Spandex City

5/7/17 Made a few of those chewy necklaces I talked about last time! Super easy to make and a great way to kill time!  We had a party for one of the brothers on Friday and here's a picture of me with my sister in law.  She's 6 weeks ahead of me sooooo... 24-ish weeks? Raz's candidate won his race! So he's napping until church today and I'm sitting around trying to figure out ways to make more $$! I'm frustrated by my lack of OT work, but know that it's all in God's hands. He's provided so much for us and this is how I am learning to lean on and trust Him for everything.

5/2/17 I had a long break from work today so I managed to come home, do a few things around the house and knock out a 30 minute full body workout in the backyard! Squats x 10 Weighted Side Leans x15      ------ Repeat x3 Bicep Curls x15 Deadlifts x15 Weighted Overhead Pulls x10  ------ Repeat x3 Tricep Kickbacks x12 Lunges, each leg x10 Modified Woodchoppers x10  -------Repeat x3 Skull Krushers x12 It's amazing how small things wear me out! I had to hold on to our patio furniture to do the lunges! I took frequent water breaks and made sure I was out of the sun. I also took a 30 minute walk on my lunch break along the Trinity River which was great in helping me get all my steps in today!

5-1-17 Holy guacamole, it's May!! How is this possible. Baby Update: Tomorrow will be 18 weeks! Also, I think I felt the baby move this morning! *it felt like gas, but very different* I'm still fitting into nearly everything I own but prefer to wear good ole' elastic when I can! Workout Update: I counted in my planner 18 days out of 30 in April, that I worked out. Many of the workouts were way less strenuous than I would have counted before, such as playing 9 holes of golf, taking a lunch time walk, etc. Overall I am pleased with how much I did, especially when I felt sluggish most of the time. This month I want to increase how many times a week I do weights (at least 2 for starts!!). I'd also like to swim about 2x a week. The extra day needs to be cardio! In random news, I'm playing with the idea of starting a sensory necklace/jewlery/toys online shop. I would sell chewy necklaces to mothers with teething babies, pacifier chains, chewy toys and

4/21/17 I was able to add in freestyle strokes to my swim the other day and while I was not blazing fast (keep your surprise to yourself, please), I completed my mile in 54 minutes, instead of 58. I'll take the improvement!  It felt good to move like that again. Yesterday I woke up exhausted and instead of biking/swimming, I went for a long walk at lunch time and did some yoga. In the evening I was loading the dishwasher and had an uncomfortable sensation in my low abdomen and lower back. Not necessarily pain, but dull and achy. This happened on and off until the time I went to sleep. I texted the midwife about it and she encouraged me to drink more water and said we would test for a UTI, just in case. Slept great through the night, but started having the same crampy pains after being awake for an hour or so. I had planned on going swimming but the midwife encouraged me to take it easy until our appointment later today, just to make sure everything was 'normal'. N

4/19/17 Baby Update: Cletus is 16 weeks now and the size of an avocado! I am starting to really pudge out and only late at night does it feel like a bump! Workout Updates: I have been swimming a few times and was amazed at how good it felt. I've been able to swim a mile in around 58 minutes each time. This is about what my old time was so it definitely feels good. I have more or less given up on doing freestyle and am just sticking with the breast stroke for now. It's slower, but breathing has it's pro's too! Thanks to increasing *growth* I've been using my Buband when I swim to help keep things under control. I love that thing and it's seriously been my pregnancy saving grace! Yesterday morning I did 10 miles on the bike trainer- holy heck, when did that get so hard!? It felt like my thighs were on fire after 1 mile! Clearly, I'm going to have to up the work on that! I now only have 46 more miles until my 'Virtual 70.3' is complete! Hah, wh

4/17/17 TailWind Nutrition is what I use during long runs or cycles. I was drawn to the brand because it promises to get you enough calories for an hour of exercise, in liquid form with "no gut bombs". This is beyond important to me because I have a notoriously wimpy tummy. I have had more GI DISTRESS on a single long run, than most people have in an entire year. I started out by ordering their Sample Bundle , which has 7 different flavors for about $17! That's insanely cheap compared to other brands.  My favorites are Raspberry Buzz and Berry. I like how strong the flavor is and true to form- no tummy aches and I've had good energy. Several months ago I applied to be a Tailwind Nutrition ambassador, which would more or less mean I could endorse the brand, get discounts and be counted among a handful of incredible athletes. (Yeah I knooooow. It was a long shot, but I'm not one to let "no" stop me). There's a guy named Cory that I follow on F

