[Adispatcher]

Soo. I just recently had a baby, he's almost three weeks old. Prior to pregnancy (and even a little while pregnant), I was running on the eliptical 30-45mins a day. Prior to that I've always been very active, since like kindergarten. I'm motivated & well determined to get back into running 5k's (which I haven't ran one in two years). I need some advice on where to start. I could just start doing the eliptical again which is actually what I have been doing the past four days, just started again. And I'm going to start running outdoors once & awhile when the weather gets cooler. The first 5k I'm going to do since the baby is in February 2011. I want to be good, I want to have a decent time. I also would like to start lifting again which I haven't done in a couple years. I'm not overweight, in fact I already lost pretty much all my pregnancy weight, I've got the athletic build, need to tone it up some more & get my endurance back where it used to be, shouldn't take me long, I'm very healthy & I eat healthy all the time & only drink water, constantly. I was always extremely smart & big into fitness but recently I'm just really wanting to focus & do it right & my mind isn't where it used to be as far as what/when to do what to start training again. Any advice?

[Eileen G]

Give yourself more time. Three weeks after having a baby is too soon to get back to serious training. Give yourself the full six weeks, and you won't regret it. Your body needs the time for all your joints and ligaments to get back to normal. Training at this stage is a good way to get injured. Wait it out and I promise all the fitness will come back again.

At this stage, you can walk, so do that. Don't run or lift until after the six week check-up. Make the most of this time with your baby, when it still needs you and your milk so much, and relax a little about the 5k. You've got lots of time to get fit for that.

For what it's worth, I waited the full six weeks, and I was skiing all day at ten weeks.

[Adispatcher]

Hi & thank you for responding. Yah, when you put it the way you did you're right. I guess it is too soon. I was only doing 30 minutes on the eliptical, nothing more than that for these first 6 weeks, but yah since reading you post I've taken a break from even that. I am definitely enjoying my little one though, don't get me wrong there. I just figured on the days when my husband is off work, I would go to gym for 30mins since I'll be home w/the baby until the end of October. But anyway, this is going to sound pathetic but when I'm not in the gym I have the hardest time staying motivated... I'll just end up eating whatever whenever, still eating good but tend to fall off my "healthy wagon". Ugh. Not to mention my husband doesn't eat anything healthy... literally no veggies or fruit even. Any advice there? How can I stay motivated? I don't want to gain the weight I naturally lost just after having the baby. Will it take me long to lose the weight even if I do gain & get back into shape before February's 5K?

[Eileen G]

If you are breastfeeding, that's a huge advantage. A baby can literally suck the fat off your behind (and lowers your own chances of developing type 2 diabetes).

Who is shopping? If the junk is not there, he can't eat it.

Try not to obsess too much about it. Once you are back to the gym and the running, things will tend to slot into place. At the moment, I imagine your whole life has been turned upside down, so try not to freak about the small stuff.

[Adispatcher]

Unfortunately I'm no longer breastfeeding. =( I was breastfeeding the first week & half but realized I wasn't getting enough milk to provide for the baby, it was such a disappointment because for many different reasons benefiting myself & my child I reallyyyy wanted to breastfeed. But my baby wasn't gaining weight & was constantly fussy & wanted to eat all the time. When I switched to formula just to see that's when I realized. So I pump once a week just to give him what I can. Anyway... so there goes that idea. I do the shopping basically, especially when I'm buying for me. My husband who's obsessed w the cooking channel is more of a buy as needed type shopper. He will see something on TV someone is cooking & rush off to the store to buy the stuff to make it. He's pretty talented in the kitchen, but as I said, I still eat what I eat, usually stuff he dislikes. There were cookies in the fridge today that he wasn't eating so I tossed them all in the garbage, he never even realized they were gone! Lol Anyway, yah I'm going to try my best not to sweat this, I KNOW I can & will get back into shape when the time is right, after these 6 weeks. I have to keep telling myself it could be a whole lot worse, I could have gained a ton of weight & it could take years to get the weight off, but I really didn't gain as much as I thought I was going to, at least I didn't keep as much of it on as I thought I would. But in the meantime I need to take it easy & not let it get worse from here. And yes, having a baby is a big transition, I'm running around constantly getting things done while the baby naps, so I'm sure I'm getting exercise right there. But I'll tell you, I cannot wait to start running & lifting again I can almost taste it... and I hope my son is just as much into running as I was/am. Someone like me who has ran since I was younger & has always been in good shape even when I'm not in shape, meaning on my bad days when I do put on weight & slack off, well it shouldn't take me long in that case to get back where I was before right? I know I'm getting older, but I feel like running has always been in my blood as well as exercise in general. I appreciate all of your advice & confidence boost by the way, it's very reassuring & honest, thank you.

[Eileen G]

Having a mother that runs will be the best possible influence on your son. The World Health Organisation reckons that one of the biggest dangers to children now is not traffic or peadophiles or anything like that, it's being kept indoors by worried parents and not getting the exercise they need.

And staying healthy for your child will be an inspiration for you. Maybe you can use the baby to help shift the whole family into healthier eating?

By the way, it's a pity you didn't have an expert to help you in the early days, to tell you that almost all babies lose weight in the first week or so, and only start to gain it back after about ten days. Newborns really do want to feed all the time, that's normal, and not a reflection on your milk.

Are you doing lots of walking?

[Adispatcher]

Thank you for the positive feedback Eileen. And it's even more comforting to know that I'm benefiting myself & my child in more ways than I thought. I've been running regularly & it's getting easier & better everyday. In fact, I feel like I'm already back in the groove I was in before pregnancy. I feel terrific! And I've recently ran my first 5K & my time was about a minute more than I would have liked but I'm not worried, I'm just going to continue doing what I'm doing & work towards my goals. I wish I could get my husband to eat better, ugh. Easier said than done though unfortunately. He is 6 yrs younger than me & his metabolism is so young too, he's 23. (I'm a few weeks shy of 29 btw). Anyway, he's never ate fruits or veggies. He won't even so much as TRY them anymore to see if maybe his tastebuds have changed LOL. BUT I will say, he cooks. He doesn't eat fast food but maybe once a month. And he doesn't go overboard on portions anymore (tho he did have surgery on his stomach last December due to very bad acid reflux probs).
Anyway, as I said I've increased my running recently. My baby is ten weeks old now & I hope he's just as active as I am when he's older. We take him for walks occasionally but waiting for the cooler weather to get here so we can walk more. I'm still learning how to incooperate everything into my schedule, though of course being a mother comes first. It's getting easier though. My first day back to work was last Thursday. I work days & nights, my schedule rotates every third day, kind of confusing but I like it. I've actually inquired about getting a personal trainer at my local gym, just someone to help me put together a workout schedule considering my busy life style.
Thank you for your tips & advice! And please feel free to write me w/any other tips or advice.

[Eileen G]

Wow, well done. Way to go.

Believe me, when he's a bit older, your child will be the envy of all his friends having a mother who he can go running with.

You are back at work at 10 weeks post partum? That seems awfully soon. Is that even legal?