Today I am excited to be talking about pregnancy fitness with Carbon 38 and the Blogger Nation girls! I should start by saying that I am not a fitness guru: I do not belong to a gym or have a regular workout routine. Full disclosure, I ate pasta and pizza this weekend. You might remember my last post with Carbon 38 where I shared some realistic healthy habits I live by. All those practice remain in my pregnancy.
I should also say that watching my body change has been much harder for me than I anticipated, and I have gained more weight at this point than I thought. As I mentioned in my last post, I used to be about 30 pounds heavier. For years now I have worked to maintain a healthy lifestyle and keep my weight consistent, so it is difficult to watch it go back up even though I know it’s because I am pregnant. I have all the fears I am sure are common among first time moms. Will I get my body back? How long will it take? Am I doing the right things to keep me and my baby healthy? Etc. Overall, I seek to have an attitude of gratitude that I get to carry this sweet babe and adapt to the changes the best I can. Here are the ways I am trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Pregnancy Fitness with Carbon 38
- Eat smaller, healthy things throughout the day – While I have always brought my lunch to work and eaten it throughout the day, during my pregnancy, especially in the first trimester, I found it essential to have smaller, healthy items I could eat throughout the day. When I was nauseous, eating every couple of hours helped. I didn’t want to wind up eating too much, so I adjusted what I ate slightly. I also found a balance of protein, fiber, and carbs to be more important. I felt like I needed more protein than normal. Examples of what I ate are peanut butter toast, protein bars, an apple and peanut butter, yogurt, almonds, boiled egg, etc. Granted this is what I ate on a good day, but you get the point.
- Exercise – I’ve never been a runner. Gym memberships just end up making me feel guilty when I don’t go. Find what works for you. I love to walk in our neighborhood. Even better if it is with a friend or my hubby. It’s been so hot here in Oklahoma this summer, so I have been sticking mostly inside. We bought a used treadmill on Craig’s List, and I have been trying to walk 2-3 times per week. I also just tried prenatal yoga for the first time this weekend, and I am looking forward to going again.
- Pack snacks – I never know when I am all of a sudden going to feel ravenous, so packing an easy snack in my purse has helped me not fall into the black hole otherwise named vending machines.
- Drink lots of water – Unfortunately I have already experienced swollen ankles. Whomp whomp. The best thing I can do to combat them and other issues is to drink lots of water. I have always been a coffee, water, and tea person. Thankfully I didn’t need to consider cutting out pop too, but I have cut back on tea to watch my caffeine. I feel like I am constantly drinking water!
- Avoid big, salty meals – The times I have felt the worst both mentally and physically are after I overeat, especially on salty food. For me this means one thing, avoid Mexican. I have no self-control people!
- Make easy dinners at home – Cooking at home has always helped me achieve balance in my health (it was on my last post). It’s been even more important as it relates directly to the success of numbers one and five. The emphasis is easy meals at home. During the first trimester I was so hungry and so tired by the time I got home from work. If an easy (read fast) meal wasn’t available, you better believe I grabbed a burger. I have been making things in the crock pot, putting together salads, and looking for things that last more than one night. You can find my favorites on my Pinterest board.
- Fun workout clothes – When talking about fitness or health, this will always be on my list. As a fashion lover, having something I look forward to wearing is always motivating. I think it’s important to purchase a few things that will fit your growing bump so you still feel like getting dressed. Carbon 38 offers a variety of high quality items that will work for any fitness level. I love their leggings, and the print on this pair is so fun.
- Give yourself grace – Last but not least, give yourself some grace. Remember you are carrying a human. It is taxing on the body, and you will have times you don’t feel like yourself or feel like eating healthy/working out. Going through infertility and IVF really made me realize the true miracle of pregnancy and childbearing. Though I have struggled with this particular one myself, I am finding it so important to remember how special this time is, and, just like anything in life, nothing will be perfect. It’s good practice for getting ready to have a baby, I’m sure! I know there will be lots of grace needed then too.
I’d love to hear any tips or habits that may have worked for you! Please share in the comments below.
Leggings, Tee, and Sports Bra all c/o Carbon 38 // Sneakers: Nike
110 Comments
I do think eating at home helps A LOT when you want to eat healthier and wiser. That tank look great on you look great!! It is hard to see the weight come on when you’re pregnant, but it is all for a good reason!! It sounds like you are making wise choices with what fuel you put in your body, which is the important thing! And, you are right about Mexican… I can never stop on the chips and salsa!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
You are seriously GLOWING! Looking gorgeous 🙂
Xx
Molly
http://www.trendychickadee.com
Great tips!! One of the things that keeps me on track is meal prepping on Sunday afternoons…We almost always grill a bunch of organic chicken to throw on salads or in sandwiches throughout the week. A lifesaver during the busy work week!
xx
Laura
http://www.sequinsatbreakfast.com
You look fab Amy! Totally agree that fun workout gear is super motivating!
