Starting Over
It’s been two months since I last wrote—an unintentional absence. I left you with my newfound determination to re-commit to my exercise routine, and all started out well. Was on a residency in sunny Australia, where my personal trainer friend offered a few free sessions. I had resolve! New sports bras! I was going to kick ass until I had six-pack abs!
I started by jogging around a beautiful lake in sunny Perth, and after two weeks of consistent workouts, I was… in worse shape than when I started. Unusually ravished, I was eating far more than I typically do. I started craving sugar in ways I’ve never craved it before—not just, say, eating frosting by the spoonful, but I was having weird cravings. Like, I’d put on suntan lotion and think “Ohhh, it looks like frosting” and I’d kinda want to eat it. HELLO.
There I was—plodding along my jogging path wondering why the hell I’m huffing more than I had when I first started. Shouldn’t this be getting easier? I caught glimpse of myself in a store window, and dear JEZUZ is that a MUFFIN TOP? What the hell? And why are my freaking boobs killing me? I’m wearing TWO sports bras for God’s sake WHAT IS GOING ON.
I imagine that some of the mommas reading this right now are one step ahead of me at this point. Pregnancy is what’s up and OMG, that was fast. So it wasn’t a total shock, but I was braced for the whole thing to take a while. It took two days, which was a happy, happy surprise.
With 10 days abroad left to go, I told my husband over Skype. My personal trainer friend was the first one to know in person, and he quickly went about the business of upgrading my vitamins and teaching me all about pregnancy workouts.
I wasn’t feeling well–the hormones, the weirdness, digestive insanity. I made it to a few yoga classes, and did my best to walk around a lake a day (about 3 miles) but decided that for now, growing a baby was enough work for me.
I feel MUCH better now. At nearly 18 weeks, I can feel the little bean swimming around in there, thumping my belly like a popcorn popper. And it’s time to get fit. I’m pregnant. I’ve been eating ice cream daily for three months. And I’m totally out of shape. But I want to start getting healthy again.
I’ve never been pregnant before, and other than reading up on what’s safe and what isn’t, I’m not sure where to begin, so today I walked around the lake by my house, and that’s a start. I just read Amanda’s post on water aerobics, so there’s an idea, but if any of you, moms or not, have suggestions, please leave a comment.
July 13th, 2009 at 7:00 am
Do it! Working out during pregnancy was one of the best things I’ve ever done. For me, it made everything easier, mentally and physically.
My doc said I should avoid back-laying exercises after 20 weeks or so, and that I should listen if my body was telling me I was doing too much.
Other than that she gave me a green light and recommended ab work, even though sit-ups are on the back-laying list. I ran slowly until around 6 months (when round ligament pain started to make it no fun) and did an intense strength training class until almost 8 months. After that, I walked and swam. Swimming when you’re carrying around a watermelon under your skin is fantastic – you feel weightless.
GOOD LUCK, Congratulations, and have fun!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am
OK, so I’m 21, and know next to nothing about you know, ACtually being pregnant–but I just wanted to add that my mom swam and did water aerobics while pregnant with me and LOVED it. Consequently, I ended up a total water kid, which turned into 12 solid years of competitive swimming. (I just graduated college this spring, and with that ended my swimming career–enormously bittersweet.) So the water thing while pregnant? Seemed to have done us both a whole lot good. Congratulations and best of luck!
July 13th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Um, a whole lot OF good, rather. Sorry for the caveman speak there…
July 17th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
Congratulations! I loved my pre-natal yoga class in the second trimester and into my third. Also, in my third trimester I quit sitting on my couch and instead used a big exercise ball as a chair. It really helped with pain in my hips & pelvis.