Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Breastfeeding and Exercising

I DID IT. I actually ran 7 miles on the dreadmill. I kept telling myself that I could quit at 6 miles and tack 1 mile onto my recovery run tomorrow. So that was my little goal. But once I really got into the zone, I just kept going. It feels WONDERFUL.

It's been crazy at work and due to a late morning meeting, I was starving right before I left for my run. I tore into carrots and hummus. When I had polished it off, I realized I didn't take a pic. Oops. This is the gorgeous view I have from the gym:

You can only stare at it for so long before you start going batty. I tend to zone out on a tree branch, a spiderweb or even a squirrel. The view is super pretty when the lake has frozen over. At the half-point, I took a Clif Shot.


It was Razz flavored. Ew. Maybe if it weren't warm it would have tasted better? Anyhoo, today was my tempo run so I really tried to stick to my training plan of running 13-minute miles but that is really tough. So I ending up doing a bit of speedwork here and there and sprinted the last mile. The calories burned readout on these are so inaccurate. By the time I was finished, the readout had rolled over and said I burned over 1,000 calories. I've done some research and I burn 80 - 81 calories per mile, based on my weight, so I burned approximately 560 calories.

Lunch was late due to the run and I brought last night's beef and barley soup:

Why I brought soup, I have no clue. I knew I would be too hot to eat it. I just heated it until it was lukewarm and ate half of the bowl. There was a lot in there!

So I have been asked before if it is possible to breastfeed and exercise. Now, keep in mind, I am not a doctor and am describing my own experience. Yes, it is possible. Once my supply regulated and Baby Boy's feedings became more routine (around 3 months old), I started with the Wii Fit. Once that felt "easy" I signed up for a 3 month gym membership and trained myself to run using the walk/run method. If I was hungry, I ate. Now I didn't take it as a free-for-all and just gorge myself. I drank a lot of water and listened to my body. I also counted Baby Boy's diapers to make sure he was taking in enough. I began training for the half-marathon officially in September 2009. Before then, I was logging about 10 - 15 miles a week. Since I began running longer distances, I do feel hungrier and I still listen to those cues. We've been successfully breastfeeding through it all. I have heard that extremely strenuous training (like Olympic training) may affect supply but I am not certain.

Other breastfeeding mothers out there, what has your experience been?

3 comments:

  1. I'm currently traing for my first half marathon and we are also still successfully breastfeeding. I started walking when Abigail was 2 months old and slowly worked up to running. Now I'm running 30+ miles per week. I just make sure I'm getting enough calories everyday and drink tons of water.

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  2. Awesome job, Kerry! That's fantastic!

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  3. Retta, my little boy is now 7 months old. I did a half marathon when he was 4-month and will complete my first marathon next month, at that time he will be 8 months. I started training when he was only a few weeks old. I have never had any problems with milk supply. I do drink tons of water, just like Kerry said. Good luck with your training! It is always inspiring to see other Mom's out there kicking some bootie! I have three kids and work full time too! Keep up the good work girl!!

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