I did have my obligatory pregnancy freak out a couple weeks ago. Long story short, I was home during the last 2 days of the guys polyurethaning the floors. No, I didn't hang out inside all day, but I certainly got my fair share of toxic fumes. I couldn't help but imagine all the damage that was occurring to this baby every minute i spent in the house. And let me tell you, "googling" is NEVER a good idea. Of course there is nothing online that tells you it is ok  to breath in those fumes when you are pregnant! Everything talks about how that is some "toxic shit"!  Great.

So, in the end, I did what all of us should do when we have these moments- I called my doctor and spoke to the nurse. It does help to hear from the professionals that they have never had someone exposed to that level of polyurethane who had any problems. It also helps to remember that my mom(along with many other women)was smoking during this time..talk about breathing in toxic fumes! So, time has passed and I am now over it..pretty much:)

Other than that little episode, I'd say things are progressing very nicely. I feel much better. I am working out 3-5 times a week with 1-2 days of circuit training and 2-3 days of just cardio(elliptical or outside walks). The weather is certainly helping with the cardio. And my diet is getting back to normal. My meals are, once again, consisting of whole grains, proteins, vegetables, fruits, and dairy. The snacking and deserts, however, have been kicked up a notch:) But, there is the fun of pregnancy...you have to let loose a little.

It is fun to see the belly, and what I am waiting for now is to really feel the baby move around. I can feel a little, but when he/she really gets going, I will be happy:) It is just more reassurance that I have a healthy little cutie in there.
My next appointment will be the big one when they do all the measurements to make sure everything is on track. I can hardly wait! So, assuming everything stays on track, I will write more after that!
Thanks for following, and again, feel free to write in with any questions/comments.
-J

So why do we take vitamins?  We do so to prevent colds, have healthier pregnancies, increase our immune system, and simply for overall health. What is important to remember, however, is that some of the vitamins we take are water soluble. What this means is our bodies will only absorb a certain amount of each vitamin and then get rid of the rest. 

Vitamin C, for example. This is a very common one, especially during the winter. There are many products claiming to have 1000mgs of vitamin C. So, you take this Vitamin C bomb, and you think your body is taking in all that extra vitamin C right?. Wrong. What happens is your body absorbs it's maximum amount(about 250mgs) in the first 1 or 2 hrs, and you just pee out the rest. If you really want to battle a cold with Vitamin C, you are better off getting a chewable 250mg tablet, and taking one every 2 hrs throughout the day. This way, your body is consistently taking in the vitamin and, therefore, helping your immune system.

And I do the same for Folic Acid. We are told to make sure that we get plenty of Folic Acid if we are, or are trying to become, pregnant. Again, your body will only take in so much per dose. I take one Folic acid pill in the morning(800mcgs), and one viactiv multi vitamin at lunch(with 400mcgs of folic acid) and another viactiv after dinner. 

With these key vitamins that we take throughout our lives, I feel it is important to consider staggering the dose to maximize our body's absorption of each vitamin. 

Just something to consider:)

-J

Exorcise Sadness With Exercise

Sadness is a part of the human condition, but “being sad isn’t the same as being depressed,” suggests Dr. John Ratey, noted Harvard professor and clinician whose recent book Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain touts the importance of physical activity on both our mental and physical performance.

If you have sad feelings that never go away or recur at particular times despite your best efforts to care for yourself, you might be experiencing something more than a minor personal setback. There are several common symptoms of depression that suggest it may be time for professional help, especially if they occur over several weeks. They are:

•   feeling sad, empty or tearful for the majority of most days; 

•   significant loss of interest in activities that were once enjoyable; 

•   significant non-dieting weight loss or weight gain; noticeable decrease or increase in appetite;

•   difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much;

•   fatigue, or slowing down of thoughts and reduction of physical movements;

•   agitation;

•   feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt;

•   poor concentration or decision making; and,

•   thoughts of death or suicide.

Seeking help from a therapist is an important step toward healing; however, an increasing number of mental health professionals recommend consistent exercise as an equally important part of the overall therapeutic process. Why? Depressed moods, sleeping problems and anxiety affect our productivity … and not just productivity in the classic sense of being creative or productive at work, but in the personal sense of maintaining relationships and juggling responsibilities. Feeling unworthy in these areas has an across-the-board impact on our ability to handle basic aspects of modern life: caring for ourselves, caring for others, and actively participating in society.

The brain, like our muscles, grows with use and withers with inactivity.    

Since our brains are ultimately responsible for what our bodies do, it is critical to keep them both in tip-top shape.

