Summer has arrived and the 3rd trimester is underway!

I'm 10 weeks from baby's due date now, which is really good, and kind of crazy. I already feel really large, and I'm not sure I can continue expanding for another 10 weeks. For real. I might pop.

I've been teaching BodyPump classes still, though I've needed to make some modifications. I can no longer do crunches, leg extensions, or lying-flat-on-my-back abdominal exercises, but I can still do planks, hovers, mountain-climbers, etc. I can't pull the bar up into a proper upright row, keeping the bar close to the body, because my belly is getting in the way. So I've switched to using hand weights for that move. But otherwise, the teaching is going okay.

I am not, however, having much luck continuing to run. There's not much room for my lungs to do their job, and I find that it causes me to have contractions. Not the super-painful, labor-type contractions. But the kind that suck your breath away, and tighten your entire abdomen into one big cramp. Yeah. Super.

So, I'm giving up on running for the time being. I'll get back to that later, when there's not an extra human living in my body. ;-)


These last few months, I have not been myself. Besides not being able to do some things that I really enjoy (running, high-intensity exercise classes, drinking wine, wearing NORMAL CLOTHES!), and being a little jealous of those who can (ahem! Joel's been training for a half marathon, and hitting a PR practically every time he goes for a run), I've been just feeling really overwhelmed and unsure and emotional. Feeling lonely, but at the same time, just wanting solitude.

We weren't really planning on having another baby right now, and part of the unexpected is the doubt. I'm trying to remember that God's got a plan, and his timing is perfect... that he's got this, and I don't need to be anxious. But I'm a planner. I like to know what I'm in for, what's next, so it's hard for me.

I'm worried about finances. I'm worried about adding newborn demands to an already busy house. I'm anxious about juggling feeding schedules and nap schedules and school, work and class schedules. About doing a good job training and teaching my kids, and still having time to enjoy the precious individuals that they are.

I have goals and things of my own that I want to accomplish, but I worry that I will need to put them on hold indefinitely, because pursuing them feels selfish when everyone else needs so much of me. I recently realized that though I have lots of acquaintances and wonderful family, I have few, if any, close friends. I worry that I'm going to lose myself entirely if I don't make time for myself and for relationships, but that actually feels impossible. I'm juggling balls here, and if I add another, I'll drop one.

At the same time, I'm totally aware of the precious, fleeting moments and days that are flying by. I can't snuggle, or squeeze or listen to them enough, I know. I am totally maxed out with love here. And also totally maxed out on patience, most of the time. :-)

It's all part of this mom-wife-human gig, I know. And some days I just don't know how much more I have in me.

I know those are fairly normal things to feel, and I'm trying to cut myself some slack. But you know, sometimes, it feels like entirely too much effort to put on your happy face. I've been trying really hard just to show up some days. Church, friends, family gatherings, exercise... all of these things I am usually engaged in and enjoy. But lately, well... it all just feels like too much.

I keep reminding myself of this phrase: You are what you do.

I can't be excellent in any area of my life without putting in the effort. I need to show up, even when I don't feel like it.
And you know what? Showing up doesn't always feel worth it, even afterward. But I know it's how you get through life. One step at a time. Whether those steps are trudging, shuffling steps, or skipping, twirling steps. One foot in front of the other.

So for now, I'm over here growing larger every day, showing up, reminding myself that I am what I do, and that God will take care of what I can't do. It's all good.

The best laid plans.... and The Encouragers

If you've read my recent posts, you know I've been working on getting certified to teach BODYPUMP classes at my local YMCA.

The whole thing has been more work, and more fun, than I had anticipated.

I went through the training, and started teaching classes about 6 weeks ago.
2 weeks ago, I submitted my video to Les Mills for evaluation. Basically, I had to film myself teaching the 1-hour class, and they will review it and either pass or fail me. :-)
Well, not exactly. Either they'll give me my BODYPUMP certification, or they'll tell me what I need to work on, and give me a little time to re-submit another video, showing improvement.
So now that I've sent in that video, it's a waiting game. Anywhere from 4-8 weeks, which is a REALLY LONG TIME!

