New Year’s weekend 2017 and my weekly workouts

My friends. I hope you are doing well! It’s the new year — a fresh start and a clean slate and everyone is writing about resolutions — so you probably don’t want to hear me complain about our lack of sleep again, because that seems like a constant lately, but we’re really struggling over here. After getting into a routine of slightly longer stretches at night, Brady has regressed to one hour to 90-minute sessions each night, and it’s literally painful. Literally. And this is extra tough coming from the girl who writes about how sleep improves your life.

That being said, blogging, using my mind, as well as feeling like a healthy functioning person are not exactly going on right now. However, I did go to my weekly mommy group session today, and the topic was sleep, and I feel like I came home with a plan of action to put in place and cross our fingers for some improvement.

In spite of my tired mind, I was determined to get something small together on the blog about the last weekend of 2017 and my last week of workouts for the year too, so here we go …

Pulsing at barre and lunching in Marin

I started Saturday very tired, but still made it to a Bar Method class that morning. And by the way, my thoughts on Bar Method are still mixed, but I plan to put together a class review post very soon. I’m using my month-long Groupon and planning to get my money out of it, with at least two sessions a week for two more weeks. 

And as you know from my 2017 year in review, those class reviews are very popular on the blog, and I used to do them a lot more than I do now. We’re overdue for a new one. We’re also due for a post-class selfie … pardon the wrinkled top. Why does activewear wrinkle? Anyone else annoyed by that?

After I showered up from barre class, I drove to Corte Madera in Marin County to visit with a girlfriend, see her new place on the water and have a delicious lunch at Rustic Bakery at the Marin Country Mart. It was such a nice outing, not only because Marin County is so pretty, but also because I love catching up with dear friends, and this Asian chicken salad was one of the best I’ve ever had, eaten al fresco …

That evening, Dave and I ordered take-out and caught up on another episode of “Shameless” on Netflix, one of our guilty pleasures. Haven’t seen it yet? It’s sooo enjoyable, but definitely R rated.

Brady’s 3-month birthday

Also over the weekend on the 30th, our little guy hit exactly three months, oh my! Much of everything I explained in this 12-week update remains true. He’s adorable, loves to talk and also has recently boycotted nighttime. Joy. We took a moment to capture some shots of him, as we marked a quarter of a year of his precious little life so far …

(Brady’s wearing Cat & Jack brand, and my sweater is cozy and new and affordable!)

I mean, that face. How could I ever get mad at it? I can’t! Do you think he looks like Dave? Like me? The verdict is still out, but he sure is adorable.

New Year’s Eve

The last day of the year started with a quick gym trip for me, in which I hit the weights and listened to a podcast. And the rest of the day included a walk with the stroller to finish the podcast, cleaning and a grocery store visit to get some food for a small get together. Dave and I hosted another couple, and we didn’t take any pictures at all, except for the one below of our little party animal …

For our guests, I put out some unhealthy and un-photo-worthy delicious appetizers, and we had champagne and carrot cake and enjoyed a lot of laughs. It was the PERFECT low-key celebration in our home with some great people. And no, we did not stay up to watch the ball drop. So lame, right?

New Year’s Day

On New Year’s, we tried to salvage another very tired day with fresh air and a walk to downtown Walnut Creek for a scrumptious lunch at Koja Kitchen.

On a whim, after noticing that the AT&T store wasn’t too busy, I ended up getting a new iPhone. I went with the iPhone 8 Plus, and I was truly in need, as it had been more than two year since my last new phone. The process took a while, but I’m just about set up on the new phone, and the camera is so much better. I took a picture of lunch with the old camera below, and as you see, it was ready to be retired …

That evening, we chilled at home and scrapped our plans for a fancy steak dinner and decided instead on oven pizza, which was actually quite enjoyable. We’d used up our limited energy for the day, and that, my friends, is the reality for new parents. So glamorous!

And there you have it. That was our New Year’s 2017 weekend, perhaps not as exciting as holidays of the past, but certainly chock full of love and snuggles and happy (but tired) hearts. I’m hopeful for a great start to 2018 and major improvements in the sleep department!

My postpartum weekly workout recap

Now let’s look at my last week of workouts for 2017 …

At 12 weeks postpartum …

• Monday: 1-hour walk, 12 p.m. (Christmas Day)
• Tuesday: 1-hour Bar Method class, 9:45 a.m.
• Wednesday: 25 minutes of BODYATTACK at home, 10 a.m., 30-minute walk, 11 a.m.
• Thursday: 45 minutes of BODYPUMP at home, 11 a.m., 30-minute walk, 12 p.m.
• Friday: 1-hour walk, 9:30 a.m., 20 minutes of yoga at home, 12 p.m.
• Saturday: 1-hour Bar Method class, 9:45 a.m.
• Sunday: 30-minute gym session including 10 minutes of incline walking, foam rolling, mobility warm-ups and three sets of 15 squat presses with 10 pound dumbbells, TRX rows and TRX chest presses, 10 a.m., 30-minute walk, 12 p.m.

Overview of the week of workouts

This past week of workouts was pretty full and included a lot of walking, two sessions with weights, two barre classes at Bar Method (class review coming soon!), a tiny bit of yoga and a new addition — some BODYATTACK. It has been months and months and months since I’ve done BODYATTACK, and I truly missed it. BODYATTACK is my favorite group fitness program to teach, and I used to teach it as often as three times a week, but I had to give it up in my quest to regulate my hormones and get pregnant (it’s super high intensity, thus a big cortisol raiser and not friendly to a sensitive reproductive system). I only did half a class of BODYATTACK at home this past week, and it felt surprisingly good, so I’ll definitely being doing more. Overall, a well-rounded week, including a couple very light rest-ish days with just walking.

And I’m happy to say that with each passing week, I’m making a little bit of progress and feeling a little bit stronger, so that’s all good.

Have a great start to your week and year, my friends! Cheers to 2018! Sleep tight!

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Questions of the day

How was your New Year’s Eve night? Do anything fun?

What are you most excited about for 2018?

How’s your sleep?