Happy two-week birthday... to mommy & daddy!

Teigan's first boat ride!

Hard to believe Teigan is two weeks old as of today - and the fact that I'm finally jumping on the blog bandwagon; something I've been threatening to do for several months now.  Anyways, Teigan is such a dollface <insert sarcasm> and decided to give me a present on her special two weeks birthday... three hours of sleep.  Rough night for mommy and daddy, to say the least.

It's probably because she was up all night thinking about what a fantastic weekend we just had.  Not only did Great Grandpa Dick come visit, but so did Uncle Zach!  We all had a great, relaxing Memorial Day weekend at the lakehouse and did all of the essentials!  This mostly includes gorging ourselves, basking in the sunshine, catching up on trashy magazines [okay... that's just me], and our new pastimes - starring at Teigan, getting some much needed catch-up zzz's with Teigan, and thinking about how soon we can have Teigan swimming across the lake.  

She thoroughly enjoyed herself with so many people on deck to hold her, rock her, and play with her.  If only I could hire these people to come hang with me every day so I could get a few things done.  I had no idea that nursing, burping, rocking, and repeat would take all day long!  So much for having a spotless home, dinner ready at 7p, and finally watching that Netflix movie we've had for three weeks now... hmph.  I'll figure it out, right?  Or, at the very least, Teigan will get back on her six-hour sleep patterns sometime in the next few weeks... right?... I mean, right??

Ben & Teigan taking a much needed nap

PS - I just posted all of my "Forging an Elite Fetus" blog series postings below that I wrote for my CrossFit box, CrossFit Ktown, as I'm sure I'll be referring to my workout's post-babe frequently on here... you know, once downstairs is healed up.  ;c)

Forging an Elite Fetus: 9th [and final!] month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on May 24, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I was pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15.  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks 36-40 make up the final month of pregnancy [for most].  I think it’s safe to say that this final month was insanely difficult on my overall peace of mind at the gym.  Even though I had movements that I could rely on for a great workout [KB swings, knees to chest, press, double-unders, push press, back squats, front squats, jogging, rowing, push ups [belly button to floor], air squats, preggo burpees, and general mobility], I still felt like I was alone on redemption island on Survivor: CrossFit Preggo Edition.

I did my best to do all of the metcon’s Rx and managed to continue to do the workouts with the rest of the group most of the time.  Understandably so, with my limited mobility and my crazy work schedule in April, I cut down my workout’s to a few times a week, including Saturday’s.  Even though I was very uncomfortable working out with my enlarged midsection, I knew it was what my body [and my baby] needed to be happy and healthy in the long-run.  So, I continued on!  In fact, I worked out for a couple hours on Saturday, May 14 [three days before I gave birth!]…

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Warm up: Five hours of – contractions three minutes apart, lasting one minute each

Metcon: For time – birthing a baby, game style

Finisher: Sit and stare at an absolutely gorgeous life that Ben and I brought to this world

So on Tuesday, May 17, at 40 weeks and 2 days, I was awakened early in the morning by contractions that were more intense than the ones I had been having for the couple weeks prior.  After a quick text to my doc to make sure I wasn’t jumping the gun [yeah, we text…], Ben and I decided to head to the hospital.  It was determined I was in labor and I was admitted at 10am.

Eeeekk – the time had finally come!  Leaving out details [you’re welcome, gentlemen], we were blessed with Teigan Elizabeth Slocum at 2:58pm.  Weighing in at 8 lbs. 2 oz. and 21”, I’m happy to say that I was in labor for about five hours and only had to push four times… all with absolutely no medication; all natural, baby!  YAY!

How did I do this particular metcon Rx?  I breathed my way through it, much like I do at CFKT.  Don’t get me wrong, giving birth is much, much, much more taxing on your body than The Badger, but, I went to the same pain cave [perfect reference, Adam] to get through it.

In addition to getting through the labor relatively easily with no meds, I have already lost all 24 lbs. of my baby weight gained during pregnancy [yes, it’s only been one week!].  Along with breast-feeding, I attribute this to maintaining an active CrossFit lifestyle during my entire pregnancy.  I also think that coaching and training during my pregnancy is a lot of the reason why Teigan is so stinkin’ laid back.  She is a great eater, fabulous sleeper, and so ridiculously good looking [obviously because of CFKT’s influence]!

