Generally speaking, you hear that women can begin working out about 6 weeks after they give birth, assuming they had a normal, healthy, vaginal birth. I was prepared to wait 6 weeks but felt pretty good a tad earlier than that so I went ahead and got slow start.

Back in the Game

My first exercise of any kind after having Jacob was around 4.5 weeks. I did a simple, at home, light weight circuit just to get my blood moving. I had a very healthy birth with no complications and felt ready to get started. Some people may disagree with me but I listened to my body on that.

Here’s a quick list of some of the moves I’ve been doing at home:

Here’s the Plan

I’m now about 7 weeks post-partum and have begun a regular exercise routine, which includes jogging, body weight exercises and stretching. Here’s what I want to focus on moving ahead:

• Regular exercise 4-5x/week
• Building & regaining core strength
• Building back up running strength, speed & distance
• Training for a spring half-marathon
• Maintaining strength workouts 2-3x/week

Things will look different because I can’t just dash off to a class or the gym or the road anytime I want. However, I’m excited because I’m able to run for the first time in nearly 9 months! I ran a TINY bit throughout pregnancy but hardly counted in the grand scheme.

Running

So far, I have completed 5 runs at 2 miles, 3 miles, 2 miles, 1 mile and 3.5 miles. I’m not running more than one day in a row and taking it slow. I did probably take it too fast on one of those runs, but my sister Lindsey, who is a running coach (hit her up if you are looking for an online coach — or in person if you live in Indy), set me straight. I’m going to keep everything slow from now on for awhile.

I hope to run three days a week and start building a base for a spring half-marathon. Lindsey is going to write me a training plan, which I will share. I’ve never actually had a training plan for a half, so this will be interesting. I’m excited to follow it, though, and actually have real half goals.

I’d like to train for a full marathon in the fall, but only time will tell if my body will allow it. Currently, I’m experiencing a slight hip/joint pain on the right side and I could see that being the downfall for long runs. If I can’t train for a full, which will be hard with a baby as it is, that’s okay. Halfs are a much more do-able distance in general.

CrossFit

I’m looking at joining a CrossFit gym part-time. I found one that has an option to buy a less expensive membership and I could make it work going twice a week. I’m almost TOO excited to hit up the box…as it’s been so long and I love it so much. I have to be extremely careful though…we all know my history of injury. But if I could modify and make it work, I would so love to be in the box again on a regular basis.

Getting started by doing dumbbells and body weight workouts. Don’t want to kill myself on the first day!

At-Home Workouts

So I’m not sure how this whole gym/workout thing is going to go. How hard will it be? Depends on Rick’s schedule, baby’s moods, work tasks and how easy it is to work with baby at home. Eventually, I will be able to take Jacob to childcare at the YMCA or LA Fitness but he’s not old enough yet. Also, when it gets warm I have the BOB running stroller!

However, there’s always the old standby — at home workouts via video or body weight circuit. It’s harder for me because I live on the 3rd floor…not conducive to jumping up and down, the main way to get cardio at home. I’m thinking of asking the neighbors if they are gone all day so I can jump around without feeling bad.

Just dug out my old P90X DVDs and I got a lot of great suggestions on Facebook, from Daily Burn to PiYo and more. Love all the opportunities I have to try new stuff! (Let me know if you have any good ideas in the comments!)

New Move

As I ramp up my moves, I’m going to be using a different kind of deodorant — spray antiperspirant from Dove and Degree. I’ve been using Dove products forever but when I got the chance to try this new stuff, I jumped. It’s great for a new mom with a job and little time because it provides 48-hour odor & wetness protection and goes on instantly dry.

So far, I really love the smell and it is living up to it’s claims on effectiveness and long lasting protection. Rick tried out the men’s version and he was impressed! Considering how much guys sweat & smell when they work out, he was really surprised how well it worked — and how long it lasted.

Easy, sleek & effective = perfect!

Conclusion

I have a tendency to overdo it because I love it so I need to be careful. I always say that but, really, Ericka — be careful. I love that I love exercise…sometimes it would be cool low impact were my thing though! Barre was so good for me for that reason but there’s not much of that around these parts 🙁

I’m excited to be moving more again and ready to get back into shape. I want to lose about 10 pounds to get back to pre-pregnancy weight and fit back into them jeans! 😉

*This post is brought to you by Dove & Degree dry spray!