6 weeks postpartum, keeping it real.

Here I am 6 weeks postpartum and I want to give y'all an update!! Not only so you have an idea of my progress but what women face after children. 

I've seen a lot of comments in regards to progress pictures of pregnant women and their transformations. Comments suggesting it doesn't count or wasn't hard. Let me tell you (and show you) it counts!! Any woman who has reclaimed her figure and fitness level after children worked hard for it!! Pound for pound like any other person. Some women gain weight and change during pregnancy differently than others of course so I will refer to my pregnancy. 

My first two pregnancies I gained 55 pounds. I didn't have a Facebook page then or really many pictures to show you because I didn't want to see it. I lost the weight and eventually took on Figure competitions. If you see my profile picture that was taken when my youngest was 3, it was hard work but I made a transformation. Now with my third pregnancy I let go of a hard earned figure knowing how my body responds to pregnancy. I stayed committed to training and tried not to use the pregnancy as an excuse to over eat. 35 pounds gained this time around and I want to share and show the change a woman's body goes through even after a fit pregnancy. 

Here is a reminder of where I started, this was July (2012), off season in this picture and just enjoying that summer. The bottom right was 36 weeks pregnant this June (2013). 

And now......please don't judge, the pictures are to measure progress only hence my lack or care for appearance. 

The first was the last week of pregnancy, then 1, 3 and 5 weeks postpartum. And my boobs are always huge during pregnancy and the nursing keeps them that way, ugh. 

Being pregnant is beautiful even when you don't feel so. After pregnancy you have your newest blessing and a journey ahead and a decision to make. I'm ready to feel great in clothes again, feel strong again, and maybe eventually step on stage again (bigger and better this time too). When I look in the mirror or try on clothes the thoughts of the long road ahead can become heavy. Stepping into the gym as a beginner again takes a slam at my confidence. And with pounds to lose comes calories to restrict, just like any other person trying to lose weight. It's a journey, a transformation, and a commitment that isn't EASY, for anyone to include a woman who just had a baby. 

So how's it going? 

I can see the changes weekly for the most part. The scale isn't moving quickly but it's progressively going down. I only weigh once a week and focus more on my clothes and training progress. 

I started training consistently about three weeks ago and already I am running faster (pushing the baby of course) and feeling stronger, but the workouts are much harder than they were a year ago. I'm still training at home or the park until baby boy is 8 weeks and able to go into gym childcare. My workouts are 40-50 minutes of weights and total body workouts. I keep my heart rate up with kettle-bell swings, walking lunges, hill sprints or like today the dreaded burpee. Once I'm able to get into the gym I will switch to body part splits with 20 minutes or so of cardio. I wanted to mention with my first two children I mostly ran to burn calories and loose weight, even if it was muscle. This time I want to loose fat but maintain muscle, it may take longer or the scale may not move quickly but I want the body I had not the skinny fat version. 

I started my food diary again last week and that always helps. I'm not stressing about macros just making sure I get enough protein, eat enough calories and don't over eat. I am nursing so I'm not looking to restrict much. I don't want to change EVERYTHING all at once. When my body hits a plateau or gives me a reason I will continue to reassess my nutrition. 

And did I mention? 

I have a new baby!! I'm tired!! So far I get about 6 hours of sleep but only 3 hours at a time, and I know it isn't enough. I'm trying to be patient with my progress, take naps with baby when I can, and be a good mom to my girls and wife to my husband. Cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, meal prepping, training, soccer practice, etc. etc. etc. it's a lot. Finding balance and routine are essential but all of these are my reasons not excuses to be the strong fit mom I know I can be. 

So 6 weeks down and I hope to have more progress to show after the next 6 weeks!! 

Sharing this isn't easy for me but it's the real deal!  I dread taking these pictures but I know it's instrumental to measuring progress and being honest. I will try to do better and be more consistent with the pose of the picture or maybe more to help show progress. 

As always, Love, Sweat, Grit!

