A Whole YEAR Later... (Progression Pictures Attached)

Thomas Allen is a YEAR old today! When other moms told me how fast it was going to fly by, I didn't believe them. Dang, were they right!

My road to "Pre-Baby Body" has been a rocky, yet a successful one. I had many struggles, many times I gave up, and finally, got back in my groove. Read on for my fitness journey over the past year.


Well, 20 weeks into my pregnancy, my idea was to have my pre-baby body back by 6 weeks. I laugh in the face of my own ignorance! Now, I do have friends who have snapped back in 2-6 weeks... I now know that they are the exception. I am not, nor have I ever been, the exception when it comes to my body shape. I have to eat right, go to the gym, and work hard, just like 95% of the population. And trust me, it sucks.

I gained 50+ lbs in my pregnancy, lost about 20-25 of it post delivery, and have spent the last year trying to shed the other 25. About 4 weeks after Tom was born, I started feeling better and decided to hit the gym. Not quite in Crossfit ready, so I took on the trainer at my apartment. I was sluggish, slow, and weak. After going a few more times, I decided to take a month or two off before trying again. I wanted to give myself a break. I was breast feeding and Tom wasn't a very good sleeper. A little healing went a long way.

Not being able to stand it, I went back to Crossfit in November (2 months PP). That didn't go well, either. I like to go in the mornings, but between the lack of sleep, the baby in our bed, work and pumping, I was left completely exhausted and defeated before 9 am hit. My alarm would wake the baby up, which would frustrate my husband, which would frustrate me. Gym membership put on hold.

And then January came along, I sat down with my coach and my 4 month old baby, and said " I need to get back in the gym." She said, "I am not a mother, and I am sure it is hard. But, there are plenty of mothers who work out. They are able to do it consistently and it works well for them." I started working out after work and I did pretty well the month of January. And still, I failed again. I shouldn't have compared myself to the other mothers. There are mothers who work out. But looking back, their babies were older, or slept better, or they weren't working full time, or breastfeeding. Or they were just super beasts and I wasn't. Being a working mother, I only get about 4 hours a day with my baby. Spending 1.5-2 of those hours at the gym made me really miss my time with my son.

So then I decided I was "QUITTING CROSSFIT FOREVER." I stamped myself as a mother, and that was my main job. I made the decision that I was never going to be fit again, ever, and that was ok. Until, I went to Las Vegas with a few girlfriends for the "Anniversary of my Bachelorette Party." All of my friends are beautifully fit and a healthy and I started feeling very down about myself. Tom was about 7 months old at this point, and I looked myself in the mirror and thought, "How can pregnant Crossfitter quit Crossfit!?" Crossfitting while pregnant became my identity and I loved it. I made up my mind that day in April that I was getting back in the gym for good.

And I did.

The last week of April I started my fitness journey all over again. I erased all of my pre-pregnancy PRs and started fresh. I would pat myself on the back for any post-pregnancy number I put up, and any number that increased. I giggled the first time I did a pull-up again. I came home beaming after my first RX workout. I obsessed over my first hand tear. So now, five months after my "start," I am gaining my speed and strength back. We have been testing numbers lately and I did a 120# clean 1 rep max, a 145# front squat and an 85# snatch. I ran my first half marathon in July and finished in 2:10:39. I even signed up for a Tough Mudder in October!

Here is what I Learned:

1. My next baby, I will wait 6 months before getting back in the gym.
                All the gym did was frustrate me. I made no gain, and lost precious time with my baby.

2. Pregnancy and Labor is an Injury.
            It takes a long time to heal. Your placenta leaves a big hole and your whole body is working to mold back to normal. It may/probably will look different.

3. Breastfeeding takes a lot out of you.
         Half the reason I failed at the beginning was because I was breastfeeding. The takes a lot of energy from your body to produce milk. I will treat that as my "gym time" next time.

4. Not sleeping also takes a lot out of you.
              I think another reason why my April attempt wasn't a failure was because we switched to formula around then and the baby was sleeping so much better. Josh and I switch off every other night, so I was getting full nights of sleep.

5. I am not the exception
               Some mothers jump into the gym 6 weeks PP with no problems. That wasn't me and I couldn't be compared to them. I needed to start when I was ready: physically, mentally and spiritually.

