Consistently Striving to Feel My Best Again

Consistency.

This is a word that I’ve thought about a lot recently, spurred by my friend Kristine, who wrote a post about her wedding bod goals as well as a discussion with my therapist. Since giving birth to Katie and returning to work, balancing everything has been harder than I expected. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t go into November expecting things to be easy. But, I felt like my type A personality and persistence would help me achieve everything I wanted. There were certain things that I had to prioritize – family and career.  Once I did everything possibly daily to be the best mom, wife, daughter, and colleague possible, it left very little time for me to focus on anything physical or aesthetic.

But, seven months after returning back to work, I’m starting to feel like I have space in my life to focus on feeling comfortable in my skin again. When I became pregnant with Katie in September of 2016 I was at my healthiest – emotionally and physically.  While a lot has changed since then, luckily, I am still very healthy mentally thanks to a team of friends, family, and professionals who have helped me manage this life change. But, from a physical aspect, I am not feeling like my best self. I’ve found myself hiding in the back row during pictures, untagging myself in Facebook pictures, feeling weak during workouts and lethargic. There are wonderful events coming up over the next few months including Katie’s first birthday party, a week-long beach trip, two weddings and a goal half marathon for which I want to be feeling my best. But, more important than a half marathon time or the way I look in a bridesmaid dress, I am doing this for me and for Katie.

I want to be a strong, energetic and confident role model for Katie.

These changes won’t come overnight. Instead, I know that consistency is key to feeling strong and healthy not just for an hour, a day or a week but for the future. When I lost 50 pounds during my senior year of college, 12 years ago, it was due to small, consistent changes versus things like cleanses, restrictions, etc.  I know that at the age of 34 losing weight and getting in shape will be a bit different than it’s been in the past but I’m excited. I’ve embraced the new curves that motherhood has provided but now want to focus on living a healthier, more moderate life to help me feel my best.

In order to hold myself accountable and share my journey with you all, here are the things I’m focusing on for June:

• Consistently moderating my wine consumption – Over the past few years, I’ve typically enjoyed wine a few nights a week. But, over the past few months, I have started having two glasses on a nightly basis. While I have no desire to cut out wine altogether, I am reducing my enjoyment to four or five nights per week.
• Consistently increasing my steps – I did some research in my iPhone’s HEALTH app and realized that my average steps per day have changed greatly over the past few years ( 2015 – 11,821 – 2016 – 8,630 – 2017 – 5,768 -2018 – 6,191). I was surprised to discover this but since I don’t commute most days and my stroller time with Katie is now limited during the week, I am going to have to make movement a priority. My goal for June is to increase my average steps to 8,000 for the month. I can do this by taking Katie for more frequent walks, running more, walking for exercise and using my two feet for errands instead of subway, taxi or Citibike.
• Consistently track my food – Bo and I have done a great job planning in advance to ensure we are able to enjoy homemade dinners an average of five nights a week. We do a lot of meal prep on Sunday so that cooking during the week is easier. But, I haven’t been as mindful of my breakfast, lunches, and snacks. Since I work from home, I have my pantry and refrigerator just steps away. This can be a blessing but also a curse, especially if I give into the snack monster.  Starting yesterday, I’m keeping track of my breakfast, lunch, and snacks Monday through Friday.
• Consistently following a training or workout plan – It has been a long time since I’ve had a workout plan and this lack of structure has resulted in me doing a little bit of everything but not sticking with anything consistently. While I’ve been working out, I’ve found myself at one end of the spectrum or the other.  I will have a few great workouts in a row and then find myself either skipping workouts or dialing it in.  Consistency will not only help me feel better but it will also help ensure that I don’t injure myself by going too hard without a strong base. Now that Theodora is coaching me for my fall half marathon, she is putting a plan together that will enable me to feel my strongest going into the half marathon while also making sure I don’t burn out. You can expect a mix of strength training through Body Pump and pilates in addition to the prescribed running workouts.

Since I just took measurements for my bridesmaid dress, I actually have measurements that I can track my progress against in addition to the scale and physical achievements like seeing improvements in the weight I use during Body Pump, form during Pilates classes and my paces. But, more than anything, I look forward to feeling better in my skin by making a few, consistent changes.