I'm just over 8 months pregnant, 32 weeks and 4 days to be exact. I really can't believe how long it took to get to this point and I still have some time left to go. This pregnancy feels like it started in December 2014. Probably because it basically did.
It was around that time, in late December 2014 when we dove back in to the world of IVF. I had previously spent much of 2014 dialing in hard on my diet and my workouts (for the sole purpose of "I can" and "I will" and because that's where my passion lies) and thoroughly enjoying how I felt and the body I created through all that hard work and determination. I knew the following year was going to be devoted to IVF and [hopefully] a pregnancy. Having succumbed to this life consuming, self sacrificing treatment before, I knew how challenging it was and that challenge motivated me greatly to make the most of myself before those days would engulf me. My endorphins were pumping that summer. I was happy, healthy, and it felt amazing to feel so good. I think back to those days often and they give me a great sense of accomplishment.
I knew that going through an IVF cycle was going to automatically put a minimum of 10lbs on my body. I knew I would feel bloated 100% of the time and that those hormone shots and pills would do as little as change my entire personality. IVF and pregnancy alike are both self sacrificial for me, like many others. I don't like to complain about it, hence my lack of recent blog postings, but it is long and it is hard.
While pregnant with my first IVF miracle, Khloe, I had never heard of CrossFit. At the time, my "thing" was spin classes and training for sprint triathlons. When I found out I was pregnant, spin only lasted until I was about 4 months pregnant and my jogs down the monon ended during my 6th month of pregnancy. Months 7-9 were spent standing in a pool simply to relieve the strain on my back, working my cubicle job as a graphic designer and being hot, swollen, and hungry. Needless to say, after I gave birth, my lack of muscle tone was not to be desired. I had a very long road to recovery (due mostly to a traumatic birth experience) and a long way to go to get my strength and sense of self back.
The good news, or part of the goods news, is that I have learned over this past year how to be more selfless and how to be much kinder to myself while still staying on track and being active. As 2014 came to an end, I had to make a hard to decision to step away from my competitive mentality and step into more of a lifestyle routine. One great thing about my community of people is that the opportunity for competitive CrossFit is there, but it's not front and center of our program. You actually rarely see it, if you see it at all. I am able to go workout and have fun. There are days I go to the gym and simply take myself through the motions with very minimal effort. Why? Because I know that getting myself in there just to move is important and my community of people are important to me because they are so like minded and supportive. I think that becoming more selfless in the gym has allowed me to become a better coach as well. There are several movements right now that any single person in our gym could beat me at in a workout and that's awesome. For instance, challenge me to a sit-up contest and I'll forfeit before we even start. Ha! I know I've made progress mentally when I laugh at that idea and don't just laugh, then think about it and feel sorry for myself because there are things I cannot do right now. I also get to spend this time cheering on others, sitting on the sidelines during competitions, and putting more energy into helping others make progress.
I'm extremely grateful for this pregnancy - for the true miracle that it is. And although the road has been hard, I'm grateful for my learning experiences and the progress I've made over the past year.
Thanks and see ya later, 2015. You were hard, but you were worth it. 100%.
It was around that time, in late December 2014 when we dove back in to the world of IVF. I had previously spent much of 2014 dialing in hard on my diet and my workouts (for the sole purpose of "I can" and "I will" and because that's where my passion lies) and thoroughly enjoying how I felt and the body I created through all that hard work and determination. I knew the following year was going to be devoted to IVF and [hopefully] a pregnancy. Having succumbed to this life consuming, self sacrificing treatment before, I knew how challenging it was and that challenge motivated me greatly to make the most of myself before those days would engulf me. My endorphins were pumping that summer. I was happy, healthy, and it felt amazing to feel so good. I think back to those days often and they give me a great sense of accomplishment.
I knew that going through an IVF cycle was going to automatically put a minimum of 10lbs on my body. I knew I would feel bloated 100% of the time and that those hormone shots and pills would do as little as change my entire personality. IVF and pregnancy alike are both self sacrificial for me, like many others. I don't like to complain about it, hence my lack of recent blog postings, but it is long and it is hard.
While pregnant with my first IVF miracle, Khloe, I had never heard of CrossFit. At the time, my "thing" was spin classes and training for sprint triathlons. When I found out I was pregnant, spin only lasted until I was about 4 months pregnant and my jogs down the monon ended during my 6th month of pregnancy. Months 7-9 were spent standing in a pool simply to relieve the strain on my back, working my cubicle job as a graphic designer and being hot, swollen, and hungry. Needless to say, after I gave birth, my lack of muscle tone was not to be desired. I had a very long road to recovery (due mostly to a traumatic birth experience) and a long way to go to get my strength and sense of self back.
The good news, or part of the goods news, is that I have learned over this past year how to be more selfless and how to be much kinder to myself while still staying on track and being active. As 2014 came to an end, I had to make a hard to decision to step away from my competitive mentality and step into more of a lifestyle routine. One great thing about my community of people is that the opportunity for competitive CrossFit is there, but it's not front and center of our program. You actually rarely see it, if you see it at all. I am able to go workout and have fun. There are days I go to the gym and simply take myself through the motions with very minimal effort. Why? Because I know that getting myself in there just to move is important and my community of people are important to me because they are so like minded and supportive. I think that becoming more selfless in the gym has allowed me to become a better coach as well. There are several movements right now that any single person in our gym could beat me at in a workout and that's awesome. For instance, challenge me to a sit-up contest and I'll forfeit before we even start. Ha! I know I've made progress mentally when I laugh at that idea and don't just laugh, then think about it and feel sorry for myself because there are things I cannot do right now. I also get to spend this time cheering on others, sitting on the sidelines during competitions, and putting more energy into helping others make progress.
I'm extremely grateful for this pregnancy - for the true miracle that it is. And although the road has been hard, I'm grateful for my learning experiences and the progress I've made over the past year.
Thanks and see ya later, 2015. You were hard, but you were worth it. 100%.
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| 2014 |
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| 2015 |
I appreciate your work. Keep it up. Update us with new posts.
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