Conquering Couch To 5k

So, apparently you guys like when I post fitness stuff on here!  Who knew?  A couple of my most recent posts (Run Around and Fit to be Tied) got a bit of a buzz.  Yep, I’m getting all sleek and in shape over here at OGT.  I’ve got a few months til summer and I will be spending as much time in a bathing suit as possible.  I have a little fishy of a son, so you can bet we will be saying hi to Grandma from the pool as often as we can.  I better invest in sunblock now…

Back to the runnin’.  I touched on the Couch to 5k method of “learning” to run earlier this year.  I said I had never once completed the program the whole way through.  Well, I am thisclose to completing it this time!  Let me give you a little back story.

I have never been on a team sport.  Not growing up, not in high school, not in college, not ever.  The closest I came to being on a “team” was when I was in a singing group when I was 10.  Nope, I didn’t play any sports.  I worked in high school.  I was never one for running or really even into fitness for that matter.  It wasn’t until I was in college that I started realizing how out of shape I was.  My freshman roommate and some of the other girls on my floor would convince me to go workout in the gym in our basement.  I had no idea what I was doing, so I just kind of made stuff up as I went along.

Fast forward a few years.  OK, several years.  In the summer of 2009 I was at my highest (then) weight of 165.  I knew I needed to do something because I was unhappy.  I felt fat, lazy, and had no energy.  I started walking and lifting weights.  My sister had started running earlier in the year and she lost a ton of weight.  She also started running in some 5ks and she inspired me to want to try running too.  I began the program (I actually use an app called Ease into 5k instead of the c25k one) and I think I got through about week 4 or so.  Then I gave it up.  Can’t remember why, but I did.  I probably thought my body wasn’t built for running.

Despite not completing the program, I ended up losing 30 pounds by walking and doing various other activities at the gym like the arc trainer.  I started the program a few more times but, as before, stopped it by week 4 or 5.  When I got pregnant with Jake, I ended up gaining a ton of weight.  I believe my highest weight was 204!!!  Geez, Louise!

After I had him, I lost about 30 pounds naturally, but I hovered around the 170 mark for a loooooong time.  Finally at the beginning of this year I had had enough.  I wanted my 135 pound body back.  My best friend and I got serious and we’ve been eating right and exercising ever since.  I’ve lost 12 pounds so far and feel a lot more lean and mean.  I still have a ways to go, but I can see the results and I’m determined to reach my goal!

Well, that was a long winded way to get on the topic of my current experience with Couch to 5K.  This time, it’s all different.  I started out pretty strong on weeks 1, 2, and 3, but then I started having some pain on the inside of my shins.  My friend told me she thought they were shin splints and suggested I rest and not run for a while.  This is one of the reasons why I had stopped running period in the past, so I was nervous to take a break.  On the other hand, I didn’t want to hurt myself, so I quit running for a few weeks.

When I got back on the treadmill, I was still a little sore, but not so much I couldn’t run.  I completed my run with ease!  After that, I just kept progressing and progressing.  Some days were really tough, others weren’t so bad.  Last night, I went to the gym fully expecting not to be able to complete the day’s run.  Week 6, day 2 is run 10 minutes, walk 3, run 10.  I did it, but struggled with it.  Week 6, day 3 (last night’s run) was warm up, then run 20 minutes.  Straight.  No breaks.  There was no way.

Well, I was wrong.  I KILLED my run!  Not only did I run the 20 minutes it said to, but I kept going and ran an additional 6 minutes so I could say I ran 2 miles straight!  (Yes, right now I run a very slow 13 minute mile, but I run the whole thing.  So there.)  I was so pleased with myself I put it all over social media!

I’m not completely done with Couch to 5k, but I’m so close.  Now I feel like I could actually, potentially be a runner.  I know they say if you run even one minute, you’re a runner, but in my head that’s not the truth.  That’s not the definition of a runner I see.  My sister?  She’s a runner.  Know what I do believe in?  The term runner’s high.  There’s no other feeling like it.

