Day 5: Starting to Feel Results

I was just thinking how awesome it is to have all 5 kids on the same overnight sleep schedule (8:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.). It is nothing short of a miracle to have a baby under 6 months old sleeping 10 or more hours every night. Never having to swing my legs out of bed, change a diaper, whip out a breast for a late-night feeding--these are all things I am very grateful for, especially since I read daily about the hell some of my Facebook friends are going through trying to break free of that 3-hour sleep-wake-nurse cycle.

My biggest problem, however, is trying to get little Ember Grey to nap for at least an hour twice a day. This especially comes into play when I'm trying to get my morning workout done. I normally feed Ember her cereal and 1st foods between 8:30 and 9:00 a.m., change her diaper, and then lie her down for *hopefully* an hour and a half so I can do my full P90X routine. Today she didn't sleep more than 30 minutes into my legs and back workout before fussing and crying, summoning me to her cribside to adjust blankies and lights and music just so. This is not the first time this has happened.

When I did workout today, I actually felt pretty good. Yesterday's yoga routine ended up making me feel strong, tall, confident, and flexible. I started and finished the hour with a smile on my face. I really "brought it" today! I made through all but one exercise (90 second wall squat) without stopping early. All the lunges and pull-ups (with resistance band) and squats feel just as good as they did bad. Everytime I felt the burning pinch of old muscle tearing so new muscle can be added, I visualized the legs I used to have, the legs I want to have when I slip on my bikini or a dress this summer. I got so caught up in these images that the minutes just flew by (even if Emi did keep me running in between sets).

I started noticing a change in my ab workout today, too. I hammered through all of my wide-leg sit-ups with good form, I did many more roll-up/V-up pulses, and when it came time to do heels to heaven, I actually could keep my legs straight at a 90-degree angle! This is a major accomplishment for me in getting some of that old flexibility back, and I'm excited to see what the days ahead bring.

Workout: Legs and Back, Ab Ripper X at 9:30 a.m.
Hours Slept: 8

Breakfast: protein shake
Post-Workout Snack: protein bar and diluted oj
Lunch: protein shake, apple
Afternoon Snack: rice cake and mozzarella cheese stick
Dinner: 3 low-fat whole-grain waffles w/syrup, 5 slices turkey bacon

Days to go: 85