Back At It

[Stronger]

I just had my daughter back in September and to get back into shape I decided to start with STS to build back my strength. I didn't workout during my pregnancy because last time I did that I was told my workout could have contributed to my miscarriage. (I did not reduce my workout due to my pregnancy which was my error)

Here is what I am currently doing...

On a STS day I am completing my STS workout for the day then doing a cardio workout and then abs. On an non STS day I am doing 2 hours of cardio. However I am ending my 6th week of working out since I have been clear to workout. Am I doing enough or am I over doing it? Each day I am getting in about 2-2 1/2 hours of exercise.

I have been working out with you for 15 years and never really have question what I am doing. But with 6 weeks almost behind me I have only lost 8 pounds. I am not focused on the weight loss as much as I am focused on am I doing it correct. I am over working out?

I know what happens to my body when I do over train and haven't seen any of those side effects. I feel stronger, happier and healthier. I am loving my workout time and look forward to it every day.

Am I on the right track or am I over working out?

Thank you,
Melanie

PS... My daughter is my 3rd child and I am seeing slower progress with returning to my normal body. I have a 13, 8, and 3 month old. She was also born by emergency C section. Is the C section a reason behind a slower weight loss or slower belly return to normal?

Thank you for your time! Still love you after all the years of blood sweat and tears and... (very bad language shouted at my tv at times). I can honestly say in every DVD you have created you have found a way to make me laugh with something you have said... like really how did you know I was thinking that??

Melanie

 

[Stacy]

Without a doubt you are overdoing it! Post-partum or otherwise, you are taxing your body!

I personally don't think the extra cardio is necessary on STS days. And your cardio days, 2 hours is just too much, your body doesnt have any recovery time. Your body needs recovery and good nutrition!

Do you have LIS? If so, consider following Cathe's 3 Month Body Transformation rotation which also includes STS.

http://cathe.com/forum/f100/january-2012-double-rotation-287356/

If not, I'd vary your cardio on your cardio days by doing one day of HiiT, one day of longer, steady state cardio of 45-60 minutes, and another day of whatever you think is fun and makes you feel happy, perhaps even Power Yoga. Rest as much as you can drink plenty of water!! Good luck!!

 

[nikkigiovanni]

Without a doubt you are overdoing it! Post-partum or otherwise, you are taxing your body!

I personally don't think the extra cardio is necessary on STS days. And your cardio days, 2 hours is just too much, your body doesnt have any recovery time. Your body needs recovery and good nutrition!

Do you have LIS? If so, consider following Cathe's 3 Month Body Transformation rotation which also includes STS.

http://cathe.com/forum/f100/january-2012-double-rotation-287356/

If not, I'd vary your cardio on your cardio days by doing one day of HiiT, one day of longer, steady state cardio of 45-60 minutes, and another day of whatever you think is fun and makes you feel happy, perhaps even Power Yoga. Rest as much as you can drink plenty of water!! Good luck!!

I agree with this. Doing too much can do more harm than good, especially so soon after having a baby and by c-section.

 

[lala1]

I know everyone is different, but with my 3 kids, it took longer with each one to lose the weight. With the third, it was a year til I got to my pre-preg weight. Be patient with yourself.

 

[Cathe Friedrich]

Congratulations on the birth of your baby girl. Wow, number three....you are a very busy mamma.

Well as a busy mom of three I know your time is limited so I have some very good news for you...you do not need to be exercising 2.5 hours a day. In fact, I think it is going against you as you are not giving your body enough recovery time to heal and get stronger and to build lean muscle mass. You may feel energetic right now however, eventually your body will run itself down. I believe you are already experiencing the signs of overtraining because your body appears to be hitting an exercise plateau (where results slow way down or stop all together). Cut way back on your exercise, drink more water and sleep 8 hours a day (if the kids let you ). Then take one to 1.5 hours maximum a day to exercise and no more than 5 times a week. Now that you have nearly cut your exercise time and frequency in half you will be more focused per each workout and be able to go give it your all. On your STS days I would not recommend more than 30 minutes of cardio and on your non STS days no more than an hour of cardio. If you are eating a clean and healthy diet that will be plenty of exercise to get maximum benefits. Initially you might panic and feel ou haven't done enough exercise because you're used to so much more but use this free time to your advantage and get other things done around the house that I'm sure need to get done and drink your water. If you start feeling stressed about an extreme cut back of exercise, then just do a little five minute workout of 10 push ups and 20 sit ups and 20 squats over and over again until you hit 5 minutes. This will get your heart rate up, relieve any lack of exercise stress yet not be too much activity to interfere with your recovery.

As a side note though...as far as losing weight slower now this is not only a a natural aging process but also a post pregnancy process. Plus your body is most likely still holding on to body fat for milk production. Even if you aren't breastfeeding it still takes time for your body's fluctuating hormones to return to their normal state. Clean eating, solid weight training, limited cardio, water and sleep are your tickets to success. Good Luck and keep me posted!

