#nevernottraining

[sassyfitblog]

“Suck it up now so you don’t have to suck it in later.”

Did a 1hr session on the Pilates reformer early this morning and OMG it was hard! Haven’t been on one of these things in over a year and today’s session reminded me😩

My postpartum body is still a work in progress. My tummy appears flat but it’s still mushy😩 So I’ve decided to turn to Pilates to help me out. The exercises will help strengthen my core and pelvic floor along with improve my posture, joint mobility & flexibility. This should help me rebuild a stronger body and increase my running performance, which is so necessary since I’ve decided to run my first race in a few weeks. Eek!!!😬 . . . . . #fitnessfriday )

[sassyfitblog]

‘Do more of what makes you happy.'😊

Ever have one of those days where things felt just felt right? Today was one of those days for me. Started out with a beautiful 4 + mile run in Central Park. Haven’t been there in a few weeks and boy did I miss it! Forgot how pretty it was especially at this time of the year. 💐 I ran up Cathill and it didn’t suck😆 Passed a few friends along the way and made my way up to the reservoir for spectacular views(see my instastories). After my run I made my way down to 'Poses in the Park’, to practice yoga in a virtual Yosemite Park(see my instastories). It was really cool and felt so good after my run. Bonus: Walking an additional 4 miles throughout the city .

Today was a great day!😃 . . . . .

[sassyfitblog]

“Children are great imitators. So give them something great to imitate.”

Workout Wednesday with my favorite girl 👶🏾🎀 30 mins of strength training for me, lots of jumping time in the Jumperoo for her. Gotta start them out early☺️ Shout out to @newbalance @nbwomen for my daughter’s fly kicks. I got them before she was born and now she’s finally able to wear them😍 even if it’s just for shoe selfies😆😊

[sassyfitblog]

‘Trust in your training and make it happen'👊🏾 Good luck to everyone running the NYC Half Marathon tomorrow!👍🏾😊 A few last minute race tips and strategies from my experience running in 2015:

1. Get there early; this is a big race with security checks so give yourself extra time to allow for it. 2. Run conservatively for the 1st half of the race; Central Park is hilly AF…nuff said!

3. Run like a rockstar through Times Square; It is seriously cool!😎 4. Stay focused on the West Side Highway; its flat and monotonous and no where near as crowded as Central Park or Times Square. If you run with music 🎶 , this is when you’ll need it. 5. Miles 11-12; Pick up the pace. Spectator Crowds and cheer squads will be huge and will give you that extra boost.

6. Mile 12-13.1 - Drop that freaking hammer 💨and race 🏁 your heart out! (Oh and don’t get freaked out by the pitch black tunnel like I did🙈It’s super short😉) 7. Celebrate and Rock that Race Bling!🏅 For more insight you can check out my race recap on my blog📝 (link in bio). Again Best of luck to everyone. I’ll be tracking and cheering for a lot of you. Run 🏃🏾‍♀️Strong💪🏾 You got this! *pic is from 2015 #unitednychalf . . .

[sassyfitblog]

“Never outrun your joy of running.” Flashback to running 8 months preggo on a hot summer day last year August through NYC Summer Streets. I was so happy that I was able to run through car-less streets while checking out fun activities😀 Many people ask how I was able to run through 9 months of pregnancy. Answers: 1. I never ran long. My longest run during pregnancy was probably 8 or 9 miles at one time and that was because I ran a 10k race with a couple warm up miles. Most runs were only 3-5 miles. 2. I only ran 1-2 a week especially toward the end of my pregnancy. I elected to focus on strength and mobility training because I thought it would have the most benefits and it did. 3. I never ever pushed myself to go fast; every run was done at a very sexy pace i.e. 10 + min/mile 4. I only ran if I was comfortable and enjoyed it; there was no point in my pregnancy where it hurt or I felt miserable while running pregnant. If I did, I would’ve stopped immediately because I wasn’t running to stay fit. I had many other ways of doing that. I ran strictly because I enjoyed it. I think that’s always the key to sticking to any activity whether you’re pregnant or just trying to stay fit. You’ve gotta enjoy it. That and listening to your body. It’s all super important.

Got running through pregnancy questions? Please ask and I’ll answer them here and also create a blog post on it next week. I’ve realized that there’s not a lot of detailed info out there for preggo women so I’m happy to help 😊

Preggo Outfit Details: Top: @nikewomen tank Bottom: 2XU Prenatal Active Maternity Tights (the only high performance compression maternity tights available on the market) Shoes : @nikerunning LunarEpic Flynit

[sassyfitblog]

Plank. Kiss Baby. Rinse and Repeat. 😀

I’m back to full body planking!!💃🏾 I stopped doing them last summer when I was 5 months pregnant based on advice from not 1, but 4 different Prenatal, Postnatal trainers & Physical therapists that I took classes with. They told me to modify the plank exercise by dropping to my knees or do it standing against a wall. Why? To Help minimize diastasis recti. That’s where your abs separate to the point that it sticks out and causes a pooch. Many pregnant women get it because your abs have to separate to make space for the baby to grow. But doing certain exercises like front planks, crunches, sit-ups, push-ups and press-ups can make abdominal separation worse and could even require surgery to repair it🙈 Postnatal trainers also advise avoiding the same exercises after having the baby until your separation closes. So now that I’m in the clear, I’m kicking off February by doing my 30 Day Plank Challenge for beginners🤗Gotta start from the bottom to build my core strength to where it used to be pre-baby.

If you wanna join me check my instastories and blog for me info. Bonus- getting to include my baby 👶🏾girl 😍 We both got the 💖pink memo.

[sassyfitblog]

‘Summer Bodies and Personal Bests are earned in the winter.'👊🏾 5.5 mile run 🏃🏾‍♀️done earlier this morning👍🏾. I was scheduled to run with my run club today but Mommy 👶🏾 duties called and that always comes first👆🏾 I Thought about postponing my run til the afternoon but I was already dressed and felt like once I took off all those layers, I wasn’t gonna put them back on😆 So I headed out to a nearby park to tackle the cold and snow. If you watch my Instastories you’ll see that I ran in a winter wonderland❄️😍 There is something so magical about it. Winter training ain’t easy but when summer rolls around I know it’ll be worth it so I keep at it. And having beautiful snow covered run views doesn’t suck🙂 This training run completes my 5th workout for the week🤗 Time to kick back and chillax. Happy Saturday!😀

[sassyfitblog]

Recovery time is over. Time to Rebuild 💪🏾

Pregnancy weakens a lot of muscles so I’m working hard on rebuilding them. Decided to take a few sessions with Pre and Postnatal trainer to help me. We assessed my current fitness level, strength, goals and weaknesses including checking my abs for diastasis recti. I think it’s something important for postpartum Moms to do especially since there’s barely any information out there on returning to fitness especially after having a c-section. The ‘wait until 6 weeks postpartum to exercise’ is so basic! Gotta make sure you’re not doing too much too soon which can cause major damage and setbacks. Happy to report that I am doing great👍🏾 So Now the real work can begin.

*Shown doing barbell hip thrust. Great for glutes and hamstrings which will help improve my strength, speed and power💪🏾 Have a Happy Monday!

#mondaymotivation