January 2015 – These Crazy Montanas

Workin’ Out with the Babies

January 28, 2015January 28, 2015 Taryn and TaviaLeave a comment

Today is an exciting day! I had two good friends that came over (one has a baby) and we got our lift on in my garage! Who knew that events like these would be the highlight of my ~~week~~ day?! We put the babies in their jumpers and turned our beast mode on.

Here is what we did:

Round 1:

Lat pulldowns: 1st set 8 reps heavy

2nd set 12 reps one plate lighter

3rd set 20 reps one plate lighter than the second set

Round 2:

Bent over cable rows: 15 reps (a weight that is challenging but one that you can keep good form)

Dumbbell rows: 15 reps

Repeat 4x

Round 3:

Deadlifts (you heard, the real kind): 15 reps

Hyperextensions (back extensions) 20-25 reps

Round 4:

Or not…Max had enough and was ready to take a nap! Ha! He did have a great time watching all the ladies get their lift on…and it was a major bonus that he got to hang out with his little buddy!

^^Our new garage gym! Lots of my workouts will be happening here!

^^My friends are good motivators. That back is amazeballs.

Do any of you guys have to workout with your babes? How do you keep them entertained?

Happy hump day y’all!

Family Workout

January 26, 2015January 26, 2015 Taryn and TaviaLeave a comment

Sunday was another beautiful day in Texas. The hubby and I decided to load baby Max into the stroller and walk to our community gym to get a “pump” in. Working out together used to be part of our everyday routine back in the college days, but now it is such a rare occurrence we try to make the very best of every minute! Max, of course, doesn’t object to a good stroller ride and some entertaining workout moves from his mommy and daddy. Here is what we did.

Warm Up: Half mile walk to the gym 🙂

Round 1:

Shoulder side laterals: 20 reps

Seated shoulder press: 10 reps (heavy)

Reverse flyes: 20 reps

Repeat 4x through. Remember to increase your weight if you are flying through your reps!

Round 2:

Barbell upright row: 20 reps

Front raise with a plate (I used the 25lb plate): 12 reps

Push-ups: 15

Repeat 3x through

Round 3:

Seated machine shoulder press: 20 reps (last set is a drop set, get as many reps as you can, drop the weight, and repeat until you can’t do anymore!)

Squat press with Max as the weight: 20 reps (he was getting antsy at this point, he loves squat press! 🙂 )

Repeat 4x through

This concluded our fast and furious shoulder workout! Our workouts together have changed a little since baby Max was born. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I hope y’all enjoyed your weekend as much as we did over here!

A “Walk Work-Out”

January 20, 2015 Taryn and Tavia3 Comments

One of the reasons we love living in Texas so much is the weather! Last week it was in the 30’s…and today it is 60 degrees and sunny! Baby Max, Bailey and I can’t wait to get our stroller out of hiding and go on a “walk workout”. Some of you may already know that I am not a runner…I mean I am the poster child for those t-shirts that say “If you see me running, you better run too because something is chasing me”. But I love being outside, so baby Max and I do things differently, we walk (at a fast pace) and mix in plyometrics to get my heart rate up and keep him entertained!

Here is what we did today!

Brisk walk for one block

20 jump squats

Brisk walk for one block

30 jump lunges

Brisk walk for one block

15 push-ups

Try it! Let me know what you think! My workout partners had a great time! 🙂

Traveling With Baby

January 12, 2015January 12, 2015 Taryn and TaviaLeave a comment

Over the holiday Baby Max and I hit a major milestone. We traveled by airplane! I had heard so many horror stories about how this could all go down. I was so nervous. I made lists (an embarrassing number of lists actually) beforehand in hopes of being prepared for whatever could be thrown our way! Fortunately, we were prepared for everything that we encountered! Here are my tips for traveling by plane with an infant!

1. Wear the baby. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to have my Ergo on our trip. I strapped him on the second we got out of our car and wore him through everything! It gave me both of my hands for lugging the diaper bag and Max’s bag that was going to be checked.

2. Bring chew toys. Max is teething which means I have to be prepared for him to have something to chew on at all times. We absolutely love our Chompy Chic Chewlery. We have a piece that straps onto our Ergo and I have a necklace that I wear when little Maxer is not in the Ergo. These pieces are fun to chew on and fun to play with!

3. Wear clothes that are easy to travel with. If you are nursing make sure you wear clothes you are comfortable nursing in. I wore a nursing tank, long sleeve shirt, vest, and scarf. Max refuses to be covered while he nurses so I have to layer up to keep everything contained! We were not going to have any escaping boobies on this trip. Ha! Make sure you wear shoes that are easy to slip on and off, this makes the security line so much easier.

4. Bring at least 2 extra outfits for the baby and an extra shirt for yourself. There is nothing worse than an explosion when you don’t have any back-up outfits. Enough said.

5. Pack as many diapers that you can possibly fit in your diaper bag. I have a fear of running out of diapers when there are no back-ups! I also brought disposable changing pads to help keep germs off the babe during our airport bathroom changing sessions.

6. Schedule flights around naps. Traveling will mess with your baby’s sleep schedule no matter what, but trying to keep a little bit of normalcy through the chaos of traveling is easier on everyone.