On a side note, did you all see Google Reader is going to be shutting it’s doors on July 1? 

What blog reading platform will you be using when that happens?

Fit To Be Tied

I am not a gym rat. Not by a long shot. But for the last few months, my face has become a lot more familiar to the staff at my gym. Here’s what I’ve been doing the most of lately:

ZUMBA
Zumba is awesome! It gets you moving, burns tons of calories, and it’s FUN! If you find a good teacher, the hour will fly by! My teacher gets my heart rate up in the 180s for about 75% of the class. Love it!

RUNNING
I have started (and stopped) Couch to 5K about 897 times. OK really like 4, but still. I want to complete a whole set for once in my life and actually *gasp* run a 5k! I am currently farther than any other attempt I’ve made in the past. I am on week 6 of Ease into 5K (a different version of c25k with the same premise).  Just today I did Day 2 of this week.  I ran 10 minutes, walked 3, then ran 10 more minutes.  It was challenging but not unachievable.  My next run is just exactly that…a run.  I’m up to the daunting part of the training.  I warm up for 5 minutes then…run.  For 20 minutes.  Straight.  Yikes!  I’ll let you know how I do.

YOGA
I have never really been a yogi.  In fact, up until about two weeks ago I hadn’t really done yoga.  Not officially anyhow.  I had gone to a couple yogalates classes at my gym, but I really wanted to try a straight yoga class.  It’s definitely more challenging than I expected, but I really liked it!  The problem with this class is that it’s at 7p on Monday.  When Jake was going to bed early (and by early I mean 6:30p) it wasn’t a problem, but he stays up until 8p these days.  I just can’t miss hanging out with my buddy to go to yoga.  Luckily, my gym has introduced a new class at 11p on Fridays.  This will leave me just enough time to shower and get to work after if I close that day!

NEW OPTIONS
There are several things I haven’t really included in my workout routine that I am looking into these days.  One is P90X.  I’m still not convinced I want to start this program, but I might.  One of my coworkers loaned me his copy of it to try out.  I decided to complete Couch to 5k first before I attempt P90X as I want to actually finish Couch to 5k for once in my life.  I’m nearly there.  Then, I will think about starting P90X.

Another option I’m considering is checking out Pure Barre.  I’ve heard lots of good (and bad) things about this class.  Well, not really bad per se.  I’ve just heard it’s difficult at first.  One of my old coworkers told me she loved it, though it is tough at first.  I read on the website that the first class is free, so what’s there to lose?  If you don’t know what Pure Barre is:

Pure Barre is the fastest, most effective way to change the shape of your body. Using small isometric movements at the ballet barre set to motivating music, Pure Barre lifts your seat, tones your thighs, abs and arms and burns fat in record breaking time. Clients see results in just 10 classes, lose inches in weeks and have fun doing it!

Pure Barre was founded by dancer, choreographer and fitness guru, Carrie Rezabek Dorr. Carrie opened her first studio in the basement of an office building in Birmingham, MI in 2001. With no initial clients, staff, signage or even a bathroom, Carrie has grown Pure Barre in to the company it is today.  -From the Pure Barre Website

Finally, and probably most importantly, I am trying to spend as much time playing with Jake as possible.  Chasing a toddler around is fun and a workout in itself!  He could probably make me burn more calories than any other exercise program out there!  Last Sunday before work, we took a long walk to a local playground.  The playground is a mile away so I loaded him up in his wagon and we walked down there.  After we played a bit, I loaded him back up and we walked home.  I didn’t exert myself, I didn’t even try to walk fast.  But in 75 minutes I burned nearly 600 calories!  Bonus!

Basically, I am just trying to move more lately.  Instead of coming home and sitting until it’s time to go to bed, I find myself leaving the house at 8p after Jake goes to bed to hit the gym.  I like going to the gym that late because there’s not a whole ton of people crowding the machines.  I also feel like I can take my time and really focus on my workout instead of constantly thinking I need to rush home or rush to work.

