Healthy Habits Check-In - Friday Post

bhou

Hey! Wondering how all Feb 2019 Mom's to be are staying healthy!? 

I am *TRYING* to maintain my workouts each morning. I do a half hour elliptical and then a half hour low impact pregnancy workout via a you tube channel. 
Some days though, getting out of bed is just brutal, but i'm finding if I keep up my workouts I feel 100% better throughout my day (I work in an office and sit for 8 hours so I think my body just needs that movement in the morning to feel well)

I am struggling with weight and have gained 16 lbs already - which from what I can tell is too much as my doctor only wanted me to gain 20 during my entire pregnancy. Though he hasn't said he's concerned one bit, it's a tough thing to see the scale rising so fast.  I started at 200lbs (but had previously lost 60, so i'm still much lighter then I was last year!)

megpants209

Man I’ve really been slacking on posting this 

I’m still doing my same high impact workouts that I’ve done before I got pregnant. Getting a little slower still during run spin sprints (and spin is getting a little harder as the belly grows) but otherwise happy with my activity, just always feeling like I need to increase it a little. 

Eating is still iffy but I ate a salad one day this week! I made the mistake of weighing myself Wednesday morning after coming back from vacay but that’ll even out. I’m up about 10 lbs. I’d like for it to slow a little since I know it will pick up speed but we will see. 

bhou

Sorry if I jumped in I just really wanted to discuss any ways anyone else is trying to keep themselves healthy!

bhou

I've never been a huge high impact workout person so just making sure i'm using weight and keeping my joints ok, I was a long distance runner for a long time and it ruined my knees!  How do you avoid the "easy" snacks, i've been keeping a ton of pre-cut veggies in the fridge so i don't just run to carbs!

Sitting at a desk all day i've definitely been having to avoid the snack cart in our lunch room LOL

megpants209

No worries at all! I forgot to post last week too. Feel free to jump in!

I’m not a big snacker in general but the one thing I do love is roasted almonds so I always keep a bag of those with me. And I portion out some granola too. Veggies don’t fill me up, I need something with a little bit more substance personally, but adding in a handful of almonds seems to help. 

thechickendance

Still running my usual distance and pace, and still slacking on going to yoga or pilates (because I've prioritized running during that time...).  The goal for the weekend is to finally find a prenatal yoga class or stream.  
My appetite is back, so focusing on eating more protein and veggies.  Weight gain is at 7 lbs, 20 weeks tomorrow.  

AshleySparkle720

I don't work out during pregnancy thanks to thyroid and heart issues that appear, but I am a very healthy eater. This pregnancy all of my cravings are vegetables or vanilla yogurt and I cannot get enough water so I'd say that's worked in my favor! When it gets cold outside I'll start going for daily walks, but until the heat subsides I cannot be outside for more than 15 minutes before I start to get dizzy.

allthingsgo

Weight gain is so hard during pregnancy bc you don’t want to gain too much but gaining too little can be bad also.  Such a balancing act. 

With that said I feel pretty good about my weight gain this pregnancy. I’m up about 10lbs at 20 weeks and since I’ve been feeling better I‘be been eating a lot better. My husband is a terrible eater so he is not a good influence but I just think about the baby’s health to motivate me to pick healthier things. 

I have not worked out at all but plan on plenty of walking once the weather is cooler. Right now it’s just too dang hot. Hopefully we can all motivate each other to stay on track! 

BourbonBiscuits

Definitely making healthier choices with this pregnancy than I did with DS. When I was pregnant with him, I used it as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. Which, for the record, I think is a totally valid excuse if you have an otherwise healthy relationship with food. I do not, so that attitude of "whatever I want whenever I want" carried over after he was born and I ended up really struggling to lose the weight. I also typically avoid heavy exercise when pregnant, but I do keep up with daily walks and really strive to meet my step count each day. Mostly I'm just proud that I've recentered my attitude towards food to be as nutrition rather than as a reward as if I'm a dog or something.

hannahbananas11

I finally got back on the rails this week after months of little to no exercise, and went to a prenatal yoga class! The instructor was so neat and fun, and the three other mamas there were so kind. They didn't judge my total beginner level at all! The poses were incredibly helpful for the piriformis pain I've been having, and for my tight IT bands (which have always been tight since the beginning of time, basically).
I'm going to start back on early morning walks tomorrow, and try to get DH to join me (he's not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination). I think I've been off from running for too long to get back into it during this pregnancy, because I get impatient with progress and will certainly feel frustrated when the pregnancy compounds my lack of fitness. So my hope is to get back into walking a lot, which will then (hopefully?) more easily lead into run/walking after delivery.
I'm not eating very well, though. Lots of carbs and cheese, which is wreaking havoc on what used to be super regular bowel movements. I like the perspective of @allthingso, and thinking of whatever I eat as also feeding the baby. I think I'll try to keep that in mind when I'm making my lunch and dinner choices.

sjnsjnsjn

I was soooo good about not eating extra random sweets until about a month ago and now I'm out of hand.  I need to rein it in. Badly!

becks_726

I started a prenatal yoga class last week which was great but made me realize how out of shape I am. Otherwise my exercise has consisted entirely of walking. I'm very tired by the time I get home after work and just not up for much. I'm hoping to maybe add in something a little more demanding at some point... 

