Ankle follow up

On Monday, I went to see one of my midwives who made me laugh as I recounted our ER story.  She was particularly disgusted with the ER nurse who couldn't find the baby's heartbeat and exclaimed in exasperation, "you should have yelled at her that you wanted a new, competent nurse!"  I appreciated her candor.
What was hard to hear, however, is that she thinks the sprain will take a long time to heal.  Since I can't take any anti-inflammatory medication because of the pregnancy, I won't have medication to help me speed up the healing process.  She wants me to take it easy and to take my time.  "That means no aerobics," she sternly decreed.  OK, aerobics is not CrossFit, but point taken.  My hope is that in a couple weeks I can get back to CF to work on some upper body strength and to see my friends and coaches -- and just get out of the house.  But my dream of being the awesome CrossFitting pregnant momma who would WOD up until labor has been shattered, so I have to adjust to slowing down.

So on that note, anyone have any good movies/TV shows on Netflix/books to recommend?  I'm currently finishing up "Animal, Vegetable Miracle" and I got to read a lot of the New York Times on Sunday.  I guess I might as well embrace my mandatory couch "stay-cation!"

And random side note: I never realized how hard it was to use crutches.  Between the crutches and my belly, balance is quite challenging these days!

Guest Post -- Journal Menu

Check out my guest post over at Journal Menu!

9NOV/11Off

Lindsey Galvao is a pregnant crossfitter who has agreed to share her experience with us. She is currently ~6 months pregnant and still going strong. Within the past year or so, there have become many more forums and websites dedicated to the pregnant crossfitter, even with that said, the information is somewhat scare, so feel free to ask Lindsey any questions that you may have (if you are or are thinking of being pregnant). She will be guest blogging once or twice a trimester and will answer all your questions in her posts! Pregnant crossfitters make crossfit babies 

It’s hard for me to believe that I’m almost in my third trimester! The last few weeks of the second trimester has treated me well overall. It’s been a blast feeling the baby move and I’m still able to be fairly active. While I’ve lost my diligent Primal eating habits (Cheerios and hot chocolate cravings have been hard to kick lately), I’ve still managed to make it to CrossFit. In the past four weeks, my body has changed from a miniscule bump that only I noticed to a bona fide pregnant belly that gets smiles from strangers on the street. With my growing belly, anything on my back is out of the question. Instead of sit-ups, I do knee raises, and I’ll usually find something else to sub in for hollow body holds, like planks. I’ve also had to be careful with my lower back. Even though I’ve made sure I have solid form, I’ve had to lighten up my deadlifts and take extra time with my kettlebell swings to make sure I don’t have any soreness (I made this mistake when I did low rep kettlebell swings with 1.5 pood at 24 weeks— while it felt fine at the time, my back killed for the next couple days). For this same reason, handstand push ups are now out of the question, so I’ve just done regular push ups as a modification. I’ve also switched from pull ups to inverted rows. During each WOD, I find a steady rhythm and periodically complete the “talking test,” where I make sure I can say a sentence without being winded. It’s worked well and I’ve kept my pacing in check. At the same time, I’m still able to do box jumps, I can whip out some double unders, and I have a pretty mean front and back squat. I also use the barbell, although I keep the weight light (usually 65 pounds or less, depending on the lift). I’ve managed some decent Rx WODs lately, which is a great confidence booster, and when I know I won’t be able to complete a WOD Rx, I find a reasonable substitution, which usually means lowering my weight. So far, my little girl is growing right on target and measuring perfectly for her gestational age. All signs point to a healthy baby, and I’m grateful. I also know that pregnancy would have been a lot harder if I hadn’t been in shape and didn’t keep up with exercise. I’m sure it’s partly luck, but I’m also convinced that the food and exercise choices I made before getting pregnant have had nothing but a positive affect on my pregnancy. We’ll see what new CrossFit adventures the third trimester brings!

Update: WODing

I've been so neglectful of the CrossFit aspect of this blog as I am trying to wrap my mind around the best baby gear and gearing up to tackle the next big steps of baby preparation (finding a doctor and daycare).
While my food consumption is completely haywire and I don't know how often I'll be at the box this week (I am currently battling some bizarre stomach bug/cold), I have had some great WODs in the past couple weeks that I'd love to share!


