Park Workouts: It Pays to Play

If you're enjoying the summer sun as much as I am, you might want to take your workout outside. Even better, you might want to multitask parenting and exercise at the park. I saw this great article in my local Star Tribune newspaper a few weeks ago: 10 Ways to Workout at the Playground. That is what Mama Sweat is all about! 

And if you need a mother/daughter example of how fun a park workout can be and how obviously we can become fit role models for our children, check out this informative and endearing video post over at MizFit. She has coined the best term for workouts at the park: Playouts.

Go get in your playout today--just don't forget the sunscreen!

Does lifting weights cause mastitis? (With New Video Feature!)

I had another brush with mastitis this week. As frustrated as I am with the physical set back, I'm more frustrated that this is a recurring problem for me when my previous experiences with breastfeeding have come so easy. [Insert big sigh here.]

I've been on a mad quest to find out why I'm getting the plugged ducts (three so far) that can sometimes turn into an infection that whips the feet out from under me and leaves me in the path of the proverbial Mac truck. I've consulted two lactation consultants, my local La Leche League volunteer, a number of books in my home and local library, and Googled away. It's like trying to find Oz.

Essentially, it boils down to a lot of "could be." What I discovered is no one had the answer. No one could tell me exactly what was causing the problem or exactly what I could do to prevent it. I had to find Oz on my own. (Kind of like parenting in general, right?)

One recurring theme with all my resources is that mastitis can come on in a mom who is doing too much and/or under stress. I usually brush over this one. Anyone who is familiar with my normal level of activity knows that I am a sliver of myself postpartum. It is hard for me to believe I'm doing too much physically. But maybe, just maybe, (and I really hate considering this) this fraction of my normal activity is still too much.

And there is a strange coincidence. I have only been to my Barbell Strength class twice since giving birth. Both times I ended up with mastitis within 5 days. Curious. Could it be the weight-bearing exercise or simply that when I've been ready to go back to the class I've felt ready to take on more in general?

And then, while talking to the LLL leader this week (who happens to know me through a different connection) said, "I know you're active..." And I think, here it comes, she's going to tell me I'm doing too much..." But she goes on to say "There was a woman at our meeting last week who said when she lifts weights she gets mastitis."

Huh. My coincidence is someone else's coincidence?

So the next thing I do is Google "weightlifting and mastitis." Sure enough, I am not the only exercising mama who thinks there might be a connection (and the jury is still out, I only *think* there *might* be a connection). But on one particular message board a few breastfeeding and exercising mamas mentioned that when they did any weight bearing exercises in their chest, including push ups, they tended to get plugged ducts and/or mastitis.

Still, I don't want to believe this is the cause. Another explanation I'm considering includes my choice of bra. I tend to prefer sports bra over traditional nursing bras. Not my good running bras (these are relatively new and are more tourniquet-like) but the bras I've had for 10 years or more, the ones that wouldn't even provide good support for a run at low tide. (If you're confused about that analogy, I'm at high tide right now.) But some of the sources say sports bras, even those with barely a thread of elastic in them, are not appropriate for nursing mothers. And, perhaps, it was suggested to me, I should get fitted for a bra, as opposed to grabbing what I think might fit during a mad dash to Super Target with four kids. How sensible.

The only other plausible cause is The Boy's erratic eating schedule. We go from the all-day, all-you-can-eat buffet to dainty snacking. Simply put, my boobs are confused.

Trying to narrow the cause and effect down is like trying to figure out a food allergy. Now I'm on an "elimination diet." For the time being I'm going to hold off on my Barbell Strength class, lay off sports bras and be vigilant about "draining the breast" as "they" say, even if it means using the dreaded breast pump. 

Yesterday I went to a fancy department store where a mature woman with glasses down her nose and a measuring tape around her neck inspected my chest. She took her measurements and proclaimed me a 34 D.

Say What? (For context I often have to search in the "Barely A" section.

"That can't be right," I say to her. "You need to check it again."

So she does.

Yes, she says, "I measure you at a D."

I am tempted to shout, Right on! And do a victory dance. After all, it is kind of fun for someone of typically small proportions to experiment with a nice rack without a boob job. Although, I should temper the celebration somewhat, since what I have are "boobs with flu-like symptoms."

But if this bra-fitting expert is right, then I am clearly wearing too-tight bras--even my threadbare, elastic-worn bras are too small. Go figure. So I bought myself a real nursing bra that fits.

