Baby Weight (Momma's, not baby's)

In trying to kick the last few pounds of baby weight, which we as a motherhood need to realize isn't really pounds that we need to get rid of... it's fat.

I'll admit I've never been on a diet in my life. I lucked out with good genes and a high metabolism. But I also watch what I eat (so that might count as a diet in one sense of the word), and I've been pretty active... until this past year where I haven't made much time to be active. I thought I was doing well and just carrying an extra inch or so of baby weight when my mom pointed and commented on my gut one day and my husband, much more politely, confirmed it. Rick just said that he thinks it would be good for me to be "more active". "You'd have more energy and feel better all around."

It just so happened that this all coincided this past March with our firm giving up parking spaces at work and me having to walk 10 minutes to the el, up and down two flights of stairs to the platforms, and me making a commitment to start doing yoga at least once a week, if not two or three times. And I must say, everything is so much better now. I still have most of the gut (which is really just a minor blip in my midsection) but I can feel a six pack growing under the layer of flab and I'm encouraged by reading that muscle comes first, then you burn fat, and if I just keep going, I'll have washboard abs in no time(that's if you believe the crap you read). I expect that to happen just in time for me to get knocked up again and watch the whole cycle repeat itself. Great. But at least I feel better and pant a little less when I climb two flights of stairs. Oh, and it's done wonders for my herniated discs in my neck. My symptoms and discomfort are down probably 90%. Amazing.

So for all of you momma's out there, remember that you build muscle before burning fat. It will take time but it is so worth it and can be as easy as taking more walks, eating right, and doing a little yoga (I do yoga with the computer while Ada naps -- yogatoday.com for 1 hour sessions and a variety of instructors/experience levels, yogamazing.com for 1/2 hour sessions. Both are free and come streaming via the Internet.)

Moral of the story: Get off Facebook, stop stalking your old classmates and start getting buff if that's what you really want. It's not how much you weigh, it's how you look, feel and how your clothes fit. Good luck and much will power.