6. People who say "No Excuses" don't have newborns or babies.
              Many will disagree, but babies are an excuse. A really freaking good one. There were/are MANY times I have every intent to go to the gym. I will wake up at 4:20 AM, put my clothes on, go to head out the door, and Thomas will need me. Maybe its food, a diaper change or just to be cuddled, but he needs me. I am not trying to make an excuse, but when it comes down to it, he is more important.

7. My body is Amazing.
                 I am so proud of myself and what I have accomplished in the past 2 years. I grew a child, gave birth to him, fed him with my body for a while and got back in shape after all of that. I ran 13.1 miles, started lifting heavy again, and doing a Tough Mudder in October. I realized I can do anything I put my mind to. Pregnancy and Crossfit have made me so much stronger.

To all my mamas out there, you can do it. You can get back in shape post pregnancy, but please, take your time. The years go by SO fast. Take your time to take care of your sweet babe and find the time to work out that works for you. It takes some dedication if you are one of the exceptions, but you WILL get back the work you put into it.

Here is my Physical Progress:

1 Week Post Partum:

4 Weeks Post Partum:

1 Year Post Partum:

The Longest WOD - "The Labor Room"

Aw, what does every mother LOVE to talk about? Their labor experience. And I am NO exception. Friends have been asking, "How was labor?" in which I reply with a long, detailed flashback of how it was, whether they wanted to hear it or not. So here it goes my awesome followers, an insight into the longest and hardest WOD I have ever encountered. I would, and probably physically could, do Murph 4 times and have more energy than I had after Thomas. But damn, as every mother also says, it was worth it.

If you have read my previous posts, you will know I wanted to do an all-natural, un-medicated birth. If you were coming to find out if that happened, let me save you some time and tell you, NO. I used medication and loved myself in the end for it! My birth plan was a very cute idea in theory, but literally everything I had planned went out the window. Which quite honestly doesn't bug me at all.

Here it goes! The break down of the 50 hours Joshua and I spent in the L&D Room:

Previously established: We had to induce because I was 2 weeks past my due date and my health care provider requires an induction once you hit 42 weeks. Plan derail #1. I went in at a generous 2 cm - 50% effaced.

8/31 - 6:00 AM: We walked in, anxiously anticipating the birth of Thomas Allen Harper. We were told we were scheduled for 9/1. Damn it. Pregnancy brain got the date wrong. Oh well, they admitted us anyway.
8/31 - 7:00 AM: A nurse comes in to hook me up to monitors. They call my Dr. to tell them I am a day early. She explains they are going to do a non stress test on the baby and if he passes, I get to go home. Awesome! Maybe then I can start labor on my own! She places monitors on my belly.
8/31 -7:15 AM: -Baby moves - *beep* *beep* *beep* 4 nurses rush in, I have oxygen on my face all of the sudden and I am told I am NOT going home. What the hell just happened? The baby moved, his "heart rate dropped" and the nurses wigged out. I still believe he just skipped off the monitor, but whatever. I was already at the hospital and I may as well start the process. Lets get going.
8/31 - 8:00 AM - My Angel nurse, Joanie, comes in and is about to hook up pitocin. She goes through my birth plan with me and explains how induction works. She saw some tears in my eyes and said "You don't have to do this right now. I can monitor him and see if I can have the doctor discharge you." Yes! Let's do that! He is a master at monitoring!
8/31 - 10:30 AM- Baby monitoring looks beautiful and even with Joanie at bat to let me go home, the Dr. was still concerned with the initial "drop" in heart rate. I'm getting induced.
8/31- 11:00 AM - Pitocin Starts.
8/31- 6:00 PM: Nothing happened for 7 hours. Nothing. So they took me off pitocin, put in a Foley Balloon (plan derail #2), let me eat food (YES!) and prayed for over night progress. That thing was a real joy. Caused partial cramping, but no unbearable pain. I slept as well as I could.
9/1 - 3:00 AM - Started pitocin again.
9/1 - 11:00 AM - Foley balloon is removed.  I am now at 4 cm - 75% effaced. Hooray! It's working!
9/1 - 2:30 PM: They broke my waters. (Plan derail #3) Still no pain, mild contractions.
9/1 - 5:00 PM: Sill no pain. They came in and broke the water again. That got me to 6cm.
9/1 - 5:04 PM: Aw! There's the pain. Started practicing my hypnobaby techniques. (In the plan)
9/1 - 6:00 PM: So many thoughts went through my head, but one final one stuck. Let's bring on the epidural! I was already pretty tired and I still had a while to go. My family was just in there and we were all laughing and having a good time. Now, I could hardly get though 2 minutes before I had to stop and breathe. It got intense very quickly. My nurses smiled and were so happy I made that decision. (Plan derail #4)
9/1 - 6:30 PM: Epidural is in and working. All is good in the world. Family came in again, I was laughing and Joshua and I were able to sleep.
9/2 -1:15 AM: Nurse came in to check me and said, "Are you ready to push?" Well, hell yeah I am! This is the moment we have all been waiting for!
9/2 - 2:15  AM: I pushed for a good hour, but was not progressing much. We decided to wait it out an hour and try again.
9/2 - 2:45 AM: I felt a lot of pressure, so I called the nurse in so we would push again.
9/2 - 5:30 AM: My midwife was called in to help. Great! That meant we were close!
9/2 - 6:00 AM: Small breakdown on my part. I was tired, frustrated and I still didn't have my baby. They let me cry it out for about 3 minutes. My mom started bragging on me and how I did Crossfit and how many pull ups and push-ups I could do… they quit feeling sorry for me and had me start pushing again/
9/2- 7:30 AM: Baby was in a bad position and even with my pushing getting stronger, he was coming down but stuck on my pelvic bone. They called an MD in to help. Bringing an MD in means there are some more invasive procedures about to take place. I pushed like hell.
9/2- 8:20 AM: The MD came in, watched me do another round of pushing. She was impressed and Joshua was proud. Then she stuck a vacuum on my baby's head (Plan derail #5) and told me to give it all I had. She said "this usually works with one try, but you have 10 minutes. If it doesn't work, you're going straight in for surgery." Oh, hell no. Not after all of this. I did 3 big pushes and we got his head out! One more big push, an episiotomy (plan derail #6) and a big pull from the MD and the next thing you know….
9/2 - 8:26 AM: Thomas Allen Harper was entered into the world!!

