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Baby Boot Camp is a fitness, nutrition, and social resource designed for mothers. Baby Boot Camp Baby Boot Camp franchises can be found across the United States including  three Portland-area franchises Portland-area franchises covering several area locations. I was provided classes with purpose to review my experience.  All opinions are my own. You can get your own first class free by scheduling your first class!

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

Each mother is as unique as the kids she raises. As unique as they are, there is one thing that many—most even— have in common, they often put their kids before them in all things. For example, my sons both have been to the dentist every six months since their teeth all came in. Me? I haven’t been to the dentist in 10 YEARS. (No flack…scheduling appointment now.)

After some pretty rough bouts of postpartum depression I have truly been working—with the help of my partner in parenting—to spend some time focusing on ME a bit more than I have done in the past. I work a lot, and I love my work, and that is where the majority of my “me-time” is devoted. What I haven’t made time for is exercise. I have a gym membership at my work, but after working 8 hours a day and being gone with the commute, I just want to be home and spend some time with my kids before bed time and time for me to open up my computer to work some more.

Signing up for Baby Bootcamp was an opportunity for me to spend an hour on some serious self-care while still entertaining and engaging with my kiddo. I liked that he and the other babies were able to watch from the strollers and laugh at the mommies doing silly moves. It was much better than the guilt I’ve felt so many times when I get home late because I took an hour to go to the gym after work.

 

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

My Baby Boot Camp Experience

I’ve got to admit… I was NERVOUS about saying ‘yes’ to this experience. My fitness level is less than ideal at this moment in my life. I was not looking forward to being in a class with women who were at a fitness level much higher than my own. Honestly, if there were a ‘slow and fat getting back at it’ class out there then I’d sign up much more willingly than I did with this class. That said… I am SO glad I did say yes in the end. Not only was everyone super friendly and welcoming, the instructor gave options for different fitness levels. She also gave options for people who had wrist issues which was AMAZING because of past carpal tunnel issues my wrists really can’t handle my entire weight at this moment in time. I was thrilled to have options that still allowed me to get in a full workout without risking injury.

Someday I’ll be able to do the below… but, until then, I sure was glad to have a less stressful move!

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

What to expect from Baby Bootcamp

Baby Bootcamp here in Beaverton moves venues throughout the season so that they can really take advantage of the good weather in Beaverton when the summer comes around. I went during the early Spring and was able to do my workout both indoors and out. Here are a few things to expect if you join Baby Bootcamp:

  • You’ll meet other moms with fitness goals. I am always super hesitant meeting new people, but these moms were super nice and all focused on achieving their own goals more than they seemed worried about what the next lady was doing. I didn’t feel uncomfortable doing the modified moves because there were other women that used modified moves as needed.
  • You’ll want to bring your jogging stroller. The kiddos stayed in the strollers the entire time that I went. At times we worked out with the strollers and at other times the kiddos hung out chatting with each other and watching the moms workout. I’m sure another type of stroller would also work, but the jogging stroller was sure handy.
  • Most all of the exercises are using your own body power and not any fitness tools. Nearly the entire workout was a set of moves that could be done without any additional equipment which was awesome because I was in turn able to bring those moves home! We did use a yoga mat to help cushion the floor when we did moves that were on the ground. We also used resistance bands for a few moves.
  • You will feel it. I felt GREAT after the first class. I was so excited that I made it through and I had so much energy afterwards. However, the next day, I was sore. It was the first time in a long time that I had done a full workout and my body knew it. I think I started feeling normal again about two days before the second class began!
  • Classes to fit your needs. There were a few different class types available including Stroller Fit (which I did) and Restore the Core. There was even a 5K training course available.
  • Enrollment Fee & Affordable Plan Pricing. You can get your first class free. After that there is an enrollment fee of $59 that pays for all the equipment you will need. There are several different plans at affordable prices for the classes.

Baby Bootcamp in Beaverton Oregon | A Well Crafted Party

 

There are several different Baby Bootcamps across the US. The Beaverton class was not even the only one in the Portland area! Many classes were available throughout the week, but as a working mom there was only one class that would fit for my schedule. The Saturday class offered free attendance to significant others as well.

Overall I hope to continue using the skills I learned in the class and plan to attend more Baby Bootcamp classes in the future! If you are on the fence right now about devoting a little time to yourself and your fitness goals then please think about giving yourself a very much deserved Mother’s Day gift of classes with Baby Bootcamp!

Portland-Area Mommas: Join Baby Boot Camp’s Free Mother’s Day Event on Saturday, May 12th at 9 AM at THPRD Athletic Center in Beaverton. Hosted by Baby Boot Camp Beaverton. The first 80 moms in attendance get a SWAG Bag!

 

I’ve been going back and forth about whether I was going to post about my health and fitness journey on the blog. It is such a personal and, often, frustrating part of my life. But, I figured that posting about my journey may do one or all of three things:

  1. Let someone else know they aren’t alone
  2. Motivate me to do better and stay on the right track
  3. Show a real-life (non fitness/health food guru’s) health and fitness journey.

This series will cover my image issues and fitness journey. I am beginning in my childhood and teen years and traveling up to adulthood. I feel that many of my food issues and my self-image realities stems directly from my childhood and teen self-image and food relationships. I will still be posting recipes as per usual… I’ll just start including some of my healthier meals in addition to my butter and pie loving posts. I’ve had weight and body issues my entire life, so I am pretty much aware of what I am doing right and wrong and when I am doing it. I am a strong believer in EVERYTHING in moderation. This view is not shared by everyone, but it is what I’ve found works for me (when I stick with it!).

