Workin' On My Preggo Fitness

Pregnancy should not be an excuse to sit around for 9 months, eating whatever you and "baby" are hungry for, and gaining lots of weight. I feel a strong disagreement with the phrase "I'm eating for two!" I was shocked one day at work several months back when we had food brought in for lunch, and people were shocked that I wasn't leaving with a plateful of desserts. Really?!

I am by NO MEANS a standard of extreme health and fitness during my pregnancy. However, I'd like to think that I've been making good choices and staying as fit as I possibly can while also dealing with the shocking changes that I've experienced physically, mentally, and emotionally!

So this is just a breakdown of how I felt by trimester, what I did to exercise and keep active, and the workout DVD's that I strongly recommend!

TRIMESTER 1:

Well, during the first trimester I was also finishing final wedding planning details, and was still in full on workout mode. I was still jogging a bit, and doing yoga (I do vinyasa yoga) as much as possible. Light weight lifting, coupled with cardio and lots of water made me feel pretty good come wedding day :) A little non-traditional, but I thought I looked pretty damn good for 16 weeks pregnant on our most important day. The most important thing for me at this point was to AVOID SALT. I am really short, and pretty "stocky" naturally... I had to get over the notion that I'd be a skinny minnie pretty early on in life. So I started swelling in my feet and ankles pretty early on. I learned a great rule from a dear friend of the family, she said "Only eat 1-ingredient foods." AKA don't eat anything that you don't know what's in it! Veggies, fruits, lean protein... Eating well and exercising made me feel great. I didn't experience 1st trimester exhaustion as bad as it could have been, and I didn't have morning sickness.

TRIMESTER 2:

You really do feel pretty awesome during the second trimester. I had my energy back, I was in a better mood more often, and I was continuing to exercise and eat smart. I loved being pregnant during this phase of the pregnancy. I did start to slack on managing my salt intake, so I noticed more swelling in my feet and hands. As a teacher, I was on my feet pretty much all day during the workday. By the time I got home, my ankles would be really swollen. I did more walking and yoga during this time than I did weight lifting. I started to have a few "bad food" cravings during this time, but tried to give in a little as possible! It's important to make healthy food choices when pregnant, it's good for you and baby, but hey - it's also okay to be human.

TRIMESTER 3:

BAM! I hit a wall. Third trimester day 1: I felt like I had been beaten with a pillow case full of bars of soap (Step Brothers reference... love me some WF). I have definitely been slacking on the exercising in this last phase. It's become more like a 2-3 days a week exercise regimen vs. 5-6 days a week. I must say, now that I am in week 34 and "nesting mode" has kind of kicked in full force, that has included the need to exercise more frequently. But it's been very difficult. I am EXHAUSTED all of the time. Exercise does help with this, but it's tough. I'd be lying if I didn't say that! I've been more conscious of my water consumption, because it's important to stay hydrated (even though I retain water like a hippo). I'd like to think I've been doing my best, but it could always be better :)

FAVORITE WORKOUTS WHILE PREGNANT:

1) Walking! Easy, helps ease vericose veins, and helps reduce swelling.
2) Swimming! Feeling weightless when you've gained boo coos of weight is pretty awesome.
3) Yoga! There are different variations of yoga, but I stuck with what I was doing before: vinyasa.

DVD'S I LOVED:

There are 3 DVD's that I have used throughout my entire pregnancy...

I bought this one first - but the yoga wasn't challenging enough for me early on. Now - it's great with my lost range of motion and gigantic belly. 

This is very challenging if you did not practice vinyasa yoga before becoming pregnant. I loved using these workout in the first and second trimester, and still try to do them now but it's a lot more difficult!

This is my absolute FAVORITE pregnancy workout DVD! There are 3 discs; one for each trimester. You may get annoyed with her extreme peppiness (sometimes I throw things at the TV...) but it's a serious butt-kicker. I feel like this would kick my butt even when not pregnant! Love it. Highly recommend. 

And that's all I've got! Again - please do not use me as a standard of excellence for exercise and health during pregnancy. I've tried my best and felt like it may be a good thing to share :) These last few weeks have been ROUGH but I feel like that's fairly normal ... Hope this helps some of my adorable preggo friends out there! And those who will be in the future!