I feel better about my health than I have in several years and I love the results I’m seeing!  I’ve lost 12 pounds since January 1.  I still have a ways to go, but seeing the results makes me want to work that much harder!

What is your favorite workout?  What new things are you hoping to try in the future?

Run Around

I love music.  I have found there is a song to express any emotion or thought I have.  I also know music gets me moving.  Some people can watch TV while they run.  Not me.  I need my music to get my feet going!  Here are some of my current favorite tunes to run to lately:

Scream & Shout – will.i.am featuring Britney Spears

Everybody Talks – Neon Trees

50 Ways To Say Goodbye – Train

Shake Senora – Pitbull

Wait – Chris Brown

This is just a small sampling of the music I listen to when I run.  I have done a few of these posts in the past and I’m always looking for new music.  I tend to listen to Pandora a lot simply to get new song ideas, but I like having a backup playlist on my phone in case Pandora is being wonky and not playing anything I like.  A little known fact about me is I hate the radio for the most part.  Pandora is less like the radio and more like an iTunes playlist on shuffle.

Anyhow, what’s your favorite song to run to?

Color Me Happy…and Healthy

Remember when I wrote this post a while back?  I talked about running in a few 5ks.  Last Saturday, I fulfilled leg one of the 5k journey.  I participated in the Color Run!  I’m sad to say I didn’t run this race due to an injury, but I (along with a couple other ladies) walked it with pride.

Let me spend a minute here talking about my “injury”.  A few months ago, I started noticing when I would wake up in the morning, my feet would ache for a few minutes.  I had no idea what it was, but figured it would get better eventually.  I kept running, not thinking much of it.  When it started to get worse, I began asking other people what they thought it was.  Most everyone gave me the same explanation:  plantar fasciitis.

My shoes were not the best shoes for running, plus I had had them for a looooong time, so it’s no wonder my feet hurt.  I also work retail, thus resulting in me being on my feet most of the day.  The only choice I had was to take some time off from running and to get new shoes.  Well, I haven’t been running, but I kept putting off getting new shoes.  Not that I don’t want to, I just never seem to have the time!  My feet aren’t getting much better though.  I’m not quite sure what to do at this point.  Oh well.  I’m sure I’ll figure something out.

Anyhow, back to the Color Run!  My sister-in-law Shannon, my manager Kristy, and my best friend Carolyn had all agreed to walk with me.  Early Saturday morning, I swung by Shannon’s house to pick her up and then headed over to pick up Kristy.  We arrived in Cincinnati in a decent amount of time and spent a couple minutes getting ourselves ready.  I had picked up the packet of goodies for all the girls the Thursday before.  We got race bibs, sweatbands, color run temporary tattoos, wristbands, and a packet of colored powder to throw.  Oh and a Color Run t-shirt of course!

Once Carolyn arrived from Louisville and got herself situated, we were off to the race.  We did the obligatory pre-race picture and then found a spot amid all the other runners.

It was packed!  I’m not sure how many people were in attendance, but I do know our race was sold out!

The race info said it started at 8:00a and would let people start running in waves.  It said the waves would be released every 5-8 minutes.  So there we were, just standing around talking, taking pictures, and freezing.  (PS…it was about 45º when we started.)

We stood there for at least 45 minutes without moving.  We couldn’t figure out what was going on until we realized we were almost at the back of the lineup!  Before we were even close to moving, people were already finishing the race!

We eventually got past the start line at 9:04a (yep, over an hour after the start of the race!).  Yay!

The way the Color Run works is you walk or run for a bit and then go through these color stations (read: a 40 ft stretch where people spray you with colored cornstarch).  I had fun with it, raising my arms up and dancing around, walking backwards, and other such things.  I wanted to be covered in color!

First color station down.  Orange!

Second color station complete.  Blue!

Third color station (though it’s kind of hard to see). Pink!

Here’s a somewhat far away shot of the color station.  I was taking pictures on my phone and didn’t want to get powder in it.

