Fitness during Pregnancy (August)

abbsters-2 · August 2022

(Borrowed from August and October 2022!) I'm going to make this monthly for now, but we can always move to weekly threads if there's interest!

What are your fitness goals for this week/month/pregnancy?

Did you get any workouts in this week? What type, and how did you feel?

What modifications are you making or planning on making?

Any questions?

Any tips or advice you'd like to share?

abbsters-2 · August 2022

What are your fitness goals for this week/month/pregnancy? I'd like to end this pregnancy in a healthier and stronger place than when I started. For this month, I'd like to exercise every day, and also make sure I'm not overeating, or eating too many unhealthy foods.

Did you get any workouts in this week? What type, and how did you feel? I've managed a few, but I'd like to be more consistent. I've been doing some beginner workouts on YouTube, and am seeing improvement, but my motivation is definitely less than before I found out I was pregnant.

What modifications are you making or planning on making? I was trying to count calories pre-pregnancy, since working out doesn't really help me lose much weight. I'm trying to eat more than I was but also trying to find a balance between eating enough and not overeating. It's hard! I was finally seeing some results, so I'm a little unmotivated right now.

Any questions?

nsk489 · August 2022

Thanks for getting this started @abbsters-2! For your goal of not overeating or eating unhealthy foods, I find that meal planning really helps! I only plan out dinners (not breakfast or lunch) but it definitely helps me---then when I go to the grocery store I stick to my menu/list and steer clear of the junk food aisles as best I can 🤣

What are your fitness goals for this week/month/pregnancy? I am still carrying around an extra ~15 lbs from my last pregnancy, and had been wanting to start getting back into light exercise (mostly yoga) before I found out I was pregnant. My main goal is to just keep active (which shouldn't be too hard with a toddler) and stay healthy!

Did you get any workouts in this week? What type, and how did you feel? I was on vacation this past week (and now at my parents house for the next week) so not planning on any actual "workouts". But we did go for a 1.5 mile hike this past week (with my 22 lb kiddo strapped to me 🤪). I plan on swimming a couple times this week and hopefully getting a couple walks in with my parents dog!

What modifications are you making or planning on making? I want to make sure to do some exercises to strengthen my back/help with back pain. I've been suffering from some back pain from carrying around my toddler all the time (he's 14 months and not quite walking independently yet) so I really want to strengthen that up before the pregnancy weight makes it worse

Any questions? NATM

Any tips or advice you'd like to share? I really enjoyed the Down Dog prenatal yoga app my last pregnancy, and plan on starting that back up when I get home later next week

abbsters-2 · August 2022

Meal planning is something I need to get better at for sure! I'm trying to keep my kitchen stocked with easy and fast but healthier choices, which has helped a bit too.

My toddler is heavy too and loves to be held, so I'm pretty sure I burn at least a few extra calories carrying him around.

The Down Dog app sounds great! I'll check it out.

nsk489 · August 2022

@abbsters-2 yes definitely don't count out the calories you burn from carrying/chasing around a toddler!!! That's my main form of exercise most days 🤣

ladyofarlington · August 2022

What are your fitness goals for this week/month/pregnancy? This week: exercise 6 days; this month: keep up with my workout program; this pregnancy: stay healthy and as fit as possible

Did you get any workouts in this week? What type, and how did you feel? Yes - so far strength training workouts yesterday (Mon) and today

What modifications are you making or planning on making? I skipped push-ups, burpees, planks, and basically anything face down because I was feeling a little nauseous so it’s possible I might skip those when I have a little nausea during workouts.

Any questions? Not really

Any tips or advice you'd like to share? Nothing comes to mind at the moment

maggied26 · August 2022

So I'd love to hear some feed back from you ladies interested in keeping up a healthy lifestyle. I've struggled with my weight literally my entire life and have never found anything that really is something I can stick to long term that actually continues to work. I basically never eat out except for special occasions or birthdays (so maybe once a month tops). At home, I try to eat as healthy as possible. Usually my breakfasts are yogurt and fruit, hard boiled eggs, or smoothies. Lunches are almost always salads or just a bunch if raw veggies and hummus. Dinner I try to make something my husband and daughter will eat but I always make sure to include veggies and I tend to skip on any starches like potatoes, rice, pasta. I still lose weight soooo slowly and I'm losing hope because I'm already seeing the scale fluctuate so much at 6.5 weeks. The one thing I struggle with is working out. For many reasons, I find it hard to squeeze into my day. I work full time from home while also taking care of my toddler but I own my own business so I tend to work quite a bit more than just my 40 hours a week. So between that, cooking, and cleaning, and doing basically all of the childcare stuff, I just don't know when to squeeze it in. I'm lucky if I get a 5 minute shower to call my me time. I have no hobbies whatsoever. And now I'm exhausted all the time and I'm lucky if I can keep my eyes open past 9 most nights. So my questions for you all are how do you manage to squeeze in workout time in addition to all the other craziness of life? Do you have recommendations for any YouTube channels with easy pregnancy friendly workouts that take limited space (my house is super tiny, could basically be an apartment lol)? Also, how are you combating the mental drain of anxiety over just keeping your baby healthy but also not wanting to gain a ton of weight?

acleverusername · August 2022

@maggied26 I can't claim that my life is the same as yours, but I do have a really busy full-time job and I'm just mentally exhausted at the end of the day, and my mornings are spent going to various doctor appointments and in the last few weeks, it's been starting work early because of how much I have to do. I'm not sure if this is an option for you, but what I did was message our local community facebook group asking if anyone wants to do morning walks. Turned out a neighbor was also interested in walking, so we now try and walk 1-3 mornings before work. This is forced, of course, but having an accountability partner is very helpful. I've cancelled more than she, but every time I do, I know I'm letting her down (that said, every time has been legitimate).