4-10-17 Y'all may faintly remember that I did the Texas Ragnar; running from Batrop to Luckenbach with 11 other women in a single van. Van trip down We stayed the night in a roach-coach in Bastrop and while I slept like a log, 2 of the girls in our group did not sleep a second. Something about me having to kill roaches in the room really freaks some people out. That 4am wake up call came early. Our start time was at 5:45am, but naturally we had to be there an hour before hand to get "prepped" and to hear the safety stuff. I was runner #2 *heh*, so I received the slap bracelet (baton) around 6:30am and took off on my first leg.  Leg 1: 4.20 miles Actual distance/time: 4.5 miles in 48 minutes (10:38 pace) It was beautiful and now I wish I'd taken a few photos. I ran as the sun was coming up and through fields of wild flowers. There was mist covering the pastures and scenic bridges and cattle abounding.   I was fine with this because I star

4/10/17 Baby update: we are 14 weeks and 6 days today. Starting to feel/look thicker around my middle and jeans are feeling tighter. Workout update: I've been walking a lot but still haven't ran since the Ragnar *keep your eyes open for that update!* Yesterday I decided to do a weights workout and used the " Diary of a Fit Mommy: Belly Only Workout " pregnancy workouts. I did Standing Side Crunches 3 x20 Barbell Side Bends 3 x10 Dumbbell Elbows to Knees Side Crunch 3x10 Air Squats *ass to grass* 3x10 Modified Wood Choppers 3x10 Tricep Kickbacks 3x10 Bicep Curls 3x 20 Air Squats *ass to grass* 3 x10 Barbell Shoulder Presses 3 x10 Weighted Internal/External Rotation 3 x15 Barbell Skull Crushers 3 x10 Air squats *ass to grass* 4 x10 And let me tell you... I. AM. FEEEEELIN' IT. My whooooole body is sore. I hadn't realized how weak I'd allowed my back/obliques to get. I will definitely be repeating this!!

3/26/17 Wow, remember how excited I was about getting all this great energy now that I'm in the second trimester? STILL. HASN'T. SHOWN. UP. Yes, I know it's been ohhh... 6 days, but I want my energy!! I literally slept from 3:30-6:30pm, got up for a snack, then went back to bed from about 8:30pm- 8am. Sweet Jesus. I then got up and laid down on the couch, where I proceeded to close my eyes for a while. Sheesh. Amy and I were supposed to go on a 5 mile run yesterday morning; naturally I decided to be nauseous and cranky as hell. So it became a 5 mile walk. I enjoyed being outside but it exhausted me. Hence the sleep of death. I cannot believe that Ragnar is this weekend! How on earth am I gonna power through?! Lord help me!

3/24/17 Baby Update:  We heard the heartbeat!! Cletus is 12 weeks and has a heartbeat of 151-153 BPM! (Old wives tales say this baby is more likely to be a girl!! ** Natalie Rose ** Workout Updates: I've done a fair amount of exercise  but not enough running. Even though I'm technically in the 2nd trimester, I have yet to experience any more energy. If anything- I've been MORE tired the past few days! Oh well, take it for what it is. I've done yoga... Walks in the park on work breaks... And free weights in the backyard... And as you can see, I've been learning how to take pictures of my activities!! Now, it's off to Chuys to celebrate a co-worker moving on!!  Have I mentioned I have not been eating well?!

3/21/17 Baby Update:  Cletus and I hit the 2nd trimester today! This is supposed to be the time when all the energy comes back and the will to live surges again! Let's hope it's sooner than later! Oh and we get to hear the Heartbeat on Friday!! Motivating myself to get out of the truck Exercise Update: I ran 3 miles today in 31 minutes and it felt great! It was after working and eating only trail mix today, but I got it done! Check out my sweet water bottle! Also, I signed up for a Virtual 70.3 Triathlon! I have a month to complete the distances (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1  10.1 mile run) and I'll get  a medal. *Which we all know is the only reason why I do any kind of activity*.

3/16/17 Yesterday I did a half day at the hospital, ran a few errands, then met Amy P. for a run. She kept making me laugh so I had to stop and walk, but it was great. I'm amazed at how much more walking I need, but I've heard once you get into the second trimester, your energy comes back. Man am I looking forward to that!! We did 4 miles in 50 minutes (12.5 min mile- *sigh*). The day before that we ran 3 miles and it went by so fast. If I had it my way, we would be walking all of it, but I am so grateful that she is pushing me to work hard! I know Cletus appreciates it. After we finished the run, I took the dogs on a 40 minute walk. I have no clue what happened to them but they were TERRIBLE. It was foreshadowing for the rest of the evening, honestly. Raz wasn't home and we have a guy staying in our rental. I believe those two things were enough to cause Thor to loose his shiiiiit. He really responds better to Raz than me. Jay is always excitable but listens to me mo