Authors Brett J. D’Elia (CPT) and Nicole O’Brien (M.A., LMFT) are the principals of Charged! Strength Training Studios and Fairfield Psychotherapy, respectively. Both are located at 1275 Post Rd., Suite A20 at the Brick Walk. For more information on the mind-body connection, private personal training or personal therapeutic services, visit  Chargedstudios.com or Fairfieldpsychotherapy.com, or contact 203.254.7211, training@chargedstudios.com, or therapy@chargedstudios.com.

The part can never be well unless the whole is well."  Plato was definitely on to something when he articulated this sentiment. As we plunge headlong into the holiday season, it's worth examining the substance of this quote. Each of us is comprised of many unique parts, the sum of which define us as complete individuals. The phrase Health and Happiness, often associated with the holidays, sounds like a tired cliche at this point, watered down by overuse and insincere application. Thankfully, common sense easily clarifies the link between the two. In essence, happiness flows from health, and vice versa. Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, health and happiness were overtaken by the modern interpretation of the holiday season: anxiety and indulgence. So if the expectation is to not only survive the holidays, but to actually thrive during the holidays, then start paying closer attention to your physical health, and the happiness will follow. Here's where exercise becomes the magic ingredient. 

 

Make Time to Move: "Exercise produces a relaxation response that serves as a positive distraction," says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. In addition, it also helps to elevate your mood, thereby keeping depression at bay. If you're someone who responds better to structure, then step up your quotient of classes at the gym. Otherwise, take better advantage of your free time by taking more frequent jogs, brisk walks or by adding 20 minute slogs on the elliptical.

 

Fitness Can Fortify Relationships: Exercising with a spouse, sibling or friend is the epitome of time well spent. Collective exercise often provides a built-in distraction allowing people to get through their workouts dread free. In the process, important relationships are being fortified, and one of our most basic needs as human beings, the need to be social, is being addressed. 

 

Strength Training: Lets face it, regardless of which holiday you're celebrating this season, there's a good chance that food is an imbedded part of the tradition. Consider this; pound for pound, muscle burns more calories at rest than body fat. Therefore, the more muscle you have, the greater the rate of caloric burn. This is where strength training becomes the gift that keeps on giving. Assuming there will be more opportunities to eat this season, your higher metabolic rate resulting from strength training will allow you to indulge more often without undoing your hard earned results. That's definitely worth celebrating.

 

If you’ve already established a consistent fitness routine, particularly during the holidays, congratulations! You’re actually giving yourself a gift that will increase your ability to cope with any sadness or anxiety that creeps in during the holiday season. While the holidays are supposed to be a time of excitement, joy, and thankfulness, it’s also a time when depression and anxiety can rear their heads, particularly as we try to meet the expectations of family and juggle the array of holiday events and commitments. Below are some suggestions to help you thrive emotionally during this time.

 

Define your expectations. Some of the stress associated with the holidays often comes from the expectations you have: what you “should” be doing with your family, how you “should” go to all the holiday parties to which you are invited, and how you “should” cook all the meals from scratch or else grandma will be critical.  However, by “should-ing” on yourself, you are putting an added layer of stress onto your holiday experience and probably holding onto unrealistic expectations. Instead, start by making a list of what you and your family expect from this year’s holiday season. The ask yourself whether these expectations help or hinder your ability to enjoy the season. If any of the items hinder you and/or your family’s ability to experience joy during the holidays, consider doing something different this year. Replace those “shoulds” with alternatives that include “would like to’s.” 

Managing family gatherings. If part of your holiday season consists of family gatherings, you may find yourself embedded in an interesting family dynamic, especially when you add aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family. One of the most important things to remember is that you can’t change the way your relatives behave. What you can change is the way you behave.  So, if you find yourself in the middle of a difficult family moment, remember that you can choose how you respond. You actually don’t have to yell louder or become defensive. Take a moment to step away from the situation to gather yourself. When you take this moment, you are actually giving yourself the opportunity to respond to your family rather than simply reacting. Reacting often perpetuates the dynamic rather than diffusing it. 

Budget. One of the major stressors during the holidays comes revolves around money. When the credit card statement comes in January, you may find yourself in a bit of shock and scrambling to figure out how to pay off the debt over the next several months. Instead, make a reasonable list of the gifts you want to buy and the price range that is realistic for your bottom line. Then, stick to this list! You’ll thank yourself later for planning ahead of time. 

Know when it’s time to ask for help. If you have done all that you think you can to make the best out of the holiday season, yet you are still feeling depressed, anxious, or not as balanced as you’d like, don’t be afraid to ask for professional help. You do not need navigate this alone. There are many professionals trained to assist you with overcoming the obstacles that may be getting in the way of living the life you want.

