So the Olympic Games are sadly over in Rio (although atleast we still have the Paralympics to enjoy) and in their honour we seem to be having some of our own lately. Musical beds being top of the list and with gold going straight to Little M, silver to LJ and, well, Ste and I aren’t even in the top 10.
Every night seems to be a blur at the moment with heat, teeth and growth spurts meaning extra toilet runs to keep us busy!
And while the games were on it was not helped of course by the fact that, due to the time difference, most of the finals and medal matches were at 3.30am!! To be fair I have relied mostly on my Team GB app and next day replays (apart from the Murray v Del Potro final – also known as the most uncomfortable match in the history of tennis – but it was one I just could not bring myself to miss and am so pleased I got to see Murray take the Gold again, even if I did need match sticks the next day!)
Olympic fever definitely hit our family this Summer though and drawing on the inspiration Ste and I have been getting into some training of our own!
I have been feeling rather sluggish of late, not helped by our little boy’s recent teething escapades but also in part to my overactive thyroid condition and the fact that I haven’t really done any regular exercise since M was born (I know, horrendous right?!).
I haven’t really been eating properly either and as someone who suffered gestational diabetes this time, watching what I eat has become a higher priority than ever as I really don’t want to end up with full-blown diabetes.
I toyed with the #Whole30 and bow down to my much stronger friends who have gone for it but at the moment it is a bit too much for me so instead I’m opting for an ‘everything in moderation’ approach and cutting down on things like bread and pasta that I feel have added to my bloatedness – especially while I’m not doing the exercising to warrant so much carbohydrates!
In terms of fitness we have downloaded the 7 minute workout challenge and have been doing it every day. 7 minutes doesn’t sound like a lot but the fast paced approach (30 sec exercise, 10 sec rest – which is more like 5 by the time you have set yourself for the next exercise – and 12 exercises in total) definitely has our hearts pumping, sweat dripping and muscles reacting. The idea is that the workout can be done anytime, anywhere and because of the intense interval training the set up is relative to a longer workout. For optimal results you obviously want to be increasing to as many circuits as you can manage with the ultimate goal of increasing your metabolism and therefore energy levels and overall fitness. It’s not something that’s going to work for everyone but for me, who just needed something to give me that motivational boost and remind me that I actually quite like working out, it has been great so far and we will be increasing to 2 circuits soon.
Of course when you watch the sheer strength and determination of the Brownlee brothers or the speed of Usain Bolt. The stamina of Mo Farrah or the power of the rowers my huffing and puffing over 30 seconds of running with high knees seems a bit excessive but as the BBC keep saying: if the Games have inspired anyone to take up even 1 new thing it’s worth it.
The best thing has been LJ’s interest. He wants to ‘do sport’ with Mama and whilst the plank, with his little shadow sitting on top of me, is a bit of a harder work-out than I intended, anything that gets my children excited about exercise is amazing.
The best thing about the Summer – especially this wonderful one we are having – is being able to get outside and just have fun with it! Children learn and develop better when they don’t realise they are learning. And in the same way they enjoy and get fitter through activities and sports that they don’t attribute as ‘exercise’. Make it fun and it all seems easier to handle. And what’s more if you can handle that hard work you might even reap the rewards of being part of something as special as the Olympics.
I have no aspirations of being a hero myself but I have been inspired to get off the couch and try to be more like those sporting heroes I have been following and I’m using my children’s help to do it.
So, we have have been running and climbing. Playing football and tennis. Swimming and scooting. And quite frankly the constant going up and down stairs as we are at my Mum’s house at the moment is enough of a workout in its own right.
And then there’s my 7 minutes because, well, every little helps.
Next year I will have a six pack when I put my bikini on again (maybe!)
I will have the energy to run across the sand with my children and not want to collapse before I get to the sea.
I will be able to teach a whole workshop without my back playing up because my stomach muscles will be strong enough to hold me upright.
Our bodies go through a lot when we have babies, regardless of what injuries and illness may also slow us down, but that doesn’t mean we have to put up with it. With the inspiration of some friends and the many super heroes from the Olympic Games, and the many more to follow in the Paralympics, I am slowly trying to get back into gear and remind myself that I once had a hunger for sport.
The Olympic Games may be over but I’m determined in our house it is just the start – for all of us. So let the games begin and “may the odds be ever in [our] favour!”
Sweet Dreams –
Mama Atzi x
