Welcome to Motherhood

Over a year ago I found out I was pregnant with my first child. Based on how the rest of my life has gone, I was not surprised that I happened to have almost EVERY possible symptom out there while pregnant. I was nauseated basically my entire pregnancy and only survived due to being prescribed Zofran from my OBGYN. Not only was I nauseated but I was incredibly exhausted all the time. Other than work and working out as soon as I was home I was napping on the couch.

After spending months dedicating myself to hardcore/high-intensity workouts it was hard for me to transition to lower intensity and lower impact workouts. I did LOTS of yoga while pregnant after researching the many benefits of yoga related to labor and pregnancy symptoms. It helps with balance as your body grows, it helps to relieve back and hip pain, teaches you some breathing techniques that come in handy during labor, slows you down and encourages you to connect with your growing baby, and finally it helps with your circulation. I tried out many prenatal workouts and I also dedicated myself to going on a 2-3 mile walk daily.

My daily walks were probably my favorite part of my day. It was nice getting out to enjoy the outdoors and it was peaceful. I never listened to my iPod during my walks because I wanted to take the time to listen to the world around me. Being as short as I am I had many times on my walks that strangers I passed by would ask if I was trying to walk into labor...this started as early as 5 months into my pregnancy. I appeared to be carrying low and carrying a pretty big baby. 

At 36 weeks I literally felt like I would burst any minute. I managed to last right up to 3 days before my due date when my son decided to make his appearance. My labor was pretty normal and fast with my son arriving healthy and normal. Due to how big he was, how small I am, and the fact that he was my first child I ended up hemorrhaging and having to stay in the hospital 4 days to make sure my body was healing and behaving normally. 

I think my saving grace when leaving the hospital was my Belly Bandit. I wore that thing religiously all day and night, other than when I was showering. This thing was AMAZING for my recovery. It really helped to tighten and shrink everything up and only 2 weeks postpartum I was able to fully cinch the whole thing in. With my amazing results I've been recommending it to everyone I know. For baby #2 this will definitely be in my hospital bag again. 

Healthy Sunday

After a few days of splurging during the holidays I've decided to be extra healthy on Sunday. I started my morning with a jog through my neighborhood then did a Yoga video on Xbox Fitness. Getting outdoors and enjoying the weather is by far my favorite way to get in an exercise. If not that, then I have to say Yoga is my second favorite. I wish I had a nice Yoga studio near me that I could go to regularly, but thankfully I at least have Xbox fitness and assorted workout videos to get me by.

After my workout I went by Whole Foods to get my groceries for the week. I picked up a lot of fruit and veggies to use for my juices. I also picked up a few salads for my fiancé and I for lunch.

I went with the FILL IT UP salad bar. You can fill the bowl full with anything from their salad bar or hot bar for only $12. It was a huge salad. I threw in mixed greens, broccoli, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, tofu, hard boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, cranberries, with a vinigairette dressing. I picked out a Salmon Caesar Salad for my fiancé. He loves salmon and caesar salad so this was the perfect mix. 

After lunch we got to work cleaning our veggies and fruits and chopping them up to prep for juicing. I used my amazing Breville Juicer to get the job done. 

I used a mix of peaches, oranges, strawberries, cucumbers, ginger, carrots, and spinach power mix. It was a very colorful mix that smelled amazing, and it tasted even better. I feel like juicing is the best way for me to get all the vitamins and minerals I need without having to remember to take a billion vitamins.

Now I can use this boost of energy from my yummy juice to help me finish a few projects around the house.

<3 Kelly Jean

Hot Yoga Sweating Experience

Photo Credits

I found an article recently on the 7 Pros and Cons of Hot Yoga that you should know. 
Here they are: 

1. PRO: It detoxes your skin when you sweat to release impurities
2. CON: It can cause dehydration since you are sweating so much
3. PRO: The high temperatures and humidity allow you to be more flexible than you normally are
4. CON: Dizziness is common due to the high temperatures
5. PRO: The hot air opens up your airways and allows you to breathe easier
6. CON: It's a full 90 minutes of the high heat intense yoga session
7. PRO: You feel rejuvenated after

I had been interested in hot yoga for quite awhile. I love the typical yoga classes I find at my local LA Fitness, but was I ready for hot yoga? I was nervous about the extreme heat in the classrooms. I seem to be very sensitive to high temperatures so I was really worried about passing out. A friend of mine kept recommending the classes at her Yoga Studio (Ember Yoga), so I weighed the pros & cons and decided to give it a try.

Photo Credits

I started out simple with a Hot Vinyasa class that was heated to 95 degrees with 40% humidity. I was sweating as soon as I laid out my mat and sat down. It was pretty hot! I have to say though that I really didn't get to a point in the class where I felt dizzy. Everything went great. I actually feel like I did a better job in this hot yoga than I normally do in my regular yoga classes at LA Fitness. I will admit though that I struggled a little when I tried the Hot Sequence class that's heated to 105 degrees with 40% humidity. That 10 degree difference in temperature really had an effect on me.

My favorite part of the class overall though was the last 5 minutes of cool down when they come around with a cool wash cloth scented with lavender. That was heavenly! After that experience I now want to go out and purchase lavender essential oils to give my apartment that "spa-like smell". I also enjoyed their little boutique where you can shop around for yoga essentials.

Photo Credits

Here are my recommendations for anyone trying out hot yoga for the first time:

• Hydrate yourself before going to the class, hydrate during the class, and hydrate afterwards....Just HYDRATE!

CamelBak BPA-Free Better Bottle with Bite Valve

• Bring a very large towel if you don't already have a mat towel.

Yogitoes Skidless Mat Size Towel

• Wear as little clothes as you feel comfortable in. Whatever clothing you do wear make sure it's moisture wicking. Fabletics and Lululemon have some great yoga clothes.
• Take your time. If you are not ready for a pose, don't force it.
• Take breaks if you feel dizzy. You can always move back into child's pose if you need a moment to take a breath.

If you get the chance I'd highly recommend trying a hot yoga. Ember Yoga is definitely worth it if you are in the area.

<3 Kelly Jean