6 WEEKS TO GO !!!!

34 weeks down, 6 weeks to go! I can't believe how quickly time has passed. For the most part, this pregnancy has been amazingly easy and enjoyable. But, I will admit these last couple of weeks have taken a tole on me and my body. I can't sleep, my hands are swollen and I get horrible sciatic pain at least 10x/day. Yet, every time I feel a pain in my back or look down at my swollen hands, I know I am one day closer to meeting our beautiful girl.

I'm still managing my workouts 4-5 days/week, although I'm actually finding weightlifting to be easier than cardio these days, and I usually require a quick nap after. My sister is still training for her half marathon, and as my sweet little nephew grows bigger, her belly puts more pressure on her when she runs, so she purchased a maternity support belt. After raving about how much it helps her, I bought one myself, and it has helped tremendously in decreasing my back pain during and after my workouts. I strongly recommend all you pregnant mamma's invest in one! Here is the one my sister and I have:  http://www.motherhood.com/Product.asp?Product_Id=973050113&MasterCategory_Id=MC32

Speaking of my sister, she came in town last weekend for our joint baby shower! I can't imagine going through all of this without her. Being pregnant with her has truly made this experience SO special. Although I'm not sure our husbands would agree. Poor guys, every time we get together they have to listen to us compare how big our boobs have gotten, how much weight we've gained, and bitch about all the less attractive side effects of pregnancy. HAHA They're troopers!

Here are some highlights from our weekend



One of my parents oldest and dearest friends painted us this canvas for Jordan's nursery. WE LOVE IT!!

Baby Will's baby book!

Our wonderful hostesses! They've known us since we were babies, and now they get to watch our babies grow! 

Couldn't seem to get a photo where we were all looking in the same direction

HOPE EVERY ONE HAS A WONDERFUL WEEK! 

I'll leave you with one of my favorite crockpot recipes that I cooked last week.
 White Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 1 can northern beans, drained

-1 can black beans, drained

-1 can red kidney beans, drained

-1 can sweet corn kernels, undrained

-1 can Mild Rotel, undrained

-4 oz low sodium chicken broth

- 1/2 tsp salt
-1/2 tsp pepper
-2 tsp onion powder
-1 1/2 tsp cumin
-1 TBSP chili powder
-1 minced clove of garlic
-8oz low-fat cream cheese ( I use Neufchatel cheese, it's 1/3 the fat)

Method:

 Combine Northern beans through garlic in your crockpot and place chicken breasts on top of mixture. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. After cooking time is up, remove chicken and shred with two forks (chicken will be very tender and will pull apart easily). Return to crockpot and mix thoroughly. Add cream cheese and mix gently, cook on warm for 20 more minutes. Top with your favorite chili toppings and enjoy!

Before

YUM!

I love this recipe because I can turn my crockpot on before work and come to dinner ready!

HAPPY HUMP DAY!

Snow Day Workout

I'm sure all of you fellow Georgia followers are snowed in for the third day in a row. By  now you have probably caught up on all of  your recorded tv shows, played every game in your house at least once, had a few cocktails (all my non-pregnant followers that is) and eaten your weight in food. STOP. Get up, shake your legs out, and get your blood flowing! You've had all week to be lazy, and most likely all day tomorrow. Put on your heavy boots and take a stroll through the snow, let your dog run around and play, and then try these simple exercises that can be done in the warmth of your own home.

You'll need:

Resistance bands or dumbbells

Sliders ( or 2 wash clothes and a hard surface)

Medicine ball

Ankle weights

Bicep Curls with resistance bands: Keep your elbows slightly forward and close to your body to isolate your biceps. If you don't have resistance bands, you can use dumbbells. 

Tricep Push-ups: I am demonstrating on the "Perfect Push-up", it makes it a little more difficult, but you do NOT have to have these! The key to the tricep push-up is keeping your elbows in rather than letting them bow out like in a normal push-up. Keeping your elbows in and back flat, lower your chest to the ground and push back up.

My stomach touches the ground before my chest now-a-day

Squats with medicine ball toss: With feet shoulder width apart, chest up, and butt out, squat with the medicine ball at your chest. As you start to rise from your squat, throw the medicine ball in the air, and as you catch it, start to squat down again.

Tricep kick back with resistance band: This exercise can also be done with dumbbells. Place the resistance band around the back of your neck and grab each end. Keep your elbows close to your body and kick your hands back, keeping your wrists straight.

