Yea, I know – I’m a few weeks late in wishing you a Happy New Year.  🙂  January (and the holidays in general) has been a hectic month for me.  My sister and her husband visited from Tokyo and my maternity leave officially ended.  Now that the dust is settling a bit, I am able to catch you up on what’s been going on in my world.

First of all, The Fresh Formula turned one on New Year’s Day.  This blog was born from recipe requests from my Facebook friends.  Several of them encouraged me to put all of my recipes (formulas) and budding knowledge in one place so that others could learn, too.  As I am not a nutritionist, professional chef, or food expert of any kind, I was flattered.  What started as a hobby for me has turned into a way to help and inspire people everywhere.

THANK YOU – The Fresh Formula continues to be a passion of mine because of YOU.  What can you expect from the blog in 2016?

I will, of course, continue to share formulas and recipes.  In addition, I am going to write a bit more about me, my family, and our life.  My readers have expressed a great interest in reading more about my plant-based journey—particularly since I’ve recently given birth to my second child—in addition to the regular meal, snack, and dessert ideas.

Let’s start with an update.  When I last checked in with you regarding my post-partum progress, I was a pound away from my pre-pregnancy weight, fresh off of a one-week raw food challenge, and continuing to work on getting back into shape.  I am happy to report that I officially reached my pre-pregnancy weight just before Christmas and successfully maintained that weight throughout the holiday season!  (Plant-based living makes weight maintenance effortless for me.)

Unfortunately, I haven’t been as dedicated to exercise and toning up as I had originally planned.  Without going into too much detail, as pregnancy and the aftermath are not the true focus of this blog, I have been experiencing bleeding, cramping, and other signs of my body’s inability to heal from childbirth.  Yes, this is still happening nearly three months post-partum and seems to be triggered by strenuous physical activities like working out, lifting, etc.

I went to my doctor and my bloodwork came back normal, although more testing may be needed.  I am awaiting the official results of an ultrasound, but what I have been told so far is not terribly worrisome.  I am potentially looking at a hormonal imbalance, among other contributing factors.

The bad news is that while I have kept up with getting outside to walk and doing a little light toning with weights at home, I have not picked up the pace with any cardio since every time I have tried I have experienced a setback in my healing.  The good news is that now that my test results are showing that my issues aren’t likely serious, I can power through and really, finally, now get back into getting in shape.

I look forward to sharing more of my progress with you.  For now, check out my latest pic!  My abs don’t have much definition yet, but that tummy is damn near flat, less than three months post-baby.  I’ll take it!