Otherwise, I just try not to be hard on myself. My goal these days is to get to 10,000 daily steps. Most days I get that through walking my dog, random errands, etc. But the last few weeks, while I've been working a ton, I've stayed below that.

I also just signed up for prenatal yoga, so I'm hoping that will help.

A few things: can you put your toddler into a stroller and go for a 20 min walk with them? Can you just work with your partner to carve out those 20 min in the morning or evening? Most important thing is... set a small goal and work on achieving it. YouTube workouts are fine, but to me, there's a huge barrier of getting into workout clothes, getting set up, etc. Going for walks I can do in whatever I'm wearing (provided I don't speed walk, but you don't need to do that to reach your 10,000 steps.)

Anyways, I won't pretend to know what life is like with a toddler, so these are just things I use to cope with my own life load.

abbsters-2 · August 2022

@maggied26 I can't imagine how hard it must be to find time while taking care of a toddler AND working from home! I'm doing the same kind of things with my diet: trying to eat healthy things, but not counting calories. I'm also seeing some scale fluctuations, but I think bloating is pretty normal in early pregnancy, so I'm attributing most of it to that.

I am not a person who is very healthy, but I do want to become healthier! I'm trying to make really small changes that I can keep doing long term, so even if it doesn't seem like a lot, I know I'm still doing something! I started doing youtube workouts a couple months ago, and try to do at least one every day (even if it is only ten minutes).

I really like this playlist/channel:
As a not-in-shape-at-all person (!), I think her beginner workouts are more accessible for me than a lot of others I have seen. They're great for small spaces, and for when you only have 5-10 minutes. Sometimes, I do a couple of them at different times during the day. And, honestly, I stick my children in front of the TV when I do them. I know screen time isn't ideal, but I think health is important, and that's what lets me get a few minutes for myself!

@acleverusername I work out in whatever I'm wearing

, because otherwise I won't do it! I love the idea of finding a walking partner.

maggied26 · August 2022

@acleverusername i love the idea of morning walks! Unfortunately there aren't many people my age in our neighborhood( it's mostly very elderly haha). But my mother in law lives just a few blocks away so maybe one the days she's home i'll see about an afternoon walk if she'd like to go! I know I need to fund a feasible way to make myself do something active and I enjoy walking at least.

@abbsters-2 thanks for the link, I'll check out that channel! With winter approaching soon, I'll definitely need some indoor activities!

nsk489 · August 2022

After spending the last month with family/traveling, I'm ready to get back into the swing of things! I did manage to get a couple hikes in the last 1.5 weeks (with my 23 lb kiddo strapped to me 🤪)
Squeezed in a 15 minute yoga workout during naptime today. Focused mostly just on stretches bc I've been feeling pretty stiff lately. Hoping to get one in daily

acleverusername · September 2022

I've decided not to do anything special fitness wise, except trying to get my 2-3 morning walks with my neighbor each week. I also walk my dog 2-3 times a day, although my heart rate actually lowers when walking her. Lol. (Short-legged dog mom woes.) What I'd really love to do is amp up how many beach walks I'm taking with my doggo. Right now I'm happy if I manage 1 or 2 a week (mostly on weekends). Ideally I'd like it to be 3 a week (2x during the week and at least 1x on the weekend with my hubby).

I did sign up for a 4-class prenatal yoga course starting on Sep 11.

ilovebeaches2022 · September 2022

@maggied26 I am also a business owner! No living children yet so can’t relate on that level but being a business owner is a lot of hours! One thing I did that helped my mental health huge is I take a half day off on Wednesdays & Sundays (since I typically work a lot of weekend days too) and that has been great! Going for walks too might be something you can do with your toddler

I got a Fitbit a could years ago and feel like it helps motivate me a lot to at least get my steps in if I can’t squeeze a workout in. What type of business do you have?

firsttimemama1987 · September 2022

Has anyone tried personal training? About a month before I got pregnant I had started Weight Watchers (trying to lose 15-20 lb of Covid/ grad school weight) and had planned to start working with a personal trainer. Now that I’m pregnant I’d like to work with a trainer but feel I should clear with my OB first, and I don’t meet her for a few more weeks. Would love to hear anyone else’s experiences! I’ve heard jumping exercises are a no-go since they really stress your pelvic floor muscles (fine with me, I LOATHE burpees).

acleverusername · September 2022

@firsttimemamafromboston if you're clear with your trainer that you're pregnant, they should be able to tailor your program to suit whatever stage of pregnancy you're in. They need to know this stuff in order to get certified as personal trainer. Finding a trainer who has experience with pregnant patients would also be a good idea!

russodavis · September 2022

I’ve always been an avid runner but forcing myself into the treadmill everyday has been exhausting! I’m obsessed with peloton too! I basically feel like my legs are made out of lead! I hope I start feeling better next month 😊

maggied26 · September 2022

@ilovebeaches2022 that's a good strategy to have! I have such a hard time breaking from work and usually as soon as I do my husband wants to do a huge cleaning spree so I'm still working lol. And I do medical coding and billing. We also act as a consulting firm for new practices and help them get up and running and help with staff training in addition to our billing services. Most of our doctors are pretty high maintenance but the doctor I specifically handle is the worst which is why my job consumes so much of my time. I've had to really work hard to set boundaries or he'd call me at like 9 pm while I'm getting my daughter to bed lol

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