In addition to writing about my journey of a healthy self-image and life I am writing a 6-week fitness series. I’d love for you to visit and read about my fitness journey. I received membership to East Side Athletic Club  in exchange for work I’m doing on their website and am telling my fitness story on their blog. I’d love to hear what you think of it!


Childhood and Teen Body Issues

Image Issues in Childhood & Teen Years
Me in my Sophomore year of high school. At this time I was a size 6 (US) approximately 115 lbs and thought I was overweight.

I was a tall, lanky adolescent. Mainly I was ALL limbs. I played softball (though, I hated running) and enjoyed chasing after all the boys on the playground when I was in elementary school.

However, after elementary school I stopped playing sports and started becoming more and more studious. I was often found with a book in my hands or in front of a computer chatting with friends or creating HTML websites. You might have called me a nerd. (Some still do!)

The lack of activity in addition to puberty made me gain weight. I was taller than a lot of the girls. My feet were larger. I felt awkward all the time. And, while, looking back, I was thin and still quite lanky— I felt FAT. Though I had a flat belly and long limbs… I wore shorts and baggy t-shirts over my bathing suit. I slouched when I walked. I covered my waist with my arms when I sat. The me I saw in the mirror made me sad.

One story that often comes to mind from this time in my life was, of course, one where I was trying to impress a guy. I was at a summer camp leaving the cafeteria with friends. I had a donut and a cup of yogurt in my hands. The guy I had eyes for was walking towards me and my group of friends. In a flash I threw the donut into a bush and sucked in my (non-existent) belly.

I look back now and wish I had appreciated my body more. I was thin! I was agile! I was YOUNG!

Image Issues
At prom my sophomore year with my besties— Jamie (left) and Stacey (right).

Binge and Starve: My Circumstances Shaped My Food Relationship

My food issues stemmed from a lot of different places. First, my grandmother was very overweight and suffered from diabetes. I had to learn how to give her injections just in case her blood sugar levels dropped. I feared that future more than anything. Second, we were very poor. We were the kids that had free school breakfasts and lunches due to income…. and, we wanted to go to school because we knew we would get two full meals in the day. Sometimes our pantries only held white bread and peanut butter.

So, while I feared getting fat… I also ached for food. This often led to overeating when food was plentiful and letting myself go hungry when food was scarse. I often would get stomach issues and cramps that sent me to the restroom for long periods of time daily. I began to love the taste of PeptoBismol. Food was my savior and enemy over and over again.

Food and Body Awareness: The Role of Adults

I had wonderful, loving role models. They never called me fat or belittled me. They tried getting me access to healthy and plentiful food. They did their best But, they were not the best role models for what to eat or how to take care of the body. The adults in my life at the time didn’t know the best ways to approach food and body issues.

I don’t want my son to have the relationship with food that I had. I want him to get to enjoy his food and see how it can nourish the body. I want him to be able to enjoy the way rich, wonderfully prepared food can taste. But, I also want him to learn that those items are not for the everyday.

I know that my example is going to be the most distinct way that he will learn about food. I hope to provide a good example so that his childhood and teen years don’t resemble my own. I also plan on actually talking about food and nutrition as he grows older.

 

Body Image Issues
My senior photo— cheesy as all get out— but, looking back I think I looked great!

Did you have issues with your food relationship when you were a child/teen? How do you plan on teaching your children about food?

Thank you for reading about my health & fitness journey. To read about my current fitness goals please check out my post over on East Side Athletic Club’s brand new blog. I’d love your support as I work on getting healthier!

** I received membership in exchange for my work with East Side Athletic Club. I did not receive further compensation. All thoughts and opinions are my own. **

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links are marked with an asterisk (*) and provide this blog with a small payment for purchases made through the link at no additional cost to the purchaser. Thank you for supporting A Well Crafted Party.

I had to get a new doctor due to my move. I was pretty thrilled that I had several options at my new doctor’s office. The lady I picked is a MD, OB, and Acupuncturist. While I have never even considered acupuncture before, I suspected that she would be more whole body health centered than just the throw medicine at a problem type of doctor.

Can Qigong Help My Stress? My Doctor Seems to Think So!

And, I was entirely right. I’ve been having a lot of health and pain problems recently. While she is getting me some blood work and has given me quite a few diet suggestions. She also highly recommended QiGong to help with my pain issues and lose weight. She said it would work “magic” in decreasing my stress levels as well. And, that little bit sold me on at least giving it a shot.

She suggested that I try two different videos from Lee Holden, the writer of 7 Minutes of Magic: The Ultimate Energy Workout*. She suggested Qi Gong for Low Back Pain with Lee Holden* and 7 Minutes of Magic – AM & PM Routines with Lee Holden*.

While those are on order I’ve been trying to do a few moves I’ve found on YouTube. I always feel silly doing yoga-like moves. But, I can’t deny how much better I feel afterwards.

Other Suggested QiGong Sources:

Crowdsourcing stress relief exercises – seeking your help!

What is your favorite type of low-impact exercise?  Have you done types of yoga before? What about acupuncture?

I’ll most likely let you all know how Qi Gong goes for me as time moves on. Here is hoping for the best!