Side kicks with ankle weights: This exercise can be done without ankle weights, however, they add good resistance. Position yourself in a table top position on all fours. Bend one leg and bring it out to the side at a 90 degree angle. Slowly extend your leg out straight and then return to the bent position. Repeat 10-12x on each leg.

Mountain climbers on sliders: Sliders are one of my FAVORITE pieces of exercise equipment. They are great for working both your core and your legs. If you don't have sliders you can use a wash cloth under each foot on a hardwood floor. Position yourself in a push up position with feet on the sliders. Slide one foot up towards your chest and then quickly switch legs. Move as fast as  you can while keeping your core tight. This will work your core, legs, and get your heart rate up.

Climb for 30 seconds.

Side plank with hips raises: Lay on your side with your elbow on the ground and one foot on top of the other. Balance yourself in a side plank and lower your hip to the ground. Lightly touch your hip, return to the side plank and repeat 10-12x on each side.

Try to complete 3 sets of 10-12 reps of each exercise.

Get your blood flowing on this cold day!

Chance says happy Thursday!!!

The 20 Pound Club

Well folks, I am officially in the 20 pound club. The "I have gained 20 pounds" club that is. Do I get a T-shirt for that? At 31 weeks gestation that is a healthy, normal weight gain and I am proud to say that the reaction I had in mind when this day came ( crying, throwing the scale, hiding under the covers, etc) was far from my actual reaction. I simply took a deep breath, patted my growing belly, and praised my little girl for growing. Then I shoved the scale under the sink and vowed not to get on it again until before I deliver! HAHAHA.

It helps that all my patients and co-workers constantly tell me how wonderful I am looking. I love it when people say "You can't even tell you're pregnant from behind". What behind are you looking at??? Because the one I see is definitely larger :) Keep the compliments rolling my friends, it keeps me sane!

Before I got pregnant, and even more so now, I was frequently asked "what do you eat to stay so fit and healthy?" I don't write down my food daily but there is a pretty easy method to my madness. A general diet pattern if you will;  It looks something like this:


Breakfast:
- Carbohydrate
-Protein
-Fruit or dairy

Mid-Morning Snack:
-Fruit or dairy or vegetable
-Protein

Lunch:
-Carbohydrate
-Vegetable
-Protein

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
-Fruit, dairy, or vegetable

Dinner:
-Protein
-Carbohydrate
-Vegetable

So what does this look like using actual food?? It can come in MANY different forms but I will give you an example using what I ate yesterday.

Breakfast:
- 1 Whole wheat English muffin with 1 TBSP of reduced sugar preserves
- 1 turkey sausage patty
- 10 grapes


Mid-Morning Snack:
- 1 Medium apple with 1 TBSP of all natural peanut butter


Lunch:
- Sandwhich using 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, Dijon mustard, red and green peppers,  baked chicken, 1 slice of mozzarella cheese
- carrots and 2 TBSP of Oikos greek yogurt dill dip

Mid-Afternoon Snack:
- 1 cup of lowfat Daisy cottage cheese ( I only buy the Daisy brand because it is  high in protein- 14g in 1/2 cup, and protein keeps you feeling satisfied!)

Dinner:
- Spinach Salad with baked chicken, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, cucumber, onion and light balsamic dressing
- 1 piece of pita bread with 1 TBSP of hummus


Other healthy snack ideas:
-1 grapefruit and a handful of almonds
- Light and Fit Greek yogurt (this particular brand is one of the lowest in sugar) with 1/4 cup berries
- Banana with peanut butter
-1/2 sliced avocado with whole wheat crackers
-celery sticks with peanutbutter
-carrots and other assorted vegetables with hummus
- 1 hard boiled egg


Now don't get me wrong, I have my moments when I grab a cookie that someone brought to work, or I enjoy a 1/2 cup of low fat ice cream after dinner. Being pregnant, there are many days that I throw in an extra healthy snack somewhere, and that's okay. Listen to your body and eat when you're hungry, but be smart about it. If you know you are cooking a huge dinner full of carbs, than be smart about your carb choices for breakfast and lunch. EVERYTHING IN MODERATION.

I want to leave you with a link to an article a girl I went to school with posted on her Facebook page. It sums up some basic food rules that we nutritionists/dietitians live by. It's a GREAT read!

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chloe-phillips/dietitian-healthy-eating_b_4672334.html




FINISH HUMP DAY STRONG!!! GET IN A SOLID 1 HR WORKOUT TODAY!!!!