In a couple of weeks I'm going to add back weight lifting to my routine. If a plugged duct emerges, I may give this whole "weight lifting can cause mastitis theory" more credibility.

What say you? Know the way to Oz? Any experience with this? Think it's bunk? Other possibilities? Anything else comes to mind when you hear "plugged duct?" I'll start with what my husband had to say when I shared all this information with him this morning:

He said: "Speaking of plugged ducts, there's a duck sitting on an egg in our backyard."

For real. He even took a video of the plugged duck.

Postpartum Functional Active Training-I made that one up

I liked last week's acronym so much I thought I'd create one of my own. Postpartum Functional Active Training, or PFAT. (Incidentally that's pronounced "fat," but I'm not poking fun at the pfostpfartum body.) PFAT is akin to NEPA (Non Exercise Physical Activity), in that it is physical activity you would be doing as a new mom.  

Here are my top PFAT exercises, which take into account you have a newborn (postpartum) and have to do certain things with this newborn (functional), while still going on about your day (active).

Lullaby on the Ball: If you used a physioball during pregnancy or childbirth, don't put it away yet. These stability balls are often better than rocking chairs for lulling newborns to sleep or calming a cranky baby. Bonus is the free core workout. Bounce straight up and down and then let your hips move side to side. When you're ready try bouncing with one foot lifted off the floor. Extra points for not falling off with baby. Seriously, don't do that. 

Stairmaster Sleeper: First attach baby with your preferred method of wearing baby (carrier, sling, wrap, etc.) and take to the stairs. Usually on the fifth round of going up and down your stairs baby will be out. Make this activity functional by taking items that belong up and returning whatever needs to come down (my girls are forever redistributing clothes and toys throughout the house).

Almost Asleep Leg Lifts: The baby's eyes are shut but you're too afraid to put him down. While you wait those extra minutes in front of the crib lift your right leg behind you ten times and then repeat on the other leg. Do as many sets as you need to ensure your baby stays asleep when you put him down. This exercise is particularly good to counter all the sitting you may be doing while feeding the baby--the leg lifts strengthen the gluteus muscles that get stretched and weakened from sitting (why your low back might be hurting, too). 

Do you have any PFAT exercises to share?

Multitasking Mistake

Don't do this.

I had a laundry basket full of dirty clothes and a baby that both needed to get downstairs. So I plopped the baby on top and schlepped them both to the laundry room. The Boy seemed to have enjoyed the ride so I left him in the basket to accomplish some other quick task (because you never disturb a happy baby). There was a quick turnaround of emotions, however, so I went to pick him up. I brought his head to my cheek and instinctively smelled the top of his head (because who doesn't love to smell the top of a baby's head?) and nearly wretched. That aroma was not what I expected from his little peach of a head. I looked down into the basket and realized those were workout clothes. To make matters worse he was lying directly on top of inside-out cycling shorts. Yuck stix! My poor baby!

We marched right back upstairs where I gave The Boy a bath. Needless to say, I did not save myself any time with that multitasking maneuver.

Non Exercise Physical Activity: No I didn't make that up!

I always roll my eyes whenever a woman's magazine suggests to "take the stairs instead of the elevator" or "park farther away." If I have to be subjected to that sort of pithy and obtuse advice one more time I may very well gag.

And yet... (are you laughing at me Sara M? If you've read the "History of Love" this inside joke makes sense. If not I'll make this nonsense relevant later in the post). 

And yet... taking the stairs and walking a little farther than you need to have a real name and a real acronym: Non Exercise Physical Activity or NEPA (but if you Google it the first thing that comes up is "National Environmental Protection Agency" so scroll down before you give up).

When you talk about parking farther away from the door like that, giving it a scientific-sounding name and all... well, then it feels legitimate. I don't necessarily want to take the stairs but I do want to engage in a little NEPA.

I first learned about NEPA from a guest post on Workout Mommy. I know you might hate linking away to read it, but go... check it out. It's short. Go on. Just come back. The rest of my post will make more sense if you do. OK, good, let's go on.

The reason I liked this post is because postpartum I don't exercise as much as normal. But hey, sometimes this happens to all of us whether we have a baby or not. Sometimes something big comes along:  A move, a big project at work, an ailing family member and the ole regularly scheduled exercise program gets pushed to the side for awhile (and we know it's just for awhile because eventually we'll hop back on the train). The thing is, during these temporary lulls in my fitness I'm never sedentary. I know there are people out there who, when they stop a workout program, they truly stop all activity -- it's the "why bother" mentality -- but being active in little ways counts. 

