Author: Patricia Parker

My colleague and expectant mother, Kim, is writing this week….

Til next time

P

I run a marathon everyday…

And that’s without lifting a single foot…but don’t be jealous… I am 31 weeks pregnant.

So, I’ve been thinking about what to write for a few days now. Exercise and pregnancy. Do they really go hand in hand (or should I say hand in belly)? Absolutely! I currently exercise 3 days a week with a group of other expecting Moms through a prenatal exercise group called Bare, Fit, and Pregnant (I know, I love that name). I’ve been going since April once the initial nausea and extreme fatigue of my pregnancy slowed down. Oh, did I say I exercise 3 times a week? Let me rephrase that. I’m supposed to exercise 3 times a week.

Excuses for not going:

1.) I’m tired
2.) I’m tired
3.) I’m tired
4.) My stomach is too heavy – no, seriously!

You get the idea. I do run a marathon everyday, you remember.

Benefits of exercising during pregnancy:

1.) The camaraderie and support when you join a group like the one I am in is amazing. And as a first time Mom-to-be, you want all of the information you can get. And you don’t feel weird asking what you think are stupid questions. Because guess what?! Everyone else there is thinking the same thing. It’s great.
2.) Strengthening your core (abdominals & back) and legs, which help you not only prepare for labor, but it also helps you get back to your pre-pregnancy weight faster afterwards. It really is a win-win situation.
3.) Sleep better at night – this is HUGE!
4.) Helps to maintain a healthy weight gain – ‘WHAT?!’ you say. ‘Weight gain?’ A little counter-intuitive to the other blog posts you’ve been reading. But yes, I get to gain weight on this journey, unlike any other time in my life. Unfortunately I’ve gained more than I would like to have at this point, but without the exercise it would be even more.

Costs:
You get tired – but you already are tired, so really, this isn’t a ‘cost’ is it?

So there you have my two bits on exercise and pregnancy. My goal for the next 9 weeks is to just keep plugging away, know my limits and have fun. Until next time…Kim

Hi all,

I must be getting old…I completely forgot to post yesterday.  I was on vacation the week of August 17.  We had fun.  I would like to point out that sailing IS, after all, categorized as a sport, so I did manage to serendipitously work in some fitness.  It was like spending a week sitting on a Theraball.

I wasn’t so concerned about counting calories or walking 3-4 kms per day, but I didn’t gain any weight, so things must have balanced themselves out. 

Finally, today is my 49^th birthday.  As my gift to you, I will share a recipe for sinfully delicious chocolate cake.  My modifications to this recipe:  I don’t add any salt; I substitute ½ all purpose flour and ½ whole wheat flour;  and,  I add 1tsp of lemon juice to milk to “sour” it if I forgot to get buttermilk in the groceries.  A piece of this cake shouldn’t throw a big wrench into your healthy eating plans:

EatingWell’s Died-and-Went-to-Heaven Chocolate Cake

This foolproof cake is one of our most popular recipes. Dutch-process cocoa is preferred here for its deep chocolate flavor.

Til next time

P

I hope you’re enjoying a nice break from the searing hot temperatures of last week. It sure makes it easier to motivate myself to get going. I kept up with swimming this week, making it to the pool three times and I walked every day. One of my colleagues is going to Aquasize, so I’ll join her for some company. I haven’t picked up my pedometer yet, so I can’t report on the 10,000 step challenge. I did do some research regarding food and, as with most internet searches, I found an interesting and helpful site along the way to support me is achieving a healthier life.

First of all, let’s talk about food. I’ve been receiving a “Daily Recipe” from Dr. Andrew Weil for quite a few years. The recipes I’ve tried are good. He supports eating local, organic produce and free range meat and dairy products. He also supports sustainable fisheries. I first encountered Dr. Weil on Public Television. I have also read one of his books about living a long and healthy life. His advice is very practical and most of it is no cost, just minor changes to shopping and cooking habits. You can also get his cheery newsletter by signing up below:
https://www.drweilsplan.com/online-program/sign-up.aspx

This week, I’ve been incorporating more vegetables and fruit into my daily menu. I’ve managed to get 5-6 daily servings of this deliciousness. I’ve been avoiding potato based carbs and focusing more on whole grains, basmati and brown rice, along with whole wheat (WW) pasta. I’m not fond of WW pasta. I find it has too much texture for my liking. I will start making my WW pasta from scratch again, one of these days…For now; I’ll stick to one of the organic varieties from the grocery store. I’ve been fairly consistent about eating a bowl of bran in the morning with a sliced banana on top…I’m actually starting to like it.

I also wrote last week about doing a recipe search of the Heart and Stroke Foundation. On my way to the recipe index, I stumbled across this:
http://www.heartandstroke.bc.ca/site/c.kpIPKXOyFmG/b.5338105/k.EFAE/HeartStroke_Healthy_Weight_Action_Plan.htm?src=home.

Well, I was intrigued by the serendipity. I signed up and took the first lesson. Did you know that a “medium potato” is the size of a computer mouse (I weep. I would have considered that a very SMALL potato) or that a serving of cheese is the size of four small dice (obviously, I’m not using my good thinking when deciding a portion of these foods)? Aside from those shocks, there is a helpful daily diary which logs food intake and exercise.

In general, I feel far more energized and sleep better at night. I have found, though, that my favorite hobby, knitting, is getting left in the basket. I just don’t have the same amount of “down time”. Oh well, don’t count on a homemade Christmas present this year!!
Till next time
P

The “Mission Fit Possible” bloggers met this week to review our first month. I am delighted with the commitment of my colleagues and the high caliber of their weekly entries. When I envisioned the idea of “the blog”, I didn’t dream it would be so funny, informative and heartfelt. Thank you.

The rest of this entry is all about me. I’ve noticed that I’m not cringing at the mere suggestion of a long walk. I don’t throw my arms up in despair when I have to make another trip upstairs. I’m looking forward to my noon hour dip in the UBC pool. I don’t drive in Vancouver, so I walk a lot. I used to take the bus. I’m even inclined to carry home heavy jugs of milk and produce. While none of this may seem like I’m in training for a marathon, it does represent, for me, baby steps to adopting a more active life.

By necessity during the current hot weather, I’ve really stopped baking. While I always tried to bake healthy snacks, they did include sugar and some form of fat. Since I’ve been avoiding the kitchen like a cat avoids water the last week or so, we’ve eaten more fruit or crunchy vegetables for snacks. I’ve been drinking way more water, too, instead of coffee with cream or soda pop with artificial sweetener.

My plans for this week are to keep up a noon hour swim. I logged 1200 metres at the pool last week (cumulatively) last week and discovered a way to reduce the fatigue I experience in my neck and shoulders from sitting and typing most of the day. I’m glad about that, because I didn’t manage my morning walk. I did walk 2.88 km from home to work and back each day, but not much extra mileage. I will start wearing a pedometer this week to see if I’m managing the 10,000 daily steps (www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html).

Tomorrow, we will be enjoying BC Day by polishing the hull of our little sailboat. Now that’s a good upper body work out. Are any of you old enough to remember “wax on, wax off”? Good bye flabby upper arms and hello biceps. I’m also going to take a few minutes this week to look up my favourite recipes on the Heart and Stroke Foundation website. I’ll link any particular new fav’s I discover.

Til next time
P