Plank and Ab Core Series - Stage 1

CORE STAGES

The following workout is divided into 4 stages. Only 1 round of the weeks stage should be completed every day regardless if you workout or not. If you are working out that day, end your workout with the Core Stage for that week. If the stage isn't challenging enough, stick to it, and complete the round twice. Stage 1 is to be completed every day for a week, then you can move on to stage 2, 3 and finally 4.  Ensure that when you completing any of the planks, your back is flat and in a straight line from your head to your heels.  Tilt your 'hoo-haa' towards your chest, suck your belly button into your spine and as per usual - KEEP YOUR BUM DOWN!

If you can, try to do it in front of the mirror and check your form.  Form is SUPER important to prevent injury and to have success in this core series.

STAGE 1

HOLD FOR 30 SECONDS 

1. Plank on your knees and forearms                         

2. Right Side Plank on your knees and forearms                           

3. Left Side Plank on your knees and forearms         

4. Starfish Plank up on your toes and forearms

FLIP ON TO YOUR BACK

1. Keeping your legs straight and together, hands under the small of your back, lift your feet 6 inches off the floor

2. Keep your legs 6 inches off the floor and open and close your legs

3. V-Sit - knees bent / feet flat on floor

Trying to see the good in things

As most of you know, every single night I spend a very special hour or two sometimes three, with my oldest daughter Liliana.  This time begins after watching Frozen or Tangled, once we have brushed our teeth, done a pee pee and read a story, no 2 stories.  The lights go off and the party begins.  She cries, she laughs, she asks me if she can tell me a story, a story about a chicken, a little baby chicken.  And with every ounce of me I try to stay quiet and not burst out laughing while simultaneously scream my face off.  Some variation of this has been happening every single night (except for a very amazing 2 weeks, when the sleep training actually worked!!) since she came home from the hospital April 2012.  2 and a half years.  It is bananas.
I have spoken to sleep doulas, emailed sleep experts, read a ridiculous amount of websites and books, talked to a behavior specialist - who gave me the tools to have those 2 amazing weeks,  It was so bad that one 'expert' even told me that preemies can't be sleep trained and to just accept this as my normal.  That was when it was really bad, that was when it was 3-4 hours (no exaggeration) of screaming, crying, hyperventilating, hair being ripped out of her head and eyelash pulling.  Every night, as if it was her job.  And - I WAS IN HER ROOM RIGHT BESIDE HER!!!!
So now, we are down to about an hour or so of somewhat calm tossing and turning, playing with her stuffed animal friend, checking to make sure I am there and begging me to hold her hand but not even wanting it anyways.  I have tried what worked in the past, but she is too smart for that now.  She asks waits for me to get back or she climbs out of her bed and rattles the gate until I come or until her baby sister next door wakes up.
So I stay.  I brush her teeth, do a pee pee, read a story, no 2 stories, hug her and tell her I love her and mentally prepare myself for spending hours in the dark on a super uncomfortable chair, listening to the white noise machine and loathing every minute of it.
Do you know what I could be doing with an uninterrupted hour at the end of the day while I still have energy?!?!  I know, I know because I think about every unfolded piece of laundry, the wet clothes that need to be put in the dryer, the toys on the floor that need to be put away, the dirty dishes that I left on the counter, the work I need to do on my website www.StouffvilleBootcamp.ca, check my facebook, twitter and instagram accounts - you know, the important things a SAHM needs to do!
C'est La Vie.  This will not happen until at least 10pm/ and who the hell wants to do all that at 10pm!!!
So I have decided to try to turn my focus to the positive.  I know try is a weak word according to my husband, but sometimes I am weak so I do mean try.  I am going to use this time to reflect about my day, the week that is coming and what is making me happy or sad.  Some people might call this meditation, and I guess it could be, but I am also going to incorporate a super low intensity workout as well!  what!!  It wouldn't be me unless I was planking as well.  I can't really be mad at my daughter for inheriting my 'i must be missing out on something' and 'need to constantly be social' genes.
This is a guaranteed part of my day - as guaranteed as wiping a bum or feeding someone.  I will absolutely spend a minimum of an hour in complete darkness - so instead of listening to her toss and turn and talk to herself, I am going to spend this hour on my self.  shock.  I'll let you know how that all works out for me.  Maybe my ying will reconnect with my yang and the terrible twos that I deal with during the day, won't' bother me as much.  Or maybe I'll just continue to be sleep deprived and learn to love the sound of an eye lid hitting an eye ball when she pulls at her eyelashes.

