I Need A Good Joint or Two.

If you've done any of my workouts, you know I love exercise. I really love all forms- resistance training, flexibility, cardio, sex... you get my point. That being said, I really, really love high impact exercise like kickboxing, jump rope, running, and sex.

You read that right.

Anyways, I started exercising at 5 weeks post-baby, and I was seriously itching to get back. No, really. I was pretty itchy. Another post partum novelty.

I began running, jumping rope, and resistance training. And it was freaking hard, but I expected this. What I didn't expect was to barely be able to walk up the stairs (slight exaggeration, but it makes for great reading) because my knees hurt so much. I've dealt with knee pain before, but towards the outside of my knees- this pain was on the inside. I knew it was pregnancy related because it was both knees and the pain was the same.

In addition, I have chronic shoulder pain that seems to have worsened since having a baby. Knees and shoulders. Awesome.

I've tried epsom salt baths, foam rolling, ibuprofen, and taking time off of high impact exercise, and while the pain has somewhat subsided, I know that I am not going to be able to get back into high impact exercise as quickly as I intended to.

WTF!? I thought going through nine months of hell pregnancy and then pushing a watermelon out of my nostril birthing my sweet baby was enough.

I posted this on my Facebook Page and you peeps were amazing with tips and tricks to help with joint pain (that is breastfeeding friendly). The problem is most likely from the hormone Relaxin, which helps your joints (pelvic and cervical regions) relax during pregnancy to prepare for childbirth.

I got some great advice that included the following:

-Try adding Fish Oil capsules (I researched this and I will be checking with my doctor, but an addition of 200mg of DHA is good for joint inflammation)
-Ease back on high impact exercise
-Try Safflower Oil 3x/day
-Visit a chiropractor/sports massage therapist
-Try Hot/Cold baths
-Water running or swimming
-Give it time
-Joint pain can be cured with a joint (so I added this one in. I feel like it makes sense.)

*Note that glucosamine and microlactin were advised, but they are not recommended for breastfeeding*

So I will keep you updated.. I got Swiss Natural Wild Salmon and Fish Oil this weekend and will let you know if it makes a difference! You can take 1-3 per day, but I am taking 1-2 so that it isn't too much for the baby. What a wimp.

Do you have any suggestions to help with joint pain? Wine is an acceptable answer. 

WTF is a Guy-et?

Anyone seen that commercial for Molson Canadian 67 where a group of guys meet for burgers? An average looking man "jogs" twice a week (aka, runs to the bar where he's meeting his friends) in order to indulge in burgers and beer with his buddies. They call this a "Guy-et"- a diet for a guy.

I call BS.

First, can you imagine if a woman who was a little bit overweight was on a commercial, in general? It never happens. And imagine she was running to indulge in a huge burger with her girlfriends? This would only be acceptable if she was a supermodel.

Second, WTF is a guyet? Why is it socially unacceptable for a man to watch his weight? Any "man"-like weight loss plan always seems to associate dieting with women, and weight loss plans for men really try hard to be macho. They are often accompanied by professional sports figures, beer, or playing down the idea of getting healthy.

I also have a problem with this because we all "Guyet". We all exercise and eat healthy in order to indulge daily once in a while. And if you don't indulge, you're a freak. A freak we all wish we could be.

What do you think of the guyet? 

Swiss Natural Fitness Giveaway!

Be real with me: who's kept their New Year's Resolution? Me, neither. Let's revisit and refocus now that it's almost the end of January- keep on top of your clean eating, and go to the gym- you'll be able to get a machine now that it's almost February!

Otherwise, do what I do: work out at home. Start building your home gym and all you need to do is put on your workout clothes! Though sometimes I've been known to put on my gym clothes and not actually work out. It's called lululemon. Duh.

My friends at Swiss Natural have a very generous giveaway for one of my lucky readers- a fitness kit set to keep anyone on top of their resolutions!

Includes everything shown above:
An Everlast stability ball, ZoN yoga blocks, a water bottle, yoga mat, mat bag, and towel! 

Swiss Natural really wants one of you to have all of these amazing things, well, because they're taking up too much space in their office. Perfect.

Here's all you need to do to win:

Visit Swiss Natural's new website: www.swissnatural.com and Supplement Your Life (SYL!)! Here you'll find upcoming events, expert advice, a Kid's Club where children can learn about the importance of vitamins and minerals, and an easy-to-navigate Product List. Once you're there, take a scroll through the Product List and leave a comment below or on my Facebook Page telling me which product you're most in need of or would like to try.

