Sunday, April 3, 2016

Starting The Bikini Body Guide Post Partum!

Have you ever had a baby?

Well, I have had two... And they are both UNDER 2.

Needless to say my body has had to work really hard creating little humans and then trying to look semi- normal again. It is not easy! But it is soooo worth it!

Anyway, I KNEW I needed to find a workout program that I could do at home with two children and get some serious results and that is when I found Kayla Itsines. If you haven't heard of her, she is aaalll over Instagram. Her success stories are impressive enough, but the workouts are also only 28 minutes at a time and you are never in one particular set for very long. I find that very appealing because I don't want to do 100 burpees in a row! Ew!

So below is my body before I start to get bikini ready and I will be posting my progress!

Okay, let's get onto the stats... Here I am 8 weeks Post Partum:

Sorry the picture is small! I hate iPads!

As of March 24th, 2016, I weighed 147 pounds. Now I am not crazy about that number but it is 22 pounds less than I weighed when I had my baby! So at least we are moving in the right direction. :) Also, I am more concerned with how my clothes feel, and right now EVERYTHING is just a bit too snug.

Since today is Sunday, I am taking the day off and then starting fresh tomorrow! Stay tuned!

~Tabs

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Paying To Climb Stairs

I know I am pregnant, but I have been feeling so heavy and unfit and sometimes it just gets to me. So I end up talking to my husband saying, "Why didn't you tell me I was gaining weight??!"

Really? How is he supposed to respond to that? He is a wise man so I know he wouldn't ever actually say anything. ;) But then I tell him I need encouragement to go to the gym- that he can watch our daughter and let me leave for an hour.

So today I did just that.

I got to the gym ready to burn some calories and lift some weights. I piddled around on some weight machines and then headed to the stair master. And while I was "climbing" it dawned on me that I am on this $5,000 machine of stairs...

I HATE climbing stairs and here I pay a monthly membership fee to "work out" on stairs...






It made me realize that I need to incorporate more activity into my day, like hiking or cycling or even walking. I only have 7 weeks left before this baby is born and I will NOT fizzle out now!




Monday, December 14, 2015

A Laptop In Pieces And I Am Still Pregnant

I have to reassure everyone that I REALLY love to blog here. That I am not one of those sporadic-when-I-feel-like-it-bloggers. I have a really good excuse for my absence...

My dear, amazing husband was looking up piano chords on my laptop and had it sitting atop our piano. Well, my beloved laptop of almost 6 years slid off and crashed into pieces on our tile floor. I watched it fall. I held my breath and let out a little, "SAVE THE LAPTOP!!!!!" But it was too late.

For 6 years that beloved white Mac had traveled with me and gotten me through four years of college. It was probably time to let it go, but it was still running so I held on.

Well, our journey together is over. And I just couldn't justify buying another Mac right now when we have a baby on the way. Priorities, you know?

So fast forward to a couple days ago. Hubby and I decided to buy the iPad! We both thought it was a great idea because it's bigger than a phone and lighter than a laptop. So here I am back at my blog!



Now, let's talk about babies...

I am now 32 weeks pregnant! It has honestly gone so fast. Unlike my first pregnancy where I counted every minute. Lol. Having a 1 year old does help! I hardly have time to focus on anything else!

But I have stayed pretty consistent with my healthy eating and moderate exercise. I have enjoyed several evening walks with my husband and daughter and done lots of swimming and some Pure Barre to fight the flab that tries to ensnare every pregnant woman! So far I have gained about 25 pounds, which isn't amazing, but definitely isn't over the top!

                                                       Mama, Baby 1, and Baby 2!

Third Trimester Madness! 


And I DO have plans for finishing out the next 8 weeks strong. I have cut back on certain carbs and fats and I am going to try and do a little more Pure Barre to tone my body.

Well, that is it for now! It feels so good to reconnect with everyone again!

Till tomorrow!

P.s. I can't seem to make the pictures larger? #newiPadproblems

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Letting The Cat Out of the Bag....

   Not sure where the expression, "Letting the cat out of the bag" came from, but I am sure I could Google it and spend a solid 30 minutes reading different articles about it. But I won't do that right now. I will just continue on with this blog post. :)

   Okay, so you know how lately I have been complaining that I felt lazy and was just sitting on the couch and could not find the motivation to get going? Then the Women's Soccer team thing happened and that really inspired me to push past my "feelings" and workout. Well, the reason for all of that is...

   We are expecting Baby Two!

