Workout Wardrobe Makeover

Last week I was reviewing the expiration dates in my Groupon account and noticed that I had only five weeks to use the remaining 19 classes of a 20-class pass at a local gym. (Would you believe me if I told you I had gone to only one class the week I bought the Groupon and never returned? Sadly, this is true.) So I mapped out the four classes I would attend each week for the next five weeks. This is week two, and I have to report that my body was in dire need of this wake-up call. The Fitness Challenge had kept me in pretty decent shape before I went and birthed a child. And while the Groupon was meant to add some spice to the workouts I should have otherwise been doing, I had yet to really shock my bod back into high gear. So the Groupon is going to do it for me. Since last week, thanks to one particular Cardio Sculpt class (TRX bands, kettleballs, and handweights plus aerobic activity, squats, lunges, you get the picture), I have been sore like never before.

All this working out in public, however, has inspired me to look for a new workout wardrobe. I think a trip to Lululemon is in order...

If I wear these, will my legs look like this?!

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Baby Boot Camp Loot

I may or may not have mentioned how much I love the Baby Boot Camp class I've been going to since Ava was about 10 months old. (The fact that I hadn't heard about it and didn't go every single day while I was on maternity leave is a travesty.) The instructor/franchise owner is amazing and tailors the workouts so you're always at the fitness level you feel most comfortable to push yourself.

What makes it even more fun is the fact that I won the fitness challenge run a few weeks ago and I was awarded my prize at class this morning...

Here's what I scored: Water bottle filled with some fun samples including Aveeno shampoo, conditioner, baby shampoo, Aquaphor healing ointment, Philosophy lip gloss (I can always use this stuff; my lips soak it up like a sponge), Sports Basement sticker, and $10 gift card. Not bad.

And I think it's only fair to share my winnings with my biggest contender since we really were neck-and-neck the whole time.

Ava Elise, You're a Terrible Tease!

Ava is so fun and playful, and she loves a good tease (a girl after my own heart; one of my all-time favorite books growing up was Never Tease a Weasel). Lately she's been doing this prank where she'll say "More!" to tell me that she's ready for the next bite, even though she's really all done eating, so as I bring the spoon to her mouth, she turns her head quickly, resting her chin on her shoulder, and laughs. So I say (in a grumpy old man voice, because that just makes everything more fun), "Ava, are you tricking Mommy?" We go on and on like this a gazillion times, it's a riot.

It reminds me of the first little prank she used to play when she was only a few months old, barely crawling (so she must have been about six months). She would say "Up!" which is what she says when she wants someone to pick her up and hold her, and then just as I bent down to do so, she would crawl away really fast in a fit of giggles. That girl makes my heart melt.

In other news, I went to Baby Boot Camp class this morning for the first time in ages. I almost didn't go because I'm not used to getting up and moving early and we had a different car so I had to install the car seat and get Ava fed and dressed and all packed up, which can take forever so I was worried we'd get there too late. But I'm very happy we did go because unbeknownst to me it was Fitness Challenge Day so we tested squat jumps, pushups, plank, and a timed 1 mile cardio run. And I won the cardio run! I used to be a decent runner but I've only been running a couple times since I was pregnant (if you can even call it running with the baby jogger) but I ran that mile in 8 minutes and 38 seconds!

Funny story though... I was actually just jogging it and chatting it up with another mom, so we pulled up to the finish line together ending up with the same time. Which meant that we had to run another mile to break the tie. We started off jogging together the same way, and she asked me if I wanted to just tie again and split the prize. I said yes, but then a desperately competitive force took over me as the finish line was in sight and I asked her if she wanted to sprint it out to the finish line. She hesitantly said yes, but I barely waited for her response before I was off and at the end of the line. Maybe not the friendliest gesture if I'm trying to make new mom friends. But I think we were both happy that we pushed each other, and maybe I'll share the prize with her in the end, we'll see. ;)

Time to Shake Things Up

Just before I was impregnated with the most delicious little cupcake who has made me the happiest I've ever been, I was feeling pretty good about my bod. I was in the absolute best shape of my life. And I owe it all to my bun, Katie, who prompted me to join her in a Fitness Challenge. We had been motivating each other by adding a little friendly competition to our workouts on-and-off for the past couple years and having someone to cheer you on and hold you accountable makes all the difference.

But then we both somehow magically became pregnant within a couple months of each other, and I've found myself almost a year after giving birth (much, much later than I intended) without really having started my crazy workout routine back up.

I had been walking all along and that with breastfeeding melted most of my pregnancy weight right off. And I even joined Baby Boot Camp a few weeks ago and love the Saturday morning mommy-and-me stroller-based workouts. Plus I bought a great Groupon deal for 20 classes at a local gym. One would think I was in it to win it. But since the weather's been cold and wet I've been letting myself slide far too much. I mean, we have our very own private gym with an elliptical, treadmill, and Bowflex all dusted off out of the garage and ready for us to get back into the groove. But I still needed that extra kick to hold myself accountable... enter Katie and Fitness Challenge 2012.

We'll be using this new site, stickK, that Katie discovered to help track the realization of our personal fitness goals (much easier than the insane spreadsheets we crafted for previous fitness challenges but we'll see if it holds up as well). So February is my month. Ava will turn one in a couple weeks and I'm ready to be one hot mama.

P.S. My lovely Jennifer just sent me this hilarious video that cinched the deal...

Please tell me this video doesn't make you want to shake your money-maker.