Christie FitNix

It's A Journey 2013 Update

At the start of the year I did a photo contest for us to have a focus for 2013. For myself it was different than most years, to have a fit pregnancy and get back (or close) to myself by years end. The contest was great and a lot of ladies were brave enough to share their journey or their aspirations for this year (in a public picture no less). Seanna has stayed in touch throughout the year and let me celebrate with her as she has journeyed through this year. I asked her to share an update as we are halfway through 2013.  She has had great success, scale victories, non scale victories, but most importantly has come to love what an active lifestyle has to offer. Read her update below! And check out her progress picture!  

About me and why I started

 

​I am a single mom of a nineteen month old son, learning to stand on my own after getting out of an abusive marriage. I work full time as a librarian to support my family. Naturally shy and a bit uncoordinated, I struggled with my weight and fitness my whole life.  I would never have previously seen myself as an athlete. This past January I weighed in at 213 lbs. at 5’7”, which put me in the obese category. Unfortunately I continued to gain weight after I had my son.

My current weight is 179, so I have lost a total of 34 lbs so far. My goal is to get to a healthier weight for my height, which would be 159.

​Feeling overwhelmed and out of control of my life, I could not keep up with my very active toddler. I wanted to be there for my son for as long as possible, so I needed to take controlof my health. To be honest, I no longer wanted to shy away from pictures and to look better overall.

 

 

How I did it

 

I asked for help in order to make my dreams possible. I have a lot of support from family, friends, and co-workers with regards to my changes in eating habits and going to the gym. My mom has stepped up and helped me a lot with childcare so I could go to the gym after work.  Ifshe isn’t available, I work out in my living room – no excuses!  I have some at home workouts that I learned from my boot camp instructor.

​For example: 21-15-9

I do 21 burpees, 21 pushups, 21 squats then 15, and 9 for time.

 

 

What does not work for my journey

​Having my cheat meals in the morning.  If I do this, the whole day falls apart.  Instead I have it for dinner. Letting my toddler feed me or feeling like I need to finish his plate.  He loves to share, but I did not need all those extra calories. Weighing myself every day.  Instead I weigh myself once a week right when I wake up. If I weigh myself every day, I get down on myself and lose focus.

 

 

What kept me committed

 

​Setting goals for myself

I competed in a weight loss challenge at my local Y to the best of my ability.  This gave me training in a small group twice a week during the 13 week program. I ended up placing second for an individual and my team placed first (there were over a hundred people who participated).

​Gave myself rewards for meeting small goals:

10 lbs. a pedicure; 20 lbs. a massage; 30 lbs. new workout clothes; 40 lbs. new running shoes, goal reached – brand new pair of designer jeans

​Became a regular in classes at the Y

This way participants and instructors expect to see me there.  It’s the good kind of peer pressure.

​Found active ways to have fun with family and friends.

Including such activities as hiking and going to the zoo.

 

 

How I measure my success

 

​How my clothes fit is my favorite way to measure my progress. I went from wearing a size 16 to now wearing a 10 (that is actually pretty loose right now). Being able to do more difficult work outs, that were not possible for me to do before.  Becoming a regular at boot camp classes at my local Y especially helped with that. Keeping a record of how much I can lift.  Seeing the increase in how much I can lift makes me ridiculously happy. Women coming up to me at the gym and asking me how I did it.

 

 

Current Goals

 

I am currently training for the Nebraska Mud Run (5k) this August with friends. (I will be dressed as Batgirl since she is a librarian.)

Continue losing fat and building muscle to stay strong and losing those last 20 lbs!

Way to go Seanna!  FitNix is super proud of you, happy for you, and can't wait to see what these last 6 months brings to both of us!

For those of you who aren't where you wanted to be its still not too late to start!  I'd love to share an end of the year picture of you, I sure as heck hope to have a great one of myself. Get up, get moving, make the journey happen!

As always,

Love, Sweat, and Grit,

Christie FitNix

 

MostFit Suspension Straps

The RADICAL company MostFit sent me their suspension straps to try for myself and for clients!  I LOVE THEM!  For so many reasons!

I've seen the TRX straps but those are way out of my price range, the gym where I work has rings but they are usually in a corner where the exercises performed on them are limited. The MostFit straps are so easy to use ANYWHERE, literally. The most convenient of places is closed into a door frame. But I've also taken them to the playground, my front yard, and the golds gym where I train myself!  