Still Can't Believe It! :)


  It's hard to type that it still feels unreal. On the one hand, it's amazing because our children will be close together in age (something I wanted), but on the other hand, it's like, "Oh no! I am going to be flabby for another year!" Terribly shallow, I know. Trust me, the good outweighs the bad. ;)

   So I am going to be trying to work as hard (and as safe) as I can to stay fit during this second pregnancy. And this is how I am going to do that:

  •   EAT HEALTHY! Starting my day off with healthy, fibrous foods, and limiting my starchy carbs throughout the day, as well as eating lean protein. I know this sounds like what all the fitfoodies say, but they are fit and it does work. So.....
  • REJOIN MY GYM! I like using YouTube for my workouts, but I need some weights to really help me fight the jiggle in my thighs and I need to hit the gym for that. I will be doing a little cardio, but my focus will really be on weights this time around. 
  • DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Sadly, these pregnancy hormones have got me hating water at the moment. Which is majorly strange since I actually LOVE water. I drink it all day long with no flavorings. But right now it just makes me sick, so I force myself to drink it, and sometimes I add a little cranberry juice to it so there is a hint of flavor in it. Definitely better to be hydrated than to worry about a tiny bit of sugar! 
  • CONTINUE STRETCHING! Just because I am pregnant does not mean I need to give up my flexibility! It actually helps me stay more comfortable. 
   These are the main things on my mind right now, but I will add things as I go along. I will also be posting my progress as well as some of my favorite healthy foods for any of my girls out there that are expecting and wanting to stay fit!

  Okay, let's MOVE!

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Inspiration

You know how sometimes you just need a little inspiration to get up and work out? Well, I would like to thank the USA Women's Soccer Team for giving me the kick I have been needing to get my burn on.

These women are so physically fit (even in their middle 30's!) and have the stamina to push themselves to the very limit.


So today, while my little Beauty took a nap, I went to YouTube and worked out to Fitness Blender. It was only two short workouts, but it was more than I have been doing lately. I have been so tired and ran a few fevers last week and had just allowed myself to sit ALL DAY.

But not anymore! I will be getting myself up and at em' more! Look how many awesome women I have as an inspiration!!

Let's Move!

Thursday, June 4, 2015

Healthier Lifestyle

It all started the other morning when I was making Husband some french toast for breakfast. I was whipping together the ingredients and noting, that's a lot of sugar. Hmm, that's a lot of butter. All of this is going on white bread...

And while we were eating, we were drinking coffee with heavy whipping cream and Husband was adding Maple Syrup to his already buttery, sugary toast.

And I didn't feel very good.

I couldn't feed this to him! I want him to live a very long, healthy life. I want our daughter to be healthy.

So Husband and I started talking. I found out that he was more than okay with a change. He said he had been feeling a tightness in his chest and felt lethargic.

That day I began making more nutritious meals. Spinach salad with homemade dressing for lunch. Vegetable stir fry for dinner. 

And then today we did our shopping. It was great to see all of the beautiful color in our cart!

That tomato looks poisonous it's so red!
We bought salmon and avocado, spinach, wheat flour, bananas, oatmeal, hummus, tuna fish, herbs, cucumber, tomato, grapes, black beans and potatoes to name most of the list!

I then got right to work on making some homemade Greek food. It was delicious!

Falafel was easier to make than I thought!
So much nutrition on one plate!
Not only was our food really good, but it was so much cheaper than eating out. If Husband and I had gone to our local Greek restaurant, one felafel pita would have been $7. I made 4 for about that price.

Now, I do have to mention that I thought we were doing good when it came to food. We didn't eat processed junk. I made almost everything from scratch. I made sure there were always vegetables included in lunch and dinner. But there was too much dessert and too much fat at other times. I was refilling the sugar container too many times.

We are now going to focus on cutting out most meat, dairy and sugar. And I think we are already feeling the effects of it!

~TabsAbs 
















Monday, June 1, 2015

Sharing My Closet!

Everyone raise your hand if you have a lot of clothes...

I am raising both of mine because I have TWO closets that are packed full! I am not going to lie, I love to shop. Did you even read my previous post?

I love clothes.
I love getting clothes as gifts.
I love giving clothes as gifts.


Buckingham Palace... My home... ;)

Now I don't claim to be a major fashionista. Like I don't always accessorize, but I do love fashion!
And when I looked in my closet(s) and saw how many articles of clothing I have, and how I don't even get a chance to wear it all, I thought I NEED TO GIVE THINGS AWAY. And instead of throwing things out or dropping off a big trash bag at a random goodwill, I decided that I want to give things away to YOU for free!

No, really.

It would make my heart happy to see these beloved outfits going to good homes. You, my readers, have been so sweet and encouraging and I want to give something back.

So, here is what I am going to be doing every month starting TODAY:

I will post a video on my YouTube channel, Tabs Abs (and here), with the article of clothing I am giving away and all you have to do is tell me in the comments why YOU want it and the person with the best response wins! That's it!

I hope you enjoy what's in my closet!

~TabsAbs


                                             If you cannot view video please click here!