I still have a lot of work to do in terms of getting my old abs and mid-section back, but I feel confident that slowly getting back into working out while I heal will get me there in no time.

For all of you lucky folks at the gym who have recently found out you’re pregnant, you have so much to look forward to.  These are, hands down, the best days of our life so far.  Our hearts are so full; it’s unlike anything you can ever imagine.  We are so in love and know you will be, too.

Signing off for the pregnancy portion of my CrossFit Ktown Forging an Elite Fetus blog series, but I’ll let you all know when Teigan is training for her first muscle-up.  Can’t wait for all of you to meet her [we’ll be by soon; promise!]…

Coach E$ Mommy

Forging an Elite Fetus: 8th month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on May 3, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15 [so soon - eeeeekk!].  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks 32-36 make up the 8^th month of pregnancy and, oh girl, is this when things really changed for me and I officially felt like a pregnant woman!  Not only was I full-blown in the belly enhancement stage of pregnancy, but my ankles started disappearing and I needed larger shoes, my belly button popped, and I had put on 20 lbs. of love.

If I wasn’t going to the bathroom for a #1 break, I was thinking about it.  Our sweet little miss loves to hang out on my bladder and the constant movement at Ktown doesn’t exactly help the situation.

My out-of-breathness [yes, I made up that word] continued and it started to feel wildly uncomfortable going below parallel on squats, although that still hasn’t stopped me from having good depth.

Rowing, something I thought I could do with no problem the entire time during my pregnancy, became much more difficult as I was needing far more frequent breaks and I was no longer able to have nice, long strides anymore.

As I’m sure you can imagine, this was really tough on me at the gym.  Watching all of the Sectionals competitors complete their weekly WOD was difficult knowing that pre-mama-status, I really could have helped the team out.  But, I’m preparing for a far more difficult and rewarding WOD, so I never let it get to me too much.  Plus, Team Jacked & Tan is rocking it… they don’t need my help, anyways.

Okay, back to working out – despite the reality that most movements were disappearing from my workout regimen at Ktown, I could still rely on my sweet ‘ol double-unders and press/push press.

Although it took me a little longer than usual, I managed to do 25 kipping pull-ups – something I was quite proud of considering it was my goal to make it to month 7 still doing unassisted pull ups [and I never actually thought I would make it that far].

I can’t tell you how excited Ben and I are about how much our life is going to change in such a spectacular and exhausting way.  This little lady is going to bring so much joy to our lives and all of the swelling, lack of o-lifts, heartburn, and back pain is totally worth it to be able to hold her in our arms.  We already love her so much and absolutely cannot wait for you all to meet her!

Until next time – and perhaps I’ll write my 9 month blog from the delivery room…

Coach E$ Mama

Forging an Elite Fetus: 7th month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on April 14, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15 [yes, that is about a month away!].  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks 28-31 make up the seventh month of pregnancy.  So many physical changes are going on during the third trimester, it feels like it’s hard to keep up!  This month, though, was merely a dress rehearsal for month 8 which has thrown me some crazy curve-balls.

As far as working out went, month 7 proved to me just how tough pull-ups can be.  Phew… they really seemed to wear me out as I was only able to do about four at a time – and that was on a good day.  I tell you what, though, if I don’t come back post-little-miss doing, at the very least, a strict pull-up, I’ll be shocked.  :c)

During this month, I had to stop doing cleans and snatches due to the insanely bad form that was developing due to the baby belly.  So, at this point, my o-lift frequency was decreasing considerably.  But, I still had front squats, back squats, press, push press, and deadlifts [sumo-style] to keep me busy.

And, the hardest part, hands down, was oxygen flow!  I mentioned it in the 6 month blog, but being out of breath got even worse in the 7th month.  My mid-metcon breaks were now happening more and more frequently and were completely necessary.  They were necessary not only because I needed the air, but so did the babe.  When I’m holding my breath [which happens frequently when you work out, whether you realize it or not] I’m not allowing oxygen to the little miss.  So, when I thought of that, it was far easier to make myself take a short rest.