Fourth (and final) color station finished.  Yellow!

I loved the back of Shannon’s shirt.  It looked like a neat abstract painting to me.

I love this picture!  What a fun day.

Kristy and I had a blast.  We thought it was a great thing to do to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma foundation.  Too bad more of our coworkers couldn’t join us!

It was a great bonding experience.  I love doing things with my friends and family.  I only wish I could do more.  One day…just need to be a manager first!  (Hint, hint.)

After the race, we were all pretty hungry, so we headed over to the Findlay Farmer’s Market and picked up lunch.  A yummy flatbread with chicken, peppers, onions, eggs, and asiago cheese never tasted so good!  I also picked up some fresh pasta and raviolis at Ohio City Pasta, a company about which I’d heard lots and lots of great things!

I wanted something sweet after lunch, so I grabbed a Belgium waffle from Taste of Belgium.  Oh my gosh, you guys.  This waffle was the best thing I’d had in a LONG time!  Light and crisp with little balls of sugar running all through it.  Mmm mmm mmm.  Makes me want another one right now!

If you’re ever in Cincinnati and have a chance to go to Findlay market, go!  Even if just for the waffles…

After all that, we were all pretty beat.  We parted ways and I went home to this smiley little fella.  Life is good.

Foodie Penpals (August)

I know you all are confused by my post today.  Foodie Penpals is supposed to be at the end of the month right?  Well…this past month was a little…harried.  Without going in to all the details, the person I sent a box to for August was generous enough to send me a box back!  What a great gift.  Thanks, Sara!

Sara emailed me the standard swap email.  What kind of foods do you like, what’s your favorite combination, where do you live, etc?  I told her I liked peanut butter and chocolate.  She went a little crazy! 

The first thing I saw was the Reese’s Muffin Mix.  These looked crazy good.  And crazy dangerous!

Next was the Honeymaid Grahamfuls.  They’re only 120 calories and will be a great dessert for my lunches at work!

She also included some of my favorite breakfast bars:  Nature Valley Protein bars in (of course) peanut butter and chocolate.  I love these things!

One thing she had recently discovered was the Sparkling Ice water.  I love these too!  Kroger had them on sale for $1 a while back and I grabbed a couple.  She put the black raspberry in my box, which turns out to be my favorite flavor!

She also included Heath candy pieces, which are great in Better Than Sex cake.  I haven’t made that in a while, so this might be the perfect reason to do so!

I can’t believe how generous Sara was this month.  My penpal never sent me anything and, after I told her, she jumped at the chance to send me something.  Turns out, the girl she was supposed to send to never contacted her either!

If you want to join in the fun, head on over to Lindsay’s blog and sign up for Foodie Penpals.  Here’s a little more info about the process:

-On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.
– Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian residents & UK residents.
Last month was crazy to say the least.  I hope this month is easier!  Have a great day!

I Like to Move It, Move It

If you don’t know, I have been spending a lot more time on Twitter lately (@OneGirlsTaste).  Part of the reason is to connect with other bloggers (and part because I like tweeting funny pictures of myself and the boy).

One day, after clicking around on the Internet, I landed on Fitness Cheerleader’s blog a day writing challenge.  Basically she listed out a bunch of topics and you wrote about each one on the given day.  Now, being as I don’t write a daily blog, I didn’t have answers to all the questions, and I just found the article about 2/3 the way through the month, I am not going to be participating.  Or am I?

I looked at each of the questions and picked several out that I could use as inspiration for those times that I don’t have a recipe or an update to share.  Today is one of those times.  It’s really quite handy to have a list of blog topics at your disposal!  I’m very excited she is going to continue this into September.

I chose to talk about workout songs today.  I am one of those people that has to listen to music to really get going at the gym or outside.  Fast, upbeat music makes my feet faster, my heart rate speed up, and just makes me happy in general.  Here are the top 5 workout songs that really get my feet flying:

1.  Hurricane Streets – Hey Monday

hurricane streets

2.  Ignorance – Paramore

ignorance

3.  Got It Made – Theory of a Deadman

got it made

4.  Can’t Stop – Maroon 5

can’t stop

5.  Stronger – Kanye West

Bonus Song:  Real World – The All-American Rejects  (probably my favorite running song)

Man, listening to all these songs this morning has made my feet itch to go for a run!