As a bodybuilder (figure athlete) I am all about spot specific training but never neglect boy weight exercises, usually at the end of my workout.  With these I can literally suspend and let that body part do the work.  If your new to training or a suspension strap MostFit has a YouTube channel demonstrated various movements to get you started, ranging from basic fitness level to a fit junkie!  

YouTube link:

http://m.youtube.com/user/andrewgaviganfitness

MostFit website:

http://www.most-fit.com/

A brief description from the website:

Created by fitness guru and personal trainer Andrew Gavigan, the MostFit™ resistance trainer was designed to be easy-to-use for anyone, anytime, anywhere.

MostFit™ utilizes body weight to create a leaner, sculpted physique. MostFit™ is designed to strengthen the core, while improving balance, flexibility, and total body strength, anywhere, anytime.

Lose weight, reduce stress and get stronger with the easy-to-use strap that includes foot cradles and hand straps. MostFit™ easily mounts to any door frame and can easily be secured onto most heavy workout machines, furniture and stationary structures - no hooks or screws required!

Promote a healthy lifestyle and become leaner and stronger with MostFit™ resistance training!

In this chapter of life, pregnant with third child, and currently 8 months, the straps have allowed me a great cardiovascular workout that's easier on my body and still is challenging all my muscles. And a break from the gym this beautiful time of year!  

The possibilities with these are pretty endless and the convenience of them are far more valuable than the money spent. 

As always, Love, Sweat, Grit,

Christie FitNix

Confessions of a Pregnant Figure Athlete

"I remember when I first set my sights to compete in figure, to train for a whole new purpose, to be an athlete again, I LOVED IT!  At the time my girls were 4 and 2 and friends would say you must be done with kids, why would you ruin all that hard work? My answer was always well were not sure but maybe yes, maybe no. I always prayed that if we were to have another baby God would put my husband and I on the same page at the same time. In the meantime after my wife, mother, and part time personal trainer job, training to be competitive at figure was my goal.

Three shows in less than a year later and time off to build we were ready for baby #3.  And even after these 9 months of pregnancy  I admit I still think about the stage, training, shoulders, and the bling!  

Finally both ready for another baby I knew I would miss where all my hard work had gotten me. Knowing my body and past pregnancies I go from fit athlete to preggo mama fast, and that's hard for me. I don't look like I feel, I don't move like I did, and my idea of strong is to get in a decent workout and clean the house in one day and not be dying of pain. 

Before this pregnancy  I questioned if I wanted to compete still. I am an advocate of training to be strong not perfect, strong not skinny, and strong because I love to be. Being on stage and JUDGED by others just on what they see on stage is a struggle to me at times. The judges don't see the workouts, the sweat, and the personal records set along the way. Hair, makeup, stage presence, it's all judged, ugh. I just love the goal of being better, the idea of training to really bring up shoulders or glutes and the science that goes behind that. After this time off I know I'm made to compete, maybe not always at figure but that's sure as heck where I'm going to start. 

At this point I see it as just another challenge. I could say well those days are behind me why even try, or I gave it a good go and never placed first why subject myself to that again?  Because I AM MADE TO PUSH THE LIMITS!  I love having something to work toward, to prove all those negative voices in my head wrong, and to show that being pregnant and a new mom is a chapter of life not a permanent destination. Regardless of what the judges see it will always be me against me.  The stage is about 15 minutes of time for months of work, the journey has always been worth it.  Just like with pregnancy, it takes a whole chapter of life to bring the new baby to the world but it's not the only chapter. Now I get to write a new chapter with our newest blessing from God.  Who knows if I will be ready for the stage a year after he's born or two, I just know for sure now there is always room to be better, stronger and braver with each new endeavor. 

So here are some confessions I've struggled with during this pregnancy knowing my post baby goals. Will my belly button go back to normal (ended up with an umbilicial hernia and surgery is coming), will I have stretch marks this time, how tired will I be with the routine we have established plus a nursing baby at night?  HOW LONG IS IT GOING TO TAKE ME TO AT LEAST GET WHERE I WAS?  Will my ass be round again, I'm older and this is third time around, will I STILL HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? 