(Here is a quick snap of my favourite products!):

For an additional entry, tweet the following: "@Swiss_Natural and @fit_in_heels are hooking you up with sweet gear for your home gym! #giveaway #SYL http://www.fitinheels.com/2013/01/swiss-natural-fitness-giveaway.html"

Good luck! Winner will be picked on Friday, January 25th!

The Dirty Thirty Workout

Whaddup, peeps! I just finished this workout and my hands are shaking as I type this. Getting back into shape after baby is HARD, but I want hard abs, so I figure one doesn't come without the other. Sigh.

Here's a quick (about 40 minute) workout that will have you screaming my name. I like that.

You will pick a speed on the treadmill in which you CANNOT carry on a conversation. This should not be a leisurely jog for you. I know that I picked the right speed (6.0 mph) for me, because I nearly barfed at the end. Eventually, this number should change to 7.0 mph for me, when my jiggle in the middle goes down.

Of course, if you are doing this workout at home, your run intervals can be done outside!

If you or your gym doesn't have a kettlebell, a dumbbell works just as well. Pick a challenging weight- I'd suggest at least 10 pounds. Always keep your gaze forward and your back straight when you complete kettlebell swings- check out more info on kettlebells (including a 2-minute video) here!

Planks and push ups can be done on the knees (especially my fellow post partum mommas out there).

Go forth and sweat, my friends!

Hot Gifts for Getting Back in Shape! Also, my son knows Santa Claus.

Some of my favourite gifts this year all happen to be perfect for getting back into shape in the new year. Though some of my gifts I can't fit into at the moment, it's given me more motivation to get my old body back: hard buns big hips, six pack abs abs that sometimes could be seen based on a good camera angle, and DD boobs a small chest. 

1. Nike Pro Compression Capris. These are fierce. I always love the look of fit girls with cool training tights on. And no, I'm not gay. Well, mostly. 

The pants on the left were only available in size small. You'll either never see me in them, or I'm going to get freaking ripped and wear these mofos like it's my job.

 2. Nike Frees! These are great for HIIT or Kettlebell workouts, both of which I will be rocking.

3. Lululemon reversible run toque. This is like 2 hats in one, and perfect for winter runs. It has a ponytail hole, too! I need some serious motivation for winter running, and this hat is way too sexy to wear inside on the treadmill. 

4. Soda Stream! I am obsessed with carbonated water and lemon. I could drink it all day long, which makes for a lot of soda water cans or bottles bought. This carbonates your tap water, and is environmentally friendly! Woooooooo!

5. These two things blew my mind. HOW did I not know there was such a thing as an apple slicer/corer? This thing is AMAZING. I also got a little apple container so I can travel with my apple slices- and there is a place in the bottom of the container that comes apart for my peanut butter! This was THE coolest gift ever. 

I don't get out much.

6. Some seriously hot rollerblades. I used to live in my rollerblades in university. I would have them with me wherever I went. Especially the bar. I really picked up a lot of guys that way. 

It made the walk of shame a lot faster.

7. And finally, the best gift ever. I got my first card from my little boy, who learned to write! He also knows Santa Claus, who is loaded. What a man.

What was your FAVOURITE Christmas gift this year? 

My First Run Post Baby

Holy. God.

I decided to join my husband and father-in-law on Saturday for their weekly run, one that I have participated in for years. It had been 5 weeks since baby, and I was so excited to get out and back at it again (even though it was cold as balls outside and I am a complete wimp when it comes to winter weather).

The boys were going to do a 7km loop, which was fine with me- I was just looking to get out for myself and waddle slightly faster than a turtle at medium speed. My goal was to complete four 5-minute run intervals with a 1-minute walk interval in between each, for a total of 23 minutes.

This photo was not from the weekend. You can tell because in this photo, I'm 1) wearing makeup 2) skinny and 3) smiling. 

The intervals went a little something like this:

Interval 1 (00:00-05:00): Woo hoo! I'm running again! I feel a little strange, and I'm scared to let go of this giant Kegel, but I'm running again! Yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Interval 2 (06:00-11:00): My uterus feels strange. Am I peeing? I am running slow. That is okay.

Interval 3 (12:00-17:00): How in F's name is 5 minutes so F'ing long?

Interval 4 (18:00-23:00): Where is the finish line to the ultra marathon that I just ran? I'm going to need the race's team of paramedics to carry me home.

You catch my drift. It was freaking hard.

I've had hard runs before. Times when I was out of shape, feeling hungover sick, took one too many days off. This was different- not only am I heavier than I've ever been, but my body is recovering from it's own ultra marathon: birthing a human.

