Immerse Yourself

Have you ever had a baby or raised a child? Perhaps you strategically planned and organized a pregnancy or adoption. Who knows, maybe that little bundle of joy was the fruit of a passionate night punch drunk on love and margaritas. Either way, I’m willing to bet what ever the case, you dove in head first…right into the deep end. I imagine that you fully immersed yourself in all things pregnancy, adoption, motherhood and full blown baby world. We can’t help it!

From the moment you knew it was official, I’m guessing you went directly to the book store and purchased “What to Expect When Expecting” among other numerous forms of literature. Chances are you strolled the isles of Baby’s R Us and started watching the Baby Channel. You began researching all stages of pregnancy and infancy every minute you could spare. Your desire to precisely hone in on every facet of each phase was intentional and important. After all your whole existence as you knew it was about to drastically change!

Y’all, I was so into it. I read, researched and asked one trillion questions when I was pregnant. I even rented a baby monitor from an advertisement in the back of a preggars mag so I could listen to the heartbeat. It was such a thrilling time…until the night nausea and heart burn set in. lol

Changing the subject matter…

When you make the bold decision to truly live all things healthy and FIT you should imagine that your life is going to look really different. Like seriously different, much like having a real life baby of your own type of change. Your new lifestyle change is a mindset and you must begin to live and act as if you can’t ever go back to the way of life that you have now! Your life gets better!

Welcome to infancy.

Congratulations. You’re birthing and or adopting FITness and health as a newborn baby. You’re ready to roll because you have already done your homework and bought the right clothes. Your tennis shoes fit and the pantry is semi in the right groove. You’ve joined a gym or hired a trainer but just like that te-niney baby…you’re never fully prepared until it actually comes home. In this case your first workout or cardio session is equal to baby’s first night at the house. As the week progresses, you might feel alone, nervous, exhausted and starving but baby doll listen to me ….you can do this!

You didn’t give up on pregnancy or mother hood the first week so don’t give up on FITness. Sticking with week one of a FITness objective will actually spark an endorphin rush if you do it the right way.

Depending on your goals… here are a few ways to immerse yourself so you can feed and nurture your newborn into a strong-willed toddler.

Surround yourself with like-minded people. Those friends who really really love to workout and usually annoyed the crap out of you…like the kinder music mommy play groups…call them up girl. Call up those FIT friends and tell them the exciting news…they will welcome you with open arms…I promise. Be sure to unblock these folks on Facebook and follow them on Instagram. Motivation at any level is proprietary.
Don’t restrict calories in the pregnancy or infancy phase of your healthy lifestyle change. Remember my motto, “A hungry body is a healthy body.” Feed yourself, your muscles and your changing body. But, hold up yo… feed it good vitamin rich foods. Nutrient foods and good proteins. During this phase be watchful for the quantity of food. Try and ween yourself from major processed foods such as chips and cookies.
Drink up… your first word should be water!!! More water please. No more sugary colas and or diet sodas. If possible break up with fruit juices. This is a trap into a pit of unnecessary calories and sugar intake. End this immediately. Make a slow transition from whole milk to 2%…then to 1% and ultimately down to skim milk. Only the best for you sweet pea!
Schedule your workouts…don’t skip this key step unless you’re carrying your head in your hand! You wouldn’t miss the pediatric appointments so show up for your workout. It isn’t a waste of time or money. Each workout or power walking session is practie and progress. Your learning to crawl baby doll. Don’t get hung up on the scale. Just show up regularly and do the work.

I get it yall. Not all pregnancies are easy breezy. Everyone has a different journey and I realize there is not a one size FITs all plan. As you immerse yourself in the new FIT lifestyle you are going to have bad days. You heard it hear…you will experience sore muscles, low or increased energy, and increased appetite. You may curse and swear and throw up your hands. You may have thoughts of running away or running to the nearest burger and beer joint. This is totally normal but just like you battled through the colic, the dirty diapers and the sleepless nights, you will battle through this. Look how strong you are…morning sickness √ reflux √ swollen body parts √ pre clampsea √ epidural √ child birth √ adoption services √ interviews and paper work √ I could go on and on. You did it so don’t give up now!

Immerse yourself in all things good, balanced and healthy.