Although it seems a lot of things were becoming “can’t do’s” at the gym, it wasn’t all like that.  I’m here to tell you I set a new PR in my 7th month of pregnancy!  Shocking, right?  Of all of the things that have suffered at the gym, the one thing that I’ve maintained without any problems [other than a potty break immediately following] are double-under’s!  I set a new PR of 48!  I tell you, that felt great.  And, I’m still right on track with my doctor’s weight gain.  Whoohoo!

Well, as I said, month 8 is stuffed full with tons of changes and things to chat about, so stay tuned!

Still wondering about those women who have crazy cravings… ’cause Ben is getting off easy with no late-night trips from this mama.
Coach E$ Mama

Forging an Elite Fetus: 6th month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on April 5, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15 [yes, that is 6+ weeks away!].  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks 23-27 make up month six of pregnancy bliss.  About two-thirds of the way through this ten-month process, this is when things got very real for me.  The non-stop kicking to the ribs were becoming a part of my every-hour routine, heartburn and I had a hate-hate relationship every evening, and I officially said adios to a good amount of my clothes and hola to my permanently growing baby bump.

Despite all of this, this was the one month that not a whole lot changed for me at CrossFit.  During my sixth month, the only major struggle I had was being totally and completely out of breath – all of the time!  It’s bad enough when I feel like I’ve just done Murphy when I merely am walking up a few flights of stairs, so imagine doing the Filthy Fifty.  Helloooo tons ‘o breaks!  I also realized, while doing “Death by Clean & Jerk” in January that my form was also really being affected by my new-found figure.  Because we were concerned I would injure myself since I wasn’t able to keep perfect form with my little love belly in the way, I came down from 95 to 85 lbs. for the workout and made it to eight rounds.

Despite the numerous breaks I was now taking because I needed to, not just because I knew I should, I was still getting some serious work done thanks to energy that re-emerged after several months hiatus.  Gosh, I can’t tell you how much of a difference it makes when energy is lacking at the gym.

For those of you crazy college kiddos who get by on four hours of sleep – stop!  Make a concerted effort to get seven hours of sleep [minimum] this week and then report back and let us know the difference in your performance at the gym.  I promise you that eating good and getting those zzz’s make all the difference in the world whether you’re young, old, pregnant, or Taylor Layman.

If only things could stay this easy for the remainder of the pregnancy… stay tuned for the 7th month blog soon!

Blue Bell coffee ice cream?  Yes, please.
Coach E$ Mama

Forging an Elite Fetus: 5th month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on March 8, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15.  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks ~18-22 of pregnancy make up the fifth month.  This is actually when we found out that we were having a “she” entering our lives.  Poor Ben… our two dogs, Hoolie and Rica, are ladies, too, so he’s going to have more estrogen going on in the house than he will know what to do with from here on out!

During my fifth month, I continued to struggle with my changing body and additional eliminated movements.  Up through this month, I still didn’t feel the little lady kicking which is something that most people crave, but I was thrilled.  Why?  Because my abs were that strong!  Hello, CrossFit!  I started showing preggo belly a little bit more, but not until the end of the month.  Let me tell you how not fun it is when you don’t feel comfortable in a t-shirt.  A t-shirt!  Those who know me are completely aware of the fact that I live in baggy, comfy clothes – when I’m not working or dancing my booty off at the hippest, hottest clubs in Ktown.  Muahaha.  But really, clothing of all kinds were getting tighter and getting to be wildly uncomfortable aka I was becoming super self-conscious.  Ugh!

In addition to the movements previously eliminated [anything that puts me on my back or on my stomach during the movement - bench press, bottom half of the turkish getup, back extensions, sit ups, etc.] other movements cut from my workouts were toes-to-bar [totally bummed about this one; no kidding] and the traditional deadlift.  I started subbing any ab exercises with tucks while hanging from the pull-up bar.  While it doesn’t do as much as far as strengthening the core goes, I was still stoked to be able to focus on my abs which are currently resting between my skin and the baby.  For the deadlifts, I was just having too hard of a time keeping good form, so Coach G recommended moving to sumo deadlifts.  I know this isn’t a movement we typically do at CFKT, but it’s been a great substitute.  You utilize more legs which, of course, makes me happy.

