Fit Pregnancy

Since my fitness plans and goals have changed and are somewhat delayed, I thought I would document my fitness journey throughout my pregnancy.  I do plan to keep working out my entire pregnancy unless something unforeseen happens.  In an ideal world I would keep hitting it as hard as I have been but know that's not realistic.  When I first found out I was pregnant I made up my mind it wasn't going to slow me down in the gym...ha ha yeah right!  Then the ickiness hit...
The first several weeks were rough because I didn't feel good and still had to keep up with 2 year old toddlers.  Did I mention they're out of school for the summer too?  Eeeek!  I definitely slowed a bit with my workouts.  I am averaging 3-4 workouts a week down from 6-7 and that's a good week.  I am still teaching Pump and plan to continue throughout my pregnancy.  At least if I'm teaching I have to go to the gym.  My body definitely seems to be working against me.  I am still attending classes at the gym too when I feel up to it.  I did run a few times at the very beginning and that was a joke.  Talk about dead weight!  I felt like I was running through molasses.  I gave up running for now because I get so frustrated with myself and it's so darn hot! Overall, I have scaled it back a bit and have taken the intensity down a notch (not by choice I assure you).  I immediately felt the effects of pregnancy...out of breath quickly and don't have my normal high intensity level.  I am not feeling like working out most days but I find that I do feel better if I make myself do something.  
As far as my diet is concerned, my clean eating diet went out the window when the ickiness hit.  I am struggling a little with nausea so the key for me is to keep my stomach full and feed it what it wants.  As y'all can probably guess a lot of carbs are involved.  I am eating my weight and then some in french fries (not all fast food though).  Frozen oven baked fries are my go to and I do indulge in Chick Fil-A at least once a week.  It's the boys' favorite treat so that's my excuse, right?  Y'all know I recently gave up Cokes, but guess what?  Diet 7Up and Diet Coke has made an appearance back into my diet.  I try to limit them to a few times a week if that.  It's all about keeping the stomach happy right now.  You gotta do what you can.

As I write this I am making my way to 13 weeks, so I am hoping my energy is going to return soon.  Thankfully the queasiness has been better the past few days.  I am ready to get back to a healthier diet and to the gym more regularly.  Really all I want is to feel good again!! 

This will be me in a few months...ha ha!  Totally kidding!!!  I had to share this pic.  Isn't this insane?!  This is taking it a little too far if you ask me.  

 

Surprise!

I have some big news!  I honestly thought I wasn't going to travel down this road again or it would be a long time IF I did, but...I am pregnant....WHAT?!!  Yup, we're going to have another little one.  Yes, just ONE this time!  ;)  Trust me it was definitely a surprise, but we are so excited to be adding another little nugget to our crew in January.  I must admit I am more than a little nervous about having 2 three years olds and a baby to take care of.  I welcome any advice on how to survive, ha.  I keep telling myself that God's timing is perfect and it is, but gosh you never know what His plans are for you.  Honestly though we are absolutely thrilled!

 I already have a bump going on, so it's true that you definitely show quicker the second time around.

A Quick Weekend Trip

I was lucky enough to be able to go back down to Charleston for a night this past weekend.  Mom, Dad, my sis, bro in-law and beautiful niece Olivia were all there, so Adam was nice enough to agree to watch the boys for a night so I could spend some time with my fam.  It was wonderful to be with everyone even if just for what felt like a few hours.  I don't get to see my sis and her fam often so it's a special treat when we do get to see each other.  My little niece Olivia is growing so fast and she couldn't be any cuter...of course I'm not prejudice at all!  ;)

When I got to town, I had a yummy lunch at The Variety Store with Mom and Dad.  

I can remember going there when I was a little girl.  

Such a cool place to watch the boats at the marina.

My dinner date Saturday night

Yet another attempt at a family photo... Olivia poses a lot better than the boys.

Sweet girl

Beach Week Recap

I look forward to our family beach week every year and this year was no different.  We just got back from a wonderful trip to Wild Dunes near Charleston, SC.  We are so fortunate we are able to take this trip every year.  What precious fun times! I like to document our trip with pics, so here they are... We had wonderful weather, so every day we were able to go out to and enjoy the beach and the pool.

 The boys loved playing with Grammy and Poppy

The boys were a little unsure of the water, but

they warmed up to it by the end of the week.

Chillin with Poppy

Apparently there were a lot of sharks swimming around our beach.  

2 were caught while we were there...comforting, right?!

Rocking my new Athleta swimsuit.  I absolutely love it!  

It's so comfy for chasing little ones around the beach and pool. 