WOD: November 4
50,40,30,20,10 reps for time:
Kettlebell Swings
Double Unders
We did this WOD on June 22, when I was 8 weeks pregnant. Back then, I finished it in 16:56, Rx. This time, at 27 weeks, I finished it Rx in 18:48. I honestly didn't know if I'd be able to manage the double unders or if I would be able to finish this one, so completing it was such a huge accomplishment!


WOD: November 1
Bench press x 3
15,12,9,6,3 reps for time:
overhead walking lunges with 25 pound plate, reps are for each leg
Burpees

While I did my pregnant "burps" for this WOD (meaning that I land on my thighs, but keep my stomach elevated, almost like a cobra position in yoga), I finished this one in under 9 minutes. I modified the bench press to a regular press, and easily managed 70 pounds and decided to quit while I was ahead.

WOD: October 29
Front Squat x 2 for strength
40s on, 20s off x 4 Rounds for max reps:
Wall Ball with a 14 pound ball
Push-ups
Kettlebell Swings with 1 pood

If there's one thing I can do, it's squat. I have strong, strong legs. I did 145 x 2, the highest of any woman in my class that day, without much effort. I had to remind myself that it was probably a good idea to stop. While I've had to drop the weight on my squat quite a bit, I can still manage a pretty mean squat, which is awesome. I haven't had to modify my push ups yet, and my KBS are still pretty fabulous.  While I definitely didn't have the highest score of the day, finishing this one Rx was really uplifting.

My score for the WOD: 46 WB, 41 PUs, 68 KBS Rx for 155 total.


WOD: October 28
Skill: number of double unders in 2 minutes
3 Rounds for time:
500m row
12 Deadlifts @ bodyweight
21 box jumps @ 20 inches


I enjoy deadlifting, but I'm now nervous about my lower back, which can bother me at times. I was
going to do my pre-pregnancy weight for the WOD, but 130 lbs felt like I was pushing my luck. I
dropped it to a very managable 95, but I still did the box jumps Rx.  Rowing is my mortal enemy, so I just took it slow and steady.  

DU test: 51 in two minutes
WOD: finished in 15:31


Why am I sharing all of this? A few reasons.

First, I'm proud of the work that I'm still able to do at CrossFit, and I want to be able to share my success. Each week, I wonder if I've had my last Rx WOD, and then I surprise myself!  What I think has enabled me to still be successful at CF is my attitude.  I've slowly morphed from the 'I can't handle not having a PR and pushing myself to the brink!' to 'Let's just see what I can do today -- hopefully I'll be able to finish the WOD; I'll just do my best to get a decent workout.'  I think this change has made a huge difference in my WODing.  I pace myself carefully (which, I think, is the reason why I can still do box jumps).  I make sure I can talk while I WOD and I drink lots of water.  And I just see what happens.  And when in doubt, I back off.

At the same time, I've also developed a greater sense of pride and respect for what my body can do.  It's pretty awesome that I can safely and comfortably weight lift and compete metcons.  No, I'm not PRing, and that's okay.  I'm strong, I'm healthy, and this baby is strong and healthy, which is all I can ask for.  And I can still manage an Rx here and there!

I hope I can also be a model for the physical strength that women are more than capable of.  No, I'm not suggested that a newly pregnant woman run out and deadlift 200 pounds after never exercising, but I'm advocating that women of all ages start slowly exploring avenues like CrossFit (or strength training in general) to be as healthy as possible.

I'm also convinced that CF has enabled me to have a relatively easy pregnancy.  Yes, there's about 12 weeks left of it, but so far, I have no real complaints.  Getting in shape before getting pregnant has made a huge difference in my life.  It's given me a community; a place to go so I don't just end up sitting on the couch watching TV every night, and it's given me a huge amount of confidence.  So, here's to the end of my second trimester, and hopefully continued success with CrossFit!

After my WOD on November 4 at 27 weeks!

Check it out!

Check out my guest blog over at Journal Menu!

