Working Out While Breastfeeding!

One of the biggest concerns I get when talking to new mothers about starting to work out again is that their milk supply might dry up! Now, I am not a lactation consultant** so I can only tell you the things I have learned and the experiences I have had as a fit mother of two extremely healthy little boys. 

First of all, I want to tell you that breastfeeding  does not mean that you can't work out. It doesn't even mean that you can't work out HARD. Both of my sons were 100% exclusively breastfed, but I am really going to talk about my experience with my younger son, because I didn't work out as hard when Kieran was a new baby, because I thought it would hurt my supply! 

Silas is 7 months old. In the past month, I have slowly been introducing a few solids, but not everyday, and he only eats probably 5-10 bites of whatever it is that I am feeding him. So he is still relying solely on breastmilk to keep him alive.

I began training for the Pittsburgh Marathon about 2 weeks after Silas was born. (Much sooner than they recommend, but I was restless and couldn't wait to get back to it. You should listen to your body and talk to your doctor after childbirth about beginning to exercise!) Then, when he was 4 months old, and I was frustrated with the tiny bits of progress I was seeing with both my body and also with my endurance during my runs, I ordered the program Insanity Max:30. 

If you have never done any of the Insanity programs, let me tell you, this was probably the hardest workout I had EVER done in my life. I had never worked that hard, sweated so much, or pushed so much in my life. 

I also cleaned up my diet by leaps and bounds. Instead of heavy carbs and junk food and cakes and ice cream, I began eating whole grains, veggies, lean meats, and fruit and the occasional bit of dark chocolate (okay, maybe more than occasional!). And I also started to drink Shakeology, so I was sure I was getting at least one dose of dense nutrition per day, so that I knew my baby was too.

Through ALL of this, I continued to breastfeed my beautiful baby boy. And I think that this picture speaks for itself, that he was getting PLENTY to eat ;) :

If I ever do notice a dip in my supply, I know that I just need to drink more water. Maybe eat a bigger meal at my next mealtime (every 2-3 hours for me!). But I stay very healthy by being fit and eating healthy meals and staying very hydrated. So my supply has never suffered, and there's a good chance that yours won't either, so long as you are drinking enough water and eating GOOD foods. 

But for now, I think that my 23 lbs 7 month old speaks volumes ;). 

I hope this helps!

#fitmom #healthymom #breastfeeding

Happy Memorial Day!

Although my family is DEFINITELY enjoying the extra day we all get together, I am so grateful to all of the soldiers who have given their all so that we can do so.
So happy to have the FREEDOM given to me so that I CAN pursue the career of my dreams, so that I am free to get after my goals, to be able to spend time focusing on my health, my fitness, and STILL be able to focus on my family-- all of my boys.
I cannot imagine what my life would be like without having the freedom granted to me by those who have served and made it that way for me.
I 100% enjoy this time to relax and have fun with my family, but I know that there are so many who are spending the day wishing they could spend the day with someone they have lost-- who gave their life so that I could keep my freedom and lifestyle.
I hope you all have had fun and also taken a second to reflect on the reasons why you may have gotten an extra day off, gone to a BBQ, or hit up a sale.
Maybe you got extra time for an intense workout- I know I did. (hopefully making up for some of that BBQ food!)
But at the end of the day, I hope you took a second to say thank you.
It is a beautiful thing to have the freedom we do, and I am so happy and grateful to say 'Thank you,' to all of those who have given that to me.

#MemorialDay #familyfun

Today, I am stuck in an attitude of gratitude! Not a bad place to be, eh?

I am still a BRAND NEW Beachbody Coach.
I am having small successes--- but, I AM HAVING SUCCESS! From the challenger telling me she has been inspired by me to workout and has lost 7.7 lbs., to the one who sent me the heartwarming message from the fitting room in Target where she was in tears of HAPPINESS over finally wearing a bikini for the first time in her LIFE, to the FIRST coach that I have signed under me telling me she is so excited about the way her jeans are fitting-- HECK, I wouldn't even call those SMALL successes, to ME, those are HUGE successes!!!!
And I am there, to hear about them, to encourage these amazing women to meet their fitness and health goals, and... I am so damn proud and so grateful to have been HANDED this opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. And to be so new and to have already made a difference in people's lives is just so unbelievable gratifying, so humbling, so amazing. I am truly blessed.
And although I KNOW there will be obstacles, there WILL be challenges for me in the months and years to come.. I am so in love with this business.
I am so happy.
Not only has it CHANGED MY LIFE... it is now CHANGING other people's lives too!
How can you NOT want to be a part of that?
How can you pass that up???
 I have gone from being so lonely, so meek and timid postpartum, so unsure, so lost.... to this new, better version of myself. Rediscovering who I was before life started to get me down.
Now...I am a happy person. I am finding myself. I am strong. I am unstoppable. I am purposeful.
I am so grateful.
And all of you, who have been watching me, supporting me, loving me....
I love you too. And thank you.

I just cannot seem to get it together these past two weeks!

I need a SERIOUS re-vamp on my diet.

I think I need to get running again!

And I am ordering the Whole 30 cookbook to begin in JUNE!

So get ready, y'all, for some badass recipes from your soon to be badass favorite #girlboss :)


As for now... I am going to QUIT with the CRAP for the rest of TODAY and chalk today up as a WIN, once I get my Brazillion Butt Lift workout in ;). AND when I do my elliptical workout once I get my kiddos to bed tonight.

