If you’ve been following me for a while you’ll know that I’ve found the last couple of months quite tough. I genuinely thought that this autumn would be a breeze compared to the first half of the year when Maia was still a small baby, we were renovating our house and even got married! But life is rarely easy, especially with babies – as soon as I start feeling comfortable and like “I’ve got this” something changes. Colds, teething, separation anxiety, you name it, there is always something making life just a bit (or a lot) more challenging!
This is why we shouldn’t wait for that perfect moment to start a healthy lifestyle or to start a new exercise routine. The perfect moment might never come and even if all stars would align momentarily, soon things will change again. In my view it’s all about finding a lifestyle that supports your wellbeing whatever your current situation may be and then adapting it as needed.
About two months ago I finally finished the BBG 2 programme (using the Sweat-app). It took me longer than 12-weeks but I finished it. However, I had realised that the BBG programme was no longer a good fit with my current situation. I was really struggling with sleep deprivation and energy levels which made Kayla Itsines’s HIIT workouts very tough, and not in a good way. When the body is already under a lot of strain, stubbornly pushing through workouts and putting even more strain on the body is not a good idea. As Kayla says, recovery is vital and being a full-time mum to a baby I was getting zero recovery time. What’s more, Maia had started refusing naps in her bed and so I was walking around pushing the pram for hours to help her sleep. My only time to exercise was after her bedtime but I was exhausted by then. I was stubborn enough to want to finish BBG 2 but I knew I had to adapt my exercise routine to lower intensity.
I’ve practiced yoga for some years but irregularly. I find myself turning to yoga when I’m going through difficult times and need help to reconnect with myself and look after my body. My last yoga class was three days before Maia was born and apart from a few downward dogs, I had not practiced yoga in nine months. Because of the wrist pain (soft joints from breastfeeding) I had not wanted to go to a class dreading all of those planks and chaturangas. But then I remembered that one of the many programmes (in addition to BBG) on the Sweat-app is called Mind and Body (BAM) and is a yoga programme based on Vinyasa-style resistance sessions (three per week). I could try to do yoga again but at my own pace and modifying when needed not to worsen my wrist pain.
So for the last six weeks I have been doing the BAM 1.0 programme by Sjana Elise. I do three 28-minute home yoga sessions per week, after Maia has gone to bed and before I have dinner with my husband (usually while the food is in the oven). In addition I go for my daily walks with Maia. If and when I have had the energy, I have additionally done one HIIT session at Barry’s Bootcamp or 1Rebel during the weekend. When I was sick with a cold I didn’t do anything for a week but got back to my programme as soon as I felt better. I feel like it has really helped me cope with the emotional stress as well from returning to work from maternity leave and being away from Maia. On the days that I had been working, I found relief on my yoga mat. After getting up with my baby at 6am, a 10-hour days at the office, and then running back home for Maia’s bath- and bedtime, I was absolutely exhausted by 7pm. A HIIT workout was out of the question but a gentle movement and stretch on the yoga mat was actually inviting.
You might think that swapping weighted HIIT sessions to yoga would compromise my fitness results or at least show on my body. And you are most likely right. I always say that in addition to genes, the way the body looks and what it’s capable of depends on the lifestyle. If you change it, your body will likely change as well. I’m about the same size and weight as I was last summer. However, I am not as lean as I was which is mainly due to the combination of poorer diet (I’ve been too tired to make much effort) and poorer sleep. I am also not breastfeeding as much as I used to because Maia eats solid food now, which has an impact on my daily energy consumption. Becoming and staying very lean was never my goal. My goal was to rehabilitate my body after pregnancy and improve my cardiovascular fitness and strength. I’m very proud because I have made huge progress this year! I did also lose a lot of weight post partum, a bit too much to my own liking, as it was a challenge to eat enough calories to make up for the energy used when I was very active and was exclusively breastfeeding. As soon as Maia started eating solid food, my own weight stabilised.
When I have had more rest and I have joined a HIIT gym class, I’ve been pleased to discover that my fitness level has not deteriorated! Perhaps long term my strenght levels would plateau or even drop if I stopped weight training entirely, but the current routine seems to be enough to maintain it. When Maia starts sleeping better and I have more energy, I will try to add more weighted resistance to my exercise routine again but I’m happy to go on like this for now.
When it comes to planning a fitness routine what’s key is to be realistic. January 2019 will bring a huge life change as I will go back to working full-time. How I will juggle work and family time I don’t yet know. Assuming I will be able to fit in several workouts per week and hitting new PBs would just be silly. I would be setting myself up for a failure and disappointment with too ambitious plans. That being said I think it’s very important to find the time to look after myself in this new situation. I will continue with the BAM programme because I think it will also support my mental wellbeing and stress levels. Working at an office for 10h per day, sitting in front of computer screens for hours and hours, is very bad for our physical health (nevermind the vending machine chocolates I used to munch away when I got stressed). The mum-life is hard but it’s not as unhealthy – sitting still is literally the last thing I’ve had time for during maternity leave (after the first few months with a newborn). I will need to find time to take care of my health especially – not “even” – when I start working five-days a week.
“Being proactive, making realistic plans, staying motivated and consistent” is what I would say to anyone asking for advice on how to stay fit when your life is a bit crazy. 🙂
To anyone asking how I manage to have a “Fitmas” (fit Christmas), I’d say “I don’t!!” Christmas is only once a year and a day of two of relaxation and good food only does good when they complement otherwise a healthy and active lifestyle!
Namaste!
xoxoxo,
Sini