What is your favorite running/workout song?  What gets your feet moving?

Race to a Healthy, Happy Me

A few weeks ago, my life looked a little different.  I would go to work, come home, and sit.  Sure, I would play with my child and cook dinner for my husband and myself, but the thought of working out was just not present.

Yes, I had a baby almost eight (!!) months ago and it was definitely past time to start getting myself healthy, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of being on my feet at my retail job every day and then coming home to do even more physical movement.  I already had the tasks of making dinner, cleaning, doing laundry, taking care of my boys, etc on my list.  Could I really add another one?

I thought long and hard about adding in some exercise.  Well, actually it was a pretty short internal conversation:

Me:  I hate feeling tired all the time.  I have to work on my feet all day.  Why do I need to come home and do more physical movement?

Me:  You want to know WHY you’re so tired?  You’re out of shape!  If you get your butt in gear, maybe you’ll find energy you never knew you had.  And WHY should you do more movement?  To get healthy!  Duh!  You want to be a good role model for your little boy, right?  That’s why you make healthy dinners.  That’s why you keep the house clean.  That’s why you try to make healthy decisions, right?  Well, exercise is all part of that, my friend.  Now MOVE!

Me:  But I really don’t want to.  I’m fine the way I am.

Me:  Remember that picture you took when you were at a healthy weight and not classified as obese?

Right, that one.  You’re not gonna get that way by sitting on your butt.  Make a decision.  Be fat and lazy or be healthy and in shape!  Whatever your decision, just shut up and do it!

So, after that dialogue I made my decision.  Healthy and in shape is definitely the choice I choose.  I went to the gym the next day and started Couch to 5k!

Now, telling myself to move is one thing.  Having motivation that pushes me is another.  When Jo‘s husband said he was running in the Ghost and Goblin 5k in October, I made my second great decision.  I would sign up to run in it.  Before I could talk myself out of it, I paid the $20 and joined.  No turning back now!

Then, a few days ago, my manager told me our community at work was creating a group to walk in the Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes.  Walgreens is an avid supporter of walking and getting healthy.  This is just one more way to get the word out there.  I immediately agreed to walk!

Last weekend, Jeff, Jake, and I went to visit Carolyn in Louisville.  While at breakfast at Wild Eggs (if you live in Louisville, you MUST go!), all these people had on white shirts covered in splotches of color.  What the heck?  Carolyn informed me there was a race called the Color Run that weekend.  Basically the concept is to run the 5k while being splattered with paint powder.  I’d never heard of such a thing, but it looked really fun!

(source)

Well, this morning I was talking to a different friend who mentioned there was a color run coming up in Cincinnati in October!  Yay!  I watched the video below and started to get really excited.

Please tell me…who wouldn’t want to be a part of “the happiest 5k on the planet”?  I’m stoked!

So, my friends, the morale of the story is I made the decision to be a healthy, happy me.  I started running again, I started going back to Zumba, I started eating better.  Basically I started caring for myself again.

And I’ve never been happier.

How are you making yourself a healthier, happier you?

Do The Damn Thing

I have never been a lover of exercise.  I wasn’t in team sports in high school.  I never was one to say “my favorite thing to do is go for a run.”  But I do, however, love the way I feel after a really good workout.  You know…the endorphin high.  There’s really nothing else like it in the world.

A few years ago, I woke up one day and decided “today is the day I’m going to change my life.”  I had had this thought several times over the years, but for some reason this time felt different.

I needed a plan.  I made a pact with Carolyn that we would check in with each other every week to discuss gains or losses, challenges we’d faced, and to get encouragement to keep going.  I told myself “you are hungry again a few hours after you eat whether you choose junk food or healthy food so why not choose healthy food?”  I made myself workout as many days as I could.  And you know what?