Food wise...  Yikes. I haven't had the energy to prepare balanced meals. I'm actually vaguely worried that I'm not eating enough. 

I'm looking forward to my OB appointment next week to find out how much I've gained in the past 3 weeks. Hadn't gained anything up to that point. I stopped weighing myself at home because I was getting a touch obsessive.

cas060

@hannahbananas11 & @becks_726 , yaaas to the prenatal yoga!  I started this week, it's just once a week which kind of sucks but I loved it.

Im on pelvic rest... so not doing much, waiting for the MW to get more info from the specialist to confirm if recumbent bike and walking are okay, just want to make sure I shouldn't be on bed rest, will get clarification on Wed when I see the MW next.

Foodwise, sweets are a put off so far (so unlike me), and chips, etc haven't much appeal either.

ohsunnydays

Eating has gotten more healthy for me in the 2nd tri. I can eat veggies and have even eaten salads!!! Big improvement over 1st tri. I started doing prenatal yoga every other day at home. Umm... why have I never done yoga before? It's amazing! 
P.s. am scared to weigh myself. My doc kinda gave me the side eye and said "weight gain" when I went in for my 16 wk appt. Idk, over the summer I can usually put on a few pounds because I move way less in summer. But her comment kinda put  me off. Guess I should weigh myself to brace myself before my 20 week appt. 

sonicearplugs

I made it to my first prenatal yoga class last week and really enjoyed it. I'm hopeful I'll be able to jump right in more regularly after vacation. If I didn't have such an active job, I'd be feeling much more down on myself for lack of exercise so far...

ohsunnydays

@sonicearplugs I have an active job too. What’s yours? Elementary music teacher here. Constantly moving playing singing games and folk dancing! 

hannahbananas11

@ohsunnydays That's kinda rude of your doc to give you a side eye like that! Very unhelpful, especially because weight gain can vary so much during pregnancy. I think you're totally on the right track with eating plenty of veggies and doing yoga. My opinion is that good nutrition and exercise (which both affect blood pressure, cholesterol and other important metrics) are more important measures of health than weight is.
I gain weight easily, and though I've never been overweight, I've been dreading weighing myself, too. *TW* I had a MC earlier this year, and gained about 10 pounds as a result of that stress, and didn't lose any of that before this pregnancy. *End TW*. I've been steadily gaining weight this pregnancy, and now people are telling me that my bump "looks big for how far along you are", which of course just makes me feel so body-positive. 

ohsunnydays

@hannahbananas11 thank you for your kind comment. I’m sure you look just beautiful, and I want to punch whoever said that to you!!! Why do people think they can comment on our bodies just because we are pregnant? We are growing humans and I think it’s pretty dang impressive. Like you said, it all can vary so much. 

I jumped on the scale this morning and I’ve only gained 10 lbs and I’m on week 19. So i think I’m okay, but even if I was over everyone I talked to has said to just be healthy and let your body do what it needs to. I’m far from treating myself every day(even though everyone tells me it is the “perfect” excuse to pig out). 

Btw a family member who had kids 30-37 years ago told me she gained too much weight so her doc put a PIGGY STICKER on her medical chart.  you bet she told me to NOT worry about weight and just do my best to be healthy! 

hannahbananas11

@ohsunnydays Oh my god, that's terrible that her doc did that! Some doctors can be so terrible and cruel toward their patients.
I am totally over people making us feel anxious about our bodies during this time that's already filled with some change and anxiety. You're right: we're growing humans, and that's pretty badass.

kdrn913

@hannahbananas11 people can seriously be so rude when it comes to pregnant women. I’ve gotten similar comments about the size of my bump already. I was overweight prior to pregnancy so this is just making me feel so terrible. Also the comments like “are you sure it isn’t twins ?!” Make me crazy 

conchispita

I’ve actually been getting up a little earlier to work out. The pro is that I have no lower back pain, the con is I’m exhausted by about 2 or 3 pm. I thought exercise would give me more energy, but the opposite is true for me. Hoping this is just an adjustment period.

allthingsgo

It really is horrible what people think they can say to a pregnant woman especially in regards to size. As if we already don’t feel big enough and worried about both our bodies and babies that we need to hear how huge we look. I also got the ‘is it twins?!’ comment more than once when pregnant with DD. No I’m just freaking huge bc I have a human growing inside me smushing all my insides every which way. She also ended up being almost 10lbs which of course I didn’t know at the time. 

Everyone carries differently because our anatomy is different and our babies are different sizes. No need to body shame us. Most pregnant women are doing the best they can for their own health and their babies. Even if that includes some indulgences now and then. 

@ohsunnydays that is truly appalling a medical professional would use a piggie sticker to fat shame that woman! I’m glad things seeem to be better in general now but I still feel like some doctors (male and female) can be disrespectful to pregnant women. 

megpants209

@conchispita I think exercise energy is as mythical as second tri energy. I do think it gives me more energy overall but on days I work out I am WIPED and I’ve been pretty active for years so I think it’s just the nature of the beast 

sonicearplugs

@ohsunnydays I just transitioned between jobs, but my previous one was in a restaurant with a very large and awkward floor space (I swear I easily walked 1.5-2 miles on a busy day). My new one is at a local sewing shop, which also involves lots of walking/standing/moving machines and fabric.

Ages ago, I used to teach at a kindergarten with 4 year olds... So I 100% understand the active and exhausting teacher role!