Life in the NICU with baby #2

 Samatha Rosie, holding my finger

Our life in the NICU - thank God for that iPad, its the only thing that distracts her from pulling wires and tubes

It has obviously been a while since I have poured my feelings out on "paper" but I feel that I have become overwhelmed with conflicting emotions and should let them out.  I am a very strong and positive person, but sometimes life gets you in this corner that you feel that all you can do is crouch down and let it hit you for a while, knowing that you'll gain your strength again to fight back soon.  Things are out of my control.
Make these decisions and tell me what is the right one:

Liliana had eye surgery on Monday - When do I see Samantha if I am at a different hospital all day and was up at 4am?
Liliana needs to recover all week and wants her mommy to cuddle with - When do I see Samantha if I can't get a babysitter?
Have you ever spent 3 days without seeing your child?  Have you ever spent 3 days not seeing your child while they were in the hospital?  Hold on, has your baby ever even been in the hospital?  Mine has been there for 95 days.
Samantha is internally bleeding because of an allergic reaction to something in my breastmilk - I am off of Wheat, Dairy, Fish, Soy, Nuts and Eggs - The formula they are giving to her is expensive ($30 - 50 a can, that lasts 2-3 days) My options are to stay on this diet in the hopes that she can take my milk and stop bleeding or say F**K it and give her the formula - do the math, its close to $10,000 for the year.

I am home with Liliana and I regularly call the hospital to check in.  I hear my other daughter grunting and crying in pain because her tummy hurts and she has so much gas and poo that her little body can't push out.  I can't be with her to ease her pain because I am easing the pain of my other daughter - an hour away.  Where do you go when you truly need to be in 2 places at once?
On another note, just wrapping my head around being with one child and calling to check in on another child who is being taken care of by a person you have never met is still so hard to do.

You would think being on this super clean diet would have made me lose some weight, funny enough it hasn't made me drop a pound.  I have learned that when I am stressed my body holds on to all the fat it can.  Great, so no benefit there.

Sometimes I fake being happy for the sake of Liliana.  I really just want to crawl in a hole for an hour or so, cry and shake off this nasty feeling.  I am not this person.  I am stronger than that.  People keep saying how well I am taking all this, how they couldn't handle it and if it had to happen, its good it happened to me because I already went through it and came out successful.  This is fricken hard.  The hardest thing that we have ever had to deal with and I dont know how I am holding it all in.  I really dont.  Liliana went in for her surgery and I went with her.  I held her (along with 5 other people) down while they put the mask on her to put her to sleep.  I saw my child fight with every ounce of her strength not to get this weird thing put on her face by some weird man and I had to let it happen.  I walked out of the OR and was overwhellmed with tears - but didnt cry.  The doctor said she has never seen such a strong mom, that clearly I was made for this and that going through everything we have gone through with the girls has made me so strong - and still I didn't cry.  Have I become too strong that I can't shed emotion when I should?  Will I melt once my life can start again with my family all under one roof? I have no clue.  but I know that I am not alone.  and I might be laughed at or felt sorry for by writing this and sharing it with the world, but I dont care.  Punch me all you want, I am already in the corner - give me a few weeks - I'll be right back up.

