Running After Baby // Week 9

Here's a topic I've wanted to write more about on the blog for a long time: Running! It seems like years since I've engaged in any sort of formal training. Or since I've had any real running goals. I am beyond ready to dive in and get my legs back.

This run was a promising start.

A photo posted by A S H L E Y // neverhomemaker (@neverhomemaker) on Aug 15, 2016 at 5:24am PDT

Two of the five miles (miles 3 and 4) were run under 8-minute pace (7:55, 7:53). Boy did I feel it today! As the mornings get slightly cooler, I can see my paces getting faster. I really don't like running in the summer sun and humidity, so I am looking forward to more runs like this one once the fall weather sets in.

Goals:

I am currently following the Hal Higdon novice 1 half marathon plan with hopes of running a 10-miler in mid-November. I don't have a pace goal at this point. I'm just looking to start my journey by getting my endurance back.

A photo posted by A S H L E Y // neverhomemaker (@neverhomemaker) on Aug 1, 2016 at 5:35am PDT

If you've followed me a long while, you know that running full marathons isn't my thing. I have trained and gotten injured too many times to want to attempt that distance anytime soon (or ever) again. So, my ultimate training goal -- long term -- is to finish a half marathon in under 1:40. I tried a few years after Ada was born and go close with something in the 1:42 range.

But that's a long way off. Right now? I'm getting ready to lace up at the start of a 5K tomorrow night. I'd love to just run under 8:30s the whole time, but I am worried I may have spent my speedy legs too soon this week. We shall see what happens. I'm more interested in getting back into the running culture in our area. I used to do Sunday long runs every week with a great group of women, and I miss that time!

Other stuff:

I'm experimenting with becoming a morning runner. I much prefer running in the evening, but Stephen's cross country schedule will end up conflicting with that. I am finding if I wake up whenever Eloise eats around 5-6 AM, that I love getting out and starting the day by sweating. I usually have to pump a bit, but it's been nice to build a little breast milk stash that way.

I have set a goal this month to start doing core exercises. I have been totally cleared and all that jazz. I do some already through Barre, but I might ask Stephen to "train" me by encouraging me to do what he has this athletes do. I'll report back progress. I'd also like to get into the groove with doing push-ups again. It's been a really long time. I can do like 10 without whining, and I used to do 50 with no problem!

Last, we live a mile from a track, so I'm hoping -- like I did after I had Ada -- to do a timed mile soon. From there, I like to track my progress and see how that mile time gets faster as the months go on. I will probably do that starting next week and go from there. My fastest mile two months postpartum last time around was 7:45.

What's on your race calendar or goals list lately? 

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Body After Baby // Week 3

You guys said you wanted to hear more about the postpartum period, both with adjusting to life with two kids and with regard to recovery. So, today I'm going to write about my recovery so far (Eloise is 3 weeks old as of yesterday), as well as some of the differences from the first time around.

You always hear that all pregnancies are different. And I've learned that this statement totally applies to recoveries as well. When I had Ada, I felt so much pain after birth. My tailbone hurt. My tear stung. I had issues with urine leakage. I generally felt blah and spent a great deal of time on the couch. I did start running (too) soon after giving birth (within a couple weeks), and I know I shouldn't have because I was still bleeding (which increased and turned bright red with activity), having a lot of pelvic pain and, yeah, leaking. Still, the exercise gave me something normal to grasp onto, so I kept it up.

This time around, I don't feel like I just have a baby. I feel, well, surprisingly normal despite carrying a little extra weight. I am thanking my lucky stars for it, too. I think two pushes versus two plus hours of pushing may be to credit for some of it. I did have tearing just as significant as I did with Ada, but it didn't/doesn't hurt and is healing well. I also stopped bleeding during week two. Instead of wanting to spend days on the couch, I've been itching to get out and about thanks to the summer weather. Movement feels good and even therapeutic.

As far as stats go, I gained a total of 24 pounds in my pregnancy, topping off at 162. Here are a couple photos from two weeks postpartum.

I lost 16 in the week or so after giving birth. I have only lost another one since. I am at 145 pounds right now. My goal is to eventually get back to 135 pounds, which is where I seem to stick after kids. Before kids I was more like 125, but I find this weight takes a ton of diet and exercise, more than I'm willing to do at this stage of life. I know it could take a while to get back to a goal weight, especially since nursing isn't some magic weight loss cure for me. I held on to 8 pounds while nursing Ada for 17 months.

