I have so many friends who are expecting right now and it is a joy to be surrounded by so much life and love. There is nothing quite so special as a newborn little baby to snuggle. I have had some of you ask me for pregnancy fitness tips so I figured I would write a blog about it. =) Now, I have only done one full pregnancy (and now part of a second time) so I'm not claiming to be an expert on pregnancy and how to keep fit during it. That being said, feel free to take this and do with it what you will. I think the key to a successful pregnancy (and baby) is to find what works for you and makes your family successful. You will have to find time for fitness if you want to try to keep up with that so find what works with your schedule and stick to it! I promise, promise, promise that it will pay off in the long run! You will pay the Piper at some point and I would much rather it be during pregnancy versus afterwards when all I want to do is enjoy my new baby.
Here are some of the benefits of working out during pregnancy:
-Increased energy levels
-Increased desire to eat healthy versus "what sounds good"
-Strength to go through labor
-Keeps things "moving" in your system better (aka working out does what fiber intake does ;))
-Makes you feel good about yourself and your body as it changes
-Helps control weight gain
-Promotes water intake (working out makes you thirsty!)
-Gives your skin that "glow"
-Prevents pregnancy insomnia
There are also benefits from working out during pregnancy that I experienced AFTER birth (even though I was not working out at the time):
-Faster recovery
-Lost the "baby weight" without working out or dieting
-Mentally felt better about myself and my appearance knowing that I had worked hard and now could rest
With all of these benefits, you can see that keeping fit during pregnancy can play a vital role in your health and the health of your baby! When you are growing a little life, you should be your most healthy because you are setting up your child for success in health as well!
First Trimester Fitness Tips:
Okay, during the first trimester you need to give yourself a break. I think there were several weeks in there where I did not make it to the gym due to the nausea/fatigue/puking etc. This is also not the
time to stress about your diet! TRY to make as healthy choices as possible but hey, we all have times where all you can choke down is a bean and cheese burrito from taco bell and that's okay. I remember that I told myself that once I started feeling better, I would get back to my healthy habits - that just because the first trimester was hard and there were exceptions, it did not mean that I would just go downhill from there. :)
I consciously "switched" my "mealplans" during first trimester. AKA, before pregnancy, I ate 3 square meals a day and focused on lighter, more paleo/grain free style meals with dinner being a time to have a grain. Once I was in first trimester, I had to eat a lot in the mornings and a good lunch but by dinner time, I could usually stomach a salad and an overall lighter meal. So I switched my heavier, "carb" meal to be breakfast and somewhat lunch, then a lighter meal for dinner. That's what worked for me. Find when you don't HAVE to eat as much and try to work your meals around that. Technically you only need around 300 calories more a day when you are preggo (which is about a half a peanut butter sandwich) so every meal doesn't need to be huge.
Find what time of day you feel up to getting in a walk or going to the gym and do it. Late afternoons were the ticket for me during this time so I tried to make time for that. Like I said, it's okay if you are just too tired but remember that your energy levels will increase with some exercise so even though you don't feel like it, it will make you feel better!
If you find the tine of day when you feel up to working out, go ahead and do what you were doing before - no need to change it simply because you are pregnant (unless your doctor tells you otherwise). If you weren't doing anything before, start with brisk walking and some weight training. I love the stairmaster because it gives my legs a good strength and cardio workout without hurting my belly like running sometimes did. You can also find a prenatal yoga or pilates class and join one!
Second and Third Trimester Fitness Tips:
Pay attention to your body as you enter second trimester to watch for signs that you can start getting back on the health bandwagon. Even though I was still puking, I did have more energy and I could
begin to eat more healthy things (veggies, salad etc). I began to get up and get my workout in first
thing in the morning before work because it started my day off really well and gave me more energy during work. I also was super tired in the evenings so I knew that if I waited, it wouldn't get done.
My workout schedule consisted of 4 mornings a week: Monday/Tuesday and Thursday/Friday. I gave myself a break on Wednesdays and the weekends so that I wouldn't get burnt out. I also walked everyday at my lunch break (20 minute walk) just to get moving a little since I was at a desk a lot.
My actual workout consisted of 20-25 minutes of cardio (stairmaster/treadmill combo mostly) and then 20 minutes of weight training. I rotated which body parts I was working on for weights by following this combination:
Day 1: Legs
Day 2: Back and Biceps (think "pull" machines/muscles)
Day 3: Chest and Triceps (think "push" machines/muscles)
Day 4: Legs
Day 1 (Week 2): Back and Biceps
Day 2 (Week 2) Chest and Triceps
Day 3 (Week 2) Legs
Day 4 (Week 2) Back and Biceps
ETC
So you continuously rotate which body part you work on and each week there will be one section that gets hit twice.
Remember, find what works for you. If you like classes then join classes! If you want to workout from home, buy a yoga mat and some dumbbells and get started! Just DO something. It will work
wonders for you and for your baby.
Try to make your calories count and fill up on lots of fresh produce and good quality protein. You need 80 grams of protein a day but can only absorb 20 grams at a time which means you need to be consuming protein every few hours. I ate a morning and afternoon snack which centered around protein. Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with fruit makes a good, filling snack. I also ate a lot of apples with almond butter or peanut butter as well as hard boiled eggs
The better choices you make, the better you will feel!!
I hope this helps, good luck Mamas!
XOXO
Joy
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