eating a big, big pile of starch. Ah, macaroni. You are my friend.

I’m napping a lot. And, now that I’m home from all of our summer travel, I hope to work out daily also.

First doc’s appointment is Friday, and I’m hopeful they’ll do an ultrasound, if nothing else, to reassure me that there’s really only one critter sucking the life out of me in there. Boy, this is different having a husband and child around!

Tags: Measurements, Self-Motivation by Allison
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Yes, I am a very, very naughty blogger. So, here’s a quick sum-up of the past few weeks:

• I worked out very, very little from the beginning of the challenge until the end of May.
• Starting around May 23-24, I had odd symptoms that made me think I just might be pregnant.
• On May 31, I got a positive test, and that motivated me to get my ass in gear again — I do *not* want to be an uncomfortable whale again this time.
• This morning, I officially miscarried. Hell, it’s only 14 days past ovulation TODAY, so until recent years, I wouldn’t have ever even seen that positive test result, and I would have thought I was just experiencing an insanely bad PMS.
• I’m bummed at the loss of one of my symptoms — craving salads and vegetables was really good for my dietary habits!
• I leave for a 2-week trip to Japan in about 1-1/2 weeks, go from there to a wedding in Oregon, and from there to a conference in Tucson with the husband. This isn’t sounding very hopeful for the challenge, but I’m still determined to do something, and taking my laptop along to facilitate that.

See? You’re all caught up now. Who needs daily posts? Oh, right — I do, to keep myself motivated.

Speaking of motivation, Summer has issued another challenge, and the serendipitous timing (would end right before my trip to Japan starts) means I simply MUST participate. Instead of explaining it, I’ll just copy from her site. If you want to join in, leave a comment on her post. FYI, this is a challenge anyone can do, even if you don’t own a single T-Tapp video; everything you need is available free on the web.

The challenge:

Here’s the challenge, in a nutshell:

Step 1: Print out the following three documents, which have instructions and photos for three T-Tapp exercises.

1. The T-Tapp Secret to a Flat Stomach (Organs in Place)

2. Awesome Legs

3. Diva Derriere

Step 2: Measure yourself in the following areas:

1. Waist (either at your navel or at the narrowest spot of your midsection)

2. Belly (about 2 inches below the navel, or at the fullest spot of your belly)

3. Hips (at the widest part of your hips/booty)

4. Upper thighs (at the widest spot, on both left and right legs, they are probably a bit different)

5. Lower thighs (about 2 inches above the knee, both left and right side)

Don’t forget to write these measurements down! Measure in inches, if you can, as that’s the standard most people use when describing T-Tapp losses.

Step 3: Do the exercises once a day for ten days. Start with Organs in Place. (When you do OIP, don’t be afraid to really push into your belly. It should feel strange as you push your organs up into the ribcage. You won’t hurt yourself. You might want to take a pee before beginning, though.) I am doing a series of crunches that I’ve modified from the Hit the Floor video. It goes like this:

Organs in Place with 20 butt tucks

20 standard crunches

OIP/20 tucks

10 cross over crunches to one side (these are the ones where you put one ankle on the opposite knee, and then crunch upward toward your knee)

OIP/20 tucks

10 cross over crunches in the other direction

OIP/20 tucks

10 crunches with legs straight up in the air

OIP/50 tucks

Then follow that with Awesome Legs and Diva Derriere. The order in which you do them doesn’t matter, so long as you’ve done your OIP first.

Step 4: After ten days, rest for a day, then measure yourself again and be amazed.

Ah, it would be nice to be amazed. I at least feel like the hormonal ballooning up I did in April has leveled out, to where I can finally start to drop.

Tags: Daily Log, Self-Motivation by Allison
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