I am a WARRIOR! :)

Work Hard. Eat Clean.

Spinach Salad.

1 C Spinach

4 Roma Tomatoes

1/4 C Sunflower Seeds

1/4 C feta

1/3 C blueberries

1 sliced Bell Pepper

*I added Grill Chicken/ 5 strips 

*2 TBS of your favorite healthy dressing. I like Organic Roasted Red Pepper

Simple, filling, delicious lunch! 

+ P90X3 CVX :) 

Work hard. Eat clean. Mom of 2, still have abs. 

This is why.

#fitmom #fitgirls #eatclean

Happy (late) Mother's Day!

Yesterday was Mother's Day. My third one since having Kieran, the first one since Silas has been born.

My kids are my world.
They are my reason to make good decisions.
The reason I changed my entire life.
The reason I get up early each morning and try to be focused, even when I would really love to lay my head back down and sleep.
The reason I lay awake late at night, wondering if I was there enough for them that day.
They are the reason I have permanent black circles beneath my eyes.... but they are also the reason that I have laugh lines already, at the age of 22.
They are the reason my hair is constantly in a huge knot at the top of my head, to prevent little hands from getting trapped in it.... but they are also the reason it has grown so long.

I have stayed up countless nights, soothing them, nursing them, rocking them, walking around, singing nonsense words to familiar tunes. I have changed more diapers, used more ointment, taken more temperatures, and dressed another person more times than I would have ever dreamed was possible... and my older child is not even 3 yet.
I have loved more than I ever thought was humanly possible. I have laughed harder and cried harder than I ever knew I could. I have been more frustrated than I have ever been in my life. I have yelled.... Oh, have I yelled.
I have never been more alive.



Motherhood is hard.
It is rough and demanding and scary and impossible.
It is amazing.

And all of the mothers I know- you are all amazing, too.
Keep up the good work!!

Vacation....

It's been almost one full week since I ran my first marathon.
The day after I ran.... I drove from Pittsburgh to The Outer Banks. 12 hours in the car, with two kids, two and under, and Drew's mother, Dale.
My left leg was begging to be chopped off.

But... I felt so good in that bikini. :)
Hard work pays off.

I indulged all week.
I haven't worked out since I ran on Sunday.
I ate a lot of junk.
I feel yucky.
I feel lazy.
I feel grimy.. on the inside.

I know that RIGHT NOW my body is reflecting my hard work.
BUT if I keep up this crap eating and lazy attitude, I know that very soon it will reflect that instead.
So, today, I am back to it.

I have made a promise to myself to set a good example for my babies to follow.
I have made a commitment to my health, and while every so often, it is okay to take a SHORT break, I know that it is time to recommit.
My body has recovered from the run I put it through.
It is time to start pushing myself once more.
When I feel like being lazy, like being unhealthy, I try to remember how I felt before I made a change.
I was so unhappy.
I was mean to myself.
I was impatient with my kids. (All the time.)
So.... time to get back to it. Because I want to keep on being a good example. I want to be healthy.
I like to have energy.
And I love seeing these happy faces, and knowing that I am teaching them how to live a healthy life.

Today, P90X3: The Warrior.
Because that's what I am. :)
#beachbody

#GameOnPgh

I did it, guys! I ran my first marathon!

The night before, I could barely sleep.
I was tossing and turning. My nerves were on edge.

I woke up at 5 AM and got dressed.
Forced myself to drink water and eat a piece of toast with some peanut butter.
Pinned and re-pinned my bib.
Made sure I had my runner's gels (which weren't too bad!).
Filled my water-bottle belt.
Tied my shoes.
Prayed my ankle/foot would hold up.
And woke up Drew to drop me off!

I didn't know anyone else running, so it was a lot of standing by myself.
I found a group with a pacer for running the full marathon on 4 hours and I decided to stick with them... for as long as I could. Which, to my surprise, was 17 miles, and then I lost them on a nasty hill or maybe at a fluid station.

I kept pushing. I almost gave up at 20 miles, when I could feel my injured foot pulsing and all of the self-doubt and self-loathing started to kick in.
"You didn't train hard enough."
"You should have worked harder."
"Who are you trying to kid?"
"I don't even really care about this." (<--such a lie!!)
"I can't do it."

I started to walk. I texted my mom. I told her my foot was busted and that I was walking.

She told me I was closer than I think. She told me it was okay to walk if I was hurt. She didn't offer ne an option to quit.
 I started to run again. Slowly. I stopped and walked a few more times.
Those last 6 miles were brutal.
I really thought I might never stop running.

And then, I stepped in a freaking pothole....  right next to the first beer station. (which, AWESOME, even though I did not partake for fear of throwing up.) I really thought I was in hell. But I wasn't.
I kept going.
At 26 miles, with .2 left to go, I saw my cousin Aimee, I heard her screaming my name.
Then I saw my mom out of the corner of my eye start running along the sidelines, screaming like a maniac.

I had seen my parents around mile 5, my Dad yelling and waving.
And then at about 10 or 12 miles, my cousins, the Conlins cheering me on .
And now, finally, the end, and there they were.
Each time, it lifted me up, made me pus harder, made me feel like I was a superhero.
My family was waiting at the finish line. :)

I sprinted (or what felt like sprinting) to the finish line.
And then I iced my ankle.
4:18:38  is my official time, from my start to finish. #GameOnPgh

I am so proud.