Back in January, when I first started working out at Charles River CrossFit, my goal was to be able to walk into another CrossFit by January 2012 and be able to do the WOD Rx. While I certainly gained significant stamina and strength in the time I’ve been a CrossFitter, pregnancy has thrown quite a wrench in that goal. Still, at 19 weeks pregnant, I’ve managed my fair share of Rx WODs, and I’m glad that I’m still able to CrossFit about four times a week. But, I’m surprised at how much harder CrossFit has become. I assumed that I wouldn’t have to modify my WODs until I was very visibly showing, and I figured that would be to merely accommodate for my large belly. Even though I’m five months along, I’m not really showing. So, it’s come as a bit of a shock when I’ve had to drop down weights or had to slow down on a metcon. I’ve dropped my deadlift by about 40 pounds and my back squat nearly 50. There have been metcons where I’ve barely finished in the allotted time, and one metcon of kettlebell swings, double unders, and rowing where I was cut off with one round to go. Those moments have been hard. While I know that I need to listen to my body and I’m aware that I have more physical constraints now, I’ve been mentally and physically trained to push myself to the brink, and it’s hard to feel limitations now. And double unders are just brutal these days!

With that said, I am beginning to fall in love with oly lifts. I always preferred chipper WODs or low skill, high intensity metcons to bar work, but with the barbell, I’ve been able to maintain a lot more of my strength. I can still easily clean 95 pounds, and I have a lot more confidence in my lifts. Pregnancy has been a great time for me to become a more well-rounded CrossFitter.

My philosophy is to try and do a WOD Rx if I can, and if that means five less double unders or cutting a run short by 100 meters, I’d rather do that then switch to single unders or drop my weight. I’ve gone from being one of the fastest in a class to one of the slowest. But hopefully, come February, I’ll be able to bounce back quickly and regain my stamina. And there are days when I feel invincible at the box, and others where I can barely do the warm up. Each day, I just try and do the best I can.

While there are some people in my life who are supportive of my CrossFit ways, others have been quite critical of my desire to keep up intense exercise while pregnant. Perhaps the most jarring comment I received was that if I continued my level of exercise, my baby would be born with birth defects. When moments like that happen, I just remind myself what my midwife told me: “your great-grandmother farmed, washed clothes by hand, and prepared meals from scratch. Women always had to be physically active and had healthy babies. It’s just in modern day that we’ve become far too sedentary, and it’s not something to be proud of. Good for you for exercising.”

The start of month five!

At 18 weeks, this cartoon pretty much sums up my current physical state.  I can still get away with most of my pants, although the pants that used to be huge on me are now just comfortable.  But I'm not yet big enough for maternity clothes.  It's a bit of a quandary, so I did end up buying the Be Band from Target.  I wore it for the first time today with my skinny jeans (which had to be retired about a week and a half ago), but I'm not completely sold on it.  I felt like my jeans were going to slip off all day, and I did feel self conscious about not having my pants buttoned.  I could see, however, the psychological merit in using the Be Band post-partum to get back into regular pants faster.  So, I think my clothing goal is to find longer shirts, leggings, and stretchy pants that aren't maternity to make it through until I need to make the full switch.  Any recommendations on places to shop or clothes to try?

I think a little bump is starting to show -- I'm post a picture later this week.  I may regret saying this, but I'm definitely ready to look pregnant.  I'm also ready to figure out if the gurgles and flutters I've felt are actually the baby, and not just a figment of my imagination!

On Monday, I had an amazing CrossFit WOD.  For a strength, we did a dead stop deadlift (where you have to take your hands of the bar during each rep) for a 3 rep max.  I comfortably did a 185 lb deadlift, which makes me feel better about not being about to deadlift 155 last week!  For our WOD, we did cleans and 100 meter runs.  I can still clean the bar!  While the prescribed weight was 115, I was nervous to try and clean that much, so I did 90 fairly easily.  It was nice to feel strong and accomplished at the box.

Today was a more 'interesting' workout of Tabata This.  For those of you not familiar with the CrossFit world, tabata is a workout where you do a movement for 20 seconds and then rest for 10 seconds.  You complete eight rounds of this sequence.  Your score is the lowest number of reps that you complete in the 20 seconds,  It's really beneficial to pace yourself, since eight rounds is a lot, especially when you have five movements to complete.  Tabata This includes rowing for calories, air squats, pull ups, push ups, and sit ups.  Luckily, I can still do sit ups, although I think that soon will change.  I pulled off a score of 39 for my tabata (I rowed 4 calories in 20 seconds, did 16 air squats, four banded pull ups, five push ups, and 10 sit ups).  I try to avoid WODs like tabata since I like to make sure I have the ability to take rests and breaks as needed, but I was able to pace myself, so it wasn't too awful.  