In the mean time, I am teaching classes and LOVING IT!!!

So, everything seems to be going as planned, right?
WRONG!
:-)

I found out about a week before my initial BODYPUMP training course, that I am pregnant. Sweet! Awesome! But totally not part of the plan! It seems like every time I think I have my next chapter in life planned, BAM! something entirely different rolls around. I guess some of my plans, like running Tough Mudder (which I already paid for :-/) and another half-marathon this summer, will need to be put on hold for a little while.

I was really nervous about getting into teaching group exercise at a time when I would be losing some of my strength/endurance, and gaining weight. I mean, who wants to start out as the rapidly-expanding pregnant instructor?!

But you know what? I have been blessed to have some pretty awesomely positive people in my life. They are like super-heroes, with the power to spur other people on and lift them up. The Encouragers in my life maybe don't even realize the words they say and the attitudes they carry are pumping others up all around them, but I want to join their league.

I'm 17 weeks pregnant today. That's 17 down, 23 to go. So far, so good.

I'm in the crazy middle of trying to figure out how this is all going to fit. Who will move to what bedrooms (We're forfeiting our office), what our schedule will look like with 4 kids, how long it'll be before I get another solid night's sleep.... you know, that stuff.

And, for now, I'm still teaching BODYPUMP and running (a lot less than I'd like). I'm not sure if I'll be able to keep teaching all the way through this pregnancy, but the doctors have assured me that as long as I feel able, and everything is progressing normally, I should be able to. I'll need to modify a few things, but it's all doable. So that's my new plan.

When I went in for my doctors appointment, the doc said, "well, I see your appetite is good. You've already gained 10 lbs. Keep in mind, weight gain is more rapid in the second half, so you're really going to want to pace yourself, since you've gotten a head start". Oh boy. Let's just say the doc is not one of The Encouragers. ;-)

So, YAY for babies!
And remember to be a positive, encouraging person. Do not underestimate the power of kind, honest encouragement!

One step at a time

Since my last blog post, I've been working on getting certified to teach group fitness classes.

In November and December, I completed my Group Fitness certification through AFAA and my CPR/AED/First Aid certification through Red Cross. These enable me to teach classes, in general, but don't really provide much education specific to any particular exercise practice.

A few weeks ago, I went through my initial Les Mills BODYPUMP training. This was a 2-day intense training, designed to challenge you and also to prepare you with all of the knowledge, technique and tools to start teaching BODYPUMP.

A week or two after I registered, I received the music CD, DVD, choreography book, and my track assignments, which were squats and shoulders. I had a couple of weeks before training to memorize my tracks and get familiar with the rest of the release.

There were 19 people in the training, and it was 9 hours the first day, and 8 hours the 2nd day. We were told to bring all of the food and drinks we may want/need, because there may be limited time for breaks. And thank goodness for the warning! The longest break we had the first day was 15 min!

Day 1, we went through the whole release (all of the tracks that make up the 1-hour class) right after introducing ourselves. This was a good thing, as it got the energy up, the blood pumping, the sweat rolling, and the jitters out.

After that, we had a big block of lecture time, followed by a short break to eat, use the bathroom, and get in the mindset to teach your first assigned track.

We went through the whole release again, as each person took their turn teaching their first track. Then on to more lecture time, focusing on how to teach better, and then we were done for the day.

I was so nervous going into day 1 that it was really just a relief to have it over with. I was tired, and hungry, and it felt really good to crawl into bed that night. :-)

The next day, we were back at it bright and early.

Day 2 was packed full of hard work, and we started right away.

We started off with a little lecture, and then went through the whole release, taking turns teaching our 2nd assigned track. We had a little snack break, and some more lecture, and then it was time for the BODYPUMP CHALLENGE!

