Fell off the Wagon

Exercise and Pregnancy #3

Week 10
OK, so I have fallen off the exercise wagon because I completely lost my voice (which some of my family think is quite funny) and have gotten a head and chest cold. Being pregnant I can't take any of the 'good stuff' like my normal Theraflu. So the priority of the moment is to try and get some sleep without coughing.

Week 11
I STILL have the cold and would really love to take some Theraflu and get it over with, but I don't. My sleep is deprived because I can't make it more than an hour at night without coughing (which my husband loves as well). I have also fallen off the healthy eating wagon because Top Ramen and croissants seem to make me feel better :).

Week 13
We finally got to spill the new baby news to my parents and my husbands siblings! I finally started feeling better a few days before we left for our trip to CO. All of the lack of exercise and the sudden indulgence of comfort foods have made by belly start to bump out at a much faster rate than I remember with my other two.
I can only give myself credit for working out ONCE this whole week. It was a big wake-up call to feel the effects of exercise at altitude after living on an island for 7 months!

Week 17
I am finally getting back into a groove of working out and getting exercise 4-5 times per week. I have had sporatic volleyball practices the past few weeks which is probably a good thing considering it has been 94 degrees with island humidity. But I miss volleyball because it has been a great way to exercise without being boring.
My nutrition lately has been what I call healthy with some sprinkling of treats. My will power to stay away from baked goods for snacks has been weak, but I am consistent with healthy breakfast lunch and dinners! So I give myself points for that:).

Exercise and Pregnancy - My Own 9 Month Journal

Baby number 3 is on the way!

I have decided to blog about my journey through pregnancy and how exercise plays such a big role in the health of the baby and the mother. This will mostly be MY opinions and MY experiences and NOT medical advise for pregnant women.

I realize that I am VERY casual when it comes to being pregnant. With my first two pregnancies, I had an occasional glass of wine and I couldn't get enough sushi. I know that many will disagree and some will agree with what I choose to experience while pregnant. I am happy with my first two pregnancies and I had happy and healthy babies who slept GREAT!

So here is my journey of baby number 3:

(this post includes many week updates due to not posting until the announcement has been made public with our families :))

Week 5

I am pretty sure I am pregnant because I have missed my period by a week and I have been charting my temperature and it is staying high. I am not taking a pregnancy test yet because I want to be sure that the little bugger is implanted for sure.

I am still in my normal routine of working out 5-6 days a week varying yoga, cardio, weights, and volleyball. I am thrilled with volleyball! In my community here in Puerto Rico we have a former Olympic Women's Volleyball player who is providing a weekly clinic of court volleyball. I played long ago in junior high and some of it is coming back. It is a whole lot of fun and a great workout as well!

Week 6

POSITIVE pregnancy test! Woo Hoo! I really like the method of charting my Basal Body Temperature. I have always been quite regular so it has been easy to predict when I ovulate with the temperature charting. We used it successfully to plan a boy first then a girl.

So far I feel the same. There is maybe a bit stonger pull for a mid-day nap:), however, I think that is mostly mental.

I remember the discomfort of constipation early on in preganancy with my first two so I have begun taking a stool softener every day as prevention.

Week 8

I am definitely short on motivation to get up and go work out, but as soon as I do I feel so much better. I am fortunate to have had the luck of not having morning sickness with my other pregnancies and this one seems to be the same. There was once or twice with the others where I rushed to the toilet/sink/out the car door, but all in all quite easy compared to some women I know. Again, I believe the exercise and circulation help to keep the sickness at bay.

Thank God for my husband who helps to push me out the door in the morning. I am still biking the dogs every other morning so that is also a nice start to the day. For some reason it is more mentally difficult to get myself to do my weight training, so right now I am doing mostly 30 min elliptical workouts and volleyball...some yoga.

I haven't changed my eating at all...OK, maybe an occasional extra healthy snack. I am fully aware that "eating for 2" is just an excuse to eat too much. I remember reading that in the 2nd and 3rd trimester the body needs only about 300 more kcals per day. The trick is tring to keep those extra calories healthy!

I have been used to eating every three hours since I did Body for Life. My body likes that system and especially while pregnant.

Perfect Yoga Podcast

If you are ever in a place where you don't have access to your favorite yoga studio or the local class schedule doesn't fit with your schedule, then I have to say that a yoga class by podcast is a very nice substitute.

My podcast of choice to try it out was "The Yoga Practice Show" by yogajournal.com . It was free on itunes which makes it even better. As I am not terribly familiar with downloading and using pocasts, it probably took longer than it should have to get all set up. However, all I had to do was set my computer on my coffee table and roll out my yoga mat. Some of the podcasts, just like studio classes, require props so you should have at least a block and a strap ready.

