Day 4: Getting fit

I gained 42 lbs during my first pregnancy. I was doing amazingly well with the weight gain until ~35 weeks, but the last 5 weeks I gained 3 or more pounds every week and there was nothing I could do to slow it down. By the time I got pregnant again, I had lost ~32 lbs.

The second time around, I was dreading the same thing. But I got lucky. I only gained a total of 25 lbs, out of which I lost 10 lbs at delivery. So the combined excess of 25lbs is what is still left.....and not all of it is going to come off by itself.

I've always been a very active, fit person all my life. I was on the skinny side all through college, and after coming to the US, I gained a few lbs but lost them over time, and managed to maintain a healthy weight all throughout. Until now, that is!

For some women, the pounds just melt off their body post-pregnancy. I am not so lucky. I have to work hard. I have to watch my diet. Nursing my babies full time makes me very hungry. But I watch my portion sizes and never binge on junk snacks.

Once Rusham was two months old, we settled into some sort of a routine in our lives. Every day there is a new challenge, and more often than not, the routine is disrupted, but we finally got used to having two kids. And I took the opportunity to incorporate some level of physical activity during my day.

These are the things I do:
- Jump rope as often as I can. Sometimes I do 500-600 a day, sometimes 200. The best part is I can do it at home at any time.
- I park my car in the overflow lot at work. I come home during lunch, so I have to walk a total of 4 times back n forth during the day, which I do at a fast pace.
- I rarely take the elevator to my third floor cube. Climbing the stairs burns a lot of calories.
- I walk within the buildings from one end of the campus to the other. The weather here is lousy - it's been raining non-stop for the past few days, and it gets dark/chilly by the time I leave work. So outdoor stuff like biking or a run is completely ruled out.
- I do Surya Namaskars and yoga routines as and when time permits.

The arms and belly need a LOT of toning, but I'm just getting started and doing what I can right now.

It's been 3 weeks that I started doing all these things, and so far, I've managed to lose 6lbs. Not bad, eh? I still have a long way to go, but it's a good start.

I had to go to a party last weekend where the dress code was Western. None of the outfits in my closet fit me, so I went ahead and bought a dress...got a great deal on it ($12) and it did a great job in flattering my curves (or I should say bulges, in all the wrong places?)....

Inspite of having said all of the above, I must say that I don't feel depressed or stressed about the excess weight....I have two beautiful healthy children and my body is supporting me in nursing them full time....my body has been so gracious to me during both pregnancies....I have to be patient and give it some time to return to its new normal shape!

I have a long break from work coming up, and I hope to workout a lot more in the coming months. My goal is to get to a healthy weight and fitness level by the time Rusham turns 1!