It worked.  (Weird picture, I know!)

From August 2009 to May 2010, I lost 30 pounds.  I looked and felt great!  I had one of the best summers of my life that year.  I felt so healthy that summer.  One of my main reasons for losing weight was to be at a healthy starting point for when I got pregnant.  As luck would have it, I ended up getting pregnant in September of 2010.

Then, after a tragedy, I started spiraling.  I ate what I wanted, stopped working out, and lost my direction.  When I got pregnant again in March of 2011, I had put almost all of my weight back on.  I never gained my direction back even though I tried many, many times.  By the time I gave birth to Jake, I was 70 pounds heavier than I had been at my healthy weight.

Now, seven months postpartum, I am still about 30 pounds away from my “goal”.  I still haven’t found my drive or motivation, but I have started to search for it.  After a friend’s husband told me he’d signed up for a local 5k, I decided I would too.  Then I began training using the couch to 5k iPhone app.  (This was about 2 weeks ago.)

A few days after that, I began seeing advertising all over the blog world about some boot camp thing.  Brittany had done it before and raved about it.  I have always complained that I needed to add strength training in to my cardio but never knew what to do.  This was my sign!  I signed up and convinced Carolyn to sign up with me.  We both need our butts kicked into gear.

So, to make a long story short (too late), I am starting the process to get healthy again.  In addition to training for a 5k and “going to boot camp“, I have begun logging my food.  I am focusing on eating more whole foods and choosing water over soda.  I am trying to remember to take my vitamins and get my sleep.  I am trying to do this.

No.  I am going to do this. 

For my husband, for my son, and for me.  I deserve it.

***************************************************************************

Update:
Went to the gym this morning (7.23) and KILLED IT!  Did Couch to 5k W1D3 and BBBC Workout A.  Feelin’ it!  I CAN do this!

Whole Foods

Diet.  Low fat.  Light.  Fat free.

When you’re trying to lose weight, the no-brainer move is to switch from full fat to fat free right?  Well…not quite.  When you switch to lower calorie options, more often than not, you’re replacing those calories with lots of chemicals and additives.  It might work to help you drop the pounds, but in the long run you’re filling your body with crap you could do without.

So where does this leave me?  Turning to whole foods.  I have decided to try to eat as much minimally processed foods as I can.  I am going to shop from the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible and really focus on reading food labels.  Have you looked at some of those food labels lately?  They are a mile long and contain so many words I don’t even know how to pronounce.

It’s going to be a work in progress though because I use Sweet-n-low in my coffee and enjoy the occasional Coke Zero.  Baby steps, people.

To get things started, I went to the grocery store and think I did pretty good!

I ended up coming home with just a few things that weren’t considered “whole” foods.  But to be fair, they are for Jeff. 

It’s berry season, so I stocked up!  I’m planning on freezing some of these berries for future use.

Look at all that produce!  Some of those items will be turned in to yummy baby food for the little guy!

Have you tried roasted cauliflower?  I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but I’ve heard roasting it makes it really delicious.  I think I’ll try it!

Carolyn told me she loved the gyoza potstickers with the gyoza sauce from Trader Joe’s.  I’m a huge fan of potstickers, so this purchase was a must!

I only have a small weakness for Chobani.  And wine.

With all the produce I purchased, I wanted to try something I’d seen on Pinterest a while back.  Have you seen the Salad in a Jar?  I thought it was quite a concept.  I love salads but am always running late for work, so I never have time to put them together.  This way, I can just grab a jar out of the fridge and throw it in my lunch bag.  We’ll see if this works…

I made three kinds:
Harvest Salad with Homemade Raspberry Vinaigrette,

Mixed Veggies with Asian Sesame dressing (store bought…boo!),

and Mixed Veggies with Ranch dressing (again, store bought.  I forgot I had the stuff to make homemade until after I put the jar together…fail!).

