Labor Day @ Angel Island State Park

Thank you all for your Congratulations and Well Wishes, it feels really good to have so much support and encouragement!

So the biggest things that have changed in my life since Week 6 of my pregnancy have been diet and exercise. Like I said, I was hit with a month-long bout of exhaustion that really cramped my style. I've definitely lost my momentum and now that my energy is returning I need to get it back. A good description of what the tiredness has been like is that every day during that time I felt like I hadn't slept in 2 days. Now I just feel like I stayed up too late last night. I yawn a lot during the day and just feel like I'm dragging a little bit. Not enough of an excuse not to exercise, right?

You might remember that I signed up for a swimming class for this fall semester. Lo and behold it's here! I start tonight with my first class. Jean is my teacher and I'm so excited to see her again. I know she'll motivate me. The class is Mon & Wed 6-7:30pm so if nothing else I will be getting at least an hour of exercise twice a week. That's much better than the near-nothing I've been getting. I'm hoping this will motivate me to sneak a little weight training back into my life. I'm scared to think how much muscle I've lost over the past month or two.

This past weekend Miguel and I did something that's been on my list for a while. We took ourselves and our bikes on the ferry to Angel Island. We were a little surprised at the cost of the ferry, $15 each! Anyway, it was a beautiful day and neither of us had been so off we went. The views of San Francisco from the ferry and island are incredible so we took lots of pictures. Here's a picture from the ferry of the Golden Gate Bridge and the bay.

How beautiful is that? Once on the island we checked out our options. There are a couple of paths around the island, one follows the perimeter of the island, is on the easier side, and is about 5 miles. The other is an inner circle that is a little harder but shorter. We opted for the longer easier one. Here I am at our first photo stop.

I love this city. That's the Golden Gate again in the background and my beloved mountain bike in the foreground.

And both of us at our next stop...

And me wading in the cold but refreshing water at a beach stop...

There were a couple of hills during the ride and I did my very best to take it easy and slow. One of the hills was a kind of big and long so I just put it in the granny gear and slowly made my way up. I have to admit, it's not easy to keep myself from really pushing, but from everything I've read online a little exertion is not going to hurt the baby, as long as I stay hydrated and don't get too hot. And I was drinking a lot of water all day since it was a scorcher and we were in the sun most of the time. Just to prove I took it easy...

Here I am resting toward the end of the ride. Miguel got bored after a few minutes while I could have dozed off for a little nap if he would have let me!

After our ride I tried to get Miguel to do the 3 mile inner loop as a hike but he'd had enough of the sun. I wasn't exactly full of energy myself so we caught the ferry back to Tiburon. I was wanting a burger so we found a burger place and I indulged in a burger and onion rings. At least the burger had lettuce and tomato on it! I've been struggling with getting veggies in. Normally I eat veggies with lunch and dinner but they've been a huge turn off to me. I can't wait until my taste for veggies returns!

So that was how we spent our Labor Day Monday. I'm so glad I still have some endurance left. Now it's time to step up the eating and exercise routine. Speaking of eating...

The plan the nutritionist put me on is based on food group/serving size eating.

Breakfast: 1.5 Milk Servings, 2 Starch servings, 1 Protein, 1 Fat

Snack: 2 Proteins, 1 fruit

Lunch: 3 Starch, 2+ Vegetables (ha!), 4 Protein, 1 Fat

Snack: 2 Starch, 1 Protein, 1 fruit

Later Snack (if needed): 1 Fruit, 1 Protein, 1 Starch

Dinner: 3 Starch, 2+ Vegetables, 4 Protein, 1 Fat

Desert: 100 calorie desert

Sounds like a lot of food, right? I am supposed to be tracking my food to go over with her but I've been slacking on that as well as on following this plan. I'm paying the price in the regularity department for skipping the veggies. I need to make a menu!! I'm also taking a Calcium supplement, Iron Supplement, and a Prenatal Vitamin. Unfortunately Weight Watchers does not allow you to participate while pregnant, they don't have a plan for preggers ladies who shouldn't be losing weight, but I'll be right back on it after the little one arrives. I still want to get to goal some day!! I WILL get to goal some day!!