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GUEST WRITER BIO: I live in a family of four consisting of myself, my husband Wilson (who we call Willie), and our two sons, Joshua and Gabriel. I would say to sum up my title, I am a full-time everything! I work full time, used to go to school full time but needed to put that on the back burner ’til hubby returned from his deployment to Afghanistan, and most importantly I am a full time…all the time mother (that is my fav job of all). I am for sure kept busy and even more so this past year since I am went solo on this mommy thing, but life couldn’t get any better or chaotic, and that is my little family!!
I could talk so much more about my family life, but then I would be writing a novel…that would never end, so if you are interested in my insanity, come follow me on Facebook, Lindsay Carrasquillo (yeah, I am the only white girl with that last name so you should have no problem finding me)!
Hello, beautiful ladies that are reading this post! I’m so excited to guest post about this amazing and yet sometimes devastating subject…my body after baby!
How I coped with my body after baby…I learned to embrace the line, “It took you nine months to put on the weight, so you have to give it at least 9 months to take it off.” Ladies, that is a horrible but mostly accurate statement! There will be many women that shed their baby weight off quite fast; for them I applaud them, I envy them, and then I call them a heifer behind closed doors! I love to see those women lose the weight so quickly, because it is absolutely motivating and empowering to see. I, however, still have weight to lose from my pregnancy that was three years ago! I’m definitely not perfect, nor did I try the way I should have to lose the weight after I had my son Gabriel.
I can say I did desire to lose the weight, and I did try, but I have to be honest, I’m married to a Puerto Rican man, and he does not like me really skinny, and he wants rice cooked like daily! So there were so many times that I just threw in the towel so to speak on trying new diets, since I was always the one cooking dinner at my house, and I just couldn’t justify wasting perfectly good dinner I cooked in lieu of a healthy salad.
When I did get started on my journey to lose weight, we were able to afford for me to go to the gym (I must also say that there were many other times that we could not afford a gym membership). I would go a lot, because I chose an all women’s gym nearby where I live that offers child care.
My husband is in the military, so that means he was gone a lot! I had to be somewhere that offered childcare or else there was no workout. I loved the gym and went often, but it wasn’t the same for me; not like it had been prior to having my son. I too was in the Army and chose to get out when my eight years of service was over with. I couldn’t see myself having to leave our children to go on a year-long deployment. When our son was very young, it was much easier to work out, as I could put him in his swing, bassinet etc., and I could work out with nothing stopping me. Now however, that would be impossible! Funny thing my son does, every time I want to work out, if I’m doing sit ups, he usually sits on top of me which makes it impossible for me to continue! Especially is he is bouncing along on top of my stomach! It is fun but also challenging with children running around you, while you’re trying to get a workout in. So I usually try to work out either very early in the morning, or after I put my youngest son to bed.
When I was able to have a gym membership, I enjoyed participating in free classes that were offered through the gym, such as Zumba, ab core classes, step class, some yoga, Pilates, and using the weights. The days that I could not or probably (I dread saying/admitting this) did not want to go to the gym, I would get out and walk with my son in his stroller. I love our community that we live in. Our subdivision is pretty nice, but to venture out into the community is so refreshing, and it also offers a pretty view as well. I started to really push myself when I went on walks; at first only going for about 30 minutes, but then after about a week of that I would go much longer than just 30 minutes. I would just walk until I got tired. I then began to get resourceful, and if I needed something from the store, if it was just a few items, I would walk to the store rather than drive and buy whatever I needed, store it in the undertow holder on my son’s stroller and continue on home.
Walking, jogging, or even riding a bike outside is something that is so relaxing and healthy to do. I know have a workout buddy, a neighbor and close friend of mine that has committed herself to losing weight and changing her eating habits to healthier choices. I am all about trying new “diets” as some people call them, but one thing I always try to focus on is that it isn’t so much a diet, but healthier choices of foods to eat. Some people call it a diet, because I don’t always fully commit to eating healthy daily……still quite a work in progress on that. Something that isn’t new to me but what I am planning to eliminate from my daily consumption is carbonated beverages. I did eliminate carbonated beverages before (my drug of choice…Coca Cola), and I had very quick, obvious results immediately after discontinuing drinking anything carbonated.
I strongly believe that you can set a goal and achieve it. Nobody should tell you otherwise of that, but sadly our own worst critic is usually ourselves. I think the most important thing to remember about your body after having a baby is to be so proud of yourself! Having a baby takes a tremendous amount of energy, strength, compassion and so much more. Babies are miracles that we helped to create, so to hate your body after having a baby is almost the equivalent of condemning yourself for having a beautiful blessing from God! How blessed are the women that are able to carry a little miracle inside of them for such a short period of time! I know I still have some weight to lose from my pregnancy, and some major toning, but I’m working towards it and stay positive that one day I will be back to pre-pregnancy weight, and my goals are to surpass the health I once had and strive to be that much more healthier as well as be an example to my family! I applaud anyone who has read these posts about Body after Baby, and I pray that you overcome any and all obstacles that will be put in your way and that you find comfort in the body you were blessed with! Set a goal, and work your butt off to achieve it! The more you push yourself in the positive direction, the closer you will be to obtaining your goal!
Disclaimer: All information presented during this event is purely personal opinion and shared for educational purposes only. The information contained herein is not intended to substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your physician before beginning any exercise, weight-loss, or nutrition program. Please note, My Life: A Work in Progress does not necessarily endorse any opinions presented by guest writers during this event. Not all exercise or nutrition programs are suitable for everyone.
