FUIF Fitness Friday Challenge

I must admit that when I saw this check-in group getting formed, I thought to myself, "Here we go again..." It is next to impossible to maintain any level of fitness when pursuing IVF. At least it is for me.

I am a marathoner who has been on the sidelines since we started with the RE last April (holy SHIT, it is almost our one year mark...). Prior to all of this IF stuff, I had a very active and fit lifestyle. I averaged anywhere from 35-50 miles a week with at least two core & strength workouts a week. My nutrition sort of took care of itself. When I'm in training, I gravitate naturally towards a very balanced and healthy meal plan. Of course I like to indulge in a few treats here and there, but that's ok when you're burning hundreds of calories a day in training. In addition, my stress level was always decently in control because running was my great equalizer. It's the perfect way to blow off steam or do some soul searching.

Sadly, it's not possible to do the above when your ovaries are bursting at the seams. I figured out quickly that I could still run at certain times during my cycle, but I had to scale it way, way back. I'm not exaggerating when I say that this setback put me into a depression. I went through phases of, "Ah, fuck it!" and I'd either end up on the couch with a bowl of ice cream to drown my sorrows. Or I'd defiantly lace up and run my ass off (like the night before my lap... I hadn't run anything longer than 4-5 miles in weeks, but I went out and forced 14 miles. Not really a smart move on my part). By the time August rolled around, it was looking pretty certain that we were heading for IVF, so I gave up on the running almost completely.

Three rounds of IVF later, and my running fitness level is next to nothing. I am at square one while all of my running buddies are whizzing by me with their medals and celebratory long run donuts. Fuck.

So then up pops the post, "Is anyone interested in doing a fitness check-in on this board?" In the past, these check-ins have just depressed me even further. But I decided to give it a go. And so far... it's working! We're about a week and a half in, and I'm on track to meet or surpass my goals :D

My FUIF Fitness Goals:

1. Workouts - I'm doing a modified version of the 30/30 challenge (30 minutes of activity a day for 30 days). I've tried "streaking" before (not what you think... running everyday without a rest day) and absolutely hated it. I love running. But I also really value rest! So my workout goal is to do 210 minutes of exercise a week (30 minutes x 7 days = 210 minutes... but I can distribute it however I want). My philosophy: I'll run when I can. If I can't run, I'll walk. If I can't walk, I'll crawl. If I can't crawl, I'll eat chocolate ;)
2. Nutrition - regain the balance in my diet. Try to limit how much we eat out, and minimize "binge" eating (especially with oreos and ice cream... oh, my weakness!!). I'd like to make a meal plan and do some preparation over the weekends.
3. Emotional Health - reduce my stress level. I'm still seeing my therapist, and I'm doing Circle+Bloom every day (HOORAY for the FET program!!!). In addition, I'm trying to remove the stressors from my schedule as we get ready for our transfer (bye bye MIL! See you in May).

Week One Progress:

1. Workouts - 210 minutes of exercise complete! I went for a few runs, a few walks with the dogs, and did a core and strength workout (and was very, very sore for days). Felt so good to move!!
2. Nutrition - I made a meal plan for the week and mostly stuck to it :) I'm still indulging in a daily treat, but it's within reason.
3. Emotional Health - I totally admit that I've been falling asleep during my C+B sessions. I need to find a different time of day to do this so I can be more aware of the work I'm doing in this area. 

Week Two is in progress, and so far, so good!!