They handed me my slimy screaming baby and tears and emotions flooded my face. The was the prettiest potato looking newborn I have ever seen. I saw his hands looks like Josh's and his pretty blonde hair. His long lanky limbs and little lips. Joshua got to cut the cord and he was so proud of this new being we created. We got to do skin to skin for about an hour. My family, who spent the night in the hospital waiting room, flooded in to meet him. We recovered for 2 hours and then were moved to our room where we spent 2 more blissful days!

I have to give credit to my Crossfit conditioning. Without it, I would not have been able to push that hard, for that long. Thomas' vitals looked amazing the whole time because he was just as conditioned as I was. Hypno baby training also came in handy, even with medication. I needed to conserve my energy between contractions and self hypnosis assisted in that. After we went to our recovery room, I had nurses coming in the whole time saying, "That was the hardest and longest I have seen anyone push in "x" amount of years. You were amazing!" And "We are so happy you were strong and able to deliver naturally!" It felt so good to hear I did a good job. I was just doing whatever I could to help him along. In the end, even with all the plan derails, I am so happy with my birth and delivery experience. My angel nurses, Joanie and Jenny, made it possible. They looked after me and supported me in everything I did. My midwife, Pat, was so patient with me, even at the end of her 24 hour shift in which she already delivered 4 other babies. And of course, my mother and my husband. They worked hard to pull me through it and i needed them both so much. I am thrilled I was able to pull through and deliver him naturally, even if it took a needle down my spine to do so. I would do it again to feel the love I felt for Thomas that day, and every day after. Orange Coast Memorial really took care of us and we will be going back when #2 comes along!

A Letter to Thomas

My Sweet Son,

As I sit here in my hospital bed, anxiously awaiting your arrival, daddy sleeping on the couch next to me and grandma Buchanan on the ground, I can't help but stay awake and day dream about who you are.

You were a stubborn little guy during labor. I have been at the hospital for 2 days hooked up to cords and induction methods. I wanted an "all natural" birth, and as I sit with an epidural in my back, I am quickly learning I will adapt to YOUR plan now! I have had such a wonderful pregnancy. Though I gained 50 pounds, you accompanied me in a hundred workouts, hikes, trips to the beach, several states and we even worked until.. Well, today. I only cried 3 times and honestly, I think they were for legitimate reasons.

So putting the last 294 days behind me, I being to wonder who this child is that I am bringing into this world. I wonder if you will get my rule breaking attitude or dad's follow the book mind set. I wonder how you will respond to discipline, what athleticism you will inherit and if you will be careful or seek adventure. If you will like geometry or algebra. I pray for your future wife and her parents, just as grandma and grandpa prayed for your father while I was growing up. 

