I blogged this morning about a personal challenge. Mummy Tummy Begone, is the name it’s been christened. I’m fed up with the way I feel and the way I look and let’s face it, no one is going to do it for me so the time has come.
There was a very encouraging response and a plethora of comments from Mums everywhere who have struggled with the same thing that I am battling. In particular, I am finding that a lot of Mums who are 1-2 years post delivery are in the same place as me which is comforting but also tells me that there’s something missing out there in the health & fitness world. I’m hoping that the ladies who have commented and whom I have emailed will join me in this uphill climb. I’ve even made a badge!
I’ve made some great progress on day one, I must say! Little Miss and I went to the grocery store and bought a lot of fruit & veg, some good protein and NO BISCUITS or SNACKS whatsoever! I had salad & veg for lunch accompanied by 2 Ryvita crisps with hummous spread (very thinly I might add) plus a handful of grapes. I had a Cup of Soup for a snack and a VERY sensible dinner of chicken breast, roasted vegetables and couscous. We even ate at the sensible hour of 7pm!
Here was the real achievement though! Once hubby came home (around 6:15 tonight), I got my iPod which had been loaded with the “Glee” soundtrack earlier in the day, layered up and went out for a walk/run while hubby stayed with Little Miss. I walked briskly down the street to “Don’t Stop Believin’” with a right kick in my step! Then I tried running…holy.crap. I think I have forgotten how to run! I ran for about 40 seconds. When I stopped, my feet could barely keep stepping. The muscle that runs on the front of your shin (tibialis anterior, thank you very much) was in spasm. It didn’t know how to cope with the minimal strain! It took me several minutes for my normal gait to return! I was battling with my iPod as well. The headphones wouldn’t stay in my ears and I was trying to use the stopwatch feature to time my 1 minute of walking and 1 minute of running.
I persevered however. I somehow managed to do another 3 stints of 60 second running but I needed quite a few more minutes in between those 60 second intervals to function properly. I haven’t felt such pain in a long time! The music helped. The darkness helped. I started to feel better and eventually feel quite good. I was out walking and sort-of-running for all of about 30 minutes but it was a start. I think I will still include running but I’m going to space it out differently. I might attempt 5 minutes of speed walking and 1 minute of running. Advice on this matter is much appreciated.
I arrived back home moderately exhilerated and got dinner on the table and enjoyed a healthy meal with my family. I feel good and for the first time in a while am still full and not suffering from heartburn. Day one is one small step for Cafe Bebe, one giant leap for Karin! I may not be able to pick up my feet tomorrow or negotiate the stairs but I’m starting and will continue. I promise I won’t bore you every day with a post about what I ate or the fact that I did manage to walk outside but I will share my baby steps throughout the week. I hope you don’t mind and I hope you will join me in the challenge. I’m going to take some ibuprofen now…I may be cursing Marathon Mummy Rachael tomorrow.
You got out there! You are amazing! Yay yay yay!
And you did way more in your first time than I did in mine – look, here’s proof! Don’t forget to ice your shins if they’re hurting – it really helps. My legs are killing me after yesterday!
Good for you!
I know when I was getting out for runs last year (okay, fast walks) it just felt so good to get out of the house and DO something. In my experience, at the end of two weeks I was ready to kick it up a notch. I didn’t use a timer, just walked for a bit, then ran until I felt overly uncomfortable, then walked until I felt better and so on. By the end of two weeks I was able to run almost my whole 7 km route.
I hope other bloggers do this as well, be great to see a whole community of us out there working on our mommy tummies! I’ll add your badge to my blog and encourage my readers to come here and grab it for themselves too!
I did good here today too – I’ve been getting in more exercise for the past couple of weeks anyway, but eating horribly -I think because I knew I wanted to eat better and was making a last ditch junk food stuffing attempt! So today the junk went and I got in some more exercise. Ate only sensible things, you know.
I just love this idea of trying to look different by your child’s next birthday!
wow, how amazing are you! am very impressed!
Well done! I have also been panicked into eating less cupcakes (*gasp*) with our holiday looming in 5 weeks and counting….
I don’t think I can blame mine on my youngest baby though…he’s 12!!!
Well done for getting out and about. I’ve been doing a fitness video and have been aching in places I didn’t even know I HAD places! x
Thanks so much lovely English Mum…it’s perhaps best that I don’t become your cupcake tester! And no, your youngest child can no longer be blamed for anything other than being a 12 year old boy!
Thanks Heather…it’s not fun. But I don’t blame you for not getting outside in FINLAND! Good god…you need a treadmill.
We’re all making good progress then aren’t we??
God, it hurt Rachael! I don’t know how it ever DOESN’T! I know I’m not a “runner” but maybe a little jogger here and there. Looking forward to my loop tonight, actually…I think that’s a good sign!
