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| I will get one of these very soon!! |
Gone are the days when expectant women were instructed by our doctors and midwives to rest as much as possible during pregnancy, refrain from all strenuous activity, and eat enough food for two people (YAY CARBS)! Today, I feel that mommies-to-be are much better off, as we are being informed that it's perfectly fine to run a half-marathon, cross-train, hike a mountain if we want, paint the baby room, and we're now well aware that our baby-building bodies only require about an extra 200-300 calories per day during this nine month journey to motherhood. Coming from the girl who gained an infamous twelve pounds in four weeks, that all sounds good to me!
One thing I love about my doctor is his support and encouragement of what I mention above. I was a gym-a-holic prior to getting pregnant but was convinced that I should avoid it while pregnant (apparently, I'd read one too many old wive's tales). He smiled at my apprehensions and told me to keep doing what I'm doing: running, lifting weights, cycling, they're alllll good during pregnancy! Scientific research over the past two decades has even proven that women who exercised while pregnant had easier, quicker labors and healthier babies.
When I hit trimester two, I was so glad to see my energy come back, but suddenly I was nailed with some serious lower back pain. It doesn't help that I've always had it, but the shifting, stretching, and rearranging my muscles were doing on top of a misaligned pelvis was excruciating at times. I didn't go to the gym for a few weeks; I was lucky if I got in a lap or two around my neighborhood. At my 20 week appointment, I discussed the pain with my doctor and how terrible it had me feeling. Although exercise was the last thing I wanted to do at that point, he guaranteed me that a little more activity would help my back tremendously.
Turns out, Doc knows what he's talking about! I got back in the gym and noticed that within just a few days, my back was feeling better. Dead lifts, which strengthen the glutes, quads, and lumbar region, were miracle workers and still are. My back hasn't ached like it had been in a few weeks now, and it's a bigger relief than I can say!
Below I've listed two amazing workouts that I have begun doing a few times a week for the past few weeks. One of them is one I pinned to a fit pregnancy board on my Pinterest account (with some slight modifications), while the other is a good one I got from a friend. I must say that lately I'm really liking the second one better. It's the one I mentioned in my Week 24 update that I thought was going to kill me before I lowered the weights!
No Excuses Pregnancy Workout
I have to change this one up a little. I usually run one mile before every workout (or at least 1/2 a mile), so I do that, then do this circuit three times altogether, resting about a minute or two in between. I cannot do dips, or at least not three sets of twelve. I'm not ashamed to say I have weak wrists; they couldn't always be depended on when I did gymnastics, and they gave me a lot of trouble as a cheerleader, despite the wrist exercises I did to try to strengthen them. Although dips are a great core exercise, they mainly work the triceps, so I substitute them for tricep kickbacks or extensions while seated or standing. Also, if I don't have access to a wall at my gym, I'll grab a dumbbell or medicine ball and hold a squat for as long as I can. At the end, I bike a few miles or do ten minutes on the elliptical. I actually went months without doing the elliptical; I was really into weights! But a few weeks ago, I got back on it and really love it! Low impact but a great way to work up a sweat!!
**I tried to credit the above photo, but the Pinterest link was broken or defective**
Workout 2: High Rep, Low Weight
http://michellemariefit.publishpath.com/
I call it "High Rep, Low Weight" because it took me trying to do it with way too heavy weights to figure out that it was not meant for anything over fifteen pounds (except dead lifts maybe!) I got this from my friend on Instagram; anytime someone posts a workout, I always give it a try! This is by far one of the best ones I've tried, and I have done it several times now.
As you can see, it calls for 25 repetitions for each set. I guess I thought I was really cool trying to do twenty-five squats with a thirty or forty pound barbell on my shoulders. I took a step back and re-read the workout. "
Dumbbell squats." The light bulb went off; this is a workout meant for much lower weight. I grabbed a twenty pound dumbbell for squats and tricep extensions (dips), and kept my thirty pound barbell for deadlifts. Again, I don't do the dips, per horrible wrists. I stuck with tricep extensions instead.
The most challenging part of the second part are the fifty lunges. I take "25 stationary lunges" to mean 25 on each leg. I have a love-hate relationship with lunges, so I try to do ten on one leg, ten on the other, then fifteen on each. OUCH. Those lunges make the rest of this part seem easy! I do the rest with a ten pound dumbbell in each hand. I love the rows! When I'm at the gym, I don't do any cardio with this one until I'm done. The quickest I've been able to finish this workout is about twenty-five minutes. It typically takes a good half hour, maybe longer. But I love it! This has definitely become a new favorite of mine, and I plan on sticking with it once baby is here.
