I’m not lucky, it’s just not good Genes

When I found out I was pregnant with twins, I was told that I couldn’t work out anymore. This sucked for many reasons, but mainly, I enjoy working out. Secondly, although small frames DO run in my family, I am not immune to gaining weight. I have always worked out for my health first, but vanity a close second. There, I said it. I am THAT girl. I workout because I like to look and feel good, in addition to knowing I’m doing something healthy for my body. Not working out for a year? Eeesh. The thought made me feel gross.

Exercise is encouraged with singleton pregnancies but multiples are high risk and they don’t want you do anything high impact or too stressful so I had to stop. I gained half of my body weight. If I turned sideways, I was almost as wide as I am tall. My thighs got huge to support my belly and I have the stretch marks to prove it.

People would say to me, “Oh you will just bounce right back! You are tiny! It’s in your genes!” It’s not just about good genes. I knew deep down inside it probably wouldn’t be that easy.

Then I had the c section, and still couldn’t work out . It was probably a good 5 months before I even did anything remotely active.That 5 months was tough for me because I felt so disgusting and couldn’t do what I knew would make me feel and look better. Guess what people? I did NOT bounce right back. I have the stretch marks on my thighs to prove it.

I did the only thing I could. I watched what I ate. Every morsel. I’ve always been a healthy eater, indulging on the weekend and allowing myself a few guilty pleasures here and there, like caramel lattes or breakfast sandwiches on that delicious bread. But I cut all that out. That is when the weight started to drop off. And now, 15 months later, I still watch what I eat and now I have the luxury of exercising. I don’t spend an hour and a half in the gym like Gwyneth Paltrow, because, frankly, I just don’t have that kind of time, but I do give it my all when I’m there. You can have an intense, 25 to 30 minute workout and burn the same calories as you would in an hour and a half if you workout right.

When people see me now and hear I had twins they say “you are SO lucky! I am still trying to lose the baby weight, my kid is FIVE!” Ummm, it’s not really luck. It’s a conscious effort EVERY DAY. And I’m 37 so you can’t say I’ve got youth on my side either. In fact, I have to work harder now than I ever have to maintain my body weight, but I have found some great sources of inspiration that remind me it IS possible to look awesome after having twins. Check out this website, if this mom of 4 (including a set of twins) doesn’t inspire you, I don’t know what will. I ordered her book as soon as I saw her six pack.
Here is a typical day for me and what I eat:

Breakfast-Oatmeal made with water, a spoonful of raisins and some cinnamon, plus an Egg White Omelet or Protein Shake

Snack-coconut milk latte, A piece of fruit and some nuts or cheese

Lunch-Sandwich loaded with veggies and mustard,or a salad, or sushi

Afternoon Snack-Green Protein Smoothie (usually made with spinach, frozen fruit, Vega protein powder, coconut milk and any other goodies I want to throw in)

Dinner-Salad (yes, we eat spinach salad almost every night for dinner).

If we don’t eat salad, we may have chicken/steak/fish/lentils with veggies.

I don’t drink juice or pop. I drink coconut water if I feel that I need something other than water. I limit my dairy and I avoid anything white (except wine!), like rice, pasta, sugar and bread. If I eat rice, it’s brown, if I want something sweet I use coconut sugar or a little honey and if I eat bread it’s multigrain with all the good stuff.

Pretty simple. Like I said, I have my indulgences, I do drink wine and I do enjoy a decadent meal when I’m out. If there is a day when I feel like eating crappy, I do it, and I don’t feel guilty about it, because 99% of the time, I eat well.

My exercise Routine:

I workout 3 to 5 days a week depending on the week but I don’t spend more than 30 minutes. I switch it up all the time. From start to finish my heart is going fast and I mix up quick bursts of cardio with intense intervals of strength exercises. Click here to check out some motivating stuff (and awesome workout clothes!) but here is a sample:

1 to 2 minutes, warm up on the treadmill

2-5 minutes, run(sprint intervals)

5-8 minutes-skip rope

8-10 minutes-one legged deadlifts, push ups, burpies and abs (30 seconds each)

Run through the whole circuit 2 more times.
Keeping it simple is what allows me to be a busy (working) mom but still maintain my SELF. Summer is fast approaching and I don’t want to spend it covered up. 80% of your body is the result of your diet. If all you do is change your eating habits, you WILL see a difference! I hope I have helped at least one mom today! There is one thing that diet and exercise will NOT help and that is the dreaded mummy tummy! That is a whole other topic for another day so stay tuned!