7. Check car-seats and strollers at the gate. You always have the option of checking your car-seats and strollers with your bags at the ticket counter, but checking them at the gate eliminates the chance that they get lost!

8.Bring your paci. Or two. Or Ten. We don’t leave our house without our monkey Wubba-Nub and all of his friends. If your baby does not take a pacifier, bring whatever makes them comfortable!

9. Nurse during take-off and landing. I worried so much about little Max’s ears during take-off and landing. We nursed during both to (hopefully) eliminate any pain! It seemed to work because he did not make a peep!

10. Bring a blanket. Airplanes can be uncomfortable, brink a blanket or anything that will help comfort your baby while hanging in the plane! We used our muslin swaddles to keep us warm and comfortable so that he could nap! It worked!

Here is a picture of exactly what I had in my diaper bag.

1. Extra Outfit

2. Disposable changing pads

3. Anti-bacterial wipes

4.Honest diapers (as many as you can fit!)

5. Honest soothing bottom wash (for those nasty poopy diapers)

6. Burp clothes.

7. Muslin Swaddle

8. Bourdeauxs butt paste just incase we have a diaper rash situation.

9. The infamous Wubba-Nubs

10. Changing pad (that is included in the diaper bag)

11. A bib! Bibs save so many of our outfits with all of our drool going on!

If you have any tips that have worked for you and your little one please leave them in the comments!

Happy traveling!!

Getting My Body Back

January 7, 2015January 11, 2015 Taryn and TaviaLeave a comment

39 weeks

5 days postpartum

2 months postpartum

8 months postpartum

These pictures are my progress pics from 39 weeks pregnant all the way until now! 8 months postpartum.

I get asked a lot about how I lost my baby weight. There are two major factors…nutrition and lifting weights! My focus is never on lots of cardio. Here’s why and it’s fairly simple; muscle burns fat the most efficiently, period. The only way to gain muscle is to lift weights. I promise you will not get bulky by lifting weights! Unless you are eating a huge surplus in calories lifting weights will not make you big. I’m not saying ditch the cardio all together…try to get cardio twice a week for 30 minute sessions. If you are consistent with your weight room sessions, that is all the cardio you will need!

Here are some quick work-outs to get you started in the weight room!

Total Body:

Warm-up: 10-15 minutes on a cardio equipment of choice..it’s just important to get that blood flowing!

Dumbbell Squat Press: Grab a pair of weights you are comfortable with that are challenging and complete 15 reps

Shoulder Side Lateral Raises: 20 Reps of these bad boys.

Walking Lunges: My all time favorite. Add weights if you can! I like to do these timed. Try 30 seconds of walking lunges, increase your time if this is to easy.

Step-up with Bicep Curl: Step-up on a bench or a step if your gym has one, and complete 20 reps per leg with a bicep curl at the top!

Complete this whole work-out 4x through. Your heart will be pumping and your muscles will be talking to you (Ok, maybe YELLING at you) and you will love every minute! 🙂

Legs:

Warm-Up: 10-15 minutes on cardio equipment (I prefer the elliptical)

Squats: 20 full range of motion squats (add dumbbells or use a barbell) I use the 20’s

Lying Hamstring Curls: 15-20 reps with a weight that is burning like crazy by rep 8!

Stiff-Legged Dead Lifts: 15 reps

Leg Extension: 25-30 reps

Walking Lunges: Use dumbbells and time yourself! Go for a minute!

Repeat this workout 3x through!

Upper Body:

Warm-Up: 10-15 minutes on a cardio machine

Lat Pull-downs: 12-15 reps with a weight that is challenging

Incline Chest Press: 15-20 reps

One-Armed Rows: I love rows. And I love to go super heavy on rows. Reps of 12-15

Tricep Extensions: 15-20 reps

Bicep Curls: There are so many variations to bicep curls, choose a different one every workout! My favorite are hammer curls with a heavy weight super set with a lighter barbell palms up curl. Get 12-15 reps with the hammer curls immediately follower by 20 reps with the lighter barbell.

Abs: I don’t make ab exercises a focus of mine because abs really are made in the kitchen! But with that said, who doesn’t love a good belly burner?! Choose your favorite ab exercise; crunches, v-ups, leg lifts, bicycle crunches, etc. Whenever I do abs I think high reps! I always complete no less than 20 reps!

These workouts are just a few examples that should help you get going in the weight room. Don’t be afraid to try new things! YouTube is full of fun examples that you can put to use in the gym!

The Montanas in Montana Part II

January 5, 2015January 5, 2015 Taryn and Tavia1 Comment

Our trip to Montana was nothing but amazing. We spent the first few days in my hometown, Billings, visiting family and enjoying every second. Then, we left for Big Sky to shred some “pow pow”. The weather was freezing, -20 to be exact, the snow was perfect, and the mountain was beautiful. I am not a very good skier, I’m so bad that most of the green runs were somewhat terrifying. The only thing going through my head most of the time was “make a pizza, pizza, turn, turn, holy crap!” The good news is that by the end of our trip, 3 full ski days, I was starting to feel much more confident! And there is an upside of being bad, I got a major workout! Talk about some burning quads and buns! (I may have counted that as my workouts) Our vacation was perfect; so much snow, beautiful mountain views, precious bundled babies, family naps, and priceless family bonding. We can’t wait for next year!