I am going to meet you in a few hours, so I will get to know what you look like. This moment is so surreal and I wouldn't trade it for anything. I will get to see if you got your father's beautiful smile or my broad shoulders. I will get to see your pretty eyes and most likely bald head. We will get to hold you and watch as your active hands and feet feel the air for the first time. You were so active in my belly! 

Your father and I are so excited to teach you what we know, to show you our world and to learn from you, too. Your father can't wait to carry you in the baby carrier and have you to show off. You are so lucky to have that man as your role model. He is already your #1 fan and beams when he talks about you. He is hard working, kind, well-mannered, loyal, the best friend anyone could have and just and overall superior human being. I hope you receive those characteristics. I am sure you will.

They say a mother's love is one like no other. I can't imagine the feelings I'm going to have tonight, and I know my life will be forever changed. We are so excited to have you in our lives, sweet Thomas. We planned for you, prayed for you and prepared for you for a long time. You have a huge, wonderful family here to love and support you for the rest of your life. I couldn't have asked for better people to surround myself with and I know you will reap the benefits of our "tribe."

I love you already my dear Thomas. I can't wait to meet you.

Forever and Ever,

Mommy

Week 34-36: My Unsolicited Advice

I am not too sure where time has gone, but it is sure flying by. I have been very busy clearing up projects from work, trying to keep up with a gym schedule, getting the nursery set up and nesting like a crazy bird.

To continue my downward trend, I have been slowing down (even more) in the gym. I have been going 2-3 days a week, continuing with 1-2 days of 10,000 steps and taking it easy the remainder of the week. I really just go in to move my body and get my blood flowing. I started getting a little discouraged and tired, so at week 36 I took an entire 7 days off. But I noticed that my back started aching, I wasn't falling asleep as easily, not drinking enough water and eating like complete crap. In  the past couple weeks, I think I was still trying to push myself too hard which really wore me out. So at week 37 I would take a look at the WOD, thought of a few exercises I felt I could do well that day, and substituted them in. For example, if the WOD consisted of jump roping, burpees and cleans, I would do 1/2 the reps in step ups for jump roping, do push-ups on a box for burpees and hang power cleans instead of full cleans.

Week 38 will be my last day of Crossfit until the babe is here, but not my last day in the gym. We have two beautiful gyms at our apartment complex that I am going to start using for the last 2-4 weeks of my pregnancy. I think my husband likes me going with him so he can keep an eye on me. I can also go at night because they are air conditioned!

I wanted to share a few bits of  unsolicited advice for expecting mothers. Things I have done, some I have not, but definitely ideas to budget for if you are pregnant. Here we go:

1. Work Out. I am not just saying this because it is a Crossfit and Pregnancy blog. It is my BEST advice for why I have such a comfortable pregnancy. All women are different and I am not a doctor, I only know of my own experience and comparing it to others. But, because of the gym, I have had very little swelling, I have slept GREAT this entire time, I don't ache, I am not uncomfortable and my baby has been healthy all the while. Now, I HAVE gained a whole bunch of weight (45# to be exact...so far) so if you're working out to keep slim, I can't promise anything. However, I can only imagine how much I would have gained if I didn't stay active! My fellow gym friends are used to seeing me and my big belly waddle through the gym. I went to the apartment gym the other day and I got a few funny looks when I asked the guy texting at the Smiths machine if he was finished so I could work on some squats. One woman even came up and said "I can't believe you can do that while pregnant!" And I said happily "I have been doing it the whole time, I'm used to it now!"

2. Plan a Girls Relaxation Day. I have the best friend in the whole world, the God Mother to my sweet baby, who planned out a fantastic Saturday for her and I to get mani/pedis, have lunch, eat pastries and sit and gossip. It was wonderful. It was hard to drag myself out to shower and get ready over the weekend, but it was so worth it. I won't be getting too many more of these opportunities when the babe arrives and quite honestly, I don't really treat myself to mani/pedis very often pre-baby because I just mess them up in a couple days. Do it for yourself.

3. Get a Massage. After the relaxation day with my BFF, and after a workout that engaged my back muscles too much, I decided that my husband and I should get massages. We had originally planned to go up to Big Bear (beautiful California mountains where the pregnancy all started, if you know what I mean) because Joshua loves the mountains. I looked at him, thought about the 2+ hour drive with an hour of hair pin turns, looked at my big belly and thought "maybe this isn't a good idea." Plus, we will be able to bring the babe there and make it a family affair. So I suggested massages because I know we won't get this opportunity again for a while. God, was THAT a good idea! We both felt so amazing and relaxed. Joshua has had a hard time sleeping and said he slept so well that night. It's hard spending that money when you are trying to budget for a baby and maternity leave, but I highly suggest putting some aside for you to "treat yo' self!"

