Fit (-ish) Pregnancy: The Ups And Downs Of Second Trimeter Workouts

Back Story

Those who have followed this blog know that I have a such a passion for fitness. But I have also never been the fitness model we see on Instagram, the fastest runner or even the most consistent in my regimen. I am just a normal chick trying my best to be the best version of myself. And even though I love the feeling during and after a great sweat session, I also love ice cream and Netflix in bed.

And there is no greater time than being pregnant in the summer to do this.

For the past year I have been getting back into the swing of consistent workouts after taking the majority of last summer off. I went from training and running over 5 miles almost every day to doing a whole lot of nothing. Then I got engaged and found my motivation to get back into shape—and this was going slow, but surely along. I had finally renewed my gym membership, was lifting again and running almost daily. And with just a few months away from my wedding date—which means months I have to stay on a mission to remain the same size and even tone up a bit to fit into my dream wedding dress—I found out I am now eating for two.

Finding out I am expecting right before getting married was both extremely scary and extremely exciting. While we patiently wait for our little blessing to arrive this fall, I quickly found out that pregnancy and working out doesn’t go hand in hand.

I also found of that it is important, doable and extremely beneficial.

I always said I would be that super fit pregnant woman who ran every day and competed in races and killed them, all while carrying precious cargo. I would be that adorably fit lady in the gym working out with an even more adorable bump.

But the only running during the first trimester of pregnancy, for me, was to the toilet and back either to my bed or desk again. My morning sickness was pretty much all day sickness, which left me with no energy. I would get sick and be hungry all over again in a constant vicious cycle. Not to mention I caught the flu which made me feel like I would waste away to nothing.

Then one day it just got better.

Just when I thought I might be those poor souls who have morning sickness their entire pregnancy, I woke up one morning without it.

Welcome to the second trimester!

It’s filled with energy, happiness, seeing your baby actually becoming more like a baby, and so on and so forth. I finally feel like I am my old self again, and before I started feeling the baby kick, had to remind myself a few times that yes, I’m pregnant.

With no belly in sight and a renewed energy supply in the beginning of my second trimester, I had never felt better in my entire life. I had this new outlook on life that comes with not feeling like death every day. And with this energy meant I just wanted to workout, be healthy for me and my baby, relieve stress and start preparing my body for delivery.

Long Story Short….

So here’s how I eased back into it:

I began walking around my neighborhood development which consists of hills. I would do this 3-5 days a week, with some hotter days taking it slow and easy, and other days doing  strong jogging/walking-when-need-to combo. Some days are better than others, and other days I decide to just lay in bed or on the couch and not do a single thing.

It’s about balance.

Some days I would whip out the yoga mat and stretch, although my goal is to work more on incorporating this into my routine.

Then I started going back to the gym, doing light weights for my arms, followed my a treadmill walk/jog or stationary bike.

And then I did nada for a week.

Between holidays, planning a wedding and sometimes just being tired, I feel like I deserved the break.

But that also means come back to it when feeling good, which is exactly what I did today. And it was the best workout I had in a while, jogging nonstop for 95% of my 30 minute session in the hot summer sun while doing all hills. This is one proud mama.

Tomorrow I have plans to switch it up and head to the gym and try to make it a healthy week.

Healthy Body, Healthy Baby

I think because I eat healthy and worked out often prior to baby, it has helped my body stay relatively the same until this point. My legs are still lean and my face hasn’t gotten chunkier.

And at 22 weeks pregnant, my belly has finally “popped” two days ago, meaning there is finally a noticeable belly. While I am still on the small size, my baby is growing healthy and was already 13 ounces a month ago (doctor is this week!). He is super active and loves to kick and do flips and I love feeling him. (Yes, it’s a boy!)

I continue to eat healthy, lots of veggies, salad, fresh fruit. The hardest part has been chicken and meat since I was a vegetarian before becoming pregnant. But some days I would crave chicken or strange things like a salami sandwich and go HAM on it. Although I am currently in an anti-chicken phase, I try to just listen to my body and even tried steak today, which wasn’t so bad.

It’s important to talk to your doctor about your diet when pregnant, especially if you are a veggie eater. For me, my doctor encouraged me to continue to eat healthy and not force myself to eat meat as long as I was getting my nutrients daily and taking my rental vitamins.

There are days I just want pizza or eat candy and cupcakes, and do exactly that. It can be hard sometimes when family members bring junk food around and I’m hungry every hour. I remember myself I am not really eating for two, just need more nutrients than before. I let myself indulge and also talk myself into getting out of bed and out and about to workout.

I expected my fitness schedule to continue to be filled with more ups and downs as my pregnancy progresses, but am enjoying of every step I take as well as every time I just leave my feet up and Netflix on.

 

Photo:  Tatiana Vdb | Flickr