Please enjoy these lovely gym selfies after this workout!
Red-faced and ready to ride the Hot Mess Express :) If you still look good after a workout you're doing it wrong!
Weight Training
I love being that girl who can run on the tread for a little while, then hit the benches and squat racks for a heavy lifting session. I love weight training! I got into it last year with some classes at my old gym and have since developed my own workouts (my husband, the power lifter, is great help with this too). When hitting the gym strictly for weight training, I like to do three or four heavy, solid sets of squats, dead lifts, and bench presses, and two or three sets of other exercises that work the smaller muscle areas. Before pregnancy, I was really impressed with where my numbers were as far as weights. While carrying little Vaught, I've had to cut down on everything, but I still like where I'm sitting. I think constantly lifting and holding a baby in a few months will help keep the muscles in tact too :) I'm by no means the thinnest, most in-shape girl at the gym, but I love being able to tackle a hard workout, do it right, and get it done. I love being able to lift heavy and not be intimidated by all the meat-heads in the weights area. I'm definitely not afraid of some muscle, unlike many women.
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| Post squat-session grub with the hubs tonight :) |
Overall, I'm really proud to have been able to remain active throughout my pregnancy so far, and I have less than fifteen weeks to go! In my Week 24 update post, I revealed, unashamedly, that I had gained twelve pounds in four weeks.
Since then, I have lost six! SIX! I cannot tell you the relief I felt when I realized that today. I even weighed at the same time as most of my appointments (mid-afternoon), so I know the scale read pretty accurately.
For those who may be skeptical, rest assured that my doctor has okayed my diet and exercise plans (I recently began following the diabetic diet for pregnant women), and a small loss is good for me and baby after such a significant gain. In my situation, too much weight gain increases my chances of gestational diabetes, prolonged and/or difficult labor, delivery via C-section, and other complications. But if I can keep my weight in a healthy range, all is anticipated to go well! (Tomorrow, a post about the GD diet will publish, so you can read
alllll about it).
For my moms-to-be who may not be able to be very active during pregnancy (due to complications, high-risk factors, etc.), know that you're no less healthy than other pregnant women who can be more active. Whatever you've been told by your practitioner to do is exactly what you should be doing and is the healthiest option for you. It's okay if you've been clearly instructed to take it easy. My friend and I had this discussion the other day: we're both getting ridiculous amounts of unsolicited (and often unwanted) advice from all corners of our lives, even from family. I sometimes just want to smile and say, "Well, okay honey, that was
your pregnancy, this is
mine." Pregnancy, like other things women experience, is different for everyone. We are not all the same! My friend and I agree that although the advice is
hardly ever sometimes helpful, we are relying on one person's opinion and instructions: our doctors'. And I love that my doctor is so very supportive of exercise during these nine months. My sister may have been told to stay off her feet as much as possible, but my doctor is telling me the more active I am, the better. Your doctor may tell you not to help paint the baby room or clean house due to the smell of cleaning fumes and chemicals; mine says open a window and paint/scrub like you mean it!
In closing, pregnancy is this beautiful yet complicated thing all at once. Some of us have a hellacious nine months of torture, while others enjoy it for the most part and go about our usual routines with some added perks and kicks (pun intended). I'm no fitness professional (obviously--I'm writing about struggling with weight management), but I am very much a fan of being active and living as healthily as possible. And there's no standard size for that! I've been very fortunate to have had such an easy pregnancy, but I'm counting my blessings and realizing that could change at any minute. If you're able to exercise, pregnant or not, I want to encourage you to try one or both of the workouts above. Remember: go at your own pace and HAVE FUN! Exercise, for everyone, is so much better when you're enjoying what you're doing!
Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email with some of your favorite workout routines. I'm always up for trying new things in the gym! If you don't have a blogger account to leave a comment, follow me on Instagram, katepace12, and contact me there :)
Upcoming: some exciting news concerning a small company I've recently become an ambassador for. They will help sponsor and promote my blog, which is really exciting! I can't wait to write all about it but will wait until all details are finalized :) Thanks so much for reading!!
