40 Weeks Workout

40 weeks pregnant and I am still rocking my workouts! I have gotten a ton of people saying how they can't believe that I am still working out, hey me too sometimes. What I have figured out is that if you want to be healthy and fit especially while pregnant that you have to CHOOSE to do it. You have to WANT IT and really do it. Would I rather sit on my couch and surf Pinterest or Facebook. HECK YEAH! But...I also did not want to gain more than 30 pounds this pregnancy. That was a huge priority on my list. So what did I do...I worked really hard and made myself workout for at least 30 minutes a day 4-5 times a week. That's it. I never had to spend hours and hours at a gym. I didn't do any crazy exercises. I just continued what I was doing for as long as I could then I started modifying more, and here at the end I have been using more prenatal exercises I found on Youtube.

One of my favorite things I have access to though has been the Active Maternity workouts available only on Beachbody on Demand. There is a workout for each of the different trimesters, and even a workout for postpartum after you have been cleared by your doc! I have really enjoyed them and I would do them 2 times a week, up until this past month when I introduced COUNTRY HEAT which has been so much fun!

Check out my Highlight reel for the 3rd trimester Active Maternity Workout! You can find my other videos over at YOUTUBE!

If you are looking at still wanting to be active and fit while you are pregnant. Let me know and let's chat because I was able to have a healthy and fit plus size pregnancy and I know you can have a healthy and fit pregnancy too!

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BEST Stretch Mark Belly Balm- 40 Weeks Pregnant Review

Here I am at 40 weeks and still I have barely gained any new stretch marks. I know I just talked about this and it is my #2 must have item for the third trimester. I have one or 2 new marks but honestly they are only about 1 cm in length and they are being torn from a previous mark. So, I call that a win.

I have gained 26 pounds this entire pregnancy at this point. And I am currently at my heaviest I have ever been at 264 pounds. To fight against the stretch marks I assumed I would get, I took action and invested in the HONEST COMPANY ORGANIC BELLY BALM. Using it just twice a day. And that is it. I am going to continue to use it after baby comes to help tighten and tone my belly up. So...We shall see. But check out my pictures and see for yourself.
 
The bottom line. Most women out there have stretch marks. Don't look at them as a flaw but as a way to tell the story to how you are today. I gained my stretch marks because I gained weight too quickly wanting to get pregnant. I didn't care how much I ate, I just did and assumed that I would lose the weight once I got pregnant. They are a reminder that I have fought for my health for years. That I finally took back what I lost control of. I suffered an addiction to sweets and treats and sugar. And I fought so hard to get control of my life back and change how I see food and my relationship. Because of what I went through I now am the healthiest I have ever been feeling better on the inside and out than I ever have been! 

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Bump Update: 40 WEEKS!

HERE WE ARE! 10 months, 40 weeks. HELLO DUE DATE! I have gained 26 total so I think I rocked this healthy and fit plus size pregnancy. I was asked the other day if this is the most active I have been while pregnant. I had to think about it for a bit. With Collin I trained and ran in my first half marathon by 29 weeks. Then I did NOTHING! But with this pregnancy I  have worked out more consistently for the whole thing. Not near as many hours at a time as I did with the training but 30 minutes 4-5 days a week. So...I still think I rocked it. YOU GUYS IT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE A HEALTHY AND FIT PLUS SIZE PREGNANCY! 

My mom arrived on Monday, all the food has been bought and stocked up on, and teaching is done until January. All the clothing is ready, the bags are packed all we are waiting on is little miss to make her big arrival! We have had a couple of times now where both Matt and I are thinking, "Is it time?" And each time my contractions simmer down. But my body is definitely gearing up for the big day.

Total Weight Gain: Gained 26.6 pounds total. Weight as of this morning 264.3 pounds. I am now 10 pounds more than when I gave birth to Collin. And right on track to where I estimated I wanted to be at 40 weeks! HERE IS TO A HEALTHY AND FIT PLUS SIZE PREGNANCY!

Symptoms: Smaller appetite, eating smaller meals throughout the day. Having to "go" a lot since she is head down. Hard time sleeping. Waddling and lower back soreness like nothing else! CRAVING MILK! CRAVING SWEETS. Loss of mucus plug.

Baby’s Size:  Jackfruit (~19-22 inches, 7 or more pounds) What is a Jackfruit? Jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world — one fruit can weigh between 10 and 100 pounds and contain hundreds of seeds that are rich in protein, potassium, calcium, and iron — all of which are important for bodily growth. (glad baby can't weight up to 100 pounds!) 

Labor Progress: As of my weekly check up appointment last Thursday I was 0-1cm dilated. Baby was at a engaged in my pelvis -1. There is still a lot of fluid between her head and the cervix so he said she was still "bouncy" But the same happened with Collin. Once my water broke he just went straight down. I was also 80% effaced. I went from basically 0%-80% in just one week! Next appointment is TOMORROW! 

