Monday, September 5, 2011

How I've been keeping fit.


So I talked a little about it yesterday.  I was (and still sort of am) a little paranoid about all going well with this pregnancy.  I've missed doing super long and super fast (for me) runs but I know that isn't where I'm at in my life right now.  I plan to get back there.  And I plan to race again (you mommy bloggers inspire me!).  And I'm pretty sure I'll run another ultra-marathon someday.  But all of that is on the back-burner for awhile.  But I still want to stay fit during this pregnancy!!  So here's what I've been doing (I've amassed information from my MD and various pregnancy websites):
  • Since I was exercising before, my doctor said it was okay for me to continue doing so (with some modifications).
  • She advised me to keep my exertion level 'conversational,' or to keep my heart rate less than 140 beats per minute.  I wear my heart rate monitor religiously these days.
  • Don't overheat!!  Overheating can be a huge problem, especially in the first trimester.  I've avoided overheating by exercising first thing in the morning when it's still relatively cool or on the bike trainer in my living room (with the fan directed riiiiight at me).
  • Stay hydrated.  My doctor advised me to run with a water bottle but I haven't been (naughty, naughty!).  Instead, I make sure I have had plenty to drink before my run and, since I don't do more than about 4 miles = 40-ish minutes these days (sheesh, I remember my days of sub-8 min/miles fondly), I make sure to drink plenty when I get home.  Keep the urine clear!
  • I've still been doing TRX and lunges/squats and upper body weights.  When doing upper body, I keep the weights lighter (so as not to strain my growing uterus... which is the size of a SMALL MELON RIGHT NOW, I am not even kidding) and I do more repetitions.  I'm getting my 'mommy arms' ready for lugging a diaper bag and a kid around all day!  Can't wait.
  • Consume more nutrient-dense foods (banana bread counts, right?).  This is not the time to try to lose weight!  I must embrace gaining poundage (yikes).  As someone who has ALWAYS watched her weight, this is the hardest one for me.  But then I remember that I am growing something beautiful inside of me and, to do that, I WILL GAIN WEIGHT.  So far, I've only gained about 4 lbs.  Slow and steady!
Anyway... I've managed to continue working out 3 to 5 days a week and I feel good about that.  Things are expanding in the right places, as far as I can tell.  I'm still wearing my regular clothes, of course, but (I'll admit) I have to unbutton my pants when I sit.  I really don't want to buy maternity jeans.  Is it inevitable, though?!?  Can't I just do the hair-band-thru-the-button-hole technique?

Do you have any exercise advice?  Can I still do yoga?  I've heard there are certain poses I should avoid, but I don't know which ones those are.  I should probably just take a pregnancy yoga class or something.

6 comments:

  1. This is so exciting! I can't wait for you to be a mama. You will be great. Enjoy the next months - it happens so fast.

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  2. This is so exciting! I can't wait for you to be a mama. You will be great. Enjoy the next months - it happens so fast.

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  3. I don't have any advice for you since I'm not a mom BUT I can tell you that you still look amazing :)

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  4. good for you! I had spotting my entire first trimester (still do) and so I really stopped exercising :(

    keep it up! I have been doing prenatal yoga recently and really enjoy it.

    btw, this is Jen, google reader won't let me log in.

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  5. I found swimming to be amazing during pregnancy. When I would run my heart rate would get really high without me feeling like I was doing much, but with swimming, I could get a consistent hour long workout and feel great and keep my heart rate in range. Now that I am one week from my due date, I've dropped down to about 20-30 minute workouts, but it still feels great.

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  6. Maternity jeans are awesome...seriously. You'll want them for all of your bloated period days. There are some scary maternity clothes, but there are lots of cute things out there. Embrace the new clothes!

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