3/12/17 This morning I got up earlier than I should have, about 6am, to get ready for a fun and untimed 5k. I thought it started at 8am, but apparently it was 8:30. Dang, could have gotten a few more zzz's!  It was brisk this morning too! It was 43 when I left the house and I wore capri's, a tank, and a pullover. Sitting in the car, I was positive I had over dressed. The minute I got out of the car, I was suddenly aware I had UNDERdressed. I could have used an ear warmer and some gloves! They had a clock out to time yourself, but that wasn't the point of the run. There were only a handful of people out, likely due to the stupidly cold weather. Overall I was happy with my performance, I did the first 1.5 mile in 15 minutes, took a brief walking break at the turn around, and then powered back. The wind was rough!! When I finished, the clock said 32 minutes, which is about my usual time. My ears were frozen and my hands numb, but I still managed my post race selfie w

3/9/17 Woo! I met up with my friend Amy and we ran last night! It was my first run in several weeks and I feel sooooo much more like myself now! We did 3 miles because I want to run more this week and didn't want to push it after having such a long break off. It was very slow, about 12 minute miles, with plenty of walking, but damn it felt good!! Much of what I have read about exercise while pregnant is: 1. Focus on feel       to me that means, listen to your body. Don't worry about the numbers/distance/other people. If your body feels like it needs a break, you got to listen to it. Your body is working so much harder because it's CREATING A HUMAN, so 'easier' activities will still give you the same benefit as a much more intense workout. 2. Be able to talk       Even while doing hard work, you should be able to carry on a conversation. I know, I know, then you really aren't working so hard, right? Well, at this point, the less O2 you are breathi

2/7/17 Thanks for indulging me yesterday, I feel much better now. Once I got out of the house and started coming up with practical ideas of how to feel better, the sunshine came out. I went to the Botanic Gardens, one of my favorite places in FW (thank goodness it's free) and read fitness magazines. Between articles, I would get up and do 10 squats. It's ridiculous how high my HR gets now. My brother in law found this on instagram. Old school! My non exhaustive plan for March: 1. Document preggers workouts (need more/any photos)       This will be good for me because it will motivate me to make forward progress and to know remember where I'm at. Of course I still want to be performing at top (or even mid) level, but I'm blessed to be having a baby and I need to embrace where I am now. 2. Go kayaking this month       Yessss... What's not to love about this? 3. Work in the garden more       Well, due to all the drama we had last spring, I have mor

3/6/17 Yeah, I haven't posted lately because Ive been pretty frustrated by my lack of exercising and fitness abilities. It feels impossible at times to make healthy choices. Either because of fatigue or nausea. For several weeks the only things I could really eat were toast, potatoes, bananas and crackers. It just wasn't enough to fuel a day, much less a workout! Also, when you get winded walking up a single flight of stairs, you tend to get ornery. It feels like I'm just getting fat and out of shape. Which is a blast. The last day or two, as the weather has been nicer, I've been, I'm not sure how to phrase it, let down? Irritated? By my inability to do activities I would normally love; running, hiking, biking, swimming. I'm bummed I can't do the triathlon. I'm bummed I can't get my ass in gear to run. I'm bummed I can't participate at the same level I was before. A lot of this helped me to see how little I was doing before getting pre

2-12-17 God is so good. I had been worrying about money and within minutes of talking to several people and asking for prayers, I got a text from one of my employers asking me for 2 days of work! I was amazed at how quickly God answered my prayers. Immediately afterwards I clearly heard "Don't doubt me again." Amen. I've been swimming a fair amount, 1250 x2 a week and 1 mile at least 1x a week. The mile is down to about 53 minutes or so, which I feel good about, especially since I'm basically only doing the breaststroke right now. Every 5 laps or so, I do a few lengths of freestyle, but it puts me so out of breath that I think the recovery slows me down. I'm constantly having to remind myself that 'I'm not getting fat' (I'm pregnant.) and 'I'm not lazy' (I'm pregnant.).  Every afternoon I take both dogs on a walk around the neighborhood, at least 30 minutes. Also, I met up with Amy P. and we've done some l

2-3-17 Y'all. I'm now working out for two!! I'm already so in love with our little nugget. I had a positive test on 1/24/17, so this is still new news to us too! There's definitely been an increase in fatigue and my heart rate has jumped up, all things making working out harder. I've kept up my regular exercise the only activity being more difficult is running. Sadly. But I think it's because we were trying to push hard. After 2 miles I started having some pain but walking made it stop. Swimming is my refuge at this point. I've been swimming more than anything else really. This morning my 1250 meters zoomed by. Soon, I'll up my usual distance from 1250 to 1 mile. (25 laps to 33 laps). I love it. Weight gain. I'm trying not to think about that and remind myself, 'if I don't eat, baby doesn't eat'. It's also extra important for me to focus on overall nutrition, which has been good for me. We haven't ma

