Because the point of this blog is to document things I have thought, felt and done throughout this pregnancy, I would like to share my current workout routine with you so I can remember it in the future. Since hitting week 10, my workouts have changed slightly. I am no longer going to the gym five times per week as I was pre-pregnancy, now I am going three times per week. My reason for this is because my body needs extra time to heal between each workout. I don’t want to strain my body any more than it needs to be strained. I am also incorporating more yoga into my workouts to prepare my body for when I get bigger and for labor\delivery. So on any given week, my three workouts usually look something like this:
Workout 1
30 minutes of cardio – Usually I will do either cycling or running. I used to be REALLY into Hiit (high intensity interval training) workouts with lots of burpees, push ups, Russian twists, jumping jacks, est., but I have laid off of this for now because I wouldn’t personally consider that a pregnancy-safe workout. But that’s just me… if you want/can do it safely… go for it!
15-20 minutes of weights – I am still lifting as heavy as I was pre-pregnancy (woohoo!) Not sure if this will need to change in the future, but so far, so good! I am paying special attention to my back because I know pregnancy will increase the strain on it.
15 minutes of Abs\Stretching – This usually consists of planks, squats, roll ups, light twists, leg extensions, est. I don’t really do sit ups anymore because it puts pressure on my uterus and I just don’t like how it feels. Also, my midwife told me that doing ab workouts while pregnant is almost like working against yourself because in pregnancy you want your ab muscles to stretch not tighten, and ab exercises make you tighten up.
Workout 2
15-20 minutes of weights – I am still lifting as heavy as I was pre-pregnancy (woohoo!) Not sure if this will need to change in the future, but so far, so good! I am paying special attention to my back because I know pregnancy will increase the strain on it.
15 minutes of Abs\Stretching – This usually consists of planks, squats, roll ups, light twists, leg extensions, est. I don’t really do sit ups anymore because it puts pressure on my uterus and I just don’t like how it feels. Also, my midwife told me that doing ab workouts while pregnant is almost like working against yourself because in pregnancy you want your ab muscles to stretch not tighten, and ab exercises make you tighten up.
Workout 2
15 minutes of weights – With a special focus on the legs!
45 minutes to 1 hour of low impact workout – This could be yoga or swimming. It’s crazy how much I dislike these workouts though – mainly because they are so different from the high intensity workouts I usually do. Don’t get me wrong, I usually leave the yoga studio sweating up a storm (it really strengthens your whole body and my muscles hurt afterwards – I love it!), but it’s still not burpees and push ups (which are a few of my all time favourite things!) In short, it’s the slowing down that has been hard for me, but I know that it’s good for mommy and baby, so hopefully I will learn to love it. It will also help me get back to fit post-baby, so that’s a huge benefit!
Here are some reasons yoga is good for all the mama’s out there: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/prenatal-yoga_n_3038138.html
Workout 3
This one looks a lot like Workout 1, but I change the type of cardio I do. Results are improved by muscle confusion. Gotta keep my body guessing!
Side note: I also get an additional 50 minutes of cardio per week because I walk to work (10 min per day, 5 days per week). I literally have to hurdle jump over the snow drifts, and I have come to really enjoy it! It’s an easy way to get almost an full additional hour of cardio in my week!
Weigh In
If you’re curious, I have gained exactly 5 pounds so far in this pregnancy. I think I look like I've gained more, but that’s just my uterus sticking out and playing tricks! I hope that by keeping the rest of my body (arms, legs, back, butt, est.) in great shape I'll have an easier time getting back to my post-baby body.
45 minutes to 1 hour of low impact workout – This could be yoga or swimming. It’s crazy how much I dislike these workouts though – mainly because they are so different from the high intensity workouts I usually do. Don’t get me wrong, I usually leave the yoga studio sweating up a storm (it really strengthens your whole body and my muscles hurt afterwards – I love it!), but it’s still not burpees and push ups (which are a few of my all time favourite things!) In short, it’s the slowing down that has been hard for me, but I know that it’s good for mommy and baby, so hopefully I will learn to love it. It will also help me get back to fit post-baby, so that’s a huge benefit!
Here are some reasons yoga is good for all the mama’s out there: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/09/prenatal-yoga_n_3038138.html
Workout 3
This one looks a lot like Workout 1, but I change the type of cardio I do. Results are improved by muscle confusion. Gotta keep my body guessing!
Side note: I also get an additional 50 minutes of cardio per week because I walk to work (10 min per day, 5 days per week). I literally have to hurdle jump over the snow drifts, and I have come to really enjoy it! It’s an easy way to get almost an full additional hour of cardio in my week!
Weigh In
If you’re curious, I have gained exactly 5 pounds so far in this pregnancy. I think I look like I've gained more, but that’s just my uterus sticking out and playing tricks! I hope that by keeping the rest of my body (arms, legs, back, butt, est.) in great shape I'll have an easier time getting back to my post-baby body.
In total, I hope to gain an additional 20 more pounds over the course of this pregnancy. That would be ideal for my height and pre-baby weight. Here's hoping this plan plays out... I know it'll be hard work, so please keep me in your prayers. This isn't about vanity, it's about health!
Grace and peace,
Alannah
No comments:
Post a Comment