All these things I don't know but I do know God has put something in me that knows how to try.  Something that knows I won't be happy letting those fears and thoughts of starting over defeat me. I set out to compete as a personal goal, to push myself, to attain a look I had never had.  Win or lose, a bikini on stage or at the beach, having another baby is just another reason to work harder, want it more and at least win or fail trying!  

Set backs are just an oppurtunity for an awesome comeback!  I can't wait to say I've comeback, to thrive through this chapter and not be that tired worn down momma we always get portrayed as!!  

My Answer: Slowing Down

Lately I'm asked a lot how am I feeling?  My answer has now become, I'm good just slowing down.  I am officially done with clients until the end of summer, done coaching soccer for a while and my girls are out of school for summer break (although them being home each day may or may not help in the slow down department). And physically I've had to slow down my training and the amount. 

My goal for these long 9 months of pregnancy was to stay active and so far I have. At first my training was still intense, the weights heavy, and the frequency was the same as it always had been. The hardest part for the first 30 weeks was just to show up but once I was at the gym it was on regardless of my expanding body. Here lately I am able to train hard around my belly its the recovery that I'm struggling at. With my daily tasks (work, coaching, kids, house, grocery shopping, karate practice, etc. etc. etc. ) and my training, by days end and the following 24 hours I am hurting (like crouched over in regret I pushed too hard).  

So I knew 3 days a week was my max (for recovery time) which so far I've maintained and my idea of active needed to shift. My goal is to be moving at each workout, sometimes that includes weights, sometimes it's just cardio and sometimes just body weight (I'm so hooked on the MostFit suspension straps those have made a weekly appearance). The extra 30 pounds I've gained (yes already at 30LBS) makes each workout a challenge regardless of what type. I still have 7 weeks to go and I certainly don't want my inability to slow down to permanently stop me or bring a baby too soon. 

I started this page shortly after I knew I was pregnant. I knew it would be a challenge to stay relevant and in touch with the fitness community as I felt I was going backwards while everyone was moving forward. I had to laugh because in my Facebook feed the poster that says "Sore the most satisfying feeling" came up and I thought maybe not for this phase of life.  This baby isn't going anywhere anytime soon and I've got to be able to keep moving much less worry about being sore. But throughout this I have been able to remember why I love training hard, often, and for a reason, excited to get back to that. 

For these last 7 weeks (less would be fine too) I'm happy to keep at my new stay active plan and really get ready for baby boy. I have fallen in love with feeling his frequent, now strong movements and starting to get his nursery ready. Excited about a baby shower this holiday weekend and to make all the final touches to our preparation. 

I know my dedication to an active lifestyle will make recovery much easier and my muscles much less shocked as I get back to the go hard or go home mentality. I'm pleased my body has let me stay active (I've had many write with bed rest frustrations or workout restrictions during pregnancy) and somewhat strong. Even if I start from scratch it will have all been worth it. My muscles may need rebuilding but my knowledge and commitment to routine is still there, it can't be a fad it has to be a lifestyle. 

Love, Sweat, Grit,

Christie FitNix

Foundation Nutrition Product Review: Syntrax Nectar

I get a lot of questions about protein powder but it is usually followed up with can you recommend a clean protein, or one with the no artificial anything.  Well the good folks at Foundation Nutrition have been nice enough to send me some samples of their Syntrax Nectar line for me to taste and try and give you the scoop. Here is what they have to say about it:

A super clean whey isolate is essential when trying to drop fat while maintaining/building lean muscle mass. Whey isolates allow you to add more grams of protein to your diet without excess carbs, fats, etc.

Syntrax makes one of the purest whey isolates available, Nectar. They start with a medical grade whey isolate called Promina™. It is the highest-quality whey protein isolate ever developed. Not only are there very few ingredients besides protein, but each one of their Nectar isolates contains no carbs, lactose, gluten or fats. The Nectar Natural line additionally contains no artificial sweeteners, dyes, flavors etc. This is protein at it's best!