Maternity Clothes: Yes, bottoms need to wear maternity or stretchy pants. Tops I wear maternity now and my bigger t-shirts but those are tight now. I am actually running out of clothing. Wearing my new Fabletics sports bra in these pictures and LOVE THEM and the fun colors! A ton more coverage and super comfy!Stretch Marks: I already have a ton that I got when I gained weight years ago. I think I am getting some new ones or my old was are just being stretched up higher on my belly. No bright purple ones just the faded white ones. I am using Honest Company belly balm right now though to help my belly stretch so I do not get any new ones. I apply it at night and right after I get out of the shower. 

Belly Button: Still an innie! I never had my belly button flatten out or pop out during my other 2 pregnancies. It is very close. Less than 1/4 inch which is the closest to being flat out of all 3 of my pregnancies.

Braxton Hicks Contractions: Yep, thought for sure the other day was the real deal because I was having consistent contractions for a few hours, 18 min apart mind you, but they fizzled out to nothing by 9pm.

Gender: GIRL!!! So excited about all the cute stuff we got for her! We have her coming home outfit and her picture props! So girly, and way too cute!

Sleep: I still nap everyday. And I am waking up many times a night to go to the bathroom or trying to get comfy. (If you see me make a comment on FB or IG at 2am this is why!) I am still getting up at night at 11:30pm, 3:30am, 5:30 without fail. Always around 9pm for about an hour she likes to put on a show and be super active! 

Miss Anything: Sleeping comfortably flat on my back! Sleeping through the night. 

Cravings:  MILK and SWEETS! I normally don't drink milk any more due to an intolerance I have to it but I have been craving it like nothing else. 2 8oz glasses usually. Funny thing, ice cream doesn't do the trick. It has to be straight up cold whole milk. WEIRD! The sweets is new this week. Everything at Trader Joe's with chocolate is still calling my name. Cinnamon Rolls too. Oh and veggies of course. I am loving me some veggies!

Aversions: Not this week. Everything tastes too good!

Excited About: HELLO DUE DATE! WE HAVE MADE IT! The date that every woman looks forward to and also the date that the baby is set to be EVICTED! Sadly most women go beyond their due date, and I very well could be one of them. I was 5 days late with Collin. Not sure when I will go on my own, but baby girl has been issued her eviction notice of 1 week! So, here's hoping that this is my last prenatal bump update! My mom arrived this week and it has been such a great help having her her. And yesterday was my last day teaching. All the ducks are in a row so baby girl, you can come at any time! 

Workouts: Pretty well for this week! I got in 5 days of regular workouts this past week plus some nightly walking and RUNNING to get this baby out! I'm really enjoying, COUNTRY HEAT! Although I am only doing about 3 days of it a week right now. If you are interested in joining BUSY MOM'S DANCE PARTY just click on the link to request to join and I will get in touch with you with all the details! And I am enjoying finding prenatal yoga routines online. I can't do the 21 Day fix yoga anymore. Too many modifications so I am sticking with prenatal specific ones. 

***If you want to know when I have the baby be sure to follow me over at FACEBOOK or INSTAGRAM! Click the Follow button! I will be announcing there first!***

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21 Day Fix Container Tip

Hey there fixers! This post is for you! Are you new to the container system through the 21 Day Fix or the new programs released from Beachbody that come with the Nutrition Fix Containers? CONGRATS on an amazing system that has literally changed MY LIFE and how I see food and my personal relationship with food! 

How many of you had a hard time eating all of your containers in the beginning? Those little containers can be quite deceiving at first huh? They look so small and innocent, until you start to plate your meal! Then it is like "holy crow I have to eat all of that!"  I remember in the beginning that I felt like I was eating all day long. And I was. By the time I got to my mid afternoon snack I felt like I was going to explode. That feeling is normal for the first week, but it took that long to make my stomach the size it was supposed to be. I was eating way more veggies, which take up more space in your stomach then processed foods. And my body was learning to become efficient at burning the food I was eating. 

After 2 weeks now, how many of you are still having a hard time eating all of your containers? By around 2 weeks into the program you should be able to eat all of your containers. “But I’m not hungry…” That’s right. You need to be eating 5-6 small meals a day. And you should never get to that hungry feeling. Why? Because when you are eating that often and the right kinds of foods, your body will not have a blood sugar drop demanding more food to give you energy. By my second week, I felt comfortable eating all 6 meals, and everything I was eating. But I never got hungry. I thought I would blow up in weight because I never felt that hunger. And I felt like I was stuffing my face all day long, with good foods, but still, I was eating more than I ever had in my life! But the key there, was IT WAS THE FOODS THAT MY BODY NEEDED TO BE MORE EFFICIENT AND WORK RIGHT! My first month I lost 7 pounds! My body learned to be efficient and to burn what I was eating not storing it for later when I was starving.

TIPS TO HELP YOU EAT ALL OF YOUR CONTAINERS: 

So if you are feeling like you just can’t eat any more food by the time you hit your snack or dinner follow these tips to help you out! 

PORTION SIZES! take a look at the sizes of foods you are eating. Make sure you are following the portions exactly. 

MEASURE THEM OUT EVERY TIME IN THE BEGINNING! Secondly, try to eat and you might realize that you weren’t as full as you thought that you were and that you just weren’t hungry. Your body just never sent the signal saying, "HEY I'M HUNGRY!" 