1-19-17 I have a shameful secret. I haven't ran outside since Christmas day... I KNOW! I KNOW! The girl who's only form of exercise for the past several years has been running!? Truth be told. I needed a break from running. So I have me a few side flings with swimming and biking. It's been wild and crazy. But then running found out. And decided to make. me. pay. A brief 3.2 mile jaunt after several hours of errands and house cleaning turned into a disaster.  1. My knees hurt (maybe because I never foam rolled like I always said I would?) 2. Hot. As. Balls. (but really only about 70) 3. My heart rate kept going super high, super fast. Like 160, within the first half mile. 4. Earbuds are the devils work. They made me so mad today that I'm actually going to buy running headphones... (maybe) 5. Wheezing. Wheezing everywhere. (thank you Lord for inhalers). On the bright side- tonight we are going to the rodeo and having our first Air BnB ch

1-18-17 Yesterday I had planned to spend the majority of the day working on my CEU presentation. It entailed reviewing a few chapters in some textbooks, creating a more specific outline, and looking for articles online, even before I set down to create. Naturally that lasted a few hours before I decided it was time to get out of the house! I'm ready for winter to be over- can you tell? Raz hopped on the spin bike in my office and I went to the gym to use their pool. Thankfully it was much less crowded around 1pm! The goal was to do an easy 1000 because I signed up to do a spin class in the evening. The reality= I felt more out of breath, faster. My legs were tired. I seemed to be plodding along. I finished it out, but could tell my body needs a break. In the evening I did a 6:45pm spin class at a new place called CycleBar over off Bryant Irvan (near the new Whole Foods/REI). It was raining and everyone was already inside. Amy P. and her friends, who are sisters, came

1-16-17 It rained all weekend and I felt sorely behind on workouts when I woke up. I've been pretty good about working out every other day for the last week or so, but normally I can do about 5-6 workouts a week. Since it's a holiday, I hit the gym a little later than usual, maybe 9:50a or so. It was totally empty when I got in. My plan was to just do 1000 meters so I could do another sport later. (Also, we had a ton to do around the house too.) After about 10 minutes in the pool alone, the place started to boom! By the time I got out, it was more full than I'd ever seen it and two guys were sharing a lane. Things I observed and learned today. 1. I love to do the breaststroke. But I am very, very, very slow. How slow you ask? Well, there was an older gentleman doing some water running in the lane next to me. He sped right past me. *take that, ego!* Either I need to speed the HELLokitty up, or get stronger with my freestyle 2. I'm getting faster! I di

1-14-17 My sleep schedule has been very off lately. We both woke up around 2 or 3 am and I couldn't get back to sleep until 4am. I slept in waaaay too late, so I feel like the day is already all gone! The exciting part is that I swam 40 laps today! (40 x50 = 2000meters!) Over a mile! Woo! It felt really great. I did it in sections of 5, alternating freestyle and butterfly strokes. I found myself zoning out a lot more, which is great because it indicates I'm having to think less about the form. Swimming became nearly meditative for me today. I prayed for those I know and gave thanks for what I can do. The rest of today is going to be staging/cleaning/nit-picking the house, so we can get pictures up and launch our AirBnB!!

1-11-17 1-12-17 WARNING! LONG POST AHEAD! My very first triathlon was one of the Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri series on Sunday. I specifically picked this race for a few reasons 1. Cheap (it was only $30!!) 2. Indoors (less gear and fumbling around) 3. Timed sections instead of distance (something unique). The night before, Raz and I reviewed all the stuff I needed and I packed a bag with: -a towel -flip flops -swimsuit -goggles -swim cap -sports bra -running spandex shorts -running tank -body glide -socks -Unicorn Snot -headphones/armband -Misc: since it's my work bag, there were probably a few crayons rolling around the bottom. Getting ready to leave the house. I got to the gym nearly an hour early and used that time to peak in at the different areas. There were several waves of people going and I was in wave 6, which means that some people were finishing up and some wouldn't start until later. I pinned my number on my tank and laid my stuff out

1-7-17 I'm back! Hi! Okay, so I've been busy LIVING life and haven't had hardly a second to DOCUMENT it. I'm pumped about that. Things I've done Include: 1. I swam a mile!  A whole freakin' mile!! That's 33 lengths in a 25 meter pool. 33x55=1650meters which = 1.02mile! Huzzah! Me! I swam a MILE . This was/is a relevant and exciting event for me because I have a very distinct memory of being in college and an amazing, Trinidadian, former Marine, jacked, personal trainer, doctoral student friend of mine (can you tell I think highly of him?) was swimming laps in the outdoor pool. When he paused I asked him how far he had gone and he said 3 miles. Dude. He had already swam 3 miles and wasn't stopping. He said one day he would like to swim around Manhattan. (I think. If that's geographically wrong or impossible, don't feel the need to correct me.) I for sure couldn't swim then and remember thinking that swimming even a SINGLE mile would