I was quite happy with the instruction and the level of difficulty. Beginners might want to watch the session all the way through once to get an idea for the poses if they aren't familiar with the names or specifics. What was the most convenient was the choices of podcast durations. Most are 20-30 min long but could easily be combined to give you a full hour class or longer if desired. I have not yet tried this on my mobile device. I figure it would work sufficiently with just the audio as long as I know all the poses. I suppose I could find a spot to prop the devise in order to follow the video as well.

I would highly recommend trying yoga by podcast, especially for those who don't conform well to the schedules of studio classes, or to those that travel. This would work fabulous in your hotel room.

I look forward to trying out other podcasts from other sources and I will keep you all posted on what I find out!

The Balance Guru now in Puerto Rico

Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico!

The Balance Guru has moved to Puerto Rico. My family and I have chosen to have an adventure in the Carribean and we moved to Puerto Rico site unseen. We have left the door open as to how long we will live here, but so far we are absolutely in love with the island.

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As far as The Balance Blog is concerned, I have seen many interesting health habits here that are common with most Latin American countries. The way they eat is the most obvious.

This is a plate of common Puerto Rican specialties; twice-fried empanadas and the standard rice and beans. Yes, you read it correctly, TWICE-FRIED! I have to say that the red beans and rice most always taste delicious. But most foods with high fat content do!

Our eating experience the first week we were here was that everything can come with rice and beans if you want it to. If not, then it comes with bread. I can't tell you how overloaded each plate is with carbohydrates and fat. And it is very rare to see ANY vegetables. For Puerto Rico, a vegetable is the onion and corn they cook with the stew, or sancocho (again very tasty dish, but loaded with fat and carbs). It surprises me how difficult it is to get fresh green vegetables here.

All of our experiences in every type of restaurant we came across (local, breakfast, deli, lunch, dinner) were very telling as to why there is such a problem here with Diabetes.

Statistics from the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) show that Puerto Rican residents are 1.8 times as likely as whites to get diabetes.

For those with diabetes, it must be so difficult to make changes in their nutritional habits with all the access to unhealthy foods. But there is also a cultural componant in that there is such connection with the heart and soul that goes into the food. And it is the food that is the centerpiece of most family and neighborhood gatherings.
There needs to be a family and community support for those with diabetes and those at high risk for diabetes to make a change. There has got to be a way to keep the soul and loose the fat in the food.

Tough Love from the Tainer

The Hard Truth About Injuries, Vacations, and Falling off the Health Wagon

The general consensus among health professionals is that is takes
TWICE AS LONG AS THE TIME YOU WERE OUT to get back to where you started.

So to explain, if you go on a 2 week vacation and enjoy the food and lack of exercise, it will take you 1 month to simply get back to the shape you were in on the day you left.

It is also true if you had an injury and you decided not to maintain exercising your parts that weren't injured.

So next time you decide to let yourself slip off the "health wagon" for a bit, just remember that it takes that much more work to climb back on.

Tough Love.

The Truth to the New Foods at Starbucks

After a chilly 39 degree bike ride this morning, I needed to thaw out. The pull from Starbucks was enormous!

Now, I have warned many friends and clients about the hidden calories in coffe drinks and the goodies that accompany them. I have learned that for me, it is best to aviod Starbucks because I have little to no will power when it comes to baked goods. It is best for me to find a drive thru or send in my husband for my grande, non-fat, no-water, chai tea latte that I love so much.

I am fully aware that my usual drink is 220 calories, and I torture myself with online nutrition facts of the foods and treats. Today, the flyer for the newest featured foods caught my eye. I was certain I would have yet another calorie WARNING to blog about with the new items.

However, I was pleasently surprised to find out that the Perfect Oatmeal (whole grain) is only 150 calories! Granted the portion looks to be a bit skimpy. But for those who normally don't eat breakfast, it is a fine choice.

Just make sure to stay away from the new Sausage Piadini weighing in at 500 calories, HALF of which are from fat.

My Favorite Protein Bar

Finally! A Protein Bar with Great Taste!

For the longest time I have been trying out diferent protein bars. The concept is fabulous, portable protien! However, without fail the ones with enough protein always seem to be gritty and tasteless. The ones that taste good usually were low in protein and high in sugar.

The only hitch with this one is that it is pretty high in calories (270) so you need to use it as a meal replacement, or use half as a mid-meal like I do. Unfortunately those calories include the 22g of sugars that are making it taste good...ugh!

So if you need a healthy alternative to pulling through the dirve thru when you are out and about, the CLIF Builder's Bar is a great option. They have many great flavors as well. Just make sure you use it wisely!