Chelsea
Chow Down USA
Instagram
Your tips are great! And really you look fabulous! It was hard to watch my body gaining weight during my pregnancies, but knowing your growing a human being and that you can get back to your original weight kept my weight fears in check!
http://www.mylittlenest.org
Amy,
I think your health and fitness worries are all normal, but I’m sure you’re on the right track! You look adorable in your workout clothes!
http://www.districthilo.com
Love, Mary
Such a great post, Amy! I worked out during my pregnancy as well! There’s nothing better but staying healthy while pregnant. It’s so important…I also did drink a ton of water! Anyhow, you look fabulous and I love your work-out gear! You are flawless, and such an inspiration!
Happy Monday, love!
xoxo, Vanessa
http://www.WhatWouldVWear.com
Amy, I worked in obstetrics conducting research studies and you look healthy! I can only try to understand how hard it can be to see the numbers go up, but remember that it’s not the number that’s always reflective of what’s true. For example, you can gain more muscle mass, which is heavier than fat and the numbers on the scale will go up. That said, I’m confident you will loose the baby weight once you conceive because like you’ve mentioned, you practiced a healthy lifestyle before conceiving, so you’ve already adapted good eating/fitness/mental habits. It’s when women who have not had any good diet or fitness habits prior to conceiving have a bit more of a struggle with figuring out how to loose the weight and even then, many do loose it 🙂 I love your workout look, you look fab, hot mamma! Thanks so much for sharing and for being real and open about how you feel, which is normal and relatable 🙂 Have a great week and start to your new month!
XO,
Jalisa
http://www.thestylecontour.com
Thank you so much for the encouragement. You’re the best!
Love these leggings! You look great – happy & comfy which is most important !
michellespaige.com
So Great post and love all the photos. 🙂
http://www.selestyme.com
These are fantastic tips and you look incredible! Please please do not listen to anyone about how fast you should lose it when you should lose it or how you should lose it. It took me a long time. I am not a gym person either and I just do my own workouts and a lot of walking! It’s really all about eating what’s good for us but also eating what we love in moderation as well! I think you do a darn good job sweet girly and you and your baby and your Mr. Are so blessed
Thank you so much for your support. It really is different for every woman, and I am trying to both enjoy it and take care of myself.
This is such a great post – you covered every tip I learned during my pregnancy! I say you are in the right mindset and you have a great plan to maintain a healthy pregnancy. I truly believe pregnancy is only so hard because it is really preparing you for life with baby which is even harder! But it goes without saying that the rewards far outweigh all of the difficulties in the end. I had a yoga teacher once say something that comforted me during a particularly difficult period of pregnancy and that is to remember that you were hard-wired to do this, your body can do it, and will do it and you just need to believe in yourself and remember the difficulty is all temporary. Good luck with everything! Also – loving your look – Alo Yoga has the best sports bras!
xx
Zahra
http://www.lovezahra.com
Thanks for the encouragement! That is so true that we are hard-wired to do this. I keep telling myself women have done it since the beginning so surely I can too. Ha!
Keeping up with a workout routine is no small task, and I can’t imagine how much harder it is after having a baby. But I agree, it’s definitely important right now to remember that any extra weight is for your growing baby and nothing more!
http://www.iamchiconthecheap.com/
Those leggings are so cute!
http://www.amemoryofus.com
These are great tips and definitely something I will need to follow while I recover. I love going to the gym but these days I’m told that I have to avoid it. Thanks for sharing this Amy Ann, I know I don’t have self control when it comes to food haha!
http://www.rdsobsessions.com
These are great tips! My ankles were swollen a lot during my last pregnancy and I knew it was the salty chips, I mean foods I was eating! I prefer to run outdoors not a fan of the gym.
Hey, I was just visiting your blog! 🙂 Haha, it’s so hard to have self-control!
Wearing fun workout clothes is such a good way to feel good bl about yourself while working out! You look amazing!
http://thecourtneydiaries.com
Fantastic tips! I enjoy reading what others do to maintain a healthy balance. I did prenatal yoga throughout my pregnancy and loved it – if anything, it helped with the labor and breathing! I was so nauseous my first trimester that I pretty much lived on ginger ale and saltines. Once that passed I indulged when I wanted so I think making sure you have easily accessible healthier options is key. Being active certainly helps as well, whether it’s walking, doing yoga, or other less strenuous activities.
Allison / Joy and Ivy
http://www.joyandivy.com
Amazing style, all perfectly match, you look gorgeous, thanks for sharing!!!
xxx
http://www.noragouma.com
Pre-packing snacks always helped me! That way I knew I always had a healthy option! Also, I gained a fair amount of weight early on then plateaued for a while. I wouldn’t be worrying about any weight gain so far-you look amazing!