4. Get a Professional to Deep Clean. This is one I have not done, but I should. With such small living quarters and a full grown chocolate lab, our apartment can get pretty dirty rather quickly. We do a good job keeping it neat, but I just don't feel like getting on my hands and knees to scrub baseboards and I don't think its a good idea to be sucking in a whole bunch of chemicals to clean the tub. Plus, I am really not that good of a cleaner so even when I do put work into something, I still see spots I missed. Leave it to the professionals... they know what they are doing.

5. Get Your Groceries Delivered. Since I get off work earlier, do the cooking and the meal planning, I am also the one to grocery shop. Seems fair, right? I normally don't mind it, but when it is 90 degrees outside, I have worked a full day, carried this 6-7 lb. chunk of love around in my belly and have to cook dinner, the last thing I want to do is grocery shop. I found a few grocery stores around me that deliver and I took advantage of the free, first time delivery from vons.com. You pick out your groceries and they deliver them to your door. My husband said, "What if the delivery guy is a creep?" I said, "He will be my favorite creep. Anyone to do my grocery shopping and carry the bags in for me is alright with me!."

6. Buy a New Outfit for Post- Delivery. This has been my mother's advice for 30+ years. She is a big fan of retail therapy and believes a new outfit can lift most spirits. She's right all of the time, so I know this has to be right, too. She told me to go buy a new outfit, doesn't have to be expensive, just new. And big. She said my body is still going to be big after I deliver, and putting on my old maternity clothes that I have been wearing for the past 6 months is going to be very depressing. So to get a new outfit that is too big for me will really help not only the body image issues, but my mood as well. It makes complete sense. So I am going to Wal-Mart for a $15 outfit that I am going to rock for the drive home! Why does the baby get to have all the new stuff?!

So those are my unsolicited bits of advice. Enjoy the pictures below!

 

 

 

A little preview of the active little boy that is about to grace us with his presence.

 

 

We went for a hike and I loved this bare-belly picture. It was a little too hot for a shirt. Plus, we were in the middle of the canyon so no one was there to judge my summer bod.

 

 

Week 32 and 33

These past two weeks, I have been really slacking at the gym. There are a couple explanations (excuses) I can come up with.

-The Heat! Since it has been so hot outside, I haven't be able to hit the PM classes, so it is AM or bust. With work, I have had a lot of morning meetings so if I can't get up for the 5 AM class, I am not going to be going to the gym at all. And quite honestly, I haven't been able to get up for the 5 AM class in about 2-3 months.

-Programming! The babe is getting MUCH heavier and I have notice a big change in my ability to do movements.  My gym is ALWAYS able to change the programming for me and baby, however I am always fearful to go to partner workouts and be there decider of an even number. If I am the odd man out, that works in my favor. But if I make the group even, they usually want me to push on. I can't blame them, however sometimes it is just easier to stay at home instead of worry about the anticipation of being odd or even!

-General Laziness! Sometimes I just don't want to do anything other than sit on my butt and eat ice cream. And my husband is too smart/scared to tell me to do otherwise.

I have, however, taken an interest in counting my steps. I noticed there is a program already built into my phone which has been tracking my steps. I decided I needed to walk more! I was only getting about 3000-4000 steps in a day. Granted, I don't keep it on me at the gym, when I take the dog out or walking around the house, so the number are a little flawed. However, I know I am not the most dedicated walker and so I recently started paying more attention and making a better effort to get 10,000 in a day. I think that may have a little to do with how tired I have been. 10,000 steps with a 40 pound weight gain (talk about #gainz) can take a lot out of my little feet and ankles. Then, if I add a workout to that, I feel like I am over working my body.

So, there are my excuses as to why I have been so bad about the gym in the past two weeks. I will try to do better so I have a better story for the next blog post!

 

Week 29 and 30 and 31

We are doing 3 weeks for this blog... I have been busy with work, baby showers, maternity pictures and other joys in life so I haven't been able to blog much. But hey, not too much changed in the bonus week!

