Monthly Archives: March 2013

Beginnings and Endings

Today was my first day back at work from maternity leave. I know its cliché but I can’t believe that it has already been 12 weeks! I knew Jack was going to be in great hands and was in for a fun experience, but I had underestimated the new protectiveness that comes from being a mom and the guilt of leaving your child. Plus Jack had some additional wake ups last night that encouraged me to skip my 6am spin class. Those of you who know me well know that it takes a lot for me to skip my favorite Wednesday morning spin class but I decided I needed the sleep and could use a little extra cuddle time.

So, from the physical health side today was not a win. I am not getting too hung up on one day of a missed workout but have my bag packed and ready for the gym tomorrow morning. I am a firm believer in the saying, “You’re just one workout away from a good mood.” I’m going to make it a priority tomorrow.

On the mental health side today ended up being a draw. I’ll admit there were some big lows this week but I love his day care (and if you’re in the KC area and want to hear more just message me!) and loved seeing his smile when I came to get him. I get a lot of pleasure from my career, and hope that I will be able to maintain a better balance of work time vs. non-work time than I have in the past.

I’m taking the steps to ensure that my physical health is on the right path this week. Any tips to keep the mental health at least stable through a big transition?

Snow Day

Didn’t you love getting a snow day when you were a kid? I have three siblings so snow days around our house were never boring. Getting extra play time together, tricking the older brother into playing Barbies or breaking out the full snow gear to play outside was a welcome break from sitting in a classroom.

Last week Kansas City was been hit pretty hard with snow, and most of the businesses were closed for a couple of days. Matt worked from home for two days. I am on my last (blissful!) day of maternity leave so getting to have Matt home with us was such a treat! I loved getting to sneak extra smiles at my favorite guys. But with so many places closed and roads not the best, all of my usual gym classes had been cancelled and gym hours were erratic. Luckily, I have a TRX system and was able to get in a great Tabata workout from the comfort of my own home.

TRX is a suspension training system that was originally developed for Navy SEALs . The TRX system is comprised of two cables that are anchored to a fixed point. You use the two cables on your feet or hands to partially suspend your body and use your own body weight as resistance. It’s a great full body workout.

I decided to make this a Tabata workout, which means 8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off. So if you were to do a Tabata of pushups you would do 20 seconds of pushups, followed by 10 seconds of rest and you would repeat this sequence 7 more times for a total of 8 sets. It is deceptively difficult. By the end of the last set I am usually shaking. This is the TRX Tabata workout from last Tuesday:

Jumping Jacks
TRX Squats
TRX Push-ups
TRX Rows
Step back lunges, alternating legs
TRX bicep curl, alternating with TRX Triceps extension
Planks

Very basic but full body workout complete in about 30 minutes. I downloaded a nice Tabata timer on my iPhone so that I don’t even have to think about the 20 second intervals. I just hear a nice beep! when it is time to pause.

So, friends, what is your go to exercise when you can’t get out of the house?

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Jogging with Jack’s Debut

Thanks for taking the time to stop by Jogging with Jack! I have been playing around with the idea of writing a healthy living blog for quite awhile now, but didn’t know that I had anything unique to add to the great resources currently available. But, after the addition of Jack to our family I feel like my perspective on healthy living has been turned upside down…or at least sideways for the time being. I’d love to help inspire others going through life changes to take care of themselves and their health in order to be able to best take care of those around them. And, now that Jack is 11 weeks old and is sleeping (some) I figured I would jump on in.

This blog will give readers a look into my days and my life. I’ll plan on sharing some eats, current workouts and training, and how I am trying to achieve a good balance with the new bebe. Every day is a new adventure around here!

Thanks for joining me. If you’d like to follow along the journey, please subscribe through RSS or e-mail in the CONTACT section.