Things I've recently learned about pregnancy:
- I need to eat constantly, and I need to eat a lot.  I learned this the hard way, when I woke up at 3a.m. the other night, feeling extremely nauseous.  After sitting in the bathroom for about 10 minutes, I finally figured out that I was really hungry, so I had a bland, non-paleo snack, and after a few minutes, I felt great.  Lesson learned: this baby needs and loves food.
- Just because my eating is not as clean as it used to be doesn't mean that I'm a horrible eater, nor does it mean that I won't be able to get back on track post-partum.
- People love to give advice.  Some of it is helpful; some of it is not.  I'm trying to ignore the less helpful tidbits!
Any advice for the second trimester?

A midwife story

When I found out I was pregnant, I knew I had to ditch my regular OB-GYN, who I found lackluster, impersonal, and unimpressive.  While I really can't make a huge judgment call on her specific medical skills, I desperately felt the need to have a connection to the person who I would meet with constantly for appointments and who would (potentially) deliver my child.
Very quickly, I reached the conclusion that I wanted a midwife, but I'd like to share a little bit more about how I came to that conclusion.  In college, I was fascinated with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, an historian who basically determined that midwives had a higher success rate of births than doctors in the early 1800s.  (Yes, I am a huge history dork, and yes, I realize that was two hundred years ago, but sometimes we're shocked by what still holds true today).
  So, I began my research, and came to the conclusion that a midwife was definitely worth checking out. Reading articles like this one, which discusses how midwives have a higher success rate of vaginal births, made me think that midwives still might have a leg up on a traditional OB.  And after all the horror stories I had heard about deliveries gone bad, I wasn't convinced that a traditional birth was necessarily the best route.  Plus, with the rates of C-sections soaring, the fact that the US has a higher rate of infant mortality than other developed countries, and knowing that I didn't want medical intervention unless it was absolutely necessary, I decided to go to a "meet and greet"at the Women's Health Associates to learn more about the midwives and see if it was really for me.  We met with Adrienne, and I immediately gravitated to her energetic and kind demeanor.  I appreciated the philosophy that childbirth is a natural process, not a medical condition, and was glad that she spent over an hour and a half answering our questions (four other couples were there with us).  I also appreciate the fact that the midwives have taken the time to get to know me and my husband; in fact, most of my first appointment with Valaree was just to learn about my background, my own birthing philosophy, and to answer any of my questions.  At first, it was a struggle to get used to the fact that a medical professional wanted to take the time to know more about me, but I quickly realized this was a great perk of a midwife -- a true interest in her patient as a human being.
I don't believe that OBs are bad people, but I do think that some of the medical practices that surround birth aren't necessarily the best.  Plus, I love that my midwife will be with me throughout my entire labor.  And, I wanted someone who would be understanding of my lifestyle, and the midwives are completely supportive of CrossFit and my dietary choices.  So far, it's been a highly positive experience, and I'm looking forward to my next appointment with them in September!

How Pregnancy Cravings Work...

... at least for me.

A few weeks ago, at our Saturday trip to the farmers' market, as my husband and I purchased our lovely grassfed beef and local produce, I caught a whiff of the bagels from a stand.  All of a sudden, I needed to have one.

Me: Husband, I need a bagel immediately.
Husband: Really?  Do you even like bagels?  You haven't had one in awhile.
Me:  Yes, I know, but I need one now.
(Approach bagel stand)
Me: No, I probably shouldn't.
Husband:  There's nothing nutritious about them.  You don't need one.
Me:  You're right.  I've been Primal for so long.  I don't know what came over me.
(Leave market)
Me: I should have gotten a bagel.
Husband: (Shakes head).  Do you want to go back for one?
Me: No, no, no, it's okay.  Let's just get some coffee.

(Yes, I drink coffee pregnant, and yes, some caffeine is safe.  I usually do a cup or a cup and a half a day.  Sometimes I drink regular; sometimes I drink decaf.)

After each trip to the market, my husband and I ritualistically walk to our local Dunkin' Donuts for some coffee with milk.  A small iced is my preferred drink of choice; my husband prefers hot coffee but drinks iced in the summer.  I used to be the girl who drank at least three cups of coffee a day, so cutting back to a small took some adjusting, but I've managed just fine.

Once in DD, I start eyeing the bagels.
Me: Do I want a bagel?
Husband:  If you want one, get one.
Me: Nah, it's okay.  I don't think they even really taste that great.
Husband: You sure?
Me: Yes, yes, I'm fine.