We all knew this was coming, and that it should be feared, dreaded, and also conquered. It was as challenging as we had heard, but we were all a little tougher than we thought (except me... I'll explain in a minute).

We started off with a 15 min spinning session, to get everyone's heart rates revved up. Then we moved into the weight room. Normally, in BODYPUMP, it's all about muscle endurance. We don't lift max weights in BODYPUMP. We lift challenging weights, for a bazillion reps, and we increase those weights as we're able, so that we see continuous improvement. 

But during the challenge, we were told to lift 3-4 times the heaviest we had ever lifted in any particular lift, and we were aiming to lift to failure. (Which means until your muscles absolutely will not do another rep or inch.)

We paired off to encourage and spot each other. The trainer paired us up based roughly on size, and the chick I was paired with, well... "though she be but little, she is fierce"!

So we loaded up that bar, and we took turns spotting each other to muscle failure. This was supposed to show us that we are way tougher than we think we are. That our bodies are stronger than we give them credit for. That we should not be afraid to increase those weights. And for pretty much everyone else, it had the desired effect.

My Fierce-But-Little partner was a freakin' rockstar! She had to keep adding weights in order to max out. Then, when it was my turn, I'd feel really determined to just take her bar, with her weights still on it, and go for it, but.... my body just would not lift what she could lift. So almost every time it was my turn, I had to take weights off (except for squats). Which kind of just left me feeling like a wimp. I still maxed out every muscle group, but it didn't feel like much of an accomplishment in comparison.

**side rant**
Isn't that so often the case? Comparison is dumb. It takes all the joy out of life, man! We really gotta quit comparing ourselves with anyone else. My life is my race to run, and nobody ever said I need to run it as fast or as far as anyone else, as long as I run it to the best of my ability to the very end.

 

 **end side rant**

Anyway, after maxing out each muscle group, we then went into a 3-min hover plank. When every muscle in your body is trembling, it is hard- I mean REALLY HARD- to hold a steady hover for 3 min. But we were almost done, and everyone was cheering each other on. It really was one last "Come on! We're all in this together! We can't quit now! Let's finish this!" kind of plank-party! :-)

That was the end of the challenge, but not the end of our training. We had a lunch/recharge break for 25 min, which was the longest break we had over the 2-day training.

Then, with Bambi-like wobbly legs, we went through the entire release one last time. Each person taught their 2nd track one more time, adding in lots of the good tips and techniques we had learned. This last go-around was the absolute best! Everyone was so over any jitters, and was so sore and exhausted and charged up. We could see the finish line. We could FEEL the finish line, and we cheered each other to it. This was definitely, despite the fatigue, everyone's best teaching moment. It was a little bit of "fitness magic". ;-)

 

After we received our assessment forms, we had a little wrap-up pow-wow, where we went around and talked about our favorite moments of the training, what we got out of it, etc. Then, it was time to shake hands with each individual there, and say goodbye. SOMEBODY started crying, which then made everybody else cry, and pretty soon, everyone was shedding those stupid little joy-tears that slip out even if you try your damnedest to cage them in. I mean, I didn't cry, of course. But other people did. I successfully held all of my joy-tears captive, and told the person who started the waterworks to knock it off! ;-)

 So that was that.

I passed!

Now I have to co-teach with already-certified instructors at the Y until I am confident enough to teach on my own. I have 2 months (actually, more like 6 weeks now- yikes!) to film myself teaching the hour-long class on my own, live, with real participants and stuff (as opposed to fake ones? or....), and submit it to Les Mills for review. They'll decide if my timing, form, technique, and cuing are up to snuff. If not, they'll give me feedback and I'll have to re-submit another video. If so (and gosh I hope so), they'll certify me to teach.

So that's a little update on the slow progress I'm making over here. I just thought I'd better recap my BODYPUMP training experience while it was still somewhat fresh in my memory.