It made me feel exceptionally humble. Picking up an exercise regime is hard enough, and sticking to it is harder. Instead of giving up and thinking "that run was too hard, I'll never do that again!" (which, by the way, I totally get), I need to think "that run was hard, but I have nowhere to go but up!" (which is the annoying fitness instructor deep down inside me).

I challenge you to do the same. When something is hard, it will be even more rewarding once you kick the crap out of it. For example, when I give up eating Mini Eggs as full meals, I will have a hotter bod, I will feel good about myself and wear tighter clothes, and my husband will want to make out.

Wait- that's how I got into this mess in the first place. Shit.

Anyways you catch my drift. Don't give up. Even if you are so sore the next day that you can't sit down; you need one of those old-person travelling seats to walk down the stairs; you need a full-time nanny to watch your child because you can't bend down and pick them up; your gait resembles that of a teenage rapper; and the thought of working out again makes you want to vomit.

Not that I've ever felt that way.

Have you ever had a run where you felt like garbage?

Weighing In: My Pregnancy Weight Loss So Far

Warning: I am going to talk about New Year's weight loss in this post. I just wanted to point that out considering I'm sure you haven't seen anything like that this January.

So, let's be real. I gained 32 pounds during my pregnancy. I was 165 pounds when I gave birth to my beautiful baby boy, who weighed in at 7 lbs 10 oz. I feel the need to point this out because I've never really lost a significant amount of weight before. Sure, 5-10 pounds here and there (drinking my face off in university will do that) but I mostly care about my fitness level and my overall body tone-ness (I think I just made up that word). I care about eating clean and not being attached to the scale, and believe heavily (no pun intended) in measuring progress through inches rather than the scale.

That being said, I was excited to get on the scale and brag about my record 1-day weight loss the day after we came home from the hospital. I could already see my Facebook status: "Lost 15 pounds in a day! Just push a human out of your vag and you can do it, too!" I was so clever.

So I got on the scale.

Pregnancy weight: 165. Drumroll please!

Scale: 161.

Well that's just ridiculous. Let's try this again.

161.

Back the F up. You're telling me I gave birth to an 8 pound child, plus a bunch of other nasty stuff (sorry, guys but I went there), and I have only lost 4 pounds??? What. The. F.

I won't lie, I got on the scale no less than 4 times after that. Each time, same number.

Left: Pre-pregnancy (wtf is with my smug look? Feel free to slap me) and Right: 39 weeks 

4 weeks after: Don't ask me how douchey I felt taking this pic. 

Anyways, I had to let that go (and my funny Facebook status). By the end of two weeks, my stomach had gone down significantly and I had lost 15 pounds without really doing anything (putting my current weight at 150 pounds). Then, holiday season began. Since then, I haven't lost anything. For those who have asked, yes, I am nursing. It is going really well but I'm definitely not able to eat whatever I want and still have the weight fall off (which some women claim... who the F are these women?). I did kind of expect to lose another 5ish even though I ate my way through Christmas, but apparently shoving my face with fudge and mini eggs isn't the way to lose weight. Hmph.


I am 5'6 and a half, and my pre-pregnancy weight was 133 pounds. Again I feel the need to point out that I usually DO NOT CARE about weight. I remember leaving university and starting to eat better and train hard, and my weight did not change- though I was wearing sizes smaller than I had ever worn before. I am pretty meticulous about keeping track of my measurements as opposed to my weight. You can see a HUGE difference in inches without seeing a difference on the scale! Okay, I will shut up about that now. You get it.

Anyways, I can't wait to get rid of my muffin top and love handles, holy God. My thighs are much bigger than they were before, and trying to fit into my clothes is like squeezing an elephant into a pair of skinny jeans, complete with tucking in skin where applicable.

Thank God for black, blazers with shoulderpads, and terrible lighting. 

It's now been just over 5 weeks since baby, and I'm focused. Holiday indulgences are over. I'm back to exercising and eating clean, and cutting out sweets. By the end of January, my goal is to lose 5 pounds (see my January resolutions here!). I'll be checking in to let you know how it's going! And don't worry, I will continue to take cheesy, embarrassing photos of my son and I.


Do you have any questions about my weight gain/loss? What is your best advice to cut the weight?

I realize how much I used the F word in this post. For that, I F'ing apologize. 

My January resolutions, and giving my body a break.

Happy New Year! How many of you have fitness or weight-loss goals for 2013? I certainly do! I WILL get back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I WILL rebuild my strength. I WILL run a half marathon in 2013. I WILL be Fit In Heels again!

