Wednesday, May 14, 2008

The Workouts I Swear (and sweat) By

Several of you have asked me how I got back into shape post-Tristan. If any of you know me, you know I am a fitness fanatic and love love love to workout and love all physical activity. Also, more than I love to workout, I love to share with others and encourage them to do the same! If I could go back and do it all over, I probably would have majored in some sort of nutrition and exercise because it fascinates me so. My goal when all of my kids are in school is to become a personal trainer and create a pre-natal workout that is actual cool and fun! As you can see, I may give you more of an answer than you actually wanted! Sorry!

First, I want to make a point that I was not the girl who put on her skinny jeans at the hospital and went home. Nor was I the "breastfeeding helps you lose weight in a flash" gal. Nope. I was neither. Quite the opposite, actually. The earlier in your 20's you have kids, the more this will happen. For those of us close to 30 and older...takes longer gals. Although, there are some freaks who are the exceptions! It took me a good 3-4 months to put on any of my old pants. 4-5 months to wear them comfortably and 5-7 months to see resemblance of my old shape. 7-12 months and I was literally in better shape than I ever have been and smaller. All this said is to encourage everyone to know it takes time! I don't believe your prime has to be in your early twenties. But I DO think you need to be willing to work at getting the body you want! I think your best bet is to start getting in shape BEFORE you are pregnant, however, you can work out pregnant and certainly after baby is as good a time to start as ever! Here are my favorite workouts that I swear by and whipped my hiney literally back into shape!
1. Turbo Kick -this is MY FAVORITE workout of all time! Think Tae Bo meets hip hop class! It is so so so so much fun! I started taking this class at the Y 6 years ago. I thought I would for sure burn out on it, but I loved it so much--I have been teaching it for 3 years! Now I teach it 3-4 times a week. I contribute most of my fitness to this workout. It is very high impact and works every single muscle in your body. Love it. It is the best workout. I would encourage you to look at your local gyms to see if they teach it in their classes. It is really wide-spread nation wide so there is a good chance they do. If you are not a member of a gym, you can order a shorter, less intense version called Turbo Jam. It is a modified and condensed version, but still the same concept and a GREAT workout! I HIGHLY recommend trying to find a class or ordering the videos!
2. Running Strollers- Oh my Gosh! This is also a tremendous workout! While I am not an avid runner, I do enjoy it. Research says that running with a stroller (along with baby) allows you to burn 30-40% more calories! Sign me up! I usually try to jog a couple times a week with Tristan. He really loves it. I really recommend getting a good stroller though. Mine is ok, but not very lighweight. If I had known how much I was going to use it, I would have registered for a good one. My wish list this time will be a really good double stroller! Does that mean double the cals? woohoo!
3. Strength Training with weights-This is a must. You have to make your muscles strong. They help shave the fat. You need to find a good trainer to show you what to do. Or buy a book. You need to do this not just cardio. I say at least twice a week.
4. Spinning- Love spinning! Sadly, since I teach so much, I do not have time to take classes. However, my goal after pregnancy is to get more into it. FAB for the legs, ladies. The only down side is not engaging your upper body a lot. Still, it is guaranteed fat burn!
Anyway, probably WAY too much info, but LOVE to share it! Hopefully it will be helpful to some and always feel free to email me any questions! Oh and I will be teaching Turbo Kick and running until I physically can't. I just modify everything to suit my body.
**Disclaimer** never start anything you have not been already doing if you are pregnant, except for walking and swimming which are absolute musts when you are preggo! It's just good to be doing something.
Ok, I'm done now :)

8 comments:

Page said...

Awesome advice! I'm thinking about joining a gym since I have workout tapes but it's hard to stay motivated at home! My biggest problem?? I HATE WORKING OUT! I wish so much that I enjoyed it like you. But, I'm trying...certainly before children so that I can do what you do and incorporate a workout for when I am pregnant one day. Do you workout everyday? For how long each day?

Melissa said...

Thanks for the tips! I love getting workout advice from a real person who is actually doing it. Now I just need someone to invent a triple jogging stroller.... sigh.

Oh, and I wish you had already created your fun and cool prenatal workout plan! :) Although, I'm loving my prenatal pilates video...it's such a good workout for your legs and butt! Love it.

Nicki W. said...

page,
trust me, when you find a workout you really like, you will get hooked! that's what happened to me! and take it slow! i work out about 5-6/week for 1-2 hours. BUT if you can get in a good 45 min. workout--that is great!!

mel,
what video do you do? i would love to get a good home workout video for pre-natal. i think pilates are awesome, i just don't have time to do them!!

The Ralston Family said...

Thanks for all of the encouragement, I was running all the time, spinning, working out all the time before the pregnancy and now it is just difficult. HOpefully after the baby comes, I will be able to get back in the swing of things!

catherine said...

Nikki,

Hey! This is Catherine (Lewis) Botsford. I just found my way to your blog and have had so much fun reading up on your life. I saw some pics of Tristan at Amy's wedding, but love getting to see more. I absolutely love seeing Brent with him. It is so wonderful seeing those guys we grew up with now as dads. How precious! You both look so happy! Congrats on the new addition. I am looking forward to seeing all of you in October at the reunion. Can you believe it has been 10 years!! Tell Brent and everyone else hey for me.

catherine said...

Hey! I forgot to say how absolutely precious Tristan is!!

Kelly said...

Nicki,
Hey its Kelly McCarver. I love reading your blog. Congrats on you new one to come! My kids are 21mos apart...it's wonderful! Kinda hard at first, but Hannah is 2yr 7mos, and Caleb is 10mos now, and they love to play together...they totally keep each other entertained in the car...it's great. You will love it!
Kelly

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