My baby is 2 and I was just thinking this weekend how I need to do something! I have had four babies, one C-section, a hernia and split stomach muscles, eat better now since I had Gestational diabetes but still have a sweet tooth and no chance to get out. Worse, my husband is an Ironman now and it makes me feel a bit pathetic to say I jumped about on a trampoline for 20 minutes, but small steps right? I am so impressed at you giving it a go – can I join you, although I don’t have a chance to get out so I may have to think about ways to exercise more with the baby in tow?
Ahhh yes the fun mummy tummy! I have 2 kids 3 and 5. I have noticed many changes in the past 3 years. I teach pilates and I had to practice what I preached! I am soooo type A it was hard for me to slow down and do transverse awareness. (The deepest abdominal layer) My co-worker wrote a little book on this. Along with this start and actually doing the pilates helped my mummy tummy. But this was just the start! I found out my son and I were gluten and casein intolerent. (FYI a test through http://www.enterolab.com) Once I went gluten and casein (dairy free) I started to see my ab muscles again. The other discovery I made was I had adrenal fatigue. I found out from my naturopath that women are in post-partum for 2 years. (according to Chinese medicine)He said this post-partum affects a woman’s adrenals! So long story short if your adrenals are affected so are your cortisol levels. If your corisol levels are off you can store a high amount of fat around the mid-section. All of this helped me to lower my mummy tummy! Karin you are great and I miss you! Ella I can relate my husband does triatholons. I can’t jump on a trampoline without peeing!
Yes, please join in Ella! The more the merrier! I went out for the 2nd night in a row for my walk/run and actually ran a bit more and didn’t die as much from it! Am rather pleased!
You can do it too…I recommend escaping for a 30 min. walk in the evening if you can and if it’s safe…it’s nice to leave hubby in charge and just go off for some fresh air! Helps to clear the head! Good luck sweetie! 
My love! How wonderful to hear from you and thank you for your advice! I will work on the TRANSVERSE AWARENESS! I’m going to tell those transverse abdominals to shape up, dammit!
I actually have had very little bread the last 2 days, thanks to eating better, and have felt better for it. Maybe I am gluten intolerant as well?? That would really suck because I really LOVE bread! And you, my dear Alpha Phi sister, look amazingly fabulous! Thanks so much for stopping by…we must email…now that I have your email! 
I’ll be in touch…would love to catch up! 
Wow! Good for you!! I’m very impressed. I, too, am not a runner. I prefer to work out in other ways
! I am always terribly impressed when people tell me how far they’ve run. The cardio work out with some pilates mixed in is an extremely effective work out. Also, I too am gluten and dairy intolerant (I’d like to give a shout-out to my girl, Tracy, here). That diet is very helpful in maintaining a low carb diet. I’m not one for starchy foods in general, so that helps, too. It’s such a wonderful time of year to start walking/running outside. It just gives me a huge dose of SPRING FEVER!!! Good luck and be sure to take a before picture and an after one! Hope you’re well!
Thanks Corinne!
I appreciate your support. It had never occured to me that I might be gluten intolerant as I LOVE bread so much but it is entirely possible. Might have to look into it more! As it is, I’ve done 2 days of run/walking and feel pretty darn good. Bizarre. I’ll keep you posted on my progress and yes, I do need to take a before and after photo. Will do today! 
Thanks for the reminder… 
I can’t go out in the evenings (husband home too late), but I was thinking I might go running with the baby in the three-wheeler; spring is around the corner so there’s no excuse! Well done for completing your second run. Reading about you doing it makes me feel more inspired than going it alone
Ella- Thanks…I appreciate the fact that I’m inspiring you! I understand about the late night thing…I’m not too thrilled at run/walking at 8pm but if I have to that’s what I’ll have to do. It’s strangely comforting in the dark!
As Tim pointed out, it’s going to get lighter at night soon though…ack!
Heather…Thank you too lovely…I’m gonna try my best. Not easy but I do feel better.
You have so hit the nail on the head Karin by saying that there is something missing in the health & fitness world. Well there WAS anyway…
nearly a decade of putting mums tummies back together (including my own)resulted in the Mummy Tummy Masterclass concept I now teach. You’re absolutely right – c-sections, hernias, diastasis, knackered pelvic floor, back ache, & of course the wobbly bit on top of all that – no one was really explaining it, let alone solving it. I’m trying to change that!
Look, you ran. For long enough to probably feel a little sick. And you’ll be able to run a little further next time. Well done, and I’ll walk extra fast tomorrow and think of you. I would run, but think being pregnant is an excuse?? Kind of.
Most definitely an excuse Mrs! And yes, I did feel sick!