The Post-Partum Health Plan

I am due with a kiddo any day now. I am trying to live in the present but I admit to being a little ahead of myself and where my body will take me next. I have gone back and forth with my 2013 vision board and think I am in a good position to keep the momentum going.

Here are the priorities I have with my body for the rest of the year after the baby gets here:

#1. Breastfeeding. Above all doing what I can with my nutrition, weight, and rest to feed my baby. Sadly I am not one of those people who dropped all kinds of magic weight breastfeeding my son. Actually every time I dropped weight my milk supply dropped and I consciously packed on pounds to bring the supply back up. Feeding my kiddo is the big goal though.

#2. Heart Health. I declared in my vision board that this was a year for heart health. I am fortunate in being able to be proactive not reactive in this goal with any health scares or family history of complications. My goal is to eat and move with the goal of a healthy annual exam around my birthday in September.

#3. Fuel for functionality. This is not dieting as in deprivation or anything, but dieting to optimally fuel endurance activities, strength training, mommyhood, and satiating my palate. I love cooking, I love food. This is something I hope never changes.

#4. Skin Care. Perhaps the vainest of my vision board goals was to adjust my diet for skin care. I want to glow and get rid of this pregnancy melasma – I also know eating for skin health will pack a lot more phytonutrients into my diet which is not a bad thing. I also like raw food so this will be fun to play with as I get away from so much meat I have consumed this pregnancy. I have pre-ordered Kimberly Snyder’s new book in anticipation of playing in this world.

So here is my plan. Have baby. Take at least SIX weeks off from physical activity. Cross-culturally this 40 days/6 weeks metric exists for a reason. Start the Hal Higdon Novice 1 Half-Marathon training program around Memorial Day weekend to train for the Georgetown to Idaho Springs race on August 10th. I will do a 5K the last week in June at Fitbloggin that falls in line with the training schedule. During this time include swimming and biking on the cross-training days including the Boulder-based Stroke and Stride series and some open-water and/or tri clinics and/or joining a tri group. August 24th will be the Polar-sponsored Iron Girl Sprint Triathlon. This will also be about week 2 of the Hal Higdon Intermediate Half Marathon training program for the Denver Rock n’ Roll 1/2 on 20 October. In this middle of this training I am also planning on my first trail race up in Vail in mid-September.

In a perfect world that last paragraph would happen with no issue but I know I will be a newly post-partum mom. Once again look at that Polar Ambassador badge – I am not going for speed this year (even though HRM is a great way to increase speed with body efficiency, just not my goal for 2013). I will be using heart rate monitor training to build my base for 2014 with all the planning above. I am also a queen of adaptive management because my BIG priority will be focused on being the most functional mama providing food and care for the new kiddo. And for those without kids, tired happens. Tired, having a worn-down body, and needing some rest even when your training calendar says today is a long run day. Thank goodness I always have yoga by my side as I take this journey – all kinds of yoga from restorative to more rigorous practices. Yoga will be ever-present.