28 Days to Health - Day 4

Today is day number 4 and I’m feeling really good! That first day was rough but I’m getting into a routine. Every other day I have been doing cardio and on the off days I have been doing strength training. In addition, I have also been doing at least 5 minutes of stretching every day. I keep thinking that if I wasn’t working out I’d have even more time to do the laundry and clean the house. I know that’s not a healthy perspective and what got me to this point in my life in the first place. I’m determined to put my health above the state of the house.

Hours of Sleep: 7 hrs 30 min

Awoke at 5:30 am to nurse the baby and went straight to the hospital to see some newborn babies.

Glasses of water: So far about 6 (It really takes a conscious effort to keep drinking. Remember though that you need this to stay hydrated and because I’m still producing a lot of breast milk then I need to be extra conscientious about how much I take in.)

Exercise: Light Stretching. Today is my day off. It’s a chance to get caught up on the other chores and rest from my other workouts.

Nutrition: Day one’s food diary is an example of what I want to be sticking to. I need lots of fresh fruit/vegetables, whole grains, low fat dairy and lean meats with only occasional sweets. Today however I splurged on pasta. It was quick and easy and I needed to get the kids lunch fast. Not that it’s a bad choice but I overdid it and was soooo tired. That’s the first time in days that that’s happened and reminds me to be more aware of what I’m eating. Given that I’m still breastfeeding and exercising, I need to add an extra 500 calories to my diet. There have been a lot of studies looking at the composition of human milk and the effect exercise has on it. Most studies agree that moderate exercise does not increase the levels of lactic acid in the milk and therefore is not passed on to the nursing child. What is probably more important is that the mother eats good food and enough of it. The body will continue to make milk but it may do it at the mother’s expense. If a mother does not sufficiently increase her intake, then the additional stressors of exercise can make her more fatigued and possibly anemic. It’s why I still take my prenatal vitamins and now that I am exercising and breastfeeding I concentrate even more on good food and enough of it so that I can maintain my energy levels!


Sheila Cason, M.D., F.A.A.P.