Working out During Pregnancy

Working out During Pregnancy

Working out During Pregnancy – Every so often, I get a few first-time expectant mothers asking me if they can workout when they are pregnant. The short answer is YES. Even still, most of them tend to look at me like I’m crazy.  In my opinion, Working out During Pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for not only yourself, but for an overall healthy pregnancy too.  (of course, always consult with your Dr)

Here’s the deal, ladies. Pregnancy is not an ailment! It’s a gift from God and something we have been doing since the dawn of time. Is pregnancy easy? Not always. But unless you are bed ridden or have strict guidelines to follow from your doctor, a pregnancy is not something that will incapacitate you.

Being Consistent

If anything, working out consistently before, during and after a pregnancy makes the entire process easier on you. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that healthy pregnant women should do moderate exercise for 20 to 30 minutes every day. Following this routine will not only keep you and the baby fit, but will eliminate issues like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes.

I have two stories to share, and I bet you have seen similar ones.  No joke, when my sister found out she was pregnant, she immediately proppped her feet up, ate Cheetos with ranch and later gained almost 80 pounds with her pregnancy.  After seeing that, I vowed to NOT ever let that happen to me!  Almost five years later when I was blessed with my first pregnancy, I continued my regular healthy ealting and exercising.  As my belly grew bigger I learned to make modification and of course, check my heart rate.  Opposite to my sister, I gained just 25 pounds and bounced back to pre-pregnancy weight in no time.

Working out During PregnancyWorking out during a pregnancy can also help with:

  1. Boosting your mood
  2. Making labor and delivery easier
  3. Helping you recover faster
  4. Improve posture and lessen back aches
  5. Limit stress and heart rate issues
  6. Lessening fatigue
  7. Making the baby healthier

I’m not a doctor, and will never pretend to be one. But I can say all of this and write this blog because I’ve had three healthy babies of my own. I was always into health and fitness, and when I got pregnant with our first child, Lucy, I continued to workout until I delivered her. I remember doing kickboxing classes until it was physically impossible for me to jump. I continued to do weight training until the bar wouldn’t pass over my big ol’ belly when doing bicep curls.

Trust me, I can’t make this stuff up. It’s true. Basically, I reached a point where I did have some limitations in my workout. But that didn’t mean I had to stop completely. It simply meant I had to change things up. By the end of my pregnancy, I felt like I was healthy and had a smooth delivery because of it.

Working out during pregnancy helped my baby weight came off faster.

Whatever you decide, just know that you and your baby are completely safe. I urge you to consult with your doctor before starting any strenuous or moderate exercise, but once you do that, reach out to me and I’d be happy to steer you down the right path with a workout plan that meets your individual needs.

The bottom line is be smart, and be active. Don’t let that baby bump get in the way of leading a healthy life.

Thanks for reading!