I had some great CrossFit WOD moments in the fifth month; two WOD’s in particular.  My favorite workout was the “Nightmare before Christmas,” programmed on the fly by yours truly and Coach Miss J for a free Saturday class.  We had a blast coming up with it, but boy, it was a beast, eh?  Watching everyone struggle through this workout made me yearn to do it.  So, I took the first opportunity and did everything prescribed, with the exception of step-ups [instead of box jumps], tucks [instead of abmat sit-ups], and band back extensions [instead of GHD back extensions].  I think it needs to make a comeback.  Maybe in the dead of the summer…

I also did my own workout, “Erin… as in Slocum,” in 22:03, just a few minutes shy of my Rx score from July.  Not too shabby as it consists of 5RFT: 5 BS at BW, 25 push ups, 5 PC at 70% BW, and 25 sit-ups [I did tucks].  I tell ya, that felt good.  It was becoming apparent that I felt much more comfortable listening to my own body while doing these longer, intense WOD’s.  I took breaks as soon as I felt the urge, which is super difficult when you’re so used to competing for every second.  For the record, the singing while working out trick is working!  Too bad I can only think of Christmas songs during WOD’s.  Huh.  Anyways,  here’s to looking forward to the 6th month blog…

Peace, Love, and Feeling good,
Coach E$ Mama

Forging an Elite Fetus: 4th month

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on January 25, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15.  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

Weeks 13-16 of pregnancy make up the fourth month [aka the first month in the second trimester].  During my fourth month, my struggles included a changing body, eliminated movements, and bathroom breaks.  First, the ever-changing bod.  While most women start showing a baby belly during this month, I really didn’t.  As awesome as it sounds that my stomach wasn’t stretching and nearly no one could tell I was pregnant, it’s hard to get people to understand just how different you feel and all the changes happening internally when there isn’t obvious physical proof.  While I wasn’t gaining any inches around my waist, I was gaining up top [hallelujah!].  As much as I love that part, having my chest grow so much in such a little amount of time was quite the challenge when it came to jump roping and running.  Oh well, I’ll take all the good with the bad, right?

Eliminated movements during my fourth month consisted of anything that puts me on my back or on my stomach during the movement – bench press, bottom half of the turkish getup, back extensions, sit ups, etc.  I can’t be on my stomach for obvious reasons, but not being on my back was new to me.  I asked my doctor and he informed me that when I was on my back, my uterus presses on the vein that sends blood from my lower body to my heart… so, lying on my back could interfere with the flow of blood and nutrients to the placenta and babe which could cause both of us to pass out.  No more convincing needed after that explanation!  I have to say, I hated giving up sit-ups but I scaled to toes-to-bar which was fine with me; the more ab work, the better!

And, my far-increased need for bathroom breaks.  I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to suddenly have to go to the bathroom every five minutes at the gym.  I worked really hard at holding it, but still had to make a run for it every 15 minutes, or so… unless there was jump rope, running, deadlifts, toes-to-bar, or squats involved – then I couldn’t help it!  So, forgive me ladies if you went to the bathroom and found no TP… I plan on restocking CFKT soon.

In addition to a few struggles, I had some great CrossFit moments in the fourth month, too.  This month was a big turnaround for me as I was feeling so much better and really getting comfortable in my own expanding skin at the gym!  Because I felt like I was really getting the hang of what my body wanted and needed, I was able to push myself and do many of the WOD’s Rx, something I was a bit scared of doing in the first trimester.  I also got a lot of my energy back, and I continued to stay on track with my doctor’s weight-gain plan.