I bought the pint sized Ball jars, but realized afterwards I should have grabbed the quart sized ones.  Oh well.  If you’re looking for another blog post in addition to this one, check out Lauren’s guest post on Lindsay’s blog:

Salads in a Jar

After making my salads, I went to pick Jake up.  I discovered it was time for him to eat, so I strapped him to the high chair and had him try peaches.  The verdict?  You be the judge.

OMG he loved them!  He was actually asking for them by opening his sweet little mouth.  (Watch the whole video for a really sweet interaction between the two of us.  He’s so sweet!)  Towards the end, he was starting to lose interest, but perked up again when I tried BLW (baby led weaning) with a banana.

I can’t decide which way Jake prefers his food, but we are going to keep trying both ways.  No matter which way he chooses, it’s going to be as many whole foods as possible for this family for the foreseeable future!

Question:  What’s your best tip for losing the pounds and getting healthy?

Just Say No…

…more breastfeeding!  I don’t breastfeed anymore.  I officially stopped about two weeks ago and it was one of the most liberating, exciting things I’ve done.  Let me give you a little back story.

When Jake was very young, I breastfed him pretty exclusively.  After a while, I was having a hard time functioning due to lack of sleep.  My mom was visiting and offered to take some of the nighttime feedings.  I would pump and she would feed Jake with my breast milk.

Often, I didn’t have enough milk to give him only breast milk.  This was most likely caused by my not feeding Jake using both breasts at each feeding, resulting in decreased supply.  I also had a hard time drinking enough water to produce the correct amount of milk.  For some reason, I have always had a hard time drinking my fluids!  Because of my decreased supply, we supplemented with formula.

Let me tell you, ladies, breastfeeding in the beginning (especially when you have no idea what you’re doing) is challenging, frustrating, and exhausting.  It’s also very rewarding, don’t get me wrong.

Anyhow, as the weeks went on, I continued to have to supplement with formula.  I would nurse Jake and then when I didn’t think he was getting any more, I would offer a bottle.

Then I went back to work and Jake went to day care.  I would pump about half the amount of breast milk he needed, so we continued to supplement.  He got so used to the bottle at daycare that when I tried to nurse him, he would get distracted, not latch properly, etc.

Finally, after about three months of trying to nurse, I gave up, choosing to feed him strictly from the bottle.  I continued to pump, but no longer offered the breast as it was too difficult and ended with both of us frustrated and dissatisfied.

Pumping at work can be challenging, especially when you stay as busy as I do throughout the day.  Being a manager at Walgreens, my assistance and knowledge are used throughout the day by all members of staff.  At the time (before we got the new registers), I was required to be present for all returns or exchanges, I had to get change for cashiers, assist in the pharmacy, address customer service issues, along with various other tasks.  This is not including the projects I was involved in (such as building displays or working in the stockroom).

Every 3-4 hours, I would have to excuse myself and go off to a little room for 20-30 minutes.  Sounds nice, right?  To have a break in the midst of the chaos to take a little time for myself.  Not really.  Often, I would get a page or a phone call while pumping.  Someone needed my assistance or help finding something or had a complaint I needed to address.  If there was another manager there, it wasn’t a big deal as they could handle the issue, but if I was alone it was frustrating.  I would have to stop pumping, get all unattached, redress myself, take care of the issue, and then undress and attach myself again. I am grateful to my manager, who covered my “alone time” more times than I can count.  Thanks, Kristy!

So, to sum up this long winded post, I chose to stop pumping at six months instead of the originally intended 12 months.  It was a personal decision and I wrestled with it for several days before I took the plunge, but I must say, it was one of the most freeing decisions I’ve made in quite a while.

No longer and I living in 3-4 hour increments.  If I want to go get my hair done, then go shopping, then go to a movie, I can!  If I want to get a big project done at work without constantly watching the clock, no problem!  I love that I was able to give my baby breast milk for the first six months of his life, but I also love that I’m done.  Now I can focus on solids.  We started vegetables yesterday!  Stay tuned for that post…