Who would have thought you could PR during pregnancy? We continued testing these past couple weeks and  I PR'd my bench press and came close to matching my one rep clean. Not that I test my bench press all the time, but it is one of my weakest lifts and I had my goal set for 85#. I was able to push 105# and even attempted 115# (with failure). While doing cleans, I hit 115# which wasn't a big feat for me. When I went to attempt 120#, I got in a really funky position and bailed on the lift. I noticed when it comes to my strength, if anything I have gotten stronger. However, my "straight bar path" is now nice and rounded which puts me in bad positions for anything going from the ground to my shoulders.

I dropped out of my first workout in a long time. I decided to hit up a hot Saturday class that had a 20 minute team AMRAP followed by a 15 minute team AMRAP. I finished the 20 minute one, but I decided to sit out the second one. WIth the heat and the extra weight of the babe, I decided 20 minutes plus a warm-up was a good attempt for a workout.

It's interesting not completing a workout. I had to take Riggs for a walk after the gym and I reflected on not completing today. I thought to myself "I could have finished," but then I also thought, "But I have the rest of the day that I need to be functional." Days have been much longer when I incorporate a morning workout. I get much more fatigued earlier on in the day and other physical activities become much more demanding. When scaling back on my workouts, I have been more energized to go to a few more classes per week. I was able to hit 4 classes instead of my recent 2-3.

As mentioned before, I have completely quit running, even during warm-ups. The extra weight has just been too much on my legs and fatigues me before we even get started. Even ground to standing rope climbs have become ring rows due to not being comfortable on my back. As this baby gains 1/2 a pound a week, I am feeling the weight gain in my abdominals and round ligaments. And may I just have a moment of silence for my obliques? They have officially left the building. 

 

 

 

Here is a picture at the beautiful baby shower my mother and best friends threw for me!

31 Weeks!

 

 

 

 

Week 27 and 28

As with many pregnant women, with our growing bellies and urge to keep up with our fitness routines, what we hear almost every day is "Listen to your body."

What "listening to my body" has meant to me:
-When  get out of breath, slow down and catch my breath.
-If it feel too heavy, don't pick it up. (Cut all my weights in half, no max reps)
-If it hurts, don't do it anymore. (Running, double unders, jump squats)
-If  I have a risk of falling, scale. (running backwards, box jumps)
-Sleep in and don't go to the gym because I am tired and according to the world I am "NEVER GOING TO SLEEP AGAIN, EVER!!!" 

So basically "listening to my body" has been nothing, but restricting. Which is fine, but what I learned this past week while listening to my body, truly amazed me. The first thing I did when I started crossfitting while pregnant was scale back. I quit basing my rep scheme on my previous one rep max percentage and just did what felt good that day. Rarely did I squat more than 105#, clean more than 95# or push press more than 65#. Workouts typically involve 65# and under and I usually skipped "test day."

Last week I decided to go to back squat test day because I really liked the workout. I figured it would be fun to see what I could squat at 7 months pregnant, because I haven't tested in the last 6 months. Well, I started out warming up at 65# and figured I would get to 145# or so. I did 145# for three reps and figured, why not keep going? So I did and I eventually got up to a 175# back squat which matches what my pre-pregnancy 1 rep max was! I was so incredibly proud of myself and was on fire all day. How was this possible? My training has been so light, I am 7 months pregnant and I assumed I was getting weaker. LIstening to my body made me achieve what I never thought was possible. I felt good that day. I felt strong. I took proper breaks in between reps and lifted, with good form might I add, what I did at my peak fitness level. There IS a PR in pregnancy!

This made me really dig into everytime I have ever failed a 1 rep max attempt. I have tried for 180 and 185 before and kicked myself all day because I didn't reach it. I blamed it on months of "poor training" and inability to get better. Looking back, it just wasn't my day. I was probably strong enough to achieve a high max, but not that day. I bet if I went back 2 days later and tried again, I probably would have done it. It may be a mental thing, it may be a diet thing, it may be a strength thing, but when it comes down to it, all three need to come together in order to achieve more. I am happy I listened to my body that day because it taught me a very valuable lesson that I may have never learned.

Now, I wanted to shout this from the mountain tops, but I could only imagine the texts and calls I would be getting from my sweet, worried family about the health of me and my baby. Again, I listened to my body, thought about the baby, and made the decision to go a little extra. I have been professionally trained to weight lift for two years and I know when I am pushing my limits. Honestly, I really wanted to try for 180#, but I didn't want to embarass pre-pregnant me :)