Nicole O’Brien, MA, LMFT is a licensed marital and family therapist and owner of Fairfield Psychotherapy, LLC located at 1275 Post Road, Suite A20 (www.fairfieldpsychotherapy.com).

 

Brett D’Elia, CPT, IFPA is a certified personal trainer and owner of Charged! Personal Training Studios located at 1275 Post Road, Suite A20 (www.chargedstudios.com).

There were a few days that I thought I may loose this one, but as of now, I think the little critter is hanging in there:)

More to come!

-J

Here are my latest developments:

I would say I am into my 6th week at this point. (this should all be confirmed once I see the Doctor next week)

And here is what has changed:

Diet:
I have added in an extra spoonful of peanut butter in the morning
I have a few extra crackers with my salad at lunch
I either have a decaf soy latte in the afternoon or a tea with a small snack usually involving fruit and/or nuts

And other than that, my diet is the same as it was pre-pregnancy. (wasabi peas and all)
Oh, except that I actually DON'T want a beer at the end of the day. And whether that is subconscious or an actual physiological change, I am not sure. But, I have a feeling it will last for the next couple months and then I will be asking Brett to pour me a few sips of his beer a few times a week:)


Exercise:
My workouts are similar as well. I have just brought down the intensity level of the weights, and I have reduced the distance of the runs.

The past week looked like this:
2 days strength training at about 60-70% of my norm. This translates roughly to dropping down one plate on the machines and going one set lighter with free weights.

Sample Weighted workout:

Warm up 5 minutes on rower

3 sets of the following:  Assisted pull-ups(10-15)
                    Bicep curls with reverse lunge(10 on each side)
                    Leg Press (15)
                    Forearm plank (holding for 30-45 seconds)

5 minutes on the rower

3 sets of the following: Assisted Tricep dips(12-15)
                Ballet squats with overhead tricep extension (10-15)
                Ballet squat on Leg Press(15)-added in a set of Keigels here:)
                Full plank (holding for 30-45 seconds)

10 minutes on the Elliptical for extra cardio and cool down.

Cardio work: 3 days running
I used to run about 5-7 miles 2x/week and one 7.5 mile run on a 3rd day.
last week was as follows:

2 days running 5-6 miles both with about a half mile walk break
1 day running 4 miles with no break.

And that is where I am now. I have not gained any weight on the scale yet, but I have a feeling that is coming up soon:) I am working on resisting the mentality of "eating for 2" as it is very easy to make rationalizations.  And although I have done so already, I am working on not letting that occur every day. That is where I got into trouble the first time around. I gained 8 pounds within the first month and a half. However, bc of a stomach bug that reversed that gain, I got a 2nd chance:) But, it is easy to fall into that mental trap. Remember, we are only talking about the need for approximately 300 extra calories a day.

So, as of now, things are still pretty normal. I will keep you posted as things progress.

Thanks!
-Joli

I know it was halloween, and people tend to dig into the kid's candy during this holiday. But, my suggestion is not to deprive yourself of something sinful, but, choose REAL food.

When I came home last night, rather than digging into the snickers and peanut butter cups, I had:

-4-5 bites of a natural pumpkin ice-cream

-2 pieces of dark chocolate

-1 Tate's whole wheat dark chocolate cookie

I promise, this was quite satisfying. It goes way beyond my weekday apple and peanut butter desert:) But again, my body(and soon, the baby) will actually be able to use nutrients from that desert. This is what the goal should be for every piece of food we put in our mouth.

Onto Exercise:

Thursday: I went for a 5-6 mile run. And yes, the effects are already setting in. I think they come a little sooner with the second:)  I did stay out for the entire course, but my body just didn't want to do those hills! I ended up walking for 2 intervals of about 1/2 mile in order to rest and make sure my heart-rate was down. But, the exercise was still completed, and I felt fine after.

Friday: 30 minutes on the Arc trainer Elliptical plus a few squats, pushups, and planks

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 5-6 mile run. I think because I had the rest day, I did not have the need to walk on this one.

Monday: Rest (more b/c I was working too much)

And that brings us up to date. As I mentioned, not too much changing yet. I have a feeling things will become more interesting by the end of next week!

Thanks for following along, and please feel free to write in questions or comments. Let me know if you want more details or less:)

-J

This is my newest project. I have been talking about doing a book on this for the past 6 months. The plan would be for me to get pregnant-step 1:), and then document that pregnancy throughout. I would show the reader what my days are comprised of in terms of exercise, eating, and emotion. 

