Fit Friday: Staying Active & Healthy During Pregnancy

Today's Fit Friday is a little different. It's been exactly a year since I found out I was pregnant with Vaught, so I wanted to give a little recap on my pregnancy and how I stayed healthy (or at least tried my very best to stay healthy!) while expecting our baby boy.

 

     In a way, I feel like I totally ripped apart the stereotypical pregnant girl. I was heavy to begin with, so a part of me just wanted to say Screw it, I'm just gonna get fatter anyway, but the reasonable side of me said This is the perfect time to be as healthy as you can be! And so I was... Most of the time at least!

     I knew better than to think I wouldn't gain weight during pregnancy, but I set my goal pretty low at fifteen pounds. I did pretty well, only gaining ten pounds in the first five months. In the end, I gained twenty-nine, just nine pounds more than what is recommended for an overweight woman during pregnancy. I was adamant about keeping my weight in check, logging it in a notebook every couple of weeks and at each appointment. I never wanted to go into the doctor's office and see a spike in my weight and not know how or why it happened. I held myself accountable.

     Despite my struggles with my body, I have always enjoyed working out. When I found out I was pregnant, I had already lost about twenty pounds with a healthy diet and lifting weights. At my first appointment, I made sure with my doctor that I could continue lifting--nothing too strenuous but enough to continue building and maintaining muscle. He approved all of my diet and exercise plans, and I was determined to keep a healthy lifestyle while expecting Vaught. I continued going to the gym three to four times a week, as well as running in my neighborhood a few nights each week. In June, I became an ambassador for For Two Fitness, a company that markets fabulous clothes for the active, expectant mama! This was even more motivation for me to continue working out; I was now representing a company that was based on active moms-to-be! I always enjoyed wearing my "Sweating for Two" tank to the gym. I was complimented on it numerous times.

28 weeks vs. 38 weeks!

35 week bump!

Advice for Moms-to-Be:

     Looking back at my pregnancy and knowing what I do now, I sometimes wonder if I would have done anything different. I think about the advice I might give to an expectant mother who also wants to stay healthy active during pregnancy. Keeping in mind that every woman and pregnancy is different, I would have to advise the following:

1. Ask Doc first. Just because mine said "go for it" to my exercise regimen doesn't mean yours will. My doctor knew me well and knew it would be good, if not beneficial, for me and my pregnancy.
2. The first trimester sucks... Rest. No, I was never sick at all. But I sure was exhausted. That's how I knew I was pregnant a year ago today; I couldn't stay awake during a meeting! I began going to bed at six o'clock in the evening, only to feel exhausted again by noon the following day. I can't tell you how many times I had to use about half of my planning period at school to lay my head down on my desk and nap! Rest as much as you can during that first trimester! It gets better, I promise!!
3. Stay away from pregnancy books. Those are the ones that initially made me terrified of exercising while pregnant. Don't go reading about all the things that can (and might) go wrong. Remember, every pregnancy is different. What is meant to be will be.
4. Get a good sports bra and dress comfortably.
5. Eat well and drink water. Fuel yourself and that little sea monkey! Prior to pregnancy, I was eating around 1,400 calories per day. I bumped my calorie intake up to 1,800 but would often eat closer to 2,000. I stayed full and satisfied and had plenty of energy for my workouts.
6. Keep it up. Make it a habit. Research has proven that women who exercise during pregnancy are more likely to have quicker, smoother labors (mine was a breeze) and healthier babies. Whether you're new to fitness or a seasoned pro, now is the perfect time to be the healthiest you that you can be. Every time I wanted to skip a workout and dive into a sleeve of double stuff Oreos, I just remembered my mantra: healthy mama, healthy baby. Healthy mama, healthy baby!

How are you/did you stay active during pregnancy?