2 weeks and counting..

So it's been 2 whole weeks on my Fit and Fab Challenge and it has definitely been full of excitement!

The first week was amazing, I took my Isotonix OPC3 every morning, drank 2-4L of water a day, upped my protein intake by having hard boiled eggs, homemade fried rice with egg and Vegies and extra hormone free, organic chicken. Plus I made sure to have my chia seeds in the morning for that extra energy kick!

I went to the gym 8 days in a row, doing one day of higher intensity cardio and sometimes weights, then the next day a lower intensity cardio and stretch/relaxation. I had a faint on the 9th day which is due to an ongoing heart/vascular problem, but as soon as I got clearance to get back to low intensity exercise, I was out that afternoon, walking the dog for 1.8km! 

How do I feel: Excited-I can see changes in my muscle tone, flexibility, mood, energy levels and overall happiness already! Tired-I can see that I need to get more support for my body to ensure I can keep moving forward, so will be taking the Isotonix Advanced B, Isotonix Multivitamin, Isotonix Vitamin C and Isotonix Calcium along with adding Magnesium to my water and having a Hydrolyte or two each day to increase my blood pressure (which is quite low), and help my body to function at it's optimal level. Plus I'll be ensuring I have more fruit during meals to keep hydration and natural sugar levels up (plus the natural vitamins and antioxidants!) Scared- After fainting I'm scared to go back to the gym, but I'm going to push through that anyway and prove to myself that I can make it to The Spartan Challenge 2015!!

Optimistic-It's been proven that people who exercise daily are happier, more optimistic and generally have higher quality and enjoyment of life. I believe it!! 

Here are some pics from tonight, I will post proper fortnightly comparison ones next week though, as I did take the week off this week! :-) Excuse the nudy baby, but seriously.. How cute is her butt!! 

Fit and Fab Challenge Begins!

So 8 months in and I finally found my fitness haven, Virgin Active Gym in Norwest = amazing!! 

Climbing wall, Crechè to die for, swimming pools, spa, sauna, latest in equipment, family and individual classes.. Chill out zones, A-Mazing!! 

With the help of my business partner and the TLS system, I am learning to wholistically make myself and my 2 person family fitter and more fabulous! :-)

I was challenged to do before, during and after shots, and decided to do a series of posts and snippets on the journey! 

Plug into our Kat and Stella page on Facebook and watch out on here for more about how we are travelling as we go!

Before pics (gulp) here.we.go!

Let's get Fit-diculous Take 2

Hi all, I had to take a break from exercise and fitness due to injury (re-separation of my abdominals after healing post natally), however I have begun again, and have found a fantastic, 8-10 minute workout that can be incorporated into our day, so that Stella can also enjoy yoga! I found that she relaxed immensely and laughed and really enjoyed the chance for us to do something fun and physical together. 

I also found that afterwards, Stella was really happy to relax and play independently nearby, whilst I got down to doing a further 20 minutes by myself. She was happy to fall asleep at an earlier bedtime too, which was great, as I've been trying to encourage earlier sleep-rising.

Here is the link, I also did this lovely teachers post natal workout, and felt fantastic for it! 

http://youtu.be/9vUs1ypeWhY

I woke up feeling excited to get some movement again today, and after my green smoothie, water and juice (part of my daily routine to bump up hydration and energy to allow for breastfeeding and general vitality), I decided that I would go for a decent walk in the lovely winter sun, to recharge the vitamin d and the proverbial batteries!

I used a fantastic iPhone App called Map My Walk, which monitored, mapped and encouraged me on my walk, and I was able to save the data and even share it for more friendly motivation! I was extremely surprised, happy and proud to see that a regular walk that I used to do during both pregnancy and straight after giving birth, was actually approx 4km! 

Stella loved getting out and seeing the beautiful flowers and birds which I pointed out along the way, at 5 months she is really taking notice and curious about everything going on around her.

Alphie dog loved it too, and now we can sit back and relax for the rest of our day, as the sun retreats! 

You know you are a mum when..

When your baby effectively explodes into a milky volcano that would make any Simpsons cartoon character proud.. All through your hair, over you, your baby AND your floor; yet you think "what great timing, we were just about to have a shower, hope she feels better now" instead of screaming hysterically at the top of your lungs about how absolutely gross that is. Yup, that's it right there! 

Or when you talk about the colour and consistency of your child's faecal matter, whilst stirring the "throw it all in" vegie soup, one handed, to your newly arrived dinner guests.

When you no longer are embarrassed about greeting your neighbour in your pink flannel Pajamas, hair unkempt, forget about make up, at 11am and in fact catch yourself thinking "sweet, still an hour to go!".

When, despite being awake for almost 7 consecutive nights straight, being screamed at, looked at as though you are by far the meanest baddie of them all during de-snotting sessions, you still smile adoringly at the culprit, that you would give your always, your everything and whatever else there possibly may be, to be safe, feel loved and be happy. You wouldn't take any of it back for a second, and you think back to those pre-baby times and fondly think "what in the world was I even doing with my life?".

Intimate Moments

My little girl is 4 months old today, and I just feel so overwhelmingly, incredibly, lucky, and so very much in love with my wonderful daughter! I captured our intimate moment, and chose to share the beauty of it, in the hopes that it inspires more mums to share the beauty of the gifts we have been given and chosen to receive, and how we each are unique, as are our children, and we can each create a more beautiful world.. With our intimate moments!

Let's support eachother, let's create a community which shares, connects and ultimately loves one another, because that creates hope; hope is the answer!

Baby technology.. Cooler than the dancing baby!

So when ur pregnant every man and his dog suddenly has an app or gadget for you.. It can be hard to know what's worth it, and what's just going to take up GB and brain space.. Here are my picks for must have app's, or website/email newsletters:

Sprout- Is AMAZING! It records milestones with your own photos really easily, and also tracks your babies growth in the charts and has immunisation records.. Welcome to your digital 'Blue Book' deluxe!

Baby Center- has an app and a newsletter for both your pregnancy progress and what to expect, as well as after bub is born. It has leading and up to date research on development and really seems to be on the nail for us mums wanting to provide as much as possible to increase our baby's development opportunities.

The Wonder Weeks- This app let's you know when ur bub is going to be extra fussy/grizzly/clingy and why, what's actually going on internally based on emotional/cognitive development, not just physical growth spurts (though these often coincide). 

Families App for Centrelink- This helps you to upload your proof of birth from home and keeps you in the loop with paid parental leave and such, serious lifesaver for new mums, though no one enjoys listening that 'on-hold music' for an hour!! 

Find all of these at your App Store! 

A great idea also is to set up an email address for your baby to regularly put snippets in for them to look at once they are older! 

Cherish the Moments, Be Present!

After an unfortunate phone accident resulting in death.. (RIP iPhone) I had a two week 'cleanse' of my techno-addiction. It was marvellous! Sure, it was annoying at times, especially when I wanted to photograph or video my darling daughter, but it also helped me to reconnect with THE moment, the present moment. 

I love to document our journey, and will continue, but I will also step back and just enjoy that delicious sight, smell, sound and joyous feeling.. 

#morningcuddles #bepresent