The fitness aspect of this blog has really been lacking lately, and I miss it! I miss writing about half marathon training, strength training, all things running, and lessons I learn from yoga that help with my running. I just kind of miss running right now!
But it’s all fine and good – I obviously wouldn’t trade anything about this pregnancy for a single run – I’m just looking forward to challenging myself in that aspect of fitness in the future.
Today I thought I’d share what I am doing for workouts during this pregnancy.
I’m clearly not running – not that I think running during pregnancy is bad, it’s just that I don’t think it’s right for me. My body (cycle, hormones, etc.) was sensitive to it before getting pregnant, so I’m not willing to risk anything by running now.
I’m also not trying any workouts that are brand new to me. I fear doing anything that could throw me off balance or challenge me so much that I push too hard (I tend to be really competitive with myself).
That’s the thing about fitness during pregnancy though…every single woman is different, so she needs to listen to her body and choose whatever is right for her and her baby.
I’m doing something active each day, and I try to pay attention to how I’m feeling that day to guide what workout I choose. I’m also more aware of how I feel during workouts – no more trying to zone out during cardio, I try to pay close attention to how my body is responding.
Here are the workouts I’m currently doing during this pregnancy:
- Walking – lots of walking. This is my go-to. I enjoy it, I can really get moving and work up a bit of a sweat if I want, and I know that it’s just really beneficial for my body and this growing baby.
- Strength Training. I do 1-2 strength workouts a week, just right in my living room while watching tv or listening to music. I often do workouts like this one….squats, lunges, push-ups (on my knees because that’s just how I roll these days), bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, (short-lived) side planks, etc.
- Yoga. I’ve been to a couple prenatal yoga classes at our gym, and I often do some yoga at home. I don’t do anything fancy or even do it for very long, but I’ve found that I get really tight really quickly lately, particularly in my hip flexors, so I do some sort of stretching every day.
- Cardio on the Stationary Bike and the Elliptical. These are in our apartment’s fitness room, so I sometimes hop on these machines for a day’s workout. I don’t go nearly as intensely as I did pre-pregnancy, but they always make me sweat a bit and they’re a nice change-up from walking.
The thing with pregnancy though is that things are (literally) changing every day, so I’m trying to be sensitive to those changes and just go with the flow in terms of adjusting my routines. So far, so good.
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If you’ve ever been pregnant, what did you do for movement during that time?
If you’ve never been pregnant and are curious, what questions do you have about working out when pregnant?
I’m no fitness expert but I can answer about my own my experiences so far.