DON'T SKIP MEALS OR CONTAINERS IF YOU CAN HELP IT! So...try eating anyways. If you are stuffed, make sure you eat your GREEN containers first, then RED...saving your yellow for last and eat as much as you can because YOU NEED CARBS, they help you burn energy fast. 

Give it a week or so more and see if you are more able to eat all of your containers. The goal is to not feel hungry but satisfied all day long so you don’t get that itch to eat “other stuff” around the office, your home or out and about!

Comment below and let us know how the container system is going for you!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!

PCOS and Getting Pregnant

In 2003 I was diagnosed with PCOS. Matt and I had been married for a year at this point and "assumed" that we would have gotten pregnant right away. When that didn't happen we made our way to the docs and had them run some tests to see what was going on and we were told that I had to lose weight (10-15 pounds) to get pregnant and that I suffered from PCOS. I was like, "what the heck is that!" I was actually mad at the doc for telling me I had to lose weight. Surely I would get pregnant have the baby then breastfeed all the baby weight and excess weight off. Right?!? I finally started to research what PCOS was. To educate myself and now I feel like PCOS (poly cystic ovary syndrome) is much more common, or well known now than in was back in 2003. (by the way writing 2003 just seems so surreal that it was 13 years ago!)

After that appointment I was so bummed. My plans of getting pregnant right away, breastfeeding the weight I gained over the last year was GONE! And now on top of that I had to actually lose weight to get pregnant because I let myself eat what I wanted since I thought it would be easy to get pregnant. Over the course of the next 7 years I went up, up and up in my weight. I battled with depression and anger and sadness with how difficult it was for us. I saw 3 different fertility specialists, the second being so bad that he let me stay on a drug that I didn't even need.

During my 8 year wait to get pregnant I had a massive doughnut and sweets addiction. Every time I would go to the grocery story I would pick up a doughnut. And over time it became 2 doughnuts, then 2 doughnuts and a candy bar. Chocolate Long John's with sprinkles, no filling, were my vice. What made it even worse is that I would eat them in the 5 minutes it took to get from the store to my house where my husband would be waiting for me. I had to "hide the evidence" from him because I didn't want him to know the real reason why I had to go to the grocery store for the 3rd time that week. I was addicted. They helped me feel less bad for a good 5 minutes then of course I felt worse because I just stuffed 2 huge doughnuts in my face and a candy bar and hid it from my hubs.

It wasn't until I reach 239 pounds that I finally decided that I was done with feeling sorry for myself and holding myself back. I sought out a personal trainer and started working on me. It became my obsession. Matt was deployed for a time and I just put everything I had into it. I finally lost the weight I had been trying so desperately wanting to lose. 31 pounds. I started at 228 and hit 197 before I got pregnant through the help of an actual endocrinologists that specialized in fertility treatments and not just dabbling in it like #2.

I tell you all this because what I have learned, what actually worked for me to get pregnant is, that with every single pregnancy I have had I have always been in the pursuit for my health. To not be just skinny but to actually be healthy. Eating the right foods and exercising. That very first doctor in 2003 who said, "if you could just lose 10-15 pounds your chances of getting pregnant increase." With PCOS there is a hormone imbalance and often it is accompanied with a insulin resistance. Through exercise it can help to balance out your hormones and through eating right you won't be putting the foods in your body that give us the problems. Filling your body with good carbs and not junk foods and sweets which make your blood sugars tank! It wasn't until I stopped using a prescribed medication that was meant to help balance my insulin resistance that I got pregnant because I started to feed my body the foods it needed. Not necessarily what I wanted to eat.

My recommendation to all of you suffering from PCOS and wanting to get pregnant is:

1) First look at your eating habits. Really look at them. I was in such denial about my eating that I just didn't see it. I truly couldn't see how bad it was until I hit rock bottom and had to change. It wasn't until I realized that what I was doing was more harm than good.

2) Next, start to change. Change the foods you are eating. Change how often. Seek help. And start exercising. Let that become your obsession. Let eating clean and healthy be your obsession. Not the junk foods. Not the sweet treats. As hard as it is and as tempting as they are, they are not doing you any good. They are the complete opposite of what you want and what your body needs to get pregnant and be healthy.

3) Accept your body for as it is. That it does have a condition which makes it more difficult to get pregnant and to then sustain a pregnancy (in my case). Learn to love your body and not hate it because it really is amazing. When you start to feed it right and learn to love your body, changes will happen. As frustrating as it is to get a negative pregnancy test every single month, keep fighting for what you want. Never give up and believe in your body for what it can do!

Don't know where to get started with eating whole foods, and clean eating or exercise. Send me an EMIAL, COMMENT BELOW or send me a FACEBOOK MESSAGE and let's chat. I would love to have you part of my support groups to help you get on the road to getting pregnant and FIGHTING PCOS forever!

Want more daily motivation and inspiration? Click here get free advice, support and encouragement + a free copy of my Clean Eating guide to help you get started on your health and fitness journey!