I tried the strawberry kiwi Monday after my workout and the sweet fruity taste was refreshing on a warm spring day.  The consistency of the protein powder is so fine you can tell that the taste will be great.  Today I had the natural peach and this Georgia Peach approves!! 

 

 

 

But my favorite by far was the Nectar Chocolate Truffle, I am usually not the fruity type and this flavor was just for me!!  The macros on all of the Nectar flavors are great and each one of the Nectar isolates contains no carbs, lactose, gluten or fats. The Nectar Natural line additionally contains no artificial sweeteners, dyes, flavors, etc. 

 

 

Here is the link to Foundation Nutrition's website where you can read more, pick a flavor you like to try and get the macro nutrient info for yourself!!  Remember code FITNIX will get you 10% off your first order!! 

 

http://www.befnstrong.com/shop/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=36 Remember getting adequate amounts of protein in your diet is crucial for muscle development and progess, thank godness for these awesome supplments making that much more busy mom friendly!!!



Nutrition and Vacation

This past week was spent at Disney, on spring break. It was hot, crowded, and have I mentioned I'm just entering my third trimester of pregnancy? Fun, yes it was so fun! My girls loved it, so many mental images of them with their look at that mommy faces. My husband and I had never been so it was a first for all of us.

I have traveled many of times and kept my nutrition on track, this past week was certainly not the case. I was in a frame of mind to just be a go with the flow mommy and not worry about anything but whatever my girls wanted. Would this be the case if I was prepping for a show, NO! Would it have been the case if I had a goal set for weight loss, certainly not. And it wouldn't have been the situation if my desire to not have a set back was greater than my desire to just be on vacation. Of course being pregnant had something to do with all these decisions but life will present opportunities for you to make a decision on your approach to nutrition and that decision has to be made well in advance of your trip.

Here's why: food was just that on this trip, food. The crowds were thick, we were at the mercy of what Disney declared food, and the choices at our resort were few. Not to mention vacationing is not catered around the minority who are concerned about what they eat. After day one my husband and I were already craving some veggies and fresh food. I did happen to find a few salads along the way but still questionable ingredients. Had I wanted to stay on track I could not have just showed up and then skipped meals, that's not staying on track.

So what would you do if you want to head to Disney, or any vacation, and eat healthy? A start is to call the hotel and see if they have a fridge and microwave in your room. We didn't have a microwave in the room but most hotels have one somewhere you can use (this hotel had one in the laundry room). Bring pre-made food and meals you can nuke. Oats are always my breakfast in a hotel, chicken and rice for lunch, etc. Our first day at the park was 16 hours straight, a cooler with lunch would have been my only option to have a healthy meal. Snacks are allowed so we brought fruit and water of our own but didn't want to carry a cooler. Would I have asked this of my family if I wanted to not eat in the park, yes! Quest bars and nuts are always a meal/snack when I'm out and about also.

These are just a few of the things I could have done if my approach was to keep it as clean as possible while away. Bottom line is you can't just show up and after a day of vacation food say "I wish I would have thought about this". Have a plan, I have been successful planning my own meals each day and having a dinner out with the family. Find an approach that you are comfortable with and your family can work around. If you need a break from it all, take one, but all the more reason to eat clean while at home and as soon as you get back.

When I first started competing and taking my nutrition as serious as my training I let it keep me from social gatherings or trips because I didn't want the temptation or the hassle. The hassle is worth it, once you have the tools, put the time and effort in, all things are possible wether at home or out of town.

Side notes: my kids seemed to have as much fun running in the halls of the hotel as the rides in the park, the dive in movie at the pool was super cool. You know your a military family when your kids are the only ones with neon glow sticks (chem lights) each night at the parades and glowing in the pool. Loved staying at shades of green (military only resort) and hearing someone else's husband say, you stay here while I Re-Con the place. To make the most of your time is truly a survival of the fittest at Disney, we walked and walked and walked (girls chilled in stroller). And most important family vacations, regardless of where they are at, build lasting memories as a family. Seeing my girls hold hands as they walked was one of my favorites!