Dealing with being pregnant and wanting to be in shape

So much for my 12 week transformation into super sexy, ripped, fitness model.  I would have done it too if I didn't go and get pregnant! LOL.  Now my 12 weeks of thinning and ripping out have turned into abs that have disappeared into the abyss of my pregnant belly, boobs that are protruding so far out that I can't see my growing bump and a warped sense of who I really am.  Every day I "deal" with looking unhappily at myself in the mirror.  3 months, thats I'll I needed to be my idea of perfection, now I need to start all over again with 2 kids running around my legs as I squat jump my ass back up to where it was.
Please don't get me wrong, I am beyond grateful and blessed that we have been given an unstressful attempt at pregnancy (it took us a year, lots of tears and stress with Liliana) but as my pregnancies would have it, I need to take it easy before this little bean decides to show its head early like my first born.  But I need to be honest with you guys, this is really really hard.
Running and working out was my ONLY form of stress relief.  I'd put on my ipod with some kick ass tunes and run away from the dirty dishes, piling laundry and crying baby for 30 minutes.  Thats all I needed to regenerate and come back with a clear head and a nice sweaty back.  I can't do that now and I really feel shitty.  Yoga doesn't do it for me, I'll barf if I meditate, I am not a slow, calm, listen to the ocean type of person.  The way I calm down is blasting music and sweating my ass off.
So not only can I not release stress the way I need to, I am also struggling with my body image.  I know that sounds bananas because I personally think pregnant women are gorgeous, but it has taken me years of disastrous eating habits, gym habits and self destructive patterns to really learn to love myself.  And that was starting to happen this year!  Now every little bump, lump and cellulite blob that are appearing on my almost perfect body (again, almost perfect for me) is making me mental.  I am going to have to work twice as hard with twice as many kids with twice as little time in the day to do it.  This mom gig is hard!
I know so many moms who do it, and I am so proud of you.  Especially the moms at my bootcamp classes.  They come out and they bust ass and it shows.  They work so hard, even when they are pooped and I am beyond proud of them.  I know that when this baby comes the balancing act of 2 kids, a husband, a house, my bootcamp class and myself might crumble, but it should all come back together, right?
I eat healthy, I know what I need to do to get back into shape, and hopefully I can get my ass in gear right away and be one of those statistics "mom loses 40lbs in 2 months eating right and taking time for herself!"

Ah well, sorry for the rant, but I feel better.  Maybe this will be my new stress reliever.  Writing about how I am stressed.  Does that even make any sense?

Oh lordy.

12 week transformation.... Change takes a challenge.

My body has hit a bit of a slump.  I workout 6 days a week, teach bootcamp twice a week and stroller fit 3 times a week in addition to my HITT workouts.  The changes are happening in my body, but not fast enough for my liking, and in my world - if I don't see change soon after starting a program, I will quit or try something different.  I hardly ever give a program a solid run.  I have been told my many "professionals" that I give up right before the changes are to occur.  

I am happy with my body, don't get me wrong.  It has taken a lot of blood, sweat, tears and bad days to get to where I am now after having Liliana, but I am craving more!  I know I don't work hard enough, I know I can push harder and challenge myself, I just tend to take the easy way out on more days than I should.

So this is what I have decided to do.  My 29th birthday is October 11.  That is a few days more than 12 weeks.  12 weeks seems to be the most responsible time frame for a transformation, so that's what my goal date is.

So here is what I am going to do:

1. Continue working out the same way I am now

         - I have killer workouts, they will make you hurt for days

2. Intermittent Fasting - start my eating at 2pm

          - this seems to work the best for me.  If I have a time frame for doing things, I tend to stick with it.  So alarm to eat is set at 2pm and alarm to stop eating is set for 7pm.  The only thing outside of that time frame is espresso (obviously) water and tea.  For more info on this check out Sara Solomons blog:

http://www.drsarasolomon.com/a-healthy-approach-to-food-selection/

3. Add green smoothies into my diet

       - this is a big one for me.  I have kept a food journal for the past week and realized that the only vegetable I eat is salad.  Ya, exactly.  I know that I need WAY more veggies in my diet and the best way to get the most bang for my buck is a daily green smoothie.

4.  Say no

          - coming from a BIG italian family saying no to something someone cooked is disrespectful, rude and downright wrong.  So I reluctantly say yes, and eat my zias cakes or my mother in laws pasta and have 2 or 3 servings just to make them happy.  Well, this will not happen again!  My family is crazy.  They offer you unhealthy foods, but question why your bulging out of your pants.  Well Zia, if you didn't force me to eat 5 helpings of whatever fried, carb loaded, cheese filled thingy you concocted, I wouldn't be unbuttoning my pants right now!!!