We also did a little pool duty.  

The boys loved swimming with Daddy.

Checking out the boats on Shem Creek

Our attempts at a family photo.  

I'm giving up on getting a good one of everybody.  

It's impossible!

The paci's HAVE to go!  These boys are too attached!

I would welcome any advice on how to get rid of them.

Another attempt at a family photo

Adam and I were able to get a couple of date nights in...we headed downtown both times.

They have totally redone the Vendue Inn and the Rooftop Bar is awesome now!

I made a reservation a little over a month in advance so we could finally try Husk.  

I honestly was a little skeptical but it definitely lived up to all the hype...fabulous!

I got the SC Grouper and Adam got the Catfish and both were delicious!

Our second date night we ended up at Basil (surprise, surprise!) then we found an awesome ice cream place on King, Jeni's!  I hadn't had ice cream in forever so it was a special treat!

One of my fave things about vacay is the food!  

We ate out every night and I enjoyed some dang good seafood almost every night.

The boys wanted Poppy to read to them every night before bed.  Precious!

Before I end this post I have to mention our lifesaver for the week...

This wagon was perfect to haul all our stuff to the beach.  

It folds right up too so it doesn't take up too much space in the car.

As usual we were sad to leave and already can't wait for next year.

I haven't traveled around the world, but this little slice of heaven on Isle of Palms has to be one of the greatest places ever!

In the Gym...

Most of y'all know I'm a gym rat.  I can't help it.  There's nothing I love more than a heart pumping workout and a good sweat.  It is therapeutic for me and a great stress relief! I've had a few questions about my gym routine, and I couldn't be happier to share.  Of course every week is different but here is what I do on an average week.
Cardio 4-6 times a week I'm a bit of a group fitness junkie so most of my cardio comes from attending classes:  BodyCombat, BodyAttack, Spinning, and the rare BodyStep class.  I will also take an Intense Body class every now and then.  I love this class because it combines cardio and weights into an hour.  Now that the weather is nice I run at least once or twice a week, and once a week I do a quick interval sesh on the lovely (ick) treadmill---hate this but it's only 20 minutes and a great fat burner.      Pump 1-3 times a week I teach BodyPump anywhere from 1-3 times a week.  BodyPump focuses on low weight and high reps.  It's a total body workout and it's fabulous!  It's different every week but I try to get some sort of weight training in at least 3 times a week.  It's a good week though if I actually get in 3 weight sessions.  
Weight Lifting Depending on my Pump schedule, I average 2 or 3 times a month, BUT I am trying change that and lift heavy weights at least once a week.  My body is used to doing light weight and a ton of reps, so I need to hit  the heavy weights hard to shock my body.
Pilates and/or CXWORX I had been adding in Pilates or a 30 minute CX class once a week to help my core, but this honestly has gone by the wayside the past few weeks.  I did make it to CX this week and it felt great!  I honestly was skeptical of Pilates at first but it is amazing and so great for your core.  I can honestly tell a difference in my core strength by going just a few times.  Now Yoga is another story...not my thing but that's ok.
Ok, so I'm curious about the latest craze...Barre training.   So if any of y'all have done this I would love some feedback! 
I will leave y'all with a few pics from our last Pump launch.  

Working with What You Have

As many of you know, I am a bit of a shopaholic.  I do love to shop and am a sucker for a sale.  Recently I have decided that I'm not going to buy anything unless it's absolutely necessary.  That brings me to the title of my post...Working with What you Have.  
Step 1:  Purge   I went through my closet and got rid of anything I haven't worn in a year or so.  I made piles  a) to sell on my blog click here for post, consignment, or eBay  b) Goodwill  c) give to friends or family
Step 2: What's left?   Now that the extra stuff taking up space is gone, I can really take a good look at what I have to work with.    Step 3:  Put together different outfits.   I was actually surprised at how many different outfits I could put together with a few key pieces.  Think outside of the box and mix and match.  

Here are my key pieces for Summer:

Maxi dress Tanks and tees to pair with shorts  (I buy knit tops cheap at Old Navy, Target, or Forever 21) Bright chino shorts White skinny jeans  Cut-off denim shorts (I've had a pair for 6 years that I love)  Similar Version  Sundress Wedge Cute, comfy flats
These few key pieces can be mixed and matched for several different summer wardrobe options.   Throw in some fun accessories and you're set!
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Happy Memorial Day...a Day Late

Happy Memorial Day!  I know I'm a day late but I just had to share this pic my mom took yesterday.

Thank you Grandaddy Jim and all those who have served or are serving and protecting our country.   We miss you Grandaddy!