I want to extend a sincere thank you to those of you who have been asking about the pregnancy and how I’m feeling.  I know it’s foreign territory to most of us, but it means the world to me to know my CFKT family is thinking about me during this awesome life-changing time.  Now I just can’t wait until it’s you or your wife’s turn to have a sweet little babe!  The programming will be awesome.  ;c)

Heartburn sucks,
Coach E$/ Erin/ Mama

Forging an Elite Fetus: 1st Trimester

Blog I wrote for www.crossfitktown.com on January 5, 2011...

Ah, the sweet challenge of a new human being entering your CrossFit lifestyle.  As everyone knows, I’m pregnant and due to have a sweet little miss on or around May 15.  Many of you have asked questions, guys and girls alike, about how exactly this whole CrossFit thing works while you’re pregnant.  Well, I’m here to hopefully shed some light on being a preggo CrossFitter.  For this particular blog, I’ll be talking about my first trimester only [months 1-3 and weeks 1-12].  Remember to keep in mind, this is my experience only and every woman has a different experience during their pregnancy.

I was fortunate enough to not get too sick during my first trimester, but extreme exhaustion was a major issue for me.  Not only do I have a full-time job as a Marketing Manager for Dogwood Arts, but I also coach here at CrossFit Ktown and help out at my husband, Ben’s, business, Avanti Savoia.  And, oh yeah, I’m baking a baby in my human belly oven.  I know many of those around me noticed how tired I was, yet despite the fact that I felt like I had narcolepsy, working out always made me feel better… even if it did only keep me alert for the next hour.

Since I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was 6.5 weeks along [most find out around the three week mark], I continued to work my butt off at the gym.  I set PR’s in those 6.5 weeks [yes, it was the first 6.5 weeks at the new gym... coincidence?  I think not.] I know I wouldn’t have gone for  them if I had known I was pregnant: Super Fight Gone Bad: 237 Rx; 1 RM bench press: 115 lbs.; The Chief: 18 rounds+2 PC Rx; 1 RM OHS: 120 lbs.; McGhee: 13 rounds Rx.

The second I found out I was pregnant, I really got nervous as far as CrossFit goes… I didn’t want to harm the baby in any way, but wasn’t sure how to maintain a healthy, CrossFit lifestyle without causing distress.  You see, most of the information out there insists that you “don’t do this, and don’t do that” when it comes to your pregnancy.  Fortunately my doctor, Dr. Bullen, who works with East Tennessee Women’s Specialists at Mercy West, was super helpful.  He was very encouraging of my active lifestyle, but insisted that I must listen to my body, slow down, do less than half the weight I’m currently doing in o-lifts, take more rests than before, and drink tons of water during my entire workout.  One great hint I read in a CrossFit blog was to sing during each WOD so I would know if my heart rate was too high.  If I couldn’t get out a word, I needed to take a break and slow down.

My personal struggle with CrossFitting during these first several weeks was knowing that I shouldn’t and couldn’t be as competitive as I was before.  I really had a hard time knowing that just a few weeks ago, I was doing it all just a little bit quicker and harder.  Once Ben and I decided to tell everyone [at the end of the first trimester], I felt so much better getting it off my chest as to why I wasn’t working out as hard as I had before… especially as a coach.  I’m still working on that part of this whole experience, but knowing that I’m preparing for pregnancy and labor, not despite it, keeps me motivated every day!

Even though I was eating foods I hadn’t eaten since starting paleo in January, I only gained five pounds in my first trimester which was right on track with my doctor’s weight-gain plan.  I believe a lot of that had to do with continuing to CrossFit during the tough times when all my body wanted to do was sleep, eat, and sleep more.  The only movement I had to give-up were traditional burpees.  Burpees were removed from my workouts slowly as I scaled down to snake-like burpees at first and then gave them up altogether because it got to be wildly uncomfortable and certainly wasn’t good for the babe.

During my fourth month, which we’ll post in the next couple weeks, a few of my favorite movements had to go… and even more have gone since then.  I’ll talk about why I had to give these movements up and my struggles/progress during this blog series of “Forging an Elite Fetus.”  I encourage any questions/thoughts you may have to be posted to this blog, or subsequent blogs, so I can address them.

Singing during my WOD’s forevermore,
Coach E$/ Erin/ Mama