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Baby weight: The last 10 pounds

More than two years later, Anchel is still trying to lose the baby weight.

By Anchel Krishna
Baby weight: The last 10 pounds

Anchel gives Syona a lift.

Syona is now two and a half years old, and I’ve been trying to lose the baby weight (off and on) for the last two years. I was five pounds away from my pre-baby weight just before Syona turned a year old. I was eating healthy and working out regularly, until I was sidelined with a knee injury that prevented me from exercising for about six months (even walking and swimming hurt). In those six months my weight crept back up and I stopped paying attention to what I was eating. A combination of extra weight on my 5’3” frame and the fact I spent most of my day carrying Syona around and doing a lot of her at-home physiotherapy routine also did a number on my back. My wrists are always sensitive because of a chronic condition and I developed tendonitis in my ankle. In short, my body was not cooperating with my efforts.

Every time I tried working out again, I would get hurt and lose my motivation. But I was determined to get back into shape for two main reasons:

1. I wanted to wear real pants again They didn’t have to be my pre-baby size, but I did want pants with a real waistband.

2. Because of Syona’s physical challenges I need my body to be stronger than ever for her. I need more from my body than I ever have before.

I was going to visit a friend I see pretty regularly when I noticed a sign for a personal training gym called Parallel Fitness. I pulled into the parking lot and walked in.

One of the owners, Jenny, was there and we got along really well. I told her about my injuries — from head to toe — and she told me that I had somehow stumbled upon the right place. Jenny is trained in a technique called Muscle Activation Technique (MAT) — a gentle, non-stressful way to get the right muscles firing, which is especially important for someone who is injury-prone.

With regular workouts and dedication I lost about 10 pounds. More importantly, my back pain went away, my knee got stronger and I didn’t re-injure myself. I started to enjoy exercise, relished the concentration and focus I had when I was working out, celebrated my achievements and stopped struggling with food and enjoyed it instead.

One day I had a particularly personal conversation with Jenny about how my motivation for working out was changing. I told her that I expect Syona to work so hard to get her body to do things that the rest of us take for granted, and that when I don’t take care of myself I am wasting my body’s abilities. I am continuing to take my body for granted. I am wasting the luxury of having a body that can do exactly what I want it to do, which is an utter shame when I have a daughter who struggles to get her body to cooperate with what her mind wants it to do. And in true Anchel fashion, I wrote about it for their blog.

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The truth is that life has gotten in the way over the past few months. I’ve lost a bit of that focus and motivation. So when I read about the Today’s Parent’s Healthy Family Challenge it was that jumpstart I needed to get back into gear and refocus on my long-term goals.

I have 10 more pounds to lose. But more importantly, I need to gain a lot more strength. We’re welcoming a new family member soon: a 30-pound wheelchair stroller (Ha! Gotcha. Not what you thought, right?). Which means I need to be stronger to schlep that beast around. And, yes, I still hope to wear real pants again. So over the next few months I’ll be finding a way to focus on my personal wellness.

What are your health and fitness goals? Why are they important to you and your family?

This article was originally published on Mar 12, 2013

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