Pregnancy & Fitness Goals
8 Steps to Keeping Fit While Growing a Sprog
It’s the end of January, around the time that most of us drop our New Years resolutions and eat a whole bucket of KFC to ourselves…
Keeping fit isn’t exactly an easy task when you have an ever growing bump on your front, but if you have decided to make this your goal this year, then you go girl!
Luckily, there are 8 simple steps you can follow to keep fit while pregnant!
You’ll be feeling strong, powerful and fitter than ever in no time!
DISCLAIMERs!:
- Feeling strong, fit and/or powerful not guaranteed.
- You know your own fitness levels, please do not rely on this post to tell you how fit and healthy you need to be.
- I am not a professional fitness advisor, however I can tell you where to get amazing burgers...but unless you plan on putting them at the end of a treadmill, that won’t help you now...
- Please do not attempt to take the steps in this post seriously, as this could end up with owning a free-range yoga ball, frequent walks to the local shop for snacks and other health-related activities.
- Please consult your doctor before attempting to keep fit, the change in your routine might be too much for you to handle without medical advice…
Step One: Realise that labour and birth involve endurance!
Most of us like to go for a walk, do a bit of yoga or maybe take a swim now and then, but giving birth to a tiny human takes a whole lot of time, patience, pain killers and strength!
Us ‘larger’ ladies, who would prefer to eat a Big Mac instead of go for a walk, are now going to have to accept that exercise is really...really important!
Trust me, I was in labour 14 hours…You need stamina and endurance!
(And so much gas and air…)
You need to be getting some good, pregnancy safe workouts outs into your routine, and soon!
Step Two: Be shocked by the cost of a gym membership!
Or even just the price of one maternity aqua session a week!
Unless you have money coming out of your ears, getting a gym membership probably won’t happen…
If I’m honest, I wouldn’t know what half of that equipment does anyway!
Ever see that episode of Miranda where she goes to the gym?
I don’t know about you, but that’s exactly what I’m like in there!
Maybe a walk isn’t such a bad idea…
Step Three: Realise that going for a walk somehow leads to ending up in a shop and buying snacks…
I don’t know about you, but I need a reason to go for a walk, and sometimes that involved bribing myself!
Walking is hard work, especially with this bump on your front!
What harm is a little snack at the corner shop going to do…Oh, and maybe a tube of Pringles…and a coke…
This could lead to a lot of unhealthy snacking, especially when cravings kick in, but at least you got a walk done today, right?
Step Four: Go online and look up yoga balls!
One of the first things I did when I fell pregnant was a buy a yoga ball!
They’re perfect for pregnant women because they’re:
- Easy to use and keep fit with!
- Can be used while watching tv in your pj’s!
- Great for helping baby into the right position for labour!
I used my yoga ball all through pregnancy and during my recovery for some light exercise.
It was also great for bouncing gently to soothe Poppy when she was fussy!
Step Five: Inflate your new yoga ball then realise that you have nowhere to store it…
What are you supposed to do with it when it’s not being used??
It’s like having an extra person taking up space!
Honestly...I have no idea...mine is still roaming freely around my living room...
…We have accepted it as its own entity...It’s name is Roly…
Step Six: Decide that your new yoga ball is a good snack spot
You can go for your snack walk, then sit on your yoga ball and do a work out while eating your snacks and watching videos about labour and birth!
Informative, calorie burning, leg workout while eating a Dairy Milk…
You can also sit on it when you’re watching general tv, or when you want to feel like you’ve actually put effort into something today, but have no effort to give...Yay, yoga ball!
Step Seven: Remember that YouTube is a thing now, so you can exercise for free!
You can do yoga, HIIT classes and even just watch videos about being pregnant, giving birth and having kids…just to completely freak yourself out!
There are some pretty good maternity yoga ball workout videos on YouTube, that I actually used while pregnant!
Step Eight: Enjoy a nice cold drink and be proud of your new workout regime!
Have a nice break and stay hydrated, you don’t want to be overdoing it while you’re pregnant!
While this list isn’t 100% serious, it is important that you take care of yourself, your body and your mind while pregnant.
Make sure you take time for your self care, a little pampering and some nourishing foods.
Growing a little one is hard work, so keep yourself healthy and strong!
Are you ready for the biggest, most rewarding workout of your life?
Good luck and, of course, congratulations!
- Lizzy ❤ x