Soooooooooo, 2 weeks ago, I had my IUD removed(TMI?).  And yesterday...... I found out I was pregnant! Yeah, I really didn't think it would happen so quickly. Looks like I better get cracking on that book, huh?  In the meantime, however, in order to accurately record my thoughts for this book, we've decided that a running blog of the pregnancy would help keep things organized and focused. So, I hope you all enjoy the ride!

I know people say it is not smart to tell anyone for at least 8 weeks. For the purpose of this book, however, honesty and being in the moment are crucial factors. I wear my heart on my sleeve anyway, so if something goes wrong, I'm ok with having to explain that. I also want to say that I know there are a lot of women who have an extremely difficult time getting pregnant, and I do not mean to brag about this quick pregnancy. My only goal here is to give readers a glimpse into the life of what I believe to be a healthy and balanced pregnancy, 

Anyone who knows us knows we preach balance. We are anti extreme. When you see how I live during my pregnancy, you will see how I continue to incorporate this balance into the pregnancy. 

Now, this is not a "Pregnancy Guide" that tells you all the things you can and can't do. This is simply what I do. And I am sure there will be people who think I am being too casual about this, but I loved my first pregnancy and have a very happy and healthy 3 year old. I had to have done something right.

So, let's get started...Here is a recap of yesterday.

Wake up at 6:20am still having not gotten my period..hmmmmmm

6:22am - pee on that stick. Wait about a minute and decide that I don't see the line- throw the test away. (not that patient at 6:20 in the morning)

6:50am - after showering and getting dressed, I decide that I should probably dig that stick out of the trash and give it one more look....Oh, there's that line..."HOLY SHIT!" 

It is around this time that you immediately go back to any bad behavior you have had over the past few days(too many beers perhaps)..But, as I did yesterday, it is important to remind yourself that the baby does not start feeding off you until around 6 weeks. THERE IS A GRACE PERIOD! So, don't worry! If you are living an overall healthy life, things should move along just fine. 

7am- Because it is so early in the pregnancy, besides some pulling, stretching, and other sensations in the lower abdomen area, I feel perfectly normal. So, per a typical day, I went downstairs and made a YUMMY cup of coffee. Keep in mind, however, that my coffee consists of half decaf and more almond or soymilk than coffee. I sure do enjoy that coffee though. And guess what, unless I don't feel like it, the coffee stays! I will have 1 maybe 2 of those coffees whenever I feel like it. 

Exercise:

I had a full work morning at Charged! and followed that with a strength and cardio workout. As I said, it is still early and my body is used to doing such work. What I take into consideration is my heart rate. If I feel like I am getting winded, I take a break and rest a minute before starting again. But, I had no troubles doing this strength work and going for a short run. 

My point is not to tell readers to mimic my workouts, but to emphasize that you can keep doing whatever it was that you were doing prior. There will simply be modifications as the pregnancy progresses. I will discuss mine as they arise. 

This is why it is so important to have a healthy exercise routine prior to getting pregnant. You really can stick with it. 

Diet:(lots of water ALL day, 2 viactiv multivitamins, and an extra folic acid)

Yesterday was basically as it was the day before. 

B/T 7am - 8am

-2 of my almond milk/soymilk lattes

-Organic Banana

-Spoonful of natural organic peanut butter(I just eat it right off the spoon:)

-TLC peanut granola bar

11am

Very large organic honey crisp apple 

Luna Bar

1:30pm

Salad with beets, hardboiled egg, avocado, cucumber and salsa

Handful of Whole wheat crackers from trader joe's-their version of low fat triscuits

3pm

Decaf green tea with honey and a little milk

5pm

About half a cup of wasabi peas(maybe a little more...)

7:15pm

Brett and I went out for dinner to celebrate at "The Dressing Room".

I had 2 slices of bread and the risotto style grains with squash sauce, mushrooms, and other root vegetables. YUMMMY!

I also had about half a beer. Again, those who know us know we are beer snobs and certainly enjoy our beer. And yes, I found out I was pregnant today, but as I said, the baby is not feeding off me and having about 6-8 sips of beer over my dinner is something I feel ok with. And as of yesterday, it still tasted good-which I know will change in a few days. -I will probably write more on this subject later..there is a lot to say:)

8:30pm

Apple with 1-2 spoonfuls of peanut butter:)

And that does it. Day1 of following a trainer through pregnancy. I will continue to blog as things change. I feel for the next few days, as least, my schedule will be similar to what i have described. 

Feel free to add comments/questions!

Thanks, and I apologize to friends who I have not told yet who are finding out on facebook! I had no time! 

Cheers,

-J