Pregnancy is like Training for a Marathon
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20 weeks pregnant![/caption]
In May of 2012, my H and I decided we would start trying for baby one at the end of the summer. We dubbed that summer, the summer of George! We went all out. We went to parties we normally would have turned down. We went to every concert we could get tickets to. But, I had my own plan during the summer of George. I began my training for pregnancy.
While I always worked out, it would be more like - 3 days a week one week, 5 days another week, and 0 days the next week. I wasn't consistent. I wasn't consistent about eating healthy either. When I knew I would soon be pregnant, I decided to get my body prepared to carry a life. I started eating healthy (most of the time). I made a regular workout routine and stuck to it. I stuck to this diet and workout routine through my entire pregnancy, and still maintain it today.
My diet during pregnancy was mainly meat, vegetables, and fruit. Once in a while I'd indulge. I counted my calories every day. I love eating, so I knew this was the only way to keep it under control. I increased my calories by 100/day each trimester.
My exercise routine consisted of the gym 2-3 days a week and walking for 30 minutes/day on off days. At the gym I did 30 minutes of cardio, 25 minutes of weights, and 15-20 minutes of abs. Yes, I did work my abs throughout my pregnancy. I just made sure to not do any exercises where I lay flat on my stomach or back. I used mostly machines to work my abs. My strong abs during labor helped tremendously. As I pushed, I could feel my abs doing their job. From my water breaking to meeting my little man, I had a total labor of 6 hours. I only had about 20-30 minutes of pushing.
By treating my pregnancy like I was training to cross that finish line of labor, I was able to maintain a healthy weight (29 lbs of weight gain), a healthy pregnancy, and my baby was perfect. Although, he came 4 weeks early, he was perfectly healthy. That boy trained with me!
My inspiration for my healthy lifestyle during pregnancy was Jax. I read so many studies touting the relationship between exercise/healthy eating and a healthy baby. Every time I felt too tired to work out, I thought about Jax. Studies say that women who work out throughout their pregnancy have babies with higher IQs. They are healthier overall. I may not have felt like being healthy all that time, but it was well worth it in the end. It may not be the same for everyone, but by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I was able to have a healthy baby boy and a definite bonus was that my body bounced back quickly.
What did you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle during your pregnancy?
What I listened to while I wrote:
Eric and Kathy in the morning!
20 weeks pregnant![/caption]In May of 2012, my H and I decided we would start trying for baby one at the end of the summer. We dubbed that summer, the summer of George! We went all out. We went to parties we normally would have turned down. We went to every concert we could get tickets to. But, I had my own plan during the summer of George. I began my training for pregnancy.
While I always worked out, it would be more like - 3 days a week one week, 5 days another week, and 0 days the next week. I wasn't consistent. I wasn't consistent about eating healthy either. When I knew I would soon be pregnant, I decided to get my body prepared to carry a life. I started eating healthy (most of the time). I made a regular workout routine and stuck to it. I stuck to this diet and workout routine through my entire pregnancy, and still maintain it today.
My diet during pregnancy was mainly meat, vegetables, and fruit. Once in a while I'd indulge. I counted my calories every day. I love eating, so I knew this was the only way to keep it under control. I increased my calories by 100/day each trimester.
My exercise routine consisted of the gym 2-3 days a week and walking for 30 minutes/day on off days. At the gym I did 30 minutes of cardio, 25 minutes of weights, and 15-20 minutes of abs. Yes, I did work my abs throughout my pregnancy. I just made sure to not do any exercises where I lay flat on my stomach or back. I used mostly machines to work my abs. My strong abs during labor helped tremendously. As I pushed, I could feel my abs doing their job. From my water breaking to meeting my little man, I had a total labor of 6 hours. I only had about 20-30 minutes of pushing.
By treating my pregnancy like I was training to cross that finish line of labor, I was able to maintain a healthy weight (29 lbs of weight gain), a healthy pregnancy, and my baby was perfect. Although, he came 4 weeks early, he was perfectly healthy. That boy trained with me!
My inspiration for my healthy lifestyle during pregnancy was Jax. I read so many studies touting the relationship between exercise/healthy eating and a healthy baby. Every time I felt too tired to work out, I thought about Jax. Studies say that women who work out throughout their pregnancy have babies with higher IQs. They are healthier overall. I may not have felt like being healthy all that time, but it was well worth it in the end. It may not be the same for everyone, but by maintaining a healthy lifestyle, I was able to have a healthy baby boy and a definite bonus was that my body bounced back quickly.
What did you do to maintain a healthy lifestyle during your pregnancy?
What I listened to while I wrote:
Eric and Kathy in the morning!
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