So in that Workout Mommy post, Jason the trainer has some good suggestions and for some reason those suggestions were more palatable than when they're offered in a woman's magazine. I cleaned out my car the other day and as you know, with children, this is a full day's work. So is cleaning the house. (For Jason both of these tasks takes only an hour. Jason, apparently doesn't have children who color the sideboards of the car, eat fruit snacks, or eat lollipops halfway and leave the other half under the car seats). 

I have long maintained that cleaning house is exercise, but as I mention in that post, if your goal is to run a 10K, just cleaning house may not help you meet that goal. If you need to have movement in your day and don't have time for the gym? Cleaning house qualifies.

For you dear readers I just vacuumed the main living areas of my home--wearing a heart rate monitor. Since I was pleased with the results of my walking-with-HRM experiment, I thought I'd give this a whirl, too. I managed an average of 100 for 30 minutes of vacuuming, with a little sweeping, rug shaking, and table wiping mixed in. Not bad for "non exercise." Not as good as that brisk walk. But when it's all you got? I'd throw in some of those squat thrusts, lunges and push ups, too.

Point is all these little bouts of activity do add up. And this post says as much, siting a study that shows how NEPA isn't only good for your waistline, but your longevity, helping reduce mortality by some 40 percent. OK then. I'll take the stairs already.

I wonder what other heart rates we can get from NEPA? Anybody else don their heart rate monitor while "non exercising"? Would you be willing to share your heart rate on other activities like mowing the lawn, cleaning out the garage, or going to the grocery store with kids (this ensures a few sprints). If any of you have numbers to send my way I'll compile them and give everyone a full report.

Now, back to "The History of Love." Did I just hear someone mutter "finally" under their breath? The book is lovely and I highly recommend it. Clearly I enjoyed it so much I can't help but emulate the writing (this is different from plagiarism, right?) It's just since reading the book I can't keep myself from saying or writing "And yet." Who knew it was so relevant?

Anyway, when I started to type that second paragraph I couldn't remember the whole title of the book and began to look it up on Amazon so I wouldn't have to get my dainty arse out of my chair. And then the irony hit me. I decided to engage in a little NEPA and get up to go look for the book. Doing so helped me log two extra flights of stairs for the day.

As they say in the "Hokey Pokey" ... That's what it's all about!

Another Milestone: My Blog Birthday!

What? Three posts three days in a row? Am I starting a new trend? Um, no. It's just a big week! And since today is my blog birthday, I think I will celebrate by posting every day this week. Just for grins. Don't get used to it. I have too many diapers to change, kids to corral, and workouts to chase down.

One year ago I threw myself into the blogosphere with my first post on Mama Sweat. I underestimated how much I would enjoy writing about fitness and motherhood, it feels so natural, just an extension of myself--even if I get interrupted from writing a post an average of 25 times (it often takes hours to get a post published). I suppose I would want to do this if I didn't have an audience (so cathartic), and yet the joy of this blogging is that I do have readers. So my thanks to you for taking the time out to read Mama Sweat. My ego is grateful, too.

I kept telling myself that after a year of blogging I would figure out what kind of blog this would be, decide what more I would do with it. But I still don't know. I suppose I should read a book about blogging. Is there blog school? Better yet, a blog tutor? I like learning by doing (or as often is the case, learning by trial and error) so, I think the next step is to ask YOU what more you'd like from this blog. I've put together a simple survey--check it out on the left--so that you can give me your input. It's anonymous. I won't know your answers or even who responds. Check off as many options that apply for you, and if you'd care to give me more suggestions, puleeze leave me a comment or if you're too shy email me at kara@karathom.com.

Milestone

Moms get giddy over their baby's milestones: first smile, pulling up, crawling, walking, first tooth, and on and on. But another important first for fit moms is baby's first trip to the gym. As of today, The Boy is three-months old and now old enough to go to the gym's childcare center. Woo Hoo!

And so, I just made an appointment for The Boy in the childcare center so I could return to kick boxing class--I love, I miss, I want--but haven't been since early in my pregnancy. There was no problem getting him in and then when I hung up the phone I realized why: because today is Tuesday. The class I wanted to take is on Monday. Well, potentially, I saved myself from this uncomfortable situation. Alas, we will go to the gym anyway, even if all I do is wander the aisles between treadmills.

It's one thing to manage the postpartum body. Another to put up with the postpartum brain. Enough with getting my body back. I want my brain back!