I don't have any diet plans right now. I am loosely tracking what I eat, mostly to keep a log of how much protein I'm getting in each day. (I'm trying to consume at least 65 grams per day.) I struggle getting enough, so I write down what I ate and -- next to it -- I write the grams of protein. I am also trying to keep an eye on my sugar intake. I'm not limiting myself, but I have a sweet tooth that can go easily out of control. Eloise also tends to nurse right during my meals, which makes me want to grab a quick cookie instead of waiting to make a good lunch with eggs, greens, and whole grains.

I am also back exercising with no pain or incontinence issues. I know it's like TMI to keep writing that -- yes -- I leaked after Ada's birth. But it's just a reality of the postpartum period that few people talk about. This time around I haven't had any urine mishaps. My bleeding has stopped and hasn't increased with activity. And I don't have any pelvic pain. It's kind of incredible.

I know very well that my body is still healing, though, so here's a rundown of what I've been doing.

• I am sticking to slow two to three mile jogs about every other day. After Ada, despite all the issues I was having, I pushed myself to go farther and farther and didn't rest between sessions. I also wanted to get back to my paces ASAP. This time around, I don't even take a watch, but I estimate I'm running 10 minute miles. I go slow and walk whenever I feel like I just don't want to push. I also make sure to do a little walking before/after the jogging to warm up and cool down.
• I have done some Barre workouts. These feel amazing to stretch and strengthen my body. Again, I don't do anything that's over 30 minutes, and I don't do more than one type of workout per day. 
• I am also thinking of starting a yoga challenge (on YouTube) and trying to get in at least 10 minutes of stretching and relaxation each day.
• Other days, like today, I just do gentle walking. I have no races on the calendar or other reason to be in any kind of mode where I NEED to do exercise all the time.
• If at any point, I do get pain or other signs I need to step back, I will. But my midwife said to go ahead and do what feels good as it feels good.

That's how recovery is going. At least at week three. I won't be updating every single week like I did the last time around. So, maybe look for another one of these posts around week 6. I would like to run a 5K in late August. Not for time, obviously, but it's a Women's Distance Festival that I try to participate in every year. I suppose that's my current fitness goal. I look forward to updating you on how it's going!

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A Weighty Issue

Miraculously I have lost two pounds since last week. The reason it's a miracle is something you'll see in a minute because if I was going to give myself a grade for exercise and eating healthy this week, I'd get like a D minus. Also: I definitely think there's something to what you guys were saying about time of month and weight with regard to water retention, etc., so I fully expect to waver again.

// A WEIGHTY ISSUE

Not to change the subject too much, but I'm just curious to get your opinion on this issue. I have been sharing bits and pieces of my attempt to lose a little weight, and I've had some seriously split responses to my writing.

• On the one hand, some of you have told me you appreciate my candor and honesty as I look for healthy ways to slim down a bit. 
• On the other, I've received some emails (even from people I know in real life) and comments saying quite the contrary.

I'm puzzled with the negative responses. Those equating caring about my weight with having an eating disorder. Those focusing my "extreme" attention and, well, weight on weight. It's just not that way in my mind -- at all! My clothes were fitting tighter, I've known I've been eating too much bread/cookies/beer and not moving much outside running this winter, so I weighed myself and got the black-and-white result.

(This isn't my photo or my weight.)

Image Source

Another criticism I have received is that I'm generally of a healthy build, so I shouldn't worry or care about how much I weigh. But I seriously disagree. I know from personal experience how quickly a "mere" 7 pounds can turn into 70+ with heart surgeries, diabetes, and a host of other health problems.

My quest (and this isn't just about this time around or any specific time I've tried losing weight) isn't about vanity alone, and I hope you guys understand that.

// WHAT DO YOU THINK?

I'd like to know, for example, what you think about weighing yourself. Do you do it regularly? Do you never weigh yourself under any circumstances? I go through period of time -- months to even a year once -- when I haven't used a scale. Not on purpose either way, but we weren't members of a gym and our digital scale's battery died, and I wasn't sick and going to he doctor where I'd otherwise weigh in. (Office scales are notoriously unreliable anyway, right?!) 

But I also don't see anything wrong with occasional weigh-ins -- once a week or even monthly. That being said, we all know that the number on the display isn't the best indicator of health anyway, so it should never be used solely to measure up. It's just a tool -- along with many others.

