2nd Baby – 4 Months Postpartum Body

I honestly really questioned whether or not I should write this post about my 4 months postpartum body. It’s been 3 months since I initially wrote about my 2nd baby postpartum body goals and I barely started doing any of my goals until October. BUT I decided that it was worth sharing because it goes to show that it’s never too late to start! Here’s a little refresher on the goals I set for myself at the end of July:

• Exercise 3x a week
• Jog 1x a week
• Drink 65 oz. water a day
• Cut down on sweets and wine during the week

These goals were geared towards being healthier and starting a regular exercise routine. I joined a running encouragement group towards the end of August, so I started running about once a week. It helped so much to have other ladies with their own goals checking in and encouraging each other! That group is absolutely what kickstarted my return to exercise. Now I’m running 1-3 times a week and using an app to help me get back to being able to run 3 miles. (It’s called 5K Runner and was one of my October Favorites) Once I build up my distance I will work on speed and then train for a 10K in the spring. Now that my momentum is building I feel like I can take on my goals no problem. I don’t have to run every day, or even 3 times a week, to work towards my goals. I can just give it all I’ve got when I do get a run in and go for it!

I just started regularly exercising at home at the beginning of October thanks to an Instagram challenge called Last 90 Days. One of the daily activities is to move for 30 minutes every day, so 2-3 days a week my movement is an at-home workout. I’m currently working my way through Jillian Michaels’ Beginner Shred workout program. The program was designed for people that haven’t worked out in a while and need to ease into things a bit. It’s been amazing! It’s just the right amount of challenging and the intensity increases every 10 days. Once I finish this program, I will probably do another Jillian 30 day program. I’ve also thought about trying something else for a month, so let me know if you have at-home workout recommendations! If I don’t run or do my Jillian workout, then I’m either cleaning (I work up a sweat!) or taking the girls on a walk for my movement.

Let’s talk more about this Last 90 Days thing. I joined Rachel Hollis’ Last 90 Days challenge on Instagram and started my own little encouragement group for it. Its all about finishing the year stronger and healthier, because why wait until January 1st! The Last 90 Days is about incorporating Rachel Hollis’ Five to Thrive into your every day routine for the last 3 months of the year. The Five to Thrive are five healthy habits that you practice every day and are intended to help you develop a healthier lifestyle. The habits focus on both physical and mental health. The Five to Thrive are: drink 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water every day, get up an hour earlier, move for 30 minutes every day, practice gratitude and write down 1 thing you are grateful for every day, and give up one food item/category every month. Most of these elements are goals that I already had for myself, but having a formal challenge and my little encouragement group are really helping me stick to them! I’ve actually been going above and beyond my water goal!

The last item is cutting back on sweets and wine. I will say that I actively worked on that goal right away. I still had sweets and wine, but not as much. I also started meal prepping my lunches. I cooked Jesse’s lunches for a few weeks because he was busy or forgot, so I decided to just make enough for both of us. It has really helped to have a healthy option waiting for me in the freezer. Plus, if I eat a healthy lunch and exercise, I’m less likely to make poor snack decisions during the day. As part of the Last 90 Days I gave up Starbucks for October. I was going almost every time I left the house, so I was consuming a lot of sugar and spending a lot of money. That definitely helped curb my sugar addiction! This month I’m giving up desserts! (Except for on Thanksgiving Day!) I can still have things like pancakes or French toast as a meal, but no cookies, cakes or candy. I’m also not going to buy any more wine. I know that it will become a dessert substitute most nights of the week, so I’m just not bringing it into the house. I will still have drinks out, just not at home.

Whew! This post ended up being a little wordier than I thought it would! I haven’t even shared progress pictures yet! These are more for me than for you, but I find side-by-sides to watch my progress helpful!

There honestly isn’t much of a difference between these two photos, which is to be expected since I’ve only been regularly exercising for a few weeks. I do see a slight difference in my waist though, which is probably why my jeans fit better now! I also see a slight difference in my arms and shoulders. My posture has been so horrible this past year. I think exercise, and an improved mood, have definitely helped me stand a little straighter.

Still working on some squats to get those booty gains! I’m not sure if it’s the lighting, but it looks as though my thighs have a little more definition here. (Also we have been testing new mattresses, so our old one lives propped on the wall until we make a final decision).

Now the tummy… I haven’t noticed much change here. I’m not sure if that’s lingering diastasis issues or mostly just excess skin. I’ve been thinking that if I continue to not see change then I may visit my physical therapist and have her check my ab separation again. I’ve been trying to work on my inner abs and steer clear of certain exercises just in case, but I would feel better if I got the full okay from her. I’m not in denial that I may just have a little pooch there for awhile, I just want to make sure that my body is as strong as possible and that I’m not causing myself any harm or damage in the process.

My goals for the next 3 months are essentially the same as they were back at the end of July, but I am adding to them a bit:

• Exercise *at least* 3x a week
• Jog *at least* 1x a week
  • Finish my 5K Runner training program
• Drink 65 oz. water a day
• Cut down on sweets and wine during the week
  • No sweets in November (Last 90 Days)