I Heart Walking: The Results

I remembered to put my heart rate monitor on yesterday for my Mother's Day walk so now I have the results. Is a walk worth the workout?  

45 minute walk:

• 125 average heart rate
  
• 162 max heart rate
  
• 500ish calories burned
  

Not bad, eh? It's a great fat burning heart rate, something hard for me to achieve when running, because even my slow runs tend to make my heart beat in a faster range. Even runners in training need to have low heart-rate workouts; the idea being you teach your heart to beat slower as you get faster and then you can run faster because you have more "room" before you hit your max heart rate. And 500 calories? From a walk? Maybe I don't have to lay off the Ben and Jerry's.

That walk didn't overachieve on its own. Here's how it went down:

I live in a hilly neighborhood. Walking on the flats, at a good clip, arms swinging, my heart rate held steady at about 115, but up a hill my HR climbed to 145. If you can, seek out the hills. And on a treadmill, play with the incline.

I mixed in strength work. I'm still fond of mixing in strength work while I walk. On this walk I interspersed two sets each of 25 squat thrusts, 50 walking lunges, 20 push ups and 20 tricep dips. I started a set when my HR went below 115, or so. On my second set of walking lunges my HR was at its max--162. And then my HR stayed elevated for awhile. Once it came back down, I would throw in another round of something, only slightly conscious of how silly I might look to the neighbors driving by.

And so, walking has my full respect. I still might not always remember to bring my heart rate monitor along, but I still believe it's a legitimate workout. And to top it off, I'm sore. I like being sore. Makes me feel like I earned that Ben and Jerry's.

Confession: I Heart Walking

Ever wish you had a clone? Rhetorical question? My mom was here last week and I felt like I had the double I dreamed about. You think I would have been able to blog daily, but I had to prioritize, folks. I did manage to squeeze in a few workouts, take Mc to kids yoga, have "only child" dates with my other girls, clean out four closets (two more to go), and visit the pediatrician, veterinarian, dentist and dermatologist. (No, not for Botox, I was afraid all of those long runs and rides in the Texas sun caught up with me. Not in the form of skin cancer, as I feared, just age spots and wrinkles. Still, no Botox.) The other luxury of the week was a whole conversation with my dear friend Laura. Usually we leave voice mails with each other about every other week. Or, if we're lucky enough to talk, it gets cut short by one of our kids (she has a 6yo and 2yo).

Laura and I have quite a history. She is one of those rocks in my life. We've been roommates and shared many significant moments over the years, among them weddings and childbirth. We also trained for two Ironman triathlons together. When you're working out somewhere between 10 and 20 hours a week together you become close, real close--we are sisters in sweat.

At the moment, both of us aren't running. Me, because I'm taking it slow. Laura, because she has a knee injury. We were discussing the details of her knee injury and what we're currently doing to stay fit, which for both of us includes walking as the mainstay. 

Normally, runners and triathletes groan about having to "just" walk. It felt as if we should, after all, the number of track practices and long runs we've finished together are too numerous to count. But instead the conversation went like this:

In a hushed tone, "I kinda like walking," I admitted.

"Yeah, me too," Laura whispered.

We were both sitting in our cars, so I'm not sure who we thought would hear us, or why they would care.

We both went on to say that we believe we get a pretty darn good workout when we walk. Laura says she keeps intending to wear her heart rate monitor so she can see for sure. Why does she fail to put it on? Because ingrained in her brain is the notion that a walk isn't worthy of wearing a heart rate monitor. It's just a walk, right? What's the point?

But we both agree we have a better body awareness when we walk, one that isn't quite there when we run. I can feel that place where butt meets leg when I take those longer strides. My hip flexors get stretched out, my quads and hamstrings speak to me, I notice the pull in my deltoids as I swing my arms and feel my core tighten as my upper body adjusts to the movement. When I run, it's just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other, breathing, and holding on for the duration. 

Don't get me wrong, I still think of myself as a runner. I'm even starting to sprinkle a few running bursts into my walks. Perhaps I need to incorporate that body awareness I feel on walks into my runs. But once I start to run again, I usually feel like I should be running, and running only; that a walk will be taking the wimpy way out. And, now, I'm not so sure that's fair. 

From now on I'm going to give walking the respect it deserves. It may take some time to change my attitude, though. I had a great walking workout this morning, but once again forgot to wear my heart rate monitor. Laura, if you've managed to remember yours since our conversation, let us know if the workout is worthy.