Overall, I try to value all opinions, even if they aren't according with my own. So, these criticisms are valid and I want you guys to know that sharing my experience isn't meant to trigger or upset anyone. If I had an obsession with losing those 7 pounds I seem to "dwell" on, I would probably easily have lost them already.

Whatever the weight. I'm feeling good!


// MOVE MORE

This week I've stalled out on my activity. I had trained through the polar vortex, through the ice and snow, and now that it's March? I'm totally burned out. All that dedication came at a price, so I'm taking this week really easy -- which is fine because we have a 4-mile race on Saturday. I hate to sound like a broken record about the weather, but it's really starting to get to me. I even thought about joining an inexpensive gym (some are just $10 a month), but Stephen pointed out it HAS to get warmer soon, so I held off.

// DRINK LESS

Didn't do too great with my beverages this week. It was Stephen's birthday, so I definitely indulged in more beers and Moscow Mules than I usually do. What's good is that I'm drinking more water with all those indulgences.

// CHALLENGE MY BODY

Nope. See "Move More" above. I could be upset with myself for taking it easy, but at the same time, I'm over 8 weeks away from my half marathon and haven't missed more than a couple workouts total -- and that includes several weeks of pre-training in January. Sometimes rest is GOOD this far ahead of the game. After some days of easy running, I think my mind will be back in the game again.

// ADD MORE VEGGIES

We ate like healthy kings last week! Lots of veggie-loaded quesadillas, slow cooker stews, veggie burgers, etc. I've also started hard boiling eggs at the beginning of the week for some easy grab-n-go protein (or for making Avocado Egg Salad sandwiches at lunch). I think the best part about this week, and possibly where I did lose some weight, was with my diet. I'm enjoying so many more veggies because I've just added them in wherever possible!

// SKIP DESSERT (ON OCCASION)

I ate half a birthday cake this weekend (it was a small one, in my defense). Otherwise, I haven't been keeping as many baking supplies at home, so doing better with desserts. I might stop buying sugar for a while and only use maple syup, honey, and other natural sweeteners. I've stopped buying white or even white-whole wheat flour and now use entirely whole wheat and oat flour. Our pizzas aren't as stretchy, but it's healthier.

// WEAR REAL CLOTHES

Of course I'm typing this as I wear a pair of Stephen's pajamas, but I've been dressing up even more than usual. I packed away half my closet recently because we're planning to put our house on the market -- so I only have around 25 pieces of clothing (not including exercise and lounge stuff), but it's actually made it much easier to dress. Still, my clothes are tighter than usual, which is frustrating. Maybe that's why I tend to wear Stephen's clothing to augment my own closet!

// WRITE IT DOWN

I did keep a paper log for like two days of what I was eating, but honestly it was making me feel obsessive. I think this method can work of a lot of people, but with an eating disorder in my past, anything that involves tracking food just gets me thinking about it way too much during the day. I would like to strike a balance because there's a huge difference between obsessing and just being aware of what I'm putting into my body (which admittedly isn't always the best food -- so I'd like to identify if there are patterns there).

How are your diet/fitness goals going?

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Peek Into the Kitchen

We are far from done with our modest kitchen overhaul. I know I said I'd be writing about it on Writing Chapter Three, but today I felt like this was the place to share. Our goal is to have the majority of it done by Christmas. (And Stephen doesn't know this yet, but my goal is to have the majority of it done by Sunday night!)

Home projects sure are different with a toddler in the house. Here's a typical Day in the Life. Working in-between naps or struggling with no naps is tricky, but with my dad's help -- we've made some good progress.

For reference, here's our old kitchen tour.

Much of our mission is to make the kitchen functional. To pare down the things we don't really use. We had a lot of stuff hanging from this bar in the past. Most of it decorative. IT seemed like the perfect place to hang our MVP pots and pans.

But we still want things to look nice, so we got this gorgeous faux-tin backsplash. A bit more expensive than we wanted, but way easier to install than tile.


As you can see, we also tore down the cabinets that were on either side of the window and replaced them with wooden shelves on a track system. We like the look -- it's opened up the small space -- but we also like how it has forced us to get rid of tons of glasses, plates, etc. we weren't actually using.

Should cut down on loads of dishes, too!