Even though these are all 2013 resolutions, I challenge you to make a January resolution, too. Then, make a new one for February, March, etc.

It is proven that small, realistic goals are MUCH more attainable than larger goals. Having a long-term goal is still great (for example, I WILL run a 1:50 half marathon this May), but include smaller short-term goals to help you with your long-term (for example, I WILL run three times a week, including a speed, long, and tempo run each week beginning in February).

Also, instead of saying, "I'd like to lose 5 pounds", say "I WILL lose 5 pounds". It becomes your personal mantra. Write it down. Remind yourself.

One great reason to make short-term goals is that you can reward yourself more often! :) Get yourself a magazine subscription, a new workout outfit, running shoes, workout song, protein powder, or a bubble bath- anything to pamper yourself without it being related to food (my suggestion).

I am serious about the half marathon in May. I say this, however, 4 weeks out of having my first baby and unsure of how my body will react to resuming physical exercise, especially running, in a few weeks. I won't lie, it's been really hard not to exercise. It's a regular part of my life and it feels weird to not include it.

It also feels weird to not take embarrassing photos of mysel- wait, I still do that. 

The way I was. Sigh. 

Walking has been great. I went for my first walk with my babe and my husband about 5 days after he was born. We walked for about 20 minutes and I felt like I had run a marathon. It felt amazing to get out in the fresh air, and I'm sure my adrenaline was still high from bringing home baby, but it was amazing to be humbled by just walking.

Childbirth is an amazing thing. It not only showed me just how strong women really are, but it also forced me to really slow down and give my body time to recover! I can't remember the last time I've taken almost 3 months off of running (including the last 6 weeks of pregnancy when I didn't run), and I think it's great. I'm getting excited to run again, getting my playlist ready, and I'm excited to rebuild my endurance. I know it will be hard, and I need to give myself a break when I'm not running my usual 5 minute kilometre right away!

So: my January resolutions are as follows:

1. I WILL be good to my body, and not force exercise until I am ready.

2. I WILL lose 5 pounds by the end of the month.

What is your JANUARY resolution??

2013 Goooooooooooals!!!

In addition to making monthly goals, here are my goals for 2013:

1. Be a good Mom. This includes giving my best to my baby, and not worrying about how clean the house is or how often I blog.

Hahahah okay fine. I never worry about how clean my house is.

Well.. shit.

2. Get out there. Becoming a Mom has made me think about all the things I'd like my child to do. This includes music classes, swimming lessons, joining sports teams, and tons of outdoor activities including playing in the snow, tobogganing, playing in the park, playing street hockey, etc. I'd like to do lots of outdoor workouts- like running, HIIT, TRX, rollerblading, beach volleyball and cycling.

3. Set a half marathon PR. This may be really pushing it, but I'd like to set a new PR this spring as I attempt my 5th half-marathon, my first since birthing a human. I'd also like to continue to participate in 5k, 10k, and 10 mile races!

4. Chill out on cheat day. Cheat day does not include polishing off pizza, cinnamon sticks, a bag of chocolate, diet coke, and more chocolate. Chill out, Katy. Eating clean is where it's at.

5. Keep killing it HIIT style. One of my favourite things about blogging has been coming up with new HIIT workouts. I do these workouts myself, and use them in my fitness classes. They WORK and I will continue to bring them to you, peeps!

6. Keep it real. I started blogging because I found too many blogs were unattainable, unrealistic, or boring as F.

7. Get organized about eating. I am a freak when it comes to eating- I like to know where my next meal is coming and what it entails. Sundays are great to get yo' sh*t together: grocery shop, chop your fruits and veggies, portion control, and COOK. I am obsessed with my slow cooker and want to find more easy, clean meals to make.

There it is, peeps! What are YOUR 2013 goals? How are you going to meet them?

My Ball Did Not Drop.

I was all set: A big night out as a new family! I actually showered! My skin was shocked to feel that it had makeup on! I shoved myself into too-tight skinny jeans! Momma was wearing heels!

Veuve Cliquot was chilling in the fridge for the New Year's toast!

Happy New Year! My son looks terrified.

Then, 10:00pm hit.

Needless to say, the champagne is still in the fridge, and for the first time in as long as I can remember, I missed the ball dropping. My son was in a milk coma, and I ate too much pizza and passed out on the couch when we got home.

How my life has changed.

It's been hard to get time to blog in the last month- holy crap, I have a one-month old child that I am responsible for- but I will try my best to be a better blogger for the 5 people who read this on a regular basis.

Wishing you all a HEALTHY New Year!!!