That hazy line of difference!

📸 on 21.10.26 by @suhithashettyphotography
World of my own🏳️‍🌈Through pregnancy and post it, my sole aim was to maintain or up my fitness level. Staying lean or getting back into shape was something that happened as a part of the process of keeping fit.The biggest advantage of consistently working out was that I could pick up from where I stopped almost as easily as 2 months post partum. Neither was I going out of breath or finding it hard to lift which would’ve been the case if I just focussed on staying lean/in shape. The line between wanting to ‘staying fit’ and ‘looking lean/thin’ is often misunderstood. Focus on the former and you will see that the latter will follow.

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#getupandgo #fitnesslife #oneyear #postpartum #whatsyourexcuse #lovewhatyoudo #sweatitout #fitspo #fitspiration #fitmom #fitfam #nike #betterforit #nikewomen #strengthtraining #pushpushpush 

…and just like that, we entered toddlerhood!

Holla everyone!!! Firstly, my apologies for being off the blog for a while… My little Ganesha is no longer little and has gone from baby➡️toddler and the journey has been quite a ride🙂🙃 

So all you mamas out there, toddlerhood is great for your body. The little one just keeps me on the move allllll the time! 

Along with squeezing in 4-5 workouts per week, I’ve been actively involved in his upbringing and I must admit, I can see the results showing on my body. By actively involved I mean-do as muchhh as possible, it can be as little as getting up to bring that tissue from the next room to clean you baby’s running nose(instead of calling for help)! The little things make the biggest difference🌟
Also, here’s wishing everyone a very Happy Diwali! 

Sweat & shine Mamas✨

#oneyearpostpartum

Routine baby. Routine you.

So it’s been a good 4 months…and I’m beginning to get a routine on my gym workouts! The great thing about moving from month 3 to 4 is that the baby seems to develop a routine about his/her daily activities(make sure you help him/her with that. i.e If you’ve started on semi solids, time it around the same time everyday. Also, I feed him totally on demand and it seems to work just fine).So my weight training workouts are still in the basic strength level where I choose to do 2 muscle areas every alternate day. I follow the same variation of exercises for about 3 weeks. For example, today’s muscle areas in focus were the back & biceps.Variations included: 

-pull ups with leg support

-lateral pull down 

-seated cable row

-hyper extension 

-barbell curl

-preacher 

-concentration curl 

So when I say basic, it’s with reference to the kind of variations for all muscles. Like today, I would’ve usually done variations like deadlift/T bar row but chose not to until I reach the strength level I had prior to pregnancy. Reason being, though it’s only been about 4 months since I saw the face of weights, not to forget is that I only stuck to very basic exercises throughout pregnancy.So the gap is wide. A year to be precise. Therefore, take it slow with pushing your limits right now but be very very consistent. Less but routine is the key! 

Here are a few pictures of the little one from today. Was so happy to see him though I was out of sight only for about 2 hours. He’s beginning to love wobble-standing🙈 

I think it’s a great break for a new mom to spend an hour or two just doing what she enjoys. And choosing to workout is just the right one! 

Happy motherhood👼🏻
   
 

It’s all in you!

My first post for the bright year coming ahead! So, the little one and me are running into this new year-He with his aghoo’s and maa’s ;               Me like literally running!😉

It’s been about 10 weeks since I gave life to this little bundle of joy and life could not have been better! The sleepless nights are getting better though he continues to wake up for feeds, the frequency is lesser! Breastfeeding doesn’t feel like a ‘task’ anymore as the number of feedings have reduced. 

It’s so heart warming to watch a little one observe and familiarise his surrounding.Our little one here likes his share of attention already, calling out if no familiar faces are around🙄 
So getting to my fitness routine, I’ve been running for the last 3 weeks and I feel great! Most of my runs have been at home-on the treadmill, as the need to stay in proximity to the little one is priority:) My run days are being alternated with some own body weight exercises,abs,leg strengthening workouts etc. on the other alternate days. 

So this is how a week’s fitness schedule looks like: 

Day 1-Walk & Run for 30 minutes. Play around with the inclination and speed options depending on how your body is responding.

Day 2-Abs. Try out many variations. The front plank and side planks are a must!

Day 3-Run for 20 minutes.(Keep a margin of 5 minutes to warm up and cool down). 

Day 4-Leg day. Lots of own body weight kicks.(Can make use of ankle weights if necessary). Use weights to do squats, lunges, sumo squats, calf raises.(5-7 kgs Dumbbells). 

Day 5-Run for 20 minutes.(Keep a margin of 5 minutes to warm up and cool down).Try variations on the treadmill for about 8-10 minutes eg. back running, side running, lunge walking , crossover running etc. 

Day 6-Stretch your entire body well. Include some yoga asanas. Sun salutations, warrior poses, breathing variations, bridge pose etc. 