Most of our budget has been spent on the two items you see above. The wall cabinet and kitchen "island" that we're using more as a lower cabinet. We don't have the funds to completely redo the kitchen, so having a few functional pieces helps. I'll write more about why these are so much better than the existing cabinets in another post.

What a difference, though! They even have shelves that roll out. I feel like a movie star. Doesn't take much . . .


Then there's the matter of paint. We went with an almost-white cream for the walls with some chalkboard accents because we had paint leftover from Ada's nursery. It's very different and I'm still not sure I like it yet (the white seems unfinished and stark, I actually adore the black! Probably just need time to get used to it.). Oh, and I'd say only 2/3 of the room is painted. I need to get on that. It's my least favorite task.

Yeah. There are many more items that belong on this to-do list. And I'll leave future artwork to Stephen.


We're trying our hardest to stick within our $1,000 budget. I do think we'll go over, but only slightly. So, that's a bit of what's going on around here (and why you haven't seen many recipes lately). Fingers crossed we can get some major stuff done this weekend . . . and the full tour can be posted soon!

What are you up to this weekend? Otherwise, we want to get Ada's picture with Santa, go to our favorite brew-pub, check out the new GoodWill store (& make some donations), and get in some longer runs. I've already done two 6-milers this week! I can't believe it. But more about that in another post.

And check back tomorrow for the winner of the Tiny Food Party cookbook giveaway. You still have time to enter!

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Slashing Our Grocery Bill: Progress

Last week's post about how we're putting a stop to our outrageous grocery spending (Eating Well Need Not Cost a Fortune) seems to have sparked some great conversations . . . and hit home with many more of you than we expected. We received so many helpful hints and tricks, I sincerely encourage you to visit the post and read through the comments section.

When we put some of our own advice to practice, how exactly did we do? Wonderfully, in fact! Check out this lean, mean number:


We couldn't focus on all the tips at once, of course, so we picked 3 of them that we thought would help us best. The first: Plan ahead. I didn't write out a grocery list, though I always mean to. But before we even stepped foot into the store, we had a conversation about what our meals would be this week. We were shopping Sunday, so we included dinner for that night in our spree. I was a champ and made three rounds of pizza dough early in the day so all we needed to pick up were some diced tomatoes and shredded mozzarella.

We already had portabellas left over from last week. Some basil from Friday's dinner IN (more on that in another post) . . . all the fixings for a homemade pizza. It was so good and cheap, we've now declared Sunday homemade pizza night. The best part is, you can freeze the dough for up to three months. Now we have the next two weeks covered! And it's really nice to return from the grocery store and have a pizza for dinner.

Week night meals are another story. Vegan stir-fry is cheap and good. But buyer beware: We always reach for green peppers without second thought, thinking they're inexpensive (usually $1.99/pound). This time around, we actually paid attention . . . and though we usually buy four for about $4.50, this week, the ticket price was more around $7.50. They had gone up $1 a pound since last week. Silly as I may have felt at the time, I took three out of the bag and kept only one. Onions can be tricky, too. White onions cost $1 per pound more than red onions. We made the switch. We stocked up on broccoli because we decided we'd have vegan stir-fry twice this week (Monday and Thursday). And broccoli is light on the wallet. Same veggies in both dinners -- different sauces.

Tuesday and Wednesday will be homemade chili night. Canned goods are best for chili -- including stewed tomatoes, corn, beans, and maybe even some TVP we have in our cupboard. Again, inexpensive, but really healthy and good. For lunches and breakfasts, we stocked up on spinach (for green smoothies), fresh fruits (bananas and apples are least expensive), beans (garbanzo so Stephen could make hummus), and oats. With all the money we were saving, we decided to indulge in some avocados. Where they used to be 10 for 10, they are now 3 for 5. Which brings us to our next tip . . .