I just had my daughter back in September and to get back into shape I decided to start with STS to build back my strength. I didn't workout during my pregnancy because last time I did that I was told my workout could have contributed to my miscarriage. (I did not reduce my workout due to my pregnancy which was my error)

Here is what I am currently doing...

On a STS day I am completing my STS workout for the day then doing a cardio workout and then abs. On an non STS day I am doing 2 hours of cardio. However I am ending my 6th week of working out since I have been clear to workout. Am I doing enough or am I over doing it? Each day I am getting in about 2-2 1/2 hours of exercise.

I have been working out with you for 15 years and never really have question what I am doing. But with 6 weeks almost behind me I have only lost 8 pounds. I am not focused on the weight loss as much as I am focused on am I doing it correct. I am over working out?

I know what happens to my body when I do over train and haven't seen any of those side effects. I feel stronger, happier and healthier. I am loving my workout time and look forward to it every day.

Am I on the right track or am I over working out?

Thank you,
Melanie

PS... My daughter is my 3rd child and I am seeing slower progress with returning to my normal body. I have a 13, 8, and 3 month old. She was also born by emergency C section. Is the C section a reason behind a slower weight loss or slower belly return to normal?

Thank you for your time! Still love you after all the years of blood sweat and tears and... (very bad language shouted at my tv at times). I can honestly say in every DVD you have created you have found a way to make me laugh with something you have said... like really how did you know I was thinking that??

Melanie

 

[Stronger]

Cathe,

Thank you so much for responding!

I took a week off to just relax and let my body rest, which was easy to get used to. And man did I see the weight fall off. I must have needed some down time!

I am now following your xtrain suggestion to the T without adding in some extra cardio. Now that I am back at working out today I found it hard to just stop at the one workout.

I love the challenge of the cardio and the way it makes me feel but I also know I need to not be so aggressive. I would work out 8 hours if it was healthy simply because it feels so great when I am done.

Please don't confuse my desire to workout all day with the impression to make a harder workout! in your cardio circuit training workout you said "you asked for a challenge" to which I replied "LIES" I never said such a thing. Your workouts are hard! but when they are done man the feeling of such an accomplishment is worth the blood, sweat, tears, and foul language at the screen!

Thank you for your feed back and years of support and workouts! Without you I wouldn't be as healthy as I am today! You are a blessing!!!

Melanie

 

[shannoncorrin]

Hello! I just posted on the preg/post partum board before I saw your post. I just had my first child 12 weeks ago. I also had an emergency c section. I'm struggling to find time to workout, and you are able to workout for 2 hours 6 days a week?! What am I doing wrong ? We are on a eat, play, sleep schedule that repeats every 3 hours. I'm also finding it frustrating that I just don't feel like myself when working out. I can't get as into it and work up a good sweat.

So, yes I think you are over doing it, but I want to know how you are doing it!

 

[Stronger]

Congrats on your first! I hope your recovery went well! It sure does take time to recover from a c section.

Having baby #3 is different to adjust to a new family member than baby #1. As we add more children we learn more and figure out tricks to juggle more. I remember after my first I had a really hard time trying to find time for a 20 min workout.

2 of my kids are in school (14 & 8) so I picked the time of the day that my newborn sleeps the most which is at 10am. But now that I am back to work I can't workout at 10am. My daughter is the most easy going baby I have had. I put her in a bouncy seat and she just sits there and watches me workout. Now that I have to workout when I get home from work, my 2 boys are home from school and they help if she gets fussy. Plus my husband make sure to help out when he gets home as well.

Exercise and fitness is important in my house. We are constantly on the go but we all make sure to get our hour in even if that means we all pitch in to help everyone get it done.

I didn't feel like myself when I got started but I knew if I stuck with it in a month or 2 I would start feeling great about my workout. Just need to take it slow (which is hard for me since I am so fast paced).

Keep it at, keep adjusting your schedule until you find out what works best for you. You will get there!

Melanie

 

[shannoncorrin]

Thanks!

Thanks for the encouragement. So far I have been able to get in a quick workout if I do it during his first nap. He seems to sleep best for the first nap. I'm working full time too (three 12 hour days and a 4 hour day) and my hubby is a CPA, so he is getting really busy for tax season. Its definitely an adjustment, but our little man is awesome. I'm following a rotation and getting back into weights and that has really helped me get back into the groove.

 

[Stronger]

Well I am an accountant so I know from January - October time is tight. But having 3 I am not so wrapped in baby as I was with baby 1.

Bottom line, fine time for mommy. Our children will never remember every single moment we spend with them (do you remember every second?) Find the time to build a snowman, a busted knee band aid, a scream for the homerun hit, a cry for their straight A's.. but the small baby cry cause momma is workingout will never be remembered.

If momma isn't fit, momma can't be as balanced and happy. When momma is happy everyone is happy.