5.  Limit Carbs

          - an obvious one.

Ok so for now, these are my 5 fairly simple rules.  I will be adding more as I go along.  My current weight is 154.7 lbs pant size is a comfortable 10 or a tight 7/8 and I will take my measurements tomorrow morning and post them.  Ya thats right - I just posted my weight, go ahead and judge me.  You should do the same.  Make yourself accountable to the whole facebook world.  Maybe then, change will happen.  Do I look that much?  Do I look heavier, lighter, fine? Weight is just a number, I am not even looking to lose a certain number of lbs.  I want to look like a fitness model 365 days a year and I don't care what the number says.  I mean sure, every pound I loose I'll be thrilled with, but that only means that I am cutting and getting closer to my vision of myself.  I was 130 something before I got married and 20 something pounds added on after baby, I still fit into the same size pants.  Figure that one out.  

If you want to do this 12 week transformation with me, email me at Daniela@LaFace.ca or msg me on facebook and we can go through it together!!!!!!!!!!

What we really do at Stroller Fit

Stroller Fit is not what you think.  At least my class isn't.

We meet Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 am at the Lebovic Centre and walk over to Byers Pond.  we WALK over.  Its a pretty fast paced walk, but any stroller can handle it.  We get to the park and meet up with all the other mommies.  We goo and gaa over the babies and then start stretching.  The class is mom focused and because everyone there has children (some as young as a few months) there is no judging if you need to stop because your baby needs a bottle and no dirty looks if you can't complete an exercise.  My daughter comes along for the ride as well - she is 15 months (well technically 18 months, but that story is in an earlier post) and she usually needs about a row of crackers to keep her nice and calm while we work out.



But sometimes things don't always go as planned.  Sometimes the babies run the workout.

When the kids start getting a little antsy being parked in the stroller for long enough, usually about 10 - 15 minutes, they all simultaneously start crying.  So we power walk.  Up and around the pond, we make laps until they are all calm (some have even fallen asleep!)  Don't kid yourself, pushing a stroller at a fast paced walk up and down the "hills" of the track around the pond is a workout in its self.  Then we come back to our workout spot on the grass and continue.

You don't need to be fit to join this class, you don't need a fancy stroller, you don't even need to have ever worked out before in your life!  All you need is a desire to be healthy for yourself and your child.  You will meet other moms, set up playdates, get advice on sleep and have a good time.  I promise.

The best thing is that you don't have to commit either.  I have been to other stroller fit classes and have had to commit to 8 weeks or 12 weeks every X day at X time and with a baby as off the wall as mine, between appointments, naps, lack of naps and visitors, I think I maybe made it to half the classes.  To me, it was a waste of money and just made me feel guilty.  You pay by the class with our Stroller Fit classes.  Can't make it?  No problem.  Munchkin didn't sleep all night and your wiped?  No worries!  There will be another class. Try it out.  Try to do something healthy each day.  Getting outside and breathing in the fresh air, working up a sweat and feeling good about yourself is priceless.  It will change your life.

STROLLER FIT!!!! what what!

Hello my lovely peeps!

I am beyond excited to announce that I, Daniela LaFace, am starting my very own Stroller Fit and bootcamp in Stouffville!!!  whooo whooo!!!

As you can tell I am super pumped to meet other moms with babes who want to look good, feel good and take their babies along for the ride.  I can't wait!  In case you are interested, here is the info!!

No commitment necessary, Pay by the class!
(I did that because babies are super unpredictable and who wants to pay for a bunch of classes you never go to!)
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for roughly 60-75 minutes starting this monday.$5 a class or $50 a monthWe will meet by the library parking lot at 9:45am and work our way to Bryers Pond and workout there.
Classes will be tailored to each individuals fitness level so if you are a beginner or have been working out this whole time, you'll fit right in.

Let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to join send me your email address and I just need you to fill out a quick form.Classes will be tailored to each individuals fitness level so if you are a beginner or have been working out this whole time, you'll fit right in.
Let me know if you have any questions, or if you'd like to join send me your email address and I just need you to fill out a quick form.

Daniela@LaFace.ca

And join my Facebook Page too!!!