Limiting ourselves to only one treat. I set a $5 limit. Stephen spent his on some prepared food from the "Wokery" section. And I got three more avocados. I wanted also to get some Nutella, chocolate, and coconut vegan ice cream. But so far, I've been fine without the extra luxuries. I think this area is perhaps where we saved the most money. We tend to pile the goodies in our cart like there's no tomorrow. Now, not only will we be more conscious and savor each bite of our "treat" . . . at least in my case, I think I may benefit from losing a few pounds in the process. No one needs to eat a jar of Nutella every week. Instead, I spend time making vegan cookies. At least I'm expending some energy in their creation. :)

The last rule we tried to follow this week is something we didn't really put on the list, but it kind of goes along with the Eat Vegan one. We tried as much as possible to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. It's where the freshest, most healthy ingredients and foods are stored. And produce, especially, is packed with nutrients, but not with pennies. Our refrigerator is stocked silly with all the green stuff we bought. And, we've been eating like kings. Our stir-fry last night could have fed a family of four (or, in our case, two hungry athletes). So, stay out of the packaged foods section. You'll create less waste, eat more healthfully, and spend less. Guaranteed.



Did following all these "rules" make us crazy? No. In fact, when we found ourselves in line watching everything tally up, we were SO relieved to have stayed well within our budget of $75. If, really, you subtract the money we spent on storage bags and some tin foil (and toilet paper, yeah -- we use that, too). We only spent about $50. Yet, we have tons of great food. Including some more "exotic" items like coconut milk and avocados . . . and, yes, some cheese. Next weekend, we're taking the challenge to an extreme. Can we eat on only $50 per week? Is it possible? And we also want to incorporate more locally grown fruits and veggies in our quest. So, a farmers market versus grocery store pros and cons list will soon be in the works.

I think what we both decided we liked best about the experience (aside from the savings) is that we found we were buying items with less packaging. Therefore, less garbage. We also want to continue this trend -- so if anyone has any tips on that, we'd love to heat them! What do you think of our progress? Do you think we were just being overly well-behaved but will go back to our old ways next week? Know of anything we're overlooking? Can we eat on even less than $50 a week and still make the creative recipes we oh-so love?

Leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker@gmail.com.

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Our House -- The Early Days

Yup. That's us. Not a great photo of us (right? glad I've refined my bangs -- looking a bit blunt and bushy), but a significant one. We're standing here with the previous owner of our home. She lived there for 59 years -- moved in when the house was BRAND NEW!!! -- until we purchased it in June 2008. I post this today because several of my friends just bought and moved into their first homes and, well, it made me think back to that special time in our lives.

And we have some photos from the early days to share with you all today. Here's the tour :)

This is the first photo I took inside our home. I just love the glass door handles throughout the house. I learned from neighbors that not all homes like ours (and there are many -- a local company built hundreds of cookie-cutter houses in three different layouts in the late 1940s) have this feature. It has something to do with the boss being away in winter, so the builders could splurge or something like that. We're happy about it.

Now on to the living room. Look at all that green carpeting! Yikes!

The dining room. No. We weren't lucky. That lighting fixture (from West Elm) wasn't there when we moved in. I hated the one that was up so much that it's one of the first things we ripped out.

Unfortunately, I didn't snap any photos of the kitchen. When we moved in, the kitchen walls were covered in yellow and orange sunflower wallpaper. The refrigerator was obstructing any semblance of a flow that could be had. And it was carpeted, as I've mentioned many times before. I mentioned above how one of the first things I did when we moved in was remove the lighting fixture. Well . . . the VERY FIRST thing I did the night we moved in was rip down the wallpaper. Ah, it felt sooooo good.

Moving to the master bedroom. I laugh at this one because it's so . . . sad/sparse? And what you don't see is that the paint that had been on the walls for years and years was actually faded in parts. I painted over it with a light grey which only washed out the room even more.

Here's the office in all her pink-walled glory. I quite liked the couch, but we parted ways with it late last year when we redid the space.

Not sure why, but I don't have photos of the other rooms later. With how many I take daily, you'd think I would have been on my game with that. What I do have a photo of is our insanely disorganized packing system. Scully's in there, too. We didn't want to forget her!

As well, I documented the orange carpet and peach walls that made our hallway look oh-so-1970s. And Scully again. It was summer. She was hot.

Here's where we ripped up the layers of stained vinyl that covered our bathroom floor. That was a fun day. I think I may still have a splinter or two.

Piles of rhododendron branches and leaves from when we ripped out the two gigantic bushes that had been there for ages. I believe at this point, almost all neighbors on our street have thanked us for the beautification efforts.

So, there you have it -- our very earliest house photos. Not so pretty. But. Oh, the memories! It's been quite a year and a half.

If you'd like to see what our house looks like now (not really the "afters" because it's a project that has always and will always be in process), go check out our newly-updated (with more kitchen photos) HOUSE TOUR.

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