Day 7-Rest
I’m glad I’ve been able to catch up on the fitness front from home itself. It does take some motivation for you to put on those running shoes and get going. A little tip I’d like to share is to ‘plug in some music’! It really gets my energy up:) 

So that’s all for now all you mama’s and to-be-mama’s…Happy motherhood 👑 

Keep that sweat trickling 👊🏼
   
   

Altering the routine

Pregnancy week 21. Continuing to do weight training but altered my routine of doing weights-Instead of the 2 muscle areas each day 3 times a week routine; 

I stared doing a circuit workout .i.e.

•upper body weights(bicep curls, triceps push down,shoulder press,bent over rows etc.) on one day, 

•lower body weights (squats,sumo squats,lunges,leg extension,abductor,adductor,calf raises etc.)on the other and 

•just using own body weight (push-ups,back dips,lots of kick variations for the outer and inner thigh etc)another day. 

Remember the focus is to ‘maintain’ your fitness level and not to compete/compare! Eat right and stay hydrated👊🏼

   
 

All about posture.

All about posture. 
This was snapped when I was in my 18th week of pregnancy at the gym. 

My trainer has slowly incorporated a couple of more own body weight exercises by now. Most of them were what I was already
used to doing, with slight alterations. 

For eg. Instead of the dolphin plank I switched to doing the plank with my palm on the ground instead of the elbows on the ground. (Here in the pictures, I’ve put up pictures of both variations).The same with the side planks. The plank is a great exercise to tone the entire body. In fact today, it forms a part of my warm up!

Also, the areas of focus were outer thigh and inner thigh. Try strengthening the muscles that aid in achieving a normal delivery. The pelvic region, hips, inner and outer thigh, back etc. 

Use the abductor and adductor machines. We also did a few floor exercises focusing on the thigh areas using ankle weights. Hip raises for the back.Squats, sumo squats, lunges for the lower body. Use weights for the lower body depending on your strength level. 

More than using weights, the focus was on doing more repetitions. 

I didn’t really expect to start a blog or share pictures of pregnancy workouts at that point of time, so I’m just sharing whatever few I have:) 

Happy training 💪🏼
   
    
 

That ‘stay safe’ period

Throwing it way back to my first day at the gym after the first 3-4 months of ‘stay safe’ period during pregnancy. 
The general belief, as soon as you get pregnant is that you need to safeguard the little one in you until she/he settles in the womb to a certain extent. Sticking to this belief, I chose not to workout at the gym for the first 4 months of my pregnancy. Also another reason I chose not to go was cause the weights and equipment would just tempt me to use them a ‘little’ atleast. In order to resist this temptation, I choose to keep it slow and stayed home during this period.Note that I said ‘not to workout at the gym’ which doesn’t mean I didn’t do anything at all. I still managed to walk for half hour/45 minutes and stretch out my body completely on days I didn’t feel so low and nauseated. 

There were days where I didn’t feel like doing anything at all and all I did was listen to my body and not to anything(This could go on for a week at a stretch too. Don’t press on it. There will be days where you will feel much more energetic. Push yourself a little more on those days.) Nausea did give me a hard time and I ended up loosing some weight in the first 3 months cause along with nausea I didn’t really feel the urge to eat. Things really picked up in the following months though. 

Here, I’m posting a picture from my first day at the gym after the ‘stay safe’ break I had taken. 
Until later,Happy motherhood👶🏻 

 

Oh, I Just Delivered!

39 weeks pregnant v/s 1 week post partum.

Okay, so this post goes up to just send out a message that working out and staying active throughout pregnancy is definitely a positive👆

I’ve always been keen on staying fit rather than loosing weight. The inclination towards staying fit probably comes from the fact that I’ve been professionally involved in a sport (lawn tennis) for almost half my life. 

An important message I’d like to put across is that what actually did me good was staying dedicated and consistent with my workouts prior to delivery rather than worrying about the weight piled up post delivery.I tried to stay active and fit until even a week before I delivered. Make sure you focus more on maintaining your fitness level rather than watching your weight because getting back in shape post delivery depends mostly on your fitness level rather than watching your weight. 

Talking of watching weight, I had gained 9 kgs through your pregnancy. My little man weighed 3.250 kgs at birth which according to my doctor was a healthy number.So don’t worry if you haven’t really put on weight throughout pregnancy, focus on eating right and homemade fresh food. 

My pregnancy workouts included:

-prenatal yoga 

-weight training (focussing more on own body weight exercises) 

-for cardio I walked everyday about 4-5 times a weeks for 45 minutes to an hour depending on how I felt each day. 

I juggled between the above workouts throughout the week. On alternate days I did yoga & weight training and walked to warm up before each workout.

Many people are skeptical about working out during pregnancy in Indian culture. Be your best judge and push yourself to your personal best and don’t compete during this phase.Get a personal trainer who specialises in prenatal  training and get them and your doctor to convince your family members about the benefits of working out throughout pregnancy.  In my case, I thanked my mommy for getting convinced, and letting me do what it takes.

That’s it for now and will keep you’ll posted on my workouts post pregnancy in the following posts.Hope the above info helps people who are in seek of such help. 

Stay fit & Happy motherhood👶🏻 
#newmom #fitpregnancy #nopainnogain #listentoyourbody #doyoursquats #getsomemuscle #allinthemind #playasport #nofilter