(Leave Dunkin' Donuts and walk home)

Me: I should have gotten a bagel.
Husband: (shrugs).

We proceed to make a fabulous breakfast of bacon and eggs, get the kitchen organized, and decide to head to the CrossFit Regionals.  As we get in the car and start driving off, I turn to him and say:
Me: I really need a bagel.
Husband: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.  Please.  It's urgent.  I don't know what I'm ever going to do if I don't get a bagel now!
Husband sighs, and we park the car at Bruegger's.  I dash inside and order an everything bagel, toasted with cream cheese.  My husband orders one too.  I impatiently pace the store floor as I wait for my bagel to be toasted and greedily snatch it out of the hands of the clerk when he gives it to me.  We get into the car and I dive into bagel as quickly as possible.  Tears are practically streaming down my face, I'm so happy.  It's a euphoric moment.

A few minutes pass.

Husband: That bagel really wasn't very good.
Me: What are you talking about?!?!?!? That's the best thing I've eaten in forever!

So folks, I really wish I could be that person who was a super clean pregnant eater.  I confess, I'm not.  Sometimes, the cravings are so overwhelming, I don't know what to do but to give in.

So, my general rule of thumb is to still eat a primarily Primal diet, and limit a big craving to one a day.  Sometimes I have more; sometimes I stick to Primal.  It really depends on the day (and dare I blame this little Peanut?)

But, I try to make sure I always have food on me to try and offset a craving (Larabars can be my best friend at times).  I also try to take it one day at a time.  I don't eat bagels everyday, nor do I eat flour on a consistent basis.  I just try to find a happy medium that will work for me right now.  I'm confident that I will go back to my previous eating habits.

I think these cravings come, in part,  from not sleeping well.  While I've been fortunate enough to not have morning sickness, I became quite the insomniac during my first trimester.  Sugar and processed grains probably gave a quick and dirty insulin boost to keep me going, even though I mentally know those won't have great effects over the long term.  But sometimes, it's hard to convince your body of that.

But man, that bagel was pretty awesome.

Another Confession

Confession: my primal eating habits have fallen a bit off kilter.  Lately, I've had cravings for bagels, pizza, donuts and other sugary sweets -- something highly unusual for me.  Sometimes it's easy for me to resist these cravings; other things they are so intense, I'm near tears thinking about those foods, and no matter how I deny it, the craving won't go away.  For someone who's been a pretty clean eater for over a year, it's been a hard go lately.

I hate to make excuses for myself, but perhaps I can shed some light into why these cravings are so intense:

I'm having a little CrossFitter in February!

The day I found out I was pregnant in May, we had had a particularly intense WOD at CRCF; three rounds of:
1 minute box jumps
1 minute wall balls
1 minute pull ups
1 min double unders
1 minute push ups
1 minute rest

This WOD destroyed me, and I found it harder than usual.  I was gasping for breath, and it just didn't seem right.  I already had an inkling that I might be pregnant, so I tested that night and voila!  My thoughts were confirmed.

So many ideas raced through my head; a mix of excitement, feeling overwhelmed, thinking it was surreal, and then scared.  Would I be able to still do CrossFit?  How quickly would I have to scale back? Should I skip CF all together and resign myself to a life of walking and water aerobics?  Could I still lift weights?  And how could I still exercise once I had a baby?

I immediately started my online research, but there really isn't that much information out there about pregnant CrossFitters.  (I'll give links to all the good sites I found).  But after speaking to my coaches, I was reassured that I could safely and happily continue CrossFit, but with modifications as needed.

Still, I found that my cardiovascular endurance slowed down greatly.  High metcon WODs, which were always my favorite, were harder.  And some days, my workouts felt easier to get through than others.  It's definitely been a bit of a challenge for me, but I just remind myself that I have a little person inside me, and I need to listen to my body.

Now, I am 15 weeks along in my pregnancy, and my goal is to encourage other women to stay fit and healthy throughout their pregnancies.  I still work out at CrossFit at least three to five times a week.  And I want to share my own experiences with my health, with exercise, prenatal care choices, and other fun stories.

For the next 25 weeks, I'd like to take you all on my journey as I strive to have the healthiest pregnancy possible.  We know that exercise is essential for the health of a mother and baby, and I hope you'll follow me along!

And here's another picture of my little Peanut.  Can you believe how clear the ultrasound is?  I love the little hand waving!